Sphingolipids (SLs) are essential structural components of mammalian cell membranes. Our group recently determined that the oral anaerobe Porphyromonas gingivalis delivers its SLs to host cells and ability P. synthesize limits elicited inflammatory response during cellular infection.

Background: Human luteinizing hormone (hLH) stimulates steroid biosynthesis of the ovary, triggers ovulation and prepares androgen production of testicular Leydig cells. LH belongs to the family of glycoprotein hormones that are heterodimers consisting of a common α-subunit and specific β-subunit. hLH is necessary for clinical and infertility treatment. Recombinant DNA technology provides a use...

Agrobacterium most likely can transform virtually all known plant species, and experimental protocols for Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of yet more plant species, ecotypes, and cultivars are published almost on a daily basis. Interestingly, the Agrobacterium host range is not limited to the plant kingdom, and it has been shown to transform many species of fungi and even prokaryo...

Using an expression cloning strategy that relies on a functional assay, we have cloned a novel Xenopus homeobox-containing gene, Siamois. Embryos injected in a ventral-vegetal blastomere with as little as 5 pg of Siamois mRNA develop a complete secondary axis, but the progeny of the injected cells do not participate in the secondary axis formation. In normal development, Siamois mRNA is first d...