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Evidence for an Induced-Fit Process Underlying the Activation of Apoptotic BAX by an Intrinsically Disordered BimBH3 Peptide.
Jhong, Siao-Ru; Li, Ching-Yu; Sung, Tai-Ching; Lan, Yu-Jing; Chang, Kuo-Jung; Chiang, Yun-Wei
Apoptotic BAX protein functions as a critical gateway to mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. A diversity of stimuli has been implicated in initiating BAX activation, but the triggering mechanism remains elusive. Here we study the interaction of BAX with an intrinsically disordered BH3 motif of Bim protein (BimBH3) using ESR techniques. Upon incubation with BAX, BimBH3 binds to BAX at helices 1/6 trigger site to initiate conformational changes of BAX, which in turn promotes the formation of BAX oligomers. The study strategy is twofold: while BAX oligomerization was monitored through spectral changes of spin-labeled BAX, the binding kinetics was studied by observing time-dependent changes of spin-labeled BimBH3. Meanwhile, conformational transition between the unstructured and structured BimBH3 was measured. We show that helical propensity of the BimBH3 is increased upon binding to BAX but is then reduced after being released from the activated BAX; the release is due to the BimBH3-induced conformational change of BAX that is a prerequisite for the oligomer assembling. Intermediate states are identified, offering a key snapshot of the coupled folding and binding process. Our results provide a quantitative mechanistic description of the BAX activation and reveal new insights into the mechanism underlying the interactions between BAX and BH3-mimetic peptide. PMID:26913490
BH3 mimetics as a strategy to complement anticancer therapies
Mariusz Ł. Hartman
Full Text Available The basis for targeting specific components of the apoptotic machinery for anticancer therapy is the detailed knowledge on molecular mechanisms that regulate this complex cell death pathway. As the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis is the major route to respond to stress stimuli including anticancer drugs, and that pathway is largely impaired in cancer cells, leading to tumor formation and treatment resistance, a variety of approaches have been developed to restore the function of the mitochondrial pathway in cancer cells. BH3-only proteins, being important inducers of the mitochondrial pathway, either directly stimulate proapoptotic Bax-like proteins or interfere with antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins. Therefore, the development of molecules able to mimic the function of BH3-only proteins is considered a promising strategy to improve cancer cell response to treatment. Several BH3 mimetics have been designed and studied in various tumors, in both in vitro and in vivo settings. Some of them are currently being evaluated in clinical trials either alone or in combination with conventional anticancer drugs. BH3 profiling of cancer cells was introduced to better predict the responsiveness of tumor cells to BH3 mimetics combined with conventional therapies. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on BH3-only proteins and describe the spectrum of strategies employing BH3 mimetics in preclinical and clinical studies that aim at tumor targeting.
Bio-mimetic Nanostructure Self-assembled from Au@Ag Heterogeneous Nanorods and Phage Fusion Proteins for Targeted Tumor Optical Detection and Photothermal Therapy
Fei Wang; Pei Liu; Lin Sun; Cuncheng Li; Valery. A. Petrenko; Aihua Liu
Nanomaterials with near-infrared (NIR) absorption have been widely studied in cancer detection and photothermal therapy (PTT), while it remains a great challenge in targeting tumor efficiently with minimal side effects. Herein we report a novel multifunctional phage-mimetic nanostructure, which was prepared by layer-by-layer self-assembly of Au@Ag heterogenous nanorods (NRs) with rhodamine 6G, and specific pVIII fusion proteins. Au@Ag NRs, first being applied for PTT, exhibited excellent stab...
A superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetic nanomedicine for targeted therapy of inflammatory bowel disease.
Zhang, Qixiong; Tao, Hui; Lin, Yongyao; Hu, Ying; An, Huijie; Zhang, Dinglin; Feng, Shibin; Hu, Houyuan; Wang, Ruibing; Li, Xiaohui; Zhang, Jianxiang
Oxidative stress, resulting from excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), plays a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). To develop an efficacious and safe nanotherapy against IBD, we designed and developed a superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetic nanomedicine comprising a hydrogen peroxide-eliminating nanomatrix and a free radical scavenger Tempol (Tpl). To this end, an oxidation-responsive β-cyclodextrin material (OxbCD) was synthesized, and a Tpl-loaded OxbCD nanoparticle (Tpl/OxbCD NP) was produced. Hydrolysis of OxbCD NP could be triggered by hydrogen peroxide, leading to on-demand release of loaded Tpl molecules from Tpl/OxbCD NP. OxbCD NP was able to efficiently accumulate in the inflamed colon in mice, thereby dramatically reducing nonspecific distribution after oral delivery. In three mouse colitis models, oral administration of Tpl/OxbCD NP notably mitigated manifestations relevant to colitis, and significantly suppressed expression of proinflammatory mediators, with the efficacy superior over free Tpl or a control nanomedicine based on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA). Accordingly, by scavenging multiple components of ROS, Tpl/OxbCD NP may effectively reduce ulcerative colitis in mice, and it can be intensively developed as a translational nanomedicine for the management of IBD and other inflammatory diseases. PMID:27525680
Raza, Muhammad; Myrzakulov, Kairat; Momeni, Davood; Myrzakulov, Ratbay
In this paper,we investigate the mathematical modeling for the cosmological attractors propagated in mimetic gravity upon which an interacting dark energy-dark matter is supposed to be existed. The average value of the interaction of these percentages, namely Γ i say, may be used to investigate generally the modeling of an attractor; the actual value could only be determined by data in any particular case. We have seen, for example, that it was led to investigate the subject of initially invariant submanifolds.
Diabetes-Impaired Wound Healing Is Improved by Matrix Therapy With Heparan Sulfate Glycosaminoglycan Mimetic OTR4120 in Rats
Tong, Miao; Tuk, Bastiaan; Shang, Peng; Hekking, Ineke M.; Esther M G Fijneman; Guijt, Marnix; Hovius, Steven E. R.; Johan W van Neck
Wound healing in diabetes is frequently impaired, and its treatment remains a challenge. We tested a therapeutic strategy of potentiating intrinsic tissue regeneration by restoring the wound cellular environment using a heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan mimetic, OTR4120. The effect of OTR4120 on healing of diabetic ulcers was investigated. Experimental diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Seven weeks after induction of diabetes, rats were ulcerated by clamping ...
Mimetic discretization methods
Castillo, Jose E
To help solve physical and engineering problems, mimetic or compatible algebraic discretization methods employ discrete constructs to mimic the continuous identities and theorems found in vector calculus. Mimetic Discretization Methods focuses on the recent mimetic discretization method co-developed by the first author. Based on the Castillo-Grone operators, this simple mimetic discretization method is invariably valid for spatial dimensions no greater than three. The book also presents a numerical method for obtaining corresponding discrete operators that mimic the continuum differential and
Combination small molecule PPT1 mimetic and CNS-directed gene therapy as a treatment for infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis
Roberts, Marie S.; Macauley, Shannon L.; Wong, Andrew M.; Yilmas, Denis; Hohm, Sarah; Cooper, Jonathan D.; Sands, Mark S.
Infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (INCL) is a profoundly neurodegenerative disease of children caused by a deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme palmitoyl protein thioesterase-1 (PPT1). There is currently no effective therapy for this invariably fatal disease. To date, preclinical experiments using single treatments have resulted in incremental clinical improvements. Therefore, we determined the efficacy of CNS-directed AAV2/5-mediated gene therapy alone and in combination with the system...
Nojiri, S; Oikonomou, V K
We combine the unimodular gravity and mimetic gravity theories into a unified theoretical framework, which is proposed to solve the cosmological constant problem and the dark matter issue. After providing the formulation of the unimodular mimetic gravity and investigating all the new features that the vacuum unimodular gravity implies, by using the underlying reconstruction method, we realize some well known cosmological evolutions, with some of these being exotic for the ordinary Einstein-Hilbert gravity. Specifically we provide the vacuum unimodular mimetic gravity description of the de Sitter cosmology, of the perfect fluid with constant equation of state cosmology, of the Type IV singular cosmology and of the $R^2$ inflation cosmology. Moreover, we investigate how cosmologically viable cosmologies, which are compatible with the recent observational data, can be realized by the vacuum unimodular mimetic gravity. Since in some cases, the graceful exit from inflation problem might exist, we provide a qualita...
Nojiri, S.; Odintsov, S. D.; Oikonomou, V. K.
We combine the unimodular gravity and mimetic gravity theories into a unified theoretical framework, which is proposed to provide a suggestive proposal for a framework that may assist in the discussion and search for a solution to the cosmological constant problem and the dark matter issue. After providing the formulation of the unimodular mimetic gravity and investigating all the new features that the vacuum unimodular gravity implies, by using the underlying reconstruction method, we realize some well known cosmological evolutions, with some of these being exotic for the ordinary Einstein–Hilbert gravity. Specifically we provide the vacuum unimodular mimetic gravity description of the de Sitter cosmology and of the perfect fluid with constant equation of state cosmology. As we demonstrate, these cosmologies can be realized by vacuum mimetic unimodular gravity, without the existence of any matter fluid source. Moreover, we investigate how cosmologically viable cosmologies, which are compatible with the recent observational data, can be realized by the vacuum unimodular mimetic gravity. Since in some cases, a graceful exit from inflation problem might exist, we provide a qualitative description of the mechanism that can potentially generate the graceful exit from inflation in these theories, by searching for the unstable de Sitter solutions in the context of unimodular mimetic theories of gravity.
Mimetic finite difference method
Lipnikov, Konstantin; Manzini, Gianmarco; Shashkov, Mikhail
The mimetic finite difference (MFD) method mimics fundamental properties of mathematical and physical systems including conservation laws, symmetry and positivity of solutions, duality and self-adjointness of differential operators, and exact mathematical identities of the vector and tensor calculus. This article is the first comprehensive review of the 50-year long history of the mimetic methodology and describes in a systematic way the major mimetic ideas and their relevance to academic and real-life problems. The supporting applications include diffusion, electromagnetics, fluid flow, and Lagrangian hydrodynamics problems. The article provides enough details to build various discrete operators on unstructured polygonal and polyhedral meshes and summarizes the major convergence results for the mimetic approximations. Most of these theoretical results, which are presented here as lemmas, propositions and theorems, are either original or an extension of existing results to a more general formulation using polyhedral meshes. Finally, flexibility and extensibility of the mimetic methodology are shown by deriving higher-order approximations, enforcing discrete maximum principles for diffusion problems, and ensuring the numerical stability for saddle-point systems.
Momeni, D; Gholizade, H; Myrzakulov, R
Modified gravity models have been constantly proposed with the purpose of evading some standard gravity shortcomings. Recently proposed by A.H. Chamseddine and V. Mukhanov, the Mimetic Gravity arises as an optimistic alternative. Our purpose in this work is to derive Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations and solutions for such a gravity theory. We solve them numerically for quark star and neutron star cases. The results are carefully discussed.
Choi, Haecheon
Bio-mimetic engineering or bio-mimetics is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology (from Wikipedia). The concept itself is old, but successful developments have been made recently, especially in the research field of flow control. The objective of flow control based on the bio-mimetic approach is to develop novel concepts for reducing drag, increasing lift and enhancing aerodynamic performance. For skin friction reduction, a few ideas have been suggested such as the riblet from shark, compliant surface from dolphin, microbubble injection and multiple front-body curvature from penguin, and V-shaped protrusion from sailfish. For form drag reduction, several new attempts have been also made recently. Examples include the V-shaped spanwise grooves from saguaro cactus, overall shape of box fish, longitudinal grooves on scallop shell, bill of swordfish, hooked comb on owl wing, trailing-edge protrusion on dragonfly wing, and fillet. For the enhancement of aerodynamic performance, focuses have been made on the birds, fish and insects: e.g., double layered feather of landing bird, leading-edge serration of humpback-whale flipper, pectoral fin of flying fish, long tail on swallowtail-butterfly wing, wing flapping motion of dragonfly, and alula in birds. Living animals adapt their bodies to better performance in multi purposes, but engineering requires single purpose in most cases. Therefore, bio-mimetic approaches often produce excellent results more than expected. However, they are sometimes based on people's wrong understanding of nature and produce unwanted results. Successes and failures from bio-mimetic approaches in flow control will be discussed in the presentation.
Hammer, Katrin
We consider the recently introduced mimetic gravity, which is a Weyl-symmetric extension of the General Relativity and which can play a role of an imperfect fluid-like Dark Matter with a small sound speed. In this paper we discuss in details how this higher- derivative scalar-tensor theory goes beyond the construction by Horndeski, keeping only one scalar degree of freedom on top of two standard graviton polarizations. In particular, we consider representations of the theory in different sets of Weyl-invariant variables and connect this framework to the singular Brans-Dicke theory. Further, we find solution of equations of motion for the mimetic gravity in the synchronous reference frame in a general curved spacetime. This solution is exact in the test-field approximation or in the case of a shear-free spacetime without any other matter.
Simulating co-evolution with mimetism
Meuleau, N.
This paper describes a computational model of autonomous organisms coevolving with a mimetic behavior. We discuss the role and importance of mimetism in swarm intelligence and how our program may be used to study it. This program has been tested when simulating traffic on a two dimensional road where each car is an autonomous unit imitating the other cars and being imitated by them. This experience clearly showed an improvement in the cars' perfomances due to their mimetic behavior.
NCAM Mimetic Peptides: An Update
Berezin, Vladimir; Bock, Elisabeth
pharmacological tools interfering with NCAM functions. Recent progress in our understanding of the structural basis of NCAM-mediated cell adhesion and signaling has allowed a structure-based design of NCAM mimetic peptides. Using this approach a number of peptides termed P2, P1-B, P-3-DE and P-3-G, whose...... sequences contain one or several NCAM homophilic binding sites involved in NCAM binding to itself, have been identified. By means of NMR titration analysis and molecular modeling a number of peptides derived from NCAM and targeting NCAM heterophilic ligands such as the fibroblast growth factor receptor and...... heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) have been identified. The FGL, dekaCAM, FRM/EncaminA, BCL, EncaminC and EncaminE peptides all target the FGF receptor whereas the heparin binding peptide HBP targets HSPG. Moreover, a number of NCAM binding peptides have been identified employing screening of...
Unimodular mimetic F(R) inflation
Odintsov, S. D.; Oikonomou, V. K.
We propose the unimodular-mimetic F(R) gravity theory, to resolve cosmological constant problem and dark matter problem in a unified geometric manner. We demonstrate that such a theory naturally admits accelerating universe evolution. Furthermore, we construct unimodular-mimetic F(R) inflationary cosmological scenarios compatible with the Planck and BICEP2/Keck-Array observational data. We also address the graceful exit issue, which is guaranteed by the existence of unstable de Sitter vacua.
High-Density Lipoprotein Mimetics: a Therapeutic Tool for Atherosclerotic Diseases.
Ikenaga, Masahiro; Higaki, Yasuki; Saku, Keijiro; Uehara, Yoshinari
Clinical trials and epidemiological studies have revealed a negative correlation between serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular events. Currently, statin treatment is the standard therapy for cardiovascular diseases, reducing plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. However, more than half of the patients have not been able to receive the beneficial effects of this treatment.The reverse cholesterol transport pathway has several potential anti-atherogenic properties. An important approach to HDL-targeted therapy is the optimization of HDL cholesterol levels and function in the blood to enhance the removal of circulating cholesterol and to prevent or mitigate inflammation that causes atherosclerosis. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitors increase HDL cholesterol levels in humans, but whether they reduce the risk of atherosclerotic diseases is unknown. HDL therapies using HDL mimetics, including reconstituted HDL, apolipoprotein (Apo) A-IMilano, ApoA-I mimetic peptides, or full-length ApoA-I, are highly effective in animal models. In particular, the Fukuoka University ApoA-I-mimetic peptide (FAMP) effectively removes cholesterol via the ABCA1 transporter and acts as an anti-atherosclerotic agent by enhancing the biological functions of HDL without elevating HDL cholesterol levels.Our literature review suggests that HDL mimetics have significant atheroprotective potential and are a therapeutic tool for atherosclerotic diseases. PMID:26830201
Castlemans Disease Mimetizing Pancreatic Tumor
Franz Robert Apodaca-Torrez
Full Text Available Context Angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia or Castleman's disease is a rare clinical condition. Knowledge about etiology and physiopathology; and treatment management as well are yet to be defined. Unicentric presentation of this disease affecting single lymph nodes in the mediastinum seems to be the most common presentation. Castleman's disease localized in the pancreas topographic area that mimics a pancreatic neoplasm is an even more uncommon event, with available published data of less than 15 cases until now. Case report We present a 64-year-old male patient with a six-month past history of asthenia, adynamia, and lack of general clinical conditions. Imaging studies showed a nodular hypoechoic mass in the pancreatic head. Enucleation of the lesion was performed. Histopathological study revealed unicentric form of Castleman's Disease. Conclusions Castleman's disease mimetizing pancreatic tumor is uncommon and it also curses with a difficult preoperative diagnosis. Surgery seems to be the best therapeutic alternative for this disease.
Cosmological perturbations in mimetic matter model
Matsumoto, Jiro; Sushkov, Sergey V
We investigate the cosmological evolution of mimetic matter model with arbitrary scalar potential. The cosmological reconstruction is explicitly done for different choices of potential. The cases that mimetic matter model shows the evolution as Cold Dark Matter(CDM), wCDM model, dark matter and dark energy with dynamical $Om(z)$ or phantom dark energy with phantom-non-phantom crossing are presented in detail. The cosmological perturbations for such evolution are studied in mimetic matter model. For instance, the evolution behavior of the matter density contrast which is different from usual one, i.e. $\\ddot \\delta + 2 H \\dot \\delta - \\kappa ^2 \\rho \\delta /2 = 0$ is investigated. The possibility of peculiar evolution of $\\delta$ in the model under consideration is shown. Special attention is paid to the behavior of matter density contrast near to future singularity where decay of perturbations may occur much earlier the singularity.
Cosmological perturbations in mimetic Horndeski gravity
Arroja, Frederico; Karmakar, Purnendu; Matarrese, Sabino
We study linear scalar perturbations around a flat FLRW background in mimetic Horndeski gravity. In the absence of matter, we show that the Newtonian potential satisfies a second-order differential equation with no spatial derivatives. This implies that the sound speed for scalar perturbations is exactly zero on this background. We also show that in mimetic $G^3$ theories the sound speed is equally zero. We obtain the equation of motion for the comoving curvature perturbation (first order differential equation) and solve it to find that the comoving curvature perturbation is constant on all scales in mimetic Horndeski gravity. We find solutions for the Newtonian potential evolution equation in two simple models. Finally we show that the sound speed is zero on all backgrounds and therefore the system does not have any wave-like scalar degrees of freedom.
Cosmological perturbations in mimetic Horndeski gravity
Arroja, Frederico; Bartolo, Nicola; Karmakar, Purnendu; Matarrese, Sabino
We study linear scalar perturbations around a flat FLRW background in mimetic Horndeski gravity. In the absence of matter, we show that the Newtonian potential satisfies a second-order differential equation with no spatial derivatives. This implies that the sound speed for scalar perturbations is exactly zero on this background. We also show that in mimetic G3 theories the sound speed is equally zero. We obtain the equation of motion for the comoving curvature perturbation (first order differential equation) and solve it to find that the comoving curvature perturbation is constant on all scales in mimetic Horndeski gravity. We find solutions for the Newtonian potential evolution equation in two simple models. Finally we show that the sound speed is zero on all backgrounds and therefore the system does not have any wave-like scalar degrees of freedom.
Mimetic desire and scapegoat mechanism in sport
Jernej Pisk
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The most fundamental question about sport is what is sport, what is its origin and its essence? Because sport is connected with the human being (there is no sport without human beings different anthropological visions of human being result in different understandings of sport. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to present and explain an anthropological vision of the human being and society as was developed by René Girard. In his view mimetic desire and the scapegoat mechanism have a central role in any culture, religion or other secular institutions. The explanatory power of his theory is presented when it is applied to the world of sport. METHODS: Our methodology is philosophical, involving conceptual analysis and the application of the outcomes to sport. RESULTS: In the paper we show that mimetic desire can be recognized as one of the important origins of recreational and competitive sports. When people recognize what other people are able to do or accomplish in sport this invokes the mimetic desire as a result of which motivation for sport and competiveness can arise. But mimetic rivalry leads to an unstable situation. Therefore a second element is needed: Scapegoating in sport is presented as a mean to preserve the good reputation of sport, to keep peace in sport as well as in society as a whole. Finally, the attempt to overcome mimetic desire and scapegoating in sport is presented and the question if this is worth trying at all is opened. CONCLUSIONS: The theories of mimetic desire and scapegoat mechanism have great explanatory power when they are applied to the field of sport. They could reveal us some hidden motives and forces which drive athletes and sport as a whole. Moreover, they exceed the world of sport and reveal the influence of sport on the whole of society.
Mimetic dark matter, ghost instability and a mimetic tensor-vector-scalar gravity
Chaichian, Masud; Klusoň, Josef; Oksanen, Markku; Tureanu, Anca
Recently modified gravitational theories which mimic the behaviour of dark matter, the so-called "Mimetic Dark Matter", have been proposed. We study the consistency of such theories with respect to the absence of ghost instability and propose a new tensor-vector-scalar theory of gravity, which is a generalization of the previous models of mimetic dark matter with additional desirable features. The original model proposed by Chamseddine and Mukhanov [JHEP 1311 (2013) 135, arXiv:1308.5410] is c...
Antibody mimetics: promising complementary agents to animal-sourced antibodies.
Baloch, Abdul Rasheed; Baloch, Abdul Wahid; Sutton, Brian J; Zhang, Xiaoying
Despite their wide use as therapeutic, diagnostic and detection agents, the limitations of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies have inspired scientists to design the next generation biomedical agents, so-called antibody mimetics that offer many advantages over conventional antibodies. Antibody mimetics can be constructed by protein-directed evolution or fusion of complementarity-determining regions through intervening framework regions. Substantial progress in exploiting human, butterfly (Pieris brassicae) and bacterial systems to design and select mimetics using display technologies has been made in the past 10 years, and one of these mimetics [Kalbitor® (Dyax)] has made its way to market. Many challenges lie ahead to develop mimetics for various biomedical applications, especially those for which conventional antibodies are ineffective, and this review describes the current characteristics, construction and applications of antibody mimetics compared to animal-sourced antibodies. The possible limitations of mimetics and future perspectives are also discussed. PMID:25264572
Intrinsic and chemo-sensitizing activity of SMAC-mimetics on high-risk childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Schirmer, M; Trentin, L; Queudeville, M; Seyfried, F; Demir, S; Tausch, E; Stilgenbauer, S; Eckhoff, S M; Meyer, L H; Debatin, K-M
SMAC-mimetics represent a targeted therapy approach to overcome apoptosis resistance in many tumors. Here, we investigated the efficacy of the SMAC-mimetic BV6 in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). In ALL cell lines, intrinsic apoptosis sensitivity was associated with rapid cIAP degradation, NF-κB activation, TNF-α secretion and induction of an autocrine TNF-α-dependent cell death loop. This pattern of responsiveness was also observed upon ex vivo analysis of 40 primograft BCP-ALL samples. Treatment with BV6 induced cell death in the majority of ALL primografts including leukemias with high-risk and poor-prognosis features. Inhibition of cell death by the TNF receptor fusion protein etanercept demonstrated that BV6 activity is dependent on TNF-α. In a preclinical NOD/SCID/huALL model of high-risk ALL, marked anti-leukemia effectivity and significantly prolonged survival were observed upon BV6 treatment. Interestingly, also in vivo, intrinsic SMAC-mimetic activity was mediated by TNF-α. Importantly, BV6 increased the effectivity of conventional induction therapy including vincristine, dexamethasone and asparaginase leading to prolonged remission induction. These data suggest SMAC-mimetics as an important addendum to efficient therapy of pediatric BCP-ALL. PMID:26775704
Oestrogene mimetic isoflavones' pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
Anca Dragomirescu,
Full Text Available Genisteine is the most abundant and the most studied estrogen-mimetic izoflavone. It's chemical formula is 4',5,7 – trihidroxyisoflavone. It has also estrogen-modulated properties by its binding ability to the beta type estrogen receptor. Genisteine presents the following farmacodinamic effects: antiaterogen effect, prevention of estrogen-dependent cancers, especially breast cancer, prevention of skin aging body, osteoprogen effect, prevention of osteoporosis at the menopauses women. Despite all these real benefits, there are also many adverse effects, registered both in humans and animals. Thus, the sheep feeding with some Fabaceae species, containing estrogen-mimetic isoflavones were stopped their reproductive function(isoflavones acted as an oral contraceptive. In humans, phytoestroges influence is still under evaluation, being suspected effects such as cerebral involution - via abusive apoptosis - or disturbance in hormonal status, in male children. All these are added to already known allergies, caused by soy proteins.
A note on a mimetic scalar-tensor cosmological model
Rabochaya, Yevgeniya; Zerbini, Sergio [Universita di Trento, Dipartimento di Fisica, Povo, Trento (Italy); TIFPA-INFN, Povo, Trento (Italy)
A specific Hordenski scalar-gravity mimetic model is investigated within a FLWR space-time. The mimetic scalar field is implemented via a Lagrangian multiplier, and it is shown that the model has equations of motion formally similar to the original simpler mimetic matter model of Chamseddine-Mukhanov-Vikman. Several exact solutions describing inflation, bounces, and future-time singularities are presented and discussed. (orig.)
Cosmological perturbations in a mimetic matter model
Matsumoto, Jiro; Odintsov, Sergei D.; Sushkov, Sergey V.
We investigate the cosmological evolution of a mimetic matter model with arbitrary scalar potential. The cosmological reconstruction—which is the method for constructing a model for an arbitrary evolution of the scale factor—is explicitly performed for different choices of potential. The cases where the mimetic matter model shows the evolution as cold dark matter (CDM), the w CDM model, dark matter and dark energy with a dynamical O m (z ) [where O m (z )≡[(H (z )/H0)2-1 ]/[(1 +z )3-1 ] ], and phantom dark energy with a phantom-nonphantom crossing are presented in detail. The cosmological perturbations for such evolutions are studied in the mimetic matter model. For instance, the evolution behavior of the matter density contrast (which is different than the usual one, i.e., δ ¨+2 H δ ˙-κ2ρ δ /2 =0 ) is investigated. The possibility of a peculiar evolution of δ in the model under consideration is shown. Special attention is paid to the behavior of the matter density contrast near the future singularity, where the decay of perturbations may occur much earlier than the singularity.
Disformal transformations, veiled General Relativity and Mimetic Gravity
In this Note we show that Einstein's equations for gravity are generically invariant under ''disformations''. We also show that the particular subclass when this is not true yields the equations of motion of ''Mimetic Gravity''. Finally we give the ''mimetic'' generalization of the Schwarzschild solution
A cosmological solution to mimetic dark matter
Saadi, Hassan [American University of Beirut, Physics Department, Beirut (Lebanon)
In this paper, a cosmological solution to Mimetic Dark Matter (MDM) for an exponential potential is provided. Then a solution for the 0 - i perturbed Einstein differential equation of MDM is obtained based on an exponential potential that satisfies inflation for some initial conditions. Another general potential is suggested that incorporates inflation too. Then quantum perturbations are included. The constants in the model can be tuned to be in agreement with the fluctuation amplitude of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. Finally, the spectral index is calculated for the suggested potentials. Moreover, MDM is shown to be a viable model to produce dark matter, inflation, and CMB's fluctuation. (orig.)
A cosmological solution to mimetic dark matter
Saadi, Hassan, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com [Physics Department, American University of Beirut, Beirut (Lebanon)
In this paper, a cosmological solution to Mimetic Dark Matter (MDM) for an exponential potential is provided. Then a solution for the 0-i perturbed Einstein differential equation of MDM is obtained based on an exponential potential that satisfies inflation for some initial conditions. Another general potential is suggested that incorporates inflation too. Then quantum perturbations are included. The constants in the model can be tuned to be in agreement with the fluctuation amplitude of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. Finally, the spectral index is calculated for the suggested potentials. Moreover, MDM is shown to be a viable model to produce dark matter, inflation, and CMB's fluctuation.
Smac mimetic-derived augmentation of chemotherapeutic response in experimental pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is highly resistant to conventional chemotherapy, in part due to the overexpression of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). Smac is an endogenous IAP-antagonist, which renders synthetic Smac mimetics attractive anticancer agents. We evaluated the benefits of combining a Smac mimetic, JP1201 (JP), with conventional chemotherapy agents used for PDAC management. Cell viability assays and protein expression analysis were performed using WST-1 reagent and Western blotting, respectively. Apoptosis was detected by annexin V/propidium iodide staining. In vivo tumor growth and survival studies were performed in murine PDAC xenografts. JP and gemcitabine (Gem) inhibited PDAC cell proliferation with additive effects in combination. The percentage of early apoptotic cells in controls, JP, Gem and JP + Gem was 17%, 26%, 26% and 38%, respectively. JP-induced apoptosis was accompanied by PARP-1 cleavage. Similar additive anti-proliferative effects were seen for combinations of JP with doxorubicin (Dox) and docetaxel (DT). The JP + Gem combination caused a 30% decrease in tumor size in vivo compared to controls. Median animal survival was improved significantly in mice treated with JP + Gem (38 d) compared to controls (22 d), JP (28 d) or Gem (32 d) (p = 0.01). Animal survival was also improved with JP + DT treatment (32 d) compared to controls (16 d), JP (21 d) or DT alone (27 d). These results warrant further exploration of strategies that promote chemotherapy-induced apoptosis of tumors and highlight the potential of Smac mimetics in clinical PDAC therapy
Novel molecular imaging of atherosclerosis with gallium-68-labeled apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptide and positron emission tomography
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) plays a major role in reverse cholesterol transport. Many researchers have been working to enhance the biochemical function of HDL for use in therapy. Although HDL therapy using injections of apolipoprotein (apo)-A-I mimetics, apo A-IMilano or full-length apo A-I is dramatically effective, it is still unclear whether apo A-I or apo A-I mimetics actually enter atherosclerotic plaque and remove cholesterol from the lipid burden. We synthesized a novel 24-amino acid apo A-I mimetic peptide (known as Fukuoka University apo A-I mimetic peptide (FAMP)) that potently removes cholesterol via specific adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporter A1. We then investigated the potential of FAMP to image developing plaque lesions in vivo. FAMP was modified with 1, 4, 7, 10-tetraazacyclododecane-1, 4, 7, 10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) and radiolabeled with gallium-68 (68Ga) for noninvasive positron emission tomography (PET) in an animal model (familial hypercholesterolemic myocardial infarction-prone rabbits: Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL-MI)) with atherosclerotic lesions. The 68Ga-DOTA-FAMP was dramatically taken up by atherosclerotic tissues in the blood vessels and aorta of WHHL-MI rabbits, but not the control rabbits. An apo A-I mimetic peptide with 68Ga-DOTA is a promising candidate diagnostic tracer for PET imaging of the atherosclerotic lipid burden and may contribute to the development of a tool for the diagnosis of plaque with PET. (author)
NEC violation in mimetic cosmology revisited
Ijjas, Anna; Steinhardt, Paul J
In the context of Einstein gravity, if the null energy condition (NEC) is satisfied, the energy density in expanding space-times always decreases while in contracting space-times the energy density grows and the universe eventually collapses into a singularity. In particular, no non-singular bounce is possible. It is, though, an open question if this energy condition can be violated in a controlled way, i.e., without introducing pathologies, such as unstable negative-energy states or an imaginary speed of sound. In this paper, we will re-examine the claim that the recently proposed mimetic scenario can violate the NEC without pathologies. We show that mimetic cosmology is prone to gradient instabilities even in cases when the NEC is satisfied (except for trivial examples). Most interestingly, the source of the instability is always the Einstein-Hilbert term in the action. The matter stress-energy component does not contribute spatial gradient terms but instead makes the problematic curvature modes dynamical. ...
Synthetic oligosaccharides as heparin-mimetics displaying anticoagulant properties.
Avci, Fikri Y; Karst, Nathalie A; Linhardt, Robert J
Heparin and low molecular weight heparins are major clinical anticoagulants and the drugs of choice for the treatment of deep venous thrombosis. The discovery of an antithrombin binding domain in heparin focused interest on understanding the mechanism of heparin's antithrombotic/ anticoagulant activity. Various heparin-mimetic oligosaccharides have been prepared in an effort to replace polydisperse heparin and low molecular weight heparins with a structurally-defined anticoagulant. The goal of attaining a heparin-mimetic with no unwanted side-effects has also provided motivation for these efforts. This article reviews structure-activity relationship (SAR) of structurally-defined heparin-mimetic oligosaccharides. PMID:14529394
Caloric Restriction Mimetics Enhance Anticancer Immunosurveillance.
Pietrocola, Federico; Pol, Jonathan; Vacchelli, Erika; Rao, Shuan; Enot, David P; Baracco, Elisa E; Levesque, Sarah; Castoldi, Francesca; Jacquelot, Nicolas; Yamazaki, Takahiro; Senovilla, Laura; Marino, Guillermo; Aranda, Fernando; Durand, Sylvère; Sica, Valentina; Chery, Alexis; Lachkar, Sylvie; Sigl, Verena; Bloy, Norma; Buque, Aitziber; Falzoni, Simonetta; Ryffel, Bernhard; Apetoh, Lionel; Di Virgilio, Francesco; Madeo, Frank; Maiuri, Maria Chiara; Zitvogel, Laurence; Levine, Beth; Penninger, Josef M; Kroemer, Guido
Caloric restriction mimetics (CRMs) mimic the biochemical effects of nutrient deprivation by reducing lysine acetylation of cellular proteins, thus triggering autophagy. Treatment with the CRM hydroxycitrate, an inhibitor of ATP citrate lyase, induced the depletion of regulatory T cells (which dampen anticancer immunity) from autophagy-competent, but not autophagy-deficient, mutant KRAS-induced lung cancers in mice, thereby improving anticancer immunosurveillance and reducing tumor mass. Short-term fasting or treatment with several chemically unrelated autophagy-inducing CRMs, including hydroxycitrate and spermidine, improved the inhibition of tumor growth by chemotherapy in vivo. This effect was only observed for autophagy-competent tumors, depended on the presence of T lymphocytes, and was accompanied by the depletion of regulatory T cells from the tumor bed. PMID:27411589
The Mimetic Principle in the Underground Economy
Cristina Voicu
Full Text Available There has been in the recent years an increased preoccupation at international level for the research of the mechanism of development of the underground economy. The numerous vain attempts to measure the dimension of the underground economy persuaded us to embark on a qualitative research of this economic phenomenon. In our investigation on the roots of the underground economy we drew very close to the psychological and sociological aspects of the phenomenon itself. The process of humanizing that has at its origin components of the mimetic principle, like acquisitive mimesis, prompt us to ponder over J.M. Keynes' words: "The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual ambition that one feels rewarded for."
