Fluorescence lifetime measurements with nanometer spatial resolution are made possible by incorporating time-correlated single photon counting with a near-field fluorescence microscope. Using this apparatus, single pieces of intact photosynthetic membrane from the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strain doubly deficient in photosystem I (PS I) and photosystem I1 (PS 11) are examined. Comparison of sim...

We have applied patch-clamp techniques to on-cell and excised-membrane patches from human retinal pigment epithelial cells in tissue culture. Single-channel currents from at least four ion channel types were observed: three or more potassium-selective channels with single-channel slope conductances near 100, 45, and 25 pS as measured in on-cell patches with physiological saline in the pipette, ...

Due to its net positive charge histone H1 readily associates with liposomes containing acidic phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine (PS). Interestingly, circular dichroism reveals that while histone H1 in aqueous solutions appears as a random coil, its binding to liposomes containing PS is associated with a pronounced increase in alpha-helicity and beta-sheet content, estimated at 7% and 24...

Akt activation relies on the binding of Akt to phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP(3)) in the membrane. Here, we demonstrate that Akt activation requires not only PIP(3) but also membrane phosphatidylserine (PS). The extent of insulin-like growth factor-induced Akt activation and downstream signaling as well as cell survival under serum starvation conditions positively correlates with...

introduction: a noninvasive method of detecting exposure of phosphatidylserine (ps) on the external surface of the plasma membrane such as nuclear imaging could assist the diagnosis and therapy of apoptosis related pathologies. the most studied imaging agent for apoptosis is annexin v so far. because of limitations of annexin v other agents have been introduced such as small peptides and molecu...

BACKGROUND In Japan, nafamostat mesylate (NM) is frequently used as an anticoagulant during continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). The dialyzer membrane AN69ST has been reported to adsorb NM and affect the management of anticoagulant therapy. However, the adsorbed amount has not yet been quantitatively assessed. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the pre- and post-hemofilter prolongat...

Many cases of autosomal dominant early onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) result from mutations in the gene encoding presenilin-1 (PS-1). PS-1 is an integral membrane protein expressed ubiquitously in neurons throughout the brain in which it is located primarily in endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Although the pathogenic mechanism of PS-1 mutations is unknown, recent findings suggest that PS mutations r...

Lenz-Majewski syndrome (LMS) is a rare disease characterized by complex craniofacial, dental, cutaneous, and limb abnormalities combined with intellectual disability. Mutations in thePTDSS1gene coding one of the phosphatidylserine (PS) synthase enzymes, PSS1, were described as causative in LMS patients. Such mutations render PSS1 insensitive to feedback inhibition by PS levels. Here we show tha...

Asymmetrical distribution of lipids in the cell membrane is a fundamental feature of all eukaryotic cells. The most important negatively charged phospholipids phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylinositol species reside almost exclusively in the cytoplasmic leaflet, where they serve as essential co-factors for many membrane-bound enzymes including protein kinase C, phosphatase PTEN, tyrosine...

The structure and function of the PTEN phosphatase is investigated by studying its membrane affinity and localization on in-plane fluid, thermally disordered synthetic membrane models. The membrane association of the protein depends strongly on membrane composition, where phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylinositol diphosphate (PI(4,5)P(2)) act pronouncedly synergistic in pulling the enzym...