| 1. |
- Duan, Ming-Rui, et al.
(författare)
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DNA binding mechanism revealed by high resolution crystal structure of Arabidopsis thaliana WRKY1 protein
- 2007
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Ingår i: Nucleic Acids Research. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1362-4962 .- 0305-1048. ; 35:4, s. 54-1145
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- WRKY proteins, defined by the conserved WRKYGQK sequence, are comprised of a large superfamily of transcription factors identified specifically from the plant kingdom. This superfamily plays important roles in plant disease resistance, abiotic stress, senescence as well as in some developmental processes. In this study, the Arabidopsis WRKY1 was shown to be involved in the salicylic acid signaling pathway and partially dependent on NPR1; a C-terminal domain of WRKY1, AtWRKY1-C, was constructed for structural studies. Previous investigations showed that DNA binding of the WRKY proteins was localized at the WRKY domains and these domains may define novel zinc-binding motifs. The crystal structure of the AtWRKY1-C determined at 1.6 A resolution has revealed that this domain is composed of a globular structure with five beta strands, forming an antiparallel beta-sheet. A novel zinc-binding site is situated at one end of the beta-sheet, between strands beta4 and beta5. Based on this high-resolution crystal structure and site-directed mutagenesis, we have defined and confirmed that the DNA-binding residues of AtWRKY1-C are located at beta2 and beta3 strands. These results provided us with structural information to understand the mechanism of transcriptional control and signal transduction events of the WRKY proteins.
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| 2. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(författare)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy in higher eukaryotes
- 2008
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Ingår i: Autophagy. - : Landes Bioscience. - 1554-8627 .- 1554-8635. ; 4:2, s. 151-175
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research in autophagy continues to accelerate,1 and as a result many new scientists are entering the field. Accordingly, it is important to establish a standard set of criteria for monitoring macroautophagy in different organisms. Recent reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose.2,3 There are many useful and convenient methods that can be used to monitor macroautophagy in yeast, but relatively few in other model systems, and there is much confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure macroautophagy in higher eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers of autophagosomes versus those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway; thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from fully functional autophagy that includes delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of the methods that can be used by investigators who are attempting to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as by reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that investigate these processes. This set of guidelines is not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to verify an autophagic response.
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| 3. |
- Li, Dong-gang, et al.
(författare)
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Diffusion layer growth at Zn/Cu interface under uniform and gradient high magnetic fields
- 2008
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Ingår i: Materials Science & Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-5093 .- 1873-4936. ; 495:1-2, s. 244-248
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As a common phenomenon occurring in many material processes, diffusion may induce significant changes in composition and microstructure near the interface. In the present study, liquid/solid (Zn/Cu) interface diffusion experiments in high magnetic fields (up to 12 T) were conducted and the thickness changes of diffusion layer under different magnetic field conditions were examined. It was found that there were no noticeable effects of high magnetic fields on the formation of intermetallic phases at the interface. However, the magnetic flux density exerted a non-linear influence on the diffusion layer thickness. This phenomenon should be attributed to the effect of magnetic fields suppressing natural convection and inducing thermo-electromagnetic convection. In addition, the diffusion of Zn into Cu could be retarded by a magnetic field gradient. These results indicate that both the strength and the gradient of high magnetic fields can be used to control the diffusion behavior.
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| 4. |
- Liu, Cong, et al.
(författare)
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Preparation, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of protein YtlP from Bacillus subtilis
- 2006
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Ingår i: Acta Crystallographica. Section F: Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications. - 2053-230X. ; 62:10, s. 967-969
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bacillus subtilis YtlP is a protein that is predicted to belong to the bacterial and archael 2'-5' RNA-ligase family. It contains 183 residues and two copies of the HXTX sequence motif conserved among proteins belonging to this family. In order to determine the structure of YtlP and to compare it with the paralogue YjcG and identified 2'-5' RNA ligases, the gene ytlP was amplified from B. subtilis genomic DNA and cloned into expression vector pET-21a. The soluble protein was produced in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity and crystals suitable for X-ray analysis were obtained. The crystal diffracted to 2.0 angstrom and belonged to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 34.16, b = 48.54, c = 105.75 angstrom.
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| 5. |
- Li, He, et al.
(författare)
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Enhanced G-protein coupled receptors-mediated contraction and reduced endothelium-dependent relaxation in hypertension
- 2007
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Ingår i: European Journal of Pharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-0712 .- 0014-2999. ; 557:2-3, s. 186-194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present study was designed to demonstrate a hypothesis that some G-protein coupled receptors are up-regulated and a dysfunction of endothelium occurs in hypertension. The arteries from hypertensive patients and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were tested. An in vitro myograph system was used to obtain concentration-contraction curves mediated by endothelin ETA, endothelin ETB, 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A (5HT(2A))-receptors and alpha(1)-adrenoceptors in the arterial segments. In hypertensive patients, the maximum contractions (E-max) induced by endothelin ETB, endothelin ETA and 5-HT receptors were significantly increased with elevated pEC(50) values, while a significantly leftward shift of alpha(1)-adrenoceptor-mediated contraction was seen. Similar results were obtained in SHR. Specific antagonists for 5-HT2A receptors or alpha(1)-adrenoceptors rightward shifted the concentration-contractile curves induced by 5-HT or noradrenalin, while the Emax were not significantly altered, suggesting that the contractions were mediated by 5-HT2A receptors and ocl-adrenoceptors, respectively. Endothelium-dependent maximum relaxation (R-max) in the arterial segments induced by acetylcholine was significantly decreased in both hypertensive patients and SHR. In addition, nitric oxide- and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor-mediated dilatations were decreased significantly and the arterial enclothelial cells were in part lost in SHR. In conclusion, endotheliD ETB, endothelin ETA, 5-HT2A receptor- and alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated contractions were increased in hypertension, while the endotheliurn and its ftinctions were damaged. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Su, Min, et al.
