Biosynthesis of selenosubtilisin: A novel way to target selenium into the active site of subtilisin

Glutathione peroxidase （GPx, EC1.11.1.9）, an important anti-oxidative selenoenzyme, can catalyze the reduction of harmful hydroperoxides with concomitant glutathione, thereby protecting cells and other biological issues against oxidative damage. It captures considerable interest in redesign of its function for either the mechanism study or the pharmacological development as an antioxidant. In order to develop a general strategy for specifically targeting and operating selenium in active sites of enzymes, the catalytically essential residue selenocysteine （Sec） was first successfully bioincorporated into the catalytic center of subtilisin by using an auxotrophic expression system. The studies of the catalytic activity and the steady-state kinetics demonstrated that selenosubtilisin is an excellent GPx-like biocatalyst. In comparison with the chemically modified method, biosynthesis exhibits obvious advantages： Sec could be site-directly incorporated into active sites of enzymes to overcome the non-specificity generated by chemical modification. This study provides an important strategy for specifically targeting and operating selenium in the active site of an enzyme.     

Hopf bifurcation and chaos of financial system on condition of specific combination of parameters*

Exponential stability of the first order singular distributed parameter systems is discussed in the light of degenerate semi-group methods, which is described by the abstract developing equation in Hilbert space. The necessary and sufficient conditions concerning the exponential stability of the first order singular distributed parameter systems are given.     

Peptide selection by MHC class I molecules.

Synthetic peptides have been used to sensitize target cells and thereby screen for epitopes recognized by T cells. Most epitopes of cytotoxic T lymphocytes can be mimicked by synthetic peptides of 12-15 amino acids. Although in specific cases, truncations of peptides improves sensitization of target cells, no optimum length for binding to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules has been defined. We have now analysed synthetic peptide captured by empty MHC class I molecules of the mutant cell line RMA-S. We found that class I molecules preferentially bound short peptides (nine amino acids) and selectively bound these peptides even when they were a minor component in a mixture of longer peptides. These results may help to explain the difference in size restriction of T-cell epitopes between experiments with synthetic peptides and those with naturally processed peptides.     

STRATEGIC EXERCISE OF REAL OPTIONS：INVESTMENT DECISIONS IN TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

Viewing investment projects in new technologies as real options, this paper studies the effects ofendogenous competition and asymmetric information on the strategic exercise of real options. We firstdevelop a multi-period, game-theoretic model and show how competition leads to early exercise andaggressive investment behaviors and how competition erodes option values. We then relax the typicalfull-information assumption found in the literature and allow information asymmetry to exist acrossfirms. Our model shows, in contrast to the literature that payoff is independent of the ordering ofexercise, that the sequential exercise of real options may generate both informational and payoffexternalities. We also find some surpising but interesting results such as having more information isnot necessarily better.     

单体尺度及配比对共聚物电子结构及光吸收性质的影响

在紧束缚近似下，建立了二嵌段共聚物－（A)x-(B)y-的物理模型，研究了组成共聚物的均聚物单体对体系的电子结构及光学吸收性质等的影响，发现均聚物的尺度及配比对共聚物的电子结构及光吸收谱具有显著的调制作用，从而达到使共聚物发现不同颜色光的目的。     

Shingle-back lizards crush snail shells using temporal summation (tetanus) to increase the force of the adductor muscles

Summary During the crushing of hard objects, the adductor muscles ofTrachydosaurus are activated in an unfused tetanus with the tetanic pulses of the several motor units occurring in synchrony.     

麦芽根中5′-磷酸二酯酶的制备及性质

从麦芽根中提取5′－磷酸二酯酶，酶活可达474U／mL。将所得酶液用于水解酵母核糖核酸，得到5′－CMP、UMP、GMP、AMP4种单核苷酸。最佳反应条件为：底物RNA浓度为0.01g/mL，每毫升底物的酶用量为30U，酶解温度70℃，pH7.0，时间2h,5′－核苷酸转化率达80％。