The influence of mianserin on TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 serum levels in rats under chronic mild stress.

Background: Antidepressants are known to affect the immunological system through mechanisms which are not completely understood. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the atypical antidepressant mianserin on the levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the blood of rats in an experimental model of depression.

Methods: Male Wistar rats were subjected to chronic mild stress (CMS) according to Willner's method for 6 weeks.

A specific role for the TFIID subunit TAF4 and RanBPM in neural progenitor differentiation.

TAF4 is crucial for the activity of many transcription factors, including CREB, RAR and CSL/RBP-Jkappa, but the role for TAF4 in neural development is unknown. Embryonic cortical neural stem cells (NSC) showed strong expression of TAF4 that decreased during neuronal but not glial differentiation. In a protein-protein interaction screen, we identified the intracellular signaling factor RanBPM as a co-factor of TAF4.

Regulation of stability of cyclin-dependent kinase CDK11p110 and a caspase-processed form, CDK11p46, by Hsp90.

CDK11p110 (cyclin-dependent kinase 11p110, formerly known as PITSLRE) is a member of the CDK superfamily. It associates with cyclin L and is involved in the regulation of transcription and in premRNA splicing. During staurosporine-, Fas- and tumour necrosis factor a-induced apoptosis, CDK11p110, is cleaved by caspases to generate smaller 46-50 kDa proteins containing the catalytic kinase domain.

The cyclin-dependent kinase 11(p46) isoform interacts with RanBPM.

We identified Ran-binding protein (RanBPM) as an interacting partner of the caspase-processed C-terminal domain of cyclin-dependent kinase 11 (CDK11(p46)) by using the yeast two-hybrid system. CDK11(p110) protein kinases are members of the cyclin-dependent kinase superfamily. During staurosporine-, Fas-, and tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced apoptosis caspase-processed activated CDK11(p46) is generated from larger CDK11(p110) isoforms.