Antihypertensive activity of 7-azaindole-3-acetamidoxime and indole-1-acetamidoxime

Zusammenfassung 7-Azaindol-3-acetamidoxim (I) und Indol-1-acetamidoxim (II) normalisieren hohen Blutdruck von Ratten und Hunden. Die blutdrucksenkende Wirkung von I scheint auf der Freisetzung von Brenzcatechinaminen und der Erschöpfung ihrer Depots zu beruhen. Die Wirkung von II findet zur Zeit keine befriedigende Erklärung.     

Tbc1d1 mutation in lean mouse strain confers leanness and protects from diet-induced obesity

We previously identified Nob1 as a quantitative trait locus for high-fat diet-induced obesity and diabetes in genome-wide scans of outcross populations of obese and lean mouse strains. Additional crossbreeding experiments indicated that Nob1 represents an obesity suppressor from the lean Swiss Jim Lambert (SJL) strain. Here we identify a SJL-specific mutation in the Tbc1d1 gene that results in a truncated protein lacking the TBC Rab-GTPase-activating protein domain. TBC1D1, which has been recently linked to human obesity, is related to the insulin signaling protein AS160 and is predominantly expressed in skeletal muscle. Knockdown of TBC1D1 in skeletal muscle cells increased fatty acid uptake and oxidation, whereas overexpression of TBC1D1 had the opposite effect. Recombinant congenic mice lacking TBC1D1 showed reduced body weight, decreased respiratory quotient, increased fatty acid oxidation and reduced glucose uptake in isolated skeletal muscle. Our data strongly suggest that mutation of Tbc1d1 suppresses high-fat diet-induced obesity by increasing lipid use in skeletal muscle.     

USING THE ANALYTICAL HIERARCHY PROCESS TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE USE OF GEO-RESOURCES IN METROPOLITAN AREAS

1. Introduction Geo-resources like sand and gravel are important raw materials which are mainly needed for concrete production in civil engineering projects. This makes them valuable, especially in metropolitan areas where construction activities are frequent. In spite of their usefulness for construction purposes, their economic value is relatively low so that transporting them over greater distances is normally not profitable in most cases. To be run economically, sand and gravel pits are th…     

Of volatiles and peptides: in search for MHC-dependent olfactory signals in social communication

Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which play a critical role in immune recognition, are considered to influence social behaviors in mice, fish, humans, and other vertebrates via olfactory cues. As studied most extensively in mice, the polymorphism of MHC class I genes is considered to bring about a specific scent signature, which is decoded by the olfactory system resulting in an individual-specific reaction such as mating. On the assumption that this signature resides in volatiles, extensive attempts to identify these MHC-specific components in urine failed. Alternatively, it has been suggested that peptide ligands of MHC class I molecules are released into urine and can elicit an MHC-haplotype-specific behavioral response after uptake into the nose by sniffing. Analysis of the urinary peptide composition of mice shows that MHC-derived peptides are present, albeit in extremely low concentrations. In contrast, urine contains abundant peptides which differ between mouse strains due to genomic variations such as single-nucleotide variations or complex polymorphisms in multigene families as well as in their concentration. Thus, urinary peptides represent a real-time sampling of the expressed genome available for sensory evaluation. It is suggested that peptide variation caused by genomic differences contains sufficient information for individual recognition beyond or instead of an influence of the MHC in mice and other vertebrates.     

Kremen proteins are Dickkopf receptors that regulate Wnt/beta-catenin signalling

The Wnt family of secreted glycoproteins mediate cell cell interactions during cell growth and differentiation in both embryos and adults. Canonical Wnt signalling by way of the beta-catenin pathway is transduced by two receptor families. Frizzled proteins and lipoprotein-receptor-related proteins 5 and 6 (LRP5/6) bind Wnts and transmit their signal by stabilizing intracellular beta-catenin. Wnt/beta-catenin signalling is inhibited by the secreted protein Dickkopf1 (Dkk1), a member of a multigene family, which induces head formation in amphibian embryos. Dkk1 has been shown to inhibit Wnt signalling by binding to and antagonizing LRP5/6. Here we show that the transmembrane proteins Kremen1 and Kremen2 are high-affinity Dkk1 receptors that functionally cooperate with Dkk1 to block Wnt/beta-catenin signalling. Kremen2 forms a ternary complex with Dkk1 and LRP6, and induces rapid endocytosis and removal of the Wnt receptor LRP6 from the plasma membrane. The results indicate that Kremen1 and Kremen2 are components of a membrane complex modulating canonical Wnt signalling through LRP6 in vertebrates.     

聚合物超薄膜结晶相关的形貌形成及链行为

聚合物超薄膜结晶是高分子物理领域的一个新研究课题,近来已引起人们的关注,其为人们在真实时空下研究聚合物结晶及相关链行为提供了可能。聚合物超薄膜结晶与膜厚(D)有很强的相关性,尤其是D<20nm的薄膜在结晶形貌和结晶动力学方面与本体结晶差别很大。已有的结果主要集中在结晶形貌、晶体尺寸、晶体生长速度和习性、晶体的熔融和结晶度等方面,涉及温度、膜厚、基片性质和膜的组成和结构对结晶的影响;然而,有些实验结果和解释彼此不完全一致,甚至有时相互矛盾。本文综述和讨论了近年来在超薄膜结晶方面的研究,重点在于结晶形貌的形成和相关的聚合物链行为。     

Fermentative digestion of food in the colobus monkey, Colobus, polykomos.

Fermentation of leafy food occurs in the enlarged saccus gastricus of the colobus monkey with the formation of volatile fatty acid, as in the rumen of ruminant animals. About half of the digestible organic matter and cellulose of the diet is digested in this way.