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VCAM-1 Gene

January 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

VCAM1 gene is the gene responsible for encoding Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 which as the name suggests functions as a cell adhesion molecule VACM is a cell surface sialoglycoprotein, a type I membrane protein that is a member of the Ig superfamily.

The VCAM-1 gene is expressed on both large and small blood vessels only after the endothelial cells are stimulated by cytokines.  It contains six or seven immunoglobulin domains, It is alternatively spliced  to encode different isoforms in humans. [Read more...]

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α4-integrin

January 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The integrins generally consist of alpha-beta heterodimeric transmembrane glycoproteins in which the alpha subunit is noncovalently associated with the beta subunit.

Integrin, alpha 4 belongs to the integrin alpha chain family of proteins. Unlike other integrin alpha chains, alpha 4 neither contains an I-domain, nor undergoes disulfide-linked cleavage.

Alpha 4 chain associates with either beta 1 chain or beta 7 chain.

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What Is Apoptosis?

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Apoptosis programmed cell death that is carried out in multicellular organism. Apoptosis leads to production of cell fragments called apoptotic bodies that phagocytic cells engulf and quickly remove.

Apoptosis is designed to carry out functions of the body development.For example, the differentiation of fingers and toes in a developing human embryo occurs because cells between the fingers apoptose, separating the digits.
[Read more...]

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Chemotaxis

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Chemotaxis is the phenomenon in which somatic cells, bacteria, and other single-cell or multicellular organisms direct their movements according to certain chemicals in their environment.

In bacteria, chemotaxis is important for finding food by moving towards the highest concentration of food molecules, or to move away from dangers.

In multicellular organisms, chemotaxis is critical for development and function.

Positive chemotaxis occurs if the movement is toward a higher concentration of the chemical in question.

Negative chemotaxis occurs if the movement is in the opposite direction.

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What Is A Ligand?

January 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Ligand is a substance that forms a complex with a biomolecule to serve a biological purpose.

It acts as a signal triggering molecule, binding to a site on a target protein.

the forces included in the binding process may be ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds or van der Waals forces. High affinity ligand binding results from greater intermolecular force between the ligand and its receptor while low affinity ligand binding involves less intermolecular force between the ligand and its receptor. [Read more...]

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Addressin Endothelial Cell Receptor

January 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Addressin  Endothelial Cell Receptor is a receptor for adddresssin.

Addressin is also known as mucosal vascular addressin cell adhesion molecule 1.

It is an extracellular protein of the endothelium of venules.

Addressins are the ligands to the homing receptors of lymphocytes.

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Osteopontin Gene

January 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Oseteopontin is a extracellular linking protein which is also known by the names of  bone sialoprotein I , early T-lymphocyte activation 1, secreted phosphoprotein 1, 2ar and Rickettsia resistance.

It  is a  glycoprotein that was first identified in 1986 in osteoblasts.

Apart from, the protein is also expressed in other tissues bone. [Read more...]

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Peyer’s Patches

January 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Peyer’s patches aggregations of lymphoid tissue usually found in the lowest portion of the small intestine, the ileum.

Peyer’s patches are observable as elongated thickenings of the intestinal epithelium.

They have been named after the seventeenth century Swiss anatomist, Hans Conrad Peyer. [Read more...]

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What Are Signs of Inflammation?

February 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The word inflammation is derived from Latin – inflammare which means to set on fire. Inflammation is a part of compolex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants.

The process of inflammation is an attempt by the body to get rid of the injurious stimuli and to begin healing process.

Inflammation can be classified as either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is the initial response of the body to harmful stimuli and is achieved by the increased movement of plasma and leukocytes (especially granulocytes ) from the blood into the injured tissues. [Read more...]

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How To Palpate Supratrochlear Lymph Nodes

December 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Supratrochlear lymph node palpation

1. Make the patient stand with back towards you.

2. Expose the elbow and make the palm face forward while upper limbs are lying on side.

3. Grab the elbow from behind so that your thumb lies on the posterior aspect  and your fingers rest on the anteromedial aspect of the elbow and inner of your hand encircles the lateral aspect of the elbow.

4. Start palpating a fingerbreadth above the elobw crease and feel for lymph node.

The node is normally not palpable in otherwise healthy persons.

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