1,720,955 research outputs found
Probing protein conformations by in situ non-covalent flourescence labeling
No full textThe conformational dynamics of proteins plays a key role in their complex physiological functions. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a particular powerful tool for studying protein conformational dynamics, but requires efficient site-specific labeling with fluorescent reporter probes. We have employed different Iris-NTA/fluorophore conjugates, which bind histidine-tagged proteins with high affinity, for sitespecific incorporation of FRET acceptors into proteins, which were covalently labeled with a donor fluorophore. We demonstrate versatile application of this approach for exploring the conformation of the type I interferon receptor ectodomains ifnar1-EC and ifnar2-EC. Substantial ligand-induced conformational changes of ifnar1-EC, but not ifnar2-EC, were observed by monitoring the fluorescence intensity and the fluorescence lifetime of the FRET donor. Time-resolved fluorescence correlation spectroscopy revealed a substantial conformational flexibility of ifnar1-EC and a ligand-induced tightening. Our results demonstrate that protein labeling with tris-NTA/fluorophores enables for efficient quantitative intramolecular FRET analysis.The conformational dynamics of proteins plays a key role in their complex physiological functions. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a particular powerful tool for studying protein conformational dynamics, but requires efficient site-specific labeling with fluorescent reporter probes. We have employed different Iris-NTA/fluorophore conjugates, which bind histidine-tagged proteins with high affinity, for sitespecific incorporation of FRET acceptors into proteins, which were covalently labeled with a donor fluorophore. We demonstrate versatile application of this approach for exploring the conformation of the type I interferon receptor ectodomains ifnar1-EC and ifnar2-EC. Substantial ligand-induced conformational changes of ifnar1-EC, but not ifnar2-EC, were observed by monitoring the fluorescence intensity and the fluorescence lifetime of the FRET donor. Time-resolved fluorescence correlation spectroscopy revealed a substantial conformational flexibility of ifnar1-EC and a ligand-induced tightening. Our results demonstrate that protein labeling with tris-NTA/fluorophores enables for efficient quantitative intramolecular FRET analysis
Ligand Binding Induces a Conformational Change in ifnar1 that Is Propagated to Its Membrane-Proximal Domain
No full textThe type I interferon (IFN) receptor plays a key role in innate immunity against viral and bacterial infections. Here, we show by intramolecular Förster resonance energy transfer spectroscopy that ligand binding induces substantial conformational changes in the ectodomain of ifnar1 (ifnar1-EC). Binding of IFNα2 and IFNβ induce very similar conformations of ifnar1, which were confirmed by single-particle electron microscopy analysis of the ternary complexes formed by IFNα2 or IFNβ with the two receptor subunits ifnar1-EC and ifnar2-EC. Photo-induced electron-transfer-based fluorescence quenching and single-molecule fluorescence lifetime measurements revealed that the ligand-induced conformational change in the membrane-distal domains of ifnar1-EC is propagated to its membrane-proximal domain, which is not involved in ligand recognition but is essential for signal activation. Temperature-dependent ligand binding studies as well as stopped-flow fluorescence experiments corroborated a multistep conformational change in ifnar1 upon ligand binding. Our results thus suggest that the relatively intricate architecture of the type I IFN receptor complex is designed to propagate the ligand binding event to and possibly even across the membrane by conformational changes
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe 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
Get PDF“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
Get PDFWe 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
Analysis of the structure and dynamics of the type I interferon receptor
