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The rush to remote learning during the COVD-19 pandemic has caused instructors to rapidly adapt mechanisms of learning. Here, I describe an online concept mapping activity for membrane transport mechanisms that can be accomplished by students working together remotely and either synchronously or asynchronously., (© 2020 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.)

Research that has focused on external representations in biochemistry has uncovered student difficulties in comprehending and interpreting external representations. This study focuses on students' understanding of three external representations (ribbon diagram, wireframe, and hydrophobic/hydrophilic) of the potassium ion channel protein. Analysis of the interview data demonstrates that students were able to use the ribbon structures and polarity of the cell membrane to help support claims about the protein's orientation and interactions within the cell membrane. Students expressed fragmented understandings of the interactions between the potassium ion and the aqueous solution outside/inside of the cell membrane. Suggestions for instruction are to probe student understanding to help students activate prior knowledge and to help them build a more connected set of concepts pertaining to protein structure and function., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

1. The dissimilation of a number of externally added hexose phosphates and 5'-nucleotides by the perfused rat heart is described, and non-specific esterase and 5'-nucleotidase activity associated with the superficial cell membrane or vascular system has been demonstrated. 2. The rate of production of (14)CO(2) from [U-(14)C]glucose 6-phosphate suggests that oxidation occurred after hydrolysis to glucose. The incorporation of isotope from [U-(14)C]glucose 6-phosphate into glycogen was small, and similar to that obtained with [U-(14)C]glucose as substrate. 3. Glucose 6-phosphate was also partially isomerized to fructose 6-phosphate. Similarly, fructose 6-phosphate was converted mainly into glucose 6-phosphate, but also into glucose and inorganic phosphate. When fructose 1,6-diphosphate was added to the perfusate, a mixture of glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate and triose phosphates accumulated in the medium approximately in the equilibrium proportions of the phosphohexose-isomerase and triose phosphate-isomerase reactions, together with inorganic phosphate and some glucose. Glucose 1-phosphate was hydrolysed to glucose, but was not converted into glucose 6-phosphate. Leakage of enzymes out into the perfusion fluid did not occur. 4. This demonstration that phosphohexose isomerase, triose phosphate isomerase and aldolase may react with extracellular substrates at an appreciable rate suggests that these enzymes are attached to the cell membrane.

An earlier paper showed that in Saccoglossus the acrosomal tubule makes contact with the egg plasma membrane. The present paper includes evidence that the sperm and egg plasma membranes fuse to establish the single continuous zygote membrane which, consequently, is a mosaic. Contrary to the general hypothesis of Tyler, pinocytosis or phagocytosis plays no role in zygote formation. Contact between the gametes is actually between two newly exposed surfaces: in the spermatozoon, the surface was formerly the interior of the acrosomal vesicle; in the egg, it was membrane previously covered by the egg envelopes. The concept that all the events of fertilization are mediated by a fertilizin-antifertilizin reaction seems an oversimplification of events actually observed: rather, the evidence indicates that a series of specific biochemical interactions probably would be involved. Gamete membrane fusion permits sperm periacrosomal material to meet the egg cytoplasm; if an activating substance exists in the spermatozoon it probably is periacrosomal rather than acrosomal in origin. The contents of the acrosome are expended in the process of delivering the sperm plasma membrane to the egg plasma membrane. After these membranes coalesce, the sperm nucleus and other internal sperm structures move into the egg cytoplasm.

Gavin, John J. (Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, N.J.), and Wayne W. Umbreit. Effect of biotin on fatty acid distribution in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 89:437-443. 1965.-Biotin deficiency causes changes in the composition and distribution of the fatty acids in cell wall-cell membrane fractions of Escherichia coli T 94A. Most notable among the fatty acid changes are decreased amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, the presence of unsaponifiable lipid material, and the lack of a lipopolysaccharide fraction in the cell wall-cell membrane. Also, though the hexane-extractable material from the lipoprotein fraction of biotin-adequate cells will transfer glucose from water to hexane, the same material from biotin-deficient cells will not.

The mouse isoantigens determined at the major histocompatibility locus known as H-2 have been found to be closely associated with the cellular surface membranes, with the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum, and probably with those of the lysosomes as well. Mitochondrial membranes, on the other hand, show little or no H-2 antigen activity. Membrane material prepared from certain tissues, including brain and muscle, have no detectable H-2 antigenic activity. Evidence is presented which indicates that all of the H-2 antigens of the genome are expressed as a unit, supporting the hypothesis that the complex H-2 genetic locus consists of a single cistron. It is postulated that these histocompatibility antigens form some structural or functional unit in the membranes of cells.

