A fast radio burst source at a complex magnetized site in a barred galaxy.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are highly dispersed, millisecond-duration radio bursts1-3. Recent observations of a Galactic FRB4-8 suggest that at least some FRBs originate from magnetars, but the origin of cosmological FRBs is still not settled. Here we report the detection of 1,863 bursts in 82 h over 54 days from the repeating source FRB 20201124A (ref. 9). These observations show irregular short-time variation of the Faraday rotation measure (RM), which scrutinizes the density-weighted line-of-sight magnetic field strength, of individual bursts during the first 36 days, followed by a constant RM. We detected circular polarization in more than half of the burst sample, including one burst reaching a high fractional circular polarization of 75%. Oscillations in fractional linear and circular polarizations, as well as polarization angle as a function of wavelength, were detected. All of these features provide evidence for a complicated, dynamically evolving, magnetized immediate environment within about an astronomical unit (AU; Earth-Sun distance) of the source. Our optical observations of its Milky-Way-sized, metal-rich host galaxy10-12 show a barred spiral, with the FRB source residing in a low-stellar-density interarm region at an intermediate galactocentric distance. This environment is inconsistent with a young magnetar engine formed during an extreme explosion of a massive star that resulted in a long gamma-ray burst or superluminous supernova.

A repeating fast radio burst associated with a persistent radio source.

The dispersive sweep of fast radio bursts (FRBs) has been used to probe the ionized baryon content of the intergalactic medium1, which is assumed to dominate the total extragalactic dispersion. Although the host-galaxy contributions to the dispersion measure appear to be small for most FRBs2, in at least one case there is evidence for an extreme magneto-ionic local environment3,4 and a compact persistent radio source5. Here we report the detection and localization of the repeating FRB 20190520B, which is co-located with a compact, persistent radio source and associated with a dwarf host galaxy of high specific-star-formation rate at a redshift of 0.241 ± 0.001. The estimated host-galaxy dispersion measure of approximately [Formula: see text] parsecs per cubic centimetre, which is nearly an order of magnitude higher than the average of FRB host galaxies2,6, far exceeds the dispersion-measure contribution of the intergalactic medium. Caution is thus warranted in inferring redshifts for FRBs without accurate host-galaxy identifications.

A bimodal burst energy distribution of a repeating fast radio burst source.

The event rate, energy distribution and time-domain behaviour of repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) contain essential information regarding their physical nature and central engine, which are as yet unknown1,2. As the first precisely localized source, FRB 121102 (refs. 3-5) has been extensively observed and shows non-Poisson clustering of bursts over time and a power-law energy distribution6-8. However, the extent of the energy distribution towards the fainter end was not known. Here we report the detection of 1,652 independent bursts with a peak burst rate of 122 h-1, in 59.5 hours spanning 47 days. A peak in the isotropic equivalent energy distribution is found to be approximately 4.8 × 1037 erg at 1.25 GHz, below which the detection of bursts is suppressed. The burst energy distribution is bimodal, and well characterized by a combination of a log-normal function and a generalized Cauchy function. The large number of bursts in hour-long spans allows sensitive periodicity searches between 1 ms and 1,000 s. The non-detection of any periodicity or quasi-periodicity poses challenges for models involving a single rotating compact object. The high burst rate also implies that FRBs must be generated with a high radiative efficiency, disfavouring emission mechanisms with large energy requirements or contrived triggering conditions.

