A comparison of plastic cable ties based on physical, chemical and stable isotopic measurements.

Plastic cable ties can be utilised in a range of serious criminal activities and a comparison of cable ties, or fragments, may form part of the physical evidence presented to a Court of law. This research assessed the potential value of evidence based on the analysis of plastic cable ties. Twenty packets of black coloured plastic cable ties (nominally 200mm×4.

Chemical probing suggests redox-regulation of the carbonic anhydrase activity of mycobacterial Rv1284.

Unlabelled: The mycobacterial enzyme Rv1284 is a member of the β-carbonic anhydrase family that is considered essential for survival of the pathogen. The active site cavity of this dimeric protein is characterized by an exceptionally small volume and harbours a catalytic zinc ion coordinated by two cysteine and one histidine residue side chains. Using the natural products polycarpine and emodin as chemical probes in crystallographic experiments and stopped-flow enzyme assays, we report that the catalytic activity can be reversibly inhibited by oxidation.

Probing the equatorial groove of the hookworm protein and vaccine candidate antigen, Na-ASP-2.

Hookworm activation-associated secreted proteins can be structurally classified into at least three different groups. The hallmark feature of Group 1 activation-associated secreted proteins is a prominent equatorial groove, which is inferred to form a ligand binding site. Furthermore, a conserved tandem histidine motif is located in the centre of the groove and believed to provide or support a yet to be determined catalytic activity.