Defining the complementarities between antibodies and haptens to refine our understanding and aid the prediction of a successful binding interaction.

Background: Low molecular weight haptens (<1000 Da) cannot be recognized by the immune system unless conjugated to larger carrier molecules. Antibodies to these exceptionally small antigens can still be generated with exquisite sensitivity. A detailed understanding at the molecular level of this incredible ability of antibodies to recognize haptens, is still limited compared to other antigen classes.

Wide screening of phage-displayed libraries identifies immune targets in planta.

Microbe-Associated Molecular Patterns and virulence effectors are recognized by plants as a first step to mount a defence response against potential pathogens. This recognition involves a large family of extracellular membrane receptors and other immune proteins located in different sub-cellular compartments. We have used phage-display technology to express and select for Arabidopsis proteins able to bind bacterial pathogens.

Serine/threonine protein kinase SGK1 in glucocorticoid-dependent transdifferentiation of pancreatic acinar cells to hepatocytes.

Elevated glucocorticoid levels result in the transdifferentiation of pancreatic acinar cells into hepatocytes through a process that requires a transient repression of WNT signalling upstream of the induction of C/EBP-β. However, the mechanism by which glucocorticoid interacts with WNT signalling is unknown. A screen of microarray data showed that the serine/threonine protein kinase SGK1 (serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1) was markedly induced in the model B-13 pancreatic rat acinar cell line after glucocorticoid treatment (which converts them into hepatocyte-like 'B-13/H' cells) and this was confirmed at the level of mRNA (notably an alternatively transcribed SGK1C form) and protein.

AR42J-B-13 cell: an expandable progenitor to generate an unlimited supply of functional hepatocytes.

Hepatocytes are the preparation of choice for Toxicological research in vitro. However, despite the fact that hepatocytes proliferate in vivo during liver regeneration, they are resistant to proliferation in vitro, do not tolerate sub-culture and tend to enter a de-differentiation program that results in a loss of hepatic function. These limitations have resulted in the search for expandable rodent and human cells capable of being directed to differentiate into functional hepatocytes.

Generation of a monoclonal human single chain antibody fragment to hepatic stellate cells--a potential mechanism for targeting liver anti-fibrotic therapeutics.

Background/aims: Hepatic stellate cells are pivotal to fibrogenesis in the liver and many potential anti-fibrotic therapeutics are required to act on targets within hepatic stellate cells. The aim of this study was to generate a human antibody fragment to hepatic stellate cells.

Methods: Phage display was used to generate a human monoclonal antibody fragment to a peptide sequence present on an extracellular domain of synaptophysin, a protein expressed on the surface of hepatic stellate cells.

Identification of a truncated ratp28-related protein expressed in kidney.

An RT-PCR based strategy to clone the membrane-associated steroid binding protein ratp28 additionally amplified a novel sequence-related PCR product termed HC5. The HC5 PCR product was cloned and sequenced and showed 94% nucleotide sequence similarity to ratp28. The HC5 cDNA sequence open reading frame encodes a predicted 75 amino acid (8.