Mammalian interleukin-13 (IL-13) is an important regulatory T2 cytokine secreted by activated T lymphocytes. The IL-13 receptor (IL-13R) has two different chains, IL-13Ralpha1 and IL-13Ralpha2. Although the chicken IL-13 gene is well characterized, little is known about IL-13Rs. We cloned a cDNA encoding the 380 amino acid pro-peptide of chicken IL-13Ralpha2 (chIL-13Ralpha2) and developed a mon...

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) including most important forms; Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC); are chronic diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract with unclear etiology and pathology. The role of gut microbiota has recently been considered as major a factor, since altered microbiome or "dysbiosis" is a key player in the protracted course of inflammation in IBD. Howeve...

In the title compound, C(7)H(6)Cl(2)N(2)S, the benzene ring and the mean plane of the thio-urea fragment [-N-C(=S)-N] make a dihedral angle of 66.77 (3)°. Inter-molecular N-H⋯S and N-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules into a three-dimensional network.

In the title compound, [Co(C(18)H(13)N(2)O(2)S)(3)], the Co(III) atom is coordinated by the S and O atoms of three N-furoyl-N',N'-diphenyl-thio-urea ligands in a slightly distorted octa-hedral geometry. The three O atoms are arranged fac, as are the three S atoms.

C urrent guidelines for the treatment of asthma recommend inhaled corticosteroids for all patients with persistent asthma. Despite the increasing use of these drugs, asthma remains poorly controlled in a small subset of individuals who do not respond fully to existing therapies. The medical needs of these patients have prompted a search for new medications that inhibit specific molecular target...

Signal transduction is initiated when a cytokine binds to the extracellular domains of its receptors, bringing them together and triggering a complicated sequence of events inside the cell. In this issue, LaPorte et al. (2008) present crystal structures of three signaling complexes of the cytokines interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 with their receptors, showing how events taking place outside th...