We examined the effects of histamine and its agonists on the expression of the c-fos and c-myc proto-oncogenes at the transcriptional and translational levels in the human promonocytic U937 cell line. Histamine transiently increased cAMP and c-fos expression through H2 receptors. Dibutyryl cAMP also increased c-fos mRNA and protein, and levels remained elevated even after 12 hr of treatment. Do...

We have investigated two approaches to enhance and extend H2 photoproduction yields in heterocystous, N2-fixing cyanobacteria entrapped in thin alginate films. In the first approach, periodic CO2 supplementation was provided to alginate-entrapped, N-deprived cells. N deprivation led to the inhibition of photosynthetic activity in vegetative cells and the attenuation of H2 production over time. ...

Cyanothece sp. strain PCC 7822 is a unicellular, diazotrophic cyanobacterium that can produce large quantities of H2 when grown diazotrophically. This strain is also capable of genetic manipulations and can represent a good model for improving H2 production from cyanobacteria. To this end, a knockout mutation was made in the hupL gene (ΔhupL), and we determined how this would affect the amount ...

We report measurements of the deuterium content of molecular hydrogen (H2) obtained from a suite of air samples that were collected during a stratospheric balloon flight between 12 and 33 km at 40 N in October 2002. Strong deuterium enrichments of up to 400‰ versus Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW) are observed, while the H2 mixing ratio remains virtually constant. Thus, as hydrogen is p...

A possibility of photocatalytic production of useful aliphatic hydrocarbons and H2 from various organic compounds, including acetic acid, methanol, ethanol and glucose, over Fe-modified TiO2 is discussed. In particular, the influence of the reaction atmosphere (N2, air) was investigated. Different gases were identified in the headspace volume of the reactor depending on the substrate. In genera...

Without Pt as cocatalyst, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) or even its composite is normally rather low (<1 μmol h(-1)). Exploring Pt-free cocatalysts to substitute precious Pt is of great importance in the photocatalytic field. In the present work, Ag2S-modified g-C3N4 (Ag2S/g-C3N4) composite photocatalysts were prepared via a simple precipita...

Purple nonsulfur bacteria grow photoheterotrophically by using light for energy and organic compounds for carbon and electrons. Disrupting the activity of the CO2-fixing Calvin cycle enzyme, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RubisCO), prevents photoheterotrophic growth unless an electron acceptor is provided or if cells can dispose of electrons as H2. Such observations led to the long-stan...

We report the design of efficient multicomponent photocatalysts (MPs) for H2 production under visible light by using water-soluble ultrathin titanate nanodisks (TNDs) stabilized by tetraethylammonium cations (TEA(+)) as building blocks. The photocatalysts are designed in such a way to significantly enhance simultaneously the efficiency of the three main steps in the photocatalytic process i.e.,...

This report describes a new human B7-like gene designated B7-H2. Cell surface expression of B7-H2 protein is detected in monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells. Soluble B7-H2 and immunoglobulin (Ig) fusion protein, B7-H2Ig, binds activated but not resting T cells and the binding is abrogated by inducible costimulator Ig (ICOSIg), but not CTLA4Ig. In addition, ICOSIg stains Chinese hamster ov...