Clathrin light chains' role in selective endocytosis influences antibody isotype switching

Clathrin, a cytosolic protein composed of heavy and light chain subunits, assembles into a vesicle coat, controlling receptor-mediated endocytosis. To establish clathrin light chain (CLC) function in vivo, we engineered mice lacking CLCa, the major CLC isoform in B lymphocytes, generating animals with CLC-deficient B cells. In CLCa-null mice, the germinal centers have fewer B cells, and they are enriched for IgA-producing cells. This enhanced switch to IgA production in the absence of CLCa was attributable to increased transforming growth factor β receptor 2 (TGFβR2) signaling resulting from defective endocytosis. Internalization of C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), but not CXCR5, was affected in CLCa-null B cells, and CLC depletion from cell lines affected endocytosis of the δ-opioid receptor, but not the β2-adrenergic receptor, defining a role for CLCs in the uptake of a subset of signaling receptors. This instance of clathrin subunit deletion in vertebrates demonstrates that CLCs contribute to clathrin’s role in vivo by influencing cargo selectivity, a function previously assigned exclusively to adaptor molecules

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion

A Bluetooth-based JXME infrastructure ⋆

Abstract. Over the last years, research efforts have led the way to embed computation into the environment. Much attention is drawn to technologies supporting dynamicity and mobility over small devices which can follow the user anytime, anywhere. The Bluetooth standard particularly fits this idea, by providing a versatile and flexible wireless network technology with low power consumption. In this paper, we describe an implementation of a novel framework named JXBT (JXME over Bluetooth), which allows the JXME infrastructure to use Bluetooth as the communication channel. By exploiting the JXME functionalities we can overcome Bluetooth limitations, such as the maximum number of interconnectable devices (7 according to the Bluetooth standard) and the maximum transmission range (10 or 100 meters depending on the version). To test the lightness of JXBT, we designed and evaluated BlueIRC, an application running on top of JXBT. This application enables the set up of a chat among Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, without requiring them to be within transmission range.