Effect of restricted dissolved oxygen on expression of Clostridium difficile toxin A subunit from E. coli.

The repeating unit of the C. difficile Toxin A (rARU, also known as CROPS [combined repetitive oligopeptides]) C-terminal region, was shown to elicit protective immunity against C. difficile and is under consideration as a possible vaccine against this pathogen.

Enhanced hydrogen production by a mutant of Rhodobacter sphaeroides having an altered light-harvesting system.

A stable mutant of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides with an altered light-harvesting (LH) system (P3 mutant) was obtained by UV irradiation and characterized. The mutant exhibited a 2.7-fold decrease in the core antennal (LH1) content and 1.

A hot spot for RAD51C interactions revealed by a peptide that sensitizes cells to cisplatin.

DNA repair via the homologous recombination pathway requires the recombinase RAD51 and, in vertabrates, five RAD51 paralogs. The paralogs form two complexes in solution, a XRCC3/RAD51C heterodimer and a RAD51B/RAD51C/RAD51D/XRCC2 heterotetramer. Mutation of any one of the five paralog genes prevents subnuclear assembly of recombinase at damaged sites and renders cells 30-100 fold sensitive to DNA cross-linking drugs.

Polyhydroxybutyrate production from carbon dioxide by cyanobacteria.

Genetic characterization and enhancement of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) accumulation in cyanobacteria were investigated for efficient PHB production from CO2. The genome DNAs in the PHB-accumulating strains Synechococcus sp. MA19 and Spirulina platensis NIES46 retained the highly homologous region to phaC of Synechocystis PCC6803, whereas low homology was detected in the nonaccumulating strains Synechococcus sp.

[A new method for urea detection in biological fluids].

A modified urease hypochlorite method for measuring urea in biological fluids is described. Its novel feature is the use of 4-hydroxycoumarin as ammonia acceptor. This compound has never been used for this purpose, and it has a number of advantages over traditional phenol and its derivatives: the measurement is performed in just two steps, the compound is nontoxic and used in low concentrations, and the accuracy of measurements is higher due to decrease of the systemic error.