| 1. |
- Abrahamsson, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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A new strategy for the improvement of photophysical properties in ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes. Synthesis and photophysical and electrochemical characterization of six mononuclear ruthenium(II) bisterpyridine-type complexes
- 2005
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Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 44:9, s. 3215-3225
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The synthesis and characterization of six ruthenium(II) bistridentate polypyridyl complexes is described. These were designed on the basis of a new approach to increase the excited-state lifetime of ruthenium(II) bisterpyridine-type complexes. By the use of a bipyridylpyridyl methane ligand in place of terpyridine, the coordination environment of the metal ion becomes nearly octahedral and the rate of deactivation via ligand-field (i.e., metal-centered) states was reduced as shown by temperature-dependent emission lifetime studies. Still, the possibility to make quasi-linear donor-ruthenium-acceptor triads is maintained in the complexes. The most promising complex shows an excited-state lifet me of tau = 15 ns in alcohol solutions at room temperature, which should be compared to a lifetime of tau = 0.25 ns for [Ru(tpy)(2)](2+). The X-ray structure of the new complex indeed shows a more octahedral geometry than that of [Ru(tpy)(2)](2+). Most importantly, the high excited-state energy was retained, and thus, so was the potential high reactivity of the excited complex, which has not been the case with previously published strategies based on bistridentate complexes.
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| 2. |
- Drobni, Mirva, et al.
(författare)
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A host-derived pentapeptide affecting adhesion, proliferation and local pH in Streptococcus-Actinomyces biofilm communities.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Infection and immunity.
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Forskningsöversikt (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Salivary proline-rich proteins (PRPs) attach commensal Actinomyces and Streptococcus species to teeth. Here, gel filtration, mass spectrometry and Edman degradation were applied to show the release of a pentapeptide, RGRPQ, from PRP-1 upon proteolysis by Streptococcus gordonii. Moreover, synthetic RGRPQ and derivatives were used to investigate associated innate properties and responsible motifs. The RGRPQ peptide increased 2.5-fold the growth rate of S. gordonii via a Q-dependent sequence motif, and selectively stimulated oral colonization of this organism in a rat model in vivo. By contrast, growth of Streptococcus mutans, implicated in caries, was unaffected. While the entire RGRPQ sequence was required to block sucrose-induced pH-decrease by S. gordonii and S. mutans, the N-terminal Arg residue mediated pH-increase (i.e. ammonia production) by S. gordonii alone (which exhibits Arg catabolism to ammonia). Strains of commensal viridans streptococci exhibited PRP degradation and Arg catabolism, while cariogenic species did not. The RGRPQ peptide mediated via a differential Q-dependent sequence motif, adhesion inhibition and desorption of PRP-1-binding strains of A. naeslundii genospecies 2 (5 out of 10 strains) but not of S. gordonii (n=5). The inhibitable A. naeslundii strains alone displayed the same binding profile as S. gordonii to hybrid peptides terminating in RGRPQ or GQSPQ, derived from the middle or C-terminal segments of PRP-1. The present findings indicate the presence of a host-bacteria interaction where a host peptide released by bacterial proteolysis affects key properties in biofilm formation.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Maas, Coen, et al.
(författare)
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Misfolded proteins activate Factor XII in humans, leading to kallikrein formation without initiating coagulation
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Investigation. - 0021-9738 .- 1558-8238. ; 118:9, s. 3208-3218
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- When blood is exposed to negatively charged surface materials such as glass, an enzymatic cascade known as the contact system becomes activated. This cascade is initiated by autoactivation of Factor XII and leads to both coagulation (via Factor XI) and an inflammatory response (via the kallikrein-kinin system). However, while Factor XII is important for coagulation in vitro, it is not important for physiological hemostasis, so the physiological role of the contact system remains elusive. Using patient blood samples and isolated proteins, we identified a novel class of Factor XII activators. Factor XII was activated by misfolded protein aggregates that formed by denaturation or by surface adsorption, which specifically led to the activation of the kallikreinkinin system without inducing coagulation. Consistent with this, we found that Factor XII, but not Factor XI, was activated and kallikrein was formed in blood from patients with systemic amyloidosis, a disease marked by the accumulation and deposition of misfolded plasma proteins. These results show that the kallikrein-kinin system can be activated by Factor XII, in a process separate from the coagulation cascade, and point to a protective role for Factor XII following activation by misfolded protein aggregates.
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| 5. |
- Sigurdson, C.J., et al.
