Characterization of the ABC methionine transporter from reveals that lipidated MetQ is required for interaction.

NmMetQ is a substrate-binding protein (SBP) from that has been identified as a surface-exposed candidate antigen for meningococcal vaccines. However, this location for NmMetQ challenges the prevailing view that SBPs in Gram-negative bacteria are localized to the periplasmic space to promote interaction with their cognate ABC transporter embedded in the bacterial inner membrane. To elucidate the roles of NmMetQ, we characterized NmMetQ with and without its cognate ABC transporter (NmMetNI).

Prevention of tunneled cuffed catheter dysfunction with prophylactic use of a taurolidine urokinase lock: A randomized double-blind trial.

Background: The efficacy and cost-effectiveness of prophylactic thrombolytic locks in hemodialysis patients at high-risk of thrombotic dialysis catheter dysfunction is uncertain. We investigated this question in a double-blinded randomized controlled study.

Methods: Prevalent hemodialysis patients from 8 Belgian hemodialysis units, with ≥2 separate episodes of thrombotic dysfunction of their tunneled cuffed catheter during the 6 months before inclusion, were randomized to either: taurolidine heparin locks thrice weekly (control arm) or the same locks twice a week combined with taurolidine urokinase locks once a week before the longest interval without HD (TaurolockU arm).

Reactivity of Metabolic Intermediates and Cofactor Stability under Model Early Earth Conditions.

Understanding the emergence of metabolic pathways is key to unraveling the factors that promoted the origin of life. One popular view is that protein cofactors acted as catalysts prior to the evolution of the protein enzymes with which they are now associated. We investigated the stability of acetyl coenzyme A (Acetyl Co-A, the group transfer cofactor in citric acid synthesis in the TCA cycle) under early Earth conditions, as well as whether Acetyl Co-A or its small molecule analogs thioacetate or acetate can catalyze the transfer of an acetyl group onto oxaloacetate in the absence of the citrate synthase enzyme.

CO Coupling Chemistry of a Terminal Mo Carbide: Sequential Addition of Proton, Hydride, and CO Releases Ethenone.

The mechanism originally proposed by Fischer and Tropsch for carbon monoxide (CO) hydrogenative catenation involves C-C coupling from a carbide-derived surface methylidene. A single molecular system capable of capturing these complex chemical steps is hitherto unknown. Herein, we demonstrate the sequential addition of proton and hydride to a terminal Mo carbide derived from CO.

The dormancy-specific regulator, SutA, is intrinsically disordered and modulates transcription initiation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Though most bacteria in nature are nutritionally limited and grow slowly, our understanding of core processes like transcription comes largely from studies in model organisms doubling rapidly. We previously identified a small protein of unknown function, SutA, in a screen of proteins synthesized in Pseudomonas aeruginosa during dormancy. SutA binds RNA polymerase (RNAP), causing widespread changes in gene expression, including upregulation of the ribosomal RNA genes.