Synthesis and Expression in Escherichia coli of a Human Neutrophil Activating Protein-1/Interleukin-8 Gene

The complete gene coding for human neutrophilactivating protein-1/interleukin-8 was synthesized using a semi-chemical semi-enzymatic method. The synthetic gene was then overexpressed in Escherichia coli under the temperature-regulated control of the P_RP_L tandem promoters. As determined by SDS-PAGE and densitometry, the overexpressed protein comprised up to 18.5% and 10.9% of the total soluble protein in E. coli cells grown in shake flasks and in batch fermentation, respectively. The recombinant NAP-1/IL-8 was then purified to>95% homogeneity by gel filtration and cation exchange chromatography. The purified protein appeared as a single band on the SDS-PAGE gel and possessed potent chemotactic activity in the concentration of <10 ng/ml, as assayed by the agarose plate method. An early skin reactivity was also observed when the pure NAP-1/IL-8 was injected subcutaneously into the rabbits. The N-terminal 36 amino acid sequence of the recombinant NAP1/IL-8 was determined using the Edman method and was sho     

CLONING, EXPRESSION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF Pro3 GENE OF YEAST Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The proline biosynthetic pathway and Pro genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have just begun to be studied recently. In our laboratory, Pro2 gene of S. cerevisiae had been cloned in yeast. As described in this paper, yeast Pro3 gene was also cloned, which can complement yeast Pro3 mutants, and be expressed efficiently in E. coli. The high activities of this gene product, L-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) reductase, can be detected in both organisms. The activity of the Pro3 gene product in multiple copy plasmids is not higher than that of single copy genes in chromosomes in both yeast and E. coll. The preliminary characterization of the gene is also reported.     

The crystallinity of polyaryl ether ether ketone

Measurement of the degree of crystallinity of the polymer matrix in a composite is complicated by the presence of the reinforcing additive. This is particularly the case in APC-2 in which as much as 70% can be carbon fibre. A First Law procedure, developed for determining the degree of crystallinity of PEEK, which involves direct measurement of the enthalpy changes associated with melting, crystallization and heat capacity changes, has found to be an effective method for the determination of the crystallinity of the PEEK matrix. The procedure has been applied to carbon fibre and glass fibre PEEK composites.     

Enthalpies of Phase Transitions and Heat Capacity of TbCl3 and Compounds Formed in TbCl3–MCl Systems (M=K, Rb, Cs)

The molar enthalpies of the solid–solid and solid–liquid phase transitions were determined by differential scanning calorimetry for pure TbCl₃ and KTb₂Cl₇, RbTb₂Cl₇, CsTb₂Cl₇, K₃TbCl₆, Rb₃TbCl₆ and Cs₃TbCl₆ compounds. Both types of compounds, i.e. M₃TbCl₆ and MTb₂Cl₇ (M=K, Rb, Cs) melt congruently and show additionally a solid–solid phase transition with a corresponding enthalpy Δ_trs H ⁰ of 6.1, 7.6 and 7.0 kJ mol^–1 for potassium, rubidium and caesium M₃TbCl₆ compounds andΔ_trs H ⁰ of 17.1 (rubidium) and of 12.1 and 10.9 kJ mol^–1 (caesium) for MTb₂Cl₇ compounds, respectively. The enthalpies of fusion were measured for all the above compounds with the exception of Rb₃TbCl₆ and Cs₃TbCl₆. The heat capacities of the solid and liquid compounds have been determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the temperature range 300–1100 K. The experimental heat capacity strongly increases in the vicinity of a phase transition, but varies smoothly in the temperature ranges excluding these transformations. C _p data were fitted by an equation, which provided a satisfactory representation up to the temperatures of C _p discontinuity. The measured heat capacities were checked for consistency by calculating the enthalpy of formation of the liquid phase, which had been previously measured. The results obtained agreed satisfactorily with these experimental data. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Properties of the Macrophomina phaseolina endoglucanase (EGL 1) gene product in bacterial and yeast expression systems

Functional expression of a β-d-1,4 glucanase-encoding gene (egl1) from a filamentous fungus was achieved in both Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a modified version of pRS413. Optimal activity of the E. coli-expressed enzyme was found at incubation temperatures of 60°C, whereas the enzyme activity was optimal at 40°C when expressed by S. cerevisiae. Enzyme activity at different pH levels was similar for both bacteria and yeast, being highest at 5.0. Yeast expression resulted in a highly glycosylated protein of approx 60 kDa, compared to bacterial expression, which resulted in a protein of 30 kDa. The hyperglycosylated protein had reduced enzyme activity, indicating that E. coli is a preferred vehicle for production scale-up.     

