Microbial dissolution of a low grade Indian chalcopyrite ore using mixed culture of Mesophiles

An enriched culture of mesophiles namely, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans derived from mine water of Malanjhkhand Copper Project (MCP), India in the ratio of 4:1, and adapted on 5%(w/v) ore at 35oC was used for the bioleaching of a low grade chalcopyrite ore (0.27% Cu). Optimum copper recovery of 91% was achieved at 1.5pH and 10% (w/v) pulp density in 30days using <50μm particles. Copper recovery decreased to 82% when pH was raised to 2.5 under similar conditions. Higher copper recovery at pH 1.5 may be attributed to the improved bacterial activity (7.0x108 cells/mL), higher redox potential (666mV) and formation of minimum amount of hydronium jarosite, which was prominent at higher pH. Copper recovery was 41.2% in sterile control leaching conditions at 1.5pH. However, unadapted bacterial consortium yielded copper recovery of 69.4% only in 30 days at pH 1.5 under the above conditions. Higher metal recovery with adapted mixed culture may be attributed to increased rate of iron bio-oxidation. The biorecovery of copper from the MCP lean grade ore appeared to follow direct as well as indirect mechanism

Improving chalcopyrite biodissolution form low grade Indian copper ore by microbial consortia

Using a consortium of bacteria such as Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A.ferrooxidans) and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans (A.thiooxidans), isolated in Silverman and Lundgren Media from the source mine water, the biodissolution of copper from untapped lean ores of Malanjhkhand Copper Project (MCP), India was investigated. Inocula of both iron-oxidizing and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in the ratio of 4:1 (A.ferrooxidans to A.thiooxidans) were used as such (without adaptation on the ore) for the bio-leaching of copper from the low grade chalcopyrite ore (0.27% Cu) of granite origin. In general, the efficiency of the microbiological process is often low because this mineral is one of the most refractory ores of copper for bacterial attack. A maximum copper recovery of 69.4% was obtained in 30 days at 1.5 pH, 35oC temperature, 10% (w/v) pulp density with particles of <50 µm size. High copper recovery at 1.5 pH may be correlated with an increase in redox potential from 340-642 mV and increase in bacterial population from 3x107 to 6.07x108 cells/mL in 30 days. This research has shown the possibility to enhance the leachability of chalcopyrite to achieve high copper extraction in the presence of a consortium of mesophiles. Importance of using A.thiooxidans as a part of consortium in facilitating copper solubilization is also highlighted in the paper

Bioleaching of a low grade Indian Chalcopyrite ore by Microbial consortium

Mesophilic bacteria namely, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A.ferrooxidans) and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans (A.thiooxidans) were isolated in 9K media from the mine water of Malanjhkhand Copper Project (MCP), India. These strains were used as such (without adaptation) on the ore for the bio-leaching of copper from the low grade chalcopyrite ore (0.27% Cu). With the use of unadapted bacterial consortium in the ratio of 4:1 (A.ferrooxidans and A.thiooxidans), the maximum copper recovery of 69.4% was obtained in 30 days at pH 1.5, 35oC temperature, 10% (w/v) pulp density with particles of <50 µm size. High copper recovery at pH 1.5 may be correlated with the increase in redox potential from 340-642 mV and increase in bacterial population from 3x107 to 6.07x108 cells/mL in 30 days. This research has shown emphasis on the possibility of achieving high copper extraction in the presence of native strains of A.ferrooxidans and A.thiooxidans

NF-κB Signaling Is Regulated by Fucosylation in Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells

A growing body of evidence indicates that the levels of fucosylation correlate with breast cancer progression and contribute to metastatic disease. However, very little is known about the signaling and functional outcomes that are driven by fucosylation. We performed a global proteomic analysis of 4T1 metastatic mammary tumor cells in the presence and absence of a fucosylation inhibitor, 2-fluorofucose (2FF). Of significant interest, pathway analysis based on our results revealed a reduction in the NF-κB and TNF signaling pathways, which regulate the inflammatory response. NF-κB is a transcription factor that is pro-tumorigenic and a prime target in human cancer. We validated our results, confirming that treatment of 4T1 cells with 2FF led to a decrease in NF-κB activity through increased IκBα. Based on these observations, we conclude that fucosylation is an important post-translational modification that governs breast cancer cell signaling