The mimetic finite difference method for elliptic problems
Veiga, Lourenço Beirão; Manzini, Gianmarco
This book describes the theoretical and computational aspects of the mimetic finite difference method for a wide class of multidimensional elliptic problems, which includes diffusion, advection-diffusion, Stokes, elasticity, magnetostatics and plate bending problems. The modern mimetic discretization technology developed in part by the Authors allows one to solve these equations on unstructured polygonal, polyhedral and generalized polyhedral meshes. The book provides a practical guide for those scientists and engineers that are interested in the computational properties of the mimetic finite difference method such as the accuracy, stability, robustness, and efficiency. Many examples are provided to help the reader to understand and implement this method. This monograph also provides the essential background material and describes basic mathematical tools required to develop further the mimetic discretization technology and to extend it to various applications.
Apolipoprotein E mimetic peptide protects against diffuse brain injur y
Yaning Zhao; Jianmin Li; Qiqun Tang; Junling Gao; Changxiang Chen; Liwei Jing; Pan Zhang; Shuxing Li
Apolipoprotein E plays a crucial role in inhibiting chronic neurodegenerative processes. Howev-er, its impact on neurological function following diffuse brain injury is still unclear. This study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action of apolipoprotein E mimetic peptide on diffuse brain injury. Apolipoprotein E mimetic peptide was administered into the caudal vein of rats with diffuse brain injury before and after injury. We found that apo-lipoprotein E mimetic peptide signiifcantly decreased the number of apoptotic neurons, reduced extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 phosphorylation, down-regulated Bax and cytochrome c expression, decreased malondialdehyde content, and increased superoxide dismutase activity in a dose-dependent manner. These experimental ifndings demonstrate that apolipoprotein E mimetic peptide improves learning and memory function and protects against diffuse brain injury-induced apoptosis by inhibiting the extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2-Bax mito-chondrial apoptotic pathway.
A Finite Element Framework for Some Mimetic Finite Difference Discretizations
Rodrigo, Carmen; Gaspar, Francisco; Hu, Xiaozhe; Zikatanov, Ludmil
In this work we derive equivalence relations between mimetic finite difference schemes on simplicial grids and modified N\\'ed\\'elec-Raviart-Thomas finite element methods for model problems in $\\mathbf{H}(\\operatorname{\\mathbf{curl}})$ and $H(\\operatorname{div})$. This provides a simple and transparent way to analyze such mimetic finite difference discretizations using the well-known results from finite element theory. The finite element framework that we develop is also crucial for the design...
Towards Protein-Based Viral Mimetics for Cancer Therapies
Unzueta Elorza, Ugutz; Céspedes, María Virtudes; Vázquez Gómez, Esther; Ferrer Miralles, Neus; Mangues, Ramón; Villaverde Corrales, Antonio
The authors acknowledge the financial support on the development of nano-therapeutics in cancer granted to E.V. (PI12/00327) and R.M. (PI12/01861) from the Fund for Health of Spain (FIS) to E.V. (TV32013-133930), and to R.M. and A.V. (TV32013-132031) from La Marató de TV3 (416/C/2013), to A.V. from MINECO (BIO2013-41019-P), and from the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER) de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (NANOPROTHER and NANOCOMETS projects), financed by the Institu...
Static spherically symmetric solutions in mimetic gravity: rotation curves & wormholes
Myrzakulov, Ratbay; Vagnozzi, Sunny; Zerbini, Sergio
In this work, we analyse static spherically symmetric solutions in the framework of mimetic gravity, an extension of general relativity where the conformal degree of freedom of gravity is isolated in a covariant fashion. Here we extend previous works by considering in addition a potential for the mimetic field. An appropriate choice of such potential allows for the reconstruction of a number of interesting cosmological and astrophysical scenarios. We explicitly show how to reconstruct such a potential for a general static spherically symmetric space-time. A number of applications and scenarios are then explored, among which traversable wormholes. Finally, we analytically reconstruct potentials which leads to solutions to the equations of motion featuring polynomial corrections to the Schwarzschild spacetime. Accurate choices for such corrections could provide an explanation for the inferred flat rotation curves of spiral galaxies within the mimetic gravity framework, without the need for particle dark matter.
(Pseudoamide-linked oligosaccharide mimetics: molecular recognition and supramolecular properties
José L. Jiménez Blanco
Full Text Available Oligosaccharides are currently recognised as having functions that influence the entire spectrum of cell activities. However, a distinct disadvantage of naturally occurring oligosaccharides is their metabolic instability in biological systems. Therefore, much effort has been spent in the past two decades on the development of feasible routes to carbohydrate mimetics which can compete with their O-glycosidic counterparts in cell surface adhesion, inhibit carbohydrate processing enzymes, and interfere in the biosynthesis of specific cell surface carbohydrates. Such oligosaccharide mimetics are potential therapeutic agents against HIV and other infections, against cancer, diabetes and other metabolic diseases. An efficient strategy to access this type of compounds is the replacement of the glycosidic linkage by amide or pseudoamide functions such as thiourea, urea and guanidine. In this review we summarise the advances over the last decade in the synthesis of oligosaccharide mimetics that possess amide and pseudoamide linkages, as well as studies focussing on their supramolecular and recognition properties.
Combinatorial solid-phase synthesis of hapalosin mimetics
Olsen, Jacob A.; Jensen, Knud J.; Nielsen, John
The solid-phase synthesis of a small library of mimetics of the cyclic depsipeptide hapalosin is described. 3-Amino-4-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzoic acid was anchored through the anilino moiety to a backbone amide linker (BAL) handle support. Using chemoselective reactions and without the need for...
The Rule of Mimetic Desire in Higher Education
Brøgger, Katja
The initiation of the Bologna Process was accompanied by a radical transition of governance in higher education throughout Europe from government to governance. This article argues that this shift in the design of governing was connected to the need to subtly bypass the EU's subsidiarity principl......, shaming and faming that ignites a competitive, mimetic desire making the Bologna mode of governance feasible....
Dark energy oscillations in mimetic F (R ) gravity
Odintsov, S. D.; Oikonomou, V. K.
In this paper we address the problem of dark energy oscillations in the context of mimetic F (R ) gravity with potential. The issue of dark energy oscillations can be a problem in some models of ordinary F (R ) gravity, and a remedy that can make the oscillations milder is to introduce additional modifications in the functional form of the F (R ) gravity. As we demonstrate, the power-law modifications are not necessary in the mimetic F (R ) case, and by appropriately choosing the mimetic potential and the Lagrange multiplier, it is possible to make the oscillations almost vanish at the end of the matter domination era and during the late-time acceleration era. We examine the behavior of the dark energy equation of state parameter and of the total effective equation of state parameter as functions of the redshift, and we compare the resulting picture with the ordinary F (R ) gravity case. As we also show that the present day values of the dark energy equation of state parameter and of the total effective equation of state parameter are in better agreement with the observational data, in comparison to the ordinary F (R ) gravity case. Finally, we study the evolution of the growth factor as a function of the redshift for all the mimetic models we use.
Bio-Mimetic Sensors Based on Molecularly Imprinted Membranes
Catia Algieri
Full Text Available An important challenge for scientific research is the production of artificial systems able to mimic the recognition mechanisms occurring at the molecular level in living systems. A valid contribution in this direction resulted from the development of molecular imprinting. By means of this technology, selective molecular recognition sites are introduced in a polymer, thus conferring it bio-mimetic properties. The potential applications of these systems include affinity separations, medical diagnostics, drug delivery, catalysis, etc. Recently, bio-sensing systems using molecularly imprinted membranes, a special form of imprinted polymers, have received the attention of scientists in various fields. In these systems imprinted membranes are used as bio-mimetic recognition elements which are integrated with a transducer component. The direct and rapid determination of an interaction between the recognition element and the target analyte (template was an encouraging factor for the development of such systems as alternatives to traditional bio-assay methods. Due to their high stability, sensitivity and specificity, bio-mimetic sensors-based membranes are used for environmental, food, and clinical uses. This review deals with the development of molecularly imprinted polymers and their different preparation methods. Referring to the last decades, the application of these membranes as bio-mimetic sensor devices will be also reported.
Designing a small molecule erythropoietin mimetic.
Guarnieri, Frank
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a protein made by the kidneys in response to low red blood cell count that is secreted into the bloodstream and binds to a receptor on hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow inducing them to become new red blood cells. EPO made with recombinant DNA technology was brought to market in the 1980s to treat anemia caused by kidney disease and cancer chemotherapy. Because EPO infusion was able to replace blood transfusions in many cases, it rapidly became a multibillion dollar per year drug and as the first biologic created with recombinant technology it launched the biotech industry. For many years intense research was focused on creating a small molecule orally available EPO mimetic. The Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) group seemed to definitively establish that only large peptides with a minimum of 60 residues could replace EPO, as anything less was not a full agonist. An intense study of the published work led me to hypothesize that the size of the mimetic is not the real issue, but the symmetry making and breaking of the EPO receptor induced by the ligand is the key to activating the stem cells. This analysis meant that residues in the binding site of the receptor deemed absolutely essential for ligand binding and activation from mutagenesis experiments, were probably not really that important. My fundamental hypotheses were: (a) the symmetric state of the homodimeric receptor is the most stable state and thus must be the off-state, (b) a highly localized binding site exists at a pivot point where the two halves of the receptor meet, (c) small molecules can be created that have high potency for this site that will be competitive with EPO and thus can displace the protein-protein interaction, (d) small symmetric molecules will stabilize the symmetric off-state of the receptor, and (e) a key asymmetry in the small molecule will stabilize a mirror image asymmetry in the receptor resulting in the stabilization of the on-state and proliferation of
Effects of the high-density lipoprotein mimetic agent CER-001 on coronary atherosclerosis in patients with acute coronary syndromes: A randomized trial
Tardif, Jean-claude; Ballantyne, Christie M.; Barter, Philip; Dasseux, Jean-Louis; Fayad, Zahi A; Guertin, Marie-Claude; Kastelein, John J. P.; Keyserling, Constance; Klepp, Heather; Koenig, Wolfgang; L'Allier, Philippe L.; Lespérance, Jacques; Lüscher, Thomas F.; Paolini, John F.; Tawakol, Ahmed
Aim High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) have several potentially protective vascular effects. Most clinical studies of therapies targeting HDL have failed to show benefits vs. placebo. Objective: To investigate the effects of an HDL-mimetic agent on atherosclerosis by intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS) and quantitative coronary angiography (QCA). Design and setting A prospective, double-blinded, randomized trial was conducted at 51 centres in the USA, the Netherlands, Canada, and France. Intra...
Metabolic effects of the incretin mimetic exenatide in the treatment of type 2 diabetes
Catherine A Schnabel
Full Text Available Catherine A Schnabel, Matthew Wintle, Orville KoltermanAmylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc, 9360 Towne Centre Drive, Suite 110, San Diego, CA 92121, USAAbstract: Interventional studies have demonstrated the impact of hyperglycemia on the development of vascular complications associated with type 2 diabetes, which underscores the importance of safely lowering glucose to as near-normal as possible. Among the current challenges to reducing the risk of vascular disease associated with diabetes is the management of body weight in a predominantly overweight patient population, and in which weight gain is likely with many current therapies. Exenatide is the first in a new class of agents termed incretin mimetics, which replicate several glucoregulatory effects of the endogenous incretin hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1. Currently approved in the US as an injectable adjunct to metformin and/or sulfonylurea therapy, exenatide improves glycemic control through multiple mechanisms of action including: glucose-dependent enhancement of insulin secretion that potentially reduces the risk of hypoglycemia compared with insulin secretagogues; restoration of first-phase insulin secretion typically deficient in patients with type 2 diabetes; suppression of inappropriately elevated glucagon secretion to reduce postprandial hepatic output; and slowing the rate of gastric emptying to regulate glucose appearance into the circulation. Clinical trials in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with subcutaneous exenatide twice daily demonstrated sustained improvements in glycemic control, evidenced by reductions in postprandial and fasting glycemia and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c levels. Notably, improvements in glycemic control with exenatide were coupled with progressive reductions in body weight, which represents a distinct therapeutic benefit for patients with type 2 diabetes. Acute effects of exenatide on beta-cell responsiveness along with significant reductions
Comparative Allometric Growth of the Mimetic Ephippid Reef Fishes Chaetodipterus faber and Platax orbicularis
Barros, Breno; Sakai, Yoichi; Pereira, Pedro H. C.; Gasset, Eric; Buchet, Vincent; Maamaatuaiahutapu, Moana; Jonathan S Ready; Oliveira, Yrlan; Giarrizzo,Tommaso; Vallinoto, Marcelo
Mimesis is a relatively widespread phenomenon among reef fish, but the ontogenetic processes relevant for mimetic associations in fish are still poorly understood. In the present study, the allometric growth of two allopatric leaf-mimetic species of ephippid fishes, Chaetodipterus faber from the Atlantic and Platax orbicularis from the Indo-Pacific, was analyzed using ten morphological variables. The development of fins was considered owing to the importance of these structures for mimetic be...
Bradykinin antagonists modified with dipeptide mimetic beta-turn inducers.
Alcaro, Maria C; Vinci, Valerio; D'Ursi, Anna M; Scrima, Mario; Chelli, Mario; Giuliani, Sandro; Meini, Stefania; Di Giacomo, Marcello; Colombo, Lino; Papini, Anna Maria
Bradykinin (BK) is involved in a wide variety of pathophysiological processes. Potent BK peptide antagonists can be developed introducing constrained unnatural amino acids, necessary to force the secondary structure of the molecule. In this paper, we report a structure-activity relationship study of two peptide analogues of the potent B2 antagonist HOE 140 by replacing the D-Tic-Oic dipeptide with conformationally constrained dipeptide mimetic beta-turn inducers. PMID:16504505
Dynamical behavior in mimetic F(R) gravity
Leon, Genly
We investigate the cosmological behaviour of mimetic F(R) gravity. This scenario is the F(R) extension of usual mimetic gravity classes, which are based on re-parametrizations of the metric using new, but not extra, degrees of freedom, that can lead to a wider family of solutions. Performing a detailed dynamical analysis for exponential, power-law, and arbitrary F(R) forms, we extracted the corresponding critical points. Interestingly enough, we found that although the new features of mimetic F(R) gravity can affect the universe evolution at early and intermediate times, at late times they will not have any effect, and the universe will result at stable states that coincide with those of usual F(R) gravity. However, this feature holds for the late-time background evolution only. On the contrary, the behaviour of the perturbations is expected to be different since the new term contributes to the perturbations even if it does not contribute at the the background level.
Dark Energy Oscillations in Mimetic $F(R)$ Gravity
Odintsov, S D
In this paper we address the problem of dark energy oscillations in the context of mimetic $F(R)$ gravity with potential. The issue of dark energy oscillations can be a problem in some models of ordinary $F(R)$ gravity and a remedy that can make the oscillations milder is to introduce additional modifications in the functional form of the $F(R)$ gravity. As we demonstrate the power-law modifications are not necessary in the mimetic $F(R)$ case, and by appropriately choosing the mimetic potential and the Lagrange multiplier, it is possible to make the oscillations almost to vanish at the end of the matter domination era and during the late-time acceleration era. We examine the behavior of the dark energy equation of state parameter and of the total effective equation of state parameter as functions of the redshift and we compare the resulting picture with the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity case. As we also show, the present day values of the dark energy equation of state parameter and of the total effective equation ...
Apolipoprotein A-I and A-I mimetic peptides: a role in atherosclerosis
Getz GS
Full Text Available Godfrey S Getz, Catherine A ReardonThe University of Chicago, Department of Pathology, Chicago, IL, USAAbstract: Cardiovascular disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the westernized world. Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of most cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerosis is a slowly evolving chronic inflammatory disorder involving the intima of large and medium sized arteries that is initiated in response to high plasma lipid levels, especially LDL. Cells of both the innate and adaptive immunity are involved in this chronic inflammation. Although high plasma LDL levels are a major contributor to most stages of the evolution of atherosclerosis, HDL and its major protein apoA-I possess properties that attenuate and may even reverse atherosclerosis. Two major functions are the ability to induce the efflux of cholesterol from cells, particularly lipid-loaded macrophages, in the artery wall for transfer to the liver, a process referred to as reverse cholesterol transport, and the ability to attenuate the pro-inflammatory properties of LDL. The removal of cellular cholesterol from lipid-loaded macrophages may also be anti-inflammatory. One of the most promising therapies to enhance the anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory properties of HDL is apoA-I mimetic peptides. Several of these peptides have been shown to promote cellular cholesterol efflux, attenuate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by macrophages, and to attenuate the pro-inflammatory properties of LDL. This latter effect may be related to their high affinity for oxidized lipids present in LDL. This review discusses the functional properties of the peptides and their effect on experimental atherosclerosis and the results of initial clinical studies in humans.Keywords: apoA-I, mimetic peptides, HDL, anti-inflammatory, atherosclerosis
Inhibition of PI3K/BMX Cell Survival Pathway Sensitizes to BH3 Mimetics in SCLC.
Potter, Danielle S; Galvin, Melanie; Brown, Stewart; Lallo, Alice; Hodgkinson, Cassandra L; Blackhall, Fiona; Morrow, Christopher J; Dive, Caroline
Most small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients are initially responsive to cytotoxic chemotherapy, but almost all undergo fatal relapse with progressive disease, highlighting an urgent need for improved therapies and better patient outcomes in this disease. The proapoptotic BH3 mimetic ABT-737 that targets BCL-2 family proteins demonstrated good single-agent efficacy in preclinical SCLC models. However, so far clinical trials of the BH3 mimetic Navitoclax have been disappointing. We previously demonstrated that inhibition of a PI3K/BMX cell survival signaling pathway sensitized colorectal cancer cells to ABT-737. Here, we show that SCLC cell lines, which express high levels of BMX, become sensitized to ABT-737 upon inhibition of PI3K in vitro, and this is dependent on inhibition of the PI3K-BMX-AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Consistent with these cell line data, when combined with Navitoclax, PI3K inhibition suppressed tumor growth in both an established SCLC xenograft model and in a newly established circulating tumor cell-derived explant (CDX) model generated from a blood sample obtained at presentation from a chemorefractory SCLC patient. These data show for the first time that a PI3K/BMX signaling pathway plays a role in SCLC cell survival and that a BH3 mimetic plus PI3K inhibition causes prolonged tumor regression in a chemorefractory SCLC patient-derived model in vivo These data add to a body of evidence that this combination should move toward the clinic. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(6); 1248-60. ©2016 AACR. PMID:27197306
Synthesis and anticancer properties of fucoidan-mimetic glycopolymer coated gold nanoparticles
Tengdelius, Mattias; Gurav, Deepanjali; Konradsson, Peter; Påhlsson, Peter; Griffith, May; Oommen, Oommen P.
Gold nanoparticles coated with fucoidan-mimetic glycopolymers were synthesized that displayed good colloidal stability and promising anti-cancer properties. Fucoidan mimetic glycopolymers on their own were nontoxic, while glycopolymer coated gold nanoparticles displayed selective cytotoxicity to human colon cancer cell lines (HCT116) while it was non-toxic to mouse fibroblast cells (NIH3T3).
Coating of biomaterial scaffolds with the collagen-mimetic peptide GFOGER for bone defect repair.
Wojtowicz, Abigail M; Shekaran, Asha; Oest, Megan E; Dupont, Kenneth M; Templeman, Kellie L; Hutmacher, Dietmar W; Guldberg, Robert E; García, Andrés J
Healing large bone defects and non-unions remains a significant clinical problem. Current treatments, consisting of auto and allografts, are limited by donor supply and morbidity, insufficient bioactivity and risk of infection. Biotherapeutics, including cells, genes and proteins, represent promising alternative therapies, but these strategies are limited by technical roadblocks to biotherapeutic delivery, cell sourcing, high cost, and regulatory hurdles. In the present study, the collagen-mimetic peptide, GFOGER, was used to coat synthetic PCL scaffolds to promote bone formation in critically-sized segmental defects in rats. GFOGER is a synthetic triple helical peptide that binds to the alpha(2)beta(1) integrin receptor involved in osteogenesis. GFOGER coatings passively adsorbed onto polymeric scaffolds, in the absence of exogenous cells or growth factors, significantly accelerated and increased bone formation in non-healing femoral defects compared to uncoated scaffolds and empty defects. Despite differences in bone volume, no differences in torsional strength were detected after 12 weeks, indicating that bone mass but not bone quality was improved in this model. This work demonstrates a simple, cell/growth factor-free strategy to promote bone formation in challenging, non-healing bone defects. This biomaterial coating strategy represents a cost-effective and facile approach, translatable into a robust clinical therapy for musculoskeletal applications. PMID:20056517
Synthesis of a C-linked hyaluronic acid disaccharide mimetic
Ren, Zhong-Xu; Yang, Qiang; Price, Kenneth N.; Chen, Tianniu; Nygren, Cara; Turner, John. F. C.; Baker, David C.
The synthesis of a C-disaccharide that is designed as a mimetic for the repeating unit disaccharide of hyaluronic acid is described. The target compound was obtained via the SmI2-promoted coupling reaction of the sulfone, 2-acetamido-4,6-O-benzylidene-3-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-1,2-dideoxy-1-pyridinylsulfonyl-β-D-glucopyranose (6), and the aldehyde, p-methoxyphenyl 2,3-di-O-benzyl-4-deoxy-4-C-formyl-6-O-p-methoxybenzyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (14).
Ming-ming Zong; Yong-kuan Gong
The surface design used for improving biocompatibility is one of the most important issues for the fabrication of medical devices. For mimicking the ideal surface structure of cell outer membrane, a large number of polymers bearing phosphorylcholine (PC) groups have been employed to modify the surfaces of biomaterials and medical devices. It has been demonstrated that the biocompatibility of the modified materials whose surface is required to interact with a living organism has been obviously improved by introducing PC groups. In this review, the fabrication strategies of cell outer membrane mimetic surfaces and their resulted biocompatibilities were summarized.
Mimetic discretization of two-dimensional magnetic diffusion equations
Lipnikov, Konstantin; Reynolds, James; Nelson, Eric
In case of non-constant resistivity, cylindrical coordinates, and highly distorted polygonal meshes, a consistent discretization of the magnetic diffusion equations requires new discretization tools based on a discrete vector and tensor calculus. We developed a new discretization method using the mimetic finite difference framework. It is second-order accurate on arbitrary polygonal meshes and a consistent calculation of the Joule heating is intrinsic within it. The second-order convergence rates in L2 and L1 norms were verified with numerical experiments.
Mimetic Finite Differences for Flow in Fractures from Microseismic Data
Al-Hinai, Omar
We present a method for porous media flow in the presence of complex fracture networks. The approach uses the Mimetic Finite Difference method (MFD) and takes advantage of MFD\\'s ability to solve over a general set of polyhedral cells. This flexibility is used to mesh fracture intersections in two and three-dimensional settings without creating small cells at the intersection point. We also demonstrate how to use general polyhedra for embedding fracture boundaries in the reservoir domain. The target application is representing fracture networks inferred from microseismic analysis.
Activation of concurrent apoptosis and necroptosis by SMAC mimetics for the treatment of refractory and relapsed ALL.
McComb, Scott; Aguadé-Gorgorió, Júlia; Harder, Lena; Marovca, Blerim; Cario, Gunnar; Eckert, Cornelia; Schrappe, Martin; Stanulla, Martin; von Stackelberg, Arend; Bourquin, Jean-Pierre; Bornhauser, Beat C
More precise treatment strategies are urgently needed to decrease toxicity and improve outcomes for treatment-refractory leukemia. We used ex vivo drug response profiling of high-risk, relapsed, or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases and identified a subset with exquisite sensitivity to small-molecule mimetics of the second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC) protein. Potent ex vivo activity of the SMAC mimetic (SM) birinapant correlated with marked in vivo antileukemic effects, as indicated by delayed engraftment, decreased leukemia burden, and prolonged survival of xenografted mice. Antileukemic activity was dependent on simultaneous execution of apoptosis and necroptosis, as demonstrated by functional genomic dissection with a multicolored lentiCRISPR approach to simultaneously disrupt multiple genes in patient-derived ALL. SM specifically targeted receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIP1)-dependent death, and CRISPR-mediated disruption of RIP1 completely blocked SM-induced death yet had no impact on the response to standard antileukemic agents. Thus, SM compounds such as birinapant circumvent escape from apoptosis in leukemia by activating a potent dual RIP1-dependent apoptotic and necroptotic cell death, which is not exploited by current therapy. Ex vivo drug activity profiling could provide important functional diagnostic information to identify patients who may benefit from targeted treatment with birinapant in early clinical trials. PMID:27194728
Effects of canola and corn oil mimetic on Jurkat cells
Akinsete Juliana A
Full Text Available Abstract Background The Western diet is high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids. Canola oil contains a healthier omega 3 to omega 6 ratio than corn oil. Jurkat T leukemia cells were treated with free fatty acids mixtures in ratios mimicking that found in commercially available canola oil (7% α-linolenic, 30% linoleic, 54% oleic or corn oil (59% linoleic, 24% oleic to determine the cell survival or cell death and changes in expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and receptors following oil treatment. Methods Fatty acid uptake was assessed by gas chromatography. Cell survival and cell death were evaluated by cell cycle analyses, propidium-iodide staining, trypan blue exclusion and phosphatidylserine externalization. mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines and receptors were assessed by RT-PCR. Results There was a significant difference in the lipid profiles of the cells after treatment. Differential action of the oils on inflammatory molecules, following treatment at non-cytotoxic levels, indicated that canola oil mimetic was anti-inflammatory whereas corn oil mimetic was pro-inflammatory. Significance These results indicate that use of canola oil in the diet instead of corn oil might be beneficial for diseases promoted by inflammation.
Synthesis of rigid p-terphenyl-linked carbohydrate mimetics
Maja Kandziora
Full Text Available An approach to β-D-2-aminotalose- and β-D-2-aminoidose-configured carbohydrate mimetics bearing a phenyl substituent is described. Unnatural divalent rigid p-terphenyl-linked C-aryl glycosides with 2.0 nm dimension are available using Suzuki cross-couplings. The key compound, a p-bromophenyl-substituted 1,2-oxazine, was prepared by a stereoselective [3 + 3]-cyclization of a D-isoascorbic acid-derived (Z-nitrone and lithiated TMSE-allene. The Lewis acid-induced rearrangement of this heterocycle provided the corresponding bicyclic 1,2-oxazine derivative that may be regarded as internally protected amino sugar analogue. After subsequent reduction of the carbonyl group, the resulting bicyclic compound was used for Suzuki cross-couplings to form biphenyl aminopyran or p-terphenyl-linked dimers. Hydrogenolysis afforded new unnatural aminosugar mimetics. Zinc in the presence of acid or samarium diiodide were examined for the N–O bond cleavage in order to obtain the rigid p-terphenyl-linked C-glycosyl dimers.
The mimetic repertoire of the spotted bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus maculatus
Kelley, Laura A.; Healy, Susan D.
Although vocal mimicry in songbirds is well documented, little is known about the function of such mimicry. One possibility is that the mimic produces the vocalisations of predatory or aggressive species to deter potential predators or competitors. Alternatively, these sounds may be learned in error as a result of their acoustic properties such as structural simplicity. We determined the mimetic repertoires of a population of male spotted bowerbirds Ptilonorhynchus maculatus, a species that mimics predatory and aggressive species. Although male mimetic repertoires contained an overabundance of vocalisations produced by species that were generally aggressive, there was also a marked prevalence of mimicry of sounds that are associated with alarm such as predator calls, alarm calls and mobbing calls, irrespective of whether the species being mimicked was aggressive or not. We propose that it may be the alarming context in which these sounds are first heard that may lead both to their acquisition and to their later reproduction. We suggest that enhanced learning capability during acute stress may explain vocal mimicry in many species that mimic sounds associated with alarm.
Reissner-Nordstr\\"om Black Holes in Mimetic $F(R)$ Gravity
Oikonomou, V. K.
In this paper we study under which conditions the Reissner-Nordstr\\"om-anti de Sitter black hole can be a solution of the vacuum mimetic $F(R)$ gravity with Lagrange multiplier and mimetic scalar potential. As we demonstrate, the resulting picture in the mimetic $F(R)$ gravity case, is different in comparison to the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity case, with the two descriptions resulting to a different set of constraints that need to hold true. We also investigate the metric perturbations in the mim...
Type I Collagen and Collagen Mimetics as Angiogenesis Promoting Superpolymers
Twardowski, T.; Fertala, A.; Orgel, J.P.R.O.; San Antonio, J.D. (TJU); (IIT); (Widener)
Angiogenesis, the development of blood vessels from the pre-existing vasculature, is a key component of embryogenesis and tissue regeneration. Angiogenesis also drives pathologies such as tumor growth and metastasis, and hemangioma development in newborns. On the other hand, promotion of angiogenesis is needed in tissues with vascular insufficiencies, and in bioengineering, to endow tissue substitutes with appropriate microvasculatures. Therefore, much research has focused on defining mechanisms of angiogenesis, and identifying pro- and anti-angiogenic molecules. Type I collagen, the most abundant protein in humans, potently stimulates angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Crucial to its angiogenic activity appears to be ligation and possibly clustering of endothelial cell (EC) surface {alpha}1{beta}1/{alpha}2{beta}1 integrin receptors by the GFPGER502-507 sequence of the collagen fibril. However, additional aspects of collagen structure and function that may modulate its angiogenic properties are discussed. Moreover, type I collagen and fibrin, another angiogenic polymer, share several structural features. These observations suggest strategies for creating 'angiogenic superpolymers', including: modifying type I collagen to influence its biological half-life, immunogenicity, and integrin binding capacity; genetically engineering fibrillar collagens to include additional integrin binding sites or angiogenic determinants, and remove unnecessary or deleterious sequences without compromising fibril integrity; and exploring the suitability of poly(ortho ester), PEG-lysine copolymer, tubulin, and cholesteric cuticle as collagen mimetics, and suggesting means of modifying them to display ideal angiogenic properties. The collagenous and collagen mimetic angiogenic superpolymers described here may someday prove useful for many applications in tissue engineering and human medicine.
A non-linear constrained optimization technique for the mimetic finite difference method
Manzini, Gianmarco [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Svyatskiy, Daniil [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Bertolazzi, Enrico [Univ. of Trento (Italy); Frego, Marco [Univ. of Trento (Italy)
This is a strategy for the construction of monotone schemes in the framework of the mimetic finite difference method for the approximation of diffusion problems on unstructured polygonal and polyhedral meshes.
Nonconventional amide bond formation catalysis: programming enzyme specificity with substrate mimetics
F. Bordusa
This article reports on the design and characteristics of substrate mimetics in protease-catalyzed reactions. Firstly, the basis of protease-catalyzed peptide synthesis and the general advantages of substrate mimetics over common acyl donor components are described. The binding behavior of these artificial substrates and the mechanism of catalysis are further discussed on the basis of hydrolysis, acyl transfer, protein-ligand docking, and molecular dynamics studies on the trypsin model. The g...
Mimetic orthosis for lower limbs to be applied on rehabilitation for hemiplegic persons
P.S. Luna; E. Cardiel; R. Muñoz; Urrutia, R.; Villanueva, D.; P.R.Hernández
A rehabilitation tool based on an innovative mimetic active orthosis for hemiplegics is presented. It follows concepts of neuronal learning from afferent information from movements, similar to those lost after brain damage. An artificial gait pattern is applied on knee and hip articulations of a functional modified limb by using an exoskeleton powered by pneumatic muscles. Key Words: Key Words: Key Words: Key Words: Key Words: Active orthosis, mimetic orthosis, gait rehabilitation.
Reissner-Nordstr\\"om Black Holes in Mimetic $F(R)$ Gravity
Oikonomou, V K
In this paper we study under which conditions the Reissner-Nordstr\\"om-anti de Sitter black hole can be a solution of the vacuum mimetic $F(R)$ gravity with Lagrange multiplier and mimetic scalar potential. As we demonstrate, the resulting picture in the mimetic $F(R)$ gravity case, is different in comparison to the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity case, with the two descriptions resulting to a different set of constraints that need to hold true. We also investigate the metric perturbations in the mimetic $F(R)$ gravity case, for the Reissner-Nordstr\\"om-anti de Sitter black hole metric, at first order of the perturbed variables. Interestingly enough, the resulting equations are identical to the ones corresponding to the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity Reissner-Nordstr\\"om-anti de Sitter black hole, at least at first order. We attribute this feature to the particular form of the Reissner-Nordstr\\"om-anti de Sitter metric, and we speculate for which cases there could be differences between the mimetic and non-mimetic case. Sin...
Reissner–Nordström Anti-de Sitter Black Holes in Mimetic F(R Gravity
V. K. Oikonomou
Full Text Available In this paper, we study under which conditions the Reissner–Nordström anti-de Sitter black hole can be a solution of the vacuum mimetic F ( R gravity with Lagrange multiplier and mimetic scalar potential. As the author demonstrates, the resulting picture in the mimetic F ( R gravity case is a trivial extension of the standard F ( R approach, and in effect, the metric perturbations in the mimetic F ( R gravity case, for the Reissner–Nordström anti-de Sitter black hole metric, at the first order of the perturbed variables are the same at the leading order.
