140 research outputs found
Production characteristics of dutch landrace and dutch yorkshire pigs as related to their susceptibility for the halothane-induced malignant hyperthermia syndrome
International audienc
Using Lactococcus lactis for glutathione overproduction
Glutathione and -glutamylcysteine were produced in Lactococcus lactis using a controlled expression system and the genes gshA and gshB from Escherichia coli encoding the enzymes -glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase. High levels of -glutamylcysteine were found in strains growing on chemically defined medium and expressing either gshA alone or both gshA and gshB. As anticipated, glutathione was found in a strain expressing gshA and gshB. The level of glutathione production could be increased by addition of the precursor amino acid cysteine to the medium. The addition of cysteine led to an increased activity of glutathione synthetase, which is remarkable because the amino acid is not a substrate of this enzyme. The final intracellular glutathione concentration attained was 358 nmol mg¿1 protein, which is the highest concentration reported for a bacterium, demonstrating the suitability of engineered L. lactis for fine-chemical production and as a model for studies of the impact of glutathione on flavour formation and other properties of food
Factors Affecting the Enhancement of Oxidative Stress Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco Overexpressing Manganese Superoxide Dismutase in the Chloroplasts
Evidence of a Massive Black Hole Companion in the Massive Eclipsing Binary V Puppis
Up to now, most stellar-mass black holes were discovered in X-ray emitting
binaries, in which the black holes are formed through a common-envelope evolu
tion. Here we give evidence for the presence of a massive black hole candidate
as a tertiary companion in the massive eclipsing binary V Puppis. We found that
the orbital period of this short-period binary (P=1.45 days) shows a periodic
variation while it undergoes a long-term increase. The cyclic period
oscillation can be interpreted by the light-travel time effect via the presence
of a third body with a mass no less than 10.4 solar mass. However, no spectral
lines of the third body were discovered indicating that it is a massive black
hole candidate. The black hole candidate may correspond to the weak X-ray
source close to V Puppis discovered by Uhuru, Copernicus, and ROSAT satellites
produced by accreting materials from the massive binary via stellar wind. The
circumstellar matter with many heavy elements around this binary may be formed
by the supernova explosion of the progenitor of the massive black hole. All of
the observations suggest that a massive black hole is orbiting the massive
close binary V Puppis with a period of 5.47 years. Meanwhile, we found the
central close binary is undergoing slow mass transfer from the secondary to the
primary star on a nuclear time scale of the secondary component, revealing that
the system has passed through a rapid mass-transfer stage.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ
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