The sulfate-reducing culture N47 can utilize naphthalene or 2-methylnaphthalene as the sole carbon source and electron donor. Here we show that the initial reaction in the naphthalene degradation pathway is a methylation to 2-methylnaphthalene which then undergoes the subsequent oxidation to the central metabolite 2-naphthoic acid, ring reduction and cleavage. Specific metabolites occurring exc...

Superoxide has been shown to be an important intracellular mediator of actions of angiotensin II. Recently, we found that blockade of angiotensin II type-1 receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) abrogated the pressor effect of emotional stress in rabbits. In the present study, we examined the influence of superoxide dismutase mimetics, tempol and tiron, in RVLM on cardiovascular ...

Given that the degradation of aromatic pollutants in anaerobic environments such as sediment is generally very slow, aeration could be an efficient bioremediation option. Using stable isotope probing (SIP) coupled with pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA genes, we identified naphthalene-utilizing populations in aerated polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-polluted sediment. The results showed that na...

UNLABELLED Naphthalene is a ubiquitous pollutant, and very high concentrations are sometimes encountered indoors when this chemical is used as a pest repellent or deodorant. This study describes the distribution and sources of vapor-phase naphthalene concentrations in four communities in southeast Michigan, USA. Outdoors, naphthalene was measured in the communities and at a near-road site. Indo...

PURPOSE Recent studies have indicated that certain aldose reductase inhibitors prevent the formation of cataracts in naphthalene-fed rats. The study was designed to investigate whether aldose reductase itself is involved in the metabolism of naphthalene in the lens and the mechanism of this cataract formation. METHODS Aldose reductase was purified from whole rat lens using a series of chromat...

Genetically constructed microbial biosensors for measuring organic pollutants are mostly applied in aqueous samples. Unfortunately, the detection limit of most biosensors is insufficient to detect pollutants at low but environmentally relevant concentrations. However, organic pollutants with low levels of water solubility often have significant gas-water partitioning coefficients, which in prin...