Technical Description and Microsurgical Outcomes in Phalloplasty Using the Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery and Locoregional Veins.

Background: Phalloplasty often requires free tissue transfer. There is ample literature describing flap-related outcomes, but the microsurgical technique used, including choice of recipient vessels, has been an overlooked yet important topic. In this study, the authors review the outcomes of their experience with the deep inferior epigastric artery and locoregional veins and outline technical modifications that occurred during the study period.

Masculinizing Genital Surgery: An Imaging Primer for the Radiologist.

Masculinizing genital surgeries for transgender individuals are currently performed at only a select few centers; however, radiologists in any geographic region may be confronted with imaging studies of transgender patients. The imaging findings of internal and external genital anatomy of a transgender patient may differ substantially from the imaging findings of a cisgender patient. This article provides the surgical and anatomic basis to allow appropriate interpretation of preoperative and postoperative imaging findings.

Probing the Effects of Gating on the Ion Occupancy of the K Channel Selectivity Filter Using Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy.

The interplay between the intracellular gate and the selectivity filter underlies the structural basis for gating in potassium ion channels. Using a combination of protein semisynthesis, two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we probe the ion occupancy at the S1 binding site in the constricted state of the selectivity filter of the KcsA channel when the intracellular gate is open and closed. The 2D IR spectra resolve two features, whose relative intensities depend on the state of the intracellular gate.

Instantaneous ion configurations in the K+ ion channel selectivity filter revealed by 2D IR spectroscopy.

Potassium channels are responsible for the selective permeation of K ions across cell membranes. K ions permeate in single file through the selectivity filter, a narrow pore lined by backbone carbonyls that compose four K binding sites. Here, we report on the two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectra of a semisynthetic KcsA channel with site-specific heavy (CO) isotope labels in the selectivity filter.

Individual Ion Binding Sites in the K(+) Channel Play Distinct Roles in C-type Inactivation and in Recovery from Inactivation.

The selectivity filter of K(+) channels contains four ion binding sites (S1-S4) and serves dual functions of discriminating K(+) from Na(+) and acting as a gate during C-type inactivation. C-type inactivation is modulated by ion binding to the selectivity filter sites, but the underlying mechanism is not known. Here we evaluate how the ion binding sites in the selectivity filter of the KcsA channel participate in C-type inactivation and in recovery from inactivation.

Engineering the glutamate transporter homologue GltPh using protein semisynthesis.

Glutamate transporters catalyze the concentrative uptake of glutamate from synapses and are essential for normal synaptic function. Despite extensive investigations of glutamate transporters, the mechanisms underlying substrate recognition, ion selectivity, and the coupling of substrate and ion transport are not well-understood. Deciphering these mechanisms requires the ability to precisely engineer the transporter.