Cyclic 5-membered disulfides are not selective substrates of thioredoxin reductase, but are opened nonspecifically

The cyclic five-membered disulfide 1,2-dithiolane has been widely used in chemical biology and in redox probes. Contradictory reports have described it either as nonspecifically reduced in cells, or else as a highly specific substrate for thioredoxin reductase (TrxR). Here we show that 1,2-dithiolane probes, such as “TRFS” probes, are nonspecifically reduced by thiol reductants and redox-active proteins, and their cellular performance is barely affected by TrxR inhibition or knockout. Therefore, results of cellular imaging or inhibitor screening using 1,2-dithiolanes should not be interpreted as reflecting TrxR activity, and previous studies may need re-evaluation. To understand 1,2-dithiolanes’ complex behaviour, probe localisation, environment-dependent fluorescence, reduction-independent ring-opening polymerisation, and thiol-dependent cellular uptake must all be considered; particular caution is needed when co-applying thiophilic inhibitors. We present a general approach controlling against assay misinterpretation with reducible probes, to ensure future TrxR-targeted designs are robustly evaluated for selectivity, and to better orient future research

Atomistic studies of Li+ migration in Y₂O₃ and the structure of related oxides

Atomistic computer simulation techniques based on energy minimization have been employed to predict the equilibrium lattice parameters and volumes of a series of rare-earth sesquioxides and their polymorphs. The results have been found in agreement with experimental data and ab initio studies given in the literature. To demonstrate the applicability of the computational methodology the migration of lithium ions (Li⁺) in yttria (Y₂O₃) has been considered.Атомістичні методи комп’ютерного моделювання, основані на принципі мінімізації енергії, використані для прогнозування рівноважних параметрів і об’єма кристалічної гратки ряда рідкоземельних оксидів та їх поліморф. Результати моделювання знаходяться в доброму узгoдженні з експериментальними і літературними даними. Для демонстрації запропонованої обчислювальної методики розглянутo міграцію іонів літія (Li⁺) в оксиді ітрія (Y₂O₃).Атомистические методы компьютерного моделирования, основанные на принципе минимизации энергии, использованы для предсказания равновесных параметров и объема кристаллической решетки ряда редкоземельных оксидов и их полиморф. Результаты моделирования находятся в хорошем согласии с экспериментальными и литературными данными. Для демонстрации применимости предложенной вычислительной методики рассмотрена миграция ионов лития (Li⁺) в оксиде иттрия (Y₂O₃)

Defects and lithium migration in Li₂CuO₂

Li2CuO2 is an important candidate material as a cathode in lithium ion batteries. Atomistic simulation methods are used to investigate the defect processes, electronic structure and lithium migration mechanisms in Li2CuO2. Here we show that the lithium energy of migration via the vacancy mechanism is very low, at 0.11 eV. The high lithium Frenkel energy (1.88 eV/defect) prompted the consideration of defect engineering strategies in order to increase the concentration of lithium vacancies that act as vehicles for the vacancy mediated lithium self-diffusion in Li2CuO2. It is shown that aluminium doping will significantly reduce the energy required to form a lithium vacancy from 1.88 eV to 0.97 eV for every aluminium introduced, however, it will also increase the migration energy barrier of lithium in the vicinity of the aluminium dopant to 0.22 eV. Still, the introduction of aluminium is favourable compared to the lithium Frenkel process. Other trivalent dopants considered herein require significantly higher solution energies, whereas their impact on the migration energy barrier was more pronounced. When considering the electronic structure of defective Li2CuO2, the presence of aluminium dopants results in the introduction of electronic states into the energy band gap. Therefore, doping with aluminium is an effective doping strategy to increase the concentration of lithium vacancies, with a minimal impact on the kinetics

Defects, Dopants and Sodium Mobility in Na₂MnSiO₄

Sodium manganese orthosilicate, Na2MnSiO4, is a promising positive electrode material in rechargeable sodium ion batteries. Atomistic scale simulations are used to study the defects, doping behaviour and sodium migration paths in Na2MnSiO4. The most favourable intrinsic defect type is the cation anti-site (0.44 eV/defect), in which, Na and Mn exchange their positions. The second most favourable defect energy process is found to be the Na Frenkel (1.60 eV/defect) indicating that Na diffusion is assisted by the formation of Na vacancies via the vacancy mechanism. Long range sodium paths via vacancy mechanism were constructed and it is confirmed that the lowest activation energy (0.81 eV) migration path is three dimensional with zig-zag pattern. Subvalent doping by Al on the Si site is energetically favourable suggesting that this defect engineering stratergy to increase the Na content in Na2MnSiO4 warrants experimental verification

The Amino-Terminus of Nitric Oxide Sensitive Guanylyl Cyclase α1 Does Not Affect Dimerization but Influences Subcellular Localization

