B-cell development is orchestrated by complex signaling networks. Rap1 is a member of the Ras superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins and has 2 isoforms, Rap1a and Rap1b. Although Rap1 has been suggested to have an important role in a variety of cellular processes, no direct evidence demonstrates a role for Rap1 in B-cell biology. In this study, we found that Rap1b was the dominant isoform of...

Osteomalacia is a diet deficiency disease of the same category as rickets. The deficiency is principally in the fat-soluble vitamine content of the diet, though there may be a calcium deficiency at the same time. The disease may be prevented by providing a diet rich in the fat-soluble vitamine content, and may be cured by adding the same to the diet.

Inactivation of p53, the master regulator of cellular stress and damage signals, often allows cells that should die or senesce to live. Loss of Dicer, an RNase III-like enzyme critical in microRNA biogenesis, causes embryonic lethality and activation of the p53 pathway. Several nonhematopoietic cell types that contain inactivated p53 have been shown to survive Dicer deletion, suggesting that p5...

Source/description: Fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate aldolase is a glycolytic enzyme which plays a critical role in the reversible conversion of fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate to glyceraldehydes 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. It is reported that in vertebrates fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate aldolase has three isozymes: aldolase A, fructose-bisphosphate (ALDOA); aldolase B, fructose-bisphosphate ...

The transitional stage is a key check-point for elimination of autoreactive B cells in the periphery. This selection process requires fine regulation of signals received through BCR and B cell activating factor (BAFF) receptor. We previously identified the adaptor molecule Act1 as a negative regulator of BAFF-mediated signaling. Deficiency of Act1 in mice results in peripheral B cell hyperplasi...

Boron (B) is a micronutrient for vascular plants, and B deficiency has been recognized as a limiting factor for crop production in many areas worldwide. To gain a better insight into the adaptability mechanism of plant responses to B starvation, an Arabidopsis whole genome Affymetrix GeneChip was used to evaluate global gene expression alterations in response to short- and long-term B deficienc...

IT has been suspected that some of the diets used in vitamin work, which contain protein in the form of purified caseinogen, may be deficient in cystine. This is particularly the case with diets used in experiments with the B-vitamins, since those used in the study of the fat-soluble vitamins usually contain the B-vitamins in the form of yeast or yeast extracts, which are rich in cystine. The r...

Cytokines that use the common gamma chain gammac are critical for lymphoid development and function. Mutations of the IL-7 receptor, gammac, or its associated kinase, Jak3, are the major cause of human severe combined immunodeficiency. Although activated by IL-7, Stat5a/b (Stat, signal transducer and activator of transcription) have been thought to play limited roles in lymphoid development. Ho...

Few B-vitamin trials to lower homocysteine (Hcy) have reported evidence of beneficial effects on cognition in older adults with cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. This article reviews the role of Hcy in cognitive decline. It also considers some reasons why meta-analyses have failed to find effects of B-vitamin treatment. Findings from the successful VITACOG trial are examined from a n...

Boron is an intriguing element due to its electron deficiency and the ability form multicenter bonds in allotropes borides, exhibiting diversified structures, unique chemical bonds, interesting properties. Using swarm-intelligence structural prediction driven by a machine learning potential, we identified boron phase with 24-atom cubic unit cell, called $c\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathrm{B}}_{24}$...