Meiotic sex chromosome cohesion and autosomal synapsis are supported by Esco2.

In mitotic cells, establishment of sister chromatid cohesion requires acetylation of the cohesin subunit SMC3 (acSMC3) by ESCO1 and/or ESCO2. Meiotic cohesin plays additional but poorly understood roles in the formation of chromosome axial elements (AEs) and synaptonemal complexes. Here, we show that levels of ESCO2, acSMC3, and the pro-cohesion factor sororin increase on meiotic chromosomes as homologs synapse. These proteins are less abundant on the largely unsynapsed sex chromosomes, whose sister chromatid cohesion appears weaker throughout the meiotic prophase. Using three distinct conditional Esco2 knockout mouse strains, we demonstrate that ESCO2 is essential for male gametogenesis. Partial depletion of ESCO2 in prophase I spermatocytes delays chromosome synapsis and further weakens cohesion along sex chromosomes, which show extensive separation of AEs into single chromatids. Unsynapsed regions of autosomes are associated with the sex chromatin and also display split AEs. This study provides the first evidence for a specific role of ESCO2 in mammalian meiosis, identifies a particular ESCO2 dependence of sex chromosome cohesion and suggests support of autosomal synapsis by acSMC3-stabilized cohesion

Interface layer to improve polystyrene attachment on a quartz crystal resonator

Se describe el empleo de técnicas de formación de películas tendientes a mejorar el funcionamiento de un resonador de cristal de cuarzo (QCR); dichas tecnologías fueron, por ejemplo, preparaciones de recubrimiento mediante los métodos de spin y Langmuir-Blodgett (LB). La uniformidad y homogeneidad de la película sobre el cristal de cuarzo es fundamental para las aplicaciones que tiene un resonador como sensor químico y biológico. Se formaron películas de poliestireno (PS) y de cloruro de polivinilo (PVC) en solventes como ciclohexanona, tetrahidrofurano (THF), dimetilformamida y cloroformo a diferentes concentraciones, usando el procedimiento de cubrimiento por spin en soportes corrugados tipo wafer. La calidad de las películas fue determinada usando microscopía óptica, elipsometría y perfilometría. Además, se prepararon películas en soportes corrugados y en QRC con superficie de oro por irrigación de la mencionada sustancia en una subfase acuosa y transfiriéndola por impregnación de la superficie de subfase en el soporte. Para la preparación de la película LB se empleó ácido araquídico y partículas de PS. Las preparaciones de películas de monocapa y multicapa de estas sustancias en soportes corrugados o en superficies de cuarzo doradas se controlaron adicionalmente por espectrometría IR. El comportamiento resonante del QCR antes y después del recubrimiento de su superficie se midió con un analizador de red. En combinación con una interfaz gráfica los datos se pudieron fácilmente grabar y observar.Technologies for thin film deposition have been used to improve the functionalization of quartz crystal resonators (QCR); such technologies, for example, are spin coating and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film preparation. These experiments are required because the film uniformity and homogeneity over the quartz crystal resonator are fundamental for its applications as chemical and biological sensors. Film deposition of polystyrene (PS) particles, as well as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), was performed in solvents such as cyclohexanone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), dimethylformamide and chloroform at different concentrations using the spin coating procedure on wafer targets. The film quality was determined by optical microscopy, ellipsometry, and profilometry. Additionally, films on wafers or QCR with gold surface have been prepared by spreading the mentioned substances on an aqueous subphase and transferring it by dipping from the subphase surface onto the target. For LB film preparation arachidic acid and PS particles have been used. Prepared mono- or multilayered films of these substances on wafer or gold quartzes have been controlled additionally by IR-spectrometry. The resonant behavior of QCR before and after surface coating has been measured with a network analyzer. In combination with a graphical user interface the data could be easily recorded and visualized

Prostaglandin E2 affects differently the release of inflammatory mediators from resident macrophages by LPS and muramyl tripeptides.

LPS and MTP-PE (liposome-encapsulated N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl-L-alanine-2-:[1',2'dipalmitoyl -sni-glycero-3-(hydroxy-phosphoryl-oxyl)] etylamide) induce in liver macrophages a synthesis and release of TNF-alpha, nitric oxide and prostanoids. Both agents induce an expression of mRNA's encoding TNF-alpha, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and of corresponding proteins. LPS and MTP-PE induce a rapid activation of the extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) isoenzymes-1 and -2. Inhibition of map kinase isoenzymes leads to a decreased release of TNF-alpha, nitric oxide and prostaglandin (PG) E2 after both agents. The transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1 are strongly activated by LPS within 30 minutes. MTP-PE induces a weak activation of both transcription factors only after 5 hours. Inhibition of NF-kappaB inhibits the LPS- but not the MTP-PE-induced release of TNF-alpha, nitric oxide and PGE2. PGE2 release after LPS is higher than after MTP-PE. Exogenously added PGE2 inhibits the activation of map kinase and TNF-alpha release by LPS, but not by MTP-PE. Release of nitric oxide after LPS and MTP-PE is enhanced after prior addition of PGE2. PGD2 is without any effect. MTP-PE, but not LPS, induces a cytotoxicity of Kupffer cells against P815 tumor target cells. The MTP-PE-induced cytotoxicity is reduced by TNF-alpha neutralizing antibodies, indicating the involvement of TNF-alpha. Thus our results suggest that the different potencies of LPS and MTP-PE as immunomodulators probably result from different actions on Kupffer cells, resulting in differences in the amounts and kinetics of released TNF-alpha and PGE2, and that PGE2 plays an important regulatory role in the action of LPS, but not in the actions of MTP-PE

