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- Åberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Helicobacter pylori adapts to chronic infection and gastric disease via ph-responsive baba-mediated adherence
- 2017
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Ingår i: Cell Host and Microbe. - : Elsevier BV. - 1931-3128 .- 1934-6069. ; 21:3, s. 376-389
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The BabA adhesin mediates high-affinity binding of Helicobacter pylori to the ABO blood group antigen-glycosylated gastric mucosa. Here we show that BabA is acid responsive-binding is reduced at low pH and restored by acid neutralization. Acid responsiveness differs among strains; often correlates with different intragastric regions and evolves during chronic infection and disease progression; and depends on pH sensor sequences in BabA and on pH reversible formation of high-affinity binding BabA multimers. We propose that BabA's extraordinary reversible acid responsiveness enables tight mucosal bacterial adherence while also allowing an effective escape from epithelial cells and mucus that are shed into the acidic bactericidal lumen and that bio-selection and changes in BabA binding properties through mutation and recombination with babA-related genes are selected by differences among individuals and by changes in gastric acidity over time. These processes generate diverse H. pylori subpopulations, in which BabA's adaptive evolution contributes to H. pylori persistence and overt gastric disease.
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| 2. |
- Bolinsson, J, et al.
(författare)
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Direct observation of atomic scale surface relaxation in ortho twin structures in GaAs by XSTM
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-648X .- 0953-8984. ; 21:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have studied the (110) GaAs surface of a structure containing ortho twins by cross-sectional scanning tunnelling microscopy and we have compared the experimental results with ab initio density functional theory calculations and STM simulations. Both experimentally and theoretically we find that the surface of different twin crystallites are significantly displaced with respect to each other, parallel to the twin boundary. This result is explained by a surface relaxation of the atoms in the (110) GaAs surface and the difference between the atomic configuration of the ortho twins.
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| 4. |
- Martínez-Carranza, Markel, et al.
(författare)
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A ribonucleotide reductase from Clostridium botulinum reveals distinct evolutionary pathways to regulation via the overall activity site
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - : American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 295:46, s. 15576-15587
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) is a central enzyme for the synthesis of DNA building blocks. Most aerobic organisms, including nearly all eukaryotes, have class I RNRs consisting of R1 and R2 subunits. The catalytic R1 subunit contains an overall activity site that can allosterically turn the enzyme on or off by the binding of ATP or dATP, respectively. The mechanism behind the ability to turn the enzyme off via the R1 subunit involves the formation of different types of R1 oligomers in most studied species and R1–R2 octamers in Escherichia coli. To better understand the distribution of different oligomerization mechanisms, we characterized the enzyme from Clostridium botulinum, which belongs to a subclass of class I RNRs not studied before. The recombinantly expressed enzyme was analyzed by size-exclusion chromatography, gas-phase electrophoretic mobility macromolecular analysis, EM, X-ray crystallography, and enzyme assays. Interestingly, it shares the ability of the E. coli RNR to form inhibited R1–R2 octamers in the presence of dATP but, unlike the E. coli enzyme, cannot be turned off by combinations of ATP and dGTP/dTTP. A phylogenetic analysis of class I RNRs suggests that activity regulation is not ancestral but was gained after the first subclasses diverged and that RNR subclasses with inhibition mechanisms involving R1 oligomerization belong to a clade separated from the two subclasses forming R1–R2 octamers. These results give further insight into activity regulation in class I RNRs as an evolutionarily dynamic process.
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| 8. |
- Baldassarri, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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Antitrypanosomal Activity of Anthriscus Nemorosa Essential Oils and Combinations of Their Main Constituents
- 2021
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Ingår i: Antibiotics. - : MDPI. - 0066-4774 .- 2079-6382. ; 10:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aimed to investigate the susceptibility of Trypanosoma brucei to the Anthriscus nemorosa essential oils (EOs), isolated compounds from these oils, and artificial mixtures of the isolated compounds in their conventional and nanoencapsulated forms. The chemical composition of the essential oils from the aerial parts and roots of Anthriscus nemorosa, obtained from a wild population growing in central Italy, were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In both cases, the predominant class of compounds was monoterpene hydrocarbons, which were more abundant in the EOs from the roots (81.5%) than the aerial parts (74.0%). The overall results of this work have shed light on the biological properties of A. nemorosa EO from aerial parts (EC50 = 1.17 μg/mL), farnesene (EC50 = 0.84 μg/mL), and artificial mixtures (Mix 3–5, EC50 in the range of 1.27 to 1.58 μg/mL) as relevant sources of antiprotozoal substances. Furthermore, the pool measurements of ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and NTPs (nucleoside triphosphates) in the cultivated bloodstream form of trypanosomes exposed to different concentrations of EOs showed a disturbed energy metabolism, as indicated by increased pools of ADP in comparison to ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and other NTPs. Ultimately, this study highlights the significant efficacy of A. nemorosa EO to develop long-lasting and effective antiprotozoal formulations, including nanoemulsions.
