Search results for "Mutagenesis"

2014

The interest in RNA modification enzymes surges due to their involvement in epigenetic phenomena. Here we present a particularly informative approach to investigate the interaction of dye-labeled RNA with modification enzymes. We investigated pseudouridine (Ψ) synthase TruB interacting with an alleged suicide substrate RNA containing 5-fluorouridine (5FU). A longstanding dogma, stipulating formation of a stable covalent complex was challenged by discrepancies between the time scale of complex formation and enzymatic turnover. Instead of classic mutagenesis, we used differentially positioned fluorescent labels to modulate substrate properties in a range of enzymatic conversion between 6% and…

Effects of Pentachlorophenol and Biotic Interactions on Soil Fauna and Decomposition in Humus Soil

1995

In a laboratory experiment, effects of chemical stress (pentachlorophenol, PCP, at concentrations of 0, 50, and 500 mg/kg) and biotic interactions (nematodes in the presence or absence of collembolas and enchytraeids) on the community structure of soil animals and decomposition processes were studied. PCP was strongly adsorbed to humus that contained 65% organic matter. Numbers of fungal-feeding nematodes decreased significantly at the highest PCP concentration, while no effects were found in bacterial feeders. There were differences in the numbers of nematodes between different animal combinations, but at the highest PCP concentration, collembolas and enchytraeids had no effect on them. Nu…

Contamination from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil of a botanic garden localized next to a former manufacturing gas plant in Pale…

2010

The Botanical Garden lies within the city of Palermo, a few meters away from one of the largest unused Manufacturing Gas Plant in Sicily. The total concentrations of PAHs (23 compounds) in the soil of Botanical Garden ranged from 947 to 18,072 microg/kg. The wide range of PAH concentrations (RSD=84%) found in the soil samples indicates heterogeneous levels of contamination in the area and this can be explained by considering the different tree distributions which prevents the homogeneous deposition of pollutants on the soil. Soils collected in the Botanical Garden generally showed the highest PAH concentrations, being almost 2-3 times higher than the concentration samples obtained in the ur…

Oxygen-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs) in urban soils of Bratislava, Slovakia: patterns, relation to PAHs and vertical distributi…

2011

Abstract We determined concentrations, sources, and vertical distribution of OPAHs and PAHs in soils of Bratislava. The ∑14 OPAHs concentrations in surface soil horizons ranged 88–2692 ng g−1 and those of ∑34 PAHs 842–244,870 ng g−1. The concentrations of the ∑9 carbonyl-OPAHs (r = 0.92, p = 0.0001) and the ∑5 hydroxyl-OPAHs (r = 0.73, p = 0.01) correlated significantly with ∑34 PAHs concentrations indicating the close association of OPAHs with parent-PAHs. OPAHs were quantitatively dominated by 9-fluorenone, 9,10-anthraquinone, 1-indanone and benzo[a]anthracene-7,12-dione. At several sites, individual carbonyl-OPAHs had higher concentrations than parent PAHs. The concentration ratios of se…

Organic chlorine compounds in lake sediments. V. Bottom of Baikal near a pulp mill

1990

Abstract Organically bound chlorine (OCl) together with inorganic chloride (Cl − ) was measured from bottom surface samples of the Lake Baikal near a pulp mill and compared to organic matter contents (OM). Although total contents of OCl, Cl − and OM were much lower than, the ratio of OCl to OM was of the same order of magnitude as in pulp mill recipients of Finland.

UV-B-Induced acute toxicity of pyrene to the waterflea Daphnia magna in natural freshwaters.

1999

Abstract The effects of various water characteristics in natural freshwaters on the acute toxicity of one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), pyrene, to a pelagic invertebrate Daphnia magna was studied under ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation and in the dark. Pyrene was photoactivated and was more toxic to D. magna in the presence of UV-B radiation. Dissolved organic material (DOM), measured as dissolved organic carbon (DOC), significantly reduced the photoenhanced toxicity of pyrene. Under UV-B radiation the EC50 values were lower and in relation to the amount of DOM, ranging from 3.0 to 30.0 μg/L pyrene, whereas in the dark they were between 29.2 and 54.8 μg/L and not related to the amount…

Natural organic matter coagulation in Valencia water supply. Pilot plant studies

1998

: To reduce disinfection by-product (DBP) formation in drinking water treatment, the presence of natural organic matter in surface waters must be minimised. This paper describes pilot plant studies carried out on two surface waters to assess the effectiveness of coagulation in organic matter removal, the Turia and Jucar rivers, which supply the city of Valencia (1m inhabitants). The experiments were conducted with different coagulants (iron sulphate, polyaluminium chloride (PACl)) and treatment schemes. Process effectiveness was evaluated in terms of effluent turbidity, presence of residual metal in final water, and organic matter removal. Four parameters were used to quantify organic matte…

SULFUR ANALOGUES OF POLYCHLORINATED DIBENZO-p-DIOXINS, DIBENZOFURANS AND DIPHENYL ETHERS AS INDUCERS OF CYP1A1 IN MOUSE HEPATOMA CELL CULTURE AND STR…

1994

Three sulfur-containing compounds, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorothianthrene (TCTA), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzothiophene (TCDT), and 3,3[prime],4,4[prime]-tetrachlorodiphenyl sulfide (TCDPS), were analyzed for their CYP1A1-inducing potencies--measured as aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) and 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activities--in mouse hepatoma cell culture Hepa-1. Marked differences in the induction potencies were observed among the three compounds studied and between 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and its sulfur analogue. The estimated EC50 values for TCDD, TCTA, and TCDT were about 8 pM, 700 pM, and 7.5 nM, respectively. TCDPS did not elicit any AHH/EROD induction. Compar…

EnzymesIn Vitro as indicators for pesticides: An examination

1992

Pesticides—a serious problem especially for drinking water quality—frequently are potent inhibitors of enzymes in their target organisms. As the established chemical analyses of pesticides are time-consuming, complicated, and expensive, so-called screening methods are urgently needed. For this purpose the sensitivity of 13 different enzymes was tested in vitro by inhibiting their kinetic rates and/or substrate conversions by 16 pesticides (herbicides and fungicides). Because of the stabilization and resulting low sensitivity of enzymes commercially available—especially in test kits—it was necessary to vary the test conditions and to develop special methods for detecting enzymatic inhibition…

Responses of two earthworm populations with different exposure histories to chlorophenol contamination

1998

Two populations of the earthworm Aporrectodea tuberculata (Eisen), one from a chlorophenol contaminated and another from an uncontaminated site in central Finland, were exposed to acute, toxic, and sublethal concentrations of pentachlorophenol (PCP). Exposure history seemed to have only slight effect on the responses of the earthworms. Values of a lethal concentration of 50% in the humus-rich soil were very high, 1,870 μg PCP per gram for the earthworms from the contaminated site and 1,520 μg/g for the earthworms from the uncontaminated site. No differences in the accumulation of PCP from the soil into the earthworms between the two populations were found. Earthworms from both populations s…