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Clearing a Potential Road Block to Bisabolane

By Guest PostJanuary 14, 2012Scienceabies grandis, abies grandis α bisabolene synthase, advanced biofuels, agbis, andy degiovanni, berkeley lab, biofuel, biosynthetic alternative, bisabolane, ca, chemical compounds, cofactors, d2 diesel fuel, emeryville, enzyme, evolutionary heritage, flavorings, fragrances, grand fir, green energy, inhibitors, jay keasling, jose pereira, masood hadi, microbes, microbial based production, pamela peralta yahya, paul adams, precursor, protein, protein crystal structure, renewable alternative, resolution, ryan mcandrew, synthases in plants, terpene class, terpenoid synthases, three dimensional crystal structure, trucking industry, united states, x ray crystallography

*Joint BioEnergy Institute Researchers Identify Key Enzyme Structure*

The recent discovery that bisabolane, a member of the terpene class of chemical compounds used in fragrances and flavorings, holds high promise as a biosynthetic alternative to D2 diesel fuel has generated keen interest in the green energy community and the trucking industry. Now a second team of researchers with the U.S Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) has determined the three-dimensional crystal structure of a protein that is key to boosting the microbial-based production of bisabolane as an advanced biofuel.

The JBEI research team, led by bioengineers Paul Adams and Jay Keasling, solved the protein crystal structure of an enzyme in the Grand fir (Abies grandis) that synthesizes bisabolene, the immediate terpene precursor to bisabolane. The performance of this enzyme – the Abies grandis α-bisabolene synthase (AgBIS) – when engineered into microbes, has resulted in a bottleneck that hampers the conversion by the microbes of simple sugars into bisabolene. (more…)

Yale Researchers Discover Promising Anti-HIV Agents

By Guest PostNovember 23, 2011Health, Sciencebristol myers squibb, chemical compounds, d4t, DNA, effective hiv treatments, festinavir, function of an enzyme, genetic material, hiv 1 reverse transcriptase, hiv and human t cells, hiv drugs, hiv replication, human t cells, infection of human cells, jlj494, karen s anderson, less toxic aids drugs, mariela bollini, non nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, prevent hiv, prophylactic anti hiv treatment, reverse transcriptase inhibitor, tai shun lin, toxicity, vinay v thakur, wild type, wild type hiv, william h prusoff, william l jorgensen, yung chi tommy cheng, zerit

Researchers at Yale University have discovered new chemical compounds that prevent HIV from replicating in human T-cells. These compounds could result in new, highly effective HIV treatments that are 10 to 2000 times more potent than HIV drugs now on the market.

“The current compounds or slight variants could become drugs,” said Professor William L. Jorgensen, one of two principal investigators behind the research. The other is Karen S. Anderson, a pharmacology professor at Yale School of Medicine. They reported their results online Nov. 15 in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. (more…)

Gulf Coast Monitor: Sensor Designed to Detect Oil Contaminants in Saltwater

By Guest PostMarch 15, 2011Environmentaromatic hydrocarbons, ccd detector, chemical compounds, deepwater horizon rig, ecosystem, gas, georgia tech research institute, gtri, gulf of mexico, interferometry, joel keelor, john devitt, kevin caravati, louisiana coast, Mississippi, oil, oil leaks, oil wells, optical waveguide, phase shift, polymer films, ray doyle, saltwater, semi volatile organic compounds, sensor, solar power, spills, tarballs, volatile organic compounds, water sample

With more than 20,000 abandoned and active gas and oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico, oil leaks and spills pose a continuous threat to the region’s ecosystem. Monitoring the health of the ecosystems helps ensure the sustainability of natural resources, and helps protect human health and the environment.

Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) are developing an advanced-warning system to detect the presence of oil in saltwater. The sensor-based system offers the potential for remotely, autonomously and continuously monitoring bodies of water for oil. (more…)

Delving Into Manganite Conductivity

By Guest PostFebruary 14, 2011Sciencealexander goncharov, atmospheres, breakthrough, chemical compounds, conductivity, electric charges, jahn teller effect, lamno3, magnetic random access memories, magnetic sensors, magnetoresistance, manganites, maria baldini, metallic state, mysterious ways, non conductive insulating state, spintronic devices, structure, viktor struzhkin

Washington, D.C.— Chemical compounds called manganites have been studied for many years since the discovery of colossal magnetoresistance, a property that promises important applications in the fields of magnetic sensors, magnetic random access memories and spintronic devices. However, understanding—and ultimately controlling—this effect remains a challenge, because much about manganite physics is still not known. A research team lead by Maria Baldini from Stanford University and Carnegie Geophysical Laboratory scientists Viktor Struzhkin and Alexander Goncharov has made an important breakthrough in our understanding of the mysterious ways manganites respond when subjected to intense pressure. (more…)

Tag Archives: chemical compounds

Clearing a Potential Road Block to Bisabolane

Yale Researchers Discover Promising Anti-HIV Agents

Gulf Coast Monitor: Sensor Designed to Detect Oil Contaminants in Saltwater

Delving Into Manganite Conductivity