New isolates of solventogenic bacteria exhibited high hemicellulolytic activity. They produced butanol and acetone with high selectivity for butanol (about 80% of butanol from the total solvent yield). Their 16S rDNA sequence was 99% identical to that of Clostridium saccharobutylicum. The genes responsible for the last steps of solventogenesis and encoding crotonase, butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, ...

Alcohol consumption is a conclusive risk factor of colorectal adenocarcinoma among men (WCRF/ AICR, 2007). The increased risk might be caused by acetaldehyde, the first metabolite in ethanol catabolism, which has a carcinogenic effect in animals (Seitz et al., 1990; Feron et al., 1991) and in humans (Seitz et al., 1996). Additionally, the effects of alcohol may be mediated through the low folat...

In order to determine the specificity of abnormalities of alcohol metabolism in patients with alcoholic liver disease, blood acetaldehyde concentrations after oral ethanol challenge and the activities of alcohol metabolising enzymes in liver biopsy samples have been determined in patients with alcoholic liver disease and a wide variety of non-alcoholic liver disorders. Significant decreases in ...

Chronic alcohol consumption produces alcoholic heart muscle disease (AHMD), a prevalent form of congestive heart failure. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the damaging effects of alcohol on the heart, but neither the mechanism nor the ultimate toxin has been established. In this study, we use transgenic overexpression of alcohol dehydrogenase to elevate cardiac exposure to aceta...

Background n-Butyraldehyde is a high-production volume chemical produced exclusively from hydroformylation of propylene. It is a versatile chemical used in the synthesis of diverse C4-C8 alcohols, carboxylic acids, esters, and amines. Its high demand and broad applications make it an ideal chemical to be produced from biomass. Results An Escherichia coli strain was engineered to produce n-but...