A Toxoplasma gondii Oxopurine Transporter Binds Nucleobases and Nucleosides Using Different Binding Modes

Toxoplasma gondii is unable to synthesize purines de novo, instead salvages them from its environment, inside the host cell, for which they need high affinity carriers. Here, we report the expression of a T. gondii Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter, Tg244440, in a Trypanosoma brucei strain from which nucleobase transporters have been deleted. Tg244440 transported hypoxanthine and guanine with similar affinity (K_m ~1 µM), while inosine and guanosine displayed K_i values of 4.05 and 3.30 µM, respectively. Low affinity was observed for adenosine, adenine, and pyrimidines, classifying Tg244440 as a high affinity oxopurine transporter. Purine analogues were used to probe the substrate-transporter binding interactions, culminating in quantitative models showing different binding modes for oxopurine bases, oxopurine nucleosides, and adenosine. Hypoxanthine and guanine interacted through protonated N1 and N9, and through unprotonated N3 and N7 of the purine ring, whereas inosine and guanosine mostly employed the ribose hydroxy groups for binding, in addition to N1H of the nucleobase. Conversely, the ribose moiety of adenosine barely made any contribution to binding. Tg244440 is the first gene identified to encode a high affinity oxopurine transporter in T. gondii and, to the best of our knowledge, the first purine transporter to employ different binding modes for nucleosides and nucleobases.     

Switching tasks and attention policies.

The determinants and costs of control were studied in 6 experiments examining the performance costs of changing stimulus dimension (digit value/number of elements) or attention strategies (speed/accuracy) on the first trial after task transition. Costs were compared for task shift and reconsideration only. Preparation ability was studied by presenting all transition information at the beginning of a 2-part block or only prior to each part. Results showed pronounced first-trial transition costs. Different factors were associated with stop-start and task-switching requirements. Transition costs were separate from those of basic task performance. Costs were sensitive to global control considerations and were larger for task dimension changes than for attention strategy shifts. Costs involving task dimension change, but not strategy shifts, were reduced with advanced preparation. These results are discussed in relation to contemporary models of control. A new distinction is proposed between activation and execution of control strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurements of pollen grain dispersal in still air and stationary, near homogeneous, isotropic turbulence

The dispersal of ragweed, pine and corn pollen as well as polystyrene spheres in still air and stationary, near homogeneous, isotropic turbulence (HIT) was investigated using high-speed, digital inline holographic cinematography enabling Lagrangian tracking of the particles. Mean still air settling velocities were similar as reported literature values. Small discrepancies were most likely related to species/size differences and water content of the grains. Near-HIT was generated by loudspeakers mounted on the corners of a 40 cm³ chamber and the turbulent flow field at the center of the chamber was validated using stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Results showed near homogeneity and near isotropy with mean velocities 5–10 times smaller than the corresponding rms values of velocity fluctuations. The turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate was determined from the PIV data sets and used to calculate the Kolmogorov scales and Taylor microscales. Experiments were carried out for two different loudspeaker amplifications corresponding to Taylor microscale Reynolds numbers, R_λ=144 and 162, respectively. The mean settling velocity in turbulent conditions was in all cases higher than the corresponding still air value, the difference becoming smaller as particle Stokes numbers increased. For the present conditions, the still air particle settling velocity was lower than the rms values of air fluctuating velocities. As a result, dispersion was dominated by inertia and for a given R_λ, particle fluctuating velocity autocorrelations fell more rapidly as the particle Stokes number decreased; corresponding particle diffusion coefficients also decreased. Transverse particle diffusion coefficients were lower than those in the direction of gravity in agreement with the continuity effect. Under the present range of experimental parameters, results showed that inertial particles (0.6<St<11) in highly turbulent conditions disperse more effectively than the air.     

Photochemistry of molecules at confined environment: CD3Br/O/Ru(001) and CO2@Ice

The photochemistry of molecules constrained within a confining environment on surfaces has been studied. Orientation of methyl bromide could be controlled methyl down or up by varying the pre-adsorbed oxygen coverage due to electrostatic interactions on Ru(001) under UHV conditions. Irradiation of the coadsorption system at 193 nm has shown that the resulting photochemical activity is sensitive to the molecular orientation. Photodesorption and dissociation cross sections were 1.0·10⁻¹⁹ cm⁻² for methyl-down and 3.0·10⁻¹⁹ cm⁻² for the methyl-up configurations. This observation represents the first report of the steric effect in electron-molecule interaction due to the dissociative electron attachment mechanism of photochemical processes on surfaces. A second system of CO₂ molecules caged within ice has also been studied. Here the trapped carbon dioxide molecules cannot leave the surface at their normal desorption temperature near 100 K, but are explosively desorbing at the onset of ice evaporation near 165 K. Upon UV irradiation, enhanced dissociation to adsorbed CO and oxygen is recorded. In addition, a new reactivity channel is observed to form H₂CO, tentatively identified as formaldehyde. The relevance of photochemistry of caged molecules within ice to interstellar hydrocarbon formation as a possible route for the origin of life is discussed.     

