AIDS, caused by the retrovirus HIV, remains the largest cause of morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa yet almost all genetic studies have focused on cohorts from Western countries. HIV shows high co-morbidity with tuberculosis (TB), as HIV stimulates the reactivation of latent tuberculosis (TB). Recent clinical trials suggest that an effective anti-HIV response correlates with non-neutralising antib...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The discovery that flavonoids are capable of inhibiting platelet function has led to their investigation as potential antithrombotic agents. However, despite the range of studies on the antiplatelet properties of flavonoids, little is known about the mechanisms by which flavonoids inhibit platelet function. In this study, we aimed to explore the pharmacological effects of...

The effect of physiological concentrations of caffeine (purified from Persian tea) on adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity at physiological and pathological concentrations of adenosine (as substrate) in 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.3) at 37°C was investigated, using UV-VIS spectroscopy. ADA exhibited a bi-phasic activity behavior and both phases showed positive cooperativities indicating adenosine...

Type 2 diabetes is generally perceived as a polygenic disorder, with disease development being influenced by both hereditary and environmental factors. However, despite intensive investigations, little progress has been made in identifying the genes that impart susceptibility to the common late-onset forms of the disease. E23K, a common single nucleotide polymorphism in K(IR)6.2, the pore-formi...

We define a measure of coherent activity for gene regulatory networks, a property that reflects the unity of purpose between the regulatory agents with a common target. We propose that such harmonious regulatory action is desirable under a demand for energy efficiency and may be selected for under evolutionary pressures. We consider two recent models of the cell-cycle regulatory network of the ...

Adenylate cyclase of rat adipocyte membranes exhibited dual responses in a strictly GTP-dependent manner; an activation took place in the presence of certain receptor agonists such as isoproterenol or secretin, whereas an inhibitory phase was observed with other agonists such as prostaglandin E1 or purine-modified adenosine as well as with the stimulatory agonists at higher GTP concentrations. ...

CD148 is a receptor-like protein-tyrosine phosphatase known to inhibit transduction of mitogenic signals in non-hematopoietic cells. Similarly, in the hematopoietic lineage, CD148 inhibited signal transduction downstream of T cell receptor. However, it also augmented immunoreceptor signaling in B cells and macrophages via dephosphorylating C-terminal tyrosine of Src family kinases (SFK). Accord...

After host cell entry, Salmonella replicate in membrane-bound compartments, which accumulate a dense meshwork of F-actin through the kinase activity of the Salmonella SPI-2 type III secretion effector SteC. We find that SteC promotes actin cytoskeleton reorganization by activating a signaling pathway involving the MAP kinases MEK and ERK, myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and Myosin IIB. Specifi...

The mechanism by which calcium inhibits the activity of muscle fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) and destabilizes its interaction with aldolase, regulating glycogen synthesis from non-carbohydrates in skeletal muscle is poorly understood. In the current paper, we demonstrate evidence that Ca(2+) affects conformation of the catalytic loop 52-72 of muscle FBPase and inhibits its activity by co...