Reissner–Nordström Anti-de Sitter Black Holes in Mimetic F(R) Gravity
Oikonomou, V. K.
In this paper, we study under which conditions the Reissner–Nordström anti-de Sitter black hole can be a solution of the vacuum mimetic F ( R ) gravity with Lagrange multiplier and mimetic scalar potential. As the author demonstrates, the resulting picture in the mimetic F ( R ) gravity case is a trivial extension of the standard F ( R ) approach, and in effect, the metric perturbations in the mimetic F ( R ) gravity case, for the Reissner–Nordström anti-de Sit...
Caloric restriction mimetics: natural/physiological pharmacological autophagy inducers.
Mariño, Guillermo; Pietrocola, Federico; Madeo, Frank; Kroemer, Guido
Nutrient depletion, which is one of the physiological triggers of autophagy, results in the depletion of intracellular acetyl coenzyme A (AcCoA) coupled to the deacetylation of cellular proteins. We surmise that there are 3 possibilities to mimic these effects, namely (i) the depletion of cytosolic AcCoA by interfering with its biosynthesis, (ii) the inhibition of acetyltransferases, which are enzymes that transfer acetyl groups from AcCoA to other molecules, mostly leucine residues in cellular proteins, or (iii) the stimulation of deacetylases, which catalyze the removal of acetyl groups from leucine residues. There are several examples of rather nontoxic natural compounds that act as AcCoA depleting agents (e.g., hydroxycitrate), acetyltransferase inhibitors (e.g., anacardic acid, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, garcinol, spermidine) or deacetylase activators (e.g., nicotinamide, resveratrol), and that are highly efficient inducers of autophagy in vitro and in vivo, in rodents. Another common characteristic of these agents is their capacity to reduce aging-associated diseases and to confer protective responses against ischemia-induced organ damage. Hence, we classify them as "caloric restriction mimetics" (CRM). Here, we speculate that CRM may mediate their broad health-improving effects by triggering the same molecular pathways that usually are elicited by long-term caloric restriction or short-term starvation and that imply the induction of autophagy as an obligatory event conferring organismal, organ- or cytoprotection. PMID:25484097
Static spherically symmetric solutions in mimetic gravity: rotation curves and wormholes
Myrzakulov, Ratbay; Sebastiani, Lorenzo; Vagnozzi, Sunny; Zerbini, Sergio
In this work, we analyse static spherically symmetric solutions in the framework of mimetic gravity, an extension of general relativity where the conformal degree of freedom of gravity is isolated in a covariant fashion. Here we extend previous works by considering, in addition, a potential for the mimetic field. An appropriate choice of such a potential allows for the reconstruction of a number of interesting cosmological and astrophysical scenarios. We explicitly show how to reconstruct such a potential for a general static spherically symmetric space-time. A number of applications and scenarios are then explored, among which are traversable wormholes. Finally, we analytically reconstruct potentials, which leads to solutions to the equations of motion featuring polynomial corrections to the Schwarzschild space-time. Accurate choices for such corrections could provide an explanation for the inferred flat rotation curves of spiral galaxies within the mimetic gravity framework, without the need for particle dark matter.
The two faces of mimetic Horndeski gravity: disformal transformations and Lagrange multiplier
Arroja, Frederico; Karmakar, Purnendu; Matarrese, Sabino
We show that very general scalar-tensor theories of gravity (including, e.g., Horndeski models) are generically invariant under disformal transformations. However there is a special subset, when the transformation is not invertible, that yields new equations of motion which are a generalization of the so-called "mimetic" dark matter theory recently introduced by Chamsedinne and Mukhanov. These new equations of motion can also be derived from an action containing an additional Lagrange multiplier field. The general mimetic scalar-tensor theory has the same number of derivatives in the equations of motion as the original scalar-tensor theory. As an application we show that the simplest mimetic scalar-tensor model is able to mimic the cosmological background of a flat FLRW model with an irrotational barotropic perfect fluid with any constant equation of state.
SIRT3 participates in glucose metabolism interruption and apoptosis induced by BH3 mimetic S1 in ovarian cancer cells.
Xiang, Xi-Yan; Kang, Jin-Song; Yang, Xiao-Chun; Su, Jing; Wu, Yao; Yan, Xiao-Yu; Xue, Ya-Nan; Xu, Ye; Liu, Yu-He; Yu, Chun-Yan; Zhang, Zhi-Chao; Sun, Lian-Kun
The Bcl-2 antiapoptotic proteins are important cancer therapy targets; however, their role in cancer cell metabolism remains unclear. We found that the BH3-only protein mimetic S1, a novel pan Bcl-2 inhibitor, simultaneously interrupted glucose metabolism and induced apoptosis in human SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells, which was related to the activation of SIRT3, a stress-responsive deacetylase. S1 interrupted the cellular glucose metabolism mainly through causing damage to mitochondrial respiration and inhibiting glycolysis. Moreover, S1 upregulated the gene and protein expression of SIRT3, and induced the translocation of SIRT3 from the nucleus to mitochondria. SIRT3 silencing reversed the effects of S1 on glucose metabolism and apoptosis through increasing the level of HK-II localized to the mitochondria, while a combination of the glycolysis inhibitor 2-DG and S1 intensified the cytotoxicity through further upregulation of SIRT3 expression. This study underscores an essential role of SIRT3 in the antitumor effect of Bcl-2 inhibitors in human ovarian cancer through regulating both metabolism and apoptosis. The manipulation of Bcl-2 inhibitors combined with the use of classic glycolysis inhibitors may be rational strategies to improve ovarian cancer therapy. PMID:27277143
Preclinical pharmacokinetic analysis of NOV-002, a glutathione disulfide mimetic.
Uys, J D; Manevich, Y; Devane, L C; He, L; Garret, T E; Pazoles, C J; Tew, K D; Townsend, D M
NOV-002 is a glutathione disulfide (GSSG) mimetic that is the subject of clinical investigation in oncology indications. GSSG is reduced by glutathione reductase (GR) to form glutathione (GSH), thereby maintaining redox homeostasis. The purpose of the study was to report the pharmacokinetic properties of NOV-002 and evaluate the effect that NOV-002 elicits in redox homeostasis. The pharmacokinetic analysis and tissue distribution of NOV-002 and GSH was evaluated in mice following a dose of 250 mg/kg, i.p. The redox potential and total protein thiol status was calculated. Here we show that NOV-002 is a substrate for GR and that GSH is a primary metabolite. Non-linear pharmacokinetic modeling predicted that the estimated absorption and elimination rate constants correspond to a half-life of approximately 13 min with an AUC of 1.18 μgh/mL, a C(max) of 2.16 μg/ml and a volume of distribution of 42.61 L/kg. In addition, measurement of the redox potential and total protein thiol status indicated the generation of a transient oxidative signal in the plasma compartment after administration of NOV-002. These results indicate that NOV-002 exerts kinetic and dynamic effects in mice consistent with the GSSG component as the active pharmacological constituent of the drug. A longer-lasting decrease in total plasma free thiol content was also seen, suggesting that the oxidative effect of the GSSG from NOV-002 was impacting redox homeostasis. PMID:20359856
An overview on antidiabetic medicinal plants having insulin mimetic property
Patel DK; Prasad SK; Kumar R; Hemalatha S
Diabetes mellitus is one of the common metabolic disorders acquiring around 2.8% of the world's population and is anticipated to cross 5.4% by the year 2025. Since long back herbal medicines have been the highly esteemed source of medicine therefore, they have become a growing part of modern, high-tech medicine. In view of the above aspects the present review provides profiles of plants (65 species) with hypoglycaemic properties, available through literature source from various database with proper categorization according to the parts used, mode of reduction in blood glucose (insulinomimetic or insulin secretagogues activity) and active phytoconstituents having insulin mimetics activity. From the review it was suggested that, plant showing hypoglycemic potential mainly belongs to the family Leguminoseae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Asteraceae, Moraceae, Rosaceae and Araliaceae. The most active plants are Allium sativum, Gymnema sylvestre, Citrullus colocynthis, Trigonella foenum greacum, Momordica charantia and Ficus bengalensis. The review describes some new bioactive drugs and isolated compounds from plants such as roseoside, epigallocatechin gallate, beta-pyrazol-1-ylalanine, cinchonain Ib, leucocyandin 3-O-beta-d-galactosyl cellobioside, leucopelargonidin-3- O-alpha-L rhamnoside, glycyrrhetinic acid, dehydrotrametenolic acid, strictinin, isostrictinin, pedunculagin, epicatechin and christinin-A showing significant insulinomimetic and antidiabetic activity with more efficacy than conventional hypoglycaemic agents. Thus, from the review majorly, the antidiabetic activity of medicinal plants is attributed to the presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, coumarins and other constituents which show reduction in blood glucose levels. The review also discusses the management aspect of diabetes mellitus using these plants and their active principles.
A Note on Schwarzschild de Sitter Black Holes in Mimetic $F(R)$ Gravity
Oikonomou, V K
In this brief note we investigate the conditions under which a Schwarzschild de Sitter black hole spacetime is a solution of the mimetic $F(R)$ gravity with Lagrange multiplier and potential. As we demonstrate, the resulting mimetic $F(R)$ gravity is a slight modification of the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity case, however the resulting perturbation equations are not in all cases identical to the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity case. In the latter case, the perturbation equations are identical to the ones corresponding to the Reissner-Nordstr\\"{o}m anti-de Sitter black hole.
A note on Schwarzschild-de Sitter black holes in mimetic F(R) gravity
Oikonomou, V. K.
In this paper, we investigate the conditions under which a Schwarzschild-de Sitter black hole spacetime is a solution of the mimetic F(R) gravity with Lagrange multiplier and potential. As we demonstrate, the resulting mimetic F(R) gravity is a slight modification of the ordinary F(R) gravity case, however the resulting perturbation equations are not in all cases identical to the ordinary F(R) gravity case. In the latter case, the perturbation equations are identical to the ones corresponding to the Reissner-Nordström anti-de Sitter black hole.
A Note on Schwarzschild de Sitter Black Holes in Mimetic $F(R)$ Gravity
Oikonomou, V.K.
In this brief note we investigate the conditions under which a Schwarzschild de Sitter black hole spacetime is a solution of the mimetic $F(R)$ gravity with Lagrange multiplier and potential. As we demonstrate, the resulting mimetic $F(R)$ gravity is a slight modification of the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity case, however the resulting perturbation equations are not in all cases identical to the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity case. In the latter case, the perturbation equations are identical to the ones c...
Reissner–Nordström Anti-de Sitter Black Holes in Mimetic F(R) Gravity
Oikonomou, V. K.
In this paper we study under which conditions the Reissner-Nordstr\\"om-anti de Sitter black hole can be a solution of the vacuum mimetic $F(R)$ gravity with Lagrange multiplier and mimetic scalar potential. As we demonstrate, the resulting picture in the mimetic $F(R)$ gravity case, is different in comparison to the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity case, with the two descriptions resulting to a different set of constraints that need to hold true. We also investigate the metric perturbations in the mimetic $F(R)$ gravity case, for the Reissner-Nordstr\\"om-anti de Sitter black hole metric, at first order of the perturbed variables. Interestingly enough, the resulting equations are identical to the ones corresponding to the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity Reissner-Nordstr\\"om-anti de Sitter black hole, at least at first order. We attribute this feature to the particular form of the Reissner-Nordstr\\"om-anti de Sitter metric, and we speculate for which cases there could be differences between the mimetic and non-mimetic case. Since the perturbation equations are the same for the two cases, it is possible to have black hole instabilities in the mimetic $F(R)$ gravity case too, which can be interpreted as anti-evaporation of the black hole.
Reproductive isolation related to mimetic divergence in the poison frog Ranitomeya imitator
Twomey, Evan; Vestergaard, Jacob Schack; Summers, Kyle
phenotypic transition zone, neutral genetic divergence and assortative mating, suggesting that divergent selection to resemble different model species has led to a breakdown in gene flow between these two populations. These results extend the effects of mimicry on speciation into a vertebrate system and...... characterize an early stage of speciation where reproductive isolation between mimetic morphs is incomplete but evident....
Connexin mimetic peptides fail to inhibit vascular conducted calcium responses in renal arterioles
Sørensen, Charlotte Mehlin; Salomonsson, Max; Braunstein, Thomas Hartig;
mimetic peptides directed against one or more connexins. Preglomerular resistance vessels were microdissected from kidneys of Sprague-Dawley rats and loaded with fura 2. The vessels were stimulated locally by applying electrical current through a micropipette, and the conducted calcium response was...
Comparative Allometric Growth of the Mimetic Ephippid Reef Fishes Chaetodipterus faber and Platax orbicularis.
Breno Barros
Full Text Available Mimesis is a relatively widespread phenomenon among reef fish, but the ontogenetic processes relevant for mimetic associations in fish are still poorly understood. In the present study, the allometric growth of two allopatric leaf-mimetic species of ephippid fishes, Chaetodipterus faber from the Atlantic and Platax orbicularis from the Indo-Pacific, was analyzed using ten morphological variables. The development of fins was considered owing to the importance of these structures for mimetic behaviors during early life stages. Despite the anatomical and behavioral similarities in both juvenile and adult stages, C. faber and P. orbicularis showed distinct patterns of growth. The overall shape of C. faber transforms from a rounded-shape in mimetic juveniles to a lengthened profile in adults, while in P. orbicularis, juveniles present an oblong profile including dorsal and anal fins, with relative fin size diminishing while the overall profile grows rounder in adults. Although the two species are closely-related, the present results suggest that growth patterns in C. faber and P. orbicularis are different, and are probably independent events in ephippids that have resulted from similar selective processes.
Comparative Allometric Growth of the Mimetic Ephippid Reef Fishes Chaetodipterus faber and Platax orbicularis.
Barros, Breno; Sakai, Yoichi; Pereira, Pedro H C; Gasset, Eric; Buchet, Vincent; Maamaatuaiahutapu, Moana; Ready, Jonathan S; Oliveira, Yrlan; Giarrizzo, Tommaso; Vallinoto, Marcelo
Mimesis is a relatively widespread phenomenon among reef fish, but the ontogenetic processes relevant for mimetic associations in fish are still poorly understood. In the present study, the allometric growth of two allopatric leaf-mimetic species of ephippid fishes, Chaetodipterus faber from the Atlantic and Platax orbicularis from the Indo-Pacific, was analyzed using ten morphological variables. The development of fins was considered owing to the importance of these structures for mimetic behaviors during early life stages. Despite the anatomical and behavioral similarities in both juvenile and adult stages, C. faber and P. orbicularis showed distinct patterns of growth. The overall shape of C. faber transforms from a rounded-shape in mimetic juveniles to a lengthened profile in adults, while in P. orbicularis, juveniles present an oblong profile including dorsal and anal fins, with relative fin size diminishing while the overall profile grows rounder in adults. Although the two species are closely-related, the present results suggest that growth patterns in C. faber and P. orbicularis are different, and are probably independent events in ephippids that have resulted from similar selective processes. PMID:26630347
Gramicidin S derivatives containing cis- and trans-morpholine amino acids (MAAS) as turn mimetics
Kapoerchan, V.V.; Spalburg, E.; Neeling, A.J. de; Mars-Groenendijk, R.H.; Noort, D.; Otero, J.M. de; Ferraces-Casais, P.; Llamas-Saiz, A.L.; Raaij, M.J. van; Doorn, J. van; Marel, G.A. van der; Overkleeft, H.S.; Overhand, M.
The cyclic decapeptide gramicidin S (GS) was used as a model for the evaluation of four turn mimetics. For this purpose, one of the D-Phe-Pro two-residue turn motifs in the rigid cyclic β-hairp0in structure of GS was replaced with morpholine amino acids (MAA 2-5), differing in stereochemistry and le
Application of Mn(Ⅱ) as a Mimetic Enzyme of Horseradish Peroxidase
Ai Xia HAN; Li Hong NIU; Rui CHANG; Fu Shi ZHANG
In this study, Mn( Ⅱ ) as a mimetic enzyme of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was applied to the determination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The method introduced in this paper is based on Mn(Ⅱ)'s catalytic effect on the oxidation of 4-aminoantipyrine(4-AAP) with modified Trinder's reagent N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxy-3-sulfopropyl)-3, 5-dimethoxyaniline(DAOS) by H2O2.By coupling this mimetic catalytic reaction with the catalytic reaction of glucose oxidase (GOD),glucose can be detected. Under optimum conditions, the calibration graphs for the determination of H2O2 and glucose are in the range of 1.0×10-3-1.0×10-1 mol/L and 1.0×10-3-14×10-3 mol/L respectively. The detection limit is 5.9×10-4 mol/L for H2O2 and is 9.2×10-4 mol/L for glucose.The feasibility of Mn ( Ⅱ ) as a HRP mimetic enzyme in practical clinical analysis has been proven in the determination of glucose in human serum. So far, Mn ( Ⅱ ) is the simplest and the most inexpensive mimetic enzyme.
Reissner–Nordström Anti-de Sitter Black Holes in Mimetic F(R) Gravity
Oikonomou, V.K.
In this paper we study under which conditions the Reissner-Nordstr\\"om-anti de Sitter black hole can be a solution of the vacuum mimetic $F(R)$ gravity with Lagrange multiplier and mimetic scalar potential. As we demonstrate, the resulting picture in the mimetic $F(R)$ gravity case, is different in comparison to the ordinary $F(R)$ gravity case, with the two descriptions resulting to a different set of constraints that need to hold true. We also investigate the metric perturbations in the mim...
Social variables exert selective pressures in the evolution and form of primate mimetic musculature.
Burrows, Anne M; Li, Ly; Waller, Bridget M; Micheletta, Jerome
Mammals use their faces in social interactions more so than any other vertebrates. Primates are an extreme among most mammals in their complex, direct, lifelong social interactions and their frequent use of facial displays is a means of proximate visual communication with conspecifics. The available repertoire of facial displays is primarily controlled by mimetic musculature, the muscles that move the face. The form of these muscles is, in turn, limited by and influenced by phylogenetic inertia but here we use examples, both morphological and physiological, to illustrate the influence that social variables may exert on the evolution and form of mimetic musculature among primates. Ecomorphology is concerned with the adaptive responses of morphology to various ecological variables such as diet, foliage density, predation pressures, and time of day activity. We present evidence that social variables also exert selective pressures on morphology, specifically using mimetic muscles among primates as an example. Social variables include group size, dominance 'style', and mating systems. We present two case studies to illustrate the potential influence of social behavior on adaptive morphology of mimetic musculature in primates: (1) gross morphology of the mimetic muscles around the external ear in closely related species of macaque (Macaca mulatta and Macaca nigra) characterized by varying dominance styles and (2) comparative physiology of the orbicularis oris muscle among select ape species. This muscle is used in both facial displays/expressions and in vocalizations/human speech. We present qualitative observations of myosin fiber-type distribution in this muscle of siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), and human to demonstrate the potential influence of visual and auditory communication on muscle physiology. In sum, ecomorphologists should be aware of social selective pressures as well as ecological ones, and that observed morphology might
Combinational spinal GAD65 gene delivery and systemic GABA-mimetic treatment for modulation of spasticity.
Osamu Kakinohana
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Loss of GABA-mediated pre-synaptic inhibition after spinal injury plays a key role in the progressive increase in spinal reflexes and the appearance of spasticity. Clinical studies show that the use of baclofen (GABA(B receptor agonist, while effective in modulating spasticity is associated with major side effects such as general sedation and progressive tolerance development. The goal of the present study was to assess if a combined therapy composed of spinal segment-specific upregulation of GAD65 (glutamate decarboxylase gene once combined with systemic treatment with tiagabine (GABA uptake inhibitor will lead to an antispasticity effect and whether such an effect will only be present in GAD65 gene over-expressing spinal segments. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Adult Sprague-Dawley (SD rats were exposed to transient spinal ischemia (10 min to induce muscle spasticity. Animals then received lumbar injection of HIV1-CMV-GAD65 lentivirus (LVs targeting ventral α-motoneuronal pools. At 2-3 weeks after lentivirus delivery animals were treated systemically with tiagabine (4, 10, 20 or 40 mg/kg or vehicle and the degree of spasticity response measured. In a separate experiment the expression of GAD65 gene after spinal parenchymal delivery of GAD65-lentivirus in naive minipigs was studied. Spastic SD rats receiving spinal injections of the GAD65 gene and treated with systemic tiagabine showed potent and tiagabine-dose-dependent alleviation of spasticity. Neither treatment alone (i.e., GAD65-LVs injection only or tiagabine treatment only had any significant antispasticity effect nor had any detectable side effect. Measured antispasticity effect correlated with increase in spinal parenchymal GABA synthesis and was restricted to spinal segments overexpressing GAD65 gene. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These data show that treatment with orally bioavailable GABA-mimetic drugs if combined with spinal-segment-specific GAD65 gene overexpression can
Tunable elastin-mimetic multiblock hybrid copolymers for biomedical applications
Grieshaber, Sarah Elizabeth
Elastin-mimetic hybrid polymers (EMHPs) have been developed to capture the multiblock molecular architecture of tropoelastin, allowing tunability in chemical, structural, biological, and mechanical properties. Multiblock EMHPs containing flexible synthetic segments were first synthesized via step growth polymerization of diazido-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and alkyne-terminated AKA3KA (K = lysine, A = alanine) (AK2) peptide employing copper (I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC, or orthogonal click chemistry). Covalent crosslinking of the EMHPs with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) through the lysine residues in the peptide domain afforded an elastomeric hydrogel (xEMHP) with a compressive modulus of 0.12 +/- 0.018 MPa when hydrated. xEMHPs exhibited minimal cytotoxicity to primary porcine vocal fold fibroblasts. The modular nature of the synthesis allowed facile adjustment of the peptide sequence to modulate the structural and the biological properties of EMHPs. Thus, EMHPs containing integrin-binding peptides were constructed using di-azido-PEG and an alkyne-terminated AK2 peptide with a terminal, integrin-binding GRGDSP domain via the step growth click coupling reaction. Hydrogels formed by covalent crosslinking of the RGD-containing EMHPs had a compressive modulus of 1.06 +/- 0.1MPa when hydrated. Neonatal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) were able to adhere to the hydrogels within 1 h, and to spread and develop F-actin filaments 24 h post seeding. NHDF proliferation was only observed on hydrogels containing RGD domains, demonstrating the importance of integrin engagement for cell growth and the potential use of these EMHPs as tissue engineering scaffolds. The tunability of the EMHP system was further investigated by development of self-assembling, pH-responsive multiblock polymers composed of alternating domains of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and a peptide derived from the hydrophobic domains of elastin with the sequence (VPGVG)2 (VG2). The
Triple-enzyme mimetic activity of nickel-palladium hollow nanoparticles and their application in colorimetric biosensing of glucose.
Wang, Qingqing; Zhang, Lingling; Shang, Changshuai; Zhang, Zhiquan; Dong, Shaojun
We demonstrate that nickel-palladium hollow nanoparticles (NiPd hNPs) exhibit triple-enzyme mimetic activity: oxidase-like activity, peroxidase-like activity and catalase-like activity. As peroxidase mimetics, the catalytic activity of NiPd hNPs was investigated in detail. On this basis, a simple glucose biosensor with a wide linear range and low detection limit was developed. PMID:27009927
Covariant renormalizable gravity model as a mimetic Horndeski model: cosmological solutions and perturbations
Cognola, Guido; Sebastiani, Lorenzo; Vagnozzi, Sunny; Zerbini, Sergio
We consider the Nojiri-Odintsov covariant Horava-like gravitational model, where diffeomorphism invariance is broken dynamically via a non-standard coupling to a perfect fluid. The theory allows to address some of the potential instability problems present in Horava-Lifshitz gravity due to explicit diffeomorphism invariance breaking. The fluid is instead constructed from a scalar field constrained by a Lagrange multiplier. This construction allows to identify the scalar field with the mimetic field of the recently proposed mimetic gravity. Subsequently, we thoroughly explore the consequences of this identification. By adding a potential for the scalar field, we show how one can reproduce a number of interesting cosmological scenarios. We then turn to the study of perturbations around a flat FLRW background, showing that the fluid in question behaves as an irrotational fluid, with zero sound speed. To address this problem, we consider a modified version of the theory, adding higher derivative terms in a way wh...
Biphasic effects of direct, but not indirect, GABA mimetics and antagonists on haloperidol-induced catalepsy.
Worms, P; Lloyd, K G
At very low doses the GABA agonists SL 76002 and muscimol diminish haloperidol-induced catalepsy. At somewhat higher doses these compounds potentiate catalepsy. Biphasic effects on DA-receptor mediated functions have previously been noted with bicuculline and picrotoxinin. In contrast, manipulation of GABA levels by enzyme inhibition induced only a monophasic effect on dopamine-mediated behaviour. The potentiation of GABA levels by enzyme inhibition induced only a monophasic effect on dopamine-mediated behaviour. The potentiation of haloperidol-induced catalepsy by GABA mimetics is also observed with dipropylacetate, delta-aminovaleric acid and gamma-acetylenic GABA. This GABA-mimetic potentiation of catakepsy was blocked by the coadministration of bicuculline. These results confirm and extend the hypothesis that GABA-neurons influence DA neuron function. Furthermore they suggest that more than one group of GABA receptors influence directly and/or indirectly DA neuronal function, with different resultant effects. PMID:7189827
Triple Effect of Mimetic Peptides Interfering with Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule Homophilic Cis Interactions
Li, S. Z.; Kolkova, Kateryna; Rudenko, Olga;
and P2 acted as conventional antagonists, agonists, and reverse agonists of NCAM at low, intermediate, and high peptide concentrations, respectively. The demonstrated in vitro triple pharmacological effect of mimetic peptides interfering with the NCAM homophilic cis binding will be valuable for the......The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is pivotal in neural development, regeneration, and learning. Here we characterize two peptides, termed P1-B and P2, derived from the homophilic binding sites in the first two N-terminal immunoglobulin (Ig) modules of NCAM, with regard to their effects on...... neurite extension and adhesion. To evaluate how interference of these mimetic peptides with NCAM homophilic interactions in cis influences NCAM binding in trans, we employed a coculture system in which PC12-E2 cells were grown on monolayers of fibroblasts with or without NCAM expression and the rate of...
Viable Mimetic Completion of Unified Inflation-Dark Energy Evolution in Modified Gravity
Nojiri, S; Oikonomou, V K
In this paper, we demonstrate that a unified description of early and late-time acceleration is possible in the context of mimetic $F(R)$ gravity. We study the inflationary era in detail and demonstrate that it can be realized even in mimetic $F(R)$ gravity where traditional $F(R)$ gravity fails to describe the inflation. By using standard methods we calculated the spectral index of primordial curvature perturbations and the scalar-to-tensor ratio. We use two $F(R)$ gravity models and as it turns out, for both the models under study the observational indices are compatible with both the latest Planck and the BICEP2/Keck array data. Finally, the graceful exit from inflation is guaranteed by the existence of growing curvature perturbations when the slow-roll era ends.
Mimetic Theory for Cell-Centered Lagrangian Finite Volume Formulation on General Unstructured Grids
Sambasivan, Shiv Kumar [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Shashkov, Mikhail J. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Burton, Donald E. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Christon, Mark A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory
A finite volume cell-centered Lagrangian scheme for solving large deformation problems is constructed based on the hypo-elastic model and using the mimetic theory. Rigorous analysis in the context of gas and solid dynamics, and arbitrary polygonal meshes, is presented to demonstrate the ability of cell-centered schemes in mimicking the continuum properties and principles at the discrete level. A new mimetic formulation based gradient evaluation technique and physics-based, frame independent and symmetry preserving slope limiters are proposed. Furthermore, a physically consistent dissipation model is employed which is both robust and inexpensive to implement. The cell-centered scheme along with these additional new features are applied to solve solids undergoing elasto-plastic deformation.
Apolipoprotein Mimetic Peptides: A New Approach for the Treatment of Asthma
Xianglan eYao
Full Text Available New treatments are needed for severe asthmatics to improve disease control and avoid severe toxicities associated with oral corticosteroids. We have used a murine model of house dust mite (HDM-induced asthma to identify steroid-unresponsive genes that might represent targets for new therapeutic approaches for severe asthma. This strategy identified apolipoprotein E as a steroid-unresponsive gene with increased mRNA expression in the lungs of HDM-challenged mice. Furthermore, apolipoprotein E functioned as an endogenous negative regulator of airway hyperreactivity and goblet cell hyperplasia in experimental HDM-induced asthma. The ability of apolipoprotein E, which is expressed by lung macrophages, to attenuate AHR and goblet cell hyperplasia is mediated by low density lipoprotein (LDL receptors expressed by airway epithelial cells. Consistent with this, administration of an apolipoprotein E mimetic peptide, corresponding to amino acids 130 to 149 of the LDL receptor-binding domain of the holo-apoE protein, significantly reduced AHR and goblet cell hyperplasia in HDM-challenged apoE-/- mice. These findings identified the apolipoprotein E - LDL receptor pathway as a new druggable target for asthma that can be activated by administration of apoE mimetic peptides. Similarly, apolipoprotein A-I may have therapeutic potential in asthma based upon its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-fibrotic properties. Furthermore, administration of apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptides has attenuated airway inflammation, airway remodeling and airway hyperreactivity in murine models of experimental asthma. Thus, site-directed delivery of inhaled apolipoprotein E or apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptides may represent novel treatment approaches that can be developed for asthma, including severe disease.
A unified approach to Mimetic Finite Difference, Hybrid Finite Volume and Mixed Finite Volume methods
Droniou, Jerome; Eymard,, Robert; Gallouët, Thierry; Herbin, Raphaele
International audience We investigate the connections between several recent methods for the discretization of ani\\-so\\-tropic heterogeneous diffusion operators on general grids. We prove that the Mimetic Finite Difference scheme, the Hybrid Finite Volume scheme and the Mixed Finite Volume scheme are in fact identical up to some slight generalizations. As a consequence, some of the mathematical results obtained for each of the method (such as convergence properties or error estimates) may ...
Supramolecular assembly of electrostatically stabilized, hydroxyproline-lacking collagen-mimetic peptides
Krishna, Ohm D.; Kiick, Kristi L.
The mechanical and biological functions of the native collagens remain an inspiration in materials design, but widespread application of de novo collagens has been limited in part by the need for hydroxylated proline in the formation of stable triple helical structures. In order to address this continued need and to expand the potential for recombinant expression of functional, hydroxyproline-lacking collagen-mimetic peptides, we have designed a hydrophilic, non-repetitive, and thermally stab...
Template-Tethered Collagen Mimetic Peptides for Studying Heterotrimeric Triple-Helical Interactions
Li, Yang; Mo, Xiao; Kim, Daniel; Yu, S. Michael
Collagen mimetic peptides (CMPs) have been used to elucidate the structure and stability of the triple helical conformation of collagen molecules. Although CMP homotrimers have been widely studied, very little work has been reported regarding CMP heterotrimers because of synthetic difficulties. Here we present the synthesis and characterization of homotrimers and ABB type heterotrimers comprising natural and synthetic CMP sequences that are covalently tethered to a template, a tris(2-aminoeth...
Mechanisms of heparanase inhibition by the heparan sulfate mimetic PG545 and three structural analogues ☆
Hammond, Edward; Handley, Paul; Dredge, Keith; Bytheway, Ian
The tetrasaccharide heparan sulfate (HS) mimetic PG545, a clinical anti-cancer candidate, is an inhibitor of the HS-degrading enzyme heparanase. The kinetics of heparanase inhibition by PG545 and three structural analogues were investigated to understand their modes of inhibition. The cholestanol aglycon of PG545 significantly increased affinity for heparanase and also modified the inhibition mode. For the tetrasaccharides, competitive inhibition was modified to parabolic competition by the a...
Female preferences drive the evolution of mimetic accuracy in male sexual displays
Coleman, Seth William; Patricelli, Gail Lisa; Coyle, Brian; Siani, Jennifer; Borgia, Gerald
Males in many bird species mimic the vocalizations of other species during sexual displays, but the evolutionary and functional significance of interspecific vocal mimicry is unclear. Here we use spectrographic cross-correlation to compare mimetic calls produced by male satin bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) in courtship with calls from several model species. We show that the accuracy of vocal mimicry and the number of model species mimicked are both independently related to male mating...
Endowing Single-Chain Polymer Nanoparticles with Enzyme-Mimetic Activity
Perez-Baena, Irma; Barroso-Bujans, Fabienne; Gasser, Urs; Arbe, Arantxa; Moreno Segurado, Ángel J.; Colmenero de León, Juan; Pomposo, José A.
The development of simple, efficient, and robust strategies affording the facile construction of biomimetic organocatalytic nano-objects is currently a subject of great interest. Herein, a new pathway to artificial organocatalysts based on partially collapsed individual soft nano-objects displaying useful and diverse biomimetic catalytic functions is reported. Single-chain polymer nanoparticles endowed with enzyme-mimetic activity synthesized following this new route display (i) a relatively ...
Camouflage mimetico e il problema della rappresentazione pittorica / Mimetic Camouflage and the Problem of Pictorial Representation
Méndez Baiges, Maite
A hundred years ago , during the I World War, the first forms of military camouflage were devoloped. The earlier Unité de Camouflage was born in February 1915 in the french army. Mimetic camouflage design, called Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM), was the product of an intention of deceit based on concealment of equipment and facilities against the enemy. These primitive forms of invisibility searched the mimesis with the environment, and they developed both abstract and figurative solutions....
Physics of cell adhesion: some lessons from cell-mimetic systems
Sackmann, Erich; Smith, Ana-Sunčana
Cell adhesion is a paradigm of the ubiquitous interplay of cell signalling, modulation of material properties and biological functions of cells. It is controlled by competition of short range attractive forces, medium range repellant forces and the elastic stresses associated with local and global deformation of the composite cell envelopes. We review the basic physical rules governing the physics of cell adhesion learned by studying cell-mimetic systems and demonstrate the importance of thes...
