Conserved sequences in the β subunit of archaeal and eukaryal translation initiation factor 2 (elF2), absent from elF5, mediate interaction with elF2γ

The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2) binds the methionyl-initiator tRNA in a GTP-dependent mode. This complex associates with the 40 S ribosomal particle, which then, with the aid of other factors, binds to the 5' end of the mRNA and migrates to the first AUG codon, where eIF5 promotes GTP hydrolysis, followed by the formation of the 80 S ribosome. Here we provide a comparative sequence analysis of the β subunit of eIF2 and its archaeal counterpart (aIF2β). aIF2β differs from eIF2β in not possessing an N-terminal extension implicated in binding RNA, eIF5 and eIF2B. The remaining sequences are highly conserved, and are shared with eIF5. Previously isolated mutations in the yeast eIF2β, which allow initiation of translation at UUG codons due to the uncovering of an intrinsic GTPase activity in eIF2, involve residues that are conserved in aIF2β, but not in eIF5. We show that the sequence of eIF2B homologous to aIF2β is sufficient for binding eIF2γ, the only subunit with which it interacts, and comprises, at the most, 78 residues, eIF5 does not interact with eIF2γ, despite its similarity with eIF2β, probably because of a gap in homology in this region. These observations have implications for the evolution of the mechanism of translation initiation.

The influence of fruit morphology and habitat structure on ant-seed interactions: A study with artificial fruits

Artificial fruits designed to simulate lipid-rich non-myrecochorous diaspores were used to test for the effect of fruit morphology and habitat structure on ant-seed interactions in an Atlantic Forest site in SE Brazil. The outcome of the interaction (i.e., if the fruit was removed, cleaned by ants on the spot or had no interaction with ants) and the time of ant response were the investigated variables. Models simulating drupes and arilate diaspores were used to test for morphological effects and four habitat attributes (litter depth, number of logs, number of trees, and percentage of bromeliad coverage on the forest floor), likely to be correlated with the ant diversity and abundance in the study site, were measured to test for the effect of habitat structure. The proportion of fruits removed or cleaned did not differ between the two morphological models. Sites in which fruits were cleaned had more trees than those in which no interaction occurred. This may be a result of the foraging behavior of arboreal ants that frequently descend to the forest floor to exploit fleshy diaspores. Sites in which model removal occurred had lower litter depth than both those in which models were cleaned and those in which no interaction occurred. A negative correlation was observed between litter depth and ant response time. Accumulation of leaf litter at a given point may have constrained the movements of large ants in general, and ponerine ants (that are important seed removers) in particular. We conclude that that local pattern in litter depth and tree density influence the frequency and outcome of interactions between ants and non-myrmecochorous, fleshy diaspores.

Studies on the interaction between humic substances and conducting polymers for sensor application

The interaction between humic substances and poly(o-ethoxyaniline) (POEA), a conducting polymer, was investigated for both solution and self-assembled films. The results have shown that the humic substances induce a doping of POEA by protonation, as indicated by UV-Vis and Raman spectroscopies. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies on the self-assembled films have shown that the average roughness of the polymer film has increased after exposing it to humic substances (fulvic and humic acids), consistent with the interaction between POEA and humic substances. However, this change in morphology is reversible by washing the films with water in agreement with the electrical data allowing using this system in sensor applications. Here, the sensor formed by an array of different sensing units was able to detect and distinguish humic substances in aqueous solution, as shown by multivariate analysis (principal component analysis). The motivation to detect humic substance comes due to its importance in terms of quality control of water or soil. ©2005 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.

Photoluminescence-structure relationships in ormosils for integrated optical devices

Planar waveguides with low losses in the infrared (from 0.6-1.1 dB/cm) were prepared with sol-gel derived poly(oxyethylene)/siloxane hybrid doped with zirconium(IV) n-propoxide (ZPO) and methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTMS). The doped nanohybrids were characterized by small angle X-ray scattering, 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance and photoluminescence spectroscopy and compared with the undoped hybrid material. The results indicate an effective interaction between the zirconium particles and the siliceous nanodomains. © 2005 Materials Research Socicty.

