45 research outputs found
Magnetic Au Nanoparticles on Archaeal S-Layer Ghosts as Templates
Cellâghosts representing empty cells of the archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, consisting only of their highly ordered and unusually stable outermost proteinaceous surface layer (Sâlayer), were used as templates for Au nanoparticles fabrication. The properties
of these archaeal Au nanoparticles differ significantly from those produced earlier by us onto bacterial Sâlayer
sheets. The archaeal Au nanoparticles, with a size of about 2.5 nm, consist exclusively of metallic Au(0), while
those produced on the bacterial Sâlayer had a size of about 4 nm and represented a mixture of Au(0) and
Au(III) in the ratio of 40 to 60 %.
The most impressive feature of the archaeal Au nanoparticles is that they are strongly paramagnetic, in contrast to the bacterial ones and also to bulk gold. SQUID magnetometry and XMCD measurements demonstrated that the archaeal Au nanoparticles possess a rather large magnetic moment of about 0.1ÎŒB/atom. HRâ
TEMâEDX analysis revealed that the archaeal Au nanoparticles are linked to the sulfur atoms of the thiol groups of the amino acid cysteine, characteristic only for
archaeal Sâlayers. This is the first study demonstrating the formation of such unusually strong magnetic Au nanoparticles on a nonâmodified archaeal Sâlayer.Part of this work was supported by the EU in EuroMagNet II (Grant No. 228043) and Magister (Grant No. NMP3âLAâ2008â214685).
Merroun, M.L. is a âRamĂłn y Cajal Fellowâ of the University of Granada. His contribution was supported by grant No. CGL2009â09760,
and those of the Zaragoza group by project
MAT08/1077 of the âMinisterio de Ciencia
e InnovaciĂłnâ, Spain. This work corresponds
to experiment HE3427 of the ESRF
Volatile and Organic Compositions of Sedimentary Rocks in Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater, Mars
HâO, COâ, SOâ, Oâ, Hâ, HâS, HCl, chlorinated hydrocarbons, NO and other trace gases were evolved during pyrolysis of two mudstone samples acquired by the Curiosity rover at Yellowknife Bay within Gale crater, Mars. HâO/OH-bearing phases included 2:1 phyllosilicate(s), bassanite, akaganeite, and amorphous materials. Thermal decomposition of carbonates and combustion of organic materials are candidate sources for the COâ. Concurrent evolution of Oâ and chlorinated hydrocarbons suggest the presence of oxychlorine phase(s). Sulfides are likely sources for S-bearing species. Higher abundances of chlorinated hydrocarbons in the mudstone compared with Rocknest windblown materials previously analyzed by Curiosity suggest that indigenous martian or meteoritic organic C sources may be preserved in the mudstone; however, the C source for the chlorinated hydrocarbons is not definitively of martian origin
The Petrochemistry of Jake_M: A Martian Mugearite
âJake_M,â the first rock analyzed by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer instrument on the
Curiosity rover, differs substantially in chemical composition from other known martian igneous
rocks: It is alkaline (>15% normative nepheline) and relatively fractionated. Jake_M is
compositionally similar to terrestrial mugearites, a rock type typically found at ocean islands and
continental rifts. By analogy with these comparable terrestrial rocks, Jake_M could have been
produced by extensive fractional crystallization of a primary alkaline or transitional magma at
elevated pressure, with or without elevated water contents. The discovery of Jake_M suggests that
alkaline magmas may be more abundant on Mars than on Earth and that Curiosity could encounter
even more fractionated alkaline rocks (for example, phonolites and trachytes)
Elemental Geochemistry of Sedimentary Rocks at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars
Sedimentary rocks examined by the Curiosity rover at Yellowknife Bay, Mars, were derived from sources that evolved from approximately average Martian crustal composition to one influenced by alkaline basalts. No evidence of chemical weathering is preserved indicating arid, possibly cold, paleoclimates and rapid erosion/deposition. Absence of predicted geochemical variations indicates that magnetite and phyllosilicates formed by diagenesis under low temperature, circum-neutral pH, rock-dominated aqueous conditions. High spatial resolution analyses of diagenetic features, including concretions, raised ridges and fractures, indicate they are composed of iron- and halogen-rich components, magnesium-iron-chlorine-rich components and hydrated calcium-sulfates, respectively. Composition of a cross-cutting dike-like feature is consistent with sedimentary intrusion. Geochemistry of these sedimentary rocks provides further evidence for diverse depositional and diagenetic sedimentary environments during the early