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| 9. |
- Benelli, Giovanni, et al.
(författare)
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Mosquito control with green nanopesticides : towards the One Health approach? A review of non-target effects
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Pollution Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0944-1344 .- 1614-7499. ; 25:11, s. 10184-10206
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The rapid spread of highly aggressive arboviruses, parasites, and bacteria along with the development of resistance in the pathogens and parasites, as well as in their arthropod vectors, represents a huge challenge in modern parasitology and tropical medicine. Eco-friendly vector control programs are crucial to fight, besides malaria, the spread of dengue, West Nile, chikungunya, and Zika virus, as well as other arboviruses such as St. Louis encephalitis and Japanese encephalitis. However, research efforts on the control of mosquito vectors are experiencing a serious lack of eco-friendly and highly effective pesticides, as well as the limited success of most biocontrol tools currently applied. Most importantly, a cooperative interface between the two disciplines is still lacking. To face this challenge, we have reviewed a wide number of promising results in the field of green-fabricated pesticides tested against mosquito vectors, outlining several examples of synergy with classic biological control tools. The non-target effects of green-fabricated nanopesticides, including acute toxicity, genotoxicity, and impact on behavioral traits of mosquito predators, have been critically discussed. In the final section, we have identified several key challenges at the interface between "green" nanotechnology and classic biological control, which deserve further research attention.
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| 10. |
- Berry, Bruce W., 1974-
(författare)
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Using de novo design proteins to explore tyrosine radicals and cation-π interactions
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Redox cofactors and amino-acid free radicals play important roles in biology. Although many of the same cofactors and amino acids that form these radicals are found across a broad range of biological systems, identical cofactors can have different reduction potentials. The local environment plays a role in defining these redox potentials. An understanding of this local-environment effect can shed more light on how redox chemistry works in nature. Our laboratory has developed a library of model proteins that are well suited to study amino-acid radicals. a3X is a de novo designed protein that is composed of 67 residues. It forms a three-helix bundle connected by two glycine loops. The radical site is located at position 32 on the central a-helix. The a3X protein is designed to be well-folded and thermodynamically stable across a broad pH range. Paper 1 describes the structural and electrochemical characterization of a3Y, a tyrosine variant of a3X. We were able to obtain a unique Faradaic response from Y32 at both low and high pH, using differential pulse voltammetry. In addition, we successfully redesigned α3Y by introducing a histidine in close proximity to Y32, creating a tyrosine/histidine pair. Our goal in creating this pair was to study proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) in a well-structured and solvent-sequestered protein environment. In paper 2 we illustrated the redox reversibility of Y32 and produced the first ever Pourbaix diagram for a tyrosine radical in a protein. The formal potential of the Y32-OŸ/Y32-OH redox couple was determined to be 918 ± 2 mV vs. the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE) at pH 8.40. While at pH 5.52, the formal potential of the Y32-OŸ/Y32-OH redox couple was recorded at 1.07 V. Papers 3 and 4 utilize a3W to study cation-π interactions. In paper 3, we showed how solvation can affect the strength of these interactions by -0.9 kcal/mol. In Paper 4, we were able to monitor the disruption of the cation-π interaction with the use of high-pressure fluorescence and were able to calculate the interaction energy for a solvent exposed cation-π. The aim of the work described in this thesis was to use model proteins to study tyrosine radicals to gain a broader perspective and better understanding of the versatility of biological electron transfer and to measure cation-π interactions and how they behave in different environments.
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