Stejnulxin, a novel snake C-type lectin-like protein from Trimeresurus stejnegeri venom is a potent platelet agonist acting specifically via GPVl

Stejnulxin, a novel snake C-type lectin-like protein with potent platelet activating activity, was purified and characterized from Trimeresurus stejnegeri venom. Under non-reducing conditions, it migrated on a SDS-polyacrylamide gel with an apparent molecular mass of 120 kDa. On reduction, it separated into three polypeptide subunits with apparent molecular masses of 16 kDa (alpha), 20 kDa (beta(1)) and 22 kDa (beta(2)), respectively. The complete amino acid sequences of its subunits were deduced from cloned cDNAs. The N-terminal sequencing and cDNA cloning indicated that beta(1) and beta(2) subunits of stejnulxin have identical amino acid sequences and each contains two N-glycosylation sites. Accordingly, the molecular mass difference between 1 and 2 is caused by glycosylation heterogenity. The subunit amino acid sequences of stejnulxin are similar to those of convulxin, with sequence identities of 52.6% and 66.4% for the U. and beta, respectively. Stejnulxin induced human platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. Antibodies against UNA inhibited the aggregation response to stejnulxin, indicating that activation of alpha(IIb)beta(3) and binding of fibrinogen are involved in stejnulxin-induced platelet aggregation. Antibodies against GPIbalpha or alpha(2)beta(1) as well as echicetin or rhodocetin had no significant effect on stejnulxin-induced platelet aggregation. However, platelet activation induced by stejnulxin was blocked by anti-GPVI antibodies. In addition, stejnulxin induced a tyrosine phosphorylation profile in platelets that resembled that produced by convulxin. Biotinylated stejnulxin bound specifically to platelet membrane GPVI.

Characterization of a thrombin-like enzyme from the venom of Trimeresurus jerdonii

From the venom of Trimeresurus jerdonii, a distinct thrombin-like enzyme, called jerdonobin. was purified by DEAF A-25 ion-exchange chromatography, Sephadex G-75 gel filtration, and fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). SDS-PAGE analysis of this enzyme shows that it consists of a single polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of 38,000. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of jerdonobin has great homology with venom thrombin-like enzymes documented. Jerdonobin is able to hydrolyze several chromogenic substrates. The enzyme directly clots fibrinogen with an activity of 217 NIH units/mg, The fibrinopeptides released, identified by HPLC consisted of fibrinopeptide A and a small amount of fibrinopepide B. The activities of the enzyme were inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and p-nitrophenyl-p-guanidinobenzoate (NPGB). However, metal chelator (EDTA) had no effect on it. indicating it is venom serine protease. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genomic organization and expression analysis of Toll-like receptor 3 in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) participates in the innate immune response by recognizing viral pathogens. To investigate grass carp immune system responding to GCRV (grass carp reovirus) infection, the full-length cDNA sequence and genomic organization of grass carp TLR3 (CiTLR3) was identified and characterized. The full-length genome sequence of CiTLR3 is composed of 5668 nucleotides, including five exons and four introns. The full-length of CiTLR3 cDNA is 3681 bp in length and encodes a polypeptide of 904 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 102,765 Da and a predicted isoelectric point of 8.35. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence indicated that CiTLR3 has four main structural domains, including a signal peptide sequence, 14 LRR (leucine-rich repeat) motifs, a transmembrane region and a TIR (Toll/interleukin-1 receptor) domain. It is most similar to the crucian carp (Carassius auratus) TLR3 amino acid sequence with an identity of 99%. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that CiTLR3 transcripts were significantly up-regulated starting at day 1 and continued through day 7 following GCRV infection (P < 0.05). These data implied that CiTLR3 is involved in antiviral defense, provide molecular and functional information for grass carp TLR3, and implicate their role in mediating immune protection against grass carp viral diseases. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathway can be triggered by grass carp reovirus and Aeromonas hydrophila infection in rare minnow Gobiocypris rarus

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is critical for LPS recognition and cellular responses. It also recognizes some viral envelope proteins. Detection mostly results in the inflammation rather than specific antiviral responses. However, it's unclear in fish. In this report, a TLR4 gene (named as GrTLR4b) was cloned and characterized from rare minnow Gobiocypris rarus. The full length of GrTLR4b cDNA consists of 2766 nucleotides and encodes a polypeptide of 818 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 94,518 Da and a predicted isoelectric point of 8.41. The predicted amino acid sequence comprises a signal peptide, six leucine-rich repeat (LRR) motifs, one leucine-rich repeat C-terminal (LRRCT) motif, followed by a transmembrane segment of 23 amino acids, and a cytoplasmic region of 167 amino acids containing one Toll - interleukin 1 - receptor (TIR) motif. It's closely similar to the zebrafish (Danio rerio) TLR4b amino acid sequence with an identity of 77%. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed GrTLR4b mRNA was constitutive expression in gill, heart, intestine, kidney, liver, muscle and spleen tissues in healthy animals and up-regulated by viruses and bacteria. After being infected by grass carp reovirus or Aeromonas hydrophila, GrTLR4b expressions were up-regulated from 24 h post-injection and lasted until the fish became moribund (P < 0.05). These data implied that TLR4 signaling pathway could be activated by both viral and bacterial infection in rare minnow. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Net-like Ferromagnetic Mnsb Film Deposited on Porous Silicon Substrates

