Search results for "Research articles"
showing 10 items of 366 documents
Inhibition Mechanism of SARS‐CoV‐2 Main Protease with Ketone‐Based Inhibitors Unveiled by Multiscale Simulations: Insights for Improved Designs**
2021
Abstract We present the results of classical and QM/MM simulations for the inhibition of SARS‐CoV‐2 3CL protease by a hydroxymethylketone inhibitor, PF‐00835231. In the noncovalent complex the carbonyl oxygen atom of the warhead is placed in the oxyanion hole formed by residues 143 to 145, while P1–P3 groups are accommodated in the active site with interactions similar to those observed for the peptide substrate. According to alchemical free energy calculations, the P1′ hydroxymethyl group also contributes to the binding free energy. Covalent inhibition of the enzyme is triggered by the proton transfer from Cys145 to His41. This step is followed by the nucleophilic attack of the Sγ atom on …
Start Spreading the News: A Comparative Experiment on the Effects of Populist Communication on Political Engagement in Sixteen European Countries
2018
Although populist communication has become pervasive throughout Europe, many important questions on its political consequences remain unanswered. First, previous research has neglected the differential effects of populist communication on the Left and Right. Second, internationally comparative studies are missing. Finally, previous research mostly studied attitudinal outcomes, neglecting behavioral effects. To address these key issues, this paper draws on a unique, extensive, and comparative experiment in sixteen European countries (N = 15,412) to test the effects of populist communication on political engagement. The findings show that anti-elitist populism has the strongest mobilizing eff…
Photoactivation of Drosophila melanogaster cryptochrome through sequential conformational transitions
2019
Time-resolved x-ray scattering reveals light-induced signal transduction in insect cryptochromes.
A trade-off between current and future sex allocation revealed by maternal energy budget in a small mammal.
2011
Sex-allocation theories generally assume differential fitness costs of raising sons and daughters. Yet, experimental confirmation of such costs is scarce and potential mechanisms are rarely addressed. While the most universal measure of physiological costs is energy expenditure, only one study has related the maternal energy budget to experimentally controlled offspring sex. Here, we experimentally test this in the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) by simultaneously manipulating the litter's size and sex ratio immediately after birth. Two weeks after manipulation, when mothers were at the peak of lactation and were pregnant with concurrent litters, we assessed their energy budget. We found that …
Pre-conception maternal helminth infection transfers via nursing long-lasting cellular immunity against helminths to offspring
2019
Mothers transfer immune cells via breastfeeding to provide offspring with long-term protection from parasitic infection.
Luminescence and Light‐Driven Energy and Electron Transfer from an Exceptionally Long‐Lived Excited State of a Non‐Innocent Chromium(III) Complex
2019
Abstract Photoactive metal complexes employing Earth‐abundant metal ions are a key to sustainable photophysical and photochemical applications. We exploit the effects of an inversion center and ligand non‐innocence to tune the luminescence and photochemistry of the excited state of the [CrN6] chromophore [Cr(tpe)2]3+ with close to octahedral symmetry (tpe=1,1,1‐tris(pyrid‐2‐yl)ethane). [Cr(tpe)2]3+ exhibits the longest luminescence lifetime (τ=4500 μs) reported up to date for a molecular polypyridyl chromium(III) complex together with a very high luminescence quantum yield of Φ=8.2 % at room temperature in fluid solution. Furthermore, the tpe ligands in [Cr(tpe)2]3+ are redox non‐innocent, …
Tunable light emission by exciplex state formation between hybrid halide perovskite and core/shell quantum dots: Implications in advanced LEDs and ph…
2016
A perovskite–quantum dot exciplex has been detected, opening a broad range of possibilities for advanced optoelectronic devices.
Frequent detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in the lower respiratory tract in CMV-seropositive pediatric patients with underlying chronic broncho…
2012
Abstract Cytomegalovirus (CMV) may be a relevant cause of morbidity in patients displaying various inflammatory diseases. In this study, it was investigated whether CMV DNA is detected in the lower respiratory tract and the systemic compartment in pediatric patients with chronic or recurrent bronchopulmonary diseases. A total of 42 lower respiratory tract specimens and 11 paired plasma samples from 42 patients were analyzed for the presence of CMV DNA by real‐time PCR. The respiratory specimens were also screened for the presence of respiratory viruses and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV‐6) and 7 (HHV‐7) by PCR methods. Quantitative bacterial and fungal cultures were performed. IL‐6 levels in the …
Targeted Repolarization of Tumor‐Associated Macrophages via Imidazoquinoline‐Linked Nanobodies
2021
Abstract Tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) promote the immune suppressive microenvironment inside tumors and are, therefore, considered as a promising target for the next generation of cancer immunotherapies. To repolarize their phenotype into a tumoricidal state, the Toll‐like receptor 7/8 agonist imidazoquinoline IMDQ is site‐specifically and quantitatively coupled to single chain antibody fragments, so‐called nanobodies, targeting the macrophage mannose receptor (MMR) on TAMs. Intravenous injection of these conjugates result in a tumor‐ and cell‐specific delivery of IMDQ into MMRhigh TAMs, causing a significant decline in tumor growth. This is accompanied by a repolarization of TAMs to…
p38 MAPK-dependent shaping of the keratin cytoskeleton in cultured cells
2007
Plasticity of the resilient keratin intermediate filament cytoskeleton is an important prerequisite for epithelial tissue homeostasis. Here, the contribution of stress-activated p38 MAPK to keratin network organization was examined in cultured cells. It was observed that phosphorylated p38 colocalized with keratin granules that were rapidly formed in response to orthovanadate. The same p38p recruitment was noted during mitosis, in various stress situations and in cells producing mutant keratins. In all these situations keratin 8 became phosphorylated on S73, a well-known p38 target site. To demonstrate that p38-dependent keratin phosphorylation determines keratin organization, p38 activity …