scholarly journals Molecular Docking, Dynamics Simulation, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Examination of Clinically Isolated Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Ursolic Acid: A Pentacyclic Triterpenes

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 328
Author(s):  
Dian Ayu Eka Pitaloka ◽  
Sophi Damayanti ◽  
Aluicia Anita Artarini ◽  
Elin Yulinah Sukandar

The purpose of this study was to analyze the inhibitory action of ursolic acid (UA) as an antitubercular agent by computational docking studies and molecular dynamics simulations. The effect of UA on the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) was evaluated by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). UA was used as a ligand for molecular interaction and investigate its binding activities to a group of proteins involved in the growth of MTB and the biosynthesis of the cell wall. Computational docking analysis was performed by using autodock 4.2.6 based on scoring functions. UA binding was confirmed by 30 ns molecular dynamics simulation using gromacs 5.1.1. H37Rv sensitive strain and isoniazid-resistant strain were used in the SEM study. UA showed to have the optimum binding affinity to inhA (Two-trans-enoyl-ACP reductase enzyme involved in elongation of fatty acid) with the binding energy of -9.2 kcal/mol. The dynamic simulation showed that the UA-inhA complex relatively stable and found to establish hydrogen bond with Thr196 and Ile194. SEM analysis confirms that UA treatment in both sensitive strain and resistant strain affected the morphology cell wall of MTB. This result indicated that UA could be one of the potential ligands for the development of new antituberculosis drugs.

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 13-20
Author(s):  
O. V. Anissimova

Algae samples were collected during different seasons from 1997 to 2011 in two swamps located at Zvenigorod Biological Station in Moscow Region. There were found 25 Cosmarium species and varieties, 9 taxa of them being new to the region. Descriptions of the taxa were specified by observation of cell wall ornamentation with light and scanning electron microscopy. Original descriptions, photos and drawings of algae are presented.


2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (18) ◽  
pp. 1939-1947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey RS Naylor ◽  
Margaret Pate ◽  
Graham J Higgerson

Previous researchers established a set of reference cottons with known fiber maturity and linear density (fineness) values based on the analysis of a large number of individual transverse fiber cross-sections viewed under the optical microscope. Part 1 identified that the limited optical resolution of the captured images may be the source of a significant systematic error in the assigned values of cell wall area and hence fiber maturity and linear density values. In this paper the optical microscopy technique was implemented. Individual cross-sections were measured using this approach and also higher resolution and higher magnification images were obtained using scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the data obtained from optical microscopy were similar to the SEM data, with the perimeter being 2% smaller, the cell wall area being 6% larger and the maturity ratio values being 8% higher. It was concluded that the combined approach of utilizing SEM in conjunction with optical imaging is a useful approach for verifying and perhaps correcting the data obtained from optical imaging. Further the SEM images highlighted that the current experimental protocol does not adequately address the challenge of ensuring that the fibers are mounted normal to the plane of cutting the transverse cross-section. Modeling demonstrated that while maturity ratio values are relatively insensitive to this misalignment, measured cell wall area values and hence fiber linear density values will be overestimated. This may be the major source of error associated with the technique and warrants further attention in future studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Mursalimov ◽  
Nobuhiko Ohno ◽  
Mami Matsumoto ◽  
Sergey Bayborodin ◽  
Elena Deineko

Serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) was used here to study tobacco male meiosis. Three-dimensional ultrastructural analyses revealed that intercellular nuclear migration (INM) occurs in 90–100% of tobacco meiocytes. At the very beginning of meiosis, every meiocyte connected with neighboring cells by more than 100 channels was capable of INM. At leptotene and zygotene, the nucleus in most tobacco meiocytes approached the cell wall and formed nuclear protuberances (NPs) that crossed the cell wall through the channels and extended into the cytoplasm of a neighboring cell. The separation of NPs from the migrating nuclei and micronuclei formation were not observed. In some cases, the NPs and nuclei of neighboring cells appeared apposed to each other, and the gap between their nuclear membranes became invisible. At pachytene, NPs retracted into their own cells. After that, the INM stopped. We consider INM a normal part of tobacco meiosis, but the reason for such behavior of nuclei is unclear. The results obtained by SBF-SEM suggest that there are still many unexplored features of plant meiosis hidden by limitations of common types of microscopy and that SBF-SEM can turn over a new leaf in plant meiosis research.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1048-1054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunzhen Zheng ◽  
Daniel J. Cosgrove ◽  
Gang Ning

AbstractWe have used field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) to study the high-resolution organization of cellulose microfibrils in onion epidermal cell walls. We frequently found that conventional “rule of thumb” conditions for imaging of biological samples did not yield high-resolution images of cellulose organization and often resulted in artifacts or distortions of cell wall structure. Here we detail our method of one-step fixation and dehydration with 100% ethanol, followed by critical point drying, ultrathin iridium (Ir) sputter coating (3 s), and FESEM imaging at a moderate accelerating voltage (10 kV) with an In-lens detector. We compare results obtained with our improved protocol with images obtained with samples processed by conventional aldehyde fixation, graded dehydration, sputter coating with Au, Au/Pd, or carbon, and low-voltage FESEM imaging. The results demonstrated that our protocol is simpler, causes little artifact, and is more suitable for high-resolution imaging of cell wall cellulose microfibrils whereas such imaging is very challenging by conventional methods.


Author(s):  
Виктор Катола ◽  
Viktor Katola

The general characteristics of the Mollicutes class of the family Mycoplasmataceae, the distribution and sources of mycoplasma infection, its clinical features and diagnostic methods are given. In scanning electron microscopy of blood plasma in patients with severe fibrous cavernous pulmonary tuberculosis in the phase of infiltration and seeding, elementary bodies of unidentified L-forms of bacteria and filamentous branching forms with various structures on the surface, presumably cells of mycoplasmas, were identified. All these formations together with mycobacterium tuberculosis form superinfection, which is the cause of the progression and outcome of the tuberculosis process.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 20739-20763 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. C. Pfalzgraff ◽  
R. M. Hulscher ◽  
S. P. Neshyba

Abstract. Optical properties of cirrus ice clouds play an important role in regulating Earth's radiative balance. It has been hypothesized that the surfaces of cirrus ice crystals may be characterized by mesoscopic (micrometer-scale) texturing, or roughness, in order to explain discrepancies between theoretical and observed light-scattering properties. Here, we present the first clearly resolved observations of surfaces of hexagonal ice crystals, using variable-pressure scanning electron microscopy. During growth conditions, the ice surface develops trans-prismatic strands, separated from one another by distances of 5–10 μm. These strands become more pronounced during ablation, and exhibit a wider range of separations. Under re-growth conditions, faceting is re-established initially at prismatic edges. Molecular dynamics studies of a free-standing ice Ih nanocolumn showed no trans-prismatic strands at the atomistic level, suggesting that these strands originate at a spatial scale greater than 10 nm. The observed surface roughness could be used to construct more realistic representations of cirrus clouds in climate models, and constrain theories of ice crystal growth and ablation.


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