This report documents the Mixed Waste Focus Area (MWFA)-sponsored Alternative Technology Workshop held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from January 24--27, 1995. The primary workshop goal was identifying potential applications for emerging technologies within the Options Analysis Team (OAT) ''wise'' configuration. Consistent with the scope of the OAT analysis, the review was limited to the Mixed Low-Level Waste (MLLW) fraction of DOE's mixed waste inventory. The Los Alamos team prepared workshop materials (databases and compilations) to be used as bases for participant review and recommendations. These materials derived from the Mixed Waste Inventory Report (MWIR) data base (May 1994), the Draft Site Treatment Plan (DSTP) data base, and the OAT treatment facility configuration of December 7, 1994. In reviewing workshop results, the reader should note several caveats regarding data limitations. Link-up of the ...
In proteomics, one-dimensional (1D) SDS-PAGE is widely used for proteinfractionation prior to mass spectrometric analysis to enhance dynamic range of analysis and to improve identification...Full Text Available
Uptake of the lipophilic cation triphenylmethylphosphonium into mesophyll protoplasts of oat (Avena sativa L. cv. “Garry”) approaches equilibrium at 3 to 4 hours. The...Full Text Available
When the detached first leaves of green or etiolated oat (Avena sativa cv. Victory) seedlings senesce in the dark, their oxygen consumption shows a large increase, beginning after 24...Full Text Available
The soluble subcellular fraction of a chlB mutant contains an inactive precursor form of the molybdoenzyme nitrate reductase, which can be activated by the addition to the soluble fraction of protein...Full Text Available
The plasma protein binding of phenytoin was investigated in 100 epileptic patients, using equilibrium dialysis at 37 degrees C. The unbound fractions of phenytoin in plasma formed a skewed distribution,...Full Text Available
The purpose of the present work was to study the pharmacokinetics and the protein binding (free fraction of the drug) of ceftriaxone (CTX) during pregnancy. Nine pregnant women (ages, 20 to 34 years)...Full Text Available
A field study was conducted to investigate the absorption of various elements into oats and carrots cultivated in brown forest soil after three years' applications of chemical fertilizer and two types of sewage sludge compost mixed with sawdust (SD compost) or rice husk (RH compost). The results obtained in this study are summarized as follows. 1) The application of SD compost led to a significant increase on the concentrations of Mn, Zn, Ag and Ba in oat root, of Zn and Br in oat shoot, of Cl and Zn in oat ears, of Mg, Sc, Mn, Zn, Br, Ba and La in carrot peel, of Mn, Fe, Co and Zn in carrot edible portion and of Na, Sc, Mn, Fe, Co and Sm in carrot shoot. 2) The application of RH compost increased the concentrations of Mn, Zn, and Ag in oat root, of K, Cr, Mn, Zn and Br in oat shoot, of Zn and Br in oat ears, of Mg, Mn and Br in carrot peel, ...
Cell extracts of the thermophile Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum catalyzed the phosphorylation by (..gamma..-/sup 32/P)ATP of several endogenous proteins with M/sub r/s between 13,000 and 100,000. Serine and tyrosine were the main acceptors. Distinct substrate proteins were found in the soluble (e.g., proteins p66, p63, and p53 of M/sub r/s 66,000, 63,000, and 53,000, respectively) and particulate (p76 and p30) fractions, both of which contained protein kinase and phosphatase activity. The soluble fraction suppressed the phosphorylation of particulate proteins and contained a protein kinase inhibitor. Phosphorylation of p53 was promoted by 10..mu..M fructose 1,6-bisphosphate or glucose 1,6-bisphosphate and suppressed by hexose monophosphates, whereas p30 and p13 were suppressed by 5 ..mu..M brain (but not spinach) ...
We describe a method for affinity purification of sequence-specific DNA binding proteins that is fast and effective. Complementary chemically synthesized oligodeoxynucleotides that contain a recognition site for a sequence-specific DNA binding protein are annealed and ligated to give oligomers. This DNA is then covalently coupled to Sepharose CL-2B with cyanogen bromide to yield the affinity resin. A partially purified proteinfraction is combined with competitor DNA and subsequently passed through the DNA-Sepharose resin. The desired sequence-specific DNA binding protein is purified because it preferentially binds to the recognition sites in the affinity resin rather than to the nonspecific competitor DNA in solution. For example, a proteinfraction that is enriched for transcription factor Sp1 can be further purified 500- to 1000-fold by ...
This study investigated relationships between molecular weight distributions of unreduced grain proteins and grain, flour, and end-use quality characteristics of soft white winter wheats grown in Oregon. Absorbance area and area % values of proteinfractions separated by size exclusion HPLC (SE-HPL...
Protein kinase C activity has been identified in the rat brown adipocyte. About 60% of this activity is found in the cytosolic fraction under basal conditions, and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) causes a rapid shift from the cytosol to the particulate fraction. Norepinephrine and phenylephrine causes a similar redistribution that can be blocked by prazosin but not by alprenolol. {alpha}{sub 1}-Adrenergic agonists cause three- to fivefold stimulation of type 2 iodothyronine 5{prime}-deiodinase activity in brown adipocytes. TPA has no effect on basal deiodinase activity and reduces the response of the enzyme to {alpha}{sub 1}-adrenergic agonists. These results suggest that the translocation of protein kinase C from cytosol to particulate fraction is not sufficient to increase deiodinase activity but can modulate the {alpha}{sub 1}-adrenergic agonist-mediated responses in ...
BackgroundMicrovascular injury plays a key role in normal tissue radiation responses. Statins, in addition to their lipid-lowering effects, have vasculoprotective...Full Text Available
Proteins in the ALA-D (delta-aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase) fraction from gel filtration of erythrocyte supernatant (ES) have the highest affinity for lead among erythrocyte constituents in vivo...Full Text Available
Soya- and oats-lipoxygenase (E.C. 1.13.1.13) are incubated by "1"4C-marked linoleic acid. The volatile aldehydes arising thereby are isolated. The activity of the components separated by gaschromatography is written down by a printing indicator and the impulses/min are registered and printed out by a ratemeter. Thus the aldehydes which are produced by the enzymatic oxydation with lipoxygenase from the molecule of the linoleic acid can be determined. The composition of the mixture of aldehydes is calculated in mol-% from the measured impulses for peak. A possible origin of pathway is indicated for the main reaction products hexanal (soyalipoxygenase) and non-trans-2-enal (oats-lipoxygenase). (orig.).
Intact rat fat cell exposed to 12.5 ..mu..M (..gamma..-32P)ATP incorporate label into specific proteins within minutes. By solubilizing the reaction mixture with SDS which bypasses the subcellular fractionation steps, the labeled proteins can be identified in autoradiographs of SDS-PAGE gels. The most prominently labeled protein has an M/sub r/ of 42,000. Localization of this component to the cell surface can be made on the basis of inhibition of phosphorylation by addition of a protein derived from the rat brain with protein kinase inhibitory property, susceptibility of the phosphorylated protein to the tryptic digestion, inhibition of phosphorylation of this protein after brief exposure to melittin. To rule out the possibility that the cell surface protein might be a mitochondrial contaminant from ...
The effect of TP (triosephosphates:glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate, GAP, +dihydroxyacetone phosphate, DHAP) on respiration, phosphorylation and matrix ATP/ADP ratios of isolated oat mesophyll mitochondria...Full Text Available
Brief exposures to red light induce far red-reversible changes of 5 to 10 millivolts magnitude in the upper 1 centimeter of etiolated Avena coleoptiles. The changes begin within 15...Full Text Available
Cells of oat coleoptiles (Avena sativa L. cv. “Garry”) have been osmotically shocked in order to observe the effect of alterations of the plasma membrane on some auxin...Full Text Available
The responses of the vacuolar membrane (tonoplast) proton-pumping inorganic pyrophosphatase (H+-PPase) from oat (Avena sativa L.) roots to changes in Mg2+ and...Full Text Available
In whole-cell recording, the conductance of the plasma membrane of protoplasts isolated from mesophyll cells of leaves of oat (Avena sativa) was greater for inward than outward current....Full Text Available
An immunoglobulin Mk monoclonal (F8IVE9) antibody raised against oat (Avena sativa cv Garry) root homogenate has been produced and characterized. The predominant target...Full Text Available
A hyaluronic acid binding fraction was purified from the supernatant media of both 3T3 and murine sarcoma virus (MSV) transformed 3T3 cultures by hyaluronate and immunoaffinity chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis resolved the hyaluronate affinity-purified fraction into three major protein bands of estimated molecular weight (M/sub r,e/) 70K, 66K, and 56K which contained hyaluronate binding activity and which were termed hyaluronate binding proteins (HABP). Hyaluronate affinity chromatography combined with immunoaffinity chromatography, using antibody directed against the larger HABP, allowed a 20-fold purification of HABP. Fractions isolated from 3T3 supernatant medium also contained additional binding molecules in the molecular weight range of 20K. This material was present in vanishingly small amounts and was not detected with a silver stain ...
Heme peroxidases are a class of multifunctional redox-active proteins found in all organisms. We recently cloned, expressed, and characterized an ascorbate peroxidase from Leishmania major (LmAPX) that was capable of detoxifying hydrogen peroxide. Localization studies using green fluorescent protein fusions revealed that LmAPX was localized within the mitochondria by its N-terminal signal sequence. Subcellular fractionation analysis of the cell homogenate by the Percoll density-gradient method and subsequent Western blot analysis with anti-LmAPX antibody further confirmed the mitochondrial localization of mature LmAPX. Submitochondrial fractionation analysis showed that the mature enzyme (?3.6?kDa shorter than the theoretical value of the whole gene) was present in the intermembrane space ...
The aim of this study was to evaluate the automated urine test strip analyzer Aution Max AX 4280 which uses strips able to measure 12 urinary parameters. For precision study, we considered glucose, protein, blood, leukocytes, nitrite, and pH and the four first were compared with usual methods: chemical measurement or microscopic examination. Reproducibility of the semi quantitative results was determined as the proportion of results falling into the same concentration range. Within-run reproducibility assessed using urine specimens were between 83% and 96%. Between day on quality controlled materials, it was higher (96%), and leukocytes were shared between two classes 250 and 500 cells/microL. For glucose and proteins, linearity was good and comparison with quantitative methods yielded high correlation. The false negative fraction was low and there was no false positive results. For blood, fraction of ...
The time of appearance of newly synthesized rRNAs and ribosomal proteins (r-proteins) in the ribosomes of pea cotyledons (Pisum sativum L.) during germination was investigated. The ribosomal fraction was isolated and analyzed according to the method of germination of the embryo in the presence of labeled precursors or after pulse labeling of the embryos at different stages of germination. For the identification of newly synthesized rRNAs in the ribosomes we estimated the relative stability of labeled RNAs to the action of RNase, the sedimentation rate, the ability to be methylated in vivo in the presence of (/sup 14/C)CH/sub 3/-methionine, and the localization in the subunits of dissociated ribosomes. The presence of newly synthesized r-proteins in the ribosomes was judged on the basis of the electrophoretic similarity in SDS-disc electrophoresis of labeled polypeptides of purified ribosome preparations ...
The PbII binding characteristics of the previously reported PbII binding proteins of rat kidney cytosol were investigated further. Saturation and Scatchard analysis of /sup 203/Pb binding in whole cytosol and in 40% saturated ammonium sulfate precipitated fractions disclosed a class of relatively high-affinity sites with an apparent Kd of approximately 50 nM and binding capacities of approximately 41 and 9 pmol/mg of protein, respectively. Two /sup 203/Pb binding proteins with approximate molecular masses of 63K and 11.5K daltons and a high molecular weight component (greater than 200K) were isolated by Sepharose-6B column chromatography. The time course of association of /sup 203/Pb with cytosol and the 63K protein showed maximum binding at 18 hr which was stable up to 25 hr at 4 degrees C. The approximate half-time dissociation rate (T 1/2) of specifically bound /sup 203/Pb to the ...
The PbII binding characteristics of the previously reported PbII binding proteins of rat kidney cytosol were investigated further. Saturation and Scatchard analysis of "2"0"3Pb binding in whole cytosol and in 40% saturated ammonium sulfate precipitated fractions disclosed a class of relatively high-affinity sites with an apparent Kd of approximately 50 nM and binding capacities of approximately 41 and 9 pmol/mg of protein, respectively. Two "2"0"3Pb binding proteins with approximate molecular masses of 63K and 11.5K daltons and a high molecular weight component (greater than 200K) were isolated by Sepharose-6B column chromatography. The time course of association of "2"0"3Pb with cytosol and the 63K protein showed maximum binding at 18 hr which was stable up to 25 hr at 4 degrees C. The approximate half-time dissociation rate (T 1/2) of specifically bound "2"0"3Pb to the 63K ...
We complete the effective potential calculation of the two-loop, top/bottom Yukawa corrections to the Higgs boson masses in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, by computing the O(at^2 + at*ab + ab^2) contributions for arbitrary values of the bottom Yukawa coupling. We also compute the corrections to the minimization conditions of the effective potential at the same perturbative order. Our results extend the existing O(at^2) calculation, and are relevant in regions of the parameter space corresponding to tan(beta) >> 1. We extend to the Yukawa corrections a convenient renormalization scheme, previously proposed for the O(ab*as) corrections, that avoids unphysically large threshold effects associated with the bottom mass and absorbs the bulk of the corrections into the one-loop expression. For large values of tan(beta), the new contributions can account for a variation of several GeV in the lightest Higgs boson mass.
Abstract: Snake venom contains a number of small proteins,enzymes and other components,which displays a broad spectrum of biological activities. With the ability of specifically binding on acetylcholine acceptor, alpha-bungarotoxins are not only useful molecular probes in investigating the mechanism of neural signal transmission, but also potential pharmic preparations for neural disease treatment. In current research,cDNAs of Bungarus multicinutus venom gland were synthesized using SMART cDNA amplification kit and then, alpha-bungarotoxin genes were cloned and sequenced. Total of 20 clones were sequenced representing 14 isotoxin mRNAs of alpha-bungarotoxins. Among those clones, a novel isotoxin gene was subcloned into two expression plasmids, alpha-BgTX/pQE30a and alpha-BgTX/pGEX-4T-1, and transformed into E. coli. After inducing with IPTG, fused protein of GST-alpha-BgTX was successfully expressed at level of 30% gross ...
Phycocyanin - a major phycobiliprotein constitutively produced by many cyanobacteria hold several promising applications in diagnostics, biomedical research, and therapeutics. This paper discusses a novel rapid method for the purification of cyanobacterial phycocyanin (C-PC) from Phormidium fragile using hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The protein was extracted and concentrated by grinding under liquid nitrogen and ammonium sulfate fractionation. C-PC was purified by single step hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Purified phycocyanin showed absorbance maximum (lmax) at 624nm. The criterion of purity (R) achieved was 4.52. Phycocyanin to phycoerythrin and phycocyanin to allophycocyanin purity ratio were 3.85 and 7.49, respectively. The purified protein showed a pI of 5.2 and ha...
The production and uses are described for extracellular microbial polysaccharides (generically called emulsans) and for a new class of extracellular microbial protein-associated lipopolysaccharides (collectively called alpha-emulsans) produced by Acinetobacter Sp. ATCC 31012, its mutants or recombinants. Also included are the deproteinized lipopolysaccharides (collectively called apoemulsans) obtained from such emulsans, as well as to the divalent metal, ammonium, and quaternary ammonium salts of such emulsans and apoemulsans. The materials can be used (1) in cleaning oil-contaminated vessels used to transport or store crude oil or petroleum fractions in such a manner that the residual oil may be recovered for fuel value or for refining and (2) in enhanced oil recovery.
A carrier-free radioiodinated phenylazide derivative of forskolin, 3-iodo-4-azidophenethylamido-7-O-succinyl-deacetyl-forskolin (({sup 125}I)IAPS-forskolin), has been shown to be a highly selective photoaffinity probe for the human erythrocyte glucose transported and the glucose transport proteins found in several mammalian tissues and cultured cells where the glucose transport protein is present at a low concentration. The photoincorporation of ({sup 125}I)IAPS-forskolin into these glucose transporters was blocked by D- (but not L-) glucose, cytochalasin B, and forskolin. In addition to labeling the mammalian glucose transport proteins, ({sup 125}I)IAPS-forskolin also labeled the L-arabinose transporter from E. coli. In muscle and adipose tissues, glucose transport is markedly increased in response to insulin. ({sup 125}I)IAPS-forskolin was shown to selectivity tag the glucose transporter in membranes derived from these ...
A carrier-free radioiodinated phenylazide derivative of forskolin, 3-iodo-4-azidophenethylamido-7-O-succinyl-deacetyl-forskolin (["1"2"5I]IAPS-forskolin), has been shown to be a highly selective photoaffinity probe for the human erythrocyte glucose transported and the glucose transport proteins found in several mammalian tissues and cultured cells where the glucose transport protein is present at a low concentration. The photoincorporation of ["1"2"5I]IAPS-forskolin into these glucose transporters was blocked by D- (but not L-) glucose, cytochalasin B, and forskolin. In addition to labeling the mammalian glucose transport proteins, ["1"2"5I]IAPS-forskolin also labeled the L-arabinose transporter from E. coli. In muscle and adipose tissues, glucose transport is markedly increased in response to insulin. ["1"2"5I]IAPS-forskolin was shown to selectivity tag the glucose transporter in membranes derived from these cells. In ...
Aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase, a pyridoxal phosphate utilizing enzyme, catalyzes the conversion of S-adenosylmethionine to ACC, the rate limiting step in the biosynthesis of the plant hormone, ethylene. Ethylene, besides being involved in normal plant growth processes, is also produced in response to stress, e.g. wounding, pathogen infection, etc. The authors report the partial purification (400 fold) of ACC synthase from wounded pink tomato pericarp by classical techniques including ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange and phenyl sepharose chromatography. Further purification results in a decrease in specific activity apparently due to the instability of the enzyme and the low levels present in plant tissue. Radiolabeling of a pyridoxal phosphate-utilizing protein in the ACC synthase enriched fraction was achieved. Evidence that this radiolabeled protein is ACC synthase will be presented. Amino ...
The results are presented of a study in radioactivity of forage (grass, alfalfa, clover), cereals (wheat, oats, rye, barley) and different agriculture products (fodder beet, sugar beet, leguminous plants, poppy, tobacco, maize, potatoes). Total beta activity, "4"0K, "9"0Sr and "1"3"7Cs activities were studied for the period 1962 to 1975 in selected localities in Slovakia. The highest values of "9"0Sr and "1"3"7Cs were measured in 1963, the lowest levels of "9"0Sr in 1975 while the lowest levels of "1"3"7Cs in 1973. (B.S.).
Field experiments were conducted in the 30-km zone of Gomel's region of the Byelorussia to study factors aecting a biological radionuclide accessibility. A contamination density by radiocesium equaled 2,7-9,9 MBk/m"2, strontium 90 - 0,3-0,5 MBk/m"2 in 1991. A sowing of oats barley, lupin was carried out. It was shown that radionuclide accumulation by agricultural plants was determined basically by biological peculiarities of plants in greater degree than by the contamination density. It was shown that strontium 90 migration from the soil was more intensive than that of radiocesium. 8 tabs.
The rate of hepatic cytochrome P450 Cypla1 and Cyp1a2 induction was investigated in C57BL male mice during induction with o-aminoazotoluene (OAT), benzo[a]pyrene (BP) and 1,4-dihydroxyanthraquinone (AQ). The Cypla1 mPNA level determined by quantitative RT-competitive PCR increased more than three orders of magnitude during induction with OAT and BP compared with untreated animals and remained unchanged during induction with AQ. The Cypla2 mRNA level was only 8.5, 18.7 and 1.9 times higher during induction with OAT, BP and AQ respectively than in untreated mice. At the same time 7-Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) and 7-Methoxyresorufin-O-demethylase (MROD) activities of Cypla were also investigated in liver. The increase of Cypla1 mRNA level correlated with the increase of EROD activity. This suggests involvement of the transcriptional mechanism of the inducibility of this enzyme. In the case of Cypla2 there was ...
