Publications

the prion protein as a receptor for amyloid-beta.	increased levels of brain amyloid-beta, a secreted peptide cleavage product of amyloid precursor protein (app), is believed to be critical in the aetiology of alzheimer's disease. increased amyloid-beta can cause synaptic depression, reduce the number of spine protrusions (that is, sites of synaptic contacts) and block long-term synaptic potentiation (ltp), a form of synaptic plasticity; however, the receptor through which amyloid-beta produces these synaptic perturbations has remained elusive. ...	20703260
ampars and synaptic plasticity: the last 25 years.	the study of synaptic plasticity and specifically ltp and ltd is one of the most active areas of research in neuroscience. in the last 25 years we have come a long way in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity. in 1988, ampa and nmda receptors were not even molecularly identified and we only had a simple model of the minimal requirements for the induction of plasticity. it is now clear that the modulation of the ampa receptor function and membrane trafficking is criti ...	24183021
palladium-catalyzed aryl amination reactions of 6-bromo- and 6-chloropurine nucleosides.	palladium-catalyzed c-n bond forming reactions of 6-bromo- as well as 6-chloropurine ribonucleosides and the 2'-deoxy analogues with aryl amines are described. efficient conversions were observed with pd(oac)(2)/xantphos/cs(2)co(3), in phme at 100 °c. reactions of the bromo nucleoside derivatives could be conducted at a lowered catalytic loading (5 mol % pd(oac)(2)/7.5 mol % xantphos), whereas good product yields were obtained with a higher catalyst load (10 mol % pd(oac)(2)/15 mol % xantphos) w ...	21818182
directing dendritic cell immunotherapy towards successful cancer treatment.	the use of dendritic cells (dcs) for tumor immunotherapy represents a powerful approach for harnessing the patient's own immune system to eliminate tumor cells. however, suboptimal conditions for generating potent immunostimulatory dcs, as well as the induction of tolerance and suppression mediated by the tumors and its microenvironment have contributed to limited success. combining dc vaccines with new approaches that enhance immunogenicity and overcome the regulatory mechanisms underlying peri ...	20473346
intertwined pathways of programmed cell death in immunity.	programmed cell death (pcd) occurs widely in species from every kingdom of life. it has been shown to be an integral aspect of development in multicellular organisms, and it is an essential component of the immune response to infectious agents. an analysis of the phylogenetic origin of pcd now shows that it evolved independently several times, and it is fundamental to basic cellular physiology. undoubtedly, pcd pervades all life at every scale of analysis. these considerations provide a backdrop ...	20636807