Detecting metal-rich intermediate-age globular clusters in NGC4570 using K-band photometry

“The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com”. Copyright Springer. DOI: 10.1007/s10509-009-0093-8Globular cluster systems (GCSs) of most early-type galaxies feature two peaks in their optical colour distributions. Blue-peak globular clusters (GCs) are believed to be old and metal-poor, whereas the ages, metallicities, and the origin of the red-peak GCs are still being debated. We obtained deep K-band photometry and combined it with Hubble Space Telescope observations in g and z to yield a full spectral energy distribution from the optical to the near-infrared. This now allows us to break the age–metallicity degeneracy. We used our evolutionary synthesis models galev for star clusters to compute a large grid of models with different metallicities and a wide range of ages. Comparing these models to our observations revealed a large population of intermediate-age (1–3 Gyr) and metal-rich (≈solar-metallicity) GCs, that will give us further insights into the formation history of this galaxy.Peer reviewe

Why the Realist-Instrumentalist Debate about Rational Choice Rests on a Mistake

Within the social sciences, much controversy exists about which status should be ascribed to the rationality assumption that forms the core of rational choice theories. Whilst realists argue that the rationality assumption is an empirical claim which describes real processes that cause individual action, instrumentalists maintain that it amounts to nothing more than an analytically set axiom or ‘as if’ hypothesis which helps in the generation of accurate predictions. In this paper, I argue that this realist-instrumentalist debate about rational choice theory can be overcome once it is realised that the rationality assumption is neither an empirical description nor an ‘as if’ hypothesis, but a normative claim

Immunoadsorption of agonistic autoantibodies against α1-adrenergic receptors in patients with mild to moderate dementia

Dementia has been shown to be associated with agonistic autoantibodies. The deleterious action of autoantibodies on the {alpha}1-adrenergic receptor for brain vasculature has been demonstrated in animal studies. In the current study, 169 patients with dementia were screened for the presence of agonistic autoantibodies. 47% of patients suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and/or vascular dementia carried these autoantibodies. Eight patients positive for autoantibodies underwent immunoadsorption. Patients treated on four consecutive days were subsequently negative for autoantibodies and displayed stabilization of cognitive and mental condition during 12-18 months' follow-up. In patients treated for 2-3 days, autoantibodies were reduced by only 78%. They suffered a rebound of autoantibodies during follow-up, benefited from immunoadsorption too, but their mental parameters worsened. We provide first data on the clinical relevance of agonistic autoantibodies in dementia and show that immunoadsorption is safe and efficient in removing autoantibodies with overall benefits for patients

HVS7: a chemically peculiar hyper-velocity star

Context: Hyper-velocity stars are suggested to originate from the dynamical interaction of binary stars with the supermassive black hole in the Galactic centre (GC), which accelerates one component of the binary to beyond the Galactic escape velocity. Aims: The evolutionary status and GC origin of the HVS SDSS J113312.12+010824.9 (HVS7) is constrained from a detailed study of its stellar parameters and chemical composition. Methods: High-resolution spectra of HVS7 obtained with UVES on the ESO VLT were analysed using state-of-the-art NLTE/LTE modelling techniques that can account for a chemically-peculiar composition via opacity sampling. Results: Instead of the expected slight enrichments of alpha-elements and near-solar Fe, huge chemical peculiarities of all elements are apparent. The He abundance is very low (<1/100 solar), C, N and O are below the detection limit, i.e they are underabundant (<1/100, <1/3 and <1/10 solar). Heavier elements, however, are overabundant: the iron group by a factor of ~10, P, Co and Cl by factors ~40, 80 and 440 and rare-earth elements and Hg even by ~10000. An additional finding, relevant also for other chemically peculiar stars are the large NLTE effects on abundances of TiII and FeII (~0.6-0.7dex). The derived abundance pattern of HVS7 is characteristic for the class of chemical peculiar magnetic B stars on the main sequence. The chemical composition and high vsini=55+-2km/s render a low mass nature of HVS7 as a blue horizontal branch star unlikely. Conclusions: Such a surface abundance pattern is caused by atomic diffusion in a possibly magnetically stabilised, non-convective atmosphere. Hence all chemical information on the star's place of birth and its evolution has been washed out. High precision astrometry is the only means to validate a GC origin for HVS7.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Evidence of d-wave Superconductivity in K_(1-x)Na_xFe_2As_2 (x = 0, 0.1) Single Crystals from Low-Temperature Specific Heat Measurements

From the measurement and analysis of the specific heat of high-quality K_(1-x)Na_xFe_2As_2 single crystals we establish the presence of large T^2 contributions with coefficients alpha_sc ~ 30 mJ/mol K^3 at low-T for both x=0 and 0.1. Together with the observed square root field behavior of the specific heat in the superconducting state both findings evidence d-wave superconductivity on almost all Fermi surface sheets with an average gap amplitude of Delta_0 in the range of 0.4 - 0.8 meV. The derived Delta_0 and the observed T_c agree well with the values calculated within the Eliashberg theory, adopting a spin-fluctuation mediated pairing in the intermediate coupling regime.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, field dependence of the specific heat added, slightly changed title, changed sequence of authors, one author added, accepted by Phys. Rev. B Rapid Communication