Search results for "modified"

The Arabidopsis COPT6 Transport Protein Functions in Copper Distribution Under Copper-Deficient Conditions

2013

Copper (Cu), an essential redox active cofactor, participates in fundamental biological processes, but it becomes highly cytotoxic when present in excess. Therefore, living organisms have established suitable mechanisms to balance cellular and systemic Cu levels. An important strategy to maintain Cu homeostasis consists of regulating uptake and mobilization via the conserved family of CTR/COPT Cu transport proteins. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, COPT1 protein mediates root Cu acquisition, whereas COPT5 protein functions in Cu mobilization from intracellular storage organelles. The function of these transporters becomes critical when environmental Cu bioavailability diminishes. Ho…

Functional characterization of the plastidial 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase family in Arabidopsis.

2013

This work contributes to unraveling the role of the phosphorylated pathway of serine (Ser) biosynthesis in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) by functionally characterizing genes coding for the first enzyme of this pathway, 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PGDH). We identified two Arabidopsis plastid-localized PGDH genes (3-PGDH and EMBRYO SAC DEVELOPMENT ARREST9 [EDA9]) with a high percentage of amino acid identity with a previously identified PGDH. All three genes displayed a different expression pattern indicating that they are not functionally redundant. pgdh and 3-pgdh mutants presented no drastic visual phenotypes, but eda9 displayed delayed embryo development, leading to aborted emb…

Pollen-stigma adhesion in Brassica spp involves SLG and SLR1 glycoproteins.

1999

The adhesion of pollen grains to the stigma is the first step of pollination in flowering plants. During this step, stigmas discriminate between pollen grains that can and cannot be permitted to effect fertilization. This selection is operated by various constituents of the cell walls of both partners. Several genes structurally related to the self-incompatibility system that prevents self-pollination in Brassica spp are known to target their products into the stigma cell wall. We proposed previously that one of these genes, the one encoding the S locus glycoprotein (SLG)-like receptor 1 (SLR1), which is coexpressed with that encoding SLG, may participate in pollen-stigma adhesion. Here, we…

Can crumb rubber modifier effectively replace the use of polymer- modified bitumen in asphalt mixture?

2021

Laboratory scale mechanical performances on six plant produced mixtures; three semi-dense surface courses and three dense binder courses modified with engineered crumb rubber (ECR) using the dry process are presented. The two types of mixtures produced and investigated fulfilled for the most part, the requirements of the Swiss and/or US standards regarding volumetric properties, water sensitivity and rutting. In advanced testing where no requirements exist, the dense ECR mixtures performed similar to the reference polymer modified mixtures and slightly worse for semi-dense mixtures in high temperature tests, where the binder becomes viscous in the rubber-binder composite and its ability to …

Effect of the Orientation on the Properties of Compatibilized Polypropylene/Liquid Crystal Polymer Blends

1999

Abstract Blends of polypropylene and a semirigid liquid crystal polymer have been compatibilized with an acrylic acid modified polypropylene and with an ad-hoc synthesized graft copolymer made from polypropylene and from the monomers of the liquid crystal polymer. The two compatibilizers improve the adhesion and the mechanical properties of the two incompatible phases. The two compatibilizers give about the same results. The effect of the compatibilization improve also the orientation of the liquid crystalline polymer particles and the mechanical properties.

Genetic and Biochemical Characterization of Field-Evolved Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Cry1Ac in the Diamondback Moth, Plutella xyloste…

2004

ABSTRACT The long-term usefulness of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins, either in sprays or in transgenic crops, may be compromised by the evolution of resistance in target insects. Managing the evolution of resistance to B. thuringiensis toxins requires extensive knowledge about the mechanisms, genetics, and ecology of resistance genes. To date, laboratory-selected populations have provided information on the diverse genetics and mechanisms of resistance to B. thuringiensis , highly resistant field populations being rare. However, the selection pressures on field and laboratory populations are very different and may produce resistance genes with distinct characteristics. In order to better…

Synthesis and characterization of new polyamino-cyclodextrin materials.

2011

With the aim of the synthesis of chemically modified cyclodextrins bearing polyamine pendant groups, potentially useful as capping agents for the preparation of nanosized metal systems or as auxiliaries for gene transfection, the reaction between the heptakis-(6-iodo)-(6-deoxy)-b-cyclodextrin and various polyamines has been explored. This synthetic approach allows obtaining materials constituted by mixtures of cyclodextrins, having different degrees of substitution, which were satisfactorily characterized by means of various complementary techniques (ESI-MS, NMR, potentiometric titration). The products obtained were successfully subjected to preliminary tests for their binding abilities tow…

The effect of dentine pre-treatment using bioglass and/or polyacrylic acid on the interfacial characteristics of resin-modified glass ionomer cements.

2018

Objective To evaluate the effect of load-cycle aging and/or 6 months artificial saliva (AS) storage on bond durability and interfacial ultramorphology of resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) applied to dentine air-abraded using Bioglass 45S5 (BAG) with/without polyacrylic acid (PAA) conditioning.Methods RMGIC (Ionolux, VOCO) was applied onto human dentine specimens prepared with silicon-carbide abrasive paper or air-abraded with BAG with or without the use of PAA conditioning. Half of bonded-teeth were submitted to load cycling (150,000 cycles) and half immersed in deionised water for 24 h. They were cut into matchsticks and submitted immediately to microtensile bond strength (μTBS) …

Preparation of fluorinated polymer matrixes modified for biomedical applications

2011

Compromised central tolerance of ICA69 induces multiple organ autoimmunity

2014

For reasons not fully understood, patients with an organ-specific autoimmune disease have increased risks of developing autoimmune responses against other organs/tissues. We identified ICA69, a known β-cell autoantigen in Type 1 diabetes, as a potential common target in multi-organ autoimmunity. NOD mice immunized with ICA69 polypeptides exhibited exacerbated inflammation not only in the islets, but also in the salivary glands. To further investigate ICA69 autoimmunity, two genetically modified mouse lines were generated to modulate thymic ICA69 expression: the heterozygous ICA69(del/wt) line and the thymic medullary epithelial cell-specific deletion Aire-ΔICA69 line. Suboptimal central neg…