Latest News

Clues beginning to emerge on asymtomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection
Back in November of 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was teaching an in-person microbiology laboratory. One of my students had just been home to see his parents, and they all c…
Read more
Could there maybe be better uses of genetics and probiotics?
Professor Meng Dong and his laboratory have created a probiotic that can metabolize alcohol quickly and maybe prevent some of the adverse effects of alcohol consumption. The scientists cloned a highl…
Read more
ChatGPT is not the end of essays in education
The takeover of AI is upon us! AI can now take all our jobs, is the click-bait premise you hear from the news. While I cannot predict the future, I am dubious that AI will play such a dubious role in…
Read more
Fighting infections with infections
Multi-drug-resistant bacterial infections are becoming more of an issue, with 1.2 million people dying of previously treatable bacterial infections. Scientists are frantically searching for new metho…
Read more
A tale of two colleges
COVID-19 at the University of Wisconsin this fall has been pretty much a non-issue. While we are wearing masks, full in-person teaching is happening on campus. Bars, restaurants, and all other busine…
Read more

News

Study finds biochemical role of crucial TonB protein in bacterial iron transport and pathogenesis


 

The biochemical role of the protein, TonB, was relatively unknown for decades, but recent research has helped clear that up. TonB was noted to be especially important, as it is a pivotal factor in the membrane protein of Gram-negative bacteria—specifically aiding in the uptake of iron into the microorganism. The key in this discovery is finding it within the parameters of Gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria, as opposed to Gram-positive bacteria, are typically considered the more virulent of the two types of bacteria because of a cell wall found only in Gram-negative bacteria that act as a physical barrier against antibiotics. Gram-negative bacteria cause a significant number of serious diseases and clinical conditions. In the spectrum of the medicinal aspect of microorganisms, Gram-negative bacteria are perceived as posing a threat to the progression of anti-biotics.

TonB is classified as a protein beta-barrel and acts in concert with a series of signals from the outside environment. These signals are then transported through a process that brings the components from the outside environment, through the two membranes of the cell, and into the cytoplasm. Klebba et al, was able to shed light on TonB’s specifics, showing that a spinning motion generates enough energy and the ideal kinetic mechanisms to allow for the uptake of iron ions. The article describes this concerted effort as being “required [for] iron biological processes like energy generation and DNA” into the cell. The iron ions are then integrated into the process of gene transcription and the activation of targeted genes. Klebba describes the method in which TonB performs as an “electric motor” that rotates as energy flow passes through the membrane, stating the importance and influence TonB has in the integrity of the cell wall.

The discovery of TonB’s specific mechanisms bring hope that future antibiotics could impede the functions that are crucial to the microorganism’s survival. The disabling of the methods used for bacteria obtaining could be a gateway to providing benefits in synthesizing more effective medicine to fight bacterial related illnesses.