Лабораторна установка для дослідження ступеня очищення і пошкодження коренебульбоплодів

Патент України на корисну модель № 79083, МПК B65G 33/00, 2012.Лабораторна установка для дослідження ступеня очищення і пошкодження коренебульбоплодів, що містить раму, на якій з можливістю кутового та вертикального зміщення на підрамах встановлені секція пруткового транспортера-очисника та секція бітерних очисних валів, завантажувальний бункер, причому під секцією пруткового транспортера-очисника та секцією бітерних очисних валів на рамі розташовані поперечні лотки для відбору від сепарованих домішок, яка відрізняється тим, що кутовий зазор між центральною віссю барабана пруткового транспортера-очисника в зоні вивантаження коренебульбоплодів та центральною віссю першого бітерного очисного вала може змінюватись за рахунок використання різних отворів, які виконані на стійці та підрамі, а осьовий зазор – за рахунок кронштейна з отворами, причому над прутковим транспортером-очисником та секцією бітерних очисних валів встановлені вертикальні та похилі еластичні екрани, а для відбору очищених коренебульбоплодів в зоні вивантаження бітерних очисних валів розташована еластична ємність з можливістю вертикального переміщення та фіксації її задньої частини на вертикальному кронштейні

Exploring the Effect of Structure-Based Scaffold Hopping on the Inhibition of Coxsackievirus A24v Transduction by Pentavalent N-Acetylneuraminic Acid Conjugates

Coxsackievirus A24 variant (CVA24v) is the primary causative agent of the highly contagious eye infection designated acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC). It is solely responsible for two pandemics and several recurring outbreaks of the disease over the last decades, thus affecting millions of individuals throughout the world. To date, no antiviral agents or vaccines are available for combating this disease, and treatment is mainly supportive. CVA24v utilizes Neu5Ac-containing glycans as attachment receptors facilitating entry into host cells. We have previously reported that pentavalent Neu5Ac conjugates based on a glucose-scaffold inhibit CVA24v infection of human corneal epithelial cells. In this study, we report on the design and synthesis of scaffold-replaced pentavalent Neu5Ac conjugates and their effect on CVA24v cell transduction and the use of cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to study the binding of these multivalent conjugates to CVA24v. The results presented here provide insights into the development of Neu5Ac-based inhibitors of CVA24v and, most significantly, the first application of cryo-EM to study the binding of a multivalent ligand to a lectin

Exceptionally Preserved Cambrian Trilobite Digestive System Revealed in 3D by Synchrotron-Radiation X-Ray Tomographic Microscopy

The Cambrian ‘Orsten’ fauna comprises exceptionally preserved and phosphatised microscopic arthropods. The external morphology of these fossils is well known, but their internal soft-tissue anatomy has remained virtually unknown. Here, we report the first non-biomineralised tissues from a juvenile polymerid trilobite, represented by digestive structures, glands, and connective strands harboured in a hypostome from the Swedish ‘Orsten’ fauna. Synchrotron-radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy enabled three-dimensional internal recordings at sub-micrometre resolution. The specimen provides the first unambiguous evidence for a J-shaped anterior gut and the presence of a crop with a constricted alimentary tract in the Trilobita. Moreover, the gut is Y-shaped in cross section, probably due to a collapsed lumen of that shape, another feature which has not previously been observed in trilobites. The combination of anatomical features suggests that the trilobite hypostome is functionally analogous to the labrum of euarthropods and that it was a sophisticated element closely integrated with the digestive system. This study also briefly addresses the preservational bias of the ‘Orsten’ fauna, particularly the near-absence of polymerid trilobites, and the taphonomy of the soft-tissue-harbouring hypostome

The evolution of the Behavioural Approach System (BAS): Cooperative and competitive resource acquisition strategies

The nature of approach motivation has not yet been adequately defined. Some authors view it as a unidimensional construct, while others consider it to be multidimensional. Its psychometric nature is explored in this study, which tests empirically the motivational account of the Behavioural Approach System (BAS) within an evolutionary context. In a sample of 394 participants, we administered the Assessment of Individual Motives questionnaire (AIM-Q), the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ) and a short version of the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward (SPSRQ-20). The results of set correlation analysis indicated that different BAS scales relate to different motives, thus supporting the multidimensional perspective on approach motivation. Specifically, Reward Interest relates to various types of motives that generally reflect sensitivity to social rewards; Goal-Drive Persistence relates to social exchange, Reward Reactivity to safety and commitment; while Impulsivity and Sensitivity to Reward (SR) relate to competitive motives. These results are discussed within an evolutionary framework for the multidimensionality of the BAS

