Assessment of a Plantibody HB-01 Purification Strategy at Different Scales

Transgenic plant investigations focus on fine-regulation of the recombinant protein expression and purification strategies. In this article, preliminary experiments were done at analytical-scale to decide the best plantibody HB-01 purification strategy. Once it was assumed, the purification efficiency was assessed at different scales (10–600 kg of biomass). The plantibody purity measured by SDS-PAGE and LC-GF was over 90%, yielding 9.9 ± 6.2–18.6 ± 0.9 mg plantibody kg⁻¹ of biomass and 39.9 ± 7.9–48.7 ± 2.1% of recovery. Significant differences were not observed among these parameters at these scales. Plant DNA contents were <3.3 ng mg⁻¹ of plantibody, which is considered very low for the plantibody HB-01 application in the hepatitis B vaccine production.

     

The effects of nutrient chemotaxis on bacterial aggregation patterns with non-linear degenerate cross diffusion

This paper studies a reaction–diffusion–chemotaxis model for bacterial aggregation patterns on the surface of thin agar plates. It is based on the non-linear degenerate cross diffusion model proposed by Kawasaki et al. (1997) [5] and it includes a suitable nutrient chemotactic term compatible with such type of diffusion, as suggested by Ben-Jacob et al. (2000) [20]. An asymptotic estimation predicts the growth velocity of the colony envelope as a function of both the nutrient concentration and the chemotactic sensitivity. It is shown that the growth velocity is an increasing function of the chemotactic sensitivity. High resolution numerical simulations using Graphic Processing Units (GPUs), which include noise in the diffusion coefficient for the bacteria, are presented. The numerical results verify that the chemotactic term enhances the velocity of propagation of the colony envelope. In addition, the chemotaxis seems to stabilize the formation of branches in the soft-agar, low-nutrient regime.     

Magnetocaloric effect in phase separated manganite probed by differential thermal analysis

Differential thermal analysis is used to measure the temperature change (ΔT) due to the application of an external magnetic field in a manganite with phase separation. The temperature dependence of ΔT is compared with the expected from magnetization measurements. A phenomenological model for the enthalpy change is used to obtain ΔT during the metamagnetic transition.     

Synthesis of norfloxacin analogues catalyzed by Lewis and Brönsted acids: An alternative pathway

An alternative synthetic pathway to prepare norfloxacin analogues is presented. Three Lewis acids (CeCl₃·7H₂O, AlCl₃·6H₂O, ZnCl₂) and one Brönsted acid (TsOH) were tested as catalysts in the preparation of 3,4-difluoroacrylate. Cyclization of this acrylate at 55 °C was achieved with the use of Eaton's reagent (P₂O₅/MeSO₃H) a known Brönsted acid. The fluoroquinolone-boron complex presented high yields on C-7 nucleophilic substitution of the fluorine atom by different heterocyclic amines with low, medium and strong nucleophilic character.     

Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of β‐Lactams and Cyclo‐β‐dipeptides

Different cyclo‐β‐dipeptides were prepared from corresponding N‐substituted β‐alanine derivatives under mild conditions using PhPOCl₂ as activating agent in benzene and Et₃N as base. To evaluate β³‐substituent influence, the amino acids 7 – 26 were synthesized, and a β‐lactam formation reaction was carried out instead of cyclo‐β‐dipeptide formation. The crystal structures of three derivatives of cyclo‐β‐peptides and one β‐lactam are presented.     

Electrical transport properties of manganite powders under pressure

We have measured the electrical resistance of micrometric to nanometric powders of the La_5/8−yPr_yCa_3/8MnO₃${\mathrm{La}}_{5/8-y}{\mathrm{Pr}}_y{\mathrm{Ca}}_{3/8}{\mathrm{MnO}}_3$ (LPCMO with y=0.3$y=0.3$) manganite for hydrostatic pressures up to 4 kbar. By applying different final thermal treatments to samples synthesized by a microwave assisted denitration process, we obtained two particular grain characteristic dimensions (40 nm and 1000 nm) which allowed us to analyze the grain size sensitivity of the electrical conduction properties of both the metal electrode interface with manganite (Pt/LPCMO) and the intrinsic intergranular interfaces formed by the LPCMO powder, conglomerate under the only effect of external pressure. We also analyzed the effects of pressure on the phase diagram of these powders. Our results indicate that different magnetic phases coexist at low temperatures and that the electrical transport properties are related to the intrinsic interfaces, as we observe evidences of a granular behavior and an electronic transport dominated by the Space Charge limited Current mechanism.     

A nonpeptidic cathepsin S activity-based probe for noninvasive optical imaging of tumor-associated macrophages

Macrophage infiltration into tumors has been correlated with poor clinical outcome in multiple cancer types. Therefore, tools to image tumor-associated macrophages could be valuable for diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. Herein, we describe the synthesis and characterization of a cathepsin S-directed, quenched activity-based probe (qABP), BMV083. This probe makes use of an optimized nonpeptidic scaffold leading to enhanced in vivo properties relative to previously reported peptide-based probes. In a syngeneic breast cancer model, BMV083 provides high tumor-specific fluorescence that can be visualized using noninvasive optical imaging methods. Furthermore, analysis of probe-labeled cells demonstrates that the probe primarily targets macrophages with an M2 phenotype. Thus, BMV083 is a potential valuable in vivo reporter for tumor-associated macrophages that could greatly facilitate the future studies of macrophage function in the process of tumorigenesis.     

Thermochemical reaction of 7-azido-1-ethyl-6,8-difluoroquinolone-3-carboxylate with heterocyclic amines. An expeditious synthesis of novel fluoroquinolone derivatives

Novel 7-hydrazino-1-ethyl-6,8-difluoroquinolone-3-carboxylate derivatives are obtained by thermochemical reaction of 7-azido-1-ethyl-6,8-difluoroquinolone-3-carboxylate with heterocyclic amines. These new fluoroquinolone carboxylates could be used as precursors in the preparation of novel fluoroquinolone carboxylic acids. These latter compounds are known to have biological activity.     

A simple model for a two-stage chemical reaction with diffusion

We analyse the evolution of a two-stage chemical reaction betweentwo neighbouring plumes of reactants. Under the assumption thatthe plumes are approximately Gaussian we derive a system ofordinary differential equations for the total amount, the centroidand the variance of each reactant. We compare the solution ofthese equations with full numerical simulation of the reaction.Excellent agreement is obtained, with solution of the near-Gaussianmodel requiring considerably less computational effort thanthe full simulations. Of key importance is the yield of thereaction, and we discuss this feature in particular.