Angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulates norepinephrine transporter (NET) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the neurons, but the signal transduction mechanism of this neuromodulation is not understood. Treatment of neuronal cultures of hypothalamus-brainstem with Ang II resulted in a time- and dose-dependent activation of Ras, Raf-1, and mitogen-activated protein kinase. This activation was mediated b...

An altered cellular glucocorticoid (GC) sensitivity is associated with several pathophysiological conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis. Several bioassays have been developed and employed to assess cellular GC sensitivity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), but correlations between these have rarely been investigated. We have compared four mitogen-based assays a...

SUMMARY L-Asparaginase is immunosuppressive, inhibiting both the cellular and humoral responses, as well as the concanavalin A-and/or phytohemagglutinin-induced blastogenesis of lymphocytes. However, its mechanism of action is presently unclear. This study dealt with the enzyme effects on the lymphocyte surface leading to interference with the binding of concanavalin A. The mitogen was labeled ...