No pulsed radio emission during a bursting phase of a Galactic magnetar.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio transients of unknown physical origin observed at extragalactic distances1-3. It has long been speculated that magnetars are the engine powering repeating bursts from FRB sources4-13, but no convincing evidence has been collected so far14. Recently, the Galactic magnetar SRG 1935+2154 entered an active phase by emitting intense soft γ-ray bursts15. One FRB-like event with two peaks (FRB 200428) and a luminosity slightly lower than the faintest extragalactic FRBs was detected from the source, in association with a soft γ-ray/hard-X-ray flare18-21. Here we report an eight-hour targeted radio observational campaign comprising four sessions and assisted by multi-wavelength (optical and hard-X-ray) data. During the third session, 29 soft-γ-ray repeater (SGR) bursts were detected in γ-ray energies. Throughout the observing period, we detected no single dispersed pulsed emission coincident with the arrivals of SGR bursts, but unfortunately we were not observing when the FRB was detected. The non-detection places a fluence upper limit that is eight orders of magnitude lower than the fluence of FRB 200428. Our results suggest that FRB-SGR burst associations are rare. FRBs may be highly relativistic and geometrically beamed, or FRB-like events associated with SGR bursts may have narrow spectra and characteristic frequencies outside the observed band. It is also possible that the physical conditions required to achieve coherent radiation in SGR bursts are difficult to satisfy, and that only under extreme conditions could an FRB be associated with an SGR burst.

FDA perspective on peptide formulation and stability issues.

Traditionally, peptide drugs are prepared as sterile solutions and administered to patients by daily injection. However, this form of drug delivery causes pain and inconvenience to patients and thus has been poorly accepted. In addition to improving patient compliance, many novel delivery systems have been developed to address the need for prolonged, localized (targeted), or pulsatile drug action. Examples include, but are not limited to oral, nasal, or long-acting controlled release injectable dosage forms; a number of them have been approved by FDA recently. The unique characteristics and the relevant regulatory issues with respect to each type of delivery system are presented.

A retinoblastoma-binding protein that affects cell-cycle control and confers transforming ability.

The retinoblastoma (RB) gene is one of the most extensively studied tumour-suppressor genes. Deletion or inactivation of both RB alleles is an essential, rate-limiting step in the formation of retinoblastoma and osteosarcoma that arise in families that carry mutant RB (ref. 2). RB inactivation is also found in other human tumours. Whereas loss of RB function is associated with the loss of cellular proliferative control, introduction of a wild-type RB can suppress cell growth and tumorigenicity. Thus, identification of factors that interfere with and/or control the function of the RB protein is critical for understanding both cell-cycle control and oncogenesis. Here we describe a new gene, Bog (for B5T over-expressed gene), which was identified and shown to be overexpressed in several transformed rat liver epithelial (RLE) cell lines resistant to the growth-inhibitory effect of TGF-beta1, as well as in primary human liver tumours. The Bog protein shares homology with other retinoblastoma-binding proteins and contains the Rb-binding motif LXCXE. Using the yeast two-hybrid system and co-immunoprecipitation, we demonstrated that Bog binds to Rb. In vivo, Bog/Rb complexes do not contain E2F-1, and Bog can displace E2F-1 from E2F-1/Rb complexes in vitro. Overexpression of Bog in normal RLE cells conferred resistance to the growth-inhibitory effect of TGF-beta1. Furthermore, normal RLE cells are rapidly transformed when Bog is continuously overexpressed and form hepatoblastoma-like tumours when transplanted into nude mice. These data suggest that Bog may be important in the transformation process, in part due to its capacity to confer resistance to the growth-inhibitory effects of TGF-beta1 through interaction with Rb and the subsequent displacement of E2F-1.

Coexpression of stem cell factor and c-kit in embryonic and adult liver.

Stem cell factor and its receptor c-kit constitute an important signal transduction system implicated in survival, proliferation, and differentiation of stem cells in hematopoiesis, gametogenesis, and melanogenesis. In the present study we used both immunocytochemical methods and Western analysis to demonstrate the presence of this cytokine/receptor system in both embryonic and adult rat liver. Stem cell factor was present in the ductular cells around the portal vein during the late embryonic stage of the liver. In the adult liver both bile ducts and bile ductules were positive for stem cell factor and c-kit. When the activation of the liver stem cell compartment was induced by combining administration of acetylaminofluorene and partial hepatectomy, both stem cell factor and c-kit were expressed in the infiltrating oval cell population, but absent in the newly formed basophilic hepatocytes. Activation of oval cell proliferation following administration Of D-galactosamine also produced a similar but less prominent increase in the level of the stem cell factor. Our data suggest that the stem cell factor/c-kit signal transduction system is involved in the development of bile ducts and that it may also be an important member of the growth factor/receptor systems associated with the biology of liver stem cells.

