Sedimentary rocks host a vast reservoir of organic carbon, such as 2-methylhopane biomarkers, whose evolutionary significance we poorly understand. Our ability to interpret this molecular fossil record is constrained by ignorance of the function of their molecular antecedents. To gain insight into the meaning of 2-methylhopanes, we quantified the dominant (des)methylated hopanoid species in the...

We investigate favourable circumstances for fast magnetic reconnection in astrophysical plasmas based on recent results by Rogers et al. (2001). Given that a critical magnetic field structure with antiparallel field lines exists, our analysis demonstrates that a sufficient condition for fast reconnection is that the ratio of the thermal pressure to the magnetic field pressure β should be signif...

both 2ME-treated and untreated samples. To allow us to compare the methods directly, we selected sera containing 1gM paraproteins, for which quantification in treated and untreated samples by E-SD was possible. Figure 1 shows the regression analysisbetween treated and untreated samples with 1gM paraproteins. The median concentration for untreated 1gM (mainly 19S) was 26.9 g/L (range 5.8.46.8 g/...

Dehydrogenative desulfurization of thiourea derivatives (RNHC(S)NHR') has been achieved, to give carbodiimides (RN=C=NR'), in the reaction with hydrosilane and (η(5)-C5H5)Fe(CO)2Me. The obtained carbodiimide reacted with (η(5)-C5H5)Fe(CO)(SiR3) formed in the reaction to give an N-silylated η(2)-amidino iron complex, which was isolated and then characterized by X-ray analysis.

Epigenetics have essential roles in development and human diseases. Compared to the complex histone modifications, epigenetic changes on mammalian DNA are as simple as methylation on cytosine. Guanine, however, can be oxidized as an epigenetic change which can undergo base-pair transversion, causing a genetic difference. Accumulating evidence indicates that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are imp...

We have recently demonstrated that light chain 2 (LC2) of the microtubule-associated protein MAP1A interacts with the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-binding domain of exchange protein directly activated by cyclic AMP 1 (EPAC1). In the present study we used a simultaneous expression system and found that LC2 enhances both basal and 8-(4-chloro-phenylthio)-2'-O-methyladenosine-3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-CP...

Phagocytosis occurs primarily through two main processes in macrophages: the Fcγ receptor- and the integrin αMβ2-mediated processes. Complement C3bi-opsonized particles are known to be engulfed through integrin αMβ2-mediated process, which is regulated by RhoA GTPase. C3 toxin fused with Tat-peptide (Tat-C3 toxin), an inhibitor of the Rho GTPases, was shown to markedly inhibit the phagocytosis ...

OBJECTIVE In human prostate cancer cells, a selective Epac agonist, 8-CPT-2Me-cAMP, upregulates cell proliferation and survival via activation of Ras-MAPK and PI- 3-kinase-Akt-mTOR signaling cascades. Here we examine the role of inflammatory mediators in Epac1-induced cellular proliferation by determining the expression of the pro-inflammatory markers p-cPLA2, COX-2, and PGE2 in prostate cancer...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37Rv strain) was used in this study. The bacterial cells were disintegrated by sonication. The separation and characterization of the soluble molecules were attempted by various techniques including gel filtration, ion exchange chromatographies and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, using SDS and 2ME. Eight protein molecules with molecular weights ranging from...