Viral genome packaging terminase cleaves DNA using the canonical RuvC-like two-metal catalysis mechanism

Bacteriophages and large dsDNA viruses encode sophisticated machinery to translocate their DNA into a preformed empty capsid. An essential part of this machine, the large terminase protein, processes viral DNA into constituent units utilizing its nuclease activity. Crystal structures of the large terminase nuclease from the thermophilic bacteriophage G20c show that it is most similar to the RuvC family of the RNase H-like endonucleases. Like RuvC proteins, the nuclease requires either Mn2+, Mg2+ or Co2+ ions for activity, but is inactive with Zn2+ and Ca2+. High resolution crystal structures of complexes with different metals reveal that in the absence of DNA, only one catalytic metal ion is accommodated in the active site. Binding of the second metal ion may be facilitated by conformational variability, which enables the two catalytic aspartic acids to be brought closer to each other. Structural comparison indicates that in common with the RuvC family, the location of the two catalytic metals differs from other members of the RNase H family. In contrast to a recently proposed mechanism, the available data do not support binding of the two metals at an ultra-short interatomic distance. Thus we postulate that viral terminases cleave DNA by the canonical RuvC-like mechanism

Fungal GH25 muramidases : New family members with applications in animal nutrition and a crystal structure at 0.78Å resolution

Muramidases/lysozymes hydrolyse the peptidoglycan component of the bacterial cell wall. They are found in many of the glycoside hydrolase (GH) families. Family GH25 contains muramidases/lysozymes, known as CH type lysozymes, as they were initially discovered in the Chalaropsis species of fungus. The characterized enzymes from GH25 exhibit both β-1,4-N-acetyl- and β-1,4-N,6-O-diacetylmuramidase activities, cleaving the β-1,4-glycosidic bond between N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM) and N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) moieties in the carbohydrate backbone of bacterial peptidoglycan. Here, a set of fungal GH25 muramidases were identified from a sequence search, cloned and expressed and screened for their ability to digest bacterial peptidoglycan, to be used in a commercial application in chicken feed. The screen identified the enzyme from Acremonium alcalophilum JCM 736 as a suitable candidate for this purpose and its relevant biochemical and biophysical and properties are described. We report the crystal structure of the A. alcalophilum enzyme at atomic, 0.78 Å resolution, together with that of its homologue from Trichobolus zukalii at 1.4 Å, and compare these with the structures of homologues. GH25 enzymes offer a new solution in animal feed applications such as for processing bacterial debris in the animal gut

Module walking using an SH3-like cell-wall-binding domain leads to a new GH184 family of muramidases

Muramidases (also known as lysozymes) hydrolyse the peptidoglycan component of the bacterial cell wall and are found in many glycoside hydrolase (GH) families. Similar to other glycoside hydrolases, muramidases sometimes have noncatalytic domains that facilitate their interaction with the substrate. Here, the identification, characterization and X-ray structure of a novel fungal GH24 muramidase from Trichophaea saccata is first described, in which an SH3-like cell-wall-binding domain (CWBD) was identified by structure comparison in addition to its catalytic domain. Further, a complex between a triglycine peptide and the CWBD from T. saccata is presented that shows a possible anchor point of the peptidoglycan on the CWBD. A `domain-walking' approach, searching for other sequences with a domain of unknown function appended to the CWBD, was then used to identify a group of fungal muramidases that also contain homologous SH3-like cell-wall-binding modules, the catalytic domains of which define a new GH family. The properties of some representative members of this family are described as well as X-ray structures of the independent catalytic and SH3-like domains of the Kionochaeta sp., Thermothielavioides terrestris and Penicillium virgatum enzymes. This work confirms the power of the module-walking approach, extends the library of known GH families and adds a new noncatalytic module to the muramidase arsenal

Crystal, Solution and In silico Structural Studies of Dihydrodipicolinate Synthase from the Common Grapevine

Dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS) catalyzes the rate limiting step in lysine biosynthesis in bacteria and plants. The structure of DHDPS has been determined from several bacterial species and shown in most cases to form a homotetramer or dimer of dimers. However, only one plant DHDPS structure has been determined to date from the wild tobacco species, Nicotiana sylvestris (Blickling et al. (1997) J. Mol. Biol. 274, 608–621). Whilst N. sylvestris DHDPS also forms a homotetramer, the plant enzyme adopts a ‘back-to-back’ dimer of dimers compared to the ‘head-to-head’ architecture observed for bacterial DHDPS tetramers. This raises the question of whether the alternative quaternary architecture observed for N. sylvestris DHDPS is common to all plant DHDPS enzymes. Here, we describe the structure of DHDPS from the grapevine plant, Vitis vinifera, and show using analytical ultracentrifugation, small-angle X-ray scattering and X-ray crystallography that V. vinifera DHDPS forms a ‘back-to-back’ homotetramer, consistent with N. sylvestris DHDPS. This study is the first to demonstrate using both crystal and solution state measurements that DHDPS from the grapevine plant adopts an alternative tetrameric architecture to the bacterial form, which is important for optimizing protein dynamics as suggested by molecular dynamics simulations reported in this study

General anaesthetic and airway management practice for obstetric surgery in England: a prospective, multicentre observational study