Gel filtration of human erythrocyte (RBC) lysate incubated with labeled thyroxine (Tu) or triiodothyronine (Tt) revealed co-elution of a major iodothyronine-binding fraction (R-2) and hemoglobin. Solutions of purified human hemoglobin and Tt also showed co-elution of hormone and hemoglobin. Because hematin and protoporphyrin were shown to bind labeled Tt, the oxygen-binding site on hemoglobin was excluded as the site of iodothyronine-hemoglobin interaction. Analysis of hormone binding by heme and globin moieties showed Tt binding to be limited to the heme fraction. Addition of excess unlabeled Tt to hemoglobin or heme incubated with labeled Tt indicated 75% to 90% of hormone binding was poorly dissociable. These observations suggested that the presence of hemoglobin in RBC lysate or in serum could influence the measurement of Tu and Tt by specific radioimmunoassay (RIA). Subsequent studies of the addition to serum of human hemoglobin revealed a ...
When labeled cAMP is incubated with isolated mitochondria from rat liver, it penetrates not only through the outer membrane of the mitochondria but also into the mitoplasts, where it is accumulated chiefly in the matrix. Damage to the mitochondrial membrane by freezing-thawing promotes not an influx but an efflux of cAMP out of the mitoplasts. A substantial part of the labeled nucleotide in all the investigated submitochondrial fractions was identified as intact cAMP by the method of thin-layer chromatography. The transport of cAMP into the mitochondria can explain the activation of their functions by the hormones that activate cytoplasmic adenylate cyclase and by extramitochondrial (cytosol) cAMP, as well as the presence of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and cAMP-phosphodiesterase in the mitochondria.
Mediterranean mariculture uses imported strains of marine phytoplankton, raising questions of ecological risk and ability to adapt to local conditions for mass culture outdoors. In this context, we report here on the mass-culture potential and chemical composition of six strains of Prasinophyceae (five strains of Tetraselmis sp. and one Pyramimonas sp.) isolated from a Greek coastal lagoon. Proximate composition had a pattern of 10?20% ash, 35?65% protein, 6?10% lipids, and 25?45% other organics including carbohydrates. The amino acid profiles were typical for the marine representatives of the class. All strains had a high PUFA content with dominant the ?3 fraction in four of them. The fatty acid profiles indicated a Tetraselmis strain with high EPA (14%) and a Pyramimonas strain with high...
The /sup 31/P NMR method was first applied to characterize in vivo phosphorylation of H1 and H5 in calf thymus and chicken erythrocytes as well as in vitro phosphorylation of H1 and H5 by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The amino acid residues phosphorylated in vivo in the histones were exclusively serine residues, and the mole fraction of phosphoserine was estimated to be 0.34 and 0.27 per molecule of calf thymus H1 and chicken erythrocyte H5, respectively. Interestingly, chicken erythrocyte H1 was not phosphorylated in vivo. Three H1 subtypes from calf thymus H1 varied in the /sup 31/P NMR spectra, and the bisected fragments of calf thymus H1 and chicken erythrocyte H5 exhibited characteristic spectral patterns, indicating that there are considerable diversities of the degree of phosphorylation and phosphorylation sites in very-lysine-rich histones. Furthermore, it was found that the microenvironment of phosphoserine residues phosphorylated in ...
The present study was undertaken to determine the involvement of calcium-protein kinase C pathway in the mechanism of action of Escherichia coli heat stable enterotoxin (STa) apart from STa-induced activation of guanylate cyclase in human colonic carcinoma cell line COLO-205, which was used as a model cultured cell line to study the mechanism of action of E. coli STa. In response to E. coli STa, protein kinase C (PKC) activity was increased in a time-dependent manner with its physical translocation from cytosol to membrane. Inhibition of the PKC activity in membrane fraction and inhibition of its physical translocation in response to IP_3-mediated calcium release inhibitor dantrolene suggested the involvement of intracellular store depletion in the regulation of PKC activity. Among different PKC isoforms, predominant involvement of calcium-dependent protein kinase C (PKC#alpha#) was specified using ...
Full text: The maturation of chicken forebrain is protracted and occurs well after synapse formation providing a good model for studying mechanisms of brain maturation. Using microslices from immature (10 day) and adult chicken forebrain prepared after decapitation, we have examined functional properties of NMDA and AMPA receptors by measuring agonist-induced uptake of "4"5Ca"2"+ . The rate and extent of NMDA induced "4"5Ca"2"+ accumulation decreased during maturation with no change in EC_5_0. The rate and extent of the AMPA induced response also decreased with a 60-fold increase in EC_5_0. However, the total NMDA receptor content did not change as indicated by 3 H-MK801 binding and NR1 immunoreactivity in P2 fractions. Similarly, there was no change in the B_m_a_x of "3H-AMPA, though there was a two-fold increase in K_D, and little or no change in the immunoreactivity in GluR1, 2, 2/3 or 4. These results suggest that it is the regulation of receptors, their ...
In-vitro experiments using "2"0"3Pb were performed to identify the lead binding components in human peripheral blood. The distribution of lead in plasma, in the red cell membrane, and within the red cell was also investigated. Studies of the distribution of "2"0"3Pb in the whole blood showed that at a lead concentration of 2.45 #mu#mol/l (50 #mu#g/100 ml) about 94% of lead had been incorporated by the erythrocytes and 6% remained in the plasma. After extraction of lipid by a methanol/chloroform mixture, about 75% of the lead was found to be associated with the proteinfraction. The lipid contained about 21% of the "2"0"3Pb, the remainder being in the aqueous plasma. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of blood plasma showed that almost 90% of the "2"0"3Pb was present in the albumin fraction; the remainder was likely to be associated with high molecular weight globulins. Several binding sites were identified on the ...
Chaperones (stress proteins) are essential proteins to help the formation and maintenance of the proper conformation of other proteins and to promote cell survival after a large variety of environmental...Full Text Available
Milk can be a significant source of lead (Pb) for young mammals, including humans. Certain essential trace elements have previously been shown to be specifically associated with particular milk components and such associations often increase bioavailability. Thus, the first goal of this study was to determine the distribution of Pb in cream, casein, and whey fractions of various milks under various conditions using /sup 203/Pb as a tracer. In rat milk almost 90% of the Pb was found to be associated with the casein micelles, regardless of: 1) whether the milk was labeled in vivo or in vitro; b) whether the milk was fresh or frozen; and c) the added concentration of Pb. The remainder of the Pb was approximately equally distributed between cream and whey. A virtually identical pattern of Pb distribution was observed with bovine milk. Pb added to infant formula also associated predominantly with casein micelles, although the Pb content of this ...
pT181 is a naturally-occurring 4437 basepair (bp) plasmid isolated from Staphylococcus aureus which encodes inducible resistance to tetracycline (Tc). The DNA sequence data has identified three open reading frames (ORFs). The largest ORF B, has been found to be responsible for the Tc resistance phenotype of pT181. Since most Tc resistance systems appear to be regulated by an effector protein and a repressor protein, several Bal 31 deletion mutants of pT181 were constructed and analyzed in an effort to identify the elements involved in Tc resistance. Two transcomplementing groups of mutants were identified within the tet gene. The mechanism of Tc resistance was studied by assaying the accumulation of (7-/sup 3/H) Tc by Tc sensitive cells, and uninduced and induced pT181-containing cells. A sharp decrease in accumulation of the drug after an initial increase was observed in Tc induced pT181-containing cells. In vivo labeling of Bacillus subtilis ...
The authors used a near full-length human ornithine [delta]-aminotransferase cDNA, huOAT6, as a probe under low stringency hybridization conditions to identify a new autosomal ornithine [delta]-aminotransferase-related sequence (OATL3). Cloning and characterization of this sequence reveal it to be a partial nonprocessed pseudogene corresponding to exon 3 and flanking intronic sequences of the ornithine [delta]-aminotransferase structural gene. Using somatic cell hybrids and fluorescence in situ hybridization, they mapped OATL3 to 10q26, adjacent to the ornithine [delta]-aminotransferase structural gene locus. 13 refs., 3 figs.
Two Brucella fractions, the murein-linked fraction PI and the murein-free fraction SF, behave as in vitro adjuvants for primary anti-sheep erythrocyte responses: added to Mishell and Dutton-type cultures...Full Text Available
The intracellular concentration of protein may be as high as 400 mg per ml; thus it seems inevitable that within the cell, numerous protein-protein contacts are constantly occurring. A basic biochemical...Full Text Available
Reversion-induced LIM protein (RIL) is a member of the ALP (actinin-associated LIM protein) subfamily of the PDZ/LIM protein family. RIL serves as an adaptor protein and seems to regulate cytoskeletons....Full Text Available
The mechanisms involved in amino acid and sugar uptake by developing maize kernels were investigated. In the pedicel region of maize kernel, the site of nutrient unloading from phloem terminals, amino acids are accumulated in considerable amounts and undergo significant interconversion. A wide spectrum of enzymatic activities involved in the metabolism of amino acids is observed in these tissues. Subsequently, amino acids are taken up by the endosperm tissue in processes which require energy and the presence of carrier proteins. Conversely, no evidence was found that energy and carriers are involved in sugar uptake. This process of sugar uptake is not inhibited by metabolic inhibitors and shows nonsaturable kinetics, but the uptake is pH-dependent. L-glucose is taken up at a significantly reduced rate in comparison to D-glucose uptake. Based on analysis of radioactivity distribution among sugar fractions after incubations of kernels with ...
In vivo effects of toxaphene on calcium pump activity in rat brain synaptosomes was studied. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were dosed with toxaphene at 0,25,50, and 100 mg/kg/day for 3 days and sacrificed 24 h after last dose. Ca/sup 2 +/-ATPase activity and /sup 45/Ca uptake were determined in brain P/sub 2/ fraction. Toxaphene inhibited both Ca/sup 2 +/-ATPase activity and /sup 45/Ca/sup 2 +/ uptake and the inhibition was dose dependent. Both substrate and Ca/sup 2 +/ activation kinetics of Ca/sup 2 +/-ATPase indicated non-competitive type of inhibition as evidenced by decreased catalytic velocity but not enzyme-substrate affinity. The inhibited Ca/sup 2 +/-ATPase activity and Ca/sup 2 +/ uptake were restored to normal level by exogenously added calmodulin which increased both velocity and affinity. The inhibition of Ca/sup 2 +/-ATPase activity and Ca/sup 2 +/ uptake and restoration by calmodulin suggests that toxaphene may impair active calcium transport mechanisms ...
In vivo effects of toxaphene on calcium pump activity in rat brain synaptosomes was studied. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were dosed with toxaphene at 0,25,50, and 100 mg/kg/day for 3 days and sacrificed 24 h after last dose. Ca"2"+-ATPase activity and "4"5Ca uptake were determined in brain P_2 fraction. Toxaphene inhibited both Ca"2"+-ATPase activity and "4"5Ca"2"+ uptake and the inhibition was dose dependent. Both substrate and Ca"2"+ activation kinetics of Ca"2"+-ATPase indicated non-competitive type of inhibition as evidenced by decreased catalytic velocity but not enzyme-substrate affinity. The inhibited Ca"2"+-ATPase activity and Ca"2"+ uptake were restored to normal level by exogenously added calmodulin which increased both velocity and affinity. The inhibition of Ca"2"+-ATPase activity and Ca"2"+ uptake and restoration by calmodulin suggests that toxaphene may impair active calcium transport mechanisms by decreasing regulator protein ...
Given a point set S and an unknown metric d on S, we study the problem of efficiently partitioning S into k clusters while querying few distances between the points. In our model we assume that we have access to one versus all queries that given a point s in S return the distances between s and all other points. We show that given a natural assumption about the structure of the instance, we can efficiently find an accurate clustering using only O(k) distance queries. We use our algorithm to cluster proteins by sequence similarity. This setting nicely fits our model because we can use a fast sequence database search program to query a sequence against an entire dataset. We conduct an empirical study that shows that even though we query a small fraction of the distances between the points, we produce clusterings that are close to a desired clustering given by manual classification.
A large group of diseases, termed protein misfolding disorders, share the common feature of the accumulation of misfolded proteins. The possibility of a common mechanism underlying either the pathogenesis...Full Text Available
Many mutations associated with retinal degeneration lead to the production of misfolded proteins by cells of the retina. Emerging evidence suggests that these abnormal proteins cause cell death...Full Text Available
CAAX proteins are widely involved in global cellular functions such as proliferation, differentiation, and carcinogenesis. As an important modulator of biological activity, signal transduction via protein...Full Text Available
Structural and functional alterations in hepatocytes of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla, following a 4-week-exposure to 5, 50, and 250 micrograms/liter dinitro-o-cresol (DNOC) were investigated by means of electron microscopy and biochemistry and compared to liver pathology in eels exposed to the chemical spill into the Rhine river at Basle in November 1986. Whereas phenological parameters (growth, condition factor) are unaffected, ultrastructural and biochemical alterations are detectable at greater than or equal to 50 and 5 micrograms/liter DNOC, respectively. Structural modifications include: rounding-up of the nuclei; fractionation and reduction of the rough endoplasmic reticulum; proliferation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), mitochondria, peroxisomes, and lysosomes; bundles of rod-shaped SER profiles; annulate lamellae; membrane whorls within mitochondria; crystallization of the peroxisomal matrix and glycogen bodies; glycogen depletion and ...
Incorporation of /sup 32/P from (gamma-32P)ATP into tyrosine residues of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II receptor was observed in a Triton X-100-insoluble fraction of rat adipocyte plasma membranes. IGF-II receptor phosphorylation proceeded to a stoichiometry of approximately 0.5 mol of phosphate/IGF-II binding site after 10 min of incubation at 4 degrees C. A Km for ATP of 6 microM was calculated for this phosphorylation reaction. Addition of IGF-II caused an approximately 2-fold increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of the IGF-II receptor in this preparation. In contrast, phosphorylation of angiotensin II by the Triton X-100 washed membranes was not stimulated by IGF-II. Incubation of purified receptor immobilized on IGF-II agarose or of receptor-enriched low density microsomal membranes with (gamma-32P)ATP did not result in appreciable incorporation of (/sup 32/P)phosphate into the IGF-II receptor nor into exogenous substrates. These data suggest that the ...
Genes encoding mutants of the thymine photodimer repair enzyme from bacteriophage T4 (T4 endonuclease V) having an amino acid substitution (T127M, W128A, W128S, Y129A, K130L, Y131A, Y132A) were constructed by use of a previously obtained synthetic gene and expressed in Escherichia coli under the control of the E. coli tryptophan promoter. An in vitro assay of partially fractionated mutant proteins for glycosylase activity was performed with chemically synthesized substrates containing a thymine photodimer. T127M and K130L showed almost the same activity as the wild-type protein. Although W128S, Y131A, and Y132A were slightly active, W128A and Y129A lost activity. The results indicated that the aromatic amino acids around position 130 may be important for the glycosylase activity. Mutant T127M was purified, and the Km value was found to be of the same order as that of the wild type (10(-8) M). In vivo activities for all ...
In view of the anticipated increased use of atomic energy in industry, the possible long-term effects of chronic radiation exposure were studied in five generations of rats. Female rats (F_0) were given tritiated drinking water ("3HOH;3#mu#Ci/ml) from adolescence (60 days) until and throughout pregnancy. A separate study showed that the maximum radioactivity in the urine is reached in 30 days, and in the blood in 42 days. In the newborns, the highest specific activity was in the nucleic acid fraction, but total radioactivity was mainly due to the water (body fluids) compartment. No signs of radiation illness or increase in cataract formation in the mothers were observed. The food and water intake and body weight changes before pregnancy were normal. The course and the outcome of pregnancy were also normal. However, 60% of the newborns (F_1) exhibited hematomas, edemas, and subdural hemorrhages, which disappeared at 30 days of age. Bollod analysis of the F_1 ...
The detection of rare mutations has many important applications, including risk assessment of drugs and chemicals, measuring environmental exposures to genotoxins, and cancer cell detection. A sensitive genotypic selection method has been developed that combines two different mutant allele selection techniques, MutEx enrichment and allele-specific competitive blocker PCR (ACB-PCR). This method was developed and evaluated for the detection of a CAA --> AAA mutation at codon 61 of the mouse H-ras gene. The MutEx enrichment is based on MutS binding to a mismatched basepair in heteroduplex DNA. The bound MutS protects the mutant allele from degradation during subsequent exonuclease treatment. ACB-PCR preferentially amplifies a mutant allele in a PCR reaction using a primer that has more mismatches to the wild-type allele than the mutant allele. By combining these two approaches, the codon 61 mutation was detected at mutant fractions as low as 1 in 10(7). This ...
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and has very limited therapeutic options. Recently, it has been found that hyaluronic acid (HA) shows selective binding to CD44 receptors expressed in most cancer histotypes. Since the trend in cancer treatment is the use of targeted radionuclide therapy, the aim of this research was to label HA with rhenium-188 and to evaluate its potential use as a hepatocarcinoma therapeutic radiopharmaceutical. Methods: {sup 188}Re-HA was prepared by a direct labelling method to produce a ReO(O-COO){sub 2}-type coordination complex. {sup 188}Re-HA protein binding and its stability in saline, phosphate buffer, human serum and cysteine solutions were determined. Biokinetic and dosimetric data were estimated in healthy mice (n=60) using the Medical Internal Radiation Dose methodology and mouse model beta-absorbed fractions. To evaluate liver toxicity, alanine aminotranferase (AST) and ...
Resistance (R) protein mediated recognition of pathogen avirulence effectors triggers signaling that induces a very robust form of species-specific immunity in plants. The soybean Rpg1-b protein mediates...Full Text Available
Membrane protein structural biology is still a largely unconquered area, given that approximately 25% of all proteins are membrane proteins and yet less than 150 unique structures are available. Membrane...Full Text Available
Biosynthesis of hemoglobin and some of its electrophoretic fractions in red cells of peripheral blood and spleen of irradiated (650 R) rats has been studied. Hemoglobin synthesis is found to be most drastically inhibited in the first and second fractions on the first and eighth days after irradiation and in the fifth and sixth fractions on the eighth day (less expressed). The synthesis is restored on the twelfth day, the process under study proceeding more slowly in the above-mentioned fractions than in others. In the course of radiation sickness, the biosynthesis of certain hemoglobin fractions varies differently in the hemoglobin-synthesizing cells of peripheral blood than in the cells of spleenic erythroid series.
BackgroundThe use of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (fsrt) has evolved with technical advances in noninvasive immobilization, radiation delivery, and image guidance....Full Text Available
A mathematical interaction model, validated by experimental results, was developed to modeling the metal uptake by plants and induced growth decrease, by knowing metal in soils. The model relates the dynamics of the uptake of metals from soil to plants. Also, two types of relationships are tested: total and available metal content. The model successfully fitted the experimental data and made it possible to predict the threshold values of total mortality with a satisfactory approach. Data are taken from soils treated with Cd and Ni for ryegrass (Lolium perenne, L.) and oats (Avena sativa L.), respectively. Concentrations are measured in the aboveground biomass of plants. In the latter case, the concentration of metals in different parts of the plants (tillering, shooting and earing) is also modeled. At low concentrations, the effects of metals are moderate, and the dynamics appear to be linear. However, increasing concentrations show nonlinear behaviors. - The model ...
Proteins aggregated into spherulite structures of amyloid fibrils have been observed in patients with certain brain diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons. The conditions under which these protein spherulites form and grow are not currently known. In order to illuminate the role of environmental factors on protein spherulites, this research aims to explore the kinetics and mechanisms of spherulite formation and growth, as monitored by optical microscopy, in a range of salt concentrations, and initial protein concentrations for two model proteins: bovine b-lactoglobulin and insulin. These two proteins are significantly different in their size and fibril growth rate, but both of these proteins have been shown previously to form amyloid fibrils and spherulites under low pH conditions. The...
This is a report of extraction and identification of 1-O-alkyl glycerol present in the dried leaves of Bauhinia scandens. Fifty percent aqueous ethanolic extract of the plant at room temperature was fractionated over petroleum ether and diethyl ether. The diethyl ether soluble fraction showed positive bioactivity in Brine Shrimp bioassay. Isolation and purification of the active principle was subsequently done from diethyl ether fraction. The diethyl ether fraction was separated into acidic and neutral part. The acid free fraction was screened to be positive in Brine Shrimp bioassay. The NMR spectra (in CDCl3) indicated the probability of its lipoidal nature. The total lipid fraction was resolved into neutral, glyco, and phospho-lipids by column chromatography. Only the neutral fraction sh...
