PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Gilbert

Publications and source records attributed to R Gilbert.

208 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Structural investigations of pneumolysin/lipid complexes.

Pneumolysin, a virulence factor from the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae, is a water-soluble protein which forms ring-shaped oligomeric structures upon binding to cholesterol-containing lipid membranes. It induces vesicle aggregation, membrane pore formation and withdrawal of lipid material into non-bilayer proteolipid complexes. Solid-state magic angle spinning and wideline static NMR, together with freeze-fracture electron microscopy, are used to characterize the phase changes in fully hydrated cholesterol-containing lipid membranes induced by the addition of pneumolysin. A structural model for the proteolipid complexes is proposed where a 30-50-meric pneumolysin ring lines the inside of a lipid torus. Cholesterol is found to be essential to the fusogenic action of pneumolysin.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Stabilizing electrode-host interfaces: a tissue engineering approach.

The stability of implanted electrodes is a significant problem affecting their long-term use in vivo. Problems include mechanical failure and inflammation at the implantation site. The engineering of bioactive electrode coatings has been investigated for its potential to promote in-growth of neural tissue and reduce sheer at the electrode-host interface. Preliminary results indicate that hydrogel coatings with either collagen I or polylysine-laminin-1 can promote cortical nerve cell attachment and differentiation on silicon substrates. Additionally, slow-release microtubules can also be implanted in these gels to release agents that either provide trophic support to neurons or prevent inflammation locally. When silicon discs are coated with collagen type I, the coating remains stable for 55 days. Further testing is underway, but initial results indicate that tissue-engineering approaches provide useful insights to help address the problem of host-electrode instability in the brain.

Cells, Cultured↗