Molten globule-like state of peanut lectin monomer retains its carbohydrate specificity - Implications in protein folding and legume lectin oligomerization

A central question in biological chemistry is the minimal structural requirement of a protein that would determine its specificity and activity, the underlying basis being the importance of the entire structural element of a protein with regards to its activity vis a vis the overall integrity and stability of the protein. Although there are many reports on the characterization of protein folding/ unfolding intermediates, with considerable secondary structural elements but substantial loss of tertiary structure, none of them have been reported to show any activity toward their respective ligands. This may be a result of the conditions under which such intermediates have been isolated or due to the importance of specific structural elements for the activity. In this paper we report such an intermediate in the unfolding of peanut agglutinin that seems to retain, to a considerable degree, its carbohydrate binding specificity and activity. This result has significant implications on the molten globule state during the folding pathway(s) of proteins in general and the quaternary association in legume lectins in particular, where precise subunit topology is required for their biologic activities.

Unusual metallic-like transport near the percolation threshold

In multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT)-polystyrene (PS) composites, a weak temperature dependence of conductivity has been observed at a percolation threshold of 0.4 wt %. The power law [sigma(T)proportional to T-0.3] behavior indicates metallic-like behavior, unlike the usual activated transport for systems near the percolation threshold. The low field positive magnetoconductance follows H-2 dependence, due to the weak localization in disordered metallic systems. The marginal metallic nature of MWNT-PS at percolation threshold is further verified from the negligible frequency dependence of conductivity, in the temperature range of 300 to 5 K. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3455895]

Undamped Oscillations of Collisionless Stellar Systems: Spheres,Spheroids and Discs.

The collisionless Boltzmann equation governing self-gravitating systems such as galaxies has recently been shown to admit exact oscillating solutions with planar and spherical symmetry. The relation of the spherically symmetric solutions to the Virial theorem, as well as generalizations to non-uniform spheres, uniform spheroids and discs form the subject of this paper. These models generalize known families of static solutions. The case of the spheroid is worked out in some detail. Quasiperiodic as well as chaotic time variation of the two axes is demonstrated by studying the surface of section for the associated Hamiltonian system with two degrees of freedom. The relation to earlier work and possible implications for the general problem of collisionless relaxation in self gravitating systems are also discussed.

Formation of crystalline diamond from amorphous diamond-like carbon films by pulsed laser irradiation

The formation of crystalline diamond films from amorphous diamond-like carbon films by pulsed laser irradiation with a 300 μs non-Q-switched Nd:YAG laser has been established by a combined study of transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrical resistivity. The films have been prepared by glow discharge decomposition of a mixture of propane, n-butane, and hydrogen in a rf plasma operating at a frequency of 13.56 MHz. Prior to laser irradiation, the films have been found to be amorphous by transmission electron microscope studies. After irradiation, the electron diffraction patterns clearly point out the formation of cubic diamond structure with a lattice spacing of 3.555 Å. However, the close similarity between diamond and graphite electron diffraction patterns could sometimes be misleading regarding the formation of a diamond structure, and hence, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies have been carried out to confirm the results. A chemical shift in the C 1s core level binding energies towards higher values, viz., from 286.5 to 287.8 eV after laser irradiation, and a high electrical resistivity >1013 Ω cm are consistent with the growth of diamond structure. This novel "low-temperature, low-pressure" synthesis of diamond films offers enormous potential in terms of device compatibility with other solid-state devices.

pH mediated delamination of anionic clay-like nickel-zinc hydroxysalt in water through intercalation of zwitterionic p-aminobenzoate ions

p-aminobenzoate could be intercalated into the anionic clay, Ni3Zn2(OH)(8)(OAc)(2)center dot 2H(2)O at a high pH (similar to 10). When the pH was reduced to similar to 7 while washing colloidal dispersion due to delamination was observed. The development of partial positive charge on the amine end of the intercalated anion causes repulsion between the layers leading to delamination and colloidal dispersion of monolayers in water. The layers could be restacked from the colloid to form the parent solid either by increasing the pH or by evaporation.

