A family of three position-specific (PS) integrins are expressed at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ): a beta subunit ((betaPS), expressed in both presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes, and two alpha subunits (alphaPS1, alphaPS2), expressed at least in the postsynaptic membrane. PS integrins appear at postembryonic NMJs coincident with the onset of rapid morphological growth and term...

IL-6 mediates growth of some human multiple myeloma (MM) cells and IL-6-dependent cell lines. Although three IL-6 signaling pathways (STAT1, STAT3, and Ras-dependent MAPK cascade) have been reported, cascades mediating IL-6-triggered growth of MM cells and cell lines are not defined. In this study, we therefore characterized IL-6 signaling cascades in MM cell lines, MM patient cells, and IL-6-d...

BACKGROUND Micronutrients containing vitamins are reported to reduce symptom levels in persons with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but data on vitamin levels in ADHD are sparse. AIMS To examine the relationship between vitamin concentrations, ADHD diagnosis and psychiatric symptoms in young adult ADHD patients and controls. METHOD Eight vitamins and the nicotine metabolite...

IL-27 is an APC-derived IL-6/IL-12 family composite cytokine with multiple functions such as regulation of Th1, Th17, and regulatory T cell differentiation, B cell proliferation, and Ig class switching. The IL-27 complex is formed by the association of the cytokine p28 with the soluble cytokine receptor EBV-induced gene 3 (EBI3). The IL-27 cytokine and soluble receptor subunits p28 and EBI3 can...

We investigate the rotational velocities of early-type stars in the Sco OB2 association. We measure vsini for 156 established and probable members of the association. The measurements are performed with three different techniques, which are in increasing order of expected vsini: 1) converting the widths of spectral lines directly to vsini, 2) comparing artificially broadened spectra of low vsin...

Overexpression of Hoxb4 in bone marrow cells promotes expansion of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) populations in vivo and in vitro, indicating that this homeoprotein can activate the genetic program that determines self-renewal. However, this function cannot be solely attributed to Hoxb4 because Hoxb4(-/-) mice are viable and have an apparently normal HSC number. Quantitative polymerase chain re...