Elevational distribution and morphological attributes of the entomopathogenic fungi from forests of the Qinling Mountains in China

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - Entomopathogenic fungi are considered to be a safe microbiological pesticide alternative to chemical control. Efforts are underway to understand precisely...     

Molecular interaction studies of zinc sulphide nanoparticles with DNA and its consequence: a multitechnique approach

Molecular interaction studies between nanoparticles (NPs) and biomolecules are of great importance in the field of nanomedicine as they affect many physiological processes. Therefore, the interaction of zinc sulphide nanoparticles (ZnS NPs) with calf thymus deoxyribonucleic acid (CT DNA) and its significance was analyzed using ultraviolet (UV)–visible light, fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), zeta potential, viscometry, electrochemical, and polymerase chain reaction methods. Fluorescence quenching analysis revealed that the fluorescence of ZnS NPs was quenched using CT DNA through a static quenching mechanism. The negative values of thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS) showed that the binding process was spontaneous, exothermic, and van der Waals or hydrogen bonding plays an important role in the interaction of ZnS NPs with CT DNA. Thermal melting (T_m) studies indicated a decrease in the T_m of CT DNA, suggesting the destabilization of CT DNA upon interaction with ZnS NPs. In addition, the results obtained from competitive binding, zeta potential, CD, and viscometry measurements showed that the interaction of ZnS NPs with CT DNA is through groove binding. Electrochemical analysis further confirmed the observed results from various spectroscopic and other related studies, in which decrease in the redox peak current along with changes in peak potential (CV) and increase in the electrical resistance (EIS) indicated the interaction between ZnS NPs and CT DNA. Furthermore, PCR analysis using DNA polymerase revealed the potential of ZnS NPs to inhibit DNA replication in vitro. ZnS NP–CT DNA interaction studies can be explored to define new horizons in biomedical applications of ZnS NPs.     

In-silico and In-vitro based studies of Streptomyces peucetius CYP107N3 for oleic acid epoxidation

Certain members of the cytochromes P450 superfamily metabolize polyunsaturated long-chain fatty acids to several classes of oxygenated metabolites. An approach based on in silico analysis predicted that Streptomyces peucetius CYP107N3 might be a fatty acid-metabolizing enzyme, showing high homology with epoxidase enzymes. Homology modeling and docking studies of CYP107N3 showed that oleic acid can fit directly into the active site pocket of the double bond of oleic acid within optimum distance of 4.6 Å from the Fe. In order to confirm the epoxidation activity proposed by in silico analysis, a gene coding CYP107N3 was expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified CYP107N3 was shown to catalyze C₉-C₁₀ epoxidation of oleic acid in vitro to 9,10-epoxy stearic acid confirmed by ESI-MS, HPLC-MS and GC-MS spectral analysis. [BMB Reports 2012; 45(12): 736-741]     

Hydroxylation of long chain fatty acids by CYP147F1, a new cytochrome P450 subfamily protein from Streptomyces peucetius

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 147F1 from Streptomyces peucetius is a new CYP subfamily of that has been identified as ω-fatty acid hydroxylase. We describe the identification of CYP147F1 as a fatty acid hydroxylase by screening for the substrate using a substrate binding assay. Screening of substrates resulted in the identification of fatty acid groups of compounds as potential hits for CYP147F1 substrates. Fatty acids from C_10:0 to C_18:0 all showed type I shift spectra indicating their potential as substrates. Among several fatty acids tested, lauric acid, myrsitic acid, and palmitic acid were used to characterize CYP147F1. CYP147F1 activity was reconstituted using putidaredoxin reductase and putidaredoxin from Pseudomonas putida as surrogate electron transfer partners. Kinetic parameters, including the dissociation constant, K_m, NADH consumption assay, production formation rate, and coupling efficiency for CYP147F1 were also determined.