Functional Nanostructures and Dynamic Materials through Self-Organization

1 Results Supramolecular chemistry is actively exploring systems undergoing self-organization.The design of molecular information controlled,“programmed“and functional self-organizing systems provides an original approach to nanoscience and nanotechnology.The spontaneous but controlled generation of well-defined,functional molecular and supramolecular architectures of nanometric size through self-organization represents a means of performing programmed engineering and processing of functional nanostruct...     

Mutations in amphiphysin 2 (BIN1) disrupt interaction with dynamin 2 and cause autosomal recessive centronuclear myopathy

Centronuclear myopathies are characterized by muscle weakness and abnormal centralization of nuclei in muscle fibers not secondary to regeneration. The severe neonatal X-linked form (myotubular myopathy) is due to mutations in the phosphoinositide phosphatase myotubularin (MTM1), whereas mutations in dynamin 2 (DNM2) have been found in some autosomal dominant cases. By direct sequencing of functional candidate genes, we identified homozygous mutations in amphiphysin 2 (BIN1) in three families with autosomal recessive inheritance. Two missense mutations affecting the BAR (Bin1/amphiphysin/RVS167) domain disrupt its membrane tubulation properties in transfected cells, and a partial truncation of the C-terminal SH3 domain abrogates the interaction with DNM2 and its recruitment to the membrane tubules. Our results suggest that mutations in BIN1 cause centronuclear myopathy by interfering with remodeling of T tubules and/or endocytic membranes, and that the functional interaction between BIN1 and DNM2 is necessary for normal muscle function and positioning of nuclei.     

Mutations in myosin heavy chain 11 cause a syndrome associating thoracic aortic aneurysm/aortic dissection and patent ductus arteriosus

We have recently described two kindreds presenting thoracic aortic aneurysm and/or aortic dissection (TAAD) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and mapped the disease locus to 16p12.2-p13.13 (ref. 3). We now demonstrate that the disease is caused by mutations in the MYH11 gene affecting the C-terminal coiled-coil region of the smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, a specific contractile protein of smooth muscle cells (SMC). All individuals bearing the heterozygous mutations, even if asymptomatic, showed marked aortic stiffness. Examination of pathological aortas showed large areas of medial degeneration with very low SMC content. Abnormal immunological recognition of SM-MHC and the colocalization of wild-type and mutant rod proteins in SMC, in conjunction with differences in their coimmunoprecipitation capacities, strongly suggest a dominant-negative effect. Human MYH11 gene mutations provide the first example of a direct change in a specific SMC protein leading to an inherited arterial disease.     

Structural characterization of two papaya chitinases, a family GH19 of glycosyl hydrolases

Two chitinases, able to use tetra-N-acetylglucosamine, chitin and chitosan as substrates, were characterized after purification from Carica papaya latex. The complete amino acid sequence of the major form and about 40% of the minor one were determined through proteolytic digestions and mass spectroscopy analysis. Sequencing demonstrated that both papaya chitinases are members of the family 19 of glycosyl hydrolases (GH19). Based on the known 3-D structures of other members of family GH19, it was expected that papaya chitinases would adopt all-alpha structures. However, circular dichroism and infrared spectroscopy indicated, for the papaya chitinases, a content of 15–20% of extended structures besides the expected 40% of alpha helices. Since the fully sequenced papaya chitinase contains a large number of proline residues the possibility that papaya chitinase contains polyproline II stretches was examined in the context of their resistance against proteolytic degradation. Received 11 July 2006; received after revision 13 October 2006; accepted 25 October 2006     

Proton motive force mediates a reorientation of the cytosolic domains of the multidrug transporter LmrP

LmrP from Lactococcus lactis is a 45-kDa membrane protein that confers resistance to a wide variety of lipophilic compounds by acting as a proton motive force-driven efflux pump. This study shows that both the proton motive force and ligand interaction alter the accessibility of cytosolic tryptophan residues to a hydrophilic quencher. The proton motive force mediates an increase of LmrP accessibility toward the external medium and results in higher drug binding. Residues Asp128 and Asp68, from cytosolic loops, are involved in the proton motive force-mediated accessibility change. Ligand binding does not modify the protein accessibility, but the proton motive force-mediated restructuring is prerequisite for a subsequent accessibility change mediated by ligand binding. Asp142 cooperates with other membrane-embedded carboxylic residues to promote a conformational change that increases LmrP accessibility toward the hydrophilic quencher. This drug binding-mediated reorganization may be related to the transition between the high- and low-affinity drug-binding sites and is crucial for drug release in the extracellular medium.     

Loss-of-function mutations in LEMD3 result in osteopoikilosis, Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome and melorheostosis

Osteopoikilosis, Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome (BOS) and melorheostosis are disorders characterized by increased bone density. The occurrence of one or more of these phenotypes in the same individual or family suggests that these entities might be allelic. We collected data from three families in which affected individuals had osteopoikilosis with or without manifestations of BOS or melorheostosis. A genome-wide linkage analysis in these families, followed by the identification of a microdeletion in an unrelated individual with these diseases, allowed us to map the gene that is mutated in osteopoikilosis. All the affected individuals that we investigated were heterozygous with respect to a loss-of-function mutation in LEMD3 (also called MAN1), which encodes an inner nuclear membrane protein. A somatic mutation in the second allele of LEMD3 could not be identified in fibroblasts from affected skin of an individual with BOS and an individual with melorheostosis. XMAN1, the Xenopus laevis ortholog, antagonizes BMP signaling during embryogenesis. In this study, LEMD3 interacted with BMP and activin-TGFbeta receptor-activated Smads and antagonized both signaling pathways in human cells.     

Vehicle OHT Dispatching Performance Analysis of an AMHS in 300 mm Semiconductor FABs

To improve the performance of an automated material handling system (AMHS) in 300 mm semiconductor fabrication plants (FABs),an overhead-hoist-transport (OHT) vehicle dispatching problem was described ...     

Activation of innate immunity by lysozyme fibrils is critically dependent on cross-β sheet structure

Inflammation occurs in many amyloidoses, but its underlying mechanisms remain enigmatic. Here we show that amyloid fibrils of human lysozyme, which are associated with severe systemic amyloidoses, induce the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines through activation of the NLRP3 (NLR, pyrin domain containing 3) inflammasome and the Toll-like receptor 2, two innate immune receptors that may be involved in immune responses associated to amyloidoses. More importantly, our data clearly suggest that the induction of inflammatory responses by amyloid fibrils is linked to their intrinsic structure, because the monomeric form and a non-fibrillar type of lysozyme aggregates are both unable to trigger cytokine secretion. These lysozyme species lack the so-called cross-β structure, a characteristic structural motif common to all amyloid fibrils irrespective of their origin. Since fibrils of other bacterial and endogenous proteins have been shown to trigger immunological responses, our observations suggest that the cross-β structural signature might be recognized as a generic danger signal by the immune system.