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- McGivney, Eric, et al.
(author)
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Rapid Physicochemical Changes in Microplastic Induced by Biofilm Formation
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-4185. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Risk assessment of microplastic (MP) pollution requires understanding biodegradation processes and related changes in polymer properties. In the environment, there are two-way interactions between the MP properties and biofilm communities: (i) microorganisms may prefer some surfaces, and (ii) MP surface properties change during the colonization and weathering. In a 2-week experiment, we studied these interactions using three model plastic beads (polyethylene [PE], polypropylene [PP], and polystyrene [PS]) exposed to ambient bacterioplankton assemblage from the Baltic Sea; the control beads were exposed to bacteria-free water. For each polymer, the physicochemical properties (compression, crystallinity, surface chemistry, hydrophobicity, and surface topography) were compared before and after exposure under controlled laboratory conditions. Furthermore, we characterized the bacterial communities on the MP surfaces using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and correlated community diversity to the physicochemical properties of the MP. Significant changes in PE crystallinity, PP stiffness, and PS maximum compression were observed as a result of exposure to bacteria. Moreover, there were significant correlations between bacterial diversity and some physicochemical characteristics (crystallinity, stiffness, and surface roughness). These changes coincided with variation in the relative abundance of unique OTUs, mostly related to the PE samples having significantly higher contribution of Sphingobium, Novosphingobium, and uncultured Planctomycetaceae compared to the other test materials, whereas PP and PS samples had significantly higher abundance of Sphingobacteriales and Alphaproteobacteria, indicating possible involvement of these taxa in the initial biodegradation steps. Our findings demonstrate measurable signs of MP weathering under short-term exposure to environmentally relevant microbial communities at conditions resembling those in the water column. A systematic approach for the characterization of the biodegrading capacity in different systems will improve the risk assessment of plastic litter in aquatic environments.
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| 4. |
- Ogonowski, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Microplastic Intake, Its Biotic Drivers, and Hydrophobic Organic Contaminant Levels in the Baltic Herring
- 2019
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In: Frontiers in Environmental Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-665X. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is commonly accepted that microplastic (MP) ingestion can lead to lower food intake and bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) in aquatic organisms. However, causal links between MP and contaminant levels in biota are poorly understood and in situ data are very limited. Here, we investigated whether HOC concentrations in herring muscle tissue (Clupea harengus membras) are related to MP ingestion using fish caught along the West coast of the Baltic Sea. The MP occurrence exhibited a large geographic variability, with MP found in 22.3% of the fish examined, and the population average being 0.9 MP ind(-1). However, when only individuals containing MP were considered, the average MP burden was 3.9 MP ind(-1). We also found that MP burden decreased with reproductive stage of the fish but increased with its body size. To predict MP abundance in fish guts, we constructed a mass-balance model using literature data on MP in the water column and physiological rates on ingestion and gut evacuation for clupeids of a similar size. The model output was in agreement with the observed values, thus supporting the validity of the results. Contaminant concentrations in the muscle tissue varied substantially across the study area but were unrelated to the MP levels in fish, suggesting a lack of direct links between the levels of HOCs and MP ingestion. Thus, despite their ubiquity, MP are unlikely to have a measurable impact on food intake or the total body burden of hydrophobic contaminants in Baltic herring.
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| 7. |
- Abelein, Axel, et al.
(author)
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Ionic Strength Modulation of the Free Energy Landscape of A beta(40) Peptide Fibril Formation
- 2016
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In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 138:21, s. 6893-6902
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Protein misfolding and formation of cross-beta structured amyloid fibrils are linked to, many neurodegenerative disorders. Although recently developed,quantitative approaches have started to reveal the molecular nature of self-assembly and fibril formation of proteins and peptides, it is yet unclear how these self-organization events are precisely modulated by microenvironmental factors, which are known to strongly affect the macroscopic aggregation properties. Here, we characterize the explicit effect of ionic strength on the microscopic aggregation rates of amyloid beta peptide (A beta 40) self-association, implicated in Alzheimer's disease. We found that physiological ionic strength accelerates A beta 40 aggregation kinetics by promoting surface-catalyzed secondary nucleation reactions. This promoted catalytic effect can be assigned to shielding of electrostatic repulsion between Monomers on the fibril surface or between the fibril surface itself and monomeric peptides. Furthermore, we observe the formation of two different beta-structured states with =similar but distinct spectroscopic features, which can be assigned to an off-pathway immature state (F-beta*) and a mature stable State (F-beta), where salt favors formation of the F-beta fibril morphology. Addition of salt to preformed F-beta* accelerates transition to F-beta, underlining the dynamic nature of A beta 40 fibrils in solution. On the basis of,these results we suggest a model where salt decreases the free-energy barrier for A beta 40 folding to the F-beta state, favoring the buildup of the mature fibril morphology while omitting competing, energetically less favorable structural states.