There are no current descriptions of general anaesthesia characteristics for obstetric surgery, despite recent changes to patient baseline characteristics and airway management guidelines. This analysis of data from the direct reporting of awareness in maternity patients’ (DREAMY) study of accidental awareness during obstetric anaesthesia aimed to describe practice for obstetric general anaesthesia in England and compare with earlier surveys and best-practice recommendations. Consenting patients who received general anaesthesia for obstetric surgery in 72 hospitals from May 2017 to August 2018 were included. Baseline characteristics, airway management, anaesthetic techniques and major complications were collected. Descriptive analysis, binary logistic regression modelling and comparisons with earlier data were conducted. Data were collected from 3117 procedures, including 2554 (81.9%) caesarean deliveries. Thiopental was the induction drug in 1649 (52.9%) patients, compared with propofol in 1419 (45.5%). Suxamethonium was the neuromuscular blocking drug for tracheal intubation in 2631 (86.1%), compared with rocuronium in 367 (11.8%). Difficult tracheal intubation was reported in 1 in 19 (95%CI 1 in 16–22) and failed intubation in 1 in 312 (95%CI 1 in 169–667). Obese patients were over-represented compared with national baselines and associated with difficult, but not failed intubation. There was more evidence of change in practice for induction drugs (increased use of propofol) than neuromuscular blocking drugs (suxamethonium remains the most popular). There was evidence of improvement in practice, with increased monitoring and reversal of neuromuscular blockade (although this remains suboptimal). Despite a high risk of difficult intubation in this population, videolaryngoscopy was rarely used (1.9%)

General anaesthetic and airway management practice for obstetric surgery in England: a prospective, multi-centre observational study

There are no current descriptions of general anaesthesia characteristics for obstetric surgery, despite recent changes to patient baseline characteristics and airway management guidelines. This analysis of data from the direct reporting of awareness in maternity patients' (DREAMY) study of accidental awareness during obstetric anaesthesia aimed to describe practice for obstetric general anaesthesia in England and compare with earlier surveys and best-practice recommendations. Consenting patients who received general anaesthesia for obstetric surgery in 72 hospitals from May 2017 to August 2018 were included. Baseline characteristics, airway management, anaesthetic techniques and major complications were collected. Descriptive analysis, binary logistic regression modelling and comparisons with earlier data were conducted. Data were collected from 3117 procedures, including 2554 (81.9%) caesarean deliveries. Thiopental was the induction drug in 1649 (52.9%) patients, compared with propofol in 1419 (45.5%). Suxamethonium was the neuromuscular blocking drug for tracheal intubation in 2631 (86.1%), compared with rocuronium in 367 (11.8%). Difficult tracheal intubation was reported in 1 in 19 (95%CI 1 in 16-22) and failed intubation in 1 in 312 (95%CI 1 in 169-667). Obese patients were over-represented compared with national baselines and associated with difficult, but not failed intubation. There was more evidence of change in practice for induction drugs (increased use of propofol) than neuromuscular blocking drugs (suxamethonium remains the most popular). There was evidence of improvement in practice, with increased monitoring and reversal of neuromuscular blockade (although this remains suboptimal). Despite a high risk of difficult intubation in this population, videolaryngoscopy was rarely used (1.9%)

Research of the Stages of the Professionalization of Folk-stage Choreography in Historical Cultural Dynamics

There were analyzed the features of the genesis and development of folk-stage choreography as a professional activity phenomenon from ancient to modern forms. There were characterized historical-cultural and art factors of the choreographic education formation in Ukraine, preconditions of its theoretical-methodological grounds, prominent tendencies of development. Based on the system study of ethnographic primary sources of the Ukrainian choreography there was specified the essence of the notions “folk dance”, “typical dance”, “folk-stage dance”, their content interconnection was analyzed and the dynamics of changes in the field thesaurus formation was determined. In the process of the diachronic analysis of the main stages of the folk-stage dance development the totality of criteria signs of its professionalization was separated and determined as important factors of the formation of theoretical and practical principles of the choreographic education. The first stage (XIV-XVIII cent.) – syncretic – defines a dance as an organic component of the united dramatized art action, existed in forms of school, fair, folk-mysterial theaters; the second (XVIII – XIX cent.) – connects a dance with the activity of amateur theaters of different social groups (private, serf, municipal, folk, student and so on) and is characterized by the domination of divertissement character of the choreographic component of dramatic action; third (XIX – early XX cent.) – interprets a dance in the organic unity with the content line of dramatic performances, embodies the generation of the Ukrainian professional theater, gradual transformation of the folk dance into ballet genre on the stage of amateur and professional stationary theatric troupes; fourth (XX – early XXI cent.) – characterizes the folk-stage dance as a theatric genre of professional music-dramatic and opera-ballet theaters and separate genre of the stage choreographic execution – dance stage, – practically embodied in the activity of amateur and professional choreographic and vocal-choreographic group

BRUGADA SYNDROME: FROM PRIMARY ELECTRIC HEART DISEASE TO MORPHOLOGICAL SUBSTRATE

Nowadays interest in channelopathies is growing, and developing diagnostic capabilities make Brugada syndrome much more actual problem than ever. Conception of «primary electric heart disease», which earlier was so popular, now couldn’t explain the absence of single genetic syndromes’ substrate, its’ common combinations with another arrhythmias and the presence of Brugada phenocopy. Conjunction of Brugada syndrome with morphological changes in myocardium , especially myocarditis, is an area of special interest. Infl ammation associates with clinical manifestation of the syndrome, and this situation forces to think about channelopathies’ primacy and to look for another possible mechanisms of Brugada syndrome