| 1. |
- Abt, I, et al.
(author)
-
Inclusive V-0 production cross sections from 920 GeV fixed target proton-nucleus collisions
- 2003
-
In: European Physical Journal C. Particles and Fields. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044. ; 29:2, s. 181-190
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inclusive differential cross sections dsigma(pA)/dx(F) and dsigma(pA)/dp(t)(2) for the production of K-S(0), Lambda, and (&ULambda;) over bar particles are measured at HERA in proton-induced reactions on C, Al, Ti, and W targets. The incident beam energy is 920 GeV, corresponding to roots = 41.6 GeV in the proton-nucleon system. The ratios of differential cross sections dsigma(pA)(K-S(0))/dsigma(pA)(Lambda) and dsigma(pA)((&ULambda;) over bar)/dsigma(pA) (Lambda) are measured to be 6.2 +/- 0.5 and 0.66 +/- 0.07, respectively, for x(F) approximate to -0.06. No significant dependence upon the target material is observed. Within errors, the slopes of the transverse momentum distributions da,Ald t also show no significant dependence upon the target material. The dependence of the extrapolated total cross sections sigma(pA) on the atomic mass A of the target material is discussed, and the deduced cross sections per nucleon sigma(pN) are compared with results obtained at other energies.
|
|
| 2. |
- Abt, I, et al.
(author)
-
Measurement of the b(b)over-bar production cross section in 920 GeV fixed-target proton-nucleus collisions
- 2003
-
In: European Physical Journal C. Particles and Fields. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044. ; 26:3, s. 345-355
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using the HERA-B detector, the b (b) over bar production cross section has been measured in 920 GeV proton collisions on carbon and titanium targets. The b (b) over bar production was tagged via inclusive bottom quark decays into J/psi by exploiting the longitudinal separation of J/psi --> l(+)l(-) decay vertices from the primary proton-nucleus interaction. Both e(+)e(-) and mu(+)mu(-) channels have been reconstructed and the combined analysis yields the cross section sigma(b (b) over bar) = 32(-12)(+14)(stat) (+6)(-7)(sys) nb/nucleon.
|
|
| 3. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(author)
-
PHENIX detector overview
- 2003
-
In: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - 0167-5087. ; 499:2-3, s. 469-479
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The PHENIX detector is designed to perform a broad study of A-A, p-A, and p-p collisions to investigate nuclear matter under extreme conditions. A wide variety of probes, sensitive to all timescales, are used to study systematic variations with species and energy as well as to measure the spin structure of the nucleon. Designing for the needs of the heavy-ion and polarized-proton programs has produced a detector with unparalleled capabilities. PHENIX measures electron and muon pairs, photons, and hadrons with excellent energy and momentum resolution. The detector consists of a large number of subsystems that are discussed in other papers in this volume. The overall design parameters of the detector are presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 4. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(author)
-
Centrality dependence of the high (PT) charged hadron suppression in Au+Au collisions at root s(NN)=130 GeV
- 2003
-
In: Physics Letters. Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics. - 0370-2693. ; 561:1-2, s. 82-92
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PHENIX has measured the centrality dependence of charged hadron p(T) spectra from Au +An collisions at root(s)NN = 130 GeV The truncated mean p(T) decreases with centrality for p(T) > 2 GeV/c, indicating an apparent reduction of the contribution from hard scattering to high p(T) hadrdn production. For central collisions the yield at high p(T) is shown to be suppressed compared to binary nucleon-nucleon collision scaling of p + p, data. This suppression is monotonically increasing with centrality, but most of the change occurs below 30% centrality, i.e., for collisions with less than similar to140 participating nucleons. The observed p(T) and centrality dependence is consistent with the particle production predicted by models including hard scattering and subsequent energy loss of the scattered partons in the dense matter created in the collisions. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.
