Biotechnology in Japan: A lesson in logistics? Part I: The political substrate

Japan, like Europe and the USA, has accepted the challenge of biotechnology, which opens up the way towards new fundamental knowledge and capabilities. Government and industry have joined forces to exploit biotechnology as a means of restructuring whole sectors of the country's economy, to ensure their continued viability in the coming decades. The strategy the Japanese have adopted in their bid for world leadership in this area differs from those of the Western countries. The extraordinarily complex infrastructure created for this purpose and its functional efficiency are unparalleled and evince the innate force and ingenuity of Japanese competition.     

Filamin B:The next hotspot in skeletal research?

Filamin B(FLNB)is a large dimeric actin-binding protein which crosslinks actin cytoskeleton filaments into a dynamic structure.Up to present,pathogenic mutations in FLNB are solely found to cause skeleta deformities,indicating the important role of FLNB in skeletal development.FLNB-related disorders are classifiedasspondylocarpotarsalsynostosis(SCT),Larsensyndrome(LS),atelosteogenesis(AO)boomerang dysplasia(BD),and isolated congenital talipes equinovarus,presenting with scoliosis,shortlimbed dwarfism,clubfoot,joint dislocation and other unique skeletal abnormalities.Several mecha?nisms of FLNB mutations causing skeletal malformations have been proposed,including delay of ossification in long bone growth plate,reduction of bone mineral density(BMD),dysregulation of muscle differentiation,ossification of intervertebral disc(IVD),disturbance of proliferation,differentiation and apoptosis in chondrocytes,impairment of angiogenesis,and hypomotility of osteoblast,chondrocyte and fibroblast.Interventions on FLNB-related diseases require prenatal surveillance by sonography,gene testing in high-risk carriers,andproper orthosis or orthopedic surgeries to correct malformations including scoliosis,cervical spine instability,large joint dislocation,and clubfoot.Gene and cell therapies for FLNB-related diseases are also promising but require further studies.     

The Toposome: A New Twist on Topoisomerase II?

No abstract available.     

A Review of: “Chromatography in Biotechnology”

Abstract

C. Horvith and L.S. Ettre, Eds. ACS Symposium Series 529, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1993, hardbound pp. ix+ 189, $49.95     

HIV and malaria: a lesson in immunology?

HIV is now common in many areas of Africa that are also highly endemic for malaria. In this article, Geoff Butcher summarizes the available data on the possible interaction o f HIV and malaria, and shows that the course of falciparum malaria is virtually unaffected by the presence of HIV. This raises significant questions for our understanding of immunity to the asexual blood stages of human malaria and the use of animal models in malaria research.