Intriguing self-assembly of large granules of F-actin facilitated by gelsolin and alpha-actinin

We report microscopic observations and a structural determination of actin granules self-assembled in concentrated solutions of actin filaments (F-actin). Optical microscopy shows reproducible formation of numerous and stable granules of densely packed F-actin of variable sizes on the order of 10 microm. These granules coexist with a uniform network of F-actin of a lower concentration. The microscopic segregation of F-actin into two distinct states is assisted by an actin cross-linking protein, alpha-actinin. The rapid on and off rates and temperature sensitivity of the alpha-actinin/F-actin interaction facilitate the formation of multi-micrometer-sized granules of well-defined shapes. Additional physical factors such as the excluded volume effect and the minimization of surface energy act in concert with the specific molecular interactions to define the intriguing granular formation. Both the biochemical specificity of alpha-actinin and the thermodynamics of phase transitions are required for understanding such large scale self-assembly.     

The synthesis of dicationic extended bis-benzimidazoles

The synthesis of extended dicationic bis-benzimidazoles starting from trans-1,2-bis(4-cyanophenyl)ethene and trans-1,2-bis(4-cyanophenyl)cyclopropane is reported. The target diamidines show significant in vitro activity against B. subtilis.     

Distance dependence of electron transfer in rigid,cofacially compressed,pi-stacked porphyrin-bridge-quinone systems

The electron-transfer (ET) dynamics of a series of unusually rigid pi-stacked porphyrin-quinone (P-Q) systems, in which sub-van der Waals interplanar distances separate juxtaposed porphyryl, aromatic bridge, and quinonyl components of these assemblies, are reported. The photoinduced charge separation (CS) and thermal charge recombination (CR) ET reactions of [5-[8'-(2',5'-benzoquinonyl)-1'-naphthyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II) (1a-Zn), [5-[8'-(4'-[8'"-(2'"',5'"'-benzoquinonyl)-1'"-naphthyl]-1'-phenyl)-1'-naphthyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II) (2a-Zn), and [5-(8'-[4'-(8'"-[4'"'-(8'"-[2'"',5'"'-benzoquinonyl]-1'"-naphthyl)-1'"'-phenyl]-1'"-naphthyl)-1'-phenyl]-1'-naphthyl)-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II) (3a-Zn) in CH(2)Cl(2) were investigated by pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy. Analyses of these data show that the phenomenological ET distance dependence (beta) for both the CS and CR reactions in these systems is soft (beta(CS) = 0.43 A(-1); beta(CR) = 0.35 +/- 0.16 A(-1)). This work demonstrates that simple aromatic building blocks such as benzene, which are characterized by highly stabilized filled molecular orbitals and large HOMO-LUMO gaps, can provide substantial D-A electronic coupling when organized within a pi-stacked structural motif that features a modest degree of arene-arene interplanar compression.     

Thermally produced biodegradable scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

A novel process was developed to fabricate biodegradable polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering applications, without using organic solvents. Solvent residues in scaffolds fabricated by processes involving organic solvents may damage cells transplanted onto the scaffolds or tissue near the transplantation site. Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) powder and NaCl particles in a mold were compressed and subsequently heated at 180 degrees C (near the PLLA melting temperature) for 3 min. The heat treatment caused the polymer particles to fuse and form a continuous matrix containing entrapped NaCl particles. After dissolving the NaCl salts, which served as a porogen, porous biodegradable PLLA scaffolds were formed. The scaffold porosity and pore size were controlled by adjusting the NaCl/PLLA weight ratio and the NaCl particle size. The characteristics of the scaffolds were compared to those of scaffolds fabricated using a conventional solvent casting/particulate leaching (SC/PL) process, in terms of pore structure, pore-size distribution, and mechanical properties. A scanning electron microscopic examination showed highly interconnected and open pore structures in the scaffolds fabricated using the thermal process, whereas the SC/PL process yielded scaffolds with less interconnected and closed pore structures. Mercury intrusion porosimetry revealed that the thermally produced scaffolds had a much more uniform distribution of pore sizes than the SC/PL process. The utility of the thermally produced scaffolds was demonstrated by engineering cartilaginous tissues in vivo. In summary, the thermal process developed in this study yields tissue-engineering scaffolds with more favorable characteristics, with respect to, freedom from organic solvents, pore structure, and size distribution than the SC/PL process. Moreover, the thermal process could also be used to fabricate scaffolds from polymers that are insoluble in organic solvents, such as poly(glycolic acid). Cartilage tissue regenerated from thermally produced PLLA scaffold.     