|
|
| 5. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(author)
-
Event-by-event fluctuations in mean p(T) and mean E(T) in root s(NN)=130 GeVAu+Au collisions
- 2002
-
In: Physical Review C (Nuclear Physics). - 0556-2813. ; 66:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Distributions of event-by-event fluctuations of the mean transverse momentum and mean transverse energy near mid-rapidity have been measured in Au+Au collisions at roots(NN)=130 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. By comparing the distributions to what is expected for statistically independent particle emission, the magnitude of nonstatistical fluctuations in mean transverse momentum is determined to be consistent with zero. Also, no significant nonrandom fluctuations in mean transverse energy are observed. By constructing a fluctuation model with two event classes that preserve the mean and variance of the semi-inclusive p(T) or e(T) spectra, we exclude a region of fluctuations in roots(NN)=130 GeV Au+Au collisions.
|
|
| 6. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(author)
-
Flow Measurements via Two-Particle Azimuthal Correlations in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[sNN]=130 GeV
- 2002
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 89
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two-particle azimuthal correlation functions are presented for charged hadrons produced in Au+Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (sqrt[sNN]=130 GeV). The measurements permit determination of elliptic flow without event-by-event estimation of the reaction plane. The extracted elliptic flow values (v2) show significant sensitivity to both the collision centrality and the transverse momenta of emitted hadrons, suggesting rapid thermalization and relatively strong velocity fields. When scaled by the eccentricity of the collision zone ε, the scaled elliptic flow shows little or no dependence on centrality for charged hadrons with relatively low pT. A breakdown of this ε scaling is observed for charged hadrons with pT >1.0 GeV/c.
|
|
| 7. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(author)
-
Measurement of Lambda and (Lambda)over-bar particles in Au plus Au collisions at root s(NN)=130 GeV
- 2002
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 89:9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present results on the measurement of Lambda and (&ULambda;) over bar production in Au+Au collisions at roots(NN)=130 GeV with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The transverse momentum spectra were measured for minimum bias and for the 5% most central events. The (&ULambda;) over bar/Lambda ratios are constant as a function of p(T) and the number of participants. The measured net Lambda density is significantly larger than predicted by models based on hadronic strings (e.g., HIJING) but in approximate agreement with models which include the gluon-junction mechanism.
|
|
| 8. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(author)
-
Measurement of single electrons and implications for charm production in Au+Au collisions at root(NN)-N-S=130 GeV
- 2002
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 88:19
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Transverse momentum spectra of electrons from Au+Au collisions at roots(NN) = 130 GeV have been measured at midrapidity by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The spectra show an excess above the background from photon conversions and light hadron decays. The electron signal is consistent with that expected from semileptonic decays of charm. The yield of the electron signal dN(e)/dy for p(T) > 0.8 GeV/c is 0.025 +/- 0.004(stat) +/- 0.010( syst) in central collisions, and the corresponding charm cross section is 380 +/- 60(stat) +/- 200(syst ) mub per binary nucleon-nucleon collision.
|
|
| 9. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(author)
-
Net charge fluctuations in Au+Au interactions root s(NN)=130 GeV
- 2002
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 89
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Data from Au+ Au interactions at s(NN)=130 GeV, obtained with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider, are used to investigate local net charge fluctuations among particles produced near midrapidity. According to recent suggestions, such fluctuations may carry information from the quark-gluon plasma. This analysis shows that the fluctuations are dominated by a stochastic distribution of particles, but are also sensitive to other effects, like global charge conservation and resonance decays.
|
|
| 10. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(author)
-
Suppression of hadrons with large transverse momentum in central Au+Au collisions at root s(NN)=130 GeV
- 2002
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 88:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Transverse momentum spectra for charged hadrons and for neutral pions in the range 1 Gev/c < P-T < 5 GeV/c have been measured by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC in Au + Au collisions at rootS(NN) = 130 GeV. At high p(T) the spectra from peripheral nuclear collisions are consistent with scaling the spectra from p + p collisions by the average number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The spectra from central collisions are significantly suppressed when compared to the binary-scaled p + p expectation, and also when compared to similarly binary-scaled peripheral collisions, indicating a novel nuclear-medium effect in central nuclear collisions at RHIC energies.
|
|
| 11. |
- Adcox, K, et al.
