Biochemistry Commons^™

In Silico Analysis Of C-Type Lectins As Co-Infection Receptors Of Dengue And Chikungunya Viruses In Aedes Aegypti, Munawir Sazali, R. C. Hidayat Soesilohadi, Nastiti Wijayanti, Tri Wibawa, Arif Nur Muhammad Ansori

Makara Journal of Science

Aedes aegypti is a primer vector of dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The susceptibility of mosquitoes to DENV and CHIKV depends on their recognition receptor of pathogens. C-type lectins (CTLs) are an important mediator of virus infection in A. aegypti. This study aims to identify potential receptors and determine the binding affinity between ligand–receptor interaction, CTLs and virus envelopes (DENV-1, 2, 3, and 4 and CHIKV) interaction based on in silico analysis. Sample sequences were obtained from GenBank (NCBI), and 10 CTLs were acquired from VectorBase. Homology modeling based on a minimum standard of 20% was processed …

Antioxidant Properties Of Kombucha Beverage Infused With Ganoderma Lucidum And Green Tea From Camellia Sinensis (L.) Kuntze With Several Fermentation Times, Rizki Rabeca Elfirta, Pamungkas Rizki Ferdian, Iwan Saskiawan, Tri Hadi Handayani, Kayla Faza Gustafri Mandalika, Rini Riffiani, Kasirah Kasirah, Ukhradiya Magharaniq Safira Purwanto

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Kombucha is a functional beverage produced through the fermentation of infused tea or Camelia sinensis (L.) Kuntze (CS) by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. Apparently, the substrate of kombucha can be substituted to enhance its functional properties. Ganoderma lucidum (GL) is a potential substrate reported to have health benefits. This study aims to evaluate antioxidant properties by comparing different formulations and fermentation times. The formulations prepared in the present study varied in the compositions of GL and CS substrates, namely F1 (100% GL), F2 (75% GL: 25% CS), F3 (50% GL: 50% CS), F4 (25% GL: 75% CS), …

Vitamin E Biofortification: Enhancement Of Seed Tocopherol Concentrations By Altered Chlorophyll Metabolism, Ping Qin, Peng Chen, Yuanwei Zhou, Wei Zhang, Yunyun Zhang, Jingjing Xu, Lu Gan, Yingnan Liu, Jill Romer, Peter Dörmann, Edgar B. Cahoon, Chunyu Zhang

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Homogentisate Phytyltransferase (HPT) catalyzes condensation of homogentisate (HGA) and phytyl diphosphate (PDP) to produce tocopherols, but can also synthesize tocotrienols using geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGDP) in plants engineered for deregulated HGA synthesis. In contrast to prior tocotrienol biofortification efforts, engineering enhanced tocopherol concentrations in green oilseeds has proven more challenging due to the integral role of chlorophyll metabolism in supplying the PDP substrate. This study show that RNAi suppression of CHLSYN coupled with HPT overexpression increases tocopherol concentrations by >two-fold in Arabidopsis seeds. We obtained additional increases in seed tocopherol concentrations by engineering increased HGA production via overexpression of …

Investigation Of Alzheimer’S Amyloid-Β Protein Aggregation With A New Fluorescent Dye., Emma Alberty

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia characterized by the impairment of at least two brain functions such as memory loss and judgement. AD is a progressive illness that can last as many as 20 years. AD is largely considered to be caused by the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. A better understanding of the structure and function of these plaques may lead to clearer understanding of the disease. To analyze amyloid plaques, aggregation assays are often used. During these assays we begin with monomer and place the sample in biological conditions to …

Chromosome‑Level Assembly And Analysis Of Camelina Neglecta: A Novel Diploid Model For Camelina Biotechnology Research, Shuo Wang, Rostislav Y. Blume, Zhi‑Wei Zhou, Shaoping Lu, Tara J. Nazarenus, Yaroslav B. Blume, Weibo Xie, Edgar B. Cahoon, Ling‑Ling Chen, Liang Guo

