Category Archives: Biotechnology

13-01-2012 23:34 Video of Jessica Mussio demonstrating how to master the skills of micro-pipetting

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Biotechnology Proficiency: Micro-pipetting

Background:
Improving the hydrolytic performance of hemicellulases on lignocellulosic biomass is of considerable importance for second generation biorefining. To address this problem, and also to gain greater understanding of structure-function relationships, especially related to xylanase action on complex biomass, we have implemented a combinatorial strategy to engineer the GH11 xylanase (Tx-Xyn) from Thermobacillus xylanilyticus.
Results:
Following in vitro enzyme evolution and screening on wheat straw, nine best-performing clones were identified, which display mutations at positions 3, 6, 27 and 111. All of these mutants showed increased hydrolytic activity on wheat straw, and solubilised arabinoxylans that were not modified by the parental enzyme. Compared to the wild type enzyme, the most active mutants, S27T and Y111T, increased the solubilisation of arabinoxylans from depleted wheat straw 2.3-fold and 2.1-fold respectively. In addition, five mutants, S27T, Y111H, Y111S, Y111T and S27T-Y111H increased total hemicellulose conversion of intact wheat straw from 16.7%tot. xyl (wild-type Tx-Xyn) to 18.6 - 20.4%tot. xyl. Also, all five mutant enzymes exhibited a better ability to act in synergy with a cellulase cocktail (Accellerase 1500), thus procuring increases in overall wheat straw hydrolysis.
Conclusions:
Analysis of the results allows us to hypothesize that the increased hydrolytic ability of the mutants is linked to i) improved ligand binding in a putative secondary binding site, ii) the diminution of surface hydrophobicity, and/or iii) the modification of thumb flexibility, induced by mutations at position 111. Nevertheless, the relatively modest improvements that were observed also underline the fact that enzyme engineering alone cannot overcome the limits imposed by the complex organisation of the plant cell wall and the lignin barrier.Source:
http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/rss/

09-01-2012 12:21 2011 ASCB Workshop Offered by the Women in Cell Biology (WICB) Committee Moderator: Harvey Lodish, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research Supported by a grant from the Office of Research on Women's Health, NIH, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund A panel of five cell biologists working in different areas of biotech and pharma will share their experiences in a nonacademic world.

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2011 WICB Workshop Biotechnology.wmv - Video

06-01-2012 10:21 Learn about the role of biotechnology in the on-going fight against HIV from three awesome individuals: a researcher, a patient, and an advocate.

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HIV/AIDS and Biotechnology - Video

19-09-2011 03:30 Biochemical Engineering by Dr. Rintu Banerjee,Department of Agricultural

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Mod-01 Lec-01 Fundamental of Biology

05-01-2012 13:13 Introduction video for the 4-H BioTech Training Orientation

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Biotechnology Grant Video.mp4 - Video