Understanding the function of Langerhans cells (LCs) in vivo has been complicated by conflicting results from LC-deficient mice. Human Langerin-DTA mice constitutively lack LCs and develop exaggerated contact hypersensitivity (CHS) responses. Murine Langerin-diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR) mice allow for the inducible elimination of LCs and Langerin(+) dermal dendritic cells (dDCs) after admini...

Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is a disorder characterized by low levels of PTH which lead to hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, and low bone turnover. The most common cause of the disease is accidental removal of the parathyroid glands during thyroid surgery. Novel therapies for HP are needed, but testing them requires reliable animal models of acquired HP. Here, we demonstrate the generation of two mo...

Ticks are ectoparasitic arthropods that can transmit a variety of microorganisms to humans and animals during blood feeding, causing serious infectious disorders, including Lyme disease. Acaricides are pharmacologic agents that kill ticks. The emergence of acaricide-resistant ticks calls for alternative control strategies for ticks and tick-borne diseases. Many animals develop resistance to tic...

Rat insulin promoter (RIP)-expressing neurons in the hypothalamus control body weight and energy homeostasis. However, genetic approaches to study the role of these neurons have been limited by the fact that RIP expression is predominantly found in pancreatic β-cells, which impedes selective targeting of neurons. To define the function of hypothalamic RIP-expressing neurons, we set out to acute...

A fusion protein consisting of dihydrofolate reductase and diphtheria toxin A-fragment was made by genetically linking cDNA for the two proteins followed by in vitro transcription and translation in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system. The dihydrofolate reductase in the fusion protein exhibited enzyme activity and, in the presence of methotrexate which imposes a tight structure on dihydrofolate...

The female Drosophila melanogaster fly undergoes behavioral changes after mating, including an increase in egg laying and an avoidance of remating. Accessory-gland products elicit these changes transiently when introduced into unmated female flies. We report here the generation and phenotype of flies that lack functional accessory-gland main cells as a consequence of genetically directed delive...

Anti-CD3 immunotoxins exhibit considerable promise for the induction of transplantation tolerance in pre-clinical large animal models. Recently an anti-human anti-CD3epsilon single-chain immunotoxin based on truncated diphtheria toxin has been described that can be expressed in CHO cells that have been mutated to diphtheria toxin resistance. After the two toxin glycosylation sites were removed,...

Cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1), a protein produced by pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, activates the p21 Rho-GTP-binding protein, inducing a profound reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. CNF1 binds to its cell surface receptor on HEp-2 cells with high affinity (K(d) = 20 pM). In HEp-2 cells the action of CNF1 is not blocked in the presence of filipin, a drug described to redu...

The C-type lectin langerin/CD207 was originally discovered as a specific marker for epidermal Langerhans cells (LC). Recently, additional and distinct subsets of langerin(+) dendritic cells (DC) have been identified in lymph nodes and peripheral tissues of mice. Although the role of LC for immune activation or modulation is now being discussed controversially, other langerin(+) DC appear crucia...