Dynamics and Efficiency of Brownian Rotors

Brownian rotors play an important role in biological systems and in future nano-technological applications. However the mechanisms determining their dynamics, efficiency and performance remain to be characterized. Here the F0 portion of the F-ATP synthase is considered as a paradigm of a Brownian rotor. In a generic analytical model we analyze the stochastic rotation of F0-like motors as a function of the driving free energy difference and of the free energy profile the rotor is subjected to. The latter is composed of the rotor interaction with its surroundings, of the free energy of chemical transitions, and of the workload. The dynamics and mechanical efficiency of the rotor depends on the magnitude of its stochastic motion driven by the free energy energy difference and its rectification on the reaction-diffusion path. We analyze which free energy profiles provide maximum flow and how their arrangement on the underlying reaction-diffusion path affects rectification and -- by this -- the efficiency.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures, pdflatex, JCP in pres

v-SNARE transmembrane domains function as catalysts for vesicle fusion.

Vesicle fusion is mediated by an assembly of SNARE proteins between opposing membranes, but it is unknown whether transmembrane domains (TMDs) of SNARE proteins serve mechanistic functions that go beyond passive anchoring of the force-generating SNAREpin to the fusing membranes. Here, we show that conformational flexibility of synaptobrevin-2 TMD is essential for efficient Ca(2+)-triggered exocytosis and actively promotes membrane fusion as well as fusion pore expansion. Specifically, the introduction of helix-stabilizing leucine residues within the TMD region spanning the vesicle's outer leaflet strongly impairs exocytosis and decelerates fusion pore dilation. In contrast, increasing the number of helix-destabilizing, ß-branched valine or isoleucine residues within the TMD restores normal secretion but accelerates fusion pore expansion beyond the rate found for the wildtype protein. These observations provide evidence that the synaptobrevin-2 TMD catalyzes the fusion process by its structural flexibility, actively setting the pace of fusion pore expansion

Probing magnetic fields in the circumgalactic medium using polarization data from MIGHTEE

The detection and study of magnetic fields surrounding galaxies is important to understand galaxy evolution since magnetic fields are tracers for dynamical processes in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) and can have a significant impact on the evolution of the CGM. The Faraday rotation measure (RM) of the polarized light of background radio sources passing through the magnetized CGM of intervening galaxies can be used as a tracer for the strength and extent of magnetic fields around galaxies. We use rotation measures observed by the MIGHTEE-POL (MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration POLarisation) survey by MeerKAT in the XMM-LSS and COSMOS fields to investigate the RM around foreground star-forming galaxies. We use spectroscopic catalogs of star-forming and blue cloud galaxies to measure the RM of MIGHTEE-POL sources as a function of the impact parameter from the intervening galaxy. We then repeat this procedure using a deeper galaxy catalog with photometric redshifts. For the spectroscopic star-forming sample we find a redshift-corrected |RM| excess of 5.6 +/- 2.3 rad m-2 which corresponds to a 2.5 sigma significance around galaxies with a median redshift of z = 0.46 for impact parameters below 130 kpc only selecting the intervenor with the smallest impact parameter. Making use of a photometric galaxy catalog and taking into account all intervenors with Mg < -13.6 mag, the signal disappears. We find no indication for a correlation between redshift and RM, nor do we find a connection between the total number of intervenors to the total |RM| . We have presented tentative evidence that the CGM of star-forming galaxies is permeated by coherent magnetic fields within the virial radius. We conclude that mostly bright, star-forming galaxies with impact parameters less than 130 kpc significantly contribute to the RM of the background radio source.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Novel Weak Decays in Doubly Strange Systems

The strangeness-changing ($\Delta S = 1$) weak baryon-baryon interaction is studied through the nonmesonic weak decay of double-$\Lambda$ hypernuclei. Besides the usual nucleon-induced decay $\Lambda N \to N N$ we discuss novel hyperon-induced decay modes $\Lambda \Lambda \to \Lambda N$ and $\Lambda \Lambda \to \Sigma N$. These reactions provide unique access to the exotic $\Lambda \Lambda$K and $\Lambda \Sigma$K vertices which place new constraints on Chiral Pertubation Theory ($\chi$PT) in the weak SU(3) sector. Within a meson-exchange framework, we use the pseudoscalar $\pi,\eta,K$ octet for the long-range part while parametrizing the short-range part through the vector mesons $\rho, \omega, K^*$. Realistic baryon-baryon forces for the $S=0,-1$ and -2 sectors account for the strong interaction in the initial and final states. For $^6_{\Lambda \Lambda}$He the new hyperon-induced decay modes account for up to 4% of the total nonmesonic decay rate. Predictions are made for all possible nonmesonic decay modes.Comment: 19 pages, 2 ps figures, 9 table

