Unusual Cytochrome 552 from : Solution NMR Structure and Interaction with Thiocyanate Dehydrogenase.

The search of a putative physiological electron acceptor for thiocyanate dehydrogenase (TcDH) newly discovered in the thiocyanate-oxidizing bacteria revealed an unusually large, single-heme cytochrome (CytC552), which was co-purified with TcDH from the periplasm. Recombinant CytC552, produced in as a mature protein without a signal peptide, has spectral properties similar to the endogenous protein and serves as an in vitro electron acceptor in the TcDH-catalyzed reaction. The CytC552 structure determined by NMR spectroscopy reveals significant differences compared to those of the typical class I bacterial cytochromes : a high solvent accessible surface area for the heme group and so-called "intrinsically disordered" nature of the histidine-rich N- and C-terminal regions.

Microbial Biofilms at Meat-Processing Plant as Possible Places of Bacteria Survival.

Biofilm contamination in food production threatens food quality and safety, and causes bacterial infections. Study of food biofilms (BF) is of great importance. The taxonomic composition and structural organization of five foods BF taken in different workshops of a meat-processing plant (Moscow, RF) were studied.

Insulin Receptor-Related Receptor Regulates the Rate of Early Development in .

The orphan insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR) encoded by gene is the third member of the insulin receptor family, also including the insulin receptor (IR) and the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R). IRR is the extracellular alkaline medium sensor. In mice, is expressed only in small populations of cells in specific tissues, which contain extracorporeal liquids of extreme pH.

Broad-spectrum antiviral diazadispiroalkane core molecules block attachment and cell-to-cell spread of herpesviruses.

Regarding the problems with the current available drugs many research studies deal with the class of the dispirotripiperazine (DSTP)-based compounds. These are small molecules consisting of polycyclic saturated ring systems with positively charged nitrogen atoms. These compounds can interact with negatively charged HSPGs and thus block viral attachment.

Nanopore Sequencing for De Novo Bacterial Genome Assembly and Search for Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism.

Nanopore sequencing (ONT) is a new and rapidly developing method for determining nucleotide sequences in DNA and RNA. It serves the ability to obtain long reads of thousands of nucleotides without assembly and amplification during sequencing compared to next-generation sequencing. Nanopore sequencing can help for determination of genetic changes leading to antibiotics resistance.

Shotgun proteomic profiling of dormant, 'non-culturable' Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Dormant cells of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, in addition to low metabolic activity and a high level of drug resistance, are characterized by 'non-culturability'-a specific reversible state of the inability of the cells to grow on solid media. The biochemical characterization of this physiological state of the pathogen is only superficial, pending clarification of the metabolic processes that may exist in such cells. In this study, applying LC-MS proteomic profiling, we report the analysis of proteins accumulated in dormant, 'non-culturable' M.

Isolation and Biochemical Characterization of Recombinant Transketolase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Transketolase, an enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway, plays an important role in the functioning of mycobacteria. Using plasmid pET-19b carrying the gene of transketolase from and an additional histidine tag, we isolated and purified recombinant transketolase and determined the conditions for obtaining the apoform of the protein. The Michaelis constants were evaluated for the thiamine diphosphate cofactor in the presence of magnesium and calcium ions.

Application of Special Electron Microscopy Techniques to the Study of DNA - Protein Complexes in E. coli Cells.

Various electron microscopy techniques were applied recently to the study of DNA condensation in dormant bacterial cells. Here, we describe, in detail, the preparation of dormant Escherichia coli cells for electron microscopy studies and electron tomography and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) approaches, which were used to reveal the structures of DNA-protein complexes in dormant Escherichia coli cells.

Thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-Core Compounds Show Activity against Clinically Relevant Gram-Positive Bacteria.

Thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines represent a novel antibacterial prodrug scaffold, previously identified through a screening campaign against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in which the formation of highly antimycobacterial metabolites catalyzed by the nitroreductase Mrx2 is suggested to be the relevant killing mechanism. As analogous activation pathways may also be employed in other prokaryotes, in this work we explored general antibacterial effects of this compound class. Through exploration of the chemical space by different synthetic strategies, 51 novel derivatives were generated, biologically evaluated and thus enabled initial conclusions about structure-activity relationships.

Constitutive chitosanase from Bacillus thuringiensis B-387 and its potential for preparation of antimicrobial chitooligomers.

The article proves the ability of the entomopathogenic strain B. thuringiensis var. dendrolimus B-387 to high the constitutive production (3-12.

Development of dual reporter vector system for estimating translational activity of regulatory elements.

Background: For the needs of modern biotechnology, a quantitative approach to the control of regulatory elements at all stages of gene expression has long become indispensable. Such a control regime is impossible without a quantitative analysis of the role of each regulatory element or pattern used. Therefore, it seems important to modify and develop the accuracy, reproducibility, and availability of methods for quantifying the contribution of each regulatory code to the implementation of genetic information.

[The analysis of immunoreactivity of individual B-cell epitopes of hepatitis C virus (Flaviviridae: Hepacivirus: Hepatitis С virus) NS4a antigen].

Introduction: Chronic viral hepatitis C (CHC) is a ubiquitous infectious disease, a significant limitation of which WHO attributes to the use of a new highly effective antiviral therapy. Previously, two B-cell epitopes were identified in NS4a antigen of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It was shown that certain titers of antibodies (ABs) to the extended C-terminal epitope (1687-1718 a.