(författare)
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Temporal trends of esophageal cancer during 1995-2004 in Nanao Island, an extremely high-risk area in China
- 2007
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Ingår i: European Journal of Epidemiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-7284 .- 0393-2990. ; 22:1, s. 43-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of our study was to investigate the temporal malignant tumor incidence rates among the 70,000 residents at the relatively isolated Nanao Island in South China Sea. The data on all malignant tumor cases from Nanao Cancer Registry during 1995-2004 were coded, computerized, and analyzed using the software SPSS10.0. The tumor incident cases, crude incident rate, age-standardized incidence rate, their sex distribution and temporal trend were assessed. A total of 1450 new cancer cases (990 males and 460 females) were identified. The annual average age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) of malignant tumors was 208.18/100,000. The age-standardized incidence rate of the ten leading cancers in both sexes combined per 100,000 population were 74.47 for esophageal cancer (EC), 34.81 for cardiac cancer (CC), 25.66 for liver cancer, 26.01 for lung cancer, 18.52 for stomach cancer, 4.45 for nasopharyngeal cancer, 3.91 for breast cancer, 2.53 for colon/rectum cancer, 2.45 for bladder cancer and 1.92 for pancreatic cancer. These ten types of cancers make up to 93% of all cancer cases, with EC and CC being the most prevalent and making up 52% of the total cases. The incidence rates of esophagus, liver, lung, breast, nasopharyngeal, and colon/rectum cancers showed increasing trends during the period from 1995 to 2004 in Nanao Island. Astounding the EC ASR were 72-150/100,000 among male and 26-64/100,000 among female in Nanao Island during 1995-2004. The EC incidence rate in Nanao population is among the highest across the world, which suggests that there are potential genetic and/or environmental factors affecting this particular population.
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| 7. |
- Xiao, Huan, et al.
(författare)
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THE STUDY FOR FERROMAGNETIC PROPERTIES AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF Bi(0.9)Ho(0.1)FeO(3)
- 2008
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Ingår i: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2008 SYMPOSIUM ON PIEZOELECTRICITY, ACOUSTIC WAVES AND DEVICE APPLICATIONS. - : IEEE. - 9781424428915 ; , s. 557-560
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bi(0.9)Ho(0.1)FeO(3) ceramic is prepared by sol-gel method. We investigated the effect of Ho element doping in the BiFeO(3). We studied the microstructure, morphology and ferromagnetism for Bi(0.9)Ho(0.1)FeO(3) ceramic by XRD, SEM and SQUID. It shows that Bi(0.9)Ho(0.1)FeO(3) ceramic exhibits single phase of perovskite structure. The c/a rate is elevated from 1 to 1.009 with respect to BiFeO(3). The grains of Bi(0.9)Ho(0.1)FeO(3) ceramic shrink sharply compared with the ones of BiFeO(3) ceramic, which is beneficial to the connection between grains and the density. Bi(0.9)Ho(0.1)FeO(3) ceramic exhibits obvious ferromagnetism while BiFeO(3) ceramic does not possess the macroscopic ferromagnetism at the RT. The magnetization sinks in the horizontal direction near the zero magnetic field. It indicates that Bi(0.9)Ho(0.1)FeO(3) ceramics do not only show obvious ferromagnetism, but also could exhibit lower magnetic hysteresis loss.
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| 8. |
- Zhao-Hai, He, et al.
(författare)
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Characters of the magnetotail plasma injection surveyed from Cluster observation
- 2008
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Ingår i: Chinese Journal of Geophysics. - 0001-5733. ; 51:2, s. 307-315
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The properties of proton (0 eV < E < 40 keV) in the plasma sheet are examined by means of a superposed epoch analysis, using 115 magnetotail plasma injection events which are identified from Cluster magnetotail orbit time in between 2001 and 2004. All events distribute in magnetic local time from 20 p.m. to 04 a. in. Five classes of magnetotail injection events are found to be similar with the geosynchronous observation: (1) pure ion injections; (2) ion injections followed a few minutes later by an electron injection; (3) simultaneous ion and electron injections; (4) electron injections followed a few minutes later by an ion injection; (5) pure electron injections. Proton shows a significant increase in temperature and density at the onset, and injects earthward with an increasing velocity more than the pre-injection average one. Super-posed epoch analysis on the simultaneous observation data of dusk-dawn electric field from the EFW (Electric Field and Waves) instrument, we found two different electric field configurations: ( I) electric field increases suddenly at the onset and the value is positive; (2) electric field changes the direction at the onset, and turns into a negative value. The simulation results of velocity vector after injection in equatorial plain, calculated in static magnetic (T89c) and electric (Volland-Stern) field models, agree with the statistical results mostly, and that suggests the electric drift caused by dawn-dusk convection electric field is one of the mechanisms of the particles injected earthward in magnetotail(-18 R-E < R < -10R(E)).
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