A New Critical Conformational Determinant of Multidrug Efflux by an MFS Transporter

Secondary multidrug (Mdr) transporters utilize ion concentration gradients to actively remove antibiotics and other toxic compounds from cells. The model Mdr transporter MdfA from Escherichia coli exchanges dissimilar drugs for protons. The transporter should open at the cytoplasmic side to enable access of drugs into the Mdr recognition pocket. Here we show that the cytoplasmic rim around the Mdr recognition pocket represents a previously overlooked important regulatory determinant in MdfA. We demonstrate that increasing the positive charge of the electrically asymmetric rim dramatically inhibits MdfA activity and sometimes even leads to influx of planar, positively charged compounds, resulting in drug sensitivity. Our results suggest that unlike the mutants with the electrically modified rim, the membrane-embedded wild-type MdfA exhibits a significant probability of an inward-closed conformation, which is further increased by drug binding. Since MdfA binds drugs from its inward-facing environment, these results are intriguing and raise the possibility that the transporter has a sensitive, drug-induced conformational switch, which favors an inward-closed state.     

Influence of the ratio of the initial substrate concentration to biomass concentration on the performance of a sequencing batch reactor

Biomass behaviour and COD removal in a benchscale activated sludge reactor have been studied alternating anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Particular attention has been paid to the influence of the ratio of the initial substrate concentration (S ₀) to the initial biomass concentration (X ₀) on the reactor performance. Tests at very low ratios (S ₀/X ₀<2) demonstrate the existence of a threshold below which the reactor performance is seriously affected (S ₀/X ₀=0.5). Under conditions of total suppression of cell duplication, substrate maintenance requirements have also been calculated for the microbial consortium present in the activated sludges. The results obtained show that stressed biomass can survive conditions of substrate lack better than unstressed biomass.List of Symbols b h^–1 specific death rate - COD g/l chemical oxygen demand - DO g/l dissolved oxygen concentration - K _s g/l Monod saturation constant - MLSS g/l mixed liquor suspended solid concentration - P g/l phosphorus concentration - S g/l substrate concentration - S ₀ g/l initial substrate concentration - SS g/l suspended solid concentration - t h time - X g/l biomass concentration - X ₀ g/l initial biomass concentration - Y _SX g/g yield of growth on substrate - _max h^–1 maximum specific growth rate     

Triterpenoids of Terminalia sericea

The structures of sericic acid and sericoside, the major constituents of the roots of Terminalia sericea, have been determined. Sericic acid is 2α,3β,19α,24-tetrahydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic acid and sericoside the corresponding C-28 D-glucosyl ester.     

Structure and absolute stereochemistry of vanillosmin,a guaianolide from Vanillosmopsis erythropappa

The structure and absolute stereochemistry of vanillosmin were established by chemical and spectral evidence and by comparison with O-acetyl-isophoto-α-santonic lactone and tetrahydroartabsin “C”.     

Kinetic considerations about the study of alcoholic fermentations of starch hydrolysate

Alcoholic fermentations of starch hydrolysate by two different yeast strains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae(var. Vinal) and Saccharomyces oviformis(IMAP 383), have been studied in batch runs. In order to evaluate the different inhibition phenomena due to both substrate and product, a new kinetic equation is suggested.     

Plant metabolomics in biotic and abiotic stress: a critical overview

Abiotic and biotic stresses affect plant physiology and growth. The development of metabolomics, along with other -omics technologies, allowed in depth analysis of the reactive processes characterizing plant stress as the result of the alteration of metabolites and gene expressions. Here, we organize and interpret data from 151 studies to provide an overview about metabolomic shift after exposure to either abiotic or biotic stresses including drought, salinity, heat, heavy metal, cold, pathogens and insects. Data showed that amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and sugar alcohols quantities are influenced by stresses. Proline for example, increased in almost every stress condition, while other molecules increased or decreased depending specifically on plant tissue, plant species and type of applied stress. We concluded that although it is difficult to predict precisely what a stress will cause, some general metabolic trends can be described and improve our understanding of plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses.

     

Production of biosurfactant by a genetically-modified strain ofBacillus subtilis expressing green fluorescent protein

Biosurfactant production was investigated using two strains ofBacillus subtilis, being one a reference strain (B. subtilis 1012) and the other a genetically-modified strain (B. subtilis W1012) made able to produce the green fluorescent protein (GFP). A new method based on oil displacement technique was set up to measure the biosurfactant level in the medium. Although the tested microorganisms showed similar results in terms of cell growth parameters, the recombinant strain, besides expressing GFP, exhibited an average yield of extracellular surfactant on biomass (Y _{B/X, av} =239 mg_B g_x ^?1) more than twice that of the reference strain. The ability of the genetically-modified strain to simultaneously overproduce biosurfactant and GFP even at low cell concentration makes it an interesting candidate for possible use as a biological index-finger to monitor cell viability in bioremediation and oil recovery operations.