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Relative Activities (relative + activity)
Selected AbstractsGrazer and virus-induced mortality of bacterioplankton accelerates development of Flectobacillus populations in a freshwater communityENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Karel, imek Summary We present a detailed analysis of the effects of distinct bacterial mortality factors, viral lysis and heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) bacterivory, associated with the development of filamentous Flectobacillus populations. Reservoir bacterioplankton communities were subjected to additions of both HNF and viruses together, or HNF alone, and then incubated in situ in dialyses bags. For distinct bacterial groups, mortality or growth stimulation was analysed by examining bacterial prey ingested in HNF food vacuoles with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and via FISH with microautoradiography (MAR-FISH). We also developed a semi-quantitative MAR-FISH-based estimation of relative activities of Flectobacillus populations (targeted by the R-FL615 probe). Bacterial groups vulnerable to HNF predation (mainly clusters of Betaproteobacteria), or discriminated against (Actinobacteria), were detected. Bacterial lineages most vulnerable to virus-lysis (mainly the Betaproteobacteria not targeted by the R-BT065 probe, of the Polynucleobacter cluster) were identified by comparing treatments with HNF alone to HNF and viruses together. Filaments affiliated with the Flectobacillus cluster appeared in both treatments, but were about twice as abundant, long and active as in incubations with viruses and HNF as compared with HNF alone. Viruses appeared to selectively suppress several bacterial groups, perhaps enhancing substrate availability thus stimulating growth and activity of filamentous Flectobacillus. [source] Influence of the Diketonato Ligand on the Cytotoxicities of [Ru(,6 - p -cymene)(R2acac)(PTA)]+ Complexes (PTA = 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane)EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 10 2008Carsten A. Vock Abstract A series of compounds of general formula [Ru(,6 - p -cymene)(R2acac)(PTA)][X] (R2acac = Me2acac, tBu2acac, Ph2acac, Me2acac-Cl; PTA = 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane; X = BPh4, BF4), and the precursor to the Me2acac-Cl derivative [Ru(,6 - p -cymene)(Me2acac-Cl)Cl], have been prepared and characterised spectroscopically. Five of the compounds have also been characterised in the solid state by X-ray crystallography. The tetrafluoroborate salts are water-soluble, quite resistant to hydrolysis, and have been evaluated for cytotoxicity against A549 lung carcinoma and A2780 human ovarian cancer cells. The compounds are cytotoxic towards the latter cell line, and relative activities are discussed in terms of hydrolysis (less important) and lipophilicity, which appears to exert the dominating influence. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008) [source] Affinity and catalytic heterogeneity of polyclonal myelin basic protein-hydrolyzing IgGs from sera of patients with multiple sclerosisJOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 3 2010Galina A. Legostaeva Abstract Human myelin basic protein (hMBP)-hydrolyzing activity was recently shown to be an intrinsic property of antibodies (Abs) from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Here, we present the first evidence demonstrating a significant diversity of different fractions of polyclonal IgGs (pIgGs) from MS patients in their affinity for hMBP and in the ability of pIgGs to hydrolyze hBMP at different optimal pHs (3,10.5). IgGs containing ,- and ,-types of light chains demonstrated comparable relative activities in the hydrolysis of hMBP. IgGs of IgG1,IgG4 sub-classes were analyzed for catalytic activity. IgGs of all four sub-classes were catalytically active, with their contribution to the total activity of Abzs in the hydrolysis of hMBP and its 19-mer oligopeptide increasing in the order: IgG1 (1.5,2.1%) < IgG2 (4.9,12.8%) < IgG3 (14.7,25.0%) < IgG4 (71,78%). Our findings suggest that the immune systems of individual MS patients generate a variety of anti-hMBP abzymes with different catalytic properties, which can attack hMBP of myelin-proteolipid shell of axons, playing an important role in MS pathogenesis. [source] Purification and Characterization of Thermostable ,-Amylase from a Newly Isolated Thermophilic Bacillus stearothermophilus GRE 1ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 5-6 2005S.M. Zakir Hossain A thermophilic bacterium, Bacillus stearothermophilus GRE 1, isolated from an Ethiopian hyperthermal spring