compensate for one another, although there is no evidence of true biochemical redundancy. The genomes of lower organisms, such as Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster and Danio rerio, harbor single ERM orthologues; in fact, ERMs appeared evolutionarily during the transition to multicellularity and an ERM-like protein is encoded by the genome of the choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicoli...

Among 76 macrolide-nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates collected between 2003 and 2005 from Central Russia, the resistance mechanisms detected in the isolates included erm(B) alone (50%), mef alone [mef(E), mef(I), or a different mef subclass; 19.7%], or both erm(B) and mef(E) (30.3%). Isolates with dual resistance genes [erm(B) and mef(E)] belonged to clonal complex CC81 or CC271.

The ErmB macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS) resistance determinant from Clostridium difficile 630 contains two copies of an erm(B) gene, separated by a 1.34-kb direct repeat also found in an Erm(B) determinant from Clostridium perfringens. In addition, both erm(B) genes are flanked by variants of the direct repeat sequence. This genetic arrangement is novel for an ErmB MLS resistance d...

How the developmental potential of differentiating stem cell progeny becomes rapidly and stably restricted following asymmetric stem cell division is unclear. In the fly larval brain, earmuff (erm) uniquely functions to restrict the developmental potential of intermediate neural progenitors (INPs) generated by asymmetrically dividing neural stem cells (neuroblasts). Here we demonstrate that the...

PURPOSE To investigate the pathogenesis of idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) from a biochemical perspective, the relationships between ERM and tryptase activity, a serine protease, and the levels of anti-type II collagen (anti-IIC) antibodies in the serum. PATIENTS AND METHODS Vitreous samples for measurement of tryptase activity were obtained from 54 eyes of 54 patients who underwent a vi...

Manure storage facilities are critical control points to reduce antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in swine manure slurry before the is land applied. However, little known about how exogenous chemicals entering may affect fate of ARGs. The objective this study was analyze impact six commonly used pit additives and four facility disinfectants on concentration ARGs slurry. Bench scale reactors, e...

Ezrin, Radixin, and Moesin (ERM) proteins play important roles in many cellular processes including cell division. Recent studies have highlighted the implications of their metastatic potential in cancers. ERM's role in these processes is largely attributed to their ability to link actin filaments to the plasma membrane. In this paper, we show that the ERM protein Moesin directly binds to micro...

M achicoane et al. reveal how three actin-organizing proteins cooperate to determine the axis of cell division (1). The proteins help establish the unequal distribution of complexes that are essential for orienting the mitotic spindle. The F-actin mesh at the cell cortex does more than shape and support the cell. Recent studies have revealed that it also helps set the orientation of the mitotic...