(author)
-
Transverse-mass dependence of two-pion correlations in Au+Au collisions at root(NN)-N-S=130 GeV
- 2002
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 88:19
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two-pion correlations in roots(NN) = 130 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC have been measured over a broad range of pair transverse momentum k(T) by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC. The k(T) dependent transverse radii are similar to results from heavy-ion collisions at roots(NN) = 4.1 , 4.9, and 17.3 GeV, whereas the longitudinal radius increases monotonically with beam energy. The ratio of the outwards to sidewards transverse radii (R-out/R-side) is consistent with unity and independent of k(T) .
|
|
| 12. |
- Andrés, E., et al.
(author)
-
Observation of high-energy neutrinos using Čerenkov detectors embedded deep in Antarctic ice
- 2001
-
In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 410:6827, s. 441-443
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neutrinos are elementary particles that carry no electric charge and have little mass. As they interact only weakly with other particles, they can penetrate enormous amounts of matter, and therefore have the potential to directly convey astrophysical information from the edge of the Universe and from deep inside the most cataclysmic high-energy regions. The neutrino's great penetrating power, however, also makes this particle difficult to detect. Underground detectors have observed low-energy neutrinos from the Sun and a nearby supernova2, as well as neutrinos generated in the Earth's atmosphere. But the very low fluxes of high-energy neutrinos from cosmic sources can be observed only by much larger, expandable detectors in, for example, deep water3,4 or ice5. Here we report the detection of upwardly propagating atmospheric neutrinos by the ice-based Antarctic muon and neutrino detector array (AMANDA). These results establish a technology with which to build a kilometre-scale neutrino observatory necessary for astrophysical observations1.
|
|
| 13. |
- Andrés, E., et al.
(author)
-
Recent results from AMANDA
- 2001
-
In: International Journal of Modern Physics A. - 0217-751X .- 1793-656X. ; 16:1C, s. 1013-1015
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present results based on data taken in 1997 with the 302-PMT Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array-B10 ("AMANDA-B10") array. Atmospheric neutrinos created in the northern hemisphere are observed indirectly through their charged current interactions which produce relativistic, Cherenkov-light-emitting upgoing muons in the South Pole ice cap. The reconstructed angular distribution of these events is in good agreement with expectation and demonstrates the viability of this ice-based device as a neutrino telescope.
|
|
| 14. |
- Andres, E., et al.
(author)
-
Results from the AMANDA high energy neutrino detector
- 2000
-
In: Nuclear physics B, Proceedings supplements. - : Elsevier. - 0920-5632 .- 1873-3832. ; 91:1-3, s. 423-430
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper briefly summarizes the search for astronomical sources of high-energy neutrinos using the AMANDA-B10 detector. The complete data set from 1997 was analyzed. For Eμ > 10 TeV, the detector exceeds 10,000 m2 in effective area between declinations of 25 and 90 degrees. Neutrinos generated in the atmosphere by cosmic ray interactions were used to verify the overall sensitivity of the detector. The absolute pointing accuracy and angular resolution has been confirmed by the analysis of coincident events between the SPASE air shower array and the AMANDA detector. Preliminary flux limits from point source candidates are presented. For declinations larger than +45 degrees, our results compare favorably to existing limits for sources in the Southern sky. We also present the current status of the searches for high energy neutrino emission from diffusely distributed sources, GRBs, and WIMPs from the center of the earth.
|
|
| 15. |
- Andres, E., et al.
(author)
-
Selected recent results from AMANDA
- 2001
-
In: ICHEP 2000. Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on High Energy Physics. - : World Scientific. ; , s. 965-968
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a selection of results based on data taken in 1997 with the 302-PMT Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array-B10 ("AMANDA-B10") array. Atmospheric neutrinos created in the northern hemisphere are observed indirectly through their charged current interactions which produce relativistic, Cherenkov-light-emitting upgoing muons in the South Pole ice cap. The reconstructed angular distribution of these events is in good agreement with expectation and demonstrates the viability of this ice-based device as a neutrino telescope. Studies of nearly vertical upgoing muons limit the available parameter space for WIMP dark matter under the assumption that WIMPS are trapped in the earth's gravitational potential well and annihilate with one another near the earth's center.
|
|
| 16. |
- Andres, E., et al.
