BACKGROUND Wilson's disease (WD) is an inherited disorder of copper metabolism leading to liver failure and/or neurological impairment. Its diagnosis often remains difficult even with genetic testing. Relative exchangeable copper (REC) has recently been described as a reliable serum diagnostic marker for WD. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The aim of this study was to validate the use of REC i...

The product of the recA gene of Escherichia coli has been purified to near-homogeneity by a simple three-step procedure. Incubation of the recA protein with complementary single strands of DNA, Mg2+, and ATP results in the rapid formation of large DNA aggregates containing many branched structures. As judged by resistance to S1 nuclease and by electron microscopy, these aggregates contain both ...

Secondary structure in single-stranded DNA impedes the presynaptic association of recA protein and consequently blocks the formation of joint molecules as evidenced by effects of temperature, nucleotide sequence, and ionic conditions. Escherichia coli single-strand-binding protein eliminates sequence-specific "cold spots" by removing folds even from sites of strong secondary structure. Thus, de...

The laminin α2 chain is specifically expressed in the basement membrane surrounding muscle and nerve. We screened biologically active sequences in the mouse laminin N-terminal region of α2 chain using 216 soluble peptides and three recombinant proteins (rec-a2LN, rec-a2LN+, and rec-a2N) by both the peptide- or protein-coated plate and the peptide-conjugated Sepharose bead assays. Ten peptides s...

PURPOSE To isolate and characterize primary retinal endothelial cells (REC) from wild type and transgenic mice to facilitate the study of their properties in vitro. METHODS REC were isolated from wild type or transgenic-immortomouse by collagenase digestion of retina and affinity purification using magnetic beads coated with platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (anti-PECAM-1). The bo...

Hypoxia induces a myriad of changes including an increase in hematocrit due to erythropoietin (EPO) mediated erythropoiesis. While hypoxia is of importance physiologically and clinically, lacunae exist in our knowledge of the systemic and temporal changes in gene expression occurring in blood during the exposure and recovery from hypoxia. To identify these changes expression profiling was condu...

Energy storage (ES) can help the renewable energy sources to smooth their output and enhance profits, which promotes installation of ES. However, it is inappropriate for small-scale communities (REC) invest costly ES, requests a new business model explore possibility rent ES more returns. This paper proposes an rental strategy REC participate in frequency regulation market (FRM). Firstly, FRM m...

Biologically active recombinant porcine FSH (rec-pFSH) free from the cognate pituitary glycoprotein hormone LH was produced. It was synthesized by a baculovirus vector-insect cell system using two cDNAs encoding the glycoprotein alpha and FSH beta subunits. Its antigenicity was the same as that of pFSH prepared from the pituitary. Glycosylation of rec-pFSH was shown by tunicamycin treatment but...

This study aimed to develop an antiserum specific to follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), for a wide range of species, free from cross-reactivity against luteinizing hormone. An antiserum against recombinant porcine FSH (rec-pFSH) expressed in insect cells was raised in a rabbit and its specificity was characterized by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) and immunohistochemistry. The titer ...

Cold-induced sweetening (CIS) caused by reducing sugar (RS) accumulation during storage in low temperature in potato tubers is a critical factor influencing the quality of fried potato products. The reconditioning (REC) by arising storage temperature is a common measure to lower down RS. However, both CIS and REC are genotype-dependent and the genetic basis remains uncertain. In the present stu...