| 1. |
- Linse, Sara, et al.
(author)
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Nucleation of protein fibrillation by nanoparticles
- 2007
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 1091-6490 .- 0027-8424. ; 104:21, s. 8691-8696
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nanoparticles present enormous surface areas and are found to enhance the rate of protein fibrillation by decreasing the lag time for nucleation. Protein fibrillation is involved in many human diseases, including Alzheimer's, Creutzfeld-Jacob disease, and dialysis-related amyloidosis. Fibril formation occurs by nucleation-dependent kinetics, wherein formation of a critical nucleus is the key rate-determining step, after which fibrillation proceeds rapidly. We show that nanoparticles (copolymer particles, cerium oxide particles, quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes) enhance the probability of appearance of a critical nucleus for nucleation of protein fibrils from human beta(2)-microglobulin. The observed shorter lag (nucleation) phase depends on the amount and nature of particle surface. There is an exchange of protein between solution and nanoparticle surface, and beta(2)-Microglobulin forms multiple layers on the particle surface, providing a locally increased protein concentration promoting oligomer formation. This and the shortened lag phase suggest a mechanism involving surf ace-assisted nucleation that may increase the risk for toxic cluster and amyloid formation. It also opens the door to new routes for the controlled self-assembly of proteins and peptides into novel nanomaterials.
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| 2. |
- Osol, G, et al.
(author)
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Placental growth factor is a potent vasodilator of rat and human resistance arteries
- 2008
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In: American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology. - : American Physiological Society. - 0363-6135 .- 1522-1539. ; 294:3, s. H1381-H1387
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The objectives of this study were to determine whether placental growth factor (PlGF) exerts a vasodilatory effect on rat uterine vessels (arcuate arteries and veins) and to examine regional differences in reactivity by comparing these responses to those of comparably sized mesenteric vessels. We also sought to examine and compare its effects on human uterine and subcutaneous vessels. All vessels were studied in vitro, under pressurized (rat) or isometric wire-mounted (human) conditions, and exposed to a range of PlGF concentrations. Inhibitors of nitric oxide and prostaglandin synthesis were included in an effort to understand the causal mechanism(s). In rat uterine arteries, the effects of receptor inhibition and activation using selective ligands for VEGFR-1 (PlGF) vs. VEGFR-2 (VEGF-E) were determined, and real-time RT-PCR was performed to evaluate the effect of pregnancy on relative abundance of VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 message in the vascular wall. PlGF was a potent vasodilator of all vessels studied, with greatest sensitivity observed in rat uterine arteries. Pregnancy significantly augmented dilator sensitivity to PlGF, and this effect was associated with selective upregulation of VEGFR-1 message in the pregnant state. The contribution of nitric oxide was appreciable in rat and human uterine arteries, with lesser effects in rat uterine veins and mesenteric arteries, and with no observable effect in human subcutaneous vessels. Based on these results, we conclude that PlGF is a potent vasodilator of several vessel types in both humans and rats. Its potency and mechanism vary with physiological state and vessel location and are mediated solely by the VEGFR-1 receptor subtype. Gestational changes in the uterine circulation suggest that this factor may play a role in modulating uterine vascular remodeling and blood flow during the pregnant state.
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| 3. |
- Sutton, Mark A., et al.
(author)
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Dynamics of ammonia exchange with cut grassland : Synthesis of results and conclusions of the GRAMINAE Integrated Experiment
- 2009
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In: Biogeosciences. - Goettingen : Nicolaus Copernicus University Press. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 6:12, s. 2907-2934
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Improved data on biosphere-atmosphere exchange are fundamental to understanding the production and fate of ammonia (NH3) in the atmosphere. The GRAMINAE Integrated Experiment combined novel measurement and modelling approaches to provide the most comprehensive analysis of the interactions to date. Major intercomparisons of micrometeorological parameters and NH3 flux measurements using the aerodynamic gradient method and relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) were conducted. These showed close agreement, though the REA systems proved insufficiently precise to investigate vertical flux divergence. Grassland management had a large effect on fluxes: emissions increased after grass cutting (−50 to 700 ng m-2 s-1 NH3) and after N-fertilization (0 to 3800 ng m-2 s -1) compared with before the cut (−60 to 40 ng m-2 s -1). © Author(s) 2009.
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