Evidence of tRNA cleavage in apicomplexan parasites: Half-tRNAs as new potential regulatory molecules of Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium berghei.

Several lines of evidence demonstrated that organisms ranging from bacteria to higher animals possess a regulated endonucleolytic cleavage pathway producing half-tRNA fragments. In the present study, we investigated the occurrence of this phenomenon in two distantly related apicomplexan parasites, Toxoplasma gondii, the agent of toxoplasmosis, and the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. A low-scale molecular characterization of the small RNA fraction of T.

Addition of maize stalks and soybean oil to a historically PCB-contaminated soil: effect on degradation performance and indigenous microbiota.

Objective of this study was to assess the single or combined effect of a plant oil and a lignocellulosic waste, namely soybean oil (SO) and maize stalks (MS), respectively, on resident microbiota and bioremediation performances of a soil historically contaminated by medium to highly chlorinated PCBs. Higher concentrations of both biphenyl- and chlorobenzoate-degrading cultivable bacteria were found in the MS-amended microcosms (MSM) than the non amended or SO-amended ones after 30 d incubation at 28°C. Fungal growth, instead, was strikingly stimulated in the microcosms that had undergone concomitant MS and SO supplementation (MS-SOM).

An antigen microarray immunoassay for multiplex screening of mouse monoclonal antibodies.

The mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) technology still represents a key source of reagents for research and clinical diagnosis, although it is relatively inefficient and expensive and therefore unsuitable for high-throughput production against a vast repertoire of antigens. In this article, we describe a protocol that combines the immunization of individual mice with complex mixtures of influenza virus strains and a microarray-based immunoassay procedure to perform a parallel screening against the viral antigens. The protocol involves testing the supernatants of somatic cell hybrids against a capture substratum containing an array of different antigens.

Addition of allochthonous fungi to a historically contaminated soil affects both remediation efficiency and bacterial diversity.

Botryosphaeria rhodina DABAC P82 and Pleurotus pulmonarius CBS 664.97 were tested for their ability to grow and to degrade aromatic hydrocarbons in an aged contaminated soil. To evaluate the impact of indigenous microflora on the overall process, incubations were performed on both fumigated and nonfumigated soils.