Biotechnology Commons^™

How Chip Size Impacts Steam Pretreatment Effectiveness For Biological Conversion Of Poplar Wood Into Fermentable Sugars, Jaclyn D. Demartini, Marcus Foston, Xianzhi Meng, Seokwon Jung, Rajeev Kumar, Arthur J. Ragauskas, Charles E. Wyman

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Background

Woody biomass is highly recalcitrant to enzymatic sugar release and often requires significant size reduction and severe pretreatments to achieve economically viable sugar yields in biological production of sustainable fuels and chemicals. However, because mechanical size reduction of woody biomass can consume significant amounts of energy, it is desirable to minimize size reduction and instead pretreat larger wood chips prior to biological conversion. To date, however, most laboratory research has been performed on materials that are significantly smaller than applicable in a commercial setting. As a result, there is a limited understanding of the effects that larger biomass particle …

Zyflamend, A Polyherbal Mixture, Down Regulates Class I And Class Ii Histone Deacetylases And Increases P21 Levels In Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells, E-Chu Huang, Yi Zhao, Guoxun Chen, Seung Joon Baek, Michael F. Mcentee, Steven Minkin, John P. Biggerstaff, Jay Whelan

Nutrition Publications and Other Works

Background

Zyflamend, a mixture containing extracts of ten herbs, has shown promise in a variety of preclinical cancer models, including prostate cancer. The current experiments were designed to investigate the effects of Zyflamend on the expression of class I and II histone deacetylases, a family of enzymes known to be over expressed in a variety of cancers.

Methods

CWR22Rv1 cells, a castrate-resistant prostate cancer cell line, were treated with Zyflamend and the expression of class I and II histone deacetylases, along with their downstream target the tumor suppressor gene p21, was investigated. Involvement of p21 was confirmed with siRNA knockdown …

The Evolution Of The Bacterial Luciferase Gene Cassette (Lux) As A Real-Time Bioreporter, Dan Close, Tingting Xu, Abby Smartt, Alexandra Rogers, Robert Crossley, Sarah Price, Steven Ripp, Gary Sayler

Microbiology Publications and Other Works

The bacterial luciferase gene cassette (lux) is unique among bioluminescent bioreporter systems due to its ability to synthesize and/or scavenge all of the substrate compounds required for its production of light. As a result, the lux system has the unique ability to autonomously produce a luminescent signal, either continuously or in response to the presence of a specific trigger, across a wide array of organismal hosts. While originally employed extensively as a bacterial bioreporter system for the detection of specific chemical signals in environmental samples, the use of lux as a bioreporter technology has continuously expanded over the last 30 …

W271 Improving Switchgrass Yields For Bioenergy Production, Jason P. De Koff, Donald D. Tyler

Biofuels

Version 3.0

Comparison Of Human Optimized Bacterial Luciferase, Firefly Luciferase, And Green Fluorescent Protein For Continuous Imaging Of Cell Culture And Animal Models, Dan M. Close, Ruth E. Hahn, Stacey S. Patterson, Seung J. Baek, Steven Ripp, Gary S. Sayler

Microbiology Publications and Other Works

Bioluminescent and fluorescent reporter systems have enabled the rapid and continued growth of the optical imaging field over the last two decades. Of particular interest has been noninvasive signal detection from mammalian tissues under both cell culture and whole animal settings. Here we report on the advantages and limitations of imaging using a recently introduced bacterial luciferase (lux) reporter system engineered for increased bioluminescent expression in the mammalian cellular environment. Comparison with the bioluminescent firefly luciferase (Luc) system and green fluorescent protein system under cell culture conditions demonstrated a reduced average radiance, but maintained a more constant level of bioluminescent …

Sp704-A Potential Impacts On Wildlife Of Switchgrass Grown For Biofuels, Craig A. Harper, Patrick D. Keyser

Biofuels

Version 3.0

Sp701-B Using Switchgrass For Forage, Gary Bates, Pat Keyser, Craig Harper, John Waller

Biofuels

Version 2.0

Sp701-B Using Switchgrass For Forage, Gary Bates, Pat Keyser, Craig Harper, John Waller

Forages

Version 2.0

In Vivo Bioluminescent Imaging (Bli): Noninvasive Visualization And Interrogation Of Biological Processes In Living Animals, Dan M. Close, Tingting Xu, Gary S. Sayler, Steven Ripp

Microbiology Publications and Other Works

In vivo bioluminescent imaging (BLI) is increasingly being utilized as a method for modern biological research. This process, which involves the noninvasive interrogation of living animals using light emitted from luciferase-expressing bioreporter cells, has been applied to study a wide range of biomolecular functions such as gene function, drug discovery and development, cellular trafficking, protein-protein interactions, and especially tumorigenesis, cancer treatment, and disease progression. This article will review the various bioreporter/biosensor integrations of BLI and discuss how BLI is being applied towards a new visual understanding of biological processes within the living organism.

doi:10.3390/s110100180

Soluble Fibrin Inhibits Monocyte Adherence And Cytotoxicity Against Tumor Cells: Implications For Cancer Metastasis, John Biggerstaff, Brandy Weidow, Jacqueline Vidosh, Judith Dexheimer, Shonak Patel, Pretesh Patel

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology

Background Soluble fibrin (sFn) is a marker for disseminated intravascular coagulation and may have prognostic significance, especially in metastasis. However, a role for sFn in the etiology of metastatic cancer growth has not been extensively studied. We have reported that sFn cross-linked platelet binding to tumor cells via the major platelet fibrin receptor αIIbβ3, and tumor cell CD54 (ICAM-1), which is the receptor for two of the leukocyte β2 integrins (αLβ2 and aMβ2). We hypothesized that sFn may also affect leukocyte adherence, recognition, and killing of tumor cells. Furthermore, in a rat experimental metastasis model sFn pre-treatment of tumor cells …