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Camelina neglecta is a new diploid Brassicaceae species, which has great research value because of its close relationship with the hexaploid oilseed crop Camelina sativa. Here, we report a chromosome-level assembly of C. neglecta with a total length of 210 Mb. By adopting PacBio sequencing and Hi-C technology, the C. neglecta genome was assembled into 6 chromosomes with scaffold N50 of 29.62 Mb. C. neglecta has undergone the whole-genome triplication (γ) shared among eudicots and two whole-genome duplications (α and β) shared by crucifers, but it has not undergone a specific whole-genome duplication event. By synteny analysis …

Metabolic Collaboration Between Cells In The Tumor Microenvironment Has A Negligible Effect On Tumor Growth, Johan Gustafsson, Fariba Roshanzamir, Anders Hagnestål, Sagar M. Patel, Oseeyi I. Daudu, Donald F. Becker, Jonathan L. Robinson, Jens Nielsen

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The tumor microenvironment is composed of a complex mixture of different cell types interacting under conditions of nutrient deprivation, but the metabolism therein is not fully understood due to difficulties in measuring metabolic fluxes and exchange of metabolites between different cell types in vivo. Genome-scale metabolic modeling enables estimation of such exchange fluxes as well as an opportunity to gain insight into the metabolic behavior of individual cell types. Here, we estimated the availability of nutrients and oxygen within the tumor microenvironment using concentration measurements from blood together with a metabolite diffusion model. In addition, we developed an approach …

Emerging Roles Of Cullin-Ring Ubiquitin Ligases In Cardiac Development, Josue Zambrano-Carrasco, Jianqiu Zou, Wenjuan Wang, Xinghui Sun, Jie Li, Huabo Su

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Heart development is a spatiotemporally regulated process that extends from the embryonic phase to postnatal stages. Disruption of this highly orchestrated process can lead to congenital heart disease or predispose the heart to cardiomyopathy or heart failure. Consequently, gaining an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing cardiac development holds considerable promise for the development of innovative therapies for various cardiac ailments. While significant progress in uncovering novel transcriptional and epigenetic regulators of heart development has been made, the exploration of post-translational mechanisms that influence this process has lagged. Culling-RING E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRLs), the largest family of ubiquitin ligases, …

Augusta: From Rna-Seq To Gene Regulatory Networks And Boolean Models, Jana Musilova, Zdenek Vafek, Bhanwar Lal Puniya, Ralf Zimmer, Tomáš Helikar, Karel Sedlar

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Computational models of gene regulations help to understand regulatory mechanisms and are extensively used in a wide range of areas, e.g., biotechnology or medicine, with significant benefits. Unfortunately, there are only a few computational gene regulatory models of whole genomes allowing static and dynamic analysis due to the lack of sophisticated tools for their reconstruction. Here, we describe Augusta, an open-source Python package for Gene Regulatory Network (GRN) and Boolean Network (BN) inference from the high-throughput gene expression data. Augusta can reconstruct genome-wide models suitable for static and dynamic analyses. Augusta uses a unique approach where the first estimation of …

Utilizing Plasmid Dna Hydrogels For Cell-Free Protein Production, Tinotenda Duche

Honors Theses and Capstones

Proteins play an important role in various biological processes and are crucial components in biomedical research and therapeutics. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has provided a valuable approach for rapid protein production outside living cells, involving both transcription and translation processes. However, traditional CFPS methods encounter challenges such as high cost, relatively low yields, and scalability. The end goal of our project is to incorporate our template into the hydrogel. In this work, we report advancements towards that by trying to optimize our solution of CFPS. Unfortunately, the standards for pDNA hydrogel synthesis are not met by the pDNA production and …

The Mechanoreceptor Piezo Is Required For Spermatogenesis In Bombyx Mori, Zhongjie Zhang, Xiaojing Liu, Bo Hu, Kai Chen, Ye Yu, Chenxin Sun, Dalin Zhu, Hua Bai, Subba Reddy Palli, Anjiang Tan

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background The animal sperm shows high diversity in morphology, components, and motility. In the lepidopteran model insect, the silkworm Bombyx mori, two types of sperm, including nucleate fertile eupyrene sperm and anucleate unfertile apyrene sperm, are generated. Apyrene sperm assists fertilization by facilitating the migration of eupyrene spermatozoa from the bursa copulatrix to the spermatheca. During spermatogenesis, eupyrene sperm bundles extrude the cytoplasm by peristaltic squeezing, while the nuclei of the apyrene sperm bundles are discarded with the same process, forming matured sperm.