Construction of recombinant Bacillus subtilis for production of polyhydroxyalkanoates

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters of hydroxyalkanoates synthesized by numerous bacteria as intracellular carbon and energy storage compounds and accumulated as granules in the cytoplasm of cells. In this work, we constructed two recombinant plasmids, pBE2C1, and pBE2C1AB, containing one or two PHA synthse, genes, respectively. The two plasmids were inserted into Bacillus subtilis DB104 to generate modified strains, B. subtilis/pBE2C1 and B. subtilis/pBE2C1AB. The two recombinants strains were subjected to fermentation and showed PHA accumulation, the first reported example of mcl-PHA production in B. subtilis. Gas Chromatography analysis identified the compound produced by B. subtilis/pBE2C1 to be a hydroxydecanoate-co-hydroxydodecanoate (HD-co-HDD) polymer whereas that produced by B. subtilis/pBE2C1AB was a hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyde-canoate-co-hydroxydodecanoate (HB-HD-HDD) polymer.     

Molecular cloning and expression of an endo-β-1,4-d-glucanase I (avicelase I) gene from Bacillus cellulyticus K-12 and characterization of the recombinant enzyme

Bacillus cellulyticus K-12 Avicelase (Avicelase I; EC 3.2.1.4) gene (ace A) has been cloned in Escherichia coli by using the vector pT7T3U19 and HindIII-HindIII libraries of the chromosomal inserts. The libraries were screened for the expression of avicelase by monitoring the immunoreaction of the antiavicelase (immunoscreening). Positive clones (Ac-3, Ac-5, and Ac-7) contained the identical 3.5-kb HindIII fragment as determined by restriction mapping and Southern hybridization, and expressed avicelase efficiently and constitutively using its own promoter in the heterologous host. From the immunoblotting analysis, a polypeptide that showed a carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) activity with an M _r , of 64,000 was detected. The recombinant endo 1,4-β- _d -glucanase I was purified to homogeneity from an intracellular fraction of E. coli by DEAE-Toyopearl M650, Phenyl Toyoperal M650, and TSK gel HW50S chromatography. The enzyme had a monomeric structure, its relative molecular mass being 65 kDa by gel filtration and 64 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The pI was 5.3 and the optimal pH was 4.6, and the enzyme was stable at pH 4.0–10.5. The enzyme had a temperature optimum of 50°C and was stable at 55°C for 48 h, and retained approx 20% of its activity after 30 min at 70°C. It showed high activity toward carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as well as p-nitrophenyl-β-d-cellobioside, 4-methylumbelliferyl cellobioside, Avicel, filter paper, and some cellooligosaccharides. K _m values for CMC and Avicel were 7.6 and 85.2 mg/mL, respectively, whereas V _max values were 201 and 9.2 μmol · min⁻¹ · mg⁻¹, respectively. Cellotetraose (G4) was preferentially cleaved into cellobiose (G2) and cellopentaose (G5) was cleaved into G2 + cellotriose (G3), whereas cellohexaose (G6) was cleaved into G4 + G2 and, to a lesser extent, into G3 + G3. G3 was not cleaved at all. G2 was the main product of Avicel hydrolysis. G2 inhibited whereas Mg⁺⁺ stimulated the activity of CMCase and Avicelase. Hydrolysis of CMC took place with a rapid decrease in viscosity but a slow liberation of reducing sugars. Based on these results, it appeared that the cellulase should be regarded as endo type, although it hydrolyzed Avicel.     

Determination of the enthalpy of fusion of K3TaF8 and K3TaOF6

The areas of the fusion and crystallization peaks of K₃TaF₈ and K₃TaOF₆ have been measured using the DSC mode of the high-temperature calorimeter (SETARAM 1800 K). On the basis of these quantities and the temperature dependence of the used calorimetric method sensitivity, the values of the enthalpy of fusion of K₃TaF₈ at temperature of fusion 1039 K: Δ_fusH_m(K₃TaF₈; 1039 K) = (52 ± 2) kJ mol⁻¹ and of K₃TaOF₆ at temperature of fusion 1055 K: Δ_fusH_m(K₃TaOF₆; 1055 K) = (62 ± 3) kJ mol⁻¹ have been determined.     

Comment on papers by K. Shanahan that propose to explain anomalous heat generated by cold fusion

Dr. Shanahan has published two papers (Thermochim. Acta 428 (2005) 207, Thermochim. Acta 382 (2002) 95) in which he argues that excess heat claimed to be produced by cold fusion is actually caused by errors in heat measurement. In particular, he proposes that unrecognized changes in the calibration constant are produced by changes in the locations where heat is being generated within the electrolytic cell over the duration of the measurement. Because these papers may lend unwarranted support to rejection of cold fusion claims, these erroneous arguments used by Shanahan need to be answered.