1,720,961 research outputs found
Biochemical nature of Russell Bodies.
No full textProfessional secretory cells produce and release abundant proteins. Particularly in case of mutations and/or insufficient chaperoning, these can aggregate and become toxic within or amongst cells. Immunoglobulins (Ig) are no exception. In the extracellular space, certain Ig-L chains form fibrils causing systemic amyloidosis. On the other hand, Ig variants lacking the first constant domain condense in dilated cisternae of the early secretory compartment, called Russell Bodies (RB), frequently observed in plasma cell dyscrasias, autoimmune diseases and chronic infections. RB biogenesis can be recapitulated in lymphoid and non-lymphoid cells by expressing mutant Ig-μ, providing powerful models to investigate the pathophysiology of endoplasmic reticulum storage disorders. Here we analyze the aggregation propensity and the biochemical features of the intra- and extra-cellular Ig deposits in human cells, revealing β-aggregated features for RB
Characterization of Oligomeric Species on the Aggregation Pathway of Human Lysozyme
Full text linkpeer reviewedThe aggregation process of wild-type human lysozyme at pH 3.0 and 60 °C has been analyzed by characterizing a series of distinct species formed on the aggregation pathway, specifically the amyloidogenic monomeric precursor protein, the oligomeric soluble prefibrillar aggregates, and the mature fibrils. Particular attention has been focused on the analysis of the structural properties of the oligomeric species, since recent studies have shown that the oligomers formed by lysozyme prior to the appearance of mature amyloid fibrils are toxic to cells. Here, soluble oligomers of human lysozyme have been analyzed by a range of techniques including binding to fluorescent probes such as thioflavin T and 1-anilino-naphthalene-8-sulfonate, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and controlled proteolysis. Oligomers were isolated after 5 days of incubation of the protein and appear as spherical particles with a diameter of 8–17 nm when observed by transmission electron microscopy. Unlike the monomeric protein, oligomers have solvent-exposed hydrophobic patches able to bind the fluorescent probe 1-anilino-naphthalene-8-sulfonate. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra of oligomers are indicative of misfolded species when compared to monomeric lysozyme, with a prevalence of random structure but with significant elements of the β-sheet structure that is characteristic of the mature fibrils. Moreover, the oligomeric lysozyme aggregates were found to be more susceptible to proteolysis with pepsin than both the monomeric protein and the mature fibrils, indicating further their less organized structure. In summary, this study shows that the soluble lysozyme oligomers are locally unfolded species that are present at low concentration during the initial phases of aggregation. The nonnative conformational features of the lysozyme molecules of which they are composed are likely to be the factors that confer on them the ability to interact inappropriately with a variety of cellular components including membranes
Identification of the Core Structure of Lysozyme Amyloid Fibrils by Proteolysis
Full text linkpeer reviewedHuman lysozyme variants form amyloid fibrils in individuals suffering
from a familial non-neuropathic systemic amyloidosis. In vitro, wild-type
human and hen lysozyme, and the amyloidogenic mutants can be induced
to form amyloid fibrils when incubated under appropriate conditions. In
this study, fibrils of wild-type human lysozyme formed at low pH have
been analyzed by a combination of limited proteolysis and Fouriertransform
infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, in order to map conformational
features of the 130 residue chain of lysozyme when embedded in the
amyloid aggregates. After digestion with pepsin at low pH, the lysozyme
fibrils were found to be composed primarily of N and C-terminally
truncated protein species encompassing residues 26–123 and 32–108,
although a significant minority of molecules was found to be completely
resistant to proteolysis under these conditions. FTIR spectra provide
evidence that lysozyme fibrils contain extensive β-sheet structure and a
substantial element of non β-sheet or random structure that is reduced
significantly in the fibrils after digestion. The sequence 32–108 includes the
β-sheet and helix C of the native protein, previously found to be prone to
unfold locally in human lysozyme and its pathogenic variants. Moreover,
this core structure of the lysozyme fibrils encompasses the highly
aggregation-prone region of the sequence recently identified in hen
lysozyme. The present proteolytic data indicate that the region of the
lysozyme molecule that unfolds and aggregates most readily corresponds
to the most highly protease-resistant and thus highly structured region of
the majority of mature amyloid fibrils. Overall, the data show that amyloid
formation does not require the participation of the entire lysozyme chain.
The majority of amyloid fibrils formed from lysozyme under the conditions
used here contain a core structure involving some 50% of the polypeptide
chain that is flanked by proteolytically accessible N and C-terminal regions
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Single point mutations induce a switch in the molecular mechanism of the aggregation of the Alzheimer's disease associated Aβ42 peptide.
No full textSingle point mutations in the Alzheimer's disease associated Aβ42 peptide are found to alter significantly its neurotoxic properties in vivo and have been associated with early onset forms of this devastating condition. We show that such mutations can induce structural changes in Aβ42 fibrils and are associated with a dramatic switch in the fibril-dependent mechanism by which Aβ42 aggregates. These observations reveal how subtle perturbations to the physicochemical properties of the Aβ peptide, and the structural properties of fibrils that it forms, can have profound effects on the mechanism of its aggregation and pathogenicity
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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