The potential energy as a function of the coordinates of all the atoms in a system defines a multi-dimensional surface that is commonly known as an energy landscape.1 Characterizing such energy landscapes has become an increasingly popular approach to study the behaviour of complex systems, such as the folding of a protein2 or the properties of supercooled liquids.3,4 The aim is to answer such ...

The question whether general tetanus arises from the independent sum of multiple local tetani or results from the actions of the transynaptic tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) in higher brain centres remains unresolved. Despite the blood-borne dissemination of TeNT from an infected wound, the access to the central nervous system is probably prevented by the blood-brain barrier. However, several long-te...

The influence of CCl(4)-induced experimental hepatic injury (CCl(4)-EHI) on the expression and transport activities of primary active transporters on the canalicular membrane, including P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a bile salt export pump (Bsep) and a multidrug resistance associated protein2 (Mrp2), was assessed. CCl(4)-EHI was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of CCl(4) to rats at a dose of 1 ...

The plant circadian clock generates rhythms with a period close to 24 h, and it controls a wide variety of physiological and developmental events. Among clock-controlled developmental events, the best characterized is the photoperiodic control of flowering time, which is mediated through the CONSTANS (CO)-FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana. The clock also regulates the diurn...

Organ detachment requires cell separation within abscission zones (AZs). Physiological studies have established that ethylene and auxin contribute to cell separation control. Genetic analyses of abscission mutants have defined ethylene-independent detachment regulators. Functional genomic strategies leading to global understandings of abscission have awaited methods for isolating AZ cells of lo...

The parabrachial nucleus (PB) is a brainstem cell group that receives a strong input from the nucleus tractus solitarius regarding the physiological status of the internal organs and sends efferent projections throughout the forebrain. Since the neuroanatomical organization of the PB remains unclear, our first step was to use specific antibodies against two neural lineage transcription factors:...

Dynein ATPases constitute a growing class of microtubuleassociated molecular motors. Although first characterized as force generators in cilia and flagella, dyneins are also cytoplasmic motor proteins with potential roles in axonal transport (Vallee et al., 1988), intracellular organization (Scholey et al., 1984; Lacey and Haimo, 1992) and mitosis (Pfarr et al ., 1990; Steuer et al ., 1990). Wh...

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder that leads to cognitive, memory and behavioural impairments.Most cases of Alzheimer’s disease are IDIOPATHIC, and advanced age and inheritance of the ε4 allele of the POLYMORPHIC apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) serve as major risk factors, although neither is sufficient to cause the disease1. A small percentage of cas...

The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) Early Light-Induced Protein (ELIP) is thought to act as a photoprotectant, reducing the damaging effects of high light (HL). Expression of ELIP2 is activated by multiple environmental stresses related to photoinhibition. We have identified putative regulatory elements in an ELIP2 promoter using an octamer-based frequency comparison method, analyzed the rol...