Search results for " Aggregation"

Dimerization of visinin-like protein 1 is regulated by oxidative stress and calcium and is a pathological hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

2014

AbstractRedox control of proteins that form disulfide bonds upon oxidative challenge is an emerging topic in the physiological and pathophysiological regulation of protein function. We have investigated the role of the neuronal calcium sensor protein visinin-like protein 1 (VILIP-1) as a novel redox sensor in a cellular system. We have found oxidative stress to trigger dimerization of VILIP-1 within a cellular environment and identified thioredoxin reductase as responsible for facilitating the remonomerization of the dimeric protein. Dimerization is modulated by calcium and not dependent on the myristoylation of VILIP-1. Furthermore, we show by site-directed mutagenesis that dimerization is…

Fluctuation Methods To Study Protein Aggregation in Live Cells: Concanavalin A Oligomers Formation

2011

Prefibrillar oligomers of proteins are suspected to be the primary pathogenic agents in several neurodegenerative diseases. A key approach for elucidating the pathogenic mechanisms is to probe the existence of oligomers directly in living cells. In this work, we were able to monitor the process of aggregation of Concanavalin A in live cells. We used number and brightness analysis, two-color cross number and brightness analysis, and Raster image correlation spectroscopy to obtain the number of molecules, aggregation state, and diffusion coefficient as a function of time and cell location. We observed that binding of Concanavalin A to the membrane and the formation of small aggregates paralle…

Species-specific aggregation factor in sponges V. Influence on programmed syntheses

1976

Isolated cells from the siliceous sponge Geodia cydonium as well as small primary aggregates (diameter: 70 mum) consisting of them show no increase in rates of programmed syntheses and mitotic activity with time. After addition of a highly purified aggregation factor to a culture with primary aggregates which subsequently form secondary aggregates (diameter: larger than 1000 mum), a dramatic increase of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis occurs. Together with this increase, the cells show a high mitotic activity. The values for the mitotic coefficient reach a first maximum 8 h after the beginning of the secondary aggregation process. The stimulation of the mitotic activity of cells during the a…

Heterogeneity of aggregates in the fibrillation mechanisms of proteins probed by time resolved fluorescence

2010

Under appropriate conditions almost all proteins are able to aggregate to form long, well-ordered and beta-sheet rich arrays known as amyloid fibrils. The formation of such structures involves complex intra and intermolecular interactions modulated by the structure and dynamics of the native protein, and by the physico-chemical properties of the solvent. Multiple interactions and cross-feedback during the aggregation pathway cause different ultimate aggregates’ morphologies and the possible simultaneous occurrence of multiple species. The structural definition of such assemblies is complicated by the polymorphism of the amyloid fibrils. Aim of this study is to inquire on the different natur…

Impact of Chaperonopathies in Protein Homeostasis and Beyond

2013

Chaperones have functions other than those classically attributed to them pertaining to protein homeostasis. These “other” non-canonical functions are the focus of chapter 8. The close interaction of the chaperoning and the immune systems and the impact of their malfunctioning on aging and cancer are highlighted. Conversely, the impact of ageing and cancer on the two systems is also underscored. The connections between stress, protein damage (including chaperones), protein misfolding, protein aggregation and precipitation, and tissue degeneration, are analyzed, indicating that all these processes are aggravated by a decline in chaperoning potential with aging (chaperonopathies of the aged) …

Asymptomatic Carotid Lesion as a Marker of Future Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Events

2003

Phytoestrogens increase the capacity of serum to stimulate prostacyclin release in human endothelial cells

2003

Both the estrogen receptor (ER) alpha and beta isoforms are expressed in the endothelium. The ER beta has been assigned a crucial role in normal vascular wall function. Prostacyclin has been ascribed a beneficial effect on vessel wall physiology. Isoflavones bind with higher affinity to ER beta. We investigated the hypothesis that their administration to postmenopausal women can promote endothelial prostacyclin production.Twenty-five healthy postmenopausal women with mild climacteric symptoms received capsules containing 55 mg/day isoflavones derived from soy and red clover for 6 months. Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed for 24 h to serum collected before…

Aggregation of fuzzy structures based on equivalence relations

2016

Elektroniskā versija nesatur pielikumus

Metallic nanoparticle enrichment at low temperature, shallow CO2 seeps in Southern Italy

2012

We report on metal enrichment along a natural pH gradient owing to increased CO2 degassing at cold, shallow seeps of Vulcano Island in the Mediterranean Sea, off Sicily. We assessed composition of unfiltered and filtered seawater (<100 nm) along acidic zones ranging between ambient and pH 5, and showed that most seep derived elements are present as nanoclusters which then aggregate into larger colloids while mixing with ambient seawater along a pH gradient. Size and elemental composition of such naturally occurring nanoparticles assessed by modern characterisation methods were in good agreement with the results from conventional analytical methods. We provide analytical evidence for the pre…

Spatial aggregation and resampling expansion of big surveys: An analysis of wage inequality

2020

Income inequality is becoming a growing concern, worldwide, with wage inequality being the root cause of its recent escalation. With the aim of adding to the knowledge on this subject, this paper focuses on the spatial dimension of the problem, an aspect which has received less attention in the literature. We identify the determinants of inequality in wage distribution in Spain at a provincial level using the microdata of the Structure of Earnings Survey (N = 216,769) and estimate their impact from a spatial perspective. Spatial computation of wage concentrations, however, reduces the sample size to just 52 observations, leading to model challenges. To overcome this problem, we adopt a supe…