produced a thermostable ,-amylase. Enzyme production in shake flask experiments while using optimum nutrient supplements and environmental conditions was 2.35 U/ml. Under optimized conditions in a bioreactor, 5-6 fold higher enzyme activity was obtained than that of a shake flask. Gel filtration chromatography yielded a purification factor of 33.62-fold and a recovery of 46.52%. The optimum temperature for activity was determined to be 60-70d,C and optimum pH was in the range of 5.5-6.0. The enzyme maintained 50% of its original activity after 45 minutes of incubation at 80d,C, and is stable at pH values of 5.0-9.0. Enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by Cu2+, Zn2+ and Fe2+. The enzyme is calcium independent and 94% and 86% relative activities were displayed with low concentrations of Co2+ and Mg2+, respectively. [source] Changing phosphoinositides "on the fly": how trafficking vesicles avoid an identity crisisBIOESSAYS, Issue 10 2009Roberto J. Botelho Abstract Joining an antagonistic phosphoinositide (PtdInsP) kinase and phosphatase into a single protein complex may regulate rapid and local PtdInsP changes. This may be important for processes such as membrane fission that require a specific PtdInsP and that are innately local and rapid. Such a complex could couple vesicle formation, with erasing of the identity of the donor organelle from the vesicle prior to its fusion with target organelles, thus preventing organelle identity intermixing. Coordinating signals are postulated to switch the relative activities of the kinase and phosphatase in a spatio-temporal manner that matches membrane fission events. The discovery of two such complexes supports this hypothesis. One regulates the interconversion of phosphatidylinositol and PtdIns(3)P by joining the Vps34 PtdIns 3-kinase and the myotubularin 3-phosphatases. The other regulates the interconversion between PtdIns(3)P and PtdIns(3,5)P2 through the Fab1/PIKfyve kinase and the Fig4/mFig4 phosphatase. These lipids are essential components of the endosomal identity code. [source] Evaluation of SupermixTM as an in vitro model of human liver microsomal drug metabolismBIOPHARMACEUTICS AND DRUG DISPOSITION, Issue 5 2002Karthik Venkatakrishnan Abstract SUPERMIXTM is a commercially available formulation of insect cell-expressed human drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms, mixed in proportions that are optimized to parallel their relative activities in human liver microsomes. We have evaluated the apparent functional affinity and capacity of individual CYP isoforms in SUPERMIXTM in comparison with microsomes from a panel of 12 human livers, using enzyme kinetic studies of isoform-selective index reactions. In addition, we have measured the concentration of NADPH cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (OR) in SUPERMIXTM and compared it with the concentrations of this accessory electron transfer protein in human liver microsomes. No important differences were evident in the catalytic activities of CYPs 1A2, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 and 3A4 between SUPERMIXTM and human liver microsomes. However, SUPERMIXTM lacks CYP2B6 activity and did not hydroxylate the antidepressant bupropion, a clinically relevant substrate of this enzyme. In addition, the concentration of OR in SUPERMIXTM (1198 pmol mg protein,1) is 17-fold higher than the mean value in human liver microsomes (70 pmol mg protein,1). In conclusion, SUPERMIXTM lacks CYP2B6 activity and contains supraphysiological concentrations of the accessory electron transfer protein OR. These factors should be considered when this formulation is used as an in vitro model in human liver microsomal drug metabolism studies. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Macrophage Cell Model for Selective Metalloproteinase Inhibitor DesignCHEMBIOCHEM, Issue 13 2008Faith E. Jacobsen Abstract The desire to inhibit zinc-dependent matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) has, over the course of the last 30 years, led to the development of a plethora of MMP inhibitors that bind directly to the active-site metal. With one exception, all of these drugs have failed in clinical trials, due to many factors, including an apparent lack of specificity for MMPs. To address the question of whether these inhibitors are selective for MMPs in a biological setting, a cell-based screening method is presented to compare the relative activities of zinc, heme iron, and non-heme iron enzymes in the presence of these compounds using the RAW264.7 macrophage cell line. We screened nine different zinc-binding groups (ZBGs), four established MMP inhibitors (MMPis), and two novel MMP