The cytoskeleton in cell-autonomous immunity: structural determinants of host defence

Host cells use antimicrobial proteins, pathogen-restrictive compartmentalization and cell death in their defence against intracellular pathogens. Recent work has revealed that four components of the cytoskeleton — actin, microtubules, intermediate filaments and septins, which are well known for their roles in cell division, shape and movement — have important functions in innate immunity and cellular self-defence. Investigations using cellular and animal models have shown that these cytoskeletal proteins are crucial for sensing bacteria and for mobilizing effector mechanisms to eliminate them. In this Review, we highlight the emerging roles of the cytoskeleton as a structural determinant of cell-autonomous host defence

Phaeochromocytoma and functioning paraganglioma in childhood and adolescence: role of iodine 131 metaiodobenzylguanidine

Phaeochromocytomas and functioning paragangliomas are rare tumours in childhood and adolescence. We review our experience of 43 cases (24 men, 19 women) who were first diagnosed at the age of ⩽ 18 years. All patients were evaluated at some point in their illness with iodine 131 metaiodobenzylguanidine ( 131 I-mIBG) scintigraphy. Eight patients (19%) had bilateral adrenal tumours, 12 (28%) had solitary extra-adrenal tumours, and 8 (19%) had multiple tumours. In 10 patients (23%), the tumours were associated with a familial neurocristopathic syndrome. Thirteen of 24 (54%) unifocal tumours which were initially considered to be benign ultimately proved to be multi-focal and/or malignant. The final prevalence of malignancy was 60% − 26 patients, of whom only 15 (57%) had obviously malignant tumours at the time of diagnosis. Primary tumour size ⋝5 cm was more commonly associated with a malignant course in adrenal but not extra-adrenal tumours. No other clinical, biochemical or morphological characteristic was significantly associated with malignancy. Although the high prevalence of malignancy in this series at least partly reflects referral bias, the need for lifelong follow-up of these patients is underscored. 131 I-mIBG scintigraphy was positive in 36 patients (84%), with a somewhat lower false-negative rate (12%) than X-ray computed tomography (20%). Eight patients with malignant tumours received therapeutic doses of 131 I-mIBG, with partial tumour responses in 3. Thus, 131 I-mIBG is an efficacious, non-invasive, localising agent and may be considered as a palliative therapeutic agent when alternatives have failed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46831/1/259_2005_Article_BF02262730.pd

Principal component analysis of the codon-usage of the hydrogenase and mitochondrial 24/51 kDa modules

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "The [FeFe] hydrogenase of has a chimeric origin"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/7/230</p><p>BMC Evolutionary Biology 2007;7():230-230.</p><p>Published online 16 Nov 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC2216082.</p><p></p> While most of the strains exhibit only slight differences in codon-preference, the isolate from the host cockroach strain Amsterdam has a substantially different codon-usage. In both cases, the bacterial-derived 24 and 51 kDa modules acquired the typical ciliate codon-usage that is not significantly different from the one used for the (nuclear-encoded) mitochondrial modules. Even the top-down distribution shows a complete ameliorisation of the modules

Phylogenetic tree of the 51 kDa-like module of the hydrogenase of , mitochondrial complex I 51 kDa subunits, bacterial NuoF, and bacterial hydrogenase subunits

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "The [FeFe] hydrogenase of has a chimeric origin"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/7/230</p><p>BMC Evolutionary Biology 2007;7():230-230.</p><p>Published online 16 Nov 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC2216082.</p><p></p> See methods for how the tree was calculated. H: hydrogenase, M: ciliate mitochondrial. Only bootstraps ≥ 50 are indicated in the tree. Box 1 marks the fused modules (with the exception of ), Box 2 the non-fused modules of mitochondrial and alpha-proteobacterial origin. All bacteria in Box 1 (with the exception of ) have a [NiFe] hydrogenase

Phylogenetic tree of the 24 kDa-like module of the hydrogenase of , mitochondrial complex I 24 kDa subunits, bacterial NuoE, and bacterial hydrogenase subunits

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "The [FeFe] hydrogenase of has a chimeric origin"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/7/230</p><p>BMC Evolutionary Biology 2007;7():230-230.</p><p>Published online 16 Nov 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC2216082.</p><p></p> See methods for the Accession Numbers and how the tree was calculated. H: hydrogenase, M: ciliate mitochondrial. Bootstraps are only indicated in the tree if they are ≥ 50. Box 1 marks 24 kDa modules that are fused with their corresponding 51 kDa modules (with the exception of ). All bacteria in this box (with the exception of ) have a [NiFe] hydrogenase. The mitochondrial/alpha-proteobacterial 24 kDa modules are not fused with their 51 kDa counterparts (Box 2)