A mimetic spectral element solver for the Grad-Shafranov equation
Palha, Artur; Felici, Federico
In this work we present a robust and accurate arbitrary order solver for the fixed-boundary plasma equilibria in toroidally axisymmetric geometries. To achieve this we apply the mimetic spectral element formulation presented in [56] to the solution of the Grad-Shafranov equation. This approach combines a finite volume discretization with the mixed finite element method. In this way the discrete differential operators ($\
The Rule of Mimetic Desire in Higher Education: Governing through naming, shaming and faming
Brøgger, Katja
The initiation of the Bologna Process was accompanied by a radical transition of governance in higher education throughout Europe from government to governance. This article argues that this shift in the design of governing was connected to the need to subtly bypass the European Union (EU) subsid...... politics of naming, shaming and faming that ignites a competitive, mimetic desire making the Bologna mode of governance feasible....
The action of mimetic peptides on connexins protects fibroblasts from the negative effects of ischemia reperfusion
Beverley J. Glass; Rebecca G. Hu; Anthony R. J. Phillips; Becker, David L.
ABSTRACT Connexins have been proposed as a target for therapeutic treatment of a variety of conditions. The main approaches have been by antisense or small peptides specific against connexins. Some of these peptides enhance communication while others interfere with connexin binding partners or bind to the intracellular and extracellular loops of connexins. Here, we explored the mechanism of action of a connexin mimetic peptide by evaluating its effect on gap junction channels, connexin protei...
Aerodynamic Bio-Mimetics of Gliding Dragonflies for Ultra-Light Flying Robot
Akira Obata; Shotarou Shinohara; Kyohei Akimoto; Kakeru Suzuki; Miyuki Seki
A detailed investigation including a low-speed flow study is presented on the development of ultra-light dragonfly mimetic flying robots with a focus on the dragonfly's remarkable gliding capability. It is revealed that the dragonfly's corrugated wing structure and cruciform configuration provide superior flying characteristics for fixed wing robots in low Reynolds number flight. It was also found that the dragonfly configuration has additional merit in its compatibility with propellers or hi...
iBodies: Modular Synthetic Antibody Mimetics Based on Hydrophilic Polymers Decorated with Functional Moieties
Šácha, Pavel; Knedlík, Tomáš; Schimer, Jiří; Tykvart, Jan; Parolek, Jan; Navrátil, Václav; Dvořáková, Petra; Sedlák, František; Ulbrich, Karel; Strohalm, Jiří; Majer, Pavel; Šubr, Vladimír; Konvalinka, Jan
Roč. 55, č. 7 (2016), s. 2356-2360. ISSN 1433-7851 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP208/12/G016; GA MŠk LO1302 Institutional support: RVO:61388963 ; RVO:61389013 Keywords : antibody mimetics * HPMA * molecular recognition * polymer conjugates * protein targeting Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 11.261, year: 2014 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.201508642/full
Modified Gauss-Bonnet gravity with Lagrange multiplier constraint as mimetic theory
Astashenok, Artyom V.; Odintsov, Sergei D.; Oikonomou, V.K.
In this paper we propose and extensively study mimetic $f({\\cal G})$ modified gravity models, with various scenarios of cosmological evolution, with or without extra matter fluids. The easiest formulation is based on the use of Lagrange multiplier constraint. In certain versions of this theory, it is possible to realize accelerated expansion of the Universe or even unified evolution which includes inflation with dark energy, and at the same time in the same theoretical framework, dark matter ...
A Smac-mimetic sensitizes prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis via modulating both IAPs and NF-kappaB
Although tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a promising agent for human cancer therapy, prostate cancer still remains resistant to TRAIL. Both X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) and nuclear factor-kappaB function as key negative regulators of TRAIL signaling. In this study, we evaluated the effect of SH122, a small molecule mimetic of the second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac), on TRAIL-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. The potential of Smac-mimetics to bind XIAP or cIAP-1 was examined by pull-down assay. Cytotoxicity of TRAIL and/or Smac-mimetics was determined by a standard cell growth assay. Silencing of XIAP or cIAP-1 was achieved by transient transfection of short hairpin RNA. Apoptosis was detected by Annexin V-PI staining followed by flow cytometry and by Western Blot analysis of caspases, PARP and Bid. NF-kappaB activation was determined by subcellular fractionation, real time RT-PCR and reporter assay. SH122, but not its inactive analog, binds to XIAP and cIAP-1. SH122 significantly sensitized prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-mediated cell death. Moreover, SH122 enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis via both the death receptor and the mitochondrial pathway. Knockdown of both XIAP and cIAP-1 sensitized cellular response to TRAIL. XIAP-knockdown attenuated sensitivity of SH122 to TRAIL-induced cytotoxicity, confirming that XIAP is an important target for IAP-inhibitor-mediated TRAIL sensitization. SH122 also suppressed TRAIL-induced NF-kappaB activation by preventing cytosolic IkappaB-alpha degradation and RelA nuclear translocation, as well as by suppressing NF-kappaB target gene expression. These results demonstrate that SH122 sensitizes human prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis by mimicking Smac and blocking both IAPs and NF-kappaB. Modulating IAPs may represent a promising approach to overcoming TRAIL-resistance in human prostate cancer with constitutively active NF-kappaB signaling
Manipulation of health span and function by dietary caloric restriction mimetics.
Roth, George S; Ingram, Donald K
After nearly a century of rigorous investigation and testing, dietary caloric restriction (CR) remains the most robust and reproducible method for slowing aging and maintaining health, function, and vitality. This intervention has been applied to species across the evolutionary spectrum, but for a number of reasons, practical applicability to humans has been questioned. To overcome these issues, we initiated the field of CR mimetics in 1998 and have observed its development into a full-fledged antiaging industry. Basically, strategies that enable individuals to obtain the biological benefits of CR without reducing actual food intake can be considered CR mimetics, whether functional, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or other. Some of the best known candidates include resveratrol and related agents, the antidiabetic drug metformin, and rapamycin and other mTOR regulators. While the mechanisms of action vary, these and essentially all CR mimetic candidates work through at least some of the same pathways as actual CR. While the entire field continues to evolve rapidly, the current status will be reviewed here, with particular focus on recent developments, the most practical relevance and applicability for potential consumers, and new strategies for the future. PMID:26214681
Aspects of Late-time Evolution in Mimetic $F(R)$ Gravity
Oikonomou, V K
We demonstrate how to describe in an unified way early and late-time acceleration in the context of mimetic $F(R)$ gravity. As we show, an exponential $F(R)$ gravity model has appealing features, with regard to unification, and we perform an analysis of the late-time evolution. The resulting picture is interesting since in the mimetic case, certain pathologies of some ordinary $F(R)$ models are remedied in a consistent way, owing to the presence of the mimetic potential and the Lagrange multiplier. We quantify the late-time evolution analysis by studying the scaled dark energy density, the dark energy equation of state and the total effective equation of state, and as we show the late-time evolution is crucially affected by the functional form of the $F(R)$ gravity. It is intriguing that the most appealing case corresponds to the exponential $F(R)$ gravity which unifies late and early-time acceleration. Finally, we study the behavior of the effective gravitational constant and the growth factor, and as we sho...
Interactions of Bio-Inspired Membranes with Peptides and Peptide-Mimetic Nanoparticles
Michael Sebastiano
Full Text Available Via Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD and implicit solvent coarse-grained (CG Molecular Dynamics (MD we examine the interaction of an amphiphilic cell-penetrating peptide PMLKE and its synthetic counterpart with a bio-inspired membrane. We use the DPD technique to investigate the interaction of peptide-mimetic nanoparticles, or nanopins, with a three-component membrane. The CG MD approach is used to investigate the interaction of a cell-penetrating peptide PMLKE with single-component membrane. We observe the spontaneous binding and subsequent insertion of peptide and nanopin in the membrane by using CG MD and DPD approaches, respectively. In addition, we find that the insertion of peptide and nanopins is mainly driven by the favorable enthalpic interactions between the hydrophobic components of the peptide, or nanopin, and the membrane. Our study provides insights into the mechanism underlying the interactions of amphiphilic peptide and peptide-mimetic nanoparticles with a membrane. The result of this study can be used to guide the functional integration of peptide and peptide-mimetic nanoparticles with a cell membrane.
Interaction preferences between nucleobase mimetics and amino acids in aqueous solutions.
Hajnic, Matea; Osorio, Juan I; Zagrovic, Bojan
Despite the paramount importance of protein-nucleic acid interactions in different cellular processes, our understanding of such interactions at the atomistic level remains incomplete. We have used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and 15 μs of sampling time to study the behavior of amino acids and amino-acid sidechain analogs in aqueous solutions of different mimetics of naturally occurring nucleobases, including dimethylpyridine (DMP) and unsubstituted purine and pyrimidine rings. By using structural and energetic analysis, we have derived preference scales for the interaction of amino acids and their sidechain analogs with different nucleobase mimetics and have exhaustively compared them with each other. A close correspondence with a standard hydrophobicity measure in the case of the pyrimidine mimetic DMP and purines suggests that the hydrophobic effect is the main defining factor behind such interactions. We analyze our findings in the context of the origin of the genetic code and the recently proposed cognate mRNA-protein complementarity hypothesis. Most importantly, we show that unsubstituted purine and pyrimidine rings alone cannot differentiate between predominantly purine- and pyrimidine-coded amino acids, suggesting that for such specificity to exist, it must primarily reside in ring substituents. PMID:26219945
Antitumor effects of energy restriction-mimetic agents: thiazolidinediones.
Omar, Hany A; Salama, Samir A; Arafa, El-Shaimaa A; Weng, Jing-Ru
Distinct metabolic strategies used by cancer cells to gain growth advantages, such as shifting from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis, constitute a basis for their selective targeting as a novel approach for cancer therapy. Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are ligands for the nuclear transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and they are clinically used as oral hypoglycemic agents. Accumulating evidence suggests that the ability of TZDs to suppress cancer cell proliferation through the interplay between apoptosis and autophagy was, at least in part, mediated through PPARγ-independent mechanisms. This review highlights recent advances in the pharmacological exploitation of the PPARγ-independent anticancer effects of TZDs to develop novel agents targeting tumor metabolism, including glucose transporter inhibitors and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, which have translational potential as cancer therapeutic agents. PMID:23612598
Defining specificity and on-target activity of BH3-mimetics using engineered B-ALL cell lines.
Koss, Brian; Ryan, Jeremy; Budhraja, Amit; Szarama, Katherine; Yang, Xue; Bathina, Madhavi; Cardone, Michael H; Nikolovska-Coleska, Zaneta; Letai, Anthony; Opferman, Joseph T
One of the hallmarks of cancer is a resistance to the induction of programmed cell death that is mediated by selection of cells with elevated expression of anti-apoptotic members of the BCL-2 family. To counter this resistance, new therapeutic agents known as BH3-mimetic small molecules are in development with the goal of antagonizing the function of anti-apoptotic molecules and promoting the induction of apoptosis. To facilitate the testing and modeling of BH3-mimetic agents, we have developed a powerful system for evaluation and screening of agents both in culture and in immune competent animal models by engineering mouse leukemic cells and re-programming them to be dependent on exogenously expressed human anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family members. Here we demonstrate that this panel of cell lines can determine the specificity of BH3-mimetics to individual anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family members (BCL-2, BCL-XL, BCL-W, BFL-1, and MCL-1), demonstrate whether cell death is due to the induction of apoptosis (BAX and BAK-dependent), and faithfully assess the efficacy of BH3-mimetic small molecules in pre-clinical mouse models. These cells represent a robust and valuable pre-clinical screening tool for validating the efficacy, selectivity, and on-target action of BH3-mimetic agents. PMID:26862853
Incretin-based therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian patients: Analysis of clinical trials
Melva Louisa; Madoka Takeuchi; Masahiro Takeuchi; Nafrialdi Nafrialdi; Rianto Setiabudy
Aim To review the effi cacy and safety data on incretin-based therapies currently available (exenatide, liraglutide, sitagliptin, vildagliptin) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian population.Methods We conducted Medline search of all relevant randomized clinical trials of incretin-based therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian populations. Data pertinent to the efficacy and safety of GLP-1 mimetics and DPP-4 inhibitors were extracted and used.Results We found 14 rand...
[small beta]-Turn mimetic-based stabilizers of protein-protein interactions for the study of the non-canonical roles of leucyl-tRNA synthetase
Kim, Chanwoo; Jung, Jinjoo; Thanh Tung, Truong;
For the systematic perturbation of protein-protein interactions, we designed and synthesized tetra-substituted hexahydro-4H-pyrazino[2,1-c][1,2,4]triazine-4,7(6H)-diones as [small beta]-turn mimetics. We then devised a new synthetic route to obtain [small beta]-turn mimetic scaffolds via tandem N...
Better Living through Chemistry: Caloric Restriction (CR) and CR Mimetics Alter Genome Function to Promote Increased Health and Lifespan.
Gillespie, Zoe E; Pickering, Joshua; Eskiw, Christopher H
Caloric restriction (CR), defined as decreased nutrient intake without causing malnutrition, has been documented to increase both health and lifespan across numerous organisms, including humans. Many drugs and other compounds naturally occurring in our diet (nutraceuticals) have been postulated to act as mimetics of caloric restriction, leading to a wave of research investigating the efficacy of these compounds in preventing age-related diseases and promoting healthier, longer lifespans. Although well studied at the biochemical level, there are still many unanswered questions about how CR and CR mimetics impact genome function and structure. Here we discuss how genome function and structure are influenced by CR and potential CR mimetics, including changes in gene expression profiles and epigenetic modifications and their potential to identify the genetic fountain of youth. PMID:27588026
Bio-mimetic mineralization potential of collagen hydrolysate obtained from chromium tanned leather waste
Hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramics serve as an alternative to autogenous-free bone grafting by virtue of their excellent biocompatibility. However, chemically synthesized HA lacks the strong load-bearing capacity as required by bone. The bio-mimetic growth of HA crystals on collagen surface provides a feasible solution for synthesizing bone substitutes with the desired properties. This study deals with the utilization of the collagen hydrolysate recovered from leather waste as a substrate for promoting HA crystal growth. Bio-mimetic growth of HA was induced by subjecting the hydrolysate to various mineralization conditions. Parameters that would have a direct effect on crystal growth were varied to determine the optimal conditions necessary. Maximum mineralization was achieved with a combination of 10 mM of CaCl2, 5 mM of Na2HPO4, 100 mM of NaCl and 0.575% glutaraldehyde at a pH of 7.4. The metal–protein interactions leading to formation of HA were identified through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The crystal dimensions were determined to be in the nanoscale range by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The size and crystallinity of bio-mimetically grown HA indicate that hydrolysate from leather waste can be used as an ideal alternative substrate for bone growth. - Highlights: • Collagen hydrolysate, extracted from leather industry waste is subjected to biomineralization. • Optimal conditions required for HA growth are identified. • FTIR studies reveal higher Ca−COO− and low C−N stretch with higher HA formation. • AFM and SEM studies reveal nanometer ranged HA crystals
Incretin mimetics: a novel therapeutic option for patients with type 2 diabetes – a review
Katrine B Hansen
Full Text Available Katrine B Hansen1, Tina Vilsbøll2, Filip K Knop21Department of Clinical Physiology, Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; 2Diabetes Research Division, Department of Internal Medicine F, Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DenmarkAbstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease associated with low quality of life and early death. The goal in diabetes treatment is to prevent these outcomes by tight glycemic control and minimizing vascular risk factors. So far, even intensified combination regimen with the traditional antidiabetes agents have failed to obtain these goals. Incretin mimetics are a new class of antidiabetes drugs which involve modulation of the incretin system. They bind to and activate glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1 receptors on pancreatic beta-cells following which insulin secretion and synthesis are initiated. Since the compounds have no insulinotropic activity at lower glucose concentrations the risk of hypoglycemia – a well-known shortcoming of existing antidiabetes treatments – is low. Additionally, incretin mimetics have been shown to be associated with beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors such as weight loss, decrease in blood pressure and changes in lipid profile. Current clinical data on the two available incretin mimetics, exenatide and liraglutide, are evaluated in this review, focusing on pharmacology, efficacy, safety and tolerability. The review is built on a systematic PubMed and Medline search for publications with the key words GLP-1 receptor agonist, exenatide, liraglutide and type 2 diabetes mellitus up to January 2009.Keywords: glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1, exenatide, liraglutide, type 2 diabetes
Bio-mimetic mineralization potential of collagen hydrolysate obtained from chromium tanned leather waste
Banerjee, Pradipta; Madhu, S. [School of Bio Science and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology University, Vellore 632014, Tamil Nadu (India); Chandra Babu, N.K. [Tannery Division, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai 600 020, Tamil Nadu (India); Shanthi, C., E-mail: email@example.com [School of Bio Science and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology University, Vellore 632014, Tamil Nadu (India)
Hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramics serve as an alternative to autogenous-free bone grafting by virtue of their excellent biocompatibility. However, chemically synthesized HA lacks the strong load-bearing capacity as required by bone. The bio-mimetic growth of HA crystals on collagen surface provides a feasible solution for synthesizing bone substitutes with the desired properties. This study deals with the utilization of the collagen hydrolysate recovered from leather waste as a substrate for promoting HA crystal growth. Bio-mimetic growth of HA was induced by subjecting the hydrolysate to various mineralization conditions. Parameters that would have a direct effect on crystal growth were varied to determine the optimal conditions necessary. Maximum mineralization was achieved with a combination of 10 mM of CaCl{sub 2}, 5 mM of Na{sub 2}HPO{sub 4}, 100 mM of NaCl and 0.575% glutaraldehyde at a pH of 7.4. The metal–protein interactions leading to formation of HA were identified through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The crystal dimensions were determined to be in the nanoscale range by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The size and crystallinity of bio-mimetically grown HA indicate that hydrolysate from leather waste can be used as an ideal alternative substrate for bone growth. - Highlights: • Collagen hydrolysate, extracted from leather industry waste is subjected to biomineralization. • Optimal conditions required for HA growth are identified. • FTIR studies reveal higher Ca−COO{sup −} and low C−N stretch with higher HA formation. • AFM and SEM studies reveal nanometer ranged HA crystals.
Accelerating cosmologies and the phase structure of F (R ) gravity with Lagrange multiplier constraints: A mimetic approach
Odintsov, S. D.; Oikonomou, V. K.
We study mimetic F (R ) gravity with a potential and Lagrange multiplier constraint. In the context of these theories, we introduce a reconstruction technique which enables us to realize arbitrary cosmologies, given the Hubble rate and an arbitrarily chosen F (R ) gravity. We exemplify our method by realizing cosmologies that are in concordance with current observations (Planck data) and also well-known bouncing cosmologies. The attribute of our method is that the F (R ) gravity can be arbitrarily chosen, so we can have the appealing features of the mimetic approach combined with the known features of some F (R ) gravities, which unify early-time with late-time acceleration. Moreover, we study the existence and the stability of de Sitter points in the context of mimetic F (R ) gravity. In the case of unstable de Sitter points, it is demonstrated that graceful exit from inflation occurs. We also study the Einstein-frame counterpart theory of the Jordan-frame mimetic F (R ) gravity, and we discuss the general properties of the theory and exemplify our analysis by studying a quite interesting (from a phenomenological point of view) model with two scalar fields. We also calculate the observational indices of the two-scalar-field model, by using the two-scalar-field formalism. Furthermore, we extensively study the dynamical system that corresponds to the mimetic F (R ) gravity, by finding the fixed points and studying their stability. Finally, we modify our reconstruction method to function in the inverse way and thus yield which F (R ) gravity can realize a specific cosmological evolution, given the mimetic potential and the Lagrange multiplier.
Bioenergetic programming of macrophages by the apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptide 4F
Datta, Geeta; Kramer, Philip A.; Johnson, Michelle S.; Sawada, Hirotaka; Smythies, Lesley E.; Crossman, David K.; Chacko, Balu; Ballinger, Scott W.; Westbrook, David G.; Mayakonda, Palgunachari; Anantharamaiah, G.M.; Darley-Usmar, Victor M.; White, C. Roger
The apoA-I (apolipoprotein A-I) mimetic peptide 4F favours the differentiation of human monocytes to an alternatively activated M2 phenotype. The goal of the present study was to test whether the 4F-mediated differentiation of MDMs (monocyte-derived macrophages) requires the induction of an oxidative metabolic programme. 4F treatment induced several genes in MDMs that play an important role in lipid metabolism, including PPARγ (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ) and CD36. Addition ...
The Mimetic Finite Element Method and the Virtual Element Method for elliptic problems with arbitrary regularity.
Manzini, Gianmarco [Los Alamos National Laboratory
We develop and analyze a new family of virtual element methods on unstructured polygonal meshes for the diffusion problem in primal form, that use arbitrarily regular discrete spaces V{sub h} {contained_in} C{sup {alpha}} {element_of} N. The degrees of freedom are (a) solution and derivative values of various degree at suitable nodes and (b) solution moments inside polygons. The convergence of the method is proven theoretically and an optimal error estimate is derived. The connection with the Mimetic Finite Difference method is also discussed. Numerical experiments confirm the convergence rate that is expected from the theory.
Arbitrary Order Mixed Mimetic Finite Differences Method with Nodal Degrees of Freedom
Iaroshenko, Oleksandr [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Gyrya, Vitaliy [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Manzini, Gianmarco [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
In this work we consider a modification to an arbitrary order mixed mimetic finite difference method (MFD) for a diffusion equation on general polygonal meshes [1]. The modification is based on moving some degrees of freedom (DoF) for a flux variable from edges to vertices. We showed that for a non-degenerate element this transformation is locally equivalent, i.e. there is a one-to-one map between the new and the old DoF. Globally, on the other hand, this transformation leads to a reduction of the total number of degrees of freedom (by up to 40%) and additional continuity of the discrete flux.
Cluster Based Hybrid Niche Mimetic and Genetic Algorithm for Text Document Categorization
A. K. Santra
Full Text Available An efficient cluster based hybrid niche mimetic and genetic algorithm for text document categorization to improve the retrieval rate of relevant document fetching is addressed. The proposal minimizes the processing of structuring the document with better feature selection using hybrid algorithm. In addition restructuring of feature words to associated documents gets reduced, in turn increases document clustering rate. The performance of the proposed work is measured in terms of cluster objects accuracy, term weight, term frequency and inverse document frequency. Experimental results demonstrate that it achieves very good performance on both feature selection and text document categorization, compared to other classifier methods.
Inflation in f(R,φ)-theories and mimetic gravity scenario
Myrzakulov, R.; Sebastiani, L. [Eurasian National University, Department of General and Theoretical Physics and Eurasian Center for Theoretical Physics, Astana (Kazakhstan); Vagnozzi, S. [University of Copenhagen, Niels Bohr International Academy and Discovery Center, Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen Oe (Denmark); Nordita, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University, Stockholm (Sweden); Stockholm University, AlbaNova, Department of Physics, The Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Stockholm (Sweden); University of Melbourne, ARC Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics at the Terascale, School of Physics, Melbourne, VIC (Australia)
We investigate inflation within f(R,φ)-theories, where a dynamical scalar field is coupled to gravity. A class of models which can support early-time acceleration with the emerging of an effective cosmological constant at high curvature is studied. The dynamics of the field allow for exit from inflation leading to the correct amount of inflation in agreement with cosmological data. Furthermore, the spectral index and tensor-to-scalar ratio of the models are carefully analyzed. A generalization of the theory to incorporate dark matter in the context of mimetic gravity, and further extensions of the latter, are also discussed. (orig.)
Aerodynamic Bio-Mimetics of Gliding Dragonflies for Ultra-Light Flying Robot
Akira Obata
Full Text Available A detailed investigation including a low-speed flow study is presented on the development of ultra-light dragonfly mimetic flying robots with a focus on the dragonfly's remarkable gliding capability. It is revealed that the dragonfly's corrugated wing structure and cruciform configuration provide superior flying characteristics for fixed wing robots in low Reynolds number flight. It was also found that the dragonfly configuration has additional merit in its compatibility with propellers or high lift devices. This combination with such classic aero-engineering makes possible robots with broader flight envelope than conventional fixed-wing flying robots.
From Complex Natural Products to Simple Synthetic Mimetics by Computational De Novo Design.
Friedrich, Lukas; Rodrigues, Tiago; Neuhaus, Claudia S; Schneider, Petra; Schneider, Gisbert
We present the computational de novo design of synthetically accessible chemical entities that mimic the complex sesquiterpene natural product (-)-Englerin A. We synthesized lead-like probes from commercially available building blocks and profiled them for activity against a computationally predicted panel of macromolecular targets. Both the design template (-)-Englerin A and its low-molecular weight mimetics presented nanomolar binding affinities and antagonized the transient receptor potential calcium channel TRPM8 in a cell-based assay, without showing target promiscuity or frequent-hitter properties. This proof-of-concept study outlines an expeditious solution to obtaining natural-product-inspired chemical matter with desirable properties. PMID:27111835
RNAi delivery by exosome-mimetic nanovesicles - Implications for targeting c-Myc in cancer.
Lunavat, Taral R; Jang, Su Chul; Nilsson, Lisa; Park, Hyun Taek; Repiska, Gabriela; Lässer, Cecilia; Nilsson, Jonas A; Gho, Yong Song; Lötvall, Jan
To develop RNA-based therapeutics, it is crucial to create delivery vectors that transport the RNA molecule into the cell cytoplasm. Naturally released exosomes vesicles (also called "Extracellular Vesicles") have been proposed as possible RNAi carriers, but their yield is relatively small in any cell culture system. We have previously generated exosome-mimetic nanovesicles (NV) by serial extrusions of cells through nano-sized filters, which results in 100-times higher yield of extracellular vesicles. We here test 1) whether NV can be loaded with siRNA exogenously and endogenously, 2) whether the siRNA-loaded NV are taken up by recipient cells, and 3) whether the siRNA can induce functional knock-down responses in recipient cells. A siRNA against GFP was first loaded into NV by electroporation, or a c-Myc shRNA was expressed inside of the cells. The NV were efficiently loaded with siRNA with both techniques, were taken up by recipient cells, which resulted in attenuation of target gene expression. In conclusion, our study suggests that exosome-mimetic nanovesicles can be a platform for RNAi delivery to cell cytoplasm. PMID:27344366
The action of mimetic peptides on connexins protects fibroblasts from the negative effects of ischemia reperfusion
Glass, Beverley J.; Hu, Rebecca G.; Phillips, Anthony R. J.; Becker, David L.
ABSTRACT Connexins have been proposed as a target for therapeutic treatment of a variety of conditions. The main approaches have been by antisense or small peptides specific against connexins. Some of these peptides enhance communication while others interfere with connexin binding partners or bind to the intracellular and extracellular loops of connexins. Here, we explored the mechanism of action of a connexin mimetic peptide by evaluating its effect on gap junction channels, connexin protein levels and hemichannel activity in fibroblast cells under normal conditions and following ischemia reperfusion injury which elevates Cx43 levels, increases hemichannel activity and causes cell death. Our results showed that the effects of the mimetic peptide were concentration-dependent. High concentrations (100-300 μM) significantly reduced Cx43 protein levels and GJIC within 2 h, while these effects did not appear until 6 h when using lower concentrations (10-30 μM). Cell death can be reduced when hemichannel opening and GJIC were minimised. PMID:26471768
The action of mimetic peptides on connexins protects fibroblasts from the negative effects of ischemia reperfusion
Beverley J. Glass
Full Text Available Connexins have been proposed as a target for therapeutic treatment of a variety of conditions. The main approaches have been by antisense or small peptides specific against connexins. Some of these peptides enhance communication while others interfere with connexin binding partners or bind to the intracellular and extracellular loops of connexins. Here, we explored the mechanism of action of a connexin mimetic peptide by evaluating its effect on gap junction channels, connexin protein levels and hemichannel activity in fibroblast cells under normal conditions and following ischemia reperfusion injury which elevates Cx43 levels, increases hemichannel activity and causes cell death. Our results showed that the effects of the mimetic peptide were concentration-dependent. High concentrations (100-300 μM significantly reduced Cx43 protein levels and GJIC within 2 h, while these effects did not appear until 6 h when using lower concentrations (10-30 μM. Cell death can be reduced when hemichannel opening and GJIC were minimised.
BH3 Mimetics Reactivate Autophagic Cell Death in Anoxia-Resistant Malignant Glioma Cells
Holger Hetschko
Full Text Available Here, we investigated the specific roles of Bcl-2 family members in anoxia tolerance of malignant glioma. Flow cytometry analysis of cell death in 17 glioma cell lines revealed drastic differences in their sensitivity to oxygen withdrawal (<0.1% O2. Cell death correlated with mitochondrial depolarization, cytochrome C release, and translocation of green fluorescent protein (GFP-tagged light chain 3 to autophagosomes but occurred in the absence of caspase activation or phosphatidylserine exposure. In both sensitive and tolerant glioma cell lines, anoxia caused a significant up-regulation of BH3-only genes previously implicated in mediating anoxic cell death in other cell types (BNIP3, NIX, PUMA, and Noxa. In contrast, we detected a strong correlation between anoxia resistance and high expression levels of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins Bcl-xL, Bcl-2, and Mcl-1 that function to neutralize the proapoptotic activity of BH3-only proteins. Importantly, inhibition of both Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL with the small-molecule BH3 mimetics HA14-1 and BH3I-2′ and by RNA interference reactivated anoxia-induced autophagic cell death in previously resistant glioma cells. Our data suggest that endogenous BH3-only protein induction may not be able to compensate for the high expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins in anoxia-resistant astrocytomas. They also support the conjecture that BH3 mimetics may represent an exciting new approach for the treatment of malignant glioma.
Synthesis of cellulose nanocrystals carrying tyrosine sulfate mimetic ligands and inhibition of alphavirus infection.
Zoppe, Justin O; Ruottinen, Ville; Ruotsalainen, Janne; Rönkkö, Seppo; Johansson, Leena-Sisko; Hinkkanen, Ari; Järvinen, Kristiina; Seppälä, Jukka
We present two facile approaches for introducing multivalent displays of tyrosine sulfate mimetic ligands on the surface of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) for application as viral inhibitors. We tested the efficacy of cellulose nanocrystals, prepared either from cotton fibers or Whatman filter paper, to inhibit alphavirus infectivity in Vero (B) cells. Cellulose nanocrystals were produced by sulfuric acid hydrolysis leading to nanocrystal surfaces decorated with anionic sulfate groups. When the fluorescent marker expressing Semliki Forest virus vector, VA7-EGFP, was incubated with CNCs, strong inhibition of virus infectivity was achieved, up to 100 and 88% for cotton and Whatman CNCs, respectively. When surface sulfate groups of CNCs were exchanged for tyrosine sulfate mimetic groups (i.e. phenyl sulfonates), improved viral inhibition was attained. Our observations suggest that the conjugation of target-specific functionalities to CNC surfaces provides a means to control their antiviral activity. Multivalent CNCs did not cause observable in vitro cytotoxicity to Vero (B) cells or human corneal epithelial (HCE-T) cells, even within the 100% virus-inhibitory concentrations. Based on the similar chemistry of known polyanionic inhibitors, our results suggest the potential application of CNCs as inhibitors of other viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and herpes simplex viruses. PMID:24628489
Modeling anisotropic flow and heat transport by using mimetic finite differences
Chen, Tao; Clauser, Christoph; Marquart, Gabriele; Willbrand, Karen; Büsing, Henrik
Modeling anisotropic flow in porous or fractured rock often assumes that the permeability tensor is diagonal, which means that its principle directions are always aligned with the coordinate axes. However, the permeability of a heterogeneous anisotropic medium usually is a full tensor. For overcoming this shortcoming, we use the mimetic finite difference method (mFD) for discretizing the flow equation in a hydrothermal reservoir simulation code, SHEMAT-Suite, which couples this equation with the heat transport equation. We verify SHEMAT-Suite-mFD against analytical solutions of pumping tests, using both diagonal and full permeability tensors. We compare results from three benchmarks for testing the capability of SHEMAT-Suite-mFD to handle anisotropic flow in porous and fractured media. The benchmarks include coupled flow and heat transport problems, three-dimensional problems and flow through a fractured porous medium with full equivalent permeability tensor. It shows firstly that the mimetic finite difference method can model anisotropic flow both in porous and in fractured media accurately and its results are better than those obtained by the multi-point flux approximation method in highly anisotropic models, secondly that the asymmetric permeability tensor can be included and leads to improved results compared the symmetric permeability tensor in the equivalent fracture models, and thirdly that the method can be easily implemented in existing finite volume or finite difference codes, which has been demonstrated successfully for SHEMAT-Suite.
Stick-slip friction of gecko-mimetic flaps on smooth and rough surfaces.
Das, Saurabh; Cadirov, Nicholas; Chary, Sathya; Kaufman, Yair; Hogan, Jack; Turner, Kimberly L; Israelachvili, Jacob N
The discovery and understanding of gecko 'frictional-adhesion' adhering and climbing mechanism has allowed researchers to mimic and create gecko-inspired adhesives. A few experimental and theoretical approaches have been taken to understand the effect of surface roughness on synthetic adhesive performance, and the implications of stick-slip friction during shearing. This work extends previous studies by using a modified surface forces apparatus to quantitatively measure and model frictional forces between arrays of polydimethylsiloxane gecko footpad-mimetic tilted microflaps against smooth and rough glass surfaces. Constant attachments and detachments occur between the surfaces during shearing, as described by an avalanche model. These detachments ultimately result in failure of the adhesion interface and have been characterized in this study. Stick-slip friction disappears with increasing velocity when the flaps are sheared against a smooth silica surface; however, stick-slip was always present at all velocities and loads tested when shearing the flaps against rough glass surfaces. These results demonstrate the significance of pre-load, shearing velocity, shearing distances, commensurability and shearing direction of gecko-mimetic adhesives and provide us a simple model for analysing and/or designing such systems. PMID:25589569
Copper Complexes of Nicotinic-Aromatic Carboxylic Acids as Superoxide Dismutase Mimetics
Virapong Prachayasittikul
Full Text Available Nicotinic acid (also known as vitamin B3 is a dietary element essential for physiological and antihyperlipidemic functions. This study reports the synthesis of novel mixed ligand complexes of copper with nicotinic and other select carboxylic acids (phthalic, salicylic and anthranilic acids. The tested copper complexes exhibited superoxide dismutase (SOD mimetic activity and antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, with a minimum inhibition concentration of 256 μg/mL. Copper complex of nicotinic-phthalic acids (CuNA/Ph was the most potent with a SOD mimetic activity of IC50 34.42 μM. The SOD activities were observed to correlate well with the theoretical parameters as calculated using density functional theory (DFT at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level of theory. Interestingly, the SOD activity of the copper complex CuNA/Ph was positively correlated with the electron affinity (EA value. The two quantum chemical parameters, highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO, were shown to be appropriate for understanding the mechanism of the metal complexes as their calculated energies show good correlation with the SOD activity. Moreover, copper complex with the highest SOD activity were shown to possess the lowest HOMO energy. These findings demonstrate a great potential for the development of value-added metallovitamin-based therapeutics.
The apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptide, ETC-642, reduces chronic vascular inflammation in the rabbit
Background High-density lipoproteins (HDL) and their main apolipoprotein, apoA-I, exhibit anti-inflammatory properties. The development of peptides that mimic HDL apolipoproteins offers a promising strategy to reduce inflammatory disease. This study aimed to compare the anti-inflammatory effects of ETC-642, an apoA-I mimetic peptide, with that of discoidal reconstituted HDL (rHDL), consisting of full-length apoA-I complexed with phosphatidylcholine, in rabbits with chronic vascular inflammation. Results New Zealand White rabbits (n = 10/group) were placed on chow supplemented with 0.2% (w/w) cholesterol for 6-weeks. The animals received two infusions of saline, rHDL (8 mg/kg apoA-I) or ETC-642 (30 mg/kg peptide) on the third and fifth days of the final week. The infusions of rHDL and ETC-642 were able to significantly reduce cholesterol-induced expression of intracellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in the thoracic aorta (p ETC-642 treated rabbits were more effective at inhibiting the TNF-α-induced increase in ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and p65 than HDL isolated from saline treated rabbits (p ETC-642 causes anti-inflammatory effects that are comparable to rHDL in an animal model of chronic vascular inflammation and highlights that apoA-I mimetic peptides present a viable strategy for the treatment of inflammatory disease. PMID:22128776
A mimetic finite difference method for the Stokes problem with elected edge bubbles
Lipnikov, K [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Berirao, L [DIPARTMENTO DI MATERMATICA
A new mimetic finite difference method for the Stokes problem is proposed and analyzed. The unstable P{sub 1}-P{sub 0} discretization is stabilized by adding a small number of bubble functions to selected mesh edges. A simple strategy for selecting such edges is proposed and verified with numerical experiments. The discretizations schemes for Stokes and Navier-Stokes equations must satisfy the celebrated inf-sup (or the LBB) stability condition. The stability condition implies a balance between discrete spaces for velocity and pressure. In finite elements, this balance is frequently achieved by adding bubble functions to the velocity space. The goal of this article is to show that the stabilizing edge bubble functions can be added only to a small set of mesh edges. This results in a smaller algebraic system and potentially in a faster calculations. We employ the mimetic finite difference (MFD) discretization technique that works for general polyhedral meshes and can accomodate non-uniform distribution of stabilizing bubbles.
Inhibition of Antiapoptotic BCL-XL, BCL-2, and MCL-1 Proteins by Small Molecule Mimetics
D.S. Dalafave
Full Text Available Informatics and computational design methods were used to create new molecules that could potentially bind antiapoptotic proteins, thus promoting death of cancer cells. Apoptosis is a cellular process that leads to the death of damaged cells. Its malfunction can cause cancer and poor response to conventional chemotherapy. After being activated by cellular stress signals, proapoptotic proteins bind antiapoptotic proteins, thus allowing apoptosis to go forward. An excess of antiapoptotic proteins can prevent apoptosis. Designed molecules that mimic the roles of proapoptotic proteins can promote the death of cancer cells. The goal of our study was to create new putative mimetics that could simultaneously bind several antiapoptotic proteins. Five new small molecules were designed that formed stable complexes with BCL-2, BCL-XL, and MCL-1 antiapoptotic proteins. These results are novel because, to our knowledge, there are not many, if any, small molecules known to bind all three proteins. Drug-likeness studies performed on the designed molecules, as well as previous experimental and preclinical studies on similar agents, strongly suggest that the designed molecules may indeed be promising drug candidates. All five molecules showed "drug-like" properties and had overall drug-likeness scores between 81% and 96%. A single drug based on these mimetics should cost less and cause fewer side effects than a combination of drugs each aimed at a single protein. Computer-based molecular design promises to accelerate drug research by predicting potential effectiveness of designed molecules prior to laborious experiments and costly preclinical trials.
Catalytic mechanism of Cu(p-OTs)2/ethanolamine as mimetic enzyme
宋继国; 沈培康
The electrochemical behaviors of various copper salts complexes coordinated with equal molar ethanolamine were studied, and those of Cu(p-OTs)2 and Cu(p-OTs)2/ethanolamine(1:1) complex in CH3OH or DMF were characterized. The results show that the reduction of Cu( Ⅱ ) in Cu(p-OTs)2 is via one two-electron step mechanism both in CH3 OH and DMF. The reduction mechanism transforms to two one-electron steps in the case of Cu (p-OTs)2/ethanolamine(1:1) in DMF. However, it does not change in CH3 OH. All the Cu( Ⅱ )/ethanolamine(1:1) with the electrochemical reactions are through two one-electron steps, and can act as mimetic enzyme to oxidize 1, 1'-bi-2-naphthol. The Cu( Ⅱ )/ethanolamine(1:1) with electrochemical reactions through one two-electron step could not act as mimetic enzyme. It is concluded that the transformation between centre Cu( Ⅱ ) and Cu( Ⅰ ) is the crucial condition for the catalytic activity of copper-amine complex.
The CNTF-derived peptide mimetic Cintrofin attenuates spatial-learning deficits in a rat post-status epilepticus model
Russmann, Vera; Seeger, Natalie; Zellinger, Christina; Hadamitzky, Martin; Pankratova, Stanislava; Wendt, Hannes; Bock, Elisabeth; Berezin, Vladimir; Potschka, Heidrun
Ciliary neurotrophic growth factor is considered a potential therapeutic agent for central nervous system diseases. We report first in vivo data of the ciliary neurotrophic growth factor peptide mimetic Cintrofin in a rat post-status epilepticus model. Cintrofin prevented long-term alterations in...
Theoretical studies on the interactions of XIAP-BIR3 domain with bicyclic and tricyclic core monovalent Smac mimetics.
Ling, Baoping; Dong, Lihua; Zhang, Rui; Wang, Zhiguo; Liu, Yongjun; Liu, Chengbu
X-linked IAP can bind caspase-9 and inhibit its activity. Mitochondrial protein Smac/DIABLO can also interact with XIAP and relieve the inhibition on caspase-9 to induce apoptosis. A series of artificial Smac mimetics have been used to mimic the Smac N-terminal tetrapeptide AVPI to bind to XIAP-BIR3, but these structural diverse mimetics exhibited distinct binding affinities. To get an insight into the binding nature and optimize the structures, molecular docking and dynamics simulations were used to study the binding of XIAP-BIR3 with three groups of Smac mimetics. The docking results reveal that these Smac mimetics anchored on the surface groove of XIAP-BIR3 and superimposed well with AVPI. The modifications on the seven-membered ring of bicyclic core segment do not strengthen the binding affinity, while a benzyl introduced to the five-membered ring is favorable to the binding. Molecular dynamics simulations on three typical systems show that these complexes are very stable. Hydrogen bonds between the bicyclic core segment and Thr308 play critical roles in maintaining the stability of complex. The binding free energies calculated by MM_PBSA method are consistent with the experimental results. PMID:20980180
Design and modular parallel synthesis of a MCR derived α-helix mimetic protein-protein interaction inhibitor scaffold
Antuch, Walfrido; Menon, Sanjay; Chen, Quin-Zene; Lu, Yingchun; Sakamuri, Sukumar; Beck, Barbara; Schauer-Vukašinović, Vesna; Agarwal, Seema; Hess, Sibylle; Dömling, Alexander
A terphenyl α-helix mimetic scaffold recognized to be capable of disrupting protein-protein interactions was structurally morphed into an easily amenable and versatile multicomponent reaction (MCR) backbone. The design, modular in-parallel library synthesis, initial cell based biological data, and p
Fibronectin- and collagen-mimetic ligands regulate bone marrow stromal cell chondrogenesis in three-dimensional hydrogels
JT Connelly
Full Text Available Modification of tissue engineering scaffolds with bioactive molecules is a potential strategy for modulating cell behavior and guiding tissue regeneration. While adhesion to RGD peptides has been shown to inhibit in vitro chondrogenesis, the effects of extracellular matrix (ECM-mimetic ligands with complex secondary and tertiary structures are unknown. This study aimed to determine whether collagen- and fibronectin-mimetic ligands would retain biologic functionality in three-dimensional (3D hydrogels, whether different ECM-mimetic ligands differentially influence in vitro chondrogenesis, and if effects of ligands on differentiation depend on soluble biochemical stimuli. A linear RGD peptide, a recombinant fibronectin fragment containing the seven to ten Type III repeats (FnIII7-10 and a triple helical, collagen mimetic peptide with the GFOGER motif were covalently coupled to agarose gels using the sulfo-SANPAH crosslinker, and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs were cultured within the 3D hydrogels. The ligands retained biologic functionality within the agarose gels and promoted density-dependent BMSC spreading. Interactions with all adhesive ligands inhibited stimulation by chondrogenic factors of collagen Type II and aggrecan mRNA levels and deposition of sulfated glycosaminoglycans. In medium containing fetal bovine serum, interactions with the GFOGER peptide enhanced mRNA expression of the osteogenic gene osteocalcin whereas FnIII7-10 inhibited osteocalcin expression. In conclusion, modification of agarose hydrogels with ECM-mimetic ligands can influence the differentiation of BMSCs in a manner that depends strongly on the presence and nature of soluble biochemical stimuli.
EGFR-targeted TRAIL and a Smac mimetic synergize to overcome apoptosis resistance in KRAS mutant colorectal cancer cells.
Yvonne Möller
Full Text Available TRAIL is a death receptor ligand that induces cell death preferentially in tumor cells. Recombinant soluble TRAIL, however, performs poorly as an anti-cancer therapeutic because oligomerization is required for potent biological activity. We previously generated a diabody format of tumor-targeted TRAIL termed Db(αEGFR-scTRAIL, comprising single-stranded TRAIL molecules (scTRAIL and the variable domains of a humanized variant of the EGFR blocking antibody Cetuximab. Here we define the bioactivity of Db(αEGFR-scTRAIL with regard to both EGFR inhibition and TRAIL receptor activation in 3D cultures of Caco-2 colorectal cancer cells, which express wild-type K-Ras. Compared with conventional 2D cultures, Caco-2 cells displayed strongly enhanced sensitivity toward Db(αEGFR-scTRAIL in these 3D cultures. We show that the antibody moiety of Db(αEGFR-scTRAIL not only efficiently competed with ligand-induced EGFR function, but also determined the apoptotic response by specifically directing Db(αEGFR-scTRAIL to EGFR-positive cells. To address how aberrantly activated K-Ras, which leads to Cetuximab resistance, affects Db(αEGFR-scTRAIL sensitivity, we generated stable Caco-2tet cells inducibly expressing oncogenic K-Ras(G12V. In the presence of doxycycline, these cells showed increased resistance to Db(αEGFR-scTRAIL, associated with the elevated expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins cIAP2, Bcl-xL and FlipS. Co-treatment of cells with the Smac mimetic SM83 restored the Db(αEGFR-scTRAIL-induced apoptotic response. Importantly, this synergy between Db(αEGFR-scTRAIL and SM83 also translated to 3D cultures of oncogenic K-Ras expressing HCT-116 and LoVo colorectal cancer cells. Our findings thus support the notion that Db(αEGFR-scTRAIL therapy in combination with apoptosis-sensitizing agents may be promising for the treatment of EGFR-positive colorectal cancers, independently of their KRAS status.
A BDNF loop-domain mimetic acutely reverses spontaneous apneas and respiratory abnormalities during behavioral arousal in a mouse model of Rett syndrome
Miriam Kron
Full Text Available Reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF are thought to contribute to the pathophysiology of Rett syndrome (RTT, a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2. In Mecp2 mutant mice, BDNF deficits have been associated with breathing abnormalities, a core feature of RTT, as well as with synaptic hyperexcitability within the brainstem respiratory network. Application of BDNF can reverse hyperexcitability in acute brainstem slices from Mecp2-null mice, suggesting that therapies targeting BDNF or its receptor, TrkB, could be effective at acute reversal of respiratory abnormalities in RTT. Therefore, we examined the ability of LM22A-4, a small-molecule BDNF loop-domain mimetic and TrkB partial agonist, to modulate synaptic excitability within respiratory cell groups in the brainstem nucleus tractus solitarius (nTS and to acutely reverse abnormalities in breathing at rest and during behavioral arousal in Mecp2 mutants. Patch-clamp recordings in Mecp2-null brainstem slices demonstrated that LM22A-4 decreases excitability at primary afferent synapses in the nTS by reducing the amplitude of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents and the frequency of spontaneous and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents. In vivo, acute treatment of Mecp2-null and -heterozygous mutants with LM22A-4 completely eliminated spontaneous apneas in resting animals, without sedation. Moreover, we demonstrate that respiratory dysregulation during behavioral arousal, a feature of human RTT, is also reversed in Mecp2 mutants by acute treatment with LM22A-4. Together, these data support the hypothesis that reduced BDNF signaling and respiratory dysfunction in RTT are linked, and establish the proof-of-concept that treatment with a small-molecule structural mimetic of a BDNF loop domain and a TrkB partial agonist can acutely reverse abnormal breathing at rest and in response to
A novel anti-inflammatory role of NCAM-derived mimetic peptide, FGL
Downer, Eric J; Cowley, Thelma R; Lyons, Anthony;
novel anti-inflammatory agent. Administration of FGL to aged rats attenuated the increased expression of markers of activated microglia, the increase in pro-inflammatory interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and the impairment in long-term potentiation (LTP). We report that the age-related increase in microglial......Age-related cognitive deficits in hippocampus are correlated with neuroinflammatory changes, typified by increased pro-inflammatory cytokine production and microglial activation. We provide evidence that the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM)-derived mimetic peptide, FG loop (FGL), acts as a...... CD200 in vitro. We provide evidence that the increase in CD200 is reliant on IL-4-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signal transduction. These findings provide the first evidence of a role for FGL as an anti-inflammatory agent and identify a mechanism by which FGL controls...
Incretin mimetics: a novel therapeutic option for patients with type 2 diabetes - a review
Hansen, Katrine Bilberg; Vilsbøll, Tina; Knop, Filip K
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease associated with low quality of life and early death. The goal in diabetes treatment is to prevent these outcomes by tight glycemic control and minimizing vascular risk factors. So far, even intensified combination regimen with the traditional......Med and Medline search for publications with the key words GLP-1 receptor agonist, exenatide, liraglutide and type 2 diabetes mellitus up to January 2009....... antidiabetes agents have failed to obtain these goals. Incretin mimetics are a new class of antidiabetes drugs which involve modulation of the incretin system. They bind to and activate glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors on pancreatic beta-cells following which insulin secretion and synthesis are...
The characterization of decellularized human skeletal muscle as a blueprint for mimetic scaffolds.
Wilson, Klaire; Terlouw, Abby; Roberts, Kevin; Wolchok, Jeffrey C
The use of decellularized skeletal muscle (DSM) as a cell substrate and scaffold for the repair of volumetric muscle loss injuries has shown therapeutic promise. The performance of DSM materials motivated our interest in exploring the chemical and physical properties of this promising material. We suggest that these properties could serve as a blueprint for the development of next generation engineered materials with DSM mimetic properties. In this study, whole human lower limb rectus femoris (n = 10) and upper limb supraspinatus muscle samples (n = 10) were collected from both male and female tissue donors. Skeletal muscle samples were decellularized and nine property values, capturing key compositional, architectural, and mechanical properties, were measured and statistically analyzed. Mean values for each property were determined across muscle types and sexes. Additionally, the influence of muscle type (upper vs lower limb) and donor sex (male vs female) on each of the DSM material properties was examined. The data suggests that DSM materials prepared from lower limb rectus femoris samples have an increased modulus and contain a higher collagen content then upper limb supraspinatus muscles. Specifically, lower limb rectus femoris DSM material modulus and collagen content was approximately twice that of lower limb supraspinatus DSM samples. While muscle type did show some influence on material properties, we did not find significant trends related to sex. The material properties reported herein may be used as a blueprint for the data-driven design of next generation engineered scaffolds with muscle mimetic properties, as well as inputs for computational and physical models of skeletal muscle. PMID:27324779
Inhibition of Salmonella enterica biofilm formation using small-molecule adenosine mimetics.
Koopman, Jacob A; Marshall, Joanna M; Bhatiya, Aditi; Eguale, Tadesse; Kwiek, Jesse J; Gunn, John S
Biofilms have been widely implicated in chronic infections and environmental persistence of Salmonella enterica, facilitating enhanced colonization of surfaces and increasing the ability of the bacteria to be transmitted to new hosts. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi biofilm formation on gallstones from humans and mice enhances gallbladder colonization and bacterial shedding, while Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium biofilms facilitate long-term persistence in a number of environments important to food, medical, and farming industries. Salmonella regulates expression of many virulence- and biofilm-related processes using kinase-driven pathways. Kinases play pivotal roles in phosphorylation and energy transfer in cellular processes and possess an ATP-binding pocket required for their functions. Many other cellular proteins also require ATP for their activity. Here we test the hypothesis that pharmacological interference with ATP-requiring enzymes utilizing adenosine mimetic compounds would decrease or inhibit bacterial biofilm formation. Through the screening of a 3,000-member ATP mimetic library, we identified a single compound (compound 7955004) capable of significantly reducing biofilm formation by S. Typhimurium and S. Typhi. The compound was not bactericidal or bacteriostatic toward S. Typhimurium or cytotoxic to mammalian cells. An ATP-Sepharose affinity matrix technique was used to discover potential protein-binding targets of the compound and identified GroEL and DeoD. Compound 7955004 was screened against other known biofilm-forming bacterial species and was found to potently inhibit biofilms of Acinetobacter baumannii as well. The identification of a lead compound with biofilm-inhibiting capabilities toward Salmonella provides a potential new avenue of therapeutic intervention against Salmonella biofilm formation, with applicability to biofilms of other bacterial pathogens. PMID:25313216
The superoxide dismutase mimetic, tempol, blunts right ventricular hypertrophy in chronic hypoxic rats
Elmedal, Britt; de Dam, Mette Y; Mulvany, Michael John; Simonsen, Ulf
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a membrane-permeable superoxide dismutase mimetic, tempol, added either alone or in combination with the nitric oxide (NO) donor molsidomine, prevents the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in chronic hypoxic rats.Chronic hypobaric hypoxia (10% oxygen) for 2 weeks increased the right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), right ventricle and lung wet weight. Relaxations evoked by acetylcholine (ACh) and the molsidomine metabolite SIN-1 were impaired in isolated proximal, but not distal pulmonary arteries, from chronic hypoxic rats.Treatment with tempol (86 mg kg−1 day−1 in drinking water) normalized RVSP and reduced right ventricular hypertrophy, while systemic blood pressure, lung and liver weights, and blunted ACh relaxation of pulmonary arteries were unchanged.Treatment with molsidomine (15 mg kg−1 day−1 in drinking water) had the same effects as tempol, except that liver weight was reduced, and potassium and U46619-evoked vasoconstrictions in pulmonary arteries were increased. Combining tempol and molsidomine did not have additional effects compared to tempol alone. ACh relaxation in pulmonary arteries was not normalized by these treatments.The media to lumen diameter ratio of the pulmonary arteries was greater for the hypoxic rats compared to the normoxic rats, and was not reversed by treatment with tempol, molsidomine, or the combination of tempol and molsidomine.We conclude that tempol, like molsidomine, is able to correct RVSP and reduce right ventricular weight in the rat hypoxic model. Functional and structural properties of pulmonary small arteries were little affected. The results support the possibility that superoxide dismutase mimetics may be a useful means for the treatment of PH. PMID:14656807
Programming of enzyme specificity by substrate mimetics: investigations on the Glu-specific V8 protease reveals a novel general principle of biocatalysis.
Wehofsky, N; Bordusa, F
In this paper the universal validity of the substrate mimetic concept in enzymatic C-N ligations was expanded to anionic leaving groups based on the specificity determinants of Glu-specific endopeptidase from Staphylococcus aureus (V8 protease). In an empirical way a specific mimetic moiety was designed from simple structure-function relationship studies. The general function of the newly developed substrate mimetics to serve as an artificial recognition site for V8 protease have been examined by hydrolysis kinetic studies. Enzymatic peptide syntheses qualify the strategy of substrate mimetics as a powerful concept for programming the enzyme specificity in the direction of a more universal application of enzymes in the general area of biocatalysis. PMID:9989609
Smac Mimetic Bypasses Apoptosis Resistance in FADD- or Caspase-8-Deficient Cells by Priming for Tumor Necrosis Factor α-Induced Necroptosis
Bram Laukens
Full Text Available Searching for new strategies to bypass apoptosis resistance, we investigated the potential of the Smac mimetic BV6 in Jurkat leukemia cells deficient in key molecules of the death receptor pathway. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that Smac mimetic primes apoptosis-resistant, FADD- or caspase-8-deficient leukemia cells for TNFα-induced necroptosis in a synergistic manner. In contrast to TNFα, Smac mimetic significantly enhances CD95-induced apoptosis in wild-type but not in FADD-deficient cells. Interestingly, Smac mimetic- and TNFα-mediated cell death occurs without characteristic features of apoptosis (i.e., caspase activation, DNA fragmentation in FADD-deficient cells. By comparison, Smac mimetic and TNFα trigger activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3 and DNA fragmentation in wild-type cells. Consistently, the caspase inhibitor zVAD.fmk fails to block Smac mimetic- and TNFα-triggered cell death in FADD- or caspase-8-deficient cells, while it confers protection in wild-type cells. By comparison, necrostatin-1, an RIP1 kinase inhibitor, abolishes Smac mimetic- and TNFα-induced cell death in FADD- or caspase-8-deficient. Thus, Smac mimetic enhances TNFα-induced cell death in leukemia cells via two distinct pathways in a context-dependent manner: it primes apoptosis-resistant cells lacking FADD or caspase-8 to TNFα-induced, RIP1-dependent and caspase-independent necroptosis, whereas it sensitizes apoptosis-proficient cells to TNFα-mediated, caspase-dependent apoptosis. These findings have important implications for the therapeutic exploitation of necroptosis as an alternative cell death program to overcome apoptosis resistance.
Requirement of Nuclear Factor κB for Smac Mimetic-Mediated Sensitization of Pancreatic Carcinoma Cells for Gemcitabine-Induced Apoptosis12
Stadel, Dominic; Cristofanon, Silvia; Abhari, Behnaz Ahangarian; Deshayes, Kurt; Zobel, Kerry; Vucic, Domagoj; Debatin, Klaus-Michael; Fulda, Simone
Defects in apoptosis contribute to treatment resistance and poor outcome of pancreatic cancer, calling for novel therapeutic strategies. Here, we provide the first evidence that nuclear factor (NF) κB is required for Smac mimetic-mediated sensitization of pancreatic carcinoma cells for gemcitabine-induced apoptosis. The Smac mimetic BV6 cooperates with gemcitabine to reduce cell viability and to induce apoptosis. In addition, BV6 significantly enhances the cytotoxicity of several anticancer d...
Bioinspired Hydroxyapatite/Poly(methyl methacrylate) Composite with a Nacre-Mimetic Architecture by a Bidirectional Freezing Method.
Bai, Hao; Walsh, Flynn; Gludovatz, Bernd; Delattre, Benjamin; Huang, Caili; Chen, Yuan; Tomsia, Antoni P; Ritchie, Robert O
Using a bidirectional freezing technique, combined with uniaxial pressing and in situ polymerization, "nacre-mimetic" hydroxyapatite/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composites are developed by processing large-scale aligned lamellar ceramic scaffolds. Structural and mechanical characterization shows "brick-and-mortar" structures, akin to nacre, with interesting combinations of strength, stiffness, and work of fracture, which provide a pathway to making strong and tough lightweight materials. PMID:26554760
Fat mimetic capacity of Chlorella vulgaris biomass in oil-in-water food emulsions stabilized by pea protein
Sousa, Isabel; Raymundo, Anabela; L. de Gouveia; Batista, A.P.; Empis, José
Vegetable proteins proved to be good emulsifiers for food emulsions with dietetic advantages. The use of these emulsions as car- riers for healthy ingredients, such as colourings, with antioxidant and other beneficial properties, is an interesting subject. In this work, the capacity of the biomass of the microalga Chlorella vulgaris (which has been widely used as a food supplement) as a fat mimetic, and its emulsifier ability, was evaluated. Pea protein emulsions with C. vulgaris add...
The SMAC mimetic, LCL-161, reduces survival in aggressive MYC-driven lymphoma while promoting susceptibility to endotoxic shock.
West, A C; Martin, B P; Andrews, D A; Hogg, S J; Banerjee, A; Grigoriadis, G; Johnstone, R W; Shortt, J
Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) antagonize caspase activation and regulate death receptor signaling cascades. LCL-161 is a small molecule second mitochondrial activator of caspase (SMAC) mimetic, which both disengages IAPs from caspases and induces proteasomal degradation of cIAP-1 and -2, resulting in altered signaling through the NFκB pathway, enhanced TNF production and sensitization to apoptosis mediated by the extrinsic pathway. SMAC mimetics are undergoing clinical evaluation in a range of hematological malignancies. Burkitt-like lymphomas are hallmarked by a low apoptotic threshold, conveying sensitivity to a range of apoptosis-inducing stimuli. While evaluating LCL-161 in the Eμ-Myc model of aggressive Burkitt-like lymphoma, we noted unexpected resistance to apoptosis induction despite 'on-target' IAP degradation and NFκB activation. Moreover, LCL-161 treatment of lymphoma-bearing mice resulted in apparent disease acceleration concurrent to augmented inflammatory cytokine-release in the same animals. Indiscriminate exposure of lymphoma patients to SMAC mimetics may therefore be detrimental due to both unanticipated prolymphoma effects and increased susceptibility to endotoxic shock. PMID:27043662
Deleterious Effects of High Dose Connexin 43 Mimetic Peptide Infusion After Cerebral Ischaemia in Near-Term Fetal Sheep
Alistair J. Gunn
Full Text Available Hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury at birth is associated with 1–3/1000 cases of moderate to severe encephalopathy. Previously, we have shown that connexin 43 hemichannel blockade, with a specific mimetic peptide, reduced the occurrence of seizures, improved recovery of EEG power and sleep state cycling, and improved cell survival following global cerebral ischaemia. In the present study, we examined the dose response for intracerebroventricular mimetic peptide infusion (50 µmol/kg/h for 1 h, followed by 50 µmol/kg/24 h (low dose or 50 µmol/kg/h for 25 h (high dose or vehicle only (control group, starting 90 min after the end of ischaemia, following global cerebral ischaemia, induced by 30 min bilateral carotid artery occlusion, in near-term fetal sheep (128 ± 1 days gestation. Both peptide infusion groups were associated with a transient significant increase in EEG power between 2–12 h after ischaemia. The ischaemia-low dose group showed a significant recovery of EEG power from day five compared to the ischaemia-vehicle and -high dose groups. In contrast, the high dose infusion was associated with greater secondary increase in impedance (brain cell swelling, as well as a trend towards a greater increase in lactate concentration and mortality. These data suggest that higher doses of connexin mimetic peptide are not beneficial and may be associated with adverse outcomes, most likely attributable to uncoupling of connexin 43 gap junctions leading to dysfunction of the astrocytic syncytium.
Apolipoprotein E COG 133 mimetic peptide improves 5-fluorouracil-induced intestinal mucositis
Azevedo Orleâncio Gomes R
Full Text Available Abstract Background Intestinal mucositis is one of the major troublesome side effects of anticancer chemotherapy leading to poor patient compliance. In this study we addressed the role of the novel apolipoprotein E (ApoE COG 133 mimetic peptide in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU-challenged Swiss mice and IEC-6 cell monolayers. Experiments were also conducted in C57BL6J ApoE knock-out mice to assess the effects of apoE peptide treatment. Methods Experimental groups were as follows: unchallenged controls, 5-FU-challenged mice (450 mg/kg, i.p with or without the ApoE peptide (0.3, 1, and 3 μM, given twice daily i.p. for 4 days. Mice were sacrificed 3 days after 5-FU challenge. Proximal small intestinal samples were harvested for molecular biology and histological processing. We conducted ELISA assays and RT-PCR to target IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-10, iNOS, and myeloperoxidase (MPO to assess intestinal inflammation. Cell death and NF-κB assays were also conducted in apoE knock-out mice. In our in vitro models, IEC-6 cells were exposed to 1 mM of 5-FU in glutamine free media with or without the ApoE peptide (0.02, 0.2, 2, 5, 10, and 20 μM. We investigated IEC-6 cell proliferation and migration, 24 h after the 5-FU challenge. Additionally, apoptotic IEC-6 cells were measured by Tunel and flow cytometry. Equimolar doses of the ApoA-I (D4-F peptide were also used in some experiments for comparative studies. Results Villus blunting and heavy inflammatory infiltrates were seen in the 5-FU-challenged group, findings that were partially ameliorated by the ApoE peptide. We found increased intestinal MPO and pro-inflammatory IL-1β and TNF-α levels, and TNF-α and iNOS transcripts, and reduction of IL-10 following 5-FU treatment, each of which were partially abrogated by the peptide. Improvements were also found in IEC-6 cell apoptosis and migration following ApoE and D-4F treatment. Conclusion Altogether, these findings suggest that the novel ApoE COG 133 mimetic peptide
Using superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetics to manipulate the redox environment of neural precursor cells
Past work has shown that neural precursor cells are predisposed to redox sensitive changes, and that oxidative stress plays a critical role in the acute and persistent changes that occur within the irradiated CNS. Irradiation leads to a marked rise in reactive oxygen species (ROS) that correlates with oxidative endpoints in vivo and reductions in neuro-genesis. To better understand the impact of oxidative stress on neural precursor cells, and to determine if radiation-induced oxidative damage and precursor cell loss after irradiation could be reduced, a series of antioxidant compounds (EUK-134, EUK-163, EUK-172, EUK-189) were tested, three of which possess both superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities and one (EUK-163) whose only significant activity is SOD. Our results show that these SOD/catalase mimetics apparently increase the oxidation of a ROS-sensitive fluorescent indicator dye, particularly after short (12 h) treatments, but that longer treatments (24 h) decrease oxidation attributable to radiation-induced ROS. Similarly, other studies found that cells incubated with CuZnSOD showed some increase in intracellular ROS levels. Subsequent data suggested that the dye-oxidising capabilities of the EUK compounds were linked to differences in their catalase activity and, most likely, their ability to catalyse per-oxidative pathways. In unirradiated mice, the EUK-134 analogue induced some decrease of proliferating precursor cells and immature neurons 48 h after radiation, an effect that may be attributable to cytotoxicity and/or inhibition of precursor proliferation. In irradiated mice, a single injection of EUK-134 was not found to be an effective radioprotector at acute times (48 h). The present results support continued development of our in vitro model as a tool for predicting certain in vivo responses, and suggest that in some biological systems the capability to scavenge superoxide but produce excess H2O2, as is known for CuZnSOD, may be potentially
Magnetic field-induced ordering of a polymer-grafted biomembrane-mimetic hydrogel
Firestone, M.A.; Tiede, D.M.; Seifert, S.
A biomembrane-mimetic complex fluid that spontaneously orients in the presence of a magnetic field to yield a highly ordered lamellar structure is described. Macroscopically oriented lamellae were produced by exploiting the inverted thermoreversible phase transition of the material, that is, by aligning the sample below the phase transition temperature (<16 C)(i.e., in the fluid, hexagonal micellar phase) and warming to produce the lamellar gel phase in a 7.05 T magnetic field. The in situ field-induced alignment was studied by deuterium NMR. The lamellar domains were found to preferentially orient perpendicular to the applied field (negative order). Characterization of the magnetic field-induced anisotropy by polarized optical microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering/diffraction (SAXS) indicates that it persists even upon field termination. The directional alignment was flipped by 90{degree}, with the lamellar domains oriented parallel to the field (positive order), simply by modifying the composition through the addition of a lanthanide ion (EU{sup 3+}). The system offers the opportunity to spatially organize both membrane and aqueous soluble proteins in an anisotropic matrix, thereby facilitating structure and dynamic studies using a range of techniques, including magnetic resonance (both NMR as well as EPR), optical spectroscopy, and small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering.
Carbohydrate Mimetic Peptides Augment Carbohydrate-Reactive Immune Responses in the Absence of Immune Pathology
Hennings, Leah; Artaud, Cecile; Jousheghany, Fariba; Monzavi-Karbassi, Behjatolah; Pashov, Anastas; Kieber-Emmons, Thomas, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com [Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205 (United States)
Among the most challenging of clinical targets for cancer immunotherapy are Tumor Associated Carbohydrate Antigens (TACAs). To augment immune responses to TACA we are developing carbohydrate mimetic peptides (CMPs) that are sufficiently potent to activate broad-spectrum anti-tumor reactivity. However, the activation of immune responses against terminal mono- and disaccharide constituents of TACA raises concerns regarding the balance between "tumor destruction" and "tissue damage", as mono- and disaccharides are also expressed on normal tissue. To support the development of CMPs for clinical trial testing, we demonstrate in preclinical safety assessment studies in mice that vaccination with CMPs can enhance responses to TACAs without mediating tissue damage to normal cells expressing TACA. BALB/c mice were immunized with CMPs that mimic TACAs reactive with Griffonia simplicifolia lectin 1 (GS-I), and tissue reactivity of serum antibodies were compared with the tissue staining profile of GS-I. Tissues from CMP immunized mice were analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin stain, and Luxol-fast blue staining for myelination. Western blots of membranes from murine mammary 4T1 cells, syngeneic with BALB/c mice, were also compared using GS-I, immunized serum antibodies, and naive serum antibodies. CMP immunization enhanced glycan reactivities with no evidence of pathological autoimmunity in any immunized mice demonstrating that tissue damage is not an inevitable consequence of TACA reactive responses.
