437 research outputs found
The Effect of Oxidant and the Non-Oxidant Alteration of Cellular Thiol Concentration on the Formation of Protein Mixed-Disulfides in HEK 293 Cells
Cellular molecules possess various mechanisms in responding to oxidant stress. In terms of protein responses, protein S-glutathionylation is a unique post-translational modification of protein reactive cysteines forming disulfides with glutathione molecules. This modification has been proposed to play roles in antioxidant, regulatory and signaling in cells under oxidant stress. Recently, the increased level of protein S-glutathionylation has been linked with the development of diseases. In this report, specific S-glutathionylated proteins were demonstrated in human embryonic kidney 293 cells treated with two different oxidative reagents: diamide and hydrogen peroxide. Diamide is a chemical oxidizing agent whereas hydrogen peroxide is a physiological oxidant. Under the experimental conditions, these two oxidants decreased glutathione concentration without toxicity. S-glutathionylated proteins were detected by immunoblotting and glutathione concentrations were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. We further show the effect of alteration of the cellular thiol pool on the amount of protein S-glutathionylation in oxidant-treated cells. Cellular thiol concentrations were altered either by a specific way using buthionine sulfoximine, a specific inhibitor of glutathione biosynthesis or by a non-specific way, incubating cells in cystine-methionine deficient media. Cells only treated with either buthionine sulfoximine or cystine-methionine deficient media did not induce protein S-glutathionylation, even though both conditions decreased 65% of cellular glutathione. Moreover, the amount of protein S-glutathionylation under both conditions in the presence of oxidants was not altered when compared to the amount observed in regular media with oxidants present. Protein S-glutathionylation is a dynamic reaction which depends on the rate of adding and removing glutathione. Phenylarsine oxide, which specifically forms a covalent adduct with vicinal thiols, was used to determine the possible role of vicinal thiols in the amount of glutathionylation. Our data shows phenylarsine oxide did not change glutathione concentrations, but it did enhance the amount of glutathionylation in oxidant-treated cells
Angular and Current-Target Correlations in Deep Inelastic Scattering at HERA
Correlations between charged particles in deep inelastic ep scattering have
been studied in the Breit frame with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an
integrated luminosity of 6.4 pb-1. Short-range correlations are analysed in
terms of the angular separation between current-region particles within a cone
centred around the virtual photon axis. Long-range correlations between the
current and target regions have also been measured. The data support
predictions for the scaling behaviour of the angular correlations at high Q2
and for anti-correlations between the current and target regions over a large
range in Q2 and in the Bjorken scaling variable x. Analytic QCD calculations
and Monte Carlo models correctly describe the trends of the data at high Q2,
but show quantitative discrepancies. The data show differences between the
correlations in deep inelastic scattering and e+e- annihilation.Comment: 26 pages including 10 figures (submitted to Eur. J. Phys. C
Measurement of W Polarisation at LEP
The three different helicity states of W bosons produced in the reaction e+
e- -> W+ W- -> l nu q q~ at LEP are studied using leptonic and hadronic W
decays. Data at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt s = 183-209 GeV are used to
measure the polarisation of W bosons, and its dependence on the W boson
production angle. The fraction of longitudinally polarised W bosons is measured
to be 0.218 \pm 0.027 \pm 0.016 where the first uncertainty is statistical and
the second systematic, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation
Search for Anomalous Couplings in the Higgs Sector at LEP
Anomalous couplings of the Higgs boson are searched for through the processes
e^+ e^- -> H gamma, e^+ e^- -> e^+ e^- H and e^+ e^- -> HZ. The mass range 70
GeV < m_H < 190 GeV is explored using 602 pb^-1 of integrated luminosity
collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies
sqrt(s)=189-209 GeV. The Higgs decay channels H -> ffbar, H -> gamma gamma, H
-> Z\gamma and H -> WW^(*) are considered and no evidence is found for
