Myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) has been detected in Schwann cells prior to the onset of myelination, suggesting its functions in the initiation of myelination. However, transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of MAG remain to be elucidated. Here, we analyzed the promoter of the MAG gene by using luciferase reporter systems in the primary rat Schwann cells. We identified a novel cis-acting e...

The MAG-deficient mouse was used to test whether MAG acts as a significant inhibitor of axonal regeneration in the adult mammalian CNS, as suggested by cell culture experiments. Cell spreading, neurite elongation, or growth cone collapse of different cell types in vitro was not significantly different when myelin preparations or optic nerve cryosections from either MAG-deficient or wild-type mi...

Myelin inhibitors, including MAG, are major impediments to CNS regeneration. However, CNS axons of DRGs regenerate if the peripheral branch of these neurons is lesioned first. We show that 1 day post-peripheral-lesion, DRG-cAMP levels triple and MAG/myelin no longer inhibit growth, an effect that is PKA dependent. By 1 week post-lesion, DRG-cAMP returns to control, but growth on MAG/myelin impr...

We present revised and improved mid-infrared Period-Luminosity (PL) relations for Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Cepheids based on double-epoch data of 70 Cepheids observed by Spitzer at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0 μm. The observed scatter at all wavelengths is found to decrease from ±0.17 mag to ±0.14 mag, which is fully consistent with the prediction that the total scatter is made up of roughly equal...

The polycondensation of tetrahydrofuran with maleic anhydride catalyzed by Maghnite-H+ (Mag-H) was investigated. Maghnite is a montmorillonite sheet silicate clay that is exchanged with protons to produce Maghnite-H [1]. It was found that the polymerization in bulk is initiated by Mag-H in the presence of acetic anhydride at 40 degrees C. The effects of the amounts of Mag-H and acetic anhydride...

The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) collaborates with the Nogo receptor (NgR) and LINGO-1 to activate RhoA in response to myelin-based growth inhibitors such as myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG). In this issue of Neuron, Domeniconi et al., in a surprising turn, show that MAG induces intramembrane proteolysis (RIP) of p75NTR and find that p75NTR cleavage is required for MAG-induced RhoA ac...

We report optical observations of the GRB 980329 error box which represent the second earliest detection of the GRB 980329 optical transient. We determine R = 23.7 ± 0.5 mag on 29.89 March, which is consistent with R = 23.6 ± 0.2 mag as reported by Palazzi et al. (1998) on 29.99 March. Based on extrapolations of the light curve we claim that the R-band magnitude of the GRB 980329 host galaxy sh...

Insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway is known to control growth, development and reproduction. Insulin-like peptide mediated body size plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster has been reported. Here, our studies showed that IIS pathway and nutrition regulate growth and maturation of the male accessory gland (MAG) in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. The size of MAG increased from day 1 ...