476 research outputs found
Trapped lipopolysaccharide and LptD intermediates reveal lipopolysaccharide translocation steps across the Escherichia coli outer membrane
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a main component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, which is essential for the vitality of most Gram-negative bacteria and plays a critical role for drug resistance. LptD/E complex forms a N-terminal LPS transport slide, a hydrophobic intramembrane hole and the hydrophilic channel of the barrel, for LPS transport, lipid A insertion and core oligosaccharide and O-antigen polysaccharide translocation, respectively. However, there is no direct evidence to confirm that LptD/E transports LPS from the periplasm to the external leaflet of the outer membrane. By replacing LptD residues with an unnatural amino acid p-benzoyl-L-phenyalanine (pBPA) and UV-photo-cross-linking in E.coli, the translocon and LPS intermediates were obtained at the N-terminal domain, the intramembrane hole, the lumenal gate, the lumen of LptD channel, and the extracellular loop 1 and 4, providing the first direct evidence and âsnapshotsâ to reveal LPS translocation steps across the outer membrane
Temperature responses of Rubisco from Paniceae grasses provide opportunities for improving C3 photosynthesis.
Enhancing the catalytic properties of the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco is a target for improving agricultural crop productivity. Here, we reveal extensive diversity in the kinetic response between 10 and 37â°C by Rubisco from C3 and C4 species within the grass tribe Paniceae. The CO2 fixation rate (kcatc) for Rubisco from the C4 grasses with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) phosphate malic enzyme (NADP-ME) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK) photosynthetic pathways was twofold greater than the kcatc of Rubisco from NAD-ME species across all temperatures. The declining response of CO2/O2 specificity with increasing temperature was less pronounced for PCK and NADP-ME Rubisco, which would be advantageous in warmer climates relative to the NAD-ME grasses. Modelled variation in the temperature kinetics of Paniceae C3 Rubisco and PCK Rubisco differentially stimulated C3 photosynthesis relative to tobacco above and below 25â°C under current and elevated CO2. Amino acid substitutions in the large subunit that could account for the catalytic variation among Paniceae Rubisco are identified; however, incompatibilities with Paniceae Rubisco biogenesis in tobacco hindered their mutagenic testing by chloroplast transformation. Circumventing these bioengineering limitations is critical to tailoring the properties of crop Rubisco to suit future climates
Unusual explosive growth of a squamous cell carcinoma of the scalp after electrical burn injury and subsequent coverage by sequential free flap vascular connection â a case report
BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinomos may arise from chronic ulcerating wounds in scars, most commonly postburn scars. Tumour growth usually takes place over months to years. Localization on the scalp is a relatively rare condition. CASE PRESENTATION: This report presents the case of a 63-year-old man with chronic ulceration of a postburn scar of the scalp due to an electrical burn 58 years ago. Sudden tumour growth started within weeks and on presentation already had extended through the skull into frontal cortex. After radical tumour resection, defect was covered with a free radial forearm flap. Local recurrence occurred 6 weeks later. Subsequent wide excision including discard of the flap and preservation of the radial vessels was followed by transfer of a free latissimus dorsi muscle flap, using the radial vessels of the first flap as recipient vessels. The patient received radiotherapy post-operatively. There were no problems with flap survivals or wound healing. Due to rapidly growing recurrence the patient died 2 months later. CONCLUSION: Explosive SCC tumour growth might occur in post-burn scars after more than 50 years. As a treatment option the use of sequential free flap connections might serve in repeated extensive tumour resections, especially in the scalp region, where suitable donor vessels are often located in distance to the defect
Radiatively heated, protoplanetary discs with dead zones. I. Dust settling and thermal structure of discs around M stars
The irradiation of protoplanetary discs by central stars is the main heating
mechanism for discs, resulting in their flared geometric structure. In a series
of papers, we investigate the deep links between 2D self-consistent disc
structure and planetary migration in irradiated discs, focusing particularly on
those around M stars. In this first paper, we analyse the thermal structure of
discs that are irradiated by an M star by solving the radiative transfer
equation by means of a Monte Carlo code. Our simulations of irradiated
hydrostatic discs are realistic and self-consistent in that they include dust
settling with multiple grain sizes (N=15), the gravitational force of an
embedded planet on the disc, and the presence of a dead zone (a region with
very low levels of turbulence) within it. We show that dust settling drives the
temperature of the mid-plane from an distribution (well mixed dust
models) toward an . The dead zone, meanwhile, leaves a dusty wall at
its outer edge because dust settling in this region is enhanced compared to the
active turbulent disc at larger disc radii. The disc heating produced by this
irradiated wall provides a positive gradient region of the temperature in the
dead zone in front of the wall. This is crucially important for slowing
planetary migration because Lindblad torques are inversely proportional to the
disc temperature. Furthermore, we show that low turbulence of the dead zone is
self-consistently induced by dust settling, resulting in the Kelvin-Helmholtz
instability (KHI). We show that the strength of turbulence arising from the KHI
in the dead zone is .Comment: 19 pages, 20 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in MNRA
PCA Tomography: how to extract information from datacubes
Astronomy has evolved almost exclusively by the use of spectroscopic and
imaging techniques, operated separately. With the development of modern
technologies it is possible to obtain datacubes in which one combines both
techniques simultaneously, producing images with spectral resolution. To
extract information from them can be quite complex, and hence the development
of new methods of data analysis is desirable. We present a method of analysis
of datacube (data from single field observations, containing two spatial and
one spectral dimension) that uses PCA (Principal Component Analysis) to express
the data in the form of reduced dimensionality, facilitating efficient
information extraction from very large data sets. PCA transforms the system of
correlated coordinates into a system of uncorrelated coordinates ordered by
principal components of decreasing variance. The new coordinates are referred
to as eigenvectors, and the projections of the data onto these coordinates
produce images we will call tomograms. The association of the tomograms
(images) to eigenvectors (spectra) is important for the interpretation of both.
