STRESS FIELD IN A SHEAR ZONE, AND FORMATION OF THE MAIN FAULT

Using the analytical approximation method, we calculated stress field parameters for cases with different relative positions of Riedel shears and loads required for shearing. Considering an internal friction angle of 30°, and the distance between adjacent shears exceeding 0.7 of the characteristic shear length, we estimated the Coulomb stress that can lead to fracturing. In the areas between the shears, it is below the shear strength value. This means that if an increase in the external load is lacking, there are no prerequisites for the formation of new fractures that may connect adjacent shears. If the shears are spaced closer to each other (i.e. at distances less than 0.7 of the shear length), the shear strength is exceeded in the areas between them, and new shears can occur there and connect the Riedel shears to each other. Therefore, in observations of a natural system of Riedel shears, it becomes possible to assess whether this system is sufficiently stable in its current status, or, in case of a critical increase in the Coulomb stress in the areas between adjacent shears, the equilibrium can be easily disturbed, and there is a possibility that the main fault forms in the strike-slip zone under study

ПОЛЕ НАПРЯЖЕНИЙ ВНУТРИ ЗОНЫ СДВИГА И ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ МАГИСТРАЛЬНОГО РАЗЛОМА

Using the analytical approximation method, we calculated stress field parameters for cases with different relative positions of Riedel shears and loads required for shearing. Considering an internal friction angle of 30°, and the distance between adjacent shears exceeding 0.7 of the characteristic shear length, we estimated the Coulomb stress that can lead to fracturing. In the areas between the shears, it is below the shear strength value. This means that if an increase in the external load is lacking, there are no prerequisites for the formation of new fractures that may connect adjacent shears. If the shears are spaced closer to each other (i.e. at distances less than 0.7 of the shear length), the shear strength is exceeded in the areas between them, and new shears can occur there and connect the Riedel shears to each other. Therefore, in observations of a natural system of Riedel shears, it becomes possible to assess whether this system is sufficiently stable in its current status, or, in case of a critical increase in the Coulomb stress in the areas between adjacent shears, the equilibrium can be easily disturbed, and there is a possibility that the main fault forms in the strike-slip zone under study.При помощи приближенного аналитического метода проведены расчеты параметров напряженного состояния массива для разных вариантов взаимного расположения сколов Риделя при нагрузке, необходимой для образования этих сколов. Результаты вычислений при значении угла внутреннего трения 30° показывают, что при расстоянии между соседними сколами, превышающем 0.7 характерной длины скола, кулоновское напряжение, отвечающее за разрушение материала, в промежутках между сколами оказывается ниже предела прочности. Это означает, что без увеличения внешней нагрузки отсутствуют предпосылки для образования новых нарушений, соединяющих соседние сколы. Если же сколы расположены ближе друг к другу, чем 0.7 длины скола, то на участках массива между ними превышен предел прочности. Соответственно, там должны возникнуть новые сколы, соединяющие сколы Риделя между собой. Таким образом, при наблюдении природной системы сколов Риделя появляется возможность оценить, является ли эта система достаточно устойчивой в ее текущем виде, или же, ввиду критического повышения кулоновского напряжения в участках массива между соседними сколами, равновесие может быть легко нарушено, и в изучаемой сдвиговой зоне образуется магистральный разлом