Results In this study, we describe that a mechanoreceptor BmPiezo, the sole Piezo ortholog in B. mori, …

Hybridization Kinetics Of Four-Way Junctions Localized On A Dna Scaffold, Katherine N. Taylor

Honors Undergraduate Theses

DNA computing is an ever-growing field with scientists trying to design structures that optimize logic gate communication to develop fast, biologically compatible, computational structures. We hypothesize that by using the principles of DNA computing, it is possible to design a DNA tile capable of studying localized DNA hybridization that can differentiate between oligonucleotides of different structural conformations. This includes synthetically manipulating DNA into a nanostructure that can perform Boolean logic functions to calculate the different rates of hybridization. To test our hypothesis, we designed a DNA Tile that incorporated a 4WJ using YES logic. Linear and hairpin single-stranded (ss) DNA …

Nudcl2 Is Required For Cytokinesis By Stabilizing Rcc2 With Hsp90 At The Midbody, Xiaoyang Xu, Yuliang Huang, Feng Yang, Xiaoxia Sun, Rijin Lin, Jiaxing Feng, Mingyang Yang, Jiaqi Shao, Xiaoqi Liu, Tianhua Zhou, Shanshan Xie, Yuehong Yang

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Cytokinesis is required for faithful division of cytoplasmic components and duplicated nuclei into two daughter cells. Midbody, a protein-dense organelle that forms at the intercellular bridge, is indispensable for success- ful cytokinesis. However, the regulatory mechanism of cytokinesis at the midbody still remains elusive. Here, we unveil a critical role for NudC-like protein 2 (NudCL2), a co-chaperone of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), in cytokinesis regulation by stabilizing regulator of chromosome condensation 2 (RCC2) at the midbody in mam- malian cells. NudCL2 localizes at the midbody, and its downregulation results in cytokinesis failure, multinu- cleation, and midbody disorganization. Using iTRAQ-based …

Structural And Functional Consequences Of Pde6 Prenylation In Rod And Cone Photoreceptors, Faezeh Moakedi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Phosphodiesterase-6 (PDE6) serves as a pivotal component in the phototransduction pathways of both cone and rod photoreceptors. In cones, PDE6 consists of tetrameric subunits: inhibitory (γ') and catalytic (α'). The catalytic subunit, PDE6α', contains a C-terminal prenylation motif. Deletion of this motif is associated with achromatopsia (ACHM), a form of color blindness. The mechanisms underlying the disease and the roles of PDE6 lipidation in vision remain elusive. Meanwhile, rod PDE6 is composed of α and β catalytic subunits and γ inhibitory subunits, with alterations in the C-terminal "prenylation motif" of PDE6β linked to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) pathology. In this comprehensive …

Mechanistic Analysis Of Four-Way Dna Junctions And Cytokine-Binding Aptamers For Therapeutic Interventions, Roaa S. Mahmoud

Theses and Dissertations

DNA is inherently dynamic and topologically diverse and can fold into many different structures. Besides the canonical Watson-Crick structure, other higher-order structures such as G-quadruplexes (G4), i-motifs (iM), and four-way DNA junctions are possible. Although these high-order DNA structures are known to form transiently, they are important due to the crucial roles they play in many cellular processes including DNA replication, recombination, and repair. Among these DNA structures, 4-way junctions (also known as Holliday junctions, HJ) which are formed during the repair of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) and interact with proteins have garnered significant attention due to their central role …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Air-Jet Bioprinting Of Stem Cell-Encapsulated Alginate Micro-Droplets For Organoid Biomanufacturing, Mirabella B. Stump

