Phosphorescent Sensor for Phosphorylated Peptides Based on an Iridium Complex

A bis­[(4,6-difluorophenyl)­pyridinato-<i>N</i>,<i>C</i>^2′]­iridium­(III) picolinate (FIrpic) derivative coupled with bis­(Zn²⁺–dipicolylamine) (ZnDPA) was developed as a sensor (<b>1</b>) for phosphorylated peptides, which are related to many cellular mechanisms. As a control, a fluorescent sensor (<b>2</b>) based on anthracene coupled to ZnDPA was also prepared. When the total negative charge on the phosphorylated peptides was changed to −2, −4, and −6, the emission intensity of sensor <b>1</b> gradually increased by factors of up to 7, 11, and 16, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in the emission intensity of sensor <b>1</b> upon the addition of a neutral phosphorylated peptide, non-phosphorylated peptides, or various anions such as CO₃^2–, NO₃^–, SO₄^2–, phosphate, azide, and pyrophosphate. Furthermore, sensor <b>1</b> could be used to visually discriminate between phosphorylated peptides and adenosine triphosphate in aqueous solution under a UV–vis lamp, unlike fluorescent sensor <b>2</b>. This enhanced luminance of phosphorescent sensor <b>1</b> upon binding to a phosphorylated peptide is attributed to a reduction in the repulsion between the Zn²⁺ ions due to the phenoxy anion, its strong metal-to-ligand charge transfer character, and a reduction in self-quenching

Number of BCG scars and TST-positive rates according to age at the time of examination.

<p>Number of BCG scars and TST-positive rates according to age at the time of examination.</p

Probes showing altered regulation between greenhouse and field grown cotton.

<p>Each number represents the number of probes that showed altered expression between field and greenhouse conditions. Samples shown are 12 days post anthesis fibers. The included Gene Ontology labels are selected representative categories identified by Gene Ontology Enrichement Analysis conducted on AgriGO.</p

TST positivity over 5 years.

<p>(A) TST positivity rates for all participants. (B) TST positivity rates for participants with no BCG scar or history of TB. A positive TST was defined as induration with a diameter of ≥5 mm, ≥10 mm, ≥15 mm, or ≥20 mm. Error bar indicates 95% confidence interval. TST = Tuberculin skin test.</p

TST results according to different characteristics.

<p>TST: tuberculin skin test.</p

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Short Fiber Mutants Ligon-Lintless 1 And 2 Reveals Common Mechanisms Pertinent to Fiber Elongation in Cotton (<i>Gossypium hirsutum</i> L.)

<div><p>Understanding the molecular processes affecting cotton (<i>Gossypium hirsutum</i>) fiber development is important for developing tools aimed at improving fiber quality. Short fiber cotton mutants Ligon-lintless 1 (<i>Li₁</i>) and Ligon-lintless 2 (<i>Li₂</i>) are naturally occurring, monogenic mutations residing on different chromosomes. Both mutations cause early cessation in fiber elongation. These two mutants serve as excellent model systems to elucidate molecular mechanisms relevant to fiber length development. Previous studies of these mutants using transcriptome analysis by our laboratory and others had been limited by the fact that very large numbers of genes showed altered expression patterns in the mutants, making a targeted analysis difficult or impossible. In this research, a comparative microarray analysis was conducted using these two short fiber mutants and their near isogenic wild type (WT) grown under both field and greenhouse environments in order to identify key genes or metabolic pathways common to fiber elongation. Analyses of three transcriptome profiles obtained from different growth conditions and mutant types showed that most differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were affected by growth conditions. Under field conditions, short fiber mutants commanded higher expression of genes related to energy production, manifested by the increasing of mitochondrial electron transport activity or responding to reactive oxygen species when compared to the WT. Eighty-eight DEGs were identified to have altered expression patterns common to both short fiber mutants regardless of growth conditions. Enrichment, pathway and expression analyses suggested that these 88 genes were likely involved in fiber elongation without being affected by growth conditions.</p></div

Baseline characteristics of participants.

*<p>Data available for 2010–2011 only.</p

Number of BCG scars and TST-positive rates according to year of birth.

<p>BCG = Bacille Calmette-Guérin.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Linguistic, visuospatial, and kinematic writing characteristics in cognitively impaired patients with beta-amyloid deposition.docx

IntroductionBeta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), begins before dementia and is an important factor in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Aβ deposition is a recognized risk factor for various cognitive impairments and has been reported to affect motor performance as well. This study aimed to identify the linguistic, visuospatial, and kinematic characteristics evident in the writing performance of patients with cognitive impairment (CI) who exhibit Aβ deposition.MethodsA total of 31 patients diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) with Aβ deposition, 26 patients with Alzheimer’s-type dementia, and 33 healthy control (HC) participants without deposition were administered tasks involving dictation of 60 regular words, irregular words, and non-words consisting of 1–4 syllables. Responses from all participants were collected and analyzed through digitized writing tests and analysis tools.ResultsIn terms of linguistic aspects, as cognitive decline progressed, performance in the dictation of irregular words decreased, with errors observed in substituting the target grapheme with other graphemes. The aMCI group frequently exhibited corrective aspects involving letter rewriting during the task. In terms of visuospatial aspects, the AD group displayed more errors in grapheme combination compared to the HC group. Lastly, in the kinematic aspects, both the aMCI group and the AD group exhibited slower writing speeds compared to the HC group.DiscussionThe findings suggest that individuals in the CI group exhibited lower performance in word dictation tasks than those in the HC group, and these results possibly indicate complex cognitive-language-motor deficits resulting from temporal-parietal lobe damage, particularly affecting spelling processing. These results provide valuable clinical insights into understanding linguistic-visuospatial-kinematic aspects that contribute to the early diagnosis of CI with Aβ deposition.</p

Annotation of common DEGs identified from both <i>Li₁</i> and <i>Li₂</i> mutants regardless of growth conditions.

<p>Annotation of common DEGs identified from both <i>Li₁</i> and <i>Li₂</i> mutants regardless of growth conditions.</p