| 1. |
- Azinas, Stavros, et al.
(författare)
-
D-strand perturbation and amyloid propensity in beta-2 microglobulin
- 2011
-
Ingår i: The FEBS Journal. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1742-464X .- 1742-4658. ; 278:13, s. 2349-58
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Proteins hosting main β-sheets adopt specific strategies to avoid intermolecular interactions leading to aggregation and amyloid deposition. Human beta-2 microglobulin (β2m) displays a typical immunoglobulin fold and is known to be amyloidogenic in vivo. Upon severe kidney deficiency, β2m accumulates in the bloodstream, triggering, over the years, pathological deposition of large amyloid aggregates in joints and bones. A β-bulge observed on the edge D β-strand of some β2m crystal structures has been suggested to be crucial in protecting the protein from amyloid aggregation. Conversely, a straight D-strand, observed in different crystal structures of monomeric β2m, could promote amyloid aggregation. More recently, the different conformations observed for the β2m D-strand have been interpreted as the result of intrinsic flexibility, rather than being assigned to a functional protective role against aggregation. To shed light on such contrasting picture, the mutation Asp53→Pro was engineered in β2m, aiming to impair the formation of a regular/straight D-strand. Such a mutant was characterized structurally and biophysically by CD, X-ray crystallography and MS, in addition to an assessment of its amyloid aggregation trends in vitro. The results reported in the present study highlight the conformational plasticity of the edge D-strand, and show that even perturbing the D-strand structure through a Pro residue has only marginal effects on protecting β2m from amyloid aggregation in vitro.
|
|
| 2. |
- Eriksson, Sara, et al.
(författare)
-
Fuel-rich catalytic combustion of methane in zero emissions power generation processes
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Catalysis Today. - : Elsevier BV. - 0920-5861 .- 1873-4308. ; 117:4, s. 447-453
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A novel catalytic combustion concept for zero emissions power generation has been investigated. Catalysts consisting of Rh supported on ZrO2, Ce-ZrO2 or alpha-Al2O3 were prepared and tested under fuel-rich conditions, i.e. for catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) of methane. The experiments were performed in a subscale gas-turbine reactor operating at 5 bar with exhaust gas-diluted feed mixtures.The catalyst support material was found to influence the light-off temperature significantly, which increased in the following order Rh/Ce-ZrO2 < Rh/ZrO2 < Rh/alpha-Al2O3. The Rh loading, however, only had a minor influence. The high activity of Rh/Ce-ZrO2 is probably related to the high dispersion of Rh on Ce-ZrO2 and the high oxygen mobility of this support compared to pure ZrO2. The formation of hydrogen was also found to increase over the catalyst containing ceria in the support material.
|
|
