scholarly journals Light Adaptation in Drosophila Photoreceptors

2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikko Juusola ◽  
Roger C. Hardie
Keyword(s):  
Light Adaptation ◽  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Membrane Dynamics ◽  
Information Capacity ◽  
Simultaneous Increase ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Photoreceptor Membrane ◽  
Elementary Response ◽  
Improved Performance

It is known that an increase in both the mean light intensity and temperature can speed up photoreceptor signals, but it is not known whether a simultaneous increase of these physical factors enhances information capacity or leads to coding errors. We studied the voltage responses of light-adapted Drosophila photoreceptors in vivo from 15 to 30°C, and found that an increase in temperature accelerated both the phototransduction cascade and photoreceptor membrane dynamics, broadening the bandwidth of reliable signaling with an effective Q10 for information capacity of 6.5. The increased fidelity and reliability of the voltage responses was a result of four factors: (1) an increased rate of elementary response, i.e., quantum bump production; (2) a temperature-dependent acceleration of the early phototransduction reactions causing a quicker and narrower dispersion of bump latencies; (3) a relatively temperature-insensitive light-adapted bump waveform; and (4) a decrease in the time constant of the light-adapted photoreceptor membrane, whose filtering matched the dynamic properties of the phototransduction noise. Because faster neural processing allows faster behavioral responses, this improved performance of Drosophila photoreceptors suggests that a suitably high body temperature offers significant advantages in visual performance.

scholarly journals Engineering nucleosomes for generating diverse chromatin assemblies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zenita Adhireksan ◽  
Deepti Sharma ◽  
Phoi Leng Lee ◽  
Qiuye Bao ◽  
Sivaraman Padavattan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Dna Nanostructures ◽  
Macromolecular Assemblies ◽  
Maximum Resolution ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Chromatin Structural ◽  
Dna Fragment

Abstract Structural characterization of chromatin is challenging due to conformational and compositional heterogeneity in vivo and dynamic properties that limit achievable resolution in vitro. Although the maximum resolution for solving structures of large macromolecular assemblies by electron microscopy has recently undergone profound increases, X-ray crystallographic approaches may still offer advantages for certain systems. One such system is compact chromatin, wherein the crystalline state recapitulates the crowded molecular environment within the nucleus. Here we show that nucleosomal constructs with cohesive-ended DNA can be designed that assemble into different types of circular configurations or continuous fibers extending throughout crystals. We demonstrate the utility of the method for characterizing nucleosome compaction and linker histone binding at near-atomic resolution but also advance its application for tackling further problems in chromatin structural biology and for generating novel types of DNA nanostructures. We provide a library of cohesive-ended DNA fragment expression constructs and a strategy for engineering DNA-based nanomaterials with a seemingly vast potential variety of architectures and histone chemistries.

scholarly journals Resistance and Adaptation of Bacteria to Non-Antibiotic Antibacterial Agents: Physical Stressors, Nanoparticles, and Bacteriophages

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 435
Author(s):  
Sada Raza ◽  
Kinga Matuła ◽  
Sylwia Karoń ◽  
Jan Paczesny
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Antibacterial Agents ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Resistance Mechanisms ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Defense Systems ◽  
Drug Resistant Bacteria

Antimicrobial resistance is a significant threat to human health worldwide, forcing scientists to explore non-traditional antibacterial agents to support rapid interventions and combat the emergence and spread of drug resistant bacteria. Many new antibiotic-free approaches are being developed while the old ones are being revised, resulting in creating unique solutions that arise at the interface of physics, nanotechnology, and microbiology. Specifically, physical factors (e.g., pressure, temperature, UV light) are increasingly used for industrial sterilization. Nanoparticles (unmodified or in combination with toxic compounds) are also applied to circumvent in vivo drug resistance mechanisms in bacteria. Recently, bacteriophage-based treatments are also gaining momentum due to their high bactericidal activity and specificity. Although the number of novel approaches for tackling the antimicrobial resistance crisis is snowballing, it is still unclear if any proposed solutions would provide a long-term remedy. This review aims to provide a detailed overview of how bacteria acquire resistance against these non-antibiotic factors. We also discuss innate bacterial defense systems and how bacteriophages have evolved to tackle them.

scholarly journals A Novel Golgi Membrane Protein Is a Partner of the ARF Exchange Factors Gea1p and Gea2p

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 2357-2371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Chantalat ◽  
Rëgis Courbeyrette ◽  
Francesca Senic-Matuglia ◽  
Catherine L. Jackson ◽  
Bruno Goud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Protein Trafficking ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Integral Membrane Protein ◽  
Membrane Dynamics ◽  
General Interest ◽  
Single Mutation ◽  
Golgi Membrane ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange

