7 research outputs found
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Search for ancient microorganisms in Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal in Russia, the world's oldest and deepest continental lake lies in south central Siberia, near the border to Mongolia. The lake is 1,643 m deep and has an area of about 46,000 km2. It holds one-fifth of all the terrestrial fresh water on Earth. Lake Baikal occupies the deepest portion of the Baikal Rift Zone. It was formed some 30-45 million years ago. The isolated Lake Baikal ecosystem represents a unique niche in nature based on its historical formation. The microbial diversity present in this environment has not yet been fully harvested or examined for products and processes of commercial interest and value. Thus, the collection of water, soil, and sub-bottom sediment samples was decided to characterize the microbial diversity of the isolated strains and to screen the isolates for their biotechnological value
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Detecting exposure to environmental organic toxins in individual cells: towards development of a micro-fabricated device
A new method is being developed to quickly screen for the human exposure potential to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorines (OCs). The development involves two key elements: identifying suitable signals that represent intracellular changes that are specific to PAH and OC exposure, and constructing a device to guide the biological cell growth so that signals from individual cells are consistent and reproducible. We are completing the identification of suitable signals by using synchrotron radiation-based (SR) Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectromicroscopy in the mid-infrared region (4000-400 cm-1). Distinct changes have been observed in the IR spectra after treatment of human cells in culture medium with PAHs and OCs. The potential use of this method for detecting exposure to PAHs and OCs has been tested and compared to a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay that quantifies increased expression of the CYP1A1 gene in response to exposure to PAHs or OCs