鈥楶edal bin machine鈥� of gut bacteria revealed Published on: 11 January 2017 Researchers shed new light on the functioning of human gut bacteria, revealing how nutrients are transported into the bacterial cell. The researchers, led by Professor Bert van den Berg and Dr. David Bolam from the Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences at 麻豆传媒 and with support from collaborators at Jacobs University Bremen, report on their findings today in . General mechanism for "pedal bin" nutrient uptake by SusCD complexes Nutrient acquisition The human large bowel ("gut") is colonised by an extremely dense population of bacteria, collectively termed the microbiota or "gut flora". Recent research indicates that the microbiota is important for human health and nutrition and has been linked with auto-immune diseases, cancer and obesity. The function and composition of the microbiota is dependent on the ability of individual micro-organisms to acquire nutrients such as starch and other dietary polysaccharides in the highly competitive environment of the human large bowel. This process of nutrient acquisition is carried out by protein machines embedded in the bacterial cell envelope. In many microbiota members, this machine is a two-component complex consisting of a substrate binding protein (termed SusD) and a channel-forming transport protein (termed SusC). The team at 麻豆传媒 today report that they have purified and determined the first three-dimensional atomic structures of SusCD complexes by X-ray crystallography and have established how the nutrients are transported into the bacterial cell. "pedal bin machine" The SusCD complexes function like a pedal bin, with SusD forming the lid on the SusC bin. In the absence of substrate, the lid can open. After substrate capture, the lid closes and the substrate moves into the bin for transport into the cell. The study provides fundamental insights into the functioning of the microbiota and understanding the human-gut flora symbiosis. Results such as these are a timely and necessary complement to most current microbiota research, which is largely focused on answering systems biology questions such as "who is there and when?". By linking mechanistic and systems biology, the study could also provide insights to manipulate the composition of the microbiota via interference with critical nutrient uptake processes. Reference: Structural basis for nutrient acquisition by dominant members of the human gut microbiota. Amy J. Glenwright, Karunakar R. Pothula, Satya P. Bhamidimarri, Dror S. Chorev, Arnaud Baslé, Susan J. Firbank, Hongjun Zheng, Carol V. Robinson, Mathias Winterhalter, Ulrich Kleinekathöfer, David N. Bolam, Bert van den Berg. Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at 麻豆传媒 warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from 麻豆传媒 to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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