A comparison between chicken and rat lung was made for microsomal prostaglandin (PG) synthesis from 1-/sup 14/C-arachidonic acid. Microsomal protein (2.0 mg) from chicken or rat lung was incubated in the presence of 20 ..mu..g of 1-/sup 14/C-arachidonic acid (specific activity = 3 x 10/sup 6/ dpm/..mu..mol for chicken; 6 x 10/sup 6/ dpm/..mu..mol for rat), 0.05 M Tris-HCl buffer (pH = 8.0), 0.5 mM epinephrine, and 1 mM reduced glutathione in a total volume of 0.5 ml in a 37/sup 0/C water bath with shaking for 15 min. After acidification with 1 M HCl to pH 3, prostaglandins were extracted with ethyl acetate. The products of the reactions were separated by reversed phase chromatography, and the radioactivity of each prostanoid fraction was determined. The predominant prostanoid synthesized by chicken lung microsomes was PGE/sub 2/, followed by much lower amounts of thromboxane B/sub 2/ (TXB/sub 2/), PGF/sub 2//sub ..cap alpha../ and PGD/sub 2/. ...
BackgroundWe examined the effects of short-term consumption of whey protein isolate on muscle proteins and force recovery after eccentrically-induced muscle damage in healthy individuals.MethodsSeventeen...Full Text Available
Known vertebrate GATA proteins contain two zinc fingers and are required in development, whereas invertebrates express a class of essential proteins containing one GATA-type zinc finger. We isolated...Full Text Available
Thioredoxin, a small, ubiquitous protein which participates in redox reactions through the reversible oxidation of its active center dithiol to a disulfide, is an essential protein in Bacillus...Full Text Available
Storage proteins are deposited into protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) during plant seed development and maturation and stably accumulate to high levels; subsequently, during germination the storage...Full Text Available
The fusogenic orthoreoviruses express nonstructural fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins that induce cell-cell fusion and syncytium formation. It has been speculated that the FAST proteins...Full Text Available
The homologous sequences observed for many calcium binding proteins such as parvalbumin, troponin C, the myosin light chains, and calmodulin has lead to the hypothesis that these proteins have homologous...Full Text Available
The changes in protein species synthesized during early Drosophila embryogenesis were characterized by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Of the 261 proteins scored, 68 (26%) show dramatic changes in...Full Text Available
Serum protein and lipid concentrations as well as the serum protein binding of propranolol, diazepam and phenytoin were measured in normal weight and obese volunteers. Concentrations of alpha 1-acid...Full Text Available
A protein evolution strategy is described by which double-stranded DNA fragments encoding defined E. coli protein secondary structural elements (α-helices, β-strands...Full Text Available
Filamin and Cortexillin are F-actin crosslinking proteins in Dictyostelium discoideum allowing actin filaments to form three-dimensional networks. GAPA, an IQGAP related protein, is...Full Text Available
We have used the two-electrode voltage clamp technique and the patch clamp technique to investigate the regulation of ROMK1 channels by protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) and protein-tyrosine...Full Text Available
The characterization of the single-chain protein in Chinese-cobra (Naja naja atra) blood serum, which yields strong specific protection against the venom of the same snake, is reported. The protein,...Full Text Available
A heterobifunctional reagent, N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate, was synthesized. Its N-hydroxysuccinimide ester group reacts with amino groups and the 2-pyridyl disulphide structure reacts...Full Text Available
It has been sixty years since the Millers first described the covalent binding of carcinogens to tissue proteins. Protein covalent binding was gradually overshadowed by the emergence of DNA...Full Text Available
Protein modifications such as phosphorylation are often studied by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis since the perturbation in the protein’s pI value is readily detected by this method....Full Text Available
Cd-binding protein was extracted from tomato roots and purified on QAE-Sephadex A-25 and on Sephadex G-75 in 1 molar KCl buffer. The protein preparation was light brown and contained predominantly Cd...Full Text Available
The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe; pdbe.org) is actively involved in managing the international archive of biomacromolecular structure data as one of the partners in the Worldwide Protein Data Bank...Full Text Available
The nucleocapsid protein (NC) of retroviruses plays a major role in genomic RNA packaging, and some evidence has implicated the matrix protein (MA) of certain retroviruses in viral RNA binding. To further...Full Text Available
The activity of Src-related protein-tyrosine kinases is repressed by the phosphorylation of a conserved carboxyl-terminal tyrosine by another cytoplasmic protein-tyrosine kinase termed p50csk. In this...Full Text Available
Large quantity of reliable protein interaction data are available for model organisms in public depositories (e.g., MINT, DIP, HPRD, INTERACT). Most data correspond to experiments with the proteins...Full Text Available
In this study, we investigated on a systems level how complex protein interactions underlying cell polarity in yeast determine the dynamic association of proteins with the polar cortical domain (PCD)...Full Text Available
End binding proteins (EBs) are highly conserved core components of microtubule plus-end tracking protein networks. Here we investigated the roles of the three mammalian EBs in controlling microtubule...Full Text Available
Many genetic processes depend on proteins interacting with specific sequences on DNA. Despite the large excess of nonspecific DNA in the cell, proteins can locate their targets rapidly. After initial...Full Text Available
PknB is a member of the newly discovered eukaryotic-like protein serine/threonine kinase (PSTK) family of proteins. The pknB gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli....Full Text Available
Ethylene rapidly and transiently up-regulates the activity of several monomeric GTP-binding proteins (monomeric G proteins) in leaves of Arabidopsis as determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis...Full Text Available
During antibiotic drug development, media are frequently spiked with either serum/plasma or protein supplements to evaluate the effect of protein binding. Usually, previously reported serum or plasma...Full Text Available
Computer-assisted analysis revealed a striking sequence similarity between the putative 24-kDa protein (p24) encoded by open reading frame (ORF) 5 of beet yellows closterovirus and the coat protein...Full Text Available
Zipper-interacting protein kinase (ZIPK) is a member of the death-associated protein kinase family associated with apoptosis in nonmuscle cells where it phosphorylates myosin regulatory light chain...Full Text Available
Tooth enamel biomineralization is mediated by enamel proteins synthesized by ameloblast cells. Two classes of proteins have been described: enamelins and amelogenins. In lower vertebrates the absence...Full Text Available
The Protein Data Bank contains the description of more than 45,000 three-dimensional protein and nucleic-acid structures today. Started to exist as the computer-readable depository of crystallographic...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe fast growing Protein Data Bank contains the three-dimensional description of more than 45000 protein- and nucleic-acid structures today. The large majority of the data...Full Text Available
Chromatographic and electrophoretic studies have shown that the subunits of the crystalloid protein, isolated from mature castor bean (Ricinus communis L. cv Hale) seed endosperm protein...Full Text Available
Alpha-hemoglobin-stabilizing protein (AHSP) is an erythroid-specific protein that acts as a molecular chaperone for the free α chains of hemoglobin. Evidence strongly suggests...Full Text Available
Statements about the dynamic processes of uptake, transport, and deposition of Ca and Mg in norway spruce and Scots pine are made in this paper. Concerning the storage of these elements it is shown that there are great differences in their functional importance in cell metabolism. There is evidence that the role of Mg in enzyme and protein metabolism is of far greater significance for the understanding of Mg-deficiency symptoms than its function as the central atom of the chlorophyll complexes. In regard to the transport and especially to the incorporation of Ca into the needles differences between species were evident, expressing the special status of pine among the gymnosperms. With increasing needle age an accumulation of Ca-oxalate crystals, which are physiologically inert, could be proved for the studied conifers. This was interpreted as a 'detoxication' from surplus Ca to hold constant the level of the physiologically active fraction. ...
The hypothesis of genetic defects in glycosaminoglycan (GAG) regulation among patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and nephropathy was assessed by studies in tissue cultures of fibroblasts obtained from 7 patients with normal urinary albumin excretion, 11 patients with diabetic nephropathy, and 6 nondiabetic control subjects. The incorporation of (2H) glucosamine and (35S) sulfate into hyaluronic acid (HA), chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate (CS + DS), and heparan sulfate (HS) was measured in cells, matrix, and medium and related to micrograms of tissue protein. Large interindividual variations were seen in all three groups, and the incorporation of (3H) glucosamine into HA, CS + DS, and HS and (35S) sulfate into CS + DS and HS were not significantly different between the three groups. However, the fractional incorporation of (3H)glucosamine into HS was significantly reduced in diabetic patients with nephropathy ...
The receptor-associated protein (RAP) is a molecular chaperone that binds tightly to certain newly synthesized LDL receptor family members in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and facilitates their delivery...Full Text Available
Phospholemman (PLM), a member of the FXYD family of regulators of ion transport, is a major sarcolemmal substrate for protein kinases A and C in cardiac and skeletal muscle. In the heart, PLM...Full Text Available
Summary: Protein features are often displayed along the linear sequence of amino acids that make up that protein, but in reality these features occupy a position in the folded proteins 3D space. Mapping sequence features to known or predicted protein structures is useful when trying to deduce the function of those features and when evaluating sequence or structural predictions. To facilitate this goal, we developed PDBpaint, a simple tool that displays protein sequence features gathered from bioinformatics resources on top of protein structures, which are displayed in an interactive window (using the Jmol Java viewer). PDBpaint can be used either with existing protein structures or with novel structures provided by the user. The current version of PDBpaint allows the visualization of annot...
Male reproductive proteins (MRPs), associated with sperm and semen, are the moieties responsible for carrying male genes into the next generation. Evolutionary biologists have focused on their...Full Text Available
We identify new organelles associated with the vacuolar system in plant cells. These organelles are defined biochemically by their internal content of three integral membrane proteins: a chimeric reporter...Full Text Available
BackgroundFunction exertion of specific proteins are key factors in disease progression, thus the systematical identification of those specific proteins is a prerequisite to understand...Full Text Available
Protein isolated from hen egg-white and functions as a bacteriostatic enzyme by degrading bacterial cell walls. First enzyme ever characterized by protein ...
This contribution deals with identification of fractional-order dynamical systems. System identification, which refers to estimation of process parameters, is a necessity in control theory. Real processes are usually of fractional order as opposed to the ideal integral order models. A simple and elegant scheme of estimating the parameters for such a fractional order process is proposed. This method employs fractional calculus theory to find equations relating the parameters that are to be estimated, and then estimates the process parameters after solving the simultaneous equations. The said simultaneous equations are generated and updated using particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique, the fitness function being the sum of squared deviations from the actual set of observations. The data used for the calculations are intentionally corrupted to simulate real-life conditions. Results show that the ...
Pseudomonas syringae is a gram-negative bacterial plant pathogen that is dependent on a type III protein secretion system (TTSS) and the effector proteins it translocates into plant...Full Text Available
Biological cells of the nitrogen fixating bacteria Xanthobacter autotrophicus GZ 29 have been cultivated with 57-Fe, and from the nitrogenase of these cells the 57-Fe marked molybdenum-iron-protein is extracted. The Moessbauer spectra of this enzyme show that the structure of the iron cluster is similar to the structure in the molybdenum-iron-proteins of Azotobacter vinelandii, Klebsiella pneumoniae or Clostridium pasteurianum.
Protein bodies within the endosperm of castor bean (Ricinus communis L. cv. Hale) seeds arise from numerous small vacuoles which progressively become filled with storage protein, of...Full Text Available
A new analysis is presented which links real volume fractions, relaxation rates, and intracompartmental exchange rates directly with apparent volume fractions and relaxation rates obtained from biexponential...Full Text Available
The results of a search for fractionally charged particles produced in e/sup +/e/sup -/ annihilation at 29 GeV/c/sup 2/ are discussed. Results from cosmic-ray searches for fractionally charged particles, tachyons, and massive particles using the same detector are also presented.
The effects of homologous plasma HDL and VHDL fractions on established atherosclerotic lesions were studied in cholesterol-fed rabbits. Atherosclerosis was induced by feeding the animals a 0.5% cholesterol-rich...Full Text Available
Experiments were conducted to determine the dose response of rat bladder urothelium to a range of different single and fractionated intravesicular doses of the carcinogen, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)....Full Text Available
The structural properties of brain extracellular space (ECS) are summarised by the tortuosity (λ) and the volume fraction (α). To determine if these two parameters were independent,...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND: Accurate estimation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has assumed great significance in the era of automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators (AICDs), and a low EF may...Full Text Available
The finest particle size fractions ({le} 25 {mu}m) in four fly ash samples from fluidised bed combustion of three biomass based fuels and a municipal solid waste fuel were size separated using a centrifugal SPLITT fractionation cell. The ashes were separated into different size fractions and the cadmium concentration, partition and speciation in each separated fraction were then investigated in relation to their possible leaching. The fractionation was evaluated by environmental scanning electron microscopy, which also provided indications of the associations between Cd and other main elements on the particles through the use of X-ray fluorescence mapping. The total concentration of Cd in each fraction was determined by AAS analysis which showed different dependence on the ash particle size in the case of biomass or waste fuels. In addition, the speciation of Cd ...
When a certain void fraction value is reached in the two-phase flow regime, a problem occurs in the COBRA-EN code. This problem was observed in the drift-flux model option and interrupts code execution. Two solutions are proposed to solve the problem.
In a series of experiments carried out on young and adult rabbits the effect of isocaloric low protein diets containing 4% or 8% protein compared with a diet containing 21% protein on Obeliscoides cuniculi infection was studied. The pathogenesis, resistance and local immunity were assessed after single infections with 10,000 larvae or reinfection with 5000 larvae. Live weight gain was reduced in young and adult rabbits fed the low protein diets, but the establishment of parasites was not substantially influenced by protein deprivation. However, development of worms in the histotrophic phase and parasite fecundity were impaired in association with the low protein diet. Moreover, mild anaemia as well as changes in the mucosal immune response as a result of infection were related to the level of dietary protein. (author). 30 refs, 6 figs, 5 ...
Assembly of icosahedral capsids of proper size and symmetry is not understood. Residue F170 in bacteriophage P22 coat protein is critical for conformational switching during assembly. Substitutions at this site cause assembly of tubes of hexamerically arranged coat protein. Intragenic suppressors of the ts phenotype of F170A and F170K coat protein mutants were isolated. Suppressors were repeatedly found in the coat protein telokin-like domain at position 285, which caused coat protein to assemble into petite procapsids and capsids. Petite capsid assembly strongly correlated to the side chain volume of the substituted amino acid. We hypothesize that larger side chains at position 285 torque the telokin-like domain, changing flexibility of the subunit and intercapsomer contacts. Thus, a sing...
TC inhibits protein synthesis in E. coli by interfering with aminoacyl-tRNA binding to the ribosomal A site, and there is strong evidence that such inhibition results from TC binding to a high affinity site on the 30S subunit. The SPORE approach has been used to define those 30S proteins that are potentially important for high affinity TC binding, measured as the (/sup 3/H)-TC co-sedimenting with the reconstitution particle through a sucrose density gradient. Reverse phase-HPLC has been used both to prepare ribosomal proteins and to analyze the protein content of reconstituted particles. The results obtained so far show that protein S7, as well as some proteins linked to S7 in the 30S assembly map, are important for TC binding, whereas other ribosomal proteins are not. These results are in very good accord with their earlier photoaffinity ...
Hexane extract of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) roots was obtained and investigated. Hydrocarbons, sterol ethers, triacylglycerides, free fatty acids, and free sterols were identified. The extract contains 70% neutral and 30% polar lipids. It is established that the lipid fraction of licorice roots is more effective than the analogous fraction of rosehip oil in stimulating the reparative regeneration of skin. In addition, this fraction also exhibits pronounced antiinflammatory and antiulcer effects, while being virtually nontoxic. Based on these results, the lipid fraction of licorice roots can be recommended as a parent substance for creating effective preparations in various medicinal forms.
System identification is a necessity in control theory. Classical control theory usually considers processes with integer order transfer functions. Real processes are usually of fractional order as opposed to the ideal integral order models. A simple and elegant scheme is presented for approximation of such a real world fractional order process by an ideal integral order model. A population of integral order process models is generated and updated by PSO technique, the fitness function being the sum of squared deviations from the set of observations obtained from the actual fractional order process. Results show that the proposed scheme offers a high degree of accuracy.
In this note, we derive from Anstee's fractional $(g,f)$-factor theorem a similar characterization for the property of all fractional $(g,f)$-factors. Let $afractional $[a, b]$-factors if the minimum degree is at least $\\delta(G)\\geq \\frac{1}{4a}((a+b-1)^2+4b)$ and every pair of non-adjacent vertices has cardinality of the neighborhood union at least $bn/(a + b)$. This lower bounds are sharp.
This report contains a set of nomographs which can be used to estimate the average annual solar fraction for solar space and water heating at a large number of DOD facilities. The solar fraction estimated from the nomograph is in close agreement with F-Chart 3.0 and allows for variation of the following parameters: annual load, collector area, collector transmittance-absorptance coefficient, and collector overall loss coefficient.
A set of nomographs is presented which can be used to estimate the average annual solar fraction for solar space and water heating at a large number of DOD facilities. The solar fraction estimated from the nomograph is in close agreement with F-Chart 3.0 and allows for variation of the following parameters: annual load, collector area, collector transmittance-absorptance coefficient, and collector overall loss coefficient.
A set of nomographs is provided which can be used to estimate the average annual solar fraction for solar space and water heating at a large number of DOD facilities. The solar fraction estimated from the nomograph is in close agreement with F-Chart 3.0 and allows for variation of the following parameters: annual load, collector area, collector transmittance-absorption coefficient, and collector overall loss coefficient.
White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is the causative agent of the white spot disease of shrimp. Penaeus monodon were captured from Muttukadu Estuary in Chennai, India, transported to the laboratory and maintained in an aerated system with continuous water circulation-biofiltration. WSSV-free P. monodon were challenged by feeding them only once with WSSV-infected tissues of P. monodon. Cumulative mortality (100%) of the infected individuals was determined. Tissues from infected and uninfected shrimp such as muscles, hepatopancreas, heart, gills and eye tissues (100mg of each) and haemolymph (50 microl) were subjected to SDS-PAGE. In infected muscle tissue, six newly expressed proteins were detected. In infected haemolymph, four new proteins and three intensely expressed high molecular weight proteins were observed. Three intensely expressed high molecular weight proteins were detected in infected heart ...
The authors investigated the effect of T-2 toxin on rat liver mitochondrial protein synthesis. Isolated rat liver mitochondria were supplemented with an S-100 supernatant from rat liver and an external ATP-generating system. An in-vitro assay employing cycloheximide, and inhibitor of cytoplasmic protein synthesis, and chloramphenicol, and inhibitor of mitochondrial protein synthesis, to distinguish mitochondrial protein synthesis from the cytoplasmic process. Amino acid incorporation into mitochondria was dependent on the concentration of mitochondria and was inhibited by chloramphenicol. The rate of uptake of tritium leucine into mitochondrial protein was unaffected by the addition of T-2 toxin and was not a rate-limiting step in incorporation. However, 0.02 micrograms/ml of T-2 toxin decreased the rate of protein synthesis inhibition correlated with the amount ...
Metagenomics projects based on shotgun sequencing of populations of micro-organisms yield insight into protein families. We used sequence similarity clustering to explore proteins with a comprehensive dataset consisting of sequences from available databases together with 6.12 million proteins predicted from an assembly of 7.7 million Global Ocean Sampling (GOS) sequences. The GOS dataset covers nearly all known prokaryotic protein families. A total of 3,995 medium- and large-sized clusters consisting of only GOS sequences are identified, out of which 1,700 have no detectable homology to known families. The GOS-only clusters contain a higher than expected proportion of sequences of viral origin, thus reflecting a poor sampling of viral diversity until now. Protein domain distributions in the GOS dataset and current protein databases show distinct biases. Several ...
New measuring methods are developed and are tested with the small reactor simulator MIDAS (Mini Dodewaard ASsembly). The purpose of this work is to be able to measure accurately as many different properties of the flow as possible in the coming bigger simulator SIDAS (Simulated Dodewaard ASsembly). In SIDAS the flow around a fuel assembly of the Dutch Dodewaard reactor will be simulated. An extensive evaluation of the gamma detection system showed that the detection system could be simplified strongly. The simplified system is used to measure the radial and axial distribution of the void fraction in the core of MIDAS for three different operating conditions. Two new measuring methods have been developed and tested. A method to estimate the probability density of the void fraction in time. Due to the nonlinear relation between transmission and void fraction the determined average value of the void ...
