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A minK-HERG complex regulates the cardiac potassium current I(Kr).
MinK is a widely expressed protein of relative molecular mass approximately 15K that forms potassium channels by aggregation with other membrane proteins. MinK governs ion channel activation, regulation by second messengers, and the function and structure of the ion conduction pathway. Association of minK with a channel protein known as KvLQT1 produces a voltage-gated outward K+ current (I[sK]) resembling the slow cardiac repolarization current (I[Ks]). HERG, a human homologue of the ether-a-go-go gene of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, encodes a protein that produces the rapidly activating cardiac delayed rectifier (I[Kr]). These two potassium currents, I(Ks) and I(Kr), provide the principal repolarizing currents in cardiac myocytes for the termination of action potentials. Although heterologously expressed HERG channels are largely indistinguishable from native cardiac I(Kr), a role for minK in this current is suggested by the diminished I(Kr) in an atrial tumour line subjected to minK antisense suppression. Here we show that HERG and minK form a stable complex, and that this heteromultimerization regulates I(Kr) activity. MinK, through the formation of heteromeric channel complexes, is thus central to the control of the heart rate and rhythm
Possible Way to Synthesize Superheavy Element Z=117
Within the framework of the dinuclear system model, the production of
superheavy element Z=117 in possible projectile-target combinations is analyzed
systematically. The calculated results show that the production cross sections
are strongly dependent on the reaction systems. Optimal combinations,
corresponding excitation energies and evaporation channels are proposed in this
letter, such as the isotopes ^{248,249}Bk in ^{48}Ca induced reactions in 3n
evaporation channels and the reactions ^{45}Sc+^{246,248}Cm in 3n and 4n
channels, and the system ^{51}V+^{244}Pu in 3n channel.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
Exact solution of mean geodesic distance for Vicsek fractals
The Vicsek fractals are one of the most interesting classes of fractals and
the study of their structural properties is important. In this paper, the exact
formula for the mean geodesic distance of Vicsek fractals is found. The
quantity is computed precisely through the recurrence relations derived from
the self-similar structure of the fractals considered. The obtained exact
solution exhibits that the mean geodesic distance approximately increases as an
exponential function of the number of nodes, with the exponent equal to the
reciprocal of the fractal dimension. The closed-form solution is confirmed by
extensive numerical calculations.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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