A key intermediate for biodegradation of various distinct aromatic growth substrates in Comamonas testosteroni is protocatechuate (Pca), which is metabolized by the 4,5-extradiol (meta) ring fission pathway. A locus harbouring genes from C. testosteroni BR6020 was cloned, dubbed pmd, which encodes the enzymes that degrade Pca. The identity of pmdAB, encoding respectively the alpha- and beta-sub...

The range of aromatic compounds that support the growth of Alcaligenes eutrophus has been determined, and the pathways used for the dissimilation of these substrates have been explored, largely by enzymatic analyses. The beta-ketoadipate pathway operates in the dissimilation of benzoate and p-hydroxybenzoate; the genetisate pathway, in the dissimilation of m-hydroxybenzoate; and the meta cleava...

A method for the determination of fatty acids in vegetable oils by capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV-vis detection has been developed. The separation of fatty acids was optimized in terms of Brij surfactant nature and concentration and organic modifier (2-propanol) percentage. The optimal background electrolyte consisted of 10 mM p-hydroxybenzoate, 5 mM Tris at pH 8.8, 80 mM Brij 98, 4...

The ability of a nitrifying sludge to oxidize p-cresol was evaluated in a sequential batch reactor (SBR). p-Cresol was first transformed to p-hydroxybenzaldehyde and p-hydroxybenzoate, which were later mineralized. The specific rates of p-cresol consumption increased throughout the cycles. The bacterial population dynamics were monitored by using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) a...

The dissimilatory Fe(III) reducer, GS-15, is the first microorganism known to couple the oxidation of aromatic compounds to the reduction of Fe(III) and the first example of a pure culture of any kind known to anaerobically oxidize an aromatic hydrocarbon, toluene. In this study, the metabolism of toluene, phenol, and p-cresol by GS-15 was investigated in more detail. GS-15 grew in an anaerobic...

We have used the flavoenzyme p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PHBH) to illustrate that a strongly fluorescent donor label can communicate with the flavin via single-pair Förster resonance energy transfer (spFRET). The accessible Cys-116 of PHBH was labeled with two different fluorescent maleimides with full preservation of enzymatic activity. One of these labels shows overlap between its fluoresc...

Flavodoxin was reconstituted with 8-chloro- and 7-bromo-FMN and p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase with the analogous FAD derivatives. In all cases, the spectral properties of the artificial enzymes changed as a result of photoreduction in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetate or oxalate as sources of reducing equivalents. The same changes were found to occur on irradiation of the enzymes whic...

BACKGROUND Lignin typically inhibits enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass, but certain organosolv lignins or lignosulfonates enhance enzymatic hydrolysis. The hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions between lignin and cellulases play critical roles in the enzymatic hydrolysis process. However, how to incorporate these two interactions into the consideration of lignin effects has not be...

Apoptosis is a cellular process that leads to the death of damaged cells. Its malfunction can cause cancer and poor response to conventional chemotherapy. After being activated by cellular stress signals, pro-apoptotic proteins bind anti-apoptotic proteins, thus allowing apoptosis to go forward. An excess of anti-apoptotic proteins can prevent apoptosis. Designed molecules that imitate the role...

Previous investigations in this Laboratory (Hetzel, Charnock & Lander, 1959; Charnock, Lockett & Hetzel, 1962) have shown that the administration of therapeutic doses of salicylate drugs to both man and rats disturbs the normal electrolyte balance in addition to increasing the metabolic rate. The chronic administration of both sodium salicylate and potassium salicylate to rats produces a signif...