Immune modulators as therapeutic agents for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma at all stages appears to be responsive to immune modulatory therapeutic approaches. We describe here the mechanistic rationale for the use of interferons, interleukin-12, retinoids, Toll-like receptor agonists, photopheresis and combinations of immune preserving, immune stimulatory therapies for CTCL.

Early onset of heat-shock response in mouse embryos revealed by quantification of stress-inducible hsp70i RNA.

Heat shock response is fully established in mouse embryos at the blastocyst stage, but it is unclear when this response first arises during development. To shed light on this question, we used a single-tube method to quantify mRNA levels of the heat shock protein genes hsp70.1 and hsp70.

Laser zona drilling does not induce hsp70i transcription in blastomeres of eight-cell mouse embryos.

To assess whether zona drilling with a 1,480-nm laser induces heat shock in eight-cell embryos, we measured hsp70i RNA levels in sets of single blastomeres isolated after laser treatment of mouse embryos that had or had not been heated at 43 degrees C. Unlike heating, laser zona drilling did not stimulate hsp70i expression, even in the blastomeres closest to the laser beam, corroborating the safety of this procedure for assisted reproduction.

Ets-1 is a critical regulator of Ang II-mediated vascular inflammation and remodeling.

Ang II is a central mediator of vascular inflammation and remodeling. The transcription factor Ets-1 is rapidly induced in vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells of the mouse thoracic aorta in response to systemic Ang II infusion. Arterial wall thickening, perivascular fibrosis, and cardiac hypertrophy are significantly diminished in Ets1-/- mice compared with control mice in response to Ang II.

Rapid, single-tube method for quantitative preparation and analysis of RNA and DNA in samples as small as one cell.

Background: Current methods for accurate quantification of nucleic acids typically begin with a template preparation step in which DNA and/or RNA are freed of bound proteins and are then purified. Isolation of RNA is particularly challenging because this molecule is sensitive to elevated temperatures and is degraded by RNases, which therefore have to be immediately inactivated upon cell lysis. Many protocols for nucleic acids purification, reverse transcription of RNA and/or amplification of DNA require repeated transfers from tube to tube and other manipulations during which materials may be lost.