Several neurodegenerative disorders are associated with evidence of inflammation, one feature of which is increased activation of microglia, the most likely cellular source of inflammatory cytokines like interleukin‐1β. It is now recognized that interaction of microglia with other cells contributes to maintenance of microglia in a quiescent state and the complementary distribution of the chemokine, fractalkine (CX3CL1) on neurons and its receptor (CX3CR1) on microglia, suggests that this interaction may play a role in modulating microglial activation. Here we demonstrate that both soluble and membrane‐bound fractalkine attenuate lipopolysaccharide‐induced microglial activation in vitro. We also show that fractalkine expression is reduced in the brain of aged rats and this is accompanied by an age‐related increase in microglial activation. Treatment of aged rats with fractalkine attenuates the age‐related increase in microglial activation and the evidence indicates that fractalkine‐induced activation of the phosphatidylinositol‐3 kinase pathway is required to maintain microglia in a quiescent state both in vivo and in vitro.

The expression of many genes is altered in colon cancer, but the roles of these genes in carcinogenesis are unclear. Using real-time quantitative PCR, we demonstrated that several genes previously implicated in human colon cancer undergo altered expression in the APC min mouse adenomatous polyp, a precursor of cancer, as well as in normal-appearing surrounding mucosa. The five genes that were most highly up-regulated in mouse polyp were also significantly up-regulated in polyp-free colon mucosa. Similar changes occurred in morphologically normal mucosa of surgical sections taken from human cancer patients, frequently extending to the margins. Thus, morphologically normal colon mucosa in APC min mice and in human cancer patients is not metabolically normal. Altered gene expression in this tissue does not appear to result from a field effect because there was no correlation between extent of altered regulation and distance from polyp or tumor. Our data suggest that alterations of expression levels of these genes may be an early event in carcinogenesis and a marker of risk for the development of colon cancer.

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Though opioid receptors are more difficult to purify and characterize than other cell surface receptors, significant progress has been made in the past several years. At least a dozen groups have now reported purification of opioid-binding proteins, either in a form that retains ligand-binding properties, or in a covalently bound form. Although there are some discrepancies in the molecular weights of these proteins, it is significant that many investigators have reported a molecular weight of about 60 kd for the receptor, regardless of whether it is of the mu, delta, or kappa type. This finding, together with immunological evidence, suggests that different opioid receptor types may be highly similar, and could conceivably even share a common ligand-binding subunit. Several groups have prepared monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies to purified opioid-binding proteins, which should be useful in mapping the brain regional distribution of the opioid receptors, determining the regions in the peptide involved in ligand binding and association with second messengers, and in determining the relationships among different opioid receptor types. One group has in fact already established an antigenic similarity between a mu-selective opioid-binding protein in mammalian brain, and the delta opioid receptor in NG108-15 neuroblastoma-glioma hybrid cells. One group has reported cloning of the cDNA for a purified opioid-binding protein. Somewhat surprisingly, its predicted amino acid sequence places it in the immunoglobulin superfamily, with strongest homologies to cell-adhesion molecules such as N-CAM. MAG, amalgam and fasciclin II, as well as receptors for peptides such as PDGF and interleukin-6. However, this is consistent with evidence that opioids can modulate cell-cell interactions of monocytes, and provides further support for links between opioids and the immune system. The second messengers mediating opioid actions are still unknown. Opioid agonists affect the activity of adenylate cyclase and ion channels in some tissues, but neither has been shown to mediate opioid analgesia. The sequence homologies of the purified opioid-binding protein OBCAM with tyrosine kinase growth factor receptors suggest additional possibilities for second messengers.

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An experiment was carried out to examine the effects of coffee on performance and alertness in the day and at night. The results showed that caffeinated coffee had a beneficial effect on alertness and improved performance on a variety of tasks in both day and night sessions. The effects were often very large. For example, at night, consumption of caffeinated coffee produced comparable alertness ratings to the day-time ratings given when juice was drunk. In contrast to the effects of caffeinated coffee, the difference between the decaffeinated coffee and juice were small and variable. Overall, these results clearly demonstrate the beneficial effects of consuming caffeinated coffee, and show that this effect is comparable in the day and night.

Id helix-loop-helix (Id HLH) proteins are negative regulators of basic HLH transcription factors. They are expressed during embryonic development and are important for the regulation of cell phenotypes in adults. They participate in the molecular networks controlling cell growth, differentiation, and carcinogenesis, through specific basic HLH and non-basic HLH protein interactions. Recent in vitro and in vivo data implicate Id HLH as important orchestrating proteins of homeostasis in glandular and protective epithelia. In particular, Id proteins have been reported to be involved in cell behavior in epidermis, respiratory system, digestive tract, pancreas, liver, thyroid, urinary system, prostate, testis, endometrium, cervix, ovary, and mammary gland. The purpose of this review is to summarize the evidence implicating Id proteins in the regulation of mammalian epithelial cell phenotypes.