<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vivo</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> evaluation of an <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acetobacter xylinum</Emphasis> synthesized microbial cellulose membrane intended for guided tissue repair

Background  

Barrier materials as cellulose membranes are used for guided tissue repair. However, it is essential that the surrounding tissues accept the device. The present study histologically evaluated tissue reaction to a microbial cellulose membrane after subcutaneous implantation in mice. Furthermore, the interaction between mesenchymal stem cells and the biomaterial was studied in vitro to evaluate its ability to act as cellular scaffold for tissue engineering.     

A novel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Geobacteraceae</Emphasis>-specific outer membrane protein J (OmpJ) is essential for electron transport to Fe (III) and Mn (IV) oxides in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Geobacter sulfurreducens</Emphasis>

Background  

Metal reduction is thought to take place at or near the bacterial outer membrane and, thus, outer membrane proteins in the model dissimilatory metal-reducing organism Geobacter sulfurreducens are of interest to understand the mechanisms of Fe(III) reduction in the Geobacter species that are the predominant Fe(III) reducers in many environments. Previous studies have implicated periplasmic and outer membrane cytochromes in electron transfer to metals. Here we show that the most abundant outer membrane protein of G. sulfurreducens, OmpJ, is not a cytochrome yet it is required for metal respiration.     

Asymmetric localization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> SYP124 syntaxin at the pollen tube apical and sub-apical zones is involved in tip growth

Background  

The continuous polarized vesicle secretion in pollen tubes is essential for tip growth but the location of endo- and exocytic sub-domains remains however controversial. In this report we aimed to show that Arabidopsis thaliana syntaxins are involved in this process and contribute to spatially define exocytosis and membrane recycling.     

A proteomic study of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Corynebacterium glutamicum</Emphasis>AAA+ protease FtsH

Background  

The influence of the membrane-bound AAA+ protease FtsH on membrane and cytoplasmic proteins of Corynebacterium glutamicum was investigated in this study. For the analysis of the membrane fraction, anion exchange chromatography was combined with SDS-PAGE, while the cytoplasmic protein fraction was studied by conventional two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.     

Preparation of pure and intact <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plasmodium falciparum</Emphasis> plasma membrane vesicles and partial characterisation of the plasma membrane ATPase

Background  

In host erythrocytes, the malaria parasite must contend with ion and drug transport across three membranes; its own plasma membrane, the parasitophorous membrane and the host plasma membrane. Isolation of pure and intact Plasmodium falciparum plasma membrane would provide a suitable model to elucidate the possible role played by the parasite plasma membrane in ion balance and drug transport.     

Characterization of hypothetical proteins Cpn0146, 0147, 0284 &; 0285 that are predicted to be in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlamydia pneumoniae</Emphasis> inclusion membrane

Background  

Although more than 100 Chlamydia pneumoniae hypothetical proteins have been predicted to be inclusion membrane proteins, only a few have been experimentally demonstrated to be in the inclusion membrane. Using antibodies raised with fusion proteins, we characterized four such hypothetical proteins encoded by two gene clusters (Cpn0146-147 and Cpn0284-285) in the C. pneumoniae genome.     

Protein Kinase D regulates several aspects of development in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila melanogaster</Emphasis>

Background  

Protein Kinase D (PKD) is an effector of diacylglycerol-regulated signaling pathways. Three isoforms are known in mammals that have been linked to diverse cellular functions including regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, motility and secretory transport from the trans-Golgi network to the plasma membrane. In Drosophila, there is a single PKD orthologue, whose broad expression implicates a more general role in development.     

The Vacuolar ATPase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Entamoeba histolytica</Emphasis>: Molecular cloning of the gene encoding for the B subunit and subcellular localization of the protein

Background  

Entamoeba histolytica is a professional phagocytic cell where the vacuolar ATPase plays a key role. This enzyme is a multisubunit complex that regulates pH in many subcellular compartments, even in those that are not measurably acidic. It participates in a wide variety of cellular processes such as endocytosis, intracellular transport and membrane fusion. The presence of a vacuolar type H⁺-ATPase in E. histolytica trophozoites has been inferred previously from inhibition assays of its activity, the isolation of the Ehvma1 and Ehvma3 genes, and by proteomic analysis of purified phagosomes.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Constitutive Expressor of Pathogenesis-Related Genes5</Emphasis>affects cell wall biogenesis and trichome development

Background  

The Arabidopsis thaliana CONSTITUTIVE EXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES5 (CPR5) gene has been previously implicated in disease resistance, cell proliferation, cell death, and sugar sensing, and encodes a putative membrane protein of unknown biochemical function. Trichome development is also affected in cpr5 plants, which have leaf trichomes that are reduced in size and branch number.     