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| 8. |
- Andersson, Julia, et al.
(author)
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Protonation and hydrogen bonding of Ca2+ site residues in the E2P phosphoenzyme intermediate of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase studied by a combination of infrared spectroscopy and electrostatic calculations.
- 2008
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In: Biophys J. - 1542-0086. ; 94:2, s. 600-11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Protonation of the Ca(2+) ligands of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA1a) was studied by a combination of rapid scan FTIR spectroscopy and electrostatic calculations. With FTIR spectroscopy, we investigated the pH dependence of C=O bands of the Ca(2+)-free phosphoenzyme (E2P) and obtained direct experimental evidence for the protonation of carboxyl groups upon Ca(2+) release. At least three of the infrared signals from protonated carboxyl groups of E2P are pH dependent with pK(a) values near 8.3: a band at 1758 cm(-1) characteristic of nonhydrogen-bonded carbonyl groups, a shoulder at 1720 cm(-1), and part of a band at 1710 cm(-1), both characteristic of hydrogen-bonded carbonyl groups. The bands are thus assigned to H(+) binding residues, some of which are involved in H(+) countertransport. At pH 9, bands at 1743 and 1710 cm(-1) remain which we do not attribute to Ca(2+)/H(+) exchange. We also obtained evidence for a pH-dependent conformational change in beta-sheet or turn structures of the ATPase. With MCCE on the E2P analog E2(TG+MgF(4)(2-)), we assigned infrared bands to specific residues and analyzed whether or not the carbonyl groups of the acidic Ca(2+) ligands are hydrogen bonded. The carbonyl groups of Glu(771), Asp(800), and Glu(908) were found to be hydrogen bonded and will thus contribute to the lower wave number bands. The carbonyl group of some side-chain conformations of Asp(800) is left without a hydrogen-bonding partner; they will therefore contribute to the higher wave number band.
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| 9. |
- Arbesu Valdivia, Alejandro, et al.
(author)
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Characterization of recombinant antibodies for cancer therapy by infrared spectroscopy
- 2013
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In: Biologicals (Print). - : Elsevier BV. - 1045-1056 .- 1095-8320. ; 41:2, s. 104-110
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to study the structure of the recombinant antibodies 1E10, anti-CD20 and hR3, which are used as anti-cancer therapeutic drugs. We tested their sensitivity against different conditions and treatments such as pH, temperature, freeze-thaw cycles and drying, which are relevant for the practical usefulness of the drugs. All antibodies were stable against moderate temperature increases (up to 50 degrees C) and pH changes (range 5-9). 1E10 was sensitive to extreme pH values (pH 3 and 12), whereas hR3 was most sensitive to temperature (at and above 60 degrees C). We did not observe any significant changes upon freeze-thaw and drying treatments. The secondary structure content of all three antibodies was estimated to be similar to that of IgG with similar to 64% beta-sheet, 0% alpha-helix and similar to 36% other structure. (C) 2012 The International Alliance for Biological Standardization.
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| 10. |
- Ariöz, Candan, 1983-, et al.
(author)
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Anionic Lipid Binding to the Foreign Protein MGS Provides a Tight Coupling between Phospholipid Synthesis and Protein Overexpression in Escherichia coli
- 2013
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In: Biochemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0006-2960 .- 1520-4995. ; 52:33, s. 5533-5544
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Certain membrane proteins involved in lipid synthesis can induce formation of new intracellular membranes in Escherichia coli, i.e., intracellular vesicles. Among those, the foreign monotopic glycosyltransferase MGS from Acholeplasma laidlawii triggers such massive lipid synthesis when overexpressed. To examine the mechanism behind the increased lipid synthesis, we investigated the lipid binding properties of MGS in vivo together with the correlation between lipid synthesis and MGS overexpression levels. A good correlation between produced lipid quantities and overexpressed MGS protein was observed when standard LB medium was supplemented with four different lipid precursors that have significant roles in the lipid biosynthesis pathway. Interestingly, this correlation was highest concerning anionic lipid production and at the same time dependent on the selective binding of anionic lipid molecules by MGS. A selective interaction with anionic lipids was also observed in vitro by P-31 NMR binding studies using bicelles prepared with E. coli lipids. The results clearly demonstrate that the discriminative withdrawal of anionic lipids, especially phosphatidylglycerol, from the membrane through MGS binding triggers an in vivo signal for cells to create a feed-forward stimulation of lipid synthesis in E. coil. By this mechanism, cells can produce more membrane surface in order to accommodate excessively produced MGS molecules, which results in an interdependent cycle of lipid and MGS protein synthesis.
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