Surprisingly, the attenuation of MMP-9 mRNA levels by rapamycin is accompanied by a potentiation of IL-1 beta-induced MMP-9 promoter activity in which the stimulatory effects by rapamycin are mainly attributed to a proximal AP-1 binding site. Furthermore, the rapamyc-independent potentiation of MMP-9 expression is accompanied by an amplification of cytokine-triggered activities of nuclear

factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) and activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factors. Importantly, rapamycin-triggered increase in MMP-9 promoter activity is fully impaired when we used a MMP-9 reporter construct which is under the additional control of the 3′ untranslated region (3′-UTR) of MMP-9. Collectively, Immunology & Inflammation inhibitor these data imply that rapamycin inhibits the cytokine-induced MMP-9 mainly through posttranscriptional events and thereby exerts profibrotic activities. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“We describe a novel, rapid, and safe method for extracting RNA and DNA from refractory microbes, which avoids the use of phenol or chloroform. It has been used successfully to isolate high-quality nucleic acids from pure cultures and environmental populations known to resist widely used extraction protocols.”
“In response to T cell-dependent

antigens, B cells proliferate extensively to form germinal centres (GC), and then differentiate into memory B (B(mem)) cells or long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs) by largely unknown mechanisms. Here we show a new culture system in which mouse naive B cells undergo massive expansion and isotype switching, and generate GC-phenotype Nutlin-3 cell line B (iGB) cells. The iGB cells expressing IgG1 or IgM/D, but not IgE, differentiate into B(mem) cells in vivo after adoptive transfer and can elicit rapid immune responses with the help of cognate T cells. Secondary culture with IL-21 maintains the proliferation of the iGB cells, while shifting their in vivo developmental fate from B(mem) cells to LLPCs, an outcome that can be reversed by withdrawal of IL-21 in tertiary cultures. Thus, this system enables in vitro manipulation of B-cell fate, into either B(mem) cells or LLPCs, and will facilitate dissection of GC-B cell differentiation

AZD4547 programs.”
“The reaction of [(dippe)NiH](2) with 2-methyl-3-butenenitrile (2M3BN) in solvents spanning a wide range of polarities shows significant differences in the ratio of C-H and C-CN activated products. C-H cleavage is favored in polar solvents, whereas C-C cleavage is favored in nonpolar solvents. This variation is attributed to the differential solvation of the transition states, which was further supported through the use of sterically bulky solvents and weakly coordinating solvents. Variation of the temperature of reaction of [(dippe)NiH](2) with 2M3BN in decane and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) allowed for the calculation of Eyring activation parameters for the C-CN activation and C-H activation mechanisms.