Birth and growth kinetics of brome mosaic virus microcrystals.

The early steps of crystal nucleation and growth in Brome Mosaïc virus and polyethylene glycol mixtures were analyzed using time-resolved x-ray scattering (at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France). The system was chosen as a crystallization model since the phase diagram of the macromolecule/polymer mixture was known to present, at high polymer concentration, a solid, precipitated phase made of the synchronized formation of a large number of microcrystals. The precipitation and crystallization of the samples was induced by the controlled mixing of virus and polymer using a stopped-flow device.

Retroactive pathway involving mitochondria in electroloaded cytochrome c-induced apoptosis. Protective properties of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL.

Cytochrome c release is thought to play an important role in the initiation of apoptosis. The nature of the control exerted by Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL on such a pathway is not precisely known. We addressed this issue by square-wave pulse electroloading of exogenous cytochrome c into Jurkat cells.

Time-resolved scattering investigations of brome mosaic virus microcrystals appearance.

The behavior of brome mosaic virus in solution as a function of physico-chemical conditions has already been characterized by Small Angle X-ray Scattering studies. The most striking result was that the precipitates induced by the addition of polyethylene glycol were in fact made of microcrystals. This result was reinvestigated on the ID2 beamline at ESRF (Grenoble, France) to determine whether there was an amorphous state before the organized one, and measure the necessary period of latency for the microcrystals to form.

Spherical plant viruses: interactions in solution, phase diagrams and crystallization of brome mosaic virus.

Brome mosaic virus (BMV) is a small icosahedral plant virus of mean diameter 268 A. Interactions between BMV particles in solution were studied by means of small-angle X-ray scattering in order to find crystallization conditions. The interactions between biomacromolecules as large as these viruses have not yet been systematically studied by this method.