Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-15 exert similar biological actions, which largely reflect the fact that their receptors share common beta and gamma subunits; in contrast, distinct subunits are required for high-affinity binding of either cytokine to a heterotrimeric receptor complex. Human neutrophils are known to express both the beta and gamma subunits of the IL-2/IL-15 receptor complex, and we ...

A fetus was prenatally diagnosed as having a Y(nfqs) chromosome which was inherited from the father. With the QFQ technique, the Yqh was observed to be nonfluorescent and contained cytological satellites which were attached to the terminal long arm. The satellites were positively stained by the Ag-NOR technique suggesting that the NORs were active. A battery of DNA probes was used to characteri...

Tumors often escape immune-mediated destruction by suppressing lymphocyte infiltration or effector function. New approaches are needed that overcome this suppression and thereby augment the tumoricidal capacity of tumor-reactive lymphocytes. The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) promotes proliferation and effector capacity of CD8(+) T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and NKT cells; however, it h...

The endometrium contains a population of immune cells that undergo changes during implantation and pregnancy. The majority of these cells are uterine natural killer (uNK) cells; however, it is unclear how these cells interact with endometrial epithelial cells. Therefore, we investigated the paracrine effects of the uNK cell-secretion medium on the gene expression profile of endometrial epitheli...

BACKGROUND 15-Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH, EC 1.1.1.141) is the key enzyme for the inactivation of prostaglandins, regulating processes such as inflammation or proliferation. The anabolic pathways of prostaglandins, especially with respect to regulation of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes have been studied in detail; however, little is known about downstream events including fun...

Macrophage infiltration is a hallmark in the majority of solid tumors. Our studies demonstrated that macrophages that infiltrate human renal cells carcinoma (RCC) display markedly enhanced expression and activity of 15-lipoxygenase-2 (15-LOX2). Obtained data suggest that enhanced lipoxygenase activity in tumor-associated macrophages stimulates cancer inflammation and causes immune dysfunction.

The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) signals through the formation of a quaternary receptor complex composed of an IL-15-specific alpha receptor, together with beta and gammac receptors that are shared with interleukin-2 (IL-2). The initiating step in the formation of this signaling complex is the interaction between IL-15 and IL-15Ralpha, which is a single sushi domain bearing strong structural...

The synthesis of highly functionalized porous silica-carbon composites made up of sulphonic groups attached to a carbon layer coating the pores of three types of mesostructured silica (i.e. SBA-15, KIT-6 and mesocellular silica) is presented. The synthesis procedure involves the following steps: a) removal of the surfactant, b) impregnation of the silica pores with a carbon precursor, c) carbon...