Collagen Fiber Regulation in Human Pediatric Aortic Valve Development and Disease

Congenital aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) affects up to 10% of the world population without medical therapies to treat the disease. New molecular targets are continually being sought that can halt CAVS progression. Collagen deregulation is a hallmark of CAVS yet remains mostly undefined. Here, histological studies were paired with high resolution accurate mass (HRAM) collagen-targeting proteomics to investigate collagen fiber production with collagen regulation associated with human AV development and pediatric end-stage CAVS (pCAVS). Histological studies identified collagen fiber realignment and unique regions of high-density collagen in pCAVS. Proteomic analysis reported specific collagen peptides are modified by hydroxylated prolines (HYP), a post-translational modification critical to stabilizing the collagen triple helix. Quantitative data analysis reported significant regulation of collagen HYP sites across patient categories. Non-collagen type ECM proteins identified (26 of the 44 total proteins) have direct interactions in collagen synthesis, regulation, or modification. Network analysis identified BAMBI (BMP and Activin Membrane Bound Inhibitor) as a potential upstream regulator of the collagen interactome. This is the first study to detail the collagen types and HYP modifications associated with human AV development and pCAVS. We anticipate that this study will inform new therapeutic avenues that inhibit valvular degradation in pCAVS and engineered options for valve replacement

Protein profiling in hepatocellular carcinoma by label-free quantitative proteomics in two west african populations.

Background Hepatocellular Carcinoma is the third most common cause of cancer related death worldwide, often diagnosed by measuring serum AFP; a poor performance stand-alone biomarker. With the aim of improving on this, our study focuses on plasma proteins identified by Mass Spectrometry in order to investigate and validate differences seen in the respective proteomes of controls and subjects with LC and HCC. Methods Mass Spectrometry analysis using liquid chromatography electro spray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight was conducted on 339 subjects using a pooled expression profiling approach. ELISA assays were performed on four significantly differentially expressed proteins to validate their expression profiles in subjects from the Gambia and a pilot group from Nigeria. Results from this were collated for statistical multiplexing using logistic regression analysis. Results Twenty-six proteins were identified as differentially expressed between the three subject groups. Direct measurements of four; hemopexin, alpha-1-antitrypsin, apolipoprotein A1 and complement component 3 confirmed their change in abundance in LC and HCC versus control patients. These trends were independently replicated in the pilot validation subjects from Nigeria. The statistical multiplexing of these proteins demonstrated performance comparable to or greater than ALT in identifying liver cirrhosis or carcinogenesis. This exercise also proposed preliminary cut offs with achievable sensitivity, specificity and AUC statistics greater than reported AFP averages. Conclusions The validated changes of expression in these proteins have the potential for development into high-performance tests usable in the diagnosis and or monitoring of HCC and LC patients. The identification of sustained expression trends strengthens the suggestion of these four proteins as worthy candidates for further investigation in the context of liver disease. The statistical combinations also provide a novel inroad of analyses able to propose definitive cut-offs and combinations for evaluation of performance

Dufulin Activates HrBP1 to Produce Antiviral Responses in Tobacco

BACKGROUND: Dufulin is a new antiviral agent that is highly effective against plant viruses and acts by activating systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in plants. In recent years, it has been used widely to prevent and control tobacco and rice viral diseases in China. However, its targets and mechanism of action are still poorly understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, differential in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) and classical two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) techniques were combined with mass spectrometry (MS) to identify the target of Dufulin. More than 40 proteins were found to be differentially expressed (≥1.5 fold or ≤1.5 fold) upon Dufulin treatment in Nicotiana tabacum K(326). Based on annotations in the Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases, these proteins were found to be related to disease resistance. Directed acyclic graph (DAG) analysis of the various pathways demonstrated harpin binding protein-1 (HrBP1) as the target of action of Dufulin. Additionally, western blotting, semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and real time PCR analyses were also conducted to identify the specific mechanism of action of Dufulin. Our results show that activation of HrBP1 triggers the salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathway and thereby produces antiviral responses in the plant host. A protective assay based on lesion counting further confirmed the antiviral activity of Dufulin. CONCLUSION: This study identified HrBP1 as a target protein of Dufulin and that Dufulin can activate the SA signaling pathway to induce host plants to generate antiviral responses

A research agenda for curing chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142483/1/hep29509.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142483/2/hep29509_am.pd