inhibitors developed in our laboratory to determine their selectivities against five different metalloenzymes. Using this model, we identified two nitrogen donor compounds,2,2,-dipyridylamine (DPA) and triazacyclononane (TACN),as the most selective ZBGs for zinc metalloenzyme inhibitor development. We also demonstrated that the model could predict known nonspecific interactions of some of the most commonly used MMPis, and could also give cross-reactivity information for newly developed MMPis. This work demonstrates the utility of cell-based assays in both the design and the screening of novel metalloenzyme inhibitors. [source] Refuge habitats modify impact of insecticide disturbance on carabid beetle communitiesJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2001Jana C. Lee Summary 1Carabid beetles are polyphagous predators that can act as biological control agents of insect pests and weeds. While current agricultural practices often create a harsh environment, habitat management such as the establishment of within-field refuges has been proposed to enhance carabid beetle abundance and impact. We examined the joint effects of refuge habitats and insecticide application on carabid activity density (parameter of population density and relative activity) and species composition in a cornfield. 2Our 2-year study comprised four treatments: (i) ,refuge/,insecticide; (ii) +refuge/,insecticide; (iii) ,refuge/+insecticide; (iv) +refuge/+insecticide. Refuge strips consisted of grasses, legumes and perennial flowering plants. ,,Refuge' strips were planted with corn and not treated with insecticide. 3Before planting and insecticide application, carabid activity density in the crop areas was similar across all treatments. Insecticide application immediately reduced carabid activity density and altered community composition in the crop area. 4Refuge strips had significantly higher activity density of beetles than ,refuge strips before planting and during the summer. 5During summer, as new carabids emerged and insecticide toxicity declined, the presence of refuge strips influenced carabids in the adjacent crop area. Carabid activity density within crop areas previously treated with insecticide was significantly higher when adjacent to refuge strips. Also, carabid communities within insecticide-treated crop areas were affected by the presence or absence of a refuge strip. 6The presence of refuge strips did not consistently augment carabid numbers in crop areas where insecticide was not applied. One explanation may be that insecticides decreased the quality of crop habitat to carabids by depletion of prey and direct mortality. However, subsequent rebounds in prey density and the absence of competing predators may make these areas relatively more attractive than unperturbed crop habitats to carabid colonization from refuges. 7This study demonstrates that refuges may buffer the negative consequences of insecticide application on carabids in adjacent fields. Diversifying agro-ecosystems with refuge habitats may be a viable strategy for maintaining carabid populations in disturbed agricultural landscapes to keep pests below outbreak levels. [source] Aggregation and membrane permeabilizing properties of designed histidine-containing cationic linear peptide antibiotics,JOURNAL OF PEPTIDE SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008Arnaud Marquette Abstract Members of the LAH4 family of cationic linear peptide antibiotics have been designed to form amphipathic helical structures in membrane environments and switch from alignments parallel to the bilayer surface to transmembrane orientations in a pH-dependent manner. Here the aggregation in aqueous buffer of two members of the family has been investigated by DLS. The peptides form monomers or small oligomers at pH = 5 but associate into nano-sized aggregates at physiological pH. The diameter of these latter complexes can be considerably reduced by sonication. Furthermore, the membrane interactions of the various supramolecular aggregates with POPC or mixed POPC/POPS vesicles have been investigated in calcein-release assays. In all the cases tested, the large preformed oligomeric peptide aggregates of 20,40 nm in size were more active than the structures with the smallest hydrodynamic radii in releasing the fluorescent dye from LUV. In contrast, the relative activity after sonication depends on the specific environment tested. The data suggest that these amphiphiles form micellar structures and support the notion that they can act in a manner comparable to detergents. Copyright © 2007 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 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