The role of monovalent cation/proton antiporters in Na(+)-resistance and pH homeostasis in Bacillus: an alkaliphile versus a neutralophile.

1994 ◽  
Vol 196 (1) ◽  
pp. 457-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
T A Krulwich ◽  
J Cheng ◽  
A A Guffanti
Keyword(s):  
Driving Forces ◽  
Monovalent Cation ◽  
Ph Homeostasis ◽  
Proton Extrusion ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Internal Ph ◽  
Alkaliphilic Bacillus ◽  
Pronounced Reduction ◽  
External Ph

Both neutralophilic Bacillus subtilis and alkaliphilic Bacillus firmus OF4 depend upon electrogenic Na+/H+ antiporters, which are energized by the gradients established by respiration-coupled proton extrusion, to achieve Na(+)-resistance and pH homeostasis when the external pH is very alkaline. The interplay of proton and sodium cycles is discussed. In B. subtilis, pH homeostasis, up to pH9, can be achieved using K+ when Na+ is unavailable or when the gene encoding the Na+/H+ antiporter that is involved in Na(+)-dependent pH homeostasis is disrupted. That gene is a member of the tetracycline efflux family of genes. A second gene, encoding a Na+/H+ antiporter that functions in Na(+)-resistance, has been identified, and candidates for the K+/H+ antiporter genes are under investigation. Aggregate Na+/H+ antiport activity in B. subtilis is as much as 10 times lower than in the alkaliphile, and the neutralophile cannot regulate its internal pH upon a shift to pH 10.5. Upon such a shift, there is a pronounced reduction in the generation of a primary electrochemical proton gradient. The alkaliphile, by contrast, maintains substantial driving forces and regulates its internal pH in an exclusively Na(+)-coupled manner upon shifts to either pH 8.7 or 10.5. One gene locus has been identified and a second locus has been inferred as encoding relevant antiporter activities.

scholarly journals Branched-Chain Amino Acid Biosynthesis Is Essential for Optimal Growth of Streptococcus thermophilus in Milk

2000 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 5128-5133 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Garault ◽  
C. Letort ◽  
V. Juillard ◽  
V. Monnet
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Insertional Mutagenesis ◽  
Streptococcus Thermophilus ◽  
Optimal Growth ◽  
Biosynthesis Pathway ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Branched Chain Amino Acid ◽  
Internal Ph ◽  
Branched Chain

ABSTRACT Lactic acid bacteria are nutritionally demanding bacteria which need, among other things, amino acids for optimal growth. We identified the branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) biosynthesis pathway as an essential pathway for optimal growth of Streptococcus thermophilus in milk. Through random insertional mutagenesis, we isolated and characterized two mutants for which growth in milk is affected as a consequence of ilvB and ilvC gene interruptions. This situation demonstrates that the BCAA biosynthesis pathway is active in S. thermophilus. BCAA biosynthesis is necessary but not sufficient for optimal growth of S. thermophilus and is subject to retro-inhibition processes. The specificity of the BCAA biosynthesis pathway in S. thermophilus lies in the independent transcription of theilvC gene encoding a keto acid reductoisomerase acting on acetolactate at the junction of the BCAA and acetoin biosynthesis pathways. The possible advantages for S. thermophilus of keeping this biosynthesis pathway active could be linked either to adaptation of the organism to milk, which is different than that of other dairy bacteria, or to the role of the pathway in maintaining the internal pH.

The transmembrane electrical potential and intracellular pH in methanogenic bacteria

1981 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 720-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken F. Jarrell ◽  
G. Dennis Sprott
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Potential ◽  
Normal Growth ◽  
Monovalent Cation ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Methanogenic Bacteria ◽  
Proton Pumping ◽  
Growth Media ◽  
Electrical Potentials ◽  
Internal Ph ◽  
External Ph

The magnitudes of the electrical potential and proton gradient in Methanospirillum hungatei GP1 and Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum were determined. No ΔpH (inside alkaline) could be demonstrated in either organism suspended in growth media at normal growth pH values by the distribution of 5,5-dimethyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione (DMO), butyrate, propionate, or methylamine. The internal pH, estimated to be approximately 6.7 under our growth conditions, was not constant, but varied as the external pH was adjusted. However, the internal pH was always more neutral than the external pH (except at pH 6.7 where the two were equal). The distribution of triphenylmethylphosphonium cation, in the presence of tetraphenylboron anion, gave estimates of 119 and 79 mV (interior negative) for the electrical potentials of the thermophile and mesophile, respectively, for cells suspended in a phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The uptake of 86Rb+, in the presence of valinomycin, gave similar results for M. thermoautotrophicum, ranging from 143 mV (at pH 5.8) to 120 mV (at pH 8.0). Electrical potentials compared to the size of the respective K+ gradients, maintained between the cytoplasm and growth medium. The results are interpreted in terms of proton efflux and monovalent cation antiport activities at the cytoplasmic membrane, with possible proton pumping at the site of internal vesicles.

