Flagellar motility is required for the viability of the bloodstream trypanosome

The 9 + 2 microtubule axoneme of flagella and cilia represents one of the most iconic structures built by eukaryotic cells and organisms. Both unity and diversity are present among cilia and flagella on the evolutionary as well as the developmental scale. Some cilia are motile, whereas others function as sensory organelles and can variously possess 9 + 2 and 9 + 0 axonemes and other associated structures. How such unity and diversity are reflected in molecular repertoires is unclear. The flagellated protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, causing devastating disease in humans and other animals. There is little hope of a vaccine for African sleeping sickness and a desperate need for modern drug therapies. Here we present a detailed proteomic analysis of the trypanosome flagellum. RNA interference (RNAi)-based interrogation of this proteome provides functional insights into human ciliary diseases and establishes that flagellar function is essential to the bloodstream-form trypanosome. We show that RNAi-mediated ablation of various proteins identified in the trypanosome flagellar proteome leads to a rapid and marked failure of cytokinesis in bloodstream-form (but not procyclic insect-form) trypanosomes, suggesting that impairment of flagellar function may provide a method of disease control. A postgenomic meta-analysis, comparing the evolutionarily ancient trypanosome with other eukaryotes including humans, identifies numerous trypanosome-specific flagellar proteins, suggesting new avenues for selective intervention.     

A lever-arm rotation drives motility of the minus-end-directed kinesin Ncd

Kinesins are microtubule-based motor proteins that power intracellular transport. Most kinesin motors, exemplified by Kinesin-1, move towards the microtubule plus end, and the structural changes that govern this directional preference have been described. By contrast, the nature and timing of the structural changes underlying the minus-end-directed motility of Kinesin-14 motors (such as Drosophila Ncd) are less well understood. Using cryo-electron microscopy, here we demonstrate that a coiled-coil mechanical element of microtubule-bound Ncd rotates approximately 70 degrees towards the minus end upon ATP binding. Extending or shortening this coiled coil increases or decreases velocity, respectively, without affecting ATPase activity. An unusual Ncd mutant that lacks directional preference shows unstable nucleotide-dependent conformations of its coiled coil, underscoring the role of this mechanical element in motility. These results show that the force-producing conformational change in Ncd occurs on ATP binding, as in other kinesins, but involves the swing of a lever-arm mechanical element similar to that described for myosins.     

Pilus retraction powers bacterial twitching motility

Twitching and social gliding motility allow many gram negative bacteria to crawl along surfaces, and are implicated in a wide range of biological functions. Type IV pili (Tfp) are required for twitching and social gliding, but the mechanism by which these filaments promote motility has remained enigmatic. Here we use laser tweezers to show that Tfp forcefully retract. Neisseria gonorrhoeae cells that produce Tfp actively crawl on a glass surface and form adherent microcolonies. When laser tweezers are used to place and hold cells near a microcolony, retractile forces pull the cells toward the microcolony. In quantitative experiments, the Tfp of immobilized bacteria bind to latex beads and retract, pulling beads from the tweezers at forces that can exceed 80 pN. Episodes of retraction terminate with release or breakage of the Tfp tether. Both motility and retraction mediated by Tfp occur at about 1 microm s(-1) and require protein synthesis and function of the PilT protein. Our experiments establish that Tfp filaments retract, generate substantial force and directly mediate cell movement.     

Direct observation of steps in rotation of the bacterial flagellar motor

The bacterial flagellar motor is a rotary molecular machine that rotates the helical filaments that propel many species of swimming bacteria. The rotor is a set of rings up to 45 nm in diameter in the cytoplasmic membrane; the stator contains about ten torque-generating units anchored to the cell wall at the perimeter of the rotor. The free-energy source for the motor is an inward-directed electrochemical gradient of ions across the cytoplasmic membrane, the protonmotive force or sodium-motive force for H+-driven and Na+-driven motors, respectively. Here we demonstrate a stepping motion of a Na+-driven chimaeric flagellar motor in Escherichia coli at low sodium-motive force and with controlled expression of a small number of torque-generating units. We observe 26 steps per revolution, which is consistent with the periodicity of the ring of FliG protein, the proposed site of torque generation on the rotor. Backwards steps despite the absence of the flagellar switching protein CheY indicate a small change in free energy per step, similar to that of a single ion transit.     

