RESUMEN
Tissue inflammation drives the infiltration of innate immune cells that generate reactive species to kill bacteria and recruit adaptive immune cells. Neutrophil activation fosters the release of myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme, a heme-containing protein generating hypochlorous acid (HOCl) from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and chloride ions. MPO-dependent oxidant formation initiates bioactive oxidation and chlorination products and induces oxidative post-translational modifications (oxPTMs) on proteins and lipid oxidation. Besides HOCl and H2O2, further reactive species such as singlet oxygen and nitric oxide are generated in inflammation, leading to modified proteins, potentially resulting in their altered bioactivity. So far, knowledge about multiple free radical-induced modifications of MPO and its effects on HOCl generation is lacking. To mimic this multi-oxidant microenvironment, human MPO was exposed to several reactive species produced simultaneously via argon plasma operated at body temperature. Several molecular gas admixes were used to modify the reactive species type profiles generated. MPO was investigated by studying its oxPTMs, changes in protein structure, and enzymatic activity. MPO activity was significantly reduced after treatment with all five tested plasma gas conditions. Dynamic light scattering and CD-spectroscopy revealed altered MPO protein morphology indicative of oligomerization. Using mass spectrometry, various oxPTMs, such as +1O, +2O, and +3O, were determined on methionine and cysteine (Cys), and -1H-1N+1O was detected in asparagine (Asp). The modification types identified differed between argon-oxygen and argon-nitrogen plasmas. However, all plasma gas conditions led to the deamidation of Asp and oxidation of Cys residues, suggesting an inactivation of MPO due to oxPTM-mediated conformational changes.
RESUMEN
Before the pandemic, many employers were hesitant to offer their employees the option of working from home. However, remote working has been widely adopted during the pandemic as one of the key methods of controlling the spread of the virus. The measure encountered a widespread acceptance and it is likely that the demand for work from home as a flexible work arrangement will persist also after the pandemic has ended. Although numerous studies have addressed the role of remote work during this crisis, as of yet we lack thorough research jointly addressing the question on how occupations/job characteristics on the one hand and family/household responsibilities on the other are associated with the propensity of working from home, and how gender cuts across those aspects. Using the COVID-19 survey of the German Family Panel (pairfam), covering the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, together with information from pairfam panel waves conducted before the pandemic, as well as a special evaluation of the 2019 German Labor Force Survey, we are able to address this gap. Employing linear probability models on a sample of 1,414 men (N = 641) and women (N = 773), our results show that occupational traits, especially the gender composition of an occupation, are an important predictor for working from home. Women employed in female-dominated occupations are less often in a position to work from home. Furthermore, our study confirms that it is particularly the highly educated, as well as those who work in high-prestige occupations, who are able to work from home. Family configurations and care obligations are less influential upon the transition to homeworking, even in times of an unprecedented situation of school and daycare closures and increased parental responsibilities for children's (early) education.