Lignocellulosic biomass is a vast and underutilized resource for the production of sugars and biofuels. However, the structural complexity of lignocellulosic biomass and the need for multiple pretreatment and enzymatic steps for sugar release renders this process economically challenging. Here, we report a novel approach for direct, single container, exogenous enzyme-free conversion of lignocel...

Aminoglycoside antibiotics that bind to the ribosomal A site cause misreading of the genetic code and inhibit translocation. The clinically important aminoglycoside, gentamicin C, is a mixture of three components. Binding of each gentamicin component to the ribosome and to a model RNA oligonucleotide was studied biochemically and the structure of the RNA complexed to gentamicin C1a was solved u...

Protein kinase C-α (PKCα) has been studied widely as a paradigm for conventional PKCs, with two C1 domains (C1A and C1B) being important for the regulation and function of the kinase. However, it is challenging to explore these domains in membrane-bound environments with either simulations or experiments alone. In this work, we have combined modeling, simulations, and experiments to understand ...

Anaerobic gut fungi represent a distinct early-branching fungal phylum (Neocallimastigomycota) and reside in the rumen, hindgut, and feces of ruminant and nonruminant herbivores. The genome of an anaerobic fungal isolate, Orpinomyces sp. strain C1A, was sequenced using a combination of Illumina and PacBio single-molecule real-time (SMRT) technologies. The large genome (100.95 Mb, 16,347 genes) ...

GMCP3 encodes a cystein proteinase of Glycine max belonging to the papain-like family (C1A in MEROPS database) that was previously found to be involved in the mobilization of protein reserves during seed germination. Here, we report that GMCP3 is induced by senescence and diverse stresses in non-seed tissues, thus indicating a more general function in plants. Cladistic analysis of papain-like p...

When the glycosylated plant enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is conjugated to specific antibodies, it presents a powerful tool for medical applications. The isolation and purification of this enzyme from plant is difficult and only gives low yields. However, HRP recombinantly produced in the yeast Pichia pastoris experiences hyperglycosylation, which impedes the use of this enzyme in medicin...

Conventional protein kinases C (cPKCs) play an essential role in signal transduction and are believed to integrate both global Ca(2+) transients and diacylglycerol signals. We provide evidence that PKCalpha is a ubiquitous readout sensor for the cellular Ca(2+) toolkit, including highly restricted elementary Ca(2+) release. Threshold stimulations of cells with Ca(2+)-mobilizing agonists resulte...

Mammalian membrane-bound adenylyl cyclase consists of two highly conserved cytoplasmic domains (C1a and C2a) separated by a less conserved connecting region, C1b, and one of two transmembrane domains, M2. The C1a and C2a domains form a catalytic core that can be stimulated by forskolin and the stimulatory G protein subunit alpha (Galpha(s)). In this study, we analyzed the regulation of type 7 a...