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biomanufactured 3D-organoids show promise for modeling and treating various conditions, particularly insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type-1 diabetes). Pancreatic islet organoids serve as sustainable sources of insulin-producing β-cells, potentially restoring insulin regulation in patients and providing a long-term solution for diabetes. Hydrogel droplet printing is an emerging technique in regenerative medicine due to its advantageous tunability and biocompatibility; however, challenges of consistency, quality control, and scalability persist. To address these issues, we developed a novel air-jetting based droplet bioprinting system for the generation of monodispersed alginate micro-droplets. The objective of this project was to incorporate human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into …

Exploring The Impact Of High-Temperature Stress On Physiological, Anatomical, Molecular, Productive, And Quality Parameters In Diverse Olive Cultivars, Bassam F. Alowaiesh, Taghreed S. Alnusaire

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Olive (Olea europaea L.) is one of the most important horticultural crops in Saudi Arabia. High temperatures are typical in most regions during the summer season. This study explored the effect of high temperatures on diverse olive cultivars (Manzanillo, Chemlali, and Picual) grown in three different geographical locations in Saudi Arabia (Sakaka, Basita, and Al-Qurayyat). Sakaka region was classified as a hot region, while the Basita and Al-Qurayyat regions were characterized by relatively mild or low temperatures. Genotypic components were assessed by studying Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) molecular markers and physiological, anatomical, productive, and oil quality parameters. The …

Flavonol Glucosylation: A Structural Investigation Of The Flavonol Specific 3-O Glucosyltransferase Cp3gt, Aaron S. Birchfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Flavonoid glycosyltransferases (GTs), enzymes integral to plant ecological responses and human pharmacology, necessitate rigorous structural elucidation to decipher their mechanistic function and substrate specificity, particularly given their role in the biotransformation of diverse pharmacological agents and natural products. This investigation delved into a comprehensive exploration of the flavonol 3-O GT from Citrus paradisi (Cp3GT), scrutinizing the impact of a c-terminal c-myc/6x histidine tag on its enzymatic activity and substrate specificity, and successfully achieving its purification to apparent homogeneity. This established a strong foundation for potential future crystallographic and other structure/function analyses. Through the strategic implementation of site-directed mutagenesis, a thrombin …

Chemical Composition, Mineral Profile, Anti-Bacterial, And Wound Healing Properties Of Snail Slime Of Helix Aspersa Müller, Marouane Aouji, Amine Rkhaila, Bouchra Bouhaddioui, Malak Zirari, Hala Harifi, Youness Taboz, Lalla Aicha Lrhorfi, Rachid Bengueddour

BioMedicine

Mucus is a substance made by snails that serves a variety of purposes and is increasingly employed in the medical and cosmetic industries. It includes bioactive compounds with a range of biological characteristics that could be useful in the treatment of particular issues. This study assessed the wound-healing efficiency, antibacterial activity, chemical and mineral composition of Helix aspersa Müller slime. Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used for mineral analysis, while Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was used for chemical characterization. The findings showed that the H. aspersa Müller slime had inhibitory activity on …

Changes In Lipid Profiles Of Epileptic Mouse Model, Alicia Johnson, Ryan A. Grove, Deepak Madhavan, Cory Honsinger Thomas Boone, Camila Pereira Braga, Hannah Kyllo, Kaeli Samson, Timothy Simeone, Tomáš Helikar, Corrine K. Hanson, Jiri Adamec

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Introduction—Approximately 1% of the world’s population is impacted by epilepsy, a chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. One-third of epileptic patients are resistant to AEDs, or have medically refractory epilepsy (MRE). One non-invasive treatment that exists for MRE includes the ketogenic diet, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. Despite the KD’s success in seizure attenuation, it has a few risks and its mechanisms remain poorly understood. The KD has been shown to improve metabolism and mitochondrial function in epileptic phenotypes. Potassium channels have implications in epileptic conditions as they have dual roles as metabolic sensors and control neuronal excitation.

