Micellar electrokinetic chromatography after precapillary enzyme assay for the determination of phosphatase activity in semiarid soil

Inorganic phosphorous (P) is an essential plant nutrient that must be added to most soils to maintain plant growth and sustain crop yields. Phosphatase enzymes play a major role in the processes of mineralization of organic P substrates. In the present study we propose a precise and accurate method to determine the alkaline and acid phosphatase activity in soil using adenosine monophosphate (AMP) as a substrate. The adenosine released by the enzymatic reaction was quantified by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method. The background electrolyte (BGE) consisted in 20 mM phosphate buffer, 10 mM sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and 10% acetonitrile (ACN). The LOD and LOQ for adenosine were 2.27 × 10-4 and 6.4 × 10-4 mg mL-1, respectively. This sensitive method allowed the use of natural compound as enzymatic substrate, which is commonly found in soil. Moreover, we improve the detection method by diminishing the amount of waste and using a harmless substrate.Fil: Stege, Patricia Wanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Messina, Germán Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Sombra, Lorena Luján. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Bianchi, Guillermo. Universidad de Los Andes; VenezuelaFil: Olsina, Roberto Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentin

Capillary electrochromatography and quartz crystal microbalance, valuable techniques in the study of heparin-lipoprotein interactions

Atherosclerosis is initiated when lipoproteins bind to proteoglycans (PGs) in arterial walls. The binding is mediated by apolipoprotein apoB-100 and/or apoE, both of which have binding affinity toward heparin. We developed covalently bound heparin coatings for APTES-modified silica capillaries and SiO 2 chips and carried out capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) studies on the interactions of heparin with selected peptide fragments of apoB-100 and apoE and, for CEC, also with low- and high-density lipoproteins (LDL and HDL), the latter with and without apoE. The peptides are known to mediate interactions of HDL and LDL with arterial PGs. Interactions and affinities were expressed in CEC as retention factors and reduced mobilities and in continuous flow QCM techniques as affinity constants. Both techniques showed heparin interactions to be stronger with apoB-100 peptide than with apoE peptide fragment, and they confirmed that the sulfate groups in heparin play an especially important role in interactions with apoB-100 peptide fragments. In addition, CEC confirmed the importance of sulfate groups of heparin in interactions between heparin and LDL and between heparin and apoE-containing HDL. CEC and QCM acted as excellent platforms to mimic these biologically important interactions, with small sample and reagent consumption.Fil: Katriina Lipponen. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;; ArgentinaFil: Yi Liu. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;; ArgentinaFil: Stege, Patricia Wanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Katariina Ö örni. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;; ArgentinaFil: Petri T. Kovanen. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;; ArgentinaFil: Marja-Liisa Riekkola. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;; Argentin

Lack of TNFR p55 results in heightened expression of ifn-γ and IL-17 during the development of reactive arthritis

Reactive arthritis (ReA) is a type of arthritis originating from certain gastrointestinal or genitourinary infections. In previous studies, we reported the development of progressive Yersinia enterocolitica-induced ReA in mice lacking TNFR p55; however, the mechanisms underlying this effect are still uncertain. In this study, we investigated the impact of TNFR p55 deficiency in modulating Ag-specific Th1 and Th17 responses during this arthritogenic process. We found more severe ReA in TNFRp55-/- mice compared with their wild-type (WT) counterparts. This effect was accompanied by increased levels of Yersinia LPS in the joints of knockout mice. Analysis of the local cytokine profile revealed greater amounts of IFN-γ and IL-17 in arthritic joints of TNFRp55-/- mice compared with WT mice at day 21 postinfection. Moreover, altered IL-17 and IFN-γ production was observed in mesenteric and inguinal lymph nodes of Yersinia-infected TNFRp55-/- mice, as well as in spleen cells obtained from infected mice and restimulated ex vivo with bacterial Ags. Increased levels of cytokine secretion were associated with a greater frequency of CD4+ IL-17+, CD4 +IFN-γ+, and IL-17+IFN- γ+ cells in TNFRp55-/-mice compared with WT mice. Remarkably, Ab-mediated blockade of IL-17 and/or IFN-γ resulted in reduced joint histological scores in TNFRp55-/- mice. A mechanistic analysis revealed the involvement of p40, a common subunit of heterodimeric IL-12 and IL-23, in the generation of augmented IFN-γ and IL-17 production under TNFR p55 deficiency. Taken together, these data indicate that, in the absence of TNFR p55 signaling, Th1 and Th17 effector cells may act in concert to sustain the inflammatory response in bacterial-induced arthritogenic processes.Fil: Eliçabe, Ricardo Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Cargnelutti, Ethelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Serer, María Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Stege, Patricia Wanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Valdez, Susana Ruth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; ArgentinaFil: Toscano, Marta Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Di Genaro, Maria Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis; Argentin

