303 research outputs found
Stimulation of Ca2+-ATPase Transport Activity by a Small-Molecule Drug
The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)âATPase (SERCA) hydrolyzes ATP to transport Ca(2+) from the cytoplasm to the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) lumen, thereby inducing muscle relaxation. Dysfunctional SERCA has been related to various diseases. The identification of smallâmolecule drugs that can activate SERCA may offer a therapeutic approach to treat pathologies connected with SERCA malfunction. Herein, we propose a method to study the mechanism of interaction between SERCA and novel SERCA activators, i.âe. CDN1163, using a solid supported membrane (SSM) biosensing approach. Native SR vesicles or reconstituted proteoliposomes containing SERCA were adsorbed on the SSM and activated by ATP concentration jumps. We observed that CDN1163 reversibly interacts with SERCA and enhances ATPâdependent Ca(2+) translocation. The concentration dependence of the CDN1163 effect provided an EC(50)=6.0±0.3â
ÎŒM. CDN1163 was shown to act directly on SERCA and to exert its stimulatory effect under physiological Ca(2+) concentrations. These results suggest that CDN1163 interaction with SERCA can promote a protein conformational state that favors Ca(2+) release into the SR lumen
Characterization of organic matter in spodosol amazonian by fluorescence spectroscopy.
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Assessing future vent opening locations at the Somma-Vesuvio volcanic complex:1. A new information geodatabase with uncertainty characterizations
This study presents new and revised data sets about the spatial distribution of past volcanic vents, eruptive fissures, and regional/local structures of the SommaâVesuvio volcanic system (Italy). The innovative features of the study are the identification and quantification of important sources of uncertainty affecting interpretations of the data sets. In this regard, the spatial uncertainty of each feature is modeled by an uncertainty area, i.e., a geometric element typically represented by a polygon drawn around points or
lines. The new data sets have been assembled as an updatable geodatabase that integrates and
complements existing databases for SommaâVesuvio. The data are organized into 4 data sets and stored as
11 feature classes (points and lines for feature locations and polygons for the associated uncertainty areas),
totaling more than 1700 elements. More specifically, volcanic vent and eruptive fissure elements are
subdivided into feature classes according to their associated eruptive styles: (i) Plinian and subâPlinian
eruptions (i.e., largeâ or mediumâscale explosive activity); (ii) violent Strombolian and continuous ash
emission eruptions (i.e., smallâscale explosive activity); and (iii) effusive eruptions (including eruptions from
both parasitic vents and eruptive fissures). Regional and local structures (i.e., deep faults) are represented as
linear feature classes. To support interpretation of the eruption data, additional data sets are provided for
SommaâVesuvio geological units and caldera morphological features. In the companion paper, the data
presented here, and the associated uncertainties, are used to develop a first vent opening probability map for the SommaâVesuvio caldera, with specific attention focused on large or medium explosive events.Published4336-43566V. PericolositĂ vulcanica e contributi alla stima del rischioJCR Journa
Prenatal ultrasonography and early surgery for congenital cystic disease of the lung
With the recent advent of prenatal ultrasound as a routine screening procedure, diagnosis of congenital cystic lung disease has been made in utero, raising the possibility of elective surgery for these lesions early in infancy before the patient develops respiratory distress or potentially life-threatening infection. From 1979 to 1989 six cases of congenital lung cyst were diagnosed in utero by prenatal ultrasound and followed during pregnancy. Two of the six were not confirmed after birth because the mothers preferred an abortion. The remaining four cases were studied periodically during gestation by ultrasonography. At birth, the first infant developed respiratory distress and underwent urgent left upper lobectomy and left lower segmentectomy at age 18 hours. The other three underwent elective lobectomy at age 10 days, 3 months, and 7 months, respectively. The fourth infant had a normal chest x-ray and ultrasound at birth, and the congenital cysts were confirmed by computed tomography scan. The pathological diagnosis in all four cases was cystic adenomatoid malformation. In two cases, intraoperative measurement of pulmonary function demonstrated significant improvement after resection of the affected lobe. We conclude that congenital lung cysts can be accurately diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound "screening" as early as 18 to 24 weeks' gestation. Advantages of early diagnosis include the option of moving the mother and unborn child to a high-risk obstetrical center for urgent operation on the newborn infant if necessary. Otherwise, once the diagnosis is confirmed, surgical correction can be performed electively and safely before respiratory distress or pulmonary infection complicates the infant's growth and development.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29778/1/0000117.pd
Improved Drought Stress Response in Alfalfa Plants Nodulated by an IAA Over-producing Rhizobium Strain
The drought\u2013stress response in plant involves the cross-talk between abscisic acid
(ABA) and other phytohormones, such as jasmonates and ethylene. The auxin indole-3-
acetic acid (IAA) plays an integral part in plant adaptation to drought stress. Investigation
was made to see how the main auxin IAA interacted with other plant hormones under
water stress, applied through two different growth conditions (solid and hydroponic).
Medicago sativa plants nodulated by the Ensifer meliloti wild type 1021 (Ms-1021) and
its IAA-overproducing RD64 derivative strains (Ms-RD64) were subjected to drought
stress, comparing their response. When the expression of nifH gene and the activity
of the nitrogenase enzyme were measured after stress treatments, Ms-RD64 plants
recorded a significantly weaker damage. These results were correlated with a lower
biomass reduction, and a higher Rubisco protein level measured for the Ms-RD64-
stressed plants as compared to the Ms-1021-stressed ones. It has been verified that the
stress response observed for Ms-RD64-stressed plants was related to the production
of greater amount of low-molecular-weight osmolytes, such as proline and pinitol,
measured in these plants. For the Ms-RD64 plants the immunoblotting analysis of
thylakoid membrane proteins showed that some of the photosystem proteins increased
after the stress. An increased non-photochemical quenching after the stress was also
observed for these plants. The reduced wilting signs observed for these plants were
also connected to the significant down-regulation of the MtAA03 gene involved in
the ABA biosynthesis, and with the unchanged expression of the two genes (Mt-
2g006330 and Mt-8g095330) of ABA signaling. When the expression level of the
ethylene-signaling genes was evaluated by qPCR analysis no significant alteration of the
key positive regulators was recorded for Ms-RD64-stressed plants. Coherently, these
plants accumulated 40% less ethylene as compared to Ms-1021-stressed ones. The
results presented herein indicate that the variations in endogenous IAA levels, triggered
by the overproduction of rhizobial IAA inside root nodules, positively affected drought
stress response in nodulated alfalfa plants
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