Objectives—The …

Bola3 And Nfu1 Link Mitoribosome Iron–Sulfur Cluster Assembly To Multiple Mitochondrial Dysfunctions Syndrome, Hui Zhong, Alexandre Janer, Oleh Khalimonchuk, Hana Antonicka, Eric A. Shoubridge, Antoni Barrientos

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The human mitochondrial ribosome contains three [2Fe–2S] clusters whose assembly pathway, role, and implications for mitochondrial and metabolic diseases are unknown. Here, structure-function correlation studies show that the clusters play a structural role during mitoribosome assembly. To uncover the assembly pathway, we have examined the effect of silencing the e xpression of Fe–S cluster biosynthetic and delivery factors on mitoribosome stability. We find that the mitoribosome receives its [²Fe–2S] clusters from the GLRX5-BOLA3 node. Additionally, the assembly of the small subunit depends on the mitoribosome biogenesis factor METTL17, recently reported containing a [⁴Fe–4S] cluster, which we …

Factors Influencing Instructors’ Adoption And Continued Use Of Computing Science Technologies: A Case Study In The Context Of Cell Collective, Changsoo Song, Resa M. Helikar, Wendy Smith, Tomáš Helikar

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Acquiring computational modeling and simulation skills has become ever more critical for students in life sciences courses at the secondary and tertiary levels. Many modeling and simulation tools have been created to help instructors nurture those skills in their classrooms. Understanding the factors that may motivate instructors to use such tools is crucial to improve students’ learning, especially for having authentic modeling and simulation learning experiences. This study designed and tested a decomposed technology acceptance model in which the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use constructs are split between the teaching and learning sides of the technology to examine …

Hiv-1 Vpu Protein Forms Stable Oligomers In Aqueous Solution Via Its Transmembrane Domain Self-Association, Saman Majeed, Lan Dang, Md Majharul Islam, Olamide Ishola, Peter P Borbat, Steven J Ludtke, Elka R Georgieva

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We report our findings on the assembly of the HIV-1 protein Vpu into soluble oligomers. Vpu is a key HIV-1 protein. It has been considered exclusively a single-pass membrane protein. Previous observations show that this protein forms stable oligomers in aqueous solution, but details about these oligomers still remain obscure. This is an interesting and rather unique observation, as the number of proteins transitioning between soluble and membrane embedded states is limited. In this study we made use of protein engineering, size exclusion chromatography, cryoEM and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to better elucidate the nature of the soluble oligomers. …

Cobalt-Sulfur Coordination Chemistry Drives B12 Loading Onto Methionine Synthase, Romila Mascarenhas, Arkajit Guha, Zhu Li, Markus Ruetz, Sojin An, Javier Seravalli, Ruma Banerjee

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Cobalt-sulfur (Co-S) coordination is labile to both oxidation and reduction chemistry and is rarely seen in Nature. Cobalamin (or vitamin B12) is an essential cobalt-containing organometallic cofactor in mammals, and is escorted via an intricate network of chaperones to a single cytoplasmic target, methionine synthase. In this study, we report that the human cobalamin trafficking protein, MMADHC, exploits the chemical lability of Co-S coordination, for cofactor off-loading onto methionine synthase. Cys-261 on MMADHC serves as the -axial ligand to cobalamin. Complex formation between MMADHC and methionine synthase is signaled by loss of the lower axial nitrogen ligand, leading to five-coordinate …

A Cost-Effective And Smart Sensing Tissue-Like Testbed For Surgical Training, Lysette Zaragoza

McNair Research Journal SJSU

A low-cost tissue-like testbed with six nodes of varying stiffness was developed for surgical training to provide pressure and force feedback data through image reception to human operators. Using SolidWorks, a 3D model of the box trainer housing was created. A pad for the distribution of smartsensing nodes and microcontroller connections was designed with open spaces for the respective components. The pad was 3D-printed with PLA filament. Flat piezoelectric pressure sensors were fabricated with conductive materials and velostat sensor material. Using static and dynamic analyses, three top sensors were chosen to be used in three pressure sensing nodes. A calibration …