Direct N-terminal sequence analysis of rat liver plasma membrane glycoproteins separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Nine previously uncharacterized membrane glycoproteins from normal rat liver have been analyzed by amino acid sequencing from two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) after transblotting to Immobilon-P membranes. Three of these components show altered levels of expression in liver tumors. A single electroblotted polyacrylamide gel yielded sufficient quantities of these glycoproteins for amino acid sequencing and the N-terminal structure could be determined for four of them. The remaining five glycoproteins of interest were not sequenceable in this manner, presumably because they had blocked N-termini. Prior to electrophoresis, two enrichment methods were applied to the crude liver membrane preparations: affinity chromatography with concanavalin A to isolate the plasma membrane glycoproteins and then fast protein liquid chromatography on Superose 12 to obtain components having a specific range of molecular weights. These materials were next subjected to 2-D PAGE using pH 4-6 carrier ampholytes in the first dimension and 7.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate gels in the second. The proteins were then electroblotted to Immobilon-P membranes and located by staining with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250. Our results demonstrate that N-terminal sequencing (gas-phase) can be achieved on polypeptides obtained from approximately 250 micrograms of total glycoproteins applied to a single 2-D gel.

Comparison of the conformation and GTP hydrolysing ability of N-terminal ras p21 protein segments.

Conformational, GTP binding, and GTP hydrolytic studies are carried out with synthetically prepared N-terminal 34 residue segments (residues 2-35) of p21 ras oncogenic (12-Val) and non-oncogenic (12-Gly) proteins. It was found that these N-terminal regions bind nucleotides through their phosphate groups, and that substitution of valine for glycine produces a more pronounced alpha-helical structure and decreases the conformational flexibility. The glycine containing peptide, when compared to the valine containing analog, catalyses the hydrolysis of GTP 6 times more efficiently. Results suggest that restriction of conformational adaptation may contribute to the transforming capacity of the Val-12 p21 protein.

Role of protein kinase C in phosphorylation of vinculin in adriamycin-resistant HL-60 leukemia cells.

In response to phorbol esters such as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), HL-60 cells differentiate to macrophage-like cells and exhibit the ability to phosphorylate vinculin in vitro. Adriamycin-resistant HL-60 (HL-60/ADR) cells similarly demonstrate this characteristic without prior treatment with TPA. Since protein kinase C (PK-C) is a cellular TPA receptor, we have examined the role of this enzyme in the inherent ability of HL-60/ADR cells to phosphorylate vinculin. DEAE-cellulose chromatography of cell extracts revealed that HL-60/ADR cells contained 2-fold more PK-C than did the parental cell line. All PK-C activity was found in the cytosol of wild type HL-60 cells, whereas 85% of PK-C activity was cytosolic and 15% was membrane-bound in HL-60/ADR cells. After a 2-day treatment with 10 nM TPA, PK-C activity was reduced 80-90% in both cell lines regardless of its intracellular distribution. Immunoblotting of cell extracts from HL-60/ADR cells or HL-60 cells following treatment with TPA revealed increased levels of a 52-kDa species of similar mass to M-kinase. Coincident with these changes after TPA treatment was a reduction in Ca2+ and phospholipid-independent phosphorylation of vinculin in vitro in extracts from HL-60/ADR cells, whereas HL-60 cells exhibited an elevation of this phosphoprotein. The phosphorylation of vinculin in TPA-treated HL-60 cells or untreated HL-60/ADR cells was blocked by antibodies to protein kinase C. These results suggest that it is not the absolute level of protein kinase C but rather the proteolytic activation of PK-C to a Ca2+ and phospholipid-independent form which is associated with the utilization of vinculin as an endogenous substrate.

Conformational and receptor binding properties of human EGF and TGF-alpha second loop fragments.

