Peter Wills | The University of Auckland (original) (raw)
Papers by Peter Wills
New Zealand Environment, 1991
A nuclear-propelled vessel in Wellington or Auckland harbour suffers a reactor meltdown: the pres... more A nuclear-propelled vessel in Wellington or Auckland harbour suffers a reactor meltdown: the pressure vessel of the reactor bursts, such minor containment structures as ships have are promptly breached, and the radioactive contents are spewed into the environment. It's tike Chernobyl [1]. Although the reactor power is about 80MW, not 3200MW, and the likely accumulated inventory of radioactive materials roughly in proportion, the close proximity to a city compensates: dilution and spreading-out of airborne radioactive materials before they ...
The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 1981
Hydrodynamic theories of macromolecular structure have been critically examined and used in the e... more Hydrodynamic theories of macromolecular structure have been critically examined and used in the experimental study of the conformation of various biological molecules. This work has been carried out giving careful consideration to ancient and modern wisdom. The fundamental molecular structure of liver glycogen has been investigated using a variety of biophysical techniques, including intensity fluctuation spectroscopy. It has been found that above a certain minimum size, molecules of this material are hydrodynamically equivalent ...
Analytical Biochemistry, Dec 1, 2007
We describe a thermodynamic approach that supports the adoption of a simplified procedure for the... more We describe a thermodynamic approach that supports the adoption of a simplified procedure for the determination of protein second virial coefficients (B(2)) by self-interaction chromatography. Its major advantage over the original method is a decrease in the number of parameters to which magnitudes must be assigned for the determination of B(2). Improved correlation of virial coefficients obtained by the chromatographic procedure with those obtained by light scattering is achieved by taking into account the twofold larger magnitudes of the former because of the experimental distinction between free and immobilized protein molecules in self-interaction chromatography.
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Feb 1, 1990
Tat-dependent trans-activation in HIV requires presentation of a CUGGG pentanucleotide at the end... more Tat-dependent trans-activation in HIV requires presentation of a CUGGG pentanucleotide at the end of a stem loop within the tar site of the viral long terminal repeat. A tandem repeat within the open reading frame of the prion protein (PrP) mRNA is able to form similar stem loop structures with which the HIV tat protein could interact, disturbing PrP translation. Self-amplification of such a disturbance has been suggested as the cause of the scrapie group of diseases, including the scrapie-like human dementiae. The same mechanism may underly AIDS encephalopathy.
Journal of Theoretical Biology, Feb 1, 2009
Progress in Colloid Polymer Science, 2002
The exact description of the thermodynamics of solutions has been used to describe, without appro... more The exact description of the thermodynamics of solutions has been used to describe, without approximation, the distribution of all the components of an incompressible solution in a centrifuge cell at sedimentation equilibrium. Thermodynamic parameters describing the interactions between solute components of known molar mass can be obtained by direct analysis of the experimental data. Interpretation of the measured thermodynamic parameters in terms of molecular interactions requires that an arbitrary distinction be made between ...
Biopolymers, 1996
Abstract An improved procedure is described for the characterization of solute self-association b... more Abstract An improved procedure is described for the characterization of solute self-association by sedimentation equilibrium. Whereas previous statistical-mechanical approaches to allowance for the effects of thermodynamic nonideality have entailed tedious iteration because of their specification of activity coefficients in terms of the equilibrium concentrations of all species, such reliance upon knowledge of the solution composition is avoided by the adaptation of an alternative statistical-mechanical formulation [TL Hill and ...
N Z Vet J, 1991
A group of neurological diseases, which includes scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and Cr... more A group of neurological diseases, which includes scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is caused by prion agents which appear to be comprised solely of an abnormal variant of a cellular protein, PrP. Infectious agents which contain no genetic material pose a conundrum for molecular biologists. Theoretical analysis of the gene encoding PrP has suggested a possible mechanism of replication for this proteinaceous infectious agent. The putative mechanism involves frame-shifting during translation of the PrP gene. The normal and abnormal forms of PrP are predicted to have different amino acid sequences.
Microbial Pathogenesis, Apr 30, 1989
Alz Dis Assoc Disorder, 1988
1. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1989;317:669-77. Quantitative constraints on mechanisms of replication for... more 1. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1989;317:669-77. Quantitative constraints on mechanisms of replication for information-carrying prions. Wills PR. Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders, Bethesda, MD 20892. PMID: 2574876 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. Publication Types: Review. MeSH Terms. Animals; Cricetinae; PrPSc Proteins; Prions/genetics*; Prions/pathogenicity; Replicon/physiology*; Sheep; Viral Proteins/genetics*. Substances. PrPSc Proteins; Prions; Viral Proteins.
The population dynamics of macromolecules that reproduce by means of template-directed ligation o... more The population dynamics of macromolecules that reproduce by means of template-directed ligation of two fragments are shown to be represented by a replicator equation with a special non-linear response function. This re- sult is obtained through detailed consideration of the mechanism of ligation autocatalysis. In contrast to treatments which involve simplication to a parabolic growth law and the expectation of
The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 1982
Sir: In a recent paper1 in this Journal we suggested that the work of Berne and Giniger2 could no... more Sir: In a recent paper1 in this Journal we suggested that the work of Berne and Giniger2 could not be applied to the description of the spectrum of light scattered by a solution of rapidly dimerizing macromolecules. We now wish to retract this errant criticism and report that, with the correction of a single statement in Appendix I11 of Berne and Giniger, 2 their approach gives results identical with ours.
