38,598 research outputs found
Heterodimerization of apelin receptor and neurotensin receptor 1 induces phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and cell proliferation via Gαq-mediated mechanism
Dimerization of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is crucial for receptor function including agonist affinity, efficacy, trafficking and specificity of signal transduction, including G protein coupling. Emerging data suggest that the cardiovascular system is the main target of apelin, which exerts an overall neuroprotective role, and is a positive regulator of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in heart failure. Moreover, ACE2 cleaves off C-terminal residues of vasoactive peptides including apelin-13, and neurotensin that activate the apelin receptor (APJ) and neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1) respectively, that belong to the A class of GPCRs. Therefore, based on the similar mode of modification by ACE2 at peptide level, the homology at amino acid level and the capability of forming dimers with other GPCRs, we have been suggested that APJ and NTSR1 can form a functional heterodimer. Using co-immunoprecipitation, BRET and FRET, we provided conclusive evidence of heterodimerization between APJ and NTSR1 in a constitutive and induced form. Upon agonist stimulation, hetrodimerization enhanced ERK1/2 activation and increased proliferation via activation of Gq α-subunits. These novel data provide evidence for a physiological role of APJ/NTSR1 heterodimers in terms of ERK1/2 activation and increased intracellular calcium and induced cell proliferation and provide potential new pharmaceutical targets for cardiovascular disease. © 2014 The Authors
Adoption of e-commerce by the agri-food sector in China: the case of Minyu e-commerce company
In recent years, increasing numbers of smallholders in developing countries such as China have begun to sell agricultural products directly to consumers via online shops using a third-party trade platform. It is increasingly clear that e-commerce has become a new and effective way to help smallholders gain access to the market. The investigation of agricultural e-commerce practices has a significant role in helping to understand the development of the agri-food sector in China. This teaching case provides an example of adopting e-commerce in the interaction and trading activities between participants in the food sector through a typical agricultural products e-commerce company in China, Minyu E-commerce. Particularly, the case analyzes the business model evolution through the ecosystem life cycle at the company. This case can be used to teach graduate/postgraduate students in agricultural business, MBA and executive programmes about the agri-food e-commerce business model
Critical behaviours of contact near phase transitions
A central quantity of importance for ultracold atoms is contact, which
measures two-body correlations at short distances in dilute systems. It appears
in universal relations among thermodynamic quantities, such as large momentum
tails, energy, and dynamic structure factors, through the renowned Tan
relations. However, a conceptual question remains open as to whether or not
contact can signify phase transitions that are insensitive to short-range
physics. Here we show that, near a continuous classical or quantum phase
transition, contact exhibits a variety of critical behaviors, including scaling
laws and critical exponents that are uniquely determined by the universality
class of the phase transition and a constant contact per particle. We also use
a prototypical exactly solvable model to demonstrate these critical behaviors
in one-dimensional strongly interacting fermions. Our work establishes an
intrinsic connection between the universality of dilute many-body systems and
universal critical phenomena near a phase transition.Comment: Final version published in Nat. Commun. 5:5140 doi:
10.1038/ncomms6140 (2014
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