127 research outputs found
The Supernova Channel of Super-AGB Stars
We study the late evolution of solar metallicity stars in the transition
region between white dwarf formation and core collapse. This includes the
super-asymptotic giant branch (super-AGB, SAGB) stars, which have massive
enough cores to ignite carbon burning and form an oxygen-neon (ONe) core. The
most massive SAGB stars have cores that may grow to the Chandrasekhar mass
because of continued shell-burning. Their cores collapse, triggering a so
called electron capture supernovae (ECSN). From stellar evolution models we
find that the initial mass range for SAGB evolution is 7.5 ... 9.25\msun. We
perform calculations with three different stellar evolution codes to
investigate the sensitivity of this mass range to some of the uncertainties in
current stellar models. The mass range significantly depends on the treatment
of semiconvective mixing and convective overshooting. To consider the effect of
a large number of thermal pulses, as expected in SAGB stars, we construct
synthetic SAGB models that include a semi-analytical treatment of dredge-up,
hot-bottom burning, and thermal pulse properties. This synthetic model enables
us to compute the evolution of the main properties of SAGB stars from the onset
of thermal pulses until the core reaches the Chandrasekhar mass or is uncovered
by the stellar wind. Thereby, we determine the stellar initial mass ranges that
produce ONe-white dwarfs and electron-capture supernovae. The latter is found
to be 9.0 ... 9.25\msun for our fiducial model, implying that electron-capture
supernovae would constitute about 4% of all supernovae in the local universe.
Our synthetic approach allows us to explore the uncertainty of this number
imposed by uncertainties in the third dredge-up efficiency and ABG mass loss
rate. We find for ECSNe a upper limit of ~20% of all supernovae (abridged).Comment: 13 pages, 16 figures, submitted to ApJ, uses emulateap
Thermohaline mixing in low-mass giants: RGB and beyond
Thermohaline mixing has recently been proposed to occur in low mass red
giants, with large consequence for the chemical yields of low mass stars. We
investigate the role of thermohaline mixing during the evolution of stars
between 1 Msun and 3 Msun. We use a stellar evolution code which includes
rotational mixing and internal magnetic fields. We confirm that thermohaline
mixing has the potential to destroy most of the helium 3 which is produced
earlier on the main sequence during the red giant stage, in stars below
1.5Msun. We find this process to continue during core helium burning and
beyond. We find rotational and magnetic mixing to be negligible compared to the
thermohaline mixing in the relevant layers, even if the interaction of
thermohaline motions with the differential rotation may be essential to
establish the time scale of thermohaline mixing in red giants.Comment: Proceedings of the Conference "Unsolved problems in stellar physics"
- Cambridge, July 200
Characterization of Cg10062 from Corynebacterium glutamicum: Implications for the Evolution of cis-3-Chloroacrylic Acid Dehalogenase Activity in the Tautomerase Superfamily†
A 149-amino acid protein designated Cg10062 is encoded by a gene from Corynebacterium glutamicum. The physiological function of Cg10062 is unknown, and the gene encoding this protein has no obvious genomic context. Sequence analysis links Cg10062 to the cis-3-chloroacrylic acid dehalogenase (cis-CaaD) family, one of the five known families of the tautomerase superfamily. The characterized tautomerase superfamily members have two distinctive characteristics: a P-cc-p structure motif and a catalytic amino-terminal proline. Pro-1 is present in the Cg10062 amino acid sequence along with His-28, Arg-70, Arg-73, Tyr-103, and Glu-114, all of which have been implicated as critical residues for cis-CaaD activity. The gene for Cg10062 has been cloned and the protein overproduced, purified, and subjected to kinetic and mechanistic characterization. Like cis-CaaD, Cg10062 functions as a hydratase: it converts 2-oxo-3-pentynoate to acetopyruvate and processes 3-bromopropiolate to a species that inactivates the enzyme by acylation of Pro-1. Kinetic and (1)H NMR spectroscopic studies also show that Cg10062 processes both isomers of 3-chloroacrylic acid at low levels with a clear preference for the cis isomer. Pro-1 is critical for the dehalogenase and hydratase activities because the PIA mutant no longer catalyzes either reaction. The presence of the six key catalytic residues and the hydratase activity coupled with the absence of an efficient cis-CaaD activity and the lack of isomer specificity implicate factors beyond this core set of residues in cis-CaaD catalysis and specificity. This work sets the stage for in-depth mechanistic and structural studies of Cg10062, which could identify the additional features necessary for a fully active and highly specific cis-CaaD. Such results will also shed light on how cis-CaaD emerged in the tautomerase superfamily because Cg10062 could be characteristic of an intermediate along the evolutionary pathway for this dehalogenase
Nucleosynthesis in O-Ne-Mg Supernovae
We have studied detailed nucleosynthesis in the shocked surface layers of an
Oxygen-Neon-Magnesium core collapse supernova with an eye to determining if the
conditions are suitable for r process nucleosynthesis. We find no such
conditions in an unmodified model, but do find overproduction of N=50 nuclei
(previously seen in early neutron-rich neutrino winds) in amounts that, if
ejected, would pose serious problems for galactic chemical evolution.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, to be published in Astrophysical Journal Letter
High yield production of human invariant chain CD74 constructs fused to solubility-enhancing peptides and characterization of their MIF-binding capacities
