A kinetic analysis of the catalase activity of myeloperoxidase

The predominant physiological activity of myeloperoxidase is to convert hydrogen peroxide and chloride to hypochlorous acid. However, this neutrophil enzyme also degrades hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water. We have undertaken a kinetic analysis of this reaction to clarify its mechanism. When myeloperoxidase was added to hydrogen peroxide in the absence of reducing substrates, there was an initial burst phase of hydrogen peroxide consumption followed by a slow steady state loss. The kinetics of hydrogen peroxide loss were precisely mirrored by the kinetics of oxygen production. Two mols of hydrogen peroxide gave rise to 1 mol of oxygen. With 100 microM hydrogen peroxide and 6 mM chloride, half of the hydrogen peroxide was converted to hypochlorous acid and the remainder to oxygen. Superoxide and tyrosine enhanced the steady-state loss of hydrogen peroxide in the absence of chloride. We propose that hydrogen peroxide reacts with the ferric enzyme to form compound I, which in turn reacts with another molecule of hydrogen peroxide to regenerate the native enzyme and liberate oxygen. The rate constant for the two-electron reduction of compound I by hydrogen peroxide was determined to be 2 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1). The burst phase occurs because hydrogen peroxide and endogenous donors are able to slowly reduce compound I to compound II, which accumulates and retards the loss of hydrogen peroxide. Superoxide and tyrosine drive the catalase activity because they reduce compound II back to the native enzyme. The two-electron oxidation of hydrogen peroxide by compound I should be considered when interpreting mechanistic studies of myeloperoxidase and may influence the physiological activity of the enzyme.     

水相中氢气浓度检测方法的建立

近年来,研究表明氢分子具有广泛的生物学效应,饮用富氢水（hydrogen-rich water,HRW）是其主要的摄取方法,但目前对于水相中氢气浓度检测方法的研究甚少。为了建立适用于测定水相中氢气浓度的检测方法,利用纯水氢气发生器制备饱和富氢水。然后,利用氢气微电极直接测定水相中的氢气浓度,结果表明,在不同氢气浓度范围内（0～1.620 0 mg·L-1和0～0.202 5 mg·L-1）,氢气浓度与微电极信号值均呈现良好的线性关系,方法检出限（method detection limit,MDL）为4.3×10-3 mg·L-1。同时,采用顶空方式将水相中的氢气转移到气相中,通过气相色谱法测定氢气的浓度,结果表明,在不同氢气浓度范围内（0～1.620 0 mg·L-1和0～0.202 5 mg·L-1）,氢气浓度与气相色谱峰面积均具有良好的线性关系,MDL为8.7×10-4 mg·L-1。研究结果表明,氢微电极法和气相色谱法均可用于水相中氢气浓度的精确定量,即成功建立了采用氢气微电极及顶空气相色谱测定水相中氢气含量的检测方法。     

Effect of culture conditions on producing and uptake hydrogen flux of biohydrogen fermentation by metabolic flux analysis method

In this work, metabolic flux analysis (MFA) method was used to estimate the effects of the culture conditions on both the producing and uptake hydrogen flux inside the cell of Klebsiella pneumoniae ECU-15. The results indicated that higher temperature could reduce the amount of the uptake hydrogen and enhance the hydrogen production from the NADH pathway. Moreover, both the producing hydrogen flux from formate and the uptake hydrogen flux were attained to the maximum at pH 7.0-7.5. The producing hydrogen flux was higher at 5 g/L initial glucose than that of the other concentrations, and the uptake hydrogen flux showed the minimum value under the same condition. The apparent hydrogen generation was caused by the combined action of producing hydrogenase, uptake hydrogenase and bidirectional hydrogenase. These results were helpful to deeply understand the mechanism of the biohydrogen evolving process and establish the suitable molecular strategies for improving hydrogen production.     