Chronic Pain: Fundamental Scientific Considerations, Specifically for Legal Claims

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Barth
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Psychological Treatment ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
Pain Syndrome ◽  
Problematic Relationship

Abstract Scientific findings have indicated that psychological and social factors are the driving forces behind most chronic benign pain presentations, especially in a claim context, and are relevant to at least three of the AMA Guides publications: AMA Guides to Evaluation of Disease and Injury Causation, AMA Guides to Work Ability and Return to Work, and AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. The author reviews and summarizes studies that have identified the dominant role of financial, psychological, and other non–general medicine factors in patients who report low back pain. For example, one meta-analysis found that compensation results in an increase in pain perception and a reduction in the ability to benefit from medical and psychological treatment. Other studies have found a correlation between the level of compensation and health outcomes (greater compensation is associated with worse outcomes), and legal systems that discourage compensation for pain produce better health outcomes. One study found that, among persons with carpal tunnel syndrome, claimants had worse outcomes than nonclaimants despite receiving more treatment; another examined the problematic relationship between complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and compensation and found that cases of CRPS are dominated by legal claims, a disparity that highlights the dominant role of compensation. Workers’ compensation claimants are almost never evaluated for personality disorders or mental illness. The article concludes with recommendations that evaluators can consider in individual cases.

Convergence of Corporate Governance Models

2004 ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Tretyakov
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Commodity Markets ◽  
Legal Systems ◽  
National Institutions ◽  
Governance Models ◽  
Changing Role

The article focuses on the analysis of the process of convergence of outsider and insider models of corporate governance. Chief characteristics of basic and intermediate systems of corporate governance as well as the changing role of its main agents are under examination. Globalization of financial and commodity markets, convergence of legal systems, an open exchange of ideas and information are the driving forces of the convergence of basic systems of corporate governance. However the convergence does not imply the unification of institutional environment and national institutions of corporate governance.

The Incentives to, and Constraints upon, Product Innovation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Stoneman ◽  
Eleonora Bartoloni ◽  
Maurizio Baussola
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Product Space ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Product Line ◽  
Decision Uncertainty ◽  
Market Structures ◽  
Product Innovations

This chapter explores the factors that affect the firm’s decision to undertake product innovation. The discussion encompasses the driving forces that encourage product innovation, for example innovation by others or the ageing of an existing product line; however, the basic rationale is the search for profits. The chapter also addresses decisions about: the extent of innovation in general; horizontal and vertical product innovations separately; and the location of innovations in product space. The role of market structures in the product innovation decision, uncertainty in the innovating environment, and issues relating to emulation and copying are also addressed. Constraints to product innovation that survey data indicate are most important—innovation costs, risk and finance, and the availability of qualified labour—are also addressed.

scholarly journals The Role of Mitochondria in Carcinogenesis

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 5100
Author(s):  
Paulina Kozakiewicz ◽  
Ludmiła Grzybowska-Szatkowska ◽  
Marzanna Ciesielka ◽  
Jolanta Rzymowska
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Dna Polymorphisms ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Dna Mutations ◽  
Nadh Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase ◽  
Gene Coi ◽  
The Impact

The mitochondria are essential for normal cell functioning. Changes in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) may affect the occurrence of some chronic diseases and cancer. This process is complex and not entirely understood. The assignment to a particular mitochondrial haplogroup may be a factor that either contributes to cancer development or reduces its likelihood. Mutations in mtDNA occurring via an increase in reactive oxygen species may favour the occurrence of further changes both in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Mitochondrial DNA mutations in postmitotic cells are not inherited, but may play a role both in initiation and progression of cancer. One of the first discovered polymorphisms associated with cancer was in the gene NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 3 (mt-ND3) and it was typical of haplogroup N. In prostate cancer, these mutations and polymorphisms involve a gene encoding subunit I of respiratory complex IV cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (COI). At present, a growing number of studies also address the impact of mtDNA polymorphisms on prognosis in cancer patients. Some of the mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms occur in both chronic disease and cancer, for instance polymorphism G5913A characteristic of prostate cancer and hypertension.

scholarly journals Controlled Transcription of Regulator Gene carS by Tet-on or by a Strong Promoter Confirms Its Role as a Repressor of Carotenoid Biosynthesis in Fusarium fujikuroi

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Julia Marente ◽  
Javier Avalos ◽  
M. Carmen Limón
Keyword(s):  
Wild Strain ◽  
Ring Finger ◽  
Carotenoid Biosynthesis ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Fusarium Fujikuroi ◽  
Structural Genes ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Set Up

Carotenoid biosynthesis is a frequent trait in fungi. In the ascomycete Fusarium fujikuroi, the synthesis of the carboxylic xanthophyll neurosporaxanthin (NX) is stimulated by light. However, the mutants of the carS gene, encoding a protein of the RING finger family, accumulate large NX amounts regardless of illumination, indicating the role of CarS as a negative regulator. To confirm CarS function, we used the Tet-on system to control carS expression in this fungus. The system was first set up with a reporter mluc gene, which showed a positive correlation between the inducer doxycycline and luminescence. Once the system was improved, the carS gene was expressed using Tet-on in the wild strain and in a carS mutant. In both cases, increased carS transcription provoked a downregulation of the structural genes of the pathway and albino phenotypes even under light. Similarly, when the carS gene was constitutively overexpressed under the control of a gpdA promoter, total downregulation of the NX pathway was observed. The results confirmed the role of CarS as a repressor of carotenogenesis in F. fujikuroi and revealed that its expression must be regulated in the wild strain to allow appropriate NX biosynthesis in response to illumination.

