| 1. |
- Abdallah, J., et al.
(author)
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Search for a fourth generation b '-quark at LEP-II at root s=196-209GeV
- 2007
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In: European Physical Journal C. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044 .- 1434-6052. ; 50:3, s. 507-518
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A search for the pair production of fourth generation b'-quarks was performed using data taken by the DELPHI detector at LEP-II. The analysed data were collected at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 196 to 209 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 420 pb(-1). No evidence for a signal was found. Upper limits on BR(b'-> bZ) and BR(b'-> bZ) were obtained for b' masses ranging from 96 to 103 GeV/c(2) stop. These limits, together with the theoretical branching ratios predicted by a sequential four generations model, were used to constrain the value of R-CKM=vertical bar V-cb(') /V-tb'V-tb vertical bar there V-cb', V-tb' and V-tb are elements of the extended CKM matrix.
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| 2. |
- Butler, Geraldine, et al.
(author)
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Evolution of pathogenicity and sexual reproduction in eight Candida genomes.
- 2009
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 459:7247, s. 657-62
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Candida species are the most common cause of opportunistic fungal infection worldwide. Here we report the genome sequences of six Candida species and compare these and related pathogens and non-pathogens. There are significant expansions of cell wall, secreted and transporter gene families in pathogenic species, suggesting adaptations associated with virulence. Large genomic tracts are homozygous in three diploid species, possibly resulting from recent recombination events. Surprisingly, key components of the mating and meiosis pathways are missing from several species. These include major differences at the mating-type loci (MTL); Lodderomyces elongisporus lacks MTL, and components of the a1/2 cell identity determinant were lost in other species, raising questions about how mating and cell types are controlled. Analysis of the CUG leucine-to-serine genetic-code change reveals that 99% of ancestral CUG codons were erased and new ones arose elsewhere. Lastly, we revise the Candida albicans gene catalogue, identifying many new genes.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Müller Kratz, Jadel, et al.
(author)
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Anti-HSV-1 and anti-HIV-1 activity of gallic acid and pentyl gallate.
- 2008
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In: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. - 1678-8060. ; 103:5, s. 437-42
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The synthetic n-alkyl esters of gallic acid (GA), also known as gallates, especially propyl, octyl and dodecyl gallates, are widely employed as antioxidants by food and pharmaceutical industries. The inhibitory effects of GA and 15 gallates on Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) replication were investigated here. After a preliminary screening of these compounds, GA and pentyl gallate (PG) seemed to be the most active compounds against HSV-1 replication and their mode of action was characterized through a set of assays, which attempted to localize the step of the viral multiplication cycle where impairment occurred. The detected anti-HSV-1 activity was mediated by the inhibition of virus attachment to and penetration into cells, and by virucidal properties. Furthermore, an anti-HIV-1 activity was also found, to different degrees. In summary, our results suggest that both compounds could be regarded as promising candidates for the development of topical anti-HSV-1 agents, and further studies concerning the anti-HIV-1 activity of this group of molecules are merited.
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| 5. |
- Santos-Silva, Teresa, et al.
(author)
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Kinetic, Structural, and EPR Studies Reveal That Aldehyde Oxidoreductase from Desulfovibrio gigas Does Not Need a Sulfido Ligand for Catalysis and Give Evidence for a Direct Mo-C Interaction in a Biological System
- 2009
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In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 131, s. 7990-7998
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aldehyde oxidoreductase from Desulfovibrio gigas (DgAOR) is a member of the xanthine oxidase (XO) family of mononuclear Mo-enzymes that catalyzes the oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids. The molybdenum site in the enzymes of the XO family shows a distorted square pyramidal geometry in which two ligands, a hydroxyl/water molecule (the catalytic labile site) and a sulfido ligand, have been shown to be essential for catalysis. We report here steady-state kinetic studies of DgAOR with the inhibitors cyanide, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and arsenite, together with crystallographic and EPR studies of the enzyme after reaction with the two alcohols. In contrast to what has been observed in other members of the XO family, cyanide, ethylene glycol, and glycerol are reversible inhibitors of DgAOR. Kinetic data with both cyanide and samples prepared from single crystals confirm that DgAOR does not need a sulfido ligand for catalysis and confirm the absence of this ligand in the coordination sphere of the molybdenum atom in the active enzyme. Addition of ethylene glycol and glycerol to dithionite-reduced DgAOR yields rhombic Mo(V) EPR signals, suggesting that the nearly square pyramidal coordination of the active enzyme is distorted upon alcohol inhibition. This is in agreement with the X-ray structure of the ethylene glycol and glycerol-inhibited enzyme, where the catalytically labile OH/OH2 ligand is lost and both alcohols coordinate the Mo site in a η2 fashion. The two adducts present a direct interaction between the molybdenum and one of the carbon atoms of the alcohol moiety, which constitutes the first structural evidence for such a bond in a biological system.
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