Signaling networks are spatiotemporally organized to sense diverse inputs, process information, and carry out specific cellular tasks. In β cells, Ca2+, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), and Protein Kinase A (PKA) exist in an oscillatory circuit characterized by a high degree of feedback. Here, we describe a mode of regulation within this circuit involving a spatial dependence of the relative phase between cAMP, PKA, and Ca2+. We show that in mouse MIN6 β cells, nanodomain clustering of Ca2+-sensitive adenylyl cyclases (ACs) drives oscillations of local cAMP levels to be precisely in-phase with Ca2+ oscillations, whereas Ca2+-sensitive phosphodiesterases maintain out-of-phase oscillations outside of the nanodomain. Disruption of this precise phase relationship perturbs Ca2+ oscillations, suggesting the relative phase within an oscillatory circuit can encode specific functional information. This work unveils a novel mechanism of cAMP compartmentation utilized for localized tuning of an oscillatory circuit and has broad implications for the spatiotemporal regulation of signaling networks.

The selective autophagy pathways of xenophagy and mitophagy are initiated when the adaptor NDP52 recruits the ULK1 complex to autophagic cargo. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange coupled to mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) was used to map the membrane and NDP52 binding sites of the ULK1 complex to unique regions of the coiled coil of the FIP200 subunit. Electron microscopy of the full-length ULK1 complex shows that the FIP200 coiled coil projects away from the crescent-shaped FIP200 N-terminal domain dimer. NDP52 allosterically stimulates membrane-binding by FIP200 and the ULK1 complex by promoting a more dynamic conformation of the membrane-binding portion of the FIP200 coiled coil. Giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV) reconstitution confirmed that membrane recruitment by the ULK1 complex is triggered by NDP52 engagement. These data reveal how the allosteric linkage between NDP52 and the ULK1 complex could drive the first membrane recruitment event of phagophore biogenesis in xenophagy and mitophagy.

Cultured mouse peritoneal macrophages release large numbers of ~30-nm cholesterol-rich particles. Here, we show that those particles represent fragments of the plasma membrane that are pulled away and left behind during the projection and retraction of filopodia and lamellipodia. Consistent with this finding, the particles are enriched in proteins found in focal adhesions, which attach macrophages to the substrate. The release of particles is abolished by blocking cell movement (either by depolymerizing actin with latrunculin A or by inhibiting myosin II with blebbistatin). Confocal microscopy and NanoSIMS imaging studies revealed that the plasma membrane-derived particles are enriched in 'accessible cholesterol' (a mobile pool of cholesterol detectable with the modified cytolysin ALO-D4) but not in sphingolipid-sequestered cholesterol [a pool detectable with ostreolysin A (OlyA)]. The discovery that macrophages release cholesterol-rich particles during cellular locomotion is likely relevant to cholesterol efflux and could contribute to extracellular cholesterol deposition in atherosclerotic plaques.

Anhydrobiotes are rare microbes, plants and animals that tolerate severe water loss. Understanding the molecular basis for their desiccation tolerance may provide novel insights into stress biology and critical tools for engineering drought-tolerant crops. Using the anhydrobiote, budding yeast, we show that trehalose and Hsp12, a small intrinsically disordered protein (sIDP) of the hydrophilin family, synergize to mitigate completely the inviability caused by the lethal stresses of desiccation. We show that these two molecules help to stabilize the activity and prevent aggregation of model proteins both in vivo and in vitro. We also identify a novel in vitro role for Hsp12 as a membrane remodeler, a protective feature not shared by another yeast hydrophilin, suggesting that sIDPs have distinct biological functions.

Anhydrobiotes are rare microbes, plants and animals that tolerate severe water loss. Understanding the molecular basis for their desiccation tolerance may provide novel insights into stress biology and critical tools for engineering drought-tolerant crops. Using the anhydrobiote, budding yeast, we show that trehalose and Hsp12, a small intrinsically disordered protein (sIDP) of the hydrophilin family, synergize to mitigate completely the inviability caused by the lethal stresses of desiccation. We show that these two molecules help to stabilize the activity and prevent aggregation of model proteins both in vivo and in vitro. We also identify a novel in vitro role for Hsp12 as a membrane remodeler, a protective feature not shared by another yeast hydrophilin, suggesting that sIDPs have distinct biological functions.