Hydrogen peroxide as an inductor of uncultivable state of Vibrio cholerae eltor in an experiment

The influence of hydrogen peroxide on the dynamics of transition into uncultivable state (UCS) and on the reversion of V. cholerae and their subcultures, resistant to hydrogen peroxide, was studied. The transition of the initial cultures in river and distilled water into UCS took place earlier than that in resistant to hydrogen peroxide variants. The capacity for reversion to hydrogen peroxide resistant subcultures preserved, on the average, 2 - 3 times longer. An increase in the level of hydrogen peroxide in uncultivable populations was found to be 2.7 - 4.4 times. Subcultures, resistant to hydrogen peroxide, in the vegetative form had lower characteristics of peroxide concentrations than in uncultivable form (UCF), but somewhat higher than in initial variants. In revertants the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was lower in UCF, but somewhat higher than in vegetative cultures. The dynamics of the formation of UCF by cholera vibrios, with different degree of stability to the action of hydrogen peroxide, the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in uncultivable populations, the deceleration of transition into uncultivable forms, an accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and an increase in the time of the reversion of clones, resistant to hydrogen peroxide, made it possible to suggest that the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide was possible to make an essential contribution to the formation of UCF of cholera vibrios in an experiment.     

Effect of ammonia concentration on fermentative hydrogen production by mixed cultures

The effect of ammonia concentration ranging from 0 to 10 g N/L on fermentative hydrogen production by mixed cultures was investigated in batch tests using glucose as substrate at 35 degrees C and initial pH 7.0. The experimental results showed that during the fermentative hydrogen production, the substrate degradation efficiency increased with increasing ammonia concentration from 0 to 0.01 g N/L. The hydrogen production potential, hydrogen yield and average hydrogen production rate increased with increasing ammonia concentration from 0 to 0.1g N/L. The maximum hydrogen production potential of 291.4 mL, maximum hydrogen yield of 298.8 mL/g glucose and maximum average hydrogen production rate of 8.5 mL/h were all obtained at the ammonia concentration of 0.1g N/L.     

Fedbatch operation using Clostridium acetobutylicum suspension culture as biocatalyst for enhancing hydrogen production

We demonstrated the feasibility of fedbatch operation using Clostridium acetobutylicum suspension culture as a biocatalyst for the continuous production of hydrogen. The optimum operating pH and temperature of the current cultivation system for hydrogen production were pH 6.0 and 37 degrees C, respectively. The volumetric loading of the bioreactor for hydrogen production can be as high as 650 mmol hydrogen/L culture with a yield at approximately 2.0 mol hydrogen/mol glucose. Acetate and butyrate made up approximately 80% of the total metabolites. The inhibitory effect from the two metabolites on the hydrogen production process was investigated. Butyrate at a concentration higher than 13 g/L significantly inhibited not only cell growth but also hydrogen production (i.e., specific hydrogen production rate). Acetate appears to be less toxic than butyrate to the hydrogen production process. While significantly inhibiting cell growth, acetate hardly affected hydrogen production. Finally, the factors limiting cultivation performance were discussed and possible strategies for enhancing the production of hydrogen were proposed.     

光合细菌与产气肠杆菌协同产氢特性分析

对光合细菌(Rhodopseudomonas sp. DT)与产气肠杆菌(Enterobacter aerogenes)进行了发酵产氢试验, 考察了不同起始接种比例、培养温度及碳源条件下混合菌协同产氢特性。结果表明: 光合细菌与产气肠杆菌初始接种比例对协同产氢影响较大, 初始接种比例为1:1最有利于协同产氢, 产氢效率和产氢周期达到了3.1 mol H2/mol葡萄糖及81 h。进一步培养液pH动力学变化研究发现初始接种比例为1:1的混合菌培养液pH变化较小, 为pH 6~7, 利于混合菌协同产氢。28°     

Computer graphics presentations and analysis of hydrogen bonds from molecular dynamics simulation

