Purification and characterization of fumarate reductase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum

Anaerobic fermentation has been an established technology ever since man started treating sewage. Recently this process has received increased attention because of its inherent ability to produce methane gas, which apart from solar energy, is the cleanest, most non-polluting source of energy. Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, a thermophilic bacterium, grows on CO(,2) as a source of carbon as well as electron acceptor, using hydrogen as an electron donor. Labeling studies carried out with (\u2714)C have shown a presence of partial reductive TCA cycle. In this work, the enzyme fumarate reductase, which belongs to this cycle, has been purified to homogeneity using various separation techniques. In keeping with the thermophilic character of the organism, fumarate reductase is extremely heat resistant. Incubation at 75(DEGREES)C for 24 hours led to an increase in purification. In contrast, the enzyme was found to be very sensitive to oxygen. The crude extract, when exposed to air, lost half of its activity within 20 minutes. Reducing agents were helpful in protecting against loss of enzymatic activity provided that a strict anaerobic atmosphere was maintained. For this reason, the entire purification was performed inside a Freter-type anaerobic chamber using reducing agents. The molecular weight of the native fumarate reductase, as determined by Sephacryl S-300 gel exclusion chromatography, was found to be approximately 80,000. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis data suggested that the enzyme is a tetramer. Treatment with sulfhydyl reagents as well as Cu(\u27++) caused loss in fumarate reductase activity, indicating that the enzyme contains at least one sulfhydryl group which is important to its activity. The UV/Visible spectrum of fumarate reductase did not reveal the presence of a flavin moiety as a cofactor. Both UV/Visible and fluorescence spectra of fumarate reductase from M. thermoautotrophicum instead, indicated the presence of an unusual cofactor, which could be similar to either tetrahydromethanopterin or F(,420)

Study on Etiology and Clinical profile of Pleural Effusion

Background:The etiological classification of pleural effusions in different series depends on the geographical area, the age of the patient and the progress of the diagnostic and therapeutic methods of the cause. The purpose of this study was to evaluate etiology characteristics and clinical manifestations of pleural effusion. Material and Methods:The present observation-cross sectional hospital based study was conducted in the Department of General Medicine, ARMCH&RC, Kumbhari during two year of study.  All patients were interviewed for a detailed background and were thoroughly examined in accordance with a pre-determined protocol. Result: In the present study,  Pleural effusion was commonly seen in male (73%). The incidence of pleural  effusion  was  maximum  in  the  age group 41-50 years (39%). Most common  cause  pleural  effusion was tuberculosis (59%), followed by malignancy (25%), pyogenic (6%), and transudative effusion ie. cardiac failure (10%). Conclusion: Every case of pleural effusion should be meticulously investigated in order to arrive a diagnosis and to proceed for specific therapy/treatment may be started earliest

Crystal structure and substrate specificity of the β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III (FabH) from Staphylococcus aureus

β-Ketoacyl-ACP synthase III (FabH), an essential enzyme for bacterial viability, catalyzes the initiation of fatty acid elongation by condensing malonyl-ACP with acetyl-CoA. We have determined the crystal structure of FabH from Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram-positive human pathogen, to 2 Å resolution. Although the overall structure of S. aureus FabH is similar to that of Escherichia coli FabH, the primer binding pocket in S. aureus FabH is significantly larger than that present in E. coli FabH. The structural differences, which agree with kinetic parameters, provide explanation for the observed varying substrate specificity for E. coli and S. aureus FabH. The rank order of activity of S. aureus FabH with various acyl-CoA primers was as follows: isobutyryl- > hexanoyl- > butyryl- > isovaleryl- >> acetyl-CoA. The availability of crystal structure may aid in designing potent, selective inhibitors of S. aureus FabH

Proceedings of National Conference on Relevance of Engineering and Science for Environment and Society

This conference proceedings contains articles on the various research ideas of the academic community and practitioners presented at the National Conference on Relevance of Engineering and Science for Environment and Society (R{ES}2 2021). R{ES}2 2021 was organized by Shri Pandurang Pratishthan’s, Karmayogi Engineering College, Shelve, Pandharpur, India on July 25th, 2021. Conference Title: National Conference on Relevance of Engineering and Science for Environment and SocietyConference Acronym: R{ES}2 2021Conference Date: 25 July 2021Conference Location: Online (Virtual Mode)Conference Organizers: Shri Pandurang Pratishthan’s, Karmayogi Engineering College, Shelve, Pandharpur, India