New Pedal Remains of Megaladapis and Their Functional Significance. Am J Phys Anthropol 100:115–139

Erratum: Wunderlich RE, Simons EL, Jungers WL. 1996. New Pedal Remains of Megaladapis and Their Functional Significance. Am J Phys Anthropol 100:115–139.     

Application of phage display to high throughput antibody generation and characterization

We have created a high quality phage display library containing over 10¹⁰ human antibodies and describe its use in the generation of antibodies on an unprecedented scale. We have selected, screened and sequenced over 38,000 recombinant antibodies to 292 antigens, yielding over 7,200 unique clones. 4,400 antibodies were characterized by specificity testing and detailed sequence analysis and the data/clones are available online. Sensitive detection was demonstrated in a bead based flow cytometry assay. Furthermore, positive staining by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays was found for 37% (143/381) of antibodies. Thus, we have demonstrated the potential of and illuminated the issues associated with genome-wide monoclonal antibody generation.     

Irritable bowel syndrome: a review on the role of intestinal protozoa and the importance of their detection and diagnosis

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder in which abdominal pain is associated with a defect or a change in bowel habits. Gut inflammation is one of the proposed mechanisms of pathogenesis. Recent studies have described a possible role for protozoan parasites, such as Blastocystis hominis and Dientamoeba fragilis, in the etiology of IBS. Dientamoeba fragilis is known to cause IBS-like symptoms and has a propensity to cause chronic infections but its diagnosis relies on microscopy of stained smears, which many laboratories do not perform, thereby leading to the misdiagnosis of dientamoebiasis as IBS. The role of B. hominis as an etiological agent of IBS is inconclusive, due to contradictory reports and the controversial nature of B. hominis as a human pathogen. Although Entamoeba histolytica infections occur predominately in developing regions of the world, clinical diagnosis of amebiasis is often difficult because symptoms of patients with IBS may closely mimic those patients with non-dysenteric amoebic colitis. Clinical manifestations of Giardia intestinalis infection also vary from asymptomatic carriage to acute and chronic diarrhoea with abdominal pain. These IBS-like symptoms can be continuous, intermittent, sporadic or recurrent, sometimes lasting years without correct diagnosis. It is essential that all patients with IBS undergo routine parasitological investigations in order to rule out the presence of protozoan parasites as the causative agents of the clinical signs.     

A role for the anaphase promoting complex in hormone regulation

To increase our knowledge of anaphase promoting complex (APC/C) function during plant development, we characterized an Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA-insertion line where the T-DNA fell within the 5′ regulatory region of the APC10 gene. The insert disrupted endogenous expression, resulting in overexpression of APC10 mRNA from the T-DNA- internal CaMV 35S promoter, and increased APC10 protein. Overexpression of APC10 produced phenotypes resembling those of known auxin and ethylene mutants, and increased expression of two tested auxin-regulated genes, small auxin up RNA (SAUR) 15 and SAUR24. Taken together, our data suggests that elevated APC10 likely mimics auxin and ethylene sensitive phenotypes, expanding our understanding of proteolytic processes in hormone regulation of plant development.