DNA oligonucleotides with appropriate sequences can form a stable duplex in which the two strands are paired in a parallel orientation instead of as the conventional antiparallel double helix of B-DNA. In parallel-stranded DNA (ps-DNA) base pairing is noncanonical with the glycosidic bonds in a trans orientation. The two grooves are equivalent. We have synthesized DNA duplexes consisting of a c...

Chromaffin granules, the catecholamine storage organelles of adrenal medulla, accumulate monoamines by an active process which involves 2 different entities: an electrogenic ATP-dependent H+ctranslocase which generates a proton electrochemical gradient ApH+ (interior acid and positive) [l-3] and a specific monoamine carrier which mediates the coupling between Ac(H+ and substrate accumulation [4...

Quizalofop-p-ethyl (QPE) is a post-emergence herbicide that effectively controls grass weeds and is often detected in the environment. However, the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of QPE degradation in the environment remains unclear. In this study, a highly effective QPE-degrading bacterial strain J-2 was isolated from acclimated activated sludge and identified as a Pseudomonas sp., conta...

High polyphenol and polysaccharide levels in plant tissues such as banana fruit and leaves constitute a significant challenge to the extraction of sufficient amounts of high-quality RNA required for cDNA library synthesis and molecular analysis. To determine their comparative effectiveness at eliminating polyphenols, polysaccharides and proteins, three protocols for RNA extraction from in vitro...

We recently reported that the antitumor triazoloacridone, compound C-1305, is a topoisomerase II poison with unusual properties. In this study we characterize the DNA interactions of C-1305 in vitro, in comparison with other topoisomerase II inhibitors. Our results show that C-1305 binds to DNA by intercalation and possesses higher affinity for GC- than AT-DNA as revealed by surface plasmon res...

Efficient mechanisms of H 1 ion extrusion are crucial for normal NADPH oxidase function. However, whether the NADPH oxidase—in analogy with mitochondrial cytochromes—has an inherent H 1 channel activity remains uncertain: electrophysiological studies did not find altered H 1 currents in cells from patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), challenging earlier reports in intact cells. In...

The gene for esterase (rEst1) was isolated from a new species of genus Rheinheimera by functional screening of E. coli cells transformed with the pSMART/HaeIII genomic library. E. coli cells harboring the esterase gene insert could grow and produce clear halo zones on tributyrin agar. The rEst1 ORF consisted of 1,029 bp, corresponding to 342 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 37 kDa. ...

The RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) technique (1, 2) can be used to amplify 5'and 3'-cDNA ends that derive from transcripts of low abundance. To isolate the 5' end of a specific cDNA (5' RACE), a small, anti-sense, transcript-specific oligonucleotide is used to prime first-strand cDNA synthesis. The specific first-strand cDNA is then purified, and polyadenylated using terminal deoxynucl...

I n a seminal report in 1997, Asahara and colleagues 1 first described the existence of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in human peripheral blood (PB) CD34 mononuclear cell (MNC) fraction. In a subsequent report, they described the ability of bone marrow (BM)-derived circulating EPCs to induce neovascularization. The obvious therapeutic potential of EPCs for ischemic diseases has since driv...

Since RNA molecules commonly form stable secondary structures, agarose gel size-fractionation of RNA is routinely achieved by chemical denaturing conditions during electrophoresis. This implies the use of toxic compounds such as methylmercuric hydroxide (1), formaldehyde (3) or cumbersome electrophoretic conditions using glyoxal and dimethylsulfoxide (4) after RNA denaturation. Here, we describ...