Search results for "Biophysic"

Fibronectin-bound α5β1 integrins sense load and signal to reinforce adhesion in less than a second

2017

Integrin-mediated mechanosensing of the extracellular environment allows cells to control adhesion and signalling. Whether cells sense and respond to force immediately upon ligand-binding is unknown. Here, we report that during adhesion initiation, fibroblasts respond to mechanical load by strengthening integrin-mediated adhesion to fibronectin (FN) in a biphasic manner. In the first phase, which depends on talin and kindlin as well as on the actin nucleators Arp2/3 and mDia, FN-engaged α5β1 integrins activate focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and c-Src in less than 0.5 s to steeply strengthen α5β1- and αV-class integrin-mediated adhesion. When the mechanical load exceeds a certain threshold, fib…

MRI of tarantulas: morphological and perfusion imaging.

2005

This paper describes a study performed to evaluate the feasibility of using a 1.5-T whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, in combination with pharmacokinetic modeling, to obtain in vivo information about the morphology and perfusion of tarantulas (Eurypelma californicum). MRI was performed on three tarantulas using spin-echo sequences for morphological imaging and a rapid spoiled gradient-echo sequence for dynamic imaging during and after contrast medium (CM; Gd-DTPA) injection. Signal enhancement in dynamic measurements was evaluated with a pharmacokinetic two-compartment model. Spin-echo images showed morphological structures well. Dynamic images were of sufficient qualit…

Towards modern understanding of the Achilles tendon properties in human movement research

2023

The Achilles tendon (AT) is the strongest tendon in humans, yet it often suffers from injury. The mechanical properties of the AT afford efficient movement, power amplification and power attenuation during locomotor tasks. The properties and the unique structure of the AT as a common tendon for three muscles have been studied frequently in humans using in vivo methods since 1990's. As a part of the celebration of 50 years history of the International Society of Biomechanics, this paper reviews the history of the AT research focusing on its mechanical properties in humans. The questions addressed are: What are the most important mechanical properties of the Achilles tendon, how are they stud…

Imaging synaptic zinc release in living nervous tissue

2001

Zinc enriched neurons have a pool of synaptic vesicles which contain free or loosely-bound zinc ions. The movement of the vesicular zinc ions into the synaptic clefts has been previously studied by microdialysis, fluorescence postmortem staining for zinc and radioactive zinc isotope. In this study the zinc fluorescence probe N-6-metoxy-p-toluensulfonamide quinoline (TSQ) has been applied as a tracer of synaptic release of zinc ions. This fluorochrome permeates cell membranes and when exposed to living brain slices gives rise to a staining pattern similar to that seen with autometallography. In the living brain slices, fluorescence emission persists after exposure to calcium saturated ethyle…

Standard partial molar volumes of alcohols in aqueous dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide solutions

1990

Density measurements of water-dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB)-alcohol ternary systems as a function of alcohol and surfactant concentrations were carried out at 25°C. The alcohols were propanol (PrOH), 2-propanol (2-PrOH) and hexanol (HexOH). The apparent molar volume Vϕ,R of alcohols have been calculated and the standard (infinite dilution) partial molar volumes of alcohols V R at each surfactant concentration were obtained by means of a least squares fit of Vϕ,R vs. the alcohol concentration. The V R vs. surfactant concentration curves have been rationalized in terms of the partial molar volume of alcohol in the aqueous V f and the micellar V b phases and the distribution constant…

Early stages of test formation in larva of Ascidia malaca (Tunicata, Ascidiacea): ultrastructural and cytochemical investigations.

2003

Abstract The swimming larvae of ascidians are entirely covered by a hyalin coat called tunic, or test. This covering consists of two cuticular layers, C 1 and C 2 , which surround an inner compartment composed of an amorphous hyalin matrix with numerous fibrils dispersed inside. Data from the literature agree on the key role played by the cells of the larval ectodermic layer in the synthesis and secretion of larval test components. In the present article are reported ultrastructural and cytochemical investigations made during test formation in the swimming larva of Ascidia malaca . Besides confirming the role played by ectodermic cells during the early stages of test formation, the investig…

There is plenty of room in protein-RNA condensates

2021

Modulation of intracellular calcium concentrations and T cell activation by prickly pear polyphenols.

2004

Opuntia ficus indica (prickly pear) polyphenolic compounds (OFPC) triggered an increase in [Ca2+]i in human Jurkat T-cell lines. Furthermore, OFPC-induced rise in [Ca2+]i was significantly curtailed in calcium-free buffer (0% Ca2+) as compared to that in 100% Ca2+ medium. Preincubation of cells with tyrphostin A9, an inhibitor of Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels, significantly diminished the OFPC-induced sustained response on the increases in [Ca2+]i. Lanthanum and nifedipine, the respective inhibitors of voltage-dependent and L-type calcium channels, failed to curtail significantly the OFPC-induced calcium response. As OFPC still stimulated increases in [Ca2+]i in 0% Ca2+ medium…

OpenCMISS: A multi-physics & multi-scale computational infrastructure for the VPH/Physiome project

2011

The VPH/Physiome Project is developing the model encoding standards CellML (cellml.org) and FieldML (fieldml.org) as well as web-accessible model repositories based on these standards (models.physiome.org). Freely available open source computational modelling software is also being developed to solve the partial differential equations described by the models and to visualise results. The OpenCMISS code (opencmiss.org), described here, has been developed by the authors over the last six years to replace the CMISS code that has supported a number of organ system Physiome projects. OpenCMISS is designed to encompass multiple sets of physical equations and to link subcellular and tissue-level b…

Simulation of binary fluids exposed to selectively adsorbing walls: a method to estimate contact angles and line tensions

2011

For an understanding of interfacial phenomena of fluids on the nanoscale a detailed knowledge of the excess free energies of fluids due to walls is required, as well as of the interfacial tension between coexisting fluid phases. A description of simulation approaches to solve this task is given for a suitable model binary (A + B) fluid. Sampling the order parameter distribution of the system without walls, the curvature dependent and flat interfacial tensions of coexisting ‘bulk’ phases is extracted. In a thin film geometry, the difference in wall free energies is found via a new thermodynamic integration method. Thus the contact angle θ of macroscopic droplets is estimated from Young's equ…