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Online immunoaffinity assay-CE using magnetic nanobeads for the determination of anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG in human serum

About two-thirds of the world's population is infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). This Gram-negative bacterium is the most important etiological agent of chronic active type B gastritis and peptic ulcer diseases. Conventional methods such as gastric biopsy, ELISA and culture, require a long time for the determination of H. pylori infections. Moreover, the antibodies in human serum sample are capable to react immunologically with the purified H. pylori antigens immobilized on different kinds of support like magnetic nanobeads. In this study, we have developed an online immunoaffinity assay-CE to determine the concentration of anti-H. pylori IgG using magnetic nanobeads as a support of the immunological affinity ligands and an LIF as a detector. The separation was performed in 0.1 M glycine-HCl, pH 2, as the background electrolyte. The linear calibration curve to predict the concentration of H. pylori-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies in serum was produced within the range of 0.12-100 U/mL. The linear regression equation was i=492.86+96.03×Canti-H. pylori, with the linear regression coefficient r2=0.999. The LOD calculated by fluorescence detection procedure was of 0.06 U/mL. The whole assay was done in no more than 35 min and it was entirely automatized. The development of immunoaffinity assay-CE in this study demonstrates that there is a large possibility to introduce nanotechnology in several fields with significant advantages over the classic methodologies. Our proposition comprises the diagnosis and screening field.Fil: Stege, Patricia Wanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Raba, Julio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Messina, Germán Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina; Argentin

Enantiomeric separation of β-blockers and tryptophan using heparin as stationary and pseudostationary phases in capillary electrophoresis

The separation methods of the enantiomers of two β-blockers and tryptophan were studied using capillary electrochromatography with heparin covalently as well as non-covalently, bonded onto the capillary inner wall as stationary phase and electrokinetic chromatography with heparin as pseudostationary phase. In the case of heparin, used as a stationary phase, the method was unable to resolve enantiomers in both cases β-blockers and tryptophan. On the other hand, when heparin was used as a pseudostationary phase, the resolution of the enantiomers was obtained only with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane which were immobilised onto the inner phase of the capillary. The results of this study let us infer that the electrostatic, hydrophobic, and steric interactions were involved in the separation mechanisms. The separation was achieved in less than 10 minutes under the optimized conditions: 30 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) with the adding of 15 mg/mL of heparin at 15°C and 10 kV. The usefulness of heparin as a chiral selector both in electrokinetic chromatography using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane attached to the capillary was demonstrated for the first time. The developed method was powerful, sensitive, and fast, and it could be considered an important alternative to conventional methods used for chiral separation.Fil: Yi,Liu. University People's Hospital; ChinaFil: Stege, Patricia Wanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Sombra, Lorena Luján. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales; Argentin

Structural fingerprints of the Ras-GTPase activating proteins neurofibromin and p120GAP

Ras specific GTPase activating proteins (GAPs), neurofibromin and p120GAP, bind GTP bound Ras and efficiently complement its active site. Here we present comparative data from mutations and fluorescence-based assays of the catalytic domains of both RasGAPs and interpret them using the crystal structures. Three prominent regions in RasGAPs, the arginine-finger loop, the phenylalanine-leucine-arginine (FLR) region and alpha7/variable loop contain structural fingerprints governing the GAP function. The finger loop is crucial for the stabilization of the transition state of the GTPase reaction. This function is controlled by residues proximal to the catalytic arginine, which are strikingly different between the two RasGAPs. These residues specifically determine the orientation and therefore the positioning of the arginine finger in the Ras active site. The invariant FLR region, a hallmark for RasGAPs, indirectly contributes to GTPase stimulation by forming a scaffold, which stabilizes Ras switch regions. We show that a long hydrophobic side-chain in the FLR region is crucial for this function. The alpha7/variable loop uses several conserved residues including two lysine residues, which are involved in numerous interactions with the switch I region of Ras. This region determines the specificity of the Ras-RasGAP interaction

Confirmation of the arginine-finger hypothesis for the GAP-stimulated GTP-hydrolysis reaction of Ras

RasGAPs supply a catalytic residue, termed the arginine finger, into the active site of Ras thereby stabilizing the transition state of the GTPase reaction and increasing the reaction rate by more than one thousand−fold, in good agreement with the structure of the Ras*RasGAP comple