Influence of the insertion of a cationic peptide on the size and shape of nanoliposomes: a light scattering investigation.

Nanoliposomes are widely used for drug delivery in the human body. Cell-penetrating peptides are amphiphilic peptides inserting in the lipid bilayer of these lipid vesicles to induce the fusion with target cells. Separation by size exclusion chromatography coupled with the analysis by light scattering detectors provides both the hydrodynamic radius and the radius of gyration of all the liposomes in a sample.

Mild pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification of cellulose with recycled ionic liquids towards one-batch process.

The development of second-generation bioethanol involves minimizing the energy input throughout the processing steps. We report here that efficient ionic liquid pretreatments of cellulose can be achieved with short duration times (20 min) at mild temperature (45°C) with [Emim](+)[MeO(H)PO(2)](-) and at room temperature (25 °C) with [Emim](+)[CH(3)COO](-). In these conditions, yields of glucose were increased by a factor of 3.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of ionic liquid-pretreated celluloses: contribution of CP-MAS 13C NMR and SEM.

The supramolecular structure of four model celluloses was altered prior to their enzymatic saccharification using two ionic liquid pretreatments: one with the commonly used 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Emim](+)[CH(3)COO](-)) and the other with the newly developed 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium methylphosphonate ([Emim](+)[MeO(H)PO(2)](-)). The estimation of crystallinity index (CrI) by solid state (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance for each untreated/pretreated celluloses was compared with the performances of their enzymatic hydrolysis. For α-cellulose, both pretreatments led to a significant decrease in CrI from 25% to 5% but had no effect on glucose yields.

Osmoregulated trehalose-derived oligosaccharides in Sinorhizobium meliloti.

Sinorhizobium meliloti is a soil bacterium accumulating glutamate, N-acetylglutaminyl glutamine amide and trehalose in hyperosmolarity. Besides these compatible solutes, we highlighted several compounds in S. meliloti Rm1021 wild-type strain.

Resolving the role of plant glutamate dehydrogenase. I. In vivo real time nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy experiments.

In higher plants the glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) enzyme catalyzes the reversible amination of 2-oxoglutarate to form glutamate, using ammonium as a substrate. For a better understanding of the physiological function of GDH either in ammonium assimilation or in the supply of 2-oxoglutarate, we used transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants overexpressing the two genes encoding the enzyme.

In vivo 13C NMR determines metabolic fluxes and steady state in linseed embryos.

The dynamics of developing linseed embryo metabolism was investigated using (13)C-labelling experiments where the real-time kinetics of label incorporation into metabolites was monitored in situ using in vivo NMR. The approach took advantage of the occurrence in this plant tissue of large metabolite pools - such as sucrose or lipids - to provide direct and quantitative measurement of the evolution of the labelling state within central metabolism. As a pre-requisite for the use of steady state flux measurements it was shown that isotopic steady state was reached within 3 h at the level of central intermediates whereas it took a further 6h for the sucrose pool.

Diffusion measurements of water, ubiquinone and lipid bilayer inside a cylindrical nanoporous support: a stimulated echo pulsed-field gradient MAS-NMR investigation.

Stimulated echo pulsed-field gradient 1H magic angle spinning NMR has been used to investigate the mobility of water, ubiquinone and tethered phospholipids, components of a biomimetic model membrane. The diffusion constant of water corresponds to an isotropic motion in a cylinder. When the lipid bilayer is obtained after the fusion of small unilamellar vesicles, the extracted value of lipid diffusion indicates unrestricted motion.

Lipid bilayer tethered inside a nanoporous support: a solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance investigation.

(31)P and (1)H solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments have been designed with the aim of studying directly the formation of supported bilayers tethered inside nanoporous aluminum oxide supports as a model of biomimetic membranes. The static and magic angle spinning (31)P NMR spectra of the supported bilayers have been compared with the experimental and simulated spectra of a simpler model with cylindrical geometry, namely a phospholipid bilayer adsorbed on an oriented polymer sheet. The broadening observed for the nanoporous model is most likely due to the presence of paramagnetic ions in the aluminum oxide.

How to build an adapted and bioactive cell microenvironment? A chemical interaction study of the structure of Ca-alginate matrices and their repercussion on confined cells.

Alginates are increasingly being used as medical materials (matrices for tissue regeneration, surgical sponges, hemostatic bandages, microbial and cell encapsulation, artificial bacterial biofilms, etc.). The constitution of alginate gel networks is a complex phenomenon.

Carbohydrate cycling in micro-organisms: what can (13)C-NMR tell us?

The extension of (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to study cellular metabolism over recent years has provided valuable data supporting the occurrence, diversity and extent of carbon cycling in the carbohydrate metabolism of micro-organisms. The occurrence of such cycles, resulting from the simultaneous operation of different and sometimes opposite individual steps, is inherently related to the network organisation of cellular metabolism. These cycles are tentatively classified here as 'reversibility', 'metabolic' and 'substrate' cycles on the basis of their balance in carbon and cofactors.

Studies of low molecular weight samples of glucuronans with various acetylation degree.

Partially acetylated, high molecular weight glucuronans were produced by a Sinorhizobium meliloti mutant strain. Two native glucuronan samples with various degrees of acetylation were sonicated to obtain lower molecular weight samples and with low viscosity suitable for chemical modification and (13)C NMR experiments. The average degree of substitution (DS) of the polymer was estimated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and NMR.

A deeper investigation on carbohydrate cycling in Sinorhizobium meliloti.

Recycling of triose-phosphate and pentose-phosphate was previously reported on glucose in Sinorhizobium meliloti, a polysaccharide-synthesizing bacterium, but the metabolic basis of such processes remained unclear. In this work, we have used (13)C-labelling strategies to demonstrate that carbohydrate cycling in this organism is independent of the gluconate bypass, the alternative pathway for glucose assimilation involving its periplasmic oxidation into gluconate. Furthermore, carbohydrate cycling in S.