Lysis to Kill: Evaluation of the Lytic Abilities, and Genomics of Nine Bacteriophages Infective for Gordonia spp. and Their Potential Use in Activated Sludge Foam Biocontrol.

Nine bacteriophages (phages) infective for members of the genus Gordonia were isolated from wastewater and other natural water environments using standard enrichment techniques. The majority were broad host range phages targeting more than one Gordonia species. When their genomes were sequenced, they all emerged as double stranded DNA Siphoviridae phages, ranging from 17,562 to 103,424 bp in size, and containing between 27 and 127 genes, many of which were detailed for the first time.

Three of a Kind: Genetically Similar Tsukamurella Phages TIN2, TIN3, and TIN4.

Three Tsukamurella phages, TIN2, TIN3, and TIN4, were isolated from activated sludge treatment plants located in Victoria, Australia, using conventional enrichment techniques. Illumina and 454 whole-genome sequencing of these Siphoviridae viruses revealed that they had similar genome sequences, ranging in size between 76,268 bp and 76,964 bp. All three phages shared 74% nucleotide sequence identity to the previously described Gordonia phage GTE7.

Handicap-Recover Evolution Leads to a Chemically Versatile, Nucleophile-Permissive Protease.

Mutation of the tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease nucleophile from cysteine to serine causes an approximately ∼10 -fold loss in activity. Ten rounds of directed evolution of the mutant, TEV , overcame the detrimental effects of nucleophile exchange to recover near-wild-type activity in the mutant TEV X. Rather than respecialising TEV to the new nucleophile, all the enzymes along the evolutionary trajectory also retained the ability to use the original cysteine nucleophile.

Rapid evaluation and comparison of natural products and antioxidant activity in calendula, feverfew, and German chamomile extracts.

The present study describes a simple high performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method for the simultaneous quantification of apigenin, chamazulene, bisabolol and the use of DPPH free radical as a post-chromatographic derivatization agent to compare the free radical scavenging activities of these components in leaf and flower head extracts from feverfew, German chamomile and marigold from the Asteraceae family. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) leaves have been traditionally used in the treatment of migraine with parthenolide being the main bioactive compound. However, due to similar flowers, feverfew is sometimes mistaken for the German chamomile (Matricaria recutita).

Molecular structural characteristics important in drug-HSA binding.

A non-linear quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) model based on 350 drug molecules was developed as a predictive tool for drug protein binding, by correlating experimentally measured protein binding values with ten calculated molecular descriptors using a radial basis function (RBF) neural network. The developed model has a statistically significant overall correlation value (r > 0.73), a high efficiency ratio (0.

The limits of rovibrational analysis: the severely entangled ν1 Polyad vibration of dichlorodifluoromethane in the greenhouse IR window.

Five intense bands of dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12, or R12) in the infrared atmospheric window help make it a major greenhouse contributor. These include the ν1 fundamental at 1101.4 cm(-1) and the ν2 + ν3 combination at 1128.

In silico modelling of pesticide aquatic toxicity.

Human activities have introduced tens of thousands of chemicals into water systems around the world which has significantly impacted water quality and aquatic ecosystems. The aim of this study was to develop an in silico QSAR model, capable of predicting the aquatic toxicity of pesticides in terms of a lethal dose (LD50) for fish without requiring the use of in vivo testing. A large data set of 230 diverse pesticides, including fungicides, herbicides and insecticides, with experimentally measured LD50 values was used to develop a predictive QSAR model.

Expression of the adaptor protein Tks5 in human cancer: prognostic potential.

Tks5 (tyrosine kinase substrate with 5 SH3 domains) is an adaptor protein which cooperates with Src tyrosine kinase to promote the formation of protease-enriched, actin-based projections known as invadopodia, which are utilized by invasive cancer cells to degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM). We previously identified a Src-Tks5-Nck pathway which promotes invadopodium formation and ECM proteolysis in melanoma and breast cancer cells. We therefore sought to investigate the significance of Tks5 expression in human cancers.

High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of Calendula officinalis-advantages and limitations.

Chromatography techniques such as HPTLC and HPLC are commonly used to produce a chemical fingerprint of a plant to allow identification and quantify the main constituents within the plant. The aims of this study were to compare HPTLC and HPLC, for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the major constituents of Calendula officinalis and to investigate the effect of different extraction techniques on the C. officinalis extract composition from different parts of the plant.

The assessment and characterisation of drug plasma protein binding in the body using QSAR.

Most drugs are carried from the site of absorption to their intended site of action (target site) by the bloodstream, either dissolved in the serum or bound to plasma proteins. Binding to plasma proteins influences (i.e.