MnSb films were deposited on porous silicon substrates by physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique. Modulation effects due to the substrate on microstructure and magnetic properties of the MnSb film's were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and measurements of hysteresis loops. SEM images of the MnSb films indicate that net-like structures were obtained because of the special morphology of the substrates. The net-like MnSb films exhibit some novel magnetic properties different from the unpatterned referenced samples. For example, in the case of net-like morphology, the coercive field is as low as 60 Oe.

Micro/Nanomechanical and Tribological Properties of thin Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings

The diamond-like carbon (DLC) films with different thicknesses on 9Crl8 bearing steels were prepared using vacuum magnetic-filtering arc plasma deposition. Vickers indentation. nanoin-dentation and nanoscratch tests were used to characterize the DLC films with a wide range of applied loads. Mechanical and tribological behaviors of these submicron films were investigated and interpreted. The hardnesses of 9Crl8 and DLC, determined by nanoindentation, are approximately 8GPa and 60GPa respectively; their elastic moduli are approximately 25OGPa and 600GPa respectively. The friction coefficients of 9Crl8, DLC. organic coating, determined by nanoscratch, are approximately 0. 35, 0. 20 and 0. 13 respectively. It is demonstrated that nanoindentation and nanoscratch tests can provide more information about the near-surface elastic-plastic deformation, friction and wear properties. The correlation of mechanical properties and scratch resistance of DLC films on 9Crl8 steels can provide an assessment for the load-carrying capacity and wear resistance

Large Scale Fabrication Of Periodical Bowl-Like Micropatterns Of Single Crystal Zno

Nanostructured ZnO materials are of great significance for their potential applications in photoelectronic devices, light-emitting displays, catalysis and gas sensors. In this paper, we report a new method to produce large area periodical bowl-like micropatterns of single crystal ZnO through aqueous-phase epitaxial growth on a ZnO single crystal substrate. A self-assembled monolayer of polystyrene microspheres was used as a template to confine the epitaxial growth of single crystal ZnO from the substrate, while the growth morphology was well controlled by citrate anions. Moreover, it was found that the self-assembled monolayer of colloidal spheres plays an important role in reduction of the defect density in the epitaxial ZnO layer. Though the mechanism is still open for further investigation, the present result indicates a new route to suppress the dislocations in the fabrication of single crystal ZnO film. A predicable application of this new method is for the fabrication of two-dimensional photonic crystal structures on light emitting diode surfaces.

Stability Analysis Of The Moving Interface In Piston- And Non-Piston-Like Displacements

From the macroscopic point of view, expressions involving reservoir and operational parameters are established for investigating the stability of moving interface in piston- and non-piston-like displacements. In the case of axi-symmetrical piston-like displacement, the stability is related to the moving interface position and water to oil mobility ratio. The capillary effect on the stability of moving interface depends on whether or not the moving interface is already stable and correlates with the wettability of the reservoir rock. In the case of non-piston-like displacement, the stability of the front is governed by both the relative permeability and the mobility ratio.

Effective elastic modulus of bone-like hierarchical materials

A shear-lag model is used to study the mechanical properties of bone-like hierarchical materials. The relationship between the overall effective modulus and the number of hierarchy level is obtained. The result is compared with that based on the tension-shear chain model and finite element simulation, respectively. It is shown that all three models can be used to describe the mechanical behavior of the hierarchical material when the number of hierarchy levels is small. By increasing the number of hierarchy level, the shear-lag result is consistent with the finite element result. However the tension-shear chain model leads to an opposite trend. The transition point position depends on the fraction of hard phase, aspect ratio and modulus ratio of hard phase to soft phase. Further discussion is performed on the flaw tolerance size and strength of hierarchical materials based on the shear-lag analysis.