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide sensitive guanylyl cyclase (NOsGC) is a heterodimeric enzyme formed by an α- and a β₁-subunit. A splice variant (C-α₁) of the α₁-subunit, lacking at least the first 236 amino acids has been described by Sharina et al. 2008 and has been shown to be expressed in differentiating human embryonic cells. Wagner et al. 2005 have shown that the amino acids 61-128 of the α₁-subunit are mandatory for quantitative heterodimerization implying that the C-α₁-splice variant should lose its capacity to dimerize quantitatively. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the current study we demonstrate preserved quantitative dimerization of the C-α₁-splice by co-purification with the β₁-subunit. In addition we used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) based on fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) using fusion proteins of the β₁-subunit and the α₁-subunit or the C-α₁ variant with ECFP or EYFP. Analysis of the respective combinations in HEK-293 cells showed that the fluorescence lifetime was significantly shorter (≈0.3 ns) for α₁/β₁ and C-α₁/β₁ than the negative control. In addition we show that lack of the amino-terminus in the α₁ splice variant directs it to a more oxidized subcellular compartment. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that the amino-terminus of the α₁-subunit is dispensable for dimerization in-vivo and ex-vivo, but influences the subcellular trafficking

Identification of novel small molecules that inhibit STAT3-dependent transcription and function

Activation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) has been linked to several processes that are critical for oncogenic transformation, cancer progression, cancer cell proliferation, survival, drug resistance and metastasis. Inhibition of STAT3 signaling has shown a striking ability to inhibit cancer cell growth and therefore, STAT3 has become a promising target for anti-cancer drug development. The aim of this study was to identify novel inhibitors of STAT-dependent gene transcription. A cellular reporter-based system for monitoring STAT3 transcriptional activity was developed which was suitable for high-throughput screening (Z’ = 0,8). This system was used to screen a library of 28,000 compounds (the ENAMINE Drug-Like Diversity Set). Following counter-screenings and toxicity studies, we identified four hit compounds that were subjected to detailed biological characterization. Of the four hits, KI16 stood out as the most promising compound, inhibiting STAT3 phosphorylation and transcriptional activity in response to IL6 stimulation. In silico docking studies showed that KI16 had favorable interactions with the STAT3 SH2 domain, however, no inhibitory activity could be observed in the STAT3 fluorescence polarization assay. KI16 inhibited cell viability preferentially in STAT3-dependent cell lines. Taken together, using a targeted, cell-based approach, novel inhibitors of STAT-driven transcriptional activity were discovered which are interesting leads to pursue further for the development of anti-cancer therapeutic agents

Global lake responses to climate change

Climate change is one of the most severe threats to global lake ecosystems. Lake surface conditions, such as ice cover, surface temperature, evaporation and water level, respond dramatically to this threat, as observed in recent decades. In this Review, we discuss physical lake variables and their responses to climate change. Decreases in winter ice cover and increases in lake surface temperature modify lake mixing regimes and accelerate lake evaporation. Where not balanced by increased mean precipitation or inflow, higher evaporation rates will favour a decrease in lake level and surface water extent. Together with increases in extreme-precipitation events, these lake responses will impact lake ecosystems, changing water quantity and quality, food provisioning, recreational opportunities and transportation. Future research opportunities, including enhanced observation of lake variables from space (particularly for small water bodies), improved in situ lake monitoring and the development of advanced modelling techniques to predict lake processes, will improve our global understanding of lake responses to a changing climate

PII: 0169-5983(89)90019-1

Abstract. A liquid jet originating from a nozzle with radius * ro breaks up into droplets in consequence of disturbances of certain frequencies, depending on the fluid properties and the nozzle geometry. A theoretical model is developed to describe the growth of these disturbances at the jet surface. The model is based on the inviscid and irrotational flow governed by the Laplace equation together with the kinematicat and dynamical conditions at the free surface of the jet. A comparison is made between the model and experimental data from literature. The model predicts a dependence on the disturbance amplitude of the breakoff mode. Contrary to other experimental results, the model predicts satellites (i.e. smaller droplets between the main larger ones) at wavelengths exceeding a critical value of s x 2~rn*. The disturbances grow at wavelengths more than the theoretical bound of 2nr$. Discrepancies with experimental data are possible because of the neglect of the effect of viscosity in the theory. It is shown that the effect of viscosity on the jet can be neglected under certain conditions

Rapid weighted random selection in agent-based models of infectious disease dynamics using augmented B-trees

Agent-based models (ABMs) are important tools for predicting infectious disease epidemics and for designing effective interventions. ABMs take into account individual differences, for instance in contact rate. The drawbacks of ABMs are high complexity and low performance. In this paper, we present a data structure - an augmented B-tree - to speed up the weighted random selection of individuals for the next transmission event in an ABM of infectious disease dynamics. An additional feature of the augmented B-tree is that it allows aggregating the force of infection for groups of simulated individuals. In short, our technique enhances the performance and simplifies the development of ABMs