Studies on solid state reactions of coordination compounds. LXIII. Solid state synthesis of a series of tetranuclear Mo(W)—Ag mixed-metal clusters. Crystal structures of [(n-Bu)4N]3[MoOS3Ag3Br4] and [(n-Bu)4N]3[WS4Ag3Cl4]

A series of tetranuclear Mo(W)-Ag mixed-metal clusters have been synthesized by making use of the solid state reactions of [NH₄]₂[MYS₃](M= Mo, W; Y= O, S), AgX(X= Cl, Br, I) and (n-Bu)₄NX' (X' =Cl, Br), two of which [(n-Bu)₄N]₃[MoOS₃Ag₃Br₄] (1) and [(n-Bu)₄N]₃[WS₄Ag₃Cl₄] ( 2 ) have been structurally characterized by X-ray analysis. The crystal data: 1 , cubic, P4 3m, αequals;12.093(4) Å, Z=1, R =0.076; 2 , cubic, P4 3m, αequals;12.059(2) Å, Z =1, R =0.075. The cluster anion core [Ag₃MS₃X'] of the two compounds can be viewed as a cube in which the four metal atoms and the four non-metal atoms are statistically distributed, respectively. Substitution reaction with PPh₃ ligand is also discussed for this type of tetranuclear clusters.     

Highly sensitive and simple fluorescence staining of proteins in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide-based gels by using hydrophobic tail-mediated enhancement of fluorescein luminescence

Fluorescein has an extremely low luminescence intensity in acidic aqueous media. However, when it was bound to proteins, subsequent increase of luminescence intensity took place. Furthermore, when a hydrophobic tail, such as aliphatic hydrocarbons, was introduced to fluorescein, more dramatic increase of luminescence intensity was observed upon binding to proteins. In the present study, by utilizing this luminescence enhancement, three hydrophobic fluorescein dyes (5-dodecanoyl amino fluorescein, 5-hexadecanoyl amino fluorescein, and 5-octadecanoyl amino fluorescein) were examined as noncovalent fluorescent stains of protein bands in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Effective incorporation of the dyes to proteins in gels was accomplished either simply by adding dyes at the protein fixation step, or by treating gels with a staining solution after the fixation. The sensitivity of this staining method using the fluorescein derivatives was approximately 1 ng/band for most proteins. For some cases, protein bands containing as low as 0.1 ng were successfully visualized. In addition, the detection sensitivity showed much less protein-to-protein variation than silver staining. This new staining method was also successfully applied to two-dimensional electrophoresis of rat brain proteins. Its overall sensitivity was comparable to that of silver staining.     

ZIP8 exacerbates collagen-induced arthritis by increasing pathogenic T cell responses