针刺对胃运动和胃电的影响及其机制分析

针刺胃经穴对胃运动、胃电具有抑制、增强或双向调节作用 .针感传入与针效发挥与神经 体液密切相关 .针刺对神经 内分泌 免疫网络的激活可使其达到对机体全面调整的效果 .     

Crystal structure and mechanism of a bacterial fluorinating enzyme

Fluorine is the thirteenth most abundant element in the earth's crust, but fluoride concentrations in surface water are low and fluorinated metabolites are extremely rare. The fluoride ion is a potent nucleophile in its desolvated state, but is tightly hydrated in water and effectively inert. Low availability and a lack of chemical reactivity have largely excluded fluoride from biochemistry: in particular, fluorine's high redox potential precludes the haloperoxidase-type mechanism used in the metabolic incorporation of chloride and bromide ions. But fluorinated chemicals are growing in industrial importance, with applications in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and materials products. Reactive fluorination reagents requiring specialist process technologies are needed in industry and, although biological catalysts for these processes are highly sought after, only one enzyme that can convert fluoride to organic fluorine has been described. Streptomyces cattleya can form carbon-fluorine bonds and must therefore have evolved an enzyme able to overcome the chemical challenges of using aqueous fluoride. Here we report the sequence and three-dimensional structure of the first native fluorination enzyme, 5'-fluoro-5'-deoxyadenosine synthase, from this organism. Both substrate and products have been observed bound to the enzyme, enabling us to propose a nucleophilic substitution mechanism for this biological fluorination reaction.     

Structure and mechanism of the S component of a bacterial ECF transporter

The energy-coupling factor (ECF) transporters, responsible for vitamin uptake in prokaryotes, are a unique family of membrane transporters. Each ECF transporter contains a membrane-embedded, substrate-binding protein (known as the S component), an energy-coupling module that comprises two ATP-binding proteins (known as the A and A' components) and a transmembrane protein (known as the T component). The structure and transport mechanism of the ECF family remain unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of RibU, the S component of the ECF-type riboflavin transporter from Staphylococcus aureus at 3.6-? resolution. RibU contains six transmembrane segments, adopts a previously unreported transporter fold and contains a riboflavin molecule bound to the L1 loop and the periplasmic portion of transmembrane segments 4-6. Structural analysis reveals the essential ligand-binding residues, identifies the putative transport path and, with sequence alignment, uncovers conserved structural features and suggests potential mechanisms of action among the ECF transporters.     

Polarization rotation mechanism for ultrahigh electromechanical response in single-crystal piezoelectrics

Piezoelectric materials, which convert mechanical to electrical energy (and vice versa), are crucial in medical imaging, telecommunication and ultrasonic devices. A new generation of single-crystal materials, such as Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PZN-PT) and Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT), exhibit a piezoelectric effect that is ten times larger than conventional ceramics, and may revolutionize these applications. However, the mechanism underlying the ultrahigh performance of these new materials-and consequently the possibilities for further improvements-are not at present clear. Here we report a first-principles study of the ferroelectric perovskite, BaTiO3, which is similar to single-crystal PZN-PT but is a simpler system to analyse. We show that a large piezoelectric response can be driven by polarization rotation induced by an external electric field. Our computations suggest how to design materials with better performance, and may stimulate further interest in the fundamental theory of dielectric systems in finite electric fields.     

Structure of the bacterial flagellar hook and implication for the molecular universal joint mechanism

The bacterial flagellum is a motile organelle, and the flagellar hook is a short, highly curved tubular structure that connects the flagellar motor to the long filament acting as a helical propeller. The hook is made of about 120 copies of a single protein, FlgE, and its function as a nano-sized universal joint is essential for dynamic and efficient bacterial motility and taxis. It transmits the motor torque to the helical propeller over a wide range of its orientation for swimming and tumbling. Here we report a partial atomic model of the hook obtained by X-ray crystallography of FlgE31, a major proteolytic fragment of FlgE lacking unfolded terminal regions, and by electron cryomicroscopy and three-dimensional helical image reconstruction of the hook. The model reveals the intricate molecular interactions and a plausible switching mechanism for the hook to be flexible in bending but rigid against twisting for its universal joint function.     

