Most secretory proteins that are destined for the periplasm or the outer membrane are exported through the bacterial plasma membrane by the Sec translocase. Translocase is a complex nanomachine that moves processively along its aminoacyl polymeric substrates effectively pumping them to the periplasmic space. The salient features of this process are: (a) a membrane-embedded "clamp" formed by the...

Secretory component (SC) is a glycoprotein that mediates the transcellular transport of polymeric immunoglobulins into external secretions. SC is synthesized and inserted into the plasma membrane of epithelial cells and hepatocytes as a transmembrane protein, where it serves as a receptor for polymeric immunoglobulins. SC is posttranslationally cleaved to a soluble protein before secretion into...

Potentiometric membrane electrodes that respond to heparin and other polyanions were introduced in the early 1990s. Herein, the mechanism of polymer membrane electrode type heparin sensors is revisited. The extraction/diffusion of heparin is studied via both potentiometric and impedance spectroscopic techniques using a pre-fractionated heparin preparation that contains polyanionic species > 100...

Radiotherapy is one of the mainline treatments for cancer. One of the side effects associated with radiotherapy includes skin problems, which range from mild (dull erythema and tightening of the skin) to severe (moist desquamation resulting in open wounds that can be very painful associated with sloughy and, in some severe cases, necrosis). The increased use of advanced radical treatments, such...

PIM-1 mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were fabricated with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and graphene oxide (GO) functionalized POSS (GO-POSS), tested for CO2/N2 (single gas) CO2/CH4 (1:1, v:v gas mixture). The CO2 permeability of the best performing fresh MMM (containing 0.05 wt% GO-POSS) was ? 12000 Barrer, which is 69% higher than that neat membrane, about same selectivity (CO2/C...

In this study, biodegradable zein protein obtained from maize was used as a novel material to prepare membrane for oxygen/nitrogen separation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), tensile test, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), biodegradability and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spe...

Nowadays, synthesis and application of Metal Nano-Clusters (MNC) attract great attention of scientists and technologists due to their unique electrical, magnetic and optical properties that differ from those of the bulk material. Nevertheless metallic nanoparticles are sometimes unstable and their stabilization is a crucial point to be solved in order to design new sensing devices which contain...