Zinc is a trace element that is essential for immune responses. Therefore, changes in cellular zinc levels in specific immune cells may influence inflammatory autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the regulation of zinc mobilization in immune cells and its role in the pathogenesis of RA are not fully understood. Thus, we investigated the roles of zinc transporters in RA pathogenesis. We demonstrated that ZIP8 was specifically upregulated in CD4⁺ T cells that infiltrated the inflamed joint and that ZIP8 deficiency in CD4⁺ T cells abrogated collagen-induced arthritis. ZIP8 deficiency dramatically affected zinc influx in effector T cells and profoundly reduced T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated signaling, including NF-κB and MAPK signaling, which are pathways that are involved in T helper (Th) 17 cell differentiation. Taken together, our findings suggest that ZIP8 depletion in CD4⁺ T cells attenuates TCR signaling due to insufficient cellular zinc, thereby reducing the function of effector CD4⁺ T cells, including Th17 cells. Our results also suggest that targeting ZIP8 may be a useful strategy to inhibit RA development and pathogenesis.Subject terms: Autoimmunity, Immunological disorders     

Kinetics of thermal depolymerization of trimethylsiloxy end-blocked polydimethylsiloxane and polydimethylsiloxane-N-phenylsilazane copolymer

The thermal degradation of Me₃SiO end-blocked polydimethylsiloxane (eb-PDMS) and polydimethylsiloxane-N-phenylsilazane (eb-PDMS–NPhSz) copolymer was studied. For both polymers relative degree of polymerization (DP /DP ₀) as a function of conversion (1 – W/W₀) data were obtained. For eb-PDMS the results were consistent with a mechanism involving a rate determining random siloxane bond cleavage initiation step followed by a rapid and complete depropagation of the active fragments evolving volatile cyclic oligomers. Rate constants (k) for initiation were obtained at four temperatures from plots of DP ^?1 vs. time. An Arrhenius activation energy of approximately 80 kcal/mol was determined and is consistent with a SiOSi scission transition state. The degradation of eb-PDMS–NPhSz appears to follow the same depolymerization process evolving cyclic oligomers. Although DP /DP ₀ vs. C data suggest a random cleavage–complete depolymerization mechanism, an Arrhenius plot suggests a more complex degradation mechanism. The role of impurities as degradation catalysts is discussed.     

Asymmetric cationic coordination environments in new oxide materials: synthesis and characterization of Pb(4)Te(6)M(10)O(41) (M = Nb(5+) or Ta(5+))

Two new isostructural tellurites, Pb(4)Te(6)M(10)O(41) (M = Nb(5+) or Ta(5+)), have been synthesized by standard solid-state techniques using PbO, Nb(2)O(5) (or Ta(2)O(5)), and TeO(2) as reagents. The structures of Pb(4)Te(6)Nb(10)O(41) and Pb(4)Te(6)Ta(10)O(41) were determined by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. The materials exhibit a three-dimensional framework consisting of layers of corner-shared NbO(6) octahedra connected by TeO(3) and PbO(6) polyhedra. The Nb(5+), Te(4+), and Pb(2+) cations are in asymmetric coordination environments attributable to second-order Jahn-Teller effects. The Nb(5+) cations undergo an intraoctahedral distortion either toward a face or a corner, whereas the Te(4+) and Pb(2+) cations are in distorted environments attributable to their lone pair. In addition, the TeO(3) polyhedra strongly influence the direction of the Nb(5+) intraoctahedral distortion. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and dielectric measurements are also presented. Crystal data: Pb(4)Te(6)Nb(10)O(41), monoclinic, space group C2/m (No. 12), with a = 23.412(3) A, b = 20.114(3) A, c = 7.5008(10) A, beta = 99.630(4) degrees, V = 3482.4(8) A(3), and Z = 4; Pb(4)Te(6)Ta(10)O(41), monoclinic, space group C2/m (No. 12), with a = 23.340(8) A, b = 20.068(5) A, c = 7.472(2) A, beta = 99.27(3) degrees, V = 3453.8(2) A(3), and Z = 4.     

煤中15种微量元素在燃烧产物中的分配

建立了燃煤中１５种向量元素在悄灰和底灰中含量分布的经验公式，该公式可以估算煤中微量元素在燃烧产物中的分配及传输通量。煤中非挥发性元素大部分存在于底灰和飞灰中，挥发性元素进入大气的量较高。