The role of interplay between the plant plasma membrane H-ATPase and its lipid environment.

The mechanisms behind the regulation of plasma membrane (PM) P-type H-ATPase in plant cells mediated by lipid-protein interactions and lateral heterogeneity of the plasma membrane are discussed. This review will focus on 1) the structural organization and mechanisms of the catalytic cycle of the enzyme, 2) phosphorylation as the primary mechanism of pump regulation; 3) the possible role of lateral heterogeneity of the plasma membrane in this process, as well as 4) the role of lipids in the H-ATPase biosynthesis and its delivery to the plasma membrane. In addition, 5) the potential role of membrane lipids in the H-ATPase co-localisation with secondary active transporters is speculated.

How sterols affect protoplasts plasma membrane water permeability and their volume under osmotic shock.

Protoplasts isolated from Arabidopsis leaves were used to study the initial stages of the plant cell response to osmotic stress. The role of sterols in these processes was investigated by their extraction from the protoplast plasma membrane in the presence of the oligosaccharide - methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD). Depletion of membrane sterols caused by MβCD treatment did not alter protoplast volume under isosmotic conditions; however, volumes changed significantly when protoplasts were exposed to osmotic stress.

Advancing Precision Vaccinology by Molecular and Genomic Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Germany, 2021.

Background: Comprehensive pathogen genomic surveillance represents a powerful tool to complement and advance precision vaccinology. The emergence of the Alpha variant in December 2020 and the resulting efforts to track the spread of this and other severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern led to an expansion of genomic sequencing activities in Germany.

Methods: At Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German National Institute of Public Health, we established the Integrated Molecular Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 (IMS-SC2) network to perform SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance at the national scale, SARS-CoV-2-positive samples from laboratories distributed across Germany regularly undergo whole-genome sequencing at RKI.

Sterol Extraction from Isolated Plant Plasma Membrane Vesicles Affects H-ATPase Activity and H-Transport.

Plasma membrane H-ATPase is known to be detected in detergent-resistant sterol-enriched fractions, also called "raft" domains. Studies on H-ATPase reconstituted in artificial or native membrane vesicles have shown both sterol-mediated stimulations and inhibitions of its activity. Here, using sealed isolated plasma membrane vesicles, we investigated the effects of sterol depletion in the presence of methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) on H-ATPase activity.

Rapid incidence estimation from SARS-CoV-2 genomes reveals decreased case detection in Europe during summer 2020.

By October 2021, 230 million SARS-CoV-2 diagnoses have been reported. Yet, a considerable proportion of cases remains undetected. Here, we propose GInPipe, a method that rapidly reconstructs SARS-CoV-2 incidence profiles solely from publicly available, time-stamped viral genomes.