To obtain better insights into the dynamic nature of hydrogen bonding, computer graphics representations were introduced as an aid for the analysis of molecular dynamics trajectories. A schematic representation of hydrogen bonding patterns is generated to reflect the frequency and the type of hydrogen bonding occurring during the simulation period. Various trajectory plots for monitoring geometrical parameters and for analyzing three-center hydrogen bonding were also generated. The methods proposed are applicable to a variety of biopolymers. In this study, hydrogen bonding in the d(G) · d(C)₆ system was examined. For the nucleic acid fragments examined, three-center hydrogen bonds can be classified as in-plane and major or minor groove types. The in-plane three-center hydrogen bond represents a stable state in which both bonds simultaneously satisfy the relaxed hydrogen bonding criteria for a measurable period. On the other hand, groove three-center hydrogen bonds behave as a transient intermediate state in a flip-flop hydrogen bonding system.     

Kinetic study of pH effects on biological hydrogen production by a mixed culture

The effect of pH on anaerobic hydrogen production was investigated under various pH conditions ranging from pH 3 to 10. When the modified Gompertz equation was applied to the statistical analysis of the experimental data, the hydrogen production potential and specific hydrogen production rate at pH 5 were 1,182 ml and 112.5 ml/g biomass-h, respectively. In this experiment, the maximum theoretical hydrogen conversion ratio was 22.56%. The Haldane equation model was used to find the optimum pH for hydrogen production and the maximum specific hydrogen production rate. The optimum pH predicted by this model is 5.5 and the maximum specific hydrogen production rate is 119.6 ml/g VSS-h. These data fit well with the experimental data (r2=0.98).     

Utilization of a palladium-metal oxide semiconductor (Pd-MOS) sensor for on-line monitoring of dissolved hydrogen in anaerobic digestion

The use of a hydrogen-sensitive palladium-metal oxide semiconductor (Pd-MOS) sensor in combination with a membrane for liquid-to-gas transfer for the detection of dissolved hydrogen was investigated. The system was evaluated with known concentrations of dissolved hydrogen in water. The lowest concentration detected with this set-up was 160 nM. The method was applied to monitoring of a laboratory-scale anaerobic digestion process employing mixed sludge containing mainly food/industrial waste. Pulse loads of glucose were added to the system at different levels of microbial activity, and the microbial status of the culture was reflected in the dissolved hydrogen response. Simultaneous headspace hydrogen measurements were performed, and at the lower levels of dissolved hydrogen no corresponding headspace hydrogen could be detected. When glucose was added to a resting culture the dissolved hydrogen response was rapid and the first response could be detected 9 min after addition of glucose, whereas headspace hydrogen concentrations increased only after 80 to 110 min. This indicates limitations in the liquid-to-gas hydrogen transfer and illustrates the importance of hydrogen monitoring in the liquid. The sensor system developed is flexible, the membrane is easily replaceable, and the probe for liquid-to-gas hydrogen transfer can be adjusted easily to large-scale applications.     

An effective enzyme interacting with poly (dT-dA).poly (dT-dA): a dynamic enhancer-repressor action.

The Green function technique is used to study the open hydrogen bond probability of poly(dT-dA).poly(dT-dA) when an effective enzyme is attached to the helix. The DNA interstrand hydrogen bond mean motion and probability of fluctuating to an open state depends on the internal vibrational frequency of the enzyme. An enzyme with internal frequency of 80 cm-1 reduces hydrogen bond motion and the resulting probability of hydrogen bond fluctuational opening. An enzyme with internal frequency of 72 cm-1 increases hydrogen bond motion and the probability of hydrogen bond breaking.     

