Antibody inhibition and alpha6beta1 ligand binding experiments indicate that the egg integrin alpha6beta1 functions as a receptor for sperm during gamete fusion; yet, eggs null for the alpha6 integrin exhibit normal fertilization. Alternative integrins may be involved in sperm-egg binding and fusion and could compensate for the absence of alpha6beta1. Various beta1 integrins and alphav integrins a

Clonal strains of the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium nolleri Ellegaard and Moestrup were intercrossed to determine if cyst-related traits are genetically regulated and to clarify unknown aspects in the sexuality of this species. The objectives were to determine whether the parental identity influenced the physiological and morphological aspects of the cyst offspring, and to describe and compare nuclea

Large and small interstitial proteoglycans were purified from different bovine tissues, i.e. cartilage, sclera, tendon, aorta, cornea, and bone. The structure of the molecules was compared using the glycerol spraying/rotary shadowing technique for electron microscopy. Large proteoglycans from sclera and tendon have a core protein with a domain structure similar to that previously reported for cart

The structural effect on the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited-state lifetime has been investigated in bis-tridentate Ru(II)-polypyridyl complexes based on the terpyridine-like ligands [6-(2,2'-bipyridyl)](2-pyridyl)methane (1) and 2-[6-(2,2'-bipyridyl)]-2-(2-pyridyl)propane (2). A homoleptic ([Ru(2)(2)](2+)) and a heteroleptic complex ([Ru(ttpy)(2)](2+)) based on the new ligand 2 hav

UV/TiO2/H2O2, UV/TiO2 and UV/H2O2 were compared as pre-treatment processes for the detoxification of mixtures of 4-chlorophenol (4CP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) prior to their biological treatment. When each chlorophenol was initially supplied at 50mg l(-1),UV/TiO2/H2O2 treatment supported the highest pollutant removal, COD removal, and dechl

An immunological capacitive biosensor for calpastatin was developed, optimized and applied for the analysis of meat extract samples. Anti-calpastatin antibody was immobilized on a gold electrode modified with a self-assembled monolayer of mercaptoundecanoic acid and Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus, and the obtained immunosensor was inserted as the working electrode in an electrochemical cell

The mechanism underlying ethanol-induced apoptosis in liver cells is not clear. Sphingomyelin (SM) metabolism is a novel signal transduction pathway that has an impact on apoptosis in many cell types. We investigated whether the SM pathway is involved in ethanol-induced apoptosis in the liver. Hep G2 cells were treated with ethanol followed by assaying apoptosis, sphingomyelinase (SMase) activity,

Currently, it is thought that inhalational anesthetics cause anesthesia by binding to ligand-gated ion channels. This is being investigated using four-alpha-helix bundles, small water-soluble analogues of the transmembrane domains of the "natural" receptor proteins. The study presented here specifically investigates how multiple alanine-to-valine substitutions (which each decrease the volume of th

Parallel to the rapid development of clinical MRI, MR spectroscopy (MRS) has, after starting as an analytical tool used in chemistry and physics, evolved to a noninvasive clinical examination. Most common neuroradiological diagnostic indications for MRS are functional inborn errors, neonatal hypoxia, ischaemia, metabolic diseases, white matter and degenerative diseases, epilepsy, inflammation, inf

Using PCR, the complete mitochondrial genome was sequenced in three frillneck lizards (Chlamydosaurus kingii). The mitochondria spanned over 16,761 bp. As in other vertebrates, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and 13 protein coding genes were identified. However, similar to some other squamate reptiles, two control regions (CRI and CRII) were identified, spanning 801 and 812 bp, respectively. Our res

Recent theory on sexual selection1–4 suggests that females in species without paternal care choose mates by their secondary sexual characters because these indicate genotypic quality which will be transmitted to the offspring. These ideas are not yet empiri-cally supported as data quantifying the relationship between female mate choice and female reproductive success are lacking. Only in one case,

Three types of oxygenase biocatalysts are treated in detail in this review: the non-haem iron alkene mono-oxygenases, the haem and vanadium haloperoxidases, and flavin-based Baeyer-Villiger mono-oxygenases. Other oxygenases are briefly included for comparison. Characteristics of the biocatalysts are presented, and the scope and limitations concerning their applicability for the selective introduct

Breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumour suppressor genes the alleles of which have to be inactivated before tumour development occurs. Hereditary breast cancers linked to germ-line mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes almost invariably show allelic imbalance (Al) at the respective loci. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are believed to take part in a common pathway in maintenance of genomic inte

The reliability of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-tau and CSF-beta-amyloid assays for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and other dementing disorders such as frontotemporal dementia (FTD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is reviewed. CSF assessment of the two proteins is useful in early diagnosis of AD and to differentiate it from FTD and DLB. Extremely high CSF-tau l

The geographic distribution of allozyme variation within the Eurasian boreo-nemoreal woodland grass Melica nutans L. has been investigated together with a minor subset of other Melica species. Twenty alleles were found at nine polymorphic loci in M. nutans. Allelic richness was highest in areas central in the species' European distribution, i.e. in southern Fennoscandia. High population densities,

The affinity between the 1-157 and 158-238 fragments of green fluorescent protein (GFP) is too low for spontaneous in vivo reassembly of the protein upon co-expression of the two fragments. This prevents chromophore maturation and the cells lack GFP fluorescence. We have utilized the very high affinity between the two EF-hands of calbindin D(9k) to facilitate GFP assembly from its fragments and to