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Impact of Electronic State Mixing on the Photoisomerization Timescale of Natural and Synthetic Molecular SystemsManathunga, Madushanka 26 November 2018 (has links)
No description available.
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Efeito de α-MSH sobre a expressão gênica de rodopsina, tirosinase e do receptor de α-MSH, subtipo MC1R, em melanócito B16 de Mus musculus / α-MSH effects on rhodopsin, tyrosinase and MC1R genes in B16 Mus musculus melanocytesGlória, Thiago Henrique Ribeiro 03 September 2012 (has links)
A coloração dos vertebrados deve-se a presença de pigmentos, sintetizados e/ou armazenados em células denominadas células pigmentares cutâneas. A mudança de cor nos vertebrados é principalmente regulada por α-MSH e uma família de enzimas melanossômicas, que incluem tirosinase e as proteínas relacionadas à tirosinase 1 e 2 (TRP-1 e TRP-2, respectivamente). Sua ação está ligada à dispersão dos melanossomos ou síntese de melanina, processos que resultam em escurecimento do animal, enquanto a agregação ou inibição de síntese leva ao seu empalidecimento. Opsinas, como a melanopsina e a rodopsina, além de presentes na retina, podem ser expressas em células pigmentares cutâneas, intermediando foto-respostas de proliferação e de dispersão de melanossomos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a expressão temporal da rodopsina, tirosinase e do receptor MC1R, bem como os efeitos do tratamento com α-MSH 10-7 M, 10-8 M e 10-9 M por 24 horas sobre esses parâmetros, em melanócitos B16 de Mus musculus, mantidos em escuro constante. Através de PCR em tempo real (quantitativo) demonstrou-se que α-MSH 10-7 M não modula os níveis de mRNA para o receptor MC1R quando comparado com o grupo controle, contudo há uma evidente tendência de redução dos níveis do transcrito. Todavia, na concentração de 10-8 M, observou-se um aumento estatisticamente significativo no nível do transcrito na hora 20 quando comparado ao grupo controle e na concentração de 10-9 M o tratamento mostrou uma diminuição estatisticamente significativa no nível do transcrito entre o grupo controle e o tratado para cada ponto temporal analisado. Para a rodopsina, foi demonstrado que &alpha-MSH 10-7 M modula os níveis do mRNA quando comparado ao grupo controle, mostrando uma diminuição estatisticamente significativa na hora 0 e 16. Na concentração de 10-8 M houve um aumento estatisticamente significativo nos níveis do transcrito na hora 4 quando comparado ao grupo controle. Já, na concentração de 10-9 M, o hormônio induziu um robusto aumento no nível do transcrito quando comparado ao grupo controle para cada ponto temporal analisado. Nossos resultados são pioneiros em demonstrar a modulação de rodopsina por α-MSH, pois não há dados na literatura, seja em retina ou em outros tecidos, que tenham investigado essa ação do hormônio melanotrópico. O mesmo padrão foi observado para a tirosinase, demonstrando uma diminuição estatisticamente significativa na concentração de 10-7 M na hora 0 e um aumento significativo na concentração de 10-8 M na hora 8 e na concentração de 10-9 M na hora 12 e 8. Através de PCR em tempo real (quantitavo) nós demonstramos que α-MSH apresenta uma modulação dose-dependente para o transcrito do mRNA do receptor MC1R, tirosinase e rodopsina, mas não sincronizou a expressão desses genes, que permaneceram arrítmicos / In vertebrates, skin color is given by pigments, synthesized and/or stored in cutaneous pigment cells. The vertebrate color change is mainly regulated by α-MSH and a family of melanosome enzymes, which includes tyrosinase and tyrosinaserelated proteins 1 and 2 (TRP-1 and TRP-2, respectively). α-MSH action is associated with melanosome dispersion or melanin synthesis, processes which lead to skin darkening, whereas melanin aggregation or synthesis inhibition results in skin lightening. Opsins, such as melanopsin and rhodopsin, may be expressed in skin pigment cells, besides being present in the retina, and mediate non visual photoresponses such as cell proliferation and melanosome dispersion. The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal expression of rhodopsin, tyrosinase and the receptor MC1R, as well as the effects of 10-7 M, 10-8 M and 10-9 M α-MSH for 