Von der Wurzel ins Labor: Meerrettichperoxidase produziert in E. coli

The enzyme Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) is omnipresent in modern biotechnology. Although promising for therapeutic purposes, no suitable production process for this enzyme has been available until now. Medical applications require the enzyme to be highly pure, homogenous and well-defined. We have developed an efficient production process for recombinant HRP from Escherichia coli inclusion bodies. With this strategy we are able to provide active, highly pure and non-glycosylated enzyme at competitive yields.

Spezifische Membrankontaktstellen bei Pflanzen: wer mit wem, warum und wie

Cellular membranes can serve as barriers between subcellular compartments, but they can also interact to form dynamically regulated membrane contact sites between a specific pair of organelles. Focussing on plants, this article discusses local redox environments and the current knowledge on membrane contact sites as examples for the dividing and connecting functions of membranes, respectively.

Räuberische Pilze mit Anwendungspotenzial

Nematode-trapping fungi, such as Duddingtonia flagrans, are fascinating carnivorous microorganisms. In a nutrient-rich environment they live as saprotrophs, but if nutrients are scarce and in the presence of nematodes, they can switch to a predatory lifestyle. The switch is characterized by the formation of complex, adhesive trap structures. The interaction requires a sophisticated interspecies communication with pheromones, secondary metabolites, and virulence factors.

Ko-translationale Assemblierung von Proteinkomplexen

The majority of cellular proteins exerts their biological activity as oligomeric complexes. The general view was that complexes form by random collision of folded subunits in the cytosol. Recent studies question this view by demonstrating that a surprisingly high number of complexes are formed during translation. Co-translational assembly occurs by interaction either of fully synthesized subunits with nascent partner subunits, or of two nascent polypeptides exposed by proximal ribosomes.