Search results for: prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms
-
Bacterial community succession in an Arctic lake–stream system (Brattegg Valley, SW Spitsbergen)
PublicationThe factors affecting prokaryotic and virus structure dynamics and bacterial commu-nity composition (BCC) in aquatic habitats along a ca. 1500 m of the Brattegg Valley lake–stream system (SW Spitsbergen) composed of three postglacial lakes created by Brattegg Glacier meltwater were examined. A high number of small-volume prokaryotic cells were found in the recently-formed, deep, upper,...
-
Anisakidae in beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas from Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait
Publication -
Analysis of the impact of wastewater discharge on recipients: synergistic approach
PublicationThe dissertation presents the analysis of chemical and microbial composition of wastewater and examines the impact of wastewater discharge on the environment. Various case studies were analysed: from small settlements in a pristine European Arctic, to large municipal wastewater treatment plants in areas subjected to greater anthropogenic pressure. In order to comprehensively analyse the impact of wastewater discharge on the receiving...
-
Microbiology
e-Learning CoursesMicrobiology interactive lectures are dedicated to those who are interested in the role of microorganisms on our planet and their interaction with other living organisms and inorganic elements as well as more complex chemical compounds.
-
Ichtiofauna seasonal changes in Redłowo area
Open Research DataSallow water areas of the Baltic Sea are very important feeding, spawning, and nursery grounds for many fish species. The dataset includes data from fish mass analysis and detailed analysis. The mass analysis includes total abundance and a total weight of fish species caught during sampling. Detailed analysis includes individual fish total length, weight,...
-
Overproduction of CaMet15p native and His-tag versions.
Open Research DataEnzyme of fungal L-methionine biosynthetic pathway: O-acetylhomoserine sulfhydrylase (Met15p) could be exploited as molecular target for antifungal chemotherapy. The goal of the study was to obtain conditions optimal for protein production with the use of prokaryotic cells. The constructed expression plasmids, designed in three different versions: encoding...
-
Overproduction of CaStr2p native and His-tag versions.
Open Research DataEnzyme of fungal L-methionine biosynthetic pathway: cystathionine-γ-synthase (CaStr2p) could be exploited as molecular target for antifungal chemotherapy. The goal of the study was to obtain conditions optimal for protein production with the use of prokaryotic cells. The constructed expression plasmids, designed in three different versions: encoding...
-
Overproduction of homoserine O-acetyltransferase (CaMet2p) native and His-tag versions.
Open Research DataEnzyme of fungal L-methionine biosynthetic pathway: homoserine O-acetyltransferase (Met2p) could be exploited as molecular target for antifungal chemotherapy. The goal of the study was to obtain conditions optimal for protein production with the use of prokaryotic cells. The constructed expression plasmids, designed in three different versions: encoding...
-
Trophic Transfer of Mercury in a Temperate Marine Food Web, Southern Baltic Sea
PublicationMercury (Hg) is considered to be one of the most dangerous global environmental pollutants. The toxicity and bioavailabilityof Hg depend on its chemical form, and the greatest hazard is posed by the organomercurial compounds. Hg is introduced into the human body primarily through the consumption of fish and seafood. Despite numerous studies on Hg in marine organisms, there is still a gap in the knowledge on Hg uptake and...
-
Analyzing sets of phylogenetic trees using metrics
PublicationThe reconstruction of evolutionary trees is one of the primary objectives in phylogenetics. Such a tree represents historical evolutionary relationships between different species or organisms. Tree comparisons are used for multiple purposes, from unveiling the history of species to deciphering evolutionary associations among organisms and geographical areas. In this paper, we describe a general method for comparing phylogenetictrees...
-
Revision of Biological Methods for Determination of EDC Presence and Their Endocrine Potential
PublicationEndocrine-disrupting compounds (EDC) are chemicals responsible for disturbances in the hormonal balance of organisms. This group of chemicals includes both egzogenic and endogenic substances or their mixtures that impact functioning of natural hormones in organisms. In the available literature one can find information on the application of chromatographic and related techniques in the analysis of environmental samples for detection,...
-
A new division of bacterial UvrA homologues
PublicationThe UvrA protein is a DNA-binding and damage-recognition enzyme which participates in the prokaryotic type nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway. It has recently been noted that some bacterial genomes comprise additional uvrA genes which encode five distinct types of UvrA homologue. We investigated the sequences of over 2400 bacterial genomes and found 130 examples of bacteria containing uvrA 2 genes. The sequence analyses conducted...
