156 research outputs found
Analysis of the serotonergic system in a mouse model of Rett syndrome reveals unusual upregulation of serotonin receptor 5b
Mutations in the transcription factor methyl-CpG-binding-protein 2 (MeCP2) cause a delayed-onset neurodevelopmental disorder known as Rett syndrome (RTT). Although alteration in serotonin levels have been reported in RTT patients, the molecular mechanisms underlying these defects are not well understood. Therefore, we chose to investigate the serotonergic system in hippocampus and brainstem of male Mecp2(-/y) knock-out mice in the B6.129P2(C)-Mecp2(tm1.1Bird) mouse model of RTT. The serotonergic system in mouse is comprised of 16 genes, whose mRNA expression profile was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. Mecp2(-/y) mice are an established animal model for RTT displaying most of the cognitive and physical impairments of human patients and the selected areas receive significant modulation through serotonin. Using anatomically and functional characterized areas, we found region-specific differential expression between wild type and Mecp2(-/y) mice at post-natal day 40. In brainstem, we found five genes to be dysregulated, while in hippocampus, two genes were dysregulated. The one gene dysregulated in both brain regions was dopamine decarboxylase, but of special interest is the serotonin receptor 5b (5-ht(5b)), which showed 75-fold dysregulation in brainstem of Mecp2(-/y) mice. This dysregulation was not due to upregulation, but due to failure of down-regulation in Mecp2(-/y) mice during development. Detailed analysis of 5-ht(5b) revealed a receptor that localizes to endosomes and interacts with G(αi) proteins
Remnant Fermi surface in the presence of an underlying instability in layered 1T-TaS_2
We report high resolution angle-scanned photoemission and Fermi surface (FS)
mapping experiments on the layered transition-metal dichalcogenide 1T-TaS_2 in
the quasi commensurate (QC) and the commensurate (C) charge-density-wave (CDW)
phase. Instead of a nesting induced partially removed FS in the CDW phase we
find a pseudogap over large portions of the FS. This remnant FS exhibits the
symmetry of the one-particle normal state FS even when passing from the
QC-phase to the C-phase. Possibly, this Mott localization induced transition
represents the underlying instability responsible for the pseudogapped FS
Novel Fine-Structure in the Low-Energy Excitation Spectrum of a High-Tc Superconductor by Polarization Dependent Photoemission
Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy is performed on single crystals of
the single-layer high-Tc superconductor Bi(2)Sr(2-x)La(x)CuO(6+d) at optimal
doping (x=0.4) in order to study in great detail the Zhang-Rice (ZR) singlet
band at the Fermi level. Besides the high crystal quality the advantages of a
single-layer material are the absence of bilayer effects and the distinct
reduction of thermal broadening. Due to the high energy and angle resolution
and, most important, due to the controlled variation of the polarization vector
of the synchrotron radiation the emission from the ZR singlet band reveals a
distinct fine-structure. It consists of two maxima, the first showing only weak
and the second at EF extremely strong polarization dependence. However, our
observation has enormous consequences for line shape analyses and the
determination of pseudo gaps by photoemission.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures. to appear in PRB (Rapid Comm.
Superconducting gap in the presence of bilayer splitting in underdoped Bi(Pb)2212
The clearly resolved bilayer splitting in ARPES spectra of the underdoped
Pb-Bi2212 compound rises the question of how the bonding and antibonding sheets
of the Fermi surface are gapped in the superconducting state. Here we compare
the superconducting gaps for both split components and show that within the
experimental uncertainties they are identical. By tuning the relative intensity
of the bonding and antibonding bands using different excitation conditions we
determine the precise {\bf k}-dependence of the leading edge gap. Significant
deviations from the simple cos()-cos() gap function for the
studied doping level are detected.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures (revtex4
The pseudogap in high-temperature superconductors: an experimental survey
We present an experimental review of the nature of the pseudogap in the
cuprate superconductors. Evidence from various experimental techniques points
to a common phenomenology. The pseudogap is seen in all high temperature
superconductors and there is general agreement on the temperature and doping
range where it exists. It is also becoming clear that the superconducting gap
emerges from the normal state pseudogap. The d-wave nature of the order
parameter holds for both the superconducting gap and the pseudogap. Although an
extensive body of evidence is reviewed, a consensus on the origin of the
pseudogap is as lacking as it is for the mechanism underlying high temperature
superconductivity.Comment: review article, 54 pages, 50 figure
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