Search results for "Bacterial Protein"
showing 10 items of 616 documents
Antifungal activity improved by coproduction of cyclodextrins and anabaenolysins in Cyanobacteria
2015
Department of Chemistry, Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides widely used in the pharmaceutical industry to improve drug delivery and to increase the solubility of hydrophobic compounds. Anabaenolysins are lipopeptides produced by cyanobacteria with potent lytic activity in cholesterolcontaining membranes. Here, we identified the 23- To 24-kb gene clusters responsible for the production of the lipopeptide anabaenolysin. The hybrid nonribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase biosynthetic gene cluster is encoded in the genomes of three anabaenolysin-producing strains of Anabaena.We detected previously u…
Structural Origin of Metal Specificity in Isatin Hydrolase from Labrenzia aggregata Investigated by Computer Simulations.
2017
We performed quantum-chemical calculations, ab initio molecular dynamics, hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) and enhanced sampling metadynamics simulations to investigate the origin of metal specificity in isatin hydrolase from Labrenzia aggregata. The peculiar octahedral binding geometry of the Mn2+ ion in the Michaelis complex includes both the isatin substrate and the catalytic water within the first coordination shell of the cation. Our calculations show that the same arrangement of the ligands cannot be efficiently achieved in the presence of other small divalent metal cations such as Zn2+ or Cu2+ . On the contrary, bulkier alkaline-earth cations such as Mg2+ , which …
Complexation of Uranium by Cells and S-Layer Sheets of Bacillus sphaericus JG-A12
2005
ABSTRACT Bacillus sphaericus JG-A12 is a natural isolate recovered from a uranium mining waste pile near the town of Johanngeorgenstadt in Saxony, Germany. The cells of this strain are enveloped by a highly ordered crystalline proteinaceous surface layer (S-layer) possessing an ability to bind uranium and other heavy metals. Purified and recrystallized S-layer proteins were shown to be phosphorylated by phosphoprotein-specific staining, inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis, and a colorimetric method. We used extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy to determine the structural parameters of the uranium complexes formed by purified and recrystallized S-laye…
The fnr Gene of Bacillus licheniformis and the Cysteine Ligands of the C-Terminal FeS Cluster
1998
Many of the O2-responsive gene regulators of bacteria are members of the fumarate nitrate reductase-cyclic AMP receptor protein family of transcriptional regulators (12, 13, 15, 17) with predicted structures similar to those of the cyclic AMP receptor protein (11). The Fnr (stands for fumarate nitrate reductase regulator) protein from Escherichia coli (FnrEc) controls the expression of a variety of genes, mainly of anaerobic respiration and metabolism (5, 13). It contains a N-terminal cluster of three essential cysteine residues which are supposed to bind together with Cys122 a [4Fe 4S]2+ cluster which is required for O2 sensing (4, 7, 8, 10, 16). A wide variety of gram-negative bacteria co…
The Photocycle of Bacteriophytochrome Is Initiated by Counterclockwise Chromophore Isomerization.
2022
Photoactivation of bacteriophytochrome involves a cis–trans photoisomerization of a biliverdin chromophore, but neither the precise sequence of events nor the direction of the isomerization is known. Here, we used nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations on the photosensory protein dimer to resolve the isomerization mechanism in atomic detail. In our simulations the photoisomerization of the D ring occurs in the counterclockwise direction. On a subpicosecond time scale, the photoexcited chromophore adopts a short-lived intermediate with a highly twisted configuration stabilized by an extended hydrogen-bonding network. Within tens of picoseconds, these hydrogen bonds break, allowing the c…
Immunoaffinity purification and characterization of mitochondrial membrane-bound D-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase from Jaculus orientalis.
2008
Abstract Background The interconversion of two important energy metabolites, 3-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate (the major ketone bodies), is catalyzed by D-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (BDH1: EC 1.1.1.30), a NAD+-dependent enzyme. The eukaryotic enzyme is bound to the mitochondrial inner membrane and harbors a unique lecithin-dependent activity. Here, we report an advanced purification method of the mammalian BDH applied to the liver enzyme from jerboa (Jaculus orientalis), a hibernating rodent adapted to extreme diet and environmental conditions. Results Purifying BDH from jerboa liver overcomes its low specific activity in mitochondria for further biochemical characterization of the e…
New Insight into Immunity and Immunopathology of Rickettsial Diseases
2011
Human rickettsial diseases comprise a variety of clinical entities caused by microorganisms belonging to the generaRickettsia,Orientia,Ehrlichia, andAnaplasma. These microorganisms are characterized by a strictly intracellular location which has, for long, impaired their detailed study. In this paper, the critical steps taken by these microorganisms to play their pathogenic roles are discussed in detail on the basis of recent advances in our understanding of molecularRickettsia-host interactions, preferential target cells, virulence mechanisms, three-dimensional structures of bacteria effector proteins, upstream signalling pathways and signal transduction systems, and modulation of gene exp…
Blueprint for a minimal photoautotrophic cell: conserved and variable genes in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942.
2011
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.-- et al.
Virulence factor rtx in Legionella pneumophila, evidence suggesting it is a modular multifunctional protein
2008
Abstract Background The repeats in toxin (Rtx) are an important pathogenicity factor involved in host cells invasion of Legionella pneumophila and other pathogenic bacteria. Its role in escaping the host immune system and cytotoxic activity is well known. Its repeated motives and modularity make Rtx a multifunctional factor in pathogenicity. Results The comparative analysis of rtx gene among 6 strains of L. pneumophila showed modularity in their structures. Among compared genomes, the N-terminal region of the protein presents highly dissimilar repeats with functionally similar domains. On the contrary, the C-terminal region is maintained with a fashionable modular configuration, which gives…
Evidence of autoinduction heterogeneity via expression of the agr system of listeria monocytogenes at the single-cell level
2011
ABSTRACT To investigate if the primary function of the Agr system of Listeria monocytogenes is to monitor cell density, we followed Agr expression in batch cultures, in which the autoinducer concentration was uniform, and in biofilms. Expression was heterogeneous, suggesting that the primary function of Agr is not to monitor population density.