Characterization of an inducible oxidative stress response in Vitreoscilla C1

Vitreoscilla becomes resistant to killing by hydrogen peroxide and heat shock when pretreated with nonlethal levels of hydrogen peroxide. The pretreated Vitreoscilla cells (60 microM hydrogen peroxide for 120 min) significantly increased survival of the lethal dose of 20 mM hydrogen peroxide or heat shock (22 degrees C --> 37 degrees C). This indicates the existence of an adaptive response to oxidative stress. However, cells pretreated with 60 microM hydrogen peroxide became nonresistant to a lethal dose of a menadione. This result shows that hydrogen peroxide does not induce cross-resistance to menadione in Vitreoscilla. Furthermore, Vitreoscilla treated with hydrogen peroxide, heat shock, and menadione showed a change in the protein composition, as monitored by a two-dimensional gel analysis. During adaptation to hydrogen peroxide, 12 proteins were induced. Also, 18 new proteins synthesized in response to heat shock were detected by a 2-D gel analysis. The redox-cycling agents also elicited the synthesis of 6 other proteins that were unseen with hydrogen peroxide.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of diffusion of hydrogen in binary hydrogen–tetrahydrofuran hydrate

The binary structure II hydrogen–tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate was studied with molecular dynamics simulation. The simulations were carried out at 300, 310 K and 10.1 MPa, and with various contents of hydrogen and THF. The migrations of hydrogen molecules from cage to cage were observed. The migration process of hydrogen was also analysed, and the diffusion coefficients of hydrogen in the hydrate were calculated. The calculated diffusion coefficients qualitatively agreed with the experimental data. Double and quintet occupancies of hydrogen molecules were observed in the small and large cages, respectively, without changing the hydrate structure.     

氢分子对宫颈癌细胞HeLa的影响

氢分子对多种疾病具有良好的治疗或改善效果,并且使用简便无副作用,多项实验结果也证明氢分子对肿瘤的防治具有良好的效果。从细胞增殖、细胞成瘤、细胞活性、细胞周期和凋亡、细胞转移侵袭等方面研究了氢分子对宫颈癌细胞HeLa的作用效果,结果显示：克隆球实验中,加入氢分子后,HeLa细胞集落数显著降低,集落的直径也明显减小。平板克隆形成中,加入氢分子后,细胞克隆的数量和直径均显著降低。细胞活性实验显示,氢分子对HeLa细胞活性具有明显抑制效果,对细胞内中间丝波形蛋白的表达具有一定的抑制作用。此外,氢分子对HeLa细胞周期的影响显著,且具有促凋亡的作用和抑制细胞迁移与浸润的效果。研究结果表明,氢分子抑制了细胞波形蛋白的表达,降低了HeLa细胞的增殖速率,同时抑制了细胞侵袭及迁移的能力,为氢分子对宫颈癌的防治提供了一定的实验基础。     

Electron structure of plastoquinone and coupling of electron and proton transport in thylakoids of the higher plants

The energy dependence on hydrogen position for a system, consisting of plastoquinone (in different redox states) and histidine molecules was studied. The distance between the atoms forming the hydrogen bond, an oxygen of the quinone molecule and a nitrogen of histidine, was supposed to be fixed. It was shown that for neutral quinone the total energy is minimal when the hydrogen is bound to histidine; for reduced quinone, the probability of hydrogen binding to quinone and histidine is approximately equal (so that a hydrogen bond is formed) and on secondary reduction of plastoquinone, the hydrogen binds to it.     

Comparison of diffusion and reaction rates in anaerobic microbial aggregates

The ability of hydrogen diffusion to account for the rates of methane production in microbial aggregates was studied in a defined coculture consisting of a sulfate reducer grown as a syntrophic hydrogen producer in the absence of sulfate and a methanogen. The hydrogen uptake kinetics of the methanogen were determined using the infinite dilution technique. The maximum hydrogen uptake velocity was 7.1 nmol/min/μg protein and the half saturation constant for hydrogen uptake was 386 nmol/liter. A threshold of 28 nmol/liter below which no further hydrogen consumption occurred was observed. The reconstituted co-culture was shown to produce methane at rates similar to mixed culture enrichments grown on lactate. The diffusion model demonstrated that for the particular system studied, the rates of hydrogen diffusion could account for the overall rate of methane production.     

