MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Biotechnology Advances' source. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:09:03 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3236786&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20117351%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jex AR, Littlewood DT, Gasser RB PMID: 20117351 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3236786 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:52:06 +0100 3236786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3213085&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20100560%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bhardwaj N, Kundu SC With the emergence of nanotechnology, researchers become more interested in studying the unique properties of nanoscale materials. Electrospinning, an electrostatic fiber fabrication technique has evinced more interest and attention in recent years due to its versatility and potential for applications in diverse fields. The notable applications include in tissue engineering, biosensors, filtration, wound dressings, drug delivery, and enzyme immobilization. The nanoscale fibers are generated by the application of strong electric field on polymer solution or melt. The non-wovens nanofibrous mats produced by this technique mimics extracellular matrix components much closely as compared to the conventional techniques. The sub-micron range spun fibers produced ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3213085 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3213085 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3186426&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20080173%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Andrić P, Meyer AS, Jensen PA, Dam-Johansen K Achievement of efficient enzymatic degradation of cellulose to glucose is one of the main prerequisites and one of the main challenges in the biological conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to liquid fuels and other valuable products. The specific inhibitory interferences by cellobiose and glucose on enzyme catalyzed cellulose hydrolysis reactions impose significant limitations on the efficiency of lignocellulose conversion - especially at high-biomass dry matter conditions. To provide the base for selecting the optimal reactor conditions, this paper reviews the reaction kinetics, mechanisms, and significance of this product inhibition, notably the glucose inhibition, on enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis. Particular emphasis is... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3186426 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3186426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3172520&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20067828%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Liu Q, Chen YQ MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenous, non-coding RNAs that negatively modulate the expression of genes by inhibiting translation or by promoting the degradation of target mRNAs. MiRNAs are now known to have greatly expanded roles in a variety of plant developmental processes, in signal transduction, and in the response to environmental stress and pathogen invasion. Because of their ability to inactivate either specific genes or entire gene families, artificial miRNAs function as dominant suppressors of gene activity when brought into a plant. Consequently, miRNA-based manipulations have emerged as promising new approaches for the improvement of crops. This includes the development of breeding strategies and the genetic modification of agronomic traits. Herei... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3172520 Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3172520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3172519&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20067829%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bhatla SC, Kaushik V, Yadav MK Oil bodies obtained from oilseeds have been exploited for a variety of applications in biotechnology in the recent past. These applications are based on their non-coalescing nature, ease of extraction and presence of unique membrane proteins-oleosins. In suspension, oil bodies exist as separate entities and, hence, they can serve as emulsifying agent for a wide variety of products, ranging from vaccines, food, cosmetics and personal care products. Oil bodies have found significant uses in the production and purification of recombinant proteins with specific applications. The desired protein can be targeted to oil bodies in oilseeds by affinity tag or by fusing it directly to the N or C terminal of oleosins. Upon targeting, the hydrophobic domain ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3172519 Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3172519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3172521&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20064604%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Savitha S, Sadhasivam S, Swaminathan K The fungal strains Graphium putredinis and Trichoderma harzianum were selected as parents for fusant development. Protoplasts were isolated using the combination of lysing enzymes Novozym 234 and cellulase with 0.6 M KCl as osmotic stabilizer. The optimum conditions for release of viable protoplasts from the fungal mycelium viz. age of the mycelium, lytic enzymes, osmotic stabilizers, pH, incubation period and regeneration medium were determined. Intergeneric protoplast fusion was carried out using 50% polyethylene glycol with calcium chloride (CaCl(2)) and glycine buffer and the conditions for effective protoplast fusion, viz. fusogen, osmotic stabilizer, pH, incubation period and regeneration medium were optimized. At optimum conditions... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3172521 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3172521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3157923&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20056142%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Adav SS, Lin JC, Yang Z, Whiteley CG, Lee DJ, Peng XF This review addresses the introduction of fluorescent molecular tags into exo-enzymes and extra polymeric substances of bioaggregates and the use of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to map their role, purpose and quantitative description of the biological processes they undertake. Multiple colour staining coupled with CLSM and fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) and flow cytometry have identified the individual polymeric substances, whether they are proteins, lipids, polysaccharides, nucleic acids or antibodies, as well as the microorganisms in the bioaggregate. Procedures are presented for simultaneous multicolour staining with seven different fluorochromes - SYTOX Blue for nucleic acids; Nile red for lipids;... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3157923 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3157923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3075833&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19969062%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Biju V, Mundayoor S, Omkumar RV, Anas A, Ishikawa M Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are nanoparticles in which charge carriers are three dimensionally confined or quantum confined. The quantum confinement provides size-tunable absorption bands and emission color to QDs. Also, the photoluminescence (PL) of QDs is exceptionally bright and stable, making them potential candidates for biomedical imaging and therapeutic interventions. Although fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer have many advantages over imaging using ionizing radiations and chemo and radiation therapies, advancement of PDT is limited due to the poor availability of photo-stable and NIR fluorophores and photosensitizing (PS) drugs. With the introduction of biocompatible and NIR QDs, fluor... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3075833 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3075833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067512&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19961918%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tremblay R, Wang D, Jevnikar AM, Ma S Molecular farming of pharmaceuticals in plants has the potential to provide almost unlimited amounts of recombinant proteins for use in disease diagnosis, prevention or treatment. Tobacco has been and will continue to be a major crop for molecular farming and offers several practical advantages over other crops. It produces significant leaf biomass, has high soluble protein content and is a non-food crop, minimizing the risk of food-chain contamination. This, combined with its flexibility and highly-efficient genetic transformation/regeneration, has made tobacco particularly well suited for plant-based production of biopharmaceutical products. The goal of this review is to provide an update on the use of tobacco for molecular farming of bi... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067512 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3067512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3033880&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19931370%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Alvarez ML, Cardineau GA Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague, is an extremely virulent bacterium but there are currently no approved vaccines for protection against this organism. Plants represent an economical and safer alternative to fermentation-based expression systems for the production of therapeutic proteins. The recombinant plague vaccine candidates produced in plants are based on the two most immunogenic antigens of Yersinia pestis: the fraction-1 capsular antigen (F1) and the low calcium response virulent antigen (V) either in combination or as a fusion protein (F1-V). These antigens have been expressed in plants using all three known possible strategies: nuclear transformation, chloroplast transformation and plant-virus based express... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3033880 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3033880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3033879&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19931371%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chakraborty C, Agoramoorthy G India's biotechnology industry has been growing towards new heights in conjunction with the recent economic outburst. The country has the potential to revolutionize biopharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. In this review, we have highlighted the achievements of India's biotechnology industry, especially biopharmaceutical and healthcare sectors that include therapeutics, diagnostics, stem cell research, human healthcare related bioinformatics and animal health care. We have also described regulatory mechanisms involved in India's health care biotech including manpower development. PMID: 19931371 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3033879 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3033879 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3000808&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19913085%26dopt%3DAbstract Discussion has been especially vigorous when organic farming was introduced as an alternative method. There are in fact, a few tradeoffs in developing countries. On the one hand, farmers are encouraged to accept and implement GM crops because of their higher productivity, while on the other hand, organic farming is encouraged because of socio-economic and environmental considerations. A crucial question facing such countries is therefore, whether GM crops can co-exist with organic farming. This paper aims to review the main considerations and tradeoffs. PMID: 19913085 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3000808 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3000808 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3000807&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19914371%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ashraf M Undoubtedly, drought is one of the prime abiotic stresses in the world. Crop yield losses due to drought stress are considerable. Although a variety of approaches have been used to alleviate the problem of drought, plant breeding, either conventional breeding or genetic engineering, seems to be an efficient and economic means of tailoring crops to enable them to grow successfully in drought-prone environments. During the last century, although plant breeders have made ample progress through conventional breeding in developing drought tolerant lines/cultivars of some selected crops, the approach is, in fact, highly time-consuming and labor- and cost-intensive. Alternatively, marker-assisted breeding (MAB) is a more efficient approach, which identifies the usefulness of... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3000807 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3000807 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3000810&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19913083%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews the recent reports on the preparation, properties and biomedical applications of chitin and chitosan based nanofibers in detail. PMID: 19913083 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3000810 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3000810 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3000809&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19913084%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jex AR, Littlewood DT, Gasser RB Helminths (worms) include parasitic nematodes (roundworms) and platyhelminths (flatworms). These worms are abundant, and many of them are of agricultural, aquacultural, veterinary and medical importance and cause substantial socioeconomic losses worldwide. The genetic characterization of parasitic nematodes using advanced molecular tools is central to the diagnosis of infections and the control of parasitism. The accurate analysis of genetic variation also underpins studies of their taxonomy, epidemiology and evolutionary history. Although the nuclear genome contains suitable genetic markers (e.g., in ribosomal DNA) for the identification of many species, the large size and high variability of the mt genome consistently provides a rich source o... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3000809 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3000809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2978065&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19897025%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ozden-Tokatli Y, Akdemir H, Tilkat E, Onay A The genetic erosion of Pistacia germplasm has been highlighted in many reports. In order to emphasize this and to focus more attention on this subject, national and international (especially IPGRI and IFAR) institutions have initiated projects proposing to characterize, collect and conserve Pistacia germplasm. Therefore, this paper reviews recent researchs concerning conventional (in situ and ex situ) and unconventional biotechnological conservation strategies applied to the preservation of Pistacia germplasm. As regards conventional conservation, the majority of germplasm collections of Pistacia species are preserved on farms (in situ) and in seed and field genebanks (ex situ), as well as in the wild, where they are vulnerable to u... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2978065 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2978065 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2954283&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19879347%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Avci-Adali M, Ziemer G, Wendel HP For years intensive research has been done to improve the hemocompatibility of blood contacting vascular devices. Despite the enormous progress in physicochemical surface optimization technologies, the native endothelium still represents the ideal surface for blood contact. Numerous tissue engineering strategies aspired towards the endothelialization of graft surfaces to generate a non-thrombogenic barrier on artificial materials. A paradigm change in surface modification concepts is the in vivo endothelialization of vascular grafts by capturing circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) directly from the blood stream via biofunctionalized implant materials. Thereby, capture molecules are immobilized on artificial vascular grafts to mimic... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2954283 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2954283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2924107&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19850117%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Azari R, Tadmor Y, Meir A, Reuveni M, Evenor D, Nahon S, Shlomo H, Chen L, Levin I Due to its economic importance, ease of genetic manipulation, cultivation and processing, the tomato plant has been a target for increasing and diversifying content of fruit phytonutrients by transgenic and non-transgenic approaches. The tomato high pigment (hp) mutations exemplify the latter alternative and due to their positive effect on fruit lycopene content, they were introgressed into elite tomato germplasm for cost effective extraction of this important carotenoid. Interestingly, hp mutant fruits are also characterized by higher fruit levels of other functional metabolites, phenotypes caused by mutations in central genes regulating light signal-transduction. This gene identification sugge... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2924107 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2924107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2924106&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19850118%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bapat VA, Trivedi PK, Ghosh A, Sane VA, Ganapathi TR, Nath P Development and ripening in fruit is a unique phase in the life cycle of higher plants which encompasses several stages progressively such as fruit development, its maturation, ripening and finally senescence. During ripening phase, several physiological and biochemical changes take place through differential expression of various genes that are developmentally regulated. Expression and/or suppression of these genes contribute to various changes in the fruit that make it visually attractive and edible. However, in fleshy fruit massive losses accrue during post harvest handling of the fruit which may run into billions of dollars world over. This encouraged scientists to look for various ways to save these losses. Gene... