674 research outputs found
Supervillin slows cell spreading by facilitating myosin II activation at the cell periphery
During cell migration, myosin II modulates adhesion, cell protrusion and actin organization at the leading edge. We show that an F-actin- and membrane-associated scaffolding protein, called supervillin (SV, p205), binds directly to the subfragment 2 domains of nonmuscle myosin IIA and myosin IIB and to the N-terminus of the long form of myosin light chain kinase (L-MLCK). SV inhibits cell spreading via an MLCK- and myosin II-dependent mechanism. Overexpression of SV reduces the rate of cell spreading, and RNAi-mediated knockdown of endogenous SV increases it. Endogenous and EGFP-tagged SV colocalize with, and enhance the formation of, cortical bundles of F-actin and activated myosin II during early cell spreading. The effects of SV are reversed by inhibition of myosin heavy chain (MHC) ATPase (blebbistatin), MLCK (ML-7) or MEK (U0126), but not by inhibiting Rho-kinase with Y-27632. Flag-tagged L-MLCK co-localizes in cortical bundles with EGFP-SV, and kinase-dead L-MLCK disorganizes these bundles. The L-MLCK- and myosin-binding site in SV, SV1-171, rearranges and co-localizes with mono- and di-phosphorylated myosin light chain and with L-MLCK, but not with the short form of MLCK (S-MLCK) or with myosin phosphatase. Thus, the membrane protein SV apparently contributes to myosin II assembly during cell spreading by modulating myosin II regulation by L-MLCK
UV observations of the galaxy cluster Abell 1795 with the optical monitor on XMM-Newton
We present the results of an analysis of broad band UV observations of the
central regions of Abell 1795 observed with the optical monitor on XMM-Newton.
As have been found with other UV observations of the central regions of
clusters of galaxies, we find evidence for star formation. However, we also
find evidence for absorption in the cD galaxy on a more extended scale than has
been seen with optical imaging. We also report the first UV observation of part
of the filamentary structure seen in H, X-rays and very deep U band
imaging. The part of the filament we see is very blue with UV colours
consistent with a very early (O/B) stellar population. This is the first direct
evidence of a dominant population of early type stars at the centre of Abell
1795 and implies very recent star formation at the centre of this clusterComment: 6 pages, 3 figures accepted by A&A Letter
X-ray Spectroscopy of the Cluster of Galaxies Abell 1795 with XMM-Newton
The initial results from XMM-Newton observations of the rich cluster of
galaxies Abell 1795 are presented. The spatially-resolved X-ray spectra taken
by the European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPIC) show a temperature drop at a
radius of kpc from the cluster center, indicating that the ICM is
cooling. Both the EPIC and the Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS) spectra
extracted from the cluster center can be described by an isothermal model with
a temperature of keV. The volume emission measure of any cool
component ( keV) is less than a few % of the hot component at the cluster
center. A strong OVIII Lyman-alpha line was detected with the RGS from the
cluster core. The O abundance and its ratio to Fe at the cluster center is
0.2--0.5 and 0.5--1.5 times the solar value, respectively.Comment: Accepted: A&A Letters, 2001, 6 page
Discovery of a binary AGN in the ultraluminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240 using Chandra
Ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) are outstanding due to their huge
luminosity output in the infrared, which is predominantly powered by super
starbursts and/or hidden active galactic nuclei (AGN). NGC 6240 is one of the
nearest ULIRGs and is considered a key representative of its class.
