HOX-GFP and WOX-GFP lentivirus vectors for inner ear gene transfer.

Conclusion: GFP transgene was expressed in the lining cells of the perilymphatic space. Lentivirus vectors are safe and cause only minimal inflammatory reaction. Transgene products can be delivered into the perilymph by utilizing lentivirus vectors.

A defect of regulatory T cells in patients with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy.

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), a monogenic recessive disease characterized by autoimmunity against multiple tissues, offers a unique possibility to study the breakdown of self-tolerance in humans. It is caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator gene (AIRE), which encodes a transcriptional regulator. Work using Aire(-/-) mice suggests that Aire induces ectopic expression of peripheral Ags and promotes their presentation in the thymus.