Honeycomb-Structured Porous Films from Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate--3-hydroxyvalerate): Physicochemical Characterization and Mesenchymal Stem Cells Behavior.

Surface morphology affects cell attachment and proliferation. In this research, different films made of biodegradable polymers, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate--3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHB--HV), containing different molecular weights, with microstructured surfaces were investigated. Two methods were used to obtain patterned films-water-assisted self-assembly ("breath figure") and spin-coating techniques.

Interplay between the Enamine and Imine Forms of the Hydrolyzed Imipenem in the Active Sites of Metallo-β-lactamases and in Water Solution.

Deactivation of the β-lactam antibiotics in the active sites of the β-lactamases is among the main mechanisms of bacterial antibiotic resistance. As drugs of last resort, carbapenems are efficiently hydrolyzed by metallo-β-lactamases, presenting a serious threat to human health. Our study reveals mechanistic aspects of the imipenem hydrolysis by bizinc metallo-β-lactamases, NDM-1 and L1, belonging to the B1 and the B3 subclasses, respectively.

Environmentally Friendly Wheat Farming: Biological and Economic Efficiency of Three Treatments to Control Fungal Diseases in Winter Wheat ( L.) under Field Conditions.

The control of wheat diseases using bioagents is not well studied under field conditions. The present study was aimed at investigating, during four consecutive growing seasons (2017-2020), the efficacy of two integrated crop protection (ICP) systems to control the common wheat diseases for enhancing the productivity and profitability of winter wheat crops and ensuring nutritional and food security. Two environmental-friendly treatments were tested, biological (T1), which contained bioagents and fertilizers, and combined (T2), which included fertilizers and bioagents coupled with lower doses of fungicides.

Photoemission of Plasmonic Gold Nanostars in Laser-Controlled Electron Current Devices for Technical and Biomedical Applications.

The main goal of this work was to modify the previously developed blade-type planar structure using plasmonic gold nanostars in order to stimulate photofield emission and provide efficient laser control of the electron current. Localization and enhancement of the field at the tips of gold nanostars provided a significant increase in the tunneling electron current in the experimental sample (both electrical field and photofield emission). Irradiation at a wavelength in the vicinity of the plasmon resonance (red laser) provided a gain in the photoresponse value of up to 5 times compared to irradiation far from the resonance (green laser).

Structural Bases of Prion Variation in Yeast.

Amyloids are protein aggregates with a specific filamentous structure that are related to a number of human diseases, and also to some important physiological processes in animals and other kingdoms of life. Amyloids in yeast can stably propagate as heritable units, prions. Yeast prions are of interest both on their own and as a model for amyloids and prions in general.

Effects of various materials used to promote the direct interspecies electron transfer on anaerobic digestion of low-concentration swine manure.

The activation of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) by the supplementation of conductive materials is one of the effective and available methods to enhance anaerobic digestion (AD). Microorganisms that colonize the surface of these materials form biofilms, the study of which could provide new insights into the character of the DIET process and its effect on AD. The present study focused on AD performance, microbial community, as well as morphological and topological features of biofilms on various materials used to promote DIET during AD of low-concentration swine manure.

Recent advances in structural studies of 14-3-3 protein complexes.

Being phosphopeptide-binding hubs, 14-3-3 proteins coordinate multiple cellular processes in eukaryotes, including the regulation of apoptosis, cell cycle, ion channels trafficking, transcription, signal transduction, and hormone biosynthesis. Forming constitutive α-helical dimers, 14-3-3 proteins predominantly recognize specifically phosphorylated Ser/Thr sites within their partners; this generally stabilizes phosphotarget conformation and affects its activity, intracellular distribution, dephosphorylation, degradation and interactions with other proteins. Not surprisingly, 14-3-3 complexes are involved in the development of a range of diseases and are considered promising drug targets.

Effect of Trehalose on Oligomeric State and Anti-Aggregation Activity of αB-Crystallin.

αB-Crystallin (αB-Cr), one of the main crystalline lens proteins, along with other crystallins maintains lens transparency suppressing protein aggregation and thus preventing cataractogenesis. αB-Cr belongs to the class of molecular chaperones; being expressed in many tissues it has a dynamic quaternary structure, which is essential for its chaperone-like activity. Shift in the equilibrium between ensembles of oligomers of different size allows regulating the chaperone activity.

Biosynthetic Protein Folding and Molecular Chaperons.

The problem of linear polypeptide chain folding into a unique tertiary structure is one of the fundamental scientific challenges. The process of folding cannot be fully understood without its biological context, especially for big multidomain and multisubunit proteins. The principal features of biosynthetic folding are co-translational folding of growing nascent polypeptide chains and involvement of molecular chaperones in the process.

Genomic Estimated Breeding Value of Milk Performance and Fertility Traits in the Russian Black-and-White Cattle Population.

A breakthrough in cattle breeding was achieved with the incorporation of animal genomic data into breeding programs. The introduction of genomic selection has a major impact on traditional genetic assessment systems and animal genetic improvement programs. Since 2010, genomic selection has been officially introduced in the evaluation of the breeding and genetic potential of cattle in Europe, the U.

Keto-enol tautomerism from the electron delocalization perspective.

The equilibrium between keto and enol forms in acetylacetone and its derivatives is studied using electron delocalization indices and delocalization tensor density. We demonstrate how electron delocalization governs the equilibrium between keto and enol forms. The less stable enols have more distinct double and single bond character in the CCC fragment, while electron delocalization in this fragment is more pronounced in more stable enols.