A monitoring technique of piezoelectric impedance analysis used in tea polyphenols (TP) antimutagenic characteristics.

A new method was proposed for studying antimutagenic characteristics of tea polyphenols (TP) using piezoelectric impedance analysis during the Salmonella typhimurium strain TA100 growth process in the presence of mutagen 4-methylnitrosamino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (abbreviated NNK). Compared with the general method of antimutagenic investigation, the proposed method provided real-time, multidimensional response information about the antimutagenic characteristics during the bacterial growth process. The results showed that TP was allowed to be antimutagenic at the lowest concentration of 0.

Immobilization of bovine serum albumin as a sensitive biosensor for the detection of trace lead ion in solution by piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance.

A biosensor based on bovine serum albumin (BSA) for the detection of lead (Pb(2+)) ion was developed and characterized. BSA was immobilized onto a colloidal Au-modified piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) as a biosensor for the detection of Pb(2+) ion by piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance (PQCI). Calibration curves for the quantification of Pb(2+) ion showed excellent linearity throughout the concentration range from 1.

[Large recombinant protein displayed on filamentous phage surface and its interaction with small molecule].

Recombinant proteins were expressed as fusions with the phagemid system of pHEN-KM13 and the characteristics and activities of the fusion proteins displayed on the surface of filamentous phagintain the were studiedon abilty. The altered titer of rescued phages from the phagemid system after trypsin treatment indicated the relative quantity of the phages displaying fusion proteins. The rescue phages displayed foreign proteins could keep the bacterial infection ability, while the bald phage without foreign protein displayed on its surface was sensitive to trypsin treatment and lost the bacterial infection ability.

Display of aggregation-prone ligand binding domain of human PPAR gamma on surface of bacteriophage lambda.

Aim: To display the aggregation-prone ligand binding domain (LBD) of the human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) on the surface of bacteriophages to establish an easy screening assay for the identification of PPARgamma ligands.

Methods: Plasmids were constructed for the expression of the PPARgamma LBD as a fusion to the N-terminus of the g3p protein of filamentous phage or the C-terminus of the capsid protein D (pD) of phage lambda. The fusion proteins were expressed in E coli and solubility characteristics were compared.

Effect of pH and phosphate on trapping capacity of various heavy metal ions with ferritin reactor in flowing seawater.

We describe a protein reactor consisting of native liver ferritin of Dasyatis akajei (DALF) and a dialysis bag. Our goal was to study a ferritin reactor for its capacity to trap various heavy metal ions (M2+) in flowing seawater. The reactor is sensitive and inexpensive and can be operated by nonprofessional technicians.

Evaluating associations between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease for Korean patients.

There has been growing evidence that the serotonin (5-HT) system is important in the regulation of memory and thus might be associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), while research results on this issue have been inconsistent. The 5-HT system has also been suggested to be responsible for a significant portion of the behavioural aspects of AD. This study aimed to investigate the associations of the 5-HT transporter gene linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) polymorphism with AD and delusional/aggressive symptoms of AD in Korean samples of 65 patients and 43 controls.

Purification, electrophoretic behavior, and kinetics of iron release of liver ferritin of Dasyatis akajei.

From the liver of fish Dasyatis akajei, ferritin has been isolated by thermal denaturation and ammonium sulfate fractionation and then further purified by anion exchange chromatography and gel exclusion chromatography. The molecular weight of the liver ferritin of D. akajei (DALF) was measured to be 400 kDa by PAGE.