Mimetic finite difference method for the stokes problem on polygonal meshes
Lipnikov, K [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Beirao Da Veiga, L [DIPARTIMENTO DI MATE; Gyrya, V [PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV; Manzini, G [ISTIUTO DI MATEMATICA
Various approaches to extend the finite element methods to non-traditional elements (pyramids, polyhedra, etc.) have been developed over the last decade. Building of basis functions for such elements is a challenging task and may require extensive geometry analysis. The mimetic finite difference (MFD) method has many similarities with low-order finite element methods. Both methods try to preserve fundamental properties of physical and mathematical models. The essential difference is that the MFD method uses only the surface representation of discrete unknowns to build stiffness and mass matrices. Since no extension inside the mesh element is required, practical implementation of the MFD method is simple for polygonal meshes that may include degenerate and non-convex elements. In this article, we develop a MFD method for the Stokes problem on arbitrary polygonal meshes. The method is constructed for tensor coefficients, which will allow to apply it to the linear elasticity problem. The numerical experiments show the second-order convergence for the velocity variable and the first-order for the pressure.
Impact of peptide clustering on unbinding forces in the context of fusion mimetics
Highlights: ► Coiled-coil peptides as SNARE mimetics for membrane fusion. ► Interaction forces assessed by colloidal probe microscopy. ► Lateral organization of lipopeptides visualized by atomic force microscopy. -- Abstract: Coiled-coil zipping and unzipping is a pivotal process in SNARE-regulated membrane fusion. In this study we examine this process mediated by a minimal model for coiled-coil formation employing force spectroscopy in the context of membrane-coated surfaces and probes. The interaction forces of several hundred pN are surprisingly low considering the proposed amount of molecular bonds in the contact zone. However, by means of high-resolution imaging employing atomic force microscopy and studying the lateral mobility of lipids and peptides as a function of coiled-coil formation, we are able to supply a detailed view on processes occurring on the membrane surfaces during force measurements. The interaction forces determined here are not only dependent on the peptide concentration on the surface, but also on the regional organization of lateral peptide clusters found prior to coiled-coil formation
Characterization of the insertase BamA in three different membrane mimetics by solution NMR spectroscopy
The insertase BamA is the central protein of the Bam complex responsible for outer membrane protein biogenesis in Gram-negative bacteria. BamA features a 16-stranded transmembrane β-barrel and five periplasmic POTRA domains, with a total molecular weight of 88 kDa. Whereas the structure of BamA has recently been determined by X-ray crystallography, its functional mechanism is not well understood. This mechanism comprises the insertion of substrates from a dynamic, chaperone-bound state into the bacterial outer membrane, and NMR spectroscopy is thus a method of choice for its elucidation. Here, we report solution NMR studies of different BamA constructs in three different membrane mimetic systems: LDAO micelles, DMPC:DiC7PC bicelles and MSP1D1:DMPC nanodiscs. The impact of biochemical parameters on the spectral quality was investigated, including the total protein concentration and the detergent:protein ratio. The barrel of BamA is folded in micelles, bicelles and nanodiscs, but the N-terminal POTRA5 domain is flexibly unfolded in the absence of POTRA4. Measurements of backbone dynamics show that the variable insertion region of BamA, located in the extracellular lid loop L6, features high local flexibility. Our work establishes biochemical preparation schemes for BamA, which will serve as a platform for structural and functional studies of BamA and its role within the Bam complex by solution NMR spectroscopy
The mimetic transition: a simulation study of the evolution of learning by imitation.
Higgs, P G
Culturally transmitted ideas or memes must have had a large effect on the survival and fecundity of early humans. Those with better techniques of obtaining food and making tools, clothing and shelters would have had a substantial advantage. It has been proposed that memes can explain why our species has an unusually large brain and high cognitive ability: the brain evolved because of selection for the ability to imitate. This article presents an evolutionary model of a population in which culturally transmitted memes can have both positive and negative effects on the fitness of individuals. It is found that genes for increased imitative ability are selectively favoured. The model predicts that imitative ability increases slowly until a mimetic transition occurs where memes become able to spread like an epidemic. At this point there is a dramatic increase in the imitative ability, the number of memes known per individual and the mean fitness of the population. Selection for increased imitative ability is able to overcome substantial selection against increased brain size in some cases. PMID:10972132
Mimetic biomembrane-AuNPs-graphene hybrid as matrix for enzyme immobilization and bioelectrocatalysis study.
Wang, Tianshu; Liu, Jiyang; Ren, Jiangtao; Wang, Jin; Wang, Erkang
A hybrid composite constructed of phospholipids bilayer membrane, gold nanoparticles and graphene was prepared and used as matrices for microperoxidase-11 (MP11) immobilization. The direct electrochemistry and corresponding bioelectrocatalysis of the enzyme electrode was further investigated. Phospholipid bilayer membrane protected gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were assembled on polyelectrolyte functionalized graphene sheets through electrostatic attraction to form a hybrid bionanocomposite. Owing to the biocompatible microenvironment provided by the mimetic biomembrane, microperoxidase-11 entrapped in this matrix well retained its native structure and exhibited high bioactivity. Moreover, the AuNPs-graphene assemblies could efficiently promote the direct electron transfer between the immobilized MP11 and the substrate electrode. The as-prepared enzyme electrode presented good direct electrochemistry and electrocatalytic responses to the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The resulting H2O2 biosensor showed a wide linear range (2.0×10(-5)-2.8×10(-4) M), a low detection limit (2.6×10(-6) M), good reproducibility and stability. Furthermore, this sensor was used for real-time detection of H2O2 dynamically released from the tumor cells MCF-7 in response to a pro-inflammatory stimulant. PMID:26078181
A mimetic spectral element solver for the Grad-Shafranov equation
Palha, A.; Koren, B.; Felici, F.
In this work we present a robust and accurate arbitrary order solver for the fixed-boundary plasma equilibria in toroidally axisymmetric geometries. To achieve this we apply the mimetic spectral element formulation presented in [56] to the solution of the Grad-Shafranov equation. This approach combines a finite volume discretization with the mixed finite element method. In this way the discrete differential operators (∇, ∇×, ∇ṡ) can be represented exactly and metric and all approximation errors are present in the constitutive relations. The result of this formulation is an arbitrary order method even on highly curved meshes. Additionally, the integral of the toroidal current Jϕ is exactly equal to the boundary integral of the poloidal field over the plasma boundary. This property can play an important role in the coupling between equilibrium and transport solvers. The proposed solver is tested on a varied set of plasma cross sections (smooth and with an X-point) and also for a wide range of pressure and toroidal magnetic flux profiles. Equilibria accurate up to machine precision are obtained. Optimal algebraic convergence rates of order p + 1 and geometric convergence rates are shown for Soloviev solutions (including high Shafranov shifts), field-reversed configuration (FRC) solutions and spheromak analytical solutions. The robustness of the method is demonstrated for non-linear test cases, in particular on an equilibrium solution with a pressure pedestal.
Carbohydrate Mimetic Peptides Augment Carbohydrate-Reactive Immune Responses in the Absence of Immune Pathology
Among the most challenging of clinical targets for cancer immunotherapy are Tumor Associated Carbohydrate Antigens (TACAs). To augment immune responses to TACA we are developing carbohydrate mimetic peptides (CMPs) that are sufficiently potent to activate broad-spectrum anti-tumor reactivity. However, the activation of immune responses against terminal mono- and disaccharide constituents of TACA raises concerns regarding the balance between "tumor destruction" and "tissue damage", as mono- and disaccharides are also expressed on normal tissue. To support the development of CMPs for clinical trial testing, we demonstrate in preclinical safety assessment studies in mice that vaccination with CMPs can enhance responses to TACAs without mediating tissue damage to normal cells expressing TACA. BALB/c mice were immunized with CMPs that mimic TACAs reactive with Griffonia simplicifolia lectin 1 (GS-I), and tissue reactivity of serum antibodies were compared with the tissue staining profile of GS-I. Tissues from CMP immunized mice were analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin stain, and Luxol-fast blue staining for myelination. Western blots of membranes from murine mammary 4T1 cells, syngeneic with BALB/c mice, were also compared using GS-I, immunized serum antibodies, and naive serum antibodies. CMP immunization enhanced glycan reactivities with no evidence of pathological autoimmunity in any immunized mice demonstrating that tissue damage is not an inevitable consequence of TACA reactive responses
Physics of cell adhesion: some lessons from cell-mimetic systems
Sackmann, Erich; Smith, Ana-Sunčana
Cell adhesion is a paradigm of the ubiquitous interplay of cell signalling, modulation of material properties and biological functions of cells. It is controlled by competition of short range attractive forces, medium range repellant forces and the elastic stresses associated with local and global deformation of the composite cell envelopes. We review the basic physical rules governing the physics of cell adhesion learned by studying cell-mimetic systems and demonstrate the importance of these rules in the context of cellular systems. We review how adhesion induced micro-domains couple to the intracellular actin and microtubule networks allowing cells to generate strong forces with a minimum of attractive cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) and to manipulate other cells through filopodia over micrometer distances. The adhesion strength can be adapted to external force fluctuations within seconds by varying the density of attractive and repellant CAMs through exocytosis and endocytosis or protease-mediated dismantling of the CAM–cytoskeleton link. Adhesion domains form local end global biochemical reaction centres enabling the control of enzymes. Actin–microtubule crosstalk at adhesion foci facilitates the mechanical stabilization of polarized cell shapes. Axon growth in tissue is guided by attractive and repulsive clues controlled by antagonistic signalling pathways. PMID:24651316
Dynamics and orientation of a cationic antimicrobial peptide in two membrane-mimetic systems.
Kosol, Simone; Zangger, Klaus
In order to investigate the functional and structural properties of cationic alpha-helical peptides in two different membranes, we studied the 20-residue peptide maximin H6 in two membrane-mimetic systems by NMR spectroscopy using partially (15)N-labeled peptide and paramagnetic relaxation enhancements. Maximin H6, which is found in skin secretions of frogs of the Bombinae family, attacks gram-negative bacteria and acts haemolytically. While the peptide spontaneously folds into similar structures in both neutral dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) and negatively charged sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) micelles, its structure is more flexible in SDS as shown by (15)N relaxation measurements. In addition, it is bound closer to the surface of the micelle and rotated by approximately 70 degrees around its helix axis in the negatively charged membrane surrogate compared to the structure in DPC. This might form the basis for peptide-peptide interactions through a GxxxG motif, which could finally lead to membrane disruption and, thus, preferential attack of negatively charged microbial cell walls. PMID:20045466
Characterization of the insertase BamA in three different membrane mimetics by solution NMR spectroscopy
Morgado, Leonor; Zeth, Kornelius; Burmann, Björn M.; Maier, Timm; Hiller, Sebastian, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com [University of Basel, Biozentrum (Switzerland)
The insertase BamA is the central protein of the Bam complex responsible for outer membrane protein biogenesis in Gram-negative bacteria. BamA features a 16-stranded transmembrane β-barrel and five periplasmic POTRA domains, with a total molecular weight of 88 kDa. Whereas the structure of BamA has recently been determined by X-ray crystallography, its functional mechanism is not well understood. This mechanism comprises the insertion of substrates from a dynamic, chaperone-bound state into the bacterial outer membrane, and NMR spectroscopy is thus a method of choice for its elucidation. Here, we report solution NMR studies of different BamA constructs in three different membrane mimetic systems: LDAO micelles, DMPC:DiC{sub 7}PC bicelles and MSP1D1:DMPC nanodiscs. The impact of biochemical parameters on the spectral quality was investigated, including the total protein concentration and the detergent:protein ratio. The barrel of BamA is folded in micelles, bicelles and nanodiscs, but the N-terminal POTRA5 domain is flexibly unfolded in the absence of POTRA4. Measurements of backbone dynamics show that the variable insertion region of BamA, located in the extracellular lid loop L6, features high local flexibility. Our work establishes biochemical preparation schemes for BamA, which will serve as a platform for structural and functional studies of BamA and its role within the Bam complex by solution NMR spectroscopy.
Impact of peptide clustering on unbinding forces in the context of fusion mimetics
Pähler, Gesa; Lorenz, Bärbel [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Tammannstr. 6, University of Goettingen, 37077 Göttingen (Germany); Janshoff, Andreas, E-mail: email@example.com [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Tammannstr. 6, University of Goettingen, 37077 Göttingen (Germany)
Highlights: ► Coiled-coil peptides as SNARE mimetics for membrane fusion. ► Interaction forces assessed by colloidal probe microscopy. ► Lateral organization of lipopeptides visualized by atomic force microscopy. -- Abstract: Coiled-coil zipping and unzipping is a pivotal process in SNARE-regulated membrane fusion. In this study we examine this process mediated by a minimal model for coiled-coil formation employing force spectroscopy in the context of membrane-coated surfaces and probes. The interaction forces of several hundred pN are surprisingly low considering the proposed amount of molecular bonds in the contact zone. However, by means of high-resolution imaging employing atomic force microscopy and studying the lateral mobility of lipids and peptides as a function of coiled-coil formation, we are able to supply a detailed view on processes occurring on the membrane surfaces during force measurements. The interaction forces determined here are not only dependent on the peptide concentration on the surface, but also on the regional organization of lateral peptide clusters found prior to coiled-coil formation.
The Thrombospondin-1 Mimetic ABT-510 Increases the Uptake and Effectiveness of Cisplatin and Paclitaxel in a Mouse Model of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Nicole E. Campbell
Full Text Available Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC comprises approximately 90% of ovarian cancers and arises from the surface epithelium. Typical treatment of EOC involves cytoreductive surgery combined with chemotherapy. More recent therapies have targeted the tumor vasculature using antiangiogenic compounds such as thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1. TSP-1 mimetic peptides such as ABT-510 have been created and have been in various clinical trials. We have previously shown that ABT-510 reduces abnormal vasculature associated with tumor tissue and increases the presence of mature blood vessels. It has been hypothesized that treatment with antiangiogenic compounds would allow increased delivery of cytotoxic agents and enhance treatment. In this study, we evaluated the potential role of ABT-510 and various chemotherapeutics (cisplatin and paclitaxel on tumor progression, angiogenesis, and the benefits of combinational treatments on tissue uptake and perfusion using an orthotopic syngeneic mouse model of EOC. Animals were treated with ABT-510 (100 mg/kg per day alone or in combination with cisplatin (2 mg/kg per 3 days or paclitaxel (10 mg/kg per 2 days at 60 days after tumor induction. Radiolabeled and fluorescently labeled paclitaxel demonstrated a significant increase in tumor uptake after ABT-510 treatment. Combined treatment with ABT-510 and cisplatin or paclitaxel resulted in a significant increase in tumor cell and tumor endothelial cell apoptosis and a resultant decrease in ovarian tumor size. Combined treatment also regressed secondary lesions and eliminated the presence of abdominal ascites. The results from this study show that through vessel normalization, ABT-510 increases uptake of chemotherapy drugs and can induce regression of advanced ovarian cancer.
An investigation of the mimetic enzyme activity of two-dimensional Pd-based nanostructures
Wei, Jingping; Chen, Xiaolan; Shi, Saige; Mo, Shiguang; Zheng, Nanfeng
In this work, we investigated the mimetic enzyme activity of two-dimensional (2D) Pd-based nanostructures (e.g. Pd nanosheets, Pd@Au and Pd@Pt nanoplates) and found that they possess intrinsic peroxidase-, oxidase- and catalase-like activities. These nanostructures were able to activate hydrogen peroxide or dissolved oxygen for catalyzing the oxidation of organic substrates, and decompose hydrogen peroxide to generate oxygen. More systematic investigations revealed that the peroxidase-like activities of these Pd-based nanomaterials were highly structure- and composition-dependent. Among them, Pd@Pt nanoplates displayed the highest peroxidase-like activity. Based on these findings, Pd-based nanostructures were applied for the colorimetric detection of H2O2 and glucose, and also the electro-catalytic reduction of H2O2. This work offers a promising prospect for the application of 2D noble metal nanostructures in biocatalysis.In this work, we investigated the mimetic enzyme activity of two-dimensional (2D) Pd-based nanostructures (e.g. Pd nanosheets, Pd@Au and Pd@Pt nanoplates) and found that they possess intrinsic peroxidase-, oxidase- and catalase-like activities. These nanostructures were able to activate hydrogen peroxide or dissolved oxygen for catalyzing the oxidation of organic substrates, and decompose hydrogen peroxide to generate oxygen. More systematic investigations revealed that the peroxidase-like activities of these Pd-based nanomaterials were highly structure- and composition-dependent. Among them, Pd@Pt nanoplates displayed the highest peroxidase-like activity. Based on these findings, Pd-based nanostructures were applied for the colorimetric detection of H2O2 and glucose, and also the electro-catalytic reduction of H2O2. This work offers a promising prospect for the application of 2D noble metal nanostructures in biocatalysis. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: TEM images, EDX and dispersion stability of Pd-based nanomaterials
Activity of antimicrobial peptide mimetics in the oral cavity: II. Activity against periopathogenic biofilms and anti-inflammatory activity.
Hua, J; Scott, R W; Diamond, G
Whereas periodontal disease is ultimately of bacterial etiology, from multispecies biofilms of gram-negative anaerobic microorganisms, much of the deleterious effects are caused by the resultant epithelial inflammatory response. Hence, development of a treatment that combines anti-biofilm antibiotic activity with anti-inflammatory activity would be of great utility. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) such as defensins are naturally occurring peptides that exhibit broad-spectrum activity as well as a variety of immunomodulatory activities. Furthermore, bacteria do not readily develop resistance to these agents. However, clinical studies have suggested that they do not represent optimal candidates for exogenous therapeutic agents. Small-molecule mimetics of these AMPs exhibit similar activities to the parent peptides, in addition to having low toxicity, high stability and low cost. To determine whether AMP mimetics have the potential for treatment of periodontal disease, we examined the activity of one mimetic, mPE, against biofilm cultures of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Metabolic assays as well as culture and biomass measurement assays demonstrated that mPE exhibits potent activity against biofilm cultures of both species. Furthermore, as little as 2 μg ml(-1) mPE was sufficient to inhibit interleukin-1β-induced secretion of interleukin-8 in both gingival epithelial cells and THP-1 cells. This anti-inflammatory activity is associated with a reduction in activation of nuclear factor-κB, suggesting that mPE can act both as an anti-biofilm agent in an anaerobic environment and as an anti-inflammatory agent in infected tissues. PMID:21040516
Low molecular weight, non-peptidic agonists of TrkA receptor with NGF-mimetic activity.
Scarpi, D; Cirelli, D; Matrone, C; Castronovo, G; Rosini, P; Occhiato, E G; Romano, F; Bartali, L; Clemente, A M; Bottegoni, G; Cavalli, A; De Chiara, G; Bonini, P; Calissano, P; Palamara, A T; Garaci, E; Torcia, M G; Guarna, A; Cozzolino, F
Exploitation of the biologic activity of neurotrophins is desirable for medical purposes, but their protein nature intrinsically bears adverse pharmacokinetic properties. Here, we report synthesis and biologic characterization of a novel class of low molecular weight, non-peptidic compounds with NGF (nerve growth factor)-mimetic properties. MT2, a representative compound, bound to Trk (tropomyosin kinase receptor)A chain on NGF-sensitive cells, as well as in cell-free assays, at nanomolar concentrations and induced TrkA autophosphorylation and receptor-mediated internalization. MT2 binding involved at least two amino-acid residues within TrkA molecule. Like NGF, MT2 increased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and Akt proteins and production of MKP-1 phosphatase (dual specificity phosphatase 1), modulated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation,sustained survival of serum-starved PC12 or RDG cells, and promoted their differentiation. However, the intensity of such responses was heterogenous, as the ability of maintaining survival was equally possessed by NGF and MT2, whereas the induction of differentiation was expressed at definitely lower levels by the mimetic. Analysis of TrkA autophosphorylation patterns induced by MT2 revealed a strong tyrosine (Tyr)490 and a limited Tyr785 and Tyr674/675 activation, findings coherent with the observed functional divarication. Consistently, in an NGF-deprived rat hippocampal neuronal model of Alzheimer Disease, MT2 could correct the biochemical abnormalities and sustain cell survival. Thus, NGF mimetics may reveal interesting investigational tools in neurobiology, as well as promising drug candidates. PMID:22951986
An apoA-I mimetic peptide increases LCAT activity in mice through increasing HDL concentration
Xun Chen, Charlotte Burton, Xuelei Song, Lesley Mcnamara, Annunziata Langella, Simona Cianetti, Ching H. Chang, Jun Wang
Full Text Available Lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT plays a key role in the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT process by converting cholesterol to cholesteryl ester to form mature HDL particles, which in turn deliver cholesterol back to the liver for excretion and catabolism. HDL levels in human plasma are negatively correlated with cardiovascular risk and HDL functions are believed to be more important in atheroprotection. This study investigates whether and how D-4F, an apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I mimetic peptide, influences LCAT activity in the completion of the RCT process. We demonstrated that the apparent rate constant value of the LCAT enzyme reaction gives a measure of LCAT activity and determined the effects of free metals and a reducing agent on LCAT activity, showing an inhibition hierarchy of Zn2+>Mg2+>Ca2+ and no inhibition with β-mercaptoethanol up to 10 mM. We reconstituted nano-disc particles using apoA-I or D-4F with phospholipids. These particles elicited good activity in vitro in the stimulation of cholesterol efflux from macrophages through the ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1. With these particles we studied the LCAT activity and demonstrated that D-4F did not activate LCAT in vitro. Furthermore, we have done in vivo experiments with apoE-null mice and demonstrated that D-4F (20 mg/kg body weight, once daily subcutaneously increased LCAT activity and HDL level as well as apoA-I concentration at 72 hours post initial dosing. Finally, we have established a correlation between HDL concentration and LCAT activity in the D-4F treated mice.
Bio-Mimetics of Disaster Anticipation-Learning Experience and Key-Challenges.
Tributsch, Helmut
Anomalies in animal behavior and meteorological phenomena before major earthquakes have been reported throughout history. Bio-mimetics or bionics aims at learning disaster anticipation from animals. Since modern science is reluctant to address this problem an effort has been made to track down the knowledge available to ancient natural philosophers. Starting with an archaeologically documented human sacrifice around 1700 B.C. during the Minoan civilization immediately before a large earthquake, which killed the participants, earthquake prediction knowledge throughout antiquity is evaluated. Major practical experience with this phenomenon has been gained from a Chinese earthquake prediction initiative nearly half a century ago. Some quakes, like that of Haicheng, were recognized in advance. However, the destructive Tangshan earthquake was not predicted, which was interpreted as an inherent failure of prediction based on animal phenomena. This is contradicted on the basis of reliable Chinese documentation provided by the responsible earthquake study commission. The Tangshan earthquake was preceded by more than 2,000 reported animal anomalies, some of which were of very dramatic nature. They are discussed here. Any physical phenomenon, which may cause animal unrest, must involve energy turnover before the main earthquake event. The final product, however, of any energy turnover is heat. Satellite based infrared measurements have indeed identified significant thermal anomalies before major earthquakes. One of these cases, occurring during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, India, is analyzed together with parallel animal anomalies observed in the Gir national park. It is suggested that the time window is identical and that both phenomena have the same geophysical origin. It therefore remains to be demonstrated that energy can be released locally before major earthquake events. It is shown that by considering appropriate geophysical feedback processes, this is
Noninvasive imaging of radiolabeled exosome-mimetic nanovesicle using (99m)Tc-HMPAO.
Hwang, Do Won; Choi, Hongyoon; Jang, Su Chul; Yoo, Min Young; Park, Ji Yong; Choi, Na Eun; Oh, Hyun Jeong; Ha, Seunggyun; Lee, Yun-Sang; Jeong, Jae Min; Gho, Yong Song; Lee, Dong Soo
Exosomes known as nano-sized extracellular vesicles attracted recent interests due to their potential usefulness in drug delivery. Amid remarkable advances in biomedical applications of exosomes, it is crucial to understand in vivo distribution and behavior of exosomes. Here, we developed a simple method for radiolabeling of macrophage-derived exosome-mimetic nanovesicles (ENVs) with (99m)Tc-HMPAO under physiologic conditions and monitored in vivo distribution of (99m)Tc-HMPAO-ENVs using SPECT/CT in living mice. ENVs were produced from the mouse RAW264.7 macrophage cell line and labeled with (99m)Tc-HMPAO for 1 hr incubation, followed by removal of free (99m)Tc-HMPAO. SPECT/CT images were serially acquired after intravenous injection to BALB/c mouse. When ENVs were labeled with (99m)Tc-HMPAO, the radiochemical purity of (99m)Tc-HMPAO-ENVs was higher than 90% and the expression of exosome specific protein (CD63) did not change in (99m)Tc-HMPAO-ENVs. (99m)Tc-HMPAO-ENVs showed high serum stability (90%) which was similar to that in phosphate buffered saline until 5 hr. SPECT/CT images of the mice injected with (99m)Tc-HMPAO-ENVs exhibited higher uptake in liver and no uptake in brain, whereas mice injected with (99m)Tc-HMPAO showed high brain uptake until 5 hr. Our noninvasive imaging of radiolabeled-ENVs promises better understanding of the in vivo behavior of exosomes for upcoming biomedical application. PMID:26497063
Self-Assembled, Iridescent, Crustacean-Mimetic Nanocomposites with Tailored Periodicity and Layered Cuticular Structure.
Wang, Baochun; Walther, Andreas
Natural high-performance materials inspire the pursuit of ordered hard/soft nanocomposite structures at high fractions of reinforcements and with balanced molecular interactions. Herein, we develop a facile, waterborne self-assembly pathway to mimic the multiscale cuticle structure of the crustacean armor by combining hard reinforcing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with soft poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). We show iridescent CNC nanocomposites with cholesteric liquid-crystal structure, in which different helical pitches and photonic band gaps can be realized by varying the CNC/PVA ratio. We further show that multilayered crustacean-mimetic materials with tailored periodicity and layered cuticular structure can be obtained by sequential preparation pathways. The transition from a cholesteric to a disordered structure occurs for a critical polymer concentration. Correspondingly, we find a transition from stiff and strong mechanical behavior to materials with increasing ductility. Crack propagation studies using scanning electron microscopy visualize the different crack growth and toughening mechanisms inside cholesteric nanocomposites as a function of the interstitial polymer content for the first time. Different extents of crack deflection, layered delamination, ligament bridging, and constrained microcracking can be observed. Drawing of highly plasticized films sheds light on the mechanistic details of the transition from a cholesteric/chiral nematic to a nematic structure. The study demonstrates how self-assembly of biobased CNCs in combination with suitable polymers can be used to replicate a hierarchical biological structure and how future design of these ordered multifunctional nanocomposites can be optimized by understanding mechanistic details of deformation and fracture. PMID:26372330
Structure of the nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor in complex with a peptide mimetic
Thompson, Aaron A.; Liu, Wei; Chun, Eugene; Katritch, Vsevolod; Wu, Huixian; Vardy, Eyal; Huang, Xi-Ping; Trapella, Claudio; Guerrini, Remo; Calo, Girolamo; Roth, Bryan L.; Cherezov, Vadim; Stevens, Raymond C. (Ferrara); (Scripps); (UNC)
Members of the opioid receptor family of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are found throughout the peripheral and central nervous system, where they have key roles in nociception and analgesia. Unlike the 'classical' opioid receptors, {delta}, {kappa} and {mu} ({delta}-OR, {kappa}-OR and {mu}-OR), which were delineated by pharmacological criteria in the 1970s and 1980s, the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) peptide receptor (NOP, also known as ORL-1) was discovered relatively recently by molecular cloning and characterization of an orphan GPCR. Although it shares high sequence similarity with classical opioid GPCR subtypes ({approx}60%), NOP has a markedly distinct pharmacology, featuring activation by the endogenous peptide N/OFQ, and unique selectivity for exogenous ligands. Here we report the crystal structure of human NOP, solved in complex with the peptide mimetic antagonist compound-24 (C-24) (ref. 4), revealing atomic details of ligand-receptor recognition and selectivity. Compound-24 mimics the first four amino-terminal residues of the NOP-selective peptide antagonist UFP-101, a close derivative of N/OFQ, and provides important clues to the binding of these peptides. The X-ray structure also shows substantial conformational differences in the pocket regions between NOP and the classical opioid receptors {kappa} (ref. 5) and {mu} (ref. 6), and these are probably due to a small number of residues that vary between these receptors. The NOP-compound-24 structure explains the divergent selectivity profile of NOP and provides a new structural template for the design of NOP ligands.
Temporally degradable collagen-mimetic hydrogels tuned to chondrogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells.
Parmar, Paresh A; Skaalure, Stacey C; Chow, Lesley W; St-Pierre, Jean-Philippe; Stoichevska, Violet; Peng, Yong Y; Werkmeister, Jerome A; Ramshaw, John A M; Stevens, Molly M
collagen-mimetic protein, cross-linked via multiple enzymatically degradable peptides, provides a highly adaptable and well defined platform to recapitulate a high degree of biological complexity, which could be applicable to numerous tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. PMID:27214650
Leukocyte mimetic polysaccharide microparticles tracked in vivo on activated endothelium and in abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Bonnard, Thomas; Serfaty, Jean-Michel; Journé, Clément; Ho Tin Noe, Benoît; Arnaud, Denis; Louedec, Liliane; Derkaoui, Sidi Mohammed; Letourneur, Didier; Chauvierre, Cédric; Le Visage, Catherine
We have developed injectable microparticles functionalized with fucoidan, in which sulfated groups mimic the anchor sites of P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), one of the principal receptors supporting leukocyte adhesion. These targeted microparticles were combined with a fluorescent dye and a T2(∗) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent, and then tracked in vivo with small animal imaging methods. Microparticles of 2.5μm were obtained by a water-in-oil emulsification combined with a cross-linking process of polysaccharide dextran, fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran, pullulan and fucoidan mixed with ultrasmall superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide. Fluorescent intravital microscopy observation revealed dynamic adsorption and a leukocyte-like behaviour of fucoidan-functionalized microparticles on a calcium ionophore induced an activated endothelial layer of a mouse mesentery vessel. We observed 20times more adherent microparticles on the activated endothelium area after the injection of functionalized microparticles compared to non-functionalized microparticles (197±11 vs. 10±2). This imaging tool was then applied to rats presenting an elastase perfusion model of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and 7.4T in vivo MRI was performed. Visual analysis of T2(∗)-weighted MR images showed a significant contrast enhancement on the inner wall of the aneurysm from 30min to 2h after the injection. Histological analysis of AAA cryosections revealed microparticles localized inside the aneurysm wall, in the same areas in which immunostaining shows P-selectin expression. The developed leukocyte mimetic imaging tool could therefore be relevant for molecular imaging of vascular diseases and for monitoring biologically active areas prone to rupture in AAA. PMID:24769117
Smac mimetic sensitizes renal cell carcinoma cells to interferon-α-induced apoptosis.
Reiter, Michael; Eckhardt, Ines; Haferkamp, Axel; Fulda, Simone
The prognosis of metastatic or relapsed renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still very poor, highlighting the need for new treatment strategies. Here, we identify a cooperative antitumor activity of interferon-α (IFNα) together with the Smac mimetic BV6 that antagonizes antiapoptotic IAP proteins. BV6 and IFNα act together to reduce cell viability and to induce apoptosis in various RCC cell lines. Molecular studies revealed that BV6/IFNα co-treatment triggers apoptosis independently of autocrine/paracrine Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)α signaling, since the TNFα-blocking antibody Enbrel fails to rescue cell death. Importantly, knockdown of Receptor-Interacting Protein (RIP)1 significantly decreases BV6/IFNα-mediated apoptosis, whereas the RIP1 kinase inhibitor necrostatin-1 (Nec-1) provides no protection. This demonstrates that RIP1 protein is critically required for BV6/IFNα-induced apoptosis, while RIP1 kinase activity is dispensable, pointing to a scaffold function of RIP1. Consistently, BV6 and IFNα cooperate to trigger the interaction of RIP1, Fas-Associated Death Domain protein (FADD) and caspase-8 to form a cytosolic cell death complex that drives caspase activation. Addition of the broad-range caspase inhibitor N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (zVAD.fmk) significantly protects RCC cells against BV6/IFNα-induced apoptosis, demonstrating that caspase activity is required for apoptosis. In conclusion, the combination approach of IFNα and BV6 represents a promising strategy for cooperative induction of apoptosis in RCC cells, which warrants further investigation. PMID:26912071
Preferred conformation of endomorphin-1 in aqueous and membrane-mimetic environments.