-
Biomimetic torene shells
PublicationThe genome inside the eukaryotic cells is guarded by a unique shell structure, called the nuclear envelope (NE), made of lipid membranes. This structure has an ultra torus topology with thousands of torus-shaped holes that imparts the structure a high flexural stiffness. Inspired from this biological design, here we present a novel ‘‘torene’’ architecture to design lightweight shell structures with ultra-stiffness for engineering...
-
Bioassays as one of the Green Chemistry tools for assessing environmental quality: A review
PublicationFor centuries, mankind has contributed to irreversible environmental changes, but due to the modern science of recent decades, scientists are able to assess the scale of this impact. The introduction of laws and standards to ensure environmental cleanliness requires comprehensive environmental monitoring, which should also meet the requirements of Green Chemistry. The broad spectrum of Green Chemistry principle applications should...
-
The use of bioassays in the analysis of environmental samples
PublicationToxicological tests are increasingly used as effective tool to complement the information obtained during the environmental monitoring. Moreover bioassays provide basic knowledge about the health effects of exposure to harmful factors associated with the environment. Toxicity tests might be a source of information about the content of pollutants in the sample, and the possibility of their interactions. They can be considered as...
-
The microbial community, its biochemical potential, and the antimicrobial resistance of Enterococcus spp. in Arctic lakes under natural and anthropogenic impact (West Spitsbergen)
PublicationThe sustainable management of small human communities in the Arctic is challenging. In this study, both a water supply system (Lake 1) under the natural impact of a bird-nesting area, and a wastewater receiver (Lake 2) were analysed in the vicinity of the Polish Polar Station on West Spitsbergen. Microbial community composition, abundance and activity were assessed in samples of the treated wastewater, lake water and sediments...
-
Splice variants of mitofusin 2 shape the endoplasmic reticulum and tether it to mitochondria
PublicationIn eukaryotic cells, different organelles interact at membrane contact sites stabilized by tethers. Mitochondrial mitofusin 2 (MFN2) acts as a membrane tether that interacts with an unknown partner on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this work, we identified the MFN2 splice variant ERMIT2 as the ER tethering partner of MFN2. Splicing of MFN2 produced ERMIT2 and ERMIN2, two ER-specific variants. ERMIN2 regulated ER morphology,...
-
Speciation of heavy metal compounds in samples of biota from marine ecosystems
PublicationIt has become increasingly evident that the toxicity, mobility, bioavailability and bioaccumulation of metals are dependent on the particular physico-chemical form in which the element occurs in the environment. Special attention is paid to metals, which are essential for the proper functioning of organisms if present in appropriate amounts but are toxic if in excess (i.e. Se, Cr, Zn), and also to non-essential elements (i.e. Hg,...
-
Activated Sludge Process Development
PublicationThis paper summarizes the most significant steps in the activated sludge process development and recognizes key contributors. Recognition of the roles of oxygen and living organisms was the first step (1882-1914). Ardern and Lockett (1914) named the accumulated olids "activated sludge". The process was rapidly accepted and applied in the period 1914-1930. The most dramatic changes in the activated sludge process understanding and...
-
Engineering Candida albicans glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase for efficient enzyme purification
PublicationRationally designed muteins of Candida albicans glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase, an enzyme known as a promising target for antifungal chemotherapy, were constructed, overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to near homogeneity. To facilitate and to optimize the purification of the enzyme, three recombinant versionscontaining internal oligoHis fragments were constructed: (i) by substituting residues 343 - 348...
-
Occurrence of Surface Active Agents in the Environment
PublicationDue to the specific structure of surfactants molecules they are applied in different areas of human activity (industry, household). After using and discharging from wastewater treatment plants as effluent stream, surface active agents (SAAs) are emitted to various elements of the environment (atmosphere, waters, and solid phases), where they can undergo numerous physic-chemical processes (e.g., sorption, degradation) and freely...