Investigation and Assessment of Resource Consumption of Process Chains

AbstractMany different technologies and processes have been established in production within the last decades. These technologies have to be integrated into sophisticated process chains to achieve today's requirements of high performance products. For most of these products the costs can be determined or at least estimated accurately. However, resource intensive and thus cost intensive processes and their potential within the process chains are often neither identified nor quantified. For identifying, measuring and subsequently assessing the need of resources, like energy or material and their monetary as well as environmental impact, four different process chains of high industrial relevance have been chosen and investigated with regards to their resource consumption. These process chains are used for manufacturing turbine blades made of Inconel and titanium aluminide as well as for comparisons of a conventional and an innovative process chain to manufacture an insert for an injection mold. By measuring and assessing their resource consumption the most resource intensive and thus influential processes have been identified and their potential for resource reduction has been evaluated. Due to the change of single processes to reduce resource consumption and thus the conditions for subsequent processes, the requirements might change and lead to adaptions within the entire process chain. For the assessment of the process chains and the changes within the processes themselves, a scenario based assessment has been modelled. This results in an economic and ecologic evaluation of these process chains and enables a comparison of these to choose the most meaningful process chain

What is the structure of the Roper resonance?

We investigate the structure of the nucleon resonance N^*(1440) (Roper) within a coupled-channel meson exchange model for pion-nucleon scattering. The coupling to pipiN states is realized effectively by the coupling to the sigmaN, piDelta and rhoN channels. The interaction within and between these channels is derived from an effective Lagrangian based on a chirally symmetric Lagrangian, which is supplemented by well known terms for the coupling of the Delta isobar, the omega meson and the 'sigma', which is the name given here to the strong correlation of two pions in the scalar-isoscalar channel. In this model the Roper resonance can be described by meson-baryon dynamics alone; no genuine N^*(1440) (3 quark) resonance is needed in order to fit piN phase shifts and inelasticities.Comment: 55 pages, 14 figure

The influence of anesthetics, neurotransmitters and antibiotics on the relaxation processes in lipid membranes

In the proximity of melting transitions of artificial and biological membranes fluctuations in enthalpy, area, volume and concentration are enhanced. This results in domain formation, changes of the elastic constants, changes in permeability and slowing down of relaxation processes. In this study we used pressure perturbation calorimetry to investigate the relaxation time scale after a jump into the melting transition regime of artificial lipid membranes. This time corresponds to the characteristic rate of domain growth. The studies were performed on single-component large unilamellar and multilamellar vesicle systems with and without the addition of small molecules such as general anesthetics, neurotransmitters and antibiotics. These drugs interact with membranes and affect melting points and profiles. In all systems we found that heat capacity and relaxation times are related to each other in a simple manner. The maximum relaxation time depends on the cooperativity of the heat capacity profile and decreases with a broadening of the transition. For this reason the influence of a drug on the time scale of domain formation processes can be understood on the basis of their influence on the heat capacity profile. This allows estimations of the time scale of domain formation processes in biological membranes.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Phase transitions in biological membranes

Native membranes of biological cells display melting transitions of their lipids at a temperature of 10-20 degrees below body temperature. Such transitions can be observed in various bacterial cells, in nerves, in cancer cells, but also in lung surfactant. It seems as if the presence of transitions slightly below physiological temperature is a generic property of most cells. They are important because they influence many physical properties of the membranes. At the transition temperature, membranes display a larger permeability that is accompanied by ion-channel-like phenomena even in the complete absence of proteins. Membranes are softer, which implies that phenomena such as endocytosis and exocytosis are facilitated. Mechanical signal propagation phenomena related to nerve pulses are strongly enhanced. The position of transitions can be affected by changes in temperature, pressure, pH and salt concentration or by the presence of anesthetics. Thus, even at physiological temperature, these transitions are of relevance. There position and thereby the physical properties of the membrane can be controlled by changes in the intensive thermodynamic variables. Here, we review some of the experimental findings and the thermodynamics that describes the control of the membrane function.Comment: 23 pages, 15 figure

Oxidative Stress-Induced STIM2 Cysteine Modifications Suppress Store-Operated Calcium Entry

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) through STIM-gated ORAI channels governs vital cellular functions. In this context, SOCE controls cellular redox signaling and is itself regulated by redox modifications. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this calcium-redox interplay and the functional outcomes are not fully understood. Here, we examine the role of STIM2 in SOCE redox regulation. Redox proteomics identify cysteine 313 as the main redox sensor of STIM2 in vitro and in vivo. Oxidative stress suppresses SOCE and calcium currents in cells overexpressing STIM2 and ORAI1, an effect that is abolished by mutation of cysteine 313. FLIM and FRET microscopy, together with MD simulations, indicate that oxidative modifications of cysteine 313 alter STIM2 activation dynamics and thereby hinder STIM2-mediated gating of ORAI1. In summary, this study establishes STIM2-controlled redox regulation of SOCE as a mechanism that affects several calcium-regulated physiological processes, as well as stress-induced pathologies