A nonlinear and non-ideal wind generator supporting structure

We present a simple mathematical model of a wind turbine supporting tower. Here, the wind excitation is considered to be a non-ideal power source. In such a consideration, there is interaction between the energy supply and the motion of the supporting structure. If power is not enough, the rotation of the generator may get stuck at a resonance frequency of the structure. This is a manifestation of the so-called Sommerfeld Effect. In this model, at first, only two degrees of freedom are considered, the horizontal motion of the upper tip of the tower, in the transverse direction to the wind, and the generator rotation. Next, we add another degree of freedom, the motion of a free rolling mass inside a chamber. Its impact with the walls of the chamber provides control of both the amplitude of the tower vibration and the width of the band of frequencies in which the Sommerfeld effect occur. Some numerical simulations are performed using the equations of motion of the models obtained via a Lagrangian approach.

Re-conceptualizing the international aid structure: recipient donor interactions and the rudiments of a feedback mechanism

Incluye Bibliografía

On Hepatitis C Virus Evolution: The Interaction between Virus and Host towards Treatment Outcome

Background:Hepatitis C is a disease spread throughout the world. Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the etiological agent of this disease, is a single-stranded positive RNA virus. Its genome encodes a single precursor protein that yields ten proteins after processing. NS5A, one of the non-structural viral proteins, is most associated with interferon-based therapy response, the approved treatment for hepatitis C in Brazil. HCV has a high mutation rate and therefore high variability, which may be important for evading the immune system and response to therapy. The aim of this study was to analyze the evolution of NS5A quasispecies before, during, and after treatment in patients infected with HCV genotype 3a who presented different therapy responses.Methods:Viral RNA was extracted, cDNA was synthesized, the NS5A region was amplified and cloned, and 15 clones from each time-point were sequenced. The sequences were analyzed for evolutionary history, genetic diversity and selection.Results:This analysis shows that the viral population that persists after treatment for most non-responder patients is present in before-treatment samples, suggesting it is adapted to evade treatment. In contrast, the population found in before treatment samples from most end-of-treatment responder patients either are selected out or appears in low frequency after relapse, therefore changing the population structure. The exceptions illustrate the uniqueness of the evolutionary process, and therefore the treatment resistance process, in each patient.Conclusion:Although evolutionary behavior throughout treatment showed that each patient presented different population dynamics unrelated to therapy outcome, it seems that the viral population from non-responders that resists the treatment already had strains that could evade therapy before it started. © 2013 Bittar et al.

Studies of nucleon resonance structure in exclusive meson electroproduction

Studies of the structure of excited baryons are key factors to the N* program at Jefferson Lab (JLab). Within the first year of data taking with the Hall B CLAS12 detector following the 12 GeV upgrade, a dedicated experiment will aim to extract the N* electrocouplings at high photon virtualities Q 2. This experiment will allow exploration of the structure of N* resonances at the highest photon virtualities ever achieved, with a kinematic reach up to Q2 = 12 GeV2. This high-Q 2 reach will make it possible to probe the excited nucleon structures at distance scales ranging from where effective degrees of freedom, such as constituent quarks, are dominant through the transition to where nearly massless bare-quark degrees of freedom are relevant. In this document, we present a detailed description of the physics that can be addressed through N* structure studies in exclusive meson electroproduction. The discussion includes recent advances in reaction theory for extracting N* electrocouplings from meson electroproduction off protons, along with Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD)-based approaches to the theoretical interpretation of these fundamental quantities. This program will afford access to the dynamics of the nonperturbative strong interaction responsible for resonance formation, and will be crucial in understanding the nature of confinement and dynamical chiral symmetry breaking in baryons, and how excited nucleons emerge from QCD. © 2013 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Synthesis, cytotoxic activity and DNA interaction of Pd(II) complexes bearing N′-methyl-3,5-dimethyl-1-thiocarbamoylpyrazole