24 hours in Mus musculus B16 melanocytes, kept in constant darkness. Using real time PCR (quantitative) we demonstrated that 10-7 M α-MSH does not modulate MC1R mRNA levels, as compared to the control group, although a tendency to reduction was evident. On the other hand, at the concentration of 10-8 M, we observed a statistically significant increase of the transcript level at the hour 20, as compared to the control group and at the concentration of 10-9 M the treatment showed a statistically significant decrease of the transcript level for each temporal point analyzed. For rhodopsin, we showed that 10-7 M α-MSH modulates mRNA levels, as compared to the control group, demonstrating a statistically significant decrease at the hour 0 and 16. At the concentration of 10-8 M there was a statistically significant increase of transcript levels at the hour 4, as compared to the control group. The hormone at 10-9 M induced a robust increase of the transcript levels, as compared to the control group, for each time point analyzed. Our results are pioneering in demonstrating the regulation of rhodopsin by α-MSH, since there are no data in the literature which report the action of melanotropic hormone on rhodopsin in either the retina or other tissues. Similar pattern was observed for the tyrosinase gene, demonstrating a statistically significant decrease in the concentration of 10-7 M at the hour 0 and a significant increase in the concentration of 10-8 M at the hour 8 and in the concentration of the 10-9 M at the hour 12 and 8. Using real time PCR (quantitative) we demonstrated that α-MSH shows a dose-dependent modulation for mRNA transcripts of the MC1R receptor, tyrosinase and rhodopsin, but the hormone was not able to synchronize the expression of these genes, which remained arhythmic
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Characterization and Evolution of Transmembrane Proteins with Focus on G-protein coupled receptors in Pre-vertebrate SpeciesNordström, Karl J. V. January 2010 (has links)
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are one of the largest protein families in mammals. GPCRs are instrumental for hormonal and neurotransmitter signalling and are important in all major physiological systems of the body. Paper I describes the repertoire of GPCRs in Branchiostoma floridae, which is one of the species most closely related species to vertebrates. Mining and phylogenetic analysis of the amphioxus genome showed the presence of at least 664 distinct GPCRs distributed among all the main families of GPCRs; Glutamate (18), Rhodopsin (570), Adhesion (37), Frizzled (6) and Secretin (16). Paper II contains studies of the Adhesion, Methuselah and Secretin GPCR families in nine genomes. The Adhesion GPCRs are the most complex gene family among GPCRs with large genomic size, multiple introns and a fascinating flora of functional domains. Phylogenetic analysis showed Adhesion group V (that contains GPR133 and GPR144) to be the closest relative to the Secretin family among the groups in the Adhesion family, which was also supported by splice site setup and conserved motifs. Paper III examines the repertoire of human transmembrane proteins. These form key nodes in mediating the cell’s interaction with the surroundings, which is one of the main reasons why the majority of drug targets are membrane proteins. We identified 6,718 human membrane proteins and classified the majority of them into 234 families of which 151 belong to the three major functional groups; Receptors (63 groups, 1,352 members), Transporters (89 groups, 817 members) or Enzymes (7 groups, 533 members). In addition, 74 Miscellaneous groups were shown to include 697 members. Paper IV clarifies the hierarchy of the main families and evolutionary origin of majority of the metazoan GPCR families. Overall, it suggests common decent of at least 97% of the GPCRs sequences found in humans, including all the main families.
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Photoreceptor cell fate determination and rhodopsin expression in the developing eye of Drosophila /Birkholz, Denise A. January 2005 (has links)
Thesis (Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology) -- University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 139-155).
