http://precedings.nature.com/subjects/biotechnology/ Recently posted documents in Biotechnology Nature Publishing Group en Nature Precedings http://precedings.nature.com/images/header_logo.gif http://precedings.nature.com http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3952.1 Nitroimidazoles are radiosensitizers and hypoxia detecting chemosensitizers. Intially nitroimidazoles were single dose antibiotic drugs. Recently, nitroimidazole derivatives have emerged as multifunctional “drug-biomarker monitors” chemical compounds with importance in treatment of tumors, monitoring hypoxia and safer imaging contrast agents to monitor the therapeutic progress. Additionally, the number of nitroimidazole derivatives is growing and identified their importance as multifunctional nanoparticles. The nanoparticle synthesis scheme of nitroimidazole was proposed as nitroimidazole caged with paramagnetic metal oxide inside polymer coating and labeled with marker radiolebels or biomolecules. We report the step by step user-friendly new co-precipitation schemes of nitroimidazole carrier nanoparticles with their mechanisms of drug controlled release behavior across polymer cage, metal oxide sensitivity to imaging modalities and polymer coating chemistry developed at our lab. The multifunctional nitroimidazole nanoparticles were useful in detection and monitoring of hypoxia, cancer chemotherapy and soft tissue infections. In conclusion, nitroimidazoles are potential multifunctional molecules useful in chemotherapy, antiparasitic and monitoring hypoxia with greater possibility of simultaneous use of radiolabeled 2’nitroimidazoles as radiosensitizers, MRI-PET-US contrast imaging agents. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3952.1 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:03:30 UTC Newer Methods of Nanoparticle Synthesis: Nitroimidazole properties with Nanometal oxides in Polymer Cages as Drug-Biomarker Monitors doi:10.1038/npre.2009.3952.1 2009-11-09 Rakesh Sharma Nature Precedings 2009-11-09T15:03:30Z Presentation Biotechnology http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3948.1 Carbon Nanotube (CNT) materials have superior properties in electric current carrying capacity, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability. Due to their structure with high aspect ratio, they have structural unusual toxicity and complicate safety issue in a target tissue. In optimized quantities with limited functionality, special type of CNT assembly such as “buckyball” can be used as a potential drug carrier of bioactive molecules and display with increased circulating time and acceptable functionality. We analyzed cytoxicity and inflammatory response following exposure of different size, mass, shape, and functionality of CNTs. We monitored the transport across skin, physiological perturbation of transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) during the exposure of different concentrations of CNTs. The mechanisms of CNTs’ toxicity are closely related to their structure, functional group, and surface charge on the molecule. We established the nanoscale toxicity of fullerenes of CNTs. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3948.1 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:27:59 UTC Nanotoxicity Assessment toward the Applications of Carbon Nanotubes as a Small Biomolecule Carrier in Drug Delivery Systems doi:10.1038/npre.2009.3948.1 2009-11-09 Rakesh Sharma Nature Precedings 2009-11-09T14:27:59Z Presentation Biotechnology http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://precedings.nature.com/documents/3953/version/1 Overexpression of gluconeogenic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK) under glycolytic conditions enables Escherichia coli to maintain a greater intracellular ATP concentration and, consequently, to up-regulate genes for amino acid and nucleotide biosynthesis. To investigate the effect of a high intracellular ATP concentration on heterologous protein synthesis, we studied the expression of a foreign gene product, enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP), under control of the T7 promoter in E. coli BL21(DE3) strain overexpressing PCK. This strain was able to maintain twice as much intracellular ATP and to express two times more foreign protein than the control strain. These results indicate that a high energy-charged cell can be beneficial as a protein-synthesizing cell factory. The potential uses of such a cell factory are discussed. http://precedings.nature.com/documents/3953/version/1 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:05:38 UTC High energy-charged cell factory for heterologous protein synthesis hdl:10101/npre.2009.3953.1 2009-11-06 Pil Kim Nature Precedings 2009-11-06T11:05:38Z Manuscript Biotechnology http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://precedings.nature.com/documents/3922/version/1 Perfect behaviours that are optimal to the environment an agent operates within rarely exist in real animals or in robotic systems. The costs (be they biological or economic) of building sensors and processing the information they capture become excessive compared to the small advantages that occur from the modifications of behaviour. Many self-organised systems are thought to change their properties as a result of changes in individual behaviour. Here, using both natural systems and computer simulations, we demonstrate that intertidal snail aggregations slightly decrease in size when individuals forage for shorter periods due to hotter and more desiccating conditions – a non-optimal behaviour for the snails since aggregation reduces desiccation stress. However, this decrease only occurs in simple experimental systems (and simulations of these systems). When studied in their more complex natural environment, and when simulated in such an environment, using the same information-processing behaviours, no difference in aggregation behaviour was found between hot and cool days. These results give an indication of the robustness of self-organised systems to changes in individual-level behaviour. They demonstrate that information processing capabilities of self-organised groups may not need to be as great as for agents that perform solitary tasks, and also that oversimplified tests of swarm intelligence may not give a true indication of how tasks may be performed in a more complex environment. http://precedings.nature.com/documents/3922/version/1 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:30:29 UTC Robustness of self-organised systems to changes in individual level behaviour: an example from real and simulated self-organised snail aggregations hdl:10101/npre.2009.3922.1 2009-10-30 Richard Stafford Nature Precedings 2009-10-30T20:30:29Z Manuscript Biotechnology Ecology Evolutionary Biology http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3913.1 A new approach to design a dynamic model of genes with multiple autonomous regulatory modules by evolution in silico is proposed. The approach is based on Genetic Algorithms, with new crossover operators especially designed for these purposes. The approach exploits the subbasin-portal architecture of the fitness functions suitable for this kind of evolutionary modeling. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated on a series of benchmark tests. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3913.1 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:09:24 UTC Design of a dynamic model of genes with multiple autonomous regulatory modules by evolution in silico doi:10.1038/npre.2009.3913.1 2009-10-29 Nature Precedings 2009-10-29T10:09:24Z Manuscript Biotechnology Developmental Biology Genetics & Genomics Bioinformatics Evolutionary Biology http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3908.1 Tutorial of Identification of SSR from EST resources using online Tools http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3908.1 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:28:25 UTC SSR – Identification from EST doi:10.1038/npre.2009.3908.1 2009-10-28 Aikkal Riju Nature Precedings 2009-10-28T13:28:25Z Presentation Biotechnology Bioinformatics http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://precedings.nature.com/documents/3884/version/1 Water is widely assumed to be essential for life 1, although the exact molecular basis of this requirement is unclear 2-4. Water facilitates protein motions 5-9 and although enzyme activity has been demonstrated at low hydrations in organic solvents 10-13, such non-aqueous solvents may allow the necessary motions for catalysis. To examine enzyme function in the absence of solvation and bypass diffusional constraints we have tested the ability of an esterase to catalyse alcoholysis as an anhydrous powder, using a closed reaction system in which the substrates and products of the enzyme reaction are gaseous 14-15, and where the water content can be well defined 16. At hydrations equivalent to 3 (±2) molecules of water per molecule of enzyme, activity is observed that is several orders of magnitude greater than non-enzymatic catalysis. Neutron spectroscopy indicates that the fast (≤nanosecond) global anharmonic dynamics of the anhydrous functional enzyme are heavily suppressed. The results indicate that neither hydration water nor the solvent-activated fast anharmonic dynamics are required for enzyme function. An implication of these results is that one of the essential requirements of water for life may lie with its role as a diffusion medium rather than any of its more specific properties. http://precedings.nature.com/documents/3884/version/1 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:39:56 UTC Enzyme activity and dynamics in near-anhydrous conditions hdl:10101/npre.2009.3884.1 2009-10-28 Murielle Lopez Nature Precedings 2009-10-28T11:39:56Z Manuscript Biotechnology Chemistry http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3897.1 During the initial studies I have found that the molasses may be a good alternative to costly L.B media where one can manipulate the C/N ratio as per requirement of cell. Molasses is one of the best alternatives as it is cheap and can be easily manipulated. Escherichia coli is a bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded animals. it is possible to produce vaccine by molasses medium. The paper is opening a new face of study. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.3897.1 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:33:20 UTC Comparison of Plasmid yield between L.B. and using Molasses as a medium doi:10.1038/npre.2009.3897.1 2009-10-28 Nitin Sharma Nature Precedings 2009-10-28T11:33:20Z Manuscript Biotechnology http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.2643.2 Superparamagnetic iron-oxide bound antimyoglobin (SPIOM) characteristics were analyzed at different pH. After injecting SPIOM in heart, ex vivo magnetic resonance microimaging (MRM) technique was used to visualize microvasculature of rat heart including cardiac arteries, veins, cordate tendons attached with valves. The measurement accuracy of ventricles, aorta, vasculature and dimensions of cordate tendons were close to coregistered histology measurements. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2009.2643.2 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:07:27 UTC 21 Tesla MRI Microimaging of Rat Heart by Superparamagnetic Antimyoglobin Bound Nanoparticles doi:10.1038/npre.2009.2643.2 2009-10-23 Rakesh Sharma Nature Precedings 2009-10-23T16:07:27Z Poster Biotechnology http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://precedings.nature.com/documents/3869/version/1 A genome modular classification that associates cellular processes to modules could lead to a method to quantify the differences in gene expression levels in different cellular stages or conditions: the transcriptogram, a powerful tool for assessing cell performance, would be at hand. Here we present a computational method to order genes on a line that clusters strongly interacting genes, defining functional modules associated with gene ontology terms. The starting point is a list of genes and a matrix specifying their interactions, available at large gene interaction databases. Considering the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome we produced a succession of plots of gene transcription levels for a fermentation process. These plots discriminate the fermentation stage the cell is going through and may be regarded as the first versions of a transcriptogram. This method is useful for extracting information from cell stimuli/responses experiments, and may be applied with diagnostic purposes to different organisms. http://precedings.nature.com/documents/3869/version/1 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:36:41 UTC Towards a genome-wide transcriptogram: the Saccharomyces cerevisiae case hdl:10101/npre.2009.3869.1 2009-10-19 Rita M. C. de Almeida Nature Precedings 2009-10-19T17:36:41Z Manuscript Biotechnology Genetics & Genomics Bioinformatics http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/