The biological weapons regime

This chapter looks at the web of measures in place to prohibit and prevent biological weapons. It argues that theoretically this web most closely resembles a type of “strong global prohibition regime”, yet at the same time, the notion of strength suggests a level of confidence in the regime that is misplaced at this current juncture when, in fact, there is little room for complacency concerning biological weapons. Shifts in the wider disarmament landscape, combined with changes in the capacity and geography of the life sciences, on the one hand, and the wider security context on the other, could result in the biological weapons regime being profoundly weakened in the future if it is not adequately “tended” by stakeholders. After a short introduction to biological weapons, the chapter proceeds to outline the origins of the 1925 Geneva Protocol. It then proceeds to look at the genesis of the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. The third section looks at the evolution and expansion of the BW regime in three different areas: domestic measures; effective verification; and international cooperation. The penultimate section of this chapter provides some reflections on the limitations of the biological weapons prohibition regime and the means whereby a changing scientific and security milieu present a potential challenge to the maintenance of a strong global regime

Growth factor pleiotropy is controlled by a receptor Tyr/Ser motif that acts as a binary switch

Copyright © 2006 by the European Molecular Biology OrganizationPleiotropism is a hallmark of cytokines and growth factors; yet, the underlying mechanisms are not clearly understood. We have identified a motif in the granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor receptor composed of a tyrosine and a serine residue that functions as a binary switch for the independent regulation of multiple biological activities. Signalling occurs either through Ser585 at lower cytokine concentrations, leading to cell survival only, or through Tyr577 at higher cytokine concentrations, leading to cell survival as well as proliferation, differentiation or functional activation. The phosphorylation of Ser585 and Tyr577 is mutually exclusive and occurs via a unidirectional mechanism that involves protein kinase A and tyrosine kinases, respectively, and is deregulated in at least some leukemias. We have identified similar Tyr/Ser motifs in other cell surface receptors, suggesting that such signalling switches may play important roles in generating specificity and pleiotropy in other biological systems.Mark A Guthridge, Jason A Powell, Emma F Barry, Frank C Stomski, Barbara J McClure, Hayley Ramshaw, Fernando A Felquer, Mara Dottore, Daniel T Thomas, Bik To, C Glenn Begley and Angel F Lope