Search

Periplasmic c-type cytochromes are essential for the electron transport between the cytoplasmic membrane bound menquinol oxidase CymA and the terminal ferric iron reductase MtrABC in the outer membrane of Shewanella oneidensis cells. Either STC or FccA are necessary for periplasmic electron transfer. We followed the hypothesis that the elimination of potential competing reactions in the periplasm and the simultaneous overexpression of STC (cctA) could lead to an accelerated electron transfer to the cell surface. The genes nrfA, ccpA, napB and napA were replaced by cctA. This led to a 1.7-fold increased ferric iron reduction rate and a 23% higher current generation in a bioelectrochemical system. Moreover, the quadruple mutant had a higher periplasmic flavin content. Further deletion of fccA and its replacement by cctA resulted in a strain with ferric iron reduction rates similar to the wild type and a lower concentration of periplasmic flavin compared to the quadruple mutant. A transcriptomic analysis revealed that the quadruple mutant had a 3.7-fold higher cctA expression which could not be further increased by the replacement of fccA. This work indicates that a synthetic adaptation of Shewanella towards extracellular respiration holds potential for increased respiratory rates and consequently higher current densities., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) rely on the metabolism of sediment bacteria capable of forming electrogenic biofilms to generate electrical work. The environment across the thickness of the biofilm is variable and in order for the cells to maintain their viability they require molecular sensors that allow them to adapt their metabolism to their respective environment. The DcrA sensor from Desulfovibrio vulgaris and the GSU 0582 and 0935 sensor domains from Geobacter sulfurreducens appear to function as redox sensors. The SO2144 sensor domain from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and the cytochrome c″ from Methylophilus methylotrophus appear to function as NO sensors. Although M. methylotrophus is not known to colonize electrodes on BES, the characterization of cytochrome c″ serves to illustrate the general mechanism of NO sensing similar to that of the heme based sensors of sediment bacteria used in BES. In all cases, conformational changes initiated by the signal trigger the response. What appears to set these two groups of proteins apart is the poise of the heme in the sensors. In the case of redox sensors the hemes appear to be low spin iron II axially coordinated by two residues of the protein. In the case of NO sensors the heme appears to be high spin iron II with the distal coordination site vacant. Understanding of the molecular bases for signal and ligand discrimination may enable a fine control of biofilm formation in bioelectrochemical systems or the development of novel biosensors., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are emerging as a particularly valuable class of drugs due to their recently reported anti-tumoral activity in colorectal cancer. However, despite this tremendous potential, their bioavailability at the tumor microenvironment remains rather limited. To overcome this issue, in this work we synthesized biocompatible micellar nanocarriers composed of amphiphilic chitosan to deliver ibuprofen into breast cancer cells and evaluate its anti-tumor activity, while avoiding side-effects. Our results reveal that the formulations produced herein self-assembly into spherical micelles with suitable sizes for tumor accumulation (108-252 nm). Furthermore, by using a vortex-sonication method, ibuprofen was successfully encapsulated with high efficiency. Cell uptake studies show that ibuprofen-loaded micelles are readily internalized by tumor cells and deliver their cargo in the intracellular compartment as demonstrated by confocal microscopy images. This fact led to a remarkable reduction in cancer cell viability (<13%), at a relatively low drug dosage, illustrating the anti-tumoral activity of ibuprofen when delivered to breast cancer cells. These findings demonstrate the promising potential of chitosan micelles as carriers of cost-effective NSAIDS for application in breast cancer therapy., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)