• Title/Summary/Keyword: cellular structures

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Structural Features of β2 Adrenergic Receptor: Crystal Structures and Beyond

  • Bang, Injin;Choi, Hee-Jung
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.38 no.2
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    • pp.105-111
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    • 2015
  • The beta2-adrenergic receptor (${\beta}2AR$) belongs to the G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family, which is the largest family of cell surface receptors in humans. Extra attention has been focused on the human GPCRs because they have been studied as important protein targets for pharmaceutical drug development. In fact, approximately 40% of marketed drugs directly work on GPCRs. GPCRs respond to various extracellular stimuli, such as sensory signals, neurotransmitters, chemokines, and hormones, to induce structural changes at the cytoplasmic surface, activating downstream signaling pathways, primarily through interactions with heterotrimeric G proteins or through G-protein independent pathways, such as arrestin. Most GPCRs, except for rhodhopsin, which contains covalently linked 11 cis-retinal, bind to diffusible ligands, having various conformational states between inactive and active structures. The first human GPCR structure was determined using an inverse agonist bound ${\beta}2AR$ in 2007 and since then, more than 20 distinct GPCR structures have been solved. However, most GPCR structures were solved as inactive forms, and an agonist bound fully active structure is still hard to obtain. In a structural point of view, ${\beta}2AR$ is relatively well studied since its fully active structure as a complex with G protein as well as several inactive structures are available. The structural comparison of inactive and active states gives an important clue in understanding the activation mechanism of ${\beta}2AR$. In this review, structural features of inactive and active states of ${\beta}2AR$, the interaction of ${\beta}2AR$ with heterotrimeric G protein, and the comparison with ${\beta}1AR$ will be discussed.

ΔFY Mutation in Human Torsina Induces Locomotor Disability and Abberant Synaptic Structures in Drosophila

  • Lee, Dae-Weon;Seo, Jong Bok;Ganetzky, Barry;Koh, Young-Ho
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.27 no.1
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    • pp.89-97
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    • 2009
  • We investigate the molecular and cellular etiologies that underlie the deletion of the six amino acid residues (${\Delta}F323-Y328$; ${\Delta}FY$) in human torsin A (HtorA). The most common and severe mutation involved with early-onset torsion dystonia is a glutamic acid deletion (${\Delta}E$ 302/303; ${\Delta}E$) in HtorA which induces protein aggregates in neurons and cells. Even though ${\Delta}FY$ HtorA forms no protein clusters, flies expressing ${\Delta}FY$ HtorA in neurons or muscles manifested a similar but delayed onset of adult locomotor disability compared with flies expressing ${\Delta}E$ in HtorA. In addition, flies expressing ${\Delta}FY$ HtorA had fewer aberrant ultrastructures at synapses compared with flies expressing ${\Delta}E$ HtorA. Taken together, the ${\Delta}FY$ mutation in HtorA may be responsible for behavioral and anatomical aberrations in Drosophila.

High-temperature superconducting band-pass filters for digital cellular communication system (고온 초전도체를 이용한 이동통신 기지국용 영역통과 필터에 관한 연구)

  • J. H. Lee;Y. H. Do;J. S. Kwak;C. O. Kim;J. P. Hong;K. L. Lee;S. K. Han;K. Char
    • Progress in Superconductivity
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    • v.4 no.2
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    • pp.132-136
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    • 2003
  • Extremely selective high temperature superconducting (HTS) band -pass filters were developed for the base transceiver station applications of Digital Cellular communication Service (DCS). The filters have a bandwidth of 25 MHz at a center frequency of 834 MHz. There are 12 resonators which have spiral-meander microstrip-line structures in order to reduce far-field radiations with a reasonable tunability. As a result, the size of filters is 5 mm $\times$ 17 mm $\times$ 41 mm. Device characteristics exhibited a low insertion loss of -0.4 dB with a -0.2 dB ripple and a return loss better than -10 dB in the pass-band at 65 K. The out-of-band signals were attenuated better than 60 dB about 3.5 MHz from the lower band edge, and 3.8 MHz from the higher band edge.

