Host immune rejection of TA3 ascites carcinoma cells following administration of a water soluble carbodiimide.

Regression of TA3 ascites carcinoma tumors occurred following i.p. injection of 1-ethyl-3-(3'-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide-HC1. An immunological mechanism of drug action was indicated by the fact that no significant antitumor activity was demonstrable in mice that had previously received an immunosuppressive 700 rad dose of 60Co radiation.     

An intense stratospheric jet on Jupiter

The Earth's equatorial stratosphere shows oscillations in which the east-west winds reverse direction and the temperatures change cyclically with a period of about two years. This phenomenon, called the quasi-biennial oscillation, also affects the dynamics of the mid- and high-latitude stratosphere and weather in the lower atmosphere. Ground-based observations have suggested that similar temperature oscillations (with a 4-5-yr cycle) occur on Jupiter, but these data suffer from poor vertical resolution and Jupiter's stratospheric wind velocities have not yet been determined. Here we report maps of temperatures and winds with high spatial resolution, obtained from spacecraft measurements of infrared spectra of Jupiter's stratosphere. We find an intense, high-altitude equatorial jet with a speed of approximately 140 m s(-1), whose spatial structure resembles that of a quasi-quadrennial oscillation. Wave activity in the stratosphere also appears analogous to that occurring on Earth. A strong interaction between Jupiter and its plasma environment produces hot spots in its upper atmosphere and stratosphere near its poles, and the temperature maps define the penetration of the hot spots into the stratosphere.     

TACI and BCMA are receptors for a TNF homologue implicated in B-cell autoimmune disease

B cells are important in the development of autoimmune disorders by mechanisms involving dysregulated polyclonal B-cell activation, production of pathogenic antibodies, and co-stimulation of autoreactive T cells. zTNF4 (BLyS, BAFF, TALL-1, THANK) is a member of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) ligand family that is a potent co-activator of B cells in vitro and in vivo. Here we identify two receptors for zTNF4 and demonstrate a relationship between zTNF4 and autoimmune disease. Transgenic animals overexpressing zTNF4 in lymphoid cells develop symptoms characteristic of systemic lupus erythaematosus (SLE) and expand a rare population of splenic B-Ia lymphocytes. In addition, circulating zTNF4 is more abundant in NZBWF1 and MRL-lpr/lpr mice during the onset and progression of SLE. We have identified two TNF receptor family members, TACI and BCMA, that bind zTNF4. Treatment of NZBWF1 mice with soluble TACI-Ig fusion protein inhibits the development of proteinuria and prolongs survival of the animals. These findings demonstrate the involvement of zTNF4 and its receptors in the development of SLE and identify TACI-Ig as a promising treatment of autoimmune disease in humans.     

生物炭改性高庙子膨润土对铕(Ⅲ)的吸附特性

针对作为我国核废料处置库缓冲/回填材料——高庙子(GMZ)膨润土——在长期运营条件下的缓冲性能衰减问题,利用梧桐叶为碳源制备生物炭改性GMZ膨润土,通过微观表征和批次吸附试验,研究了其结构和对Eu(Ⅲ)的吸附性能,进一步探讨了复合材料的作用机理.结果表明,生物炭改性GMZ膨润土中的官能团出现次甲基(—CH),说明有机官能团嫁接成功,层间距进一步增大,蒙脱石表面的细小颗粒在改性后变大.在吸附性能方面,随着固液比和接触时间的增加,吸附率提高;随着pH值、离子强度的增加,吸附率降低;生物炭改性GMZ膨润土对Eu(Ⅲ)的吸附等温线符合Langmuir模型和准二级动力学模型,最大理论吸附量为32.36 mg·g~(-1).     

基于虚拟仪器技术的薄膜电磁参量测量

基于谐振腔微扰技术,利用先进的矢量网络分析仪,结合虚拟仪器技术研制了一套测量薄膜微波电磁参量的自动测量系统．该系统可以方便、快捷地测量薄膜在微波频率下的复介电常数和复磁导率．图形化编程语言LabVIEW大大缩短了系统开发时间,提高了编程效率．     

The dynamic disulphide relay of quiescin sulphydryl oxidase

Protein stability, assembly, localization and regulation often depend on the formation of disulphide crosslinks between cysteine side chains. Enzymes known as sulphydryl oxidases catalyse de novo disulphide formation and initiate intra- and intermolecular dithiol/disulphide relays to deliver the disulphides to substrate proteins. Quiescin sulphydryl oxidase (QSOX) is a unique, multi-domain disulphide catalyst that is localized primarily to the Golgi apparatus and secreted fluids and has attracted attention owing to its overproduction in tumours. In addition to its physiological importance, QSOX is a mechanistically intriguing enzyme, encompassing functions typically carried out by a series of proteins in other disulphide-formation pathways. How disulphides are relayed through the multiple redox-active sites of QSOX and whether there is a functional benefit to concatenating these sites on a single polypeptide are open questions. Here we present the first crystal structure of an intact QSOX enzyme, derived from a trypanosome parasite. Notably, sequential sites in the disulphide relay were found more than 40?? apart in this structure, too far for direct disulphide transfer. To resolve this puzzle, we trapped and crystallized an intermediate in the disulphide hand-off, which showed a 165° domain rotation relative to the original structure, bringing the two active sites within disulphide-bonding distance. The comparable structure of a mammalian QSOX enzyme, also presented here, shows further biochemical features that facilitate disulphide transfer in metazoan orthologues. Finally, we quantified the contribution of concatenation to QSOX activity, providing general lessons for the understanding of multi-domain enzymes and the design of new catalytic relays.