The eigenvectors are mutually orthogonal and this information is fundamental
for their handling and interpretation. When the datacube shows objects that
present uncorrelated physical phenomena, the eigenvector's orthogonality may be
instrumental in separating and identifying them. By handling eigenvectors and
tomograms one can enhance features, extract noise, compress data, extract
spectra, etc. We applied the method, for illustration purpose only, to the
central region of the LINER galaxy NGC 4736, and demonstrate that it has a type
1 active nucleus, not known before. Furthermore we show that it is displaced
from the centre of its stellar bulge.Comment: 13 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication on MNRA
Directed -in vitro- evolution of Precambrian and extant Rubiscos
Rubisco is an ancient, catalytically conserved yet slow enzyme, which plays a central role in the
biosphereâs carbon cycle. The design of Rubiscos to increase agricultural productivity has hitherto
relied on the use of in vivo selection systems, precluding the exploration of biochemical traits that are
not wired to cell survival. We present a directed -in vitro- evolution platform that extracts the enzyme
from its biological context to provide a new avenue for Rubisco engineering. Precambrian and extant
form II Rubiscos were subjected to an ensemble of directed evolution strategies aimed at improving
thermostability. The most recent ancestor of proteobacteria -dating back 2.4 billion years- was uniquely
tolerant to mutagenic loading. Adaptive evolution, focused evolution and genetic drift revealed a
panel of thermostable mutants, some deviating from the characteristic trade-offs in CO2-fixing speed
and specificity. Our findings provide a novel approach for identifying Rubisco variants with improved
catalytic evolution potential.This work was supported by the REPSOL Research contracts Rubolution (RC020401120018), Rubolution 2.0 (RC
020401140042), the CSIC project PIE-201780E043 and the Australian Research Council grant CE140100015
The Genomic Signature of Crop-Wild Introgression in Maize
The evolutionary significance of hybridization and subsequent introgression
has long been appreciated, but evaluation of the genome-wide effects of these
phenomena has only recently become possible. Crop-wild study systems represent
ideal opportunities to examine evolution through hybridization. For example,
maize and the conspecific wild teosinte Zea mays ssp. mexicana, (hereafter,
mexicana) are known to hybridize in the fields of highland Mexico. Despite
widespread evidence of gene flow, maize and mexicana maintain distinct
morphologies and have done so in sympatry for thousands of years. Neither the
genomic extent nor the evolutionary importance of introgression between these
taxa is understood. In this study we assessed patterns of genome-wide
introgression based on 39,029 single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyped in 189
individuals from nine sympatric maize-mexicana populations and reference
allopatric populations. While portions of the maize and mexicana genomes were
particularly resistant to introgression (notably near known
cross-incompatibility and domestication loci), we detected widespread evidence
for introgression in both directions of gene flow. Through further
characterization of these regions and preliminary growth chamber experiments,
we found evidence suggestive of the incorporation of adaptive mexicana alleles
into maize during its expansion to the highlands of central Mexico. In
contrast, very little evidence was found for adaptive introgression from maize
to mexicana. The methods we have applied here can be replicated widely, and
such analyses have the potential to greatly informing our understanding of
evolution through introgressive hybridization. Crop species, due to their
exceptional genomic resources and frequent histories of spread into sympatry
with relatives, should be particularly influential in these studies
Infrared composition of the Large Magellanic Cloud
The evolution of galaxies and the history of star formation in the Universe
are among the most important topics in today's astrophysics. Especially, the
role of small, irregular galaxies in the star-formation history of the Universe
is not yet clear. Using the data from the AKARI IRC survey of the Large
Magellanic Cloud at 3.2, 7, 11, 15, and 24 {\mu}m wavelengths, i.e., at the
mid- and near-infrared, we have constructed a multiwavelength catalog
containing data from a cross-correlation with a number of other databases at
different wavelengths. We present the separation of different classes of stars
in the LMC in color-color, and color-magnitude, diagrams, and analyze their
contribution to the total LMC flux, related to point sources at different
infrared wavelengths
Population genetic structure of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Kilifi, Kenya, prior to the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.
BACKGROUND: The 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) was introduced in Kenya in 2011. Introduction of any PCV will perturb the existing pneumococcal population structure, thus the aim was to genotype pneumococci collected in Kilifi before PCV10. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using multilocus sequence typing (MLST), we genotyped >1100 invasive and carriage pneumococci from children, the largest collection genotyped from a single resource-poor country and reported to date. Serotype 1 was the most common serotype causing invasive disease and was rarely detected in carriage; all serotype 1 isolates were members of clonal complex (CC) 217. There were temporal fluctuations in the major circulating sequence types (STs); and although 1-3 major serotype 1, 14 or 23F STs co-circulated annually, the two major serotype 5 STs mainly circulated independently. Major STs/CCs also included isolates of serotypes 3, 12F, 18C and 19A and each shared †2 MLST alleles with STs that circulate widely elsewhere. Major CCs associated with non-PCV10 serotypes were predominantly represented by carriage isolates, although serotype 19A and 12F CCs were largely invasive and a serotype 10A CC was equally represented by invasive and carriage isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the pre-PCV10 population genetic structure in Kilifi will allow for the detection of changes in prevalence of the circulating genotypes and evidence for capsular switching post-vaccine implementation
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