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2924106 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2924106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2902128&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19833190%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Pappalardo F, Pennisi M, Castiglione F, Motta S Vaccines represent a special class of drugs, capable of stimulating immune system responses against pathogens and tumors. Vaccine development is a lengthy process that includes expensive laboratory experiments in order to assess safety and effectiveness. As the efficacy of a vaccine was demonstrated by biological/chemical investigations and pre-clinical studies, then a major problem is represented by the search for an optimal vaccination dosage. Optimality here assumes the meaning of assuring a high degree of efficacy and safety (lack of toxic or side effects). In lack of quantitative methods, this is usually achieved by a consensus technique, a public statement on a particular aspect of medical knowledge available at the time it... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2902128 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2902128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2877322&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19811767%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Deka S, Barthakur S Yellow stem borer (YSB), Scirpophaga incertulas (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a monophagous pest of paddy is considered as most important pest of rain fed low land and flood prone rice eco-systems. Breeding of yellow stem borer resistance in rice is difficult owing to the complex genetics of the trait, inherent difficulties in screening and poor understanding of the genetics of resistance. On the other hand, a good level of resistance against the widespread yellow stem borer has been rare in the rice germplasm. Resistance to insects has been demonstrated in transgenic plants expressing genes for delta -endotoxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), protease inhibitors, enzymes and plant lectins. The performance of insect resistant GM rice in trials in China has b... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2877322 Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2877322 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2835008&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19778598%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kavamura VN, Esposito E Soils have been submitted to several contaminants that vary in concentration and composition. Heavy metals can be widely spread and accumulated in those environments due to some inappropriate actions. In this present review some remedation techniques to remediate soils are presented, focusing on the use of plants that are capable of surviving in soils with heavy metals along with the function of some microorganisms in the restoration process. PMID: 19778598 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2835008 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2835008 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2824588&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19770033%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hu M, Zhong W, Campbell BE, Sternberg PW, Pellegrino MW, Gasser RB Adenine nucleotide translocators (ANTs) belong to the mitochondrial carrier family (MCF) of proteins. ATP production and consumption are tightly linked to ANTs, the kinetics of which have been proposed to play a key regulatory role in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. ANTs are also recognized as a central component of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore associated with apoptosis. Although ANTs have been investigated in a range of vertebrates, including human, mouse and cattle, and invertebrates, such as Drosophila melanogaster (vinegar fly), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) and Caenorhabditis elegans (free-living nematode), there has been a void of information on these molecules for parasitic ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2824588 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2824588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2789299&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19744550%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kothari SL, Joshi A, Kachhwaha S, Ochoa-Alejo N Biotechnology techniques involving plant tissue culture and recombinant DNA technologies are powerful tools that can complement conventional breeding and expedite Capsicum improvement. The rate of progress in Capsicum is relatively slow than other members of Solanaceae because of its high genotypic dependence and recalcitrant nature. Capsicum is recalcitrant plant in terms of in vitro cell, tissue and organ differentiation, plant regeneration and genetic transformation which makes it difficult to apply recombinant DNA technologies aimed at genetic improvement against pests, diseases and abiotic stress. Despite this, application of tissue culture and genetic transformation have led to significant development in chilli pepper plant... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2789299 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2789299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473006&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19328842%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chi Z, Chi Z, Liu G, Wang F, Ju L, Zhang T Saccharomycopsis fibuligera is found to actively accumulate trehalose from starch and the gene responsible for biosynthesis of trehalose has been cloned and its expression has been characterized. This yeast is also found to secrete a large amount of amylases, acid protease and beta-glucosidase which have highly potential applications in fermentation industry. The genes encoding amylases, acid protease and beta-glucosidase in S. fibuligera have been cloned and characterized. It is also used to produce ethanol from starch, especially cassava starch by co-cultures of Saccharomyces cereviase or Zymomonas mobilis. PMID: 19328842 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473006 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:00:16 +0100 2473006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473004&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19341789%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Saccardo P, Villaverde A, González-Montalbán N The construction of non-viral, virus-like vehicles for gene therapy involves the functionalization of multipartite constructs with nucleic acid-binding, cationic agents. Short basic peptides, alone or as fusion proteins, are appropriate DNA binding and condensing elements, whose incorporation into gene delivery vehicles results in the formation of protein-DNA complexes of appropriate size for cell internalization and intracellular trafficking. We review here the most used cationic peptides for artificial virus construction as well as the recently implemented strategies to control the architecture and biological activities of the resulting nanosized particles. PMID: 19341789 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnolog... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473004 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:00:07 +0100 2473004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473002&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19345258%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ranganathan S, Menon R, Gasser RB Parasitic nematodes infect humans, other animals and plants, and impose a significant public health and economic burden worldwide due to the diseases that they cause. A better understanding of parasite genomes, host-parasite relationships and the molecular biology of parasites themselves will enable the rational development of diagnostic tests and/or safe anti-parasitic compounds, following the functional annotation of parasite genomic sequences. With only a few completely sequenced nematode genomes, expressed sequence tag (EST) datasets provide a low-cost alternative ("poor man's genome") to whole genome sequences and a glimpse of the transcriptome of an organism. EST data require a number of computational methods for their pre-processing, cl... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473002 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:59:56 +0100 2473002 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473000&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19356740%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews the current status of developments in the area of use of plants for the development of vaccine antigens. PMID: 19356740 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473000 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:59:46 +0100 2473000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472998&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19371778%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Abhilash PC, Jamil S, Singh N Phytoremediation--the use of plants to clean up polluted soil and water resources--has received much attention in the last few years. Although plants have the inherent ability to detoxify xenobiotics, they generally lack the catabolic pathway for the complete degradation of these compounds compared to microorganisms. There are also concerns over the potential for the introduction of contaminants into the food chain. The question of how to dispose of plants that accumulate xenobiotics is also a serious concern. Hence the feasibility of phytoremediation as an approach to remediate environmental contamination is still somewhat in question. For these reasons, researchers have endeavored to engineer plants with genes that can bestow superior degradatio... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472998 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:59:31 +0100 2472998 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472996&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19371779%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sakthivel K, Sundaram RM, Shobha Rani N, Balachandran SM, Neeraja CN Fragrance or aroma in rice is considered as a special trait with huge economic importance that determines the premium price in global trade. With the availability of molecular maps and genome sequences, a major gene for fragrance (badh2) was identified on chromosome 8. An 8-bp deletion in the exon 7 of this gene was reported to result in truncation of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme whose loss-of-function lead to the accumulation of a major aromatic compound, 2-acetyl 1-pyrroline (2AP) in fragrant rice. However, several studies have reported exceptions to this mutation and indicated the involvement of other genetic loci in controlling fragrance trait. These studies emphasize the need to characterize the... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472996 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:59:18 +0100 2472996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472994&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19374943%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bankar SB, Bule MV, Singhal RS, Ananthanarayan L Glucose oxidase (beta-D-glucose:oxygen 1-oxidoreductase; EC 1.1.2.3.4) catalyzes the oxidation of beta-D-glucose to gluconic acid, by utilizing molecular oxygen as an electron acceptor with simultaneous production of hydrogen peroxide. Microbial glucose oxidase is currently receiving much attention due to its wide applications in chemical, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, clinical chemistry, biotechnology and other industries. Novel applications of glucose oxidase in biosensors have increased the demand in recent years. Present review discusses the production, recovery, characterization, immobilization and applications of glucose oxidase. Production of glucose oxidase by fermentation is detailed, along with recombinant methods. V... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472994 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:59:06 +0100 2472994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472992&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19374944%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Weisser NE, Hall JC Antibodies (Abs) are some of the most powerful tools in therapy and diagnostics and are currently one of the fastest growing classes of therapeutic molecules. Recombinant antibody (rAb) fragments are becoming popular therapeutic alternatives to full length monoclonal Abs since they are smaller, possess different properties that are advantageous in certain medical applications, can be produced more economically and are easily amendable to genetic manipulation. Single-chain variable fragment (scFv) Abs are one of the most popular rAb format as they have been engineered into larger, multivalent, bi-specific and conjugated forms for many clinical applications. This review will show the tremendous versatility and importance of scFv fragments as they provide the ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472992 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:58:53 +0100 2472992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472990&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393308%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rastogi RP, Sinha RP Cyanobacteria are considered to be a rich source of novel metabolites of a great importance from a biotechnological and industrial point of view. Some cyanobacterial secondary metabolites (CSMs), exhibit toxic effects on living organisms. A diverse range of these cyanotoxins may have ecological roles as allelochemicals, and could be employed for the commercial development of compounds with applications such as algaecides, herbicides and insecticides. Recently, cyanobacteria have become an attractive source of innovative classes of pharmacologically active compounds showing interesting and exciting biological activities ranging from antibiotics, immunosuppressant, and anticancer, antiviral, antiinflammatory to proteinase-inhibiting agents. A different but n... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472990 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:58:35 +0100 2472990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472988&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393309%26dopt%3DAbstract This study investigated the cadmium (Cd) accumulation and tolerance of eight potential energy crops. After growth for 28 days in substrates containing 0, 50, 100 or 200 mg Cd x kg(-1), seedlings were evaluated for growth parameters, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and Cd accumulation. All eight crops were moderately tolerant to Cd toxicity, with four [i.e., hemp (Cannabis sativa), flax (Linum usitatissimum), castor (Ricinus communis) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea)] being more tolerant than the others. Three of these crops (hemp, flax and peanut) had higher Cd accumulation capacities. The roots of peanut and hemp had high bioconcentration factors (BCF>1000), while flax shoots accumulated a higher concentration of Cd (>100 mg/kg). These results demonstrate that ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472988 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:58:19 +0100 2472988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472986&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393310%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tian S, Zhou G, Yan F, Yu Y, Yang X Yeast strains Y1, Y4 and Y7 demonstrated high conversion efficiencies for sugars and high abilities to tolerate or metabolize inhibitors in dilute-acid lignocellulosic hydrolysates. Strains Y1 and Y4 completely consumed the glucose within 24 h in dilute-acid lignocellulosic hydrolysate during in situ detoxification, and the maximum ethanol yields reached 0.49 g and 0.45 g ethanol/g glucose, equivalent to maximum theoretical values of 96% and 88.2%, respectively. Strain Y1 could metabolize xylose to xylitol with a yield of 0.64 g/g xylose, whereas Y4 was unable to utilize xylose as a substrate. Strain Y7 was able to consume sugars (glucose and xylose) within 72 h during hydrolysate in situ detoxification, producing a high ethanol yield (equiv... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472986 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:58:08 +0100 2472986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472984&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393311%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lv Y, Wang T, Wu C, Ma L, Zhou Y We investigated the synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) from biomass synthesis gas using a kind of hybrid catalyst consisting of methanol and HZSM-5 zeolite in a fixed-bed reactor in a 100 ton/year pilot plant. The biomass synthesis gas was produced by oxygen-rich gasification of corn core in a two-stage fixed bed. The results showed that CO conversions reached 82.00% and 73.55%, the selectivities for DME were 73.95% and 69.73%, and the space-time yields were 124.28 kg m(-3) h(-1) and 203.80 kg m(-3) h(-1) when gas hourly space velocities were 650 h(-1) and 1200 h(-1), respectively. Deoxidation and tar removal from biomass synthesis gas was critical to the stable operation of the DME synthesis system. Using single-pass synthesis, the H(2)/CO rati... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472984 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:57:46 +0100 2472984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472982&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393312%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Li J, Zheng G, He J, Chang S, Qin Z A continuous stirred-tank reactor was used as an anaerobic sludge system and the hydrogen production capabilities of three typical fermentations, in terms of specific hydrogen production rates, were investigated under the same hydraulic retention times (8 h) and influent chemical oxygen demand (5000 mg/L) at 35 degrees C. The reactor was continuously fed with diluted molasses, while the pH and oxidation reduction potential in the reactor were regulated to control the type of fermentation. The specific hydrogen production rate of the anaerobic sludge reached 2.96 mol/kg mixed liquid volatile suspended solid (MLVSS)/day, (mol x kg MLVSS(-1) d(-1)), in ethanol-type fermentation, while 0.57 mol x kg MLVSS(-1) d(-1) in butyric acid-type fermentat... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472982 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:57:35 +0100 2472982 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472980&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393730%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhou ZQ, Ma LL, Yin XL, Wu CZ, Huang LC, Wang C We investigated the solid particle flow characteristics and biomass gasification in a clapboard-type internal circulating fluidized bed reactor. The effect of fluidization velocity on particle circulation rate and pressure distribution in the bed showed that fluidization velocities in the high and low velocity zones were the main operational parameters controlling particle circulation. The maximum internal circulation rates in the low velocity zone came almost within the range of velocities in the high velocity zone, when u(H)/u(mf)=2.2-2.4 for rice husk and u(H)/u(mf)=3.5-4.5 for quartz sand. In the gasification experiment, the air equivalence ratio (ER) was the main controlling parameter. Rice husk gasification gas had a maximu... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472980 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:57:23 +0100 2472980 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472978&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393731%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lu C, Song W, Lin W The Coats-Redfern method was used to analyze the kinetic characteristics of biomass catalytic pyrolysis, indicating that it can be described by multi-step reactions, rather than as a simple first-order reaction. Friedman model-free calculations were used to describe the starting reaction types and the corresponding initial kinetic parameters. Finally, nonlinear regression of biomass catalytic pyrolysis showed that the reaction mechanism of the whole process could be kinetically characterized by three successive reactions: a one-dimensional diffusion reaction, followed by an apparent first-order reaction, and then by a two-dimensional diffusion reaction. The kinetic parameters and equations were also calculated. PMID: 19393731 [PubMed - in process] (Sour... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472978 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:57:12 +0100 2472978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472976&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393732%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we simulated the single-step process of dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis via biomass gasification using ASPEN Plus. The whole process comprised four parts: gasification, water gas shift reaction, gas purification, and single-step DME synthesis. We analyzed the influence of the oxygen/biomass and steam/biomass ratios on biomass gasification and synthesis performance. The syngas H(2)/CO ratio after water gas shift process was modulated to 1, and the syngas was then purified to remove H(2)S and CO(2), using the Rectisol process. Syngas still contained trace amounts of H(2)S and about 3% CO(2) after purification, which satisfied the synthesis demands. However, the high level of cold energy consumption was a problem during the purification process. The DME yield in this study was 0... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472976 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:56:54 +0100 2472976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472973&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393733%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we discuss three elements of a wood-based biorefinery, as proposed by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF): hot-water extraction, hydrolysis, and membrane separation/concentration. Hemicelluloses are the most easily separable main component of woody biomass and thus form the bulk of the extracts obtained by hot-water extraction of woody biomass. Hot-water extraction is an important step in the processes of woody biomass and product generation, replacing alternative costly pre-treatment methods. The hydrolysis of hemicelluloses produces 5-carbon sugars (mainly xylose), 6-carbon sugars (mainly glucose and mannose), and acetic acid. The use of nano-filtration membranes is an efficient technology that can be employed to fractionate hot-water extracts and ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472973 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:56:01 +0100 2472973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472970&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393734%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Liu X, Shen Y, Lou L, Ding C, Cai Q Pot trials were conducted to study the influence of copper (Cu) on the growth and biomass of Elephant grass (EG, Pennisetum purpureum Schumach), Vetiver grass (VG, Vetiveria zizanioides) and the upland reed (UR, Phragmites australis). Cu toxicity in EG, VG and UR was positively correlated with the total and bioavailable Cu concentrations in the soil. Based on the EC50, dry weights, Cu contents, chlorophyll contents and photosynthesis rates, the Cu tolerance of the three species followed the trend EGNVGNUR. There were no significant differences in the unit calorific values among the different plants, though the total calorific values of EG were higher than those of VG and UR due to its higher biomass. The addition of KH2PO4 to the soil decrea... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472970 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:54:59 +0100 2472970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472967&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393735%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhou J, Chen Q, Zhao H, Cao X, Mei Q, Luo Z, Cen K The technology associated with indirect biomass liquefaction is currently arousing increased attention, as it could ensure a supply of transportation fuels and reduce the use of petroleum. The characteristics of biomass-oxygen gasification in a bench-scale laminar entrained-flow gasifier were studied in the paper. Experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of some key factors, including reaction temperature, residence time and oxygen/biomass ratio, on the gasification. The results indicated that higher temperature favored H2 and CO production. Cold gas efficiency was improved by N10% when the temperature was increased from 1000 to 1400 degrees C. The carbon conversion increased and the syngas quality was improve... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472967 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:53:57 +0100 2472967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472964&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393736%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Huang Y, Yin X, Wu C, Wang C, Xie J, Zhou Z, Ma L, Li H The effects of five metal catalysts (K, Na, Ca, Mg, and Fe) on CO(2) gasification reactivity of fir char were studied using thermal gravimetric analysis. The degree of carbonization, crystal structure and morphology of char samples was characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The CO(2) gasification reactivity of fir char was improved through the addition of metal catalysts, in the order K>Na>Ca>Fe>Mg. XRD analysis indicated that Na and Ca improved the formation of crystal structure, and that Mg enhanced the degree of carbon structure ordering. SEM analysis showed that spotted activation centers were distributed on the surface of char samples impregnated with catalysts... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472964 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:53:05 +0100 2472964 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472960&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19393737%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wang S, Wang K, Liu Q, Gu Y, Luo Z, Cen K, Fransson T Despite the increasing importance of biomass pyrolysis, little is known about the pyrolysis behavior of lignin--one of the main components of biomass--due to its structural complexity and the difficulty in its isolation. In the present study, we extracted lignins from Manchurian ash (Fraxinus mandschurica) and Mongolian Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) using the Bjorkman procedure, which has little effect on the structure of lignin. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry was used to characterize the microstructure of the Bjorkman lignins, i.e., milled wood lignins (MWLs), from the different tree species. The pyrolysis characteristics of MWLs were investigated using a thermogravimetric analyzer, and the r... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472960 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:49:20 +0100 2472960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472955&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19397988%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we analyzed the operational characteristics of a 1.2-MW rice husk gasification and power generation plant located in Changxing, Zhejiang province, China. The influences of gasification temperature, equivalence ratio (ER), feeding rate and rice husk water content on the gasification characteristics in a fluidized bed gasifier were investigated. The axial temperature profile in the dense phase of the gasifier showed that inadequate fluidization occurred inside the bed, and that the temperature was closely related to changes in ER and feeding rate. The bed temperature increased linearly with increasing ER when the feeding rate was kept constant, while a higher feeding rate corresponded to a lower bed temperature at fixed ER. The gas heating value decreased with increasing tempe... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472955 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:43:28 +0100 2472955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472949&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19397989%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhuang X, Yuan Z, Ma L, Wu C, Xu M, Xu J, Zhu S, Qi W We investigated the kinetics of hot liquid water (HLW) hydrolysis over a 60-min period using a self-designed setup. The reaction was performed within the range 160-220 degrees C, under reaction conditions of 4.0 MPa, a 1:20 solid:liquid ratio (g/mL), at 500 rpm stirring speed. Xylan was chosen as a model compound for hemicelluloses, and two kinds of agricultural wastes-rice straw and palm shell-were used as typical feedstocks representative of herbaceous and woody biomasses, respectively. The hydrolysis reactions for the three kinds of materials followed a first-order sequential kinetic model, and the hydrolysis activation energies were 65.58 kJ/mol for xylan, 68.76 kJ/mol for rice straw, and 95.19 kJ/mol for palm shell. Th... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472949 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:42:41 +0100 2472949 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472943&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19401227%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chen J, Zhang W, Tan L, Wang Y, He G The optimization of metabolic pathways is of fundamental importance for strategies aimed at improving the economics and yield of the lignocellulose-to-ethanol processes. Although Escherichia coli is capable of metabolizing a wide variety of substrates including hexoses and pentoses, its hexose metabolism is inferior to that of Zymomonas mobilis, an obligate, ethanologenic bacterium. We therefore inserted and expressed Z. mobilis genes encoding essential enzymes involved in the fermentation pathway, alcohol dehydrogenase II (adh II) and pyruvate decarboxylase (pdc), into E. coli, resulting in increased cell growth and ethanol production. Ethanol concentrations of >30 g/L were obtained on 10% glucose. Additionally, since pyruvate is mainly... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472943 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:42:20 +0100 2472943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472937&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19409477%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we developed combustion models based on ones developed previously. We compiled the liquid fuel properties, and the existing detailed mechanism of methyl butanoate ester (MB, C(5)H(10)O(2)) oxidation was supplemented by sub-mechanisms for two proposed fuel constituent components, C(7)H(16) and C(7)H(8)O (and then, by mp2d, C(4)H(6)O(2) and propyne, C(3)H(4)) to represent the combustion model for rapeseed methyl ester described by the chemical formula, C(19)H(34)O(2) (or C(19)H(36)O(2)). The main fuel vapor thermal properties were taken as those of methyl palmitate C(19)H(36)O(2) in the NASA polynomial form of the Burcat database. The special global reaction was introduced to "crack" the main fuel into its constituent components. This general reaction included 309 species and ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472937 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:42:04 +0100 2472937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472931&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19409478%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sun Y, Zhuang J, Lin L, Ouyang P We studied the process of conversion of microcrystalline-cellulose into fermentable glucose in the formic acid reaction system using cross polarization/magic angle spinning (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results indicated that formic acid as an active agent was able to effectively penetrate into the interior space of the cellulose molecules, thus collapsing the rigid crystalline structure and allowing hydrolysis to occur easily in the amorphous zone as well as in the crystalline zone. The microcrystalline-cellulose was hydrolyzed using formic acid and 4% hydrochloric acid under mild conditions. The effects of hydrochloric acid concentration, the ratio of solid to liquid, temp... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472931 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:41:53 +0100 2472931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472926&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19409479%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gao Y, Deng J, Li C, Dang F, Liao Z, Wu Z, Li L We studied the spray characteristics of inedible oil using experimental and simulation methods. Spray penetration, spray cone angle and spray tip speed were measured at different biodiesel ratios in a constant volume vessel with wide visualization and high back pressure, using a high-speed camera. The characteristics of biodiesel spray were simulated under the same conditions using Star-CD software. The experimental results showed that, as the ratio of biodiesel in the blends increased, spray penetration and spray speed increased, but the spray cone angle decreased. Throughout the spray injection period, the region at 0.05-0.475S (spray tip penetration) was a key area affecting spray cone angle. From 0.8 ms after injection, the s... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472926 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:41:32 +0100 2472926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472582&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19472508%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kotwal SM, Shankar V Invertase is a commercially important enzyme used for the hydrolysis of sucrose. The hydrolysis of sucrose yields an equimolar mixture of glucose and fructose, known as invert syrup, is widely used in food and beverage industries. This enzyme is also used for the manufacture of artificial honey, plasticizing agents used in cosmetics, pharmaceutical and paper industries as well as enzyme electrodes for the detection of sucrose. Immobilization of invertase and its biotechnological applications are reviewed. PMID: 19472508 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472582 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:16:54 +0100 2472582 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472559&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19472509%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Thellin O, ElMoualij B, Heinen E, Zorzi W Major improvements have been made in mRNA quantification and internal standard selection over the last decade. Our aim in this paper is to present the main developments that are of interest for practical laboratory work, contrasting the situation as it is now with the one of ten years ago, and presenting some excellent examples of what can be done today. Specifically, we will mainly discuss Real-Time RT-PCR major improvements that have been performed in the following areas: the most commonly used quantification techniques, the mathematical and software tools created to help researchers in their work on internal standard selection, the availability of detection chemistries and technical information and of commercial tools and services. ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472559 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:18:24 +0100 2472559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472539&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19472510%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Xiong AS, Peng RH, Zhuang J, Gao F, Zhu B, Fu XY, Xue Y, Jin XF, Tian YS, Zhao W, Yao QH In addition to the nuclear genome, organisms have organelle genomes. Most of the DNA present in eukaryotic organisms is located in the cell nucleus. Chloroplasts have independent genomes which are inherited from the mother. Duplicated genes are common in the genomes of all organisms. It is believed that gene duplication is the most important step for the origin of genetic variation, leading to the creation of new genes and new gene functions. Despite the fact that extensive gene duplications are rare among the chloroplast genome, gene duplication in the chloroplast genome is an essential source of new genetic functions and a mechanism of neo-evolution. The events of gene transfer between t... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472539 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:11:16 +0100 2472539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472519&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19472511%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schill RO, Mali B, Dandekar T, Schnölzer M, Reuter D, Frohme M Certain organisms found across a range of taxa, including bacteria, yeasts, plants and many invertebrates such as nematodes and tardigrades are able to survive almost complete loss of body water. The dry organisms may remain in this state, which is known as anhydrobiosis, for decades without apparent damage. When water again becomes available, they rapidly rehydrate and resume active life. Research in anhydrobiosis has focused mainly on sugar metabolism and stress proteins. Despite the discovery of various molecules which are involved in desiccation and water stress, knowledge of the regulatory network governing the stability of the cellular architecture and the metabolic machinery during dehydration is still ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472519 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:10:24 +0100 2472519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472308&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19508888%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rao AQ, Bakhsh A, Kiani S, Shahzad K, Shahid AA, Husnain T, Riazuddin S Technology development is innovative to many aspects of basic and applied plant transgenic science. Plant genetic engineering has opened new avenues to modify crops, and provided new solutions to solve specific needs. Development of procedures in cell biology to regenerate plants from single cells or organized tissue, and the discovery of novel techniques to transfer genes to plant cells provided the prerequisite for the practical use of genetic engineering in crop modification and improvement. Plant transformation technology has become an adaptable platform for cultivar improvement as well as for studying gene function in plants. This success represents the climax of years of efforts in tissue culture imp... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472308 Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472352&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19500659%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ashraf M, Akram NA Last century has witnessed a substantial improvement in yield potential, quality and disease resistance in crops. This was indeed the outcome of conventional breeding, which was achieved with little or no knowledge of underlying physiological and biochemical phenomena related to a trait. Also the resources utilized on programs involving conventional breeding were not of great magnitude. Plant breeders have also been successful during the last century in producing a few salt tolerant cultivars/lines of some potential crops through conventional breeding, but this again has utilized modest resources. However, this approach seems now inefficient due to a number of reasons, and alternatively, genetic engineering for improving crop salt tolerance is being actively... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472352 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472352 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472501&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19477260%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yang J, Wang ZR, Yang DL, Yang Q, Yan J, He MF The assessment of ecological risk in genetically modified (GM) biological systems is critically important for decision-making and public acceptance. Cellular automata (CA) provide a potential modeling and simulation framework for representing relationships and interspecies interactions both temporally and spatially. In this paper, a simple subsystem contains only four species: crop, target pest, non-target pest and enemy insect, and a three layer arrangement of LxL stochastic cellular automata with a periodic boundary were established. The simulation of this simplified system showed abundant and sufficient complexity in population assembly and densities, suggesting a prospective application in ecological risk assessment of GM crop... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472501 Wed, 27 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472480&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19477261%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Holst-Jensen A PMID: 19477261 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472480 Wed, 27 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472605&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19470403%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kantardjieff A, Nissom PM, Chuah SH, Yusufi F, Jacob NM, Mulukutla BC, Yap M, Hu WS Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are widely used in recombinant protein production, yet despite their importance in bioprocessing, few genomic resources have been developed for this cell line. Over the past several years, we have made considerable progress in the development of genomic tools for CHO. Using Sanger-based sequencing technology, we have accrued a sequence repertoire of more than 68,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs), representing more than 28,000 unique CHO transcripts. Using closely related species, we have functionally annotated this sequence set and have currently achieved significant representation in a number of functional classes, including some closely tied to recombinant p... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472605 Sun, 24 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472648&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19465107%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Alberghina L, Coccetti P, Orlandi I Following a brief description of the operational procedures of systems biology (SB), the cell cycle of budding yeast is discussed as a successful example of a top-down SB analysis. After the reconstruction of the steps that have led to the identification of a sizer plus timer network in the G1 to S transition, it is shown that basic functions of the cell cycle (the setting of the critical cell size and the accuracy of DNA replication) are system-level properties, detected only by integrating molecular analysis with modelling and simulation of their underlying networks. A detailed network structure of a second relevant regulatory step of the cell cycle, the exit from mitosis, derived from extensive data mining, is constructed and discussed. T... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472648 Fri, 22 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472628&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19467318%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wang Y, Chu J, Zhuang Y, Wang Y, Xia J, Zhang S The developments of the systems biotechnology and its application in the industrial process open up new horizons to industrial biotechnology. The unprecedented understanding of the relationships between cellular behaviors and the surrounding environments during the bioprocess has been achieved. In this paper, we review new advances in the strain improvement, bioprocess control and optimization. The holistic viewpoints and ideas applied in industrial bioprocesses and their future prospects are discussed by illustrating some successful cases. PMID: 19467318 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472628 Fri, 22 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472686&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19465105%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kurova VS, Kurochkin IN, Kalamkarov GR, Bugrova AE, Fedortchenko KY, Varfolomeev SD This review focuses on some intermediate results on the path from the gene and enzyme structure to physiological responses and personalised medicine. Bioinformatics of genetic and protein-structural polymorphisms, theoretical methods of predicting the influence of single amino acid substitutions on the structure and catalytic activity of enzymes are considered. For a large group of enzymes, interrelations between genetic modifications, structural changes of the proteins and the detected physiological and clinical manifestations are discussed. In this respect, highly productive techniques to determine the catalytic activity of an enzyme as well as non-invasive proteomic approaches are of particu... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472686 Thu, 21 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472665&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19465106%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Carioca JO, Hiluy Filho JJ, Leal MR, Macambira FS This paper selects biofuel scenarios to substitute diesel in Brazil based on oil reserve increase, diesel imports, CO(2) emissions, crop agronomic yields, byproduct marketing and social impacts. This hard task still considers that agricultural practices in developing countries have large social impacts. Brazil presents a high consumption of diesel oil in transport, and low agronomic yield of traditional vegetable oil crops, which demand large cultivation areas contrasting with microalgae and palm oils which present high productivity. Concerning technologies, thermal cracking and transesterification of vegetable oils present a difficult economic situation related to vegetable oil price, food competition and glycerin market; BTL ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472665 Thu, 21 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472871&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463932%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews studies on transgene escape from rice to its wild relatives via gene flow and its ecological consequences. A framework for assessing potential ecological consequences caused by transgene escape from GM rice to its wild relatives is discussed based on studies of gene flow and fitness changes. PMID: 19463932 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472871 Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472871 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472863&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463933%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Shih SM, Doran PM Plants and plant tissue cultures are used as host systems for expression of foreign proteins including antibodies, vaccines and other therapeutic agents. Recombinant or stably transformed plants and plant cell cultures have been applied for foreign protein production for about 20 years. Because the product concentration achieved exerts a major influence on process economics, considerable efforts have been made by commercial and academic research groups to improve foreign protein expression levels. However, post-synthesis product losses due to protease activity within plant tissues and/or extracellular protein adsorption in plant cell cultures can negate the benefits of molecular or genetic enhancement of protein expression. Transient expression of foreign pro... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472863 Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472853&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463934%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Heide L The aminocoumarin antibiotics novobiocin, clorobiocin and coumermycin A(1) are inhibitors of gyrase and highly effective antibacterial agents. Their biosynthetic gene clusters have been cloned from the respective Streptomyces producer strains, and the function of nearly all genes contained therein has been elucidated by genetic and biochemical methods. Efficient methods have been developed for the genetic manipulation and the heterologous expression of the clusters, and more than 100 new derivatives of these antibiotics have been generated by metabolic engineering, mutasynthesis and chemoenzymatic synthesis, providing a model for the power of genetic and genomic methods for the generation of new bioactive compounds. PMID: 19463934 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472853 Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472842&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463935%26dopt%3DAbstract In conclusion, the location of the cysteinylation in the C-terminus or N-terminus or both is of importance for the properties of beta-CN. PMID: 19463935 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472842 Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472831&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463936%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ren N, Wang A, Cao G, Xu J, Gao L No comprehensive review on the bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to hydrogen is presented. This paper provides an up-to-date review on recent research development in biotechnology-based lignocellulosic biomass-to-H(2) conversion. Bioconversion of lignocellulosic prehydrolysate, hydrolysate or cellulose to hydrogen was discussed in terms of the involved microorganisms and the bioaugmentation tactics. To achieve fully the utilization of biomass, the integrated approaches composed of coupled dark-photo fermentation and the dark fermentation and bioelectrohydrogenesis were sketched. Additionally, this review sheds light on the perspectives on the lignocellulosic biomass conversion to hydrogen, and on the scientific and technical challenges ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472831 Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472810&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463937%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bai FW, Zhang W, Zhong JJ PMID: 19463937 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472810 Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472810 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472803&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463938%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hacker DL, De Jesus M, Wurm FM The purpose of this review is to describe the current status and to highlight several emerging trends in the manufacture of recombinant therapeutic proteins in cultivated mammalian cells, focusing on Chinese hamster ovary cells as the major production host. Over the past 25 years, specific and volumetric productivities for recombinant cell lines have increased about 20-fold as the result of improvements in media and bioprocess design. Future yield increases are expected to come from further developments in gene delivery and genetic selection for more efficient recovery of high-producing cell lines and in high-throughput cultivation systems to simplify medium design and bioprocess development. Other emerging trends in protein manufacturing that ar... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472803 Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472803 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472723&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19464354%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Park JM, Kim TY, Lee SY Random mutagenesis and selection approaches used traditionally for the development of industrial strains have largely been complemented by metabolic engineering, which allows purposeful modification of metabolic and cellular characteristics by using recombinant DNA and other molecular biological techniques. As systems biology advances as a new paradigm of research thanks to the development of genome-scale computational tools and high-throughput experimental technologies including omics, systems metabolic engineering allowing modification of metabolic, regulatory and signaling networks of the cell at the systems-level is becoming possible. In silico genome-scale metabolic model and its simulation play increasingly important role in providing systematic s... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472723 Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472723 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472705&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19464355%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Liu XW, Sheng GP, Yu HQ Microbial granules play an important role in the field of biological wastewater treatment due to their advantages over the conventional sludge flocs, such as a denser and stronger aggregate structure, better settleability and ensured solid-effluent separation, higher biomass concentration, and greater ability to withstand shock loadings. A better understanding of microbial granules may help in engineering biological wastewater treatment systems. Recent studies have greatly expanded our vision over the physicochemical characteristics of microbial granules. This paper provides an up-to-date review on recent work in the understanding of physicochemical characteristics of both anaerobic and aerobic granules with regard to settleability, permeability, morpho... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472705 Wed, 20 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472881&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19460424%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Corrado G, Karali M Plant biotechnology relies heavily on the genetic manipulation of crops. Almost invariantly, the gene of interest is expressed in a constitutive fashion, although this may not be strictly necessary for several applications. Currently, there are several regulatable expression systems for the temporal, spatial and quantitative control of transgene activity. These molecular switches are based on components derived from different organisms, which range from viruses to higher eukaryotes. Many inducible systems have been designed for fundamental and applied research and since their initial development, they have become increasingly popular in plant molecular biology. This review covers a broad number of inducible expression systems examining their properties and ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472881 Tue, 19 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472790&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463939%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Shen Y, Zhao XQ, Ge XM, Bai FW Process oscillation characterized by long oscillation period and large oscillation amplitude was observed in continuous ethanol fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae under very high gravity conditions. Metabolic flux analysis was applied to the fermentation system, and the results indicated that carbon flux distributions at the metabolic notes oscillated, correspondingly, and the root reason for the process oscillation was the intracellular metabolism of yeast cells. Cell cycle analysis with the flow cytometry showed that no cell-cycle-dependent synchronization of the daughter and mother cells occurred within the duration of the oscillation, and thus different mechanism existed compared with the oscillation observed in the continuous culture... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472790 Tue, 19 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472790 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472776&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463940%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gong J, Zheng H, Wu Z, Chen T, Zhao X Although rational method and global technique have been successfully applied in strain improvement respectively, the demand for engineering complex phenotypes required combinatorial approach. The technology of genome shuffling has been presented as a novel whole genome engineering approach for the rapid improvement of cellular phenotypes. This approach using recursive protoplast fusion with multi-parental strains offers the advantage of recombination throughout the entire genome without the necessity for genome sequence data or network information. Genome shuffling has been demonstrated as an effective method, which is not only for producing improved strain but also for providing information on complex phenotype. In this review we attempt ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472776 Tue, 19 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472776 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472760&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463941%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Díaz H, Andrews BA, Hayes A, Castrillo J, Oliver S, Asenjo JA Global gene expression of two strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one recombinant (P+), accumulating large amounts of an intracellular protein Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and one non-recombinant (P-) which does not contain the recombinant plasmid, were compared in batch culture during diauxic growth when cells were growing exponentially on glucose, when they were growing exponentially on ethanol, and in the early stationary phase when glycerol was being utilized. When comparing the gene expression for P- (and P+) during growth on ethanol to that on glucose (Eth/Gluc), overexpression is related to an increase in consumption of glycerol, activation of the TCA cycle, degradation of glycogen and metabolism of ethan... