Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.1.1.148 (Thy1)
 1,210 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Germinal centers are histologically distinct structures that form within the draining lymphoid tissues following immunization with T cell-dependent antigens. Here, antigen-specific B cells transform the lymphoid follicle into a site of intense B cell proliferation, differentiation and selection. To understand the molecular basis for these cellular events, we sought to isolate germinal center B cell-specific genes using subtractive cDNA libraries derived from FACS-sorted (CD45R/B220+, IgD-, Thy1.2-) lymph node B cells of immunized mice. A novel gene isolated from this library, designated M17, was found to be transcribed in spleen and, to a lesser extent, bone marrow. Strikingly, only PNA+ (germinal center) but not PNA- splenic B cells express M17. Germinal center-specific expression of M17 was confirmed by staining of histological sections of spleen with an antiserum raised against a glutathione-S-transferase-M17 fusion protein. The M17 gene comprises four exons spanning 13.2 kb, and encodes a 25 kDa cytoplasmic protein of 159 amino acids. Analysis of the amino acid sequence revealed the presence of a possible lipid binding domain and multiple potential phosphorylation sites, including a tyrosine-based activation motif. We speculate that M17 may be a signaling molecule involved in the transduction of signals from the cell surface to the cytoplasm.
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PMID:M17: a novel gene expressed in germinal centers. 798 Nov 48

Interferon alpha/beta plays an important role in the first-line defense against viral infections and can modulate cytokine responses by T-helper cells. Type 1 interferons (IFNs) are clinically important in infectious diseases and in the treatment of leukemia and lymphomas. Many different cell types have the capacity to produce IFN-alpha after encounter with virus and bacteria. The major, natural type 1 IFN-producing cell in humans was recently described as the plasmacytoid T cell, or pDC2, and it can differentiate into dendritic cells (DCs) on culture. This study describes the murine natural IFN-alpha-producing cell, or pDC2, that shares morphologic features with its human counterpart but has some distinct phenotypical characteristics. Murine plasmacytoid DCs can be differentially isolated based on their expression of CD11c, B220 (CD45R), and Thy1.2 (CD90). They lack expression of myeloid (eg, CD11b) antigens and CD8 alpha, a marker used to isolate lymphoid DCs. Like human pDC2, murine plasmacytoid DCs exhibit their maximal type 1 IFN-producing capacity at a precursor stage; pDCs isolated from bone marrow responded to viral stimulation with higher IFN-alpha production than cells of the same phenotype isolated from spleen. Mobilization of mice with Flt3 ligand (Flt3L) or Flt3L and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, hematopoietic factors that specifically enhance DC growth, resulted in strikingly increased numbers of pDC in bone marrow and spleen. The isolation of this novel murine DC subset may serve as a useful tool in the study of viral immunobiology and for the design of treatments for murine malignancies.
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PMID:Isolation and characterization of plasmacytoid dendritic cells from Flt3 ligand and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-treated mice. 1173 52