Person
Autotransporters produced by Gram-negative bacteria consist of an N-terminal signal sequence, a C-terminal translocator domain (TD), and a passenger domain in between. The TD facilitates the secretion of the passenger across the outer membrane. It generally consists of a channel-forming β-barrel tha
Discrimination between self and non-self surfaces by the complement system of innate immunity has long been enigmatic. Finally, two papers provide structural insights into host protection against indiscriminate immune surveillance.
The complement system is a crucial component of the innate immune response in humans. Recent studies in Staphylococcus aureus and Neisseria meningitidis have revealed how these bacteria escape complement-mediated killing. In addition, new structural data have provided detailed insights into the mole
Activation of the complement cascade induces inflammatory responses and marks cells for immune clearance. In the central complement-amplification step, a complex consisting of surface-bound C3b and factor B is cleaved by factor D to generate active convertases on targeted surfaces. We present crysta
The lipid A portion of lipopolysaccharide, the major component of the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, is toxic to humans. Modification of lipid A by enzymes often reduces its toxicity. The outer-membrane protein LpxR from Salmonella typhimurium is a lipid A-modifying e
The first crystal structures of lipases that have been covalently modified through site-selective inhibition by different organometallic phosphonatepincer– metal complexes are described. The halide-bridged metal dimer shows that coordination chemistry is possible with protein-modified pincer–metal c
A new upside-down geometry is proposed to achieve the beneficial effects of microgravity crystal growth by making use of buoyant forces instead of compensating for them. We show by growth experiments on sodium chlorate and lysozyme that crystal growth in an upside-down geometry leads to the formatio
Complement in mammalian plasma recognizes pathogenic, immunogenic and apoptotic cell surfaces, promotes inflammatory responses and marks particles for cell lysis, phagocytosis and B‑cell stimulation. At the heart of the complement system are two large proteins, complement component C3 and protease f
The pathogenic bacterium Staphylococcus aureus counteracts the host immune defense by excretion of the 85 residue staphylococcal complement inhibitor (SCIN). SCIN inhibits the central complement convertases; thereby, it reduces phagocytosis following opsonization and efficiently blocks all downstrea
Objective: Protein misfolding diseases result from the deposition of insoluble protein aggregates that often contain fibrils called amyloid. Amyloids are found in Alzheimer disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, and systemic amyloidosis,which are diseases where platelet activation might be imp
Go to page top
Go back to contents
Go back to site navigation