Search results for "precursor"
showing 10 items of 490 documents
Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence of chicken avidin-related genes 1-5.
1994
Using avidin cDNA as a hybridisation probe, we detected a gene family whose putative products are related to the chicken egg-white avidin. Two overlapping genomic clones were found to contain five genes (avidin-related genes 1–5, avrl-avr5), which have been cloned, characterized and sequenced. All of the genes have a four-exon structure with an overall identity with the avidin cDNA of 88–92%. The genes appear to have no pseudogenic features and, in fact, two of these genes have been shown to be transcribed. The putative proteins share a sequence identity of 68–78% with avidin. The amino acid residues responsible for the biotin-binding activity of avidin and the bacterial biotin-binding prot…
The Swedish dilemma - the almost exclusive use of APPswe-based mouse models impedes adequate evaluation of alternative β-secretases.
2022
Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, however incurable so far. It is widely accepted that aggregated amyloid β (Aβ) peptides play a crucial role for the pathogenesis of AD, as they cause neurotoxicity and deposit as so-called Aβ plaques in AD patient brains. Aβ peptides derive from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) upon consecutive cleavage at the β- and γ-secretase site. Hence, mutations in the APP gene are often associated with autosomal dominant inherited AD. Almost thirty years ago, two mutations at the β-secretase site were observed in two Swedish families (termed Swedish APP (APPswe) mutations), which led to early-onset AD. Consequently, APPswe was …
Biological invasion and parasitism: invaders do not suffer from physiological alterations of the acanthocephalan Pomphorhynchus laevis.
2009
SUMMARYBiological invasions expose parasites to new invasive hosts in addition to their local hosts. However, local parasites are often less successful in infecting and exploiting their new hosts. This may have major consequences for the competitive ability of hosts, and finally on the fate of the parasite-host community. In Burgundy (Eastern France), the acanthocephalan parasite,Pomphorhynchus laevis, infects 2 amphipod species living in sympatry: the nativeGammarus pulexand the invasiveGammarus roeseli. WhileP. laevisaffects the behaviour and the immunity ofG. pulex,G. roeseliseems unaffected by the infection. In this study, we examined in detail the ability of the parasite to affect the …
T-cell hyperreactivity of NZB mice against H-2 identical cells
1983
NZB mice serve as a model for human systemic lupus erythematodes. T-cell abnormalities in this strain have previously been described. In this paper the cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursor (CTL-p) frequencies of NZB mice against H-2 allogeneic and H-2 syngeneic cells are investigated and compared with those of the normal strain BALB/c. The CTL-p frequency in NZB lymphocytes against H-2 allogeneic cells equals that in normal mouse strains (i.e. 1/7500). The NZB anti BALB/c response is in the same order of magnitude. No corresponding BALB/c anti NZB response was elicited. The results suggest abnormally high sensitivity of NZB CTL-p to helper signals.
Activation of complement by the alternative pathway as a factor in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.
1976
Dental plaque and a bacterium, Actinomyces viscosus, isolated from plaque that can reproduce periodontal disease in germ-free rats, are activators of complement by the alternative pathway. It is suggested that this process is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory periodontal disease.
Defective Postnatal Neurogenesis and Disorganization of the Rostral Migratory Stream in Absence of theVax1Homeobox Gene
2004
The subventricular zone (SVZ) is one of the sources of adult neural stem cells (ANSCs) in the mouse brain. Precursor cells proliferate in the SVZ and migrate through the rostral migratory stream (RMS) to the olfactory bulb (OB), where they differentiate into granule and periglomerular cells. Few transcription factors are known to be responsible for regulating NSC proliferation, migration, and differentiation processes; even fewer have been found to be responsible for the organization of the SVZ and RMS. For this reason, we studied the ventral anterior homeobox (Vax1) gene in NSC proliferation and in SVZ organization. We found thatVax1is strongly expressed in the SVZ and in the RMS and that,…
Secretion of neutral and acid DNases in cultivated human lymphocytes after incubation with DNA; possible consequences for inhalation anesthesia.
1995
Abstract After incubation with DNA human lymphocytes release neutral and acid DNase activities into the culture medium; the release depends on DNA concentration and time of cultivation. The electrophoretic mobility of the released neutral DNase activity is in accordance with DNase I and the electrophoretic mobility of the released acid DNase activity with DNase II. The released DNase activities do not originate from dead cells and are not influenced by blast cell formation. The anesthetic halothane can inhibit the released neutral and acid DNase activities. Inhalation anesthesia can possibly disturb the correlation between DNA and DNases in human blood.
Insect Immune Evasion by Dauer and Nondauer Entomopathogenic Nematodes
2021
The immune response of animals, including insects, is overcome by some parasites. For example, dauer larvae (DL) of the obligate entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) Heterorhabditis and Steinernema can invade insects, evade their defenses, and cause death. Although DL were long assumed to be the only infective stage of nematodes, recent reports suggest that L2-L3 larvae of facultative EPNs are also capable of killing insects. There are no studies, to our knowledge, about the role of nonimmunological barriers (the exoskeleton and its openings) in avoiding infection by DL and L2-L3 larvae, or whether these larval stages evade the host immune system in the same way. The objective of this study wa…
Differential Regulation of CCL22 Gene Expression in Murine Dendritic Cells and B Cells
2005
Abstract The activated T cell-attracting CC chemokine CCL22 is expressed by stimulated B cells and mature dendritic cells (DC). We have cloned and sequenced the complete mouse gene, including 4 kb of the 5′-flanking promoter region, and detected two distinct sites for initiation of transcription by 5′-RACE. Reporter gene assays indicate that the promoter reflects the specificity of the endogenous gene. Within the proximal promoter region, we identified potential binding sites for NF-κB, Ikaros, and a putative GC box. All three regions bind proteins. The NF-κB site was shown to specifically bind NF-κB subunits p50 and p65 from nuclear extracts of LPS-stimulated B cells, B cell line A20/2J, T…
Increased AICD generation does not result in increased nuclear translocation or activation of target gene transcription.
2008
A sequence of amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleavages culminates in the sequential release of the APP intracellular domain (AICD) and the amyloid beta peptide (Abeta) and/or p3 fragment. One of the environmental factors favouring the accumulation of AICD appears to be a rise in intracellular pH. Here we further identified the metabolism and subcellular localization of artificially expressed constructs under such conditions. We also co-examined the mechanistic lead up to the AICD accumulation and explored possible significances for its increased expression. We found that most of the AICD generated under pH neutralized conditions is likely cleaved from C83. While the AICD surplus was unable…