Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pta1 is a component of the cleavage/polyadenylation factor (CPF) 3'-end processing complex and functions in pre-mRNA cleavage, poly(A) addition, and transcription termination. In this study, we investigated the role of the N-terminal region of Pta1 in transcription and processing. We report that a deletion of the first 75 amino acids (pta1-Delta75) causes thermosensitiv...

The activating NK cell receptor DNAX accessory molecule-1 (DNAM-1) contributes to tumor immune surveillance and plays a crucial role in NK cell-mediated recognition of several types of human tumors, including ovarian carcinoma. Here, we have analyzed the receptor repertoire and functional integrity of NK cells in peritoneal effusions from patients with ovarian carcinoma. Relative to autologous ...

The negative regulation of adaptive immunity is relevant to maintain lymphocyte homeostasis. Several studies on natural killer (NK) cells have shown a previously unappreciated immunomodulatory role, as they can negatively regulate T cell-mediated immune responses by direct killing and by secretion of inhibitory cytokines. The molecular mechanisms of T cell suppression by NK cells, however, rema...

Natural killer (NK) cells and CD8 T cells require adhesion molecules for migration, activation, expansion, differentiation, and effector functions. DNAX accessory molecule 1 (DNAM-1), an adhesion molecule belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily, promotes many of these functions in vitro. However, because NK cells and CD8 T cells express multiple adhesion molecules, it is unclear whether DNA...

AIMS Knowledge about branching pattern of the popliteal artery is very important in any clinical settings involving the anterior and posterior tibial arteries. This study aims to elucidate the anatomical variation patterns and common types of anterior tibial artery (ATA) and posterior tibial arteries (PTA) in the general population in China. MATERIAL AND METHODS Anatomical variations of ATA, ...

Natural-killer receptor group 2, member D (NKG2D) is a well characterized natural killer (NK) cell activating receptor that recognizes several ligands poorly expressed on healthy cells but up-regulated upon stressing stimuli in the context of cancer or viral infection. Although NKG2D ligands represent danger signals that render target cells more susceptible to NK cell lysis, accumulating eviden...

In this study, we aimed to investigate the pathways of recognition of acute lymphoblastic leukemia blasts by natural killer cells and to verify whether differences in natural killer cell activating receptor ligand expression among groups defined by age of patients, or presence of cytogenetic/molecular aberrations correlate with the susceptibility to recognition and killing. We analyzed 103 newl...

Although natural killer (NK) cells are well known for their ability to kill tumors, few studies have addressed the interactions between resting (nonactivated) NK cells and freshly isolated human tumors. Here, we show that human leukocyte antigen class I(low) tumor cells isolated directly from patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma trigger degranulation by resting allogeneic NK cells. This was...

BACKGROUND Despite Natural Killer (NK) cells were originally defined as effectors of spontaneous cytotoxicity against tumors, extremely limited information is so far available in humans on their capability of killing cancer cells in an autologous setting. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We have established a series of primary melanoma cell lines from surgically resected specimens and here show...

NF-κB is a key transcription factor that dictates the outcome of diverse immune responses. How NF-κB is regulated by multiple activating receptors that are engaged during natural killer (NK)-target cell contact remains undefined. Here we show that sole engagement of NKG2D, 2B4 or DNAM-1 is insufficient for NF-κB activation. Rather, cooperation between these receptors is required at the level of...