A purification protocol was developed to identify and analyze the component proteins of a postsynaptic density (PSD) lattice, a core structure of the PSD of excitatory synapses in the central nervous ...system. "Enriched"- and "lean"-type PSD lattices were purified by synaptic plasma membrane treatment to identify the protein components by comprehensive shotgun mass spectrometry and group them into minimum essential cytoskeleton (MEC) and non-MEC components. Tubulin was found to be a major component of the MEC, with non-microtubule tubulin widely distributed on the purified PSD lattice. The presence of tubulin in and around PSDs was verified by post-embedding immunogold labeling EM of cerebral cortex. Non-MEC proteins included various typical scaffold/adaptor PSD proteins and other class PSD proteins. Thus, this study provides a new PSD lattice model consisting of non-microtubule tubulin-based backbone and various non-MEC proteins. Our findings suggest that tubulin is a key component constructing the backbone and that the associated components are essential for the versatile functions of the PSD.
Microphthalmia is a malformation that reduces the size of the ocular globe. The etiologies of this anomaly are various, but the genetic background appears to have a predominant influence on its ...development through mutations of genes controlling ocular developmental processes. LRP4 is a type I single transmembrane protein that is essential for the formation of neuromuscular junctions. We created and experimented on homozygous Lrp4-deficient mice and found the microphthalmia phenotype in their eyes. The loss of Lrp4 resulted in an elevated incidence of microphthalmia and affected the mRNA expression of the members of bone morphogenetic protein, fibroblast growth factor, Sonic hedgehog, and WNT signaling pathways and of several pathogenic genes for microphthalmia. Moreover, the loss of Lrp4 enhanced the incidence of aberrant retinal folds, which appeared pleated and corrugated in the eyeball.
•The loss of Lrp4 resulted in an elevated incidence of microphthalmia.•The loss of Lrp4 affected the mRNA expression of members of BMP, FGF, SHH and WNT signaling and of some microphthalmia genes.•The loss of Lrp4 enhanced the incidence of the aberrant retinal folds, which appeared pleated and corrugated in the eyeball.
Abstract
A simple air–sea coupled model for wind–evaporation–sea surface temperature (SST), wind-induced turbulence–mixed layer (ML)–SST, and wind–evaporation–ML–SST feedback is extended to unitedly ...represent the precipitation anomaly associated with moisture convergence and the ML depth (MLD) anomaly due to freshwater-induced buoyancy flux. An eigenanalysis reveals the presence of yet another feedback accompanying a cross-equatorial SST gradient. The feedback operates as follows: A cross-equatorial SST gradient anomaly forces surface wind anomalies to blow toward the warmer hemisphere, causing low-level convergence (divergence) and hence a positive (negative) precipitation anomaly in the warmer (cooler) hemisphere. The positive (negative) precipitation anomaly stratifies (destabilizes) the near-surface ocean and results in a shallower (deeper) ML, which enhances (reduces) the warming by climatological shortwave radiation, and thus provides positive feedback to the initial SST gradient anomaly. The strength of this feedback is similar to the three known feedbacks in terms of stability. Sensitivity experiments with the coupled general circulation model MIROC6 reveal that the precipitation-induced buoyancy flux anomaly accounts for up to ∼14% of the Atlantic meridional mode (AMM) amplitude in boreal spring through affecting the MLD anomaly in the deep tropics, which is consistent with the simple model results, supporting the existence of the feedback. In contrast, the evaporation-induced buoyancy anomaly contributes only marginally to the MLD and thus the SST anomalies. The ML temperature budget from MIROC6 confirms that sensitivity changes of the ML to the warming by climatological shortwave radiation due to the MLD anomaly are important in generating the SST anomalies associated with the AMM, which is consistent with previous observational studies.
Significance Statement
It is known that year-to-year variations in the sea surface north–south temperature gradient in the tropical Atlantic can affect the climate in both surrounding and remote regions. In this study, we used theoretical and state-of-the-art climate models to investigate a tropical air–sea coupled process and establish its contribution to the Atlantic climate variability. As a result, we identified a previously unknown process contributing to north–south gradient variations in which the atmosphere and ocean interact to enhance the initial variation, thus forming a positive feedback loop. In particular, precipitation and near-surface ocean state changes were determined to be essential. This feedback process accounts for up to 14% of the north–south temperature gradient variations in the tropical Atlantic during the boreal spring.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Seasonal variation in daily growth rates in the early and middle larval stages of round herring
Etrumeus teres
were largely determined by the sea temperatures experienced by hatch-date cohorts in the ...Pacific coastal waters off southern Japan. Round herring larvae were collected by purse seining in the coastal waters of central Tosa Bay. A total of 451 larvae were aged by reading daily rings in otoliths. Individuals within a range of 2–5 hatch dates were grouped as hatch-date cohorts. We selected 16 cohorts that hatched during September 2000 and March 2002 and calculated mean widths of otolith growth increments for each cohort during the first feeding stage (
W
FF
, increments 1–5) and the maximum increment width in the middle larval stage (
W
MAX
). Seasonal variation in mean
W
FF
and
W
MAX
among the 16 cohorts was largely (80–90 %) explained by the sea temperature in the bay. These results indicate that temperature was a predominant determinant of larval growth rates; other environmental factors, such as food availability, did not substantially affect growth rates of round herring larvae in coastal waters along the subtropical Kuroshio Current off southern Japan.