Radiographic images generated by the real-time neutron radiography system (RTNR) are analyzed by customized image processing software of the determination of instantaneous void fraction distribution. The cross-sectional averaged axial void fraction profiles and the two-dimensional void fraction profiles are determined simultaneously for each image. Various flow regimes are generated to determine if the RTNR system can accurately predict the void distribution in the radial, axial, and temporal coordinates. The results show the RTNR system correctly determines the void fraction distribution for each flow regime; however, accuracy decreases with decreasing void fraction. For net water thicknesses > 1.0 cm, the accuracy decreases with increasing water thickness due to the extreme sensitivity of thermal neutron interactions with light water. Heavy water is a more suitable fluid than ...
A general method for stable-isotope labeling of large proteins is introduced and applied for studies of the E. coli GroE chaperone proteins by solution NMR. In addition to enabling the residue-specific {sup 15}N-labeling of proteins on a highly deuterated background, it is also an efficient approach for uniform labeling. The method meets the requirements of high-level deuteration, minimal cross-labeling and high protein yield, which are crucial for NMR studies of structures with sizes above 150 kDa. The results obtained with the new protocol are compared to other strategies for protein labeling, and evaluated with regard to the influence of external factors on the resulting isotope labeling patterns. Applications with the GroE system show that these strategies are efficient tools for studies of structure, dynamics and intermolecular interactions in large supramolecular complexes, ...
Cocoon sericin plays an important role in the reeling of silk and serves as a valuable biomaterial in the field of biomedicine, skincare, and food industries; however, knowledge about cocoon sericin proteins has been limited. For a comprehensive study on sericin, cocoons of eight varieties of silkworm of different geographic origin and with varied cocoon color were analyzed utilizing proteomics and bioinformatics approaches. The electrophoresis pattern demonstrated some common protein bands for all silkworm varieties and distinctive protein bands for some of those examined in the present study. The Ser2 protein, a new Ser3 protein, and four other novel sericin proteins were identified in cocoons for the first time. Products of both Ser1 and Ser3 genes appear to be ubiquitous in the cocoon ...
Proteins are polymers of amino acids. These macromolecules are synthesized by intracellular machines called {\\it ribosome}. Although, traditionally, the experimental investigation of protein synthesis has been an active area of research in molecular cell biology, important quantitative models of this phenomenon have been reported mostly in the research journals devoted to statistical physics and related interdisciplinary topics. From the perspective of a physicist, protein synthesis is a phenomenon of {\\it classical transport of interacting ribosomes on a messenger RNA (mRNA) template} that dictates the sequence of the amino acids on the protein. Here we bring this frontier area of contemporary research into the classroom by appropriate simplification of the models and methods. In particular, we develope a simple toy model and analyze it by some elementary techniques of non-equilibrium statistical ...
SR proteins are essential splicing factors whose function is controlled by multi-site phosphorylation of a C-terminal domain rich in arginine-serine repeats (RS domain). The protein kinase SRPK1 has been shown to polyphosphorylate the N-terminal portion of the RS domain (RS1) of the SR protein ASF/SF2, a modification that promotes nuclear entry of this splicing factor and engagement in splicing function. Later, dephosphorylation is required for maturation of the spliceosome and other RNA processing steps. While phosphates are attached to RS1 in a sequential manner by SRPK1, little is known about how they are removed. To investigate factors that control dephosphorylation, we monitored region-specific mapping of phosphorylation sites in ASF/SF2 as a function of the protein phosphatase PP1. W...
This study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial effect of BSAP-254 on Bacillus cereus with the induced stress proteins. The BSAP-254 is an antimicrobial peptide isolated from soybean-fermenting bacteria, Bacillus subtilis SC-8. It had a narrow spectrum of activity against B. cereus group. The growth inhibitory effect of BSAP-254 (50??g/mL) reduced the population of B. cereus from >108 to 104 colony-forming units per milliliter within 30?min. In B. cereus exposed to BSAP-254, 14 intracellular proteins were differentially expressed as determined by 2-DE coupled with MS. Of the differentially expressed proteins identified, the stress protein GroEL, which is heat shock protein, was induced in B. cereus exposed to antibacterial peptide.
Full text.Sediments are the ultimate sink of trace elements. The total metal analysis may only give information concerning possible enrichment of metals. The analysis of metal partitioning in the different chemical components of sediments (exchangeable, carbonate, easily reducible, moderately reducible, organic and residual); give a detailed information on the way in which these metals are bound to sediments, their mobilization capacity and their ability to affect water quality under different environmental conditions. The studied river basin is dominated by limestone formation, the enrichment of metals in the carbonate sediment fraction is a high probability. The objective of the study was to determine the percentage of the total metal content (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Pb) in the six chemical fractions of the bed load sediments of Nahr-Ibrahim river during the dry season and verify the role of carbonate for metal sediment deposition. Bed load ...
Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) is essential for optimal T cell activation. Patients with WAS exhibit both immunodeficiency and a marked susceptibility to systemic autoimmunity. We investigated...Full Text Available
Werner syndrome (WS) is characterized by premature onset of age-associated disorders and predisposition to cancer. The WS protein, WRN, encodes 3′ → 5′ DNA helicase and 3′...Full Text Available
Spin-lattice relaxation rates of protein and water protons in dry and hydrated immobilized bovine serum albumin were measured in the range of 1H Larmor frequency from 10 kHz to 30...Full Text Available
Effector proteins expressed in the esophageal gland cells of cyst nematodes are delivered into plant cells through a hollow, protrusible stylet. Although evidence indicates that effector proteins function...Full Text Available
Synthetic oligoribonucleotides have been used to probe the interaction of MS2 coat protein with the translational operator of the MS2 replicase gene. We have investigated the possible formation of a...Full Text Available
Amidination of aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, tryptophan synthetase B protein, L-arabinose isomerase, and the catalytic subunit of E. coli aspartate transcarbamylase...Full Text Available
The mini-chromosome maintenance proteins Mcm2–7 are essential for DNA replication. They are loaded onto replication origins during G1 phase of the cell cycle to form a pre-replication complex...Full Text Available
We have previously reported the construction and characterization of an autonomously replicating plasmid in Trypanosoma brucei. In this plasmid the procyclic acidic repetitive protein (PARP) gene promoter...Full Text Available
Altered structure, and hence function, of cellular macromolecules caused by oxidation can contribute to loss of physiological function with age. Here, we tested whether the lifespan of bats, which generally...Full Text Available
The realization that there existed a G-protein coupled signal transduction mechanism developed gradually and was initially the result of an ill fated quest for uncovering the mechanism of action...Full Text Available
Previous studies have shown that salicylates and protein-calorie malnutrition independently compromise maturation and growth of infants. In the present study, pregnant rats were fed normal-and low-protein...Full Text Available
The objective of this research was to determine the role of acidic ribosomal protein (ARP) phosphorylation in translation. Ribosomes (Rbs) from germinated maize (Zea mays L.) axes had...Full Text Available
Surfactant protein A (SP-A), first identified as a component of the lung surfactant system, is now recognized to be an important contributor to host defence mechanisms. SP-A can facilitate phagocytosis...Full Text Available
Cytosol proteins prepared from castor bean endosperm (4-day-old) seedlings stimulate the exchange of [3H]phosphatidylethanolamine between liposomes and mitochondria. The acceleration of the...Full Text Available
The e.p.r. spectra of the Fe-proteins of nitrogenase from all sources studied have unusual features in that they have very anisotropic linewidths and low integrated intensities. These characteristics...Full Text Available
Excessive weight loss due to protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) is a significant problem in Nigerian children. This syndrome may be difficult to differentiate from the wasting disease caused by human...Full Text Available
Brucella abortus is a facultative, intracellular zoonotic pathogen which can cause undulant fever in humans and abortions in cattle. A 14-kDa protein of B. abortus...Full Text Available
Lupus anticoagulant, concentrations of anticardiolipin antibodies, antithrombin III, plasminogen, (free) protein S, protein C, prothrombin, platelet counts, and bleeding times were determined in 74...Full Text Available
Carbenoxolone (CBX) is a semisynthetic derivative of the licorice root substance glycyrrhizinic acid and has been previously reported to induce only heat shock protein 70 [Hsp70, HSPA1A (the systematic...Full Text Available
BackgroundSeveral proteins are known to be markedly expressed in the brain during cerebral ischemia; however, the changes in protein profiles within the ischemic brain after an ischemic...Full Text Available
Protein post-translational modifications are an important biological regulatory mechanism, and the rate of their discovery using high throughput techniques is rapidly increasingly. To make use of this...Full Text Available
We demonstrate by using low-temperature high-resolution spectroscopy that red-shifted mutants of green fluorescent protein are photo-interconverted among three conformations and are, therefore, not...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe expression of human virus surface proteins, as well as other mammalian glycoproteins, is much more efficient in cells of higher eukaryotes rather than yeasts. The limitations...Full Text Available
BackgroundZhx1 to 3 (zinc-fingers and homeoboxes) form a set of paralogous genes encoding multi-domain proteins. ZHX proteins consist of two zinc fingers followed...Full Text Available
The kinetic parameters of single bonds between neural cell adhesion molecules were determined from atomic force microscope measurements of the forced dissociation of the homophilic protein-protein bonds....Full Text Available
Genes of the S100 fused-type protein (SFTP) family are clustered within the epidermal differentiation complex and encode essential components that maintain epithelial homeostasis and barrier functions....Full Text Available
Centrioles are intriguing cylindrical organelles composed of triplet microtubules. Proteomic data suggest that a large number of proteins besides tubulin are necessary for the formation and maintenance...Full Text Available
The exposure of cells to several metal ions stabilizes HIF-1α protein. However, the molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. They may involve inhibition of hydroxylation by either...Full Text Available
Integration of solid-state biosensors and lipid bilayer membranes is important for membrane protein research and drug discovery. In these sensors, it is critical that the solid-state sensing...Full Text Available
In this paper, we report a method of precise in situ x-ray scattering measurements on protein solutions using small stationary sample cells. Although reduction in the radiation damage...Full Text Available
We had previously identified a macrophage surface protein whose expression is highly induced, transient, and specific, as it is restricted to actively fusing macrophages in vitro and in vivo. This protein...Full Text Available
A panel of 16 monoclonal antibodies recognizing M protein (M1) of influenza virus was generated. Competition analyses resulted in localization of 14 monoclonal antibodies to three antigenic sites. Three...Full Text Available
An interactive system for computer analysis of nucleic acid and protein sequences has been developed for the Los Alamos DNA Sequence Database. It provides a convenient way to search or verify various...Full Text Available
Acylation stimulating protein (ASP, C3adesArg) is an adipose tissue derived hormone that stimulates triglyceride (TG) synthesis. ASP stimulates lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity by relieving feedback...Full Text Available
BackgroundGene expression profiling and the analysis of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks may support the identification of disease bio-markers and potential drug targets....Full Text Available
Mammals possess multiple insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding proteins (IGFBPs), and related proteins, that modulate the activity of insulin/IGF signalling (IIS), a conserved neuroendocrine signalling...Full Text Available
Intrinsically disordered proteins are predicted to be highly abundant and play broad biological roles in eukaryotic cells. In particular, by virtue of their structural malleability and propensity...Full Text Available
Dysregulation of the alternative pathway of complement activation, caused by mutations or polymorphisms in the genes encoding factor H, membrane co-factor protein, factor I or factor B, is associated...Full Text Available
Pollen mother cells of the lily (Lilium speciosum) were found to have a histone-H1-like protein (PMCP) not detected in other tissues. The PMCP appears from the late S-G2...Full Text Available
AMP-activated-protein-kinase (AMPK) is a key sensor and regulator of cellular and whole-body energy metabolism and plays a key role in regulation of lipid metabolism. Since lipid metabolism...Full Text Available
We investigated the pathophysiological mechanism by proteomic approach as a possible tool to detect the marker proteins to develop lower urinary tract symptoms following bladder outlet obstruction (BOO)....Full Text Available
Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily, has been utilized for receptor-mediated targeting of imaging and therapeutic agents; here we extend...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe VP2 outer capsid protein Bluetongue Virus (BTV) is responsible for receptor binding, haemagglutination and eliciting host-specific immunity. However, the assembly of...Full Text Available
In isolated rat adipocytes, insulin inhibits lipolysis to a greater extent than would be predicted by the decrease in (-/+)cAMP activity ratio of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (A-kinase), from which it was speculated that insulin promotes the dephosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase. They have examined the phosphorylation state of cellular proteins under conditions of varying A-kinase activities in the presence and absence of insulin. Protein phosphorylation was determined by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis of extracts from /sup 32/P-loaded cells; glycerol and A-kinase activity ratios were measured in the cytosolic extracts from control, non-radioactive cells. Increased protein phosphorylation in general occurred over the same range of A-kinase activity ratios, 0.1-0.3, associated with increased glycerol release. The insulin-induced decrease in lipolysis was associated with a decrease in the /sup 32/P ...
The lysosomal catabolism of sulfatide requires arylsulfatase A and a specific sphingolipid activator protein, SAP-1. While most patients with metachromatic leukodystrophy have mutations in the gene...Full Text Available
One selection pressure shaping sequence evolution is the requirement that a protein fold with sufficient stability to perform its biological functions. We present...Full Text Available
SummaryMycobacterium tuberculosis has 10 universal stress proteins, whose function is unknown. However, proteomic and transcriptomic analyses have shown that a number...Full Text Available
The levels of in vitro protein binding of cefonicid and cefuroxime in human adult and neonatal sera were compared. Binding parameters for each drug were determined within the concentration range of...Full Text Available
The Moloney murine leukemia virus (MMLV) belongs to the Retroviridae family of enveloped viruses, which is known to acquire minute amounts of host cellular proteins both on the surface...Full Text Available
Numerous studies have noted that the evolution of new enzymatic specificities is accompanied by loss of the protein's thermodynamic stability (ΔΔG), thus suggesting...Full Text Available
Membrane cofactor protein (MCP or gp45-70) of the complement system is a cofactor for factor I-mediated cleavage of fluid-phase C3b and C3b-like C3, which opens the thioester bond. In the present study...Full Text Available
Parasitic nematodes cause serious diseases in humans, animals, and plants. They have limited lipid metabolism and are reliant on lipid-binding proteins to acquire these metabolites from their hosts....Full Text Available
The question of whether proteins originate from random sequences of amino acids is addressed. A statistical analysis is performed in terms of blocked and random walk values formed by binary hydrophobic...Full Text Available
All organisms, from bacteria and yeast to humans, respond to physical and chemical stressors by increasing the synthesis of a small group of cellular stress proteins.'' The authors have developed a simple in vitro system for quickly screening environmentally relevant stressors to detect stress-induced proteins that are good candidates for biomarkers. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to detect stressor-induced, concentration-dependent changes in cellular stress protein levels in two fish cell culture systems, whereas simultaneous in vitro neutral red uptake cytotoxicity assays measured the stressors effect on cellular physiology. There was a direct concentration-dependent relationship between sublethal cytotoxic effects and the increases in stress protein levels. Increases of 50 to 200% were detected in stress proteins from desert topminnow, Poeciliopsis ...
Evaluation of the protective efficacy of recombinant T-cell-reactive proteins of Coccidioides posadasii in a murine model of coccidioidomycosis has led to the discovery of potential...Full Text Available
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs) are a class of serine/threonine kinases that regulate a number of different cellular activities including cell proliferation, differentiation, survival and...Full Text Available
FXYD1 (phospholemman) is a member of an evolutionarily conserved family of membrane proteins that regulate the function of the Na,K-ATPase enzyme complex in specific tissues and specific physiological...Full Text Available
A commercial blend of essential oil (EO) compounds was added to a grass, maize silage, and concentrate diet fed to dairy cattle in order to determine their influence on protein metabolism by ruminal...Full Text Available
Mutational inactivation of the RB1 tumor suppressor gene initiates retinoblastoma and other human cancers. RB1 protein (pRb) restrains cell proliferation by binding...Full Text Available
The display of proteins such as feed enzymes at the surface of bacterial spore systems has a great potential use for animal feed. Feed enzymes increase the digestibility of nutrients, leading to greater...Full Text Available
Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) maps to a region on distal mouse chromosome 7 that has been linked to the phenotypes of obesity and type II diabetes. We recently reported that UCP2 expression is increased...Full Text Available
1 The plasma protein binding of theophylline was determined after addition of [14C]-theophylline (15 micrograms/ml) to plasma from 24 healthy drug-free volunteers and equilibrium dialysis for 2 h at...Full Text Available
The identification of the protein targets for dengue virus-specific T lymphocytes may be useful for planning the development of subunit vaccines against dengue. We studied the recognition by murine...Full Text Available
Merozoite surface proteins have been implicated in the initial attachment to the host red blood cell membrane that begins the process of invasion, an important step in the life cycle of the malaria...Full Text Available
When an exogenous protein, bovine serum albumin, was introduced into the vacuole of a Chara australis internodal cell, it was degraded with time. This degradation proceeded only in...Full Text Available
Reversible protein glutathionylation plays a key role in cellular regulation and cell signaling and protects protein thiols from hyperoxidation. Sulfiredoxin (Srx), an enzyme that catalyzes the reduction...Full Text Available
Circadian clock is implicated in the regulation of aging. The transcription factor CLOCK, a core component of the circadian system, operates in complex with another circadian clock protein BMAL1. Recently...Full Text Available
DNA replication in Escherichia coli cells lacking protein HU was studied. HU has been suggested to be involved in the initiation of replication from in vitro studies. The isolated HU mutants, however,...Full Text Available
Proteins that metabolize or bind the nucleotide second messenger cyclic diguanylate regulate a wide variety of important processes in bacteria. These processes include motility, biofilm formation, cell...Full Text Available
AbstractX-ray diffraction analysis of pressure-induced structural changes in the Aequorea yellow fluorescent protein Citrine reveals the structural basis for the continuous...Full Text Available
Charge reduction electrospray mass spectrometry (CREMS) reduces the charge states of electrospray-generated ions, which concentrates the ions from a protein into fewer peaks spread over a larger...Full Text Available
AbstractThe present study aimed to compare the whole-cell protein profiles of Haemophilus parasuis field isolates by using a computer-based analysis, and evaluate the...Full Text Available
A simulation is developed that qualitatively describes the small-zone-gel-filtration behaviour of a reversibly associating protein. The results reflect the dependence of the apparent molecular weight...Full Text Available
BackgroundOne virulence property of Borrelia burgdorferi is its resistance to innate immunity, in particular to complement-mediated killing. Serum-resistant B....Full Text Available
AIM: To investigate the relation of Fas and Fas ligand (FasL) protein expression with carcinogenesis and metastasis of gastric carcinoma.METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect Fas and...Full Text Available
Cellular cholesterol homeostasis is controlled by sterol-regulated proteolysis of membrane-bound transcription factors called sterol-regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs). CPP32, a cysteine protease,...Full Text Available
Sera from multiple sclerosis patients with relapsing-remitting disease and normal subjects were tested for antibody to myelin basic protein by a sensitive radioimmunoassay. The results showed a marginally...Full Text Available
The aim of the present study was to describe the physicochemical characteristics of streptococcal T antigen. T protein isolated from Streptococcus pyogenes type 12 (R53/1077, Colindale) and purified...Full Text Available
The molecular diversity of the gene encoding the outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of Haemophilus parasuis has been unclear. In this study, the structural characteristics, sequence types,...Full Text Available
Recently, CID755673 was reported to act as a highly selective inhibitor of protein kinase D (PKD). In the course of experiments using CID755673, we noticed that it exerted unexpected stimulatory...Full Text Available
Hundreds of genomes have been successfully sequenced to date, and the data are publicly available. At the same time, the advances in large-scale expression and purification of recombinant proteins have...Full Text Available
Certain pathogenic species of Bacillus and Clostridium have developed unique methods for intoxicating cells that employ the classic enzymatic “A-B” paradigm for protein toxins. The binary...Full Text Available
Sustained nigrostriatal dopamine depletion increases the serine/threonine phosphorylation of multiple striatal proteins that play a role in corticostriatal synaptic plasticity, including Thr286...Full Text Available
BackgroundMolecular docking methods are commonly used for predicting binding modes and energies of ligands to proteins. For accurate complex geometry and binding energy estimation,...Full Text Available
PurposeCataract is the leading cause of blindness and is associated with oxidative damage and protein modification in the lens. In the present study, we have employed proteomic and...Full Text Available
The use of sub-nanometer resolution electron density as spatial constraints for denovo and ab-initio structure prediction requires knowledge of protein boundaries...Full Text Available
Amyloid proteins constitute a chemically heterogeneous group of proteins, which share some biophysical and biological characteristics, the principal of which are the high propensity to acquire an incorrect...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe production of high yields of recombinant proteins is an enduring bottleneck in the post-genomic sciences that has yet to be addressed in a truly rational manner. Typically...Full Text Available
Albumin is a multifunctional transport protein that binds a wide variety of endogenous substances and drugs. Insulins with affinity for albumin were engineered by acylation of the epsilon-amino group...Full Text Available
To study the effect of agonist on the TRH (thyrotrophin-releasing hormone) receptor protein, an epitope-tagged receptor was stably expressed in HEK-293 cells (human embryonic kidney 293 cells) and receptor...Full Text Available
The adhesive proteins secreted by marine mussels form a natural glue that cures rapidly to form strong and durable bonds in aqueous environments. These mussel adhesive proteins contain an unusual...Full Text Available
Ataxin-3, the protein involved in Machado-Joseph disease, is able to bind ubiquitylated substrates and act as a deubiquitylating enzyme in vitro, and it has been involved in the modulation of protein...Full Text Available
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulator of energy metabolism; its activity is regulated by a plethora of physiological conditions, exercises and many anti-diabetic drugs. Recent...Full Text Available
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was initially viewed as energy sensor and activated by increased intracellular concentrations of AMP following nutrient deprivation. Physiological or pathological...Full Text Available
Amyloid precursor protein (APP), implicated in Alzheimer's disease, is a transmembrane protein of undetermined function. APP is cleaved by gamma-secretase that releases the APP intracellular domain...Full Text Available
SummaryThe prevalence of paralogous enzymes implies that novel catalytic functions can evolve on preexisting protein scaffolds. The weak secondary activities of proteins, which...Full Text Available
The extreme strength and elasticity of spider silks originate from the modular nature of their repetitive proteins. To exploit such materials and mimic spider silks, comprehensive strategies...Full Text Available
As part of efforts to develop improved methods for NMR protein sample preparation and structure determination, the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG) has implemented an NMR screening pipeline for protein target selection, construct optimization, and buffer optimization, incorporating efficient microscale NMR screening of proteins using a micro-cryoprobe. The process is feasible because the newest generation probe requires only small amounts of protein, typically 30-200 ?g in 8-35 ?l volume. Extensive automation has been made possible by the combination of database tools, mechanization of key process steps, and the use of a micro-cryoprobe that gives excellent data while requiring little optimization and manual setup. In this perspective, we describe the overall process used by the NESG for screening NMR samples as part of a sample optimization process, assessing optimal construct design and ...
