Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1), a member of the interleukin-6 superfamily, and endothelin-1 (ET-1) are potent hypertrophic factors in cardiomyocytes. Although CT-1 and ET-1 gene expression in the heart is upregulated in experimental heart failure, their role in the activation of the cardiac fibroblast is unknown. This study was designed to identify the presence and action of CT-1 and its receptor compl...

The uterine expression of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is essential for embryo implantation in the mouse. Here, we describe the expression of LIF, related members of this group of cytokines, oncostatin M and ciliary neurotrophic factor, and the LIF receptor beta and glycoprotein gp130 in normal human tissues and in the endometrium of fertile women. Our results show that LIF is the only one ...

Fetal ovarian development and primordial follicle formation are imperative for adult fertility in the female. Data suggest the interleukin (IL)6-type cytokines, leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), IL6, oncostatin M (OSM) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), are able to regulate the survival, proliferation and differentiation of fetal murine germ cells (GCs) in vivo and in vitro. We postulated...

Within the immune system there is an exquisite ability to discriminate between "self" and "non-self" that is orchestrated by T lymphocytes. Discriminatory pathways guide differentiation of these lymphocytes into either regulatory (Treg) or effector (Teff) T cells, influenced by cues from the naïve T cell's immediate micro-environment as it responds to cognate antigen. Reciprocal pathways may le...

The receptor for the cytokine leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) associates the low affinity binding component gp190 and the high affinity converter gp130, both of which are members of the family of hematopoietic receptors characterized by the cytokine receptor homology (CRH) domain. The gp190 is among the very few members of this large family to contain two CRH domains. The membrane-distal one (...

We previously reported a point mutation substituting Cys for Arg(111) in the highly conserved troponin T (TnT)-contacting helix of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in wild turkey hearts (Biesiadecki et al. J Biol Chem 279: 13825-13832, 2004). This dominantly negative TnI-TnT interface mutation decreases the binding affinity of cTnI for TnT, impairs diastolic function, and blunts the β-adrenergic respo...

Relatively little is known about the youth labour market in Mongolia. This report addresses the issue by taking advantage of a recent ad hoc School To Work Survey (STWS) on young people aged 15-29 years carried out in 2006 by the National Statistical Office of Mongolia (NSO) with the International Labour Office’s (ILO) financial and technical assistance. Chapter 1 studies the macroeconomic cond...

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) participates in the survival of motor neurons and reduces the denervation-induced atrophy of skeletal muscles. Experiments performed in rats show a decrease in peripheral CNTF synthesis during aging, associated with an overexpression of its alpha-binding receptor component by skeletal muscles. Measurement of sciatic nerve CNTF production and of the muscular pe...

Memory B cells play essential roles in the maintenance of long-term immunity and may be important in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease, but how these cells are distinguished from their naive precursors is poorly understood. To address this, it would be important to understand how gene expression differs between memory and naive B cells to elucidate memory-specific functions. Using model sy...

THE INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6) family of cytokines acts via receptor complexes that contain at least one subunit of the signal transducing protein gp130.1 The family comprises IL-6, IL-11, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), and oncostatin M (OSM).1 IL-6, IL-11, and CNTF first bind to specific receptors, and these complexes associate with a ho...