Reversible inhibitor of p97, DBeQ, impairs both ubiquitin-dependent and autophagic protein clearance pathways

A specific small-molecule inhibitor of p97 would provide an important tool to investigate diverse functions of this essential ATPase associated with diverse cellular activities (AAA) ATPase and to evaluate its potential to be a therapeutic target in human disease. We carried out a high-throughput screen to identify inhibitors of p97 ATPase activity. Dual-reporter cell lines that simultaneously express p97-dependent and p97-independent proteasome substrates were used to stratify inhibitors that emerged from the screen. N^2,N^4-dibenzylquinazoline-2,4-diamine (DBeQ) was identified as a selective, potent, reversible, and ATP-competitive p97 inhibitor. DBeQ blocks multiple processes that have been shown by RNAi to depend on p97, including degradation of ubiquitin fusion degradation and endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation pathway reporters, as well as autophagosome maturation. DBeQ also potently inhibits cancer cell growth and is more rapid than a proteasome inhibitor at mobilizing the executioner caspases-3 and -7. Our results provide a rationale for targeting p97 in cancer therapy

Background matching in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon : adaptive camouflage and behavioural-plasticity

A combination of burrowing behaviour and very efficient background matching makes the brown shrimp Crangon crangon almost invisible to potential predators and preys. This raises questions on how shrimp succeed in concealing themselves in the heterogeneous and dynamic estuarine habitats they inhabit and what type of environmental variables and behavioural factors affect their colour change abilities. Using a series of behavioural experiments, we show that the brown shrimp is capable of repeated fast colour adaptations (20% change in dark pigment cover within one hour) and that its background matching ability is mainly influenced by illumination and sediment colour. Novel insights are provided on the occurrence of non-adaptive (possibly stress) responses to background changes after long-time exposure to a constant background colour or during unfavourable conditions for burying. Shrimp showed high levels of intra- and inter-individual variation, demonstrating a complex balance between behavioural-plasticity and environmental adaptation. As such, the study of crustacean colour changes represents a valuable opportunity to investigate colour adaptations in dynamic habitats and can help us to identify the mayor environmental and behavioural factors influencing the evolution of animal background matching

Predicting protein-protein binding sites in membrane proteins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many integral membrane proteins, like their non-membrane counterparts, form either transient or permanent multi-subunit complexes in order to carry out their biochemical function. Computational methods that provide structural details of these interactions are needed since, despite their importance, relatively few structures of membrane protein complexes are available.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We present a method for predicting which residues are in protein-protein binding sites within the transmembrane regions of membrane proteins. The method uses a Random Forest classifier trained on residue type distributions and evolutionary conservation for individual surface residues, followed by spatial averaging of the residue scores. The prediction accuracy achieved for membrane proteins is comparable to that for non-membrane proteins. Also, like previous results for non-membrane proteins, the accuracy is significantly higher for residues distant from the binding site boundary. Furthermore, a predictor trained on non-membrane proteins was found to yield poor accuracy on membrane proteins, as expected from the different distribution of surface residue types between the two classes of proteins. Thus, although the same procedure can be used to predict binding sites in membrane and non-membrane proteins, separate predictors trained on each class of proteins are required. Finally, the contribution of each residue property to the overall prediction accuracy is analyzed and prediction examples are discussed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Given a membrane protein structure and a multiple alignment of related sequences, the presented method gives a prioritized list of which surface residues participate in intramembrane protein-protein interactions. The method has potential applications in guiding the experimental verification of membrane protein interactions, structure-based drug discovery, and also in constraining the search space for computational methods, such as protein docking or threading, that predict membrane protein complex structures.</p

Potassium Starvation in Yeast: Mechanisms of Homeostasis Revealed by Mathematical Modeling

The intrinsic ability of cells to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions is a fundamental process required for survival. Potassium is the most abundant cation in living cells and is required for essential cellular processes, including the regulation of cell volume, pH and protein synthesis. Yeast cells can grow from low micromolar to molar potassium concentrations and utilize sophisticated control mechanisms to keep the internal potassium concentration in a viable range. We developed a mathematical model for Saccharomyces cerevisiae to explore the complex interplay between biophysical forces and molecular regulation facilitating potassium homeostasis. By using a novel inference method (“the reverse tracking algorithm”) we predicted and then verified experimentally that the main regulators under conditions of potassium starvation are proton fluxes responding to changes of potassium concentrations. In contrast to the prevailing view, we show that regulation of the main potassium transport systems (Trk1,2 and Nha1) in the plasma membrane is not sufficient to achieve homeostasis