Metabolism of S-(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine to hydrogen sulfide and the role of hydrogen sulfide in S-(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine-induced mitochondrial toxicity

The nephrotoxic cysteine S-conjugate S-(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine (CTFC) is metabolized by kidney homogenates and subcellular fractions to pyruvate and a reactive thiol, which is cytotoxic and partially decomposes to yield hydrogen sulfide and thiosulfate. Although hydrogen sulfide is a potent mitochondrial poison, the mitochondrial toxicity of CTFC is not attributable to hydrogen sulfide formation, as shown by different sites of inhibition of mitochondrial respiration by CTFC and hydrogen sulfide. The efficient mitochondrial oxidation of hydrogen sulfide apparently serves to protect mitochondria against the toxic effects of hydrogen sulfide generated from CTFC.     

Optimization of activation conditions of Rhodobacter sphaeroides in hydrogen generation process

AIMS: To examine the effects of the culture age, illuminance intensity and changes in these parameters during activation on hydrogen generation process carried out by purple nonsulfur Rhodobacter sphaeroides bacteria. METHODS AND RESULTS: The following parameters were determined in all experiments: the amount of hydrogen evolved (measured using gas chromatography), biomass increase as dry mass, pH values and consumption of organic substance as chemical oxygen demand (COD). The medium used in the process of activation and hydrogen generation contained malic acid (15 mmol) and sodium glutamate (2 mmol). The optimum age of bacteria was 12-24 h and the best intensity of illuminance was found to be 5 cd sr m-2 on activation and 9 cd sr m-2 on hydrogen generation. These conditions provided hydrogen evolution of 1.39 l l-1 of the medium with the highest specific hydrogen production of 0.146 l H2 l-1 medium h-1 g-1 inoculum. An increase in the illuminance intensity resulted in a slight inhibition of the process. CONCLUSIONS: The activation stage of bacteria has a significant effect on the parameters of hydrogen photogeneration. The optimization of the activation stages allowed a shortening of the time of hydrogen generation and of the period after which hydrogen evolution starts. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: An innovative method of bacteria activation before the initiation of the hydrogen generation process has been used to optimize this process. The shortening of the process duration as well as the twice higher hydrogen yield can help in the designing of other systems (including also those operating under solar irradiation) in which R. sphaeroides bacteria are to be applied.     

Hydrogenase in pea root nodule bacteriods

Summary Hydrogen uptake has been shown to occur with pea root nodule breis and this uptake has been shown to be confined to the bacteriods. The uptake of hydrogen by washed bacteriods, in the absence of any added substrates, has been shown to be accompanied by oxygen uptake and the ratio of hydrogen uptake to oxygen uptake in these preparations has been found to be 2:1. Substrates, provided to washed bacteriods, inhibit the uptake of hydrogen and it has been found that the utilisation of substrates, as measured by carbon dioxide evolution, is inhibited by hydrogen. It is suggested that hydrogen and substrates compete for electron carriers and that electrons from the hydrogen reduce components of the electron transport pathway and ATP is produced.The action of hydrogen on nitrogen fixation in nodule breis and washed bacterioid preparations was examined and the evidence shows that some non-competitive inhibition of nitrogen fixation, by hydrogen, occurs.     

A Simple,Low-cost,and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions

There is a growing research interest in the development of portable systems which can deliver hydrogen on-demand to proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cells. Researchers seeking to develop such systems require a method of measuring the generated hydrogen. Herein, we describe a simple, low-cost, and robust method to measure the hydrogen generated from the reaction of solids with aqueous solutions. The reactions are conducted in a conventional one-necked round-bottomed flask placed in a temperature controlled water bath. The hydrogen generated from the reaction in the flask is channeled through tubing into a water-filled inverted measuring cylinder. The water displaced from the measuring cylinder by the incoming gas is diverted into a beaker on a balance. The balance is connected to a computer, and the change in the mass reading of the balance over time is recorded using data collection and spreadsheet software programs. The data can then be approximately corrected for water vapor using the method described herein, and parameters such as the total hydrogen yield, the hydrogen generation rate, and the induction period can also be deduced. The size of the measuring cylinder and the resolution of the balance can be changed to adapt the setup to different hydrogen volumes and flow rates.