Search results for "sequence"

A 350,000-year climatic record from the loess sequence of Achenheim, Alsace, France

2008

Up to now the best Quaternary climatic sequences come from oceanic isotope studies, but terrestrial sequences are also well known, usually for pollen or ice core data. A new sequence providing climatic information for the last 500,000 years has been studied in the loess series of Achenheim (Alsace), using the mollusc record in relation to other stratigraphical data. Mollusc assemblages are analysed using a multivariate method. The correspondence analysis used here allows us to explain, in ecological terms, the general variability of the Achenheim set. Most Pleistocene mollusc species have the advantage that modem individuals live in the same assemhlages. So, the known ecology and distributi…

Molecular and Functional Characterisation of Hemocyanin of the Giant African Millipede Archispirostreptus gigas

2013

SummaryIn contrast to other terrestrial arthropods where gaseous O2 that fuels aerobic metabolism diffuses to the tissues in tracheal tubes, and most other metazoans where O2 is transported to tissues by circulating respiratory proteins, the myriapods (millipedes and centipedes) strikingly have tracheal systems as well as circulating hemocyanin (Hc). In order to elucidate the evolutionary origin and biological significance of millipede Hc we report the molecular structure (subunit composition and amino acid sequence) of multimeric (36-mer) Hc from the forest-floor dwelling giant African millipede Archispirostreptus gigas and its allosteric oxygen binding properties under various physico-che…

orthoFind Facilitates the Discovery of Homologous and Orthologous Proteins

2015

Finding homologous and orthologous protein sequences is often the first step in evolutionary studies, annotation projects, and experiments of functional complementation. Despite all currently available computational tools, there is a requirement for easy-to-use tools that provide functional information. Here, a new web application called orthoFind is presented, which allows a quick search for homologous and orthologous proteins given one or more query sequences, allowing a recurrent and exhaustive search against reference proteomes, and being able to include user databases. It addresses the protein multidomain problem, searching for homologs with the same domain architecture, and gives a si…

Correction to: A haplotype-resolved, de novo genome assembly for the wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) through trio binning

2021

Arginine-rich peptides are blockers of VR-1 channels with analgesic activity

2000

Vanilloid receptors (VRs) play a fundamental role in the transduction of peripheral tissue injury and/or inflammation responses. Molecules that antagonize VR channel activity may act as selective and potent analgesics. We report that synthetic arginine-rich hexapeptides block heterologously expressed VR-1 channels with submicromolar efficacy in a weak voltage-dependent manner, consistent with a binding site located near/at the entryway of the aqueous pore. Dynorphins, natural arginine-rich peptides, also blocked VR-1 activity with micromolar affinity. Notably, synthetic and natural arginine-rich peptides attenuated the ocular irritation produced by topical capsaicin application onto the eye…

Activation of nitric oxide signaling by the rheumatoid arthritis shared epitope

2006

Objective. Susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is closely associated with HLA–DRB1 alleles encoding a shared epitope (SE) in positions 70–74 of the HLA–DR chain. The mechanistic basis for this association is unknown. Given the proposed pathogenic role of nitric oxide (NO) in RA, this study was undertaken to examine whether the SE can trigger NO signaling events. Methods. The intracellular levels of NO were measured with the fluorescent NO probe 4,5diaminofluorescein diacetate and by the 2,3diaminonaphthalene method. NO synthase activity was determined by measuring the rate of conversion of radioactive arginine to citrulline. Levels of cGMP were measured with a commercial enzyme-link…

Increasing chains and discrete reflection of cardinality

2013

Combining ideas from two of our previous papers, we refine Arhangel'skii Theorem by proving a cardinal inequality of which this is a special case: any increasing union of strongly discretely Lindelof spaces with countable free sequences and countable pseudocharacter has cardinality at most continuum. We then give a partial positive answer to a problem of Alan Dow on reflection of cardinality by closures of discrete sets.

Oxidative stress response of tumor cells: microarray-based comparison between artemisinins and anthracyclines

2004

The antimalarial artemisinins also reveal profound cytotoxic activity against tumor cells. Artemisinins harbor an endoperoxide bridge whose cleavage results in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and/or artemisinin carbon-centered free radicals. Established cancer drugs such as anthracyclines also form ROS and free radicals that are responsible for the cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines. In contrast, artemisinins do not reveal cardiotoxicity. In the present investigation, we compared the cytotoxic activities of different artemisinins (artemisinin, artesunate, arteether, artemether, artemisitene, dihydroartemisinylester stereoisomers) in 60 cell lines of the National Cancer Institu…

The Role of Artificial Intelligence Concepts in System Modelling and Simulation: An Overview

1994

The impact of modelling and simulation methodology research on the daily practice of the simulation community is becoming clearly perceivable. The same applies to the application of the artificial intelligence research in a diversity of computer related fields. As both fields are strongly based on models as the main way they convey their knowledge, the fact of synergy caused by combining these two computer related areas comes as a more or less logical consequence. There is an increasing interest of incorporating methods and techniques developed by and for the artificial intelligence community into modelling and simulation methodology and practice. This paper addresses common aspects and dif…

Ultradeep Sequencing Analysis of Population Dynamics of Virus Escape Mutants in RNAi-Mediated Resistant Plants

2012

Plant artificial micro-RNAs (amiRs) have been engineered to target viral genomes and induce their degradation. However, the exceptional evolutionary plasticity of RNA viruses threatens the durability of the resistance conferred by these amiRs. It has recently been shown that viral populations not experiencing strong selective pressure from an antiviral amiR may already contain enough genetic variability in the target sequence to escape plant resistance in an almost deterministic manner. Furthermore, it has also been shown that viral populations exposed to subinhibitory concentrations of the antiviral amiR speed up this process. In this article, we have characterized the molecular evolutiona…