The role(s) of arginine-specific mono(ADP-ribosyl)transferase in skeletal muscle cells

The overall goal of this research project was to examine the biological function of arginine-specific mono(ADP-ribosyl) transferase in skeletal muscle cells. To better understand the function of this enzyme in skeletal muscle, the experimental approach to accomplish this goal consisted of two specific objectives. The first objective was to identify the protein substrates for this enzyme in myogenic cell cultures and cellular fractions. Embryonic chick primary muscle cell cultures were used as a working system for this purpose. In membrane fractions of 96-h myotube cultures incubated with [[superscript]32 P]NAD under conditions selected for mono(ADP-ribosyl)ation, proteins of 127,000, 56,000 and 36,000 Da were predominately labeled. Based on the inhibitory effects of two inhibitors, novobiocin and meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), as well as the reducing agent, DTT, on ADP-ribosylation of muscle membrane proteins, two potential intracellular target substrates with molecular masses of 56 kDa and 36 kDa were identified. The result of an immunoblot assay where rabbit antiserum specific for desmin reacted with 56 kDa protein strongly suggests that 56 kDa protein might be desmin;The second objective was to examine the enzymology of muscle ADP-ribosyltransferase using the defined protein substrate(s) and to characterize the enzyme by expressing it in bacterial systems. Muscle specific intermediate filament protein type III, desmin, was found to be an excellent substrate for the purified muscle transferase in vitro. Results from sedimentation and electron microscopy experiments showed that ADP-ribosylation of desmin resulted in a remarkable inhibition of desmin polymerization into 10 nm filaments. Additionally, ADP-ribosylation caused a significant inhibition of phosphorylation of desmin by the catalytic subunit of phosphokinase A. Fragmentation of desmin by lysyl endopeptidase revealed that the ADP-ribosylation site was located within the head domain of desmin that has been suggested to play an important role in filament formation;To better understand muscle ADP-ribosyltransferase structure and catalytic properties, significant amounts of pure enzyme are needed. To this regard, skeletal muscle arginine-specific mono(ADP-ribosyl) transferase has been expressed in E. coli. The enzyme appears in the inclusion bodies and a method using the combination of oxidized and reduced glutathione and a pair of refolding assistants, polyoxyethylene 10 lauryl ether (POE10L) and [beta]-cyclodextrin, was successfully used to yield the active enzyme

Ambiguity in the Negative V+bo NP Construction in Taiwanese Southern Min

PACLIC 21 / Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea / November 1-3, 200

An Analysis of Information Systems Research in Chinese Mainland

This study examines information systems (IS) research in Chinese Mainland in recent years and identifies the similarities and the differences between international and Chinese IS research in terms of research topics and research methods. The data consists of a total of 410 research papers published in ten leading Chinese academic journals related to IS over the five-year period from 1999 to 2004. Compared to IS research abroad, the following may be said of Chinese IS research: (1) Systems-related issues, especially system design issues, system implementation, analytical models and tools, DSS/ESS/EIS are emphasized in research topics, whereas human-related and research methodologies issues are scarce. (2) Empirical studies, including case study, survey and experiment, are few and far between. (3) The majority of non-empirical studies focus on applications and conceptual description of IS, mainly in different applied fields and introducing or illustrating hot topics abroad. The general shift from traditional issues such as system design to non-technical problems is still continuing. There is a need to go beyond mere description of IS related phenomenon and to move away from non-empirical to empirical studies

A Study on the Management Effectiveness and Problems of Tribal Colleges in Taiwan

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the development background and objectives of indigenous tribal colleges, and to understand the effectiveness and problems of its management in Taiwan. After SWOT analysis, the main findings are as follows: 1. Advantages: the unique culture of indigenous people is an opportunity for economic development. In addition, the protection of laws and regulations is the main advantage of tribal college. 2. Weakness: under the current economic system, the indigenous people are limited in land use, inconvenient transportation, inadequate agricultural technology, and unsmooth sales channels, which limit their economic development. 3. Threats: because the population flows to the city, the tribal people do not understand what kind of institution the tribal university is, and some of the funds have to be paid by the learners themselves, resulting in the low participation of the tribal people. Moreover, the units that handle tribal college are almost different every year, which affects the preservation of data. 4. Opportunities: the existence of tribal college also provides an opportunity for the inheritance and reconstruction of indigenous culture. Based on the above analysis, this study puts forward relevant suggestions for the management of tribal colleg

Determination of Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy in Fe/MgO/Fe Magnetic Tunnel Junction: A DFT-Based Spin-Orbit Torque Approach

In our JunPy package, we have successfully combined the self-consistent Hamiltonian from first-principles calculations with the nonequilibrium Green's function method to calculate the noncollinear spin torque in the nm-scale magnetic heterojunctions. The spin-orbit coupling within the first-principles calculations is included to determine the magnetic anisotropy (MA) of an Fe/MgO/Fe magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) with a spin-orbit torque (SOT) method. The angular dependence of accumulative SOT indicates the biaxial and uniaxial MA corresponding to the in-plane and out-of-plane rotations of the free magnetization, respectively. Our results agree with the conventional MA energy calculation for a whole MTJ and provide insights into micro-spin dynamics of local magnetic moments.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Studies towards the Total Asymmetric Synthesis of the Pentacyclic Indole Alkaloid Arboflorine: Asymmetric Synthesis of a Key Intermediate

The synthesis of a plausible key intermediate for a biomimetic asymmetric synthesis of indole alkaloid arboflorine is described. The method featured the use of Ellman's sulfinamide chemistry for the establishment of the first chiral center, and the Polonovski-Potier reaction for the formation of the alpha-aminonitrile moiety.NSF of China[20832005]; NFFTBS[J1030415]; National Basic Research Program (973 Program) of China[2010CB833200