Heisenberg-like critical properties in ferromagnetic Nd1-xPbxMnO3 single crystals

Static magnetization for single crystals of insulating Nd0.85Pb0.15MnO3 and marginally conducting Nd0.70Pb0.30MnO3 has been studied around the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition temperature T-C. Results of measurements carried out in the critical range vertical bar(T - T-C)/T-C vertical bar <= 0.1 are reported. Critical exponents beta and gamma for the thermal behaviour of magnetization and susceptibility have been obtained both by modified Arrott plots and the Kouvel-Fisher method. The exponent delta independently obtained from the critical isotherm was found to satisfy the Widom scaling relation delta = gamma/beta + 1. For both compositions the values of exponents are consistent with those expected for isotropic magnets belonging to the Heisenberg universality class with short-range exchange in three dimensions. Correspondingly, the specific heat displays only a cusp-like anomaly at the critical temperature of these crystals which is consistent with an exponent alpha < 0. The results show that the ferromagnetic ordering transition in Nd1-xPbxMnO3 in the composition range 0.15 <= x <= 0.40 is continuous. This mixed-valent manganite displays the conventional properties of a Heisenberg-like ferromagnet, irrespective of the differing transport properties and in spite of low ordering temperatures T-C = 109 and 147.2 K for x = 0.15 and 0.30, respectively.

Oxidative activities in mitochondria-like particles from Setaria digitata, a filarial parasite

The oxidative metabolic potential of Setaria digitata, a filarial parasite found in the intraperitoneal cavity of cattle, was investigated. These worms showed active wriggling movements which were not affected by respiratory poisons such as cyanide, rotenone and malonate. They also possessed cyanide-insensitive and glucose-independent oxygen consumption pathways. By differential centrifugation of sucrose homogenates, a fraction containing mitochondria-like particles was obtained in which the activity of the marker enzyme, succinate dehydrogenase, was recovered. This fraction catalysed succinate- and NADH-dependent reduction of both cytochrome c and dyes. Oxygen uptake found with succinate, NADH and ascorbate as substrates was not sensitive to cyanide. Cytochromes could not be detected in either this fraction or homogenates of the worms. H2O2 generation with a number of substrates and lipid peroxidation by measuring malondialdehyde formed as well as by accompanying oxygen uptake were demonstrated in the mitochondria-like particles. A lipid quinone, possibly with a short side chain and related to ubiquinone, was detected in the worms. The results suggested the existence of two cyanide-insensitive oxygen-consuming reactions in Setaria: one respiratory substrate-independent lipid peroxidation, and a second substrate-dependent reaction that requires an auto-oxidizable quinone but not a cytochrome system.

High-yield bacterial expression and structural characterization of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2

The diverse biological activities of the insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and IGF-2) are mediated by the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R). These actions are modulated by a family of six IGF-binding proteins (ICFBP-1-6; 22-31 kDa) that via high affinity binding to the IGFs (K-D similar to 300-700 pM) both protect the IGFs in the circulation and attenuate IGF action by blocking their receptor access In recent years, IGFBPs have been implicated in a variety of cancers However, the structural basis of their interaction with IGFs and/or other proteins is not completely understood A critical challenge in the structural characterization of full-length IGFBPs has been the difficulty in expressing these proteins at levels suitable for NMR/X-ray crystallography analysis Here we describe the high-yield expression of full-length recombinant human IGFBP-2 (rhIGFBP-2) in Eschericha coli Using a single step purification protocol, rhIGFBP-2 was obtained with >95% purity and structurally characterized using NMR spectroscopy. The protein was found to exist as a monomer at the high concentrations required for structural studies and to exist in a single conformation exhibiting a unique intra-molecular disulfide-bonding pattern The protein retained full biologic activity. This study represents the first high-yield expression of wild-type recombinant human IGFBP-2 in E coli and first structural characterization of a full-length IGFBP (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

A novel supersecondary structure in globular proteins comprising the collagen-like helix and ?-turn

A structure consisting of the polyproline-II or collagen-like helix immediately succeeded by a ?-turn is seen in several synthetic peptides and has been suggested to be the conformational requirement for proline hydroxylation in nascent procollagen. Using a simple algorithm for detecting secondary structures, we have analysed crystal structure data on 40 globular proteins and have found eight examples of the collagen-helix + ?-turn supersecondary structure in 15 proteins that contain the collagen-like helical segments.

