2,298 research outputs found
Cops or robbers - a bistable society
The norm game described by Axelrod in 1985 was recently treated with the
master equation formalism. Here we discuss the equations, where {\it i)} those
who break the norm cannot punish and those who punish cannot break the norm,
{\it ii)} the tendency to punish is suppressed if the majority breaks the norm.
The second mechanism is new. For some values of the parameters the solution
shows the saddle-point bifurcation. Then, two stable solutions are possible,
where the majority breaks the norm or the majority punishes. This means, that
the norm breaking can be discontinuous, when measured in the social scale. The
bistable character is reproduced also with new computer simulations on the
Erd{\H o}s--R\'enyi directed network.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures. Some misleading sentences are removed from
section
Deciphering interplay between Salmonella invasion effectors
Bacterial pathogens have evolved a specialized type III secretion system (T3SS) to translocate virulence effector proteins directly into eukaryotic target cells. Salmonellae deploy effectors that trigger localized actin reorganization to force their own entry into non-phagocytic host cells. Six effectors (SipC, SipA, SopE/2, SopB, SptP) can individually manipulate actin dynamics at the plasma membrane, which acts as a âsignaling hubâ during Salmonella invasion. The extent of crosstalk between these spatially coincident effectors remains unknown. Here we describe trans and cis binary entry effector interplay (BENEFIT) screens that systematically examine functional associations between effectors following their delivery into the host cell. The results reveal extensive ordered synergistic and antagonistic relationships and their relative potency, and illuminate an unexpectedly sophisticated signaling network evolved through longstanding pathogenâhost interaction
Nuclear translocation of vitellogenin in the honey bee (Apis mellifera)
Vitellogenin (Vg) is a conserved protein used by nearly all oviparous animals to produce eggs. It is also pleiotropic and performs functions in oxidative stress resistance, immunity, and, in honey bees, behavioral development of the worker caste. It has remained enigmatic how Vg affects multiple traits. Here, we asked whether Vg enters the nucleus and acts via DNA-binding. We used cell fractionation, immunohistology, and cell culture to show that a structural subunit of honey bee Vg translocates into cell nuclei. We then demonstrated Vg-DNA binding theoretically and empirically with prediction software and chromatin immunoprecipitation with sequencing (ChIP-seq), finding binding sites at genes influencing immunity and behavior. Finally, we investigated the immunological and enzymatic conditions affecting Vg cleavage and nuclear translocation and constructed a 3D structural model. Our data are the first to show Vg in the nucleus and suggest a new fundamental regulatory role for this ubiquitous protein.Peer reviewe
Chronic inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress and inflammation prevents ischaemia-induced vascular pathology in type II diabetic mice
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and inflammation are important mechanisms that underlie many of the serious consequences of type II diabetes. However, the role of ER stress and inflammation in impaired ischaemia-induced neovascularization in type II diabetes is unknown. We studied ischaemia-induced neovascularization in the hind-limb of 4-week-old db - /db- mice and their controls treated with or without the ER stress inhibitor (tauroursodeoxycholic acid, TUDCA, 150 mg/kg per day) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (anakinra, 0.5 microg/mouse per day) for 4 weeks. Blood pressure was similar in all groups of mice. Blood glucose, insulin levels, and body weight were reduced in db - /db- mice treated with TUDCA. Increased cholesterol and reduced adiponectin in db - /db- mice were restored by TUDCA and anakinra treatment. ER stress and inflammation in the ischaemic hind-limb in db - /db- mice were attenuated by TUDCA and anakinra treatment. Ischaemia-induced neovascularization and blood flow recovery were significantly reduced in db - /db- mice compared to control. Interestingly, neovascularization and blood flow recovery were restored in db - /db- mice treated with TUDCA or anakinra compared to non-treated db - /db- mice. TUDCA and anakinra enhanced eNOS-cGMP, VEGFR2, and reduced ERK1/2 MAP-kinase signalling, while endothelial progenitor cell number was similar in all groups of mice. Our findings demonstrate that the inhibition of ER stress and inflammation prevents impaired ischaemia-induced neovascularization in type II diabetic mice. Thus, ER stress and inflammation could be potential targets for a novel therapeutic approach to prevent impaired ischaemia-induced vascular pathology in type II diabetes
Covariant anomaly and Hawking radiation from the modified black hole in the rainbow gravity theory
Recently, Banerjee and Kulkarni (R. Banerjee, S. Kulkarni, arXiv:0707.2449
[hep-th]) suggested that it is conceptually clean and economical to use only
the covariant anomaly to derive Hawking radiation from a black hole. Based upon
this simplified formalism, we apply the covariant anomaly cancellation method
to investigate Hawking radiation from a modified Schwarzschild black hole in
the theory of rainbow gravity. Hawking temperature of the gravity's rainbow
black hole is derived from the energy-momentum flux by requiring it to cancel
the covariant gravitational anomaly at the horizon. We stress that this
temperature is exactly the same as that calculated by the method of cancelling
the consistent anomaly.Comment: 5 page
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