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472760 Tue, 19 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472742&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19463942%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Arber W The rapid increase of available scientific knowledge is largely due to the introduction of novel research strategies. The application of these strategies, both in fundamental and in translational scientific research, leads to bursts of technological innovations. In order to fulfill the justified public request for sustainability of technological innovations that contribute to the shaping of the future, increasing attention should be given to science-based technology and policy assessment. These requests are illustrated by benefit/risk evaluations of relevance for the use of genetic engineering as an efficient and effective research strategy. Expected benefits of a responsibly planned introduction of GM crops are outlined as a prospective example for the guiding theme "... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472742 Tue, 19 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472893&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19450676%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Teixeira AP, Oliveira R, Alves PM, Carrondo MJ In recent years, much attention has been directed towards the development of global methods for on-line process monitoring, especially since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) guidance, stimulating biopharmaceutical companies to update their monitoring tools to ensure a pre-defined final product quality. The ideal technologies for biopharmaceutical processes should operate in situ, be non-invasive and generate on-line information about multiple key bioprocess and/or metabolic variables. A wide range of spectroscopic techniques based on in situ probes have already been tested in mammalian cell cultures, such as near infrared (NIR), mid infrared (MIR), 2D fluorescence and dielectr... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472893 Mon, 18 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472888&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19460423%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lau OS, Sun SS Plants are attractive expression systems for the economic production of recombinant proteins. Among the different plant-based systems, plant seed is the leading platform and holds several advantages such as high protein yields and stable storage of target proteins. Significant advances in using seeds as bioreactors have occurred in the past decade, which include the first commercialized plant-derived recombinant protein. Here we review the current progress on seeds as bioreactors, with focus on the different food crops as production platforms and comprehensive strategies in optimizing recombinant protein production in seeds. PMID: 19460423 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472888 Mon, 18 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472906&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19442714%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Celińska E, Grajek W Biotechnological production of 2,3-butanediol (hereafter referred to as 2,3-BD) from wastes and excessive biomass is a promising and attractive alternative for traditional chemical synthesis. In the face of scarcity of fossil fuel supplies the bio-based process is receiving a significant interest, since 2,3-BD may have multiple practical applications (e.g. production of synthetic rubber, plasticizers, fumigants, as an antifreeze agent, fuel additive, octane booster, and many others). Although the 2,3-BD pathway is well known, microorganisms able to ferment biomass to 2,3-BD have been isolated and described, and attempts of pilot scale production of this compound were made, still much has to be done in order to achieve desired profitability. This revi... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472906 Tue, 12 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472900&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19442715%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Carballeira JD, Quezada MA, Hoyos P, Simeó Y, Hernaiz MJ, Alcantara AR, Sinisterra JV Enzyme catalyzed reactions are commonly used at laboratory or industrial scale. Contrarily, the whole cell catalyzed reactions are restricted to special cases. The tremendous advances in the last years in Molecular Biology and more specifically in Metabolic Engineering and Directed Enzyme Evolution have opened the door to create tailor-made microorganisms or "designer bugs" for industrial purposes. Whole cell catalysts can be much more readily and inexpensively prepared than purified enzymes and the enzymes - inside the cells - are protected from the external environment and stabilized by the intracellular medium. Three situations have traditionally been considered convenient to select t... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472900 Mon, 11 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472912&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19427375%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Martínková L, Vejvoda V, Kaplan O, Kubáč D, Malandra A, Cantarella M, Bezouška K, Křen V Of the numerous putative fungal nitrilases available from protein databases only a few enzymes were purified and characterized. The purified nitrilases from Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis and Aspergillus niger share a preference for (hetero)aromatic nitriles, temperature optima between 40 and 50 degrees C and pH optima in the slightly alkaline region. On the other hand, they differ in their chemoselectivity, i.e. their tendency to produce amides as by-products. The production of fungal nitrilases is increased by up to three orders of magnitude on the addition of 2-cyanopyridine to the culture media. The whole-cell and subcellular biocata... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472912 Thu, 07 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472915&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19422908%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Defoirdt T, Boon N, Sorgeloos P, Verstraete W, Bossier P Because of the risk of antibiotic resistance development, there is a growing awareness that antibiotics should be used more carefully in animal production. However, a decreased use of antibiotics could result in a higher frequency of pathogenic bacteria, which in its turn could lead to a higher incidence of infections. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have long been known to exhibit bacteriostatic activity. These compounds also specifically downregulate virulence factor expression and positively influence the gastrointestinal health of the host. As a consequence, there is currently considerable interest in SCFAs as biocontrol agents in animal production. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polymers of beta-hydroxy short-chai... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472915 Mon, 04 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472921&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19409974%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rai MK, Asthana P, Singh SK, Jaiswal VS, Jaiswal U Encapsulation technology is an exciting and rapidly growing area of biotechnological research. This has drawn tremendous attention in recent years because of its wide use in conservation and delivery of tissue cultured plants of commercial and economic importance. Production of synthetic seeds by encapsulating somatic embryos, shoot buds or any other meristmatic tissue helps in minimizing the cost of micropropagated plantlets for commercialization and final delivery. In most of fruit crops, seed propagation has not been successful because of heterozygosity of seeds, minute seed size, presence of reduced endosperm, low germination rate, and also some are having seedless varieties. Many species have desiccation-sensitive interme... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472921 Sun, 03 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472458&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19500547%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Demain AL, Vaishnav P Large proteins are usually expressed in a eukaryotic system while smaller ones are expressed in prokaryotic systems. For proteins that require glycosylation, mammalian cells, fungi or the baculovirus system is chosen. The least expensive, easiest and quickest expression of proteins can be carried out in Escherichia coli. However, this bacterium cannot express very large proteins. Also, for S-S rich proteins, and proteins that require post-translational modifications, E. coli is not the system of choice. The two most utilized yeasts are Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris. Yeasts can produce high yields of proteins at low cost, proteins larger than 50 kD can be produced, signal sequences can be removed, and glycosylation can be carried out. The ba... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472458 Fri, 01 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472429&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19500548%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gamenara D, Domínguez de María P The use of oxidoreductases as biocatalysts for the production of a wide number of chiral building blocks is presently a mature (bio-)technology. In this context some industrial applications are currently performed by means of those enzymatic approaches, and new examples are expected to be realized. Moreover, oxidoreductases provide an interesting academic platform to undertake fundamental research in enzymology, to acquire a better understanding on catalytic mechanisms, and to facilitate the development of new biocatalytic applications. Within this area, a wide number of oxidoreductases from genus Candida spp. have been characterized and used as biocatalysts. These enzymes are rather diverse, and are able to carry out many useful reac... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472429 Fri, 01 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472414&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19500549%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Van der Zee FP, Cervantes FJ During the last two decades, extensive research has explored the catalytic effects of different organic molecules with redox mediating properties on the anaerobic (bio)transformation of a wide variety of organic and inorganic compounds. The accumulated evidence points at a major role of electron shuttles in the redox conversion of several distinct contaminants, both by chemical and biological mechanisms. Many microorganisms are capable of reducing redox mediators linked to the anaerobic oxidation of organic and inorganic substrates. Electron shuttles can also be chemically reduced by electron donors commonly found in anaerobic environments (e.g. sulfide and ferrous iron). Reduced electron shuttles can transfer electrons to several distinct electron... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472414 Fri, 01 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2472379&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19500550%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ahmad AL, Oh PC, Abd Shukor SR Over the past decade, L-homophenylalanine is extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry as a precursor for production of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, which possesses significant clinical application in the management of hypertension and congestive heart failure (CHF). A number of chemical methods have been reported thus far for the synthesis of L-homophenylalanine. However, chemical methods generally suffer from process complexity, high cost, and environmental pollution. On the other hand, enantiomerically pure L-homophenylalanine can be obtained elegantly and efficiently by employing biocatalytic methods, where it appears to be the most attractive process in terms of potential industrial applications, green chemistry and s... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2472379 Fri, 01 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2472379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2283584&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19289163%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sialve B, Bernet N, Bernard O The potential of microalgae as a source of biofuels and as a technological solution for CO(2) fixation is subject to intense academic and industrial research. In the perspective of setting up massive cultures, the management of large quantities of residual biomass and the high amounts of fertilizers must be considered. Anaerobic digestion is a key process that can solve this waste issue as well as the economical and energetic balance of such a promising technology. Indeed, the conversion of algal biomass after lipid extraction into methane is a process that can recover more energy than the energy from the cell lipids. Three main bottlenecks are identified to digest microalgae. First, the biodegradability of microalgae can be low depending on both ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2283584 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2283584 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2283582&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19289164%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wu SC RNA interference (RNAi) technology has become a novel tool for silencing gene expression in cells or organisms, and has also been used to develop new therapeutics for certain diseases. This review describes its other application of using RNAi technology to increase cellular productivity and the quality of recombinant proteins that are produced in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, the most important mammalian cell line used in producing licensed biopharmaceuticals in these days. The approaches reported include the silencing of apoptosis-associated gene expression, protein glycosylation-associated gene expression, lactate dehydrogenase involved in cellular metabolism, and dihydrofolate reductase used for gene amplification. All of these works belong to the single componen... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2283582 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2283582 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258697&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19269313%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Panigrahy M, Rao DN, Sarla N Phosphorus is one of the most important elements that significantly affect plant growth and metabolism. Among the macronutrients, Phosphorus is the least available to the plants as major phosphorus content of the fertiliser is sorbed by soil particles. An increased knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms controlling plant's phosphorus status is vital for improving phosphorus uptake and P-use efficiency and for reducing excessive input of fertilizers, while maintaining an acceptable yield. Phosphorus use efficiency has been studied using forward and reverse genetic analyses of mutants, quantitative genomic approaches and whole plant physiology but all these studies need to be integrated for a clearer understanding. We provide a critical overview on t... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258697 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2258697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258699&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19268517%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Robles-Medina A, González-Moreno PA, Esteban-Cerdán L, Molina-Grima E The cost of lipases and the relatively slower reaction rate remains as the major obstacles for enzymatic production of biodiesel at opposed to the conventional chemical processes. This paper reviews the starting oils usually employed in biodiesel production, the processes for transforming them to biodiesel placing particular emphasis on enzymatic transesterification. The pros and cons of the lipase-based process, the key operational variables and the technological alternatives for attenuating lipase deactivation are also discussed. Finally, suggestions are made for future studies, paying particular attention to the use of whole cell immobilization in the production process, as this methodology may ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258699 Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2258699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2216445&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19239923%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cantacessi C, Campbell BE, Visser A, Geldhof P, Nolan MJ, Nisbet AJ, Matthews JB, Loukas A, Hofmann A, Otranto D, Sternberg PW, Gasser RB A wide range of proteins belonging to the SCP/TAPS "family" has been described for various eukaryotic organisms, including plants and animals (vertebrates and invertebrates, such as helminths). Although SCP/TAPS proteins have been proposed to play key roles in a number of fundamental biological processes, such as host-pathogen interactions and defence mechanisms, there is a paucity of information on their genetic relationships, structures and functions, and there is no standardised nomenclature for these proteins. A detailed analysis of the relationships of members of the SCP/TAPS family of proteins, based on key protein signatures, could pr... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2216445 Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2216445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2210211&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19233255%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Williams JA, Carnes AE, Hodgson CP Critical molecular and cellular biological factors impacting design of licensable DNA vaccine vectors that combine high yield and integrity during bacterial production with increased expression in mammalian cells are reviewed. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), World Health Organization (WHO) and European Medical Agencies (EMEA) regulatory guidance's are discussed, as they relate to vector design and plasmid fermentation. While all new vectors will require extensive preclinical testing to validate safety and performance prior to clinical use, regulatory testing burden for follow-on products can be reduced by combining carefully designed synthetic genes with existing validated vector backbones. A flowchart for creation of new synthetic genes,... