Light-sensitive ‘caged’ molecules provide a means of rapidly and noninvasively manipulating biochemical signals with submicron spatial resolution. Here we describe a new optical system for rapid uncaging in arbitrary patterns to emulate complex neural activity. This system uses TeO2 acousto-optical deflectors to steer an ultraviolet beam rapidly and can uncage at over 20,000 locations per secon...

eIF4E plays a conserved role in initiating protein synthesis, but with multiple eIF4E isoforms present in many organisms, these proteins also adopt specialized functions. Previous RNAi studies showed that ife-3, encoding the sole canonical eIF4E isoform of Caenorhabditis elegans, is essential for viability. Using ife-3 gene mutations, we show here that it is maternal ife-3 function that is esse...

Communication between the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes is vital for cellular function. The assembly of mitochondrial enzyme complexes, which produce the majority of cellular energy, requires the coordinated expression and translation of both mitochondrially and nuclear-encoded proteins. The joint genetic architecture of this system complicates the basis of mitochondrial diseases, and mutat...

It has been proposed that facial expression production originates in sensory regulation. Here we demonstrate that facial expressions of fear are configured to enhance sensory acquisition. A statistical model of expression appearance revealed that fear and disgust expressions have opposite shape and surface reflectance features. We hypothesized that this reflects a fundamental antagonism serving...

Tamoxifen is successfully used for both treatment and prevention of estrogen-dependent breast cancer, yet side effects and development of resistance remain problematic. Endoxifen is a major active metabolite of tamoxifen that is being investigated for clinical use. We hypothesized that endoxifen and perhaps other major metabolites of tamoxifen may affect the ability of human estrogen sulfotrans...

Ruthenium Red (RuR) is widely used as an inhibitor of ryanodine receptor Ca(2+) release channels, but has additional effects such as the induction of Ca(2+) sensitization of contraction of permeabilized smooth muscles. To address the mechanism underlying this process, we examined the effects of RuR on contractility in permeabilized guinea-pig ileum and on the activity of myosin-light-chain phos...

From the Departments of Ophthalmology, and Neurosciences Division of Research, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425 Running head: Sublytic MAC alters regulated VEGF secretion # Address correspondence to: Bärbel Rohrer, Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of South Carolina, 167 Ashley Ave, SEI 511, Charleston SC, 29425. Tel: 843-792-5086; Fax: 843-792-1723; Emai...