(author)
-
The AMANDA neutrino telescope : Principle of operation and first results
- 2000
-
In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 13:1, s. 1-20
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AMANDA is a high-energy neutrino telescope presently under construction at the geographical South Pole. In the Antarctic summer 1995/96, an array of 80 optical modules (OMs) arranged on 4 strings (AMANDA-B4) was deployed at depths between 1.5 and 2 km. In this paper we describe the design and performance of the AMANDA-B4 prototype, based on data collected between February and November 1996. Monte Carlo simulations of the detector response to down-going atmospheric muon tracks show that the global behavior of the detector is understood. We describe the data analysis method and present first results on atmospheric muon reconstruction and separation of neutrino candidates. The AMANDA array was upgraded with 216 OMs on 6 new strings in 1996/97 (AMANDA-B10), and 122 additional OMs on 3 strings in 1997/98.
|
|
| 17. |
- Karle, A., et al.
(author)
-
Observation of high energy atmospheric neutrinos with AMANDA
- 2000
-
In: AIP Conference Proceedings. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). ; , s. 823-827
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 1997 the Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array (AMANDA) started operating with 10 strings. In an analysis of data taken during the first year of operation 188 atmospheric neutrino candidates were found. Their zenith angle distribution agrees with expectations based on Monte Carlo simulations. A preliminary upper limit is given on a diffuse flux of high energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.
|
|
| 18. |
- Liu, T. B., et al.
(author)
-
Synthesis, structures and electrochemical properties of nitro- and amino-functionalized diiron azadithiolates as active site models of Fe-only hydrogenases
- 2004
-
In: Chemistry - A European Journal. - : Wiley. - 0947-6539 .- 1521-3765. ; 10:18, s. 4474-4479
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Complex [{(mu-SCH2)(2)N(4-NO2C6H4)}Fe-2(CO)(6)] (4) was prepared by the reaction of the dianionic intermediate [(mu-S)(2)Fe-2(CO)(6)](2-) and N,N-bis(chloromethyl)-4-nitroaniline as a biomimetic model of the active site of Fe-only hydrogenase. The reduction of 4 by Pd-C/H-2 under a neutral condition afforded complex [{(mu-SCH2)(2)N(4-NH2C6H4)}Fe-2(CO)(6)] (5) in 67% yield. Both complexes were characterized by IR, H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopy and MS spectrometry. The molecular structure of 4, as determined by X-ray analysis, has a butterfly 2Fe2S core and the aryl group on the bridged-N atom slants to the Fe(2) site. Cyclic voltammograms of 4 and 5 were studied to evaluate their redox properties. It was found that complex 4 catalyzed electrochemical proton reduction in the presence of acetic acid. A plausible mechanism of the electrocatalytic proton reduction is discussed.
|
|
| 19. |
|
|
| 20. |
- Borgstrom, M., et al.
