ALS-associated mutant SOD1<Superscript>G93A</Superscript> causes mitochondrial vacuolation by expansion of the intermembrane space and by involvement of SOD1 aggregation and peroxisomes

Background  

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an age-dependent neurodegenerative disease that causes motor neuron degeneration, paralysis and death. Mutations in Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) are one cause for the familial form of this disease. Transgenic mice expressing mutant SOD1 develop age-dependent motor neuron degeneration, skeletal muscle weakness, paralysis and death similar to humans. The mechanism whereby mutant SOD1 induces motor neuron degeneration is not understood but widespread mitochondrial vacuolation has been observed during early phases of motor neuron degeneration. How this vacuolation develops is not clear, but could involve autophagic vacuolation, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) or uncharacterized mechanisms. To determine which of these possibilities are true, we examined the vacuolar patterns in detail in transgenic mice expressing mutant SOD1^G93A.     

Formation of palladium nanoparticles in poly (o-methoxyaniline) macromolecule fibers: An in-situ chemical synthesis method

We report here a novel in-situ synthetic method for the preparation of poly (o-methoxyaniline) and palladium nanoparticle composite material. Ortho-Methoxyaniline and palladium acetate were used as the precursors; during the reaction o-methoxyaniline was oxidized and forms poly (o-methoxyaniline) and palladium acetate is reduced forming palladium nanoparticles. IR and Raman spectra provide information on the structure of the polymer. The TEM and SEM analysis are used to determine the size of the nanoparticles and the morphology of the polymer respectively.     

Redox catalytic property of gold nanoclusters: evidence of an electron-relay effect

The objective of this study is to investigate the elementary mechanism of the formation of nanoclusters in terms of the various stages involved, viz. atom formation, cluster nucleation and growth. The thermodynamics of their reaction where the clusters play an efficient role as a catalyst for the redox system is also another interesting dimension of the study. Synthesis of particles suggests a two-step process, i.e. nucleation and successive growth. The atoms agglomerate to form metal clusters. A metal cluster acting as a catalytic relay behaves alternately as an acceptor and as a donor of electrons. An effective transfer of electrons is possible when the potential of the cluster is more positive than that of the electron-donor system. PACS 87.20.Dd; 81.16.Hc; 81.07.-b; 78.67.-n; 82.35.Np     

Emergence of Paramagnetism in Organic Macromolecules during Synthesis

Paramagnetism in polyaniline can be generated during synthesis if cerium (IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN) is used as a polymerizing (oxidizing) agent. During the reaction, in situ formation of Ce³⁺ ions are doped in the spherical polyaniline particles and show paramagnetic behavior throughout the experimental temperature range (400–1.9 K). The result indicated that the Ce³⁺ ions covalently functionalized with the chain nitrogen of the polyaniline.     

In situ formation of magnetic–luminescent, bi-functional, polymer-stabilized cerium sulfide nanoparticles

Polymer-stabilized paramagnetic and fluorescent rare-earth metal sulfide (cerium sulfide, Ce₂S₃) nanoparticles have been synthesized by using an ??in situ polymerization and composite formation?? (IPCF) technique (Mallick et al. in J. Appl. Phys. 106:074303, 2009) at room temperature. Encapsulated cerium sulfide nanoparticles showed photoluminescence when excited with laser irradiation. The composite material exhibited a paramagnetic behavior due to the in situ formation of magnetic Ce³⁺ ionic species at the reaction condition.     

Imaging cytoplasmic cAMP in mouse brainstem neurons

Background  

cAMP is an ubiquitous second messenger mediating various neuronal functions, often as a consequence of increased intracellular Ca²⁺ levels. While imaging of calcium is commonly used in neuroscience applications, probing for cAMP levels has not yet been performed in living vertebrate neuronal tissue before.     

A simple model for a two-stage chemical reaction with diffusion

We analyse the evolution of a two-stage chemical reaction betweentwo neighbouring plumes of reactants. Under the assumption thatthe plumes are approximately Gaussian we derive a system ofordinary differential equations for the total amount, the centroidand the variance of each reactant. We compare the solution ofthese equations with full numerical simulation of the reaction.Excellent agreement is obtained, with solution of the near-Gaussianmodel requiring considerably less computational effort thanthe full simulations. Of key importance is the yield of thereaction, and we discuss this feature in particular.