Targeting novel antigens and/or eliminating the requirements for multiple needle injections and adjuvants are major objectives in the development

of new anthrax vaccines. Using proteomics approaches, we identified a spore coat-associated protein (SCAP) in Bacillus anthracis. An Escherichia coli vector-based vaccine system was used to determine the immunogenicity of SCAP. Mice generated detectable SCAP antibodies three weeks after intranasal immunization with an intact particle of ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated E coli vector overproducing SCAP. The production of SCAT antibodies was detected via western blotting and SCAP-spotted antigen-arrays. The adjuvant effect of a UV-irradiated E. coli vector eliminates the necessity of boosting and the use of other immunomodulators which will foster the screening and manufacturing of new generation anthrax vaccines. More importantly, the immunogenic SCAP may potentially be a new candidate for the development SB431542 cell line of anthrax vaccines. Published GSK621 cell line by Elsevier Inc.”
“CD200 is a cell surface glycoprotein that binds an inhibitory receptor (CD200R) on myeloid cells. CD200 orthologues are present in many species of virus, and we show that the rat cytomegalovirus

CD200 orthologue (e127) is expressed at the cell surface on infected cells. It binds the host CD200R with the same affinity as that of the host protein, and thus this protein acts as a close mimic of the host protein and has the potential to downregulate immune responses to the virus.”
“The extracellular matrix of the central nervous system (CNS) serves as both a supporting structure for cells and a rich source of signaling molecules that can influence cell proliferation, survival, migration and differentiation. A large proportion of this matrix is composed of proteoglycans-proteins with long chains of polysaccharides, called glycosaminoglycans Selleck FG4592 (GAGs), covalently attached. Although many of the activities of proteoglycans depend on their core proteins, GAGs themselves can influence cell signaling. Here we review accumulating

evidence that two GAGs, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronan, play essential roles during nervous system development but also accumulate in chronic CNS lesions and inhibit axonal regeneration and remyelination, making them significant hindrances to CNS repair. We propose that the balance between the synthesis and degradation of these molecules dictates, in part, how regeneration and recovery from CNS damage occurs.”
“Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently complain of having sleep disturbances, such as insomnia and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep abnormality. Cannabidiol (CBD), a psycho-inactive constituent of marijuana, reduces physiological non-REM (NREM) sleep and REM sleep in normal rats, in addition to generating its anxiolytic effect. However, the effects of CBD on anxiety-induced sleep disturbances remain unclear.