Radiosensitizing activity of a novel Benzoxazine through the promotion of apoptosis and inhibition of DNA repair.

The DNA dependant protein kinase (DNA-PK) enzyme plays a major part in the repair of double stranded breaks induced by radiation and hence in the radio-resistance of tumour cells. Inhibitors of DNA-PK have been tested successfully in the past for their ability to sensitize cancer cells to the effects of radiation. Here we present a novel benzoxazine, 8-methyl-2-(morpholine-4yl)-7-(pyridine-3-methoxy)-4H-1,3-benzoxacine-4-one (LTU27) and analyse its ability to cause sensitization of lung cancer and colon cancer cells to radiation.

Marsupials in the age of genomics.

Marsupials are "alternative mammals" that differ from eutherians most spectacularly in their mode of reproduction and sexual differentiation. They represent a 160-million-year-old isolate from the more numerous eutherians, making them particularly valuable for comparative genome studies that enlarge and enhance our understanding of the function and evolution of the mammalian genome. The genomes of three sequenced marsupial species are similar in size to those of mice and humans but show informative differences in base composition and repetitive elements.

QSAR: an in silico approach for predicting the partitioning of pesticides into breast milk.

The aim of this study was to develop an in silico Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) model capable of predicting partitioning of pesticides into breast milk from their respective chemical structures. A large data set of 190 diverse compounds, including drugs and their active metabolites (87%), and pesticides (13%) with experimentally derived milk/plasma (M/P) ratios taken from the literature, was used to train, test and validate a predictive model. Each compound was encoded with 65 calculated chemical structure descriptors.

The use of UV-visible reflectance spectroscopy as an objective tool to evaluate pearl quality.

Assessing the quality of pearls involves the use of various tools and methods, which are mainly visual and often quite subjective. Pearls are normally classified by origin and are then graded by luster, nacre thickness, surface quality, size, color and shape. The aim of this study was to investigate the capacity of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to classify and estimate the quality of 27 different pearls from their UV-Visible spectra.

The synthesis and characterization of mono and dinuclear group 13 complexes derived from a Schiff base.

The coordination preferences of the tetradentate Schiff base, N,N'-ethylenebis(acetylacetoimine), H(2)L, with a variety of group 13 precursors, led to the formation of a series of mono and binuclear products. The reaction of H(2)L with AlMe(3) and Me(2)GaCl afforded the binuclear complexes, [L{Al(Me)(2)}(2)] 1 and [H(2)L{GaCl(Me)(2)}(2)], 3, the latter an adduct of the neutral ligand. Treatment of 1 with iodine generated the cationic Al(III) complex, [LAl(thf)(2)]I, 2, while the addition of n-BuLi to H(2)L, followed by reaction with GaCl(3) and InCl(3) led to an ionic complex [{LGaCl}(2)(μLi)]GaCl(4), 4, an In(III) dimer, [LInCl](2), 5 and monomeric [LInCl(thf)], 6.

Total synthesis of the antifungal depsipeptide petriellin A.

We report the solid-phase total synthesis of the antifungal highly modified cyclic depsipeptide petriellin A. The synthesis confirms earlier reports on the absolute configuration of the natural product. The solid-phase approach resulted in a protected linear precursor, which was cleaved from the solid support prior to cyclization and final deprotection.

Modeling the effect of selected cyclodextrins on nifedipine solubility.

Nifedipine is a dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist effective in the clinical management of cardiovascular disease. Due to nifedipine's poor water solubility and erratic bioavailability, complexation with selected cyclodextrins was studied in order to overcome these limitations. The aim was to develop a quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR) to identify cyclodextrin molecular properties important in complex formation and provide a predictive tool which would be valuable during preformulation studies.

Artificial neural network (ANN) based modelling for D1 like and D2 like dopamine receptor affinity and selectivity.

Dopamine and its receptors play a critical role in diseases such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. A problem with developing specific drugs for such diseases is that there are five subtypes of dopamine receptors that can be categorized as either D1 like or D2 like. Since the binding sites are quite similar, it is difficult to design the subtype specific agonists and antagonists required for therapy with minimal side effects.

Pesticides as estrogen disruptors: QSAR for selective ERα and ERβ binding of pesticides.

Evidence suggests that environmental exposure to estrogen-like compounds can cause adverse effects in humans and wildlife. The Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Committee (EDSTAC) has advised screening of 87,000 compounds in the interest of human safety. This may best be accomplished by pre-screening using quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modelling.