Washington State University

About: Washington State University is a education organization based out in Pullman, Washington, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 26947 authors who have published 57736 publications receiving 2341509 citations. The organization is also known as: WSU & Wazzu.

Interactions between germ cells and Sertoli cells in the testis.

Abstract: The "nurse cell" function of Sertoli cells in spermatogenesis was originally tacitly assumed on the basis of the anatomical relationships between cells in the testis. In mammals, from very early in prenatal development to the onset of meiosis and to the ultimate production of spermatozoa, the relationship between the germinal cells and the Sertoli cells is important and apparently obligatory. The experimental evidence supports the notion that the primary endocrine regulation of spermatogenesis via FSH and testosterone is manifested through actions on the Sertoli cells. Although diverse strategies are used by Sertoli cells to support germ cell development, one of the most important roles of Sertoli cells is the regulation of the intratubular and intercellular environment adluminal to the tight junctional complexes. The meiotic and post-meiotic germ cells are sequestered by Sertoli-Sertoli junctional complexes in an adluminal compartment that is isolated from the serum or lymph. As a result of this sequestering activity, the secretion products of the Sertoli cells and the meiotic germ cells determine the composition of this local environment that can influence meiosis as well as spermatid and spermatocyte development. Evidence is accumulating that paracrine and autocrine factors from Sertoli and germ cells are important in the functioning of both cell types. While it is important to know what Sertoli cells and germ cells make, it is equally important to know when they make it. Distinct but well-defined groups of germ cells interact with Sertoli cells in a cyclic pattern. These recurring groups of germ cells define the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium during which sperm are produced in an asynchronous fashion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Immune mechanisms at the maternal-fetal interface: perspectives and challenges

Abstract: Leaders gathered at the US National Institutes of Health in November 2014 to discuss recent advances and emerging research areas in aspects of maternal-fetal immunity that may affect fetal development and pregnancy success.

A chromosome bin map of 16,000 expressed sequence tag loci and distribution of genes among the three genomes of polyploid wheat.

Abstract: Because of the huge size of the common wheat (Triticum aestivum L., 2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD) genome of 17,300 Mb, sequencing and mapping of the expressed portion is a logical first step for gene discovery. Here we report mapping of 7104 expressed sequence tag (EST) unigenes by Southern hybridization into a chromosome bin map using a set of wheat aneuploids and deletion stocks. Each EST detected a mean of 4.8 restriction fragments and 2.8 loci. More loci were mapped in the B genome (5774) than in the A (5173) or D (5146) genomes. The EST density was significantly higher for the D genome than for the A or B. In general, EST density increased relative to the physical distance from the centromere. The majority of EST-dense regions are in the distal parts of chromosomes. Most of the agronomically important genes are located in EST-dense regions. The chromosome bin map of ESTs is a unique resource for SNP analysis, comparative mapping, structural and functional analysis, and polyploid evolution, as well as providing a framework for constructing a sequence-ready, BAC-contig map of the wheat genome.

Social Capital and the Generation of Human Capital

Abstract: We make use of a large sample of data taken from the National Educational Longitudinal Survey, to examine the effects of various measures of financial, human and social capital on the likelihood of dropping out of school. We test whether social capital mediates the effect of parental financial and human capital on leaving school. The findings indicate that both more general measures of social capital (attending a Catholic school, family structure) and more specific measures of social capital (parentchild and parent-school interaction) are related to dropping out of high school. The findings also indicate that social capital interacts with the financial and human capital of parents to determine school continuation. In reaction to the influence of economic theory on sociological thought, Coleman (1988) argues that the well-known concepts of financial and human capital (cf., Becker 1964, 1991) should be supplemented by the concept of social capital when attempting to explain human action. Coleman bases his argument on the selfevident fact that persons' actions are shaped by social context and not simply by the financial and human resources available to them. In this article, we test Coleman's argument by making use of a large sample of data taken from the National Educational Longitudinal Study to evaluate the joint impact of financial, human, and social capital on the creation of human capital in the next generation. In addition, we move beyond the simple consideration of the marginal effect of social capital by seeking to determine whether social capital

The consequences of organizational commitment: Methodological investigation

Abstract: Extensive research on the consequences of organizational commitment (OC) has been conducted over the past decade. The purpose of this paper is to summarize empirical evidence about the relationship between OC and work outcomes and to examine the effect of methodological decisions on the OC–work outcome relationship. A meta-analysis of 35 studies of the OC–work outcome linkage reveals that the overall empirical relationship between OC and outcome variables is generally weak, but positive. While subgroup analyses reveal that conceptualization, research design, sampling, operationalization and observation technique decisions have a definite impact on the OC–work outcome correlation, the relationship remains essentially weak. Multiple regression analysis reveals that the type of work outcome and methodological decisions explain only 19 per cent of the variance in the OC–work outcome relationship, with conceptualization decisions having the largest impact.