Grain Boundary Segregation in Titanium Dioxide: Evaluation of Relative Driving Forces for Segregation

2002 ◽  
Vol 751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinglei Wang ◽  
Guoda D. Lian ◽  
Elizabeth C. Dickey
Keyword(s):  
Titanium Dioxide ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Boundary Segregation ◽  
Solute Segregation ◽  
Dielectric Behavior ◽  
Relative Role ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Fundamental Phenomenon ◽  
Versus Strain

ABSTRACTSolute segregation to grain boundaries is a fundamental phenomenon in polycrystalline metal-oxide electroceramics that has enormous implications for the macroscopic dielectric behavior of the materials. This paper presents a systematic study of solute segregation in a model dielectric, titanium dioxide. We investigate the relative role of the electrostatic versus strain energy driving forces for segregation by studying yttrium-doped specimens. Through analytical transmission electron microscopy studies, we quantitatively determine the segregation behavior of the material. The measured Gibbsian interfacial excesses are compared to thermodynamic predictions.

scholarly journals Regulatory Role of the MisR/S Two-Component System in Hemoglobin Utilization in Neisseria meningitidis

2009 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 1109-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuming Zhao ◽  
Grisselle E. Montanez ◽  
Pradeep Kumar ◽  
Soma Sannigrahi ◽  
Yih-Ling Tzeng
Keyword(s):  
Posttranscriptional Regulation ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Two Component System ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Upstream Gene ◽  
Component System ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Major Surface

ABSTRACT Outer membrane iron receptors are some of the major surface entities that are critical for meningococcal pathogenesis. The gene encoding the meningococcal hemoglobin receptor, HmbR, is both independently transcribed and transcriptionally linked to the upstream gene hemO, which encodes a heme oxygenase. The MisR/S two-component system was previously determined to regulate hmbR transcription, and its hemO and hmbR regulatory mechanisms were characterized further here. The expression of hemO and hmbR was downregulated in misR/S mutants under both iron-replete and iron-restricted conditions, and the downregulation could be reversed by complementation. No significant changes in expression of other iron receptors were detected, suggesting that the MisR/S system specifically regulates hmbR. When hemoglobin was the sole iron source, growth defects were detected in the mutants. Primer extension analysis identified a promoter upstream of the hemO-associated Correia element (CE) and another promoter at the proximal end of CE, and processed transcripts previously identified for other cotranscribed CEs were also detected, suggesting that there may be posttranscriptional regulation. MisR directly interacts with sequences upstream of the CE and upstream of the hmbR Fur binding site and thus independently regulates hemO and hmbR. Analysis of transcriptional reporters of hemO and hmbR further demonstrated the positive role of the MisR/S system and showed that the transcription of hmbR initiated from hemO was significantly reduced. A comparison of the effects of the misS mutation under iron-replete and iron-depleted conditions suggested that activation by the MisR/S system and iron-mediated repression by Fur act independently. Thus, the expression of hemO and hmbR is coordinately controlled by multiple independent regulatory mechanisms, including the MisR/S two-component system.

Platelet Glycoprotein Receptor IIIa Polymorphism PlA1/PlA2 and Coronary Risk: a Meta-Analysis

2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (04) ◽  
pp. 626-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augusto Di Castelnuovo ◽  
Giovanni de Gaetano ◽  
Maria Benedetta Donati ◽  
Licia Iacoviello
Keyword(s):  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Platelet Glycoprotein ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Coronary Risk ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Glycoprotein Iiia ◽  
Artery Disease ◽  
Revascularization Procedures

SummaryMembrane glycoprotein IIb/IIIa plays a major role in platelet function. The gene encoding the glycoprotein IIIa shows a common polymorphism PlA1/PlA2 that was variably associated with vascular disease. To clarify the role of PlA1/PlA2 polymorphism in coronary risk, a meta-analysis of published data was conducted. Studies were identified both by MEDLINE searches, and hand searching of journals and abstract books.A total of 34 studies for coronary artery disease (CAD), and 6 for restenosis after revascularization were identified, for a total of 9,095 cases and 12,508 controls. In CAD, the overall odds ratio for carriers of the PlA2 allele was 1.10 (95% CI: 1.03 to 1.18), and it was 1.21 (95% CI: 1.05 to 1.38) in subjects younger than 60. Overall odds ratio was 1.31 (95% CI: 1.10 to 1.56) after revascularization procedures.The association of PlA2 status with overall cardiovascular disease in the general population is significant but weak; higher risk has been identified in less heterogeneous subgroups as in the younger cohorts and in the restenosis subset with stents.

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