Analysis on heat stress-induced hyperphosphorylation of stathmin at serine 37 in Jurkat cells by means of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and tandem mass spectrometry were successfully used for determination of a phosphorylation site of stathmin induced by heat stress to Jurkat cells of a human T lymphoblastic cell line. The cells were incubated for 30 min at 41 degrees C up to 45 degrees C in a serum free 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffered culture medium. The intracellular soluble proteins were separated by 2-DE, and some of the proteins increased their abundance by heat stress. Those proteins were identified to be calmodulin, protein kinase C substrate, thymosin beta-4 and F-actin capping protein beta-subunit by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). On the contrary, protein phosphatase 2C gamma-isoform, nucleophosmin, translationally controlled tumor protein, Rho GDP-dissociation inhibitor-1, eukaryotic translation initiation factors 5A and 3A subunit 2, ubiquitin-like protein SMT 3B and chloride intracellular channel protein-1 were decreased their abundance. A protein spot of M(r) 18,000 and pI 5.9 was markedly increased at temperatures higher than 43 degrees C at which the cells were led to apoptosis. The spot was identified to be stathmin of a signal relay protein which has a function of sequestering microtubule. MALDI-quadrupole ion trap (QIT)-TOF-MS/MS and immunoblotting with a monoclonal antibody specific for a phosphorylation site of stathmin showed that the spot was a phosphorylated stathmin at serine 37 (Ser 37). The phosphorylation was suppressed by treatment of cells with olomoucine of an inhibitor specific for cyclin dependent kinase (Cdk-1). These results strongly suggest that heat stress activates Cdk-1 which phosphorylates Ser 37 on the stathmin molecule. The phosphorylation may cause the functional loss of stathmin for dynamic microtubule assembly and leads Jurkat cells to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.     

Photocatalytic decomposition of an alkylammonium cation in a Langmuir-Blodgett film of a titania nanosheet

The formation of inorganic-organic hybrid films of a titania nanosheet and an amphiphilic alkylammonium cation has been investigated, and the photocatalytic decomposition of the alkylammonium cation in the film has been pursued. When a solution of the amphiphilic alkylammonium salt (octadecylammonium chloride: ODAH+ Cl-) was spread on an interface between the air and a titania nanosheet suspension, the negatively charged nanosheets were adsorbed onto the floating monolayer of ODAH+ to form a hybrid monolayer. The hybridization was confirmed by pi-A isotherm measurements, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Multilayered films were fabricated in a layer-by-layer way by transferring the hybrid monolayers onto glass plates. Areas per ODAH+ cation in the films were estimated from the infrared (IR) spectra of the films, but these areas were smaller than those estimated from the pi-A isotherm curves. The orientation of the alkyl chain of ODAH+ in the hybrid film was determined by means of polarized IR spectroscopy. The alkyl chains were tilted 41 +/- 1 degrees and 47 +/- 1 degrees from the surface normal for the films prepared from the 8 and 20 ppm (ppm = mg dm(-3)) suspensions, respectively. Together with X-ray diffraction data of the films, the structure of the hybrid film was discussed. When the films were illuminated with a UV light, the absorption intensities due to the alkyl chain of ODAH+ decreased exponentially, indicating the photocatalytic decomposition of ODAH+ by the titania nanosheets in the films. Deviation from the exponential trend in the decomposition rate was observed in the initial period for the hybrid films prepared from the suspensions at low concentrations. Interestingly, the layered structure of the hybrid film was disturbed significantly after the ODAH+ cations were decomposed.     

Novel configurational structures of sodium tetrakis(3-heptafluorobutylryl-(+)-camphorato) Ln(III) complexes with a trapped Na+ by Na+...FC interactions in the solid state and in solution

For newly prepared sodium tetrakis(3-heptafluorobutylryl-(+)-camphorato) Ln(III) complexes, the X-ray crystal analysis revealed an unprecedented pseudo-achiral dodecahedron (DD-8 (D(2d))), whereas in CHCl3 solution, the exciton CD and 19F NMR spectra showed a novel chiral Delta-SAPR-8 (C4) configuration which is stereospecifically formed by a trapped Na+ ion with Na+...FC (fluorocarbon) interactions.     

Vibrational predissociation of H5 +

The full nine-dimensional vibrational Hamiltonian for H5 + described in the literature [Kraemer et al., J. Mol. Spectrosc. 164, 500 (1994)] is adopted here for an approximate evaluation of the spectral linewidths of the observed H-H stretching modes of the H5 + ion and the corresponding modes of its D5 + isotopomer. In this approximation the high dimensionality of the original Hamiltonian is reduced to a three-dimensional model Hamiltonian which takes only the H-H stretching modes and the molecular dissociation mode into consideration assuming that they are adiabatically separable from the remaining modes. To make the calculations numerically feasible, the molecular degenerate ("skeletal") vibrations are assumed to take place in harmonic potentials, and the effect of the internal propeller rotation is completely disregarded. The linewidths calculated in this approximation are too small to explain the broad shapes of the observed spectral transitions. It can thus be argued that the failure to resolve rotational structure in the observed bands is mainly due to spectral congestion and only partly due to predissociation of the H5 + cluster.     