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Functions of the Plant Qbc SNARE SNAP25 in Cytokinesis and Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses

  • Won, Kang-Hee;Kim, Hyeran
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.43 no.4
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    • pp.313-322
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    • 2020
  • Eukaryotes transport biomolecules between intracellular organelles and between cells and the environment via vesicle trafficking. Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNARE proteins) play pivotal roles in vesicle and membrane trafficking. These proteins are categorized as Qa, Qb, Qc, and R SNAREs and form a complex that induces vesicle fusion for targeting of vesicle cargos. As the core components of the SNARE complex, the SNAP25 Qbc SNAREs perform various functions related to cellular homeostasis. The Arabidopsis thaliana SNAP25 homolog AtSNAP33 interacts with Qa and R SNAREs and plays a key role in cytokinesis and in triggering innate immune responses. However, other Arabidopsis SNAP25 homologs, such as AtSNAP29 and AtSNAP30, are not well studied; this includes their localization, interactions, structures, and functions. Here, we discuss three biological functions of plant SNAP25 orthologs in the context of AtSNAP33 and highlight recent findings on SNAP25 orthologs in various plants. We propose future directions for determining the roles of the less well-characterized AtSNAP29 and AtSNAP30 proteins.

Effects of Process Parameters on Cell Control of Aluminum Foal Material (알루미늄 발포소재의 성형 공정 인자가 기공제어에 미치는 영향)

  • 전용필;강충길
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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    • 1997.10a
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    • pp.163-166
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    • 1997
  • Aluminium foam material is a highly porous material having complicated cellular structure defined by randomly distributed air pores in metallic matrix. this structure gives the aluminium a set of properties which cannot be achieved by any of conventional treatments. The properties of aluminium foam material significantly depend on its porosity, so that a desired profile of properties can be tailored by changing the foam density. Melting method is the one of foaming processes, which the production has long been considered difficult to realize becaues of such problems as the low foamability of molten metal, the varying size of. cellular structures, solidification shrinkage and so on. These problems, however, have gradually been solved by researchers and some manufacturers are now producing foamed aluminum by their own methods. Most of all, the parameters of solving problem in electric furnace were stirring temperature, stirring velocity, foaming temper:iture, and so on. But it has not considered about those in induction heating, foaming velocity and foaming temperature in semi-solid state yet. Therefore, this paper presents the effects on these parameter to control cell size, quantity and distribution.

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Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Malignant Myoepithelioma of the Salivary Gland - A Case Report - (악성 근상피종의 세침흡인 세포학적 소견 -1 예 보고-)

  • Lee, Jae-Hwa;Park, Jean-Kyung;Hur, Bang
    • The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.28-32
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    • 2002
  • Malignant myoepithelioma (myoepithelial carcinoma), is a very rare malignant epithelial accounting for less than 1% of all salivary gland tumors and has an intermediate malignant potential. We report a case of malignant myoepithelioma arising in the left parotid giand in a 54-year-old man, which was difficult to differentiate from pleomorphic adenoma and other malignant salivary gland neoplasms. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the parotid gland showed cellular smear, composed of overlapped sheets and clusters or individually scattered tumor cells without any acinic or ductal structures. The tumor cells were rather uniform, with distinct cell borders and moderate amount of cytoplasm. The eccentrically located nuclei were oval to round and pleomorphic and showed prominent nucleoli. A few clear cells were noted in the cellular aggregates Metachromatic matrix was seen between individual tumor cells in a lacelike fashion, resembling pleomorphic adenoma. According to the immunohistochemical staining, we recognized that the component cells are myoeplthelial in nature, showing reactivity for the S-100 protein, vimentin, and actin.

Ultrastructural Study on the Cellular Compatibility in Self-Parasiting Cuscuta australis (자기기생하는 실새삼(Cuscuta australis)에서 세포 화합성에 관한 미세구조 연구)

