Experimental and modeling analysis of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 growth.

Background/aims: The influence of different parameters such as temperature, irradiance, nitrate concentration, pH, and an external carbon source on Synechocystis PCC 6803 growth was evaluated.

Methods: 4.5-ml cuvettes containing 2 ml of culture, a high-throughput system equivalent to batch cultures, were used with gas exchange ensured by the use of a Parafilm™ cover.

Microbial diversity in the midguts of field and lab-reared populations of the European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis.

Background: Insects are associated with microorganisms that contribute to the digestion and processing of nutrients. The European Corn Borer (ECB) is a moth present world-wide, causing severe economical damage as a pest on corn and other crops. In the present work, we give a detailed view of the complexity of the microorganisms forming the ECB midgut microbiota with the objective of comparing the biodiversity of the midgut-associated microbiota and explore their potential as a source of genes and enzymes with biotechnological applications.

Aequorin-expressing yeast emits light under electric control.

In this study, we show the use of direct external electrical stimulation of a jellyfish luminescent calcium-activated protein, aequorin, expressed in a transgenic yeast strain. Yeast cultures were electrically stimulated through two electrodes coupled to a standard power generator. Even low (1.

Flux coupling and transcriptional regulation within the metabolic network of the photosynthetic bacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803.

Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 is a model cyanobacterium capable of producing biofuels with CO(2) as carbon source and with its metabolism fueled by light, for which it stands as a potential production platform of socio-economic importance. Compilation and characterization of Synechocystis genome-scale metabolic model is a pre-requisite toward achieving a proficient photosynthetic cell factory.

Reconstruction and analysis of genome-scale metabolic model of a photosynthetic bacterium.

Background: Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 is a cyanobacterium considered as a candidate photo-biological production platform--an attractive cell factory capable of using CO2 and light as carbon and energy source, respectively. In order to enable efficient use of metabolic potential of Synechocystis sp.

Yeast cultures with UCP1 uncoupling activity as a heating device.

Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are mitochondrial transporters that facilitate controlled dissipation of the proton gradient and thus regulate energetic efficiency. The heat generating capacity of UCP from brown adipose tissue was investigated in yeasts expressing the protein recombinantly under conditions in which the temperature of the growth medium was measured directly. A Liquid Culture Calorimeter (LCC) was built consisting of a thermally isolated culture flask able to keep yeast cultures warm without resorting to additional heating.

Minkowskian description of polarized light and polarizers.

A conventional Stokes description of polarized light is considered in a four-dimensional Lorentzian space, developing a seminal idea of Paul Soleillet [Ann. Phys. (Paris) 12, 23 (1929)].