Immobilization of P450 monooxygenase and chloroplast for use in light-driven bioreactors.

P450 monooxygenases exhibit great potential for application to bioreactors for the decomposition of various hydrophobic chemicals including pollutant compounds. P450-containing microsomes were immobilized in spinach chloroplasts for use in light-driven bioreactors. We tested three methods (entrapment, adsorption and cross-linking) to immobilize chloroplasts and yeast microsomes containing a genetically engineered fusion enzyme between rat P450 1A1 and yeast P450 reductase.

Signaling intermediates required for NF-kappa B activation and IL-8 expression in CF bronchial epithelial cells.

Ligation of the asialoGM1 Pseudomonas aeruginosa pilin receptor has been demonstrated to induce IL-8 expression in airway epithelial cells via an NF-kappaB-dependent pathway. We examined the signaling pathways required for asialoGM1-mediated NF-kappaB activation in IB3 cells, a human bronchial epithelial cell line derived from a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient, and C-38 cells, the rescued cell line that expresses a functional CF transmembrane regulator. Ligation of the asialoGM1 receptor with specific antibody induced greater IL-8 expression in IB3 cells than C-38 cells, consistent with the greater density of asialoGM1 receptors in CF phenotype cells.

[A new method for urea detection in biological fluids].

A modified urease hypochlorite method for measuring urea in biological fluids is described. Its novel feature is the use of 4-hydroxycoumarin as ammonia acceptor. This compound has never been used for this purpose, and it has a number of advantages over traditional phenol and its derivatives: the measurement is performed in just two steps, the compound is nontoxic and used in low concentrations, and the accuracy of measurements is higher due to decrease of the systemic error.