操作室回转装置水平轮卡阻问题的分析与解决

本文针对铝电解多功能起重机操作室回转装置的结构和使用特点,分析了水平轮组在装配过程中出现的问题,并提出了解决办法,对操作室回转装置的水平轮装配方法具有指导和参考意义。     

Micro-robot design based on swimming mechanism of bacterial flagella

Nanomachines are controllable machines at the nano meter or molecular scale that are composed of nanoscale components. They have their own mechanochemistry, dynamics, workspace, and usability and are composed of natures building blocks: namely proteins, DNA, and other compounds. Some bacteria (i. e. Escherichia coli) swim by rotating helical flagella. The structure and motion character of the flagellum are introduced. Through the study, a microrobot was designed and its mechanical structure was explained in this paper. In the future, the bionic microrobot is expected tobe built, which can travel inside the human body and carry out a host of complex operations such as minimally invasive surgery, highly localized drug delivery, and screening for diseases that are in their very early stages. It is important to medicine and could be applied in other areas, including space exploration, electronics and military.     

Micro-robot design based on swimming mechanism of bacterial flagella

Nanomachines are controllable machines at the nano meter or molecular scale that are composed of nano-scale components. They have their own mechanochemistry, dynamics, workspace, and usability and are composed of natures building blocks: namely proteins, DNA, and other compounds. Some bacteria (i. e. Escherichia coli) swim by rotating helical flagella. The structure and motion character of the flagellum are introduced. Through the study, a micro-robot was designed and its mechanical structure was explained in this paper. In the future, the bionic micro-robot is expected tobe built, which can travel inside the human body and carry out a host of complex operations such as minimally invasive surgery, highly localized drug delivery, and screening for diseases that are in their very early stages. It is important to medicine and could be applied in other areas, including space exploration, electronics and military.     

Micro-robot design based on swimming mechanism of bacterial flagella

Nanomachines are controllable machines at the nano meter or molecular scale that are composed of nano-scale components.They have their own mechanochemistry,dynamics,workspace,and usability and are composed of nature's building blocks:namely proteins,DNA,and other compounds.Some bacteria(i.e.Escherichia coli)swim by rotating helical flagella.The structure and motion character of the flagellum are introduced.Through the study,a micro-robot was designed and its mechanical structure was explained in this paper....     

Genomics, the cytoskeleton and motility

The draft human genome sequence is an important step in cataloguing the molecular hardware that supports the processes of life. Here I look at what we have learned from the draft sequence about our cytoskeletal and motility systems. Most cytoskeletal and motility proteins were discovered previously by biochemical isolation, traditional cloning methods or random sequences of complementary DNAs. The ongoing challenges of assembling and annotating genes for motor proteins with long, fragmented coding sequences emphasize the importance of expert knowledge of related proteins and confirmatory evidence from cDNA sequences.     

轮换对称多项式通式的构造及初等轮换式的自动发现

通过改进算法的轮换对称多项式的通式构造程序,研究了初等轮换对称多项式的构造,编写Maple程序得到了3元到7元的初等轮换对称多项式;提出并编程实现列表乘法运算,为较多元多项式的线性表示及多项式的通式构造提供了强有力的工具;提出了3个猜想并编程实现部分验证.     

实现左、右旋偏振光可调性的新方法

利用斯托克斯矢量法分析了左(右)旋偏振光的产生原理,并由此推导出了将左(右)旋偏振光调为右(左)旋偏振光的新方法.     

2-正n边形的旋转排列计数的轮换指标计算

对正n边形旋转排列计数进行了推广,对3类条件下的2正n边形在两类变换下的轮换指标进行了研究,得到了对应的计算公式以及其轮换指标。