(author)
-
Electron donor-acceptor dyads and triads based on tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) and benzoquinone : Synthesis, characterization, and photoinduced electron transfer reactions
- 2003
-
In: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 42:17, s. 5173-5184
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two electron donor-acceptor triads based on a benzoquinone acceptor linked to a light absorbing [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) complex have been synthesized. In triad 6 (denoted Ru-II-BQ-Co-III), a [Co(bpy)(3)](3+) complex, a potential secondary acceptor, was linked to the quinone. In the other triad, 8 (denoted PTZ-Ru-II-BQ), a phenothiazine donor was linked to the ruthenium moiety. The corresponding dyads Ru-II-BQ (4) and PTZ-Ru-II (9) were prepared for comparison. Upon light excitation in the visible band of the ruthenium moiety, electron transfer to the quinone occurred with a rate constant k(1) = 5 x 10(9) s(-1) (tau(1) = 200 ps) in all the quinone containing complexes. Recombination to the ground state followed, with a rate constant k(b) similar to 4.5 x 10(8) s(-1) (tau(b) similar to 2.2 ns), for both Ru-II-BQ and Ru-II-BQ-Co-III with no indication of a charge shift to generate the reduced Coll moiety. In the PTZ-Ru-II-BQ triad, however, the initial charge separation was followed by a rapid (k > 5 x 10(9) s(-1)) electron transfer from the phenothiazine moiety to give the fairly long-lived PTZ(.+)-Ru-II-BQ(.-) state (tau = 80 ns) in unusually high yield for a [Ru(bPY)(3)](2+)- based triad (> 90%), that lies at DeltaGdegrees = 1.32 eV relative to the ground state. Unfortunately, this triad turned out to be rather photolabile. Interestingly, coupling between the oxidized PTZ(.+) and the BQ(.-) moieties seemed to occur. This discouraged further extension to incorporate more redox active units. Finally, in the dyad PTZ-Ru-II a reversible, near isoergonic electron transfer was observed on excitation. Thus, a quasiequilibrium was established with an observed time constant of 7 ns, with ca. 82% of the population in the PTZ-Ru-*(II) state and 18% in the PTZ(.+)Ru(II)(bpy(.-)) state. These states decayed in parallel with an observed lifetime of 90 ns. The initial electron transfer to form the PTZ(.+)-Ru-II(bpy(.-)) state was thus faster than what would have been inferred from the Ru-*(II) emission decay (tau = 90 ns). This result suggests that reports for related PTZ-Ru-II and PTZ-Ru-II-acceptor complexes in the literature might need to be reconsidered.
|
|
| 21. |
- Huang, Ping, et al.
(author)
-
Photo-induced oxidation of a dinuclear Mn-2(II,II) complex to the Mn-2(III,IV) state by inter- and intramolecular electron transfer to Ru-III tris-bipyridine
- 2002
-
In: Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. - 0162-0134 .- 1873-3344. ; 91:1, s. 159-172
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To model the structural and functional parts of the water oxidizing complex in Photosystem 11, a dimeric manganese(II,11) complex (1) was linked to a ruthenium(II)tris-bipyridine (Ru-II(bpy)3) complex via a substituted L-tyrosine, to form the trinuclear complex 2 [J. Inorg. Biochem. 78 (2000) 15]. Flash photolysis of 1 and Ru-II(bpy), in aqueous solution, in the presence of an electron acceptor, resulted in the stepwise extraction of three electrons by Ru-III(bpy), from the Mn-2(II,II) dimer, which then attained the Mn-2(III,IV) oxidation state. In a similar experiment with compound 2, the dinuclear Mn complex reduced the photo-oxidized Ru moiety via intramolecular electron transfer on each photochemical event. From EPR it was seen that 2 also reached the Mn-2(III,IV) state. Our data indicate that oxidation from the Mn-2(II,II) state proceeds stepwise via intermediate formation of Mn-2(II,III) and Mn-2(III,III). In the presence of water, cyclic voltammetry showed an additional anodic peak beyond Mn-2(II,III/III,III) oxidation which was significantly lower than in neat acetonitrile. Assuming that this peak is due to oxidation to Mn-2(III,IV), this suggests that water is essential for the formation of the Mn-2(III,IV) oxidation state. Compound 2 is a structural mimic of the water oxidizing complex, in that it links a Mn complex via a tyrosine to a highly oxidizing photosensitizer. Complex 2 also mimics mechanistic aspects of Photosystem 11, in that the electron transfer to the photosensitizer is fast and results in several electron extractions from the Mn moiety.
|
|
| 22. |
|
|
| 23. |
|
|
| 24. |
- Narod, SA, et al.
