Thymus is involved in induction of self-tolerance in T lymphocytes, particularly due to Aire activity. In peripheral tissues, Treg cells and immunomodulatory molecules, like the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class Ib molecules, are essential for maintenance of autotolerance during immune responses. Viral infections can trigger autoimmunity and modify thymic function, and YFV17D immuniz...

Proteins anchored in the membrane by covalent linkage to phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) can be released by treatment with purified PtdIns-specific phospholipase C (Ptd-Ins-PLC). A recent survey of leukocyte antigens using flow cytometry has shown that staining of certain Qa antigens was diminished after PtdIns-PLC treatment, but staining of structurally related H-2 antigens was not affected. The...

The Ped gene influences the rate of cleavage division of preimplantation mouse embryos and subsequent embryonic survival. The mouse Ped gene product is a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class Ib protein called Qa-2. Studies from many human in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics suggest that the mouse Ped gene has a human homologue because embryos fertilized at the same time have different ...

Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is widely used to study microstructural characteristics of the brain. High angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) samples diffusivity at a large number of spherical angles, to better resolve neural fibers that mix or cross. Here, we implemented a framework for advanced mathematical analysis of mouse 5-shell HARDI (b=1000, 3000, 4000, 8000, 12000 s/mm2), al...

Recently there has been considerable interest in the utilization of covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) as ion-exchange membranes. While rapid ion conduction is experimentally observed COF membranes, underlying mechanism remains elusive. Herein, we report a molecular simulation study on chloride (Cl−) four membranes functionalized with quaternary ammonium groups (QA-2, QA-4, QA-6 and QA-EO) diff...

T cell-dependent autoimmune diseases are characterized by the expansion of T cell clones that recognize immunodominant epitopes on the target antigen. As a consequence, for a given autoimmune disorder, pathogenic T cell clones express T cell receptors with a limited number of variable regions that define antigenic specificity. Qa-1, a MHC class I-like molecule, presents peptides from the variab...

This article examines the issues of learning engagement and describes the socio-cultural context of Quest Atlantis’ (QA) implementation in a series of science lessons among primary Four (10 to 11 years old) students in Singapore. QA is a Multi-user Virtual Environment (MUVE). It uses 3D virtual technology to create an interactive environment to immerse children aged between 8 and 12 years in ed...

In the mouse, a number of serological markers are reported to be expressed on natural killer (NK) x cells, including NKI (1, 2), Ly-5 (3), Qa-2, Qa-4, and Qa-5 (4, 5), asialo GM1 (6), Thy1 (7), and Mph1 (8). The conflicting evidence on the phenotypes and characteristics of NK cells in various systems can best be reconciled if NK cells are not a single cell type derived from a common lineage, bu...

We investigated the therapeutic potential of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) in Huntington's disease (HD) mouse models. Ten weeks after intrastriatal injection of quinolinic acid (QA), mice that received hBM-MSC transplantation showed a significant reduction in motor function impairment and increased survival rate. Transplanted hBM-MSCs were capable of survival, and ...

In this work, the suitability and performance of a mouse-size MOSFET (Mousefet) phantom is investigated for routine quality assurance (QA) of the small animal radiation research platform (SARRP). This Mousefet phantom is a simple construction consisting of five micro-MOSFETS custom integrated in a quincunx pattern within a tissue-equivalent phantom, allowing repeat/multiple QA tasks to be quick...