A new series of complexes of general formulae [PdX2(tmdmPz)] {X = Cl (1), Br (2), I (3), SCN (4); tmdmPz = N′-methyl-3,5-dimethyl-1- thiocarbamoylpyrazole} have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductivities, IR, 1H and 13C{ 1H} NMR spectroscopy. In these complexes, the tmdmPz coordinates to Pd(II) center as a neutral N,S-chelating ligand. The geometries of the complexes have been optimized with the DFT method. Cytotoxicity evaluation against LM3 (mammary adenocarcinoma) and LP07 (lung adenocarcinoma) cell lines indicated that complexes 1-4 were more active than cisplatin. The binding of the complexes with a purine base (guanosine) was investigated by 1H NMR and mass spectrometry, showing that the coordination of guanosine occurs through N7. Electrophoretic DNA migration studies showed that all of them modify the DNA tertiary structure. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of neolignan compounds with anti-schistosomiasis activity

Um conjunto de dezoito compostos de neolignanas com atividade antiesquistossomose foi estudado com o método semi-empírico PM3 e outros métodos teóricos com o intuito de avaliar algumas propriedades (variáveis ou descritores) moleculares selecionadas e correlacioná-las com a atividade biológica. Análise exploratória dos dados (análise de componentes principais, PCA, e análise hierárquica de agrupamentos, HCA), análise discriminante (DA) e o método KNN foram utilizados na obtenção de possíveis correlações entre os descritores calculados e a atividade biológica em questão e na predição da atividade antiesquistossimose de algumas moléculas teste. Os descritores moleculares responsáveis pela separação entre os compostos ativos e inativos foram: energia de hidratação (HE), refratividade molecular (MR) e carga sobre o átomo C19 (Q19). Estes descritores fornecem informações a respeito do tipo de interação que pode ocorrer entre os compostos e seu respectivo receptor biológico. Após a construção do modelo para compostos ativos e inativos, os métodos PCA, HCA, DA e KNN foram empregados em um estudo de predição. Foram estudados 10 novos compostos e somente 5 deles foram classificados como ativos contra esquistossomose.

Effect of cerium loading on structure and morphology of modified Ce-USY zeolites

Este trabalho descreve detalhadamente o efeito da quantidade de cério na estrutura e morfologia da zeólita NH4USY. Ce-USY (2-25% m/m de CeO₂) foi obtido por impregnação úmida de CeCl₃ seguida de calcinação a 550ºC por 8 h. Em quantidades baixas (2-10%), foi observado que as espécies de cério encontram-se nas posições de troca iônica na rede, enquanto em maiores teores (15-25%) pequenos agregados formaram-se na superfície da HUSY. Difratometria de raios X (XRD) mostrou apenas reflexões relacionadas à HUSY, confirmando a alta dispersão das espécies de cério, porém as análises por espectroscopia Raman com transformada de Fourier (FT-Raman) detectaram CeO_x para os materiais acima de 10%. A reação do CeCl₃ com NH₄USY produziu NH₄Cl, o qual se decompõe em HCl, ocasionando a desaluminização da rede. Os materiais apresentaram um aumento da razão Lewis/Brønsted com o aumento da quantidade de cério, devido a interação do excesso de cério com os grupos OH da USY e consequente formação de espécies CeO_x.

Interaction of Maternal Separation on the UCh Rat Cerebellum

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Aspergillus niger beta-Glucosidase Has a Cellulase-like Tadpole Molecular Shape INSIGHTS INTO GLYCOSIDE HYDROLASE FAMILY 3 (GH3) beta-GLUCOSIDASE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Structure of the polypeptide crotamine from the Brazilian rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Interaction between the antimicrobial peptide Aurein 1.2 dimer and mannans

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)