Трифторацетат кальция: новый структурный тип

Objectives. The study was devoted to considering the features of the synthesis and crystal structure of calcium trifluoroacetate Ca2(CF3COO)4·8CF3COOH and investigating the products of its thermal behavior.Methods. The compositions of the proposed structural form were characterized by various physicochemical methods (X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy), and the products of thermal decomposition were determined under dynamic vacuum conditions.Results. The reaction between calcium carbonate and 99% trifluoroacetic acid yielded a new structural type of calcium trifluoroacetate Ca2(CF3COO)4·8CF3COOH (I) in the form of colorless prismatic crystals unstable air. X-ray diffraction results confirmed the composition I: space group P21, with unit cell parameters: a = 10.0193(5) Å, b = 15.2612(7) Å, c = 16.3342(8) Å, β = 106.106(2)°, V = 2399.6(2) Å3, Z = 2. The structure is molecular, constructed from Ca2(CF3COO)4·8CF3COOH dimers. The end molecules of the trifluoroacetic acid were involved in the formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds with oxygen atoms of the bidentate bridging anions CF3COO−. There were strongly pronouncedsymmetric and asymmetric absorption bands of COO and CF3-groups in the IR spectrum of the resulting compound in the range of 1200–1800 cm−1. The definite peak of the oscillation of the OH-group at 3683 cm−1 corresponds to the trifluoroacetic acid molecules present in the structure. The broadpeak of the valence oscillations in the range of 3300–3500 cm−1 is caused by the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Decomposition began at 250°C and 10−2 mm Hg with calcium fluoride CaF2 as the final decomposition product.Conclusions. We obtained a previously undescribed calcium–trifluoroacetic acid complex whose composition can be represented by Ca2(CF3COO)4·8CF3COOH. The crystal island structure is a dimeric molecule where the calcium atoms are bound into dimers by four trifluoroacetate groups. The complex was deposited in the Cambridge Structural Data Bank with a deposit number CCDC 2081186. Although the compound has a molecular structure, thermal decomposition leads to the formation of calcium fluoride characterized by a small particle size, which may further determine its applications.Цели. Работа посвящена рассмотрению особенностей синтеза и кристаллического строения трифторацетата кальция Ca2(CF3COO)4·8CF3COOH, а также изучению продуктов его термического поведения.Методы. Соединение охарактеризовано различными физико-химическими методами (рентгеноструктурный анализ, ИК-спектроскопия), установлены продукты термического разложения в условиях динамического вакуума.Результаты. Взаимодействием карбоната кальция с 99% трифторуксусной кислотой синтезирован новый структурный тип трифторацетата кальция Ca2(CF3COO)4·8CF3COOH (I) в виде неустойчивых на воздухе бесцветных призматических кристаллов. Строение I установлено по результатам рентгеноструктурного анализа: пространственная группа Р21, параметры элементарной ячейки: a = 10.0193(5) Å, b = 15.2612(7) Å, c = 16.3342(8) Å, β = 106.106(2)°, V = 2399.6(2) Å3, Z = 2. Структура молекулярная, построена из димеров Ca2(CF3COO)4·8CF3COOH. Торцевые молекулы трифторуксусной кислоты участвуют в образовании внутримолекулярных водородных связей с атомами кислорода бидентатных мостиковых анионов CF3COO−. На ИК-спектре полученного соединения в диапазоне 1200–1800 см−1 присутствуют ярко выраженные симметричные и асимметричные полосы поглощения СОО и CF3-групп. Четкий пик колебания OH-группы на 3683 см−1 соответствует присутствующим в структуре молекулам трифторуксусной кислоты. Широкий пик валентных колебаний в области 3300–3500 см−1 обусловлен наличием внутримолекулярных водородных связей. При давлении 10−2 мм рт.ст. разложение начинается при 250 °С, конечным продуктом разложения является фторид кальция CaF2.Выводы. Нами получен ранее не описанный комплекс кальция с трифторуксусной кислотой, состав которого может быть представлен формулой Ca2(CF3COO)4·8CF3COOH, кристаллическая островная структура которого представляет собой димерную молекулу, а атомы кальция связаны в димеры четырьмя трифторацетатными группами. Комплекс задепонирован в Кембриджском банке структурных данных, номер депонирования – CCDC 2081186. Соединение имеет молекулярное строение, термическое разложение приводит к образованию фторида кальция, характеризующегося небольшим размером частиц, что может в дальнейшем обусловить его применение

Dimebon Does Not Ameliorate Pathological Changes Caused by Expression of Truncated (1–120) Human Alpha-Synuclein in Dopaminergic Neurons of Transgenic Mice

