Development of a rapid method to isolate polyhydroxyalkanoates from bacteria for screening studies.

We describe a novel method of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) extraction using dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) for use in screening studies. Compared to conventional chloroform extraction, the DMSO method was shown to release comparable quantities of PHA from Cupriavidus necator cells, with comparable properties as determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry.

Quantification of volume and size distribution of internalised calcium phosphate particles and their influence on cell fate.

We report preliminary findings suggesting that the diameter of the internalised calcium phosphate particles is critical to cell fate with particles/aggregates of particles of larger than 1.5 μm not processed by lysosomes leading to cell death. This has significant implications for the design of medical materials even from those consisting of non-toxic calcium phosphate salts.

Fluorescent proteins in microbial biotechnology--new proteins and new applications.

The recent advances over the past 5 years in the utilisation of fluorescent proteins in microbial biotechnology applications, including recombinant protein production, food processing, and environmental biotechnology, are reviewed. We highlight possible areas where fluorescent proteins currently used in other bioscience disciplines could be adapted for use in biotechnological applications and also outline novel uses for recently developed fluorescent proteins.