Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicola Pellicciotta, Matteo Paoluzzi, Dario Buonomo, Giacomo Frangipane, Luca Angelani, Roberto Di Leonardo
Summary: By modulating bacterial motility with light, researchers have found a way to control the transport direction and speed of microscopic particles by adjusting the active pressure gradients. This discovery provides new insights into the potential use of active pressure for controlled transport of microscopic objects.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Lingyan Du, Jianming Yue, Yiying Zhu, Sheng Yin
Summary: In this study, a genetic manipulation strategy was developed to construct an indigo biosynthesis cell factory in E. coli for industrial production. The over-expression of styAB gene increased the capacity of indigo biosynthesis, while the expression of tryptophanase and chaperone had different effects on indigo yield.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Oleksii Zdorevskyi, Amina Djurabekova, Jonathan Lasham, Vivek Sharma
Summary: Respiratory complex I is an redox-driven proton pump that contributes to mitochondrial ATP generation. The recent cryo-EM structural data revealed the positions of water molecules in the membrane domain of the complex, but the flow of protons in the membrane-bound subunits is still unclear. Computer simulations on high-resolution structural data show that protons can travel through the antiporter-like subunits, including at the subunit-subunit interface parallel to the membrane. Our simulations also demonstrate the role of conserved tyrosine residues and electrostatic effects in facilitating proton transfer. These results challenge prevailing proton pumping models of respiratory complex I.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lisa Strotmann, Caroline Harter, Tatjana Gerasimova, Kevin Ritter, Henning J. J. Jessen, Daniel Wohlwend, Thorsten Friedrich
Summary: NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, also known as respiratory complex I, is involved in cellular energy metabolism by coupling electron transfer and proton translocation. The oxidoreductase generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a by-product, but this does not affect the activity of the complex significantly, as it can bypass the damage caused by ROS during electron transfer.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shanshan Li, Kan-Yen Hsieh, Chiao- Kuo, Shih-Chieh Su, Kai-Fa Huang, Kaiming Zhang, Chung- Chang
Summary: Lon protease is able to degrade protein substrates in a processive fashion at each of its six proteolytic active sites, forming a deep groove that encloses the substrate polypeptide chain and allows for continuous cleavage in the C-to-N direction. An acidic residue at the binding groove exit is identified as essential for the proteolytic activity, likely promoting processive proteolysis through carboxyl-carboxylate interactions with cleaved intermediates. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized mechanism for processive substrate degradation by the Lon protease.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Hai-Jun Li, Rui Feng, Gao-Xiang Wang, Junnian Wei, Zhenfeng Xi
Summary: By reacting semi-rigid PNP ligand with CoBr2, complex PNPCoBr (1) was obtained. The reduction of 1 with excess amounts of KC8 in THE under a N-2 atmosphere yielded binuclear cobalt dinitrogen anion complex [Co(mu-Cy2P)PCyN2](2)K (2) by cleaving the C-P bond of the PNP ligand. Adding 2,2,2-cryptand into complex 2 effectively prepared ion pair Co complex, [Co(mu-Cy2P)PCyN2](2)K(crypt-222) (3). The structures of 1, 2, and 3 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and N-2 is moderately activated in complexes 2 and 3. DFT calculations suggest the presence of a Co-Co bond in 2 and 3. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibit catalytic activity for the transformation of N-2 to N(SiMe3)(3).