Towards the definition of pathogenic microbe

Identification and typing of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms have become major objectives over the past decade in microbiology. In food, strain typing is necessary to ensure food safety and for linking cases of foodborne infections to suspected items. Recent advances in molecular biology have resulted in the development of numerous DNA-based methods for discrimination among bacterial strains. Here, we present the use of Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR, or Microsatellites) for bacterial typing. SSRs are a class of short DNA sequence motifs that are tandemly repeated at a specific locus. Computer-based screen of the complete genomic DNA sequences of various prokaryotes showed the existence of tens of thousands well distributed SSR tracts. Mono Nucleotides Repeats (MNRs) are the majority of SSR tracts in bacteria, therefore selected MNR loci were analyzed for variation among strains belonging to three bacterial species: Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Vibrio cholerae. High levels of polymorphism in the number of repeats was observed. The finding that most of the MNR tracts are variable in bacterial genomes, but stable at the strain level, allows the use of MNRs for bacterial strains identification. The variation in MNR tracts enables the separation between virulent and non-virulent strain groups and further discriminates among bacterial isolates, in the three tested bacterial species. The uncovered MNR polymorphism is important as a genome-wide source of variation, both in practical applications (e.g. rapid strain identification) and in evolutionary studies. This multi-locus MNR strategy could be applied for high throughput bacterial typing by assigning an "identity number" for each strain based on MNR variations. The developed typing technology should include the fingerprint database for large bacterial strain collections and a high throughput scanner. This accurate and rapid tool can have a major role in decreasing the incidences of food-related outbreaks and will contribute to limit epidemics.     

Inattention magnifies perceived length: The attentional receptive field hypothesis.

Five experiments demonstrated that a briefly presented vertical line is judged as longer when it is unattended relative to when it is attended. This effect was obtained in estimating the length of 1 of 5 possible lines (Experiment 1) and in matching the length of a test line to a criterion line (Experiments 3 and 4). The directional effect of attention was eliminated when participants estimated the length difference between 2 simultaneously presented lines (Experiment 2). An additional matching experiment (Experiment 5) demonstrated similar lengthening effects for unattended lines and for unattended distances separated by vertically displaced dots. It is proposed that the metric for unattended stimuli is composed of large attentional receptive fields and that the final output is mediated by rounding up processes, so that the unattended line is systematically perceived as longer than the attended one. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhanced gas sensing by individual SnO2 nanowires and nanobelts functionalized with Pd catalyst particles

The sensing ability of individual SnO(2) nanowires and nanobelts configured as gas sensors was measured before and after functionalization with Pd catalyst particles. In situ deposition of Pd in the same reaction chamber in which the sensing measurements were carried out ensured that the observed modification in behavior was due to the Pd functionalization rather than the variation in properties from one nanowire to another. Changes in the conductance in the early stages of metal deposition (i.e., before metal percolation) indicated that the Pd nanoparticles on the nanowire surface created Schottky barrier-type junctions resulting in the formation of electron depletion regions within the nanowire, constricting the effective conduction channel and reducing the conductance. Pd-functionalized nanostructures exhibited a dramatic improvement in sensitivity toward oxygen and hydrogen due to the enhanced catalytic dissociation of the molecular adsorbate on the Pd nanoparticle surfaces and the subsequent diffusion of the resultant atomic species to the oxide surface.     

Esterase variation in Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): genetic analysis of interstrain crosses in relation to malathion resistance

General esterase activity variation among individuals and strains of Tribolium confusum (du Val) is mostly due to a single electrophoretic locus. A strain (CFxlH) selected for very strongly staining isozyme (EST2), was reciprocally crossed with the black mutant laboratory strain (CFbb) which has very weak EST2. EST2 is not linked to the black locus and is inherited as a monogenic, autosomal trait. Similar results were obtained when CFxlH was reciprocally crossed with the sister strain (CFxlL) selected for low activity. Slight deviations from Mendelian expectation in the latter crosses suggest that maternally inherited effects modify EST2 activity in these strains.CFbb and CFxlL both have low EST2 activity, and when intercrossed, all offspring had the EST2L pattern, suggesting that the EST2 loci in the two strains are the same or very tightly linked.Malathion resistance in one strain (MN61) seems to be inherited in a monofactorial fashion, with dominance of the resistant allele. MN61 is fixed for the high-activity EST2 phenotype. Addition of triphenyl phosphate (TPP) synergised the effects of the pesticide, indicating that malathion resistance is due to carboxylesterase activity. CFxlH and CFxlL had similar malathion resistance despite the dramatic difference in EST2 activity: resistance is not due to EST2, the major contributor to the hydrolysis of α-naphthyl acetate (and probably other naphthyl esters).     

Value priorities and readiness for out-group social contact.

Relations of individuals' value priorities to their readiness for out-group social contact were examined in dominant and minority groups. Study 1 examined readiness of 151 Israeli Jewish teachers (dominant group) for contact with Israeli Arabs (minority). Readiness correlated positively with emphasizing universalism and self-direction values and negatively with emphasizing tradition, security, and conformity values. This confirmed an integrated set of hypotheses from S. H. Schwartz's (1992) value theory. Study 2 examined readiness of Israeli Arab Muslim (N?=?111) and Christian (N?=?88) teachers for contact with Israeli Jews. Hypotheses took account of differences between the two Arab minorities in motivation to integrate into the dominant society versus to preserve their uniqueness. Correlations with values confirmed most hypotheses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Encoding morphology in oxide nanostructures during their growth

Programmable control over the overall structure of SnO(2) nanowires grown by vapor-solid synthesis is shown to be possible by pulse modulating the flow rate of the carrier gas in which oxygen (one of the reactants) is entrained. The control is shown to depend on the local oscillation of the supersaturation condition for the SnO vapor (another reactant) in the vicinity of the growing nanostructure. The latter triggers dramatic, reproducible oscillations in the lateral dimensions of the nanostructure and in the direction of its growth. The method provides a means for producing predictable morphological and compositional variations in 1D nanostructures, thereby potentially resulting in a high yield of custom-designed nanostructures.