The Delayed type hypersensitivity skin test (DTH) and interferon-gamma assay are used for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis (TBB). The specificity of these diagnoses, however, is compromised because both are based on the response against purified protein derivative of Mycobacterium bovis (PPD-B). In this study, we assessed the potential of two cocktails containing M. bovis recombinant protei...

BACKGROUND Warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are positively related to incidence of ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP). Increased severe storm frequency may create more habitat for ciguatoxic organisms. Although climate change could expand the endemic range of CFP, the relationship between CFP incidence and specific environmental conditions is unknown. OBJECTIVES We estimated associations betw...

Biosensors based on the principle of Förster (or fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET) have been developed to visualize spatio-temporal dynamics of signalling molecules in living cells. Many of them adopt a backbone of intramolecular FRET biosensor with a cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) as donor and acceptor, respectively. However, there remains the ...

The NH(2)- and COOH-termini of the ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel pore-forming subunit, Kir6.2, both lie intracellularly and interact with one another. To study this interaction, cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) were fused to the NH(2)- and COOH-termini of Kir6.2, respectively (CFP-Kir6.2-YFP). These fluorescent proteins have sufficient spectral over...

This study examined the mechanical properties of roots combined with prefabricated fiber post. Three types of specimens were evaluated: (1) prefabricated fiber post alone (FP); (2) core composite resin with FP (CFP); and (3) root with CFP (RCFP). The volume fractions of the prefabricated fiber post in the core composite resin (FP/CFP ratio) were set to 0, 0.16, 0.22, 0.28, and 0.48. Bending tes...

We have used widefield photon-counting FLIM to study FRET in fixed and living cells using control FRET pairs. We have studied fixed mammalian cells expressing either cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) or a fusion of CFP and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), and living fungal cells expressing either Cerulean or a Cerulean-Venus fusion protein. We have found the fluorescence behaviour to be essential...

We have developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based heavy metal biosensor for the quantification of bioavailable free heavy metals in the cytoplasm of the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The biosensor is composed of an end-to-end fusion of cyan fluorescent protein (CFP), chicken metallothionein II (MT-II), and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). In vitro measurements of Y...

Intercellular movement of chromatin termed cytomixis is a conspicuous phenomenon reported in both vegetative and reproductive tissues in many plant species, but has not widely been accepted as a normal cellular process. To further address this problem, morphologically normal and fertile transgenic tobacco plants expressing fusion protein of Arabidopsis histone 2B-cyan fluorescent protein (AtH2B...

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, septins form a scaffold in the shape of a ring at the future budding site that rearranges into a collar at the mother-bud neck. Many proteins bind asymmetrically to the septin collar. We found that the protein Bni4-CFP was located on the exterior of the septin ring before budding and on the mother side of the collar after budding, whereas the protein kinas...