The computational capabilities of many-to-many protein interaction networks.

Many biological circuits comprise sets of protein variants that interact with one another in a many-to-many, or promiscuous, fashion. These architectures can provide powerful computational capabilities that are especially critical in multicellular organisms. Understanding the principles of biochemical computations in these circuits could allow more precise control of cellular behaviors.

Biocompatible nanocarriers for passive transdermal delivery of insulin based on self-adjusting -alkylamidated carboxymethyl cellulose polysaccharides.

In this work, we present biocompatible nanocarriers based on modified polysaccharides capable of transporting insulin macromolecules through human skin without any auxiliary techniques. -Alkylamidated carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) derivatives CMC-6 and CMC-12 were synthesized and characterized using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography and thermogravimetric, calorimetric and microscopic techniques. The prepared modified polysaccharides spontaneously assemble into soft nanoaggregates capable of adjusting to both aqueous and lipid environments.

Upper and lower bounds for tunneling splittings in a symmetric double-well potential.

The accurate determination of tunneling splittings in chemistry and physics is an ongoing challenge. However, the widely used variational methods only provide upper bounds for the energy levels, and thus do not give bounds on the gap between them. Here, we show how the self-consistent lower bound theory developed previously can be applied to provide upper and lower bounds for tunneling splitting between symmetric and antisymmetric doublets in a symmetric double-well potential.

Pax6 regulation of in the mouse retinal pigmented epithelium controls its timely differentiation and choroid vasculature development.

The synchronized differentiation of neuronal and vascular tissues is crucial for normal organ development and function, although there is limited information about the mechanisms regulating the coordinated development of these tissues. The choroid vasculature of the eye serves as the main blood supply to the metabolically active photoreceptors, and develops together with the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE). Here, we describe a novel regulatory relationship between the RPE transcription factors Pax6 and Sox9 that controls the timing of RPE differentiation and the adjacent choroid maturation.

An improved rapid mixing device for time-resolved electrospray mass spectrometry measurements.

Time series data can provide valuable insight into the complexity of biological reactions. Such information can be obtained by mass-spectrometry-based approaches that measure pre-steady-state kinetics. These methods are based on a mixing device that rapidly mixes the reactants prior to the on-line mass measurement of the transient intermediate steps.

Ecto- and exo-protein kinases in Schistosoma mansoni: regulation of surface phosphorylation by acetylcholine and identification of the alpha subunit of CKII as a major secreted protein kinase.

The Schistosoma mansoni parasite life cycle involves complex developmental processes that enable it to cause severe hepatic damage. Protein phosphorylation has previously been implicated in the transformation of cercariae to schistosomula of S. mansoni.

Genome-wide midrange transcription profiles reveal expression level relationships in human tissue specification.

Motivation: Genes are often characterized dichotomously as either housekeeping or single-tissue specific. We conjectured that crucial functional information resides in genes with midrange profiles of expression.

Results: To obtain such novel information genome-wide, we have determined the mRNA expression levels for one of the largest hitherto analyzed set of 62 839 probesets in 12 representative normal human tissues.

Sensitivity enhancement in 1D heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy via single-scan inverse experiments.

Measuring the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of low-gamma heteronuclei such as 15N constitutes an important analytical tool for the characterization of molecular structure and dynamics. The reduced resonance frequencies and magnetic moments of these heteronuclei, however, make the sensitivity of this kind of spectroscopy inherently lower than that of comparable H NMR observations. A well-known solution to this sensitivity problem is indirect detection: a 2D NMR technique capable of enhancing the sensitivity of heteronuclear NMR by porting the actual data acquisition from the low-gamma nucleus to neighboring protons.

Mollusk shell acidic proteins: in search of individual functions.

Acidic proteins play a major role in the biomineralization process. These proteins are generally thought to control mineral formation and growth. Thus, characterization of individual acidic proteins is important as a first step toward linking function to individual proteins, which is our ultimate goal.