This study describes the three-dimensional crystal structure of a non-specific lipid transport protein (ns-LTP) from
Rosaceae. Whilst ns-LTPs from species other than
Rosaceae, such as nuts, cereals, ...grape, oranges and vegetables are also responsible for plant food allergies, this is less frequent compared with ns-LTPs from
Rosaceae in the Mediterranean area. In this heterologously expressed peach Pru p3, a ligand is present inside the central cavity of the protein, presumably a fatty acid that was present or produced in the culture medium of the expression organism
Escherichia coli. Moreover, the two molecules of ns-LTP present in the asymmetric unit bind this ligand in a different way, suggesting a significant degree of plasticity for the peach ns-LTP binding cavity, despite the presence of four disulphide bridges. Two molecules are present in the asymmetric unit: molecule A is a fully liganded protein, while molecule B apparently represents a partially liganded state. Also, molecular dynamics simulation, along with other evidence, suggests that these two molecular conformations represent different states in solution. Comparison of the 3D models of different ns-LTPs justifies the evidence of a high degree of conservation of the putative IgE binding epitopes among proteins of the
Rosaceae family and the presence of significant amino acid replacements in correspondence of the same regions in ns-LTPs of botanical species unrelated to
Rosaceae.
Worldwide efforts to tackle the nature of exotic nuclei comprise the construction of new-generation Radioactive Ion Beam facilities. The Italian community is deeply involved in the process and the ...construction of SPES at Legnaro National Laboratories (INFN) is progressing. This contribution describes the layout of SPES in all its flavours, from Nuclear Physics to Applications in Nuclear Medicine and Neutron Physics. In particular, the status of the SPES-β ISOL facility, together with some of the relevant physics cases and the associated equipment are described.
Tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) is the most accurate device for measuring the microdosimetric properties of a particle beam, nevertheless no detailed information on the track structure ...of the impinging particles can be obtained, since the lower operation limit of common TEPCs is ~0.3 μm. On the other hand, the pattern of particle interactions at the nanometer level is measured by only three different nanodosimeters worldwide: practical instruments are not yet available. In order to partially fill the gap between microdosimetry and track-nanodosimetry, a low-pressure avalanche-confinement TEPC was recently designed and constructed for simulating tissue-equivalent sites down to the nanometric region. The present article aims at describing the response of this newly developed TEPC in the range 0.3 μm-25 nm against a fast neutron field from a 241Am-Be source and a quasi-monoenergetic neutron beam. The experimental results are in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations carried out with the FLUKA code.
The tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) is the most accurate device for measuring microdosimetric properties of particle beams. Since microdosimetric quantities span over several decades, ...the electronic and acquisition chain should meet specific requirements. In order to cover the wide dynamic range of the signals generated by the TEPC, the output signal from the preamplifier is fed in parallel to three linear amplifiers which shape and amplify the signal with different gains. Very low-energy deposition events are filtered in the high-gain stage, and high-energy deposition events are processed in the low-gain stage. A new system with high acquisition performance and compact hardware was developed for this purpose. The analog-to-digital conversion is performed by a commercial acquisition system that includes a FPGA. Thanks to the FPGA a parallel high-speed acquisition on three channels can be performed. The software merges signals together from the three electronic chains and computes a real time microdosimetric spectrum giving a prompt information about the irradiation field. This acquisition system, which performs analog-to-digital conversion and signal processing at a sampling rate up to 15 MS/s, was tested by irradiating a TEPC with an Am-Be fast neutron field, an intense quasi-monoenergetic neutron beam and a 62 MeV/u helium ion beam.
Abstract
We use Gaia DR3 data to study the Collinder 132–Gulliver 21 region via the machine-learning algorithm S
tar
GO and find eight subgroups of stars (ASCC 32, Collinder 132 gp 1–6, Gulliver 21) ...located in close proximity. Three comoving populations were identified among these eight subgroups: (i) a coeval 25 Myr old moving group (Collinder 132), (ii) an intermediate-age (50–100 Myr) group, and (iii) the 275 Myr old dissolving cluster Gulliver 21. These three populations form parallel diagonal stripe-shape overdensities in the
U
–
V
distribution, which differ from open clusters and stellar groups in the solar neighborhood. We name this kinematic structure the Collinder 132–Gulliver 21 stream, as it extends over 270 pc in the 3D space. The oldest population, Gulliver 21, is spatially surrounded by the Collinder 132 moving group and the intermediate-age group. Stars in the Collinder 132–Gulliver 21 stream have an age difference up to 250 Myr. Metallicity information shows a variation of 0.3 dex between the youngest and oldest populations. The formation of the Collinder 132–Gulliver 21 stream involves both star formation and dynamical heating. The youngest population (Collinder 132 moving group) with homogeneous metallicity is probably formed through filamentary star formation. The intermediate-age and oldest populations were then scattered by the Galactic bar or spiral structure resonance to intercept Collinder 132's orbit. Without mutual interaction between each population, the three populations are flying by each other currently and will become three distinct groups again in ∼50 Myr.
Abstract Hemorrhagic fevers caused by arenaviruses are among the most devastating emerging human diseases. Considering the number of individuals affected, the current lack of a licensed vaccine, and ...the limited therapeutic options, arenaviruses are arguably among the most neglected tropical pathogens and the development of efficacious anti-arenaviral drugs is of high priority. Over the past years significant efforts have been undertaken to identify novel potent inhibitors of arenavirus infection. High throughput screening of small molecule libraries employing pseudotype platforms led to the discovery of several potent and broadly active inhibitors of arenavirus cell entry that are effective against the major hemorrhagic arenaviruses. Mechanistic studies revealed that these novel entry inhibitors block arenavirus membrane fusion and provided novel insights into the unusual mechanism of this process. The success of these approaches highlights the power of small molecule screens in antiviral drug discovery and establishes arenavirus membrane fusion as a robust drug target. These broad screenings have been complemented by strategies targeting cellular factors involved in productive arenavirus infection. Approaches targeting the cellular protease implicated in maturation of the fusion-active viral envelope glycoprotein identified the proteolytic processing of the arenavirus glycoprotein precursor as a novel and promising target for anti-arenaviral strategies.
Dispersible carbon nanotube/gold nanohybrids have been synthesized (see TEM image). The dispersed nanohybrids (either formed from single‐walled or multi‐walled carbon nanotubes and thiol‐protected ...gold nanoparticles) give rise to strong electronic coupling, which affects their important physicochemical properties.
The tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) is the most accurate device for measuring the microdosimetric properties of a particle beam, showing to properly assess the relative biological ...effectiveness by linking the physical parameters of the radiation with the corresponding biological response. Nevertheless no detailed information on the track structure of the impinging particles can be obtained, since the lower operation limit of the common TEPCs is about 0.3 ?m. On the other hand, the pattern of particle interactions at the nanometer level, which demonstrated to have a strong correlation with radiation-induced damages to the DNA, is directly measured by only three different nanodosimeters worldwide: practical instruments are not yet available. The gap between microdosimetry and track-nanodosimetry can be filled partially by extending the TEPC response down to the nanometric region. A feasibility study of a novel TEPC designed to simulate biological sites in the nanometric domain was performed. The present paper aims at describing the design, the development and the characterization of this avalanche-confinement TEPC. Irradiations with photons, fast neutrons and low-energy carbon ions demonstrated the capability of this TEPC of measuring in the range 0.3 μm - 25 nm.
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