Local Structure of Ge／SI（100） Self—Assembled Quantum Dots

Ｔｈｅｌａｔｔｉｃｅｍｉｓｍａｔｃｈｂｅｔｗｅｅｎｔｈｅｓｕｂｓｔｒａｔｅａｎｄｔｈｅｏｖｅｒｇｒｏｗｎｌａｙｅｒａｌｌｏｗｓｔｈｅｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎｏｆｓｅｌｆ ａｓ ｓｅｍｂｌｅｄｑｕａｎｔｕｍｄｏｔｓ (ＱＤｓ)ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈｔｈｅＳｔｒａｎｓｋｉ Ｋｒａｓｔａｎｏｖｍｅｃｈａｎｉｓｍ[1,2 ] .Ｔｈｉｓｔｅｃｈｎｉｑｕｅｈａｓｂｅｅｎｓｕｃｃｅｓｓｆｕｌｌｙａｐｐｌｉｅｄｔｏｖａｒｉｏｕｓｓｅｍｉｃｏｎｄｕｃｔｏｒｓｙｓｔｅｍｓ,ａｎｄｉｎｐａｒｔｉｃｕｌａｒｔｏＧｅ/Ｓｉｑｕａｎｔｕｍｄｏｔｓ(Ｑ…     

Endophilin I mediates synaptic vesicle formation by transfer of arachidonate to lysophosphatidic acid.

Endophilin I is a presynaptic protein of unknown function that binds to dynamin, a GTPase that is implicated in endocytosis and recycling of synaptic vesicles. Here we show that endophilin I is essential for the formation of synaptic-like microvesicles (SLMVs) from the plasma membrane. Endophilin I exhibits lysophosphatidic acid acyl transferase (LPAAT) activity, and endophilin-I-mediated SLMV formation requires the transfer of the unsaturated fatty acid arachidonate to lysophosphatidic acid, converting it to phosphatidic acid. A deletion mutant lacking the SH3 domain through which endophilin I interacts with dynamin still exhibits LPAAT activity but no longer mediates SLMV formation. These results indicate that endophilin I may induce negative membrane curvature by converting an inverted-cone-shaped lipid to a cone-shaped lipid in the cytoplasmic leaflet of the bilayer. We propose that, through this action, endophilin I works with dynamin to mediate synaptic vesicle invagination from the plasma membrane and fission.     

Mechanism of regulation of WAVE1-induced actin nucleation by Rac1 and Nck

Rac signalling to actin -- a pathway that is thought to be mediated by the protein Scar/WAVE (WASP (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein)-family verprolin homologous protein -- has a principal role in cell motility. In an analogous pathway, direct interaction of Cdc42 with the related protein N-WASP stimulates actin polymerization. For the Rac-WAVE pathway, no such direct interaction has been identified. Here we report a mechanism by which Rac and the adapter protein Nck activate actin nucleation through WAVE1. WAVE1 exists in a heterotetrameric complex that includes orthologues of human PIR121 (p53-inducible messenger RNA with a relative molecular mass (M(r)) of 140,000), Nap125 (NCK-associated protein with an M(r) of 125,000) and HSPC300. Whereas recombinant WAVE1 is constitutively active, the WAVE1 complex is inactive. We therefore propose that Rac1 and Nck cause dissociation of the WAVE1 complex, which releases active WAVE1-HSPC300 and leads to actin nucleation.