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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Development Of A Yeast Biosensor Strain For The Identification Of Genotoxic Compounds, Robin M. Reed
Development Of A Yeast Biosensor Strain For The Identification Of Genotoxic Compounds, Robin M. Reed
Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal
Advances in combinatorial chemistry have provided the pharmaceutical industry with innumerable lead compounds that could potentially serve as therapeutic agents. One of the challenges in the further development of such compounds is to rapidly, yet inexpensively, distinguish those that have undesirable effects such as genotoxicity. Thus, a simple biological assay that would permit the identification of potential DNA mutagens, and be adaptable to high-throughput technologies would be cost effective in screening such lead compounds. The current methods use the Ames and SOS tests involving prokaryotic organisms, while systems that utilize mammalian cell culture and/or animal testing are time-consuming and expensive. …
Properties Of Modified Tryptophans In A Membrane- Spanning Channel, Erin M. Scherer
Properties Of Modified Tryptophans In A Membrane- Spanning Channel, Erin M. Scherer
Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal
An emerging concept in biology assigns the amino acid tryptophan specific roles at the membrane/water interface that help to determine the conformation and biological function of membrane-spanning proteins. Previous studies involving the antibiotic model system gramicidin A (gA) have illustrated the importance of the indole ring of tryptophan (Trp) in anchoring proteins to a bilayer membrane and promoting ionic currents. To further investigate these phenomena, derivatives of Trp that have lost hydrogen-bonding ability (1-methyl-Trp ), have an altered dipole moment (7-aza-Trp), or both (1-methyl-7-azaTrp) were chosen for incorporation into gA. Gramicidin analogues that incorporate these modified Trps were then analyzed …