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2210211 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2210211 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2210210&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19233256%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Obert B, Záčková Z, Samaj J, Pret'ová A There is a requirement of haploid and double haploid material and homozygous lines for cell culture studies and breeding in flax. Anther culture is currently the most successful method producing doubled haploid lines in flax. Recently, ovary culture was also described as a good source of doubled haploids. In this review we focus on tissue and plants regeneration using anther culture, and cultivation of ovaries containing unfertilized ovules. The effect of genotype, physiological status of donor plants, donor material pre-treatment and cultivation conditions for flax anthers and ovaries is discussed here. The process of plant regeneration from anther and ovary derived calli is also in the focus of this review. Attenti... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2210210 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2210210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2210212&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19232387%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dutta RC, Dutta AK Culturing cells ex-vivo that differentiate and maintain in-vivo characteristics holds great promise not only for the pragmatic revelations of cell function but also in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Lack of de-novo extra-cellular matrix (ECM) milieu, which plays a crucial role in generating physical and chemical signals besides providing structural support is attributed to be the major hurdle in normal cell growth in vitro. Hence, to comprehend the outcome of cell biology research in clinical context, it is important that the cell culture based models should incorporate both the three dimensional (3D) organization and multi cellular complexity of an organ while allowing experimental interventions in a desirable manner. This calls for the devel... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2210212 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2210212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2187622&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19215727%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chi Z, Chi Z, Zhang T, Liu G, Li J, Wang X In this review article, the extracellular enzymes production, their properties and cloning of the genes encoding the enzymes from marine yeasts are overviewed. Several yeast strains which could produce different kinds of extracellular enzymes were selected from the culture collection of marine yeasts available in this laboratory. The strains selected belong to different genera such as Yarrowia, Aureobasidium, Pichia, Metschnikowia and Cryptococcus. The extracellular enzymes include cellulase, alkaline protease, aspartic protease, amylase, inulinase, lipase and phytase, as well as killer toxin. The conditions and media for the enzyme production by the marine yeasts have been optimized and the enzymes have been purified and characterize... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2187622 Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2187622 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2182353&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19211032%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rodríguez Couto S Dyes are widely used within the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, printing, textile and leather industries. This has resulted in the discharge of highly coloured effluents that affect water transparency and gas solubility in water bodies. Furthermore, they pose a problem because of their carcinogenicity and toxicity. Therefore, removal of such dyes before discharging them into natural water streams is essential. For this, appropriate treatment technologies are required. The treatment of recalcitrant and toxic dyes with traditional technologies is not always effective or may not be environmentally friendly. This has impelled the search for alternative technologies such as biodegradation with fungi. In particular, ligninolytic fungi and their non-specific ox... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2182353 Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2182353 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2065166&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19103274%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wang J, Chen C A vast array of biological materials, especially bacteria, algae, yeasts and fungi have received increasing attention for heavy metal removal and recovery due to their good performance, low cost and large available quantities. The biosorbent, unlike mono functional ion exchange resins, contains variety of functional sites including carboxyl, imidazole, sulphydryl, amino, phosphate, sulfate, thioether, phenol, carbonyl, amide and hydroxyl moieties. Biosorbents are cheaper, more effective alternatives for the removal of metallic elements, especially heavy metals from aqueous solution. In this paper, based on the literatures and our research results, the biosorbents widely used for heavy metal removal were reviewed, mainly focusing on their cellular structure, bios... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2065166 Sat, 06 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2065166 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2060781&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19100826%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sánchez C The ability of fungi to degrade lignocellulosic materials is due to their highly efficient enzymatic system. Fungi have two types of extracellular enzymatic systems; the hydrolytic system, which produces hydrolases that are responsible for polysaccharide degradation and a unique oxidative and extracellular ligninolytic system, which degrades lignin and opens phenyl rings. Lignocellulosic residues from wood, grass, agricultural, forestry wastes and municipal solid wastes are particularly abundant in nature and have a potential for bioconversion. Accumulation of lignocellulosic materials in large quantities in places where agricultural residues present a disposal problem results not only in deterioration of the environment but also in loss of potentially valuable ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2060781 Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2060781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2010934&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19049820%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Woolley JF, Al-Rubeai M Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionisation Time-of-Fight Mass Spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) is a technique by which protein profiles can be rapidly produced from a wide variety of biological samples. By employing chromatographic surfaces combined with the specificity and reproducibility of mass spectrometry it has allowed for profiles from complex biological samples to be analysed. Profiling and biomarker identification have been employed widely throughout the biological sciences. To date, however, the benefits of SELDI-TOF MS have not been realised in the area of mammalian cell culture. The advantages in identifying markers for cell stresses, apoptosis and other culture parameters mean that these tools could help greatly to enhance monitoring and contr... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2010934 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2010934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2005492&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19041387%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Garcia-Ochoa F, Gomez E In aerobic bioprocesses, oxygen is a key substrate; due to its low solubility in broths (aqueous solutions), a continuous supply is needed. The oxygen transfer rate (OTR) must be known, and if possible predicted to achieve an optimum design operation and scale-up of bioreactors. Many studies have been conducted to enhance the efficiency of oxygen transfer. The dissolved oxygen concentration in a suspension of aerobic microorganisms depends on the rate of oxygen transfer from the gas phase to the liquid, on the rate at which oxygen is transported into the cells (where it is consumed), and on the oxygen uptake rate (OUR) by the microorganism for growth, maintenance and production. The gas-liquid mass transfer in a bioprocess is strongly influenced by the ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2005492 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2005492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1990485&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19026736%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhou J, Liu L, Shi Z, Du G, Chen J Adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP), the most important energy source for metabolic reactions and pathways, plays a vital role in the growth of industrial strain and the production of target metabolites. In this review, current advances in manipulating ATP in industrial strains, including altering NADH availability, and regulating NADH oxidation pathway, oxygen supply, proton gradient, the electron transfer chain activity and the F(0)F(1)-ATPase activity, are summarized and discussed. By applying these strategies, optimal product concentrations, yields and productivity in industrial biotechnology have been achieved. Furthermore, the mechanisms by which ATP extends the substrate utilization spectra and enhances the ability to challenge harsh environ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1990485 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1990485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1968595&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19013226%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dormond E, Perrier M, Kamen A Human adenoviral viral vector serotype 5 (AdV) is presently the primary viral vector used in gene therapy trials. Advancements in AdV process development directly contribute to the clinical and commercialization of the AdV gene delivery technology. Notably, the development of AdV production in suspension culture has driven the increase in AdV volumetric and specific productivity, therefore providing large quantities of AdV required for clinical studies. This review focuses on detailing the viral, cell and cell culture parameters governing the productivity of the three generations of AdV vectors. PMID: 19013226 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1968595 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1968595 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1968594&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19013227%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: John RP, G S A, Nampoothiri KM, Pandey A In the recent decades biotechnological production of lactic acid has gained a prime position in the industries as it is cost effective and eco-friendly. Lactic acid is a versatile chemical having a wide range of applications in food, pharmaceutical, leather and textile industries and as chemical feedstock for so many other chemicals. It also functions as the monomer for the biodegradable plastic. Biotechnological production is advantageous over chemical synthesis in that we can utilize cheap raw materials such as agro-industrial byproducts and can selectively produce the stereo isomers in an economic way. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation can replace the classical double step fermentation by the saccharification of starchy ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1968594 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1968594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1933962&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18977428%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rabelo EM, Hall RS, Loukas A, Cooper L, Hu M, Ranganathan S, Gasser RB Hookworms of humans are blood-feeding parasitic nematodes of major socio-economic significance in a wide range of countries. They cause a neglected tropical disease (NTD) called "hookworm disease" (=necatoriasis and/or ancylostomiasis). Necator americanus is the most widely distributed hookworm of humans and is a leading cause of iron deficiency anaemia, which can cause physical and mental retardation and deaths in children as well as adverse maternal-foetal outcomes in pregnant women. Currently, there is a significant focus on the development of new approaches for the prevention and control of hookworms in humans. Technological advances are underpinning the discovery of drug and vaccine targets through ins... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933962 Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1933962 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1933963&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18976700%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hlavica P The high plasticity of the active-site cavity of cytochromes P450, permitting reactivity toward a vast array of compounds, makes these enzymes attractive targets for biotechnological application. Escalating attention in this area is driven by remarkable progress in the rational design by DNA shuffling of self-sufficient, multi-domain P450/electron donor constructs simplifying the composition of biocatalytic systems. Moreover, versatile approaches were undertaken to supersede the well-established, NAD(P)H-steered proteinaceous redox chains by cost-effective alternative electron transfer conduits constituted of organometallic mediators or photoactivatable redox triggers. Electrochemical techniques have proven particularly useful: employing different types of carbon- an... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933963 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1933963 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1914477&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18950697%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ashraf M Salt stress causes multifarious adverse effects in plants. Of them, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a common phenomenon. These ROS are highly reactive because they can interact with a number of cellular molecules and metabolites thereby leading to a number of destructive processes causing cellular damage. Plants possess to a variable extent antioxidant metabolites, enzymes and non-enzymes, that have the ability to detoxify ROS. In the present review, the emphasis of discussion has been on understanding the role of different antioxidants in plants defense against oxidative stress caused by salt stress. The role of different antioxidants as potential selection criteria for improving plant salt tolerance has been critically discussed. With the advances in ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914477 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1914477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1883234&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18854209%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rai M, Yadav A, Gade A Silver has been in use since time immemorial in the form of metallic silver, silver nitrate, silver sulfadiazine for the treatment of burns, wounds and several bacterial infections. But due to the emergence of several antibiotics the use of these silver compounds had declined remarkably. Nanotechnology is gaining tremendous impetus in the present century due to its capability of modulating metals into their nanosize, which drastically changes the chemical, physical and optical properties of metals. Metallic silver in the form of silver nanoparticles has made a remarkable comeback as a potential antimicrobial agent. The use of silver nanoparticles is also important, as several pathogenic bacteria have developed resistance against various antibiotics. Henc... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1883234 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1883234 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1862609&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18840517%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lubertozzi D, Keasling JD Filamentous fungi have long been used for production of a range of valuable products; with the advent of molecular biology, it became apparent that these fungi possess considerable potential as expression hosts for the production of heterologous proteins and small molecules. Aspergillus is an important genus, including well known species of economically significant molds, and widely used for basic genetic research. The development of a genetic engineering "toolkit" for Aspergillus, such as those existing for the simpler yeasts and bacteria, was delayed due to the added complexity of the filamentous fungi, and also to the lesser resources devoted to their study. History of the development of Aspergillus as an expression host, current state of the art a... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1862609 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1862609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1637671&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18619758%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kristensen JB, Meyer RL, Laursen BS, Shipovskov S, Besenbacher F, Poulsen CH Antifouling coatings are used extensively on marine vessels and constructions, but unfortunately they are found to pose a threat to the marine environment, notably due to content of metal-based biocides. Enzymes have repeatedly been proposed as an alternative to traditional antifouling compounds. In this review, the enzymes claimed to hold antifouling activity are classified according to catalytic functions. The enzyme functions are juxtaposed with the current knowledge about the chemistry of settlement and adhesion of fouling organisms. Specific focus will be on bacteria, microalgae, invertebrate larvae and macroalgae zoospores. Two main concepts in enzyme-based antifouling are identified: breakdown ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1637671 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:56:26 +0100 1637671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1615842&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18616995%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Shahid AA, Husnain T, Riazuddin S Ascochyta blight caused by Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Lab., is the most devastating disease of chickpea and can occur anywhere the crop is grown. Several epidemics of blight causing complete yield losses have been reported. Despite extensive pathological and molecular studies, the nature and extent of pathogenic variability in A. rabiei have not been clearly established. Several isolates of A. rabiei were grown in liquid culture medium which secreted phytotoxic compounds of solanapyrone A, B, C and cytochalasin D. The same fungal metabolites were also recovered from extract of naturally blight stricken chickpea plants. Toxicity of purified solanapyrones as determined by cell bioassay was in the order of solanapyrone A>solanapyrone B>solana... