The effects of various divalent cations in the external solution upon the Ca spike of the barnacle muscle fiber membrane were studied using intracellular recording and polarizing techniques. Analysis of the maximum rate of rise of the spike potential indicates that different species of divalent cations bind the same membrane sites competitively with different dissociation constants. The oversho...

We report accurate energetics of defects introduced in GaN on doping with divalent metals, focusing on the technologically important case of Mg doping, using a model that takes into consideration both the effect of hole localization and dipolar polarization of the host material, and includes a well-defined reference level. Defect formation and ionization energies show that divalent dopants are ...

We examine how a variety of cationic channels discriminate between ions of differing charge. We construct models of the KcsA potassium channel, voltage gated sodium channel and L-type calcium channel, and show that they all conduct monovalent cations, but that only the calcium channel conducts divalent cations. In the KcsA and sodium channels divalent ions block the channel and prevent any furt...

UNLABELLED Gastrin/cholecystokinin subtype 2 receptors (CCK-2Rs) are overexpressed in several tumor types and are, thus, a potential target for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) of cancer. To improve the in vivo performance of CCK-2R binding peptides, we have previously synthesized and screened a series of divalent gastrin peptides for improved biochemical and biologic characteristic...

Streptavidin is one of the most important hubs for molecular biology, either multimerizing biomolecules, bridging one molecule to another, or anchoring to a biotinylated surface/nanoparticle. Streptavidin has the advantage of rapid ultra-stable binding to biotin. However, the ability of streptavidin to bind four biotinylated molecules in a heterogeneous manner is often limiting. Here, we presen...

brane uptake of IFB, were completely reversible. These findings are consistent with the concept that the formation of calcium salt bridges is essential for attachment of IFB,2 to the ileal-absorptive surface.

PRO 542 (CD4-IgG2) is a recombinant antibody-like fusion protein wherein the Fv portions of both the heavy and light chains of human IgG2 have been replaced with the D1D2 domains of human CD4. Unlike monovalent and divalent CD4-based proteins, tetravalent PRO 542 potently neutralizes diverse primary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 isolates. In this phase 1 study, the first evaluation ...

An immunoassay that detects mercuric ions in water at concentrations of 0.5 ppb and above is described. The assay utilizes a monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to mercuric ions immobilized in wells of microtiter plates. Within the range of 0.5-10 ppb mercury, the absorbance in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is linear to the log of the mercuric ion concentration. The quan...

The amount of total endogenous cellular and cell surface lectin in aggregating Dictyostelium purpureum was determined by a number of immunochemical techniques. The results show that of the 5 x 10(6) molecules of the lectin (called purpurin) per aggregating cell only about 2% (1 x 10(5) molecules) is present on the cell surface. Cell surface purpurin can be specially eluted by lactose, which ind...

We report a novel strategy to engineer and express stable and soluble human recombinant polyvalent/polyspecific fusion proteins. The procedure is based on the use of a central skeleton of uteroglobin, a small and very soluble covalently linked homodimeric protein that is very resistant to proteolytic enzymes and to pH variations. Using a human recombinant antibody (scFv) specific for the angiog...