No full textDer Typ I Interferonrezeptor, der aus den Transmembranproteinen ifnar1 und ifnar2 besteht, nimmt eine wichtige Rolle bei der angeborenen und erworbenen Immunantwort ein. Durch Bindung von Typ I Interferonen werden antivirale, antiproliferative und immunmodulatorische Aktivitäten in der Zelle induziert. Die Wirkung der Interferone wird bereits bei der Behandlung einer Vielzahl von Krankheiten eingesetzt. Es ist bislang nicht bekannt, wie die verschiedenen Typ I Interferone nach Bindung an einen gemeinsamen Rezeptor, unterschiedliche Zellantworten induzieren. So unterscheiden die Typ I Interferone sich nicht hinsichtlich ihrer Bindungsstelle oder der Stöchiometrie der Bindung an ifnar1 bzw. ifnar2. Sie weisen jedoch unterschiedliche Affinitäten zu den Rezeptoruntereinheiten auf, wobei ihnen eine niedrigere Affinität zu ifnar1 gemeinsam ist. Bislang konnte keine Interaktion zwischen den Rezeptoruntereinheiten nachgewiesen werden. Es wird angenommen, dass bei der Rezeptorassemblierung das Interferon zunächst an ifnar2 bindet und anschließend ifnar1 rekrutiert. Es wird postuliert, dass die unterschiedlichen Zellantworten für verschiedene Typ I Interferone auf Unterschieden in der Stabilität der ternären Komplexe beruhen könnten. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden daher die Struktur und Dynamik des Interferonrezeptors in vitro für die Typ I Interferone IFNa2 und IFNb charakterisiert. Die Struktur des ternären Komplexes aus den extrazellulären Domänen von ifnar1 und ifnar2 mit IFNa2 wurde mittels Elektronenmikroskopie untersucht. Über Einzelpartikelanalyse aufgereinigter Komplexe von IFN mit den extrazellulären Domänen von ifnar1 (ifnar1-EC) und ifnar2 (ifnar2-EC) konnte ein Strukturmodell des ternären Komplexes erstellt werden. Dieses zeigte eine Verschiebung der membranproximalen Domänen von ifnar1-EC und ifnar2-EC wie sie bereits für den Rezeptor für Erythropoietin und den Wachstumsfaktor beobachtet wurden, welche zu den Typ I Zytokinrezeptoren gehören. Die Struktur des ternären Komplexes ermöglicht als erste Struktur eines Typ II Zytokinrezeptors einen Einblick in die Architektur des Komplexes und mögliche Aktivierungsmechanismen. Die Strukturen der Komplexe für die verschiedenen Typ I Interferone IFNa2 und IFNb wiesen keine fundamentalen Unterschiede auf, was auf einen gemeinsamen Aktivierungsmechanismus hinweist. Temperatur-abhängige Messungen von Bindungskinetik und –affinität ergaben sehr unterschiedliche Energiehyperflächen für die Ligandenbindung an ifnar1- und ifnar2-EC, und wiesen auf einen mehrstufigen Prozess und mögliche Konformationsänderungen bei der Bindung an ifnar1-EC hin. Zur Analyse der Dynamik von ifnar1-EC wurden daher verschiedene fluoreszenzbasierte Assays etabliert. Eine besondere Herausforderung bestand darin, das Protein ortsspezifisch und stöchiometrisch mit zwei verschiedenen Fluorophoren zu koppeln. Ifnar1-EC wurde an verschiedenen Stellen kovalent mit Fluoreszenzfarbstoffen markiert. Es wurde gezeigt, dass nach Bindung eines geeigneten tris-NTA-Fluorophor-Konjugats an den C-terminalen His-Tag die Fluoreszenz abstandsabhägig durch Förster-Resonanz-Energie-Transfer gelöscht wurde. Für ifnar1-EC wurde eine ligandeninduzierte Abstandsänderung detektiert. Die detaillierte Analyse ergab nach Bindung von IFNa2 eine Abstandszunahme von 13 A vom N- zum C-Terminus. Durch die Interferonbindung nimmt demnach ifnar1-EC eine gestrecktere Konformation ein. Ähnliche Ergebnisse wurden auch in Anwesenheit von ifnar2-EC und für IFNb erhalten. Die Einzelmolekülanalysen mittels Fluoreszenz Korrelationsspektroskopie (FCS) zeigten sowohl einen Verlust der Flexibilität von ifnar1-EC nach Ligandenbindung als auch ein ligandeninduziertes Rearangement der Ig-ähnlichen Domänen. Die Änderung der Flexibilität wurde durch Messungen der Fluoreszenzlebensdauer bestätigt. Untersuchungen der Kinetik der Ligand-induzierten Konformationsänderung mittels Stopped-Flow Messungen bestätigten eine mehrstufige Umorientierung der Ig-ähnlichen Domänen nach Ligandenbindung. Zusätzlich konnte gezeigt werden, dass sich nach Ligandenbindung die Zugänglichkeit des Tryptophans in der membranproximalen Domäne von ifnar1-EC ändert. Da die membranproximale Domäne nicht bei der Ligandenbindung beteiligt ist, deutet dieser Effekt auf eine Propagation der Ligand-induzierten Konformationsänderung in diese Domäne hin. Das Tryptophan könnte mit der Membran interagieren, was auf eine wichtige Rolle der membranproximalen Domäne für die korrekte Orientierung von ifnar1 in der Membran hindeut. Die Stopped-Flow Analyse zeigte, dass es sich hierbei um einen einstufigen Prozess handelt, der mit der Interferonbindung korreliert. Die Ergebnisse wiesen insgesamt auf eine Ligand-induzierte Flexibilitätsänderung und Umorientierung der Ig-ähnlichen Domänen bei ifnar1-EC hin. Vermutlich wird nach Ligandenbindung das Signal in die membranproximale Domäne von ifnar1-EC propagiert. Die Strukturen der ternären Komplexe mit den verschiedenen Typ I Interferonen wiesen keine fundamentalen Unterschiede auf. Auch die Ergebnisse der fluoreszenzbasierten Assays zeigten keine Unterschiede für IFNa2 und IFNb, was die Hypothese stützt, dass die differentielle Aktivität der Interferone nicht auf grundsätzlichen Unterschieden in der Architektur des ternären Komplexes beruht, sondern in der unterschiedlichen Dynamik der Komplexe codiert sein könnte.The