Microglia activation leads to inflammation mediated dopaminergic degeneration in the brain of patients with Parkinson and Alzheimer's Disease. Thus Identification of drugs that reduce microglia activation could prevent or reverse neuronal degeneration in these diseases and other degenerative CNS disorders.

Lactoferrin, an iron-binding glycoprotein, kills bacteria and modulates inflammatory and immune responses. It is expressed in mucosa membrane and is present in saliva, tears, vaginal secretion and neutrophils. It modulates immune and inflammatory response by down-regulating several cytokines. Therefore, lactoferrin is an important protein in first line of defense and protecting health. Changes in lactoferrin expression could also be used as a marker of gene activation, especially estrogen-induced gene activity in the uterus.

Estrogen related receptor alpha (ERRalpha) is a family member of the steroid/thyroid nuclear receptor superfamily. Estrogen related receptors are thought to regulate similar target genes in the absence of known ligands. For example, the inventors previously cloned the human estrogen receptor-related orphan receptor alpha1 cDNA and demonstrated that it enhances estrogen responsiveness of the lactoferrin gene promoter in transfected human endometrial carcinoma cells.

Of great utility in toxicology and DNA repair research are knockout mice with cell lines enabling one to evaluate generations of gene mutations as a direct function of base excision repair. Of particular importance are lambda-LIZ transgenes. Likewise, wild-type and beta-pol null cell lines are equally important. While there exist cell lines carrying the lambda-LIZ transgene, only wild-type cells are currently available. And while wild-type and beta-pol null cell lines exist, none carry the lambda-LIZ transgene.

The disclosed invention provides materials and methods to treat granulocytopenia (low white cell count in the blood) which is characterized by a reduced number of granulocytes (relative) or an absence of granulocytes (absolute). This condition is commonly associated with cancer chemotherapy, but is seen less frequently in a number of conditions including the use of propylthiouracil, radiotherapy for marrow ablation for bone marrow transplantation, aplastic anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, AIDS and a variety of other situations.

National Institutes of Health researchers have developed knockout mice that do not express Tristetraprolin (TTP). TTP is an AU-rich element (ARE) binding protein and the prototype of a family of CCCH zinc finger proteins. AREs were identified as conserved sequences found in the 3’ untranslated region (3’ UTR) of a variety of transiently expressed genes including early response genes, proto-oncogenes, and other growth regulatory genes. AREs function as instability sequences that target ARE-containing transcripts for rapid mRNA decay.

Transformation-Associated Recombination (TAR) cloning in yeast is a unique method for selective isolation of large chromosomal fragments or entire genes from complex genomes without the time-consuming step of library construction.¹ The technique involves homologous recombination during yeast spheroplast transformation between genomic DNA and a TAR vector that has short (approximately 60bp) 5’ and 3’ gene targeting sequences (hooks).

A primary goal of diabetes therapy is to improve control of blood glucose levels (known as glycemic control) in patients. Prospective studies of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes indicate that careful glycemic control significantly reduces the risk of microvascular, neurological, and cardiovascular complications of diabetes. The current method of monitoring glycemic control involves measuring levels of the intracellular hemoglobin (HbA1C).

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common genetic disease that affects the entire body, producing thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. It is the most common fatal genetic disease in the United States, and is caused by a mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR).

Calcium is a key element in the regulation of many cellular processes, including muscle contraction, hormone excretion from gland cells, neurotransmitter release from nerve synapses, and the regulation of cellular metabolism. Elevated calcium levels are found in a number of diseases.