Publications database

Metabolic products and environmental factors constantly damage DNA. To protect against these insults and maintain genome integrity, cells have evolved mechanisms to repair DNA lesions. [...]

We studied coexisting micro- and nanoscopic liquid-ordered/liquid-disordered domains in fully hydrated multilamellar vesicles using small-angle X-ray scattering. Large domains exhibited long-range out-of-plane positional correlations of like domains, consistent with previous reports. [...]

It was recently reported that poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAm) polymers synthesized by RAFT polymerization using S-1-dodecyl-S′-(α,α′-dimethyl-α′′-acetic acid)trithiocarbonate as a chain transfer agent form micelles in aqueous solutions with the core of hydrophobic terminal dodecyl groups and the corona of PNIPAm chains with carboxylic groups at the periphery, the ionization of which prevents the micelles from phase separation above the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPAm in water (Langmuir 30:7986–7992). In this paper, we study the pH- and ionic strength-dependence of the aggregation behavior of two HOOC-PNIPAm-C12 polymers, differing in the degree of polymerization, in aqueous solutions. [...]

We have synthesized unique siloxane phosphocholines and characterized their aggregates in aqueous solution. The siloxane phosphocholines form nearly monodisperse vesicles in aqueous solution without the need for secondary extrusion processes. [...]

The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in osmotic stress, dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and cyclic stretch-induced tight junction (TJ) disruption was investigated in Caco-2 cell monolayers in vitro and restraint stress-induced barrier dysfunction in mouse colon in vivo. Live cell imaging showed that osmotic stress, cyclic stretch and DSS triggered rapid production of ROS in Caco-2 cell monolayers, which was blocked by depletion of intracellular Ca2+ by 1,2-bis-(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid. [...]

Phosducin (Pdc) is a conserved phosphoprotein that, when unphosphorylated, binds with high affinity to the complex of βγ-subunits of G protein transducin (Gtβγ). The ability of Pdc to bind to Gtβγ is inhibited through its phosphorylation at S54 and S73 within the N-terminal domain (Pdc-ND) followed by association with the scaffolding protein 14-3-3. [...]

S-Adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase (SAHase) from the symbiotic bacterium Bradyrhizobium elkanii (BeSAHase) was crystallized in four ligand complexes with (i) mixed adenosine (Ado) and cordycepin (Cord; 3′-deoxyadenosine), (ii) adenine (Ade), (iii) Ado and (iv) mixed 2′-deoxyadenosine (2′-dAdo) and Ade. The crystal structures were solved at resolutions of 1.84, 1.95, 1.95 and 1.54 Å, respectively. [...]

Oilseeds of the plant family Brassicaceae are important for providing both lipid and protein contents to human nutrition. Cruciferins (12S globulins) are seed storage proteins, which are getting attention due to their allergenic and pathogenicity related nature. [...]

Adenosine receptors are G protein-coupled receptors that sense extracellular adenosine to transmit intracellular signals. One of the four adenosine receptor subtypes, the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR), has an exceptionally long intracellular C terminus (A2AR-ct) that mediates interactions with a large array of proteins, including calmodulin and α-actinin. [...]