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Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

Dartmouth College

Escherichia coli

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

An Expanded View Of The Eukaryotic Cytoskeleton, James B. Moseley Oct 2013

An Expanded View Of The Eukaryotic Cytoskeleton, James B. Moseley

Dartmouth Scholarship

A rich and ongoing history of cell biology research has defined the major polymer systems of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. Recent studies have identified additional proteins that form filamentous structures in cells and can self-assemble into linear polymers when purified. This suggests that the eukaryotic cytoskeleton is an even more complex system than previously considered. In this essay, I examine the case for an expanded definition of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton and present a series of challenges for future work in this area.


Alginate Lyase Exhibits Catalysis-Independent Biofilm Dispersion And Antibiotic Synergy, John W. Lamppa, Karl E. Griswold Jan 2013

Alginate Lyase Exhibits Catalysis-Independent Biofilm Dispersion And Antibiotic Synergy, John W. Lamppa, Karl E. Griswold

Dartmouth Scholarship

More than 2 decades of study support the hypothesis that alginate lyases are promising therapeutic candidates for treating mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. In particular, the enzymes' ability to degrade alginate, a key component of mucoid biofilm matrix, has been the presumed mechanism by which they disrupt biofilms and enhance antibiotic efficacy. The systematic studies reported here show that, in an in vitro model, alginate lyase dispersion of P. aeruginosa biofilms and enzyme synergy


Genetic And Molecular Characterization Of A Cryptochrome From The Filamentous Fungus Neurospora Crassa, Allan C. Froehlich, Chen-Hui Chen, William J. Belden, Cornelia Madeti Mar 2010

Genetic And Molecular Characterization Of A Cryptochrome From The Filamentous Fungus Neurospora Crassa, Allan C. Froehlich, Chen-Hui Chen, William J. Belden, Cornelia Madeti

Dartmouth Scholarship

In plants and animals, cryptochromes function as either photoreceptors or circadian clock components. We have examined the cryptochrome from the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa and demonstrate that Neurospora cry encodes a DASH-type cryptochrome that appears capable of binding flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and methenyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF). The cry transcript and CRY protein levels are strongly induced by blue light in a wc-1-dependent manner, and cry transcript is circadianly regulated, with a peak abundance opposite in phase to frq. Neither deletion nor overexpression of cry appears to perturb the free-running circadian clock. However, cry disruption knockout mutants show a small phase delay …


Disulfide Bond Formation Involves A Quinhydrone-Type Charge–Transfer Complex, James Regeimbal, Stefan Gleiter, Bernard L. Trumpower, Chang-Ang Yu Nov 2003

Disulfide Bond Formation Involves A Quinhydrone-Type Charge–Transfer Complex, James Regeimbal, Stefan Gleiter, Bernard L. Trumpower, Chang-Ang Yu

Dartmouth Scholarship

The chemistry of disulfide exchange in biological systems is well studied. However, the detailed mechanism of how oxidizing equivalents are derived to form disulfide bonds in proteins is not clear. In prokaryotic organisms, it is known that DsbB delivers oxidizing equivalents through DsbA to secreted proteins. DsbB becomes reoxidized by reducing quinones that are part of the membrane-bound electron-transfer chains. It is this quinone reductase activity that links disulfide bond formation to the electron transport system. We show here that purified DsbB contains the spectral signal of a quinhydrone, a charge-transfer complex consisting of a hydroquinone and a quinone in …


Both An N-Terminal 65-Kda Domain And A C-Terminal 30-Kda Domain Of Seca Cycle Into The Membrane At Secyeg During Translocation, Jerry Eichler, William Wickner Apr 1997

Both An N-Terminal 65-Kda Domain And A C-Terminal 30-Kda Domain Of Seca Cycle Into The Membrane At Secyeg During Translocation, Jerry Eichler, William Wickner

Dartmouth Scholarship

SecA, a 102-kDa hydrophilic protein, couples the energy of ATP binding to the translocation of preprotein across the bacterial inner membrane. SecA function and topology were studied with metabolically labeled [35S]SecA and with inner membrane vesicles from cells that overex- pressed SecYEGDFyajC, the integral domain of preprotein translocase. During translocation in the presence of ATP and preprotein, a 65-kDa N-terminal domain of SecA is protected from proteolytic digestion through insertion into the mem- brane, as previously reported for a 30-kDa C-terminal domain [Economou, A. & Wickner, W. (1994) Cell 78, 835–843]. Insertion of both domains occurs at saturable SecYEGDFyajC sites …


I2b Is A Small Cytosolic Protein That Participates In Vacuole Fusion, Paul Slusarewicz, Zuoyu Xu, Kimberly Seefeld, Albert Haas, William T. Wickner Mar 1997

I2b Is A Small Cytosolic Protein That Participates In Vacuole Fusion, Paul Slusarewicz, Zuoyu Xu, Kimberly Seefeld, Albert Haas, William T. Wickner

Dartmouth Scholarship

Saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuole inheritance requires two low molecular weight activities, LMA1 and LMA2. LMA1 is a heterodimer of thioredoxin and protease B inhibitor 2 (IB2). Here we show that the second low molecular weight activity (LMA2) is monomeric IB2. Though LMA2 / IB2 was initially identified as a protease B inhibitor, this protease inhibitor activity is not related to its ability to promote vacuole fusion: ( i ) Low M r protease B inhibitors cannot substitute for LMA1 or LMA2, ( ii ) LMA1 and LMA2 promote the fusionof vacuoles from a strain that …


Cloning Of Human Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase-Beta And Its Unique Features., Joohun Ha, Jung-Kee Lee, Kyung-Sup Kim, Lee A. Witters, Ki-Han Kim Oct 1996

Cloning Of Human Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase-Beta And Its Unique Features., Joohun Ha, Jung-Kee Lee, Kyung-Sup Kim, Lee A. Witters, Ki-Han Kim

Dartmouth Scholarship

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, which has a molecular mass of 265 kDa (ACC-alpha), catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acids. In this study we report the complete amino acid sequence and unique features of an isoform of ACC with a molecular mass of 275 kDa (ACC-beta), which is primarily expressed in heart and skeletal muscles. In these tissues, ACC-beta may be involved in the regulation of fatty acid oxidation, rather than fatty acid biosynthesis. ACC-beta contains an amino acid sequence at the N terminus which is about 200 amino acids long and may be uniquely related to the …


A Novel Iron-Regulated Metal Transporter From Plants Identified By Functional Expression In Yeast., David Eide, Margaret Broderius, Jeanette Fett, Mary Lou Guerinot May 1996

A Novel Iron-Regulated Metal Transporter From Plants Identified By Functional Expression In Yeast., David Eide, Margaret Broderius, Jeanette Fett, Mary Lou Guerinot

Dartmouth Scholarship

Iron is an essential nutrient for virtually all organisms. The IRT1 (iron-regulated transporter) gene of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, encoding a probable Fe(II) transporter, was cloned by functional expression in a yeast strain defective for iron uptake. Yeast expressing IRT1 possess a novel Fe(II) uptake activity that is strongly inhibited by Cd. IRT1 is predicted to be an integral membrane protein with a metal-binding domain. Data base comparisons and Southern blot analysis indicated that IRT1 is a member of a gene family in Arabidopsis. Related sequences were also found in the genomes of rice, yeast, nematodes, and humans. In Arabidopsis, …