Alcohol dehydrogenase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum: stability at high temperature.

The structural and stability properties of a novel zinc-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum (PyAeADHII) were investigated by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). This enzyme is a thermostable homo-tetramer belonging to the GroES-fold motif proteins characterized by an irregular β-barrel conformation. Our results revealed a protein with a secondary structure rich in β-sheet (32% of the total secondary elements) and it showed a three-step thermal unfolding pathway.

Fluorescence-based biosensors.

The field of optical sensors has been a growing research area over the last three decades. A wide range of books and review articles has been published by experts in the field who have highlighted the advantages of optical sensing over other transduction methods. Fluorescence is by far the method most often applied and comes in a variety of schemes.

D-serine-dehydratase from Saccaromyces cerevisiae: a pyridoxal 5'- phosphate-dependent enzyme for advanced biotech applications.

The Saccaromices cerevisiae D-serine dehydratase is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate dependent enzyme that requires zinc for its function. It catalyses the conversion of D-serine into pyruvate and ammonia with the K(m) and k(cat) values of 0.39 mM and 13.

Properties and evolution of an alcohol dehydrogenase from the Crenarchaeota Pyrobaculum aerophilum.

The gene encoding a novel alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) that belongs to the medium chain dehydrogenase/reductase (MDR) superfamily was identified in the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrobaculum aerophilum. The P. aerophilum ADH gene (Pae2687) was over-expressed in Escherichia coli, and the protein (PyAeADHII) was purified to homogeneity and characterized.

A prospective study of alterations in balance among patients with Parkinson's Disease. Protocol of the postural evaluation.

The aim of this study is to determine whether the balance problems experienced by Parkinson's disease (PD) patients may in part be due to dysfunctional processing of vestibular information, and to search for factors that may help predict the risk of falls. We evaluated the balance of 45 idiopathic PD patients and 20 healthy subjects by means of computerized dynamic posturography using sensory organization tests (SOT), rhythmic weight shift (RWS) tests and limits of stability (LOS) tests; and by the timed up-and-go (TUG) test. PD patients had poorer scores in the SOT than controls for overall balance and vestibular and visual inputs.