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At least 631 records · Page 35Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Novel diterpene lactones from Suregada multiflora.

Two new diterpene lactones, suregadolides A (1) and B (2), were isolated from a dichloromethane extract of Suregada multiflora bark. These compounds possess a novel skeleton, which contains a cyclopropane ring bridging C-3 and C-4 of the abietane skeleton. The structures were established on the basis of one- and two-dimensional NMR and other spectroscopic studies. Compound 1 showed moderate inhibitory activity in a mutant yeast strain bioassay.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed2001

Are life patents ethical? Conflict between Catholic social teaching and agricultural biotechnology's patent regime.

Patents for genetic material in the industrialized North have expanded significantly over the past twenty years, playing a crucial role in the current configuration of the agricultural biotechnology industries, and raising significant ethical issues. Patents have been claimed for genes, gene sequences, engineered crop species, and the technical processes to engineer them. Most critics have addressed the human and ecosystem health implications of genetically engineered crops, but these broad patents raise economic issues as well. The Catholic social teaching tradition offers guidelines for critiquing the economic implications of this new patent regime. The Catholic principle of the universal destination of goods implies that genes, gene sequences, and engineered crop varieties are ineligible for patent protection, although the processes to engineer these should be eligible. Religious leaders are likely to make a more substantive contribution to debates about agricultural biotechnology by addressing these life patents than by speculating that genetic engineering is "playing God."

Agriculture↗
PubMed2001

The effect of fungal ribosome inactivating proteins upon feeding choice in C. freemani, and indications of a mutualistic relationship with A. restrictus. Environmental mycology.

Carpophilus freemani beetles' feeding on the fungus Aspergillus nidulans was substantially inhibited when A. nidulans was transformed and induced to secrete the ribosome inactivating protein, restrictocin (genetic source: Aspergillus restrictus). No inhibition of feeding was observed when A. nidulans was transformed and induced to produce an inactive form of restrictocin with a single amino-acid substitution in the active site. Similarly, there was no inhibition of feeding upon transgenic strains when the production of restrictocin was not induced. Feeding inhibition of C. freemani by restrictocin requires that the ribonuclease be active and is not due to other characteristics of the protein or the transgenic host fungus.

Allergens↗
PubMed2002

Ethics of university research, biotechnology and potential military spin-off.

The paper provides a brief introduction to the biotechnology revolution and its impact upon biological research relevant to military uses. It describes the status of biological weapon today, and current efforts to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention with a legally binding compliance protocol. Specific modifications of micro-organisms that may be of military use are discussed. There examples of dual-use research activities are then used to highlight issues and dilemmas in ethical decision making.

Bacillus anthracis↗
PubMed2002

Plant-specific promoter sequences carry elements that are recognised by the eubacterial transcription machinery.

During evolution the promoter elements from prokaryotes and eukaryotes have developed differently with regard to their sequence and structure, implying that in general a transfer of eukaryotic promoter sequences into prokaryotes will not cause an efficient gene expression. However, there have been reports on the functionality of the 35S promoter from cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) in bacteria. We therefore decided to experimentally investigate the capability of plant promoter sequences to direct gene expression in various bacteria. Accordingly, we tested ten different plant-specific promoters from Solanum tuberosum, Nicotiana tabacum, CaMV, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and A. rhizogenes for their ability to initiate transcription in five different eubacterial species (Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, A. tumefaciens, Pseudomonas putida, and Acinetobacter sp. BD413). To monitor the strength of the plant-specific promoters in bacteria we created fusions between these promoters and the coding region of the luciferase genes from Vibrio harveyi and measured the luminescence in the bacteria. Heterologous gene expression was observed in 50% of the combinations analysed. We then mapped the transcription start site caused by one of the plant-specific promoters, the ST-LS1 promoter from S. tuberosum, in these bacterial species. The location of the mapped transcription start site indicated that the sequences of the plant promoter themselves were recognised by the bacterial transcription apparatus. The recognition of plant-specific promoter sequences by the bacterial RNA polymerase was further confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis of the ST-LS1 promoter and the analysis of the effects of the mutations on the strength of gene expression in E. coli. Using these mutants in our reporter assays we could localise the sequences of the ST-LS1 promoter serving as -10 region in E. coli. The results of our study show that promoter sequences are much less specific than is generally assumed. This is of great importance for our knowledge about the evolution of gene expression systems and for the construction of optimised expression vectors.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2003

Foot-and-mouth disease virus VP1 protein fused with cholera toxin B subunit expressed in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast.

A Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast expression vector, pACTBVP1, containing the fusion of the foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) VP1 gene and the cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) gene was constructed and transfered to the chloroplast genome of C. reinhardtii by the biolistic method. The transformants were identified by PCR, Southern blot, Western blot and ELISA assays after selection on resistant medium and incubation in the dark. The CTBVP1 fusion protein was expressed in C. reinhardtii chloroplast and accounted for up to 3% of the total soluble protein. The fusion protein also retained both GM1-ganglioside binding affinity and antigenicity of the FMDV VP1 and CTB proteins. These experimental results support the possibility of using transgenic chloroplasts of green alga as a mucosal vaccine source.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

RNA interference. An approach to produce knockout organisms and cell lines.

In various eucaryotic organisms double-stranded RNA causes effective degradation of homologous mRNA molecules by a process called RNA interference. RNA interference is a phenomenon associated with gene suppression via regulatory RNA molecules, which are common in plants, animals, and fungi. The discovery of RNA interference stimulated the development of new approaches for suppression of target gene expression, production of stable knockout cell lines and organisms, and also stimulated studies on possible intracellular functions of this phenomenon.

Animals↗