Cover illustration: The Ap4 neurons enervating the dorsal neurohemal organ in the embryonic Drosophila CNS, visualized by FMRFa-GFP. Published articles have been reprinted with the permission from respective copyright holder. " Consider the wonderful frame of the human body, this infinitely complicated engine, in which, to the due performance of the several functions and offices of life, so man...

We studied how metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) activation modifies the synaptic and intrinsic membrane properties of neonatal rat trigeminal motoneurons using the broad-spectrum mGluR agonist (1S,3R)-1-amino-1,3-cyclopentane-dicarboxylic acid [(1S,3R)-ACPD], group I/II antagonist (+/-)-alpha-methyl-4-carboxy-phenylglycine (MCPG), and group III agonist L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoate (L-A...

Clostridium difficile is now recognized as the major agent responsible for nosocomial diarrhea in adults. Among the genotyping methods available, arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR), PCR-ribotyping, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) have been widely used for investigating outbreaks of C. difficile infections. However, the comparative typing ability, reproducibility, discriminatory power, ...

BACKGROUND The leukocyte common antigen (CD45) is a transmembrane-type protein tyrosine phosphatase that has five isoforms. METHODS We generated seven murine mAbs against human CD45 by injecting cells from different origins, such as human thymocytes, PBMCs, and leukemic cell lines. By using various immunological methods including flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and immunoprecipitation, ...

The effects of glutamate metabotropic receptors (mGluRs) on excitatory transmission in the nucleus accumbens were investigated using electrophysiological techniques in rat nucleus accumbens slices. The broad-spectrum mGluR agonist (1S,3R)-1-aminocyclopentyl-1,3-dicarboxylate, the mGluR group 2 selective agonists (S)-4-carboxy-3-hydroxyphenylglycine, (1S,3S)-ACPD) and (2S,1'S,2'S)-2-(2'-carboxyc...

Excitatory amino acids (EAA) are thought to mediate their actions through at least five receptor subtypes. Four of these types appear to gate ion channels and have been named for agonists by which they are selectively activated: N-methyl-Daspartate (NMDA), kainate, a-amino-3-hydroxy5-methyl isoxazole-4-propionlc acid (AMPA), quisqualate and 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (AP4). There is now compel...

Carbon monoxide has been shown to act as a neurotransmitter and neuronal messenger in the brain. Heme oxygenase catalyzes the conversion of heme to carbon monoxide and biliverdin. We have recently reported that carbon monoxide was involved in central cardiovascular regulation. Carbon monoxide modulated the baroreflex and may affect glutamatergic neurotransmission. In addition, metabotropic glut...