Our understanding of fungal cellulose degradation has shifted dramatically in the past few years with the characterization of a new class of secreted enzymes, the lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMO). After a period of intense research covering structural, biochemical, theoretical and evolutionary aspects, we have a picture of them as wedge-like copper-dependent metalloenzymes that on red...

The lytA-encoded autolysin (N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase) of Streptococcus pneumoniae is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of pneumococcal infection and has been identified as a putative vaccine target. Allelic diversity of lytA in an extensive collection of clinical isolates was assessed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and confirmatory sequencing studies....

Lysosomes ("lytic particles") act as the primary component of the intracellular digestive system in virtually all eukaryotic cells, both plant and animal. First recognized biochemically in rat liver, these organelles are membrane-bounded and contain a variety ofdigestive enzymes active at acid pH. Their existence and properties became evident during investigations concerning the latency of the ...

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are a recently discovered class of enzymes capable of oxidizing recalcitrant polysaccharides. They are attracting considerable attention owing to their potential use in biomass conversion, notably in the production of biofuels. Previous studies have identified two discrete sequence-based families of these enzymes termed AA9 (formerly GH61) and AA10 (f...

Purified human PMNs secrete plasminogen activator. This secretion is stimulated by Con A and low concentrations of PMA, and is inhibited by low concentrations of glucocorticoids, and by cAMP, actinomycin D, and cycloheximide. In contrast, the release of granule-bound enzymes, such as elastase, is achieved only at higher concentrations of PMA, and is not affected by any of the inhibitors that bl...

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes play a critical role in the epigenetic regulation of cellular functions and signaling pathways in many cancers. HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) have been validated for single use or in combination with other drugs in oncologic therapeutics. An even more novel combination therapy with HDACi is to use them with an oncolytic virus. HDACi may lead to an amplification of t...

Antigen processing and presentation and cytotoxic targeting depend on the activities of several lysosomal enzymes that require mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) sorting signals for efficient intracellular transport and localization. In this paper, we show that mice deficient in the formation of M6P residues exhibit significant loss of cathepsin proteases in B cells, leading to lysosomal dysfunction wit...

BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence suggests that dysregulated expression of lytic genes plays an important role in KSHV (Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus) tumorigenesis. However, the molecular events leading to the dysregulation of KSHV lytic gene expression program are incompletely understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We have studied the effect of KSHV-encoded latent protein vFLIP...

Among Bacillus subtilis IFO13722 spores sporulated at 30, 37, and 44 degrees C, those sporulated at 30 degrees C had the highest resistance to treatments with high hydrostatic pressure (100 to 300 MPa, 55 degrees C, 30 min). Pressure resistance increased after demineralization of the spores and decreased after remineralization of the spores with Ca(2+) or Mg(2+), whereas the resistance did not ...

This article reviews recent progress in our investigations into the wear particles which accumulate in prosthetic and natural diarthrodial joints. Ferrographic analysis of these particles is providing new insight into the manner in which joints undergo wear in situ. It also has the potential to serve as a diagnostic and prognostic technique, with special application to monitoring very early cha...