The biochemical pathways critical to B cell development remain poorly defined. Here I characterize a critical role for two separate families of proteins, Akt and Presenilin in the development and activation of B cells. The absence of Akt1 and Akt2 leads to a block in marginal zone (MZ) and B1B cell development, as well as decreased cellularity of splenic follicular B cells. In addition, I find ...

Young children are impaired in their response to T cell-independent (TI) Ags, such as pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPS). B lymphopoeisis early in life is IL-7 independent, whereas in adults it is IL-7 dependent. Therefore, we hypothesized that IL-7-driven B lymphopoiesis plays a critical role in promoting Ab responses to TI Ags. Young but not adult mice are impaired in responses to PPS vaccinat...

Second-stage juveniles (I2) of Meloidogyne arenaria consumed more oxygen (P </= 0.05) than M. incognita J2, which in turn consumed more than M. javanica J2 (4,820, 4,530, and 3,970 mul per hour per g nematode dryweight, respectively). Decrease in oxygen consumption depended on the nematicide used. Except for aldicarb, there was no differential sensitivity among the three nematode species. Meloi...

Our laboratory is investigating ivermectin (IVM) and other members of the avermectin family as new pharmaco-therapeutics to prevent and/or treat alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Earlier work found that IVM significantly reduced ethanol intake in mice and that this effect likely reflects IVM's ability to modulate ligand-gated ion channels. We hypothesized that structural modifications that enhance ...

Heavy-ion irradiation technology has advantages over traditional methods of mutagenesis. Heavy-ion irradiation improves the mutation rate, broadens the mutation spectrum, and shortens the breeding cycle. However, few data are currently available regarding its effect on Streptomyces avermitilis morphology and productivity. In this study, the influence of heavy-ion irradiation on S. avermitilis w...

The effects of insecticides on arrhenotokous and thelytokous types in adult females onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, collected from a total 13 sites Welsh onions, cabbages, onions Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, 2016 2017 were evaluated. Susceptibility to the tested varied among reproductive types, populations, years. Among 14 female adults type using kidney bean leaf dipping method, spinetoram, ...