54 research outputs found
Human Small Heat Shock Protein B8 Inhibits Protein Aggregation without Affecting the Native Folding Process
: Small Heat Shock Proteins (sHSPs) are key components of our Protein Quality Control system and are thought to act as reservoirs that neutralize irreversible protein aggregation. Yet, sHSPs can also act as sequestrases, promoting protein sequestration into aggregates, thus challenging our understanding of their exact mechanisms of action. Here, we employ optical tweezers to explore the mechanisms of action of the human small heat shock protein HSPB8 and its pathogenic mutant K141E, which is associated with neuromuscular disease. Through single-molecule manipulation experiments, we studied how HSPB8 and its K141E mutant affect the refolding and aggregation processes of the maltose binding protein. Our data show that HSPB8 selectively suppresses protein aggregation without affecting the native folding process. This anti-aggregation mechanism is distinct from previous models that rely on the stabilization of unfolded polypeptide chains or partially folded structures, as has been reported for other chaperones. Rather, it appears that HSPB8 selectively recognizes and binds to aggregated species formed at the early stages of aggregation, preventing them from growing into larger aggregated structures. Consistently, the K141E mutation specifically targets the affinity for aggregated structures without impacting native folding, and hence impairs its anti-aggregation activity
Synthesis and characterization of atomically-thin graphite films on a silicon carbide substrate
This paper reports the synthesis and detailed characterization of graphite
thin films produced by thermal decomposition of the (0001) face of a 6H-SiC
wafer, demonstrating the successful growth of single crystalline films down to
approximately one graphene layer. The growth and characterization were carried
out in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. The growth process and sample quality
were monitored by low-energy electron diffraction, and the thickness of the
sample was determined by core level x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy shows constant energy
map patterns, which are very sharp and fully momentum-resolved, but nonetheless
not resolution limited. We discuss the implications of this observation in
connection with scanning electron microscopy data, as well as with previous
studies
Pathways towards Legal Migration into the EU: Reappraising concepts, trajectories and policies. CEPS Paperback, September 2017
On 27 January 2017, the Justice and Home Affairs Section of CEPS and
the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG
HOME) of the European Commission co-organised a policy
workshop in Brussels entitled “Reappraising the EU legal migration acquis:
Legal pathways for a new model of economic migration, and the role of
social science research”. The event brought together leading academics,
practitioners and European Commission representatives to assess and
discuss the state of play in the (internal and external) EU legal migration
acquis, and its role in developing legal pathways towards economic
migration.
Held under the Chatham House Rule, the policy workshop’s
roundtable discussions allowed participants to identify and address some of
the key challenges, inconsistencies and gaps in the standing EU policies and
legislation in the area of legal and economic migration. Scholars involved in
EU and nationally funded, collaborative research projects on social science
and humanities (SSH) had the opportunity to exchange interdisciplinary
knowledge with European Commission officials representing the different
services working on legal migration policies. The role and potential of
independent academic research in the framework of EU migration policymaking
were also discussed. The full programme of the policy workshop is
reproduced in the annex of this book
Global estimates of biomass burning emissions based on satellite imagery for the year 2000
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94645/1/jgrd11177.pd
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