Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) catalyze the conversion of nucleotides to deoxynucleotides in all organisms. Active E. coli class Ia RNR is an α2β2 complex that undergoes reversible, long-range proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) over a pathway of redox active amino acids (β-Y122 → [β-W48] → β-Y356 → α-Y731 → α-Y730 → α-C439) that spans ∼35 Å. To unmask PCET kinetics from rate-limiting con...

Saliva proteins may protect older people from influenza, however, it is often noted that hospitalizations and deaths after an influenza infection mainly occur in the elderly population living with chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. Our objective was to investigate the expression level of the terminal α2-3- and α2-6-linked sialic acids in human saliva from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T...

Glycine receptors (GlyRs) containing the α2 subunit regulate cortical interneuron migration. Disruption of the GlyR α2 subunit gene (Glra2) in mice leads to disrupted dorsal cortical progenitor homeostasis, leading to a depletion of projection neurons and moderate microcephaly in newborn mice. In humans, rare variants in GLRA2, which is located on the X chromosome, are associated with autism sp...

Previous studies have shown that membrane tubule-mediated export from endosomal compartments requires a cytoplasmic phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) activity. Here we report that the cytoplasmic PLA(2) enzyme complex platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAFAH) Ib, which consists of α1, α2, and LIS1 subunits, regulates the distribution and function of endosomes. The catalytic subunits α1 and α...

Congenital muscular dystrophy with laminin α2 chain-deficiency, also known as MDC1A, is a severe neuromuscular disorder for which there is no cure. Patients with complete laminin α2 chain-deficiency typically have an early onset disease with a more severe muscle phenotype while patients with residual laminin α2 chain expression usually have a milder disease course. Similar genotype-phenotype co...

The hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza viruses facilitates receptor binding and membrane fusion, which is the initial step of virus infection. Human influenza viruses preferentially bind to receptors with α2-6 linkages to galactose (SAα2,6Gal), whereas avian influenza viruses prefer receptors with α2-3 linkages to galactose (SAα2,3Gal). The current 2009 H1N1 pandemic is caused by a novel influenza...

It has been widely reported that the microstructure refinement of TiAl alloys can be achieved by massive transformation and subsequent annealing in α2 + γ two phase field. To achieve this goal, several heat treatment parameters must be adjusted, including the heat treatment temperature around single α phase field, the annealing temperature, and the annealing time for the precipitation of α2 pha...

α2β1 integrin is one of the most important collagen-binding receptors, and it has been implicated in numerous thrombotic and immune diseases. α2β1 integrin is a potent tumour suppressor, and its downregulation is associated with increased metastasis and poor prognosis in breast cancer. Currently, very little is known about the mechanism that regulates the cell-surface expression and trafficking...

Neuronal circuit plasticity during development is fundamental for precise network formation. Pioneering studies of the developmental visual cortex indicated that noradrenaline (NA) is crucial for ocular dominance plasticity during the critical period in the visual cortex. Recent research demonstrated tonotopic map formation by NA during the critical period in the auditory system, indicating tha...

Cellular interactions with the extracellular matrix play critical roles in tumor progression. We previously reported that receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) specifically facilitates head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) progression in vivo. Here, we report a novel role for RANKL in the regulation of cell adhesion. Among the major type I collagen receptors, integrin α2 was signif...