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Amina Ezzeroug Ezzraimi, Nadji Hannachi, Antoine Mariotti, Jean-Marc Rolain, Laurence Camoin-Jau
Summary: In addition to hemostasis, platelets also contribute to inflammation and defense against microbes. The interaction between platelets and Gram-negative bacteria, specifically Escherichia coli, is not well described compared to Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. The mechanisms of interaction between platelets and E. coli vary, with some strains interacting through toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) and others through Fc gamma glycoprotein. E. coli mainly activates platelets through lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and causes the release of antibacterial molecules, although this is not consistent across all strains.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hui Guo, Gautier M. Courbon, Stephanie A. Bueler, Juntao Mai, Jun Liu, John L. Rubinstein
Summary: The study of the ATP synthase structures in Mycobacterium smegmatis has provided insights into how the enzyme conserves energy through autoinhibition of ATP hydrolysis and the mechanism of action of the drug bedaquiline used in treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is increasingly resistant to first-line antibiotics, allowing infections to remain dormant and decreasing susceptibility to many antibiotics. Bedaquiline, developed from a lead compound identified in a screen against Mycobacterium smegmatis, targets the mycobacterial ATP synthase and is a cornerstone in the treatment of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giorgio Caserta, Sven Hartmann, Casey Van Stappen, Chara Karafoulidi-Retsou, Christian Lorent, Stefan Yelin, Matthias Keck, Janna Schoknecht, Ilya Sergueev, Yoshitaka Yoda, Peter Hildebrandt, Christian Limberg, Serena DeBeer, Ingo Zebger, Stefan Frielingsdorf, Oliver Lenz
Summary: In this study, the maturation process of [NiFe]-hydrogenase was investigated using biochemical analysis and various spectroscopic techniques, providing detailed insights into its complex maturation mechanism.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Prasanth Karaiyan, Catherine Ching Han Chang, Eng-Seng Chan, Beng Ti Tey, Ramakrishnan Nagasundara Ramanan, Chien Wei Ooi
Summary: Sequence-based screening is widely used in discovering novel microbial enzymes, but lacks experimental characterization. This study presents a systematic screening method to identify soluble and functional proteins using in silico techniques. The success rate of producing soluble and active DmoA enzyme is 71%, and interestingly, the soluble form of DmoA exhibits oxidoreductase activity. DmoA from Janthinobacterium sp. AD80 shows the highest NADH oxidation activity.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Weiwei Wang, Yan Gao, Yanting Tang, Xiaoting Zhou, Yuezheng Lai, Shan Zhou, Yuying Zhang, Xiuna Yang, Fengjiang Liu, Luke W. Guddat, Quan Wang, Zihe Rao, Hongri Gong
Summary: Cytochromes bd are common among prokaryotes, including many human-pathogenic bacteria, and are potential targets for antimicrobial drug development. However, the relationship between structure and functional mechanisms of these oxidases is not fully understood. This study presents the structure of Mycobacterium smegmatis cytochrome bd and identifies potential oxygen access channels, providing insights for the development of antituberculosis drugs.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Helena Massana-Cid, Claudio Maggi, Giacomo Frangipane, Roberto Di Leonardo
Summary: Optical feedback can be used to confine and gather bacteria, forming dense high-activity regions. This method is general and scalable, making it versatile for microengineering applications and studying non-equilibrium phenomena in active systems.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shunshi Kohyama, Adrian Merino-Salomon, Petra Schwille
Summary: Constructing a minimal protein machinery for self-division of membrane compartments is a major goal of bottom-up synthetic biology. Here, authors achieved the assembly, placement and onset of contraction of a minimal division ring in lipid vesicles.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Gwendolyn J. Gregory, R. Kyle Bennett, Eleftherios T. Papoutsakis
Summary: The abundant natural gas reserves and increased biogas production have led to a growing interest in using methane as an industrial feedstock. Methane can be used directly for fermentation or converted to methanol via biological or chemical means. Synthetic methylotrophs, or non-methylotrophic platform microorganisms like E. coli, have been engineered to overcome the limitations of native methylotrophs for industrial applications. This review discusses recent progress in synthetic methylotrophy and the strategies for realizing the industrial potential of synthetic methylotrophs and methanotrophs.
METABOLIC ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Katherine J. Picott, Robert Flick, Elizabeth A. Edwards
Summary: Researchers have developed a novel respiratory RDase expression system using Escherichia coli, successfully validating its effectiveness on multiple enzymes and paving the way for further exploration of the activity and structure of these enzymes. This platform will facilitate the study of RDases by allowing for their reliable production and isolation, with potential implications for improving expression in RDases from other organisms.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)