Complete genome sequence of Arthrobacter phenanthrenivorans type strain (Sphe3)

Arthrobacter phenanthrenivorans is the type species of the genus, and is able to metabolize phenanthrene as a sole source of carbon and energy. A. phenanthrenivorans is an aerobic, non-motile, and Gram-positive bacterium, exhibiting a rod-coccus growth cycle which was originally isolated from a creosote polluted site in Epirus, Greece. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence, and annotation.Standards in Genomic Science

RNase P: A promising molecular target for the development of new drugs

RNase P is an ubiquitous and essential endonuclease in tRNA biogenesis, which generates the mature 5′-termini of tRNAs. RNase P activities have been identified in all three kingdoms of life (Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya). Most forms of RNase P are ribonucleoproteins, i.e., they consist of an essential RNA and protein subunits. In bacteria and in some archaea, the catalytic function of this enzyme resides entirely in its RNA subunit, which is one of firstly identified ribozymes. Its high structural and functional diversity among representatives of a vast variety of phylogenetic domains indicates that RNase P could also serve as a molecular target of and a useful screening system for the biological activity of different compounds and give more insight into the molecular mechanisms of their action inside the cell. The emerged information from recent studies on the mechanism and structural idiosyncrasies of RNase P provides a convenient platform for designing specific inhibitors for this ribozyme and potential areas of its application in gene therapy. This review summarises the current information on the effect of several protein synthesis inhibitors, retinoids and arotinoids, vitamin D analogues and anthalin on the activity of RNase P. © 2004 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd

Effect of Ethanol on the Sterols of the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces-Pombe

Ergosterol, lanosterol and two further unidentified sterols were detected and quantified in Schizosaccharomyces pombe cell extracts. In cells grown under anaerobic conditions, the levels of these sterols were dramatically reduced with a concomitant increase of their squalene precursor as compared with cells growing under aerobic conditions. Presence of ethanol resulted in a decrease in the sterol content under aerobic conditions. On the contrary, under anaerobic conditions presence of ethanol resulted in a three-fold increase of total sterols. Lanosterol was the main constituent of this elevation. It is suggested that lanosterol in parallel with unsaturated fatty acids is responsible for maintaining membrane integrity of S. pombe cells growing in the presence of ethanol.FEMS Microbiol Let

Modulation of catalytic RNA biological activity by small molecule effectors

Catalytic RNAs, known as ribozymes, act as true enzymes and are implicated in important biological processes, such as protein synthesis, mRNA splicing, transcriptional regulation and retroviral replication. Ribozymes are capable of serving as a new molecular target for a variety of drugs and as a reliable screening system for their biological activity

Preparation of spermine conjugates with acidic retinoids with potent ribonuclease P inhibitory activity

Novel mono- and diacylated spermines, readily obtained using isolable succinimidyl active esters of acidic retinoids for the selective acylation of free spermine or in situ activated acidic retinoids for acylating selectively protected spermine followed by deprotection, were shown to inhibit the ribozyme ribonuclease P more strongly than the parent retinoids