BackgroundA relevant problem in drug design is the comparison and recognition of protein binding sites. Binding sites recognition is generally based on geometry often combined with...Full Text Available
BackgroundProteins may evolve through the recruitment and modification of discrete domains, and in many cases, protein action can be dissected at the domain level. PDZ domains are...Full Text Available
We show that the expression of an indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-modified protein from bean seed, IAP1, is correlated to the developmental period of rapid growth during seed development. Moreover, this...Full Text Available
In addition to inducing new transcriptional activities that lead within a few hours to the accumulation of heat shock proteins (Hsps), heat shock activates within minutes the major signaling transduction...Full Text Available
MOM22 is a component of the protein import complex of the mitochondrial outer membrane of Neurospora crassa. Using the newly developed procedure of 'sheltered disruption', we created a heterokaryotic...Full Text Available
... Considering these observations, it is most likely that Brucela proteins involved in protective immunity will preferentially stimulate INF-g producing T ...
Experimental investigation data are systematized of free radical states and processes in irradiated proteins. The investigation is performed by the radiospectral methods. Results are discussed in detail of the study of free radicals electronic structure of amino acids, peptides and proteins formed by the action of ionizing radiation. The specificity is stressed of the study of monocrystalls of these compounds by the method of electronic paramagnetic resonance. The nature is also studied of primary centres formed under the effect of radiation on biologically important compounds and their subsequent reactions in solid and liquid solutions. Ion-radical states of different functional groups of the protein molecule are studied. Prospects of the study and the role of anion-radicals in biological processes are discusses.
The effect of protein malnutrition on the metabolism of collagen in bone was studied in young female albino rats after a single injection of "3H-proline. Both specific and total radioactivities of hydroxyproline in the total collagen of the bone were found to decrease in the protein-deficient animals, indicating decreased rate of collagen synthesis. In the urine the amount of hydroxyproline excreted and total radioactivity of "3H-hydroxyproline were greatly decreased. The results of the present investigation therefore clearly indicate decreased synthesis and catabolism of collagen in bones of protein deficient animals compared to controls. (auth.).
Endurance-trained older men have a higher proportion of lean tissue and greater muscle cell oxidative capacity, reversing age-related trends and suggesting major changes in protein metabolism. In this study, protein turnover was determined in 6 middle-aged (52+/-1 yr) men who were well trained (VO_2 max 55.2+/-5.0 ml O_2/kg.min) and lean (body fat 18.9+/-2.8%, muscle mass 36.6+/-0.6%). The maintained habitual exercise while consuming 0.6, 0.9 or 1.2 g protein/kg.day for 10-day periods. N flux was measured from "1"5N in urea after oral "1"5N-glycine administration. Myofibrillar protein breakdown was estimated from urinary 3-methyl-histidine. Dietary protein had no effect on turnover rates, even when N balance was negative. Whole body protein synthesis was 3.60+/-0.12 g/kg.day and breakdown was 3.40+/-0.14 g/kg.day for all N intakes. Whole body ...
Programmed cell death (PCD) is triggered when Pto, a Ser-Thr protein kinase, recognizes either the AvrPto or AvrPtoB effector from Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato. This...Full Text Available
In higher plants, three subfamilies of sucrose nonfermenting-1 (Snf1)-related protein kinases have evolved. While the Snf1-related protein kinase 1 (SnRK1) subfamily has been shown to share pivotal...Full Text Available
Scyl1 is an evolutionarily conserved N-terminal protein kinase-like domain protein that plays a role in COP1-mediated retrograde protein trafficking in mammalian cells. Furthermore, loss of Scyl1 function...Full Text Available
CAP18 (an 18-kDa cationic antimicrobial protein) is a granulocyte-derived protein that can bind lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and inhibit various activities of LPS in vitro. The present study examined the...Full Text Available
The discovery of a specific high-affinity growth hormone (GH) binding protein (GH-BP) in plasma adds complexity to the dynamics of GH secretion and clearance. Intuitive predictions are that such a protein...Full Text Available
We have identified another Drosophila GTP-binding protein (G protein) alpha subunit, dGq alpha-3. Transcripts encoding dGq alpha-3 are derived from alternative splicing of the dGq alpha locus previously...Full Text Available
Gamma interferon plays an important role in regulating the functional properties of mononuclear phagocytes. In the present study, the role of activated protein kinases in the mechanism of action of...Full Text Available
Zn2+-finger proteins comprise one of the largest protein superfamilies with diverse biological functions. The ATM substrate Chk2-interacting Zn2+-finger protein...Full Text Available
The major core protein (p28) of MMC-1, an endogenous type C virus of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), was purified and subjected to structural and immunological analyses. The NH2-terminal amino acid...Full Text Available
A state of the art review of two-phase void fraction models in smooth horizontal tubes is provided and a probabilistic two-phase flow regime map void fraction model is developed for refrigerants under condensation, adiabatic, and evaporation conditions in smooth, horizontal tubes. Time fraction information from a generalized probabilistic two-phase flow map is used to provide a physically based weighting of void fraction models for different flow regimes. The present model and void fraction models in the literature are compared to data from multiple sources including R11, R12, R134a, R22, R410A refrigerants, 4.26-9.58 mm diameter tubes, mass fluxes from 70 to 900 kg/m{sup 2} s, and a full quality range. The present model has a mean absolute deviation of 3.5% when compared to the collected database. (author)
We compared the values of the myocardial thickness and the left ventricle diameters measured with MRI and echocardiography. The ejection fraction was compared in MRI and ventriculography. 34 patients with different heart dysfunctions were examined with MRI (FISP 2D sequence). 26 of them were also studied by echocardiography and 20 by biplane cine-ventriculography. The enddiastolic thicknesses of the left ventricular postero-lateral wall and of the septum interventriculare were measured on short axis images. An ellipsoidal modell was used for volume calculation and ejection fraction. Correlation of MRI values of thickness and ejection fraction with echocardiographi and angiographi showed r>0,8. As known for 1.56 T Imagers, the myocardial thickness in MRI was underestimated compared to echocardiography (1.4 mm#+-#1.7). The ejection fraction was underevaluated compared to ventriculography ...
Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek is traditionally used in Brazil for treatment of gastric ulcers. Here we report the phytochemical investigation of an ethanol extract of M. ilicifolia leaves (EEMIL) aiming at the isolation of constituents which were used as chemical markers to monitor an activity-guided fractionation of a lyophilized aqueous extract of M. ilicifolia leaves (LAEMIL). From EEMIL, four flavonoids were isolated, namely the tri-flavonoid glycosides mauritianin (1), trifolin, (2) hyperin (4), and epi-catechin (5). Fractionation of LAEMIL led to 5 fractions which afforded the tetra-glycoside kaempferol derivative (3), and galactitol (6). LAEMIL and its fractions were evaluated in rats for their effects on gastric secretion volume and pH. HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) analysis revealed that only fractions containing the tri- and tetra-flavonoid ...
Tar sand bitumen is petroleum-based ultra-heavy oil, and has a great amount of reserve like coal. However, there are still a lot of problems for its highly effective utilization. This paper discusses whether the light components in bitumen show independent behavior during the thermal cracking of heavy components, or not. Solvent effect and reaction mechanism during the thermal cracking are also derived from the change of their chemical structures. Athabasca tar sand bitumen was separated into light and heavy fractions by vacuum distillation based on D-1660 of ASTM. Mixtures of the both fractions at various ratios were used as samples. Negative effect of the light fraction on cracking of the heavy fraction was observed with dealkylation and paraffin formation Polymerization of the dealkylated light fraction to the heavy fraction was suggested due to lack of ...
The refrigerant two-phase flows in a distributor and a simulated plate heat exchanger with a single passage used in a compression-type refrigerator were visualized by real-time neutron radiography. For a distributor, the liquid fraction in the each tube was measured by some image processing method. On the other hand, for a plate heat exchanger, the two-dimensional distribution of void fraction was measured quantitatively by the umbra method. As a result, it was shown that the dynamic behaviors of refrigerant at the inlet of the section strongly affected on the performance, that is, a distribution performance of a distributor and a liquid distribution in a plate heat exchanger. (author)
A few industry-derived and conventional building materials have above acceptable radioactivity. An examination of some materials presently used, or with a potential for use, has shown that in phosphogypsum, fly ash, zircon kyanite tailings, red mud and brickmaking clay, the radium equivalent activities of the finer fractions (<53 #mu#) are higher than those of the larger fractions. Consequently, the radioactivity of these materials could be reduced by dry-sieving and discarding the fines. In blast furnace slag and dissociated zircon, no such reduction would occur since the radioactivity is evenly distributed in all sized fractions.
Particle Swarm Optimization technique offers optimal or suboptimal solution to multidimensional rough objective functions. In this paper, this optimization technique is used for designing fractional order PID controllers that give better performance than their integer order counterparts. Controller synthesis is based on required peak overshoot and rise time specifications. The characteristic equation is minimized to obtain an optimum set of controller parameters. Results show that this design method can effectively tune the parameters of the fractional order controller.
A real-time two-dimensional void fraction distribution measurement of gas-liquid two-phase flow was carried out by real-time neutron radiography and real-time image processing. The JRR-3M real-time thermal neutron radiography system and a Musashi dynamic image processing system were used. Image processing methods to calculate two-dimensional and cross-sectional void fraction distributions were proposed. The void fraction distribution was calculated by non-linear processing of the neutron radiography image and displayed by pseudo-color in real-time. A simple gas-liquid two-phase flow induced by injecting gas through needles at the bottom of water pool in a rectangular vessel was tested. (orig.).
The Proportional-Integral-Derivative Controller is widely used in industries for process control applications. Fractional-order PID controllers are known to outperform their integer-order counterparts. In this paper, we propose a new technique of fractional-order PID controller synthesis based on peak overshoot and rise-time specifications. Our approach is to construct an objective function, the optimization of which yields a possible solution to the design problem. This objective function is optimized using two popular bio-inspired stochastic search algorithms, namely Particle Swarm Optimization and Differential Evolution. With the help of a suitable example, the superiority of the designed fractional-order PID controller to an integer-order PID controller is affirmed and a comparative study of the efficacy of the two above algorithms in solving the optimization problem is also presented.
The first space photographs were obtained from V-2 rockets fired upwards from the ..... Some fraction of the incoming solar radiation is reflected towards a sensor ...
Pore Fraction in Yttrium-Barium-Copper-Oxide and. Other Polycrystalline. Materials ...... Properties of Yttrium Ceramic. Sov. J. LowTemp.Phys. 14:395-402 . ...
A high pressure piezometer is described with which pVT-measurements on solutions of gases in liquids like oils can be performed at pressures and temperatures up to 2000 bar and 440 K, respectively. The present investigations deal mainly with the system squalaneCO/sub 2/ at different mole fractions, but also with squalaneN/sub 2/. The high accuracy of the measurements reveals a pronounced structure of the pV-curves in dependence on temperature and mole fraction. At larger mole fractions is the unequivocal assignment of the phases ambiguous, and the representation of the experimental data in terms of an equation of state not possible for the whole pressure and temperature range. However, for solutions with lower mole fractions could be determined the saturation pressures and the isothermal compressibility in the unsaturated region. Furthermore, the molar excess volumes of the mixture have been calculated ...
A process and apparatus for the production of coke, asphalt and jet fuel m a feed of fossil fuels containing volatile carbon compounds therein is disclosed. The process includes the steps of pyrolyzing the feed in an entrained bed pyrolyzing means, separating the volatile pyrolysis products from the solid pyrolysis products removing at least one coke from the solid pyrolysis products, fractionating the volatile pyrolysis products to produce an overhead stream and a bottom stream which is useful as asphalt for road pavement, condensing the overhead stream to produce a condensed liquid fraction and a noncondensable, gaseous fraction, and removing water from the condensed liquid fraction to produce a jet fuel-containing product. The disclosed apparatus is useful for practicing the foregoing process. the process provides a useful method of mass producing and jet fuels from materials such as coal, oil shale ...
We study dipolar bosons in a 1D optical lattice and identify a region in parameter space---strong coupling but relatively weak on-site repulsion---hosting a series of stable CDW states whose low-energy excitations, built from "fractional domain walls", are remarkably similar to those of non-abelian fractional quantum Hall states. Here, a conventional domain wall between translated CDW's may split by inserting strings of degenerate, but inequivalent, CDW states. Outside these insulating regions, we find numerous supersolids as well as a superfluid regime. The mentioned phases should be accessible experimentally, and in particular, the fractional domain walls can be created in the ground state using single-site addressing, i.e. by locally changing the chemical potential.
PurposeTo determine the dosimetric impact of inter-fraction anatomical movements in prostate cancer patients receiving proton therapy.Full Text Available
Diffusion in the extracellular space (ECS) of the brain is constrained by the volume fraction and the tortuosity and a modified diffusion equation represents the transport behavior of many molecules...Full Text Available
Background:To determine nutrient requirements by the carbon oxidation techniques, it is necessary to know the fraction of carbon dioxide produced during the oxidative...Full Text Available
Determination of the radiocarbon (14C) content of airborne particulate matter yields insight into the proportion of the carbonaceous material derived from fossil and contemporary carbon sources. Daily samples of PM2.5 were collected by high-volume sampler at an urban background site in Birmingham, UK, and the fraction of 14C in both the total carbon, and in the organic and elemental carbon fractions, determined by two-stage combustion to CO2, graphitisation and quantification by accelerator mass spectrometry. OC and EC content was also determined by Sunset Analyzer. The mean fraction contemporary TC in the PM2.5 samples was 0.50 (range 0.27-0.66, n=26). There was no seasonality to the data, but there was a positive trend between fraction contemporary TC and magnitude of SOC/TC ratio and fo...
The concentration of apolipoproteins was measured by quantitative immunoelectrophoresis in rat serum, in the lipoprotein-free ultracentrifugal fraction (density greater than 1.21) of serum, and in renal...Full Text Available
The challenges of lung cancer radiotherapy are intra/inter-fraction tumor/organ anatomy/motion changes and the need to spare surrounding critical structures. Evolving radiotherapy technologies, such...Full Text Available
We have studied freshly prepared lysozyme solutions in heavy water for two NaCl concentrations as a function of temperature. Lysozyme solubilities in this solvent are determined by static light scattering. By small angle neutron scattering, we evidence that interactions between lysozyme molecules are characterized by a second virial coefficient A{sub 2} whether the solution is under-saturated or supersaturated. From the variation of A{sub 2} as a function of temperature we have evaluated the enthalpy corresponding to the interaction between lysozyme molecules. We show that the interactions between protein molecules are higher in heavy water than in light water. (authors). 13 refs., 3 figs.
It is a useful hypothesis to thing of the reaction to protein deprivation as made up of two parts. First there is an initial adaptation involving rapid losses of protein. This is followed by slow continuing depletion. When considering two organ groups, such as the liver and muscle, it appears that the curve of urinary nitrogen excretion reflects the different parts they play in these two phases. The changes in the relative amounts of protein in different organs results in an alteration in the pattern of body protein at the level of the organ, the tissue and the cell. These changes are themselves the result of altered rates of synthesis and breakdown. The questions that must be asked and hopefully will be answered with the help of isotopes, are how these changes are brought about, how they are inter-related and controlled, and what is their significance? This paper contains a discussion of the few ...
The green fluorescent protein (GFP) asFP499 from Anemonia sulcata is a distant homologue of the GFP from Aequorea victoria. We cloned the asFP499 gene into a mammalian expression vector and showed that this protein was expressed in the human lymphoblast cell line Ramos RA1 and in the embryonic kidney 293T cell line (HEK 293T). In HEK 293T cells, asFP499 was localized mainly in the cytoplasm, suggesting that the protein was excluded from the nucleus. We identified _1_9_4LRMEKLNI_2_0_1 as a candidate nuclear export signal in asFP499 and mutated the isoleucine at position 201 to an alanine. Unlike the wildtype form, the mutant protein was distributed throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus. This is First report of a GFP that contains a functional NES.
Frozen boiled shrimp and dried shrimp are among the high-value fishery products of Thailand. During the production of these products boiling is one of the most important steps that affects significantly the product physicochemical properties, especially the quantity and quality of proteins, which in turn affect other apparent properties perceived by consumers. The protein changes are, however, difficult to evaluate comparing to other typical physical properties of shrimp. The objective of this study was therefore to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict the protein changes of shrimp in terms of protein loss and protein denaturation as a function of the boiling conditions, namely, concentration of salt solution and boiling time, as well as a rather easily determined ch...
It is assumed that protein fibrils manifested in amyloidosis result from an aggregation reaction involving small misfolded protein sequences being in an `oligomeric' or `prefibrillar' state. This review covers recent optical spectroscopic studies of amyloid protein misfolding, oligomerization and amyloid fibril growth. Although amyloid fibrils have been studied using established protein-characterization techniques throughout the years, their oligomeric precursor states require sensitive detection in real-time. Here, fluorescent staining is commonly performed using thioflavin T and other small fluorescent molecules such as 4-(dicyanovinyl)- julolidine and 1-amino-8-naphtalene sulphonate that have high affinity to hydrophobic patches. Thus, populated oligomeric intermediates and related `pre...
