Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), the technique commonly known as cloning, permits transformation of a somatic cell into an undifferentiated zygote with the potential to develop into a newborn animal (i.e., a clone). In somatic cells, chromatin is programmed to repress most genes and express some, depending on the tissue. It is evident that the enucleated oocyte provides the environment in ...

A novel cell bead system, comprising a magnetic core, a spherical annulus of agarose-immobilized cells, all conformally coated within a synthetic polymer, is proposed as a means of immunoisolating mammalian cells in a system that provides a balance between low total implant volume, retrievability, and diffusion limitations. A successful immunoisolation system could be used to transplant cells w...

Sindbis virus is an alphavirus with a very wide host range, being able to infect many birds and mammals as well as mosquitoes. We have isolated a monoclonal antibody that largely blocks virus binding to mammalian cells. This antibody was found to be directed against the C-terminal domain of the high-affinity laminin receptor, a 67-kDa protein present on the cell surface that binds with high aff...