Background: Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that dimebon, a drug originally designed and used as a non-selective antihistamine, ameliorates symptoms and delays progress of mild to moderate forms of Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases. Although the mechanism of dimebon action on pathological processes in degenerating brain is elusive, results of studies carried out in cell cultures and animal models suggested that this drug might affect the process of pathological accumulation and aggregation of various proteins involved in the pathogenesis of proteinopathies. However, the effect of this drug on the pathology caused by overexpression and aggregation of alpha-synuclein, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), has not been assessed. Objective: To test if dimebon affected alpha-synuclein-induced pathology using a transgenic animal model. Methods: We studied the effects of chronic dimebon treatment on transgenic mice expressing the C-terminally truncated (1–120) form of human alpha-synuclein in dopaminergic neurons, a mouse model that recapitulates several biochemical, histopathological and behavioral characteristics of the early stage of PD. Results: Dimebon did not improve balance and coordination of aging transgenic animals or increase the level of striatal dopamine, nor did it prevent accumulation of alpha-synuclein in cell bodies of dopaminergic neurons. Conclusion: Our observations suggest that in the studied model of alpha-synucleinopathy dimebon has very limited effect on certain pathological alterations typical of PD and related diseases

Meiosis-Specific Loading of the Centromere-Specific Histone CENH3 in Arabidopsis thaliana

Centromere behavior is specialized in meiosis I, so that sister chromatids of homologous chromosomes are pulled toward the same side of the spindle (through kinetochore mono-orientation) and chromosome number is reduced. Factors required for mono-orientation have been identified in yeast. However, comparatively little is known about how meiotic centromere behavior is specialized in animals and plants that typically have large tandem repeat centromeres. Kinetochores are nucleated by the centromere-specific histone CENH3. Unlike conventional histone H3s, CENH3 is rapidly evolving, particularly in its N-terminal tail domain. Here we describe chimeric variants of CENH3 with alterations in the N-terminal tail that are specifically defective in meiosis. Arabidopsis thaliana cenh3 mutants expressing a GFP-tagged chimeric protein containing the H3 N-terminal tail and the CENH3 C-terminus (termed GFP-tailswap) are sterile because of random meiotic chromosome segregation. These defects result from the specific depletion of GFP-tailswap protein from meiotic kinetochores, which contrasts with its normal localization in mitotic cells. Loss of the GFP-tailswap CENH3 variant in meiosis affects recruitment of the essential kinetochore protein MIS12. Our findings suggest that CENH3 loading dynamics might be regulated differently in mitosis and meiosis. As further support for our hypothesis, we show that GFP-tailswap protein is recruited back to centromeres in a subset of pollen grains in GFP-tailswap once they resume haploid mitosis. Meiotic recruitment of the GFP-tailswap CENH3 variant is not restored by removal of the meiosis-specific cohesin subunit REC8. Our results reveal the existence of a specialized loading pathway for CENH3 during meiosis that is likely to involve the hypervariable N-terminal tail. Meiosis-specific CENH3 dynamics may play a role in modulating meiotic centromere behavior

Quantitative Microscopy Reveals Centromeric Chromatin Stability, Size, and Cell Cycle Mechanisms to Maintain Centromere Homeostasis

The deposited item is a book chapter and is part of the series "Centromeres and Kinetochores" published by the publisher Springer Verlag. The deposited book chapter is a post-print version and has been submitted to peer reviewing. There is no public supplementary material available for this publication. This publication hasn't any creative commons license associated.Centromeres are chromatin domains specified by nucleosomes containing the histone H3 variant, CENP-A. This unique centromeric structure is at the heart of a strong self-templating epigenetic mechanism that renders centromeres heritable. We review how specific quantitative microscopy approaches have contributed to the determination of the copy number, architecture, size, and dynamics of centromeric chromatin and its associated centromere complex and kinetochore. These efforts revealed that the key to long-term centromere maintenance is the slow turnover of CENP-A nucleosomes, a critical size of the chromatin domain and its cell cycle-coupled replication. These features come together to maintain homeostasis of a chromatin locus that directs its own epigenetic inheritance and facilitates the assembly of the mitotic kinetochore.There are no funders and sponsors indicated explicitly in the document.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