The effect of experimental diabetes on the phosphorylation of proteins in the rat sciatic nerve was studied. Nerves from animals made diabetic with streptozocin were incubated in vitro with (/sup 32/P)orthophosphate and divided into segments from the proximal to the distal end, and proteins from each segment were then separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The principal labeled species were the major myelin proteins, P0, and the basic proteins. After 6 wk of diabetes, the incorporation of isotope into these proteins rose as a function of distance along the nerve in a proximal to distal direction and was significantly higher at the distal end compared with incorporation into nerves from age-matched controls. The overall level of isotope uptake was similar in nerves from diabetic animals and weight-matched controls. The distribution of /sup 32/P among ...
The purpose of the present study was to examine the in vitro effects of low-dose cadmium (Cd) on developing cortical cells. The cortical cells removed from fetuses (embryonic day 15) were treated with 10 nM of Cd for 24 h. The effects of Cd on dendritic and synaptic development were immunocytochemically observed with anti-microtubule associated protein-2 (MAP2) and anti-synapsin I antibodies, respectively. Administration of Cd suppressed dendritic as well as synaptic development at 10 nM. By two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) analysis, we identified three proteins with different expression after Cd-treatment; dihydropyrimidinase-related protein 2 (DRP-2/CRMP-2), 14-3-3-epsillon and calmodulin (CaM). Though the number of identified proteins was small, these proteins are known to be involved in neuronal development. The ...
Light increased the rate of LHCP synthesis as measured by pulse-labeling with /sup 35/SO/sub 4/ and immunoprecipitation with antibody specific for Euglena LHCP. In addition to the mature LHCP, 26,000 daltons, the LHCP specific antibody immunoprecipitated large amounts of several proteins having molecular weights of approximately 100,000. On immunoblots of immunoprecipitated unlabeled protein, the antibody only detected the mature LHCP suggesting that the high molecular weight proteins are not LHCP aggregates produced during immunoprecipitation. After a 10 min pulse with /sup 35/SO/sub 4/, the 100,000 dalton proteins constituted over 80% of the immunoprecipitated material. In a subsequent chase, the radioactivity in the 100,000 dalton proteins decreased and the radioactivity in the mature LHCP increased suggesting a precursor-product relationship. After a 35 minute chase, the mature ...
The high temperature abrasive wear resistant of the composites with different Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} volume fractions, particle coating and size were investigated and the failure action of composites under different conditions at high temperature was analyzed. The results showed that the high temperature abrasive wear resistant of composite with Ni coating and wide size and 39% volume fraction of particle is the best among all composites examined. (orig.)
The results of the investigations show that magnetic treatment is a quite practical and effective method of intensifying certain technological processes in the coking industry. Magnetic treatment was utilized for improving the production of ammonium sulfate, refining of the naphthalene fraction, removal of sludge from wash oil in the benzol division, and the treatment of tar before fractionation. 2 references, 3 tables.
If 4-day-old dark-grown zucchini squash seedlings (Cucurbita pepo L. cv. Black Beauty) are exposed briefly to red light, subsequent cell fractionation yields about 40% of the total...Full Text Available
Using data collected with the BESII detector at $e^{+}e^{-}$ storage ring Beijing Electron Positron Collider, the measurements of relative branching fractions for seven Cabibbo suppressed hadronic weak decays $D^0 \\to K^- K^+$, $\\pi^+ \\pi^-$, $K^- K^+ \\pi^+ \\pi^-$ and $\\pi^+ \\pi^+ \\pi^- \\pi^-$, $D^+ \\to \\bar{K^0} K^+$, $K^- K^+ \\pi^+$ and $\\pi^- \\pi^+ \\pi^+$ are presented.
Nearly all chemical processes fractionate17O and 18O in a mass-dependent way relative to 16O, a major exception being the formation of ozone from diatomic oxygen in...Full Text Available
For the determination of the elemental composition of insoluble endogenous fractions from gastrointestinal tract by SRXRF (XRF experimental beam line, VEPP-3, INP SU RAS, Novosibirsk), an analytical method was developed for producing epithelial tissue in vivo. The metrological characteristics were determined using a number of international biological standards.
In normal subjects, apolipoprotein E (apo E) is present on very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) (fraction I) and on particles of a size intermediate between VLDL and low density lipoproteins (LDL) (fraction...Full Text Available
A design concept is presented for an in-bundle gamma densitometer system for measurement of subchannel average fluid density and void fraction in rod or tube bundles. This report describes (1) the application of the design concept to the Thermal-Hydraulic Test Facility (THTF) electrically heated rod bundle; and (2) results from tests conducted in the THTF.
Four solutions of the Cauchy problem for Mathieu?s equation away from parametric resonance domains are analytically constructed using an asymptotic averaging method in the fourth approximation. Three solutions occur near fractional parameter values at which slow combination phases exist. The fourth solution occurs in the absence of slow phases away from parametric resonance domains and the fractional parameter values.
The entrapment of proteins using the sol-gel route provides a means to retain its native properties and artificially reproduce the molecular crowding and confinement experienced by proteins in the cell allowing investigation of the physico-chemical and structural properties of biomolecules at the biotic/abiotic interface. The biomolecules are spatially separated and 'caged' in the gel structure but solutes can freely permeate the matrix. Thus, properties such as the folding of ensembles of individual molecules can be examined in the absence of aggregation effects that can occur in solution studies. Green fluorescent protein from Aequorea coerulescens was used as a model protein to examine the unfolding/re-folding properties of protein in silica gels. The recombinant protein was isolated and purified from Escherichia coli extracts by cell lysis, ...
In previous work the authors showed that on photolysis of Escherichia coli ribosomes in the presence of ({sup 3}H)tetracycline (TC) the major protein labeled is S7, and they presented strong evidence that such labeling takes place from a high-affinity site related to the inhibitory action of TC. In this work they use single protein omission reconstitution (SPORE) experiments to identify those proteins that are important for high-affinity TC binding to the 30S subunit, as measured by both cosedimentation and filter binding assays. With respect to both sedimentation coefficients and relative Phe-tRNA{sup Phe} binding, the properties of the SPORE particles they obtain parallel very closely those measured earlier, with the exception of the SPORE particle lacking S13. A total of five proteins, S3, S7, S8, S14, and S19, are shown to be important for TC binding, with the largest effects seen on omission of ...
A Real-Time Neutron Radiography (RTNR) system and a high speed X-ray Computed Tomography (X-CT) system are used to determine the flow regime, the instantaneous cross-sectional averaged void fraction, and the time averaged void fraction in a vertical annulus flow channel. A standard optical video system is also used to observe the flow regime. The annulus flow channel is operated as a bubble column and measurements are obtained for gas flow rates form 0.0 to 30.0 l/min. The flow regimes observed by all three measurement systems via image analysis shows that the results agree well with each other. Both the RTNR and the X-CT systems show that the time averaged and cross-sectional averaged void fraction increases with increasing superficial gas velocity. Time and cross-sectional averaged void fractions determined by the RTNR system agree within 4% with those determined by the high speed X-ray CT technique. ...
A Real-Time Neutron Radiography (RTNR) system and a high speed X-ray Computed Tomography (X-CT) system are used to determine the flow regime, the instantaneous cross-sectional averaged void fraction, and the time averaged void fraction in a vertical annulus flow channel. A standard optical video system is also used to observe the flow regime. The annulus flow channel is operated as a bubble column and measurements are obtained for gas flow rates form 0.0 to 30.0 l/min. The flow regimes observed by all three measurement systems via image analysis shows that the results agree well with each other. Both the RTNR and the X-CT systems show that the time averaged and cross-sectional averaged void fraction increases with increasing superficial gas velocity. Time and cross-sectional averaged void fractions determined by the RTNR system agree within 4% with those determined by the high speed X-ray CT technique. ...
Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of compost addition to soil on fractionation and bioavailability of Cu, Mn, and Zn to four crops. Soils growing Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla L.) and basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) were amended (by volume) with 0, 20, 40, and 60% Source-Separated Municipal Solid Waste (SS-MSW) compost, and dill (Anethum graveolens L.) and peppermint (Mentha X piperita L.) were amended with 0, 20, 40, and 60% of high-Cu manure compost (by volume). The SS-MSW compost applications increased the concentration of Cu and Zn in all fractions, increased Mn in acid extractable (ACID), iron and manganese oxides (FeMnOX), and organic matter (OM) fractions, but decreased slightly exchangeable-Mn. Addition of 60% high-Cu manure compost to the soil increased Cu EXCH, ACID, FeMnOX, and OM fractions, but decreased EXCH-Mn, and did not change EXCH-Zn. Addition of both composts ...
The relative roles of glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption and tubular secretion in lead handling were evaluated using renal clearance technique, stop-flow analysis, and renal lead accumulation. In addition, the effect of altering acid-base status on renal handling of Pb was determined. Clearance of ultrafilterable lead was measured in anesthetized dogs during infusion of "2"0"3Pb with small doses of carrier Pb(0.5 to 50 #mu#g/kg/h). Filterable lead concentration was estimated by in vitro ultrafiltration of non-anticoagulated plasma. Fractional excretion of Pb was calculated using creatinine clearance to estimate glomerular filtration rate. Dogs in acute metabolic acidosis had the lowest fractional excretion of ultrafilterable Pb (< 0.1); those in alkalosis had high fractional Pb excretion (0.75 to 2.5) while normal dogs were intermediate (0.1 to .4). The fractional excretion of Pb during ...
A Real-Time Neutron Radiography (RTNR) system is used to determine two-phase flow parameters for a horizontal co-current two-phase flow channel with a CANDU-type 37 rod bundle. Image processing techniques are applied to visualize the two-phase flow, and to determine flow regime, cross-sectional averaged void fraction, time averaged void fraction, and void distribution. The experimentally determined flow regime map disagrees with existing flow regime models developed for the CANDU-type rod bundles. A new flow regime is observed and designated Large Amplitude Stratified Wavy flow. The results show that the LASW flow regime may be due to a combination of undeveloped flow phenomena, boundary conditions, and circumferential cross flow occurring in the bundle. The rods in the bundle may act as a dampener to the vertical flow and hinders the development of the wave into plug or slug flow by changing the momentum of the fluid in the circumferential ...
A real-time neutron radiography (RTNR) system is used to determine two-phase flow parameters for a horizontal co-current two-phase flow channel with a cylindrical 37 rod bundle. Image processing techniques are applied to visualize the two-phase flow, and to determine flow regime, cross-sectional averaged void fraction, time averaged void fraction, and void distribution. The experimentally determined flow regime map disagrees with existing flow regime models developed for the cylindrical rod bundles. A new flow regime is observed and designated large amplitude stratified wavy (LASW) flow. The results show that the LASW flow regime may be due to a combination of undeveloped flow phenomena, boundary conditions, and circumferential cross flow occuring in the bundle. The rods in the bundle may act as a dampener to the vertical flow component and hinders the development of the wave into plug or slug flow by changing the momentum of the fluid in the ...
A Real-Time Neutron Radiography (RTNR) system is used to determine two-phase flow parameters for a horizontal co-current two-phase flow channel with a CANDU-type 37 rod bundle. Image processing techniques are applied to visualize the two-phase flow, and to determine flow regime, cross-sectional averaged void fraction, time averaged void fraction, and void distribution. The experimentally determined flow regime map disagrees with existing flow regime models developed for the CANDU-type rod bundles. A new flow regime is observed and designated Large Amplitude Stratified Wavy flow. The results show that the LASW flow regime may be due to a combination of undeveloped flow phenomena, boundary conditions, and circumferential cross flow occurring in the bundle. The rods in the bundle may act as a dampener to the vertical flow and hinders the development of the wave into plug or slug flow by changing the momentum of the fluid in the circumferential ...
In searching modulators of immunity and hematopoiesis among natural products, being used as foods, six herbs exhibited lymphocyte proliferation in vitro, and six exhibited augmentation of hematopoietic cell growth. The combined treatments showed synergistic effects of lymphocyte proliferation and of hematopoietic cell growth. On the other hand, we found four effective oriental medicinal prescriptions, used as energy tonic or blood-building decoctions, for survival and regeneration of hematopoietic cells and for protection of stem cells of intestinal crypt in irradiated mice. On the basis of these results, extracts from combinations of herbs were made in expectation of higher effects in the three respects. In immuno modulation activity by the two combinations of herbs was confirmed in mice. In culture of bone narrow cells, growth improvement of non-adherent precursor and induction of cytokine expression by herb mixture extracts were observed. In evaluation of ...
A Real-Time Neutron Radiography (RTNR) system and a high speed X-ray Computed tomography (X-CT) system are compared for measurement of two-phase flow. Each system is used to determine the flow regime, and the void fraction distribution in a vertical annulus flow channel. A standard optical video system is also used to observe the flow regime. The annulus flow channel is operated as a bubble column and measurements obtained for gas flow rates from 0.0 to 30.01/min. The flow regimes observed by all three measurement systems through image analysis shows that the two-dimensional void fraction distribution can be obtained. The X-CT system is shown to have a superior temporal resolution capable of resolving the void fraction distribution in an (r,{theta}) plane in 33.0 ms. Void fraction distribution for bubbly flow and slug flow is determined.
A Real-Time Neutron Radiography (RTNR) system and a high speed X-ray Computed tomography (X-CT) system are compared for measurement of two-phase flow. Each system is used to determine the flow regime, and the void fraction distribution in a vertical annulus flow channel. A standard optical video system is also used to observe the flow regime. The annulus flow channel is operated as a bubble column and measurements obtained for gas flow rates from 0.0 to 30.01/min. The flow regimes observed by all three measurement systems through image analysis shows that the two-dimensional void fraction distribution can be obtained. The X-CT system is shown to have a superior temporal resolution capable of resolving the void fraction distribution in an (r,#theta#) plane in 33.0 ms. Void fraction distribution for bubbly flow and slug flow is determined.
A stable isotope mass-balance of dissolved inorganic carbon during a blue-green algae bloom in a softwater lake demonstrates that at low partial pressure of carbon dioxide there must be a large net negative carbon isotope fractionation between atmospheric CO/sub 2/ and the CO/sub 2/ absorbed by lake water at pH = 9.5. Chemical enhancement of CO/sub 2/ invasion at high pH by the reaction CO/sub 2/ + OH/sup -/ ..-->.. HCO/sub 3//sup -/ at large apparent film thicknesses may result in carbon isotope fractionation approaching that for a hydroxide solution. This phenomenon, coupled with a decrease in the photosynthetic fractionation, forced the surface water of a softwater lake to achieve increasingly negative delta /sup 13/C values during an algal bloom, which is in the opposite sense to the trend that results from photosynthesis under less extreme conditions. This and other similar systems must operate under non-equilibrium ...
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most frequent cutaneous neoplasm, with a generally favorable clinical behavior. Sometimes, indeed, it recurs after therapy and/or metastasizes. As point mutations in the coding sequence of the p53 tumor suppressor gene have been implicated in the progression of many human tumors, we studied the expression of p53 protein on this neoplasia. We tested immunohistochemically the positivity for p53 protein (NCL-p53-CM1, YLEM) on 19 cases of morphologically "non aggressive" BCC (BCC1) and on 19 "aggressive" BCC (BCC2), all with one or more relapses and 3 with distant metastases also. Results were related to clinico-pathological and follow-up data. All but one BCC2 were found positive for p53 protein. Conversely, only 2 cases of BCC1 exhibited low immunoreactivity for p53 protein, with high statistical differences between the two groups. No correlation was found between the ...
Proteomic changes in proteins secreted by human hepatocellular carcinomas (HepG2) cells exposed to butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) were evaluated. HepG2 cells were treated with three different concentrations of BBP (0, 10, or 25 ?M) for 24 or 48 h. Following incubation, the cells were subjected to proteomic analysis using two different pI ranges (4-7 and 6-9) and large-size two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Results showed resolution of a total of 2776 protein spots. Of these, 29, including 19 upregulated and 10 downregulated proteins, were identified by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Among these, the identities of cystatin C, Rho guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor, gelsolin, DEK protein, Raf kinase inhibitory protein, triose phosphate ...
Macronutrient self-selection and responses to dietary protein dilution were investigated in Senegalese sole, a flatfish species of interest for Mediterranean aquaculture. Eight groups of six sole were distributed among 75-l tanks and allowed to feed on three experimental diets composed of pure macronutrients: PC (75% crude protein and 25% carbohydrate), PF (75% crude protein and 25% crude fat) and PFC (10% crude protein, 45% crude fat and 45% carbohydrate). Choosing from the above diets, the sole selected a diet containing 68.0% crude protein, 15.7% crude fat and 16.3% carbohydrate. When the PF diet was diluted 50% with cellulose, the fish increased their feed intake to sustain the energy intake (5.0?kJ/kg BW/day). Their selection of fat remained unchanged, while carbohydrate selection sig...
Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of the maxillary galea of the silkworm were analyzed to identify proteins involved in food selection systems. From the 1251 redundant genes of the ESTs, we identified 7 odorant-binding protein-like genes (bmObpL), 6 takeout-like genes (bmToL), and 6 chemosensory protein genes (bmCsp). Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that bmObpL1, bmObpL2, bmObpL3, bmObpL5, bmToL1, bmToL3, and bmorCsp15 were predominantly expressed in the larval oral appendages, such as the maxilla, labrum, labium and antenna. Immunocytochemical analysis indicated that the proteins of bmObpL1, bmObpL3, and bmToL1 were localized in the gustatory chemosensilla on the maxillary galea and olfactory sensilla in the antenna. The proteins encoded by bmObpL1 and bmObpL3 were detected in the gus...
Human complement protein C9 is shown to be a metalloprotein that binds 1 mol of Ca"2"+/mol of C9 with a dissociation constant of 3 #mu#m as measured by equilibrium dialysis. Incubation with EDTA removes the bound calcium, resulting in a apoprotein with decreased thermal stability. This loss in stability leads to aggregation and, therefore, to loss of hemolytic activity upon heating to a few degrees above the physiological temperature. Heat-induced aggregation of apoC9 can be prevented by salts that stabilize proteins according to the Hofmeister series of lyotropic ions, suggesting that the ion in native C9 may ligand with more than one structural element of domain of the protein. Ligand blotting indicates that the calcium binding site is located in the amino-terminal half of the protein. Removal of calcium by inclusion of EDTA in assay mixtures has no effect on the hemolytic activity of C9, and its ...
The subjects covered in this Symposium range through almost every clinical medical specialty. From an average of one paper in each of the past three Symposiums, the explosive interest in cerebral amyloidosis has led to the presentation of 12 papers on this subject in the present volume. The genetically predisposed familial amyloidotic processes, such as the polyneuropathies and familial Mediterranean fever have also stimulated extensive and intriguing investigations which have revealed the striking effect of a single amino acid substitution in transforming a normal protein into a lethal ''amyloidogenic'' one. This Symposium clearly depicts the advances since the first amyloid fibril protein was definitively identified and defined 14 years ago. Since all amyloid fibril proteins so far described are variants of normal proteins, attention to gene abnormalities now becomes a significant focus as well as the ...
The authors have previously identified a small-cell lung cancer cell line (NCI-H209) that expresses an aberrant, underphosphorylated form of the retinoblastoma protein RB1. Molecular analysis of RB1 mRNA from this cell line revealed a single point mutation within exon 21 that resulted in a nonconservative amino acid substitution (cysteine to phenylalanine) at codon 706. Stable expression of this mutant RB1 cDNA in a human cell line lacking endogenous RB1 demonstrated that this amino acid change was sufficient to inhibit phosphorylation. In addition, this cysteine-to-phenylalanine substitution also resulted in loss of RB1 binding to the simian virus 40 large tumor and adenovirus E1A transforming proteins. These results confirm the importance of exon 21 coding sequences and suggest that the cysteine residue at codon 706 may play a role in achieving a specific protein conformation essential for ...
