Search results for "Structural Biology."
showing 10 items of 822 documents
Sequential recruitment of the mRNA decay machinery to the iron-regulated protein Cth2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
2020
Post-transcriptional factors importantly contribute to the rapid and coordinated expression of the multiple genes required for the adaptation of living organisms to environmental stresses. In the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a conserved mRNA-binding protein, known as Cth2, modulates the metabolic response to iron deficiency. Cth2 is a tandem zinc-finger (TZF)-containing protein that co-transcriptionally binds to adenine/uracil-rich elements (ARE) present in the 3′-untranslated region of iron-related mRNAs to promote their turnover. The nuclear binding of Cth2 to mRNAs via its TZFs is indispensable for its export to the cytoplasm. Although Cth2 nucleocytoplasmic transport is ess…
Exopeptidase digestion in combination with field desorption mass spectrometry for amino acid sequence determination
1982
Numerous studies have been devoted in the last years to the development of mass spectrometric methods for the sequence determination of peptides [ 1,2]. Most advanced among this work has been so far the rigorous chemical derivatization of oligopeptides to achieve sufficient volatility for the application of conventional (electron impact, EI) mass spectrometry [2-41. For example, the analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of mixtures of oligopeptide fragments derivatized after chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis of polypeptides has been successfully used for sequence determinations [2,5]. Major limitations of this approach are that only small peptide derivatives are amenable t…
Fast PET Scan Tumor Segmentation Using Superpixels, Principal Component Analysis and K-Means Clustering
2018
Positron Emission Tomography scan images are extensively used in radiotherapy planning, clinical diagnosis, assessment of growth and treatment of a tumor. These all rely on fidelity and speed of detection and delineation algorithm. Despite intensive research, segmentation remained a challenging problem due to the diverse image content, resolution, shape, and noise. This paper presents a fast positron emission tomography tumor segmentation method in which superpixels are extracted first from the input image. Principal component analysis is then applied on the superpixels and also on their average. Distance vector of each superpixel from the average is computed in principal components coordin…
Mass spectral identification of the blocked N-terminal tryptic peptide of the ATPase inhibitor from beef heart mitochondria
1984
AbstractThe presence of a formyl blocking group at the N-terminus of the ATPase inhibitor has been identified and the partial sequence of the N-terminal peptide has been determined by fast atom bombardment and field desorption coupled to mass spectrometry. Minor discrepancies in amino acid sequence of the inhibitor between the present and published data [(1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78, 7403-7407] are reported and its relationships with other inhbitors are briefly discussed.
Non-syndromic Mitral Valve Dysplasia Mutation Changes the Force Resilience and Interaction of Human Filamin A
2018
International audience; Filamin A (FLNa), expressed in endocardial endothelia during fetal valve morphogenesis, is key in cardiac development. Missense mutations in FLNa cause non-syndromic mitral valve dysplasia (FLNA-MVD). Here, we aimed to reveal the currently unknown underlying molecular mechanism behind FLNA-MVD caused by the FLNa P637Q mutation. The solved crystal structure of the FLNa3-5 P637Q revealed that this mutation causes only minor structural changes close to mutation site. These changes were observed to significantly affect FLNa's ability to transmit cellular force and to interact with its binding partner. The performed steered molecular dynamics simulations showed that signi…
Optical sectioning by two-pinhole confocal fluorescence microscopy.
2003
A two-pinhole axially superresolving confocal fluorescence imaging system is presented. Based on the concept of subtractive incoherent imaging, the system described here is equipped with a zero-focus complex-transmittance pupil filter in one of the collector paths. The optical sectioning capacity of the system is 25% superior to that of a free-pupil one-pinhole instrument.
Spectroscopic Methods for the Determination of Protein Interactions
2005
This unit provides guidelines on how to use steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy for the quantification of protein-protein interactions. The fluorescence of a protein is characterized by its excitation and emission spectra, quantum yield, and anisotropy. These parameters can change upon interaction with another protein and can be used to measure the extent of complex formation. The source of fluorescence can be an intrinsic fluorophore, such as tryptophan or tyrosine; a covalently attached fluorescent dye; or a fluorescent binding partner, such as a nucleotide or cofactor, that interacts specifically with the complex. Protocols are provided in this unit for determining affinity constants …
Polarity factor 'Frizzled' in the demosponge Suberites domuncula: identification, expression and localization of the receptor in the epithelium/pinac…
2003
Until recently, it was assumed that polarity and axis formation have evolved only in metazoan phyla higher than Cnidaria. One key molecule involved in the signal transduction causing tissue polarity is Frizzled, a seven-transmembrane receptor that is activated by the Wnt family of secreted proteins. We report the isolation and characterization of a Frizzled gene from the demosponge Suberites domuncula (Sd-Fz). The deduced polypeptide comprises all characteristic domains known from Frizzled receptors of higher metazoans. In situ hybridization studies show that Sd-Fz is expressed in cells close to the surface of the sponges and in the pinacocytes of some canals. Northern blot analysis demonst…
Regional and modular expression of morphogenetic factors in the demosponge Lubomirskia baicalensis
2008
Some sponges [phylum Porifera], e.g. the demosponges Lubomirskia baicalensis or Axinella polypoides, show an arborescent growth form. In the freshwater sponge L. baicalensis this morphotype is seen mostly in depths below 4 m while in more shallow regions it grows as a crust. The different growth forms are determined in nature very likely by water current and/or light. The branches of this species are composed of modules, arranged along the apical-basal axis. The modules are delimited by a precise architecture of the spicule bundles; longitudinal bundles originate from the apex of the earlier module, while at the basis of each module these bundles are cross-linked by traverse bundles under f…
Bio-sintering processes in hexactinellid sponges: Fusion of bio-silica in giant basal spicules from Monorhaphis chuni☆
2009
The two sponge classes, Hexactinellida and Demospongiae, comprise a skeleton that is composed of siliceous skeletal elements (spicules). Spicule growth proceeds by appositional layering of lamellae that consist of silica nanoparticles, which are synthesized via the sponge-specific enzyme silicatein. While in demosponges during maturation the lamellae consolidate to a solid rod, the lamellar organization of hexactinellid spicules largely persists. However, the innermost lamellae, near the spicule core, can also fuse to a solid axial cylinder. Similar to the fusion of siliceous nanoparticles and lamella, in several hexactinellid species individual spicules unify during sintering-like processe…