scholarly journals Effect of pH on the interaction of botulinum neurotoxins A, B and E with liposomes

1989 ◽  
Vol 259 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Montecucco ◽  
G Schiavo ◽  
B R Dasgupta

The interaction of botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A, B and E with membranes of different lipid compositions was examined by photolabelling with two photoreactive phosphatidylcholine analogues that monitor the polar region and the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer. At neutral pH the neurotoxins interacted both with the polar head groups and with fatty acid chains of phospholipids. At acidic pHs the neurotoxins underwent structural changes characterized by a more extensive interaction with lipids. Both the heavy and light chain subunits of the neurotoxins were involved in the process. The change in the nature and extent of toxin-lipid interaction occurred in the pH range 4-6 and was not influenced by the presence of polysialogangliosides. The present data are in agreement with the idea that botulinum neurotoxins enter into nerve cells from a low pH intracellular compartment.

1995 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHERI MCINTYRE ◽  
JUDY Y. IKAWA ◽  
NINA PARKINSON ◽  
JOHN HAGLUND ◽  
JENNIFER LEE

An acidophilic sporeformer was isolated from several varieties of shelf-stable juices. The organism sporulated on potato dextrose agar (pH 3.5) at 37°C within 24 hours and grew well in fruit and berry juices. The pH range of growth in potato dextrose broth was 3.0 to 5.3. The D87.8°C' D91.1°C' and D95°C determined in berry juice were 11.0, 3.8, and 1.0 min, respectively. The ability of this organism to grow at low pH and to survive pasteurization poses a threat of economic loss by spoilage to beverage producers. The organism could not be identified based on its characteristics or the fatty acid profile comparison to those of other Bacillus species, including the acidophilic B. acidocaldarius.


2009 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Alvo

I monitored Common Loon (Gavia immer) breeding success in relation to lake pH (range 4.0–8.5) between 1982 and 2007 on 38 single-pair lakes (5–88 ha) in the Sudbury, Ontario, area. No chicks fledged on lakes with pH < 4.4. Chicks fledged on lakes with slightly higher pH only if the lakes were relatively large. Acidic lakes became less acidic as sulphur dioxide emissions from the Sudbury smelters and sulphur deposition from other long-range sources decreased. Two lakes initially too acidic to support successful loon reproduction eventually had successful reproduction. One loon pair used two large acidic lakes (combined area 140 ha) connected by shallow rapids, and one of the adults made extremely long dives (average = 99 s) while foraging for the chicks. One chick died on that lake after apparently ingesting a very large food item; the lack of smaller items was attributed to the lake’s acidity. My results suggest that a shortage of food for chicks is the main reason why low pH reduces breeding success. I suggest that, for lakes without high levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), the critical pH for loon breeding success is approximately 4.3, and the suboptimal pH is approximately 4.4–6.0.


1994 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 1196-1203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fazale R. Rana ◽  
Suci Widayati ◽  
Brian W. Gregory ◽  
Richard A. Dluhy

The rate at which a monomolecular film is deposited onto a solid substrate in the Langmuir-Blodgett process of preparing supported monolayer films influences the final structure of the transferred film. Attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopic studies of monolayers transferred to germanium substrates show that the speed at which the substrate is drawn through the air/water interface influences the final conformation in the hydrocarbon chains of amphiphilic film molecules. This transfer-induced effect is especially evident when the monolayer is transferred from the expanded region of surface-pressure-molecular-area isotherms at low surface pressures; the effect is minimized when the film molecules are transferred from condensed phases at high surface pressures. This phenomenon has been observed for both a fatty acid and a phospholipid, which suggests that these conformational changes may occur in a variety of hydrocarbon amphiphiles transferred from the air/water interface. This conformational ordering may be due to a kinetically limited phase transition taking place in the meniscus formed between the solid substrate and aqueous subphase. In addition, the results obtained for both the phospholipid and fatty acid suggest that the structure of the amphiphile may help determine the extent and nature of the transfer-speed-induced structural changes taking place in the monomolecular film.


