FHL2 regulates hematopoietic stem cell functions under stress conditions.

FHL2, a member of the four and one half LIM domain protein family, is a critical transcriptional modulator. Here, we identify FHL2 as a critical regulator of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that is essential for maintaining HSC self-renewal under regenerative stress. We find that Fhl2 loss has limited effects on hematopoiesis under homeostatic conditions. In contrast, Fhl2-null chimeric mice reconstituted with Fhl2-null bone marrow cells developed abnormal hematopoiesis with significantly reduced numbers of HSCs, hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), red blood cells and platelets as well as hemoglobin levels. In addition, HSCs displayed a significantly reduced self-renewal capacity and were skewed toward myeloid lineage differentiation. We find that Fhl2 loss reduces both HSC quiescence and survival in response to regenerative stress, probably as a consequence of Fhl2-loss-mediated downregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase-inhibitors, including p21(Cip) and p27(Kip1). Interestingly, FHL2 is regulated under the control of a tissue-specific promoter in hematopoietic cells and it is downregulated by DNA hypermethylation in the leukemia cell line and primary leukemia cells. Furthermore, we find that downregulation of FHL2 frequently occurs in myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia patients, raising a possibility that FHL2 downregulation has a role in the pathogenesis of myeloid malignancies

Linear scaling calculation of maximally-localized Wannier functions with atomic basis set

We have developed a linear scaling algorithm for calculating maximally-localized Wannier functions (MLWFs) using atomic orbital basis. An O(N) ground state calculation is carried out to get the density matrix (DM). Through a projection of the DM onto atomic orbitals and a subsequent O(N) orthogonalization, we obtain initial orthogonal localized orbitals. These orbitals can be maximally localized in linear scaling by simple Jacobi sweeps. Our O(N) method is validated by applying it to water molecule and wurtzite ZnO. The linear scaling behavior of the new method is demonstrated by computing the MLWFs of boron nitride nanotubes.Comment: J. Chem. Phys. in press (2006

Fermi resonance-algebraic model for molecular vibrational spectra

A Fermi resonance-algebraic model is proposed for molecular vibrations, where a U(2) algebra is used for describing the vibrations of each bond, and Fermi resonances between stretching and bending modes are taken into account. The model for a bent molecule XY_2 and a molecule XY_3 is successfully applied to fit the recently observed vibrational spectrum of the water molecule and arsine (AsH_3), respectively, and results are compared with those of other models. Calculations show that algebraic approaches can be used as an effective method for describing molecular vibrations with small standard deviations

Quantum Dot in Z-shaped Graphene Nanoribbon

Stimulated by recent advances in isolating graphene, we discovered that quantum dot can be trapped in Z-shaped graphene nanoribbon junciton. The topological structure of the junction can confine electronic states completely. By varying junction length, we can alter the spatial confinement and the number of discrete levels within the junction. In addition, quantum dot can be realized regardless of substrate induced static disorder or irregular edges of the junction. This device can be used to easily design quantum dot devices. This platform can also be used to design zero-dimensional functional nanoscale electronic devices using graphene ribbons.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

cDNA, genomic sequence cloning and overexpression of ribosomal protein S16 gene (RPS16) from the Giant Panda

RPS16 of eukaryote is a component of the 40S small ribosomal subunit encoded by RPS16 gene and is also a homolog of prokaryotic RPS9. The cDNA and genomic sequence of RPS16 was cloned successfully for the first time from the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technology and Touchdown-PCR, respectively, which were both sequenced and analyzed preliminarily. The cDNA of the RPS16 gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The length of cDNA fragment cloned is 448 bp containing an open reading frame of 441 bp encoding 146 amino acids and the length of the genomic sequence is 2510 bp, containing five exons and four introns. Alignment analysis indicates that the nucleotide sequence share a high homology with those of Bos taurus, Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus and Danio rerio by 95.46, 92.97, 89.80, 89.80 and 82.54%, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequence is entirely identical compared with the first four animals and share a high homology with that of D. rerio by 96.58%. Topology prediction shows that there is one cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation site, three protein kinase C phosphorylation sites, one casein kinase II phosphorylation site, two N-myristoylation sites, one amidation site and one ribosomal protein S9 signature in the RPS16 protein of the Giant Panda . The RPS16 gene can be readily expressed in E. coli and it fused with the N-terminally GST-tagged protein which gave rise to the accumulation of an expected 20.095 kDa polypeptide, in good agreement with the predicted molecular weight. The expression product obtained could be used for purification and further study of its function