Pyrroline-5-Carboxylate Reductase-2 Promotes Colorectal Carcinogenesis By Modulating Microtubule-Associated Serine/Threonine Kinase-Like/Wnt/Β-Catenin Signaling, Raju Lama Tamang, Balawant Kumar, Sagar M. Patel, Ishwor Thapa, Alshomrani Ahmad, Vikas Kumar, Rizwan Ahmad, Donald F. Becker, Dundy Kiran Bastola, Punita Dhawan, Amar B. Singh

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background: Despite significant progress in clinical management, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths. A positive association between PYCR2 (pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase-2), a terminal enzyme of proline metabolism, and CRC aggressiveness was recently reported. However, how PYCR2 promotes colon carcinogenesis remains ill understood. Methods: A comprehensive analysis was performed using publicly available cancer databases and CRC patient cohorts. Proteomics and biochemical evaluations were performed along with genetic manipulations and in vivo tumor growth assays to gain a mechanistic understanding. Results: PYCR2 expression was significantly upregulated in CRC and associated with poor patient survival, specifically among PYCR …

Editorial: Rising Stars In Microbial Physiology And Metabolism: 2022, Nicole R. Buan, Ulrike Kappler

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

This Research Topic was initiated to highlight work by young authors, the rising stars in the field of microbial physiology and metabolism. Microbial physiology and metabolism is an interdisciplinary field of research that seeks to uncover how the metabolic pathways of a cell work together to determine cell fate and function, whether that be growth, replication, pathogenicity, predation, respiration and fermentation, homeostasis or death. Ultimately, researchers like the ones featured here seek to integrate biological information and physicochemical parameters to try to find the underlying rules governing microbial function so that we can understand, predict and design microbes and microbial …

Chloroquine And Cytosolic Galectins Affect Endosomal Escape Of Antisense Oligonucleotides After Stabilin-Mediated Endocytosis, Ekta Pandey, Ed Harris

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Non-DNA-binding Stabilin-2/HARE receptors expressed on liver sinusoidal endothelial cells specifically bind to and internalize several classes of phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotides (PS-ASOs). After Stabilin-mediated uptake, PS-ASOs are trafficked within endosomes (>97%–99%), ultimately resulting in destruction in the lysosome. The ASO entrapment in endosomes lowers therapeutic efficacy, thereby increasing the overall dose for patients. Here, we use confocal microscopy to characterize the intracellular route transverse by PS-ASOs after Stabilin receptor-mediated uptake in stable recombinant Stabilin-1 and -2 cell lines. We found that PS-ASOs as well as the Stabilin-2 receptor transverse the classic path: clathrincoated vesicle-early endosome-late endosome-lysosome. Chloroquine exposure facilitated endosomal …

A Novel Method Of Rapid Detection For Heavy Metal Copper Ion Via A Specific Copper Chelator Bathocuproinedisulfonic Acid Disodium Salt, Yali Wang, Tinglin Ma, Joseph Brake, Zhaoyue Sun, Jiayu Huang, Jing Li, Xiaobin Wu

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The extensive usage and production of copper may lead to toxic effects in organisms due to its accumulation in the environment. Traditional methods for copper detection are time consuming and infeasible for field usage. It is necessary to discover a real-time, rapid and economical method for detecting copper to ensure human health and environmental safety. Here we developed a colorimetric paper strip method and optimized spectrum method for rapid detection of copper ion based on the specific copper chelator bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt (BCS). Both biological assays and chemical methods verified the specificity of BCS for copper. The optimized reaction …

Putrescine Detected In Strains Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Javier Seravalli, Frank Portugal

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Most forms of life, including the archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes synthesize the polyamine putrescine. Although putrescine is widely distributed, several Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), appear to be the exceptions. We report here that strains of S. aureus can produce the polyamine putrescine, as well as the derivative N-acetyl-putrescine. Three strains of S. aureus from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), one strain listed in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database, whose genomic sequence is well defined, and well as eight strains from S. aureus-induced brain abscesses of individual patients from multiple …