BIOTECHNOLOGY

Parasporin, a novel protein with a unique cytocidal activity, was first discovered from Non-Insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis by Mizuki et al. . The term parasporin is defined as "Bacillus thuringiensis and related bacterial parasporal proteins that are non-hemolytic but capable of preferentially killing cancer cells". The whole idea came from the view that, it has been well established that Non-insecticidal B. thuringiensis strains are more widely distributed than insecticidal ones, and which raises a question whether such non-insecticidal inclusions have any biological activity which is as yet undiscovered. And astoundingly on the road to find the answer a strong cytocidal protein has been discovered which have activities against human cancer cells. The proteins were heterogeneous in cytotoxicity spectra Source: a. http://parasporin.fitc.pref.fukuoka.jp/index.html b. Parasporin, a Human Leukemic Cell-Recognizing Parasporal Protein of Bacillus thuringiensis,  ...

Researchers from Exeter University,  UK  has  developed  a genetically modified strain of  E. coli  bacteria which can convert sugar into oil that is almost identical to conventional diesel.  The engineered  E. coli  used genetic code from the insect pathogen  Photorhabdus luminescens  and from the cyanobacterium  Nostoc punctiforme  as well as soil microbe  Bacillus subtilis  to make the fuel molecules from fatty acids, along with a gene from the camphor tree— Cinamomum camphora —to cut the resulting hydrocarbon to the right length. Professor John Love, a synthetic biologist from the University of Exeter, said: "Rather than making a replacement fuel like some  bio-fuels   we have made a substitute fossil fuel. This  research work  is published in Applied Biological Sciences, PNAS  ( http://www.pnas.org/content/110/19/7636.full.pdf+html ) Synthesis of customized petr...

Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous element with atomic number 33. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.  It can be found in many oxidative forms (-3, 0, +3, +5) and is released through various natural and anthropogenic activities. Humans may get exposed to arsenic through food, water and air. Exposure may also occur through skin contact with soil or water that contains arsenic; but exposure through groundwater contamination is more serious and has become the major concern throughout the world. According to recent reports over 150 millions of people are exposed to chronic arsenic poisoning by groundwater throughout the world. Owing to its extreme toxicity EPA (Environmental Protection Act, US) has ranked the arsenic as number one in a list of drinking water contaminants and has set the arsenic standard for drinking water at .010 parts per million (10 parts per billion). Early exposure leads to change in skin Pigmentation and development of keratosis at chronic lev...