Abstract
Climate models typically have a cold sea surface temperature (SST) bias for the Arabian Sea, which regulates the Indian monsoon system as a water vapor source. Since the SST for the Arabian ...Sea is critical for the Indian monsoon, a better understanding of the processes that affect the SST is required. In this study, the effects of mesoscale oceanic variability on simulations of the Arabian Sea SST and Indian summer monsoon precipitation were investigated based on a comparison of climate model experiments in which non-eddying and eddy-permitting ocean components are coupled. In the eddy-permitting model, warm water advection driven by mesoscale variability near the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf of Oman increases the SST in the western Arabian Sea. Lateral eddy heat transport enhances warm water outflows to the Arabian Sea and suppresses surface water cooling by coastal upwelling during the southwestern monsoon season. Furthermore, a sensitivity experiment shows the primary importance of resolving oceanic mesoscale eddies and the secondary importance of resolving the Persian Gulf and Red Sea for the Arabian Sea SST. Also, the summer monsoonal precipitation decreases (increases) over the southeastern Arabian Sea (western and northern India) in the eddy-permitting model due to enhancement of wind convergence in the lower troposphere. Atmospheric general circulation model experiments indicate that the precipitation difference is partly caused by SST changes over the western Arabian Sea. The findings imply that the ocean resolution of climate models is a key factor in efficiently simulating the Indian monsoon.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
We previously reported the partial identification by random sequencing of mRNA species that are associated with the postsynaptic density (PSD) fraction prepared from the rat forebrain Tian et al., ...1999. Mol. Brain Res. 72, 147–157. We report here further characterization by gene chip analysis of the PSD fraction-associated mRNAs, which were prepared in the presence of RNase inhibitor. We found that mRNAs encoding various postsynaptic proteins, such as channels, receptors for neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, proteins involved in signaling, scaffold and adaptor proteins and cytoskeletal proteins, were highly concentrated in the PSD fraction, whereas those encoding housekeeping proteins, such as enzymes in the glycolytic pathway, were not. We extracted ∼1900 mRNA species that were highly concentrated in the PSD fraction. mRNAs related to certain neuronal diseases were also enriched in the PSD fraction. We also constructed a cDNA library using the PSD fraction-associated mRNAs as templates, and identified 1152 randomly selected clones by sequencing. Our data suggested that the PSD fraction-associated mRNAs are a very useful resource, in which a number of as yet uncharacterized mRNAs are concentrated. Identification and functional characterization of them are essential for complete understanding of synaptic function.
A protocol presents a purification of postsynaptic density (PSD), from rat brain by subcellular fractionation using solubilization of membrane with Triton X-100 and sucrose density centrifugation. ...The protocol also includes purification of other synapse subdomains such as synaptosome, synaptic plasma membrane, P1 (nuclei and cell debris), P2 (crude mitochondria fraction), S3 (soluble fraction), and P3 (microsomal fraction). The method presented in this text is the one established by Siekevitz group. The PSDs obtained by this method are mainly excitatory type I PSDs. The method has been widely used and is useful for biochemical analyses such as identification of proteins associated with these subdomains by proteomics methods and western blotting, and morphological analyses at the electron microscopic level.
Sea ice has a large impact on climatic system and its variability. A good reproducibility of the past state of the sea ice in global climate models will reduce uncertainty in future projection. Here, ...we present sea-ice simulations for new versions of atmosphere-ocean coupled general circulation models, the Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate version 4h (MIROC4h) and version 5 (MIROC5), and assess the reproducibility of the sea ice prior to the future projection. The horizontal resolution of MIROC4h is significantly high for a coupled climate model, although its sea-ice component is based on the previous version. MIROC5 employs some improved schemes including subgrid-scale ice thickness distribution. Hindcast simulations of twentieth-century climate by the new models are compared with observations and with the results of previous versions of MIROC. For the Northern Hemisphere, Arctic sea-ice simulations are improved in both MIROC4h and MIROC5 compared with previous models. MIROC5 generally agrees well with observational data, whereas in MIROC4h, the Arctic sea ice is smaller in summer extent and in thickness. Employment of the ice thickness distribution, which allows large heat exchange through subgrid-scale thin ice regardless of the grid-averaged thickness, and relatively high albedo parameters contribute to reproduce more realistic ice thickness in MIROC5 compared with that in MIROC4h. For the Southern Hemisphere, MIROC4h well reproduces the observed ice edge, especially in winter, while MIROC5 underestimates sea-ice extent. Both models indicate decreasing trends in Arctic sea ice in the late twentieth century. A heat budget analysis of the MIROC5 Arctic Ocean suggests that intensification of ice-albedo feedback accelerates the rate of Arctic ice decline.
Rap1 and Rap2 are similar Ras-like G proteins but perform distinct functions. By the affinity chromatography/mass-spectrometry approach and the yeast two-hybrid screening, we identified ...Misshapen/NIKs-related kinase (MINK) as a novel Rap2-interacting protein that does not interact with Rap1 or Ras. MINK is a member of the STE20 group of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinases. The interaction between MINK and Rap2 was GTP-dependent and required Phe39 within the effector region of Rap2; the corresponding residue in Rap1 and Ras is Ser. MINK was enriched in the brain, and both MINK and its close relative, Traf2- and Nck-interacting kinase (TNIK), interacted with a postsynaptic scaffold protein containing tetratricopeptide repeats, ankyrin repeats and a coiled-coil region (TANC1) and induced its phosphorylation, under control of Rap2 in cultured cells. These are novel actions of MINK and TNIK, and consistent with a role of MINK as a Rap2 effector in the brain.
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