JCI table of contents, January 2, 2004
...Biomolecular Medicine in New York describe a novel adhesive structure that is formed by CD8+ human CTLs, but not by CD4+ helper T cells, before foreign antigen complexes are recognized. The CTL ring junction acts as a presynapse, setting the stage for sensitive antigen recognition. This structure may play an ...Purdue chemist 'mussels' in on secrets of natural adhesives
...group have discovered that the formation of mussel adhesive requires iron, a metal that has never before been ...t takes about five minutes for a mussel to make an adhesive plaque, and it uses 20 or more such plaques to anchor itself," Wilker said. "A mussel can easily est...Why passive smoking hinders healing
... of the cells' cytoskeleton increasing the cells' adhesive properties and thus reducing their motility. The researchers write: "These effects can contribute to abnormal healing and may explain why people who are consistently exposed to 'second-hand' smoke suffer from slow healing and excessive scarring of w...UCR study says second-hand smoke affects healing
...of the cells' cytoskeleton - increasing the cells' adhesive properties and thus reducing their mobility. The research team bubbled smoke from the lit end of cigarettes through cell culture media to form a solution containing the major components of second-hand smoke. They then diluted the 'smoky media' until...Researchers find no safe place to sit in California tick-infested forest
...ks on their clothing and bodies. They also used an adhesive lint roller to pick up ticks that might otherwise have escaped their attention. All told, they found a total of 86 nymphal ticks on their bodies during the field trials. "Activities that were riskiest involved considerable contact with wood," said S...Keck Futures Initiative announces grant recipients
...s signals. Bardwell will investigate how modular, adhesive protein-protein interactions and feedback circuits collaborate to provide specificity in such situations. Finally, Bardwell will explore aspects of the evolution of signaling pathways. TOBY BERGER Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. DIRECTED...Spiders make best ever Post-it notes
...able see notes), and they have an amazingly high adhesive force on the underlying surface. Andrew Martin, f...th an underlying surface the spider can produce an adhesive force of 170 times its own weight. That's like Spiderman clinging to the flat surface of a window on...Measurement clarifies role between protein structure and cell adhesion
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Scientists studying the adhesive properties of the neural cell adhesion molecule (N... involved different domains. To directly study the adhesive properties of NCAM, Leckband and her colleagues used a surface-force apparatus to measure the molecu...Nanoscale contact optimizes adhesion
...and suggests a few useful guidelines for designing adhesive structures in engineering. (PNAS, Early Edition, 1...fic shape, called the optimal shape, for which the adhesive strength reaches the theoretical strength of the van der Waals interaction. For the optimal shape, t...Chemical Society announces EPA awards for environmentally friendly technology
... esterase-type enzyme that helps hydrolyze a major adhesive ingredient polyvinyl acetate and transform it into a more benign polyvinyl alcohol. Engineered by bacteria, a renewable resource, the enzyme represents a safe, biodegradable alternative to hazardous industrial solvents. Engelhard Corporation (Isel...... A JAM-A in DC Traffic The transmembrane adhesive protein junctional adhesion molecule (JAM-A) is expressed in a large number of cell types and is present specifically in regions involved in cell-to-cell contact. Elisabetta Dejana and colleagues, at INFOM in Milan, Italy, have now found an additiona...