The Elmo family forms an ancient group of actin-regulating proteins.

The Elmo protein family members are important mediators of small G protein activity, regulating actin-mediated processes such as chemotaxis and engulfment. Until recently,1 Elmo function has not been explored in professional phagocytes such as Dictyostelium discoideum. We discuss the significance of this family with respect to pathways that regulate Rac signaling, we present a comparison of Elmo proteins between representative taxa, and discuss our findings on ElmoA, one of six Elmo proteins found in D.

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging reveals that chemokine-binding modulates heterodimers of CXCR4 and CCR5 receptors.

Background: Dimerization has emerged as an important feature of chemokine G-protein-coupled receptors. CXCR4 and CCR5 regulate leukocyte chemotaxis and also serve as a co-receptor for HIV entry. Both receptors are recruited to the immunological synapse during T-cell activation.

An Elmo-like protein associated with myosin II restricts spurious F-actin events to coordinate phagocytosis and chemotaxis.

Elmo proteins positively regulate actin polymerization during cell migration and phagocytosis through activation of the small G protein Rac. We identified an Elmo-like protein, ElmoA, in Dictyostelium discoideum that unexpectedly functions as a negative regulator of actin polymerization. Cells lacking ElmoA display an elevated rate of phagocytosis, increased pseudopod formation, and excessive F-actin localization within pseudopods.

How human leukocytes track down and destroy pathogens: lessons learned from the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum.

Human leukocytes, including macrophages and neutrophils, are phagocytic immune cells that capture and engulf pathogens and subsequently destroy them in intracellular vesicles. To accomplish this vital task, these leukocytes utilize two basic cell behaviors-chemotaxis for chasing down infectious pathogens and phagocytosis for destroying them. The molecular mechanisms controlling these behaviors are not well understood for immune cells.

Cutting edge: identification of a pre-ligand assembly domain (PLAD) and ligand binding site in the IL-17 receptor.

IL-17 is the hallmark cytokine of the newly described "Th17" lymphocyte population. The composition, subunit dynamics, and ligand contacts of the IL-17 receptor are poorly defined. We previously demonstrated that the IL-17RA subunit oligomerizes in the membrane without a ligand.

A vesicle surface tyrosine kinase regulates phagosome maturation.

Phagocytosis is crucial for host defense against microbial pathogens and for obtaining nutrients in Dictyostelium discoideum. Phagocytosed particles are delivered via a complex route from phagosomes to lysosomes for degradation, but the molecular mechanisms involved in the phagosome maturation process are not well understood. Here, we identify a novel vesicle-associated receptor tyrosine kinase-like protein, VSK3, in D.

HIV gp120-induced interaction between CD4 and CCR5 requires cholesterol-rich microenvironments revealed by live cell fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging.

Binding of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope gp120 glycoprotein to CD4 and CCR5 receptors on the plasma membrane initiates the viral entry process. Although plasma membrane cholesterol plays an important role in HIV entry, its modulating effect on the viral entry process is unclear. Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging, we have provided evidence here that CD4 and CCR5 localize in different microenvironments on the surface of resting cells.

[The use of real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme immunoassay for the diagnosis of acute parvovirus B19 infections in immunosuppressed patients].

Human parvovirus B19 (PV-B19) infection may lead to very serious clinical situations such as transient aplastic crisis in patients with hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and transient arthritis accompanied with erythema infectiosum, especially in immunosuppressed patients. Early diagnosis of PV-B19 infection is of critical importance especially in immunosuppressed patients since the necessary precautions can be undertaken accordingly. In this study, PV-B19 IgM and IgG antibodies and viral DNA have been searched by enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively, in 50 PV-B19 suspected immunosuppressed patients.

Seroconversion after measles vaccination at nine and fifteen months of age.

Background: Despite high vaccination coverage, single dose measles immunization programs have been unsuccessful in eliminating the disease. Because seroconversion rates are lower in infants vaccinated before 12 months of age, a second dose of measles vaccine is recommended at 15 months. The aim of this study was to determine the seroconversion rates in children after the first and second doses of measles vaccinations at 9 and 15 months of age.

Using PCR and Real-Time PCR (LightCycler) for Diagnosis and Follow up of Invasive Fungal Infections in Patients with Hematological Malignancies and Transplantation.

In modern medicine, for early diagnosis of infections, tests that have high specificity and sensitivity should be preferred. For this reason, especially for patients with hematological malignancies and transplantation, that have high mortality and morbidity ratios, some molecular biological techniques are coming into use today for differential diagnosis and follow up of invasive fungal infections. In the coming years it will become easier to early diagnose and also to plan optimal treatments, by using these techniques for diagnosis of fungal infections.

A simple PCR/RFLP analysis can differentiate between Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus fumigatus.

The clinical management of immunocompromised patients depends on the rapid identification of infectious agents such as fungal pathogens. The procedure described here for accomplishing this uses a sensitive polymerase chain reaction method, previously reported, combined with restriction-enzyme digestion to distinguish between Candida and Aspergillus species and to classify Aspergillus strains.

[The existence of contamination in enzymes used for the isolation of Aspergillus and Candida species DNA].

Molecular biological methods which are widely used in different fields, have been replaced with conventional diagnostic tests for the early diagnosis of invasive fungal infections, recently. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is one of these methods, with high specificity and sensitivity, which is accepted throughout the world. However, the enzymes that are used for the isolation of target DNA, may be contaminated with the gene sequences of some other fungal species in the preparation steps and may affect the PCR results.