The Rho GTPase family belongs to the Ras superfamily and includes approximately 20 members in humans. Rho GTPases are important in the regulation of diverse cellular functions, including cytoskeletal dynamics, cell motility, cell polarity, axonal guidance, vesicular trafficking, and cell cycle control. Changes in Rho GTPase signaling play an essential regulatory role in many pathological conditions, such as cancer, central nervous system diseases, and immune system-dependent diseases. The posttranslational modification of Rho GTPases (i.e., prenylation by mevalonate pathway intermediates) and GTP binding are key factors which affect the activation of this protein. In this paper, two essential and simple methods are provided to detect a broad range of Rho GTPase prenylation and GTP binding activities. Details of the technical procedures that have been used are explained step by step in this manuscript.

Ether lipids (ELs) are lipids characterized by the presence of either an ether linkage (alkyl lipids) or a vinyl ether linkage [i.e., plasmalogens (Pls)] at the sn1 position of the glycerol backbone, and they are enriched in PUFAs at the sn2 position. In this review, we highlight that ELs have various biological functions, act as a reservoir for second messengers (such as PUFAs) and have roles in many diseases. Some of the biological effects of ELs may be associated with their ability to regulate ion channels that control excitation-contraction/secretion/mobility coupling and therefore cell physiology. These channels are embedded in lipid membranes, and lipids can regulate their activities directly or indirectly as second messengers or by incorporating into membranes. Interestingly, ELs and EL-derived PUFAs have been reported to play a key role in several pathologies, including neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. Investigations leading to a better understanding of their mechanisms of action in pathologies have opened a new field in cancer research. In summary, newly identified lipid regulators of ion channels, such as ELs and PUFAs, may represent valuable targets to improve disease diagnosis and advance the development of new therapeutic strategies for managing a range of diseases and conditions.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk), a Tec-family tyrosine kinase, is essential for B-cell function. We present crystallographic and biochemical analyses of Btk, which together reveal molecular details of its autoinhibition and activation. Autoinhibited Btk adopts a compact conformation like that of inactive c-Src and c-Abl. A lipid-binding PH-TH module, unique to Tec kinases, acts in conjunction with the SH2 and SH3 domains to stabilize the inactive conformation. In addition to the expected activation of Btk by membranes containing phosphatidylinositol triphosphate (PIP3), we found that inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6), a soluble signaling molecule found in both animal and plant cells, also activates Btk. This activation is a consequence of a transient PH-TH dimerization induced by IP6, which promotes transphosphorylation of the kinase domains. Sequence comparisons with other Tec-family kinases suggest that activation by IP6 is unique to Btk.

Knowledge of changes in macrophages following bacterial engulfment is limited. U937-derived macrophages were incubated with Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Morphological and biochemical changes in macrophages following host-pathogen interactions were visualized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) respectively. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to assess the variability in the FTIR spectra. Following host-pathogen interactions, survival of S. aureus was significantly lower than P. aeruginosa (P<0.05) and cellular morphology of macrophages was different after incubation with S. aureus compared to P. aeruginosa. Following incubation with S. aureus macrophages were more globular and amorphous in shape whereas long linear pseudopodia were observed following incubation with P. aeruginosa. Distinct FTIR spectra were identified in macrophages post interaction with the different bacteria and PCA analysis demonstrated distinct biochemical differences in the phagocytes following engulfment of the bacteria, with > 99 % of variability in the FTIR spectra explained by the first two principal components. These findings demonstrated that there were clear morphological and biochemical changes in macrophages following engulfment of two different bacterial types suggesting that the biochemical components of the bacterial cell wall influenced the biochemical characteristics and hence the morphology of macrophages in distinct ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous features distinguish prokaryotes from eukaryotes, chief among which are the distinctive internal membrane systems of eukaryotic cells. These membrane systems form elaborate compartments and vesicular trafficking pathways, and sequester the chromatin within the nuclear envelope. The nuclear pore complex is the portal that specifically mediates macromolecular trafficking across the nuclear envelope. Although it is generally understood that these internal membrane systems evolved from specialized invaginations of the prokaryotic plasma membrane, it is not clear how the nuclear pore complex could have evolved from organisms with no analogous transport system. Here we use computational and biochemical methods to perform a structural analysis of the seven proteins comprising the yNup84/vNup107-160 subcomplex, a core building block of the nuclear pore complex. Our analysis indicates that all seven proteins contain either a beta-propeller fold, an alpha-solenoid fold, or a distinctive arrangement of both, revealing close similarities between the structures comprising the yNup84/vNup107-160 subcomplex and those comprising the major types of vesicle coating complexes that maintain vesicular trafficking pathways. These similarities suggest a common evolutionary origin for nuclear pore complexes and coated vesicles in an early membrane-curving module that led to the formation of the internal membrane systems in modern eukaryotes.