Electronic circular dichroism (ECD) of the n-#pi# and #pi# -#pi# transitions of the amide groups in the ultraviolet has become an indispensable tool for qualitative characterization of proteins in solution. Since the existence of such a spectrum (that is, of natural optical activity) comes from the three dimensional interaction of the chromophores in the molecule, CD is exquisitely sensitive to molecular conformation. However, in proteins, the amide transitions available in the near UV are limited in number and are broads and overlapping. Interactions among them yield information about the polymeric backbone, but since such amide electronic excitation are relatively delocalized, the resulting
Exposure of the freshwater field crab Barytelphusa guerini to a sublethal concentration of NaF (30 mg litre(-1)) caused significant alterations in protein metabolism. After an exposure time of 15 days, the crab was found to have a marked depletion of total protein and free amino acid content. A significant elevation in transaminases, Aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), and Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activities was reflected in the free amino acid levels of the tissues. PMID:15092215
The term "homology" or "homologous" means an amino acid similarity measured by the program, BLAST (Altschul et al (1997), "Gapped BLAST and PSI-BLAST: a new generation of protein database search programs", Nucleic Acids Res. 25:33 89 3402), and expressed as --(% identity n/n). In measuring homology between a peptide and a protein of greater size, homology is measured only in the corresponding region; that is, the protein is regarded as only having the same general length as the peptide, allowing for gaps and insertions.
Amyloid precursor protein (APP), a key protein in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), is a type I transmembrane protein which can be cleaved by b- and g-secretase to release the amyloidogenic b-amyloid peptides (Ab) and the APP intracellular domain (AICD). While Ab has been widely believed to initiate pathogenic cascades culminating AD, the physiological functions and regulations of AICD remain elusive. In present study, endogenous AICD was demonstrated to be increased by canonical Wnt signal. Instead of due to g-secretase activity, enhanced AICD expression was found due to the increased protein stability by Wnt/b-catenin. b-Catenin was demonstrated to be an associating partner of AICD, capable of promoting AICD mediated transcriptional activity. Investigation by AICD mutants proved ...
Cultures of chick skin fibroblasts were dissolved in solutions of sodium dodecyl sulphate, and their entire protein content was examined by gel electrophoresis. The most abundant species migrated in...Full Text Available
In previous studies we have demonstrated that prion protein (PrP) interacts with tubulin and disrupts microtubular cytoskeleton by inducing tubulin oligomerization. These observations may explain the molecular mechanism of toxicity of cytoplasmic PrP in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Here, we check whether microtubule associated proteins (MAPs) that regulate microtubule stability, influence the PrP-induced oligomerization of tubulin. We show that tubulin preparations depleted of MAPs are more prone to oligomerization by PrP than those containing traces of MAPs. Tau protein, a major neuronal member of the MAPs family, reduces the effect of PrP. Importantly, phosphorylation of Tau abolishes its ability to affect the PrP-induced oligomerization of tubulin. We propose that t...
Gene expression is a fundamentally stochastic process, with randomness in transcription and translation leading to significant cell-to-cell variations in mRNA and protein levels. This variation...Full Text Available
Within the cardiac cell, the movements of calcium ions are tightly regulated by a number of regulatory proteins including pumps, and channels. The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is in large part...Full Text Available
We describe the stabilization by pressure of enzymes, including a hydrogenase from Methanococcus jannaschii, an extremely thermophilic deep-sea methanogen. This is the first published...Full Text Available
Eukaryotic genomes are packaged in two basic forms, euchromatin and heterochromatin. We have examined the composition and organization of Drosophila melanogaster heterochromatin in...Full Text Available
BackgroundPlasmodium falciparum is the most malignant agent of human malaria. It belongs to the taxon Laverania, which includes other ape-infecting Plasmodium...Full Text Available
The identification of individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is essential for the timely administration of treatment approaches aimed at slowing the onset or progression of the disease....Full Text Available
... growth hormone-like factor from plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides is a multifunctional protein. In Parasites and pathogens: ... ...
BackgroundGenetic predisposition to scrapie in sheep is associated with several variations in the peptide sequence of the prion protein gene (PRNP). DNA-based tests...Full Text Available
Orphan G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are receptors lacking endogenous ligands. Found by molecular biological analyses, they became the roots of reverse pharmacology, in which receptors are attempted...Full Text Available
The Liver Carcinogenesis Section uses the modern technologies of molecular biology, cell biology, protein chemistry and genetics to investigate the biochemical and genetic pathways involved in human liver cancer.
Human heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27, HspB1) is an anti-apoptotic protein characterized for its tumorigenic and metastatic properties, and now referenced as a major therapeutic target in many types of cancer. Hsp27 biochemical properties rely on a structural oligomeric and dynamic organization. Downregulation by small interfering RNA or inhibition with dominant-negative mutant have proven their efficiency to counteract the anti-apoptotic and protective properties of Hsp27. In this study, we report the isolation and characterization of Hsp27-targeted molecules interfering with its structural organization. Using the peptide aptamer (PA) strategy, we isolated PAs that specifically interact with Hsp27 and not with the other members of the small heat shock protein family. In mammalian cell cultur...
The tetrapeptide KDEL is commonly found at the C terminus of soluble proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and it contributes to their localization by interacting with a receptor that recycles...Full Text Available
Contractile vacuole complexes are critical components of cell volume regulation and have been shown to have other functional roles in several free-living protists....Full Text Available
Hydrophobic labelling is frequently used in the study of membrane-inserted domains of intrinsic proteins. However, the published procedures, fail to incorporate sufficient radioactivity into membrane immunoglobulins of B lymhocytes to permit investigation of their subunit structures and associations with other proteins. In order to increase the specific radioactivity of ["1"2"5I]iodonaphtylazide ["1"2"5I]INA), an improved method for the synthesis of the reagent was developed. In addition, the optimal conditions for labelling B lymhpocytes with ["1"2"5I]INA and commercially available reagent 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(3'-["1"2"5Iliodophenyl)diazirine (["1"2"5I]TID were isolated and analysed in detail by SDS-PAGE. The usefulness of the two reagents for the investigation of lipid-embedded domains of membrane proteins is discussed. (author). 28 refs.; 4 figs.
BackgroundAlterations in protein composition and oxidative damage of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) have been proposed to impair the cardioprotective properties of...Full Text Available
Fava beans (Vicia fava) are cultivated rather widely in most countries of the Eastern Mediterranean area and provide a cheap but protein-rich food that can be eaten alone, in various...Full Text Available
BackgroundEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a standard immunoassay to estimate a protein's concentration in a sample. Deploying ELISA in a microarray format permits simultaneous...Full Text Available
PurposeEarly detection of appendicitis has increased due to development of computed tomography and ultrasonography, yet we are frequently meeting complicated appendicitis, including...Full Text Available
Aims A depressed cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) activity is implicated in nitrate tolerance. The present study determines whether the leucine zipper-positive (LZ+) isoform of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1), a key target protein for PKG actions, is involved in the development of nitrate tolerance. Methods and results Nitrate tolerance in in vitro preparations was obtained by a 24 h incubation with nitroglycerin (NTG). Nitrate tolerance in in vivo preparations was obtained by subcutaneous injection of mice with NTG, and the aortas were used. Protein levels of total MYPT1, MYPT1 (LZ+), PP1Cd, myosin light chain (MLC), and phosphorylated MLC were determined by Western blot analysis. Isometric vessel tension was determined by an organ chamber technique. Protein levels of MYPT1...
Functional properties of commercial and membrane processed pea protein isolates (PPI) prepared from yellow peas were investigated. Four protein isolates were prepared from yellow pea flour using water and KCl extractions at 25^oC followed by ultrafiltration and diafiltration (UF and DF) at pHs of 7.5 and 7.5 or 6 respectively. Following assessment of compositional attributes; solubility, foaming, flow and dynamic rheology, emulsification ability and heat-induced textural and rheological properties of prepared PPIs and a commercially available PPI were tested and compared. Membrane purification of proteins resulted in 28% to 68% reduction in phytic acid and enhanced, comparatively, the tested functional properties. Solubility of membrane processed PPIs, at all tested pHs, was superior and t...
Results in this study are consistent with those of Murdock and his colleagues who clearly demonstrated that clonidine, an agonist of octopaminergic receptors in some insects, significantly increases sucrose feeding. Their studies, however, did not examine the effect of clonidine on protein feeding. Injection of a 20mg/ml/fly dose of clonidine significantly reduces protein feeding in both sexes of Phormia regina, instead of stimulating feeding as is observed with carbohydrate feeding. The manner in which the flies are fed prior to starvation and the method of testing influences the amounts of diet consumed. It is proposed that the biogenic amines influence the state of hunger (i.e., protein versus carbohydrates) while other chemicals and neural mechanisms (i.e., such as sulfakinins and stre...
Carbohydrate-directed endocytosis is mediated by a receptor, the hepatic binding protein; it is responsible for the clearance of galactose-terminated glycoproteins from the circulation. This process...Full Text Available
The cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) is a highly conserved transcription factor that integrates signaling through the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) in many eukaryotes. PKA plays a critical role in Dictyostelium development but no CREB homologue has been identified in this system. Here we show that Dictyostelium utilizes a CREB-like protein, BzpF, to integrate PKA signaling during late development. bzpF^- mutants produce compromised spores, which are extremely unstable and germination defective. Previously, we have found that BzpF binds the canonical CRE motif in vitro. In this paper, we determined the DNA binding specificity of BzpF using protein binding microarray (PBM) and showed that the motif with the highest specificity is a CRE-like sequence. BzpF is necessary to ...
When casein, a milk protein, is hydrolyzed, it renders human foods that contain it (e.g., hypoallergenic infant formula, cheeses) distasteful to many people. This rejection...Full Text Available
The synapsin III gene, SYN3, which belongs to the family of synaptic vesicle-associated proteins, has been implicated in the modulation of neurotransmitter...Full Text Available
Individual photophysical parameters of the chromophore of a fluorescent protein mRFP1 and its two mutants (amino-acid substitution at position 66 - mRFP1/ Q66C and mRFP1/Q66S proteins) are determined. For this purpose, apart from conventional methods of fluorimetry and spectrophotometry, nonlinear laser fluorimetry is used. It is shown that the individual extinction coefficients of the chromophore of proteins correlate (correlation coefficient above 0.9) with the volume of the substituted amino-acid residue at position 66 (similar to the positions of the absorption, fluorescence excitation and emission maxima). (laser biology and medicine)
Alpha-toxin, the major cytotoxic agent elaborated by Staphylococcus aureus, was the first bacterial exotoxin to be identified as a pore former. The protein is secreted as a single-chain, water-soluble...Full Text Available
Chemically reactive compounds in tissues can be monitored through their products of reaction with biomacromolecules. For the purpose of in vivo dose monitoring, hemoglobin (Hb) has been preferred to...Full Text Available
What genes are related to AEC syndrome? AEC syndrome is caused by mutations in the TP63 gene. This gene provides instructions for making a protein known as p63, which plays an...
BackgroundAmino-terminal signal peptides (SPs) are short regions that guide the targeting of secretory proteins to the correct subcellular compartments in the cell. They are cleaved...Full Text Available
Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar apparatus developed by Dr. Alex McPherson of the University of California, Irvine for use aboard Mir and the International Space ...
The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of visualization and void fraction measurement of air-water two-phase flow in a small diameter tube (I.D.: 4.08 mm) by using the real-time neutron radiography and image processing techniques. Video images of two-phase flow were taken by using the real-time neutron radiography system (thermal neutron radiography facility No.2) installed at the Japan Research Reactor 3M of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. The shape of bubbles and its moving behavior were clearly observed from the video images. The image corrections for dark current, shading, field intensity fluctuation and electrical system drift were examined in order to measure the void fraction from the video images. Though, generally speaking, the effect of the scattered neutron could not be ignored for quantification of the images taken by the neutron radiography, the scattered neutron could not affect the final results ...
The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of visualization and void fraction measurement of air-water two-phase flow in a small diameter tube (inner diameter; 4.08mm) by using the real-time neutron radiography and image processing techniques. Video images of two-phase flow were taken by using the real-time neutron radiography system (thermal neutron radiography facility No.2) installed at the Japan Research Reactor 3 M of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. The shape of bubbles and its moving behavior were clearly observed from the video images. The image corrections for dark current, shading, field intensity fluctuation and electrical system drift were examined in order to measure the void fraction from the video images. Though, generally speaking, the effect of the scattered neutron could not be ignored for quantification of the images taken by the neutron radiography, the scattered neutron could not affect the final ...
The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of visualization and void fraction measurement of air-water two-phase flow in a small diameter tube (I.D.: 4.08 mm) by using the real-time neutron radiography and image processing techniques. Video images of two-phase flow were taken by using the real-time neutron radiography system (thermal neutron radiography facility No.2) installed at the Japan Research Reactor 3M of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. The shape of bubbles and its moving behavior were clearly observed from the video images. The image corrections for dark current, shading, field intensity fluctuation and electrical system drift were examined in order to measure the void fraction from the video images. Though, generally speaking, the effect of the scattered neutron could not be ignored for quantification of the images taken by the neutron radiography, the scattered neutron could not affect the final results ...
Real-time neutron radiography has been used to study the dynamic behavior of two-phase flow and measure vapor fractions in a steam-water duct at atmospheric pressure. This unique experimental technique offers one the opportunity to observe and record on videotape now Patterns and transient behavior of two-phase flow inside opaque containers without perturbing the environment. The neutron radiographic technique is non-intrusive and requires no special transparent window region. Data are recorded simultaneously over a large area of interest. Image processing of the video data can be employed to measure bubble velocities and time-averaged and Instantaneous vapor fractions.
This paper describes a series of tests investigating two-phase flow regimes in a transparent model of a PWR hot leg. Test conditions were selected to cover a wide range of gas and liquid superficial velocities (.01 m/s 2 m/s) were also performed for comparison with semi-analytical predictions. Results include average void fractions, flow rates, and visual characterizations of the two-phase flow phenomena. Results show generally good agreement with Taitel and Duckler flow regime map and Zuber-Findlay correlation for average void fraction in vertical pipes. Results also indicate that flow regimes and collapsed liquid level (void fraction) are more strongly dependent on air flow rate (air superficial velocity) than water flow rate (water superficial velocity).
Molar excess volumes have been determined by means of a vibrating-tube densimeter for binary liquid mixtures of cycloalkanones (cyclopentanone and cyclohexanone) + cyclohexane, + benzene, and + tetrachloromethane. The V/sup E/ data are reported over the complete mole fraction range at 288.15, 298.15, and 308.15{Kappa}. The obtained excess volumes are positive for mixtures of cyclopentanone with cyclohexane and are negative for mixtures of the cycloalkanones with benzene and tetrachloromethane; for the system cyclohexanone-cyclohexane the V/sup E/ values are positive for a wide range of mole fraction, but at very low cyclohexane mole fraction an inversion of the sign of V/sup E/ is observed. The data show that in the considered range of temperature the values of the temperature coefficient ({partial derivative}V/sup E//{partial derivative}T) are negative for mixtures of the cycloalkanones with benzene and are almost zero for ...
The state of prooxidant-antioxidant homeostasis in Guinea pigs exposed to whole-body fractionated X-irradiation (5 fractions of 0.2 Gy at a 24 hr interval, up to total dose of 1.0 Gy, at a dose rate of 0.425 R/min) and a possibility of its disturbance correction with the complex of vitamins C, E and P was studied. Accumulation of primary and secondary lipid peroxidation products, decrease of the ascorbic acid content, increase of the content of its oxidized forms (dehydroascorbic acid and diketogulonic acid) in radiosensitive and radioresistant organs were found. Antioxidant complex administration reduced the disturbances of prooxidant-antioxidant homeostasis, but did not provide complete normalization.
Simple, one-zone models for inhomogeneous chemical evolution of the Galactic halo are used to predict the number fraction of zero-metallicity, Population III stars, which currently is empirically estimated at < 4e-4. These analytic models minimize the number of free parameters, highlighting the most fundamental constraints on halo evolution. There are disagreements of at least an order of magnitude between observations and predictions in limiting cases for both homogeneous Simple Model and Simple Inhomogeneous Model (SIM). Hence, this demonstrates a quantitative, unambiguous discrepancy in the observed and expected fraction of Population III stars. We explore how the metallicity distribution of the parent enrichment events f(z_0) drives the SIM and predictions for the Population III fraction. The SIM shows that the previously-identified "high halo" and "low halo" populations are consistent with a continuous evolutionary ...
Two rapidly solidified powders with compositions Al-6.7 wt.% Fe-5.9 wt.% Ce and Al-6.2 wt.% Fe-5.9 wt.% Ce-1.63 wt.% Si were separated into -32 [mu]m and +32 to -63 [mu]m size fractions. Powders from both size fractions were extruded at 500 C. For comparison purposes, extrusion at a lower temperature of 400 C was also performed. In this investigation, tensile property evaluation indicated that processing of finer size fractions at high temperature offers no advantages in terms of the tensile properties but is advantageous in terms of improving the fracture toughness of alloy B. These observations underline the importance of the stability of powder microstructure during thermomechanical processing for the development of optimum mechanical properties. (orig.)
The environmental behavior of antibiotics has attracted great research attention. However, their sorption mechanisms in soils/sediments are still unknown. Comparison of the sorption properties between the widely-studied hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) and antibiotics may provide valuable insight to antibiotic sorption mechanisms. Thus, in this study batch experiments for pyrene (PYR), bisphenol A (BPA), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) sorption were conducted on a sediment sample and its separated fractions. Our results showed the high sorption of PYR on black carbon and organic matter. Although high sorption of SMX was observed for both separated organic fractions (humic acids) and inorganic mineral particles, the original sediment particles showed relatively low sorption. Competitive s...
Depending on the soil environment, selenium (Se) can exist as several species differing greatly in bioavailability. Characterization of soil Se reserves is thus necessary in assessing the nutritional supply of this essential element. In low-Se areas, Se fertilization is an option for securing adequate Se nutrition. Fertilization is, however, challenged by the unknown fate of the residual Se. In this study, we aimed to clarify the Se status of selenate-fertilized field soils by fractionating soil Se into five pools: salt-soluble (KCl), adsorbed (KH2PO4/K2HPO4), organically associated (NaOH), elemental (Na2SO3) and recalcitrant Se (NaOCl). Changes induced in these fractions by repeated application of low selenate doses were examined by comparing samples collected from the same locations in 1...
All measurements were made with the NBS high-pressure photoionization mass spectrometer. The fractional of C/sub 5/H/sub 10//sup +/ions in a cyclopentane-cyclohexane mixture were determined as a function of pressure in order to define the fraction of the ions which did charge exchange with cyclohexane; i.e. the fraction which remained cyclic after ionization. The data for mixtures of various compositions (2.5 to 10% cyclohexane) are summarized for measurements performed at 10.62 eV: (a) 292K, > 96% cyclic; 347 K, greater than or equal to 94% cyclic; 386 K, 84 +- 4% cyclic; and 412 K, 78 +- 6% cyclic; entropy, enthalpy, and activation energy were determined; 10.49 eV was obtained as the ionization potential of cyclopentane. 1 figure.
The factors influencing premixed burning and the importance of premixed burning on the exhaust emissions from a small high-speed direct-injection diesel engine were investigated. The characteristics of premixed and diffusion burning were examined using a single-zone heat-release analysis. The mass of fuel burned in premixed combustion was found to be linearly related to the product of engine speed and ignition-delay time and to be essentially independent of the total amount of fuel injected. Accordingly, the premixed-burned fraction increased with increasing engine speed, with decreasing fuel-air ratio and with retarding injection timing. The hydrocarbon emissions did not correlate well with the premixed-burned fraction. In contrast, the oxides of nitrogen emissions were found to increase with decreasing premixed-burned fraction, indicating that diffusion burning, and not premixed burning, is the primary source of oxides of ...
On the basis of a numerical model, the temperature and liquid fraction of spray-formed H13 tool steel are calculated as a function of time. Results show that a preheated substrate at the appropriate temperature can lead to very low porosity by increasing the liquid fraction in the deposited steel. The calculated cooling rate can lead to a microstructure consisting of martensite, lower bainite, retained austenite, and proeutectoid carbides in as-spray-formed material. In the temperature range between the solidus and liquidus temperatures, the calculated temperature of the spray-formed material increases with increasing substrate preheat temperature, resulting in a very low porosity by increasing the liquid fraction of the deposited steel. In the temperature region where austenite decomposit...
