Search results for "Biophysic"
showing 10 items of 3565 documents
Scaffold vascularization in vivo driven by primary human osteoblasts in concert with host inflammatory cells.
2011
Successful cell-based tissue engineering requires a rapid and thorough vascularization in order to ensure long-term implant survival and tissue integration. The vascularization of a scaffold is a complex process, and is modulated by the presence of transplanted cells, exogenous and endogenous signaling proteins, and the host tissue reaction, among other influencing factors. This paper presents evidence for the significance of pre-seeded osteoblasts for the in vivo vascularization of a biodegradable scaffold. Human osteoblasts, cultured on silk fibroin micronets in vitro, migrated throughout the interconnected pores of the scaffold and produced extensive bone matrix. When these constructs we…
The impact of the receptor binding profiles of the vascular endothelial growth factors on their angiogenic features
2013
Abstract Background Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) are potential therapeutic agents for treatment of ischemic diseases. Their angiogenic effects are mainly mediated through VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2). Methods Receptor binding, signaling, and biological efficacy of several VEGFR2 ligands were compared to determine their characteristics regarding angiogenic activity and vascular permeability. Results Tested VEGFR2 ligands induced receptor tyrosine phosphorylation with different efficacy depending on their binding affinities. However, the tyrosine phosphorylation pattern and the activation of the major downstream signaling pathways were comparable. The maximal angiogenic effect stim…
Vesamicol blocks the recovery, by recycling cholinergic electromotor synaptic vesicles, of the biophysical characteristics of the reserve population.
1993
The effect of vesamicol on the ability of recycling cholinergic synaptic vesicles to recover, during a period of post-stimulation rest, the biophysical properties of the reserve pool was studied in prestimulated perfused blocks of the electric organ of the electric ray, Torpedo marmorata, a tissue rich in cholinergic synapses. The effect of the drug was analysed by high-resolution centrifugal density-gradient fractionation in a zonal rotor of the extracted vesicles. The two vesicle fractions were identified by their ATP and acetylcholine content and the recycled vesicles by their acquisition of [3H]acetylcholine derived from [3H]acetate in the perfusate. Vesamicol (10 microM) blocked the up…
Calcium-dependent conformational changes of membrane-bound Ebola fusion peptide drive vesicle fusion
2003
AbstractThe fusogenic subdomain of the Ebola virus envelope glycoprotein is an internal sequence located ca. 20 residues downstream the N-terminus of the glycoprotein transmembrane subunit. Partitioning of the Ebola fusion peptide into membranes containing phosphatidylinositol in the absence of Ca2+ stabilizes an α-helical conformation, and gives rise to vesicle efflux but not vesicle fusion. In the presence of millimolar Ca2+ the membrane-bound peptide adopts an extended β-structure, and induces inter-vesicle mixing of lipids. The peptide conformational polymorphism may be related to the flexibility of the virus–cell intermembrane fusogenic complex.
Negatively cooperative binding of melittin to neutral phospholipid vesicles
2007
Abstract The association of basic amphipathic peptides to neutral phospholipid membranes is investigated in terms of binding and partition models. The binding of native and modified melittin to egg-yolk phosphatidylcholine vesicles is studied by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy. The effect of the ionic strength shows an enhancement of the association as the ionic strength increases. After correction for electrostatic effects by the Gouy–Chapman theory, the melittin binding isotherms could be described by a partition model. In terms of conventional binding mechanisms, which do not take into account electrostatic effects, this would correspond to a negative cooperativity. A plausible wa…
Endoplasmic Reticulum stress reduces COPII vesicle formation and modifies Sec23a cycling at ERESs
2013
AbstractExit from the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) of newly synthesized proteins is mediated by COPII vesicles that bud from the ER at the ER Exit Sites (ERESs). Disruption of ER homeostasis causes accumulation of unfolded and misfolded proteins in the ER. This condition is referred to as ER stress. Previously, we demonstrated that ER stress rapidly impairs the formation of COPII vesicles. Here, we show that membrane association of COPII components, and in particular of Sec23a, is impaired by ER stress-inducing agents suggesting the existence of a dynamic interplay between protein folding and COPII assembly at the ER.
A suggested role for secondary flow in the stimulation of the cochlear hair cell
1985
The mammalian Corti organ and the reptilian basilar papilla are structures with a curved surface, which vibrate in a fluid medium. This paper is concerned with the role played by the geometric shape of these organs in cochlear hydrodynamics. In association with vibrating structures such as these organs, it can be expected that a stationary current will be initiated due to a nonlinear phenomenon in the boundary layer known as secondary flow. This phenomenon may explain the source of the mechanical nonlinearity in the cochlea.
Mesoscopic and Microscopic Investigation on Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels in the Presence of Sodium Decylsulfate
2007
The structure of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels formed as a result of freeze/thaw treatments of aqueous solutions of the polymer (11 wt % PVA) in the freshly prepared state is analyzed through the combined use of small (SANS) and ultrasmall (USANS) angle neutron scattering techniques. The structure of these hydrogels may be described in terms of polymer rich regions, with dimensions of the order of 1-2 microm, dispersed in a water rich phase, forming two bicontinuous phases. The PVA chains in the polymer rich phase form a network where the cross-linking points are mainly crystalline aggregates of PVA having average dimensions of approximately 45 A. The structural organization of freeze…
Fibrous Nanozyme Dressings with Catalase-Like Activity for H2O2 Reduction To Promote Wound Healing
2017
The concentrations of the redox pair hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and oxygen (O2) can promote or decelerate the progression and duration of the wound healing process. Although H2O2 can reach critically high concentrations and prohibit healing, a sufficient O2 inflow to the wound is commonly desired. Herein, we describe the fabrication and use of a membrane that can contemptuously decrease H2O2 and increase O2 levels. Therefore, hematite nanozyme particles were integrated into electrospun and cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes. Within the dual-compound membrane, the polymeric mesh provides a porous scaffold with high water permeability and the nanozymes act as a catalyst with catalase-li…
Purified Membrane-Containing Procapsids of Bacteriophage PRD1 Package the Viral Genome
2009
Icosahedral-tailed double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) bacteriophages and herpesviruses translocate viral DNA into a preformed procapsid in an ATP-driven reaction by a packaging complex that operates at a portal vertex. A similar packaging system operates in the tailless dsDNA phage PRD1 (Tectiviridae family), except that there is an internal membrane vesicle in the procapsid. The unit-length linear dsDNA genome with covalently linked 5'-terminal proteins enters the procapsid through a unique vertex. Two small integral membrane proteins, P20 and P22, provide a conduit for DNA translocation. The packaging machinery also contains the packaging ATPase P9 and the packaging efficiency factor P6. Here we…