Education catching up with science: preparing students for three-dimensional literacy in cell biology.

The large number of experimentally determined molecular structures has led to the development of a new semiotic system in the life sciences, with increasing use of accurate molecular representations. To determine how this change impacts students' learning, we incorporated image tests into our introductory cell biology course. Groups of students used a single text dealing with signal transduction, which was supplemented with images made in one of three iconographic styles.

Analysis of students' aptitude to provide meaning to images that represent cellular components at the molecular level.

The number of experimentally derived structures of cellular components is rapidly expanding, and this phenomenon is accompanied by the development of a new semiotic system for teaching. The infographic approach is shifting from a schematic toward a more realistic representation of cellular components. By realistic we mean artist-prepared or computer graphic images that closely resemble experimentally derived structures and are characterized by a low level of styling and simplification.

CD44 and TGFbeta1 synergise to induce expression of a functional NADPH oxidase in promyelocytic cells.

Bone marrow stromal cells produce large amounts of extracellular matrix and cytokines. Amongst them, hyaluronan, a glycosaminoglycan and ligand for the cell surface molecule CD44, and TGFbeta1, a cytokine particularly important in monocyte differentiation. We have studied in vitro the role of hyaluronan and TGFbeta1 in the differentiation process of U937 monocytic progenitor cells.

Inhibitory control of TGF-beta1 on the activation of Rap1, CD11b, and transendothelial migration of leukocytes.

Beta2-integrins are a family of dimeric adhesion molecules expressed on leukocytes. Their capacity to bind ligand is regulated by their state of activation. CD11b, an alphaMbeta2 integrin, is implicated in a number of physiological and pathological events such as inflammation, thrombosis, or atherosclerosis.

Influence of epitopes CD44v3 and CD44v6 in the invasive behavior of fibroblast-like synoviocytes derived from rheumatoid arthritic joints.

Objective: To investigate the functional implications of CD44 splice variant expression in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: FLS were isolated from synovial tissue obtained from both diseased and nondiseased joints. The expression of splice variants containing exons v3 and v6 was analyzed using immunocytochemistry with exon-specific antibodies and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction followed by Southern blotting.