Electron cryo-tomography structure of axonemal doublet microtubule from Tetrahymena thermophila

Doublet microtubules (DMTs) provide a scaffold for axoneme assembly in motile cilia. Aside from α/β tubulins, the DMT comprises a large number of non-tubulin proteins in the luminal wall of DMTs, collectively named the microtubule inner proteins (MIPs). We used cryoET to study axoneme DMT isolated from Tetrahymena. We present the structures of DMT at nanometer and sub-nanometer resolution. The structures confirm that MIP RIB72A/B binds to the luminal wall of DMT by multiple DM10 domains. We found FAP115, an MIP-containing multiple EF-hand domains, located at the interface of four-tubulin dimers in the lumen of A-tubule. It contacts both lateral and longitudinal tubulin interfaces and playing a critical role in DMT stability. We observed substantial structure heterogeneity in DMT in an FAP115 knockout strain, showing extensive structural defects beyond the FAP115-binding site. The defects propagate along the axoneme. Finally, by comparing DMT structures from Tetrahymena and Chlamydomonas, we have identified a number of conserved MIPs as well as MIPs that are unique to each organism. This conservation and diversity of the DMT structures might be linked to their specific functions. Our work provides structural insights essential for understanding the roles of MIPs during motile cilium assembly and function, as well as their relationships to human ciliopathies.

Structure heterogeneity and mechanical properties studied in thickness up to 100 mm of low-alloyed shipbuilding steel sheets with a yield strength not less than 420 MPa

This paper presents a study of changes in the structure and properties in thickness of rolled sheets up to 100 mm of low-alloyed shipbuilding steel with a yield point not less than 420 MPa. The fracture surface of samples after impact bending tests at low temperatures was investigated. It was found that the combination of the parameters of lath morphology bainite (fraction, areas average size and length) and the size of structural elements at given tolerance angles of 5 and 15° (indicating the presence or absence of a developed subgrain structure of deformation origin) determine the level of impact work at low temperatures testing.

Chromosome Folding Promotes Intrachromosomal Aberrations under Radiation- and Nuclease-Induced DNA Breakage

The long-standing question in radiation and cancer biology is how principles of chromosome organization impact the formation of chromosomal aberrations (CAs). To address this issue, we developed a physical modeling approach and analyzed high-throughput genomic data from chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) and translocation sequencing (HTGTS) methods. Combining modeling of chromosome structure and of chromosomal aberrations induced by ionizing radiation (IR) and nuclease we made predictions which quantitatively correlated with key experimental findings in mouse chromosomes: chromosome contact maps, high frequency of cis-translocation breakpoints far outside of the site of nuclease-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), the distinct shape of breakpoint distribution in chromosomes with different 3D organizations. These correlations support the heteropolymer globule principle of chromosome organization in G1-arrested pro-B mouse cells. The joint analysis of Hi-C, HTGTS and physical modeling data offers mechanistic insight into how chromosome structure heterogeneity, globular folding and lesion dynamics drive IR-recurrent CAs. The results provide the biophysical and computational basis for the analysis of chromosome aberration landscape under IR and nuclease-induced DSBs.

Effect of power of ultrasound during micro-arc oxidation on morphology, elemental and phase composition of calcium phosphate coatings

The effect of the magnitude of the US (ultrasound) power applied during the MAO (micro arc oxidation) process on the morphology, elemental and phase composition of the CaP coatings was studied. The US at different power (50-200 W) applying during the MAO process led to the local destruction of the structure elements (spheres and pores) and local filling the pore spaces on the coating surface, and to the formation of local macro-pores inside the coatings near the substrate. Such morphological transformations led to the surface and structure heterogeneity of the coatings, increasing of the surface roughness from 3.0 to 4.5 μm and of the thickness from 50 to 60 μm. The US application at different power did not affect significantly the elemental composition of the coatings. At the same time, under applied US with power more than 100 W, the state of the coatings transformed from X-ray amorphous to the quasiamorphous with the small incorporation of crystalline phases of CaHPO4 and β-Ca2P2O7.