Aminobisphosphonates are drugs administered for the treatment of bone resorption. They can indirectly activate peripheral γδ T cells and render tumor cells susceptible to lysis by Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. We have investigated the molecules involved in conjugate formation and killing of aminobisphosphonate-treated MCF-7 breast tumor cells by Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. Lysis of aminobisphosphonate (Pamidronate and Z...

Ex vivo expanded Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific T cells have been successfully applied clinically for adoptive immunotherapy. However, the role of CD4(+) T cells in the therapeutic T-cell culture has not been established for the reconstitution of EBV-specific immunity. We isolated and characterized CD4(+) T-cell lines from the ex vivo T-cell cultures. Monoclonal line PD-F4 and oligoclonal li...

The degree of plasticization of the alloscutal cuticle of a 'hard' (ixodid) tick, Amblyomma hebraeum, and a 'soft' (argasid) tick, Ornithodoros moubata, was assessed throughout the blood-feeding period. Cuticle viscosity was calculated from rate of creep of cuticle under constant load using a Maxwell model. Feeding-related plasticization (i.e. increased rate of extension under a constant load) ...

The outer medullary collecting duct (OMCD) absorbs HCO3- at high rates, but it is not clear if it responds to metabolic acidosis to increase H+ secretion. We measured net HCO3- transport in isolated perfused OMCDs taken from deep in the inner stripes of kidneys from control and acidotic (NH4Cl-fed for 3 d) rabbits. We used specific inhibitors to characterize the mechanisms of HCO3- transport: 1...

THE NUCLEAR ENVELOPE (NE) consists of two continuous membranes, with pores where the inner nuclear membrane (INM) meets the outer nuclear membrane (ONM) (7). V-type ATPases in the plasma membrane and intracellular membranes alter pH ( pH) and generate a transmembrane electrical potential ( ) across plasma membranes and intracellular compartments (6). In the accompanying article by Santos et al....

Bafilomycin A1, a macrolide antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces species, has been used as an inhibitor of vacuolar H ATPase (V-ATPase). Bafilomycin has been also evaluated as a potential anticancer agent because it inhibits cell proliferation and tumor growth. Although these anticancer effects of bafilomycin are considered to be attributable to the intracellular acidosis by V-ATPase inhibitio...

Toxin technology using Bacillus sphaericus has been used to control the important vectors of human diseases, the Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito species. Agricultural pests such as caterpillars and beetles have been targeted by transgenic insecticidal crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin. However, a Bt technology would be ineffective in controlling xylem-and phlo...

Autophagy is an evolutionary conserved cellular process found in all eukaryotic cells to play roles in cell growth, development, homeostasis and innate immunity. In autophagy, sequestration of cytosolic contents initiates with the development of a phagophore that grows into an autophagosome while enclosing a portion of the cytosol. The completed autophagosome fuses with a lysosome to form autol...