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Efeito de α-MSH sobre a expressão gênica de rodopsina, tirosinase e do receptor de α-MSH, subtipo MC1R, em melanócito B16 de Mus musculus / α-MSH effects on rhodopsin, tyrosinase and MC1R genes in B16 Mus musculus melanocytesThiago Henrique Ribeiro Glória 03 September 2012 (has links)
A coloração dos vertebrados deve-se a presença de pigmentos, sintetizados e/ou armazenados em células denominadas células pigmentares cutâneas. A mudança de cor nos vertebrados é principalmente regulada por α-MSH e uma família de enzimas melanossômicas, que incluem tirosinase e as proteínas relacionadas à tirosinase 1 e 2 (TRP-1 e TRP-2, respectivamente). Sua ação está ligada à dispersão dos melanossomos ou síntese de melanina, processos que resultam em escurecimento do animal, enquanto a agregação ou inibição de síntese leva ao seu empalidecimento. Opsinas, como a melanopsina e a rodopsina, além de presentes na retina, podem ser expressas em células pigmentares cutâneas, intermediando foto-respostas de proliferação e de dispersão de melanossomos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a expressão temporal da rodopsina, tirosinase e do receptor MC1R, bem como os efeitos do tratamento com α-MSH 10-7 M, 10-8 M e 10-9 M por 24 horas sobre esses parâmetros, em melanócitos B16 de Mus musculus, mantidos em escuro constante. Através de PCR em tempo real (quantitativo) demonstrou-se que α-MSH 10-7 M não modula os níveis de mRNA para o receptor MC1R quando comparado com o grupo controle, contudo há uma evidente tendência de redução dos níveis do transcrito. Todavia, na concentração de 10-8 M, observou-se um aumento estatisticamente significativo no nível do transcrito na hora 20 quando comparado ao grupo controle e na concentração de 10-9 M o tratamento mostrou uma diminuição estatisticamente significativa no nível do transcrito entre o grupo controle e o tratado para cada ponto temporal analisado. Para a rodopsina, foi demonstrado que &alpha-MSH 10-7 M modula os níveis do mRNA quando comparado ao grupo controle, mostrando uma diminuição estatisticamente significativa na hora 0 e 16. Na concentração de 10-8 M houve um aumento estatisticamente significativo nos níveis do transcrito na hora 4 quando comparado ao grupo controle. Já, na concentração de 10-9 M, o hormônio induziu um robusto aumento no nível do transcrito quando comparado ao grupo controle para cada ponto temporal analisado. Nossos resultados são pioneiros em demonstrar a modulação de rodopsina por α-MSH, pois não há dados na literatura, seja em retina ou em outros tecidos, que tenham investigado essa ação do hormônio melanotrópico. O mesmo padrão foi observado para a tirosinase, demonstrando uma diminuição estatisticamente significativa na concentração de 10-7 M na hora 0 e um aumento significativo na concentração de 10-8 M na hora 8 e na concentração de 10-9 M na hora 12 e 8. Através de PCR em tempo real (quantitavo) nós demonstramos que α-MSH apresenta uma modulação dose-dependente para o transcrito do mRNA do receptor MC1R, tirosinase e rodopsina, mas não sincronizou a expressão desses genes, que permaneceram arrítmicos / In vertebrates, skin color is given by pigments, synthesized and/or stored in cutaneous pigment cells. The vertebrate color change is mainly regulated by α-MSH and a family of melanosome enzymes, which includes tyrosinase and tyrosinaserelated proteins 1 and 2 (TRP-1 and TRP-2, respectively). α-MSH action is associated with melanosome dispersion or melanin synthesis, processes which lead to skin darkening, whereas melanin aggregation or synthesis inhibition results in skin lightening. Opsins, such as melanopsin and rhodopsin, may be expressed in skin pigment cells, besides being present in the retina, and mediate non visual photoresponses such as cell proliferation and melanosome dispersion. The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal expression of rhodopsin, tyrosinase and the receptor MC1R, as well as the effects of 10-7 M, 10-8 M and 10-9 M α-MSH for 24 hours in Mus musculus B16 melanocytes, kept in constant darkness. Using real time PCR (quantitative) we demonstrated that 10-7 M α-MSH does not modulate MC1R mRNA levels, as compared to