Xylose isomerases from Thermotoga neapolitana (TNXI) and Thermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes (TTXI) share 70.4% sequence identity and are thermostable. The double mutants Trp138Phe/Val185Thr of TNXI and TTXI have higher catalytic efficiencies than TNXI and TTXI, respectively. The Trp138Phe/Val185Thr TNXI and TTXI mutants were overexpressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21(DE3) and purified....

Transcription factor NusG is present in all prokaryotes, and orthologous proteins have also been identified in yeast and humans. NusG contains a 27-residue KOW motif, found in ribosomal protein L24 where it interacts with rRNA. NusG in Escherichia coli (EcNusG) is an essential protein and functions as a regulator of Rho-dependent transcription termination, phage lambda N and rRNA transcription ...

Crystal structures are reported for the D85S and D85S/F219L mutants of the light-driven proton/hydroxyl-pump bacteriorhodopsin. These mutants crystallize in the orthorhombic C222(1) spacegroup, and provide the first demonstration that monoolein-based cubic lipid phase crystallization can support the growth of well-diffracting crystals in non-hexagonal spacegroups. Both structures exhibit simila...

Corresponding to the synchronized contraction of the myocardium and rhythmic pumping function of the heart, a single form of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) is present in the adult cardiac muscle of humans and most other vertebrate species. Alternative splicing variants of cTnT are found in failing human hearts and animal dilated cardiomyopathies. Biochemical analyses have shown that these cTnT varia...

Class C nonspecific acid phosphatases are bacterial enzymes that are secreted across the cytoplasmic membrane and hydrolyze a variety of phosphomonoesters at acidic pH. These enzymes are of interest for the development of improved vaccines and clinical diagnostic methods. In one case, the category A pathogen Francisella tularensis, the class C phosphatase plays a role in bacterial fitness. Here...

Does not respond to nucleotides 1 (DORN1) has recently been identified as the first membrane-integral plant ATP receptor, which is required for ATP-induced calcium response, mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and defense responses in Arabidopsis thaliana. In order to understand DORN1-mediated ATP sensing and signal transduction, crystallization and preliminary X-ray studies were conduc...

In order to understand the biological properties of the immune systems of waterfowl and to establish a system for structural studies of duck class I major histocompatibility complex (DuMHC I), a complex of DuMHC I with duck beta(2)-microglobulin (Dubeta(2)m) and the peptide AEIEDLIF (AF8) derived from H5N1 NP residues 251-258 was assembled. The complex was crystallized; the crystals belonged to...

Xanthine dehydrogenase catalyzes the oxidation of hypoxanthine to xanthine and the further oxidation of xanthine to uric acid. The enzyme is the target of the anti-gout drug allopurinol and its involvement in postischemic reperfusion injury is presently being defined. Each subunit of the homodimeric 290 kDa enzyme contains four cofactors: one Mo-pterin, two [2Fe-2S] clusters and one FAD. Both t...

Cichorium spinosum L. is a perennial wild edible plant that usually found near the coasts of Mediterranean basin. In present study, we evaluated effect fertilization regime on growth and chemical profile pot-grown C. plants, as well extraction protocol (aqueous hydroethanolic extracts bioactive properties). For this purpose, plants were fertilized via nutrient solution differed in amounts (mg/L...

The homologue of the phosphoprotein PII phosphatase PphA from Thermosynechococcus elongatus, termed tPphA, was identified and its structure was resolved in two different space groups, C222(1) and P4(1)2(1)2, at a resolution of 1.28 and 3.05 A, respectively. tPphA belongs to a large and widely distributed subfamily of Mg(2+)/Mn(2+)-dependent phosphatases of the PPM superfamily characterized by t...