BACKGROUND Halophiles are extremophiles that thrive in environments with very high concentrations of salt. Although the salt reliance and physiology of these extremophiles have been widely investigated, the molecular working mechanisms of their enzymes under salty conditions have been little explored. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS A halophilic esterolytic enzyme LipC derived from archeaon Ha...

The cellular fatty acid composition of Halomonas salina, a moderately halophilic bacterium grown at different salt concentrations, is reported. Fatty acids C16:0 and C18:1 were major components and significant amounts of C16:1, C18:0 and cyc-C19:0 were also detected. The results showed clear chemotaxonomic relationships with recognized members of the genus Halomonas. The salt concentration grea...

An option to increase the productivity of saline land is to graze sheep on salt-tolerant plants, which, during the summer/autumn period, can contain 20% to 25% of their dry matter as salt. This study assessed the impact of coping with high dietary salt loads on the reproductive performance of grazing ewes. From the time of artificial insemination until parturition, 2-year-old maiden Merino ewes...

Using molecular dynamics simulations we examine the effective interactions between two like-charged rods as a function of angle and separation. In particular, we determine how the competing electrostatic repulsions and multivalent-ion-induced attractions depend upon concentrations of simple and multivalent salts. We find that with increasing multivalent salt, the stable configuration of two rod...

Although root pressure and guttation presumably result from a high concentration of salt in the root xylem, the guttation fluid is very dilute. Measurements of the osmotic potential of the guttation liquid and of exudates at various levels in guttating plants indicate that salt is removed from the xylem in the upper part of plants, particularly in the leaves. The concentration of salt solutions...

The enzymatic activity and structural stability of the extremely halophilic enzyme malate dehydrogenase (EC 1 . I . I .37) isolated from Dead Sea halobacteria depend in a different way on the concentration of inorganic salts. At low salt concentration (<2.0 M NaCI) the enzyme is inactivated in a first-order reaction. When the salt concentration is increased the inactivated enzyme is reactivated...

Injection of optimized chemistry water in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has gained much interest in the past few years. Crude oil-water interfaces can have a viscoelastic character affected by the adsorption of amphiphilic molecules. The brine concentration as well as surfactants may strongly affect the fluid-fluid interfacial viscoelasticity. In this work we investigate interfacial viscoelastici...

BACKGROUND The mechanisms of salt sensitivity as an important intermediate phenotype of essential hypertension remain elusive. A novel theory proposes that lymphatic vessels regulate sodium and fluid homeostasis. Since vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) plays a vital role in lymphatic capillary hyperplasia, we hypothesized that VEGF-C was involved in salt-sensitive hypertension. We t...