231 research outputs found
Versatile On-Resin Synthesis of High Mannose Glycosylated Asparagine with Functional Handles
Here we present a synthetic route for solid phase synthesis of N-linked glycoconjugates containing high mannose oligosaccharides which allows the incorporation of useful functional handles on the N-terminus of asparagine. In this strategy, the C-terminus of an Fmoc protected aspartic acid residue is first attached to a solid phase support. The side chain of aspartic acid is protected by a 2-phenylisopropyl protecting group, which allows selective deprotection for the introduction of glycosylation. By using a convergent on-resin glycosylamine coupling strategy, an N-glycosidic linkage is successfully formed on the free side chain of the resin bound aspartic acid with a large high mannose oligosaccharide, Man8GlcNAc2, to yield N-linked high mannose glycosylated asparagine. The use of on-resin glycosylamine coupling provides excellent glycosylation yield, can be applied to couple other types of oligosaccharides, and also makes it possible to recover excess oligosaccharides conveniently after the on-resin coupling reaction. Useful functional handles including an alkene (p-vinylbenzoic acid), an alkyne (4-pentynoic acid), biotin, and 5-carboxyfluorescein are then conjugated onto the N-terminal amine of asparagine on-resin after the removal of the Fmoc protecting group. In this way, useful functional handles are introduced onto the glycosylated asparagine while maintaining the structural integrity of the reducing end of the oligosaccharide. The asparagine side chain also serves as a linker between the glycan and the functional group and preserves the native presentation of N-linked glycan which may aid in biochemical and structural studies. As an example of a biochemical study using functionalized high mannose glycosylated asparagine, a fluorescence polarization assay has been utilized to study the binding of the lectin Concanavalin A (ConA) using 5-carboxyfluorescein labeled high mannose glycosylated asparagine
Exact relations between damage spreading and thermodynamic functions for the N-color Ashkin-Teller model
Exact results are derived relating quantities computable by the so-called
damage spreading method and thermodynamic functions for the N-color
Ashkin-Teller model. The results are valid for any ergodic dynamics. Since we
restrict our analysis to the ferromagnetic case the results are also valid for
any translational invariant lattice. The derived relations should be used in
order to determine numerically the N-color Ashkin-Teller critical exponents
with better accuracy and less computational efforts than standard Monte Carlo
simulations.Comment: 6 pages, to be published in JSTAT (Journal of Statistical Mechanics:
Theory and Experiment). The results of a computer simulation were included
for N=3 as an example on how to use the analytical relations derived in the
paper as a guide to obtain the critical temperature and critical exponent
The critical Ising lines of the d=2 Ashkin-Teller model
The universal critical point ratio is exploited to determine positions of
the critical Ising transition lines on the phase diagram of the Ashkin-Teller
(AT) model on the square lattice. A leading-order expansion of the ratio in
the presence of a non-vanishing thermal field is found from finite-size scaling
and the corresponding expression is fitted to the accurate perturbative
transfer-matrix data calculations for the square clusters with
.Comment: RevTex, 4 pages, two figure
Relativistic Effects in the Scalar Meson Dynamics
A separable potential formalism is used to describe the and
interactions in the scalar-isoscalar states in the energy range
from the threshold up to 1.4 GeV. Introduction of relativistic
propagators into a system of Lippmann-Schwinger equations leads to a very good
description of the data ( per one degree of freedom). Three
poles are found in this energy region: fo(500) ( MeV,
MeV), fo(975) ( MeV, MeV) and
fo(1400) ( MeV, MeV). The fo(975) state can be
interpreted as a bound state. The fo(500) state may be
associated with the often postulated very broad scalar resonance under the
threshold (sometimes called or meson). The
scattering lengths in the and channels have also been
obtained. The relativistic approach provides qualitatively new results (e.g.
