Regulation of Dendritogenesis in Sympathetic Neurons

In postganglionic sympathetic neurons, the size of the dendritic arbor determines presynaptic convergence, which correlates with tonic activity, and aberrant dendritic morphology is associated with disease. There is, therefore, great interest in understanding how dendritic morphology is regulated in these neurons. Early studies established a role for target-derived nerve growth factor (NGF) in regulating the size of the dendritic arbor of sympathetic neurons in vivo. However, in vitro studies revealed that even in the presence of optimal concentrations of NGF, rat sympathetic neurons cultured in the absence of serum or non-neuronal cells survive and elaborate extensive axonal arbors, but fail to form dendrites. Subsequently, it was discovered that bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) trigger cultured sympathetic neurons to extend a dendritic arbor comparable to that of their in vivo counterparts. The goals of this chapter are to: (i) summarize these early experiments; (ii) discuss evidence substantiating a role for BMPs in glial-induced dendritic growth in vitro and regulation of dendritic growth in vivo; (iii) review what is known about the molecular mechanisms by which NGF, BMPs and other factors influence dendritic arborization of sympathetic neurons; and (iv) identify key data gaps in understanding of how dendrites are regulated in sympathetic neurons

Irreducible tensor approach to spin observables in the photoproduction of mesons with arbitrary spin-parity s{sup {pi}}

A theoretical formalism leading to elegant derivation of formulas for all spin observables is outlined for photoproduction of mesons with arbitrary spin-parity sπ. The salient features of this formalism, based on irreducible tensor techniques, are (i) the number of independent irreducible tensor amplitudes is 4(2s+1), (ii) a single compact formula is sufficient to express these amplitudes in terms of allowed electric and magnetic multipole amplitudes, and (iii) all the spin observables, including beam analyzing powers as well as the differential cross section, are expressible in terms of bilinear irreducible tensors of rank 0 to 2(s+1). The relationship between the irreducible tensor amplitudes and the helicity amplitudes is elucidated in general and explicit expressions for the helicity amplitudes are given in terms of the irreducible tensor amplitudes in the particular cases of pseudoscalar and vector meson photoproduction. The connection between the irreducible tensor amplitudes introduced here and the well-known Chew-Goldberger-Low-Nambu amplitudes for photoproduction of pseudoscalar mesons is also established

Recombinant Expression Screening of P. aeruginosa Bacterial Inner Membrane Proteins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Transmembrane proteins (TM proteins) make up 25% of all proteins and play key roles in many diseases and normal physiological processes. However, much less is known about their structures and molecular mechanisms than for soluble proteins. Problems in expression, solubilization, purification, and crystallization cause bottlenecks in the characterization of TM proteins. This project addressed the need for improved methods for obtaining sufficient amounts of TM proteins for determining their structures and molecular mechanisms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Plasmid clones were obtained that encode eighty-seven transmembrane proteins with varying physical characteristics, for example, the number of predicted transmembrane helices, molecular weight, and grand average hydrophobicity (GRAVY). All the target proteins were from <it>P. aeruginosa</it>, a gram negative bacterial opportunistic pathogen that causes serious lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis. The relative expression levels of the transmembrane proteins were measured under several culture growth conditions. The use of <it>E. coli </it>strains, a T7 promoter, and a 6-histidine C-terminal affinity tag resulted in the expression of 61 out of 87 test proteins (70%). In this study, proteins with a higher grand average hydrophobicity and more transmembrane helices were expressed less well than less hydrophobic proteins with fewer transmembrane helices.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this study, factors related to overall hydrophobicity and the number of predicted transmembrane helices correlated with the relative expression levels of the target proteins. Identifying physical characteristics that correlate with protein expression might aid in selecting the "low hanging fruit", or proteins that can be expressed to sufficient levels using an <it>E. coli </it>expression system. The use of other expression strategies or host species might be needed for sufficient levels of expression of transmembrane proteins with other physical characteristics. Surveys like this one could aid in overcoming the technical bottlenecks in working with TM proteins and could potentially aid in increasing the rate of structure determination.</p

Empirical Determination of Threshold Partial Wave Amplitudes in pp→ppωp p \to p p \omega

Using the model independent irreducible tensor approach to $\omega$ production in $pp$ collisions, we show theoretically that, it is advantageous to measure experimentally the polarization of $\omega$, in addition to the proposed experimental study employing a polarized beam and a polarized target.Comment: 6 pages, 1 Table, Latex-2

Complement C5 and Early Oxygen Kinetics during Murine Sepsis

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74696/1/j.aem.2004.10.025.pd

DNA methylation at the mu-1 opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) promoter predicts preoperative, acute, and chronic postsurgical pain after spine fusion.

INTRODUCTION:The perioperative pain experience shows great interindividual variability and is difficult to predict. The mu-1 opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) is known to play an important role in opioid-pain pathways. Since deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation is a potent repressor of gene expression, DNA methylation was evaluated at the OPRM1 promoter, as a predictor of preoperative, acute, and chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). METHODS:A prospective observational cohort study was conducted in 133 adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis undergoing spine fusion under standard protocols. Data regarding pain, opioid consumption, anxiety, and catastrophizing (using validated questionnaires) were collected before and 2-3 months postsurgery. Outcomes evaluated were preoperative pain, acute postoperative pain (area under curve [AUC] for pain scores over 48 hours), and CPSP (numerical rating scale &gt;3/10 at 2-3 months postsurgery). Blood samples collected preoperatively were analyzed for DNA methylation by pyrosequencing of 22 CpG sites at the OPRM1 gene promoter. The association of each pain outcome with the methylation percentage of each CpG site was assessed using multivariable regression, adjusting for significant (P&lt;0.05) nongenetic variables. RESULTS:Majority (83%) of the patients reported no pain preoperatively, while CPSP occurred in 36% of the subjects (44/121). Regression on dichotomized preoperative pain outcome showed association with methylation at six CpG sites (1, 3, 4, 9, 11, and 17) (P&lt;0.05). Methylation at CpG sites 4, 17, and 18 was associated with higher AUC after adjusting for opioid consumption and preoperative pain score (P&lt;0.05). After adjusting for postoperative opioid consumption and preoperative pain score, methylation at CpG sites 13 and 22 was associated with CPSP (P&lt;0.05). DISCUSSION:Novel CPSP biomarkers were identified in an active regulatory region of the OPRM1 gene that binds multiple transcription factors. Inhibition of binding by DNA methylation potentially decreases the OPRM1 gene expression, leading to a decreased response to endogenous and exogenous opioids, and an increased pain experience