Membrane Topology of the Lactococcal Bacteriocin ATP-binding Cassette Transporter Protein LcnC. Involvement of LcnC in Lactococcin A Maturation

Many non-lantibiotic bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria are produced as precursors with N-terminal leader peptides different from those present in preproteins exported by the general sec-dependent (type II) secretion pathway. These bacteriocins utilize a dedicated (type I) secretion system for externalization. The secretion apparatus for the lactococcins A, B, and M/N (LcnA, B, and M/N) from Lactococcus lactis is composed of the two membrane proteins LcnC and LcnD. LcnC belongs to the ATP-binding cassette transporters, whereas LcnD is a protein with similarities to other accessory proteins of type I secretion systems. This paper shows that the N-terminal part of LcnC is involved in the processing of the precursor of LcnA. By making translational fusions of LcnC to the reporter proteins β-galactosidase (LacZ) and alkaline phosphatase (PhoA*), it was shown that both the N- and C-terminal parts of LcnC are located in the cytoplasm. As the N terminus of LcnC is required for LcnA maturation and is localized in the cytoplasm, we conclude that the processing of the bacteriocin LcnA to its mature form takes place at the cytosolic side of the cytoplasmic membrane.

Application in banking: securitization and global banking

We review the data, econometric techniques, and estimates with respect to two recent and salient developments in the banking industry, i.e., securitization and globalization. The traditional banking market has become wider in its business models, through securitization, and in its geographical dispersion, through global operations. Both developments have brought new challenges for our understanding of basic questions in banking. Questions such as what determines credit flows or what are the channels of transmission for monetary policy have been addressed through this new optic. Our review establishes that access to micro data has enabled researchers to arrive at ever-better identified and more reliable estimates. These are interesting times in empirical banking research

Emergence of Young Human Genes after a Burst of Retroposition in Primates

The origin of new genes through gene duplication is fundamental to the evolution of lineage- or species-specific phenotypic traits. In this report, we estimate the number of functional retrogenes on the lineage leading to humans generated by the high rate of retroposition (retroduplication) in primates. Extensive comparative sequencing and expression studies coupled with evolutionary analyses and simulations suggest that a significant proportion of recent retrocopies represent bona fide human genes. We estimate that at least one new retrogene per million years emerged on the human lineage during the past ∼63 million years of primate evolution. Detailed analysis of a subset of the data shows that the majority of retrogenes are specifically expressed in testis, whereas their parental genes show broad expression patterns. Consistently, most retrogenes evolved functional roles in spermatogenesis. Proteins encoded by X chromosome−derived retrogenes were strongly preserved by purifying selection following the duplication event, supporting the view that they may act as functional autosomal substitutes during X-inactivation of late spermatogenesis genes. Also, some retrogenes acquired a new or more adapted function driven by positive selection. We conclude that retroduplication significantly contributed to the formation of recent human genes and that most new retrogenes were progressively recruited during primate evolution by natural and/or sexual selection to enhance male germline function

ABC transporter architecture and regulatory roles of accessory domains

AbstractWe present an overview of the architecture of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and dissect the systems in core and accessory domains. The ABC transporter core is formed by the transmembrane domains (TMDs) and the nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) that constitute the actual translocator. The accessory domains include the substrate-binding proteins, that function as high affinity receptors in ABC type uptake systems, and regulatory or catalytic domains that can be fused to either the TMDs or NBDs. The regulatory domains add unique functions to the transporters allowing the systems to act as channel conductance regulators, osmosensors/regulators, and assemble into macromolecular complexes with specific properties

Sovereign risk and the bank lending channel in Europe.

