The conformation properties and conformation stability of streptokinase and its polymer derivative

The properties and conformational stability of the proteinaceous activator of fibrinolysis--native streptokinase--and its derivative obtained by modification with a linear hydrophilic copolymer based on N-vinylpyrrolidone, were studied by the circular dichroism method. It was shown that polymeric modification of streptokinase had no effect on the secondary structure, while the conformational stability of the modified protein to urea was higher than that of the native one. Studies on thermal stability of both native and modified forms of streptokinase showed that the inactivation rate was lower in the modified form as compared to the native one.     

A correlation between BCL-2 modifying factor,p53 and livin gene expressions in cancer colon patients

Accumulating evidence has revealed that livin gene and BCL-2 modifying factor (BMF) gene are closely associated with the initiation and progression of colon carcinoma by activating or suppressing multiple malignant processes. Those genes that can detect colon - cancer are a promising approach for cancer screening and diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate correlation between livin, BMF and p53 genes expression in colon cancer tissues of patients included in the study, and their relationship with clinicopathological features and survival outcome in those patients. In this study, 50 pathologically diagnosed early cancer colon patients included and their tissue biopsy with 50 matched adjacent normal tissue, and 50 adenoma tissue specimens were analyzed for livin gene and BMF gene expressions using real time PCR. The relationship of those genes expressions with clinicopathological features, tumor markers, Time to Progression and overall survival for those patients were correlated in cancer colon group. In this study, there was a significant a reciprocal relationship between over expression of livin gene and down regulation of BMF and p53 genes in colon cancer cells. Livin mRNA was significantly higher, while BMF and p53 mRNA were significantly lower in colorectal cancer tissue compared to benign and normal colon tissue specimens (P < 0.001), however, this finding was absent between colon adenomas and normal mucosa. There was a significant association between up regulation of livin and down regulation of BMF and p53 expressions with more aggressive tumor (advanced TNM stage), rapid progression with metastasis and decreased overall survival in cancer colon patients, hence these genes can serve as significant prognostic markers of poor outcome in colon cancer patients. This work highlights the role of livin, BMF and p53 genes in colorectal tumorigenesis and the applicability of using those genes as a diagnostic and prognostic markers in patients with colon carcinoma and as a good target for cancer colon treatment in the future.     

Biocides formulation of essential oils having antimicrobial activity

Essential oils of fennel, peppermint, caraway, eucalyptus, geranium and lemon were tested for their antimicrobial activities against some plant pathogenic micro-organisms (Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternate, Penicilium italicum Penicilium digitatum and Botyritus cinerea). Essential oils of fennel, peppermint, caraway were selected as an active ingredient for the formulation of biocides due to their efficiency in controlling the tested micro-organisms. Successful emulsifiable concentrates (biocides) were prepared from these oils using different emulsifiers (Emulgator B.L.M. Tween20 and Tween80) and different fixed oils (sesame, olive, cotton and soybean oils). Physico-chemical properties of the formulated biocide (spontaneous emulsification, emulsion stability test, cold stability and heat stability tests as well as viscosity, surface tension and pH) were measured. The prepared biocides were ready to be tested for application in a future work as a safe pesticide against different pathogens.     

Metagenomic insights into strategies of carbon conservation and unusual sulfur biogeochemistry in a hypersaline Antarctic lake

Organic Lake is a shallow, marine-derived hypersaline lake in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica that has the highest reported concentration of dimethylsulfide (DMS) in a natural body of water. To determine the composition and functional potential of the microbial community and learn about the unusual sulfur chemistry in Organic Lake, shotgun metagenomics was performed on size-fractionated samples collected along a depth profile. Eucaryal phytoflagellates were the main photosynthetic organisms. Bacteria were dominated by the globally distributed heterotrophic taxa Marinobacter, Roseovarius and Psychroflexus. The dominance of heterotrophic degradation, coupled with low fixation potential, indicates possible net carbon loss. However, abundant marker genes for aerobic anoxygenic phototrophy, sulfur oxidation, rhodopsins and CO oxidation were also linked to the dominant heterotrophic bacteria, and indicate the use of photo- and lithoheterotrophy as mechanisms for conserving organic carbon. Similarly, a high genetic potential for the recycling of nitrogen compounds likely functions to retain fixed nitrogen in the lake. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) lyase genes were abundant, indicating that DMSP is a significant carbon and energy source. Unlike marine environments, DMSP demethylases were less abundant, indicating that DMSP cleavage is the likely source of high DMS concentration. DMSP cleavage, carbon mixotrophy (photoheterotrophy and lithoheterotrophy) and nitrogen remineralization by dominant Organic Lake bacteria are potentially important adaptations to nutrient constraints. In particular, carbon mixotrophy relieves the extent of carbon oxidation for energy production, allowing more carbon to be used for biosynthetic processes. The study sheds light on how the microbial community has adapted to this unique Antarctic lake environment.     

Emulsifying activity of yeasts growing on normal alkanes

The ability to emulsify n-hexadecane was compared among ten strains of Candida lipolytica. The cultures were shown to differ in the activity of emulsification. The highest activity was recorded in the phase of growth deceleration. Substances involved in n-alkane emulsification were isolated.     

Biosynthesis of isoprenoids: studies on the mechanism of 2C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate synthase

2C-Methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate synthase, encoded by the ispC gene (also designated dxr), catalyzes the first committed step in the nonmevalonate isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway. The reaction involves the isomerization of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate, giving a branched-chain aldose derivative that is subsequently reduced to 2C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate. The isomerization step has been proposed to proceed as an intramolecular rearrangement or a retroaldol-aldol sequence. We report the preparation of (13)C-labeled substrate isotopologs that were designed to optimize the detection of an exchange of putative cleavage products that might occur in the hypothetical retroaldol-aldol reaction sequence. In reaction mixtures containing large amounts of 2C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Arabidopsis thaliana, and a mixture of [1-(13)C(1)]-2C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate and [3-(13)C(1)]2C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate, the reversible reaction could be followed over thousands of reaction cycles. No fragment exchange could be detected by NMR spectroscopy, and the frequency of exchange, if any, is less than 5 p.p.m. per catalytic cycle. Hydroxyacetone, the putative second fragment expected from the retroaldol cleavage, was not incorporated into the enzyme product. In contrast to other reports, IspC did not catalyze the isomerisation of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate to give 1-deoxy-L-ribulose 5-phosphate under any conditions tested. However, we could show that the isomerization reaction proceeds at room temperature without a requirement for enzyme catalysis. Although a retroaldol-aldol mechanism cannot be ruled out conclusively, the data show that a retroldol-aldol reaction sequence would have to proceed with very stringent fragment containment that would apply to the enzymes from three genetically distant organisms.