| 61. |
- Dubrovinsky, L. S., et al.
(författare)
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Materials science - The hardest known oxide
- 2001
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 410:6829, s. 653-654
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 62. |
- Dumoulin, Mireille, et al.
(författare)
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A camelid antibody fragment inhibits the formation of amyloid fibrils by human lysozyme.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 424:6950, s. 783-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amyloid diseases are characterized by an aberrant assembly of a specific protein or protein fragment into fibrils and plaques that are deposited in various organs and tissues, often with serious pathological consequences. Non-neuropathic systemic amyloidosis is associated with single point mutations in the gene coding for human lysozyme. Here we report that a single-domain fragment of a camelid antibody raised against wild-type human lysozyme inhibits the in vitro aggregation of its amyloidogenic variant, D67H. Our structural studies reveal that the epitope includes neither the site of mutation nor most residues in the region of the protein structure that is destabilized by the mutation. Instead, the binding of the antibody fragment achieves its effect by restoring the structural cooperativity characteristic of the wild-type protein. This appears to occur at least in part through the transmission of long-range conformational effects to the interface between the two structural domains of the protein. Thus, reducing the ability of an amyloidogenic protein to form partly unfolded species can be an effective method of preventing its aggregation, suggesting approaches to the rational design of therapeutic agents directed against protein deposition diseases.
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| 63. |
- Dunn, Casey W, et al.
(författare)
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Broad phylogenomic sampling improves resolution of the animal tree of life.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 452:7188, s. 745-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Long-held ideas regarding the evolutionary relationships among animals have recently been upended by sometimes controversial hypotheses based largely on insights from molecular data. These new hypotheses include a clade of moulting animals (Ecdysozoa) and the close relationship of the lophophorates to molluscs and annelids (Lophotrochozoa). Many relationships remain disputed, including those that are required to polarize key features of character evolution, and support for deep nodes is often low. Phylogenomic approaches, which use data from many genes, have shown promise for resolving deep animal relationships, but are hindered by a lack of data from many important groups. Here we report a total of 39.9 Mb of expressed sequence tags from 29 animals belonging to 21 phyla, including 11 phyla previously lacking genomic or expressed-sequence-tag data. Analysed in combination with existing sequences, our data reinforce several previously identified clades that split deeply in the animal tree (including Protostomia, Ecdysozoa and Lophotrochozoa), unambiguously resolve multiple long-standing issues for which there was strong conflicting support in earlier studies with less data (such as velvet worms rather than tardigrades as the sister group of arthropods), and provide molecular support for the monophyly of molluscs, a group long recognized by morphologists. In addition, we find strong support for several new hypotheses. These include a clade that unites annelids (including sipunculans and echiurans) with nemerteans, phoronids and brachiopods, molluscs as sister to that assemblage, and the placement of ctenophores as the earliest diverging extant multicellular animals. A single origin of spiral cleavage (with subsequent losses) is inferred from well-supported nodes. Many relationships between a stable subset of taxa find strong support, and a diminishing number of lineages remain recalcitrant to placement on the tree.
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| 64. |
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| 65. |
- Egorov, A. V., et al.
(författare)
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Graded persistent activity in entorhinal cortex neurons
- 2002
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 420:6912, s. 173-178
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Working memory represents the ability of the brain to hold externally or internally driven information for relatively short periods of time(1,2). Persistent neuronal activity is the elementary process underlying working memory but its cellular basis remains unknown. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that persistent activity is based on synaptic reverberations in recurrent circuits. The entorhinal cortex in the parahippocampal region is crucially involved in the acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of long-term memory traces for which working memory operations are essential(2). Here we show that individual neurons from layer V of the entorhinal cortex-which link the hippocampus to extensive cortical regions(3)-respond to consecutive stimuli with graded changes in firing frequency that remain stable after each stimulus presentation. In addition, the sustained levels of firing frequency can be either increased or decreased in an input-specific manner. This firing behaviour displays robustness to distractors; it is linked to cholinergic muscarinic receptor activation, and relies on activity-dependent changes of a Ca2+-sensitive cationic current. Such an intrinsic neuronal ability to generate graded persistent activity constitutes an elementary mechanism for working memory.
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| 66. |
- Eisenmesser, Elan Z, et al.
(författare)
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Intrinsic dynamics of an enzyme underlies catalysis
- 2005
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 438, s. 117-21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A unique feature of chemical catalysis mediated by enzymes is that the catalytically reactive atoms are embedded within a folded protein. Although current understanding of enzyme function has been focused on the chemical reactions and static three-dimensional structures, the dynamic nature of proteins has been proposed to have a function in catalysis1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The concept of conformational substates has been described6; however, the challenge is to unravel the intimate linkage between protein flexibility and enzymatic function. Here we show that the intrinsic plasticity of the protein is a key characteristic of catalysis. The dynamics of the prolyl cis–trans isomerase cyclophilin A (CypA) in its substrate-free state and during catalysis were characterized with NMR relaxation experiments. The characteristic enzyme motions detected during catalysis are already present in the free enzyme with frequencies corresponding to the catalytic turnover rates. This correlation suggests that the protein motions necessary for catalysis are an intrinsic property of the enzyme and may even limit the overall turnover rate. Motion is localized not only to the active site but also to a wider dynamic network. Whereas coupled networks in proteins have been proposed previously3, 7, 8, 9, 10, we experimentally measured the collective nature of motions with the use of mutant forms of CypA. We propose that the pre-existence of collective dynamics in enzymes before catalysis is a common feature of biocatalysts and that proteins have evolved under synergistic pressure between structure and dynamics.
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| 67. |
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| 68. |
- Ellegren, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic basis of fitness differences in natural populations
- 2008
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 452:7184, s. 169-175
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genomics profoundly influences current biology. One of many exciting consequences of this revolution is the potential for identifying and studying the genetic basis of those traits affecting fitness that are key to natural selection. Recent studies using a multitude of genomic approaches have established such genotype - phenotype relationships in natural populations, giving new insight into the genetic architecture of quantitative variation. In parallel, an emerging understanding of the quantitative genetics of fitness variation in the wild means that we are poised to see a synthesis of ecological and molecular approaches in evolutionary biology.
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| 69. |
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| 70. |
- Emerson, B. C., et al.
(författare)
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Species diversity can drive speciation
- 2005
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 434:7036, s. 1015-1017
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A fundamental question in evolutionary ecology and conservation biology is: why do some areas contain greater species diversity than others? Island biogeographic theory has identified the roles of immigration and extinction in relation to area size and proximity to source areas(1,2), and the role of speciation is also recognized as an important factor(3-6). However, one as yet unexplored possibility is that species diversity itself might help to promote speciation, and indeed the central tenets of island biogeographic theory support such a prediction. Here we use data for plants and arthropods of the volcanic archipelagos of the Canary and Hawaiian Islands to address whether there is a positive relationship between species diversity and rate of diversification. Our index of diversification for each island is the proportion of species that are endemic, and we test our prediction that this increases with increasing species number. We show that even after controlling for several important physical features of islands, diversification is strongly related to species number.
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