Fiori, S; Renner, C; Cramer, J; Pegoraro, S; Moroder, L
The newly discovered endomorphin-1 (Tyr-Pro-Trp-Phe-NH2) and endomorphin-2 (Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NH2) are potent opioid peptides with the highest affinity and selectivity for the mu receptor among all known endogenous ligands. To investigate a possible correlation between these biological properties and the conformational preferences of the small peptides, a comparative structural analysis was performed of endomorphin-1 in aqueous buffer and in membrane-mimicking SDS and AOT normal and reverse micelles by the use of CD, FT-IR, fluorescence and(1)H-NMR spectroscopy. It is well established for opioid peptides that, independently of the receptor selectivity, the Tyr1 residue plays the role of the primary pharmacophore and that the orientation of the second aromatic pharmacophore relative to the tyrosine side-chain dictates the mu or delta-receptor selectivity. By varying the environment of endomorphin-1 from water to the amphipathic SDS micelles and even more efficiently to the AOT reverse micelles, the display of the aromatic side-chains changes from an interaction of the Tyr1 and Phe4 residues to a switch of the Trp3 indole group into close contact with the phenolic moiety to prevent this type of interaction and to force an orientation of the Phe4 side-chain into the opposite direction. This conformational switch is accompanied by a stabilization of the cis -Pro2 isomer and the resulting spatial array of the pharmacophoric groups correlate well with the structural model of mu receptor-bound opioid peptides. The results indicate that AOT reverse micelles with a woof 10, where almost exclusively ordered water is secluded in the cavity, constitute with their electrostatic and hydrophobic potential an excellent mimetic of amphipathic surfaces as present on lipid bilayers and on ligand-recognition and ligand-binding sites of proteins. PMID:10438613
Molecular weight effects upon the adhesive bonding of a mussel mimetic polymer.
Jenkins, Courtney L; Meredith, Heather J; Wilker, Jonathan J
Characterization of marine biological adhesives are teaching us how nature makes materials and providing new ideas for synthetic systems. One of the most widely studied adhering animals is the marine mussel. This mollusk bonds to wet rocks by producing an adhesive from cross-linked proteins. Several laboratories are now making synthetic mimics of mussel adhesive proteins, with 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) or similar molecules pendant from polymer chains. In select cases, appreciable bulk bonding results, with strengths as high as commercial glues. Polymer molecular weight is amongst several parameters that need to be examined in order to both understand biomimetic adhesion as well as to maximize performance. Experiments presented here explore how the bulk adhesion of a mussel mimetic polymer varies as a function of molecular weight. Systematic structure-function studies were carried out both with and without the presence of an oxidative cross-linker. Without cross-linking, higher molecular weights generally afforded higher adhesion. When a [N(C4H9)4](IO4) cross-linker was added, adhesion peaked at molecular weights of ~50,000-65,000 g/mol. These data help to illustrate how changes to the balance of cohesion versus adhesion influence bulk bonding. Mussel adhesive plaques achieve this balance by incorporating several proteins with molecular weights ranging from 6000 to 110,000 g/mol. To mimic these varied proteins we made a blend of polymers containing a range of molecular weights. Interestingly, this blend adhered more strongly than any of the individual polymers when cross-linked with [N(C4H9)4](IO4). These results are helping us to both understand the origins of biological materials as well as design high performance polymers. PMID:23668520
Smac mimetic SM-164 potentiates APO2L/TRAIL- and doxorubicin-mediated anticancer activity in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
Shuijun Zhang
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The members of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs family are key negative regulators of apoptosis. Overexpression of IAPs are found in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, and can contribute to chemotherapy resistance and recurrence of HCC. Small-molecule Second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac mimetics have recently emerged as novel anticancer drugs through targeting IAPs. The specific aims of this study were to 1 examine the anticancer activity of Smac mimetics as a single agent and in combination with chemotherapy in HCC cells, and 2 investigate the mechanism of anticancer action of Smac mimetics. METHODS: Four HCC cell lines, including SMMC-7721, BEL-7402, HepG2 and Hep3B, and 12 primary HCC cells were used in this study. Smac mimetic SM-164 was used to treat HCC cells. Cell viability, cell death induction and clonal formation assays were used to evaluate the anticancer activity. Western blotting analysis and a pancaspase inhibitor were used to investigate the mechanisms. RESULTS: Although SM-164 induced complete cIAP-1 degradation, it displayed weak inhibitory effects on the viability of HCC cells. Nevertheless, SM-164 considerably potentiated Apo2 ligand or TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (APO2L/TRAIL- and Doxorubicin-mediated anticancer activity in HCC cells. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that SM-164 in combination with chemotherapeutic agents resulted in enhanced activation of caspases-9, -3 and cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP, and also led to decreased AKT activation. CONCLUSIONS: Smac mimetics can enhance chemotherapeutic-mediated anticancer activity by enhancing apoptosis signaling and suppressing survival signaling in HCC cells. This study suggests Smac mimetics are potential therapeutic agents for HCC.
Intracellular Ca2+ Modulation during Short Exposure to Ischemia-Mimetic Factors in Isolated Rat Ventricular Myocytes
Danijel, Pravdic; Nikolina, Vladic; Zeljko, Bosnjak J
We investigated the effects of different ischemia-mimetic factors on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). Ventricular myocytes were isolated from adult Wistar rats, and [Ca2+]i was measured using fluorescent indicator fluo-4 AM by confocal microscopy. Intracellular pH was measured using c5-(and-6)-carboxy SNARF-1 AM, a dual emission pH-sensitive ionophore. Myocytes were exposed to hypoxia, extracellular acidosis (pHo 6.8), Na-lactate (10 mM), or to combination of those factors for 25 m...
A mimetic finite difference method for two-phase flow models with dynamic capillary pressure and hysteresis
Zhang, Hong
Saturation overshoot and pressure overshoot are studied by incorporating dynamic capillary pressure, capillary pressure hysteresis and hysteretic dynamic coefficient with a traditional fractional flow equation. Using the method of lines, the discretizations are constructed by applying Castillo-Grone's mimetic operators in the space direction and explicit trapezoidal integrator in the time direction. Convergence tests and conservation property of the schemes are presented. Computed profiles capture both the saturation overshoot and pressure overshoot phenomena. Comparisons between numerical results and experiments illustrate the effectiveness and different features of the models.
An Apolipoprotein A-I Mimetic Peptide Designed with a Reductionist Approach Stimulates Reverse Cholesterol Transport and Reduces Atherosclerosis in Mice
Ditiatkovski, Michael; D'Souza, Wilissa; Kesani, Rajitha; Chin-Dusting, Jaye; de Haan, Judy B; Remaley, Alan; Sviridov, Dmitri
Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) mimetic peptides are considered a promising novel therapeutic approach to prevent and/or treat atherosclerosis. An apoA-I mimetic peptide ELK-2A2K2E was designed with a reductionist approach and has shown exceptional activity in supporting cholesterol efflux but modest anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties in vitro. In this study we compared these in vitro properties with the capacity of this peptide to modify rates of reverse cholesterol transport and deve...
Synthesis and conformational analysis of constrained beta-turn mimetics using a bicyclic turn inducer and the Petasis three-component reaction on solid-phase
Danieli, E; Trabocchi, A.; G. MENCHI; Guarna, A
A new set of β-turn mimetics incorporating a bicyclic turn inducer was achieved by use of the solid-phase Petasis reaction in a stereoselective fashion. The stereoselectivity of the reaction turned out to be dependent on the side chain of the amino acid preceding the reverse turn inducer. The β-turn mimetics were stabilized by strong intramolecular 10-membered ring hydrogen bonds, detected by conformational analysis by NMR and molecular modelling, whilst the turn type was controlled by the fi...
Apolipoprotein E-mimetics inhibit neurodegeneration and restore cognitive functions in a transgenic Drosophila model of Alzheimer's disease.
Svetlana Sarantseva
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Mutations of the amyloid precursor protein gene (APP are found in familial forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD and some lead to the elevated production of amyloid-beta-protein (Abeta. While Abeta has been implicated in the causation of AD, the exact role played by Abeta and its APP precursor are still unclear. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In our study, Drosophila melanogaster transgenics were established as a model to analyze AD-like pathology caused by APP overexpression. We demonstrated that age related changes in the levels and pattern of synaptic proteins accompanied progressive neurodegeneration and impairment of cognitive functions in APP transgenic flies, but that these changes may be independent from the generation of Abeta. Using novel peptide mimetics of Apolipoprotein-E, COG112 or COG133 proved to be neuroprotective and significantly improved the learning and memory of APP transgenic flies. CONCLUSIONS: The development of neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits was corrected by injections of COG112 or COG133, novel mimetics of apolipoprotein-E (apoE with neuroprotective activities.
Superoxide dismutase mimetic modulates hyperoxic augmentation of the diaphragmatic response to poikilocapnic hypoxia in non-vagotomized rats.
Budzinska, K; Ilasz, R
A period of oxygen breathing enhances the subsequent respiratory responses to episodic hypoxia. Since hyperoxia increases a formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in lungs, in the present study we asked a question of whether superoxide anion produced during O(2) breathing would participate in the mechanisms of posthyperoxic enhancement of the response to hypoxia and whether afferent information from the lungs would contribute to this response. To scavenge a superoxide we used Tempol (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetra-methyl piperidine-N-oxyl), a superoxide dismutase mimetic. The respiratory activity of anesthetized, spontaneously breathing rats was assessed from the integrated costal diaphragm EMG. The experiments consisted of 3 min hypoxia (11% O(2)), before and after a 15 min period of breathing with 100% oxygen, with and without Tempol (33 mg/kg) preatreatment. The same protocol was performed in non-vagotomized and vagotomized rats. The results show that a SOD mimetic abolished both hyperoxia-induced slowing of respiration and posthyperoxic respiratory augmentation of the hypoxic response. The abolishment is due likely to a remodeling of the respiratory pattern involving lung vagal reeptors, since in vagotomized animals, the effects of Tempol were marginal. PMID:19218640
Thioredoxin-Mimetic-Peptides Protect Cognitive Function after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)
Baratz-Goldstein, Renana; Deselms, Hanna; Heim, Leore Raphael; Khomski, Lena; Hoffer, Barry J.
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is recognized as a common injury among children, sportsmen, and elderly population. mTBI lacks visible objective structural brain damage but patients frequently suffer from long-lasting cognitive, behavioral and emotional difficulties associated with biochemical and cellular changes. Currently there is no effective treatment for patients with mTBI. The thioredoxin reductase/thioredoxin pathway (TrxR/Trx1) has both anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. If the system is compromised, Trx1 remains oxidized and triggers cell death via an ASK1-Trx1 signal transduction mechanism. We previously showed tri and tetra peptides which were derived from the canonical -CxxC- motif of the Trx1-active site, called thioredoxin mimetic (TXM) peptides, reversed inflammatory and oxidative stress damage mimicking Trx1 activity. Here, TXM-peptides were examined for protecting cognitive function following weight drop closed-head injury in a mouse model of mTBI. TXM-CB3 (AcCys-Pro-CysNH2), TXM-CB13 (DY-70; AcCys-Met-Lys-CysNH2) or AD4 (ACysNH2) were administered at 50 mg/kg, 60 min after injury and cognitive performance was monitored by the novel-object-recognition and Y-maze tests. Behavioral deficits subsequent to mTBI injury were reversed by a single dose of TXM-CB3, TXM-CB13 and, to a lesser extent, by AD4. TXM-CB13 similar to TXM-CB3 and AD4 reversed oxidative stress-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated kinases, p38MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase, (JNK) in human neuronal SH-SY5Y cells. We conclude that significantly improved cognitive behavior post mTBI by the TXM-peptides could result from anti-apoptotic, and/or anti-inflammatory activities. Future preclinical studies are required to establish the TXM-peptides as potential therapeutic drugs for brain injuries. PMID:27285176
Bio-Mimetics of Disaster Anticipation—Learning Experience and Key-Challenges
Helmut Tributsch
Full Text Available Anomalies in animal behavior and meteorological phenomena before major earthquakes have been reported throughout history. Bio-mimetics or bionics aims at learning disaster anticipation from animals. Since modern science is reluctant to address this problem an effort has been made to track down the knowledge available to ancient natural philosophers. Starting with an archaeologically documented human sacrifice around 1700 B.C. during the Minoan civilization immediately before a large earthquake, which killed the participants, earthquake prediction knowledge throughout antiquity is evaluated. Major practical experience with this phenomenon has been gained from a Chinese earthquake prediction initiative nearly half a century ago. Some quakes, like that of Haicheng, were recognized in advance. However, the destructive Tangshan earthquake was not predicted, which was interpreted as an inherent failure of prediction based on animal phenomena. This is contradicted on the basis of reliable Chinese documentation provided by the responsible earthquake study commission. The Tangshan earthquake was preceded by more than 2,000 reported animal anomalies, some of which were of very dramatic nature. They are discussed here. Any physical phenomenon, which may cause animal unrest, must involve energy turnover before the main earthquake event. The final product, however, of any energy turnover is heat. Satellite based infrared measurements have indeed identified significant thermal anomalies before major earthquakes. One of these cases, occurring during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, India, is analyzed together with parallel animal anomalies observed in the Gir national park. It is suggested that the time window is identical and that both phenomena have the same geophysical origin. It therefore remains to be demonstrated that energy can be released locally before major earthquake events. It is shown that by considering appropriate geophysical feedback
Development of electrospun bone-mimetic matrices for bone regenerative applications
Phipps, Matthew Christopher
Although bone has a dramatic capacity for regeneration, certain injuries and procedures present defects that are unable to heal properly, requiring surgical intervention to induce and support osteoregeneration. Our research group has hypothesized that the development of a biodegradable material that mimics the natural composition and architecture of bone extracellular matrix has the potential to provide therapeutic benefit to these patients. Utilizing a process known as electrospinning, our lab has developed a bone-mimetic matrix (BMM) consisting of composite nanofibers of the mechanically sta-ble polymer polycaprolactone (PCL), and the natural bone matrix molecules type-I colla-gen and hydroxyapatite nanocrystals (HA). We herein show that BMMs supported great-er adhesion, proliferation, and integrin activation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), the multipotent bone-progenitor cells within bone marrow and the periosteum, in comparison to electrospun PCL alone. These cellular responses, which are essential early steps in the process of bone regeneration, highlight the benefits of presenting cells with natural bone molecules. Subsequently, evaluation of new bone formation in a rat cortical tibia defect showed that BMMs are highly osteoconductive. However, these studies also revealed the inability of endogenous cells to migrate within electrospun matrices due to the inherently small pore sizes. To address this limitation, which will negatively impact the rate of scaf-fold-to-bone turnover and inhibit vascularization, sacrificial fibers were added to the ma-trix. The removal of these fibers after fabrication resulted in BMMs with larger pores, leading to increased infiltration of MSCs and endogenous bone cells. Lastly, we evaluat-ed the potential of our matrices to stimulate the recruitment of MSCs, a vital step in bone healing, through the sustained delivery of platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). BMMs were found to adsorb and subsequently release greater
A multilevel multiscale mimetic (M 3) method for two-phase flows in porous media
Lipnikov, K.; Moulton, J. D.; Svyatskiy, D.
We describe a multilevel multiscale mimetic (M 3) method for solving two-phase flow (water and oil) in a heterogeneous reservoir. The governing equations are the elliptic equation for the reservoir pressure and the hyperbolic equation for the water saturation. On each time step, we first solve the pressure equation and then use the computed flux in an explicit upwind finite volume method to update the saturation. To reduce the computational cost, the pressure equation is solved on a much coarser grid than the saturation equation. The coarse-grid pressure discretization captures the influence of multiple scales via the subgrid modeling technique for single-phase flow recently proposed in [Yu. A. Kuznetsov. Mixed finite element method for diffusion equations on polygonal meshes with mixed cells. J. Numer. Math., 14 (4) (2006) 305-315; V. Gvozdev. discretization of the diffusion and Maxwell equations on polyhedral meshes. Technical Report Ph.D. Thesis, University of Houston, 2007; Yu. Kuznetsov. Mixed finite element methods on polyhedral meshes for diffusion equations, in: Computational Modeling with PDEs in Science and Engineering, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, in press]. We extend significantly the applicability of this technique by developing a new robust and efficient method for estimating the flux coarsening parameters. Specifically, with this advance the M 3 method can handle full permeability tensors and general coarsening strategies, which may generate polygonal meshes on the coarse grid. These problem dependent coarsening parameters also play a critical role in the interpolation of the flux, and hence, in the advection of saturation for two-phase flow. Numerical experiments for two-phase flow in highly heterogeneous permeability fields, including layer 68 of the SPE Tenth Comparative Solution Project, demonstrate that the M 3 method retains good accuracy for high coarsening factors in both directions, up to 64 for the considered models. Moreover, we demonstrate
Mechanisms of neuroblastoma cell growth inhibition by CARP-1 functional mimetics.
Magesh Muthu
Full Text Available Neuroblastomas (NBs are a clinically heterogeneous group of extra cranial pediatric tumors. Patients with high-risk, metastatic NBs have a long-term survival rate of below 40%, and are often resistant to current therapeutic modalities. Due to toxic side effects associated with radiation and chemotherapies, development of new agents is warranted to overcome resistance and effectively treat this disease in clinic. CARP-1 functional mimetics (CFMs are an emerging class of small molecule compounds that inhibit growth of diverse cancer cell types. Here we investigated NB inhibitory potential of CFMs and the molecular mechanisms involved. CFM-1, -4, and -5 inhibited NB cell growth, in vitro, independent of their p53 and MYCN status. CFM-4 and -5 induced apoptosis in NB cells in part by activating pro-apoptotic stress-activated kinases (SAPKs p38 and JNK, stimulating CARP-1 expression and cleavage of PARP1, while promoting loss of the oncogenes C and N-myc as well as mitotic cyclin B1. Treatments of NB cells with CFM-4 or -5 also resulted in loss of Inhibitory κB (IκB α and β proteins. Micro-RNA profiling revealed upregulation of XIAP-targeting miR513a-3p in CFM-4-treated NB, mesothelioma, and breast cancer cells. Moreover, exposure of NB and breast cancer cells to CFM-4 or -5 resulted in diminished expression of anti-apoptotic XIAP1, cIAP1, and Survivin proteins. Expression of anti-miR513a-5p or miR513a-5p mimic, however, interfered with or enhanced, respectively, the breast cancer cell growth inhibition by CFM-4. CFMs also impacted biological properties of the NB cells by blocking their abilities to migrate, form colonies in suspension, and invade through the matrix-coated membranes. Our studies indicate anti-NB properties of CFM-4 and 5, and suggest that these CFMs and/or their future analogs have potential as anti-NB agents.
Peptide mimetic of the S100A4 protein modulates peripheral nerve regeneration and attenuates the progression of neuropathy in myelin protein P0 null mice
Moldovan, Mihai; Pinchenko, Volodymyr; Dmytriyeva, Oksana;
disease), where the peptide attenuated the deterioration of nerve conduction, demyelination and axonal loss. From these results, S100A4 mimetics emerge as a possible means to enhance axonal sprouting and survival, especially in the context of demyelinating neuropathies with secondary axonal loss...
[Conservative therapy of female urinary incontinence--potential and effect].
Horcicka, L; Chmel, R; Novácková, M
Non-surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence is not as effective as surgical methods but it is very successful in indicated cases. Rehabilitation of the pelvic floor muscles (Kegel exercises, vaginal cones, and electrostimulation of the pelvic floor muscles), drug treatment (alfa-mimetics, tricyclic antidepressives, estrogens, duloxetin), pessarotherapy and uretral obturator devices represent possibilities of conservative therapy of the stress incontinence. Conservative therapy is the method of choice in the treatment of urge incontinence. The most successful are anticholinergic drugs but they have very frequent serious side effects (dryness of the mucous membranes, accommodation disorders, constipation). Spasmolytics, estrogens and tricyclic antidepressives are the other popular used drugs. Life style modification, bladder training and electrostimulation represent very important parts of the conservative treatment. Effectiveness of the non-surgical treatment of both urge and stress urinary incontinence can not reach 100 percent but it helps very much in the quality of life improvement of incontinent women. PMID:15887395
'Better off alone than in bad company': agonistic colour display in mimetic juveniles of two ephippid species.
Barros, B; Sakai, Y; Hashimoto, H; Gushima, K; Vallinoto, M
Comparative field observations of agonistic interactions in juvenile leaf-mimicking Platax orbicularis and Chaetodipterus faber (Ephippidae) were conducted in coastal waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Similar agonistic behaviour was observed in the two species, in which individuals stopped displaying their mimetic colouration during encounters with conspecifics, to display conspicuous colours, such as transverse stripes along the body. These events were observed occasionally, almost invariably in individuals of smaller body size. Larger-bodied individuals of both species spent less time in agonistic displays. The absolute size of the fish, however, did not appear to affect the outcome of the encounter, suggesting that dominance is a temporary condition, based on the relative size of the opponents during encounters. PMID:22880735
Sulfated levan from Halomonas smyrnensis as a bioactive, heparin-mimetic glycan for cardiac tissue engineering applications.
Erginer, Merve; Akcay, Ayca; Coskunkan, Binnaz; Morova, Tunc; Rende, Deniz; Bucak, Seyda; Baysal, Nihat; Ozisik, Rahmi; Eroglu, Mehmet S; Agirbasli, Mehmet; Toksoy Oner, Ebru
Chemical derivatives of levan from Halomonas smyrnensis AAD6(T) with low, medium and high levels of sulfation were synthesized and characterized by FTIR and 2D-NMR. Sulfated levan samples were found to exhibit anticoagulation activity via the intrinsic pathway like heparin in a dose-dependent manner. Exceptionally high heparin equivalent activity of levan sulfate was shown to proceed via thrombin inhibition where decreased Factor Xa activity with increasing concentration was observed in antithrombin tests and above a certain concentration, levan sulfate showed a better inhibitor activity than heparin. In vitro experimental results were then verified in silico by docking studies using equilibrium structures obtained by molecular dynamic simulations and results suggested a sulfation dependent binding mechanism. With its high biocompatibility and heparin mimetic activity, levan sulfate can be considered as a suitable functional biomaterial to design biologically active, functionalized, thin films and engineered smart scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering applications. PMID:27261753
Synthesis of multivalent carbohydrate mimetics with aminopolyol end groups and their evaluation as L-selectin inhibitors
Joana Salta
Full Text Available In this article a series of divalent and trivalent carbohydrate mimetics on the basis of an enantiopure aminopyran and of serinol is described. These aminopolyols are connected by amide bonds to carboxylic acid derived spacer units either by Schotten–Baumann acylation or by coupling employing HATU as reagent. The O-sulfation employing the SO3·DMF complex was optimized. It was crucial to follow this process by 700 MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy to ensure full conversion and to use a refined neutralization and purification protocol. Many of the compounds could not be tested as L-selectin inhibitor by SPR due to their insolubility in water, nevertheless, a divalent and a trivalent amide showed surprisingly good activities with IC50 values in the low micromolar range.
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Mesenchymal stem cell responses to bone-mimetic electrospun matrices composed of polycaprolactone, collagen I and nanoparticulate hydroxyapatite.
Matthew C Phipps
Full Text Available The performance of biomaterials designed for bone repair depends, in part, on the ability of the material to support the adhesion and survival of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs. In this study, a nanofibrous bone-mimicking scaffold was electrospun from a mixture of polycaprolactone (PCL, collagen I, and hydroxyapatite (HA nanoparticles with a dry weight ratio of 50/30/20 respectively (PCL/col/HA. The cytocompatibility of this tri-component scaffold was compared with three other scaffold formulations: 100% PCL (PCL, 100% collagen I (col, and a bi-component scaffold containing 80% PCL/20% HA (PCL/HA. Scanning electron microscopy, fluorescent live cell imaging, and MTS assays showed that MSCs adhered to the PCL, PCL/HA and PCL/col/HA scaffolds, however more rapid cell spreading and significantly greater cell proliferation was observed for MSCs on the tri-component bone-mimetic scaffolds. In contrast, the col scaffolds did not support cell spreading or survival, possibly due to the low tensile modulus of this material. PCL/col/HA scaffolds adsorbed a substantially greater quantity of the adhesive proteins, fibronectin and vitronectin, than PCL or PCL/HA following in vitro exposure to serum, or placement into rat tibiae, which may have contributed to the favorable cell responses to the tri-component substrates. In addition, cells seeded onto PCL/col/HA scaffolds showed markedly increased levels of phosphorylated FAK, a marker of integrin activation and a signaling molecule known to be important for directing cell survival and osteoblastic differentiation. Collectively these results suggest that electrospun bone-mimetic matrices serve as promising degradable substrates for bone regenerative applications.
The effect of a diiodothyronine mimetic on insulin sensitivity in male cardiometabolic patients: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
Fleur van der Valk
Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Obesity and its associated cardiometabolic co-morbidities are increasing worldwide. Since thyroid hormone mimetics are capable of uncoupling the beneficial metabolic effects of thyroid hormones from their deleterious effects on heart, bone and muscle, this class of drug is considered as adjacent therapeutics to weight-lowering strategies. This study investigated the safety and efficacy of TRC150094, a thyroid hormone mimetic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This 4-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was conducted in India and The Netherlands. Forty subjects were randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive either TRC150094 dosed at 50 mg or placebo once daily for 4 weeks. Hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp and (1H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS were performed before and after treatment. RESULTS: At baseline, subjects were characterized by markedly impaired hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity. TRC150094 dosed 50 mg once daily was safe and well tolerated. Hepatic nor peripheral insulin sensitivity improved after TRC150094 treatment, expressed as the suppression of Endogenous Glucose Production from 59.5 to 62.1%; p = 0.477, and the rate of glucose disappearance from 28.8 to 26.4 µmol kg(-1min(-1, p = 0.185. TRC150094 administration did not result in differences in fasting plasma free fatty acids from 0.51 to 0.51 mmol/L, p = 0.887 or in insulin-mediated suppression of lipolysis from 57 to 54%, p = 0.102. Also, intrahepatic triglyceride content was unaltered. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these data show that, in contrast to the potent metabolic effects in experimental models, TRC150094 at a dose of 50 mg daily does not improve the metabolic homeostasis in subjects at an increased cardiometabolic risk. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether TRC150094 has beneficial effects in patients with more severe metabolic derangement, such as overt diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia. TRIAL REGISTRATION
Structure-Activity Studies of Brassinosteroids and the Search for Novel Analogues and Mimetics with Improved Bioactivity.
Back, Thomas G.; Pharis, Richard P.
A number of novel brassinosteroid analogues were synthesized and subjected to the rice leaf lamina inclination bioassay. Modified B-ring analogues included lactam, thiolactone, cyclic ether, ketone, hydroxyl, and exocyclic methylene derivatives of brassinolide. Those derivatives containing polar functional groups retained considerable bioactivity, whereas the exocyclic methylene compounds were devoid of activity. Analogues containing normal alkyl and cycloalkyl substituents at C-24 (in place of the isopropyl group of brassinolide) showed an inverse relationship between activity and chain length or ring size, respectively. The corresponding cyclopropyl and cyclobutyl derivatives were significantly more active than brassinolide and appear to be the most potent brassinosteroids reported to date. When synergized with the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), their bioactivity can be further enhanced by 1-2 orders of magnitude. The cyclopropyl derivative, when coapplied with the auxin naphthaleneacetic acid, gave a significant increase in yield of wheat in a field trial. Certain 25- and 26-hydroxy derivatives are known metabolites of brassinosteroids. All of the C-25 stereoisomers of 25-hydroxy, 26-hydroxy, and 25,26-dihydroxy derivatives of brassinolide were prepared and shown to be much less active than brassinolide. This indicates that they are likely metabolic deactivation products of the parent phytohormone. A series of methyl ethers of brassinolide was synthesized to block deactivation by glucosylation of the free hydroxyl groups. The most significant finding was that the compound where three of the four hydroxyl groups (at C-3, C-22, and C-23) had been converted to methyl ethers retained substantial bioactivity. This type of modification could, in theory, allow brassinolide or 24-epibrassinolide to resist deactivation and thus offer greater persistence in field applications. A series of nonsteroidal mimetics of brassinolide was designed and synthesized. Two of the
NiCoBP-doped carbon nanotube hybrid: A novel oxidase mimetic system for highly efficient electrochemical immunoassay
Zhang, Bing; He, Yu; Liu, Bingqian; Tang, Dianping, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Highlights: • We report a new oxidase mimetic system for highly efficient electrochemical immunoassay. • NiCoBP-doped carbon nanotube hybrids were used as the nanocatalysts. • NiCoBP-doped carbon nanotube hybrids were used as the mimic oxidase. - Abstract: NiCoBP-doped multi-walled carbon nanotube (NiCoBP–MWCNT) was first synthesized by using induced electroless-plating method and functionalized with the biomolecules for highly efficient electrochemical immunoassay of prostate-specific antigen (PSA, used as a model analyte). We discovered that the as-synthesized NiCoBP–MWCNT had the ability to catalyze the glucose oxidization with a stable and well-defined redox peak. The catalytic current increased with the increment of the immobilized NiCoBP–MWCNT on the electrode. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) were employed to characterize the as-prepared NiCoBP–MWCNT. Using the NiCoBP–MWCNT-conjugated anti-PSA antibody as the signal-transduction tag, a new enzyme-free electrochemical immunoassay protocol could be designed for the detection of target PSA on the capture antibody-functionalized immunosensing interface. Experimental results revealed that the designed immunoassay system could exhibit good electrochemical responses toward target PSA, and allowed the detection of PSA at a concentration as low as 0.035 ng mL{sup −1}. More importantly, the NiCoBP-MWCNT-based oxidase mimetic system could be further extended for the monitoring of other low-abundance proteins or disease-related biomarkers by tuning the target antibody.
Redirecting neutrophils against bladder cancer cells by BCG and Smac mimetic combination
Jinesh G, Goodwin; Kamat, Ashish M
Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy results in neutrophil recruitment and subsequent secretion of cytokines to eliminate non-muscle invasive bladder cancer cells. However, bladder cancer cells often resist BCG immunotherapy. Thus, understanding the mechanism of action of BCG, and designing appropriate combination therapies might help to overcome BCG resistance and redirect neutrophils against bladder cancer cells.
Targeting colon cancer cells using PEGylated liposomes modified with a fibronectin-mimetic peptide
Garg, Ashish; Tisdale, Alison W.; Haidari, Eman; Kokkoli, Efrosini
Integrin α5β1 is expressed on several types of cancer cells, including colon cancer, and plays an important role in tumor growth and metastasis. The ability to target the integrin α5β1 using an appropriate drug delivery nano-vector can significantly help in inhibiting tumor growth, reducing tumor metastasis, and decreasing deleterious side effects associated with different cancer therapies. Liposomes are nano-sized phospholipid bilayer vesicles that have been extensively studied as drug deliv...
Effect of mimetic CDK9 inhibitors on HIV-1 activated transcription
Van Duyne, Rachel; Guendel, Irene; Jaworski, Elizabeth; Sampey, Gavin; Klase, Zachary; Chen, Hao; Zeng, Chen; Kovalskyy, Dmytro; el Kouni, Mahmoud H.; Lepene, Benjamin; Patanarut, Alexis; Nekhai, Sergei; Price, David H; Kashanchi, Fatah
Potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV-1 infection into a chronic manageable disease; however drug resistance remains a common problem that limits the effectiveness and clinical benefits of this type of treatment. The discovery of viral reservoirs in the body, in which HIV-1 may persist, has helped to explain why therapeutic eradication of HIV-1 has proved so difficult. In the current study we utilized a combination of structure based analysis of Cyclin/CDK complexes with our...
An apoA-I mimetic peptide facilitates off-loading cholesterol from HDL to liver cells through scavenger receptor BI
Xuelei Song, Paul Fischer, Xun Chen, Charlotte Burton, Jun Wang
Full Text Available Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I mimetic peptides have been pursued as new therapeutic agents for the treatment of atherosclerosis, yet their precise mechanism responsible for atheroprotection remains unclear. Like apoA-I itself, most of these peptides are capable of stimulating cholesterol efflux from macrophages or foam cells, and some of them stimulate lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT activity in the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT pathway. However, the ability of mimetic peptides to deliver cholesterol into hepatocytes (off-loading, the last step of the RCT pathway, has not been demonstrated. In this study, we compared a mimetic peptide D-4F to purified apoA-I, to address the role that mimetics play during the off-loading process. Both D-4F and apoA-I formed spherical nano-particles when reconstituted with cholesteryl ester and phospholipids. Compared to apoA-I, D-4F particles were 20 times more efficient in off-loading cholesterol to HepG2 hepatocytes with an apparent Kt (transport of 0.74 μg/mL. Furthermore, D-4F also facilitated cholesteryl ester offloading from HDL particles into HepG2 cells when it was pre-incubated with these HDL particles. Using an inducible HEK293 cell line, we demonstrated that these nano-particles were able to be taken up through SR-BI, a HDL selective receptor. Cholesterol uptake by HepG2 cells was completely blocked by a neutralizing monoclonal antibody against SR-BI, demonstrating that D-4F particles, similar to HDL, specifically off-loaded cholesterol through SR-BI. Overall our data provides evidence that D-4F is capable of mimicking apoA-I to form HDL-like particles, and off-loads cholesterol for catabolism and excretion, thus completing RCT.
Organization of Hyaluronan and Versican in the Extracellular Matrix of Human Fibroblasts Treated With the Viral Mimetic Poly I:C
Evanko, Stephen P.; Potter-Perigo, Susan; Johnson, Pamela Y.; Wight, Thomas N.
We have examined structural details of hyaluronan- and versican-rich pericellular matrices in human lung fibroblasts, as well as fixation effects after treatment with the viral mimetic, poly I:C. Lateral aggregation of hyaluronan chains was promoted by acid-ethanol-formalin fixation compared with a network appearance with formalin alone. However, hyaluronidase-sensitive cable structures were seen in live cells, suggesting that they are not a fixation artifact. With all fixatives, versican and...
Identification of RIP1 as a critical mediator of Smac mimetic-mediated sensitization of glioblastoma cells for Drozitumab-induced apoptosis
Cristofanon, S; Abhari, B A; Krueger, M.; Tchoghandjian, A; Momma, S; Calaminus, C.; Vucic, D; Pichler, B J; Fulda, S
This study aims at evaluating the combination of the tumor-necrosis-factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-receptor 2 (TRAIL-R2)-specific antibody Drozitumab and the Smac mimetic BV6 in preclinical glioblastoma models. To this end, the effect of BV6 and/or Drozitumab on apoptosis induction and signaling pathways was analyzed in glioblastoma cell lines, primary glioblastoma cultures and glioblastoma stem-like cells. Here, we report that BV6 and Drozitumab synergistically induce apopt...