Deletion of the glycosyltransferase <Emphasis Type="Italic">bgsB of Enterococcus faecalis</Emphasis>leads to a complete loss of glycolipids from the cell membrane and to impaired biofilm formation

Background  

Deletion of the glycosyltransferase bgsA in Enterococcus faecalis leads to loss of diglucosyldiacylglycerol from the cell membrane and accumulation of its precursor monoglucosyldiacylglycerol, associated with impaired biofilm formation and reduced virulence in vivo. Here we analyzed the function of a putative glucosyltransferase EF2890 designated biofilm-associated glycolipid synthesis B (bgsB) immediately downstream of bgsA.     

The liposoluble proteome of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycoplasma agalactiae</Emphasis>: an insight into the minimal protein complement of a bacterial membrane

Background  

Mycoplasmas are the simplest bacteria capable of autonomous replication. Their evolution proceeded from gram-positive bacteria, with the loss of many biosynthetic pathways and of the cell wall. In this work, the liposoluble protein complement of Mycoplasma agalactiae, a minimal bacterial pathogen causing mastitis, polyarthritis, keratoconjunctivitis, and abortion in small ruminants, was subjected to systematic characterization in order to gain insights into its membrane proteome composition.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma viride</Emphasis> cellulase induces resistance to the antibiotic pore-forming peptide alamethicin associated with changes in the plasma membrane lipid composition of tobacco BY-2 cells

Background  

Alamethicin is a membrane-active peptide isolated from the beneficial root-colonising fungus Trichoderma viride. This peptide can insert into membranes to form voltage-dependent pores. We have previously shown that alamethicin efficiently permeabilises the plasma membrane, mitochondria and plastids of cultured plant cells. In the present investigation, tobacco cells (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Bright Yellow-2) were pre-treated with elicitors of defence responses to study whether this would affect permeabilisation.     

A method for protein extraction from different subcellular fractions of laticifer latex in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hevea brasiliensis</Emphasis> compatible with 2-DE and MS

Background  

Proteomic analysis of laticifer latex in Hevea brasiliensis has been received more significant attentions. However, the sticky and viscous characteristic of rubber latex as cytoplasm of laticifer cells and the complication of laticifer latex membrane systems has made it challenge to isolate high-quality proteins for 2-DE and MS.     

Polyamine stress at high pH in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> K-12

Background  

Polyamines such as spermine and spermidine are required for growth ofEscherichia coli; they interact with nucleic acids, and they bind to ribosomes. Polyamines block porins and decrease membrane permeability, activities that may protect cells in acid. At high concentrations, however, polyamines impair growth. They impair growth more severely at high pH, probably due to their increased uptake as membrane-permeant weak bases. The role of pH is critical in understanding polyamine stress.     

Novel induced <Emphasis Type="Italic">mlo</Emphasis> mutant alleles in combination with site-directed mutagenesis reveal functionally important domains in the heptahelical barley Mlo protein

Background  

Recessively inherited natural and induced mutations in the barley Mlo gene confer durable broad-spectrum resistance against the powdery mildew pathogen, Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei. Mlo codes for a member of a plant-specific family of polytopic integral membrane proteins with unknown biochemical activity. Resistant barley mlo mutant alleles identify amino acid residues that are critical for Mlo function in the context of powdery mildew susceptibility.     

Production of recombinant antibody fragments in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus megaterium</Emphasis>

Background  

Recombinant antibodies are essential reagents for research, diagnostics and therapy. The well established production host Escherichia coli relies on the secretion into the periplasmic space for antibody synthesis. Due to the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, only a fraction of this material reaches the medium. Recently, the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus megaterium was shown to efficiently secrete recombinant proteins into the growth medium. Here we evaluated B. megaterium for the recombinant production of antibody fragments.     

Optogenetic <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vivo</Emphasis>cell manipulation in KillerRed-expressing zebrafish transgenics

Background  

KillerRed (KR) is a novel photosensitizer that efficiently generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) in KR-expressing cells upon intense green or white light illumination in vitro, resulting in damage to their plasma membrane and cell death.     

Adaptation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmonella enterica</Emphasis> Hadar under static magnetic field: effects on outer membrane protein pattern

Background  

Salmonella enterica serovar Hadar (S. Hadar) is a highly prevalent foodborne pathogen and therefore a major cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide. Outer membrane proteins whose production is often regulated by environmental conditions also play important roles in the adaptability of bacterial pathogens to various environments.     

Varicose: a MAGUK required for the maturation and function of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis> septate junctions

Background  

Scaffolding proteins belonging to the membrane associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) superfamily function as adapters linking cytoplasmic and cell surface proteins to the cytoskeleton to regulate cell-cell adhesion, cell-cell communication and signal transduction. We characterize here a Drosophila MAGUK member, Varicose (Vari), the homologue of vertebrate scaffolding protein PALS2.