Electron Microscopy Structural Insights into CPAP Oligomeric Behavior:A Plausible Assembly Process of a Supramolecular Scaffold of the Centrosome

Centrosomal P4.1-associated protein (CPAP) is a cell cycle regulated protein fundamental for centrosome assembly and centriole elongation. In humans, the region between residues 897–1338 of CPAP mediates interactions with other proteins and includes a homodimerization domain. CPAP mutations cause primary autosomal recessive microcephaly and Seckel syndrome. Despite of the biological/clinical relevance of CPAP, its mechanistic behavior remains unclear and its C-terminus (the G-box/TCP domain) is the only part whose structure has been solved. This situation is perhaps due in part to the challenges that represent obtaining the protein in a soluble, homogeneous state for structural studies. Our work constitutes a systematic structural analysis on multiple oligomers of HsCPAP897−1338, using single-particle electron microscopy (EM) of negatively stained (NS) samples. Based on image classification into clearly different regular 3D maps (putatively corresponding to dimers and tetramers) and direct observation of individual images representing other complexes of HsCPAP897−1338 (i.e., putative flexible monomers and higher-order multimers), we report a dynamic oligomeric behavior of this protein, where different homo-oligomers coexist in variable proportions. We propose that dimerization of the putative homodimer forms a putative tetramer which could be the structural unit for the scaffold that either tethers the pericentriolar material to centrioles or promotes procentriole elongation. A coarse fitting of atomic models into the NS 3D maps at resolutions around 20 Å is performed only to complement our experimental data, allowing us to hypothesize on the oligomeric composition of the different complexes. In this way, the current EM work represents an initial step toward the structural characterization of different oligomers of CPAP, suggesting further insights to understand how this protein works, contributing to the elucidation of control mechanisms for centriole biogenesis.This work was supported by the Comunidad de Madrid through grant CAM (S2010/BMD- 2305) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through Grants AIC-A-2011-0638 and BIO2013-44647-R.Peer reviewedPeer Reviewe

Comparación de la ingesta de energía y nutrientes en adolescentes mujeres con sobrepeso y obesidad

Overweight and obesity result from change in dietary patterns and increasingly sedentary attitude. Objectives: To compare the energy and nutrient intake in female adolescents with overweight and obesity. Design: Cross-sectional, observational and analytical study. Location: Lima’s urban area Education Center. Participants: Adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. Interventions: One hundred overweight adolescents and 87 obese adolescents were studied. Diagnosis was done by body mass index (BMI) with the World Health Organization (WHO) reference population and cutoff levels between 85 and 95 percentile for overweight and over 95 for obesity. Amount of energy and nutrients was determined by a semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire using the Peruvian Table for Food Composition and the Table of the USA Department of Agriculture. FAO recommendations were used to determine the adequate percentage of energy and the quantitative identification of vitamin and mineral intake. Statistical analysis used Student t-test to compare measures. Main outcome measures: Energy intake, ingested nutrients, vitamins and minerals adequacy according to the study groups. Results: There was no difference in energy intake between the groups studied, and these values were lower than requirements. Adequacy of fat consumption, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats was below requirements; however saturated fat was more consumed. The amount of vitamins and minerals ingested covered requirements except for folates. Fiber intake was very poor. Conclusions: Neither group exceeded energy requirements, so it could be assumed that cause of these conditions was very little physical activity. On the other hand the main problem was dietary fiber, fat and folate intake deficiency.El sobrepeso y la obesidad son consecuencia de una modificación de los patrones dietarios y de una actitud cada vez más sedentaria. Objetivos: Comparar la ingesta de energía y nutrientes de adolescentes mujeres con sobrepeso y obesidad. Diseño: Estudio transversal, observacional y analítico. Lugar: Centro Educativo de la zona urbana de Lima. Participantes: Adolescentes entre 10 a 18 años. Intervención: Se estudió 100 adolescentes con sobrepeso y 87 con obesidad. El diagnóstico se hizo mediante el índice de masa corporal (IMC), con la población de referencia de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) y con los niveles de corte entre 85 y 95 percentil para sobrepeso y más de 95 para obesidad. La evaluación de la cantidad de energía y de nutrientes se realizó mediante un cuestionario de frecuencia semicuantitativo, utilizando la Tabla Peruana de Composición de Alimentos y la del Departamento de Agricultura de los EE UU. Para el porcentaje de adecuación de la energía y para la identificación cuantitativa de la ingesta de vitaminas y mineral se utilizó las recomendaciones de la FAO. El análisis estadístico se hizo con la prueba t-Student para comparación de medias. Principales medidas de resultados: Energía ingerida, adecuación de los nutrientes, cantidad de vitaminas y minerales ingeridos, de acuerdo a los grupos estudiados. Resultados: No hubo diferencia de la ingesta de energía entre los grupos estudiados, y estos valores fueron menores que los requerimientos. La adecuación porcentual mostró que el consumo de las grasas estuvo por debajo del requerimiento; lo mismo sucedió con las grasas saturadas, monoinsaturadas y poliinsaturadas; sin embargo, lo que más se consumió fue la grasa saturada. En cuanto a las vitaminas y minerales, fueron ingeridas en cantidades que cubrían los requerimientos, a excepción de los folatos. La ingesta de fibra fue muy pobre. Conclusiones: Se puede afirmar que el consumo de energía en ambos grupos fue por debajo de su requerimiento, por lo que se podría asumir que la causa de la presencia de estas enfermedades responda a una muy poca actividad física. Por otro lado, el principal problema en la alimentación de este grupo fue la deficiencia en la ingesta de fibra dietaria, de grasa y de folatos

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu channel in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu decay channel, where l = e or mu, in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is presented. The data were collected at the LHC, with the CMS detector, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 inverse femtobarns. No significant excess is observed above the background expectation, and upper limits are set on the Higgs boson production cross section. The presence of the standard model Higgs boson with a mass in the 270-440 GeV range is excluded at 95% confidence level.Comment: Submitted to JHE

Measurement of the Z/gamma* + b-jet cross section in pp collisions at 7 TeV

The production of b jets in association with a Z/gamma* boson is studied using proton-proton collisions delivered by the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and recorded by the CMS detector. The inclusive cross section for Z/gamma* + b-jet production is measured in a sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.2 inverse femtobarns. The Z/gamma* + b-jet cross section with Z/gamma* to ll (where ll = ee or mu mu) for events with the invariant mass 60 < M(ll) < 120 GeV, at least one b jet at the hadron level with pT > 25 GeV and abs(eta) < 2.1, and a separation between the leptons and the jets of Delta R > 0.5 is found to be 5.84 +/- 0.08 (stat.) +/- 0.72 (syst.) +(0.25)/-(0.55) (theory) pb. The kinematic properties of the events are also studied and found to be in agreement with the predictions made by the MadGraph event generator with the parton shower and the hadronisation performed by PYTHIA.Comment: Submitted to the Journal of High Energy Physic

Search for New Physics with Jets and Missing Transverse Momentum in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search for new physics is presented based on an event signature of at least three jets accompanied by large missing transverse momentum, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 inverse picobarns collected in proton--proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. No excess of events is observed above the expected standard model backgrounds, which are all estimated from the data. Exclusion limits are presented for the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Cross section limits are also presented using simplified models with new particles decaying to an undetected particle and one or two jets