We analyze the two-player game of Knock ’em Down, asymptotically as the number of tokens to be knocked down becomes large. Optimal play requires mixed strategies with deviations of order √ n from the näıve law-of-large numbers allocation. Upon rescaling by √ n and sending n → ∞, we show that optimal play’s random deviations always have bounded support and have marginal distributions that are ab...

Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are short (21-23 nt) double-stranded RNAs that direct the sequence-specific degradation of corresponding mRNAs, resulting in suppression of gene activity. siRNAs are powerful tools for gene functional analysis in mammals. Chemically synthesized siRNAs permit transient gene repression but preclude inhibition of stable gene products as well as long-term phenotypic ...

PQBP1 (polyglutamine tract-binding protein 1) is a causative gene for a relatively frequent X-linked syndromic and non-syndromic mental retardation (MR). To analyze behavioral abnormalities of these patients from molecular basis, we developed a knock-down (KD) mouse model. The KD mice possess a transgene expressing 498 bp double-strand RNA that is endogenously cleaved to siRNA suppressing PQBP1...

TOR (Target of Rapamycin) is a highly conserved protein kinase and a central controller of cell growth. TOR is found in two functionally and structurally distinct multiprotein complexes termed TOR complex 1 (TORC1) and TOR complex 2 (TORC2). In the present study, we developed a two-dimensional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (2D LC-MS/MS) based proteomic strategy to identify new ...

Cancer has always had and still has a huge impact on human society. According to the American Cancer Society, cancer accounts for nearly one quarter of deaths in United States, exceeded only by heart disease. In 2006, there were 559,888 cancer deaths in the US. According to the World Health Organization, deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue rising, with an estimated 12 million...

Amyloid proteins are closely related with amyloid diseases and do tremendous harm to human health. However, there is still a lack of effective strategies to treat these amyloid diseases, so it is important to develop novel methods. Accelerating the clearance of amyloid proteins is a favorable method for amyloid disease treatment. Recently, chemical methods for protein reduction have been develo...