A comparative pan-genome perspective of niche-adaptable cell-surface protein phenotypes in Lactobacillus rhamnosus.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus is a ubiquitously adaptable Gram-positive bacterium and as a typical commensal can be recovered from various microbe-accessible bodily orifices and cavities. Then again, other isolates are food-borne, with some of these having been long associated with naturally fermented cheeses and yogurts. Additionally, because of perceived health benefits to humans and animals, numerous L.

Norovirus transmission between hands, gloves, utensils, and fresh produce during simulated food handling.

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs), a leading cause of food-borne gastroenteritis worldwide, are easily transferred via ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, often prepared by infected food handlers. In this study, the transmission of HuNoV and murine norovirus (MuNoV) from virus-contaminated hands to latex gloves during gloving, as well as from virus-contaminated donor surfaces to recipient surfaces after simulated preparation of cucumber sandwiches, was inspected. Virus transfer was investigated by swabbing with polyester swabs, followed by nucleic acid extraction from the swabs with a commercial kit and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR.

Encapsulation of 3-iodo-2-propynyl N-butylcarbamate (IPBC) in polystyrene-polycaprolactone (PS/PCL) blends.

Polystyrene (PS, 1), polycaprolactone homopolymers (PCL, 2) and 3-Iodo-2-propynyl n-butylcarbamate (IPBC, 3) were physically mixed in dichloromethane (DCM) and processed into solid microspheres by using emulsion solvent evaporation method. Five different compositions with varying PS/PCL ratio were tested. The phase morphology of the microspheres was studied using Phase imaging atomic force microscopy (AFM) of polished cross-sections.

Steroid and steroid glucuronide profiles in urine during pregnancy determined by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.

An ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the analysis of steroids and their glucuronides in urine samples. The method provides high sensitivity and fast analysis, as both steroids and their glucuronides can be analyzed directly without hydrolysis or complex sample preparation. The method was applied in profiling of targeted and nontargeted steroids and steroid glucuronides during pregnancy.

Cooperation between integrins and growth factor receptors in signaling and endocytosis.

All multicellular animals express receptors for growth factors (GFs) and extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. Integrin-type ECM receptors anchor cells to their surroundings and concomitantly activate intracellular signal transduction pathways. The same signaling mechanisms are regulated by GF receptors (GFRs).

Printing of polymer microcapsules for enzyme immobilization on paper substrate.

Poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) microcapsules containing laccase from Trametes hirsuta (ThL) and Trametes versicolor (TvL) were printed onto paper substrate by three different methods: screen printing, rod coating, and flexo printing. Microcapsules were fabricated via interfacial polycondensation of PEI with the cross-linker sebacoyl chloride, incorporated into an ink, and printed or coated on the paper substrate. The same ink components were used for three printing methods, and it was found that laccase microcapsules were compatible with the ink.

Jasmonate signaling involves the abscisic acid receptor PYL4 to regulate metabolic reprogramming in Arabidopsis and tobacco.

The phytohormones jasmonates (JAs) constitute an important class of elicitors for many plant secondary metabolic pathways. However, JAs do not act independently but operate in complex networks with crosstalk to several other phytohormonal signaling pathways. Here, crosstalk was detected between the JA and abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathways in the regulation of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) alkaloid biosynthesis.

Chemical inhibitors of the calcium entry channel TRPV6.

Purpose: Calcium entry channels in the plasma membrane are thought to play a major role in maintaining cellular Ca(2+) levels, crucial for growth and survival of normal and cancer cells. The calcium-selective channel TRPV6 is expressed in prostate, breast, and other cancer cells. Its expression coincides with cancer progression, suggesting that it drives cancer cell growth.

Membrane proteins diffuse as dynamic complexes with lipids.

We describe how membrane proteins diffuse laterally in the membrane plane together with the lipids surrounding them. We find a number of intriguing phenomena. The lateral displacements of the protein and the lipids are strongly correlated, as the protein and the neighboring lipids form a dynamical protein-lipid complex, consisting of approximately 50-100 lipids.

Sleep staging based on signals acquired through bed sensor.

We describe a system for the evaluation of the sleep macrostructure on the basis of Emfit sensor foils placed into bed mattress and of advanced signal processing. The signals on which the analysis is based are heart-beat interval (HBI) and movement activity obtained from the bed sensor, the relevant features and parameters obtained through a time-variant autoregressive model (TVAM) used as feature extractor, and the classification obtained through a hidden Markov model (HMM). Parameters coming from the joint probability of the HBI features were used as input to a HMM, while movement features are used for wake period detection.

