scholarly journals Evolution and Function of Dinosaur Teeth at Ultramicrostructural Level Revealed Using Synchrotron Transmission X-ray Microscopy

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun-Chieh Wang ◽  
Yen-Fang Song ◽  
Sheng-Rong Song ◽  
Qiang Ji ◽  
Cheng-Cheng Chiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
X Ray ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (08) ◽  
pp. 271-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Spraggon ◽  
Stephen Everse ◽  
Russell Doolittle

IntroductionAfter a long period of anticipation,1 the last two years have witnessed the first high-resolution x-ray structures of fragments from fibrinogen and fibrin.2-7 The results confirmed many aspects of fibrinogen structure and function that had previously been inferred from electron microscopy and biochemistry and revealed some unexpected features. Several matters have remained stubbornly unsettled, however, and much more work remains to be done. Here, we review several of the most significant findings that have accompanied the new x-ray structures and discuss some of the problems of the fibrinogen-fibrin conversion that remain unresolved. * Abbreviations: GPR—Gly-Pro-Arg-derivatives; GPRPam—Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-amide; GHRPam—Gly-His-Arg-Pro-amide


2010 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 46a
Author(s):  
Reinhard Kraemer ◽  
Susanne Ressl ◽  
Vera Ott ◽  
Sascha Nicklisch ◽  
Heinz-Juergen Steinhoff ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 460-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Clelia Ganoza ◽  
Michael C. Kiel ◽  
Hiroyuki Aoki

SUMMARY Current X-ray diffraction and cryoelectron microscopic data of ribosomes of eubacteria have shed considerable light on the molecular mechanisms of translation. Structural studies of the protein factors that activate ribosomes also point to many common features in the primary sequence and tertiary structure of these proteins. The reconstitution of the complex apparatus of translation has also revealed new information important to the mechanisms. Surprisingly, the latter approach has uncovered a number of proteins whose sequence and/or structure and function are conserved in all cells, indicating that the mechanisms are indeed conserved. The possible mechanisms of a new initiation factor and two elongation factors are discussed in this context.


Author(s):  
Eugene Matthew P. Almazan ◽  
Joseph F. Ryan ◽  
Labib Rouhana

Detection of chemical stimuli is crucial for living systems and also contributes to quality of life in humans. Since loss of olfaction becomes more prevalent with aging, longer life expectancies have fueled interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms behind the development and maintenance of chemical sensing. Planarian flatworms possess an unsurpassed ability for stem cell-driven regeneration that allows them to restore any damaged or removed part of their bodies. This includes anteriorly-positioned lateral flaps known as auricles, which have long been thought to play a central role in chemotaxis. The contribution of auricles to the detection of positive chemical stimuli was tested in this study using Girardia dorotocephala, a North American planarian species known for its morphologically prominent auricles. Behavioral experiments staged under laboratory conditions revealed that removal of auricles by amputation leads to a significant decrease in the ability of planarians to find food. However, full chemotactic capacity is observed as early as 2 days post-amputation, which is days prior from restoration of auricle morphology, but correlative with accumulation of ciliated cells in the position of auricle regeneration. Planarians subjected to x-ray irradiation prior to auricle amputation were unable to restore auricle morphology, but were still able to restore chemotactic capacity. These results indicate that although regeneration of auricle morphology requires stem cells, some restoration of chemotactic ability can still be achieved in the absence of normal auricle morphology, corroborating with the initial observation that chemotactic success is reestablished 2-days post-amputation in our assays. Transcriptome profiles of excised auricles were obtained to facilitate molecular characterization of these structures, as well as the identification of genes that contribute to chemotaxis and auricle development. A significant overlap was found between genes with preferential expression in auricles of G. dorotocephala and genes with reduced expression upon SoxB1 knockdown in Schmidtea mediterranea, suggesting that SoxB1 has a conserved role in regulating auricle development and function. Models that distinguish between possible contributions to chemotactic behavior obtained from cellular composition, as compared to anatomical morphology of the auricles, are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1125 ◽  
pp. 60-63
Author(s):  
Chutharat Paikaew ◽  
Juthamas Inthanont ◽  
Adisak Punyanut ◽  
Ekachai Hoonnivathana ◽  
Pichet Limsuwan ◽  
...  

The purpose of this research was to investigate physical properties, configuration and color of topaz. Topazes were irradiated with electron beam linear accelerator at different dose from 40 to 180 MGy. The color of topaz was analyzed by UV-vis and it was shown that the color of topaz was becoming strong color with increased electron beam dose. Crystal structure and function group of topaz were characterized by X- ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results showed that the topaz has orthorhombic structure and no other crystalline. After irradiated, topaz released OH indicating higher crystallinity of topaz and this was confirmed with the results of electron spin resonance (ESR). Electron beam dose response of topaz was investigated. ESR results showed that the Al3+ ion was substituted in Si4+ site and Ti3+ impurity in Al4+ site and this result corresponds to the results of FTIR. The experiment result indicated that electron beam could be making defect on crystal structure and color enhancement of topaz.


2013 ◽  
Vol 1498 ◽  
pp. 159-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason H. Nadler ◽  
Allison J. Mercer ◽  
Michael Culler ◽  
Keri A. Ledford ◽  
Ryan Bloomquist ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTRemoras (echeneid fish) reversibly attach and detach to marine hosts, almost instantaneously, to “hitchhike” and feed. The adhesion mechanisms that they use are remarkably insensitive to substrate topology and quite different from the latching and suction cup-based systems associated with other species at similar length scales. Remora adhesion is also anisotropic; drag forces induced by the swimming host increase adhesive strength, while rapid detachment occurs when the remora reverses this shear load. In this work, an investigation of the adhesive system’s functional morphology and tissue properties was carried out initially through dissection and x-ray microtomographic analyses. Resulting finite element models of these components have provided new insights into the adaptive, hierarchical nature of the mechanisms and a path toward a wide range of engineering applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teiko Shibata-Seki ◽  
Masato Nagaoka ◽  
Mitsuaki Goto ◽  
Eiry Kobatake ◽  
Toshihiro Akaike

Abstract E-cadherin is a key Ca-dependent cell adhesion molecule, which is expressed on many cell surfaces and involved in cell morphogenesis, embryonic development, EMT, etc. The fusion protein E-cad-Fc consists of the extracellular domain of E-cadherin and the IgG Fc domain. On plates coated with this chimeric protein, ES/iPS cells are cultivated particularly well and induced to differentiate. The cells adhere to the plate via E-cad-Fc in the presence of Ca2+ and detach by a chelating agent. For the purpose of clarifying the structures of E-cad-Fc in the presence and absence of Ca2+, we analyzed the molecular structure of E-cad-Fc by AFM in liquid. Our AFM observations revealed a rod-like structure of the entire extracellular domain of E-cad-Fc in the presence of Ca2+ as well as trans-binding of E-cad-Fc with adjacent molecules, which may be the first, direct confirmation of trans-dimerization of E-cadherin. The observed structures were in good agreement with an X-ray crystallographic model. Furthermore, we succeeded in visualizing the changes in the rod-like structure of the EC domains with and without calcium. The biomatrix surface plays an important role in cell culture, so the analysis of its structure and function may help promote cell engineering based on cell recognition.


2002 ◽  
Vol 357 (1426) ◽  
pp. 1419-1420 ◽  

This general discussion was chaired by A. W. Rutherford ( Service de Bioénergétique, Saclay, France ) and revolved around two major topics: (i) the implications of X–ray crystallography on the relationships between structure and function; (ii) the molecular mechanisms of the water–splitting process.


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