Faculty Opinions recommendation of Cutting edge: Antimalarial drugs inhibit IFN-β production through blockade of cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-DNA interaction.

Dark field electron microscopy has been used for the study of the structure of individual macromolecules with a resolution to at least the 5Å level. The use of this technique has been extended to the investigation of structure of interacting molecules, particularly the interaction between DNA and fish protamine, a class of basic nuclear proteins of molecular weight 4,000 daltons.Protamine, which is synthesized during spermatogenesis, binds to chromatin, displaces the somatic histones and wraps up the DNA to fit into the small volume of the sperm head. It has been proposed that protamine, existing as an extended polypeptide, winds around the minor groove of the DNA double helix, with protamine's positively-charged arginines lining up with the negatively-charged phosphates of DNA. However, viewing protamine as an extended protein is inconsistent with the results obtained in our laboratory.

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Plastic Deformation in Microtomed Sections

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100066346 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. 458-459

Author(s):

J. Temple Black

Keyword(s):

Plastic Deformation ◽

Plastic Strain ◽

Applied Stress ◽

Elastic Strain ◽

High Strain ◽

Tool Material ◽

Cutting Edge ◽

Material Structure ◽

Geometrical Constraints

The output of the ultramicrotomy process with its high strain levels is dependent upon the input, ie., the nature of the material being machined. Apart from the geometrical constraints offered by the rake and clearance faces of the tool, each material is free to deform in whatever manner necessary to satisfy its material structure and interatomic constraints. Noncrystalline materials appear to survive the process undamaged when observed in the TEM. As has been demonstrated however microtomed plastics do in fact suffer damage to the top and bottom surfaces of the section regardless of the sharpness of the cutting edge or the tool material. The energy required to seperate the section from the block is not easily propogated through the section because the material is amorphous in nature and has no preferred crystalline planes upon which defects can move large distances to relieve the applied stress. Thus, the cutting stresses are supported elastically in the internal or bulk and plastically in the surfaces. The elastic strain can be recovered while the plastic strain is not reversible and will remain in the section after cutting is complete.

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