Scavenger Receptors: Promiscuous Players during Microbial Pathogenesis

Estrogens Receptors-New Players in Spermatogenesis

The mammalian testis is a complex organ that serves two important functions, synthesis of steroids, with significant amount of estrogenic hormones produced and production of spermatozoa. Estrogen receptors (ERs) are expressed in cells of the testis as well as the epididymal epithelium. We have demonstrated that estrogen receptor expression is higher in reproductive tissues as compared to non-re...

Microglial Scavenger Receptors and Their Roles in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease

Microglial Scavenger Receptors and Their Roles in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing in prevalence with the aging population. Deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain of AD patients is a hallmark of the disease and is associated with increased microglial numbers and activation state. The interaction of microglia with Aβ appears to play a dichotomous role in AD pathogenesis. On one hand, microglia can phagocytose and clear Aβ, but binding ...

Oestrogens and their promiscuous receptors: confronting reality.

The binding sites of the oestrogen receptors alpha and beta have a structural requirement for ligands with two oxygen atoms (one of which is phenolic) spaced 11-12 A apart. They are open to many non-steroidal compounds, such as those from plants and the chemical industry. The importance of this interaction is the subject of current food safety research. This article examines the methods of asse...

Signalling at tight junctions during epithelial differentiation and microbial pathogenesis.

Tight junctions are a component of the epithelial junctional complex, and they form the paracellular diffusion barrier that enables epithelial cells to create cellular sheets that separate compartments with different compositions. The assembly and function of tight junctions are intimately linked to the actomyosin cytoskeleton and, hence, are under the control of signalling mechanisms that regu...