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Translocation of peptides through cellular membranes is a fundamental problem in developing antimicrobial peptides and in drug delivery. There is a class of peptides, known as cell-penetrating peptides, that are able to penetrate membranes without disrupting them. They can carry pharmacological compounds, thus a promising strategy for drug delivery. The physical mechanisms that facilitate transloc
The molecular self-diffusion in concentrated aqueous mixtures based on an oppositely charged po ymer-surfactant pair has been investigated by NMR pulsed field gradient techniques. The investigated structures were an ordered cubic Pm3n phase (ca. 50 wt % water) and a disordered micellar phase, both containing cetyltrimethylammonium (CTA(+)) micelles with mixed acetate (Ac-) and polyacrylate (PA(-))
The influence of rate controlled flow reversal on the transition from planar lamellae to multilamellar vesicles (MLV) using a nonionic lamellar phase consisting of 40 wt % triethylene glycol monodecyl ether (C10E3 in D2O) is investigated by means of time-resolved rheo-small-angle light and neutron scattering (SALS, SANS). Flow reversal provides the possibility to control the kinetics of the transi
S100A8 and S100A9 are Ca(2+)-binding proteins that are associated with acute and chronic inflammation and cancer. They form predominantly heterodimers even if there are data supporting homodimer formation. We investigated the stability of the heterodimer in myeloid and S100A8/S100A9 over-expressing COS cells. In both cases, S100A8 and S100A9 proteins were not completely degraded even 48 hrs after
Arginine-rich cell penetrating peptides (ARCPPs) are known to quickly permeate cell membranes through a non-endocytotic pathway. Potential clinical applications of this facility have prompted enormous effort, both experimental and theoretical, to better understand how ARCPPs manage to overcome the prodigious thermodynamic cost of lipid bilayer permeation by these highly charged peptides. In this w
We have used combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical free-energy perturbation methods in combination with explicit solvent simulations to study the reaction mechanism of the multicopper oxidases, in particular, the regeneration of the reduced state from the native intermediate. For 52 putative states of the trinuclear copper cluster, differing in the oxidation states of the copper ion
Galectins are defined by a conserved beta-galactoside binding site, which has been linked to many of their important functions in e.g. cell adhesion, signaling and intracellular trafficking. Weak adjacent sites may enhance or decrease affinity for natural beta-galactoside containing glycoconjugates, but little is known about the biological role of this modulation of affinity (fine specificity). We
Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is a rapid, non-invasive optical method widely adopted to gain diagnostic information of tissue. The most flexible approach to this method is a fiber-optic contact-probe used with a spectroscopy system. A challenge of this method is that the external pressure brought by the probe can significantly affect the tissue optical properties as well as the light coup
Abstract in UndeterminedThis paper examines vowel production in Swedish adolescents with cochlear implants. Twelve adolescents with cochlear implants and 11 adolescents with normal hearing participated. Measurements were made of the first and second formants in all the nine long Swedish vowels. The values in hertz were bark-transformed, and two measures of the size of the vowel space were obtained
Crayfish spermatophores are deposited on the body surface of the female during mating and remain there for a period of time before fertilization ensues. Post-mating changes in protein expression level in the noble crayfish Astacus astacus spermatophore were quantified. In-gel digestion and high resolution mass spectrometry were used for label-free protein quantification. One hundred twelve protein
Contemporary cognitive psychology is dominated by an individualistic and mentalistic approach to the mind. This Cartesian heritage is evident in studies of social understanding, that is, how we understand others. It is argued that this approach and metaphors like reading minds have failed, and should be replaced with a discursive approach, where public and shared socio-linguistic intenand normativ
Experientialist semantics has contributed to a broader notion of linguistic meaning by emphasizing notions such as construal, perspective, metaphor and embodiment, but has suffered from an individualist concept of meaning and has conflated experiential motivations with conventional semantics. We argue that these problems can be redressed by methods and concepts from phenomenology, through a case s
Random mesh phases share many common features with the classical lamellar phase in that they are layered phases; but crucially, they possess nonuniform interfacial curvature, since the lamellae are pierced by water-filled pores. The introduction of curvature into the lamellae has been posited as a transitional precursor for other lyotropic phases. In this paper, we show that simple H-2 nuclear mag
To identify Escherichia coli genes potentially regulated by filamentous phage infection, we used oligonucleotide microarrays. Genome-wide comparison of phage M13-infected and uninfected E. coli, 2 and 20 min after infection, was performed. The analysis revealed altered transcription levels of 12 E. coli genes in response to phage infection, and the observed regulation of phage genes correlated wit
The adipokine resistin is suggested to be an important link between obesity and insulin resistance. In the present study, we assessed the impact of resistin as inflammatogenic cytokine in the setting of arthritis. In vitro experiments on human PBMC were performed to assess cytokine response and transcription pathways of resistin-induced inflammation. Proinflammatory properties of resistin were eva
