Pseudomonas putida F1 can grow with toluene as its sole source of carbon and energy. The initial reaction of the degradation of toluene is catalyzed by a three-component toluene dioxygenase enzyme system consisting of a reductase (ReductaseTOL), a ferredoxin (FerredoxinTOL) and a Rieske non-heme iron dioxygenase (OxygenaseTOL). The three components and the apoenzyme of the dioxygenase (apo-Oxyg...

Sixteen actinomycetes capable of utilizing dibenzofuran as a sole source of carbon and energy were isolated, including Rhodococcus, Microbacterium, and Terrabacter genera. Heretofore, no dibenzofuran-utilizing strain belonging to the genus Microbacterium has been reported. Five extradiol dioxygenase genes (dfdB, and edil to 4) of the strain Rhodococcus sp. YK2 were cloned and analyzed. The nucl...

Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, toxic compounds widely distributed in the environment by bacteria, is a cheap and safe cleaning up method. The present study attempts to isolate and characterize dioxygenase-producing bacteria which are able to degrade phenanthrene and pyrene from refinery soils. It also aims to assess in vitro biodegradation. To do so, two contaminated soil s...

Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, toxic compounds widely distributed in the environment by bacteria, is a cheap and safe cleaning up method. The present study attempts to isolate and characterize dioxygenase-producing bacteria which are able to degrade phenanthrene and pyrene from refinery soils. It also aims to assess in vitro biodegradation. To do so, two contaminated soil s...

Sphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6 converts vanillate and syringate to protocatechuate (PCA) and 3-O-methylgallate (3MGA) in reactions with the tetrahydrofolate-dependent O-demethylases LigM and DesA, respectively. PCA is further degraded via the PCA 4,5-cleavage pathway, whereas 3MGA is metabolized via three distinct pathways in which PCA 4,5-dioxygenase (LigAB), 3MGA 3,4-dioxygenase (DesZ), and ...

Sphingobium wenxiniae JZ-1 utilizes a wide range of pyrethroids and their metabolic product, 3-phenoxybenzoate, as sources of carbon and energy. A mutant JZ-1 strain, MJZ-1, defective in the degradation of 3-phenoxybenzoate was obtained by successive streaking on LB agar. Comparison of the draft genomes of strains JZ-1 and MJZ-1 revealed that a 29,366-bp DNA fragment containing a putative angul...

The demosponge Suberites domuncula has been described to contain high levels of a proteinaceous toxin, Suberitine, that displays haemolytic activityIn the present study this 7-8 kDa polypeptide has been isolated and was shown to exhibit also cytotoxic effects on cells of the same species. Addition of retinal, a recently identified metabolite of β-carotene that is abundantly present in S. domunc...

Background Inflammation may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of depression, although the molecular target for the treatment of inflammation-mediated depressive symptoms remains to be elucidated. Recent studies have implicated the NLRP3 inflammasome in various psychiatric disorders, including depression. However, the underlying mechanism by which NLRP3 inflammasome activation mediates...

Substantial increases in the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway metabolites, l-kynurenine and the neurotoxin quinolinic acid, occur in human brain, blood and systemic tissues during immune activation. Studies in vitro have shown that not all human cells are capable of synthesizing quinolinate. To investigate further the mechanisms that limit l-kynurenine and quinolinate production, the activities of...

The stereoselective oxidation of an unreactive alkane C-H bond is most often carried out by monoxygenases or oxygenases including dioxygenases which use iron as a cofactor and constitute a family of enzymes, e.g. Redox enzymes. A dioxygenase is an enzyme which incorporates both the atoms of molecular oxygen into kinds of substrates. The oxidative transformation reactions are common reactions du...