Self-assembled flower-like nanostructures of InN and GaN grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Nanosized hexagonal InN flower-like structures were fabricated by droplet epitaxy on GaN/Si(111) and GaN flower-like nanostructure fabricated directly on Si(111) substrate using radio frequency plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to study the crystallinity and morphology of the nanostructures. Moreover, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL) were used to investigate the chemical compositions and optical properties of nano-flowers, respectively. Activation energy of free exciton transitions in GaN nano-flowers was derived to be similar to 28.5 meV from the temperature dependent PL studies. The formation process of nano-flowers is investigated and a qualitative mechanism is proposed.

Defining the pathway to insulin-like growth factor system targeting in cancer

The insulin-like growth factors (IGEs; IGF-1 and IGF-2) play central roles in cell growth, differentiation, survival, transformation and metastasis. The biologic effects of the IGFs are mediated by the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R), a receptor tyrosine kinase with homology to the insulin receptor (IR). Dysregulation of the ICE system is well recognized as a key contributor to the progression of multiple cancers, with IGF-1R activation increasing the tumorigenic potential of breast, prostate, lung, colon and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Despite this relationship, targeting the IGF-1R has only recently undergone development as a molecular cancer therapeutic. As it has taken hold, we are witnessing a robust increase and interest in targeting the inhibition of IGF-1R signaling. This is accentuated by the list of over 30 drugs, including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that are under evaluation as single agents or in combination therapies 1]. The ICE-binding proteins (IGFBPs) represent the third component of the ICE system consisting of a class of six soluble secretory proteins. They represent a unique class of naturally occurring ICE-antagonists that bind to and sequester IGF-1 and IGF-2, inhibiting their access to the IGF-1R. Due to their dual targeting of the IGFs without affecting insulin action, the IGFBPs are an untapped ``third'' class of IGF-1R inhibitors. in this commentary, we highlight some of the significant aspects of and prospects for targeting the IGF-1R and describe what the future may hold. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparative study of adaptive frequency hopping with power control to avoid WLAN interference in WPAN systems like Bluetooth

Presently Bluetooth(BT) is one of the widely used device for personal communication. As BT devices are operating in the unlicensed ISM band, they are often subjected to the interference from WLAN. The band width of BT (1MHz) is narrower compare to the bandwidth of WLAN (22MHz). So for coexistence purpose it is important to observe the performance of narrow band signal BT in presence of wideband interference WLAN and vice versa. As there are many work on the performance of WLAN in presence BT interference 3]4]5]6], the main focus in this paper is on performance of BT in presence of WLAN interference in AWGN, Rayleigh fading channel. Then comparison of the performance using interference avoidance technique like adaptive frequency hopping, power control for BT system is given. Finally a conclusion is drawn observing the simulation results on the technique which is more suitable for WLAN interference mitigation in BT system.

Importance of meridional circulation i flux transport dynamo: the possibility of a maunder-like grand minimum

Meridional circulation is an important ingredient in flux transport dynamo models. We have studied its importance on the period, the amplitude of the solar cycle, and also in producing Maunder-like grand minima in these models. First, we model the periods of the last 23 sunspot cycles by varying the meridional circulation speed. If the dynamo is in a diffusion-dominated regime, then we find that most of the cycle amplitudes also get modeled up to some extent when we model the periods. Next, we propose that at the beginning of the Maunder minimum the amplitude of meridional circulation dropped to a low value and then after a few years it increased again. Several independent studies also favor this assumption. With this assumption, a diffusion-dominated dynamo is able to reproduce many important features of the Maunder minimum remarkably well. If the dynamo is in a diffusion-dominated regime, then a slower meridional circulation means that the poloidal field gets more time to diffuse during its transport through the convection zone, making the dynamo weaker. This consequence helps to model both the cycle amplitudes and the Maunder-like minima. We, however, fail to reproduce these results if the dynamo is in an advection-dominated regime.