The HLA class II histocompatibility antigen gamma chain, also known as HLA-DR antigen-associated invariant chain or CD74, has been shown to be involved in many biological processes amongst which antigen loading and transport of MHC class II molecules from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex. It is also part of a receptor complex for Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF), and participates in inflammatory signaling. The inhibition of MIF-CD74 complex formation is regarded as a potentially attractive therapeutic target in inflammation, cancer and immune diseases. In order to be able to produce large quantities of the extracellular moiety of human CD74, which has been reported to be unstable and protease-sensitive, different constructs were made as fusions with two solubility enhancers: the well-known maltose-binding domain and Fh8, a small protein secreted by the parasite Fasciola hepatica. The fusion proteins could be purified with high yields from Escherichia coli and were demonstrated to be active in binding to MIF. Moreover, our results strongly suggest that the MIF binding site is located in the sequence between the transmembrane and the membrane-distal trimerisation domain of CD74, and comprises at least amino acids 113-125 of CD74
The Effects of Binary Evolution on the Dynamics of Core Collapse and Neutron-Star Kicks
We systematically examine how the presence in a binary affects the final core
structure of a massive star and its consequences for the subsequent supernova
explosion. Interactions with a companion star may change the final rate of
rotation, the size of the helium core, the strength of carbon burning and the
final iron core mass. Stars with initial masses larger than \sim 11\Ms that
experiece core collapse will generally have smaller iron cores at the time of
the explosion if they lost their envelopes due to a previous binary
interaction. Stars below \sim 11\Ms, on the other hand, can end up with larger
helium and metal cores if they have a close companion, since the second
dredge-up phase which reduces the helium core mass dramatically in single stars
does not occur once the hydrogen envelope is lost. We find that the initially
more massive stars in binary systems with masses in the range 8 - 11\Ms are
likely to undergo an electron-capture supernova, while single stars in the same
mass range would end as ONeMg white dwarfs. We suggest that the core collapse
in an electron-capture supernova (and possibly in the case of relatively small
iron cores) leads to a prompt explosion rather than a delayed neutrino-driven
explosion and that this naturally produces neutron stars with low-velocity
kicks. This leads to a dichotomous distribution of neutron star kicks, as
inferred previously, where neutron stars in relatively close binaries attain
low kick velocities. We illustrate the consequences of such a dichotomous kick
scenario using binary population synthesis simulations and discuss its
implications. This scenario has also important consequences for the minimum
initial mass of a massive star that becomes a neutron star. (Abbreviated.)Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, submitted to ApJ, updated versio
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Er wordt via preventieve maatregelen geprobeerd de afvoer door uierproblemen te verlagen
Proton Motive Force-Dependent Hoechst 33342 Transport by the ABC Transporter LmrA of Lactococcus lactis
The fluorescent compound Hoechst 33342 is a substrate for many multidrug resistance (MDR) transporters and is widely used to characterize their transport activity. We have constructed mutants of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding cassette (ABC)-type MDR transporter LmrA of Lactococcus lactis that are defective in ATP hydrolysis. These mutants and wild-type LmrA exhibited an atypical behavior in the Hoechst 33342 transport assay. In membrane vesicles, Hoechst 33342 transport was shown to be independent of the ATPase activity of LmrA, and it was not inhibited by orthovanadate but sensitive to uncouplers that collapse the proton gradient and to N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, an inhibitor of the F0F1-ATPase. In contrast, transport of Hoechst 33342 by the homologous, heterodimeric MDR transporter LmrCD showed a normal ATP dependence and was insensitive to uncouplers of the proton gradient. With intact cells, expression of LmrA resulted in an increased rate of Hoechst 33342 influx while LmrCD caused a decrease in the rate of Hoechst 33342 influx. Cellular toxicity assays using a triple knockout strain, i.e., L. lactis ΔlmrA ΔlmrCD, demonstrate that expression of LmrCD protects cells against the growth inhibitory effects of Hoechst 33342, while in the presence of LmrA, cells are more susceptible to Hoechst 33342. Our data demonstrate that the LmrA-mediated Hoechst 33342 transport in membrane vesicles is influenced by the transmembrane pH gradient due to a pH-dependent partitioning of Hoechst 33342 into the membrane.
High yield production of human invariant chain CD74 constructs fused to solubility-enhancing peptides and characterization of their MIF-binding capacities
The HLA class II histocompatibility antigen gamma chain, also known as HLA-DR antigen-associated invariant chain or CD74, has been shown to be involved in many biological processes amongst which antigen loading and transport of MHC class II molecules from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex. It is also part of a receptor complex for macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and participates in inflammatory signaling. The inhibition of MIF-CD74 complex formation is regarded as a potentially attractive therapeutic target in inflammation, cancer and immune diseases. In order to be able to produce large quantities of the extracellular moiety of human CD74, which has been reported to be unstable and protease-sensitive, different constructs were made as fusions with two solubility enhancers: the well-known maltose-binding domain and Fh8, a small protein secreted by the parasite Fasciola hepatica. The fusion proteins could be purified with high yields from Escherichia coli and were demonstrated to be active in binding to MIF. Moreover, our results strongly suggest that the MIF binding site is located in the sequence between the transmembrane and the membrane-distal trimerisation domain of CD74, and comprises at least amino acids 113–125 of CD74
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