Search results for "serine"
showing 10 items of 590 documents
The shell matrix and microstructure of the Ram's Horn squid: Molecular and structural characterization.
2020
20 pages; International audience; Molluscs are one of the most diversified phyla among metazoans. Most of them produce an external calcified shell, resulting from the secretory activity of a specialized epithelium of the calcifying mantle. This biomineralization process is controlled by a set of extracellular macromolecules, the organic matrix. In spite of several studies, these components are mainly known for bivalves and gastropods. In the present study, we investigated the physical and biochemical properties of the internal planispiral shell of the Ram's Horn squid Spirula spirula. Scanning Electron Microscope investigations of the shell reveal a complex microstructural organization. The…
The multiple facets of Cajal-Retzius neurons.
2021
ABSTRACTCajal-Retzius neurons (CRs) are among the first-born neurons in the developing cortex of reptiles, birds and mammals, including humans. The peculiarity of CRs lies in the fact they are initially embedded into the immature neuronal network before being almost completely eliminated by cell death at the end of cortical development. CRs are best known for controlling the migration of glutamatergic neurons and the formation of cortical layers through the secretion of the glycoprotein reelin. However, they have been shown to play numerous additional key roles at many steps of cortical development, spanning from patterning and sizing functional areas to synaptogenesis. The use of genetic l…
Experimental and theoretical studies on electropolymerization of polar amino acids on platinum electrode
2017
International audience; The anodic oxidation of polar amino acids (L-serine, L-threonine, L-asparagine, and L-glutamine) in aqueous electrolyte on smooth platinum electrode was carried out by cyclic voltammetry coupled to electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM). pH (zwitterion, acidic and alkaline) effects on their electrochemical behavior were examined. The maximum current values are measured for zwitterion species. In addition, the current increases with increasing of concentration and scan rate, and decreases with increasing pH. The resulting passivation was studied by spectroscopic analysis such as attenuated total reflection FT infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoel…
Early evolution of metazoan serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases: identification of selected kinases in marine sponges.
1997
The phylum Porifera (sponges) was the first to diverge from the common ancestor of the Metazoa. In this study, six cDNAs coding for protein-serine/threonine kinases (PS/TKs) are presented; they have been isolated from libraries obtained from the demosponges Geodia cydonium and Suberites domuncula and from the calcareous sponge Sycon raphanus. Sequence alignments of the catalytic domains revealed that two major families of PS/TK, the "conventional" (Ca(2+)-dependent) protein kinase C (PKC), the cPKC subfamily, as well as the "novel" (Ca(2+)-independent) PKC (nPKC), form two separate clusters. In each cluster, the sequence from S. raphanus diverges first. To approach the question about the or…
New 1,2,4-oxadiazole nortopsentin derivatives with cytotoxic activity
2019
New analogs of nortopsentin, a natural 2,4-bis(3&prime
Anchorage of Candida albicans Ssr1 to the cell wall, and transcript profiling of the null mutant.
2005
Incorporation into the wall of Candida albicans Ssr1, a GPI-dependent protein, was investigated by construction of different truncated genes for which the three potential omega sites (S199, S215 and G216) and the corresponding omega+1 and omega+2 were eliminated or modified. Cells of the C. albicans ssr1Delta mutant were transformed with pADH-pl harboring the truncated versions of CaSSR1, pADH-DeltaCaSSR1t(217-234) (lacking a C-terminal hydrophobic stretch of 18 aa including the putative omega+2 and omega+1, omega+2 of S215 and G216) or pADH-DeltaCaSSR1t(199-201) (lacking three serine residues), and their walls were analyzed for the protein. Results suggested that the three serine residues …
Determinants of the Mating Success of Polyterritorial Pied Flycatcher Males
2010
Much attention has been paid to the polyterritorial mating system of some passerine birds. Here we report how a male's mating success is related to the behavioral traits of polyterritorial pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) males. We found no evidence that the timing of polyterritoriality in relation to egg laying in the primary nest or the singing behavior of males have any influence on mating success. However, results show clearly that male mating success was improved with an increase in the distance between territories up to a distance of about 200–300 m whereupon there was no further enhancement of mating success. This finding is crucial for both the deception hypothesis and female-fe…
Sex-specific transgenerational effects of early developmental conditions in a passerine
2007
Most studies dealing with the trade-off between offspring number and quality have overlooked the long-term consequences for the progeny. High investment in offspring number usually results in an increased competition among nest mates. The deterioration of the early developmental conditions, due to this increased competition, can impair individual quality over the long term, and subsequently affect survival and lifetime fecundity. Moreover, the consequences of the allocation rule to offspring number vs. quality can extend across generations and give raise to grandparental effects. These transgenerational trade-offs have been explored rarely. In the present study, we manipulated the breeding …
Restrictive mate choice criteria cause age-specific inbreeding in female black grouse, Tetrao tetrix
2012
Inbreeding is generally rare in large, natural populations yet mate choice often appears to be random with respect to kinship. This suggests that the risks of inbreeding may be small because passive mechanisms of inbreeding avoidance, for example dispersal, are effective at lowering inbreeding risk. Previous theoretical and empirical studies have assumed that the risks of inbreeding are constant over an individual’s life span, but in the lek-breeding black grouse, inbreeding increases with female age. To determine whether inbreeding avoidance mechanisms are also age dependent, we generated four null models of random mate choice ranging from complete randomness to more biologically realistic…
UV reflecting vole scent marks attract a passerine, the great grey shrike Lanius excubitor
2002
Diurnal raptors have been shown to use ultraviolet vision and UV-reflecting vole scent marks to find suitable hunting areas. We studied if a passerine species, the great grey shrike Lanius excubitor that uses voles as its primary food, may also detect prey-patches in the same way. We conducted a laboratory experiment with ten shrikes. Each individual shrike had four options to choose from: (1) scent marks with UV light, (2) scent marks without UV light, (3) clean arena with UV light, and (4) clean arena without UV light. The birds preferred the scent-marked arena with UV light as measured by the number of scans and the time spent above it. Therefore, we suggest that great grey shrike probab…