Influence of proteolytic cleavage of ENaC's γ subunit upon Na and K handling.

The epithelial Na channel (ENaC) γ subunit is essential for homeostasis of Na, K, and body fluid. Dual γ subunit cleavage before and after a short inhibitory tract allows dissociation of this tract, increasing channel open probability (P), in vitro. Cleavage proximal to the tract occurs at a furin recognition sequence (RKRR, in the mouse γ subunit).

Proteolytic Cleavage of the ENaC γ Subunit - Impact Upon Na and K Handling.

The ENaC gamma subunit is essential for homeostasis of Na , K , and body fluid. Dual subunit cleavage before and after a short inhibitory tract allows dissociation of this tract, increasing channel open probability (P ), . Cleavage proximal to the tract occurs at a furin recognition sequence ( RKRR in mouse).

Realization of an ultra-high pressure dynamic calibrate system by drop hammer based on fiber Bragg grating strain sensor.

In this letter, we propose a novel technique for dynamic ultra-high pressure calibration that measured pressure by FBG based strain sensor. Generally, the traditional method of dynamic ultra-high pressure calibration by standard sensor is costly and it is difficult to improve the accuracy. Therefore, we prefer FBG strain sensor to replace the standard sensor to calibrate the ultra-high pressure.

SHH E176/E177-Zn conformation is required for signaling at endogenous sites.

Sonic hedgehog (SHH) is a master developmental regulator. In 1995, the SHH crystal structure predicted that SHH-E176 (human)/E177 (mouse) regulates signaling through a Zn-dependent mechanism. While Zn is known to be required for SHH protein stability, a regulatory role for SHH-E176 or Zn has not been described.

Balanced Shh signaling is required for proper formation and maintenance of dorsal telencephalic midline structures.

Background: The rostral telencephalic dorsal midline is an organizing center critical for the formation of the future cortex and hippocampus. While the intersection of WNTs, BMPs, and FGFs establishes boundaries within this critical center, a direct role of Shh signaling in this region remains controversial. In this paper we show that both increased and decreased Shh signaling directly affects boundary formation within the telencephalic dorsal midline.

The Evf-2 noncoding RNA is transcribed from the Dlx-5/6 ultraconserved region and functions as a Dlx-2 transcriptional coactivator.

The identification of ultraconserved noncoding sequences in vertebrates has been associated with developmental regulators and DNA-binding proteins. One of the first of these was identified in the intergenic region between the Dlx-5 and Dlx-6 genes, members of the Dlx/dll homeodomain-containing protein family. In previous experiments, we showed that Sonic hedgehog treatment of forebrain neural explants results in the activation of Dlx-2 and the novel noncoding RNA (ncRNA), Evf-1.

Hybrid embryos produced by transferring panda or cat somatic nuclei into rabbit MII oocytes can develop to blastocyst in vitro.

The developmental potential of hybrid embryos produced by transferring panda or cat fibroblasts into nucleated rabbit oocytes was assessed. Both the panda-rabbit and the cat-rabbit hybrid embryos were able to form blastocysts in vitro. However, the rates of attaining the two-cell, four-cell, eight-cell, morula, or blastocyst stages for panda-rabbit hybrids were significantly greater than those of cat-rabbit hybrids (P<0.

Spatiotemporal pattern of calmodulin and [Ca2+]i is related to resumption of meiosis in mouse oocytes.

During meiotic maturation, mammalian oocytes undergo a series of morphological and physiological changes that prepare them for fertilization. Calcium-initiated signaling is thought to trigger these processes. In this study, we examine the spatio-temporal pattern of calcium and calmodulin (CaM), its downstream receptor, in order to investigate their association with meiotic maturation.