In gram-negative bacteria, integral outer membrane β-barrel proteins (OMPs) are assembled by the beta-barrel assembly machine (Bam) complex. The essential components of this complex are the OMP BamA [which contains a carboxyl-terminal β-barrel and an amino-terminal periplasmic module composed of five polypeptide transport associated (POTRA) domains] and the lipoprotein BamD. In Escherichia coli...

Prefrontal layer 6 (L6) pyramidal neurons play an important role in the adult control of attention, facilitated by their strong activation by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. These neurons in mouse association cortex are distinctive morphologically when compared to L6 neurons in primary cortical regions. Roughly equal proportions of the prefrontal L6 neurons have apical dendrites that are "lo...

Thalamocortical circuits are central to sensory and cognitive processing. Recent work suggests that the thalamocortical inputs onto L4 and L6, the main input layers of neocortex, are activated differently by visual stimulation. Whether these differences depend on layer-specific organization of thalamocortical circuits; or on specific properties of synapses onto receiving neurons is unknown. Her...

The incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-(7-36) amide is best known for its antidiabetogenic actions mediated via a GLP-1 receptor present on pancreatic endocrine cells. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of GLP-1 action in muscle, we used cultured L6 myotubes. In L6 myotubes, GLP-1 enhanced insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis by 140% while stimulating CO2 production and lact...

The p66(Shc) protein isoform regulates MAP kinase activity and the actin cytoskeleton turnover, which are both required for normal glucose transport responses. To investigate the role of p66(Shc) in glucose transport regulation in skeletal muscle cells, L6 myoblasts with antisense-mediated reduction (L6/p66(Shc)as) or adenovirus-mediated overexpression (L6/p66(Shc)adv) of the p66(Shc) protein w...

Chiral group 4 NHC-metal complexes were prepared in good yields by amine elimination from M(NR2)4 (M = Ti, Zr, Hf; R = Me, Et) and chiral pincer NHC-ligands, L4(L4a and L4b), L5 and L6, which are derived from (S,S)-diphenyl-1,2-ethanediamine. Treatment of M(NR2)4 with 1 equiv. of L4 in THF gives, after recrystallization from a benzene solution, the chiral titanium amides (L4)Ti(NMe2)(Br)(THF) (...

Approximately half the excitatory neurons in layer 6 (L6) of the rat barrel cortex project to the thalamus with axon collaterals ramifying in the granular L4; the remaining project within cortex with collaterals restricted to infragranular laminae. In analogy, L6 inhibitory neurons also include locally arborizing and inter-laminar projecting neurons. We examined whether L6 neurons participating...

L-lactic acid transport plays an important role in the regulation of L-lactic acid circulation into and out of muscle. To clarify the transport mechanism of L-lactic acid in skeletal muscle, L-lactic acid uptake was investigated using a L6 cell line. mRNAs of monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) 1, 2 and 4 were found to be expressed in L6 cells. The [(14)C] L-lactic acid uptake by L6 cells increas...

Layer 6 (L6) of primary sensory cortices is distinct from other layers in that it provides a major cortical input to primary sensory thalamic nuclei. L6 pyramidal neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) send projections to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), as well as to the thalamic reticular nucleus and higher order thalamic nuclei. Although L6 neurons are proposed to modulate the activi...

[Purpose] Many studies have been using cell culture models of muscle cells with exogenous cytokines or glucocorticoids to mimic atrophy in in vivo and in vitro tests. However, the changes in the phosphorylation of atrophy-related cofilin are still poorly understood in starved skeletal muscle cells. In this study, we first examined whether or not phosphorylation of cofilin is altered in L6 myobl...