The veins in the Drosophila wing have a characteristic width, which is regulated by the activity of the Notch pathway. The expression of the Notch-ligand Delta is restricted to the developing veins, and coincides with places where Notch transcription is lower. We find that this asymmetrical distribution of ligand and receptor leads to activation of Notch on both sides of each vein within a terr...

This unapologetically subjective essay recalls the Torpedo Cl(-) channel in the years when it had neither a molecular identity nor proper name (ClC-0), and membership in a large superfamily. I discuss the circumstances surrounding its discovery and subsequent research through the 1980s that revealed its unusual molecular architecture and other strange mechanistic characteristics.

The structure of Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase is examined in complex with several inhibitors that are either in use or under development for treating Alzheimer's disease. The noncovalent inhibitors vary greatly in their structures and bind to different sites of the enzyme, offering many different starting points for future drug design.

1. The oxygen consumption of resting Torpedo marmorata was measured using three different methods. The results indicate that this species has a much lower oxygen consumption than other elasmobranchs of comparable size. 2. The gills are ventilated by a mechanism similar to that of other rays, but a relatively small spiracular opening seems to be associated with a more important role of the oro-b...


 Delphin2 is a hover capable torpedo style Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), developed at the University of Southampton to provide test bed for research in marine robotics, primarily enhance manoeuvring capability AUVs. This paper describes mechanical design vehicle and its software architecture. The performance presented as well preliminary findings from vehicle’s first fully autonomo...

Infrared sensors are being applied more and widely in industrial production applications. Based on the theory of thermal radiation, this paper discusses system design principle, temperature calibration method, image analysis method detail. The passed measurement unit certification, showing that field view is 180°, number scanning points 2048, linear velocity 10–100 Hz, spatial resolution 2.5 mr...

Photoreactive derivatives of the general anesthetic etomidate have been developed to identify their binding sites in γ-aminobutyric acid, type A and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. One such drug, [(3)H]TDBzl-etomidate (4-[3-(trifluoromethyl)-3H-diazirin-3-yl]benzyl-[(3)H]1-(1-phenylethyl)-1H-imidazole-5-carboxylate), acts as a positive allosteric potentiator of Torpedo nACh receptor (nAChR) ...

The synaptic basal lamina, a component of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the synaptic cleft at the neuromuscular junction, directs the formation of new postsynaptic specializations, including the aggregation of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs), during muscle regeneration in adult animals. Although the molecular basis of this phenomenon is unknown, it is mimicked by AChR-aggregating proteins in EC...

The well known chloride channel from Torpedo has been a round since 1979 (White and Miller, 1979), but it continues to supply us with new surprises. In this issue of The Journal of General Physiology Chen and Miller analyze in great detail the voltageand chloride-dependent activation mechanism of the peculiar "double-barreled" channel (Chen and Miller, 1996), which turns out to be completely di...

The asymmetric forms of acetylcholinesterase which appear to be associated with the basal lamina of the Torpedo electric organ have been purified in high yields by extraction with 2 M M&lz and subsequent affinity chromatography with 4[~-aminocaproyl-y-aminopropylamino]acridinium linked to Sepharose. Species with sedimentation coefficients of 16.6 S and 12.6 S are obtained in a ratio of approxim...