history of Mars
A Habitable Fluvio-Lacustrine Environment at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars
The Curiosity rover discovered fine-grained sedimentary rocks, inferred to represent an ancient lake, preserve evidence of an environment that would have been suited to support a Martian biosphere founded on chemolithoautotrophy. This aqueous environment was characterized by neutral pH, low salinity, and variable redox states of both iron and sulfur species. C, H, O, S, N, and P were measured directly as key biogenic elements, and by inference N and P are assumed to have been available. The environment likely had a minimum duration of hundreds to tens of thousands of years. These results highlight the biological viability of fluvial-lacustrine environments in the post-Noachian history of Mars
Mineralogy of a Mudstone at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars
Sedimentary rocks at Yellowknife Bay (Gale Crater) on Mars include mudstone sampled by the Curiosity rover. The samples, John Klein and Cumberland, contain detrital basaltic minerals, Ca-sulfates, Fe oxide/hydroxides, Fe-sulfides, amorphous material, and trioctahedral smectites. The John Klein smectite has basal spacing of ~10 Ă
indicating little interlayer hydration. The Cumberland smectite has basal spacing at ~13.2 Ă
as well as ~10 Ă
. The ~13.2 Ă
spacing suggests a partially chloritized interlayer or interlayer Mg or Ca facilitating H_2O retention. Basaltic minerals in the mudstone are similar to those in nearby eolian deposits. However, the mudstone has far less Fe-forsterite, possibly lost with formation of smectite plus magnetite. Late Noachian/Early Hesperian or younger age indicates that clay mineral formation on Mars extended beyond Noachian time
X-ray Diffraction Results from Mars Science Laboratory: Mineralogy of Rocknest at Gale Crater
The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity scooped samples of soil from the Rocknest aeolian
bedform in Gale crater. Analysis of the soil with the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) x-ray
diffraction (XRD) instrument revealed plagioclase (~An57), forsteritic olivine (~Fo62), augite,
and pigeonite, with minor K-feldspar, magnetite, quartz, anhydrite, hematite, and ilmenite.
The minor phases are present at, or near, detection limits. The soil also contains 27 ± 14 weight
percent x-ray amorphous material, likely containing multiple Fe^(3+)- and volatile-bearing phases,
including possibly a substance resembling hisingerite. The crystalline component is similar to
the normative mineralogy of certain basaltic rocks from Gusev crater on Mars and of martian
basaltic meteorites. The amorphous component is similar to that found on Earth in places
such as soils on the Mauna Kea volcano, Hawaii
Structural and functional analysis of the promiscuous AcrB and AdeB efflux pumps suggests different drug binding mechanisms
Upon antibiotic stress Gram-negative pathogens deploy resistance-nodulation-cell division-type tripartite efflux pumps. These include a H+/drug antiporter module that recognizes structurally diverse substances, including antibiotics. Here, we show the 3.5âĂ
structure of subunit AdeB from the Acinetobacter baumannii AdeABC efflux pump solved by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. The AdeB trimer adopts mainly a resting state with all protomers in a conformation devoid of transport channels or antibiotic binding sites. However, 10% of the protomers adopt a state where three transport channels lead to the closed substrate (deep) binding pocket. A comparison between drug binding of AdeB and Escherichia coli AcrB is made via activity analysis of 20 AdeB variants, selected on basis of side chain interactions with antibiotics observed in the AcrB periplasmic domain X-ray co-structures with fusidic acid (2.3âĂ
), doxycycline (2.1âĂ
) and levofloxacin (2.7âĂ
). AdeABC, compared to AcrAB-TolC, confers higher resistance to E. coli towards polyaromatic compounds and lower resistance towards antibiotic compounds