74 research outputs found
A Microscopic View on the Mott transition in Chromium-doped V2O3
V2O3 is the prototype system for the Mott transition, one of the most
fundamental phenomena of electronic correlation. Temperature, doping or
pressure induce a metal to insulator transition (MIT) between a paramagnetic
metal (PM) and a paramagnetic insulator (PI). This or related MITs have a high
technological potential, among others for intelligent windows and field effect
transistors. However the spatial scale on which such transitions develop is not
known in spite of their importance for research and applications. Here we
unveil for the first time the MIT in Cr-doped V2O3 with submicron lateral
resolution: with decreasing temperature, microscopic domains become metallic
and coexist with an insulating background. This explains why the associated PM
phase is actually a poor metal. The phase separation can be associated with a
thermodynamic instability near the transition. This instability is reduced by
pressure which drives a genuine Mott transition to an eventually homogeneous
metallic state.Comment: Paper plus supplementary materia
Dislocations and the enhancement of superconductivity in odd-parity superconductor SrRuO
We report observation of the enhancement of superconductivity near lattice
dislocations and the absence of the strengthening of vortex pinning in
odd-parity superconductor SrRuO, both surprising results in direct
contrast to the well known sensitivity of superconductivity in SrRuO to
disorder. The enhanced superconductivity appears to be related fundamentally to
the two-component nature of the superconducting order parameter, as revealed in
our phenomenological theory taking into account the effect of symmetry
reduction near a dislocation.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter
Identification and Characterization of Mechanism of Action of P61-E7, a Novel Phosphine Catalysis-Based Inhibitor of Geranylgeranyltransferase-I
Small molecule inhibitors of protein geranylgeranyltransferase-I (GGTase-I) provide a promising type of anticancer drugs. Here, we first report the identification of a novel tetrahydropyridine scaffold compound, P61-E7, and define effects of this compound on pancreatic cancer cells. P61-E7 was identified from a library of allenoate-derived compounds made through phosphine-catalyzed annulation reactions. P61-E7 inhibits protein geranylgeranylation and blocks membrane association of geranylgeranylated proteins. P61-E7 is effective at inhibiting both cell proliferation and cell cycle progression, and it induces high p21CIP1/WAF1 level in human cancer cells. P61-E7 also increases p27Kip1 protein level and inhibits phosphorylation of p27Kip1 on Thr187. We also report that P61-E7 treatment of Panc-1 cells causes cell rounding, disrupts actin cytoskeleton organization, abolishes focal adhesion assembly and inhibits anchorage independent growth. Because the cellular effects observed pointed to the involvement of RhoA, a geranylgeranylated small GTPase protein shown to influence a number of cellular processes including actin stress fiber organization, cell adhesion and cell proliferation, we have evaluated the significance of the inhibition of RhoA geranylgeranylation on the cellular effects of inhibitors of GGTase-I (GGTIs). Stable expression of farnesylated RhoA mutant (RhoA-F) results in partial resistance to the anti-proliferative effect of P61-E7 and prevents induction of p21CIP1/WAF1 and p27Kip1 by P61-E7 in Panc-1 cells. Moreover, stable expression of RhoA-F rescues Panc-1 cells from cell rounding and inhibition of focal adhesion formation caused by P61-E7. Taken together, these findings suggest that P61-E7 is a promising GGTI compound and that RhoA is an important target of P61-E7 in Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cells
The Lesser Known Challenge of Climate Change: Thermal Variance and Sex-Reversal in Vertebrates with Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination
Climate change is expected to disrupt biological systems. Particularly susceptible are species with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), as in many reptiles. While the potentially devastating effect of rising mean temperatures on sex ratios in TSD species is appreciated, the consequences of increased thermal variance predicted to accompany climate change remain obscure. Surprisingly, no study has tested if the effect of thermal variance around high-temperatures (which are particularly relevant given climate change predictions) has the same or opposite effects as around lower temperatures. Here we show that sex ratios of the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) were reversed as fluctuations increased around low and high unisexual mean-temperatures. Unexpectedly, the developmental and sexual responses around female-producing temperatures were decoupled in a more complex manner than around male-producing values. Our novel observations are not fully explained by existing ecological models of development and sex determination, and provide strong evidence that thermal fluctuations are critical for shaping the biological outcomes of climate change
Molecular identification of 1-Cys peroxiredoxin and anthocyanidin/flavonol 3-O-galactosyltransferase from proanthocyanidin-rich young fruits of persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.)
Fruits of persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) accumulate large amounts of proanthocyanidins (PAs) in the early stages of development. Astringent (A)-type fruits remain rich in soluble PAs even after they reach full-mature stage, whereas non-astringent (NA)-type fruits lose these compounds before full maturation. As a first step to elucidate the mechanism of PA accumulation in this non-model species, we used suppression subtractive hybridization to identify transcripts accumulating differently in young fruits of A- and NA-type. Interestingly, only a few clones involved in PA biosynthesis were identified in A–NA libraries. Represented by multiple clones were those encoding a novel 1-Cys peroxiredoxin and a new member of family 1 glycosyltransferases. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses confirmed correlation of the amount of PAs and accumulation of transcripts encoding these proteins in young persimmon fruits. Furthermore, the new family 1 glycosyltransferase was produced in Escherichia coli and shown to efficiently catalyze galactosylation at 3-hydroxyl groups of several anthocyanidins and flavonols. These findings suggest a complex mechanism of PA accumulation in persimmon fruits
Xist regulation and function eXplored
X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is a process in mammals that ensures equal transcript levels between males and females by genetic inactivation of one of the two X chromosomes in females. Central to XCI is the long non-coding RNA Xist, which is highly and specifically expressed from the inactive X chromosome. Xist covers the X chromosome in cis and triggers genetic silencing, but its working mechanism remains elusive. Here, we review current knowledge about Xist regulation, structure, function and conservation and speculate on possible mechanisms by which its action is restricted in cis. We also discuss dosage compensation mechanisms other than XCI and how knowledge from invertebrate species may help to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of mammalian XCI
Climate change and freshwater zooplankton: what does it boil down to?
Recently, major advances in the climate–zooplankton interface have been made some of which appeared to receive much attention in a broader audience of ecologists as well. In contrast to the marine realm, however, we still lack a more holistic summary of recent knowledge in freshwater. We
discuss climate change-related variation in physical and biological attributes of lakes and running waters, high-order ecological functions, and subsequent alteration
in zooplankton abundance, phenology, distribution, body size, community structure, life history parameters, and behavior by focusing on community level responses. The adequacy of large-scale climatic indices in ecology has received considerable support and provided a framework for the interpretation of community and species level responses in freshwater zooplankton. Modeling perspectives deserve particular consideration, since this promising stream of
ecology is of particular applicability in climate change
research owing to the inherently predictive nature of
this field. In the future, ecologists should expand their
research on species beyond daphnids, should address
questions as to how different intrinsic and extrinsic
drivers interact, should move beyond correlative
approaches toward more mechanistic explanations,
and last but not least, should facilitate transfer of
biological data both across space and time
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