Structural bases for the interaction of frataxin with the central components of iron–sulphur cluster assembly

Reduced levels of frataxin, an essential protein of as yet unknown function, are responsible for causing the neurodegenerative pathology Friedreich's ataxia. Independent reports have linked frataxin to iron–sulphur cluster assembly through interactions with the two central components of this machinery: desulphurase Nfs1/IscS and the scaffold protein Isu/IscU. In this study, we use a combination of biophysical methods to define the structural bases of the interaction of CyaY (the bacterial orthologue of frataxin) with the IscS/IscU complex. We show that CyaY binds IscS as a monomer in a pocket between the active site and the IscS dimer interface. Recognition does not require iron and occurs through electrostatic interactions of complementary charged residues. Mutations at the complex interface affect the rates of enzymatic cluster formation. CyaY binding strengthens the affinity of the IscS/IscU complex. Our data suggest a new paradigm for understanding the role of frataxin as a regulator of IscS functions

Model drug release from matrix tablets composed of HPMC with different substituent heterogeneity

The release of a model drug substance, methylparaben, was studied in matrix tablets composed of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) batches of the USP 2208 grade that had different chemical compositions. It was found that chemically heterogeneous HPMC batches with longer sections of low substituted regions and lower hydroxypropoxy content facilitated the formation of reversible gel structures at a temperature as low as 37 degrees C. Most importantly, these structures were shown to affect the release of the drug from matrix tablets, where the drug release decreased with increased heterogeneity and a difference in T80 values of 7 h was observed between the compositions. This could be explained by the much lower erosion rate of the heterogeneous HPMC batches, which decreased the drug release rate and also released the drug with a more diffusion based release mechanism compared to the less heterogeneous batches. It can therefore be concluded that the drug release from matrix tablets is very sensitive to variations in the chemical heterogeneity of HPMC