Biochemistry ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (32) ◽  
pp. 4457-4468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suparna Sarkar-Banerjee ◽  
Sourav Chowdhury ◽  
Simanta Sarani Paul ◽  
Debashis Dutta ◽  
Anisa Ghosh ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
В.И. МАРТОВЩУК ◽  
С.А. КАЛМАНОВИЧ ◽  
А.А. ЛОБАНОВ ◽  
Е.В. МАРТОВЩУК

Исследовано влияние механохимической активации на гидратируемость фосфолипидов растительных масел. Для эксперимента использовали механохимический активатор, обеспечивающий высокие локальные давления, сдвиговые деформации и кавитационный эффект, при следующих параметрах работы: давление на контактирующих поверхностях 70 МПа, частота 180 Гц, скорость сдвига 10200 с–1, размер капли эмульсии 1–2 мкм. Обработку образцов подсолнечного масла осуществляли в течение от 0 до 80 с при температурах 50, 60 и 70°С. Активность фосфолипидов оценивали по величине их адсорбции на границе с полярной поверхностью (водой) в оптимальном температурном режиме при обработке в механохимическом активаторе и без нее. Установлено, что механохимическая активация способствует снижению энергии активации с 6,4 до 4,7 кДж/моль за счет химических и структурных изменений фосфолипидов. В жирнокислотном составе фосфолипидов на 10–12% увеличилось содержание олеиновой кислоты при соответствующем уменьшении линолевой; в фосфатидилэтаноламинах и фосфатидилсеринах отмечено увеличение до 3% содержания пальмитиновой кислоты и незначительно – стеариновой кислоты. Эти изменения жирнокислотного состава и физических свойств фосфолипидов способствуют повышению их гидратируемости и уменьшению доли полиненасыщенных жирных кислот, что должно обеспечить стабильность обработанных в механохимическом активаторе масел к окислению при хранении. The effect of mechanochemical activation on the hydration of phospholipids of vegetable oils has been studied. A mechanochemical activator providing high local pressures, shear deformations and cavitation effect was used for the experiment with the following operating parameters: pressure on the contact surfaces of 70 MPa, frequency of 180 Hz, shear rate of 10200 s–1, the size of the emulsion drop of 1–2 microns. Processing of sunflower oil samples was carried out during 0 to 80 s at temperatures of 50, 60 and 70°C. The activity of phospholipids was estimated by the amount of their adsorption at the border with the polar surface (water) in the optimal temperature mode when processed in a mechanochemical activator and without it. It was found that mechanochemical activation contributes to a decrease in the activation energy from 6,4 to 4,7 kJ/mol due to chemical and structural changes in phospholipids. In the fatty acid composition of phospholipids, the content of oleic acid increased by 10–12% with a corresponding decrease in linoleic acid; in phosphatidylethanolamines and phosphatidylserines, the increase in the content of palmitic acid was noted to 3%, and stearic acid – slightly. These changes in the fatty acid composition and physical properties of phospholipids contribute to increasing their hydration and reducing the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which should ensure the stability of the oils processed in the mechanochemical activator to oxidation during storage.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadsanee Awang ◽  
Prapasiri Pongprayoon

Abstract Human α-defensin 5 (HD5) is one of cationic antimicrobial peptides which plays a crucial role in an innate immune system in human body. HD5 shows the killing activity against a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria by making a pore in a bacterial membrane and penetrating into a cytosol. Nonetheless, its pore-forming mechanisms remain unclear. Thus, in this work, the constant-velocity steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulation was used to simulate the permeation of a dimeric HD5 into a gram-negative LPS membrane model. Arginine-rich HD5 is found to strongly interact with a LPS surface. Upon arrival, arginines on HD5 interact with lipid A head groups and then drag these charged moieties down into a hydrophobic core resulting in the formation of water-filled pore. Although all arginines are found to interact with a membrane, R13 and R32 appear to play a dominant role in the HD5 adsorption on a gram-negative membrane. Furthermore, one chain of a dimeric HD5 is required for HD5 adhesion. The interactions of arginine-Lipid A head groups play a major role in adhering a cationic HD5 on a membrane surface and retarding a HD5 passage in the meantime.


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