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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Inhibition Of Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm By Variovorax Paradoxus, Esther Gomez Jan 2022

Inhibition Of Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm By Variovorax Paradoxus, Esther Gomez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the leading causes of fatal nosocomial infections. Often, S. aureus can grow as a biofilm which protects the population from the surrounding environment. Strains of S. aureus are resistant to virtually all known antibiotics on the market. Variovorax paradoxus is a soil microbe with many unusual metabolic activities. It has been previously observed that, V. paradoxus can inhibit the growth of S. aureus when in co-culture. In this work we report on inhibition of S. aureus biofilm formation by V. paradoxus due to a suspected inhibitory soluble factor.


The Bgs 13 Mutant Of Pichia Pastoris And Its Effect On Structural Changes Of The Reporter Protein B-Lactogolbulin, Bushra Irshad Jan 2022

The Bgs 13 Mutant Of Pichia Pastoris And Its Effect On Structural Changes Of The Reporter Protein B-Lactogolbulin, Bushra Irshad

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Pichia pastoris, a methylotrophic yeast, is an ideal host for recombinant protein expression. It has the capability of performing many eukaryotic post-translational modifications and grows to high cell densities. However, P. pastoris’s secretion properties are not always efficient, and its secretory pathway mechanisms have not been thoroughly elucidated. A previously identified mutant strain, bgs13, was found to efficiently secrete most recombinant proteins tested, raising the possibility that this bgs13 mutant is a universal super secreter and understanding its secretion process is needed. In this study, we used a reporter protein, ?-lactoglobulin (b-LG), to perform structural analysis and comparisons of protein …


Microbial Community Analysis: Biofilm Inhibition & Algae Associated Community Structure, Michelle V. Fong Jan 2022

Microbial Community Analysis: Biofilm Inhibition & Algae Associated Community Structure, Michelle V. Fong

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Natural products chemistry is the pursuit of bioactive small molecules from living organisms. These can be classified as primary metabolites if they are essential to survival, and secondary metabolites if they are accessory, playing a role in communication, defense, recruitment, etc.. Natural products have made a significant contribution to society – of 1,881 FDA-approved drugs from 1981 to 2019, 4% were pure natural products, 19% were natural products derived, and 3% were synthetic drugs with a natural products pharmacophore targeting a wide range of diseases and infections (Newman & Cragg, 2020). Pharmacophores are structural components of drugs that are responsible …


Characterization Of Phytocystatin-Like Cysteine Protease Inhibitors Of Trichomonas Vaginalis, Ryan Michael John Faucher Jan 2017

Characterization Of Phytocystatin-Like Cysteine Protease Inhibitors Of Trichomonas Vaginalis, Ryan Michael John Faucher

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Trichomoniasis is a common STD caused by the parasitic protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis. The parasite is estimated to have infected roughly 3.7 million Americans. Complications from trichomoniasis can lead to cervical cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. One of the mechanisms of the parasite employs is using cysteine proteases to break down the cellular matrix of its host. However, three endogenous phytocystatin-like protease inhibitors have been found within the parasite’s genome. By recombinantly expressing these cystatins we have been able to test their ability to inhibit cysteine proteases such as papain and those found in T. vaginalis to find …


In Vitro Activity Of Four Fluoroquinolones On Selected Bacteria, Sheryl L. Pullen Jan 1995

In Vitro Activity Of Four Fluoroquinolones On Selected Bacteria, Sheryl L. Pullen

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In 1990-1991, in a national surveillance study, and in 1991-1992, in a followup study, both by Thornsberry et al. (1993), ciprofloxacin data from various geographical and demographical institutions were collected. Several species of bacteria have shown resistance to ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, but the degree of resistance to these drugs has not been reported for the Stockton area. To determine the extent of this resistance, Dameron Hospital antibiograms generated from 1990 to 1994 were reviewed and compared. Results of the comparison show that susceptibility among the Gram-negative isolates, with the exception of Providencia stuartii, Acinetobacter lwoffi, and to a lesser extent …