10-Oxo-10H-5λ,10λ-thianthren-5-ylideneamine as a probe for stereochemistry in the formation and amination of fluoro-λ-sulfanenitriles

The fluorination of 10-oxo-10H-5λ⁴,10λ⁴-thianthren-5-ylideneamine (2) with Selectfluor™ affords 5-fluoro-10-oxo-5,10-dihydro-5λ⁶,10λ⁴-thianthren-5-nitrile (4). The amination of 4 with morpholine gives 5-morpholino-10-oxo-5,10-dihydro-5λ⁶,10λ⁴-thianthren-5-nitrile (5). The stereochemical course of both reactions has been studied, while the configurations of their products, cis-isomer 4 and trans-5-morpholino-10-oxo-5,10-dihydro-5λ⁶,10λ⁴-thianthren-5-nitrile (trans-5) are elucidated by the use of X-ray crystallographic analyses.     

Oscillating heat pipe simulation considering dryout phenomena

In heat transport devices such as oscillating heat pipe (OHP), dryout phenomena is very important and avoided in order to give the optimum performance. However, from the previous studies (including our studies), the dryout phenomena in OHP and its mechanism are still unclear. In our studies of OHP (Senjaya and Inoue in Appl Thermal Eng 60:251–255, 2013; Int J Heat Mass Transfer 60:816–824, 2013; Int J Heat Mass Transfer 60:825–835, 2013), we introduced the importance and roles of liquid film in the operating principle of OHP. In our previous simulation, the thickness of liquid film was assumed to be uniform along a vapor plug. Then, dryout never occurred because there was the liquid transfer from the liquid film in the cooling section to that in the heating section. In this research, the liquid film is not treated uniformly but it is meshed similarly with the vapor plugs and liquid slugs. All governing equations are also solved in each control volume of liquid film. The simulation results show that dryout occurs in the simulation without bubble generation and growth. Dryout is started in the middle of vapor plug, because the liquid supply from the left and right liquid slugs cannot reach until the liquid film in the middle of vapor plug, and propagates to the left and right sides of a vapor plug. By inserting the bubble generation and growth phenomena, dryout does not occur because the wall of heating section is always wetted during the bubble growth and the thickness of liquid film is almost constant. The effects of meshing size of liquid film and wall temperature of heating section are also investigated. The results show that the smaller meshing size, the smaller liquid transfer rate and the faster of dryout propagation. In the OHP with higher wall temperature of heating section, dryout and its propagation also occur faster.     

Biosynthetic pathway for high structural diversity of a common dilactone core in antimycin production

We herein report comparative analysis of two versions of the biosynthetic gene clusters of antimycins, a natural product family possessing up to 44 distinct entities. The biosynthetic pathway of antimycins is amenable to the high structural variation of the substrates, supported by successes in heterologous expression of the ant cluster and in fluorine incorporation. The latter facilitated the investigation of the structure-activity relationship into the usually invariable 3-formamidosalicylic acid moiety of the molecules.     

Ultrafast spectroscopy with sub-10 fs deep-ultraviolet pulses

Time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy with sub-9 fs ultrashort laser pulses in the deep-ultraviolet (DUV) region is reported for the first time. Single 8.7 fs DUV pulses with a spectral range of 255-290 nm are generated by a chirped-pulse four-wave mixing technique for use as pump and probe pulses. Electronic excited state and vibrational dynamics are simultaneously observed for an aqueous solution of thymine over the full spectral range using a 128-channel lock-in detector. Vibrational modes of the electronic ground state and excited states can be observed as well as the decay dynamics of the electronic excited state. Information on the initial phase of the vibrational modes is extracted from the measured difference absorbance trace, which contains oscillatory structures arising from the vibrational modes of the molecule. Along with other techniques such as time-resolved infrared spectroscopy, spectroscopy with sub-9 fs DUV pulses is expected to contribute to a detailed understanding of the photochemical dynamics of biologically significant molecules that absorb in the DUV region such as DNA and amino acids.     

In situ analytical electron microscopy studies of redox reactions at a YSZ/Pt interface

Redox reactions were studied at a single yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/Pt electrode interface, in parallel with pure YSZ with no catalyst electrode, by in situ analytical electron microscopy at elevated temperatures and in an oxygen atmosphere. In situ electron holography showed that the oxide underwent reduction at elevated temperatures in a vacuum and was consequently reoxidized upon exposure to an oxygen flux at the same temperature. In situ energy loss spectroscopy measurements were in agreement with in situ electron holography observations and indicated that the oxidation state of the host cation zirconium was altered in the reduced state of the YSZ to the metastable state Zr(3+).     

Blockade of inflammatory responses by a small-molecule inhibitor of the Rac activator DOCK2

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Highlights? CPYPP binds to DOCK2 DHR-2 domain and inhibits its catalytic activity ? CPYPP inhibits DOCK2-mediated Rac activation in cells ? The structural features of CPYPP required for its inhibitory effect were revealed ? CPYPP inhibits lymphocyte migration and activation in vitro and in vivo