388 research outputs found
Chemotactic response and adaptation dynamics in Escherichia coli
Adaptation of the chemotaxis sensory pathway of the bacterium Escherichia
coli is integral for detecting chemicals over a wide range of background
concentrations, ultimately allowing cells to swim towards sources of attractant
and away from repellents. Its biochemical mechanism based on methylation and
demethylation of chemoreceptors has long been known. Despite the importance of
adaptation for cell memory and behavior, the dynamics of adaptation are
difficult to reconcile with current models of precise adaptation. Here, we
follow time courses of signaling in response to concentration step changes of
attractant using in vivo fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements.
Specifically, we use a condensed representation of adaptation time courses for
efficient evaluation of different adaptation models. To quantitatively explain
the data, we finally develop a dynamic model for signaling and adaptation based
on the attractant flow in the experiment, signaling by cooperative receptor
complexes, and multiple layers of feedback regulation for adaptation. We
experimentally confirm the predicted effects of changing the enzyme-expression
level and bypassing the negative feedback for demethylation. Our data analysis
suggests significant imprecision in adaptation for large additions.
Furthermore, our model predicts highly regulated, ultrafast adaptation in
response to removal of attractant, which may be useful for fast reorientation
of the cell and noise reduction in adaptation.Comment: accepted for publication in PLoS Computational Biology; manuscript
(19 pages, 5 figures) and supplementary information; added additional
clarification on alternative adaptation models in supplementary informatio
d=3 Bosonic Vector Models Coupled to Chern-Simons Gauge Theories
We study three dimensional O(N)_k and U(N)_k Chern-Simons theories coupled to
a scalar field in the fundamental representation, in the large N limit. For
infinite k this is just the singlet sector of the O(N) (U(N)) vector model,
which is conjectured to be dual to Vasiliev's higher spin gravity theory on
AdS_4. For large k and N we obtain a parity-breaking deformation of this
theory, controlled by the 't Hooft coupling lambda = 4 \pi N / k. For infinite
N we argue (and show explicitly at two-loop order) that the theories with
finite lambda are conformally invariant, and also have an exactly marginal
(\phi^2)^3 deformation.
For large but finite N and small 't Hooft coupling lambda, we show that there
is still a line of fixed points parameterized by the 't Hooft coupling lambda.
We show that, at infinite N, the interacting non-parity-invariant theory with
finite lambda has the same spectrum of primary operators as the free theory,
consisting of an infinite tower of conserved higher-spin currents and a scalar
operator with scaling dimension \Delta=1; however, the correlation functions of
these operators do depend on lambda. Our results suggest that there should
exist a family of higher spin gravity theories, parameterized by lambda, and
continuously connected to Vasiliev's theory. For finite N the higher spin
currents are not conserved.Comment: 34 pages, 29 figures. v2: added reference
Health follow-up of children in poverty situation: between the routine and eventuality of daily care
Higher Spin Gravity with Matter in AdS_3 and Its CFT Dual
We study Vasiliev's system of higher spin gauge fields coupled to massive
scalars in AdS_3, and compute the tree level two and three point functions.
These are compared to the large N limit of the W_N minimal model, and
nontrivial agreements are found. We propose a modified version of the
conjecture of Gaberdiel and Gopakumar, under which the bulk theory is
perturbatively dual to a subsector of the CFT that closes on the sphere.Comment: 58 pages; typos corrected, references adde
Predicted Auxiliary Navigation Mechanism of Peritrichously Flagellated Chemotactic Bacteria
Chemotactic movement of Escherichia coli is one of the most thoroughly studied paradigms of simple behavior. Due to significant competitive advantage conferred by chemotaxis and to high evolution rates in bacteria, the chemotaxis system is expected to be strongly optimized. Bacteria follow gradients by performing temporal comparisons of chemoeffector concentrations along their runs, a strategy which is most efficient given their size and swimming speed. Concentration differences are detected by a sensory system and transmitted to modulate rotation of flagellar motors, decreasing the probability of a tumble and reorientation if the perceived concentration change during a run is positive. Such regulation of tumble probability is of itself sufficient to explain chemotactic drift of a population up the gradient, and is commonly assumed to be the only navigation mechanism of chemotactic E. coli. Here we use computer simulations to predict existence of an additional mechanism of gradient navigation in E. coli. Based on the experimentally observed dependence of cell tumbling angle on the number of switching motors, we suggest that not only the tumbling probability but also the degree of reorientation during a tumble depend on the swimming direction along the gradient. Although the difference in mean tumbling angles up and down the gradient predicted by our model is small, it results in a dramatic enhancement of the cellular drift velocity along the gradient. We thus demonstrate a new level of optimization in E. coli chemotaxis, which arises from the switching of several flagellar motors and a resulting fine tuning of tumbling angle. Similar strategy is likely to be used by other peritrichously flagellated bacteria, and indicates yet another level of evolutionary development of bacterial chemotaxis
Differential Affinity and Catalytic Activity of CheZ in E. coli Chemotaxis
Push–pull networks, in which two antagonistic enzymes control the
activity of a messenger protein, are ubiquitous in signal transduction pathways.
A classical example is the chemotaxis system of the bacterium
Escherichia coli, in which the kinase CheA and the
phosphatase CheZ regulate the phosphorylation level of the messenger protein
CheY. Recent experiments suggest that both the kinase and the phosphatase are
localized at the receptor cluster, and Vaknin and Berg recently demonstrated
that the spatial distribution of the phosphatase can markedly affect the
dose–response curves. We argue, using mathematical modeling, that the
canonical model of the chemotaxis network cannot explain the experimental
observations of Vaknin and Berg. We present a new model, in which a small
fraction of the phosphatase is localized at the receptor cluster, while the
remainder freely diffuses in the cytoplasm; moreover, the phosphatase at the
cluster has a higher binding affinity for the messenger protein and a higher
catalytic activity than the phosphatase in the cytoplasm. This model is
consistent with a large body of experimental data and can explain many of the
experimental observations of Vaknin and Berg. More generally, the combination of
differential affinity and catalytic activity provides a generic mechanism for
amplifying signals that could be exploited in other two-component signaling
systems. If this model is correct, then a number of recent modeling studies,
which aim to explain the chemotactic gain in terms of the activity of the
receptor cluster, should be reconsidered
Social determinants of hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions in Guarulhos, São Paulo
The study goals present an overview of Hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC) in Guarulhos, SP, from 2008 to 2012. This is an ecological study based on secondary data obtained from the Brazilian Hospital Information System, and supported by the Praxical Theory of Intervention of Collective Health Nursing. Applied descriptive statistics for analysis. It was observed that Guarulhos shows an upward trend in hospitalizations by ACSC (20% increase), the most frequent causes of heart failure (11.8%), cerebrovascular disease (10.6%) and angina (9.7%), most frequently in the age group ≥ 65years old, for both sexes. The results are similar to other Brazilian studies, but their analysis should extrapolate the biological limits and the supply of healthcare resources, focusing on the social determinants of the health-disease process
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