the control group, although a tendency to reduction was evident. On the other hand, at the concentration of 10-8 M, we observed a statistically significant increase of the transcript level at the hour 20, as compared to the control group and at the concentration of 10-9 M the treatment showed a statistically significant decrease of the transcript level for each temporal point analyzed. For rhodopsin, we showed that 10-7 M α-MSH modulates mRNA levels, as compared to the control group, demonstrating a statistically significant decrease at the hour 0 and 16. At the concentration of 10-8 M there was a statistically significant increase of transcript levels at the hour 4, as compared to the control group. The hormone at 10-9 M induced a robust increase of the transcript levels, as compared to the control group, for each time point analyzed. Our results are pioneering in demonstrating the regulation of rhodopsin by α-MSH, since there are no data in the literature which report the action of melanotropic hormone on rhodopsin in either the retina or other tissues. Similar pattern was observed for the tyrosinase gene, demonstrating a statistically significant decrease in the concentration of 10-7 M at the hour 0 and a significant increase in the concentration of 10-8 M at the hour 8 and in the concentration of the 10-9 M at the hour 12 and 8. Using real time PCR (quantitative) we demonstrated that α-MSH shows a dose-dependent modulation for mRNA transcripts of the MC1R receptor, tyrosinase and rhodopsin, but the hormone was not able to synchronize the expression of these genes, which remained arhythmic
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Molecular Dynamics Simulation Of Transmembrane Helices And Analysis Of Their Packing In Integral Membrane ProteinsIyer, Lakshmanan K 09 1900 (has links) (PDF)
No description available.
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Photoentrainment of the Drosophila circadian clock through visual system / Synchronisation de l'horloge circadienne chez la Drosophile par le système visuelAlejevski, Faredin 25 June 2018 (has links)
La rotation de la Terre oblige les organismes vivants à s’adapter aux modifications cycliques de l’environnement, et tout particulièrement aux changements de lumière et de température. Des unicellulaires à l’Homme, la plupart des espèces ont développé des horloges circadiennes, qui leur permettent d’anticiper les transitions jour-nuit. La lumière constitue le signal majeur pour la synchronisation de l’horloge. En cycles jour-nuit, les drosophiles présentent un profil d’activité locomotrice bimodal, avec un premier pic autour de l’aube et le deuxième au crépuscule. Chez cet insecte, la perception de la lumière est assurée à la fois par un système complexe, constitué des yeux composés, des ocelles et de l’eyelet d’Hofbauer-Buchner. Ces organes contiennent des photorécepteurs (PRs) exprimant six protéines photosensibles différentes, les rhodopsines (Rh1 à Rh6). Une septième rhodopsine (Rh7) a été décrite dans quelques neurones de l’horloge cérébrale. La lumière est également perçue directement dans la plupart des neurones d’horloge grâce à une protéine photosensible, le cryptochrome (Cry). Les différentes études du rôle de la lumière sur l’entraînement de l’horloge ont essentiellement porté sur la voie cry-dépendante, en utilisant de courts flashs lumineux pour recaler l’horloge cérébrale. Notre étude s’est intéressée à l’entraînement de l’horloge via les rhodopsines. Quels types de photorécepteur sont impliqués ? Après l’activation de la cascade de phototransduction et la libération de l’histamine par les photorécepteurs, quels neurones, exprimant les récepteurs à l’histamine Ort et Hiscl1, participent à l’entraînement de l’horloge circadienne ? Une première partie présente l’étude de l’implication des 6 rhodopsines dans l’entraînement circadien. Tout d’abord, nous avons mis en évidence la fonction de photorécepteurs spécifiques (exprimant Rh1 ou Rh6) dans la voie NorpA-dépendante (Saint-Charles et al. J Comp Neurol 2016). Nous avons ensuite généré des lignées de drosophiles n’exprimant aucune ou qu’une seule rhodopsine. Sans rhodopsine ni Cry les mouches sont incapables de se synchroniser sur les cycles