“Yes, (s)he is pretty, but...” An investigation of the simultaneous impact of endorser characteristics relevant to purchasing behaviour

Objectives. Research on advertising efficiency states, that both the attractiveness of a model endorsing a product (Halliwell & Dittmar, 2004) as well as the extent of identification with this endorser (Felser, 2001) are relevant parameters of advertising effectiveness. Surprisingly, no research has simultaneously investigated the significance of attractiveness and identification with the endorser in the field of non-celebrity endorsement (e.g., typical product users), so far. Method and Results. Using an experimental between-subjects design (N = 480) endorser’s attractiveness and gender were manipulated in print advertisements for four different products. Including pivotal determinants of purchasing behaviour (e.g., impression on product quality) multiple regression analysis showed that identification but not attractiveness had a small but significant incremental predictive value on purchasing behaviour. Conclusion. A (potentially less attractive) non-celebrity endorser with whom consumers can identify themselves might be preferred in favour of an attractive one with whom consumers cannot identify themselves

Does Being Attractive Always Help? Positive and Negative Effects of Attractiveness on Social Decision Making

Previous studies of organizational decision making demonstrate an abundance of positive biases directed toward highly attractive individuals. The current research, in contrast, suggests that when the person being evaluated is of the same sex as the evaluator, attractiveness hurts, rather than helps. Three experiments assessing evaluations of potential job candidates (Studies 1 and 3) and university applicants (Study 2) demonstrated positive biases toward highly attractive other-sex targets but negative biases toward highly attractive same-sex targets. This pattern was mediated by variability in participants’ desire to interact with versus avoid the target individual (Studies 1 and 2) and was moderated by participants’ level of self-esteem (Study 3); the derogation of attractive same-sex targets was not observed among people with high self-esteem. Findings demonstrate an important exception to the positive effects of attractiveness in organizational settings and suggest that negative responses to attractive same-sex targets stem from perceptions of self-threat

Strategic Sexual Signals: Women's Display versus Avoidance of the Color Red Depends on the Attractiveness of an Anticipated Interaction Partner

The color red has special meaning in mating-relevant contexts. Wearing red can enhance perceptions of women's attractiveness and desirability as a potential romantic partner. Building on recent findings, the present study examined whether women's (N = 74) choice to display the color red is influenced by the attractiveness of an expected opposite-sex interaction partner. Results indicated that female participants who expected to interact with an attractive man displayed red (on clothing, accessories, and/or makeup) more often than a baseline consisting of women in a natural environment with no induced expectation. In contrast, when women expected to interact with an unattractive man, they eschewed red, displaying it less often than in the baseline condition. Findings are discussed with respect to evolutionary and cultural perspectives on mate evaluation and selection

Success Attributions and More: Multidimensional Extensions of the Sexual Attribution Bias to Failure Attributions, Social Emotions, and the Desire for Social Interaction

According to the recently discovered sexual attribution bias (SAB), young adults attribute the success of same-aged, same-sex attractive stimulus persons in a more derogative way than the success of less attractive same-sex persons, whereas this pattern is reversed for members of the opposite sex. Because this bias has so far only been investigated with respect to attributions in success scenarios, two studies examined its potential transferability to other psychological variables and settings: Study 1 (N = 419)demonstrated analogous biases for emotions and the desire for social interaction, and Study 2 (N = 509) revealed that the SAB can also be extended to failure scenarios

Interleukin-11 (IL-11) receptor cleavage by the rhomboid protease RHBDL2 induces IL-11 trans-signaling

Interleukin-11 (IL-11) is a pleiotropic cytokine with both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties. It activates its target cells via binding to the membrane-bound IL-11 receptor (IL-11R), which then recruits a homodimer of the ubiquitously expressed, signal-transducing receptor gp130. Besides this classic signaling pathway, IL-11 can also bind to soluble forms of the IL-11R (sIL-11R), and IL-11/sIL-11R complexes activate cells via the induction of gp130 homodimerization (trans-signaling). We have previously reported that the metalloprotease ADAM10 cleaves the membrane-bound IL-11R and thereby generates sIL-11R. In this study, we identify the rhomboid intramembrane protease RHBDL2 as a so far unrecognized alternative sheddase that can efficiently trigger IL-11R secretion. We determine the cleavage site used by RHBDL2, which is located in the extracellular part of the receptor in close proximity to the plasma membrane, between Ala-370 and Ser-371. Furthermore, we identify critical amino acid residues within the transmembrane helix that are required for IL-11R proteolysis. We also show that ectopically expressed RHBDL2 is able to cleave the IL-11R within the early secretory pathway and not only at the plasma membrane, indicating that its subcellular localization plays a central role in controlling its activity. Moreover, RHBDL2-derived sIL-11R is biologically active and able to perform IL-11 trans-signaling. Finally, we show that the human mutation IL-11R-A370V does not impede IL-11 classic signaling, but prevents RHBDL2-mediated IL-11R cleavage

