Southern History Writ Larger

Paper on the author's reminiscences of personal experiences while researching early Civil Rights activists in archives in both the United States and Russia. Presented at Southern Sources: A Symposium Celebrating Seventy-Five Years of the Southern Historical Collection, 18-19 March 2005 in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Use of Antigens Derived from Burkholderia pseudomallei, B. thailandensis, and B. cepacia in the Indirect Hemagglutination Assay for Melioidosis▿

The serological diagnosis of melioidosis is carried out using the indirect hemagglutination assay. We looked at the reactivity of sera from culture-proven cases of melioidosis from north Queensland against antigens derived from Burkholderia pseudomallei, B. thailandensis, and B. cepacia. Cross-reactivity between sera from culture-positive cases of melioidosis and B. thailandensis was demonstrated

Escape from apoptosis after prolonged serum deprivation is associated with the regulation of the mitochondrial death pathway by Bcl-xL

Bcl-x(l) and Bax play important roles in the regulation of apoptosis. This study investigated the involvement of the mitochondrial death pathway and the role of Bcl-x(l) and Bax in the escape from apoptosis after prolonged serum deprivation in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Low level apoptosis and basal activity of the mitochondrial death pathway were detectable in normal cell growth. In serum deprivation, mitosis was partially suppressed, and the mitochondrial activity was stimulated. The level of apoptosis continuously rose over 48 h. This rise was concomitant with the increasing presence of cytochrome c in cytosol. However, both apoptosis and cytosolic cytochrome c fell dramatically at 72 h. Elevation of whole cell Bcl-x(l) and redistribution of Bcl-x(l) protein from cytosol to the membrane at 48 h and 72 h was observed. Redistribution of Bax protein from the membrane to cytosol occurred at 24 h, and remained steady to 72 h. Bax/Bcl-x(l) coimmunoprecipitation by anti-Bax antibody showed reduced Bax/Bcl-x(l) interaction at the membrane at 72 h, but not at 24 or 48 h. These results suggest that apoptosis upon serum withdrawal results from the leakage of cytochrome c to cytosol. Amelioration of the leakage of cytochrome c and apoptosis requires not only the increase of Bcl-x(l)/Bax ratio, but also the release of Bcl-x(l) from Bax at the membrane