jour-nuit, quelle que soit l’intensité lumineuse. En lumière faible, l’input pour l’entraînement vient principalement des photorécepteurs exprimant Rh1 et Rh6. En forte lumière, chacune des 6 rhodopsines des différents photorécepteurs est capable d’entrainer l’horloge, Rh1, Rh5 et Rh6 étant les plus efficaces ( Alejevski et al., in prep). Une deuxième partie présente la caractérisation des voies neuronales connectant directement ou indirectement les PRs à l’horloge cérébrale. L’horloge circadienne de mouches mutantes, à la fois pour le cryptochrome et les 2 récepteurs à l’histamine, est « aveugle » alors que les mutantes pour Cry mais possédant l’un ou l’autre récepteur à l’histamine sont capables de se synchroniser sur les cycles de lumière. La ré-expression chez les mutants de Ort ou Hiscl1 dans les neurones d’horloge ne restaure pas l’entraînement, suggérant ainsi l’absence de connexions directes entre les PRs histaminergiques et les neurones d’horloge. Nos expériences de sauvetage comportemental mettent en évidence des connexions fonctionnelles entre certains interneurones Ort des lobes optiques et les neurones d’horloge. En revanche et de façon inattendue, nous n’observons d’entraînement circadien que lorsque nous ré-exprimons Hiscl1 dans les seuls PRs Rh6. Nos résultats révèlent que les photorécepteurs interviennent dans l’entraînement à la fois comme photorécepteurs et comme interneurones, cibles d’input histaminergique, rappelant ainsi le double rôle des cellules ganglionnaires de la rétine exprimant la mélanopsine chez les mammifères (Alejevski et al. Nat Commun, in revision). / The rotation of the earth forces living organisms to adapt to its cyclic environment, in particular light and temperature changes. From unicellular organisms to humans, almost all species have evolved circadian clocks, which allow them to anticipate day-night transitions and use light as the most powerful synchronizing cue. In light-dark cycles, D. melanogaster flies display a bimodal locomotor activity with peaks around dawn and dusk. To perceive light, Drosophila has evolved a complex visual system, composed of compound eyes, ocelli and Hofbauer-Buchner eyelet. These organs contain photoreceptors (PRs) expressing six different light receptors named rhodopsins (Rh1 to Rh6). In addition, one rhodopsin (Rh7) is found in some of the clock neurons in the brain. Most of the clock cells also express another type of light receptor, Cryptochrome (Cry). Most studies about clock entrainment by light have focused on the Cry-dependent light input, which allows short light pulses to reset the brain clock. The present thesis focuses on the entrainment of the brain clock through rhodopsins. In photoreceptors, rhodopsins capture photons and activate a transduction cascade, where a key player is the phospholipase C (PLC) encoded by norpA. Mutants deficient for Cry and NorpA do not synchronize at low light intensity but still entrain with high light, indicating that an unknown NorpA-independent pathway is also used by the clock. Light induces a depolarization of the PRs, which release histamine as a neurotransmitter, but their role in circadian entrainment is unknown. Which type of rhodopsine-expressing photoreceptors are implicated? After the phototransduction cascade activation and the release of histamine from the photoreceptors, which downstream neurons expressing the histamine-gated chloride channels Ort and Hiscl1 (whose function has been studied in the visual behavior) are involved in the circadian entrainment? The first part of the thesis was to study the function of the 6 PR rhodopsins in circadian entrainment. I first contributed to studying the function of the specific photoreceptors in the NorpA-dependent pathway (Saint-Charles et al. J Comp Neurol 2016). Then, we generated genotypes having either none or only one of the six PR rhodopsins. Mutants with no Cry and none of the 6 PR rhodopsins could not synchronize with light-dark (LD) cycles (low light or high light). In low light, Rh1 and Rh6 were the main light input for entrainment. In high-light, each one of the 6 PR rhodopsins can provide entrainment, with Rh1, Rh5 and Rh6 being the most efficient (Alejevski et al., in prep).The second