Two families of extracellular phospholipase C genes are present in aspergilli.

Fungi secrete extracellular enzymes to enable them to harvest nutrients from the environment. In the case of pathogenic fungi these enzymes can also be pathogenesis factors. Here we report the identification in fungi of a complex family of extracellular phospholipase C (PLC) enzymes, homologous to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PLCH_PSEAE.

ADAMs are present in fungi: identification of two novel ADAM genes in Aspergillus fumigatus.

The ADAMs are a family of integral membrane proteases involved in shedding and fusion events in animal tissues. Here, we report the identification of two ADAMs, ADM-A and ADM-B, in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. The domain structure of metazoan ADAMs was seen in ADM-A and -B, although with some differences.

Identification of protein tyrosine kinases required for B-cell- receptor-mediated activation of an Epstein-Barr Virus immediate-early gene promoter.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is a potentially oncogenic herpesvirus that infects >90% of the world's population. EBV exists predominantly as a latent infection in B lymphocytes, with periodic lytic-cycle reactivation essential for cellular and host transmission. Viral reactivation can be stimulated by ligand-induced activation of B-cell-receptor (BCR)-coupled signaling pathways.

Effects of integrin clustering on human lung mast cells and basophils.

The interaction of cells with the extracellular matrix can alter cell responses and is regulated by integrins on the cell surface. We used monoclonal antibodies to the VLA-4 integrins CD29 and CD49d followed by an F(ab')2 fragment of rabbit anti-mouse immunoglobulin G1 to crosslink integrins on the surface of human lung mast cells and basophils. Crosslinking either CD29 or CD49d caused a significant histamine release (HR) from the basophils of most asthmatic donors (10 of 14 for CD49d and 7 of 10 for CD29) (HR = 21 +/- 5%, n = 10, P < 0.

Regulation of integrin-dependent release in human lung mast cells and basophils.

The interaction of cells with surfaces or components of the extracellular matrix alters cell responses and is regulated by integrins on the cell surface. We have used monoclonal antibodies to CD29 and CD49d followed by an F(ab)2 fragment of rabbit anti-mouse IgG1 to cross-link the integrins on the surface of human lung mast cells and basophils. We found that cross-linking either CD29 or CD49d failed to initiate mediator release from the basophils of non-atopic and atopic donors [histamine release (HR) = 1 +/- 0.