A constitutive model for cavitation and cavity growth in rubber-like materials under arbitrary tri-axial loading

In this paper, we attempted to construct a constitutive model to deal with the phenomenon of cavitation and cavity growth in a rubber-like material subjected to an arbitrary tri-axial loading. To this end, we considered a spherical elementary representative volume in a general Rivlin's incompressible material containing a central spherical cavity. The kinematics proposed by [Hou, H.S., Abeyaratne, R., 1992. Cavitation in elastic and elastic-plastic solids. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 40, 571-722] was adopted in order to construct an approximate but optimal field. In order to establish a suitable constitutive law for this class of materials, we utilized the homogenisation technique that permits us to calculate the average strain energy density of the volume. The cavity growth was considered through a physically realistic failure criterion. Combination of the constitutive law and the failure criterion enables us to describe correctly the global behaviour and the damage evolution of the material under tri-axial loading. It was shown that the present models can efficiently reproduce different stress states, varying from uniaxial to tri-axial tensions, observed in experimentations. Comparison between predicted results and experimental data proves that the proposed model is accurate and physically reasonable. Another advantage is that the proposed model does not need special identification work, the initial Rivlin's law for the corresponding incompressible material is sufficient to form the new law for the compressible material resulted from cavitation procedure. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anisotropic, gradient and metal-like mechanical behaviors of teeth and their implications on tooth functions

The anisotropy and gradient of the elastic modulus and the hardness of teeth were investigated by means of instrumented indentation method. Such properties are attributed to the unique microstructures of teeth based on scanning electron microscopic analysis. By comparing the relationship between the ratio of hardness to the reduced elastic modulus and the ratio of elastic unloading work to the total work of teeth in course of indentation to those of other materials, we found that the material behaviors of teeth display metal-like characteristics rather than ceramics as considered traditionally. These material behaviors and relevant functions are discussed briefly.

Donut-Shaped Fingerprint In Homologous Polypeptide Relationships-A Topological Feature Related To Pathogenic Structural Changes In Conformational Disease

Features of homologous relationship of proteins can provide us a general picture of protein universe, assist protein design and analysis, and further our comprehension of the evolution of organisms. Here we carried Out a Study of the evolution Of protein molecules by investigating homologous relationships among residue segments. The motive was to identify detailed topological features of homologous relationships for short residue segments in the whole protein universe. Based on the data of a large number of non-redundant Proteins, the universe of non-membrane polypeptide was analyzed by considering both residue mutations and structural conservation. By connecting homologous segments with edges, we obtained a homologous relationship network of the whole universe of short residue segments, which we named the graph of polypeptide relationships (GPR). Since the network is extremely complicated for topological transitions, to obtain an in-depth understanding, only subgraphs composed of vital nodes of the GPR were analyzed. Such analysis of vital subgraphs of the GPR revealed a donut-shaped fingerprint. Utilization of this topological feature revealed the switch sites (where the beginning of exposure Of previously hidden "hot spots" of fibril-forming happens, in consequence a further opportunity for protein aggregation is Provided; 188-202) of the conformational conversion of the normal alpha-helix-rich prion protein PrPC to the beta-sheet-rich PrPSc that is thought to be responsible for a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Efforts in analyzing other proteins related to various conformational diseases are also introduced. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solute transport in nanochannels with roughness-like structures

Newfound attention has been given to solute transport in nanochannels. Because the electric double layer (EDL) thickness is comparable to characteristic channel dimensions, nanochannels have been used to separate ionic species with a constant charge-to-size ratio (i.e., electrophoretic mobility) that otherwise cannot be separated in electroosmotic or pressure- driven flow along microchannels. In nanochannels, the electrical fields within the EDL cause transverse ion distributions and thus yield charge-dependent mean ion speeds in the flow. Surface roughness is usually inevitable during microfabrication of microchannels or nanochannels. Surface roughness is usually inevitable during the fabrication of nanochannels. In the present study, we develop a numerical model to investigate the transport of charged solutes in nanochannels with hundreds of roughness-like structures. The model is based on continuum theory that couples Navier-Stokes equations for flows, Poisson-Boltzmann equation for electrical fields, and Nernst-Planck equation for solute transports. Different operating conditions are considered and the solute transport patterns in rough channels are compared with those in smooth channels. Results indicate that solutes move slower in rough nanochannels than in smooth ones for both pressure- driven and electroosmotic flows. Moreover, solute separation can be significantly improved by surface roughness under certain circumstances.

The calculation of photoelectron angular distributions with jet-like structure from scattering theory

Photoelectron angular distributions produced in above-threshold ionization (ATI) are analysed using a nonperturbative scattering theory. The numerical results are in good qualitative agreement with recent measurements. Our study shows that the origin of the jet-like structure arises from the inherent properties of the ATI process and not from the angular momentum of either the initial or the excited states of the atom.

Inter-stage line ratio of He- and Li-like Ti emissions for the electron temperature measurement

Under coronal conditions, the steady state rate-equations are used to calculate the inter-stage line ratios between Li-like Is(2)2p(P-2(3/2))-> 1s(2)2s -> ((2) S-1/2) and He-like 1s2p (P-1(1))-> 1s(2) (S-1(0)) transitions for Ti in the electronic temperature ranges from 0.1 keV to 20 keV. The results show that the. temperature sensitivities are higher at the electronic temperature less than 5000 eV and the temperature sensitivities will decrease with the increase of electronic temperature.