(författare)
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Prion strain discrimination using luminescent conjugated polymers
- 2007
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Ingår i: Nature Methods. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1548-7091 .- 1548-7105. ; 4:12, s. 1023-1030
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The occurrence of multiple strains of prions may reflect conformational variability of PrPSc, a disease-associated, aggregated variant of the cellular prion protein, PrPC. Here we used luminescent conjugated polymers (LCPs), which emit conformation-dependent fluorescence spectra, for characterizing prion strains. LCP reactivity and emission spectra of brain sections discriminated among four immunohistochemically indistinguishable, serially mouse-passaged prion strains derived from sheep scrapie, chronic wasting disease (CWD), bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and mouse-adapted Rocky Mountain Laboratory scrapie prions. Furthermore, using LCPs we differentiated between field isolates of BSE and bovine amyloidotic spongiform encephalopathy, and identified noncongophilic deposits in prion-infected deer and sheep. We found that fibrils with distinct morphologies generated from chemically identical recombinant PrP yielded unique LCP spectra, suggesting that spectral characteristic differences resulted from distinct supramolecular PrP structures. LCPs may help to detect structural differences among discrete protein aggregates and to link protein conformational features with disease phenotypes.
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| 6. |
- West, Christina E, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of feeding probiotics during weaning on infections and antibody responses to diphtheria, tetanus and Hib vaccines.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0905-6157 .- 1399-3038. ; 19:1, s. 53-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Microbial exposure is necessary for the development of normal immune function, which has driven the idea of using probiotics for treatment and prevention of immune-mediated diseases in infancy and childhood. Mounting evidence indicates that probiotics have immunomodulatory effects. However, the mechanisms are still poorly understood. Specific antibody response is a valuable proxy for immune system maturation status in infancy. We aimed at determining the impact of Lactobacillus F19 (LF19) during weaning on infections and IgG antibody responses to routine vaccines. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized intervention trial, infants were fed cereals with (n = 89) or without LF19 (n = 90) from 4 to 13 months of age. Infants were immunized with DTaP (diphtheria and tetanus toxoid and acellular pertussis), polio and Hib-conjugate vaccines at (3), 5(1/2) and 12 months of age. We assessed the number of days with infections, antibiotic prescriptions and antibody concentrations to Hib capsular polysaccharide (HibPS), diphtheria toxin (D) and tetanus toxoid (T) before and after the second and third doses. Days with infectious symptoms did not differ between the groups. Days with antibiotic prescriptions were fewer in the LF19 group (p = 0.044). LF19 enhanced anti-D concentrations when adjusting for breastfeeding duration and colonization with LF19 (p = 0.024). There was an interaction of the intervention and colonization with LF19 on anti-T concentrations during the course of vaccination (p = 0.035). The anti-HibPS concentrations were higher after the first and second dose of Hib vaccine in infants breastfed <6 months compared with those breastfed > or =6 months (p < 0.05), with no effect by LF19. In conclusion, feeding LF19 did not prevent infections, but increased the capacity to raise immune responses to protein antigens, with more pronounced effects in infants breastfed <6 months.
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| 7. |
- Xu, Y. H., et al.
(författare)
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Synthesis and characterization of dinuclear ruthenium complexes covalently linked to Ru-II tris-bipyridine : An approach to mimics of the donor side of photosystem II
- 2005
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Ingår i: Chemistry - A European Journal. - : Wiley. - 0947-6539 .- 1521-3765. ; 11:24, s. 7305-7314
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To mimic the electron-donor side of photosystem II (PSII), three trinuclear ruthenium complexes (2, 2a, 2b) were synthesized. In these compl plexes, a mixed-valent dinuclear Ru-2(II,III) moiety with one phenoxy and two acetato bridges is covalently linked to a Ru-II tris-bipyridine photosensitizer. The properties and photoinduced electron/energy transfer of these complexes were studied. The results show that the Ru-2(II,III) moieties in the complexes readily undergo reversible one-electron reduction and one-electron oxidation to give the Ru-2(II,II) and Ru-2(II,III) states, respectively. This could allow for photooxidation of the sensitizer part with an external acceptor and subsequent electron transfer from the dinuclear ruthenium moiety to regenerate the sensitizer. However, all trinuclear ruthenium complexes have a very short excited-state lifetime, in the range of a few nanoseconds to less than 100 ps. Studies by femtosecond time-resolved techniques suggest that a mixture of intramolecular energy and electron transfer between the dinuclear ruthenium moiety and the excited [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) photosensitizer is responsible for the short lifetimes. This problem is overcome by anchoring the complexes with ester- or carboxyl-substituted bipyridine ligands (2a, 2b) to nanocrystalline TiO2, and the desired electron transfer from the excited state of the [Ru(bPY)(3)](2+) moiety to the conduction band of TiO2, followed by intramolecular electron transfer from the dinuclear Ru-2(II,III) moiety to photogenerated Ru-III was observed. The resulting long-lived Ru-2(III,III) state decays on the millisecond timescale.
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