We have investigated thrombin-stimulated morphological changes and the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-K), as manifested by the accumulation of PtdIns(3,4)P2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 (labelled with 32P or myo-[3H]inositol), in CHRF-288 cells, a leukaemic cell line derived from a platelet progenitor cell. We report that these cells, when exposed to thrombin or SFLLRN (the peptide Ser-Ph...

Polymorphisms of the haptoglobin (HP) gene and deletions in alpha-globin gene (alpha-thalassaemia) are common in malaria-endemic Africa. The same region also has high incidence rates for childhood acute seizures. The haptoglobin HP2-2 genotype has been associated with idiopathic generalized epilepsies and altered iron metabolism in children with alpha-thalassaemia can potentially interfere with...

We present a search for the decay B + → τ + ν τ using 288 fb −1 of data collected at the Υ (4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II B-Factory.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is present in the platelet alpha-granule and is released on platelet activation. Platelet PAI-1 could either be synthesized by the megakaryocyte or taken up from the plasma. In this report we confirm the presence of PAI-1 protein in human megakaryocytes by Western blot analysis and show its synthesis in guinea pig megakaryocytes by metabolic labeling. W...

AIM Bovine visceral schistosomiasis has been reported as an important disease entity as it affects animal health, productivity, causes economic losses due to liver condemnation, and produces a high morbidity. This study was conducted to standardize an easy, reliable dot-enzyme-linked immmunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of visceral schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma spindale and to...

The lectin chaperone calreticulin (CRT) assists the folding and quality control of newly synthesized glycoproteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It interacts with ERp57, a thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase that promotes the formation of disulfide bonds in glycoproteins bound by CRT. Here, we investigated the interaction between CRT and ERp57 by using biochemical techniques and NMR spectroscop...

Kidneys normally filter the blood of excess salts and metabolic products, such as urea, while retaining plasma proteins. In diseases such as multiple myeloma and diabetes mellitus, the renal function is compromised and protein escapes into the urine. In this study, we present the use of fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLI) to image excess serum protein in urine (proteinuria). The near-infrared f...