Enhanced serine production by bone metastatic breast cancer cells stimulates osteoclastogenesis.

Since bone metastatic breast cancer is an incurable disease, causing significant morbidity and mortality, an understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms would be highly valuable. Here, we describe in vitro and in vivo evidences for the importance of serine biosynthesis in the metastasis of breast cancer to bone. We first characterized the bone metastatic propensity of the MDA-MB-231(SA) cell line variant as compared to the parental MDA-MB-231 cells by radiographic and histological observations in the inoculated mice.

Concerted diffusion of lipids in raft-like membranes.

Currently, there is no comprehensive model for the dynamics of cellular membranes. The understanding of even the basic dynamic processes, such as lateral diffusion of lipids, is still quite limited. Recent studies of one-component membrane systems have shown that instead of single-particle motions, the lateral diffusion is driven by a more complex, concerted mechanism for lipid diffusion (E.

Crosslinking food proteins for improved functionality.

Different possibilities for protein crosslinking are examined in this review, with special emphasis on enzymatic crosslinking and its impact on food structure. Among potential enzymes for protein crosslinking are transglutaminase (TG) and various oxidative enzymes. Crosslinking enzymes can be applied in cereal, dairy, meat, and fish processing to improve the texture of the product.

Essential role of the C-terminus in Melanocarpus albomyces laccase for enzyme production, catalytic properties and structure.

The C-terminus of the fungal laccase from Melanocarpus albomyces (MaL) is processed during secretion at a processing site conserved among the ascomycete laccases. The three-dimensional structure of MaL has been solved as one of the first complete laccase structures. According to the crystal structure of MaL, the four C-terminal amino acids of the mature protein penetrate into a tunnel leading towards the trinuclear site.

Detection of daily activities and sports with wearable sensors in controlled and uncontrolled conditions.

Physical activity has a positive impact on people's well-being, and it may also decrease the occurrence of chronic diseases. Activity recognition with wearable sensors can provide feedback to the user about his/her lifestyle regarding physical activity and sports, and thus, promote a more active lifestyle. So far, activity recognition has mostly been studied in supervised laboratory settings.

FFT averaging of multichannel BCG signals from bed mattress sensor to improve estimation of heart beat interval.

A multichannel pressure sensing Emfit foil was integrated to a bed mattress for measuring ballistocardiograph signals during sleep. We calculated the heart beat interval with cepstrum method, by applying FFT for short time windows including pair of consequent heart beats. We decreased the variance of FFT by averaging the multichannel data in the frequency domain.

Crystal structures of hydrophobin HFBII in the presence of detergent implicate the formation of fibrils and monolayer films.

Hydrophobins are small, amphiphilic proteins secreted by filamentous fungi. Their functionality arises from a patch of hydrophobic residues on the protein surface. Spontaneous self-assembly of hydrophobins leads to the formation of an amphiphilic layer that remarkably reduces the surface tension of water.

A targeted real-time PCR assay for studying naphthalene degradation in the environment.

A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed for monitoring naphthalene degradation during bioremediation processes. The phylogenetic affiliations of known naphthalene-hydroxylating dioxygenase genes were determined to target functionally related bacteria, and degenerate primers were designed on the basis of the close relationships among dioxygenase genes identified from naphthalene-degrading Proteobacteria. Evaluation of the amplification specificity demonstrated that the developed real-time PCR assay represents a rapid, precise means for the group-specific enumeration of naphthalene-degrading bacteria.

Systematic design approach for capacitively coupled microelectromechanical filters.

A design procedure for microelectromechanical (MEMS) band-pass filters is formulated that takes into account specifications set for carrier-to-interference ratio (C/I) and insertion loss. Since suppressing intermodulation distortion to maximize C/I in MEMS filter design typically leads to increased loss and vice versa, it is necessary to aim at a feasible compromise in filter performance that meets all of the requirements. In order to meet specifications that are typical for a handheld communication terminal, an integrated receiver architecture, where filter input and output impedances other than 50 omega can be used, is found to be more feasible than resistively terminating the front-end filter at source and load to 50 omega.

Advances in the genetics and epigenetics of gene regulation and human disease.

A report on the Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) 11th Human Genome Meeting, Helsinki, Finland, 31 May-3 June 2006.