Project description:The Moutan Cortex Radicis (MCR) has been used as an analgesic, sedative and anti-inflammatory agent. This study investigated the changes in gene expression by MCR treatment when stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in cultured human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) and the gene expression changes by the MCR when challenged with LPS using a microarray chip.
Project description:The Moutan Cortex Radicis (MCR) has been used as an analgesic, sedative and anti-inflammatory agent. This study investigated the changes in gene expression by MCR treatment when stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in cultured human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) and the gene expression changes by the MCR when challenged with LPS using a microarray chip. Human gingival fibroblast were divided into three experimental groups; 1, C: Control, 2, LPS: LPS-treatment only, 3, MCR40: LPS- and MCR40-treatments. Total RNA was isolated from each experimental fibroblast (3 experimental group M-CM-^W 1 sample of each experimental group = total 3 samples).
Project description:Our goal is to convert methane efficiently into liquid fuels that may be more readily transported. Since aerobic oxidation of methane is less efficient, we focused on anaerobic processes to capture methane, which are accomplished by anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) in consortia. However, no pure culture capable of oxidizing and growing on methane anaerobically has been isolated. In this study, Methanosarcina acetivorans, an archaeal methanogen, was metabolically engineered to take up methane, rather than to generate it. To capture methane, we cloned the DNA coding for the enzyme methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr) from an unculturable archaeal organism from a Black Sea mat into M. acetivorans to effectively run methanogenesis in reverse. The engineered strain produces primarily acetate, and our results demonstrate that pure cultures can grow anaerobically on methane.