ABSTRACT: The main purpose of this article is to analyze how sovereign risk influences the loan supply reaction of banks to monetary policy through the bank lending channel. Additionally, we aim to test whether this reaction differs in easy and tight monetary regimes. Using a sample of 3,125 banks from the euro zone between 1999 and 2012, we find that sovereign risk plays an important role in determining loan supply from banks during tight monetary regimes. Banks in higher sovereign risk countries reduce lending more during tight regimes. However, we find little evidence to support any relationship between sovereign risk and loan supply reaction to monetary policy expansions. These results are very interesting for the way monetary policy is conducted in Europe. Banking union, banking system strength, and the budget control of governments would be necessary measures to reduce the heterogeneous transmission of the monetary policy in the euro zone

The CAPN10 Gene Is Associated with Insulin Resistance Phenotypes in the Spanish Population

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the industrialized world. Familial aggregation of cardiovascular risk factors is a frequent finding, but genetic factors affecting its presentation are still poorly understood. The calpain 10 gene (CAPN10) has been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), a complex metabolic disorder with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Moreover, the CAPN10 gene has been associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in T2DM and in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In this work, we have analysed whether the polymorphisms UCSNP44, -43, -19 and -63 are related to several cardiovascular risk factors in the context of MS. Molecular analysis of CAPN10 gene was performed in 899 individuals randomly chosen from a cross-sectional population-based epidemiological survey. We have found that CAPN10 gene in our population is mainly associated with two indicators of the presence of insulin resistance: glucose levels two hours after a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and HOMA values, although cholesterol levels and blood pressure values are also influenced by CAPN10 variants. In addition, the 1221/1121 haplogenotype is under-represented in individuals that fulfil the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) diagnostic criteria for MS. Our results suggest that CAPN10 gene is associated with insulin resistance phenotypes in the Spanish population

Reporter Proteins in Whole-Cell Optical Bioreporter Detection Systems, Biosensor Integrations, and Biosensing Applications

Whole-cell, genetically modified bioreporters are designed to emit detectable signals in response to a target analyte or related group of analytes. When integrated with a transducer capable of measuring those signals, a biosensor results that acts as a self-contained analytical system useful in basic and applied environmental, medical, pharmacological, and agricultural sciences. Historically, these devices have focused on signaling proteins such as green fluorescent protein, aequorin, firefly luciferase, and/or bacterial luciferase. The biochemistry and genetic development of these sensor systems as well as the advantages, challenges, and common applications of each one will be discussed

Hydrophobically Modified Sulfobetaine Copolymers with Tunable Aqueous UCST through Postpolymerization Modification of Poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate)

Polysulfobetaines, polymers carrying highly polar zwitterionic side chains, present a promising research field by virtue of their antifouling properties, hemocompatibility, and stimulus-responsive behavior. However, limited synthetic approaches exist to produce sulfobetaine copolymers comprising hydrophobic components. Postpolymerization modification of an activated ester precursor, poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate), employing a zwitterionic amine, 3-((3-aminopropyl)dimethylammonio)propane-1-sulfonate, ADPS, is presented as a novel, one-step synthetic concept toward sulfobetaine (co)polymers. Modifications were performed in homogeneous solution using propylene carbonate as solvent with mixtures of ADPS and pentylamine, benzylamine, and dodecylamine producing a series of well-defined statistical acrylamido sulfobetaine copolymers containing hydrophobic pentyl, benzyl, or dodecylacrylamide comonomers with well-controllable molar composition as evidenced by NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography.This synthetic strategy was exploited to investigate, for the first time, the influence of hydrophobic modification on the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) of sulfobetaine copolymers in aqueous solution. Surprisingly, incorporation of pentyl groups was found to increase solubility over a wide composition range, whereas benzyl groups decreased solubility—an effect attributed to different entropic and enthalpic contributions of both functional groups. While UCST transitions of polysulfobetaines are typically limited to higher molar mass samples, incorporation of 0–65 mol % of benzyl groups into copolymers with molar masses of 25.5–34.5 kg/mol enabled sharp, reversible transitions from 6 to 82 °C in solutions containing up to 76 mM NaCl, as observed by optical transmittance and dynamic light scattering. Both synthesis and systematic UCST increase of sulfobetaine copolymers presented here are expected to expand the scope and applicability of these smart materials