VEGF is a newly identified molecule that is an angiogenic mitogen selective for endocrine gland endothelium.

Toll-like receptor 4 uses the TIRAP cytoplasmic adapter protein as an alternative route to induce immune responses.

The exit of lymphocytes from the vasculature is essential for the control of the inflammatory response. Cell migration involves cytoskeletal dynamics controlled by Rac GTPases but the full molecular mechanism remains unknown. In August 23 Nature, Yoshinori Fukui and colleagues from Kyushu University, Japan, show that DOCK2, a haematopoietic cell-specific protein, mediates cytoskeletal reorganization via Rac activation and is indispensable for lymphocyte chemotaxis.Fukui et al. studied DOCK2-defc

oncogene suppresses lung tumor formation and progression in mice.

Spinal cord injury results in a massive loss of neurons. It has been suggested that passive transfer of autoimmune T cells directed against myelin-associated antigens provides the spinal cord with effective neuroprotection. In August 15 Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ehud Hauben and colleagues from The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel show for the first time a vaccination protocol that can be used as a strategy to prevent total paralysis after incomplete spinal cord injury.Haub

genome is now freely available on the web.

Psoriasis is characterized by hyperproliferation of keratinocytes and increased expression of integrins, but the pathological signaling pathway remains unknown. In August 15 Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ingo Haase and colleagues from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, UK show that activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway by integrins, either directly or through increased IL-1 production, is responsible for epidermal hyperproliferation in psoriasis and wound hea

In adult tissues Shh is a negative regulator of gastric gland cell proliferation and controls the expression of gut epithelial differentiation.

Cardiac muscle regeneration after injury is limited by 'irreversible' cell cycle exit via down-regulation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). In the August 21 online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Hidemasa Oh and colleagues from the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, show that mice genetically engineered to overexpress TERT produce more and bigger cardiac myocytes, which live longer than those in normal mice.Oh et al. modified mice to express TER

Antibody-producing B cells begin to malfunction early after infection with HIV, for reasons that are poorly understood. In August 14 on-line Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Susan Moir and colleagues from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, US show that HIV viremia induces the appearance of a subset of B cells whose function is impaired and which may be responsible for the hypergammaglobulinemia associated with HIV disease.Moir et al. studied the funct

In humans genomic imprinting for M6P/IGF2R is absent suggesting that humans could be technically easier to clone than sheep and other nonprimates.

The perception of sweet taste has fascinated philosophers, cooks and scientists for centuries, but the molecular mechanisms involved in taste perception remained elusive. In August 10 Cell, Greg Nelson and colleagues from the University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, US dissect the signal detection of taste and report the characterization of new mammalian sweet receptors present on the cells of the tongue and palate.Nelson et al. developed transgenic rescue experiments to prove that the S