The Sec7 domain guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) for the GTPase ARF are highly conserved regulators of membrane dynamics and protein trafficking. The interactions of large ARF GEFs with cellular membranes for localization and/or activation are likely to participate in regulated recruitment of ARF and effectors. However, these interactions remain largely unknown. Here we characterize Gmh1p, the first Golgi transmembrane-domain partner of any of the high-molecular-weight ARF-GEFs. Gmh1p is an evolutionarily conserved protein. We demonstrate molecular interaction between the yeast Gmh1p and the large ARF-GEFs Gea1p and Gea2p. This interaction involves a domain of Gea1p and Gea2p that is conserved in the eukaryotic orthologues of the Gea proteins. A single mutation in a conserved amino acid residue of this domain is sufficient to abrogate the interaction, whereas the overexpression of Gmh1p can compensate in vivo defects caused by mutations in this domain. We show that Gmh1p is an integral membrane protein that localizes to the early Golgi in yeast and in human HeLa cells and cycles through the ER. Hence, we propose that Gmh1p acts as a positive Golgi-membrane partner for Gea function. These results are of general interest given the evolutionary conservation of both ARF-GEFs and the Gmh proteins.

Effect of intensified training on muscle ion kinetics, fatigue development, and repeated short-term performance in endurance-trained cyclists

2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (7) ◽  
pp. R811-R821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Gunnarsson ◽  
Peter M. Christensen ◽  
Martin Thomassen ◽  
Lars R. Nielsen ◽  
Jens Bangsbo
Keyword(s):  
Buffer Capacity ◽  
Work Capacity ◽  
Maximal Heart Rate ◽  
Training Volume ◽  
Muscle Lactate ◽  
High Intensity Training ◽  
Fatigue Development ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
Term Performance

The effects of intensified training in combination with a reduced training volume on muscle ion kinetics, transporters, and work capacity were examined. Eight well-trained cyclists replaced their regular training with speed-endurance training (12 × 30 s sprints) 2–3 times per week and aerobic high-intensity training (4–5 × 3–4 min at 90–100% of maximal heart rate) 1–2 times per week for 7 wk and reduced training volume by 70% (intervention period; IP). The duration of an intense exhaustive cycling bout (EX2; 368 ± 6 W), performed 2.5 min after a 2-min intense cycle bout (EX1), was longer ( P < 0.05) after than before IP (4:16 ± 0:34 vs. 3:37 ± 0:28 min:s), and mean and peak power during a repeated sprint test improved ( P < 0.05) by 4% and 3%, respectively. Femoral venous K+ concentration in recovery from EX1 and EX2 was lowered ( P < 0.05) after compared with before IP, whereas muscle interstitial K+ concentration and net muscle K+ release during exercise was unaltered. No changes in muscle lactate and H+ release during and after EX1 and EX2 were observed, but the in vivo buffer capacity was higher ( P < 0.05) after IP. Expression of the ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel (Kir6.2) decreased by IP, with no change in the strong inward rectifying K+ channel (Kir2.1), muscle Na+-K+ pump subunits, monocarboxylate transporters 1 and 4 (MCT1 and MCT4), and Na+/H+ exchanger 1 (NHE1). In conclusion, 7 wk of intensified training with a reduced training volume improved performance during repeated intense exercise, which was associated with a greater muscle reuptake of K+ and muscle buffer capacity but not with the amount of muscle ion transporters.

scholarly journals Molecular and biophysical mechanisms behind the enhancement of lung surfactant function during controlled therapeutic hypothermia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Autilio ◽  
M. Echaide ◽  
A. Cruz ◽  
C. Mouton ◽  
A. Hidalgo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Hypothermia ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Lung Surfactant ◽  
Interfacial Structure ◽  
Surfactant Activity ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
Biophysical Activity ◽  
Respiratory Outcomes

AbstractTherapeutic hypothermia (TH) enhances pulmonary surfactant performance in vivo by molecular mechanisms still unknown. Here, the interfacial structure and the composition of lung surfactant films have been analysed in vitro under TH as well as the molecular basis of its improved performance both under physiological and inhibitory conditions. The biophysical activity of a purified porcine surfactant was tested under slow and breathing-like dynamics by constrained drop surfactometry (CDS) and in the captive bubble surfactometer (CBS) at both 33 and 37 °C. Additionally, the temperature-dependent surfactant activity was also analysed upon inhibition by plasma and subsequent restoration by further surfactant supplementation. Interfacial performance was correlated with lateral structure and lipid composition of films made of native surfactant. Lipid/protein mixtures designed as models to mimic different surfactant contexts were also studied. The capability of surfactant to drastically reduce surface tension was enhanced at 33 °C. Larger DPPC-enriched domains and lower percentages of less active lipids were detected in surfactant films exposed to TH-like conditions. Surfactant resistance to plasma inhibition was boosted and restoration therapies were more effective at 33 °C. This may explain the improved respiratory outcomes observed in cooled patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome and opens new opportunities in the treatment of acute lung injury.

scholarly journals Filopodyan: An open-source pipeline for the analysis of filopodia

