Paul Scherrer Institute

About: Paul Scherrer Institute is a facility organization based out in Villigen, Switzerland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Neutron & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 9248 authors who have published 23984 publications receiving 890129 citations. The organization is also known as: PSI.

Tracking G-protein-coupled receptor activation using genetically encoded infrared probes

Abstract: Rhodopsin is a prototypical heptahelical family A G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) responsible for dim-light vision. Light isomerizes rhodopsin's retinal chromophore and triggers concerted movements of transmembrane helices, including an outward tilting of helix 6 (H6) and a smaller movement of H5, to create a site for G-protein binding and activation. However, the precise temporal sequence and mechanism underlying these helix rearrangements is unclear. We used site-directed non-natural amino acid mutagenesis to engineer rhodopsin with p-azido-l-phenylalanine residues incorporated at selected sites, and monitored the azido vibrational signatures using infrared spectroscopy as rhodopsin proceeded along its activation pathway. Here we report significant changes in electrostatic environments of the azido probes even in the inactive photoproduct Meta I, well before the active receptor state was formed. These early changes suggest a significant rotation of H6 and movement of the cytoplasmic part of H5 away from H3. Subsequently, a large outward tilt of H6 leads to opening of the cytoplasmic surface to form the active receptor photoproduct Meta II. Thus, our results reveal early conformational changes that precede larger rigid-body helix movements, and provide a basis to interpret recent GPCR crystal structures and to understand conformational sub-states observed during the activation of other GPCRs.

Suppression of non-prompt J/ψ, prompt J/ψ, and Y(1S) in PbPb collisions at √s NN = 2.76 TeV

Abstract: Yields of prompt and non-prompt J/psi, as well as Y(1S) mesons, are measured by the CMS experiment via their dimuon decays in PbPb and pp collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV for quarkonium rapidity |y|<2.4. Differential cross sections and nuclear modification factors are reported as functions of y and transverse momentum pt, as well as collision centrality. For prompt J/psi with relatively high pt (6.5

Search for invisible decays of Higgs bosons in the vector boson fusion and associated ZH production modes

Abstract: A search for invisible decays of Higgs bosons is performed using the vector boson fusion and associated ZH production modes. In the ZH mode, the Z boson is required to decay to a pair of charged leptons or a $b\bar{b}$ quark pair. The searches use the 8 TeV pp collision dataset collected by the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 19.7 inverse femtobarns. Certain channels include data from 7 TeV collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 inverse femtobarns. The searches are sensitive to non-standard-model invisible decays of the recently observed Higgs boson, as well as additional Higgs bosons with similar production modes and large invisible branching fractions. In all channels, the observed data are consistent with the expected standard model backgrounds. Limits are set on the production cross section times invisible branching fraction, as a function of the Higgs boson mass, for the vector boson fusion and ZH production modes. By combining all channels, and assuming standard model Higgs boson cross sections and acceptances, the observed (expected) upper limit on the invisible branching fraction at $m_H$=125 GeV is found to be 0.58 (0.44) at 95% confidence level. We interpret this limit in terms of a Higgs-portal model of dark matter interactions.