Encapsulation and release of As pidasept peptides in polysaccharide formulation for oral application.

Due to the increase in bacterial resistance to common antibiotics and the lack of newly approved drugs, antimicrobial peptides (AMP) have been shown to be an alternative to combat infections caused by drug-resistant organisms. In particular, synthetic anti-lipopolysaccharide peptides (SALP) with the lead structure Aspidasept (Pep19-2.5) display a high anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in vivo systems of endotoxemia and bacteremia.

Production of coronavirus nonstructural proteins in soluble form for crystallization.

For biophysical investigations on viral proteins, in particular for structure determination by X-ray crystallography, relatively large quantities of purified protein are necessary. However, expression of cDNAs coding for viral proteins in prokaryotic or eukaryotic systems is often not straightforward, and frequently the amount and/or the solubility of the protein obtained are not sufficient. Here, we describe a number of protocols for production of nonstructural proteins of coronaviruses that have proven to be efficient in increasing expression yields or solubilities.

Variable oligomerization modes in coronavirus non-structural protein 9.

Non-structural protein 9 (Nsp9) of coronaviruses is believed to bind single-stranded RNA in the viral replication complex. The crystal structure of Nsp9 of human coronavirus (HCoV) 229E reveals a novel disulfide-linked homodimer, which is very different from the previously reported Nsp9 dimer of SARS coronavirus. In contrast, the structure of the Cys69Ala mutant of HCoV-229E Nsp9 shows the same dimer organization as the SARS-CoV protein.

The non-structural protein Nsp10 of mouse hepatitis virus binds zinc ions and nucleic acids.

The non-structural protein Nsp10 of coronaviruses is a small cleavage product of the viral replicase polyprotein that has been implicated in RNA synthesis. Nsp10 of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) displays an apparent molecular mass of 13-16kDa in reducing SDS-PAGE and analytical gel filtration, while dynamic light scattering suggests the existence of oligomeric forms. Atomic absorption spectroscopy reveals two metal ions per Nsp10 monomer, with a preference for Zn(2+) over Fe(2+/3+) and Co(2+).

Combination of serum eye drops with hydrogel bandage contact lenses in the treatment of persistent epithelial defects.

Background: The treatment of persistent epithelial defects (PED) with autologous serum eye drops is often combined with conventional medication such as artificial tears and topical antibiotics, but until now no report exists on the use of a bandage contact lens (BCL) in combination with autologous serum eye drops in the treatment of PEDs. We report six eyes (five patients) which were all treated with autologous serum eye drops in combination with an FDA group IV hydrogel contact lens.

Methods: Five patients aged 36-88 years, were suffering from six PEDs for 73.

Novel functional aspects of the membrane-bound exo-pyrophosphatase of the hyperthermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus are provided by analysis of its gene and the adjacent gene cluster.

The gene of the previously described plasma-membrane-bound acidic pyrophosphatase (exo-PPase) and adjacent genes of the hyperthermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius (DSM 639) were cloned and sequenced. The 4-kb gene cluster comprises four open reading frames (sepp, simp, sabc, and satr) encoding the pyrophosphatase, a small hydrophobic protein of unknown cellular function, a hydrophilic ABC transport ATPase, and an amino transferase. The four proteins have deduced molecular masses of 21, 16, 34, and 48 kDa, respectively.

The archaeal signal recognition particle: steps toward membrane binding.

Signal recognition particles and their receptors target ribosome nascent chain complexes of preproteins toward the protein translocation apparatus of the cell. The discovery of essential SRP components in the third urkingdom of the phylogenetic tree, the archaea (Woese, C. R.

Protein-protein, protein-RNA and protein-lipid interactions of signal-recognition particle components in the hyperthermoacidophilic archaeon Acidianus ambivalens.

The signal-recognition particle (SRP) of one of the most acidophilic and hyperthermophilic archaeal cells, Acidianus ambivalens, and its putative receptor component, FtsY (prokaryotic SRP receptor), were investigated in detail. A. ambivalens Ffh (fifty-four-homologous protein) was shown to be a soluble protein with strong affinity to membranes.

Archaeal complex II: 'classical' and 'non-classical' succinate:quinone reductases with unusual features.

Reversible succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activities have been ubiquitously detected in organisms from the three domains of life. They represent constituents either of respiratory complexes II in aerobes, or of fumarate dehydrogenase complexes in anaerobes. The present review gives a survey on archaeal succinate:quinone oxidoreductases (SQRs) analyzed so far.