Structural architecture of the human NALCN channelosome

Nature ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Kschonsak ◽  
Han Chow Chua ◽  
Claudia Weidling ◽  
Nourdine Chakouri ◽  
Cameron L. Noland ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Cécile Laborde ◽  
Aurélia Bardon

There is already an important literature on religion and political philosophy, focusing especially on controversies about religious symbols, freedom of speech, or secular education. The introduction explains the distinctive approach of the volume. Instead of focusing on specific political controversies, the book explores the conceptual, structural architecture of liberal political philosophy itself. The authors distinguish four different themes: the special status of religion in the law; state sovereignty, non-establishment, and neutrality; accommodation and religious freedom; and toleration, conscience, and identity. The chapter explains the particular questions raised in each of these four themes, and briefly presents the twenty-two contributions gathered in the volume.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4349
Author(s):  
Eri Chatani ◽  
Keisuke Yuzu ◽  
Yumiko Ohhashi ◽  
Yuji Goto

Amyloid fibrils are supramolecular protein assemblies represented by a cross-β structure and fibrous morphology, whose structural architecture has been previously investigated. While amyloid fibrils are basically a main-chain-dominated structure consisting of a backbone of hydrogen bonds, side-chain interactions also play an important role in determining their detailed structures and physicochemical properties. In amyloid fibrils comprising short peptide segments, a steric zipper where a pair of β-sheets with side chains interdigitate tightly is found as a fundamental motif. In amyloid fibrils comprising longer polypeptides, each polypeptide chain folds into a planar structure composed of several β-strands linked by turns or loops, and the steric zippers are formed locally to stabilize the structure. Multiple segments capable of forming steric zippers are contained within a single protein molecule in many cases, and polymorphism appears as a result of the diverse regions and counterparts of the steric zippers. Furthermore, the β-solenoid structure, where the polypeptide chain folds in a solenoid shape with side chains packed inside, is recognized as another important amyloid motif. While side-chain interactions are primarily achieved by non-polar residues in disease-related amyloid fibrils, the participation of hydrophilic and charged residues is prominent in functional amyloids, which often leads to spatiotemporally controlled fibrillation, high reversibility, and the formation of labile amyloids with kinked backbone topology. Achieving precise control of the side-chain interactions within amyloid structures will open up a new horizon for designing useful amyloid-based nanomaterials.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-41
Author(s):  
Xi Jiang ◽  
Tuo Zhang ◽  
Shu Zhang ◽  
Keith M Kendrick ◽  
Tianming Liu

Abstract Folding of the cerebral cortex is a prominent characteristic of mammalian brains. Alterations or deficits in cortical folding are strongly correlated with abnormal brain function, cognition, and behavior. Therefore, a precise mapping between the anatomy and function of the brain is critical to our understanding of the mechanisms of brain structural architecture in both health and diseases. Gyri and sulci, the standard nomenclature for cortical anatomy, serve as building blocks to make up complex folding patterns, providing a window to decipher cortical anatomy and its relation with brain functions. Huge efforts have been devoted to this research topic from a variety of disciplines including genetics, cell biology, anatomy, neuroimaging, and neurology, as well as involving computational approaches based on machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms. However, despite increasing progress, our understanding of the functional anatomy of gyro-sulcal patterns is still in its infancy. In this review, we present the current state of this field and provide our perspectives of the methodologies and conclusions concerning functional differentiation between gyri and sulci, as well as the supporting information from genetic, cell biology, and brain structure research. In particular, we will further present a proposed framework for attempting to interpret the dynamic mechanisms of the functional interplay between gyri and sulci. Hopefully, this review will provide a comprehensive summary of anatomo-functional relationships in the cortical gyro-sulcal system together with a consideration of how these contribute to brain function, cognition, and behavior, as well as to mental disorders.


Author(s):  
Zhaona Liu ◽  
Huacheng Zhang ◽  
Jie Han

Combination of Nobel macrocycle—crown ether and star macrocycle—pillararenes together in organic synthesis and material science is significant to grant thus obtained hybrid systems, rigid/flexible structural architecture, induced planar chirality, negative...


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristi R. Griffiths ◽  
Taylor A. Braund ◽  
Michael R. Kohn ◽  
Simon Clarke ◽  
Leanne M. Williams ◽  
...  

AbstractBehavioural disturbances in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are thought to be due to dysfunction of spatially distributed, interconnected neural systems. While there is a fast-growing literature on functional dysconnectivity in ADHD, far less is known about the structural architecture underpinning these disturbances and how it may contribute to ADHD symptomology and treatment prognosis. We applied graph theoretical analyses on diffusion MRI tractography data to produce quantitative measures of global network organisation and local efficiency of network nodes. Support vector machines (SVMs) were used for comparison of multivariate graph measures of 37 children and adolescents with ADHD relative to 26 age and gender matched typically developing children (TDC). We also explored associations between graph measures and functionally-relevant outcomes such as symptom severity and prediction of methylphenidate (MPH) treatment response. We found that multivariate patterns of reduced local efficiency, predominantly in subcortical regions (SC), were able to distinguish between ADHD and TDC groups with 76% accuracy. For treatment prognosis, higher global efficiency, higher local efficiency of the right supramarginal gyrus and multivariate patterns of increased local efficiency across multiple networks at baseline also predicted greater symptom reduction after 6 weeks of MPH treatment. Our findings demonstrate that graph measures of structural topology provide valuable diagnostic and prognostic markers of ADHD, which may aid in mechanistic understanding of this complex disorder.


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