Structure of the insulin receptor ectodomain reveals a folded-over conformation.

The insulin receptor is a phylogenetically ancient tyrosine kinase receptor found in organisms as primitive as cnidarians and insects. In higher organisms it is essential for glucose homeostasis, whereas the closely related insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) is involved in normal growth and development. The insulin receptor is expressed in two isoforms, IR-A and IR-B; the former also functions as a high-affinity receptor for IGF-II and is implicated, along with IGF-1R, in malignant transformation.

Commercial enzyme immunoassay adapted for the detection of antibodies to hepatitis C virus in dried blood spots.

Background: Dried blood spots (DBS) provide a convenient method for blood sample collection in many settings where the prevalence of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is increasing. Consequently, HCV assays are required that produce reliable results using samples derived from DBS.

Objectives And Study Design: The optimum buffer for the elution of samples from DBS was selected and the performance of a commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was evaluated using these DBS eluates and paired plasma samples.

Incidence immunoassay for distinguishing recent from established HIV-1 infection in therapy-naive populations.

Objective: To identify a specific marker of recent HIV-1 infection.

Design: The humoral immune response in individuals recently infected with HIV-1 was followed by analysing the antibody isotype-specific response generated to HIV-1 antigens in sequential samples collected during and following seroconversion.

Methods: Antibody isotype-specific HIV-1 Western blots were analysed to identify interactions indicative of recent HIV-1 infection.