Solution structure of an amyloid-forming protein during photoinitiated hexamer-dodecamer transitions revealed through small-angle neutron scattering

Shape-reconstruction analysis applied to small angle neutron scattering (SANS) data is used to determine the in vitro conformations of alpha-chymotrypsin oligomers that form as a result of partial unfolding with a photoresponsive surfactant. In the presence of the photoactive surfactant under visible light, the native oligomers (dimers or compact hexamers) rearrange into expanded corkscrew-like hexamers. Converting the surfactant to the photopassive form with UV light illumination causes the hexamers to laterally aggregate and intertwine into dodecamers with elongated, twisted conformations containing cross-sectional dimensions similar to amyloid protofilaments. Secondary-structure measurements with FT-IR indicate that this photoinduced hexamer-to-dodecamer association occurs through intermolecular beta sheets stabilized with hydrogen bonds, similar to amyloid formation. Traditional structural characterization techniques such as X-ray crystallography and NMR are not easily amenable to the study of these non-native protein conformations; however, SANS is ideally suited to the study of these associated intermediates, providing direct observation of the mechanism of oligomeric formation in an amyloid-forming protein. Combined with photoinitiated hexamer-to-dodecamer associations in the presence of the photoresponsive surfactant, this study could provide unique insight into the amyloidosis disease pathway, as well as novel disease treatment strategies.     

Temporal strength changes from resistance exercise and albuterol on unloaded muscle

To assess unloaded knee extensor temporal strength changes, healthy subjects without asthma performed 40 continuous days of unilateral limb suspension, whereby their left leg refrained from normal weight-bearing and ambulatory activity. During the 40-day period, subjects performed resistance exercise (REX) with their unloaded leg on an inertial resistance ergometer and, as part of a double-blind design, consumed the maximal oral therapeutic dosage of albuterol (i.e., 16 mg.d) or a placebo (i.e., lactose) with no crossover. Workout data were partitioned into 4 10-day periods that ran consecutively. Dependent strength variables included concentric total work, eccentric total work, concentric average power (CAP), and eccentric average power (EAP). Dependent variables were analyzed with 5 (time) x 2 (group) x 2 (gender) mixed factorial analyses of variance and the Tukey honestly significant difference test. Concentric total work, CAP, and EAP each demonstrated a time-group-gender (p < 0.05) interaction. Female REX-placebo subjects had the greatest percentage of unloaded knee extensor strength loss. However, female REX-albuterol subjects fared best throughout the 40-day period and incurred significant unloaded knee extensor strength gains. Differences in strength changes between male and female REX-albuterol subjects was likely due to the higher relative dosage administered to the latter, as body mass showed a gender (i.e., men > women) effect. Future research may elucidate the ideal dose-response relationship for REX-albuterol treatment for use aboard manned space flights and in other disuse models. Coaches and practitioners should carefully examine their sport-governing bodies' rules on albuterol administration and give the drug only if an athlete's health warrants such treatment.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">ScreenMill</Emphasis>: A freely available software suite for growth measurement,analysis and visualization of high-throughput screen data

Background  

Many high-throughput genomic experiments, such as Synthetic Genetic Array and yeast two-hybrid, use colony growth on solid media as a screen metric. These experiments routinely generate over 100,000 data points, making data analysis a time consuming and painstaking process. Here we describe ScreenMill, a new software suite that automates image analysis and simplifies data review and analysis for high-throughput biological experiments.     

The efficacy of a video-based marker-less tracking system for gait analysis

Most clinical gait analyses are conducted using motion capture systems which track retro-reflective markers that are placed on key landmarks of the participants. An alternative to a three-dimensional (3D) motion capture, marker-based, optical camera system may be a marker-less video-based tracking system. The aim of our study was to investigate the efficacy of the use of a marker-less tracking system in the calculation of 3D joint angles for possible use in clinical gait analysis. Ten participants walked and jogged on a treadmill and their kinematic data were captured with a marker and marker-less tracking system simultaneously. The hip, knee and ankle angles in the frontal, sagittal and transverse planes were computed. Root Mean Square differences (RMS_diff) between corresponding angles for each participant’s support phase were calculated and averaged to derive the mean within-subject RMS_diff. These within-subject means were averaged to obtain the mean between-subject RMS_diff for the relevant joint angles in the two gait conditions (walking and jogging). The RMS_diff between the two tracking systems was less than 1° for all rotations of the three joint angles of the hip and knee. However, there were slightly larger differences in the ankle joint angles. The results of this study suggest a potential application in gait analysis in clinical settings where observations of anatomical motions may provide meaningful feedback.     

Type XVII collagen regulates lamellipod stability, cell motility, and signaling to Rac1 by targeting bullous pemphigoid antigen 1e to alpha6beta4 integrin

Rac1 activity, polarity, lamellipodial dynamics, and directed motility are defective in keratinocytes exhibiting deficiency in β4 integrin or knockdown of the plakin protein Bullous Pemphigoid Antigen 1e (BPAG1e). The activity of Rac, formation of stable lamellipodia, and directed migration are restored in β4 integrin-deficient cells by inducing expression of a truncated form of β4 integrin, which lacks binding sites for BPAG1e and plectin. In these same cells, BPAG1e, the truncated β4 integrin, and type XVII collagen (Col XVII), a transmembrane BPAG1e-binding protein, but not plectin, colocalize along the substratum-attached surface. This finding suggested to us that Col XVII mediates the association of BPAG1e and α6β4 integrin containing the truncated β4 subunit and supports directed migration. To test these possibilities, we knocked down Col XVII expression in keratinocytes expressing both full-length and truncated β4 integrin proteins. Col XVII-knockdown keratinocytes exhibit a loss in BPAG1e-α6β4 integrin interaction, a reduction in lamellipodial stability, an impairment in directional motility, and a decrease in Rac1 activity. These defects are rescued by a mutant Col XVII protein truncated at its carboxyl terminus. In summary, our results suggest that in motile cells Col XVII recruits BPAG1e to α6β4 integrin and is necessary for activation of signaling pathways, motile behavior, and lamellipodial stability.