71 documents found, page 1 of 8

M13 phage grafted with peptide motifs as a tool to detect amyloid- oligomers in...

Oligomeric clusters of amyloid- (A) are one of the major biomarkers for Alzheimers disease (AD). However, proficient methods to detect A-oligomers in brain tissue are lacking. Here we show that synthetic M13 bacteriophages displaying A-derived peptides on their surface preferentially interact with A-oligomers. When exposed to brain tissue isolated from APP/PS1-transgenic mice, these bacteriophages detect small-...

Magnesium aminoclays as plasmid delivery agents for non-competent Escherichia c...

Magnesium aminoclays were synthesized and used to transform non-competent Escherichia coli JM109 using the exogenous plasmid pUC19. The structure determined for the Mg aminoclays is analogous to 2:1 trioctahedral smectites such as talc, with an approximate composition R8Si8Mg6O16(OH)4, where R = CH2CH2NH2, morphologically arranged in layered sheets. Mg aminoclays were employed as a cationic vehicle that enabled...

Hydroxycinnamic acids and curcumin production in engineered Escherichia coli us...

Hydroxycinnamic acids and curcumin are compounds with great therapeutic potential, including anticancer properties. In this study, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid and curcumin were produced in Escherichia coli. Their production was induced by heat using the dnaK and ibpA heat shock promoters. The ribosome binding site (RBS) used was tested and further optimized for each gene to assure an efficient translation. p-...

Selection of novel peptides homing alternative targets in triple negative breas...

[Excerpt] Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer amongst women, representing 25% of all cancer cases, with an estimated 1.67 million new cases in 2012 1. Phenotypically characterized by the lack of known receptors, the triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype is responsible for 10 to 20% of all diagnosed breast cancers 2. Due to its unique profile, aggressive behavior and different patterns of metastasis...

Selection of a molecule that specifically targets the cell-surface Human Epider...

[Excerpt] Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among females, accounting for 23% of the total cancer cases and 14% of the cancer deaths.1 Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER2) is a protein that is overexpressed in 25-30% of breast cancers and is involved in cell growth regulation, survival and differentiation.2 Aptamers generated from Systematic E...

Synthetic biology approaches to engineer new pathways for the production of pla...

Secondary metabolites from plants are important sources of high-value chemicals, many of them being pharmacologically active. These metabolites are commonly isolated through inefficient extractions from natural biological sources and are often difficult to synthesize chemically. Therefore, their production using engineered organisms has lately attracted an increased attention. Curcuminoids, an example of such m...

Genetically manipulated phages with improved pH resistance for oral administrat...

Orally administered phages to control zoonotic pathogens face important challenges, mainly related to the hostile conditions found in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). These include temperature, salinity and primarily pH, which is exceptionally low in certain compartments. Phage survival under these conditions can be jeopardized and undermine treatment. Strategies like encapsulation have been attempted with rel...

Synthetic biology approaches to engineer new pathways for the production of pla...

Screening and characterization of novel specific peptides targeting MDA-MB-231 ...

Background: Claudin-low breast carcinoma represents 19% of all breast cancer cases and is characterized by an aggressive progression with metastatic nature and high rates of relapse. Due to a lack of known specific molecular biomarkers for this breast cancer subtype, there are no targeted therapies available, which results in the worst prognosis of all breast cancer subtypes. Hence, the identification of novel ...

Engineering of specific bacteriophages for early diagnosis of Alzheimer′s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease affecting a large proportion of the human population worldwide with great impact on social and economic level. At molecular level, AD is characterized by an increased deposition of plaques, which consist of amyloid-beta however, it is not the amyloid-beta in plaques, but amyloid-beta in soluble oligomeric form that impairs synaptic function a...