scholarly journals Mineral minimization in nature's alternative teeth

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher C Broomell ◽  
Rashda K Khan ◽  
Dana N Moses ◽  
Ali Miserez ◽  
Michael G Pontin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metal Ion ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Side Chain ◽  
Ion Binding ◽  
Mechanical Support ◽  
Metal Ion Binding ◽  
Organic Composition ◽  
Biochemical Analyses ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Contrary to conventional wisdom, mineralization is not the only strategy evolved for the formation of hard, stiff materials. Indeed, the sclerotized mouthparts of marine invertebrates exhibit Young's modulus and hardness approaching 10 and 1 GPa, respectively, with little to no help from mineralization. Based on biochemical analyses, three of these mouthparts, the jaws of glycerid and nereid polychaetes and a squid beak, reveal a largely organic composition dominated by glycine- and histidine-rich proteins. Despite the well-known metal ion binding by the imidazole side-chain of histidine and the suggestion that this interaction provides mechanical support in nereid jaws, there is at present no universal molecular explanation for the relationship of histidine to mechanical properties in these sclerotized structures.

Terbium(III) luminescence study of the spatial relationship of tryptophan residues to the two metal ion binding sites of Escherichia coli glutamine synthetase

Biochemistry ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 30 (14) ◽  
pp. 3417-3421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda S. McNemar ◽  
Wann Yin Lin ◽  
Charles D. Eads ◽  
William M. Atkins ◽  
Patrice Dombrosky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Metal Ion ◽  
Spatial Relationship ◽  
Ion Binding ◽  
Metal Ion Binding ◽  
Tryptophan Residues ◽  
Ion Binding Sites ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Metal Ion Binding Sites

Skeletal elements of crinoid echinoderms: High-resolution structural and microanalytical results

1983 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 194-195
Author(s):  
D. F. Blake ◽  
L. F. Allard ◽  
D. R. Peacor
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Sea Urchins ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Sea Stars ◽  
High Resolution Tem ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

Echinodermata is a phylum of marine invertebrates which has been extant since Cambrian time (c.a. 500 m.y. before the present). Modern examples of echinoderms include sea urchins, sea stars, and sea lilies (crinoids). The endoskeletons of echinoderms are composed of plates or ossicles (Fig. 1) which are with few exceptions, porous, single crystals of high-magnesian calcite. Despite their single crystal nature, fracture surfaces do not exhibit the near-perfect {10.4} cleavage characteristic of inorganic calcite. This paradoxical mix of biogenic and inorganic features has prompted much recent work on echinoderm skeletal crystallography. Furthermore, fossil echinoderm hard parts comprise a volumetrically significant portion of some marine limestones sequences. The ultrastructural and microchemical characterization of modern skeletal material should lend insight into: 1). The nature of the biogenic processes involved, for example, the relationship of Mg heterogeneity to morphological and structural features in modern echinoderm material, and 2). The nature of the diagenetic changes undergone by their ancient, fossilized counterparts. In this study, high resolution TEM (HRTEM), high voltage TEM (HVTEM), and STEM microanalysis are used to characterize tha ultrastructural and microchemical composition of skeletal elements of the modern crinoid Neocrinus blakei.

Photophysical Characterisation, Metal Ion Binding and Enantiomeric Recognition of Chiral Ligands Containing Phenazine Fluorophore

2004 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 885-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Stella Dolci ◽  
Péter Huszthy ◽  
Erika Samu ◽  
Marco Montalti ◽  
Luca Prodi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metal Ion ◽  
Photophysical Properties ◽  
Ion Binding ◽  
Metal Ion Binding ◽  
Ammonium Ions ◽  
Enantiomerically Pure ◽  
Binding Process ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
Enantiomeric Recognition ◽  
Chiral Species

Enantiomerically pure dimethyl- and diisobutyl-substituted phenazino-18-crown-6 ligands bind metal and ammonium ions and also primary aralkylammonium perchlorates in acetonitrile with high affinity, causing pronounced changes in their luminescence properties. In addition, they show enantioselectivity towards chiral primary aralkylammonium perchlorates. The possibility to monitor the binding process by photoluminescence spectroscopy can gain ground for the design of very efficient enantioselective chemosensors for chiral species. The observed changes in the photophysical properties are also an important tool for understanding the interactions present in the adduct.

scholarly journals Snapshots of a Non-Canonical RdRP in Action

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1260
Author(s):  
Diego S. Ferrero ◽  
Michela Falqui ◽  
Nuria Verdaguer
Keyword(s):  
Metal Ion ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Ion Binding ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Metal Ion Binding ◽  
Insect Virus ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Template Strand ◽  
Nucleotide Incorporation ◽  
Elongation Process

RNA viruses typically encode their own RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) to ensure genome replication and transcription. The closed “right hand” architecture of RdRPs encircles seven conserved structural motifs (A to G) that regulate the polymerization activity. The four palm motifs, arranged in the sequential order A to D, are common to all known template dependent polynucleotide polymerases, with motifs A and C containing the catalytic aspartic acid residues. Exceptions to this design have been reported in members of the Permutotetraviridae and Birnaviridae families of positive single stranded (+ss) and double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses, respectively. In these enzymes, motif C is located upstream of motif A, displaying a permuted C–A–B–D connectivity. Here we study the details of the replication elongation process in the non-canonical RdRP of the Thosea asigna virus (TaV), an insect virus from the Permutatetraviridae family. We report the X-ray structures of three replicative complexes of the TaV polymerase obtained with an RNA template-primer in the absence and in the presence of incoming rNTPs. The structures captured different replication events and allowed to define the critical interactions involved in: (i) the positioning of the acceptor base of the template strand, (ii) the positioning of the 3’-OH group of the primer nucleotide during RNA replication and (iii) the recognition and positioning of the incoming nucleotide. Structural comparisons unveiled a closure of the active site on the RNA template-primer binding, before rNTP entry. This conformational rearrangement that also includes the repositioning of the motif A aspartate for the catalytic reaction to take place is maintained on rNTP and metal ion binding and after nucleotide incorporation, before translocation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document