Some wheat histone H4 genes have been cloned from a Charon 4 wheat genomic DNA library using sea urchin histone H4 DNA as a probe. DNA sequence analysis of a cloned gene showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of wheat histone H4 protein was identical to that of pea. The 5' end of wheat histone H4 mRNA was mapped on the cloned gene by the S1-procedure. Southern blotting analysis of the geno...

BACKGROUND B7-H4, a member of the inhibitory B7 family, is shown to have a profound inhibitory effect on the proliferation, activation, cytokine secretion, and development of cytotoxicity of T cells and may be involved in immune evasion in cancer patients. Although B7-H4 expression has been detected in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there are no published reports on the expression of B7-H4...

In 2011, one of the world's largest outbreaks of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) occurred, caused by a rare Escherichia coli serotype, O104:H4, that shared the virulence profiles of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)/enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC). The persistence and fitness factors of the highly virulent EHEC/EAEC O104:H4 strain, grown either in food o...

UNLABELLED H4 avian influenza virus (AIV) is one of the most prevalent influenza virus subtypes in the world. However, whether H4 AIVs pose a threat to public health remains largely unclear. Here, we analyzed the phylogenetic relationships, receptor binding properties, replication, and transmissibility in mammals of H4 AIVs isolated from live poultry markets in China between 2009 and 2012. Geno...

The recently identified histamine H4 receptor has revealed a potential new complexity for the role of histamine in the immune system. To begin to understand the role of this receptor in humans, one must first determine whether homologs exist and can be studied in lower species. To address this, we cloned the rat, mouse, and guinea pig cDNAs corresponding to the recently identified human histami...

How the very first step in nucleosome assembly, deposition of histone H3-H4 as tetramers or dimers on DNA, is accomplished remains largely unclear. Here, we report that yeast chromatin assembly factor 1 (CAF1), a conserved histone chaperone complex that deposits H3-H4 during DNA replication, binds a single H3-H4 heterodimer in solution. We identify a new DNA-binding domain in the large Cac1 sub...

In the mouse embryo, transcriptional activation begins during S/G2 phase of the first cell cycle when paternal and maternal chromatin are still in separate nuclear entities within the same cytoplasm. At this time, the male pronucleus exhibits greater transcriptional activity than the female pronucleus. Since acetylation of histones in the nucleosome octamer exerts a regulatory influence on gene...

B7-H4 inhibits T-cell activation and is widely expressed by solid neoplasms. We have recently demonstrated that the expression of B7-H4 on the surface of malignant cells in vivo is inducible, and that novel anti-B7-H4 recombinant antibodies can reverse the inhibition of tumor-specific T cells. Thus, antibodies targeting the B7-H4 pathways may extend the survival of cancer patients by restoring ...

Background: It is now well established that several environmental stress factors cause activation of p38 MAP kinase and JNK in various cell types to produce chemokines. Objective: To investigate the expression of CXC chemokines Gro/KC and SDF- 1a in rat's H4 hepatoma cells in response to heat shock, hyperosmolarity and oxidative stress. Methods: Hepatoma cells were maintained in MEM medium. Cel...