187 research outputs found
A Budding-Defective M2 Mutant Exhibits Reduced Membrane Interaction, Insensitivity To Cholesterol, And Perturbed Interdomain Coupling
Influenza A M2 is a membrane-associated protein with a C-terminal amphipathic helix that plays a cholesterol-dependent role in viral budding. An M2 mutant with alanine substitutions in the C-terminal amphipathic helix is deficient in viral scission. With the goal of providing atomic-level understanding of how the wild-type protein functions, we used a multipronged site-directed spin labeling electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (SDSL-EPR) approach to characterize the conformational properties of the alanine mutant. We spin-labeled sites in the transmembrane (TM) domain and the C-terminal amphipathic helix (AH) of wild-type (WT) and mutant M2, and collected information on line shapes, relaxation rates, membrane topology, and distances within the homotetramer in membranes with and without cholesterol. Our results identify marked differences in the conformation and dynamics between the WT and the alanine mutant. Compared to WT, the dominant population of the mutant AH is more dynamic, shallower in the membrane, and has altered quaternary arrangement of the C-terminal domain. While the AH becomes more dynamic, the dominant population of the TM domain of the mutant is immobilized. The presence of cholesterol changes the conformation and dynamics of the WT protein, while the alanine mutant is insensitive to cholesterol. These findings provide new insight into how M2 may facilitate budding. We propose the AHâmembrane interaction modulates the arrangement of the TM helices, effectively stabilizing a conformational state that enables M2 to facilitate viral budding. Antagonizing the properties of the AH that enable interdomain coupling within M2 may therefore present a novel strategy for anti-influenza drug design
Is Gravitational Lensing by Intercluster Filaments Always Negligible?
Intercluster filaments negligibly contribute to the weak lensing signal in
general relativity (GR), . In the context of
relativistic modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) introduced by Bekenstein,
however, a single filament inclined by from the line of
sight can cause substantial distortion of background sources pointing towards
the filament's axis (); this is rigorous
for infinitely long uniform filaments, but also qualitatively true for short
filaments (Mpc), and even in regions where the projected matter
density of the filament is equal to zero. Since galaxies and galaxy clusters
are generally embedded in filaments or are projected on such structures, this
contribution complicates the interpretation of the weak lensing shear map in
the context of MOND. While our analysis is of mainly theoretical interest
providing order-of-magnitude estimates only, it seems safe to conclude that
when modeling systems with anomalous weak lensing signals, e.g. the "bullet
cluster" of Clowe et al., the "cosmic train wreck" of Abell 520 from Mahdavi et
al., and the "dark clusters" of Erben et al., filamentary structures might
contribute in a significant and likely complex fashion. On the other hand, our
predictions of a (conceptual) difference in the weak lensing signal could, in
principle, be used to falsify MOND/TeVeS and its variations.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, published versio
Special geometry of Euclidean supersymmetry II: hypermultiplets and the c-map
We construct two new versions of the c-map which allow us to obtain the
target manifolds of hypermultiplets in Euclidean theories with rigid N =2
supersymmetry. While the Minkowskian para-c-map is obtained by dimensional
reduction of the Minkowskian vector multiplet lagrangian over time, the
Euclidean para-c-map corresponds to the dimensional reduction of the Euclidean
vector multiplet lagrangian. In both cases the resulting hypermultiplet target
spaces are para-hyper-Kahler manifolds. We review and prove the relevant
results of para-complex and para-hypercomplex geometry. In particular, we give
a second, purely geometrical construction of both c-maps, by proving that the
cotangent bundle N=T^*M of any affine special (para-)Kahler manifold M is
para-hyper-Kahler.Comment: 36 pages, 1 figur
Global Structure of Moduli Space for BPS Walls
We study the global structure of the moduli space of BPS walls in the Higgs
branch of supersymmetric theories with eight supercharges. We examine the
structure in the neighborhood of a special Lagrangian submanifold M, and find
that the dimension of the moduli space can be larger than that naively
suggested by the index theorem, contrary to previous examples of BPS solitons.
