613 research outputs found
Expression of the RAE-1 Family of Stimulatory NK-Cell Ligands Requires Activation of the PI3K Pathway during Viral Infection and Transformation
Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes that play a major role in the elimination of virally-infected cells and tumor cells. NK cells recognize and target abnormal cells through activation of stimulatory receptors such as NKG2D. NKG2D ligands are self-proteins, which are absent or expressed at low levels on healthy cells but are induced upon cellular stress, transformation, or viral infection. The exact molecular mechanisms driving expression of these ligands remain poorly understood. Here we show that murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection activates the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway and that this activation is required for the induction of the RAE-1 family of mouse NKG2D ligands. Among the multiple PI3K catalytic subunits, inhibition of the p110α catalytic subunit blocks this induction. Similarly, inhibition of p110α PI3K reduces cell surface expression of RAE-1 on transformed cells. Many viruses manipulate the PI3K pathway, and tumors frequently mutate the p110α oncogene. Thus, our findings suggest that dysregulation of the PI3K pathway is an important signal to induce expression of RAE-1, and this may represent a commonality among various types of cellular stresses that result in the induction of NKG2D ligands
Time-convolutionless reduced-density-operator theory of a noisy quantum channel: a two-bit quantum gate for quantum information processing
An exact reduced-density-operator for the output quantum states in
time-convolutionless form was derived by solving the quantum Liouville equation
which governs the dynamics of a noisy quantum channel by using a projection
operator method and both advanced and retarded propagators in time. The
formalism developed in this work is general enough to model a noisy quantum
channel provided specific forms of the Hamiltonians for the system, reservoir,
and the mutual interaction between the system and the reservoir are given.
Then, we apply the formulation to model a two-bit quantum gate composed of
coupled spin systems in which the Heisenberg coupling is controlled by the
tunneling barrier between neighboring quantum dots. Gate Characteristics
including the entropy, fidelity, and purity are calculated numerically for both
mixed and entangled initial states
Aspects of the dynamics of colloidal suspensions: Further results of the mode-coupling theory of structural relaxation
Results of the idealized mode-coupling theory for the structural relaxation
in suspensions of hard-sphere colloidal particles are presented and discussed
with regard to recent light scattering experiments. The structural relaxation
becomes non-diffusive for long times, contrary to the expectation based on the
de Gennes narrowing concept. A semi-quantitative connection of the wave vector
dependences of the relaxation times and amplitudes of the final
-relaxation explains the approximate scaling observed by Segr{\`e} and
Pusey [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 77}, 771 (1996)]. Asymptotic expansions lead to a
qualitative understanding of density dependences in generalized Stokes-Einstein
relations. This relation is also generalized to non-zero frequencies thereby
yielding support for a reasoning by Mason and Weitz [Phys. Rev. Lett {\bf 74},
1250 (1995)]. The dynamics transient to the structural relaxation is discussed
with models incorporating short-time diffusion and hydrodynamic interactions
for short times.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures; to be published in Phys. Rev.
Langevin Equation for the Rayleigh model with finite-ranged interactions
Both linear and nonlinear Langevin equations are derived directly from the
Liouville equation for an exactly solvable model consisting of a Brownian
particle of mass interacting with ideal gas molecules of mass via a
quadratic repulsive potential. Explicit microscopic expressions for all kinetic
coefficients appearing in these equations are presented. It is shown that the
range of applicability of the Langevin equation, as well as statistical
properties of random force, may depend not only on the mass ratio but
also by the parameter , involving the average number of molecules in
the interaction zone around the particle. For the case of a short-ranged
potential, when , analysis of the Langevin equations yields previously
obtained results for a hard-wall potential in which only binary collisions are
considered. For the finite-ranged potential, when multiple collisions are
important (), the model describes nontrivial dynamics on time scales
that are on the order of the collision time, a regime that is usually beyond
the scope of more phenomenological models.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Crystal constructions in Number Theory
Weyl group multiple Dirichlet series and metaplectic Whittaker functions can
be described in terms of crystal graphs. We present crystals as parameterized
by Littelmann patterns and we give a survey of purely combinatorial
constructions of prime power coefficients of Weyl group multiple Dirichlet
series and metaplectic Whittaker functions using the language of crystal
graphs. We explore how the branching structure of crystals manifests in these
constructions, and how it allows access to some intricate objects in number
theory and related open questions using tools of algebraic combinatorics
Effect of temperature on rheology behaviour of banana peel pectin extracted using hot compressed water
Banana peel pectin is extracted from banana peel waste using a hot compressed water extraction (140-160°C, 5 minutes, 1.18 mm particle size). Physicochemical contents of banana peel pectin were found to be in a similar range with commercial pectin, and is comprised of moisture (7.44-8.47%), ash (3.45-4.98%), protein (1.08-1.92%), fat (0.04-3.42), carbohydrate (83-86%), total sugar (1.77-3.41%), energy (353-369 kcal/100g) and specific heat (1.42-1.62 kJ/kg°C). These contents possibly related to their flow deformation of rheological behaviour. Regression analysis displayed good agreements in all models applied, apart from the Casson Model. Flow behaviour indices, n<1 and decreasing of apparent viscosity within increasing of shear rate indicates that banana peel pectin has excellent shear thinning behaviour with a presence of yield stress
Renormalization Theory of Stochastic Growth
An analytical renormalization group treatment is presented of a model which,
for one value of parameters, is equivalent to diffusion limited aggregation.
The fractal dimension of DLA is computed to be 2-1/2+1/5=1.7. Higher
multifractal exponents are also calculated and found in agreement with
numerical results. It may be possible to use this technique to describe the
dielectric breakdown model as well, which is given by different parameter
values.Comment: 39 pages, LaTeX, 11 figure
The DNA Glycosylases Ogg1 and Nth1 Do Not Contribute to Ig Class Switching in Activated Mouse Splenic B Cells
During activation of B cells to undergo class switching, B cell metabolism is increased, and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are increased. ROS can oxidize DNA bases resulting in substrates for the DNA glycosylases Ogg1 and Nth1. Ogg1 and Nth1 excise oxidized bases, and nick the resulting abasic sites, forming single-strand DNA breaks (SSBs) as intermediates during the repair process. In this study, we asked whether splenic B cells from mice deficient in these two enzymes would show altered class switching and decreased DNA breaks in comparison with wild-type mice. As the c-myc gene frequently recombines with the IgH S region in B cells induced to undergo class switching, we also analyzed the effect of deletion of these two glycosylases on DSBs in the c-myc gene. We did not detect a reduction in S region or c-myc DSBs or in class switching in splenic B cells from Ogg1- or Nth1-deficient mice or from mice deficient in both enzymes
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