CenH3 evolution in diploids and polyploids of three angiosperm genera

BACKGROUND: Centromeric DNA sequences alone are neither necessary nor sufficient for centromere specification. The centromere specific histone, CenH3, evolves rapidly in many species, perhaps as a coevolutionary response to rapidly evolving centromeric DNA. To gain insight into CenH3 evolution, we characterized patterns of nucleotide and protein diversity among diploids and allopolyploids within three diverse angiosperm genera, Brassica, Oryza, and Gossypium (cotton), with a focus on evidence for diversifying selection in the various domains of the CenH3 gene. In addition, we compare expression profiles and alternative splicing patterns for CenH3 in representatives of each genus. RESULTS: All three genera retain both duplicated CenH3 copies, while Brassica and Gossypium exhibit pronounced homoeologous expression level bias. Comparisons among genera reveal shared and unique aspects of CenH3 evolution, variable levels of diversifying selection in different CenH3 domains, and that alternative splicing contributes significantly to CenH3 diversity. CONCLUSIONS: Since the N terminus is subject to diversifying selection but the DNA binding domains do not appear to be, rapidly evolving centromere sequences are unlikely to be the primary driver of CenH3 sequence diversification. At present, the functional explanation for the diversity generated by both conventional protein evolution in the N terminal domain, as well as alternative splicing, remains unexplained. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12870-014-0383-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Identification of a gene essential for protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase activity in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox) catalyses the oxidation of protoporphyrinogen IX to protoporphyrin IX during the synthesis of tetrapyrrole molecules. Protox is encoded by the hemY gene in eukaryotes and by the hemG gene in many γ-proteobacteria, including Escherichia coli. It has been suggested that other bacteria possess a yet unidentified type of Protox. To identify a unique bacterial gene encoding Protox, we first introduced the Arabidopsis hemY gene into the genome of the cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. We subsequently mutagenized the cells by transposon tagging and screened the tagged lines for mutants that were sensitive to acifluorfen, which is a specific inhibitor of the hemY-type Protox. Several cell lines containing the tagged slr1790 locus exhibited acifluorfen sensitivity. The slr1790 gene encodes a putative membrane-spanning protein that is distantly related to the M subunit of NADH dehydrogenase complex I. We attempted to disrupt this gene in the wild-type background of Synechocystis, but we were only able to obtain heteroplasmic disruptants. These cells accumulated a substantial amount of protoporphyrin IX, suggesting that the slr1790 gene is essential for growth and Protox activity of cells. We found that most cyanobacteria and many other bacteria possess slr1790 homologs. We overexpressed an slr1790 homolog of Rhodobacter sphaeroides in Escherichia coli and found that this recombinant protein possesses Protox activity in vitro. These results collectively demonstrate that slr1790 encodes a unique Protox enzyme and we propose naming the slr1790 gene “hemJ.

A codon deletion confers resistance to herbicides inhibiting protoporphyrinogen oxidase

Herbicides that act by inhibiting protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) are widely used to control weeds in a variety of crops. The first weed to evolve resistance to PPO-inhibiting herbicides was Amaranthus tuberculatus, a problematic weed in the midwestern United States that previously had evolved multiple resistances to herbicides inhibiting two other target sites. Evaluation of a PPO-inhibitor-resistant A. tuberculatus biotype revealed that resistance was a (incompletely) dominant trait conferred by a single, nuclear gene. Three genes predicted to encode PPO were identified in A. tuberculatus. One gene from the resistant biotype, designated PPX2L, contained a codon deletion that was shown to confer resistance by complementation of a hemG mutant strain of Escherichia coli grown in the presence and absence of the PPO inhibitor lactofen. PPX2L is predicted to encode both plastid- and mitochondria-targeted PPO isoforms, allowing a mutation in a single gene to confer resistance to two herbicide target sites. Unique aspects of the resistance mechanism include an amino acid deletion, rather than a substitution, and the dual-targeting nature of the gene, which may explain why resistance to PPO inhibitors has been rare