Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are ubiquitous molecular chaperones that prevent the unspecific aggregation of proteins. So far, Hsp26 was the only unambiguously identified member of the sHsp family in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show here that the sHsp system in the cytosol of S. cerevisiae consists of two proteins, Hsp26 and Hsp42. Hsp42 forms large dynamic oligomers with a barrel-like str...

Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are molecular chaperones that specifically bind non-native proteins and prevent them from irreversible aggregation. A key trait of sHsps is their existence as dynamic oligomers. Hsp26 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae assembles into a 24mer, which becomes activated under heat shock conditions and forms large, stable substrate complexes. This activation coincides wi...

When soybean Glycine max var Wayne seedlings are shifted from a normal growth temperature of 28 degrees C up to 40 degrees C (heat shock or HS), there is a dramatic change in protein synthesis. A new set of proteins known as heat shock proteins (HSPs) is produced and normal protein synthesis is greatly reduced. A brief 10-minute exposure to 45 degrees C followed by incubation at 28 degrees C al...

Although antithrombin-III (AT-III), an anti-coagulant, has been shown to affect human platelet functions, the direct effect of AT-III on platelets is still unknown. We recently reported that the collagen-induced phosphorylation of the heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) via the p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase is sufficient for granule secretion and the release of soluble CD40 ligand (s...

We have reported that heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) and annexin II are involved in the protection of human cells against UVC-induced cell death. In this study we tried to confirm the combined roles of HSP27 and annexin II in cell death after UVC irradiation. In RSa cells with sensitivity to UVC, expression of annexin II decreased after UVC irradiation, but not in AP(r)-1 cells with increased re...

Heat-shock proteins as antigens in autoimmunity Willem van Eden,* Els J. M. Hogervorst,* Marca H. M. Wauben,* Ruurd van der Zee,t and Claire, J. P. Boog* *Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, Yalelaan I, 8508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands and +Department of Bacteriology, National Institute for Public Health and Environmental Hygi...

Introduction: Chondrules are sub-mm to mm-sized igneous inclusions that can comprise up to ~80% of the primitive meteorites called chondrites, and provide us with snapshots of the solar nebula. They are the key to understanding the early history of the Solar System and the formation of terrestrial planets. Chondrules formed in the first few million years (Myr) of the Solar System’s history [e.g...

A clinical study of the concept “wide-focus and low-pressure” extracorporal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) was performed in a scientific cooperation between the Physical Institute of the University of Stuttgart and the Xixin Medical Instruments Co. Ltd. in Wuxian-Suzhou, China. In this cooperation, self-focusing electromagnetic shock-wave generator systems from the University of Stuttgart were i...

We report the first occurrence of an icosahedral quasicrystal with composition Al62.0(8)Cu31.2(8)Fe6.8(4), outside the measured equilibrium stability field at standard pressure of the previously reported Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystal (AlxCuyFez, with x between 61 and 64, y between 24 and 26, z between 12 and 13%). The new icosahedral mineral formed naturally and was discovered in the Khatyrka meteorite...

We present an approximate description of the behavior of an elastic-plastic material processed by a cylindrically or spherically symmetric converging shock, following Whitham's shock dynamics theory. Originally applied with success to various gas dynamics problems, this theory is presently derived for solid media, in both elastic and plastic regimes. The exact solutions of the shock dynamics eq...