19 research outputs found
Optical, morphological and photocatalytic properties of biobased tractable films of chitosan/donor-acceptor polymer blends
Biobased tractable films consisting of blends of chitosan (CS) with polymer bearing carbazole derivatives as
pendant groups and fluorene-thiophene as donor-acceptor units (referred to as DA) were prepared, and their
optical, morphological and photocatalytic properties were studied. DA was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF)
and mixed with an acidified aqueous solution containing chitosan to obtain chitosan/DA (CS/DA) films by
solution casting. The fabricated biobased films were characterized using spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR and
UVâvis), thermogravimetry, mechanical assays, contact angle analysis, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The
effects of varying DA compositions and the results of exposure to visible-light irradiation of the films were also
analyzed. The results indicated the existence of interactions between chitosan and DA and a potentially profitable
light-driven response of these biobased films. This behavior was reflected in the optical, topographical,
and contact angle properties of the films, which exhibited different characteristics before and after visible-light
exposure. Finally, the photocatalytic performance of the biobased films was tested via the decomposition of
methyl orange (MO), as a reaction model system. Our results revealed a significant photocatalytic activity
(according to biobased film composition, approximately 64 % and 87 % of methyl orange were degraded under
continuous visible-light irradiation for 120 min) of the films which is attributed to the combined presence and
synergetic effects of the film-forming ability of chitosan and the photoproperties of DA
Burkholderia cenocepacia BC2L-C Is a Super Lectin with Dual Specificity and Proinflammatory Activity
Lectins and adhesins are involved in bacterial adhesion to host tissues and mucus during early steps of infection. We report the characterization of BC2L-C, a soluble lectin from the opportunistic pathogen Burkholderia cenocepacia, which has two distinct domains with unique specificities and biological activities. The N-terminal domain is a novel TNF-α-like fucose-binding lectin, while the C-terminal part is similar to a superfamily of calcium-dependent bacterial lectins. The C-terminal domain displays specificity for mannose and l-glycero-d-manno-heptose. BC2L-C is therefore a superlectin that binds independently to mannose/heptose glycoconjugates and fucosylated human histo-blood group epitopes. The apo form of the C-terminal domain crystallized as a dimer, and calcium and mannose could be docked in the binding site. The whole lectin is hexameric and the overall structure, determined by electron microscopy and small angle X-ray scattering, reveals a flexible arrangement of three mannose/heptose-specific dimers flanked by two fucose-specific TNF-α-like trimers. We propose that BC2L-C binds to the bacterial surface in a mannose/heptose-dependent manner via the C-terminal domain. The TNF-α-like domain triggers IL-8 production in cultured airway epithelial cells in a carbohydrate-independent manner, and is therefore proposed to play a role in the dysregulated proinflammatory response observed in B. cenocepacia lung infections. The unique architecture of this newly recognized superlectin correlates with multiple functions including bacterial cell cross-linking, adhesion to human epithelia, and stimulation of inflammation
Comparative analyses imply that the enigmatic sigma factor 54 is a central controller of the bacterial exterior
Contains fulltext :
95738.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Sigma-54 is a central regulator in many pathogenic bacteria and has been linked to a multitude of cellular processes like nitrogen assimilation and important functional traits such as motility, virulence, and biofilm formation. Until now it has remained obscure whether these phenomena and the control by Sigma-54 share an underlying theme. RESULTS: We have uncovered the commonality by performing a range of comparative genome analyses. A) The presence of Sigma-54 and its associated activators was determined for all sequenced prokaryotes. We observed a phylum-dependent distribution that is suggestive of an evolutionary relationship between Sigma-54 and lipopolysaccharide and flagellar biosynthesis. B) All Sigma-54 activators were identified and annotated. The relation with phosphotransfer-mediated signaling (TCS and PTS) and the transport and assimilation of carboxylates and nitrogen containing metabolites was substantiated. C) The function annotations, that were represented within the genomic context of all genes encoding Sigma-54, its activators and its promoters, were analyzed for intra-phylum representation and inter-phylum conservation. Promoters were localized using a straightforward scoring strategy that was formulated to identify similar motifs. We found clear highly-represented and conserved genetic associations with genes that concern the transport and biosynthesis of the metabolic intermediates of exopolysaccharides, flagella, lipids, lipopolysaccharides, lipoproteins and peptidoglycan. CONCLUSION: Our analyses directly implicate Sigma-54 as a central player in the control over the processes that involve the physical interaction of an organism with its environment like in the colonization of a host (virulence) or the formation of biofilm
Sobrevida a largo plazo en adultos inmunocompetentes mayores de 60 años hospitalizados por neumonĂa adquirida en la comunidad
Predictores clĂnicos de mortalidad en el seguimiento a mediano plazo en pacientes adultos inmunocompetentes hospitalizados por neumonĂa adquirida en la comunidad
MetodologĂa de adaptaciĂłn de una guĂa clĂnica para el manejo de pacientes adultos con neumonĂa adquirida en la comunidad en una red de salud privada
Institutional pioneers in world politics: Regional institution building and the influence of the European Union
What drives processes of institution building within regional international organizations?