We investigate BPS wall solutions in an explicit example of M using Abelian
gauge theory. Its Higgs branch turns out to contain several special Lagrangian
submanifolds including M. We show that the total moduli space of BPS walls is
the union of these submanifolds. We also find interesting dynamics between BPS
walls as a byproduct of the analysis. Namely, mutual repulsion and attraction
between BPS walls sometimes forbid a movement of a wall and lock it in a
certain position; we also find that a pair of walls can transmute to another
pair of walls with different tension after they pass through.Comment: 42 pages, 11 figures; a few comments adde
Influence of Collision Cascade Statistics on Pattern Formation of Ion-Sputtered Surfaces
Theoretical continuum models that describe the formation of patterns on
surfaces of targets undergoing ion-beam sputtering, are based on Sigmund's
formula, which describes the spatial distribution of the energy deposited by
the ion. For small angles of incidence and amorphous or polycrystalline
materials, this description seems to be suitable, and leads to the classic BH
morphological theory [R.M. Bradley and J.M.E. Harper, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A
6, 2390 (1988)]. Here we study the sputtering of Cu crystals by means of
numerical simulations under the binary-collision approximation. We observe
significant deviations from Sigmund's energy distribution. In particular, the
distribution that best fits our simulations has a minimum near the position
where the ion penetrates the surface, and the decay of energy deposition with
distance to ion trajectory is exponential rather than Gaussian. We provide a
modified continuum theory which takes these effects into account and explores
the implications of the modified energy distribution for the surface
morphology. In marked contrast with BH's theory, the dependence of the
sputtering yield with the angle of incidence is non-monotonous, with a maximum
for non-grazing incidence angles.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, RevTe
Nonlinear Dirac operator and quaternionic analysis
Properties of the Cauchy-Riemann-Fueter equation for maps between
quaternionic manifolds are studied. Spaces of solutions in case of maps from a
K3-surface to the cotangent bundle of a complex projective space are computed.
A relationship between harmonic spinors of a generalized nonlinear Dirac
operator and solutions of the Cauchy-Riemann-Fueter equation are established.Comment: Cosmetic changes onl
Substructure lensing in galaxy clusters as a constraint on low-mass sterile neutrinos in tensor-vector-scalar theory: The straight arc of Abell 2390
Certain covariant theories of the modified Newtonian dynamics paradigm seem
to require an additional hot dark matter (HDM) component - in the form of
either heavy ordinary neutrinos or more recently light sterile neutrinos (SNs)
with a mass around 11eV - to be relieved of problems ranging from cosmological
scales down to intermediate ones relevant for galaxy clusters. Here we suggest
using gravitational lensing by galaxy clusters to test such a marriage of
neutrino HDM and modified gravity, adopting the framework of
tensor-vector-scalar theory (TeVeS). Unlike conventional cold dark matter
(CDM), such HDM is subject to strong phase-space constraints, which allows one
to check cluster lens models inferred within the modified framework for
consistency. Since the considered HDM particles cannot collapse into
arbitrarily dense clumps and only form structures well above the galactic
scale, systems which indicate the need for dark substructure are of particular
interest. As a first example, we study the cluster lens Abell 2390 and its
impressive straight arc with the help of numerical simulations. Based on our
results, we outline a general and systematic approach to model cluster lenses
in TeVeS which significantly reduces the calculation complexity. We further
consider a simple bimodal lens configuration, capable of producing the straight
arc, to demonstrate our approach. We find that such a model is marginally
consistent with the hypothesis of 11eV SNs. Future work including more detailed
and realistic lens models may further constrain the necessary SN distribution
and help to conclusively assess this point. Cluster lenses could therefore
provide an interesting discriminator between CDM and such modified gravity
scenarios supplemented by SNs or other choices of HDM.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables; minor changes to match accepted
versio
On Five-dimensional Superspaces
Recent one-loop calculations of certain supergravity-mediated quantum
corrections in supersymmetric brane-world models employ either the component
formulation (hep-th/0305184) or the superfield formalism with only half of the
bulk supersymmetry manifestly realized (hep-th/0305169 and hep-th/0411216).
There are reasons to expect, however, that 5D supergraphs provide a more
efficient setup to deal with these and more involved (in particular,
higher-loop) calculations. As a first step toward elaborating such supergraph
techniques, we develop in this letter a manifestly supersymmetric formulation
for 5D globally supersymmetric theories with eight supercharges. Simple rules
are given to reduce 5D superspace actions to a hybrid form which keeps manifest
only the 4D, N=1 Poincare supersymmetry. (Previously, such hybrid actions were
carefully worked out by rewriting the component actions in terms of simple
superfields). To demonstrate the power of this formalism for model building
applications, two families of off-shell supersymmetric nonlinear sigma-models
in five dimensions are presented (including those with cotangent bundles of
Kahler manifolds as target spaces). We elaborate, trying to make our
presentation maximally clear and self-contained, on the techniques of 5D
harmonic and projective superspaces used at some stages in this letter.Comment: 46 pages, 3 figures. V5: version published in JHE
Relating harmonic and projective descriptions of N=2 nonlinear sigma models
Recent papers have established the relationship between projective superspace
and a complexified version of harmonic superspace. We extend this construction
to the case of general nonlinear sigma models in both frameworks. Using an
analogy with Hamiltonian mechanics, we demonstrate how the Hamiltonian
structure of the harmonic action and the symplectic structure of the projective
action naturally arise from a single unifying action on a complexified version
of harmonic superspace. This links the harmonic and projective descriptions of
hyperkahler target spaces. For the two examples of Taub-NUT and Eguchi-Hanson,
we show how to derive the projective superspace solutions from the harmonic
superspace solutions.Comment: 25 pages; v3: typo fixed in eq (1.36
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