part of the work was to identify the neuronal pathways that connect the PRs to the brain circadian clock. Flies deficient for Cry and the two histamine receptors are circadianly blind, whereas Cry mutants having either Ort or Hiscl1 are able to entrain. Thus, each one of the two receptors supports circadian entrainment. Rescuing Ort or Hiscl1 in the clock cells could not restore entrainment, indicating that there is no direct histaminergic connection between PRs and clock neurons. Our rescue experiments revealed several pathways in otic lobes that rely on Ort-expressing interneurons to entrain the clock. In contrast and unexpectedly, we observed that the expression of Hiscl1 in PRs but not in interneurons was involved in circadian entrainment. In fact, only Hiscl1 expression in Rh6 PRs mediates entrainment. Our work thus reveals Rh6-expressing PRs as both photoreceptors and histamine-receiving interneurons in the rhodopsin-dependent entrainment pathway, which recalls the role of melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells in the mammalian retina (Alejevski et al. Nat Commun, in revision).
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Modular Switches in Protein Function: A Spectroscopic ApproachMadathil, Sineej 08 December 2009 (has links)
Understanding the molecular basis of protein function is a challenging task that
lays the foundation for the pharmacological intervention in many diseases originating
in altered structural states of the involved proteins. Dissecting a complex functional
machinery into modules is a promising approach to protein function. The motivation
for this work was to identify minimal requirements for “local” switching processes in
the function of multidomain proteins that can adopt a variety of structural substates
of different biological activity or representing intermediates of a complex reaction
path. For example, modular switches are involved in signal transduction, where
receptors respond to ligand-activation by specific conformational changes that are
allosterically transmitted to “effector recognition sites” distant from the actual
ligand-binding site. Heptahelical receptors have attracted particular attention due to
their ubiquitous role in a large variety of pharmacologically relevant processes.
Although constituting switches in their own right, it has become clear through
mutagenesis and functional studies that receptors exhibit substates of partial
active/inactive structure that can explain biological phenotypes of different levels of
activity. Here, the notion that microdomains undergo individual switching processes
that are integrated in the overall response of structurally regulated proteins is
addressed by studies on the molecular basis of proton-dependent (chemical) and
force-dependent (mechanical) conformational transitions.
A combination of peptide synthesis, biochemical analysis, and secondary
structure sensitive spectroscopy (Infrared, Circular dichroism, Fluorescence) was
used to prove the switching capability of putative functional modules derived from
three selected proteins, in which conformational transitions determine their function
in transmembrane signaling (rhodopsin), transmembrane transport
(bacteriorhodopsin) and chemical force generation (kinesin-1). The data are then
related to the phenotypes of the corresponding full length-systems. In the first two
systems the chemical potential of protons is crucial in linking proton exchange
reactions to transmembrane protein conformation. This work addresses the
hypothesized involvement of lipid protein interactions in this linkage (1). It is shown
here that the lipidic phase is a key player in coupling proton uptake at a highly
conserved carboxylic acid (DRY motif located at the C-terminus of helix 3) to conformation during activation of class-1 G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs)
independently from ligand protein interactions and interhelical contacts. The data
rationalize how evolutionary diversity underlying ligand-specifity can be reconciled
with the conservation of a cytosolic ‘proton switch’, that is adapted to the general
physical constraints of a lipidic bilayer described here for the prototypical class-1
GPCR rhodopsin (2).
