Periodic adhesive fingers between contacting cells

We study in detail the properties of fingers, a particular type of cell-cell adhesive structures appearing in adherens junctions. These periodic patterns break the symmetry of cell-cell contacts. We show that finger formation is driven by cadherin interactions and actin growth. A theoretical model is introduced in which the growth of fingers is limited by membrane tension. The steady shape and formation kinetics of fingers are experimentally measured and compared with the theoretical predictions.     

Linear Repetitivity, I. Uniform Subadditive Ergodic Theorems and Applications

This paper is concerned with the concept of linear repetitivity in the theory of tilings. We prove a general uniform subadditive ergodic theorem for linearly repetitive tilings. This theorem unifies and extends various known (sub)additive ergodic theorems on tilings. The results of this paper can be applied in the study of both random operators and lattice gas models on tilings. Received July 19, 2000, and in revised form January 30, 2001. Online publication July 25, 2001.     

Synthesis,Formulation, and Adjuvanticity of Monodesmosidic Saponins with Olenanolic Acid,Hederagenin and Gypsogenin Aglycones,and some C‐28 Ester Derivatives

In an attempt to discover a new synthetic vaccine adjuvant, the glycosylation of hederagenin, gypsogenin, and oleanolic acid acceptors with di‐ and trisaccharide donors to generate a range of mimics of natural product QS‐21 was carried out. The saponins were formulated with phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, and the structures analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. 3‐O‐(Manp(1→3)Glcp)hederagenin was found to produce numerous ring‐like micelles when formulated, while C‐28 choline ester derivatives preferred self‐assembly and did not interact with the liposomes. When alone and in the presence of cholesterol and phospholipid, the choline ester derivatives produced nanocrystalline rods or helical micelles. The effects of modifying sugar stereochemistry and the aglycone on the immunostimulatory effects of the saponins was then evaluated using the activation markers MHC class II and CD86 in murine bone marrow dendritic cells. The most active saponin, 3‐O‐(Manp(1→3)Glcp)hederagenin, was stimulatory at high concentrations in cell culture, but this did not translate to strong responses in vivo.     

Zero measure Cantor spectra for continuum one-dimensional quasicrystals

We study Schrödinger operators on R$\mathbb{R}$ with measures as potentials. Choosing a suitable subset of measures we can work with a dynamical system consisting of measures. We then relate properties of this dynamical system with spectral properties of the associated operators. The constant spectrum in the strictly ergodic case coincides with the union of the zeros of the Lyapunov exponent and the set of non-uniformities of the transfer matrices. This result enables us to prove Cantor spectra of zero Lebesgue measure for a large class of operator families, including many operator families generated by aperiodic subshifts.     

Injury‐Triggered Blueing Reactions of Psilocybe “Magic” Mushrooms

Upon injury, psychotropic psilocybin‐producing mushrooms instantly develop an intense blue color, the chemical basis and mode of formation of which has remained elusive. We report two enzymes from Psilocybe cubensis that carry out a two‐step cascade to prepare psilocybin for oxidative oligomerization that leads to blue products. The phosphatase PsiP removes the 4‐O‐phosphate group to yield psilocin, while PsiL oxidizes its 4‐hydroxy group. The PsiL reaction was monitored by in situ ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, which indicated that oxidative coupling of psilocyl residues occurs primarily via C‐5. MS and IR spectroscopy indicated the formation of a heterogeneous mixture of preferentially psilocyl 3‐ to 13‐mers and suggest multiple oligomerization routes, depending on oxidative power and substrate concentration. The results also imply that phosphate ester of psilocybin serves a reversible protective function.     

Measurement of strong interaction parameters in antiprotonic hydrogen and deuterium

In the PS207 experiment at CERN, X-rays from antiprotonic hydrogen and deuterium have been measured at low pressure. The strong interaction shift and the broadening of the K _α transition in antiprotonic hydrogen were determined. Evidence was found for the individual hyperfine components of the protonium ground state. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

20 years of DPP pigments – future perspectives

Diketopyrrolopyrroles (DPP), one of the major innovations in Pigment Chemistry in the last 20 years, have developed to an important class of organic pigments. Chemical transformations have been the door opener for most of the innovations. The insoluble nature of the DPP Pigments allows for solid-state phenomena to be investigated. Crystal modifications and solid solution formation have enhanced the scope of DPP pigments. Specific elaborations of the DPP chemistry have lead to interesting developments also for electronic applications like color filters for liquid crystal displays or for the second generation display technologies like the OLED involving electro luminescent materials.