Attraktivität ist nicht alles: Eine regressionsanalytische Untersuchung produkt- und testimonialbasierter Determinanten konsumrelevanten Verhaltens

Die Werbewirkungsforschung belegt, dass sowohl die Attraktivität der Person, die ein Produkt bewirbt (Testimonial) (vgl. Halliwell & Dittmar, 2004), als auch das Ausmaß an Identifikation des Konsumenten mit diesem Testimonial (vgl. Basil, 1996), relevante Determinanten der Werbewirksamkeit sind. Bislang nicht systematisch untersucht ist hingegen, in welchem Ausmaß beide Variablen im Bereich der Laien-Testimonials (d.h. typische Produktnutzer) bei gleichzeitiger Berücksichtigung jeweils bedeutsam sind. Unter Verwendung eines experimentellen between-subjects Designs (N =480), bei dem auf Printanzeigen neben der Produktkategorie auch die Attraktivität und das Geschlecht des Testimonials manipuliert wurden, belegt eine multiple Regressionsanalyse, dass nur Identifikation, nicht aber Attraktivität zusätzlich zu zentralen kaufrelevanten Einstellungskomponenten (z. B. Bewertung der Produktqualität) einen signifikanten inkrementellen Vorhersagewert hinsichtlich kaufrelevanten Verhaltens aufweist. Dies deutet somit darauf hin, dass einem attraktiven Laien-Testimonial gegebenenfalls eines vorzuziehen ist, welches möglicherweise sogar etwas weniger attraktiv ist, jedoch dem Betrachter Identifikationsmöglichkeiten bietet

Generation of Soluble Interleukin-11 and Interleukin-6 Receptors: A Crucial Function for Proteases during Inflammation

The cytokines interleukin-11 (IL-11) and IL-6 are important proteins with well-defined pro- and anti-inflammatory functions. They activate intracellular signaling cascades through a homodimer of the ubiquitously expressed signal-transducing β-receptor glycoprotein 130 (gp130). Specificity is gained through the cell- and tissue-specific expression of the nonsignaling IL-11 and IL-6 α-receptors (IL-11R and IL-6R), which determine the responsiveness of the cell to these two cytokines. IL-6 is a rare example, where its soluble receptor (sIL-6R) has agonistic properties, so that the IL-6/sIL-6R complex is able to activate cells that are usually not responsive to IL-6 alone (trans-signaling). Recent evidence suggests that IL-11 can signal via a similar trans-signaling mechanism. In this review, we highlight similarities and differences in the functions of IL-11 and IL-6. We summarize current knowledge about the generation of the sIL-6R and sIL-11R by different proteases and discuss possible roles during inflammatory processes. Finally, we focus on the selective and/or combined inhibition of IL-6 and IL-11 signaling and how this might translate into the clinics

Two N-Linked Glycans Differentially Control Maturation, Trafficking and Proteolysis, but not Activity of the IL-11 Receptor

Background/Aims: The cytokine interleukin-11 (IL-11) has important pro- and anti-inflammatory functions. It activates its target cells through binding to the IL-11 receptor (IL-11R), and the IL-11/IL-11R complex recruits a homodimer of glycoprotein 130 (gp130). N-linked glycosylation, a post-translational modification where complex oligosaccharides are attached to the side chain of asparagine residues, is often important for stability, folding and biological function of cytokine receptors. Methods: We generated different IL-11R mutants via site-directed mutagenesis and analyzed them in different cell lines via Western blot, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and proliferation assays. Results: In this study, we identified two functional N-glycosylation sites in the D2 domain of the IL-11R at N127 and N194. While mutation of N127Q only slightly affects cell surface expression of the IL-11R, mutation of N194Q broadly prevents IL-11R appearance at the plasma membrane. Accordingly, IL-11R mutants lacking N194 are retained within the ER, whereas the N127 mutant is transported through the Golgi complex to the cell surface, uncovering a differential role of the two N-glycan sequons for IL-11R maturation. Interestingly, IL-11R mutants devoid of one or both N-glycans are still biologically active. Furthermore, the IL-11RN127Q/N194Q mutant shows no inducible shedding by ADAM10, but is rather constitutively released into the supernatant. Conclusion: Our results show that the two N-glycosylation sites differentially influence stability and proteolytic processing of the IL-11R, but that N-linked glycosylation is not a prerequisite for IL-11 signaling