Postprandial triglycerides and endothelial function.

Several studies support the association between postprandially elevated triglyceride levels and atherosclerosis. Histological and cell culture investigations revealed, that triglyceride rich postprandial lipoproteins are taken up by macrophages and smooth muscle cells and are detectable as part of foam cells in vascular lesions. Remnant particles, generated by lipolysis of postprandial lipoproteins in vitro and fatty acids increase the permeability of the endothelium and are cytotoxic for endothelial cells.

Milk and diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is based on autoimmunity, and its development is in part determined by environmental factors. Among those, milk intake is discussed as playing a pathogenic role. Geographical and temporal relations between type 1 diabetes prevalence and cow's milk consumption have been found in ecological studies.

Microtubule assembly and oscillations induced by flash photolysis of caged-GTP.

Microtubule assembly and oscillations have been induced using the rapid liberation of GTP by UV flash photolysis of caged-GTP and monitored by time-resolved X-ray scattering. The flash photolysis method of achieving assembly conditions is much faster than the temperature jump method used earlier (msec vs. s range).

Tubulin oligomers and microtubule oscillations. Antagonistic role of microtubule stabilizers and destabilizers.

Several types of non-equilibrium phenomena have been observed in microtubule polymerization, including dynamic instability, assembly overshoot and oscillations. They can be interpreted in terms of interactions between tubulin subunits (= alpha, beta heterodimers), microtubules, and a third state, oligomers, which represent intermediates between microtubule disassembly and the regeneration of assembly-competent subunits by GTP. Here we examine the role of oligomers by varying conditions that stabilize or destabilize microtubules and/or oligomers.

Dynamics of the microtubule oscillator: role of nucleotides and tubulin-MAP interactions.

Microtubules can be induced to perform synchronous and periodic cycles of assembly and disassembly at constant temperature. The process depends on GTP hydrolysis. Time-resolved X-ray scattering using synchrotron radiation shows a cyclic interconversion of tubulin subunits, microtubules and oligomers (= short protofilament fragments).