The Magnetosome Protein, Mms6 from Strain AMB-1, Is a Lipid-Activated Ferric Reductase.

Magnetosomes of magnetotactic bacteria consist of magnetic nanocrystals with defined morphologies enclosed in vesicles originated from cytoplasmic membrane invaginations. Although many proteins are involved in creating magnetosomes, a single magnetosome protein, Mms6 from strain AMB-1, can direct the crystallization of magnetite nanoparticles in vitro. The in vivo role of Mms6 in magnetosome formation is debated, and the observation that Mms6 binds Fe more tightly than Fe raises the question of how, in a magnetosome environment dominated by Fe, Mms6 promotes the crystallization of magnetite, which contains both Fe and Fe.

An ultra-red fluorescent biosensor for highly sensitive and rapid detection of biliverdin.

The important role of BV in clinical diagnostics of liver-related diseases has been established in veterinary medicine. However, the sensitivity and selectivity of the current BV assays remain relatively low compromising its wider application in clinical diagnosis. Herein, we developed a rapid and sensitive BV-detecting biosensor based on a novel far-red fluorescent protein smURFP, which produced fluorescence only through specific interaction with its cofactor BV.

Benzene Derivatives from Ink Lead to False Positive Results in Neonatal Hyperphenylalaninemia Screening with Ninhydrin Fluorometric Method.

Ninhydrin-based fluorometric quantification of phenylalanine is one of the most widely used methods for hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) screening in neonates due to its high sensitivity, high accuracy, and low cost. Here we report an increase of false positive cases in neonatal HPA screening with this method, caused by contamination of blood specimen collection devices during the printing process. Through multiple steps of verification, the contaminants were identified from ink circles printed on the collection devices to indicate the positions and sizes of blood drops.

Correction: Protein patterns template arrays of magnetic nanoparticles.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C6RA07662A.].

Iron Ion and Iron Hydroxide Adsorption to Charge-Neutral Phosphatidylcholine Templates.

Surface-sensitive X-ray scattering and spectroscopy techniques reveal significant adsorption of iron ions and iron-hydroxide (Fe(III)) complexes to a charge-neutral zwitterionic template of phosphatidylcholine (PC). The PC template is formed by a Langmuir monolayer of dipalmitoyl-PC (DPPC) that is spread on the surface of 2 to 40 μM FeCl3 solutions at physiological levels of KCl (100 mM). At 40 μM of Fe(III) as many as ∼3 iron atoms are associated with each PC group.

Morphological transformations in the magnetite biomineralizing protein Mms6 in iron solutions: a small-angle X-ray scattering study.

Magnetotactic bacteria that produce magnetic nanocrystals of uniform size and well-defined morphologies have inspired the use of biomineralization protein Mms6 to promote formation of uniform magnetic nanocrystals in vitro. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) studies in physiological solutions reveal that Mms6 forms compact globular three-dimensional (3D) micelles (approximately 10 nm in diameter) that are, to a large extent, independent of concentration. In the presence of iron ions in the solutions, the general micellar morphology is preserved, however, with associations among micelles that are induced by iron ions.

Integrated self-assembly of the Mms6 magnetosome protein to form an iron-responsive structure.

A common feature of biomineralization proteins is their self-assembly to produce a surface consistent in size with the inorganic crystals that they produce. Mms6, a small protein of 60 amino acids from Magnetospirillum magneticum strain AMB-1 that promotes the in vitro growth of superparamagnetic magnetite nanocrystals, assembles in aqueous solution to form spherical micelles that could be visualized by TEM and AFM. The results reported here are consistent with the view that the N and C-terminal domains interact with each other within one polypeptide chain and across protein units in the assembly.

Poly(ε-caprolactone) modified with fusion protein containing self-assembled hydrophobin and functional peptide for selective capture of human blood outgrowth endothelial cells.

Human blood outgrowth endothelial cells (HBOECs)-specific binding peptide, TPSLEQRTVYAK (TPS), was proposed to be applied on autologous cell therapy for treating cardiovascular diseases. Hydrophobins, as a family of self-assembly proteins originated from fungi, have demonstrated unique characteristics to modulate surface properties of other materials coated with these amphiphilic proteins in previous studies. In this report, a fusion protein which was composed of class I hydrophobin HGFI originated from Grifola frondosa and functional peptide TPS was expressed by Pichia pastoris expression system.

Immobilization of anti-CD31 antibody on electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone) scaffolds through hydrophobins for specific adhesion of endothelial cells.

Hydrophilicity improvement and bioactive surface design of poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) grafts are of key importance for their application in tissue engineering. Herein, we develop a convenient approach for achieving stable hydrophilic surfaces by modifying electrospun PCL grafts with a class II hydrophobin (HFBI) coating. Static water contact angles (WCA) demonstrated the conversion of the PCL grafts from hydrophobic to hydrophilic after the introduction of amphiphilic HFBI.

Prokaryotic expression, purification, and polyclonal antibody production of a hydrophobin from Grifola frondosa.

Hydrophobins are small fungal proteins that self-assemble spontaneously at hydrophilic-hydrophobic interfaces and change the polar nature of the surfaces to which they attach. A new hydrophobin gene hgfI was identified recently from the edible mushroom Grifola frondosa. In this paper, the cloning, expression, purification, and polyclonal antibody preparation of the HGFI were described.

Expression and characterization of a Grifola frondosa hydrophobin in Pichia pastoris.

Hydrophobins are small secreted proteins produced by filamentous fungi. Being amphipathic and self-assembling, hydrophobins have drawn great attention since their discovery. The increase of production can reduce the cost and open up several new applications of hydrophobins.