OCILRP2 is a typical Type-II transmembrane protein that is selectively expressed in activated T lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and B cells and functions as a novel co-stimulator of T cell activation. However, the signaling pathways underlying OCILRP2 in T cell activation are still not completely understood. In this study, we found that the knockdown of OCILRP2 expression with shRNA or the blocka...

We report here a factor (B cell growth factor) found in induced supernatants of the mouse thymoma EL4 that co-stimulates with anti-IgM antibodies in short-term cultures of purified B lymphocytes to induce polyclonal B cell proliferation but not antibody-forming cell production. The factor is not mitogenic for resting B cells and interacts with anti-IgM-activated B cells in a non-H-2-restricted ...

Interaction of multivalent ligands and cell surface receptors can induce redistribution of these receptors to form patches and caps. In this study, we have investigated the role of nucleus-membrane interaction in the capping of membrane components. Mouse L cells and leukemia EL4 cells were enucleated with the aid of cytochalasin B, yielding cytoplasts and karyoplasts. Capping of surface recepto...

A cDNA vaccine (pVax1/pet-neu) was designed to encode 12 different Her-2/ErbB-2-derived, HLA-A*0201-restricted dominant and high-affinity heteroclitic cryptic epitopes. Vaccination with pVax1/pet-neu triggered multiple and ErbB-2-specific CTL responses in HLA-A*0201 transgenic HHD mice and in HLA-A*0201 healthy donors in vitro. Human and murine CTL specific for each one of the 12 ErbB-2 peptide...

We constructed a chimeric human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) provirus in which the original envelope precursor sequence was replaced by that of ecotropic Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-MuLV). Chimeric particles produced by transient transfection of this chimeric provirus were infectious for murine cells, such as NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, lymphoid EL4 cells, and primary CD4(+) T lymph...

FR-900482 (4-formyl-6,9-dihydroxy-14-oxa-1,11-diazatetracyclo[7.4.1.02,7, O10,12]tetradeca-2,4,6-triene-8-ylmethyl carbamate), a new antibiotic with antitumor activity was isolated from fermentation broth of Streptomyces sandaensis. Its antitumor activities were studied and compared with that of mitomycin C (MMC) in animals. FR-900482 in doses of 0.32 approximately 10 mg/kg (ip) prolonged the l...

The effects of TGF-β on dendritic cells (DCs) on the tumor microenvironment are not well understood. We report, here, the establishment of an in vitro lung cancer microenvironment by co-incubation of seminaphtharhodafluor (SNARF) labeled Lewis lung cancer (LLC) cells, carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) labeled fibroblasts and 4-chloromet...

n BIOCHEMICAL, MOLECULAR, AND GENETIC MECHANISMS Methylselenol, a Selenium Metabolite, Induces Cell Cycle Arrest in G1 Phase and Apoptosis via the Extracellular-Regulated Kinase 1/2 Pathway and Other Cancer Signaling Genes Huawei Zeng, Min Wu, and James H. Botnen 1613 Butyrate Enhances the Intestinal Barrier by Facilitating Tight Junction Assembly via Activation of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase ...