Augmentation of Cytolytic Activity in Murine Natural Killer Cells and Inhibition of Tumor Growth by the Ethanol Fraction of Oyster Extract.

A reduced number and/or reduced activity of natural killer (NK) cells, which are important for defense against a variety of cancers and viral infections, occur under various stress conditions and in patients with various diseases. In this article, we report that the 30% to 50% ethanol precipitate of oyster extract (EPOE50) dose-dependently enhanced the activity of mouse spleen NK cells in vitro and in vivo. The activity of EPOE50 was eluted with a molecular weight of about 2000 by gel filtration and was inactivated by periodate but not by proteinase K.

Conservation of position-specific gene expression in axolotl limb skin.

Urodele amphibians can regenerate their limbs after amputation. After amputation, undifferentiated cells appear on the amputation plane and form regeneration blastema. A limb blastema recreates a complete replica of the original limb.

Advances in the development of a reliable assay for the measurement of stool decay-accelerating factor in the detection of colorectal cancer.

We have previously shown that stool concentrations of decay-accelerating factor (DAF; CD55), a membrane-bound complement-regulatory protein, are significantly elevated in patients with colorectal cancer and that the measurement of stool DAF may be a valuable test for the detection of colorectal cancer. Accordingly, we are working to develop a clinically useful immunoassay for fecal DAF. A requirement for such assay is a plentiful and reliable supply of anti-DAF antibodies.