Whereas the exact sequence of modular switching events is of minor
importance for rhodopsin as long as the final overall active conformation is reached,
the related heptahelical light-transducing proton pump bacteriorhodopsin (bR),
requires the precise relative timing in coupling protonation events to
conformationtional switching at the cytosolic, transmembrane, and extracellular
domains to guarantee vectorial proton transport. This study has focused on the
cytosolic proton uptake site of this retinal protein whose proton exchange reactions at
the cytosolic halfchannel resemble that of rhodopsin. It was a prime task in this work
to monitor in real time the allosteric coupling between different protein regions. A
novel powerful method based on the correlation of simultaneously recorded infrared
absorption and fluorescence emission changes during bR function was established
here (3), to study the switching kinetics in the cytosolic proton uptake domain
relative to internal proton transfer reactions at the retinal and its counter ion. Using
an uptake-impaired bR mutant the data proves the modular nature of domain
couplings and shows that the energy barrier of the conformational transition in the
cytosolic half but not its detailed structure is under the control of proton transfer
reactions at the retinal Schiff base and its counter ion Asp85 (4).
Despite the different functions of the two studied retinal proteins, the
protonation is coupled to local switching mechanisms studied here at two levels of
complexity, [a] a single carboxylic acid side chain acting as a lipid-dependent proton
switch [b] a full-length system, where concerted modular regions orchestrate the
functional coupling of proton translocation reactions. Switching on the level of an
individual amino acid is shown to rely on localizable chemical properties (charge
state, hydrophobicity, rotamer state). In contrast, switching processes involving
longer stretches of amino acids are less understood, less generalizable, and can
constitute switches of mechanical, rather than chemical nature. This applies
particularly to molecular motors, where local structural switching processes are directly involved in force generation. A controversy exists with respect to the
structural requirements for the cooperation of many molecular motors attached to a
single cargo. The mechanical properties of the Hinge 1 domain of kinesin-1 linking
the “neck” and motor domain to the “tail” were addressed here to complement single
molecule data on torsional flexibility with secondary structure analysis and thermal
stability of peptides derived from Hinge 1 (5). It is shown that the Hinge 1 exhibits
an unexpected helix-forming propensity that resists thermal forces but unfolds under
load. The data resolve the paradox that the hinge is required for motor cooperation,
whereas it is dispensable for single motor processivity, clearly emphasizing the
modular function of the holoprotein. However, the secondary-structural data reveal
the functional importance of providing high compliance by force-dependent
unfolding, i.e. in a fundamentally different way than disordered domains that are
flexible but yet do not support cooperativity.
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Turning on Fluorescence in Silico: From Radical Cations to 11-cis Locked Rhodopsin AnaloguesLaricheva, Elena N. 16 July 2012 (has links)
No description available.
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Investigating Molecular Evolution of Rhodopsin Using Likelihood/Bayesian Phylogenetic MethodsDu, Jingjing 22 July 2010 (has links)
Rhodopsin, a visual pigment protein found in retinal photoreceptors, mediates vision at low-light levels. Recent studies focusing primarily in human and mouse have challenged the assumption of neutral evolution of synonymous substitutions in mammals. Using recently developed likelihood-based codon models accounting for mutational bias and selection, we find significant evidence for selective constraint on synonymous substitutions in mammalian rhodopsins, and a preference for cytosine at 3rd codon positions. A second project investigated adaptive evolution in rhodopsin, in view of theories of nocturnality in early mammals. We detected a significant acceleration of non-synonymous substitution rates at the origins of therian mammals, and a tendency of synonymous substitutions towards C-ending codons prior to that. These findings suggest an evolutionary scenario in which synonymous substitutions that increase mRNA stability and/or translation efficiency may have preceded adaptive non-synonymous evolution in early mammalian rhodopsins. These findings have important implications for theories of early mammalian nocturnality.
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