2017 ◽  
Vol 216 (10) ◽  
pp. 3405-3422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasja Urbančič ◽  
Richard Butler ◽  
Benjamin Richier ◽  
Manuel Peter ◽  
Julia Mason ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Molecular Heterogeneity ◽  
Interactive Editing ◽  
Motile Cells ◽  
Different Cell Types ◽  
Neuronal Growth Cones

Filopodia have important sensory and mechanical roles in motile cells. The recruitment of actin regulators, such as ENA/VASP proteins, to sites of protrusion underlies diverse molecular mechanisms of filopodia formation and extension. We developed Filopodyan (filopodia dynamics analysis) in Fiji and R to measure fluorescence in filopodia and at their tips and bases concurrently with their morphological and dynamic properties. Filopodyan supports high-throughput phenotype characterization as well as detailed interactive editing of filopodia reconstructions through an intuitive graphical user interface. Our highly customizable pipeline is widely applicable, capable of detecting filopodia in four different cell types in vitro and in vivo. We use Filopodyan to quantify the recruitment of ENA and VASP preceding filopodia formation in neuronal growth cones, and uncover a molecular heterogeneity whereby different filopodia display markedly different responses to changes in the accumulation of ENA and VASP fluorescence in their tips over time.

Dynamic organization of the mitochondrial protein import machinery

2016 ◽  
Vol 397 (11) ◽  
pp. 1097-1114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian P. Straub ◽  
Sebastian B. Stiller ◽  
Nils Wiedemann ◽  
Nikolaus Pfanner
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Membrane ◽  
Protein Import ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein ◽  
Membrane Dynamics ◽  
Intermembrane Space ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein Import ◽  
Precursor Proteins ◽  
Dynamic Cooperation

Abstract Mitochondria contain elaborate machineries for the import of precursor proteins from the cytosol. The translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane (TOM) performs the initial import of precursor proteins and transfers the precursors to downstream translocases, including the presequence translocase and the carrier translocase of the inner membrane, the mitochondrial import and assembly machinery of the intermembrane space, and the sorting and assembly machinery of the outer membrane. Although the protein translocases can function as separate entities in vitro, recent studies revealed a close and dynamic cooperation of the protein import machineries to facilitate efficient transfer of precursor proteins in vivo. In addition, protein translocases were found to transiently interact with distinct machineries that function in the respiratory chain or in the maintenance of mitochondrial membrane architecture. Mitochondrial protein import is embedded in a regulatory network that ensures protein biogenesis, membrane dynamics, bioenergetic activity and quality control.

scholarly journals Increase in the number of lymphocytes secreting IgG following blood transfusion

Blood ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 312-316
Author(s):  
K Shimizu ◽  
S Kitoh
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Blood Transfusion ◽  
Malignant Lymphoma ◽  
Plaque Assay ◽  
The State ◽  
Simultaneous Increase ◽  
Immune Responsiveness ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Consistent Increase

A sequential change in the number of circulating immunoglobulin (Ig) secreting cells of each Ig class following blood transfusion was studied using a reverse hemolytic plaque assay. The subjects studied were in two main groups, immunologically normal individuals and patients with malignant lymphoma or multiple myeloma who are, presumably, immune incompetent. A consistent increase in circulating IgG-secreting cells, along with either an earlier or simultaneous increase in IgM-secreting cells, was observed following blood transfusion in the immunologically normal individuals. An increase in IgA-secreting cells was also observed, but at a minimal magnitude. Such an increase was not apparent in patients with lymphoma or myeloma. The possible use of blood transfusion as a means of “challenging and checking” for the state of immune responsiveness in vivo is discussed.

Dynamics and Traffic for Transfecting Exogenous MicroRNA as Studied by Live-Cell Microscopy

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 1647-1653
Author(s):  
Ke Yang ◽  
Yuanyuan Wang ◽  
Bo Sun ◽  
Tian Tian ◽  
Zhu Dai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Mean Square Displacement ◽  
Small Region ◽  
Single Particle Tracking ◽  
Live Cell ◽  
Calculation Results ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Live Cell Microscopy ◽  
Cell Microscopy

MicroRNA (miRNA) has emerged as an important gene-regulator that shows great potential in gene therapy because of its unique roles in gene-regulation. However, the knowledge on their function and transportation in vivo is still lacking, and there are limited obvious evidences to define intracellular transportation of miRNA. In this study, the dynamics of exogenous miR-21 transfected into HeLa cells was traced by live-cell microscopy. Their transportation at key time points was recorded and dynamic properties were analyzed by single particle tracking (SPT) and mean square displacement (MSD) calculation. Results showed that the exogenous miRNAs bounded to cells quickly and went through lysosome into cytosol, where they were subsequently recruited into p-body. They finally were degraded, otherwise went back to cytosol in some way. Long time observation and analysis of motion mode showed that the miRNAs were confined in a small region and their motion modes were flexible in different intracellular microenvironment after entering the cells.

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