  • 이규배
    • Journal of Plant Biology
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    • v.36 no.3
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    • pp.285-292
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    • 1993
  • Cellular compatibility in the self-parasitism of Cuscuta australis R. Brown was studied at the ultrastructural level. The front cells of the haustorium penetrated the host stems independently grew within the host tissues and transformed into elongate, filamentous hyphae. Each hyphal cells contained a large nucleus and dense cytoplasm with abundant cell organelles. Multilamellar structures were contained in the cytoplasm and cell walls of the penetrating hyphal cells. When the hyphal cells did not yet invade the host cells, the middle lamella and the fused cellulosic cell walls of the two partners at the host-parasite interface were preserved well. As the invasion of the parasitic hyphal cells progressed, however, the middle lamella was not found at the interface and the host cell walls and plasma membranes were partially broken down. A hyphal cell penetrated deeply into the host cell had a more darkly stained cytoplasm with numerous of cell organelles. In the host cells attacked by the hyphal cells the limiting membranes of plastids were broken down and several vesicles were arrayed near the cell walls. No plasmodesmatal connections between the host and parasite cell walls were found; however, half-plasmodesmata were observed frequently on the side of the hyphal cell walls. These results suggested that the compatibility response in the self-parasitism of Cuscuta was expressed by cell walls, not by plasmodesmata, between the host and the parasite cells.

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Analysis and Design of Data Link Control Protocols in the DECT Mobile Communication System (DECT 이동통신 시스템의 데이타 링크제어 프로토콜의 분석 및 설계)

  • 최재원
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.129-139
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    • 1999
  • DECT(Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) is the communication protocol and the pico-cellular network that provides a PABX with mobile services on the local area within its cell radius of about 100 to 200m. Compared with GSM, DECT provides low-cost communication services based on the PSTN and it is an ideal supplementary method for the type of in-building mobile communication. In order to implement the data link communication layer of the DECT system, in this paper we analyzed and designed the structures and functions of it that provided reliable communication and real-time services to the upper network layer by performing the functions of link controls, error controls, sequence controls, and flow controls.

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Touch Imprint Cytology of Adenomatoid Tumor of the Tunica Albuginea - A Case Report - (고환의 백색막에 발생한 샘모양종양이 압착도말 세포소견 - 1예 보고 -)

  • Lee, Jong-Im
    • The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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    • v.19 no.1
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    • pp.47-51
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    • 2008
  • Adenomatoid tumor is a benign neoplasm of a mesothelial origin, and it usually occurs in the reproductive organs, especially in the epididymis. The author experienced a case of adenomatoid tumor involving the tunica albuginea and testicular parenchyme without any evidence of epididymis involvement. The patient was a 36-year-old man with a painless scrotal mass that he had experienced for 2 months, and this mimicked testicular neoplasia, including metastatic carcinoma, or other benign lesions. The imprint cytology of the tumor showed a hypocellular smear with mainly arranged cells in cohesive monolayered clusters along with occasional singly dispersed cells and naked nuclei in a clean background. The cellular clusters formed vague glandular and cord-like structures. The tumor cells were large polygonal to columnar cells with a relatively monomorphic appearance. The nuclei were oval to round shape and they showed vesicular, fine chromatin and inconspicuous nucleoli. The cytoplasm was moderate to abundant, and it contained fine vacuoles in some tumor cells. Mitoses and cellular pleomorphism were not present. Awareness of the cytologic finding of this lesion is necessary to screen or differentiate a testicular or paratesticular mass before and/or during surgery because the cytology may be useful as a diagnostic tool. Pathologists should be aware of the cytologic features of common lesions in this anatomic region so as to avoid performing aggressive and unnecessary surgical procedures.

EphB/ephrinB Signaling in Cell Adhesion and Migration

  • Park, Inji;Lee, Hyun-Shik
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.38 no.1
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    • pp.14-19
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    • 2015
  • Eph receptors and their ligands, ephrins, represent the largest group of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family, and they mediate numerous developmental processes in a variety of organisms. Ephrins are membrane-bound proteins that are mainly divided into two classes: A class ephrins, which are linked to the membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) linkage, and B class ephrins, which are transmembrane ligands. Based on their domain structures and affinities for ligand binding, the Eph receptors are also divided into two groups. Trans-dimerization of Eph receptors with their membrane-tethered ligands regulates cell-cell interactions and initiates bidirectional signaling pathways. These pathways are intimately involved in regulating cytoskeleton dynamics, cell migration, and alterations in cellular dynamics and shapes. The EphBs and ephrinBs are specifically localized and modified to promote higher-order clustering and initiate of bidirectional signaling. In this review, we present an in-depth overview of the structure, mechanisms, cell signaling, and functions of EphB/ephrinB in cell adhesion and migration.