Quantificação de [32P] fosfoproteínas em gel de pollacrilamida pela Radiação Cerenkov: vantagens sobre outros procedimentos

The phosphorylation of proteins has been recognized as an important mechanism for controlling cellular activities. There are many ways to measure 32P-labellingof phosphoproteins resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, including densitometry of autoradiographs, liquid scintillation counting and Cerenkov counting. This report compares such different procedures and indicates the advantages of Cerenkov counting to determine radioactive phosphate incorporation into proteins.A fosforilação proteica tem sido reconhecida como um importante mecanismo no controle das atividades celulares. Há várias maneiras para medir a marcação com 32P de fosfoproteinas separadas por eletroforese em gel de poliacrilamida, incluindo densitometria de filmes autorradiográficos, cintilação líquida e radiação Cerenkov. Este trabalho compara tais diferentes procedimentos e aponta as vantagens do uso da radiação Cerenkov para medir a incorporação de fosfato radioativo em proteínas

L-Asparagine crystals with wide gap semiconductor features : optical absorption measurements and density functional theory computations

Results of optical absorption measurements are presented together with calculated structural, electronic, and optical properties for the anhydrous monoclinic L-asparagine crystal. Density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) including dispersion effects (TS, Grimme) was employed to perform the calculations. The optical absorption measurements revealed that the anhydrous monoclinic L-asparagine crystal is a wide band gap material with 4.95 eV main gap energy. DFT-GGA+TS simulations, on the other hand, produced structural parameters in very good agreement with X-ray data. The lattice parameter differences a, b, c between theory and experiment were as small as 0.020, 0.051, and 0.022 Å, respectively. The calculated band gap energy is smaller than the experimental data by about 15%, with a 4.23 eV indirect band gap corresponding to Z→ and Z→β transitions. Three other indirect band gaps of 4.30 eV, 4.32 eV, and 4.36 eV are assigned to α3→ , α1→ , and α2→ transitions, respectively. -sol computations, on the other hand, predict a main band gap of 5.00 eV, just 50 meV above the experimental value. Electronic wavefunctions mainly originating from O 2p–carboxyl, C 2p–side chain, and C 2p–carboxyl orbitals contribute most significantly to the highest valence and lowest conduction energy bands, respectively. By varying the lattice parameters from their converged equilibrium values, we show that the unit cell is less stiff along the b direction than for the a and c directions. Effective mass calculations suggest that hole transport behavior is more anisotropic than electron transport, but the mass values allow for some charge mobility except along a direction perpendicular to the molecular layers of L-asparagine which form the crystal, so anhydrous monoclinic L-asparagine crystals could behave as wide gap semiconductors. Finally, the calculations point to a high degree

Neuroimmune alterations in autism: a translational analysis focusing on the animal model of autism induced by prenatal exposure to valproic acid

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent developmental disorder characterized by deficits in communication and social interaction and in stereotyped or repetitive behaviors. Besides the classical behavioral dyad, several comorbidities are frequently present in patients with ASD, such as anxiety, epilepsy, sleep disturbances and gastrointestinal tract dysfunctions. Although the etiology of ASD remains unclear, there is supporting evidence for the involvement of both genetic and environmental factors. Valproic acid (VPA) is an anticonvulsant and mood stabilizer that, when used during the gestational period, increases the risk of ASD in the offspring. The animal model of autism by prenatal exposure to VPA shows construct and face validity, since several changes seen in subjects with autism are also observed in the VPA animal model. Neuroimmune alterations are common both in autistic individuals and in animal models of autism. In addition, exposure to pathogens during the pregnancy is a known risk factor for ASD, and maternal immune activation can lead to autistic-like features in animals. Thus, immunological alterations in pregnancy could affect the developing embryo, since immune molecules can pass through the placental barrier. Here, we summarize important alterations in inflammatory markers, such cytokines and chemokines in patients with ASD and in the VPA animal model