anomalous Higgs production or decay. Limits on the anomalous couplings d, db,
Delta(g1z), Delta(kappa_gamma) and xi^2 are derived as well as limits on the H
-> gamma gamma and H -> Z gamma decay rates
Measurement of W Polarisation at LEP
The three different helicity states of W bosons produced in the reaction e+
e- -> W+ W- -> l nu q q~ at LEP are studied using leptonic and hadronic W
decays. Data at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt s = 183-209 GeV are used to
measure the polarisation of W bosons, and its dependence on the W boson
production angle. The fraction of longitudinally polarised W bosons is measured
to be 0.218 \pm 0.027 \pm 0.016 where the first uncertainty is statistical and
the second systematic, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation
Bose-Einstein Correlations of Neutral and Charged Pions in Hadronic Z Decays
Bose-Einstein correlations of both neutral and like-sign charged pion pairs
are measured in a sample of 2 million hadronic Z decays collected with the L3
detector at LEP. The analysis is performed in the four-momentum difference
range 300 MeV < Q < 2 GeV. The radius of the neutral pion source is found to be
smaller than that of charged pions. This result is in qualitative agreement
with the string fragmentation model
Z Boson Pair-Production at LEP
Events stemming from the pair-production of Z bosons in e^+e^- collisions are
studied using 217.4 pb^-1 of data collected with the L3 detector at
centre-of-mass energies from 200 GeV up to 209 GeV. The special case of events
with b quarks is also investigated.
Combining these events with those collected at lower centre-of-mass energies,
the Standard Model predictions for the production mechanism are verified. In
addition, limits are set on anomalous couplings of neutral gauge bosons and on
effects of extra space dimensions
Neutral-Current Four-Fermion Production in e+e- Interactions at LEP
Neutral-current four-fermion production, e+e- -> ffff is studied in 0.7/fb of
data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies
root(s)=183-209GeV. Four final states are considered: qqvv, qqll, llll and
llvv, where l denotes either an electron or a muon. Their cross sections are
measured and found to agree with the Standard Model predictions. In addition,
the e+e- -> Zgamma* -> ffff process is studied and its total cross section at
the average centre-of-mass energy 196.6GeV is found to be 0.29 +/- 0.05 +/-
0.03 pb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic,
in agreement with the Standard Model prediction of 0.22 pb. Finally, the mass
spectra of the qqll final states are analysed to search for the possible
production of a new neutral heavy particle, for which no evidence is found
Measurement of Exclusive rho+rho- Production in Mid-Virtuality Two-Photon Interactions and Study of the gamma gamma* -> rho rho Process at LEP
Exclusive rho+rho- production in two-photon collisions between a quasi-real
photon, gamma, and a mid-virtuality photon, gamma*, is studied with data
collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies root(s)=183-209GeV with a total
integrated luminosity of 684.8pb^-1. The cross section of the gamma gamma* ->
rho+ rho- process is determined as a function of the photon virtuality, Q^2,
and the two-photon centre-of-mass energy, W_gg, in the kinematic region:
0.2GeV^2 < Q^2 <0.85GeV^2 and 1.1GeV < W_gg < 3GeV. These results, together
with previous L3 measurements of rho0 rho0 and rho+ rho- production, allow a
study of the gamma gamma* -> rho rho process over the Q^2-region 0.2GeV^2 < Q^2
< 30 GeV^2
Measurement of the Running of the Electromagnetic Coupling at Large Momentum-Transfer at LEP
The evolution of the electromagnetic coupling, alpha, in the
momentum-transfer range 1800GeV^2 < -Q^2 < 21600GeV^2 is studied with about
40000 Bhabha-scattering events collected with the L3 detector at LEP at
centre-of-mass energies 189-209GeV. The running of alpha is parametrised as:
alpha(Q^2) = alpha_0/(1-C Delta alpha(Q^2)), where alpha_0=\alpha(Q^2=0) is the
fine-structure constant and C=1 corresponds to the evolution expected in QED. A
fit to the differential cross section of the e+e- ->e+e- process for scattering
angles in the range |cos theta|<0.9 excludes the hypothesis of a constant value
of alpha, C=0, and validates the QED prediction with the result: C = 1.05 +/-
0.07 +/- 0.14, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second
systematic
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