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1615842 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1615842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1546539&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18577442%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Luong JH, Male KB, Glennon JD Biosensor technology is based on a specific biological recognition element in combination with a transducer for signal processing. Since its inception, biosensors have been expected to play a significant analytical role in medicine, agriculture, food safety, homeland security, environmental and industrial monitoring. However, the commercialization of biosensor technology has significantly lagged behind the research output as reflected by a plethora of publications and patenting activities. The rationale behind the slow and limited technology transfer could be attributed to cost considerations and some key technical barriers. Analytical chemistry has changed considerably, driven by automation, miniaturization, and system integration with high throu... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1546539 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1546539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1546538&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18577443%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Srivastava P, Chaturvedi R Most, if not all, trees are outbreeding, highly heterozygous and undergo a long developmental period before reaching their reproductive stage. Classical breeding and cross-pollinating procedures are both unpredictable and time-consuming. In vitro androgenesis is, thus, the most prolific and desirable approach of haploid production. But various attempts to induce androgenic potential in the trees have met with rather limited success, as they ought to be extremely recalcitrant in culture. The success rate in this case is nowhere close to that achieved for some model species like Brassica and Nicotiana. Our review article intends to focus on the overview of androgenic process and all the major contributions till date on tree species with regard to this ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1546538 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1546538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1542919&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18573633%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Adav SS, Lee DJ, Show KY, Tay JH Aerobic granulation, a novel environmental biotechnological process, was increasingly drawing interest of researchers engaging in work in the area of biological wastewater treatment. Developed about one decade ago, it was exciting research work that explored beyond the limits of aerobic wastewater treatment such as treatment of high strength organic wastewaters, bioremediation of toxic aromatic pollutants including phenol, toluene, pyridine and textile dyes, removal of nitrogen, phosphate, sulphate and nuclear waste and adsorption of heavy metals. Despite this intensive research the mechanisms responsible for aerobic granulation and the strategy to expedite the formation of granular sludge, and effects of different operational and environmental... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1542919 Mon, 19 May 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1542919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1542920&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18571355%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Joseph B, Ramteke PW, Thomas G Lipases are glycerol ester hydrolases that catalyze the hydrolysis of triglycerides to free fatty acids and glycerol. Lipases catalyze esterification, interesterification, acidolysis, alcoholysis and aminolysis in addition to the hydrolytic activity on triglycerides. The temperature stability of lipases has regarded as the most important characteristic for use in industry. Psychrophilic lipases have lately attracted attention because of their increasing use in the organic synthesis of chiral intermediates due to their low optimum temperature and high activity at very low temperatures, which are favorable properties for the production of relatively frail compounds. In addition, these enzymes have an advantage under low water conditions due to thei... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1542920 Sun, 18 May 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1542920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1535653&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18565714%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Weijers CA, Franssen MC, Visser GM Mammalian cell surfaces are all covered with bioactive oligosaccharides which play an important role in molecular recognition events such as immune recognition, cell-cell communication and initiation of microbial pathogenesis. Consequently, bioactive oligosaccharides have been recognized as a medicinally relevant class of biomolecules for which the interest is growing. For the preparation of complex and highly pure oligosaccharides, methods based on the application of glycosyltransferases are currently recognized as being the most effective. The present paper reviews the potential of glycosyltransferases as synthetic tools in oligosaccharide synthesis. Reaction mechanisms and selected characteristics of these enzymes are described in relation... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1535653 Thu, 15 May 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1535653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1535652&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18565715%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Xiao L, Zhang J, Yin YF, Chen CL, Li K, Chang A, Sirois P HIV infection is one of the major threats to human health due to the lack of relevant vaccine and drugs to cure AIDS. Its early diagnosis is thus important in controlling HIV transmission. Molecular diagnosis of HIV can be performed qualitatively and quantitatively. Currently, molecular diagnosis of HIV infection is only used as a complementary diagnosis although viral load test is used to monitor disease progression and responsiveness to antiviral therapy. To optimize HIV assays, a variety of technological advances, such as the introduction of dUTP/UNG system, real-time detection platform, and coupling of more than one enzyme in molecular identification, have been integrated into new methods. With the development of mo... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1535652 Sat, 10 May 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1535652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1516365&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18547770%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Guieysse B, Hort C, Platel V, Munoz R, Ondarts M, Revah S There is nowadays no single fully satisfactory method for VOC removal from indoor air due to the difficulties linked to the very low concentration (mug m(-3) range), diversity, and variability at which VOCs are typically found in the indoor environment. Although biological methods have shown a certain potential for this purpose, the specific characteristic of indoor air and the indoor air environment brings numerous challenges. In particular, new methods must be developed to inoculate, express, and maintain a suitable and diverse catabolic ability under conditions of trace substrate concentration which might not sustain microbial growth. In addition, the biological treatment of indoor air must be able to purify large am... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1516365 Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1516365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1469537&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18502077%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Widsten P, Kandelbauer A Enzymatic bonding methods, based on laccase or peroxidase enzymes, for lignocellulosic products such as medium-density fiberboard and particleboard are discussed with reference to the increasing costs of presently used petroleum-based adhesives and the health concerns associated with formaldehyde emissions from current composite products. One approach is to improve the self-bonding properties of the particles by oxidation of their surface lignin before they are fabricated into boards. Another method involves using enzymatically pre-treated lignins as adhesives for boards and laminates. The application of this technology to achieve wet strength characteristics in paper is also reviewed. PMID: 18502077 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Bio... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1469537 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1469537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1463641&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18495408%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews the biosensors that use plant components as biorecognition elements. In the first section, plant tissue-based biosensors are summarised and classified according to the enzyme used. Afterwards, photosynthesis-based biosensors, including the types of photosynthetic materials and immobilisation methods, are described. PMID: 18495408 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1463641 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1463641 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1454231&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18486405%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ye ZW, Jiang JG, Wu GH Natural carotenoids are high in demand in global market owing to their widespread applications in nutrition, medicine, food coloring agent and cosmetic, as well as to the natural and healthy preference of consumers today. Some strains of Dunaliella are well known for their talent of massive beta-carotene accumulation. Content of the high bioavailability stereoisomer of beta-carotene, the 9-cis stereoisomer, is highest in Dunaliella among all the natural carotenoids sources. These valuable algae have been exploited commercially for beta-carotene-rich Dunaliella powder and natural beta-carotene in many countries since 1980s. However, drawbacks of traditional production methods have hampered the worldwide promotion of carotenoids production with Dunaliella.... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1454231 Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1454231 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1418374&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18450406%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Saudagar PS, Survase SA, Singhal RS Natural antibiotics are almost universal secondary metabolites, not essential for the growth of the producing organisms generally produced at low growth rates or after growth has ceased. Clavulanic acid (CA), a naturally occurring powerful inhibitor of bacterial beta-lactamases is a major beta-lactam antibiotic produced by organism Streptomyces clavuligerus and is active against a wide spectrum of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The review discusses the biosynthetic pathway, fermentative production, downstream processing and applications of CA. PMID: 18450406 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1418374 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1418374 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1399091&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18434069%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bulgakov VP For a long time, the Agrobacterium rhizogenes rolA, rolB and rolC oncogenes have been considered to be modulators of plant growth and cell differentiation. A new function of the rol genes in plant-Agrobacterium interaction became apparent with the discovery that these genes are potential activators of secondary metabolism in transformed cells from the Solanaceae, Araliaceae, Rubiaceae, Vitaceae and Rosaceae families. In some cases, the activator effect of individual rol genes is sufficient to overcome the inability of cultured plant cells to produce large amounts of secondary metabolites. Here, I summarize the available evidence that shows that genetic transformation by single Agrobacterium rol genes may be used as a powerful tool to manipulate secondary metabolite... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1399091 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1399091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1396100&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18430539%26dopt%3DAbstract This article provides a concise account of Cryptosporidium and cryptosporidiosis, and focuses mainly on recent advances in nucleic acid-based approaches for the diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis and analysis of genetic variation within and among species of Cryptosporidium. These advances represent a significant step toward an improved understanding of the epidemiology as well as the prevention and control of cryptosporidiosis. PMID: 18430539 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1396100 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1396100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1319258&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18353595%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Vijayaraghavan K, Yun YS Biosorption is a technique that can be used for the removal of pollutants from waters, especially those that are not easily biodegradable such as metals and dyes. A variety of biomaterials are known to bind these pollutants, including bacteria, fungi, algae, and industrial and agricultural wastes. In this review, the biosorption abilities of bacterial biomass towards dyes and metal ions are emphasized. The properties of the cell wall constituents, such as peptidoglycan, and the role of functional groups, such as carboxyl, amine and phosphonate, are discussed on the basis of their biosorption potentials. The binding mechanisms, as well as the parameters influencing the passive uptake of pollutants, are analyzed. A detailed description of isotherm and ki... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1319258 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1319258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1261559&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18299181%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Thakur NL, Jain R, Natalio F, Hamer B, Thakur AN, Müller WE An appreciation of the potential applications of molecular biology is of growing importance in many areas of life sciences, including marine biology. During the past two decades, the development of sophisticated molecular technologies and instruments for biomedical research has resulted in significant advances in the biological sciences. However, the value of molecular techniques for addressing problems in marine biology has only recently begun to be cherished. It has been proven that the exploitation of molecular biological techniques will allow difficult research questions about marine organisms and ocean processes to be addressed. Marine molecular biology is a discipline, which strives to define and solve the ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1261559 Sat, 26 Jan 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1261559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1055580&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D18024057%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gasser RB, Cantacessi C, Loukas A Blood-feeding hookworms are parasitic nematodes of major human health importance. Currently, it is estimated that 740 million people are infected worldwide, and more than 80 million of them are severely affected clinically by hookworm disease. In spite of the health problems caused and the advances toward the development of vaccines against some hookworms, limited attention has been paid to the need for improved, practical methods of diagnosis. Accurate diagnosis and genetic characterization of hookworms is central to their effective control. While traditional diagnostic methods have considerable limitations, there has been some progress toward the development of molecular-diagnostic tools. The present article provides a brief background on ho... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1055580 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:59:54 +0100 1055580 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=936657&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17920803%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jain E, Kumar A The demand for monoclonal antibody for therapeutic and diagnostic applications is rising constantly which puts up a need to bring down the cost of its production. In this context it becomes a prerequisite to improve the efficiency of the existing processes used for monoclonal antibody production. This review describes various upstream processes used for monoclonal antibody production and evaluates critical parameters and efforts which are being made to enhance the efficiency of the process. The upstream technology has tremendously been upgraded from host cells used for manufacturing to bioreactors type and capacity. The host cells used range from microbial, mammalian to plant cells with mammalian cells dominating the scenario. Disposable bioreactors are being p... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=936657 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 936657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=738792&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17601695%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhang C, Xing D, Li Y This review surveys the advances of microvalves, micropumps, and micromixers within PCR microfluidic chips over the past ten years. First, the types of microvalves in PCR chips are discussed, including active and passive microvalves. The active microvalves are subdivided into mechanical (thermopneumatic and shape memory alloy), non-mechanical (hydrogel, sol-gel, paraffin, and ice), and external (modular built-in, pneumatic, and non-pneumatic) microvalves. The passive microvalves also include mechanical (in-line polymerized gel and passive plug) and non-mechanical (hydrophobic) microvalves. The review then discusses mechanical (piezoelectric, pneumatic, and thermopneumatic) and non-mechanical (electrokinetic, magnetohydrodynamic, electrochemical, acoustic-... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=738792 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:41:14 +0100 738792 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=674044&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17553651%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Eapen S, Singh S, D'Souza SF Phytoremediation-the use of plants for cleaning up of xenobiotic compounds-has received much attention in the last few years and development of transgenic plants tailored for remediation will further enhance their potential. Although plants have the inherent ability to detoxify some xenobiotic pollutants, they generally lack the catabolic pathway for complete degradation/mineralization of these compounds compared to microorganisms. Hence, transfer of genes involved in xenobiotic degradation from microbes/other eukaryotes to plants will further enhance their potential for remediation of these dangerous groups of compounds. Transgenic plants with enhanced potential for detoxification of xenobiotics such as trichloro ethylene, pentachlorophenol, trini... