autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (alps) is a prototypic disorder of abnormal lymphocyte homeostasis. in the september 2005 issue of the iranian journal of allergy, asthma and immunology, a patient with clinical features consistent with alps was described. although the clinical presentation was in favor of alps, a precise diagnosis needed more laboratory evaluations.

Cell-to cell communication occurs via a signaling pathway referred to as quorum sensing. There are four main types of these systems according to the chemical nature of signal molecules used by microorganisms to elicit expression of target genes in response to environmental stimuli or need of microbial communities. Type I system acts by using acyl homoserine lactones as signals to trigger the ex...

Background: The First apoptosis signal (FAS) and First apoptosis signal ligand (FASL) genes initiate the apoptosis pathway, playing a central role in the tumor growth and metastasis. Gene polymorphisms including -1377 G/A in the promoter region of FAS and -844 C/T in the promoter region of FASL have shown to change the transcription activities of these genes. Methods: In this study we evalua...

Natural indicators of the electrical polarity of a direct current (DC) source is limited to semiconductor based diodes and transistors. Recently a novel bio-natural indicator of the polarity of a DC source have been reported. Mimosa Pudica or sensitive plant is found to be a natural detector of a DC source polarity, however the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is not known. This paper aims ...

A small number of developmental signaling pathways are used repeatedly throughout development in many different contexts. How these pathways interact with each other and the specific cell context to generate a wide range of appropriate responses remains an important question. The application of genomic and proteomic approaches and imaging at high spatiotemporal resolution are providing answers ...

Cell signaling pathways are sequences of biochemical reactions that propagate an input signal, such as a hormone binding to a cell-surface receptor, into the cell to trigger a reactive process. Assessment of pathway activities is crucial for determining which pathways play roles in disease versus normal conditions. To date various pathway flow/perturbation assessment tools are available, howeve...