9,915 research outputs found
Investigation of a hopping transporter concept for lunar exploration
Performance and dynamic characteristics determined for hopping transporter for lunar exploratio
Scientific results of the Bryotrop expedition to Zaire and Rwanda : 7., life strategies of epiphytic bryophytes from tropical lowland and montane forests, ericaceous woodlands and the Dendrosenecio subpáramo of the eastern Congo basin and the adjacent mountains (Parc National de Kahuzi-Biega/Zaire, Forêt de Nyungwe/Rwanda)
Life strategies of epiphytic bryophytes are studied along an altitudinal gradient from the eastern Congo basin (tropical lowland zone) to the mountains of the East-African graben (tropical subalpine/alpine Zone; BRYOTROP III-transect). Three strategies, Colonists, Perennial shuttle species and Perennial stayers can be observed, which are further subdivided according to their reproduction tactic (high sexual reproductive effort, high asexual reproductive effort, moderately or low sexual and asexual reproductive effort). Of these, only taxa with a long life span (perennials) are of importance, indicating the unchanging and constant ecological conditions and long-lasting microsites, provided by the epiphytic habitats. The basis for the life strategy pattern analysis along the altitudinal gradient were plant sociological investigations and the determination of the mean percentage cover values for the different life strategy categories. By this, the distribution and occurrence of the different strategies within the communities and the altitudinal zones can be shown
Gravity-Induced Shape Transformations of Vesicles
We theoretically study the behavior of vesicles filled with a liquid of
higher density than the surrounding medium, a technique frequently used in
experiments. In the presence of gravity, these vesicles sink to the bottom of
the container, and eventually adhere even on non - attractive substrates. The
strong size-dependence of the gravitational energy makes large parts of the
phase diagram accessible to experiments even for small density differences. For
relatively large volume, non-axisymmetric bound shapes are explicitly
calculated and shown to be stable. Osmotic deflation of such a vesicle leads
back to axisymmetric shapes, and, finally, to a collapsed state of the vesicle.Comment: 11 pages, RevTeX, 3 Postscript figures uuencode
Giant vesicles at the prolate-oblate transition: A macroscopic bistable system
Giant phospholipid vesicles are shown to exhibit thermally activated
transitions between a prolate and an oblate shape on a time scale of several
seconds. From the fluctuating contour of such a vesicle we extract ellipticity
as an effective reaction coordinate whose temporal probability distribution is
bimodal. We then reconstruct the effective potential from which we derive an
activation energy of the order of in agreement with theoretical
calculations. The dynamics of this transition is well described within a
Kramers model of overdamped diffusion in a bistable potential. Thus, this
system can serve as a model for macroscopic bistability.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, epsfig, 4 eps figures included, to appear in
Europhys. Let
Diffusing proteins on a fluctuating membrane: Analytical theory and simulations
Using analytical calculations and computer simulations we consider both the
lateral diffusion of a membrane protein and the fluctuation spectrum of the
membrane in which the protein is embedded. The membrane protein interacts with
the membrane shape through its spontaneous curvature and bending rigidity. The
lateral motion of the protein may be viewed as diffusion in an effective
potential, hence, the effective mobility is always reduced compared to the case
of free diffusion. Using a rigorous path-integral approach we derive an
analytical expression for the effective diffusion coefficient for small ratios
of temperature and bending rigidity, which is the biologically relevant limit.
Simulations show very good quantitative agreement with our analytical result.
The analysis of the correlation functions contributing to the diffusion
coefficient shows that the correlations between the stochastic force of the
protein and the response in the membrane shape are responsible for the
reduction.
Our quantitative analysis of the membrane height correlation spectrum shows
an influence of the protein-membrane interaction causing a distinctly altered
wave-vector dependence compared to a free membrane. Furthermore, the time
correlations exhibit the two relevant timescales of the system: that of
membrane fluctuations and that of lateral protein diffusion with the latter
typically much longer than the former. We argue that the analysis of the
long-time decay of membrane height correlations can thus provide a new means to
determine the effective diffusion coefficient of proteins in the membrane.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure
Mapping vesicle shapes into the phase diagram: A comparison of experiment and theory
Phase-contrast microscopy is used to monitor the shapes of micron-scale
fluid-phase phospholipid-bilayer vesicles in aqueous solution. At fixed
temperature, each vesicle undergoes thermal shape fluctuations. We are able
experimentally to characterize the thermal shape ensemble by digitizing the
vesicle outline in real time and storing the time-sequence of images. Analysis
of this ensemble using the area-difference-elasticity (ADE) model of vesicle
shapes allows us to associate (map) each time-sequence to a point in the
zero-temperature (shape) phase diagram. Changing the laboratory temperature
modifies the control parameters (area, volume, etc.) of each vesicle, so it
sweeps out a trajectory across the theoretical phase diagram. It is a
nontrivial test of the ADE model to check that these trajectories remain
confined to regions of the phase diagram where the corresponding shapes are
locally stable. In particular, we study the thermal trajectories of three
prolate vesicles which, upon heating, experienced a mechanical instability
leading to budding. We verify that the position of the observed instability and
the geometry of the budded shape are in reasonable accord with the theoretical
predictions. The inability of previous experiments to detect the ``hidden''
control parameters (relaxed area difference and spontaneous curvature) make
this the first direct quantitative confrontation between vesicle-shape theory
and experiment.Comment: submitted to PRE, LaTeX, 26 pages, 11 ps-fi
Generation of specific antibodies against the rap1A, rap1B and rap2 small GTP-binding proteins. Analysis of rap and ras proteins in membranes from mammalian cells
Specific antibodies against rap1A and rap1B small GTP-binding proteins were generated by immunization of rabbits with peptides derived from the C-terminus of the processed proteins. Immunoblot analysis of membranes from several mammalian cell lines and human thrombocytes with affinity-purified antibodies against rap1A or rap1B demonstrated the presence of multiple immunoreactive proteins in the 22-23 kDa range, although at strongly varying levels. Whereas both proteins were present in substantial amounts in membranes from myelocytic HL-60, K-562 and HEL cells, they were hardly detectable in membranes from lymphoma U-937 and S49.1 cyc- cells. Membranes from human thrombocytes and 3T3-Swiss Albino fibroblasts showed strong rap1B immunoreactivity, whereas rap1A protein was present in much lower amounts. In the cytosol of HL-60 cells, only small amounts of rap1A and rap1B proteins were detected, unless the cells were treated with lovastatin, an inhibitor of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, suggesting that both proteins are isoprenylated. By comparison with recombinant proteins, the ratio of rap1A/ras proteins in membranes from HL-60 cells was estimated to be about 4:1. An antiserum directed against the C-terminus of rap2 reacted strongly with recombinant rap2, but not with membranes from tested mammalian cells. In conclusion, rap1A and rap1B proteins are distributed differentially among membranes from various mammalian cell types and are isoprenylated in HL-60 cells
Influence of epidermal growth factor on long-term potentiation in the hippocampal slice.
Rat hippocampal slices were perfused with epidermal growth factor (EGF) at a concentration of 10−8 M. EGF is a well known mitogen which exhibits neurotrophic action on neurons of the CNS. During extra- and intracellular recordings in the pyramidal cell body layer of the CA1-region no influence of EGF on evoked potentials was seen if single-pulse or paired-pulse stimulation was used. Furthermore EGF has no influence on the resting membrane potential of the cells investigated. However after tetanic stimulation a significant increase in the magnitude of long-term potentiation was observed. Therefore it is concluded, that EGF might be involved in modulation of neuronal plasticity
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