Soluble MHC-peptide (pMHC) complexes, commonly referred to as tetramers, are widely used to enumerate and to isolate Ag-specific CD8(+) CTL. It has been noted that such complexes, as well as microsphere- or cell-associated pMHC molecules compromise the functional integrity of CTL, e.g., by inducing apoptosis of CTL, which limits their usefulness for T cell sorting or cloning. By testing well-de...

Substitutions within the interdomain linkers of the AraC/XylS family proteins RhaS and RhaR were tested to determine whether side chain identity or linker structure was required for function. Neither was found crucial, suggesting that the linkers do not play a direct role in activation, but rather simply connect the two domains.

Single-chain antibodies (scFvs) are comprised of IgG variable light and variable heavy domains tethered together by a peptide linker whose length and sequence can affect antigen binding properties. The ability to modulate antigen binding affinity through the use of environmental triggers would be of great interest for many biotechnological applications. We have characterized the antigen binding...

We report that aryl phthalate esters are robust self-immolative linkers. This linker is easy to conjugate and releases output phenols upon cleaving a fluoride-sensitive mask to yield a benign phthalic acid byproduct, making these linkers potentially useful as fluoride sensors and promising for use in biological and materials applications.

Simple, straightforward and optimized procedures for preparing extended pi-conjugated linkers are described. Either unsubstituted or 4-donor substituted pi-linkers bearing a styryl, biphenyl, phenylethenylphenyl, and phenylethynylphenyl pi-conjugated backbone are functionalized with boronic pinacol esters as well as with terminal acetylene moieties allowing their further use as building blocks ...

This review article focuses on concepts that incorporate safety-catch and multiply cleavable linkers in solid-phase synthesis. Discussed are specific applications of such linkers in the synthesis of peptides, peptide mimetics, and “small” organic molecules, as well as their limitations for particular chemistries and reaction conditions. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 47: 353–363, 1998

Tetrairidium carbonyl clusters are potentially useful connectors for multidimensional functionalized frameworks with organic bis-phosphines as linkers. The reaction of Ir(4)(CO)(12) and 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)benzene produces an oligomeric cyclic structure, made of 4 connectors and 6 linkers, a possible intermediate in the formation of three dimensional networks.

Conjugation to macromolecular carriers is a proven strategy for improving the pharmacokinetics of drugs, with many stable polyethylene glycol conjugates having reached the market. Stable conjugates suffer several limitations: loss of drug potency due to conjugation, confining the drug to the extracellular space, and the requirement for a circulating conjugate. Current research is directed towar...

The ciliary base is marked by a transition zone in which Y-shaped cross-linkers extend from doublet microtubules to the plasma membrane. Our goal was to investigate the hypothesis that the cross-linkers form a stable interaction between membrane or cell surface components and the underlying microtubule cytoskeleton. We have combined Triton X-100 extraction with lectin cytochemistry in the photo...

The phycobilisome light-harvesting antenna in cyanobacteria and red algae is assembled from two substructures: a central core composed of allophycocyanin surrounded by rods that always contain phycocyanin (PC). Unpigmented proteins called linkers are also found within the rods and core. We present here two new structures of PC from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus vulcanus. W...