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=674044 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 09:14:40 +0100 674044 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=637512&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17524590%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chu BC, Lee H There is considerable interest in recent years in the bioconversion of forestry and agricultural residues into ethanol and value-added chemicals. High ethanol yields from lignocellulosic residues are dependent on efficient use of all the available sugars including glucose and xylose. The well-known fermentative yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the preferred microorganism for ethanol production, but unfortunately, this yeast is unable to ferment xylose. Over the last 15 years, this yeast has been the subject of various research efforts aimed at improving its ability to utilize xylose and ferment it to ethanol. This review examines the research on S. cerevisiae strains that have been genetically modified or adapted to ferment xylose to ethanol. The current state o... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=637512 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 637512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=610937&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17498907%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Muñoz R, Villaverde S, Guieysse B, Revah S Two-phase partitioning bioreactors (TPPBs) allow the biological removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from contaminated gas streams at unprecedented rates and concentrations. TPPBs are constructed by adding a non-aqueous phase (e.g. hexadecane, silicone oil) to an aqueous phase that contains the microorganisms responsible for degrading the VOCs. Presence of a water-immiscible phase improves the transfer of hydrophobic substrates (e.g. hexane, oxygen) or reduces the toxicity of inhibitory substances (e.g. benzene, toluene) to the microorganisms present in the aqueous phase. The non-aqueous phase is selected based on cost, safety, good partitioning properties towards the target pollutants, biocompatibility, and non-biodegradabil... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=610937 Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 610937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=610939&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17490846%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cebollero E, Gonzalez R Autophagy is a catabolic process by which the cytoplasm is sequestered into double-membrane vesicles and delivered to the lysosome/vacuole for breaking down and recycling of the low molecular weight degradation products. The isolation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae of many of the genes involved in autophagy constituted a milestone in understanding the molecular bases of this pathway. The identification of ortholog genes in other eukaryotic models revealed that the mechanism of autophagy is conserved among all eukaryotes. This pathway has been shown to be involved in a growing number of physiological processes and conversely, its deregulation may contribute to the development of several diseases. Recent reports have also shown that autophagy may p... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=610939 Sat, 31 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0100 610939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=573722&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17459646%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Heikkila JJ, Kaldis A, Morrow G, Tanguay RM The analysis of the expression and function of heat shock protein (hsp) genes, a class of molecular chaperones, has been greatly aided by studies carried out with Xenopus oocytes. The large size of the oocyte facilitates microinjection of DNA, mRNA or protein, permits manual dissection of nuclei, and allows certain assays to be performed with single oocytes. These and other characteristics were useful in identifying the cis- and trans-acting factors involved in hsp gene transcription as well as the role of chaperones and co-chaperones in the repression and activation of heat shock factor. Xenopus oocytes were used to examine heat shock protein (HSP) molecular chaperone function as well as their involvement in intracellular traffickin... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=573722 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0100 573722 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=573721&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17459647%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Liu W, Wang P Oxidoreductases are attractive catalysts for biosynthesis of chiral compounds and polymers, construction of biosensors, and degradation of environmental pollutants. Their practical applications, however, can be quite challenging since they often require cofactors such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). These cofactors are generally expensive. Efficient regeneration of cofactors is therefore critical to the economic viability of industrial-scale biotransformations using oxidoreductases. The chemistry of cofactor regeneration is well known nowadays. The challenge is mostly regarding how to achieve the regeneration with immobilized enzyme systems which are preferred for industrial processes to facilitat... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=573721 Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0100 573721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=437110&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17184955%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhang L, Li Y, Wang Z, Xia Y, Chen W, Tang K In hypoxic conditions, bacteria express a kind of hemoglobin, which is proposed to enhance respiration and energy metabolism by promoting oxygen delivery. Bacteria hemoglobin from Vitreoscilla stercoraria - Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb), when expressed in various hosts in oxygen-limited conditions, has been shown to improve growth, protein secretion, metabolite productivity and stress resistance of hosts, thus rendering the protein promising in metabolic engineering, especially in plant metabolism optimization. In this review, many well-studies areas are presented to illustrate the potential of VHb application in biotechnology industry, to discuss the cellular mechanisms of VHb function and to show the wide variety of approaches tak... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=437110 Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:43:02 +0100 437110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=437109&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17196357%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Becker EW About five decades ago, the mass production of certain protein-rich micro-algae was considered as a possibility to close the predicted so called "protein gap". Comprehensive analyses and nutritional studies have demonstrated that these algal proteins are of high quality and comparable to conventional vegetable proteins. However, due to high production costs as well as technical difficulties to incorporate the algal material into palatable food preparations, the propagation of algal protein is still in its infancy. To date, the majority of micro-algal preparations are marketed as health food, as cosmetics or as animal feed. PMID: 17196357 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=437109 Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:43:02 +0100 437109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=437108&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17196782%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Capuano F, Beaudoin F, Napier JA, Shewry PR Oleosins stabilize oil bodies in seeds and other tissues and contain a unique hydrophobic domain which appears to be inserted into the oil matrix as an alpha-helical hairpin. The oleosin proteins may be exploited to stabilize emulsions while the ease of oil body preparation has led to the expression of bioactive proteins as oleosin fusions in molecular farming. PMID: 17196782 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=437108 Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:43:02 +0100 437108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=437107&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17196783%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van Roon JL, Schroën CG, Tramper J, Beeftink HH Multiple phenomena are involved in conversions by immobilized biocatalysts. A paradox is identified between analytical desires on one hand and analytical boundary conditions on the other: while the study of interdependent phenomena would call for their simultaneous analysis in an integrated context, the available experimental options may impose a series of separate and dedicated analyses. From this analysis, bottlenecks in particle performance may be identified, if possible supported by a mechanistic model and performance criteria. Subsequently, a strategy for further biocatalyst development may be chosen. Finally, possibilities for future improvement of biocatalysts are discussed for various fields of research. Some examples of... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=437107 Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:43:02 +0100 437107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=437106&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17196784%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Marion D, Bakan B, Elmorjani K Lipid transfer proteins (LTP) and puroindolines are abundant lipid binding proteins of plant seeds. While LTP are ubiquitous plant proteins, puroindolines are only found in the seeds of plants from the Triticae and Avenae tribes. These proteins display a similar overall folding pattern but different lipid binding properties. The unique and diverse biological and technological functions of LTPs and puroindolines are closely related to their structural and lipid binding properties. These proteins are attractive to improve the agronomic performances and food quality of crops. Heterologous expression and genetic engineering should allow industrial production and enlarge applications of these lipid binding proteins. PMID: 17196784 [PubMed - in pro... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=437106 Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:43:02 +0100 437106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=437105&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17197149%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Verkerk MC, Tramper J, van Trijp JC, Martens DE There is a need for novel protein sources. Insects are a possible interesting source of protein. They are nutritious in terms of protein (40-75 g/100g dry weight) and minerals. Insect protein is of high quality and has a high digestibility (77-98%) and concentration of essential amino acids (46-96% of the nutritional profile). Also insect cells may be a promising novel source of protein. Choice of cell line, growth conditions and use of the baculovirus expression system opens up possibilities to engineer the nutritional value of the biomass. The technological limits as well as consumer acceptance of insect cell based food remains to be investigated. PMID: 17197149 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Adv... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=437105 Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:43:02 +0100 437105 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=437104&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17208406%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Camacho FG, Rodríguez JG, Mirón AS, García MC, Belarbi EH, Chisti Y, Grima EM Dinoflagellates are microalgae that are associated with the production of many marine toxins. These toxins poison fish, other wildlife and humans. Dinoflagellate-associated human poisonings include paralytic shellfish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, and ciguatera fish poisoning. Dinoflagellate toxins and bioactives are of increasing interest because of their commercial impact, influence on safety of seafood, and potential medical and other applications. This review discusses biotechnological methods of identifying toxic dinoflagellates and detecting their toxins. Potential applications of the toxins are discussed. A lack of sufficient quantities of toxins... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=437104 Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:43:02 +0100 437104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=437103&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17222526%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Suriyamongkol P, Weselake R, Narine S, Moloney M, Shah S The increasing effect of non-degradable plastic wastes is a growing concern. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), macromolecule-polyesters naturally produced by many species of microorganisms, are being considered as a replacement for conventional plastics. Unlike petroleum-derived plastics that take several decades to degrade, PHAs can be completely bio-degraded within a year by a variety of microorganisms. This biodegradation results in carbon dioxide and water, which return to the environment. Attempts based on various methods have been undertaken for mass production of PHAs. Promising strategies involve genetic engineering of microorganisms and plants to introduce production pathways. This challenge requires the expression ... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=437103 Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:43:02 +0100 437103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=503092&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17383141%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sheedy C, Roger Mackenzie C, Christopher Hall J More and more recombinant antibodies specific for haptens such as drugs of abuse, dyes and pesticides are being isolated from antibody libraries. Thereby isolated antibodies tend to possess lower affinity than their parental, full-size counterparts, and therefore the isolation techniques must be optimized or the antibody genes must be affinity-matured in order to reach high affinities and specificities required for practical applications. Several strategies have been explored to obtain high-affinity recombinant antibodies from antibody libraries: At the selection level, biopanning optimization can be performed through elution with free hapten, analogue pre-incubation and subtractive panning. At the mutagenesis level, techniques s... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=503092 Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 503092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=471286&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17350212%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chisti Y Continued use of petroleum sourced fuels is now widely recognized as unsustainable because of depleting supplies and the contribution of these fuels to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the environment. Renewable, carbon neutral, transport fuels are necessary for environmental and economic sustainability. Biodiesel derived from oil crops is a potential renewable and carbon neutral alternative to petroleum fuels. Unfortunately, biodiesel from oil crops, waste cooking oil and animal fat cannot realistically satisfy even a small fraction of the existing demand for transport fuels. As demonstrated here, microalgae appear to be the only source of renewable biodiesel that is capable of meeting the global demand for transport fuels. Like plants, microalgae use sunlight t... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=471286 Tue, 13 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 471286 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=471288&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17350211%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gasser RB, Cottee P, Nisbet AJ, Ruttkowski B, Ranganathan S, Joachim A There are substantial gaps in the knowledge of the molecular processes of development and reproduction in parasitic nematodes, despite the fact that understanding such processes could lead to novel ways of treating and controlling parasitic diseases, through blocking or disrupting key biological pathways. Biotechnological advances through large-scale sequencing projects, approaches for the analysis of differential gene and protein expression and functional genomics (e.g., double-stranded RNA interference) now provide opportunities to investigate the molecular basis of developmental processes in some parasitic nematodes. The porcine nodule worm, Oesophagostomum dentatum (order Strongylida), may provide a pla... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=471288 Wed, 07 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 471288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=442972&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17321095%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Trouvin JH PMID: 17321095 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biotechnology Advances) Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=442972 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 05:00:00 +0100 442972 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=437101&cid=s_34565_70_f&fid=34565&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D17293076%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mack C, Wilhelmi B, Duncan JR, Burgess JE Biosorption has emerged as a low-cost and often low-tech option for removal or recovery of base metals from aqueous wastes. The conditions under which precious metals such as gold, platinum and palladium are sorbed by biomass are often very different to those under which base metals are sorbed. This, coupled with the increasingly high demand for precious metals, drives the increase in research into efficient recovery of precious metal ions from all waste material, especially refining wastewaters. Common biosorbents for precious metal ions include various derivatives of chitosan, as well as other compounds with relatively high surface amine functional group content. This is generally due to the ability of the positively charged amine gr... Biotechnology Advances journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=437101 Fri, 19 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 437101