University of Michigan Team Identifies Immune Link to Inflammation and Scarring in Graves' Eye Disease
The immune cells, called fibrocytes, are present at a higher than normal frequency in patients with Graves' disease, according to a new study, the first to associate fibrocytes with this autoimmune disease. [University of Michigan, Ann Arbor]

Dual Role for Immune Cells in the Brain
Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies describe how, depending on the nature of the stimulus, resident macrophages lined up along the blood-brain barrier play opposing roles in the transmission of immune signals into the brain. [Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

Aire's Partners in the Molecular Control of Immunological Tolerance
Screening via Aire-targeted coimmunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry, and validating by multiple RNAi-mediated knockdown approaches, researchers identified a large set of proteins that associate with Aire. The findings suggest a model to explain Aire's widespread targeting and induction of weakly transcribed chromatin regions. [Cell]

Effective Collaboration Between Marginal Metallophilic Macrophages and CD8+ Dendritic Cells in the Generation of Cytotoxic T Cells
Researchers demonstrate that splenic marginal metallophilic macrophages are essential for cross-presentation of blood-borne antigens by splenic dendritic cells. [PNAS]

Crucial Role of Interleukin-7 in T Helper Type 17 Survival and Expansion in Autoimmune Disease
IL-7 is essential for survival and expansion of pathogenic T helper type 17 cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. [Nat Med]

Invariant Natural Killer T Lymphocytes Control Mouse Spontaneous Carcinoma Independently of Tumor-Specific Cytotoxic T Cells
The data argue for a critical role of CD1d-restricted invariant natural killer T cells in the immune surveillance of carcinoma that is independent of tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells. [PLoS One]

Expression and Function of TNF and IL-1 Receptors on Human Regulatory T Cells
Researchers show that the expression of inflammatory cytokine receptors IL-1R1 and TNFR2 were higher on resting mature regulatory T cells compared to naive or memory T cells. [PLoS One]

Modulation of T Cell Activation by Malignant Melanoma Initiating Cells
Tumorigenic ABCB5+ malignant melanoma initiating cells possessed the capacity to preferentially inhibit IL-2-dependent T cell activation and to support, in a B7.2-dependent manner, induction of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells. [Cancer Res]

Immunostimulatory RNA Blocks Suppression by Regulatory T Cells
As viral RNA is a crucial mediator for activation of antiviral immunity, researchers examined the effects of immunostimulatory RNA and infection with RNA viruses on regulatory T cell function. [J Immunol]

IL-24 Transgenic Mice: In Vivo Evidence of Overlapping Functions for IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24 in the Epidermis
IL-24 transgenic mice manifest many similar phenotypes to that of IL-20 and IL-22, including neonatal lethality, epidermal hyperplasia, and abnormality in keratinocyte differentiation. [J Immunol]

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Food and Drug Administration Approves New Drug for Rheumatoid Arthritis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Actemra (tocilizumab) on Friday to treat adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis who have not adequately responded to or cannot tolerate other approved drug classes for rheumatoid arthritis. [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

Advisory Committees; Tentative Schedule of Meetings for 2010 [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

After Long March, Scientists Create 'Chinese National Institutes of Health'
The National Natural Science Foundation of China launched a medical department that expects to disburse about 1 billion renminbi ($150 million) in government grants in 2010. [The National Natural Science Foundation of China, People's Republic of China]

NIH Broadens Eligibility for NIH Diversity and Re-Entry Supplements (NOT-OD-10-045) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Salary Limitation on FY2010 AHRQ Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts (NOT-HS-10-012) [Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, United States]

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