Search results for " Aggregation"
showing 10 items of 441 documents
Effects of pathogen reduction systems on platelet microRNAs, mRNAs, activation, and function
2014
Pathogen reduction (PR) systems for platelets, based on chemically induced cross-linking and inactivation of nucleic acids, potentially prevent transfusion transmission of infectious agents, but can increase clinically significant bleeding in some clinical studies. Here, we documented the effects of PR systems on microRNA and mRNA levels of platelets stored in the blood bank, and assessed their impact on platelet activation and function. Unlike platelets subjected to gamma irradiation or stored in additive solution, platelets treated with Intercept (amotosalen + ultraviolet-A [UVA] light) exhibited significantly reduced levels of 6 of the 11 microRNAs, and 2 of the 3 anti-apoptotic mRNAs (B…
Decoding vibrational states of Concanavalin A amyloid fibrils.
2015
International audience; Amyloid and amyloid-like fibrils are a general class of protein aggregates and represent a central topic in life sciences for their involvement in several neurodegenerative disorders and their unique mechanical and supramolecular morphological properties. Both their biological role and their physical properties, including their high mechanical stability and thermodynamic inertia, are related to the structural arrangement of proteins in the aggregates at molecular level. Significant variations may exist in the supramolecular organization of the commonly termed cross-β structure that constitutes the amyloid core. In this context, a fine knowledge of the structural deta…
Concanavalin A aggregation and toxicity on cell cultures
2009
A number of neurodegenerative diseases are known to involve protein aggregation. Common mechanisms and structural properties of amyloids are thought to be involved in aggregation-related cytotoxicity. In this context we propose an experimental study on Concanavalin A (Con A) aggregation and use it as a model to study the relationship between cell toxicity and aggregation processes. Depending on solution conditions, Con A aggregation has been monitored by static and dynamic light scattering, Thioflavin T emission, and FTIR absorption. The morphology of different aggregate species was verified by means of Atomic Force Microscopy and Confocal Microscopy. During the aggregation pathway the nati…
The Boson Peak of Amyloid Fibrils: Probing the Softness of Protein Aggregates by Inelastic Neutron Scattering
2014
Proteins and polypeptides are characterized by low-frequency vibrations in the terahertz regime responsible for the so-called "boson peak". The shape and position of this peak are related to the mechanical properties of peptide chains. Amyloid fibrils are ordered macromolecular assemblies, spontaneously formed in nature, characterized by unique biological and nanomechanical properties. In this work, we investigate the effects of the amyloid state and its polymorphism on the boson peak. We used inelastic neutron scattering to probe low-frequency vibrations of the glucagon polypeptide in the native state and in two different amyloid morphologies in both dry and hydrated sample states. The dat…
The kinetic behavior of insulin fibrillation is determined by heterogeneous nucleation pathways
2005
When subjected to acidic conditions and high temperature, insulin is known to produce fibrils that display the common properties of disease amyloids. Thus, clarifying the mechanisms of insulin fibrillation can help the general understanding of amyloidal aggregation. Insulin fibrillation exhibits a very sharp time dependence, with a pronounced lag phase and subsequent explosive growth of amyloidal aggregates. Here we show that the initial stages of this process can be well described by exponential growth of the fibrillated proteins. This indicates that the process is mainly controlled by a secondary nucleation pathway.
Secondary nucleation and accessible surface in insulin amyloid fibril formation.
2008
At low pH insulin is highly prone to self-assembly into amyloid fibrils. The process has been proposed to be affected by the existence of secondary nucleation pathways, in which already formed fibrils are able to catalyze the formation of new fibrils. In this work, we studied the fibrillation process of human insulin in a wide range of protein concentrations. Thioflavin T fluorescence was used for its ability to selectively detect amyloid fibrils, by mechanisms that involve the interaction between the dye and the accessible surface of the fibrils. Our results show that the rate of fibrillation and the Thioflavin T fluorescence intensity saturate at high protein concentration and that, surpr…
Increase in stability and change in supramolecular structure of β-carotene through encapsulation into polylactic acid nanoparticles
2011
International audience; β-Carotene (BC) exhibits controversial antioxidant properties as it may act also as a prooxidant. Its stability toward oxidation depends on its dispersion form and can be increased through encapsulation. In this study, oxidation of BC from synthetic and natural origins was investigated after dispersion in Tween micelles or poly lactic acid (PLA) particles. Two oxidation systems were used: autooxidation and oxidation by xanthine oxidase-generated-reactive oxygen species. Results showed that synthetic BC formed nanometric negatively-charged particles in both Tween micelle and PLA systems, whereas the natural BC sample used was shown to be already pre-oxidised, forming …
Protein aggregation induced by phase separation in a pea proteins–sodium alginate–water ternary system
2012
Abstract The physicochemical properties of a native, globular plant protein–linear anionic polysaccharide aqueous system at 20 °C were investigated in conditions where biopolymers carry a net negative charge (pH 7.2, 0.1 M NaCl). The pea proteins–sodium alginate mixtures showed a phase separation mainly by thermodynamic incompatibility, characterized at both the macroscopic and microscopic scale. Phase diagram was established and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) provided accurate data on the microstructure morphology of the system, regarding its phase behavior. In admixture, sodium alginate induced a protein aggregation, certainly by a local depletion of the polysaccharide. Protein…
Myopathic form of arthrogryposis and microcirculation lesion.
1989
A microvascular lesion characterized by extensive platelet aggregation, thrombosis, vascular damage with hemorrhages was found in the muscle of a 2-month-old boy with a myopathic form of the arthrogryposis syndrome. The lesion morphologically resembled the vascular leakage seen in immunologically mediated tissue injury. A degradative effect of proteases released during platelet and neutrophil aggregation on the muscle and joints is suggested.
Initiation and duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after inpatient percutaneous coronary intervention with stent implantation in Germany: An electr…
2017
Abstract Background Studies assessing the routine outpatient dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Germany are scarce. The aim of this study was (i) to investigate the initiation and duration of DAPT after inpatient PCI with stent implantation in Germany, and (ii) to identify factors associated with DAPT discontinuation during the recommended treatment period. Methods This retrospective cohort study was based on data from a large German electronic healthcare database of the years 2004 to 2009. The study population comprised four groups of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or stable angina pectoris undergoing inpatient PCI with either ba…