Mechano- and chemosensitive extrinsic primary afferents innervating the gastrointestinal tract convey important information regarding the state of ingested nutrients and specific motor patterns to the central nervous system via splanchnic and vagal nerves. Little is known about the organization of peripheral receptive sites of afferents and their correspondence to morphologically identified ter...

Remodelling protein nucleic acid interfaces is an important biological task, which is often carried out by nucleic acid stimulated ATPases of the Swi2/Snf2 superfamily. Here we study the mechano-chemical cycle of such an ATPase, namely the catalytic domain of the Sulfolobus solfataricus Rad54 homologue (SsoRad54cd), by means of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). The results of the F...

It is observed that large quantities of hydrogen (H2) are released at ambient temperatures during the mechano-chemical synthesis of the Li-Al-N-Mg-based hydride composites using an energetic ball milling in a unique magneto-mill. For the (nLiAlH4+LiNH2; n=1, 3, 11.5, 30) composite, at the molar ratio n=1, the LiNH2 constituent destabilizes LiAlH4 and enhances its decomposition to Li3AlH6, Al an...

Prostaglandins (PGs) are requisite components of inflammatory pain as indicated by the efficacy of cyclooxygenase 1/2 (COX1/2) inhibitors. PGs do not activate nociceptive ion channels directly, but sensitize them by downstream mechanisms linked to G-protein coupled receptors. Antiinflammatory effects are purported to arise from inhibition of synthesis and/or release of proinflammatory agents. R...

A high-sensitivity mechano-luminescent sensor was fabricated on the basis of piezoelectric/electroluminescent composites. The working principle of this mechano-luminescent sensor was elucidated by analyzing the relationship between the piezoelectric-induced charges and the electroluminescent effects. When a stress is applied on the piezoelectric layer, electrical charges will be induced at both...

Dynamin superfamily proteins are multidomain mechano-chemical GTPases which are implicated in nucleotide-dependent membrane remodeling events. A prominent feature of these proteins is their assembly- stimulated mechanism of GTP hydrolysis. The molecular basis for this reaction has been initially clarified for the dynamin-related guanylate binding protein 1 (GBP1) and involves the transient dime...

The ability of prey to observe and learn to recognize potential predators from the behaviour of nearby individuals can dramatically increase survival and, not surprisingly, is widespread across animal taxa. A range of sensory modalities are available for this learning, with visual and chemical cues being well-established modes of transmission in aquatic systems. The use of other sensory cues in...