BACKGROUND It has been reported that human FOXP3(+) CD4 Tregs express GARP-anchored surface latency-associated peptide (LAP) after activation, based on the use of an anti-human LAP mAb. Murine CD4 Foxp3(+) Tregs have also been reported to express surface LAP, but these studies have been hampered by the lack of suitable anti-mouse LAP mAbs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We generated anti-mous...

OBJECTIVE To assess the relation between the urinary concentrations of type II collagen C-telopeptide (UCTX-II) and radiographic signs of osteoarthritis (ROA) in the GARP (Genetics, Arthrosis and Progression) study. METHODS UCTX-II levels were measured in GARP study participants, who are sibling pairs predominantly with symptomatic osteoarthritis at multiple sites. Kellgren and Lawrence score...

OBJECTIVE CD4(+) latency-associated peptide (LAP)(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a newly discovered T cell subset in humans and the role of these cells in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has not been explored. We designed to investigate whether circulating frequency and function of CD4(+)LAP(+) Tregs are defective in ACS. METHODS One hundred eleven ACS patients (acute myocardia...

The simplification of amino acid content distribution under the influence of the strong mutational pressure takes place in simplex and varicello viruses proteins coded by genes with GC-content higher than 60%. We proved this statement by the way of in-silico calculation of Shannon’s entropy of amino acid content distribution in all proteins from ten completely sequenced simplex and varicello vi...

WhyWhere is a new ecological niche modeling (ENM) algorithm for mapping and explaining the distribution of species. The algorithm uses image processing methods to efficiently sift through large amounts of data to find the few variables that best predict species occurrence. The purpose of this paper is to describe and justify the main parameterizations and to show preliminary success at rapidly ...

RNF41 (Ring Finger Protein 41) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in the intracellular sorting and function of a diverse set of substrates. Next to BRUCE and Parkin, RNF41 can directly ubiquitinate ErbB3, IL-3, EPO and RARα receptors or downstream signaling molecules such as Myd88, TBK1 and USP8. In this way it can regulate receptor signaling and routing. To further elucidate the molecular mech...

The importance of endosome-to-trans-Golgi network (TGN) retrograde transport in the anterograde transport of proteins is unclear. In this study, genome-wide screening of the factors necessary for efficient anterograde protein transport in human haploid cells identified subunits of the Golgi-associated retrograde protein (GARP) complex, a tethering factor involved in endosome-to-TGN transport. K...

Many core components of the microRNA pathway have been elucidated and knowledge of their mechanisms of action actively progresses. In contrast, factors with modulatory roles on the pathway are just starting to become known and understood. Using a genetic screen in Caenorhabditis elegans, we identify a component of the GARP (Golgi Associated Retrograde Protein) complex, vps-52, as a novel geneti...