A recombinant mimetics of the HIV-1 gp41 prehairpin fusion intermediate fused with human IgG Fc fragment elicits neutralizing antibody response in the vaccinated mice
Qi, Zhi; Pan, Chungen; Lu, Hong; Shui, Yuan [Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, NY 10065 (United States); Li, Lin [Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, NY 10065 (United States); School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515 (China); Li, Xiaojuan; Xu, Xueqing; Liu, Shuwen [School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515 (China); Jiang, Shibo, E-mail: email@example.com [Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, NY 10065 (United States); School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515 (China)
Research highlights: {yields} One recombinant mimetics of gp41 prehairpin fusion intermediate (PFI) consisting of gp41 N46 sequence, foldon and IgG Fc, designated N46FdFc, was expressed. {yields} N46FdFc-induced antibodies in mice that neutralized HIV-1 infection, inhibited PIE7 binding to PFI, blocked gp41 six-helix bundle formation, and suppressed HIV-1 mediated cell-cell fusion. {yields} These findings provide an important clue for developing recombinant gp41 PFI mimetics-based HIV vaccines. -- Abstract: HIV-1 gp41 prehairpin fusion intermediate (PFI) composed of three N-terminal heptad repeats (NHR) plays a crucial role in viral fusion and entry and represents an attractive target for anti-HIV therapeutics (e.g., enfuvirtide) and vaccines. In present study, we constructed and expressed two recombinant gp41 PFI mimetics, designated N46Fd and N46FdFc. N46Fd consists of N46 (residues 536-581) in gp41 NHR and foldon (Fd), a trimerization motif. N46FdFc is composed of N46Fd fused with human IgG Fc fragment as an immunoenhancer. We immunized mice with N46 peptide, N46Fd and N46FdFc, respectively, and found that only N46FdFc elicited neutralizing antibody response in mice against infection by HIV-1 strains IIIB (clade B, X4), 92US657 (clade B, R5), and 94UG103 (clade A, X4R5). Anti-N46FdFc antibodies inhibited PIE7 binding to PFI, blocked gp41 six-helix bundle formation, and suppressed HIV-1 mediated cell-cell fusion. These findings provide an important clue for developing recombinant gp41 PFI mimetics-based HIV vaccines.
A recombinant mimetics of the HIV-1 gp41 prehairpin fusion intermediate fused with human IgG Fc fragment elicits neutralizing antibody response in the vaccinated mice
Research highlights: → One recombinant mimetics of gp41 prehairpin fusion intermediate (PFI) consisting of gp41 N46 sequence, foldon and IgG Fc, designated N46FdFc, was expressed. → N46FdFc-induced antibodies in mice that neutralized HIV-1 infection, inhibited PIE7 binding to PFI, blocked gp41 six-helix bundle formation, and suppressed HIV-1 mediated cell-cell fusion. → These findings provide an important clue for developing recombinant gp41 PFI mimetics-based HIV vaccines. -- Abstract: HIV-1 gp41 prehairpin fusion intermediate (PFI) composed of three N-terminal heptad repeats (NHR) plays a crucial role in viral fusion and entry and represents an attractive target for anti-HIV therapeutics (e.g., enfuvirtide) and vaccines. In present study, we constructed and expressed two recombinant gp41 PFI mimetics, designated N46Fd and N46FdFc. N46Fd consists of N46 (residues 536-581) in gp41 NHR and foldon (Fd), a trimerization motif. N46FdFc is composed of N46Fd fused with human IgG Fc fragment as an immunoenhancer. We immunized mice with N46 peptide, N46Fd and N46FdFc, respectively, and found that only N46FdFc elicited neutralizing antibody response in mice against infection by HIV-1 strains IIIB (clade B, X4), 92US657 (clade B, R5), and 94UG103 (clade A, X4R5). Anti-N46FdFc antibodies inhibited PIE7 binding to PFI, blocked gp41 six-helix bundle formation, and suppressed HIV-1 mediated cell-cell fusion. These findings provide an important clue for developing recombinant gp41 PFI mimetics-based HIV vaccines.
Smac Mimetic-Induced Upregulation of CCL2/MCP-1 Triggers Migration and Invasion of Glioblastoma Cells and Influences the Tumor Microenvironment in a Paracrine Manner
Carina Lindemann
Full Text Available Second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase (Smac mimetics are considered as promising anticancer therapeutics that are currently under investigation in early clinical trials. They induce apoptosis by antagonizing inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, which are frequently overexpressed in cancer. We previously reported that Smac mimetics, such as BV6, additionally exert non-apoptotic functions in glioblastoma (GBM cells by stimulating migration and invasion in a nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB-dependent manner. Because NF-κB target genes mediating these effects are largely unknown, we performed whole-genome expression analyses. Here, we identify chemokine (C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2 as the top-listed NF-κB-regulated gene being upregulated upon BV6 treatment in GBM cells. BV6-induced upregulation and secretion of CCL2 are required for migration and invasion of GBM cells because knockdown of CCL2 in GBM cells abolishes these effects. Co-culture experiments of GBM cells with non-malignant astroglial cells reveal that BV6-stimulated secretion of CCL2 by GBM cells into the supernatant triggers migration of astroglial cells toward GBM cells because CCL2 knockdown in BV6-treated GBM cells impedes BV6-stimulated migration of astroglial cells. In conclusion, we identify CCL2 as a BV6-induced NF-κB target gene that triggers migration and invasion of GBM cells and exerts paracrine effects on the GBM's microenvironment by stimulating migration of astroglial cells. These findings provide novel insights into the biological functions of Smac mimetics with important implications for the development of Smac mimetics as cancer therapeutics.
EPOR-Based Purification and Analysis of Erythropoietin Mimetic Peptides from Human Urine by Cys-Specific Cleavage and LC/MS/MS
Vogel, Matthias; Thomas, Andreas; Schänzer, Wilhelm; Thevis, Mario
The development of a new class of erythropoietin mimetic agents (EMA) for treating anemic conditions has been initiated with the discovery of oligopeptides capable of dimerizing the erythropoietin (EPO) receptor and thus stimulating erythropoiesis. The most promising amino acid sequences have been mounted on various different polymeric structures or carrier molecules to obtain highly active EPO-like drugs exhibiting beneficial and desirable pharmacokinetic profiles. Concomitant with creating new therapeutic options, erythropoietin mimetic peptide (EMP)-based drug candidates represent means to artificially enhance endurance performance and necessitate coverage by sports drug testing methods. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to develop a strategy for the comprehensive detection of EMPs in doping controls, which can be used complementary to existing protocols. Three model EMPs were used to provide proof-of-concept data. Following EPO receptor-facilitated purification of target analytes from human urine, the common presence of the cysteine-flanked core structure of EMPs was exploited to generate diagnostic peptides with the aid of a nonenzymatic cleavage procedure. Sensitive detection was accomplished by targeted-SIM/data-dependent MS2 analysis. Method characterization was conducted for the EMP-based drug peginesatide concerning specificity, linearity, precision, recovery, stability, ion suppression/enhancement, and limit of detection (LOD, 0.25 ng/mL). Additionally, first data for the identification of the erythropoietin mimetic peptides EMP1 and BB68 were generated, demonstrating the multi-analyte testing capability of the presented approach.
鞋靴仿生设计思维与方法的研究%Research on the Idea and Method of Footwear Bio-mimetic Design
赵坚; 赵强; 周海燕
On the basis of research on the thought and method for footwear bio-mimetic design was carried out,the bionic footwear design process was divided into four steps which were observation,analysis,refactoring and design.Taking butterfly as prototype,the specific methods for footwear bio-mimetic design was explored from shape,pattern,texture and color,so as the application space ofbio-mimetic design thinking and method were presented.%通过对鞋靴仿生设计思维方法的研究,将鞋靴仿生设计过程分为观察、分析、重构、设计四个步骤.以蝴蝶为仿生原型,从色彩、形态、图案、肌理四方面,探讨了鞋靴仿生设计的具体方法,以期拓展鞋靴仿生设计思维和方法的应用空间.
Targeted delivery of a model immunomodulator to the lymphatic system: comparison of alkyl ester versus triglyceride mimetic lipid prodrug strategies.
Han, Sifei; Quach, Tim; Hu, Luojuan; Wahab, Anisa; Charman, William N; Stella, Valentino J; Trevaskis, Natalie L; Simpson, Jamie S; Porter, Christopher J H
A lipophilic prodrug approach has been used to promote the delivery of a model immunomodulator, mycophenolic acid (MPA), to the lymphatic system after oral administration. Lymphatic transport was employed to facilitate enhanced drug uptake into lymphocytes, as recent studies demonstrate that targeted drug delivery to lymph resident lymphocytes may enhance immunomodulatory effects. Two classes of lymph-directing prodrugs were synthesised. Alkyl chain derivatives (octyl mycophenolate, MPA-C8E; octadecyl mycophenolate, MPA-C18E; and octadecyl mycophenolamide, MPA-C18AM), to promote passive partitioning into lipids in lymphatic transport pathways, and a triglyceride mimetic prodrug (1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-mycophenoloyl glycerol, 2-MPA-TG) to facilitate metabolic integration into triglyceride deacylation-reacylation pathways. Lymphatic transport, lymphocyte uptake and plasma pharmacokinetics were assessed in mesenteric lymph and carotid artery cannulated rats following intraduodenal infusion of lipid-based formulations containing MPA or MPA prodrugs. Patterns of prodrug hydrolysis in rat digestive fluid, and cellular re-esterification in vivo, were evaluated to examine the mechanisms responsible for lymphatic transport. Poor enzyme stability and low absorption appeared to limit lymphatic transport of the alkyl derivatives, although two of the three alkyl chain prodrugs - MPA-C18AM (6-fold) and MPA-C18E (13-fold) still increased lymphatic drug transport when compared to MPA. In contrast, 2-MPA-TG markedly increased lymphatic drug transport (80-fold) and drug concentrations in lymphocytes (103-fold), and this was achieved via biochemical incorporation into triglyceride deacylation-reacylation pathways. The prodrug was hydrolysed rapidly to 2-mycophenoloyl glycerol (2-MPA-MG) in the presence of rat digestive fluid, and 2-MPA-MG was subsequently re-esterified in the enterocyte with oleic acid (most likely originating from the co-administered formulation) prior to accessing the
... therapy. At this time, you will have a physical exam , talk about your medical history , and maybe have imaging tests . Your doctor or nurse will discuss external beam radiation therapy, its benefits and side effects, and ways you can care ...
Austin Independent School District, TX.
Reviewed are the goals and activities of the therapy services in the Austin Early Childhood Special Education Program. Specific sections detail activities for speech therapy (such as diagnostic assessment, habilitation, consultation, and reporting procedures), occupational therapy (including identification and assessment, and services to children,…
Molecular Basis of the Receptor Interactions of Polysialic Acid (polySia), polySia Mimetics, and Sulfated Polysaccharides.
Zhang, Ruiyan; Loers, Gabriele; Schachner, Melitta; Boelens, Rolf; Wienk, Hans; Siebert, Simone; Eckert, Thomas; Kraan, Stefan; Rojas-Macias, Miguel A; Lütteke, Thomas; Galuska, Sebastian P; Scheidig, Axel; Petridis, Athanasios K; Liang, Songping; Billeter, Martin; Schauer, Roland; Steinmeyer, Jürgen; Schröder, Jens-Michael; Siebert, Hans-Christian
Polysialic acid (polySia) and polySia glycomimetic molecules support nerve cell regeneration, differentiation, and neuronal plasticity. With a combination of biophysical and biochemical methods, as well as data mining and molecular modeling techniques, it is possible to correlate specific ligand-receptor interactions with biochemical processes and in vivo studies that focus on the potential therapeutic impact of polySia, polySia glycomimetics, and sulfated polysaccharides in neuronal diseases. With this strategy, the receptor interactions of polySia and polySia mimetics can be understood on a submolecular level. As the HNK-1 glycan also enhances neuronal functions, we tested whether similar sulfated oligo- and polysaccharides from seaweed could be suitable, in addition to polySia, for finding potential new routes into patient care focusing on an improved cure for various neuronal diseases. The knowledge obtained here on the structural interplay between polySia or sulfated polysaccharides and their receptors can be exploited to develop new drugs and application routes for the treatment of neurological diseases and dysfunctions. PMID:27136597
Light-switched inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B based on phosphonocarbonyl phenylalanine as photoactive phosphotyrosine mimetic.
Wagner, Stefan; Schütz, Anja; Rademann, Jörg
Phosphopeptide mimetics containing the 4-phosphonocarbonyl phenylalanine (pcF) as a photo-active phosphotyrosine isoster are developed as potent, light-switchable inhibitors of the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B. The photo-active inhibitors 6-10 are derived from phosphopeptide substrates and are prepared from the suitably protected pcF building block 12 by Fmoc-based solid phase peptide synthesis. All pcF-containing peptides are moderate inhibitors of PTP1B with KI values between 10 and 50μM. Irradiation of the inhibitors at 365nm in the presence of the protein PTP1B amplify the inhibitory activity of pcF-peptides up to 120-fold, switching the KI values of the best inhibitors to the sub-micromolar range. Photo-activation of the inhibitors results in the formation of triplet intermediates of the benzoylphosphonate moiety, which deactivate PTP1B following an oxidative radical mechanism. Deactivation of PTP1B proceeds without covalent crosslinking of the protein target with the photo-switched inhibitors and can be reverted by subsequent addition of reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT). PMID:25907367
Nanoscopic substructures of raft-mimetic liquid-ordered membrane domains revealed by high-speed single-particle tracking.
Wu, Hsiao-Mei; Lin, Ying-Hsiu; Yen, Tzu-Chi; Hsieh, Chia-Lung
Lipid rafts are membrane nanodomains that facilitate important cell functions. Despite recent advances in identifying the biological significance of rafts, nature and regulation mechanism of rafts are largely unknown due to the difficulty of resolving dynamic molecular interaction of rafts at the nanoscale. Here, we investigate organization and single-molecule dynamics of rafts by monitoring lateral diffusion of single molecules in raft-containing reconstituted membranes supported on mica substrates. Using high-speed interferometric scattering (iSCAT) optical microscopy and small gold nanoparticles as labels, motion of single lipids is recorded via single-particle tracking (SPT) with nanometer spatial precision and microsecond temporal resolution. Processes of single molecules partitioning into and escaping from the raft-mimetic liquid-ordered (Lo) domains are directly visualized in a continuous manner with unprecedented clarity. Importantly, we observe subdiffusion of saturated lipids in the Lo domain in microsecond timescale, indicating the nanoscopic heterogeneous molecular arrangement of the Lo domain. Further analysis of the diffusion trajectory shows the presence of nano-subdomains of the Lo phase, as small as 10 nm, which transiently trap the lipids. Our results provide the first experimental evidence of non-uniform molecular organization of the Lo phase, giving a new view of how rafts recruit and confine molecules in cell membranes. PMID:26861908
Rational Structure-Based Rescaffolding Approach to De Novo Design of Interleukin 10 (IL-10) Receptor-1 Mimetics.
Ruiz-Gómez, Gloria; Hawkins, John C; Philipp, Jenny; Künze, Georg; Wodtke, Robert; Löser, Reik; Fahmy, Karim; Pisabarro, M Teresa
Tackling protein interfaces with small molecules capable of modulating protein-protein interactions remains a challenge in structure-based ligand design. Particularly arduous are cases in which the epitopes involved in molecular recognition have a non-structured and discontinuous nature. Here, the basic strategy of translating continuous binding epitopes into mimetic scaffolds cannot be applied, and other innovative approaches are therefore required. We present a structure-based rational approach involving the use of a regular expression syntax inspired in the well established PROSITE to define minimal descriptors of geometric and functional constraints signifying relevant functionalities for recognition in protein interfaces of non-continuous and unstructured nature. These descriptors feed a search engine that explores the currently available three-dimensional chemical space of the Protein Data Bank (PDB) in order to identify in a straightforward manner regular architectures containing the desired functionalities, which could be used as templates to guide the rational design of small natural-like scaffolds mimicking the targeted recognition site. The application of this rescaffolding strategy to the discovery of natural scaffolds incorporating a selection of functionalities of interleukin-10 receptor-1 (IL-10R1), which are relevant for its interaction with interleukin-10 (IL-10) has resulted in the de novo design of a new class of potent IL-10 peptidomimetic ligands. PMID:27123592
Rational Structure-Based Rescaffolding Approach to De Novo Design of Interleukin 10 (IL-10 Receptor-1 Mimetics.
Gloria Ruiz-Gómez
Full Text Available Tackling protein interfaces with small molecules capable of modulating protein-protein interactions remains a challenge in structure-based ligand design. Particularly arduous are cases in which the epitopes involved in molecular recognition have a non-structured and discontinuous nature. Here, the basic strategy of translating continuous binding epitopes into mimetic scaffolds cannot be applied, and other innovative approaches are therefore required. We present a structure-based rational approach involving the use of a regular expression syntax inspired in the well established PROSITE to define minimal descriptors of geometric and functional constraints signifying relevant functionalities for recognition in protein interfaces of non-continuous and unstructured nature. These descriptors feed a search engine that explores the currently available three-dimensional chemical space of the Protein Data Bank (PDB in order to identify in a straightforward manner regular architectures containing the desired functionalities, which could be used as templates to guide the rational design of small natural-like scaffolds mimicking the targeted recognition site. The application of this rescaffolding strategy to the discovery of natural scaffolds incorporating a selection of functionalities of interleukin-10 receptor-1 (IL-10R1, which are relevant for its interaction with interleukin-10 (IL-10 has resulted in the de novo design of a new class of potent IL-10 peptidomimetic ligands.
Ochre Bathing of the Bearded Vulture: A Bio-Mimetic Model for Early Humans towards Smell Prevention and Health.
Tributsch, Helmut
Since primordial times, vultures have been competing with man for animal carcasses. One of these vultures, the once widespread bearded vulture ( Gypaetus barbatus ), has the habit of bathing its polluted feathers and skin in red iron oxide - ochre - tainted water puddles. Why? Primitive man may have tried to find out and may have discovered its advantages. Red ochre, which has accompanied human rituals and everyday life for more than 100,000 years, is not just a simple red paint for decoration or a symbol for blood. As modern experiments demonstrate, it is active in sunlight producing aggressive chemical species. They can kill viruses and bacteria and convert smelly organic substances into volatile neutral carbon dioxide gas. In this way, ochre can in sunlight sterilize and clean the skin to provide health and comfort and make it scentless, a definitive advantage for nomadic meat hunters. This research thus also demonstrates a sanitary reason for the vulture's habit of bathing in red ochre mud. Prehistoric people have therefore included ochre use into their rituals, especially into those in relation to birth and death. Significant ritual impulses during evolution of man may thus have developed bio-mimetically, inspired from the habits of a vulture. It is discussed how this health strategy could be developed to a modern standard helping to fight antibiotics-resistant bacteria in hospitals. PMID:26784238
Sera from children with autism induce autistic features which can be rescued with a CNTF small peptide mimetic in rats.
Syed Faraz Kazim
Full Text Available Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized clinically by impairments in social interaction and verbal and non-verbal communication skills as well as restricted interests and repetitive behavior. It has been hypothesized that altered brain environment including an imbalance in neurotrophic support during early development contributes to the pathophysiology of autism. Here we report that sera from children with autism which exhibited abnormal levels of various neurotrophic factors induced cell death and oxidative stress in mouse primary cultured cortical neurons. The effects of sera from autistic children were rescued by pre-treatment with a ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF small peptide mimetic, Peptide 6 (P6, which was previously shown to exert its neuroprotective effect by modulating CNTF/JAK/STAT pathway and LIF signaling and by enhancing brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF expression. Similar neurotoxic effects and neuroinflammation were observed in young Wistar rats injected intracerebroventricularly with autism sera within hours after birth. The autism sera injected rats demonstrated developmental delay and deficits in social communication, interaction, and novelty. Both the neurobiological changes and the behavioral autistic phenotype were ameliorated by P6 treatment. These findings implicate the involvement of neurotrophic imbalance during early brain development in the pathophysiology of autism and a proof of principle of P6 as a potential therapeutic strategy for autism.
Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)-mimetic M40403 Is Protective in Cell and Fly Models of Paraquat Toxicity
Filograna, Roberta; Godena, Vinay K.; Sanchez-Martinez, Alvaro; Ferrari, Emanuele; Casella, Luigi; Beltramini, Mariano; Bubacco, Luigi; Whitworth, Alexander J.; Bisaglia, Marco
Parkinson disease is a debilitating and incurable neurodegenerative disorder affecting ∼1–2% of people over 65 years of age. Oxidative damage is considered to play a central role in the progression of Parkinson disease and strong evidence links chronic exposure to the pesticide paraquat with the incidence of the disease, most probably through the generation of oxidative damage. In this work, we demonstrated in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells the beneficial role of superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes against paraquat-induced toxicity, as well as the therapeutic potential of the SOD-mimetic compound M40403. Having verified the beneficial effects of superoxide dismutation in cells, we then evaluated the effects using Drosophila melanogaster as an in vivo model. Besides protecting against the oxidative damage induced by paraquat treatment, our data demonstrated that in Drosophila M40403 was able to compensate for the loss of endogenous SOD enzymes, acting both at a cytosolic and mitochondrial level. Because previous clinical trials have indicated that the M40403 molecule is well tolerated in humans, this study may have important implication for the treatment of Parkinson disease. PMID:26953346
Hypoxia-mimetic agents inhibit proliferation and alter the morphology of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells
Zeng Hui-Lan
Full Text Available Abstract Background The therapeutic efficacy of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs for the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic diseases is closely related to level of hypoxia in the damaged tissues. To elucidate the potential therapeutic applications and limitations of hMSCs derived from human umbilical cords, the effects of hypoxia on the morphology and proliferation of hMSCs were analyzed. Results After treatment with DFO and CoCl2, hMSCs were elongated, and adjacent cells were no longer in close contact. In addition, vacuole-like structures were observed within the cytoplasm; the rough endoplasmic reticulum expanded, and expanded ridges were observed in mitochondria. In addition, DFO and CoCl2 treatments for 48 h significantly inhibited hMSCs proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner (P Conclusions The hypoxia-mimetic agents, DFO and CoCl2, alter umbilical cord-derived hMSCs morphology and inhibit their proliferation through influencing the cell cycle.
Structural and morphological changes in bacteria-membrane mimetic DPPE/DPPG/water systems induced by sulfadiazine.
Oszlánczi, Agnes; Bóta, Attila; Berényi, Szilvia; Klumpp, Erwin
The effects of sulfadiazine (SD), one of the generally used antibiotics was studied on bacteria-membrane mimetic model systems consisting of pure dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) and DPPE/dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) at 95/5, 80/20 and 50/50 DPPE/DPPG ratios by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), simultaneous small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS) and freeze-fracture technique. In the presence of SD, varied between 10-3 and 1 SD/lipid molar ratios, the 95/5 DPPE/DPPG system shows tendentious destruction in the layer arrangement which is accompanied by minor perturbations in the thermotropic behaviour. Moreover, at this lipid composition the addition of SD results in the formation of stacks of extremely extended flat bilayers. Systems having a higher DPPG molar ratio exhibit complex and diffuse morphologies. At 50/50 DPPE/DPPG ratio DPPG and SD act together and form large spherical vesicles. The uniform morphology is not accompanied by a regular lamellar arrangement. The range of the SD/lipid ratio, where the SD molecules are embedded into the lipid bilayers, extends to about 10-1. Over this limit the separation of SD molecules can be observed at all investigated DPPE/DPPG ratios. PMID:20074918
Functional characterization of solute carrier (SLC) 26/sulfate permease (SulP) proteins in membrane mimetic systems.
Srinivasan, Lakshmi; Baars, Tonie Luise; Fendler, Klaus; Michel, Hartmut
Solute carrier (SLC) 26 or sulfate permease (SulP) anion transporters, belong to a phylogenetically ancient family of secondary active transporters. Members of the family are involved in several human genetic diseases and cell physiological processes. Despite their importance, the substrates for transport by this family of proteins have been poorly characterized. In this study, recombinant StmYchM/DauA, a SulP from Salmonella typhimurium was purified to homogeneity and functionally characterized. StmYchM/DauA was found to be a dimer in solution as determined by size exclusion chromatography coupled to multiple angle light scattering. We report a functional characterization of the SulP proteins in two membrane mimetic systems and reveal a dual nature of anionic substrates for SulP. StmYchM/DauA functionally incorporated into nanodiscs could bind fumarate with millimolar affinities (KD = 4.6 ± 0.29 mM) as detected by intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence quench studies. In contrast, electrophysiological experiments performed in reconstituted liposomes indicate a strong bicarbonate transport in the presence of chloride but no detectable electrogenic fumarate transport. We hence suggest that while SulP acts as an electrogenic bicarbonate transporter, fumarate may serve as substrate under different conditions indicating multiple functions of SulP. PMID:26774215
Structural Characterization of an LPA1 Second Extracellular Loop Mimetic with a Self-Assembling Coiled-Coil Folding Constraint
Abby L. Parrill
Full Text Available G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR structures are of interest as a means to understand biological signal transduction and as tools for therapeutic discovery. The growing number of GPCR crystal structures demonstrates that the extracellular loops (EL connecting the membrane-spanning helices show tremendous structural variability relative to the more structurally-conserved seven transmembrane α-helical domains. The EL of the LPA1 receptor have not yet been conclusively resolved, and bear limited sequence identity to known structures. This study involved development of a peptide to characterize the intrinsic structure of the LPA1 GPCR second EL. The loop was embedded between two helices that assemble into a coiled-coil, which served as a receptor-mimetic folding constraint (LPA1-CC-EL2 peptide. The ensemble of structures from multi-dimensional NMR experiments demonstrated that a robust coiled-coil formed without noticeable deformation due to the EL2 sequence. In contrast, the EL2 sequence showed well-defined structure only near its C-terminal residues. The NMR ensemble was combined with a computational model of the LPA1 receptor that had previously been validated. The resulting hybrid models were evaluated using docking. Nine different hybrid models interacted with LPA 18:1 as expected, based on prior mutagenesis studies, and one was additionally consistent with antagonist affinity trends.
Effect of Resveratrol as Caloric Restriction Mimetic and Environmental Enrichment on Neurobehavioural Responses in Young Healthy Mice
Mustapha Shehu Muhammad
Full Text Available Caloric restriction and environmental enrichment have been separately reported to possess health benefits such as improvement in motor and cognitive functions. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound, has been reported to be caloric restriction mimetic. This study therefore aims to investigate the potential benefit of the combination of resveratrol as CR and EE on learning and memory, motor coordination, and motor endurance in young healthy mice. Fifty mice of both sexes were randomly divided into five groups of 10 animals each: group I animals received carboxymethylcellulose (CMC orally per kg/day (control, group II animals were maintained on every other day feeding, group III animals received resveratrol 50 mg/kg, suspended in 10 g/L of (CMC orally per kg/day, group IV animals received CMC and were kept in an enriched environment, and group V animals received resveratrol 50 mg/kg and were kept in EE. The treatment lasted for four weeks. On days 26, 27, and 28 of the study period, the animals were subjected to neurobehavioural evaluation. The results obtained showed that there was no significant change (P>0.05 in neurobehavioural responses in all the groups when compared to the control which indicates that 50 mg/kg of resveratrol administration and EE have no significant effects on neurobehavioural responses in young healthy mice over a period of four weeks.
Biologically and mechanically driven design of an RGD-mimetic macroporous foam for adipose tissue engineering applications.
Rossi, Eleonora; Gerges, Irini; Tocchio, Alessandro; Tamplenizza, Margherita; Aprile, Paola; Recordati, Camilla; Martello, Federico; Martin, Ivan; Milani, Paolo; Lenardi, Cristina
Despite clinical treatments for adipose tissue defects, in particular breast tissue reconstruction, have certain grades of efficacy, many drawbacks are still affecting the long-term survival of new formed fat tissue. To overcome this problem, in the last decades, several scaffolding materials have been investigated in the field of adipose tissue engineering. However, a strategy able to recapitulate a suitable environment for adipose tissue reconstruction and maintenance is still missing. To address this need, we adopted a biologically and mechanically driven design to fabricate an RGD-mimetic poly(amidoamine) oligomer macroporous foam (OPAAF) for adipose tissue reconstruction. The scaffold was designed to fulfil three fundamental criteria: capability to induce cell adhesion and proliferation, support of in vivo vascularization and match of native tissue mechanical properties. Poly(amidoamine) oligomers were formed into soft scaffolds with hierarchical porosity through a combined free radical polymerization and foaming reaction. OPAAF is characterized by a high water uptake capacity, progressive degradation kinetics and ideal mechanical properties for adipose tissue reconstruction. OPAAF's ability to support cell adhesion, proliferation and adipogenesis was assessed in vitro using epithelial, fibroblast and endothelial cells (MDCK, 3T3L1 and HUVEC respectively). In addition, in vivo subcutaneous implantation in murine model highlighted OPAAF potential to support both adipogenesis and vessels infiltration. Overall, the reported results support the use of OPAAF as a scaffold for engineered adipose tissue construct. PMID:27428768
Ochre Bathing of the Bearded Vulture: A Bio-Mimetic Model for Early Humans towards Smell Prevention and Health
Helmut Tributsch
Full Text Available Since primordial times, vultures have been competing with man for animal carcasses. One of these vultures, the once widespread bearded vulture ( Gypaetus barbatus , has the habit of bathing its polluted feathers and skin in red iron oxide - ochre - tainted water puddles. Why? Primitive man may have tried to find out and may have discovered its advantages. Red ochre, which has accompanied human rituals and everyday life for more than 100,000 years, is not just a simple red paint for decoration or a symbol for blood. As modern experiments demonstrate, it is active in sunlight producing aggressive chemical species. They can kill viruses and bacteria and convert smelly organic substances into volatile neutral carbon dioxide gas. In this way, ochre can in sunlight sterilize and clean the skin to provide health and comfort and make it scentless, a definitive advantage for nomadic meat hunters. This research thus also demonstrates a sanitary reason for the vulture's habit of bathing in red ochre mud. Prehistoric people have therefore included ochre use into their rituals, especially into those in relation to birth and death. Significant ritual impulses during evolution of man may thus have developed bio-mimetically, inspired from the habits of a vulture. It is discussed how this health strategy could be developed to a modern standard helping to fight antibiotics-resistant bacteria in hospitals.
Furoxans (1,2,5-Oxadiazole-N-Oxides) as Novel NO Mimetic Neuroprotective and Procognitive Agents
Schiefer, Isaac T.; VandeVrede, Lawren; Fa; , Mauro; Arancio, Ottavio; Thatcher, Gregory R.J. (Columbia); (UIC)
Furoxans (1,2,5-oxadiazole-N-oxides) are thiol-bioactivated NO-mimetics that have not hitherto been studied in the CNS. Incorporation of varied substituents adjacent to the furoxan ring system led to modulation of reactivity toward bioactivation, studied by HPLC-MS/MS analysis of reaction products. Attenuated reactivity unmasked the cytoprotective actions of NO in contrast to the cytotoxic actions of higher NO fluxes reported previously for furoxans. Neuroprotection was observed in primary neuronal cell cultures following oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD). Neuroprotective activity was observed to correlate with thiol-dependent bioactivation to produce NO{sub 2}{sup -}, but not with depletion of free thiol itself. Neuroprotection was abrogated upon cotreatment with a sGC inhibitor, ODQ, thus supporting activation of the NO/sGC/CREB signaling cascade by furoxans. Long-term potentiation (LTP), essential for learning and memory, has been shown to be potentiated by NO signaling, therefore, a peptidomimetic furoxan was tested in hippocampal slices treated with oligomeric amyloid-{beta} peptide (A{beta}) and was shown to restore synaptic function. The novel observation of furoxan activity of potential therapeutic use in the CNS warrants further studies.
Nanoscopic substructures of raft-mimetic liquid-ordered membrane domains revealed by high-speed single-particle tracking
Wu, Hsiao-Mei; Lin, Ying-Hsiu; Yen, Tzu-Chi; Hsieh, Chia-Lung
Lipid rafts are membrane nanodomains that facilitate important cell functions. Despite recent advances in identifying the biological significance of rafts, nature and regulation mechanism of rafts are largely unknown due to the difficulty of resolving dynamic molecular interaction of rafts at the nanoscale. Here, we investigate organization and single-molecule dynamics of rafts by monitoring lateral diffusion of single molecules in raft-containing reconstituted membranes supported on mica substrates. Using high-speed interferometric scattering (iSCAT) optical microscopy and small gold nanoparticles as labels, motion of single lipids is recorded via single-particle tracking (SPT) with nanometer spatial precision and microsecond temporal resolution. Processes of single molecules partitioning into and escaping from the raft-mimetic liquid-ordered (Lo) domains are directly visualized in a continuous manner with unprecedented clarity. Importantly, we observe subdiffusion of saturated lipids in the Lo domain in microsecond timescale, indicating the nanoscopic heterogeneous molecular arrangement of the Lo domain. Further analysis of the diffusion trajectory shows the presence of nano-subdomains of the Lo phase, as small as 10 nm, which transiently trap the lipids. Our results provide the first experimental evidence of non-uniform molecular organization of the Lo phase, giving a new view of how rafts recruit and confine molecules in cell membranes.
[Insulin therapy for type 1 diabetes mellitus: past and present].
Pires, Antonio Carlos; Chacra, Antonio Roberto
The discovery of insulin can be considered the milestone of diabetes mellitus history and a great achievement for its treatment. The first insulin available was the regular. Afterwards, Hagedorn added the protamine to the insulin, thus, creating the NPH insulin. In the 1950s an insulin free of protamine was synthesized: the lente insulin. With the advent of molecular biology, synthetic human insulin was synthesized using recombinant DNA technology. Most recently several types of insulin analogues were available, providing the patients with better metabolic control. Type 1 diabetes mellitus treatment includes plain substitution and individualization for short-acting plus long-acting insulin according to the physician's assistance, besides regular practice of physical activities and diet orientations. In type 1 diabetes mellitus the insulin of low variability is the best choice since basal/bolus insulin therapy or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pump can mimetize the physiological release of insulin by beta cells. PMID:18438537