抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1（PfPMP1）与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用，在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员，通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

疟原虫var基因转换速率变化导致抗原变异[英]／Paul H, Robert P, Christodoulou Z, et al//Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

J. Appl. Cryst.の発刊に際して

Diffraction (X-ray, neutron and electron) and electron cryo-microscopy are powerful methods to determine three-dimensional macromolecular structures, which are required to understand biological processes and to develop new therapeutics against diseases. The overall structure-solution workflow is similar for these techniques, but nuances exist because the properties of the reduced experimental data are different. Software tools for structure determination should therefore be tailored for each method. Phenix is a comprehensive software package for macromolecular structure determination that handles data from any of these techniques. Tasks performed with Phenix include data-quality assessment, map improvement, model building, the validation/rebuilding/refinement cycle and deposition. Each tool caters to the type of experimental data. The design of Phenix emphasizes the automation of procedures, where possible, to minimize repetitive and time-consuming manual tasks, while default parameters are chosen to encourage best practice. A graphical user interface provides access to many command-line features of Phenix and streamlines the transition between programs, project tracking and re-running of previous tasks.

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Macromolecular structure determination using X-rays, neutrons and electrons: recent developments in Phenix

Interpretation of X-ray Powder Diffraction Patterns . By H. Lipson and H. Steeple. Pp. viii + 335 + 3 plates. (Mac-millan: London; St Martins Press: New York, May 1970.) £4.

X-Ray Diffraction

Recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology radically changed the way we diagnose, treat, and prevent various diseases in all aspects of human life. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most vital and fascinating nanomaterials among several metallic nanoparticles that are involved in biomedical applications. AgNPs play an important role in nanoscience and nanotechnology, particularly in nanomedicine. Although several noble metals have been used for various purposes, AgNPs have been focused on potential applications in cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this review, we discuss the synthesis of AgNPs using physical, chemical, and biological methods. We also discuss the properties of AgNPs and methods for their characterization. More importantly, we extensively discuss the multifunctional bio-applications of AgNPs; for example, as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, and anti-cancer agents, and the mechanism of the anti-cancer activity of AgNPs. In addition, we discuss therapeutic approaches and challenges for cancer therapy using AgNPs. Finally, we conclude by discussing the future perspective of AgNPs.

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Silver Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, Properties, Applications, and Therapeutic Approaches

The world’s first hard x-ray FEL (XFEL), the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) is operational, steadily producing mJ energy, <75 fs pulses of 1.5 A x-rays (1012 photons per pulse), a billion times more intensity than any other X-ray source. XFELs have stimulated the shift from the use of x-rays to probe periodic structures, such as crystals, to imaging non-periodic structures using ultrabright x-ray pulses shorter than the time for required for the onset of damage. The international community has embraced the potential as additional XFELs are currently being constructed in Japan, Italy and Germany with many more already planned or in construction elsewhere. Here the recent efforts to extend x-ray microscopy to the nanoscale for airborne particles using diffract-and-destroy methods are reviewed. Projecting current experimental results to future facilities suggests that gains of more than 104 in data acquisition rates are possible by 2020. This projection emphasizes the need for the development of fast x-ray detectors, infrastructure investments to handle the rapid data rate and storage requirements, as well as the appropriate training of scientists to handle data interpretation. Further improvements in particle delivery methods are also necessary, in particular to reduce sample consumption and to provide orthogonal data channels for each individual particle imaged. The projected growth of single particle CXDI data rates show great promise for the field. However, to achieve the resolution required to solve many scientific problems tractable with single-shot imaging, improvements in the absolute number of photons per pulse in a given area are still necessary.

Ultrafast X-ray Lasers Illuminate Airborne Nanoparticle Morphology

We describe a camera to record coherent scattering patterns with a soft-X-ray free-electron laser. The camera consists of a laterally-graded multilayer mirror which reflects the diffraction pattern onto a CCD detector. The mirror acts as a bandpass filter both for wavelength and angle, which isolates the desired scattering pattern from non-sample scattering or incoherent emission from the sample. The mirror also solves the particular problem of the extreme intensity of the FEL pulses, which are focused to greater than 10{sup 14} W/cm{sup 2}. The strong undiffracted pulse passes through a hole in the mirror and propagates on to a beam dump at a distance behind the instrument rather than interacting with a beamstop placed near the CCD. The camera concept is extendable for the full range of the fundamental wavelength of the FLASH FEL (i.e. between 6 nm and 60 nm) and into the water window. We have fabricated and tested various multilayer mirrors for wavelengths of 32 nm, 16 nm, 13.5 nm, and 4.5 nm. At the shorter wavelengths mirror roughness must be minimized to reduce scattering from the mirror. We have recorded over 30,000 diffraction patterns at the FLASH free-electron laser with no observable mirror damage or degradation of performance.

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Michael J. Bogan

Papers

Ultrafast X-ray Lasers Illuminate Airborne Nanoparticle Morphology

A camera for coherent diffractive imaging and holography with a soft-X-ray free electron laser