(author)
-
Oral contraceptives and the risk of breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers
- 2002
-
In: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1460-2105. ; 94:23, s. 1773-1779
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Oral contraceptive use has been associated with an increase in the risk of breast cancer in young women. We examined whether this association is seen in women at high risk of breast cancer because they carry a mutation in one of two breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. Methods: We performed a matched case-control study on 1311 pairs of women with known deleterious BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutations recruited from 52 centers in 11 countries. Women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer were matched to control subjects by year of birth, country of residence, mutation (BRCA1 or BRCA2), and history of ovarian cancer. All study subjects completed a questionnaire about oral contraceptive use. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were derived by conditional logistic regression. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Among BRCA2 mutation carriers, ever use of oral contraceptives was not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.72 to 1.24). For BRCAI mutation carriers, ever use of oral contraceptives was associated With a modestly increased risk of breast cancer (OR = 1.20, 95 % CI = 1.02 to 1.40). However, compared with BRCA1 mutation carriers who never used oral contraceptives, those who used oral contraceptives for at least 5 years had an increased risk of breast cancer (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.11 to 1.60), as did those who used oral contraceptives before age 30 (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.52), those who were diagnosed with breast cancer before age 40 (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.11 to 1.72), and those who first used oral contraceptives before 1975 (OR = 1.42, 95 % CI = 1.17 to 1.75). Conclusions: Among BRCA1 mutation carriers, women who first used oral contraceptives before 1975, who used them before age 30, or who used them for 5 or more years may have an increased risk of early-onset breast cancer. Oral contraceptives do not appear to be associated with risk of breast cancer in BRCA2 carriers, but data for BRCA2 carriers are limited.
|
|
| 25. |
- Soop, T, et al.
(author)
-
A p50-like Y-box protein with a putative translational role becomes associated with pre-mRNA concomitant with transcription
- 2003
-
In: Journal of Cell Science. - : The Company of Biologists. - 0021-9533 .- 1477-9137. ; 116:8, s. 1493-1503
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In vertebrates free messenger ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles and polysomes contain an abundant Y-box protein called p50 (YB-1), which regulates translation, presumably by affecting the packaging of the RNA. Here, we have identified a p50-like protein in the dipteran Chironomus tentans and studied its relation with the biogenesis of mRNA in larval salivary glands. The salivary gland cells contain polytene chromosomes with the transcriptionally active regions blown up as puffs. A few giant puffs, called Balbiani rings (BRs), generate a transcription product, a large RNP particle, which can be visualised (with the electron microscope) during its assembly on the gene and during its transport to and through the nuclear pores. The p50-like protein studied, designated Ct-p40/50 (or p40/50 for short), was shown to contain a central cold-shock domain, an alanine- and proline-rich N-terminal domain, and a C-terminal domain with alternating acidic and basic regions, an organisation that is characteristic of p50 (YB-1). The p40/50 protein appears in two isoforms, p40 and p50, which contain 264 and 317 amino acids, respectively. The two isoforms share the first 258 amino acids and thus differ in amino-acid sequence only in the region close to the C-terminus. When a polyclonal antibody was raised against p40/50, western blot analysis and immunocytology showed that p40/50 is not only abundant in the cytoplasm but is also present in the nucleus. Immunolabelling of isolated polytene chromosomes showed that p40/50 appears in transcriptionally active regions, including the BRs. Using immunoelectron microscopy we revealed that p40/50 is added along the nascent transcripts and is also present in the released BR RNP particles in the nucleoplasm. Finally, by UV crosslinking in vivo we showed that p40/50 is bound to both nuclear and cytoplasmic poly(A) RNA. We conclude that p40/50 is being added cotranscriptionally along the growing BR pre-mRNA, is released with the processed mRNA into the nucleoplasm and probably remains associated with the mRNA both during nucleocytoplasmic transport and protein synthesis. Given that the p40/p50 protein, presumably with a role in translation, is loaded onto the primary transcript concomitant with transcription, an early programming of the cytoplasmic fate of mRNA is indicated.
|
|
