Quantitative Proteomics of an Amphibian Pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, following Exposure to Thyroid Hormone.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a chytrid fungus, has increasingly been implicated as a major factor in the worldwide decline of amphibian populations. The fungus causes chytridiomycosis in susceptible species leading to massive die-offs of adult amphibians. Although Bd infects the keratinized mouthparts of tadpoles and negatively affects foraging behavior, these infections are non-lethal.

Immunoprotective properties of primary Sertoli cells in mice: potential functional pathways that confer immune privilege.

Primary Sertoli cells isolated from mouse testes survive when transplanted across immunological barriers and protect cotransplanted allogeneic and xenogeneic cells from rejection in rodent models. In contrast, the mouse Sertoli cell line (MSC-1) lacks immunoprotective properties associated with primary Sertoli cells. In this study, enriched primary Sertoli cells or MSC-1 cells were transplanted as allografts into the renal subcapsular area of naive BALB/c mice, and their survival in graft sites was compared.