Many cryptic species have been discovered in various taxonomic groups based on molecular phylogenetic analyses and mating experiments. Some sympatric cryptic species share equivalent resources, which contradicts the competitive exclusion principle. Two major theories have been proposed to explain the apparent lack of competitive exclusion, i.e. niche-based coexistence and neutral model, but a c...

The GTP-ase binding domain (GBD) of the signaling protein Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Protein (WASP) is intrinsically disordered and mutations in it have been linked with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS), an X-linked disorder characterized by thrombocytopenia, eczema and recurrent infections. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations and the semi-empirical GROMOS 45A3 force field to study interact...

The immunological synapse is a highly structured and molecularly dynamic interface between communicating immune cells. Although the immunological synapse promotes T cell activation by dendritic cells, the specific organization of the immunological synapse on the dendritic cell side in response to T cell engagement is largely unknown. In this study, confocal and electron microscopy techniques we...

Neural-Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome Protein (N-WASP) is expressed ubiquitously, regulates actin polymerization and is essential during mouse development. We have previously shown that N-WASP is critical for cell-ECM adhesion in fibroblasts. To characterize the role of N-WASP in fibroblast for skin development, we generated a conditional knockout mouse model in which fibroblast N-WASP was ablated us...

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) and X-linked thrombocytopenia (XLT) are rare X-linked genetic disorders caused by mutations of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) gene. Both disorders are clinically characterized by chronic thrombocytopenia of small platelets. WAS is a more severe form of the disorder and also courses with eczema, and immune dysfunction. In the present study, we investig...

Cdc42, a member of the Rho GTPase family, is a fundamental regulator of the actin cytoskeleton during cell migration. To generate a sensor for Cdc42 activation, we employed a multi-pronged approach, utilizing cysteine labeling and expressed protein ligation, to incorporate the environment sensitive fluorophore 4-N,N-dimethylamino-1,8-naphthalimide (4-DMN) into the GTPase binding domain of the W...

General methods to engineer genetically encoded, reversible, light-mediated control over protein function would be useful in many areas of biomedical research and technology. We describe a system that yields such photo-control over actin assembly. We fused the Rho family GTPase Cdc42 in its GDP-bound form to the photosensory domain of phytochrome B (PhyB) and fused the Cdc42 effector, the Wisko...

This study aimed to analyze the bile acid patterns in commercially available oxgall powders used for evaluation of the bile tolerance ability of probiotic bacteria. Qxgall powders purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, Oxoid and BD Difco were dissolved in distilled water, and analyzed. Conjugated bile acids were profiled by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), free bile acids were det...

One widely expressed K 1 channel, often called the “BK” channel for its “big” single channel conductance, is regulated by intracellular Ca 2 1 and voltage: at constant voltage, the open probability ( P o ) increases with [Ca 2 1 ]. At constant [Ca 2 1 ], P o increases with depolarization. BK channels participate in many physiological processes, including repolarization of the action potential (...

23.5 g (81.2 mmol) Irgasan and 7.78 g (77 mmol) triethylamin (99%, Acros Organics, Geel, Belgium) were dissolved in 350 ml tetrahydrofuran (stabilized, Acros Organics), extra dried over molecular sieve, water content< 50 ppm in a 1-l three-necked flask with reflux condenser. The solution was cooled to 0°C and 7.71 g (73.8 m mol) methacryloyl chloride (> 97%, Sigma Aldrich GmbH, Taufkirchen, Ger...