We challenge those established theories of regionalism, and of institutionalized
cooperation more broadly, that treat different organizations as independent phenomena
whose evolution is conditioned primarily by internal causal factors. Developing the basic
premise of âdiffusion theoryâ â meaning that decision-making is interdependent across
organizations â we argue that institutional pioneers, and specifically the European
Union, shape regional institution-building processes in a number of discernible ways. We
then hypothesize two pathways â active and passive â of European Union influence,
and stipulate an endogenous capacity for institutional change as a key scope condition
for their operation. Drawing on a new and original data set on the institutional design
of 34 regional international organizations in the period from 1950 to 2010, the article
finds that: (1) both the intensity of a regional international organizationâs structured
interaction with the European Union (active influence) and the European Unionâs own
level of delegation (passive influence) are associated with higher levels of delegation
within other regional international organizations; (2) passive European Union influence
exerts a larger overall substantive effect than active European Union influence does;
and (3) these effects are strongest among those regional international organizations that
are based on founding contracts containing open-ended commitments. These findings
indicate that the creation and subsequent institutional evolution of the European Union has made a difference to the evolution of institutions in regional international
organizations elsewhere, thereby suggesting that existing theories of regionalism are
insufficiently able to account for processes of institution building in such contexts.peerReviewe
Depletion of the ubiquitin-binding adaptor molecule SQSTM1/p62 from macrophages harboring cftr ÎF508 mutation improves the delivery of Burkholderia cenocepacia to the autophagic machinery
Cystic fibrosis is the most common inherited lethal disease in Caucasians. It is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), of which the cftr ÎF508 mutation is the most common. ÎF508 macrophages are intrinsically defective in autophagy because of the sequestration of essential autophagy molecules within unprocessed CFTR aggregates. Defective autophagy allows Burkholderia cenocepacia (B. cepacia) to survive and replicate in ÎF508 macrophages. Infection by B. cepacia poses a great risk to cystic fibrosis patients because it causes accelerated lung inflammation and, in some cases, a lethal necrotizing pneumonia. Autophagy is a cell survival mechanism whereby an autophagosome engulfs non-functional organelles and delivers them to the lysosome for degradation. The ubiquitin binding adaptor protein SQSTM1/p62 is required for the delivery of several ubiquitinated cargos to the autophagosome. In WT macrophages, p62 depletion and overexpression lead to increased and decreased bacterial intracellular survival, respectively. In contrast, depletion of p62 in ÎF508 macrophages results in decreased bacterial survival, whereas overexpression of p62 leads to increased B. cepacia intracellular growth. Interestingly, the depletion of p62 from ÎF508 macrophages results in the release of the autophagy molecule beclin1 (BECN1) from the mutant CFTR aggregates and allows its redistribution and recruitment to the B. cepacia vacuole, mediating the acquisition of the autophagy marker LC3 and bacterial clearance via autophagy. These data demonstrate that p62 differentially dictates the fate of B. cepacia infection in WT and ÎF508 macrophages
Burkholderia cenocepacia O polysaccharide chain contributes to caspase-1-dependent IL-1ÎČ production in macrophages
B. cenocepacia O antigen, host TLR4 and caspase-1 contribute to IL-1ÎČ production by infected macrophage