Comparison of X-prolyl dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase activity in human cerebrospinal fluid with that in serum

Summary X-Prolyl dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase activities in cerebrospinal fluid and serum from the same patients without neurological diseases, undergoing surgery under lumbar anesthesia, were assayed fluorometrically with a newly synthesized fluorogenic substrate, 7-glycylproline-4-methylcoumarinamide; the values were 129.1±19.5 nmoles/min/1 and 54.17±3.11 moles/min/1 (mean±SEM, n=23), respectively, and there was no correlation between both activities (r=0.0894).     

Membrane fractions of rabbit granulocytes. 1. The presence of ouabain-sensitive ATPase and the electrophoretic patterns.

In one or two membrane fractions isolated from the homogenate of casein-induced rabbit granulocytes ouabain-sensitive ATPase activity was found definitely. Electrophoretic patterns of these membrane fractions showed no significant differences in staining for carbohydrate and protein.     

Structural and functional basis for GABAA receptor heterogeneity

When gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in vertebrate brain, binds to its receptor it activates a chloride channel. Neurotransmitter action at the GABAA receptor is potentiated by both benzodiazepines and barbiturates which are therapeutically useful drugs (reviewed in ref. 1). There is strong evidence that this receptor is heterogeneous. We have previously isolated complementary DNAs encoding an alpha- and a beta-subunit and shown that both are needed for expression of a functional GABAA receptor. We have now isolated cDNAs encoding two additional GABAA receptor alpha-subunits, confirming the heterogeneous nature of the receptor/chloride channel complex and demonstrating a molecular basis for it. These alpha-subunits are differentially expressed within the CNS and produce, when expressed with the beta-subunit in Xenopus oocytes, receptor subtypes which can be distinguished by their apparent sensitivity to GABA. Highly homologous receptor subtypes which differ functionally seem to be a common feature of brain receptors.     

Essential role for TIRAP in activation of the signalling cascade shared by TLR2 and TLR4

Signal transduction through Toll-like receptors (TLRs) originates from their intracellular Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain, which binds to MyD88, a common adaptor protein containing a TIR domain. Although cytokine production is completely abolished in MyD88-deficient mice, some responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), including the induction of interferon-inducible genes and the maturation of dendritic cells, are still observed. Another adaptor, TIRAP (also known as Mal), has been cloned as a molecule that specifically associates with TLR4 and thus may be responsible for the MyD88-independent response. Here we report that LPS-induced splenocyte proliferation and cytokine production are abolished in mice lacking TIRAP. As in MyD88-deficient mice, LPS activation of the nuclear factor NF-kappaB and mitogen-activated protein kinases is induced with delayed kinetics in TIRAP-deficient mice. Expression of interferon-inducible genes and the maturation of dendritic cells is observed in these mice; they also show defective response to TLR2 ligands, but not to stimuli that activate TLR3, TLR7 or TLR9. In contrast to previous suggestions, our results show that TIRAP is not specific to TLR4 signalling and does not participate in the MyD88-independent pathway. Instead, TIRAP has a crucial role in the MyD88-dependent signalling pathway shared by TLR2 and TLR4.     

Fast heating of ultrahigh-density plasma as a step towards laser fusion ignition

Modern high-power lasers can generate extreme states of matter that are relevant to astrophysics, equation-of-state studies and fusion energy research. Laser-driven implosions of spherical polymer shells have, for example, achieved an increase in density of 1,000 times relative to the solid state. These densities are large enough to enable controlled fusion, but to achieve energy gain a small volume of compressed fuel (known as the 'spark') must be heated to temperatures of about 108 K (corresponding to thermal energies in excess of 10 keV). In the conventional approach to controlled fusion, the spark is both produced and heated by accurately timed shock waves, but this process requires both precise implosion symmetry and a very large drive energy. In principle, these requirements can be significantly relaxed by performing the compression and fast heating separately; however, this 'fast ignitor' approach also suffers drawbacks, such as propagation losses and deflection of the ultra-intense laser pulse by the plasma surrounding the compressed fuel. Here we employ a new compression geometry that eliminates these problems; we combine production of compressed matter in a laser-driven implosion with picosecond-fast heating by a laser pulse timed to coincide with the peak compression. Our approach therefore permits efficient compression and heating to be carried out simultaneously, providing a route to efficient fusion energy production.     

Dodecagonal tiling in mesoporous silica

Recent advances in the fabrication of quasicrystals in soft matter systems have increased the length scales for quasicrystals into the mesoscale range (20 to 500 ?ngstr?ms). Thus far, dendritic liquid crystals, ABC-star polymers, colloids and inorganic nanoparticles have been reported to yield quasicrystals. These quasicrystals offer larger length scales than intermetallic quasicrystals (a few ?ngstr?ms), thus potentially leading to optical applications through the realization of a complete photonic bandgap induced via multiple scattering of light waves in virtually all directions. However, the materials remain far from structurally ideal, in contrast to their intermetallic counterparts, and fine control over the structure through a self-organization process has yet to be attained. Here we use the well-established self-assembly of surfactant micelles to produce a new class of mesoporous silicas, which exhibit 12-fold (dodecagonal) symmetry in both electron diffraction and morphology. Each particle reveals, in the 12-fold cross-section, an analogue of dodecagonal quasicrystals in the centre surrounded by 12 fans of crystalline domains in the peripheral part. The quasicrystallinity has been verified by selected-area electron diffraction and quantitative phason strain analyses on transmission electron microscope images obtained from the central region. We argue that the structure forms through a non-equilibrium growth process, wherein the competition between different micellar configurations has a central role in tuning the structure. A simple theoretical model successfully reproduces the observed features and thus establishes a link between the formation process and the resulting structure.     

CD38 is critical for social behaviour by regulating oxytocin secretion

CD38, a transmembrane glycoprotein with ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity, catalyses the formation of Ca2+ signalling molecules, but its role in the neuroendocrine system is unknown. Here we show that adult CD38 knockout (CD38-/-) female and male mice show marked defects in maternal nurturing and social behaviour, respectively, with higher locomotor activity. Consistently, the plasma level of oxytocin (OT), but not vasopressin, was strongly decreased in CD38-/- mice. Replacement of OT by subcutaneous injection or lentiviral-vector-mediated delivery of human CD38 in the hypothalamus rescued social memory and maternal care in CD38-/- mice. Depolarization-induced OT secretion and Ca2+ elevation in oxytocinergic neurohypophysial axon terminals were disrupted in CD38-/- mice; this was mimicked by CD38 metabolite antagonists in CD38+/+ mice. These results reveal that CD38 has a key role in neuropeptide release, thereby critically regulating maternal and social behaviours, and may be an element in neurodevelopmental disorders.     

Columns for visual features of objects in monkey inferotemporal cortex.

At early stages of the mammalian visual cortex, neurons with similar stimulus selectivities are vertically arrayed through the thickness of the cortical sheet and clustered in patches or bands across the surface. This organization, referred to as a 'column', has been found with respect to one-dimensional stimulus parameters such as orientation of stimulus contours, eye dominance of visual inputs, and direction of stimulus motion. It is unclear, however, whether information with extremely high dimensions, such as visual shape, is organized in a similar columnar fashion or in a different manner in the brain. Here we report that the anterior inferotemporal area of the monkey cortex, the final station of the visual cortical stream crucial for object recognition, consists of columns, each containing cells responsive to similar visual features of objects.