New Zealand Environment, 1991
A nuclear-propelled vessel in Wellington or Auckland harbour suffers a reactor meltdown: the pres... more A nuclear-propelled vessel in Wellington or Auckland harbour suffers a reactor meltdown: the pressure vessel of the reactor bursts, such minor containment structures as ships have are promptly breached, and the radioactive contents are spewed into the environment. It's tike Chernobyl [1]. Although the reactor power is about 80MW, not 3200MW, and the likely accumulated inventory of radioactive materials roughly in proportion, the close proximity to a city compensates: dilution and spreading-out of airborne radioactive materials before they ...
The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 1981
Hydrodynamic theories of macromolecular structure have been critically examined and used in the e... more Hydrodynamic theories of macromolecular structure have been critically examined and used in the experimental study of the conformation of various biological molecules. This work has been carried out giving careful consideration to ancient and modern wisdom. The fundamental molecular structure of liver glycogen has been investigated using a variety of biophysical techniques, including intensity fluctuation spectroscopy. It has been found that above a certain minimum size, molecules of this material are hydrodynamically equivalent ...
Analytical Biochemistry, Dec 1, 2007
We describe a thermodynamic approach that supports the adoption of a simplified procedure for the... more We describe a thermodynamic approach that supports the adoption of a simplified procedure for the determination of protein second virial coefficients (B(2)) by self-interaction chromatography. Its major advantage over the original method is a decrease in the number of parameters to which magnitudes must be assigned for the determination of B(2). Improved correlation of virial coefficients obtained by the chromatographic procedure with those obtained by light scattering is achieved by taking into account the twofold larger magnitudes of the former because of the experimental distinction between free and immobilized protein molecules in self-interaction chromatography.
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Feb 1, 1990
Tat-dependent trans-activation in HIV requires presentation of a CUGGG pentanucleotide at the end... more Tat-dependent trans-activation in HIV requires presentation of a CUGGG pentanucleotide at the end of a stem loop within the tar site of the viral long terminal repeat. A tandem repeat within the open reading frame of the prion protein (PrP) mRNA is able to form similar stem loop structures with which the HIV tat protein could interact, disturbing PrP translation. Self-amplification of such a disturbance has been suggested as the cause of the scrapie group of diseases, including the scrapie-like human dementiae. The same mechanism may underly AIDS encephalopathy.
Journal of Theoretical Biology, Feb 1, 2009
Progress in Colloid Polymer Science, 2002
The exact description of the thermodynamics of solutions has been used to describe, without appro... more The exact description of the thermodynamics of solutions has been used to describe, without approximation, the distribution of all the components of an incompressible solution in a centrifuge cell at sedimentation equilibrium. Thermodynamic parameters describing the interactions between solute components of known molar mass can be obtained by direct analysis of the experimental data. Interpretation of the measured thermodynamic parameters in terms of molecular interactions requires that an arbitrary distinction be made between ...
Biopolymers, 1996
Abstract An improved procedure is described for the characterization of solute self-association b... more Abstract An improved procedure is described for the characterization of solute self-association by sedimentation equilibrium. Whereas previous statistical-mechanical approaches to allowance for the effects of thermodynamic nonideality have entailed tedious iteration because of their specification of activity coefficients in terms of the equilibrium concentrations of all species, such reliance upon knowledge of the solution composition is avoided by the adaptation of an alternative statistical-mechanical formulation [TL Hill and ...
N Z Vet J, 1991
A group of neurological diseases, which includes scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and Cr... more A group of neurological diseases, which includes scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is caused by prion agents which appear to be comprised solely of an abnormal variant of a cellular protein, PrP. Infectious agents which contain no genetic material pose a conundrum for molecular biologists. Theoretical analysis of the gene encoding PrP has suggested a possible mechanism of replication for this proteinaceous infectious agent. The putative mechanism involves frame-shifting during translation of the PrP gene. The normal and abnormal forms of PrP are predicted to have different amino acid sequences.
Microbial Pathogenesis, Apr 30, 1989
Alz Dis Assoc Disorder, 1988
1. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1989;317:669-77. Quantitative constraints on mechanisms of replication for... more 1. Prog Clin Biol Res. 1989;317:669-77. Quantitative constraints on mechanisms of replication for information-carrying prions. Wills PR. Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders, Bethesda, MD 20892. PMID: 2574876 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. Publication Types: Review. MeSH Terms. Animals; Cricetinae; PrPSc Proteins; Prions/genetics*; Prions/pathogenicity; Replicon/physiology*; Sheep; Viral Proteins/genetics*. Substances. PrPSc Proteins; Prions; Viral Proteins.
The population dynamics of macromolecules that reproduce by means of template-directed ligation o... more The population dynamics of macromolecules that reproduce by means of template-directed ligation of two fragments are shown to be represented by a replicator equation with a special non-linear response function. This re- sult is obtained through detailed consideration of the mechanism of ligation autocatalysis. In contrast to treatments which involve simplication to a parabolic growth law and the expectation of
The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 1982
Sir: In a recent paper1 in this Journal we suggested that the work of Berne and Giniger2 could no... more Sir: In a recent paper1 in this Journal we suggested that the work of Berne and Giniger2 could not be applied to the description of the spectrum of light scattered by a solution of rapidly dimerizing macromolecules. We now wish to retract this errant criticism and report that, with the correction of a single statement in Appendix I11 of Berne and Giniger, 2 their approach gives results identical with ours.