Fast inactivation in Shaker K+ channels. Properties of ionic and gating currents.

Fast inactivating Shaker H4 potassium channels and nonconducting pore mutant Shaker H4 W434F channels have been used to correlate the installation and recovery of the fast inactivation of ionic current with changes in the kinetics of gating current known as "charge immobilization" (Armstrong, C.M., and F. Bezanilla. 1977. J. Gen. Physiol. 70:567-590.). Shaker H4 W434F gating currents are very similar to those of the conducting clone recorded in potassium-free solutions. This mutant channel allows the recording of the total gating charge return, even when returning from potentials that would largely inactivate conducting channels. As the depolarizing potential increased, the OFF gating currents decay phase at -90 mV return potential changed from a single fast component to at least two components, the slower requiring approximately 200 ms for a full charge return. The charge immobilization onset and the ionic current decay have an identical time course. The recoveries of gating current (Shaker H4 W434F) and ionic current (Shaker H4) in 2 mM external potassium have at least two components. Both recoveries are similar at -120 and -90 mV. In contrast, at higher potentials (-70 and -50 mV), the gating charge recovers significantly more slowly than the ionic current. A model with a single inactivated state cannot account for all our data, which strongly support the existence of "parallel" inactivated states. In this model, a fraction of the charge can be recovered upon repolarization while the channel pore is occupied by the NH2-terminus region

Development of a secondary organic aerosol formation mechanism: comparison with smog chamber experiments and atmospheric measurements

International audienceA new mechanism to simulate the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) from reactive primary hydrocarbons is presented, together with comparisons with experimental smog chamber results and ambient measurements found in the literature. The SOA formation mechanism is based on an approach using calculated vapor pressures and a selection of species that can partition to the aerosol phase from a gas phase photochemical mechanism. The mechanism has been validated against smog chamber measurements using ?-pinene, xylene and toluene as SOA precursors, and has an average error of 17%. Qualitative comparisons with smog chamber measurements using isoprene were also performed. A comparison against SOA production in the TORCH 2003 experiment (atmospheric measurements) had an average error of only 12%. This contrasts with previous efforts, in which it was necessary to increase partition coefficients by a factor of 500 in order to match the observed values. Calculations for rural and urban-influenced regions in the eastern U.S. suggest that most of the SOA is biogenic in origin, mainly originated from isoprene. A 0-dimensional calculation based on the New England Air Quality Study also showed good agreement with measured SOA, with about 40% of the total SOA from anthropogenic precursors. This mechanism can be implemented in a general circulation model (GCM) to estimate global SOA formation under ambient NOx and HOx levels

The low-temperature energy calibration system for the CUORE bolometer array

The CUORE experiment will search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0nDBD) of 130Te using an array of 988 TeO_2 bolometers operated at 10 mK in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy). The detector is housed in a large cryogen-free cryostat cooled by pulse tubes and a high-power dilution refrigerator. The TeO_2 bolometers measure the event energies, and a precise and reliable energy calibration is critical for the successful identification of candidate 0nDBD and background events. The detector calibration system under development is based on the insertion of 12 gamma-sources that are able to move under their own weight through a set of guide tubes that route them from deployment boxes on the 300K flange down into position in the detector region inside the cryostat. The CUORE experiment poses stringent requirements on the maximum heat load on the cryostat, material radiopurity, contamination risk and the ability to fully retract the sources during normal data taking. Together with the integration into a unique cryostat, this requires careful design and unconventional solutions. We present the design, challenges, and expected performance of this low-temperature energy calibration system.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of the 13th International Workshop on Low Temperature Detectors (LTD), Stanford, CA, July 20-24, 200

Melatonin receptors in GtoPdb v.2023.1

Melatonin receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Melatonin Receptors [40]) are activated by the endogenous ligands melatonin and clinically used drugs like ramelteon, agomelatine and tasimelteon

Melatonin receptors in GtoPdb v.2021.3

Melatonin receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Melatonin Receptors [40]) are activated by the endogenous ligands melatonin and clinically used drugs like ramelteon, agomelatine and tasimelteon

Melatonin receptors (version 2019.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database

Melatonin receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Melatonin Receptors [36]) are activated by the endogenous ligands melatonin and clinically used drugs like ramelteon, agomelatine and tasimelteon

Use of social networks as a CSR communication tool

The aim of this paper is to analyse the use of online social networks as a tool for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication and management. To this end, an analysis was performed of the messages posted by the 20 Spanish companies with the highest market capitalisation and the responses that they received on two of the most popular online social networks, Facebook and Twitter. The results of the analysis of these data show that the tendency has been to use social networks for the one-way communication of aspects of CSR related with the organisation. Therefore, it is necessary to change the way companies communicate their CSR issues by shifting to a two-way communication approach, as has been the case in other kinds of enterprise relations with their stakeholders.The authors received no direct funding for this research

Dap10 and Dap12 Form Distinct, but Functionally Cooperative, Receptor Complexes in Natural Killer Cells

Many of the activating receptors on natural killer (NK) cells are multisubunit complexes composed of ligand-binding receptors that are noncovalently associated with membrane-bound signaling adaptor proteins, including CD3ζ, FcεRIγ, DAP12, and DAP10. Because the DAP10 and DAP12 genes are closely linked, expressed in NK cells, and have remarkably similar transmembrane segments, it was of interest to determine the specificity of their interactions with ligand-binding receptors and to examine their signaling properties. Despite their similarities, DAP10, DAP12, FcεRIγ, and CD3ζ form specific receptor complexes with their ligand-binding partners in NK cells and transfectants. The transmembrane regions of DAP10 and DAP12 are sufficient to confer specific association with their partners. Although cross-linking of either DAP10- or DAP12-associated receptors has been shown to be sufficient to trigger NK cell–mediated cytotoxicity against Fc receptor–bearing cells, substantial synergy was observed in the induction of cytokine production when both receptors were engaged. Activation of the Syk/ZAP70 tyrosine kinases by the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif–containing DAP12 adaptor and of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway by the YxNM-containing DAP10 adaptor may play an important role in the stimulation of NK cells and T cells

Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009 and 2010. Then, using the decay of K_s and Lambda particles, the calorimeter response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5% for central isolated hadrons and 1-3% for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.Comment: 24 pages plus author list (36 pages total), 23 figures, 1 table, submitted to European Physical Journal