type I interferon receptor, which is comprised of the transmembrane proteins ifnar1 and ifnar2, plays a key role in mediating innate and adaptive immune responses. Binding of type I interferons induce antiviral, antiproliferative and immunmodulatory activities in the cell. Interferons have been used to treat various diseases, but it remains unclear, how binding of type I interferons to the same receptor leads to differential activities. Type I interferons share a common binding site on ifnar1 and ifnar2 and bind with the same stoichiometry. Different members of the family bind with different affinities to the receptor subunits, whereas the affinity to ifnar1 is always lower. Interaction between the receptor subunits has not been detected. Interferons bind first to ifnar2. The binary complex then recruits ifnar1. Differences in the stability of the ternary complexes could lead to differential cell activities. In this work the structure and dynamics of the type I interferon receptor have been characterized in vitro for the type I interferons IFNa2 and IFNb. Electron microscopy was used to obtain a model of the structure of the ternary complex including the extracellular domains of ifnar1 (ifnar1-EC) and ifnar2 (ifnar2-EC) and IFNa2. The model of the ternary complex shows a characteristic shift of the membrane proximal domain of ifnar1-EC and ifnar2-EC as it is also observed for the receptor complexes for erythropoietin and for growth hormone, which belong to the class I cytokine receptor family. The structure of the type I interferon receptor is the first structure of a class II cytokine receptor. This gives a first impression of the architecture of the complex and possible activation mechanisms. No fundamental differences in the structure of the complexes with IFNa2 and IFNb suggest a common activation mechanism of the receptor. Temperature-dependent measurements of the binding kinetics and affinities revealed different energy landscapes for the ligand binding to ifnar1- and ifnar2-EC, which points to a possible ligand induced conformational change in ifnar1-EC. Several fluorescence-based assays have been established in this work to analyze the conformational dynamics of ifnar1-EC. For this purpose, the proteins were site-specifically labeled with two different fluorophores. Ifnar1-EC was covalently coupled at different positions with fluorescence donor dyes using cysteine-specific chemistry. Binding of a suitable acceptor dye conjugated to tris-NTA to the C-terminal His-Tag led to a distance-dependent quenching of the fluorescence via fluorescence resonance energy transfer. A ligand-induced change of the distance was detected for ifnar1-EC, but not ifnar2-EC. Detailed analysis of the FRET efficiencies revealed an increase of the distance between N- and C-terminus of 13 A after binding of IFNa2. Therefore, after ligand binding ifnar1-EC adopts a more straight conformation. Experiments with IFNb and IFNa2 in complex with ifnar2-EC gave similar results. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) on single molecule level showed a decrease of flexibility of ifnar1-EC after ligand binding as well as a ligand induced rearrangement of the Ig-like domains. A change of conformational flexibility was confirmed by fluorescence-lifetime measurements. Stopped-flow-analysis of the kinetics of the ligand-induced conformational change confirmed a multistep rearrangement of the Ig-like domains after ligand binding. Moreover it was shown that upon ligand binding the accessibility of the tryptophan in the membrane-proximal domain of ifnar1-EC is changed. This domain is not involved in ligand recognition, which suggests a propagation of the ligand-induced conformational change into this domain. The tryptophan may interact with the membrane, which could be important for the correct orientation of ifnar1-EC in the membrane. Stopped-flow-analysis showed a single step process, which correlated with IFN-binding. Taken together, these results suggest a ligand-induced loss of conformational flexibility and a rearrangement of the Ig-like domains of ifnar1-EC. Probably the signal is propagated to the membrane-proximal domain of ifnar1-EC. The structures of the ternary complexes with different type I interferons were very similar. Highly similar conformational changes were observed for IFNa2 and IFNb. This supports the hypothesis that the differential activity of type I interferons relies on different dynamics of the ternary complexes and is not based on fundamental differences in the architecture of the complexes
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe 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
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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