the appearance of the fo(500)) in comparison with previously used
nonrelativistic approach.Comment: 30 pages in LaTeX + 5 figures available on request. Preprint Orsay No
IPNO/TH 93-3
Cross-imaging system comparison of backscatter coefficient estimates from a tissue-mimicking material
A key step toward implementing quantitative ultrasound techniques in a clinical setting is demonstrating that parameters such as the ultrasonic backscatter coefficient (BSC) can be accurately estimated independent of the clinical imaging system used. In previous studies, agreement in BSC estimates for well characterized phantoms was demonstrated across different laboratory systems. The goal of this study was to compare the BSC estimates of a tissue mimicking sample measured using four clinical scanners, each providing RF echo data in the 1-15 MHz frequency range. The sample was previously described and characterized with single-element transducer systems. Using a reference phantom for analysis, excellent quantitative agreement was observed across the four array-based imaging systems for BSC estimates. Additionally, the estimates from data acquired with the clinical systems agreed with theoretical predictions and with estimates from laboratory measurements using single-element transducers
LaAlO3 stoichiometry found key to electron liquid formation at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces
Emergent phenomena, including superconductivity and magnetism, found in the
two-dimensional electron liquid (2-DEL) at the interface between the insulators
LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 distinguish this rich system from conventional
two-dimensional electron gases at compound semiconductor interfaces. The origin
of this 2-DEL, however, is highly debated with focus on the role of defects in
the SrTiO3 while the LaAlO3 has been assumed perfect. Our experiments and first
principles calculations show that the cation stoichiometry of the nominal
LaAlO3 layer is key to 2-DEL formation: only Al-rich LaAlO3 results in a 2-DEL.
While extrinsic defects including oxygen deficiency are known to render
LaAlO3/SrTiO3 samples conducting, our results show that in the absence of such
extrinsic defects, an interface 2-DEL can form. Its origin is consistent with
an intrinsic electronic reconstruction occurring to counteract a polarization
catastrophe. This work provides a roadmap for identifying other interfaces
where emergent behaviors await discovery
DGCR8 HITS-CLIP reveals novel functions for the Microprocessor
The Drosha-DGCR8 complex (Microprocessor) is required for microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis. DGCR8 recognizes the RNA substrate, whereas Drosha functions as the endonuclease. High-throughput sequencing and crosslinking immunoprecipitation (HITS-CLIP) was used to identify RNA targets of DGCR8 in human cells. Unexpectedly, miRNAs were not the most abundant targets. DGCR8-bound RNAs also comprised several hundred mRNAs as well as snoRNAs and long non-coding RNAs. We found that the Microprocessor controls the abundance of several mRNAs as well as of MALAT-1. By contrast, DGCR8-mediated cleavage of snoRNAs is independent of Drosha, suggesting the involvement of DGCR8 in cellular complexes with other endonucleases. Interestingly, binding of DGCR8 to cassette exons, acts as a novel mechanism to regulate the relative abundance of alternatively spliced isoforms. Collectively, these data provide new insights in the complex role of DGCR8 in controlling the fate of several classes of RNAs
Feed-Forward Microprocessing and Splicing Activities at a MicroRNA–Containing Intron
The majority of mammalian microRNA (miRNA) genes reside within introns of protein-encoding and non-coding genes, yet the mechanisms coordinating primary transcript processing into both mature miRNA and spliced mRNA are poorly understood. Analysis of melanoma invasion suppressor miR-211 expressed from intron 6 of melastatin revealed that microprocessing of miR-211 promotes splicing of the exon 6–exon 7 junction of melastatin by a mechanism requiring the RNase III activity of Drosha. Additionally, mutations in the 5′ splice site (5′SS), but not in the 3′SS, branch point, or polypyrimidine tract of intron 6 reduced miR-211 biogenesis and Drosha recruitment to intron 6, indicating that 5′SS recognition by the spliceosome promotes microprocessing of miR-211. Globally, knockdown of U1 splicing factors reduced intronic miRNA expression. Our data demonstrate novel mutually-cooperative microprocessing and splicing activities at an intronic miRNA locus and suggest that the initiation of spliceosome assembly may promote microprocessing of intronic miRNAs
Wet Adhesion and Adhesive Locomotion of Snails on Anti-Adhesive Non-Wetting Surfaces
Creating surfaces capable of resisting liquid-mediated adhesion is extremely difficult due to the strong capillary forces that exist between surfaces. Land snails use this to adhere to and traverse across almost any type of solid surface of any orientation (horizontal, vertical or inverted), texture (smooth, rough or granular) or wetting property (hydrophilic or hydrophobic) via a layer of mucus. However, the wetting properties that enable snails to generate strong temporary attachment and the effectiveness of this adhesive locomotion on modern super-slippy superhydrophobic surfaces are unclear. Here we report that snail adhesion overcomes a wide range of these microscale and nanoscale topographically structured non-stick surfaces. For the one surface which we found to be snail resistant, we show that the effect is correlated with the wetting response of the surface to a weak surfactant. Our results elucidate some critical wetting factors for the design of anti-adhesive and bio-adhesion resistant surfaces
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