Search results for "membrane"

Three-dimensional crystallization of the light-harvesting complex from Mantoniella squamata (Prasinophyceae) requires an adequate purification proced…

1995

Abstract We present a new purification procedure for the light-harvesting complex of Mantoniella squamata whereupon three-dimensional crystallization succeeded. Previous purification methods were based on density centrifugations as the only separating principle. We have extended this preparation procedure by applying anion-exchange and molecular-sieve chromatography techniques. Purity and stability of the complex were proved by denaturing and non-denaturing polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, and spectroscopic measurements. With respect to contaminating lipids the purified pigment-protein complex was examined by thin-layer chromatography and the aggregation and/or oligomeric states were inv…

Modellmembranen auf Oberflächen. Verankert und doch mobil

2008

Membranmodelle, die auf Festkorperoberflachen verankert sind, ermoglichen es, elektrische Verfahren sowie oberflachenanalytische und abbildende Methoden einzusetzen. So kann mit Membranen auf Oberflachen die laterale Organisation von Lipiden und Proteinen bis in den Nanometerbereich hinein visualisiert werden. Gleichzeitig sind diese Membranen sehr stabil und damit attraktiv fur verschiedene Bereiche der Biosensorik. Durch eine individuelle Adressierung kleinster mikrometergroser Membranareale mit verschiedenen Lipidkompositionen ist es moglich geworden, die Bindung von Proteinen an funktionale Membranen auf kleinstem Raum zu quantifizieren und zu parallelisieren. Fur die Untersuchung von T…

Interaction Between ABA Signaling and Copper Homeostasis inArabidopsis thaliana

2016

ABA is involved in plant responses to non-optimal environmental conditions, including nutrient availability. Since copper (Cu) is a very important micronutrient, unraveling how ABA affects Cu uptake and distribution is relevant to ensure adequate Cu nutrition in plants subjected to stress conditions. Inversely, knowledge about how the plant nutritional status can interfere with ABA biosynthesis and signaling mechanisms is necessary to optimize stress tolerance in horticultural crops. Here the reciprocal influence between ABA and Cu content was addressed by using knockout mutants and overexpressing transgenic plants of high affinity plasma membrane Cu transporters (pmCOPT) with altered Cu up…

What is Vipp1 good for?

2018

While Vipp1 (also known as IM30) clearly is essential for proper biogenesis of thylakoid membranes in chloroplasts and cyanobacteria, the exact function of Vipp1/IM30 still remains unclear. The recent in vivo study of Gutu et al. now demonstrates that Vipp1/IM30 forms localized puncta specifically at highly curved membrane regions at the cell periphery. These Vipp1/IM30 puncta were found being highly dynamic under normal growth conditions, while it has recently been shown that they stably associate with membranes under high-light conditions. These observations, together with the observation that other Vipp1/IM30 homologous proteins also form puncta under stress conditions, indicate a protec…

2019

The inner membrane-associated protein of 30 kDa (IM30, also known as Vipp1) is required for thylakoid membrane biogenesis and maintenance in cyanobacteria and chloroplasts. The protein forms large rings of ∼2 MDa and triggers membrane fusion in presence of Mg2+. Based on the here presented observations, IM30 rings are built from dimers of dimers, and formation of these tetrameric building blocks is driven by interactions of the central coiled-coil, formed by helices 2 and 3, and stabilized via additional interactions mainly involving helix 1. Furthermore, helix 1 as well as C-terminal regions of IM30 together negatively regulate ring-ring contacts. We propose that IM30 rings represent the i…

How water-soluble chlorophyll protein extracts chlorophyll from membranes.

2020

Water-soluble chlorophyll proteins (WSCPs) found in Brassicaceae are non-photosynthetic proteins that bind only a small number of chlorophylls. Their biological function remains unclear, but recent data indicate that WSCPs are involved in stress response and pathogen defense as producers of reactive oxygen species and/or Chl-regulated protease inhibitors. For those functions, WSCP apoprotein supposedly binds Chl to become physiologically active or inactive, respectively. Thus, Chl-binding seems to be a pivotal step for the biological function of WSCP. WSCP can extract Chl from the thylakoid membrane but little is known about the mechanism of how Chl is sequestered from the membrane into the…

Cnidarian Interaction with Microbial Communities: From Aid to Animal’s Health to Rejection Responses

2018

The phylum Cnidaria is an ancient branch in the tree of metazoans. Several species exert a remarkable longevity, suggesting the existence of a developed and consistent defense mechanism of the innate immunity capable to overcome the potential repeated exposure to microbial pathogenic agents. Increasing evidence indicates that the innate immune system in Cnidarians is not only involved in the disruption of harmful microorganisms, but also is crucial in structuring tissue-associated microbial communities that are essential components of the Cnidarian holobiont and useful to the animal’s health for several functions, including metabolism, immune defense, development, and behavior. Someti…

GreenCut proteinCPLD49 ofChlamydomonas reinhardtiiassociates with thylakoid membranes and is required for cytochromeb6fcomplex accumulation

2018

The GreenCut encompasses a suite of nucleus-encoded proteins with orthologs among green lineage organisms (plants, green algae), but that are absent or poorly conserved in non-photosynthetic/heterotrophic organisms. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, CPLD49 (Conserved in Plant Lineage and Diatoms49) is an uncharacterized GreenCut protein that is critical for maintaining normal photosynthetic function. We demonstrate that a cpld49 mutant has impaired photoautotrophic growth under high-light conditions. The mutant exhibits a nearly 90% reduction in the level of the cytochrome b6 f complex (Cytb6 f), which impacts linear and cyclic electron transport, but does not compromise the ability of the stra…

GIPC: Glycosyl Inositol Phospho Ceramides, the major sphingolipids on earth

2016

What are the most abundant sphingolipids on earth? The answer is Glycosyl Inositol Phosphoryl Ceramides (GIPCs) present in fungi and the green lineage. In this review, we discuss the putative role of plant GIPCs in the lipid bilayer asymmetry, in the lateral organization of membrane rafts and in the very long chain fatty acid inter-leaflet coupling of lipids in the plant plasma membrane (PM). A special focus on the structural similarities -and putative functions- of GIPCs is discussed by comparison with animal gangliosides, structural homologs of plant GIPCs.

The Role of Phospholipase D and MAPK Signaling Cascades in the Adaption of Lichen Microalgae to Desiccation: Changes in Membrane Lipids and Phosphopr…

2016

Classically, lichen phycobionts are described as poikilohydric organisms able to undergo desiccation due to the constitutive presence of molecular protection mechanisms. However, little is known about the induction of cellular responses in lichen phycobionts during drying. The analysis of the lipid composition of the desiccated lichen microalga Asterochloris erici revealed the unusual accumulation of highly polar lipids (oligogalactolipids and phosphatidylinositol), which prevents the fusion of membranes during stress, but also the active degradation of cone-shaped lipids (monogalactosyldiacylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine) to stabilize membranes in desiccated cells. The level of pho…