Hippocampal pyramidal cells (PCs) express many GABAAR subunit types and receive GABAergic inputs from distinct interneurons. Previous experiments revealed input-specific differences in α1 and α2 subunit densities in perisomatic synapses, suggesting distinct IPSC decay kinetics. However, IPSC decays evoked by axo-axonic, parvalbumin- or cholecystokinin-expressing basket cells were found to be si...

In former studies, raised urine cGMP levels have been reported to predict adverse outcome in cervical cancer. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the value of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and other members of the cGMP pathway as potential biomarkers for prognosis of cervical carcinoma. Tissue samples from 85 patients surgically treated for early-stage cervical carcinoma w...

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a biologic sensor for cellular energy status, has been shown to act upstream and downstream of known tumor suppressors. However, whether AMPK itself plays a tumor suppressor role in cancer remains unclear. Here, we found that the α2 catalytic subunit isoform of AMPK is significantly downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Clinicopathologic analysis ...

We investigate Lifshits-tail behaviour of the integrated density of states for a wide class of Schrödinger operators with positive random potentials. The setting includes alloy-type and Poissonian random potentials. The considered (single-site) impurity potentials f : Rd → [0,∞[ decay at infinity in an anisotropic way, for example, f(x1, x2) ∼ (|x1|1 +|x2|2) as |(x1, x2)| → ∞. As is expected fr...

Incorporation of 2,3,6-trifluorotyrosine (F(3)Y) and a rhenium bipyridine ([Re]) photooxidant into a peptide corresponding to the C-terminus of the β protein (βC19) of Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) allows for the temporal monitoring of radical transport into the α2 subunit of RNR. Injection of the photogenerated F(3)Y radical from the [Re]-F(3)Y-βC19 peptide into the surface a...

Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) is a pathogen whose canine-adapted form (canine parvovirus (CPV)) emerged in 1978. These viruses infect by binding host transferrin receptor type-1 (TfR), but also hemagglutinate erythrocytes. We show that hemagglutination involves selective recognition of the non-human sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) but not N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), whic...

Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase is an α2β2 complex and catalyzes the conversion of nucleoside 5'-diphosphates (NDPs) to 2'-deoxynucleotides (dNDPs). The reaction is initiated by the transient oxidation of an active-site cysteine (C(439)) in α2 by a stable diferric tyrosyl radical (Y(122)•) cofactor in β2. This oxidation occurs by a mechanism of long-range proton-coupled electron trans...

Mre11 plays an important role in repairing damaged DNA by cleaving broken ends and by providing a platform for other DNA repair proteins. Various Mre11 mutations have been identified in several types of cancer. We have determined the crystal structure of the human Mre11 core (hMre11), which contains the nuclease and capping domains. hMre11 dimerizes through the interfaces between loop β3-α3 fro...

Various cellular stresses including oxidative stress induce a collapse of the Ran gradient, which causes accumulation of importin α in the nucleus and a subsequent block of nuclear protein import. However, it is unknown whether accumulated importin α performs roles in the nucleus after its migration in response to stress. In this study, we found that nuclear-retained importin α2 binds with DNas...

TiAl-based alloys have been suggested as advanced high-temperature structural materials replacing the Ni-based superalloys, due to their low density, high modulus, good oxidation resistance and creep resistance. However, their poor ductility and toughness at low temperature limits their applications in industry. Generally, controlling the microstructure and alloying elements are the most useful...