Search results for "Osmotic"

Stress response in mesoangioblast stem cells

2006

Stem cells are presumed to survive various stresses, since they are recruited to areas of tissue damage and regeneration, where inflammatory cytokines and cytotoxic cells may result in severe cell injury. We explored the ability of mesoangioblasts to respond to different cell stresses such as heat, heavy metals and osmotic stress, by analyzing heat shock protein (HSP)70 synthesis as a stress indicator. We found that the A6 mesoangioblast stem cells constitutively synthesize HSP70 in a heat shock transcription factor (HSF)-independent way. However, A6 respond to heat shock and cadmium treatment by synthesizing HSP70 over the constitutive expression and this synthesis is HSF1 dependent. The e…

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hot1p regulated gene YHR087W (HGI1) has a role in translation upon high glucose concentration stress.

2012

Abstract Background While growing in natural environments yeasts can be affected by osmotic stress provoked by high glucose concentrations. The response to this adverse condition requires the HOG pathway and involves transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms initiated by the phosphorylation of this protein, its translocation to the nucleus and activation of transcription factors. One of the genes induced to respond to this injury is YHR087W. It encodes for a protein structurally similar to the N-terminal region of human SBDS whose expression is also induced under other forms of stress and whose deletion determines growth defects at high glucose concentrations. Results In this work …

Influence of impregnation solution viscosity and osmolarity on solute uptake during vacuum impregnation of apple cubes (var. Granny Smith)

2008

Vacuum-assisted impregnation of pectinmethylesterase (PME) solution has been recognized as an efficient pretreatment to improve the firmness of heat-treated fruit. In order to improve the control of solute infusion into fruit pieces, the effect of the osmolarity and viscosity of vacuum impregnation solution on solute penetration and distribution was studied in 1.5 cm apple cubes, using model PME-based solutions containing sodium chloride and/or sodium alginate. While vacuum impregnation of either a viscous hypotonic or a non-viscous hypertonic solution infused solutes homogeneously into fruit pieces, the penetration of viscous hypertonic solutions was much lower, and PME or chloride infusio…

Thermodynamic characterisation of novel solutions for closed-loop reverse electrodialysis

2018

Closed-loop reverse electrodialysis is a novel technology to convert low-grade heat directly into electricity. It consists of a reverse electrodialysis unit coupled with a regeneration unit in which the waste-heat is used to restore the initial conditions of the two solutions. One of the most impor- tant advantages of closed-loop system is the possibility to select an ad-hoc salt solution to obtain high efficiency. In this regard, it is important to assess how the salt solution properties affect the performance of the energy generation and solution regeneration processes. The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of thermodynamic properties of non-conventional salt solutions within a R…

Salinity gradient engines

2016

Abstract This chapter is devoted to the description of a new class of heat engines based on salinity gradient technology and able to convert low-grade heat into power. The salinity gradient power (SGP) process is employed within a closed loop composed of two different sections: (i) the SGP unit devoted to the energy production, and (ii) a regeneration unit fed by the solutions exiting from the SGP unit and able to restore the initial concentration, thus regenerating the salinity gradient. The main features, limits and perspectives of this novel heat engine are described along with an overview of the state of the art presented in the literature and an example of exergetic analysis of the cyc…

1986

An osmotic pressure equation proposed over 50 years ago is found to be consistent with the des Cloizeaux scaling relation for semi-dilute polymer solutions in good solvents. With a physically plausible modification, the equation can also give a satisfactory representation of dilute solutions and of the cross-over to the semi-dilute regime.

Probing the role of water in protein conformation and function

2004

Life began in a bath of water and has never escaped it. Cellular function has forced the evolution of many mechanisms ensuring that cellular water concentration has never changed significantly. To free oneself of any conceptual distinction among all small molecules, solutes and solvents, means that experiments to probe water's specific role in molecular function can be designed like any classical chemical reaction. Such an ‘osmotic stress’ strategy will be described in general and for an enzyme, hexokinase. Water behaves like a reactant that competes with glucose in binding to hexokinase, and modulates its conformational change and activity. This ‘osmotic stress’ strategy, now applied to ma…

Cell inactivation and membrane damage after long-term treatments at sub-zero temperature in the supercooled and frozen states.

2008

The survival of cells subjected to cooling at sub-zero temperature is of paramount concern in cryobiology. The susceptibility of cells to cryopreservation processes, especially freeze-thawing, stimulated considerable interest in better understanding the mechanisms leading to cell injury and inactivation. In this study, we assessed the viability of cells subjected to cold stress, through long-term supercooling experiments, versus freeze-thawing stress. The viability of Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and leukemia cells were assessed over time. Supercooled conditions were maintained for 71 days at -10 degrees C, and for 4 h at -15 degrees C, and -20 degrees C, without additives or…

Expression of a plant serine O-acetyltransferase inSaccharomyces cerevisiae confers osmotic tolerance and creates an alternative pathway for cysteine…

2004

Screening of a sugar beet (Beta vulgaris cv. Dita) cDNA library for clones able to confer osmotic tolerance to the osmosensitive gpd1 mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae identified a novel serine O-acetyltransferase (BvSAT; EC 2.3.1.30). This enzyme is involved in cysteine biosynthesis in plants and bacteria, producing O-acetylserine, which is converted into cysteine in a reaction catalysed by O-acetylserine sulphydrylase (EC 4.2.99.8). This pathway is not conserved in yeast, where cysteine is synthesized in a four-step pathway starting with homoserine and having O-acetylhomoserine, homocysteine and cystathionine as intermediates. Expression of BvSAT in yeast takes advantage of the activity …

Mechanism of porous core electroosmotic pump flow injection system and its application to determination of chromium(VI) in waste-water.

1999

An electroosmotic pump flow injection system is introduced in this paper. According to electroosmotic theory, the pump's properties were described. A large flow range (mul min(-1)-ml min(-1)), moderate carrier pressure (0.15 MPa), reduced performance voltage (500 V) and stable flow rate (RSD3.0% in 4 h) are the main properties of the pump. NH(4)OH (0.35 mM) was used as carrier for improving the pump's flow stability. The electroosmotic efficiency of the pump's medium, porous core, can be recovered and regenerated. A sandwich zone was used for sample and reagent introduction in order to adapt to the pump performance. Flow injection-spectrophotometry was employed for the determination of Cr(V…