The genetic structure and function of MHC class I chain-related (MIC) genes in the pig genome have not been well characterized, and show discordance in available data. Therefore, we have experimentally characterized the exon-intron structure and functional copy expression pattern of the pig MIC gene, SLA-MIC2. We have also studied the genetic diversity of SLA-MIC2 from seven different breeds us...

Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) which contain immunostimulatory CG motifs (CpG ODN) can promote T helper 1 (Th1) responses, an adjuvant activity that is desirable for vaccination against leishmaniasis. To test this, susceptible BALB/c mice were vaccinated with soluble leishmanial antigen (SLA) with or without CpG ODN as adjuvant and then challenged with Leishmania major metacyclic promastigotes. Cp...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Specific leaf area (SLA), a key element of the 'worldwide leaf economics spectrum', is the preferred 'soft' plant trait for assessing soil fertility. SLA is a function of leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and leaf thickness (LT). The first, LDMC, defines leaf construction costs and can be used instead of SLA. However, LT identifies shade at its lowest extreme and succulence at ...

Characterization of the peptide-binding specificity of swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class I and II molecules is critical to the understanding of adaptive immune responses of swine toward infectious pathogens. Here, we describe the complete binding motif of the SLA-2*0401 molecule based on a positional scanning combinatorial peptide library approach. By combining this binding motif with data ac...

The 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of the dengue virus (DENV) genome contains two defined elements essential for viral replication. At the 5' end, a large stem-loop (SLA) structure functions as the promoter for viral polymerase activity. Next to the SLA, there is a short stem-loop that contains a cyclization sequence known as the 5' upstream AUG region (5'UAR). Here, we analyzed the secondary s...

We investigated the variations in specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) of 20 species (10 annuals and 10 perennials) that have different distributional patterns in the Kerqin Sandy Land in northern China. The main purpose of our study was to determine if SLA and/or LDMC could be used as indicators of plant resource-use strategy in sand dune environments. The selected speci...

The highly polymorphic swine major histocompatibility complex (MHC), termed swine leukocyte antigen (SLA), is associated with different levels of immunologic responses to infectious diseases, vaccines, and transplantation. Pig breeds with known SLA haplotypes are important genetic resources for biomedical research. Canadian Yorkshire and Landrace pigs represent the current specific pathogen-fre...

Monocyte subsets have been shown to differ in the pattern of chemokine receptor expression and their migratory properties, both in human and mouse. Previously we have characterized in the swine several monocyte subpopulations, based on the expression of CD163, Tük4 and SLA-II, which share features with the populations described in human and mouse. Here, we have analysed the expression of differ...

Cloud computing markets face challenges, such as a large variety of different resource types in the market. A large variety of resource types results in a low number of matches of ask and bids. Consequently, the market has a low liquidity, which is economically inefficient and can lead to market failure. To counteract this problem, SLA templates (i.e., templates for electronic contracts) have b...