Fractionation of isotopes of the alkali metals and the alkaline earth metals in ion exchange chromatography of their chlorides was studied. The heavier isotopes of potassium and rubidium were found to be preferentially fractionated into the ion exchanger phase while the lighter isotopes of lithium, magnesium, calcium and strontium were enriched in the exchanger phase. This can be interpreted as a resultant of the relative significance of isotope effect upon dehydration and isotope effect accompanying the phase change of the hydrated metal ion. Found was no evidence of anomalous isotope effect attributable to the odd-even difference in mass number of isotopes. Based on the spectroscopic and solution chemical data (experimental and theoretical), the isotopic reduced partition function ratios of the hydrated alkaline metal ions and stretching force constants of metal ion-hydrating water bonds were estimated. (author).
The effects of five extraction solvents and their mixtures on the yield of metabolites in crude and fractionated extracts of Annona muricata L. leaves were investigated by direct comparison. Extraction media were prepared using simplex centroid mixtures of ethanol, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, acetone, and chloroform. The effects of the mobile phase solvent strength and the analysis wavelength on the chromatographic separation were also investigated. Solvent mixtures rather than pure solvents were found to be the most efficient extractors for the different fractions. The results indicated that the mobile phase composed of methanol/acetonitrile/water (26:27:47 v/v/v) was most suitable for the basic fraction analysis at 254 nm, whereas the mobile phase composed of methanol/acetonitrile/wa...
Neutron radiography systems are being used for real-time visualization of the dynamic behavior as well as time-averaged measurements of spatial vapor fraction distributions for two phase fluids. The data in the form of video images are typically recorded on videotape at 30 frames per second. Image analysis of he video pictures is used to extract time-dependent or time-averaged data. The determination of the average vapor fraction requires averaging of the logarithm of time-dependent intensity measurements of the neutron beam (gray scale distribution of the image) that passes through the fluid. This could be significantly different than averaging the intensity of the transmitted beam and then taking the logarithm of that term. This difference is termed the dynamic error (error in the time-averaged vapor fractions due to the inherent time-dependence of the measured data) and is separate from the static error (statistical ...
In the past shredder fluff from automobile recycling was discarded in landfills, but shrinking landfill space and the partly hazardous content of the fluff as well as its caloric value, all resulted in efforts to turn this waste problem into an energy resource. In order to produce a fuel, the inorganic compounds have to be removed. Extensive analyses and particle size measurements were made on fluff from various shredder. For optimal separation all particles are reduced to a uniform, relatively small size. In a subsequent combined screening and air classification process, successful separation into organic and inorganic fractions is achieved. The inorganic fraction is treated in a heavy media or an eddy-current separator to recover the valuable metals, while the organic fraction is now suitable for thermal processing, such as fluidized bed gasification and using the resulting carbon as a chemical reagent.
An estimate for the number of ionizing photons per baryon as a function of redshift is computed based on the plausible extrapolation of the observed galaxy UV luminosity function and the latest results on the properties of the escape fraction of ionizing radiation. It is found that, if the escape fraction for low mass galaxies (Mtot<10^{11}Msun) is assumed to be negligibly small, as indicated by numerical simulations, then there are not enough ionizing photons to reionize the universe by z=6 for the cosmology favored by the WMAP 3rd year results, while the WMAP 1st year cosmology is marginally consistent with the reionization requirement. The escape fraction as a function of galaxy mass would have to be constant to within a factor of two for the whole mass range of galaxies for reionization to be possible within the WMAP 3rd year cosmology.
This study investigated the optimum polyphenol extraction conditions for two Nigerian green leafy vegetables, Vernonia amygdalina (VA) and Gongronema latifolium (GL) that are widely used for food and medicinal purposes. Seven different solvents were used to extract the total phenolic contents of the leaves; 100% acetone, 80% acetone, 50% acetone, 100% ethanol, 70% ethanol, 100% methanol and 70% methanol and their total phenolic contents were determined. The results showed that the 80% acetone was significantly (p<0.05) the most effective for polyphenol extraction from the leaves and generally the acetone-containing solvents were more effective than alcohol-containing solvents. The 80% acetone extract was fractionated on a silicic acid-packed column to give two main fractions: acetone elute...
We have recently introduced several important improvements in the measurement of distillation curves for complex fluids. The modifications include a composition-explicit data channel for each distillate fraction (for both qualitative and quantitative analysis) and corrosivity assessment of each distillate fraction. The composition-explicit information is achieved with a new sampling approach that allows precise qualitative as well as quantitative analyses of each fraction, on the fly. We have applied the new method to a variety of fluids, including simple n-alkanes, rocket propellant, gasoline, jet fuels, and a hydrocarbon fluid made corrosive with dissolved hydrogen sulfide. In the current contribution, we present the application of the advanced distillation curve method to two samples of...
We have recently introduced several important improvements in the measurement of distillation curves for complex fluids. This new method is a significant improvement over current approaches, with features including a composition-explicit data channel for each distillate fraction (for both qualitative and quantitative analysis), trace chemical analysis of each distillate fraction, and a corrosivity assessment of each distillate fraction. In the present contribution, we present the application of the advanced distillation curve method to a bio-derived crude oil prepared from swine manure. One motivation behind the work was to precisely measure the distillation curve of the oil derived from swine manure with our advanced distillation apparatus and compare the bio-derived oil to traditional pe...
A Real-Time Neutron Radiography (RTNR) system is developed to determine two-phase flow parameters for a vertical co-current two-phase flow channel with a hexagonal finned bundle. Image processing techniques are applied to visualize the two-phase flow, and procedures for measuring flow regime, cross-sectional averaged void fraction, time averaged void fraction, and void distribution for this complex geometry are discussed. The results show that the experimental flow regime map agrees well with an existing flow regime model for a hexagonal fined bundle. The hexagonal finned bundle is observed to significantly affect the void fraction, void migration, and void fluctuation along the axial flow channel.
A sensitive and rapid method to evaluate toxic and genotoxic properties of drinking water supplied from Lake Trasimeno (Umbria, Central Italy) was worked out analysing bile in Cyprinus carpio exposed for 20d to lake water treated with 3 different disinfectants, sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and peracetic acid (PAA). Fish were sacrificed at 0, 10 and 20d in order to investigate the time course of these endpoints. An aliquot of bile samples was fractionated by adsorption on C18 silica cartridges and the genotoxic potential of whole bile and of bile fractions was evaluated by the single-cell microgel-electrophoresis (comet) assay on human colonic adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2). Bile (both whole and fractionated) from specimens exposed to the three disinfectants always sh...
System identification refers to estimation of process parameters and is a necessity in control theory. Physical systems usually have varying parameters. For such processes, accurate identification is particularly important. Online identification schemes are also needed for designing adaptive controllers. Real processes are usually of fractional order as opposed to the ideal integral order models. In this paper, we propose a simple and elegant scheme of estimating the parameters for such a fractional order process. A population of process models is generated and updated by particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique, the fitness function being the sum of squared deviations from the actual set of observations. Results show that the proposed scheme offers a high degree of accuracy even when the observations are corrupted to a significant degree. Additional schemes to improve the accuracy still further are also proposed and analyzed.
Ribosomal protein L1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae binds 5S rRNA and can be released from intact 60S ribosomal subunits as an L1-5S ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particle. To understand the nature of the...Full Text Available
Uteroglobin (UG) gene encodes a cytokine-like, multifunctional, antiinflammatory protein, with potent phospholipase A2-inhibitory activity. It has been suggested that during implantation this protein...Full Text Available
The molybdenum iron-sulphur protein originally isolated from Desulfovibrio gigas by Moura, Xavier, Bruschi, Le Gall, Hall & Cammack [(1976) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 72, 782-789] has been...Full Text Available
We have isolated and sequenced cDNA clones encoding the human U1-70K snRNP protein, and have mapped this locus (U1AP1) to human chromosome 19. The gene produces two size classes of RNA, a major 1.7-kb...Full Text Available
We show that the holographic principle in quantum gravity imposes a strong constraint on life. The degrees of freedom of an organism can be estimated according to the theory of Boolean networks, which is constrained by the entropy bound. Hence we can explain the languages in protein sequences or in DNA sequences. The overall evolution of biological complexity can be illustrated. And some general properties of protein length distributions can be explained by a linguistic mechanism.
The products of trithorax group (trxG) genes maintain active transcription of many important developmental regulatory genes, including homeotic genes. Several trxG proteins have been shown to act in...Full Text Available
Streptococcus pyogenes is an important human pathogen and surface structures allow it to adhere to, colonize and invade the human host. Proteins containing leucine rich repeats (LRR)...Full Text Available
The protein “amplified in osteosarcoma-9” (OS-9) has been shown previously to interact with the prolyl hydroxylases PHD2 and PHD3. These enzymes initiate oxygen-dependent degradation...Full Text Available
The temporal patterns of protein phosphorylation in the adrenal glomerulosa cell were analysed by two-dimensional electrophoresis after stimulation with 10 nM-angiotensin II or various agents [10 nM-12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol...Full Text Available
With the aim of an experimental check on the validity of the theory of molecular recognition, the authors have carried out the chemical-enzymatic synthesis and cloning of the gene of human calcitonin and also of the genes of antisense polypeptides to human calcitonin and miniproinsulin. It has been shown that recombinant plasmids obtained on the basis of these synthetic genes are capable of ensuring the biosynthesis of the given polypeptides in E. coli cells as hybrid proteins with the IgG-binding domain of staphylococcal protein A.
Two novel crystal structures of Zea mays protein kinase CK2α catalytic subunit, one in complex with the specific inhibitor 4,5,6,7-tetrabromobenzotriazole (TBB) and another...Full Text Available
There are about fifty SET domain protein methyltransferases (PMTs) in the human genome, that transfer a methyl group from S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) to substrate lysines on histone tails or other peptides. A number of structures in complex with cofactor, substrate, or inhibitors revealed the mechanisms of substrate recognition, methylation state specificity, and chemical inhibition. Based on these structures, we review the structural chemistry of SET domain PMTs, and propose general concepts towards the development of selective inhibitors.
BackgroundLand plant genomes contain multiple members of a eukaryote-specific gene family encoding proteins with pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) motifs. Some PPR proteins were shown...Full Text Available
We have identified two novel, very closely related genes, SAS1 and SAS2, from Dictyostelium discoideum. These encode small, approximately 20-kilodaton proteins with amino acid sequences thought to be...Full Text Available
The Epstein-Barr virus protein, LMP1, is a functional mimic of the cellular receptor CD40, but signals to B lymphocytes in an amplified and sustained manner compared to CD40. LMP1 contributes...Full Text Available
Peculiar DNA sequences made up by the tandem repetition of a 5 bp unit have been identified within or upstream from three avian protein-coding genes. One sequence is located within an intron of the...Full Text Available
The rate of appearance of labeled thyroxine (T4) and albumin in lymph from various areas after simultaneous i.v. injection of the labeled substances in conscious ambulatory sheep has been used to estimate...Full Text Available
Rice (Oryza sativa) seed storage proteins (SSPs) are synthesized and deposited in storage organelles in the endosperm during seed maturation as a nitrogen source for germinating seedlings....Full Text Available
Escherichia coli rnh mutants lacking RNase H activity are capable of recA+-dependent DNA replication in the absence of concomitant protein synthesis (stable DNA replication). In rnh dnaA::Tn10 and rnh...Full Text Available
AIMS: To clarify the levels of protein oxidation markers such as protein carbonyl (PCO), protein hydroperoxides (P-OOH), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) and nitrotyrosine (NT), as well as antioxidative enzymes such as paraoxonase (PON-1) in women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: The study was conducted on 23 women with GDM and 22 women without GDM. The levels of the P-OOH, AOPP, and PON-1 were determined by colorimetric methods; whereas NT and PCO levels were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: The concentrations of protein oxidation markers were significantly increased and PON1 activity was significantly decreased in GDM group compared to those of normal pregnant women. The control group showed a significant negative correlation between PON-1 and PCO (r=-0.451, p=0.027); whereas in GDM group, there was a significant positive correlation between ...
In this work we study the temperature dependence of the Soret band lineshape of the carbonmonoxy derivatives of sperm whale myoglobin, human hemoglobin, and its isolated alpha and beta subunits. To...Full Text Available
Extensive sequence repeats have been observed in a biologically active fragment of type 24 streptococcal M protein, namely Pep M24 [Beachey, E. H., Sayer, J. M. & Kang, A. H. (1978) Proc....Full Text Available
Proteins with a high propensity to aggregate can be largely prevented from doing so with surprisingly small changes to their primary structure. By using a combination of rational design and quantitative measurements of aggregation rates, we show that adding a single charge in specific "gatekeeper" regions is sufficient to change the timescale for amyloid fibril growth from minutes to weeks, thereby dramatically reducing the efficiency of this process.
Sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1 is a key transcription factor for the regulation of lipogenic enzyme genes in the liver. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) selectively suppress hepatic...Full Text Available
Engineered overexpression of protein kinase Cα (PKCα) was previously shown to endow nonmotile MCF-10A human breast cells with aggressive motility. A traceable mutant of PKCα...Full Text Available
Background: Markers of protein-energy wasting (PEW) and inflammation are common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and are among the strongest predictors of mortality in dialysis patients.Objective:...Full Text Available
FSD-1, a designed small ultrafast folder with a ββα fold, has been actively studied in the last few years as a model system for studying protein folding mechanisms and for testing...Full Text Available
BackgroundUsing a transcriptional profiling approach, we recently identified myeloid-related protein-8/14 (MRP-8/14) to be expressed by platelets during acute MI....Full Text Available
The positive control function of the bacterial enhancer-binding protein NtrC resides in its central domain, which is highly conserved among activators of ς54 holoenzyme. Previous...Full Text Available
The CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) is required for adipocyte differentiation and maturation. We have studied the role of the transcription factor, C/EBPβ,...Full Text Available
A method is provided for detecting pathological macromolecules in a patient. The method is comprised of the following: obtaining body fluid from the patient; pretreating the body fluid; subjecting the pretreated body fluid to size-exclusion chromatography to create an excluded fluid; and analyzing the excluded fluid to detect macromolecules having a predetermined molecular weight. The method also allows for comparing elution spectra with reference spectra of suspect pathologic proteins.
The yeast phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (Sec14p) is required for biogenesis of Golgi-derived transport vesicles and cell viability, and this essential Sec14p requirement is abrogated by inactivation...Full Text Available
Despite intensive efforts, the intracellular signaling pathways that mediate apoptosis remain unclear. The human B lymphoma cell line, B104, possesses characteristics that make it an attractive model...Full Text Available
The immunolocalization of the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and its ligand alpha 2-Macroglobulin (α2M) was examined in tissues from human donor...Full Text Available
The NSP5 protein is required for viroplasm formation during rotavirus infection and is hyperphosphorylated into 32- to 35-kDa isoforms. Earlier studies reported that NSP5 is not hyperphosphorylated...Full Text Available
The H-D exchange reaction has been measured with the D2-H2O system, for Rhodobacter capsulatus JP91, which lacks the hupSL-encoded hydrogenase, and R. capsulatus BSE16, which lacks the HupUV proteins....Full Text Available
We have used intramolecular cross-linking, MS, and sequence threading to rapidly identify the fold of a model protein, bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2. Its tertiary structure was probed...Full Text Available
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B), the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), is a tail-anchored protein with a highly conserved C-terminal transmembrane domain (TMD) that...Full Text Available
Among important candidates for babesial vaccines are apical complex proteins, including rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP-1) from Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, which...Full Text Available
The interactions of the hydrophobic pulmonary surfactant proteins SP-B and SP-C with 1,2-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine in mixed, spread monolayer films have been studied in situ at the air/water interface...Full Text Available
DescriptionThe plant enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) has been demonstrated to reduce both proteolysis and lipolysis during the ensiling of red clover. The purpose of this work is to explore the potential for exploiting this beneficial trait in other dietary regimes for grazing ruminants. These studies will focus on the development of new strategies for forage management and livestock feeding by increasing the efficiency of feed protein-N utilisation and reducing saturated fatty acid production by ruminan [continued...
The continuous bioprocessing of simulated steam-stripped sulfite pulp mill evaporator condensates using Candida utilis to produce single cell protein has been studied. At 32 degrees C, processing can be conducted at space velocities of up to 0.43 hr/sup -1/ with over 90% removal of acetic acid present at an initial concentration of 2 g/liter. (Refs. 16).
Viral protein 40 (VP40) of Ebola virus appears equivalent to matrix proteins of other viruses, yet little is known about its role in the viral life cycle. To elucidate the functions of VP40, we investigated...Full Text Available
Bovine paratuberculosis is caused by infection of young calves with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. In some of the chronically infected cows the long asymptomatic...Full Text Available
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to compare Brucella melitensis major outer membrane proteins (MOMP) and whole-cell heat-killed antigens (HK) in measuring antibrucella immunoglobulin G...Full Text Available
The protein binding of diazepam (D) and its major active metabolite N-desmethyl diazepam (DD) was investigated in vitro in the serum of 14 mothers at birth, 21 foetuses at birth, in 100 neonates between...Full Text Available
1 The decreased binding of drugs and dyes to plasma proteins from male and female rats with acute renal failure has been investigated using equilibrium dialysis at 37 degrees C. 2 Acute renal failure...Full Text Available
Fission yeast S. pombe is assumed to be a good model for cloning of human DNA repair genes, because human gene is normally expressed in S. pombe and has a very similar protein sequence to yeast protein. We have tried to elucidate the DNA repair mechanisms of S. pombe as a model system for those of mammals. (J.P.N.)
In this study we show the effect of anti-sulfatide (RmAb) antibodies and inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IFN-γ in inducing myelin basic protein (MBP) degradation in myelin...Full Text Available
The p90 ribosomal S6 kinases (RSKs) also known as MAPKAP-Ks are serine/threonine protein kinases that are activated by ERK or PDK1 and act as downstream effectors of mitogen-activated protein kinase...Full Text Available
HMGA2 is a DNA minor-groove binding protein. We previously demonstrated that HMGA2 binds to AT-rich DNA with very high binding affinity where the binding of HMGA2 to poly(dA-dT)2 is enthalpy-driven...Full Text Available
The serpin ZPI is a protein Z (PZ)-dependent specific inhibitor of membrane-associated factor Xa (fXa) despite having an unfavorable P1 Tyr. PZ accelerates the inhibition reaction ∼2000-fold...Full Text Available
Background: Hypertriglyceridemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Variation in the apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) and glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR)...Full Text Available
Temperature-sensitive mutants defective in 60S ribosomal subunit protein L16 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated through hydroxylamine mutagenesis of the RPL16B gene and plasmid shuffling. Two...Full Text Available
Histone-beta-galactosidase protein fusions were used to identify the domain of yeast histone 2B, which targets this protein to the nucleus. Amino acids 28 to 33 in H2B were required for nuclear localization...Full Text Available
Ribosomal protein L 10 from the livers of trout, hen, and rat was found to be the main target for 2-nitro-4-azidobenzoyl-Phe-tRNA in affinity labelling experiments. Therefore, despite somewhat different electrophoretic mobilities, this protein seems to be involved in the organization of the peptidyl transferase centre in ribosomes of various vertebrates. (author).
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates adenylyl cyclase in the heart via activation of the stimulatory GTP-binding protein Gs. Therefore, employing peptides corresponding to regions in the cytosolic...Full Text Available
1-Naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) is a specific inhibitor of polar auxin transport that blocks carrier-mediated auxin efflux from plant cells. To allow identification of the NPA receptor thought to be...Full Text Available
BackgroundCaesarean section is one of the most commonly performed operations on women throughout the world. Rates have increased in recent years – about 20–25% in...Full Text Available
Two xyloglucan fractions have been isolated from the cotyledons of resting white-mustard seeds, the first by extraction with hot EDTA, and the second by subsequent extraction with alkali or lithium...Full Text Available
The fraction of a given area of ground that is covered by hail can be determined by using an airborne infrared thermometer. If the ambient ground temperature and the hail-covered ground temperature are measured with the same thermometer, and the surface o...
Despite the availability of dozens of animal genome sequences, two key questions remain unanswered: First, what fraction of any species' genome confers biological function, and second, are apparent...Full Text Available
A new process for the hydrogenation of coal in the presence of wide-cut coal tar was proposed; it involves cavitation treatment, mixing with catalytic additives, and heating the resulting mixture at an elevated pressure in an atmosphere of hydrogen. The yields of hydrocarbon fractions to 300?C and gas condensate were evaluated.
BackgroundEchocardiography is widely used in the management of patients with cardiogenic shock (CS). Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) has been shown to be an independent predictor...Full Text Available