Search results for "Sensor"
showing 10 items of 4594 documents
The Crystal Structure of Gurmarin, a Sweet Taste–Suppressing Protein: Identification of the Amino Acid Residues Essential for Inhibition
2018
International audience; Gurmarin is a highly specific sweet-taste suppressing protein in rodents that is isolated from the Indian plant Gymnemasylvestre. Gurmarin consists of 35 amino acid residues containing three intramolecular disulfide bridges that form a cystine knot. Here, we report the crystal structure of gurmarin at a 1.45 Å resolution and compare it with previously reported NMR solution structures. The atomic structure at this resolution allowed us to identify a very flexible region consisting of hydrophobic residues. Some of these amino acid residues had been identified as a putative binding site for the rat sweet taste receptor in a previous study. By combining alanine-scanning …
Expectation or Sensorial Reality? An Empirical Investigation of the Biodynamic Calendar for Wine Drinkers.
2017
International audience; The study's aim was to investigate a central tenet of biodynamic philosophy as applied to wine tasting, namely that wines taste different in systematic ways on days determined by the lunar cycle. Nineteen New Zealand wine professionals tasted blind 12 Pinot noir wines at times determined within the biodynamic calendar for wine drinkers as being favourable (Fruit day) and unfavourable (Root day) for wine tasting. Tasters rated each wine four times, twice on a Fruit day and twice on a Root day, using 20 experimenter-provided descriptors. Wine descriptors spanned a range of varietal-relevant aroma, taste, and mouthfeel characteristics, and were selected with the aim of …
A genome-wide association study of corneal astigmatism: The CREAM Consortium
2018
Contains fulltext : 191261.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Purpose: To identify genes and genetic markers associated with corneal astigmatism. Methods: A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of corneal astigmatism undertaken for 14 European ancestry (n=22,250) and 8 Asian ancestry (n=9,120) cohorts was performed by the Consortium for Refractive Error and Myopia. Cases were defined as having >0.75 diopters of corneal astigmatism. Subsequent gene-based and gene-set analyses of the meta-analyzed results of European ancestry cohorts were performed using VEGAS2 and MAGMA software. Additionally, estimates of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based heritability for …
CXCL10 and CCL21 Promote Migration of Pancreatic Cancer Cells Toward Sensory Neurons and Neural Remodeling in Tumors in Mice, Associated With Pain in…
2018
Background & Aims Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is frequently accompanied by excruciating pain, which has been associated with attraction of cancer cells and their invasion of intrapancreatic sensory nerves. Neutralization of the chemokine CCL2 reduced cancer-associated pain in a clinical trial, but there have been no systematic analyses of the highly diverse chemokine families and their receptors in PDAC. Methods We performed an open, unbiased RNA-interference screen of mammalian chemokines in co-cultures of mouse PDAC cells (K8484) and mouse peripheral sensory neurons, and confirmed findings in studies of DT8082 PDAC cells. We studied the effects of chemokines on migration of PD…
Meta-analysis of gene-environment-wide association scans accounting for education level identifies additional loci for refractive error
2016
Myopia is the most common human eye disorder and it results from complex genetic and environmental causes. The rapidly increasing prevalence of myopia poses a major public health challenge. Here, the CREAM consortium performs a joint meta-analysis to test single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) main effects and SNP × education interaction effects on refractive error in 40,036 adults from 25 studies of European ancestry and 10,315 adults from 9 studies of Asian ancestry. In European ancestry individuals, we identify six novel loci (FAM150B-ACP1, LINC00340, FBN1, DIS3L-MAP2K1, ARID2-SNAT1 and SLC14A2) associated with refractive error. In Asian populations, three genome-wide significant loci AREG…
N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine adduct induces expression of chronic inflammation cytokines in retinal pigment epithelium cells
2021
Blindness due to photoreceptor degeneration is observed in both genetic and acquired eye disorders. Long blue light exposure can contribute to increase levels of oxidative compounds within the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), enhancing risk of retinal damage. In retina, reactive oxygen species contribute to the activation of inflammatory cascade. If chronic, this inflammatory response can result in photoreceptor death. Therefore, we investigated the effects of the endogenous adduct N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E) on RPE cells, in order to identify the most dysregulated cytokines and their related inflammatory pathways. RPE cells were exposed to A2E and blue light for 3h and 6h. …
Usherin defects lead to early-onset retinal dysfunction in zebrafish
2018
Mutations in USH2A are the most frequent cause of Usher syndrome and autosomal recessive nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa. To unravel the pathogenic mechanisms underlying USH2A-associated retinal degeneration and to evaluate future therapeutic strategies that could potentially halt the progression of this devastating disorder, an animal model is needed. The available Ush2a knock-out mouse model does not mimic the human phenotype, because it presents with only a mild and late-onset retinal degeneration. Using CRISPR/Cas9-technology, we introduced protein-truncating germline lesions into the zebrafish ush2a gene (ush2a(rmc1): c.2337_2342delinsAC; p.Cys780GlnfsTer32 and ush2a(b1245): c.15520_…
Neuronal Activity Patterns in the Developing Barrel Cortex
2017
International audience; The developing barrel cortex reveals a rich repertoire of neuronal activity patterns, which have been also found in other sensory neocortical areas and in other species including the somatosensory cortex of preterm human infants. The earliest stage is characterized by asyn-chronous, sparse single-cell firing at low frequencies. During the second stage neurons show correlated firing, which is initially mediated by electrical synapses and subsequently transforms into network bursts depending on chemical synapses. Activity patterns during this second stage are synchronous plateau assemblies, delta waves, spindle bursts and early gamma oscillations (EGOs). In newborn rod…
Temperature changes in 2% chlorhexidine gluconate using two activation methods with different intensity levels
2018
Background Chlorhexidine is an irrigant solution widely used in root canal treatment because of its good antimicrobial properties. However, its mixture with sodium hypochlorite results in the appearance of substance called p-chloroaniline, a cytotoxic substance. This is also found when chlorhexidine is heated. The use of passive ultrasonic irrigation is related to an irrigant thermal increase, which can cause the appearance of p-chloroaniline. Thus, the objective is to establish the influence of ultrasonic and sonic activation, with the use of different intensities, upon the temperature of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX). Material and methods The following groups were established: control (wi…
The TeRiFiQ project: Combining technologies to achieve significant binary reductions in sodium, fat and sugar content in everyday foods whilst optimi…
2017
International audience; Most developed countries are confronted with rising rates of diseases related to unhealthy eating habits, particularly the excessive consumption of salt, saturated fat and free sugars. However, fat, sugars and salt in food influence not only its nutritional qualities but also its sensory properties, safety (e.g. shelf life) and affordability. The main challenge is to formulate healthier foods that are acceptable to consumers. In this context, the overall objective of TeRiFiQ was to achieve significant binary reductions in the salt-fat and sugar-fat contents of frequently consumed food products around Europe, while, at the same time, ensuring the products’ nutritional…