Arabidopsis AGO1 N-terminal extension acts as an essential hub for PRMT5 interaction and post-translational modifications.

Plant ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins play pivotal roles regulating gene expression through small RNA (sRNA) -guided mechanisms. Among the 10 AGO proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, AGO1 stands out as the main effector of post-transcriptional gene silencing. Intriguingly, a specific region of AGO1, its N-terminal extension (NTE), has garnered attention in recent studies due to its involvement in diverse regulatory functions, including subcellular localization, sRNA loading and interactions with regulatory factors.

Defining as a model system to investigate lipoic acid metabolism.

Lipoic acid (LA) is a sulfur-containing cofactor that covalently binds to a variety of cognate enzymes that are essential for redox reactions in all three domains of life. Inherited mutations in the enzymes that make LA, namely lipoyl synthase, octanoyltransferase, and amidotransferase, result in devastating human metabolic disorders. Unfortunately, because many aspects of this essential pathway are still obscure, available treatments only serve to alleviate symptoms.

Zebrafish Got Spicy: V Course and Symposium of the Latin American Zebrafish Network.

The V Latin American Zebrafish Network Course and Symposium was held from May 4 to 12, 2018 at the Institute of Biotechnology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. A group of 19 students from eight different countries were selected and trained during a week in a variety of topics and techniques using zebrafish as a model, followed by a 2-day symposium. In this article, we want to point out not only the outstanding activities carried out during the course but also highlight the great experience, the knowledge, and the fantastic relationships we gained from those days.

Evolution of Metallo-β-lactamases: Trends Revealed by Natural Diversity and in vitro Evolution.

The production of β-lactamase enzymes is one of the most distributed resistance mechanisms towards β-lactam antibiotics. Metallo-β-lactamases constitute a worrisome group of these kinds of enzymes, since they present a broad spectrum profile, being able to hydrolyze not only penicillins, but also the latest generation of cephalosporins and carbapenems, which constitute at present the last resource antibiotics. The VIM, IMP, and NDM enzymes comprise the main groups of clinically relevant metallo-β-lactamases.

Molecular mechanisms of low temperature sensing bacteria.

Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes respond to a decrease in temperature with the expression of a specific subset of proteins. We are investigating how Bacillus subtilis cells sense and transduce low-temperature signals to adjust its gene expression. One important step has been accomplished in the dissection of a novel pathway for the adjustment of unsaturated fatty acid synthesis in B.

Novel roles of the master transcription factors Spo0A and sigmaB for survival and sporulation of Bacillus subtilis at low growth temperature.

Spore development and stress resistance in Bacillus subtilis are governed by the master transcription factors Spo0A and sigma(B), respectively. Here we show that the coding genes for both regulatory proteins are dramatically induced, during logarithmic growth, after a temperature downshift from 37 to 20 degrees C. The loss of sigma(B) reduces the stationary-phase viability of cold-adapted cells 10- to 50-fold.