Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Benedikt Junglas, Stefan T. Huber, Thomas Heidler, Lukas Schloesser, Daniel Mann, Raoul Hennig, Mairi Clarke, Nadja Hellmann, Dirk Schneider, Carsten Sachse
Summary: Our study demonstrates the role of PspA in bacterial membrane remodeling and vesicular structure formation through cryo-EM analysis. The findings suggest that PspA belongs to the evolutionary ancestry of ESCRT-III proteins involved in membrane fusion and fission activities. This sheds light on the functional properties of bacterial PspA/IM30/LiaH proteins.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Julia Bahja, Marcus K. Dymond
Summary: Oxidative stress affects lipid membranes by reducing stored curvature elastic energy, which can potentially be mitigated by compounds that increase stored curvature elastic energy; Age-related changes in lipid composition may represent a homeostatic response of cells to compensate for the accumulation of in vivo lipid oxidation products.
FREE RADICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brandy N. Curtis, Ellysa J. D. Vogt, Kevin S. Cannon, Amy S. Gladfelter
Summary: Most cells can sense and change their shape to carry out cell processes, with the septin cytoskeleton playing a vital role in coordinating shape changes. Septins assemble into higher-order structures and are found in regions of positive curvature on the cell membrane. Reconstituting the septin cytoskeleton in a cell-free system has allowed for the study of assembly mechanisms at high resolution. Understanding how septins assemble and sense curvature at different stages is crucial for understanding cell shape changes.
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Charles Burridge, Christopher A. Waudby, Tomasz Wlodarski, Anais M. E. Cassaignau, Lisa D. Cabrita, John Christodoulou
Summary: This study used solution-state NMR spectroscopy to measure transverse proton relaxation rates for methyl groups in folded ribosome-nascent chain complexes, revealing interactions between the nascent chain and ribosome surface driven predominantly by electrostatics. By observing changes in these interactions as subsequent domain emerges, the impact on free energy landscapes associated with co-translational folding process can be deduced.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Rushabh M. Shah, Aydin Cihanoglu, Justin Hardcastle, Caitlin Howell, Jessica D. Schiffman
Summary: Antifouling membranes with ultrathin oil layer were demonstrated in this study, offering stable operational lifetimes and long-lasting antifouling properties. The membranes showed stable permeance values and reduced microbial attachment, making them suitable for meeting the growing demand for clean water.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Mateusz Rzycki, Dominik Drabik, Kamila Szostak-Paluch, Beata Hanus-Lorenz, Sebastian Kraszewski
Summary: This study investigated the mechanism of action of antimicrobial agents octenidine dichloride and chlorhexidine digluconate, revealing that their selectivity is not solely based on electrostatic interactions, but is also related to the mechanical properties of the cell membrane. Chlorhexidine did not disrupt membranes primarily or show electrostatic selectivity towards negatively charged membranes, suggesting a more complex relationship with discrete membrane properties.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Zhenyu Wang, Dan Gu, Yaming Hong, Yachen Hu, Jiaojie Gu, Yuanyue Tang, Xiaohui Zhou, Yunzeng Zhang, Xinan Jiao, Qiuchun Li
Summary: This study elucidates the genetic mechanism underlying the generation of Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- from S. Typhimurium and demonstrates that Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- exhibits higher colonization and survival abilities in mice.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meng Wang, Xin Yi
Summary: The mechanical interaction between lipid droplets (LDs) and vesicles is influenced by various factors, including the properties of the vesicle membrane, LD-vesicle interfacial interaction strength, size ratio, and osmotic pressure. When the interfacial interaction strength exceeds a critical value, the embedded LD undergoes a shape transition, with the vesicle size affecting the energy cost of this process. Budding phase diagrams are established to distinguish different states of the LD-vesicle complex, showing nonmonotonic features in the budding transition boundary.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
David Robert Daniels
Summary: This study provides an expression for the diffusion-limited reaction rate on a curved surface or membrane and applies it to calculating the receptor-ligand association rate. The research finds that the receptor-ligand reaction rates can be significantly reduced due to the effect of locally induced membrane curvature or geometry.
CHEMICAL PHYSICS LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Martin Girard, Tristan Bereau
Summary: The plasma membrane of eukaryotes exhibits lipid asymmetry, with different lipids primarily located in different leaflets. Using computational simulations, it has been found that saturation asymmetry arises as a result of phospholipid number asymmetry and sphingomyelin contents. This suggests that some asymmetries in lipid composition may naturally result from others and do not require external factors. The asymmetry of cholesterol, on the other hand, is fairly mild and influenced by all the other asymmetries.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Syma Khalid, Astrid F. Brandner, Nikolai Juraschko, Kahlan E. Newman, Conrado Pedebos, Dheeraj Prakaash, Iain P. S. Smith, Callum Waller, Dhanushka Weerakoon
Summary: Computational techniques have great potential in microbiology, particularly in the field of molecular dynamics simulations. Increasing compositional complexity and molecular crowding in simulated systems are key for bridging the gap between experimental and computational microbiology.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Zhen Wang, Aizhen Zhao, Jun Qiao, Jing Yu, Fenfang He, Yibing Bi, Letong Yu, Xiaoyuan Wang
Summary: In this study, E. coli MG1655 was engineered to efficiently produce monophosphoryl lipid A, which can be used for industrial production. The engineered strain MW021/pTEPL could produce two main species of monophosphoryl lipid A, making it an ideal host for industrial production.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Pavol Kalinay
Summary: This study investigates a Janus particle diffusing on a line, being driven forward or backward by its stochastic orientation and influenced by a position-dependent potential U(x). The effective generalized Fick-Jacobs equation is proposed through a mapping scheme to describe the motion of the particle in the spatial coordinate x, with orientation understood as the transverse coordinate. The selfpropulsion leads to an additional effective potential -gamma (x) in the reduced picture, aiding in understanding the peculiarities of the system. Additional corrections to the potential cause confined particles to redistribute in quasiequilibrium, leading to piling at the walls, and in periodic asymmetric channels, causing a growing contribution responsible for driving the ratchet effect.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andreas Haahr Larsen
Summary: Eukaryotic cells contain membranes with various curvatures, which are generated and sustained by specific proteins, peptides, and lipids. In addition, certain molecules can sense membrane curvature. Molecular dynamics simulations provide a valuable tool for investigating curved lipid membranes and their interactions with membrane-associated proteins.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Azzah Nazihah Che Abdul Rahim, Hisashi Hoshida, Sergio Mestre, Izumi Kumakiri
Summary: Biofouling is a problem that reduces membrane performance in many applications. This study explored the use of an AgTiO2 coating to inhibit bacterial growth on flat ceramic supports. The results showed that the AgTiO2 membranes effectively prevented the attachment and growth of Escherichia coli, and this inhibition was not solely due to the release of silver ions. Microscopic observation revealed that direct contact with the AgTiO2 coating killed the bacteria.
WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Biophysics
Jonathan Shearer, Syma Khalid
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jonathan Shearer, Syma Khalid
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jonathan Shearer, Jan K. Marzinek, Peter J. Bond, Syma Khalid
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
A. Archer, H. R. Foxhall, N. L. Allan, J. R. W. Shearer, D. S. D. Gunn, J. H. Harding, I. T. Todorov, K. P. Travis, J. A. Purton
Summary: This study reports molecular dynamics simulations of radiation damage cascades in different compounds, revealing the characteristics of increased volume and transition to amorphous structure in the titanium zirconate, while in the solid solution, increasing zirconium concentration can delay the onset of amorphization.
MOLECULAR SIMULATION
(2021)