Here, we report the first high-resolution imaging spectroscopy of NGC 6240 in
X-rays. The observation, performed with the ACIS-S detector aboard the Chandra
X-ray observatory, led to the discovery of two hard nuclei, coincident with the
optical-IR nuclei of NGC 6240. The AGN character of both nuclei is revealed by
the detection of absorbed hard, luminous X-ray emission and two strong neutral
Fe_K_alpha lines. In addition, extended X-ray emission components are present,
changing their rich structure in dependence of energy. The close correlation of
the extended emission with the optical Halpha emission of NGC 6240, in
combination with the softness of its spectrum, clearly indicates its relation
to starburst-driven superwind activity.Comment: ApJ Letters in press, 7 colour figures included; preprint and related
papers on NGC 6240 also available at http://www.xray.mpe.mpg.de/~skomossa
On the Flux-Across-Surfaces Theorem
The quantum probability flux of a particle integrated over time and a distant
surface gives the probability for the particle crossing that surface at some
time. We prove the free Flux-Across-Surfaces Theorem, which was conjectured by
Combes, Newton and Shtokhamer, and which relates the integrated quantum flux to
the usual quantum mechanical formula for the cross section. The integrated
quantum flux is equal to the probability of outward crossings of surfaces by
Bohmian trajectories in the scattering regime.Comment: 13 pages, latex, 1 figure, very minor revisions, to appear in Letters
in Mathematical Physics, Vol. 38, Nr.
Highly Frequent Mutations in Negative Regulators of Multiple Virulence Genes in Group A Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome Isolates
Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is a severe invasive infection characterized by the sudden onset of shock and multiorgan failure; it has a high mortality rate. Although a number of studies have attempted to determine the crucial factors behind the onset of STSS, the responsible genes in group A Streptococcus have not been clarified. We previously reported that mutations of csrS/csrR genes, a two-component negative regulator system for multiple virulence genes of Streptococcus pyogenes, are found among the isolates from STSS patients. In the present study, mutations of another negative regulator, rgg, were also found in clinical isolates of STSS patients. The rgg mutants from STSS clinical isolates enhanced lethality and impaired various organs in the mouse models, similar to the csrS mutants, and precluded their being killed by human neutrophils, mainly due to an overproduction of SLO. When we assessed the mutation frequency of csrS, csrR, and rgg genes among S. pyogenes isolates from STSS (164 isolates) and non-invasive infections (59 isolates), 57.3% of the STSS isolates had mutations of one or more genes among three genes, while isolates from patients with non-invasive disease had significantly fewer mutations in these genes (1.7%). The results of the present study suggest that mutations in the negative regulators csrS/csrR and rgg of S. pyogenes are crucial factors in the pathogenesis of STSS, as they lead to the overproduction of multiple virulence factors
An evolution equation as the WKB correction in long-time asymptotics of Schrodinger dynamics
We consider 3d Schrodinger operator with long-range potential that has
short-range radial derivative. The long-time asymptotics of non-stationary
problem is studied and existence of modified wave operators is proved. It turns
out, the standard WKB correction should be replaced by the solution to certain
evolution equation.Comment: This is a preprint of an article whose final and definitive form has
been published in Comm. Partial Differential Equations, available online at
http://www.informaworld.co
A possible route to spontaneous reduction of the heat conductivity by a temperature gradient driven instability in electron-ion plasmas
We have shown that there exists low-frequency growing modes driven by a
global temperature gradient in electron and ion plasmas, by linear perturbation
analysis within the frame work of plasma Kinetic theory. The driving force of
the instability is the local deviation of the distribution function from the
Maxwell-Boltzmann due to global temperature gradient. Application to the
intracluster medium shows that scattering of the particles due to waves excited
by the instability is possible to reduce mean free paths of electron and ion
down to five to seven order of magnitude than the mean free paths due to
Coulomb collisions. This may provide a hint to explain why hot and cool gas can
co-exist in the intracluster medium in spite of the very short evaporation time
scale due to thermal conduction if the conductivity is the classical Spitzer
value. Our results suggest that the realization of the global thermal
equilibrium is postponed by the local instability which is induced for quicker
realization of local thermal equilibrium state in plasmas. The instability
provides a new possibility to create and grow cosmic magnetic fields without
any seed magnetic field.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ: 16 pages, 1figur
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