The role of interleukin-17 in murine cytomegalovirus interstitial pneumonia in mice with skin transplants.

We hypothesized that the T helper (Th)17 response plays an important role in murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) interstitial pneumonia. BALB/c mice with skin grafts from C57/BJ6 mice were intranasally inoculated with 1.0 × 10(5) PFU MCMV.

Expressed sequence tags from the halophyte Limonium sinense.

Halophytes can grow under a high salinity condition. Similar to glycophytes, their salt-tolerance possesses a high genetic complexity. There are many morphological and physiological studies on halophytes but very little information is at molecular level why they are salt-tolerant.

Identification of betacyanin and effects of environmental factors on its accumulation in halophyte Suaeda salsa.

Effects of temperature, light, salinity and developmental phases on the accumulation of red pigments in the C(3) halophyte Suaeda salsa were studied, and the physical and chemical characteristics of the red pigments were also analyzed. The results indicate that: these red pigments are insoluble in organic solvents but free in water, the pigments are red-violet and stable under acidic condition while yellow and unstable under alkaline condition, and they absorb the highest value at wavelength near 538 nm, light suppresses their accumulation and enhances their decomposition. These results suggest that these red pigments are betacyanins.