The solution conformation of the second loop fragment of human EGF, [Ala20] EGF (14-31), was determined using two-dimensional NMR homonuclear Hartmann-Hahn and rotating frame nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy. The results are compared with the conformation of the second loop fragment of human TGF-alpha, [Ala21] TGF-alpha(16-32), and with that of the second loop of intact EGF. Comparison of the two experimentally determined structures of the second loop fragments shows significant differences in the turn regions of each peptide. For the EGF fragment, hydrophobic side chain groups protrude away from the ring, whereas for the TGF-alpha fragment hydrophilic groups are directed away from the ring. Although these turn regions represent the putative receptor binding sites, neither second loop fragment binds to the EGF receptor. The biological activity is discussed in terms of the conformational differences found for the two second loop fragments.

Hydrogen bonding between cytosine and peptides of threonine or serine: is it relevant to the origin of the genetic code?

13C, 15N, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance measurements indicate that chloroform-soluble threonine-containing tripeptide derivatives, such as t-Boc-Thr-Gly-Gly-OBz, form three strong hydrogen bonds to the cytosine moiety of 2',3'-O-isopropylidene-5'-O-t-butyldimethylsilylcytidine. The C = O and NH of the central peptide residue plus the OH of the threonine side chain appear to form bonds to the N(4')H2, N(3), and C(2) = O, respectively, of the pyrimidine. An association constant calculated from the cytidine 15N(4') nuclear magnetic resonance response to added peptide is four times larger than the corresponding cytosine-guanine constant. It is suggested that cytosine-peptide bonding was part of the primitive genetic coding mechanism early in evolution and accounts for the origin of the cytosine-centered codons for the hydroxy amino acids, serine and threonine, in the present code.

Molecular dynamics of collagen side chains in hard and soft tissues. A multinuclear magnetic resonance study.

We have prepared samples of (a) intact calvaria collagen (cross-linked and mineralized), (b) intact tendon collagen (cross-linked but not mineralized), and (c) reconstituted chick calvaria collagen (not cross-linked and not mineralized) containing [methyl-2H3]methionyl, [4,4-2H2]pyrrolidinyl, (4-fluorophenyl)alanyl, and [6-15N]lysyl residues. Using multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we have investigated the molecular dynamics of the labeled amino acids. Guided by model compound studies, we reached the following conclusions regarding collagen side chain dynamics from our analysis of line shapes and relaxation rates. At 22 degrees C, imino residues in all samples have flexible rings with root mean square angular fluctuations in the 11-30 degree range. Nearly all labeled amino acid side chains reorient about at least two side chain single bonds. At temperatures below -30 degrees C, most of these side chain motions are absent in all the samples. Surprisingly, in contrast with results obtained for backbone motions, side chain motions are only marginally more hindered in mineralized samples as compared with nonmineralized samples, a result we discuss with reference to collagen-mineral interactions. We also discuss the possible relationship between collagen dynamics and function.

Transverse motion of spin-labeled 3,3',5-triiodo-L-thyronine in phospholipid bilayers.

Using electron spin resonance stop-flow technique, the transverse motion (flip-flop) of 3-([alpha-carboxy-4-(4-hydroxy-3-iodophenoxy)-3,5- diiodophenethyl]carbamoyl)-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3-pyrrolin (T3-SL) in dipalmitoyl L-alpha-phosphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) membranes was evaluated. At 22 degrees C, the electron spin resonance spectra of T3-SL in DPPC vesicles were compared before and after the addition of sodium ascorbate, a membrane impermeable reducing agent. The addition of ascorbate reduces the signal amplitude by 67% in 3 min but yields no further reduction for at least 60 min. These results indicate that T3-SL does not flip-flop at any appreciable rate in the membranes. This finding suggests that once partitioned into the membrane, T3 remains in the outer half of the lipid bilayer, thus reducing the possibility that T3 enters the cell by passive diffusion.

Synthesis of [4-15NH2]- and [1,3-15N2]cytidine derivatives for use in NMR-monitored binding tests.

The conversion of 15N-enriched urea to a [1,3-15N2]cytidine derivative is accomplished in nine steps with an overall yield of 67%. Synthesis of a [4-15NH2]cytidine derivative is achieved by thiolation of the corresponding uridine derivative with Lawesson's reagent and amination with 15N-enriched ammonia in a sealed glass vessel.