Dzip1 is dynamically expressed in the vertebrate germline and regulates the development of Xenopus primordial germ cells.

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the precursors of sperms and oocytes. Proper development of PGCs is crucial for the survival of the species. In many organisms, factors responsible for PGC development are synthesized during early oogenesis and assembled into the germ plasm.

Dzip1 is dynamically expressed in the vertebrate germline and regulates the development of primordial germ cells.

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the precursors of sperms and oocytes. Proper development of PGCs is crucial for the survival of the species. In many organisms, factors responsible for PGC development are synthesized during early oogenesis and assembled into the germ plasm.

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development.

Kinase activity is crucial for a plethora of cellular functions, including cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis. During early embryonic development, kinase activity is highly dynamic and widespread across the embryo. Pharmacological and genetic approaches are commonly used to probe kinase activities.

Reversible optogenetic control of kinase activity during differentiation and embryonic development.

A limited number of signaling pathways are repeatedly used to regulate a wide variety of processes during development and differentiation. The lack of tools to manipulate signaling pathways dynamically in space and time has been a major technical challenge for biologists. Optogenetic techniques, which utilize light to control protein functions in a reversible fashion, hold promise for modulating intracellular signaling networks with high spatial and temporal resolution.

Benzophenone-based photochemical micropatterning of biomolecules to create model substrates and instructive biomaterials.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic and heterogeneous environment that controls many aspects of cell behavior. Not surprisingly, many different approaches have focused on creating model substrates that recapitulate the biomolecular, topographical, and mechanical properties of the ECM for in vitro studies of cell behavior. This chapter details a general, versatile method for the spatially controlled deposition of multiple biomolecules onto both planar and topographically complex support structures with micrometer resolution.

Using nitrogen isotope fractionation to assess the oxidation of substituted anilines by manganese oxide.

We explored the N isotope fractionation associated with the oxidation of substituted primary aromatic amines, which are often the position of initial attack in transformation processes of environmental contaminants. Apparent (15)N-kinetic isotope effects, AKIE(N), were determined for the oxidation of various substituted anilines in suspensions of manganese oxide (MnO(2)) and compared to reference experiments in homogeneous solutions and at electrode surfaces, as well as to density functional theory calculations of intrinsic KIE(N)for electron and hydrogen atom transfer reactions. Owing to the partial aromatic imine formation after one-electron oxidation and corresponding increase in C-N bond strength, AKIE(N)-values were inverse, substituent-dependent, and confined to the range between 0.

pH-dependent equilibrium isotope fractionation associated with the compound specific nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis of substituted anilines by SPME-GC/IRMS.

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/IRMS) was used to elucidate the effects of N-atom protonation on the analysis of N and C isotope signatures of selected aromatic amines. Precise and accurate isotope ratios were measured using polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) as the SPME fiber material at solution pH-values that exceeded the pK(a) of the substituted aniline's conjugate acid by two pH-units. Deviations of δ(15)N and δ(13)C-values from reference measurements by elemental analyzer IRMS were small (<0.