Rapid determination of the active leflunomide metabolite A77 1726 in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple method for the measurement of the active leflunomide metabolite A77 1726 in human plasma by HPLC is presented. The sample workup was simple, using acetonitrile for protein precipitation. Chromatographic separation of A77 1726 and the internal standard, alpha-phenylcinnamic acid, was achieved using a C-18 column with UV detection at 305 nm. The assay displayed reproducible linearity for A77 1726 with determination coefficients (r(2)) > 0.997 over the concentration range 0.5-60.0 mug/ml. The reproducibility (%CV) for intra- and inter-day assays of spiked controls was

Impaired Antigen Presentation and Effectiveness of Combined Active/Passive Immunotherapy for Epithelial Tumors

Background: Although immunization with tumor antigens can eliminate many transplantable tumors in animal models, immune effector mechanisms associated with successful immunotherapy of epithelial cancers remain undefined. Methods: Skin from transgenic mice expressing the cervical cancer-associated tumor antigen human papillornavirus type 16 (HPV16) E6 or E7 proteins from a keratin 14 promoter was grafted onto syngeneic, non-transgenic mice. Skin graft rejection was measured after active immunization with HPV16 E7 and adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells. Cytokine secretion of lymphocytes from mice receiving skin grafts and immunotherapy was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and HPV16 E7-specific memory CD8(+) T cells were detected by flow cytometry and ELISPOT. Results: Skin grafts containing HPV16 E6- or E7-expressing keratinocytes were not rejected spontaneously or following immunization with E7 protein and adjuvant. Adoptive transfer of E7-specific T-cell receptor transgenic CD8(+) T cells combined with immunization resulted in induction of antigen-specific interferon gamma-secreting CD8(+) T cells and rejection of HPV16 E7-expressing grafts. Specific memory CD8(+) T cells were generated by immunotherapy. However, a further HPV16 E7 graft was rejected from animals with memory T cells only after a second E7 immunization. Conclusions: Antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells can destroy epithelium expressing HPV16 E7 tumor antigen, but presentation of E7 antigen from skin is insufficient to reactivate memory CD8(+) T cells induced by immunotherapy. Thus, effective cancer immunotherapy in humans may need to invoke sufficient effector as well as memory T cells.

Structure of the active site of sulfite dehydrogenase from Starkeya novella

In this paper, we report the results of molybdenum K-edge X-ray absorption studies performed on the oxidized and reduced active sites of the sulfite dehydrogenase from Starkeya novella. Our results provide the first direct structural information on the active site of the oxidized form of this enzyme and confirm the conclusions derived from protein crystallography that the molybdenum coordination is analogous to that of the sulfite oxidases. The molybdenum atom of the oxidized enzyme is bound by two Mo=O ligands at 1.73 angstrom and three thiolate Mo-S ligands at 2.42 angstrom, whereas the reduced enzyme has one oxo at 1.74 angstrom, one long oxygen at 2.19 angstrom (characteristic of Mo-OH2), and three Mo-S ligands at 2.40 angstrom.

Production of Enzymatically active ketosteroid isomerase following insoluble expression in Escherichia coli

Enzymatically active Delta(5)-3-ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) protein with a C-terminus his(6)-tag was produced following insoluble expression using Escherichia coli. A simple, integrated process was used to extract and purify the target protein. Chemical extraction was shown to be as effective as homogenization at releasing the inclusion body proteins from the bacteria] cells, with complete release taking less than 20 min. An expanded bed adsorption (EBA) column utilizing immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) was then used to purify the denatured KSI-(His(6)) protein directly from the chemical extract. This integrated process greatly simplifies the recovery and purification of inclusion body proteins by removing the need for mechanical cell disruption, repeated inclusion body centrifugation, and difficult clarification operations. The integrated chemical extraction and EBA process achieved a very high purity (99%) and recovery (89%) of the KSI-(His(6)), with efficient utilization of the adsorbent matrix (9.74 mg KSI-(His(6))/mL adsorbent). Following purification the protein was refolded by dilution to obtain the biologically active protein. Seventy-nine percent of the expressed KSI-(His(6)) protein was recovered as enzymatically active protein with the described extraction, purification, and refolding process. In addition to demonstrating the operation of this intensified inclusion body process, a plate-based concentration assay detecting KSI-(His(6)) is validated. The intensified process in this work requires minimal optimization for recovering novel his-tagged proteins, and further improves the economic advantage of E. coli as a host organism. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Recent advances in catalysts for methanol synthesis via hydrogenation of CO and CO2

Since the start of last century, methanol synthesis has attracted great interests because of its importance in chemical industries and its potential as an environmentally friendly energy carrier. The catalyst for the methanol synthesis has been a key area of research in order to optimize the reaction process. In the literature, the nature of the active site and the effects of the promoter and support have been extensively investigated. In this updated review, the recent progresses in the catalyst innovation, optimization of the reaction conditions, reaction mechanism, and catalyst performance in methanol synthesis are comprehensively discussed. Key issues of catalyst improvement are highlighted, and areas of priority in R&D are identified in the conclusions.