-
PRZE-MIESZKIWANIE [w ramach:] PUSTKA, wystawa zbiorowa
Publication„Prze-mieszkiwanie” to praca ukazująca podstawową potrzebę i konieczność zapewnienia sobie przez wszelkie organizmy żywe, w tym w szczególności przez człowieka, bezpiecznej kryjówki w obliczu dojmującego poczucia postpandemicznej pustki i przymusowej izolacji, ale też kulturowego wykorzenienia. Metaforyczne wyobrażenia archetypicznej formy schronienia pokazuje jej adaptowalność do różnorodnych uwarunkowań, gdzie kontekst stanowi...
-
Bioaccumulation of metals in tissues of marine animals, Part II - metal concentrations in animal tissues
PublicationThe bioaccumulation of metals in an animal depends on a multitude of factors: biotic ones, like its body dimensions and mass, age, sex, diet, metabolism and position in the trophic web, as well as abiotic ones such as the distribution of metals in its environment, the salinity, temperature and pH of the water, habitat type, interactions with other metals. But it is diet that has the greatest influence on the accumulation of metals...
-
Influence of selected additives and admixtures on underwater concrete and the environment
PublicationThe intensive civilization development has an influence on searching for new possibilities connected with extension of city agglomerations, both the areas of flat building and the industrial areas. One of the most interesting solution is to use water reservoirs, rivers and sea areas. The extension of buildings has an influence on building materials, especially hydrotechnical, which means development of production of hydrotechnical...
-
Occurrences, sources, and transport of organochlorine pesticides in the aquatic environment of Antarctica
PublicationWe review information on the concentration levels of organochlorine pesticides in the abiotic aquatic environment (in seawater, sea ice, surface freshwater, snow, firn, and glacial ice) and the organisms inhabiting those, in Antarctica. Particular attention is given to the environmental fate of these pollutants, which modifies their impact on the organisms living in the Antarctic. OCPs have been delivered to the Antarctic environment...
-
Analyzing sets of phylogenetic trees obtained from bayesian MCMC process using topology metrics
PublicationThe reconstruction of evolutionary trees is one of the primary objectives in phylogenetics. Such a tree represents historical evolutionary relationship between different species or organisms. Tree comparisons are used for multiple purposes, from unveiling the history of species to deciphering evolutionary associations amongorganisms and geographical areas.In the paper, we describe a general method for comparing hylogenetic trees....
-
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): Sediments and Water Analysis
PublicationUnfavorable side effects of different forms of anthropogenic activities can be found anywhere in the world. One of the basic characteristics of pollutants entering marine and ocean waters is their spread and movement in the global ocean. A portion of the substances entering the marine environment is rapidly degraded by chemical processes occurring in the air, sediments, and water, thereby losing their toxic properties. The biggest...
-
Modeling nitrous oxide production by a denitrifying-enhancedbiologically phosphorus removing (EBPR) activated sludge in thepresence of different carbon sources and electron acceptors
PublicationIn this study, the IWA Activated Sludge Model No. 2d (ASM2d) was expanded to identify the most important mechanisms leading to the anoxic nitrous oxide (N2O) production in the combined nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal activated sludge systems. The new model adopted a three-stage denitrification concept and was evaluated against the measured data from one/two-phase batch experiments carried out with activated sludge withdrawn...
-
Characterization of single-stranded DNA-binding proteins from the psychrophilic bacteria
PublicationSingle-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBs) are indispensable elements in the cells of all living organisms. SSB proteins interact with ssDNA insequence in an independent manner, preventing them from forming secondary structures and from degradation by nucleases. In this way, SSB-binding proteins participate in all processes involving ssDNA, such as replication, repair and recombination. Although there are differences in amino...
-
Characterization of single-stranded DNA-binding proteins from the psychrophilic bacteria
PublicationSingle-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBs) are indispensable elements in the cells of all living organisms. SSB proteins interact with ssDNAinsequence in an independent manner, preventing them from forming secondary structures and from degradation by nucleases. In this way, SSB-binding proteins participate in all processes involving ssDNA, such as replication, repair and recombination.Although there are differences in amino acid...
-
Możliwości zastosowań, potencjalne źródła oraz ewolucja technologiczna sposobu otrzymywania trehalozy ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem enzymu syntazy trehalozy [EC 5.4.99.16]
PublicationJedna z wiodących gałęzi współczesnej biotechnologii opiera się na produkcji białek – przede wszystkim enzymów. Są one powszechnie wykorzystywane: od przemysłu chemicznego poprzez przemysł spożywczy aż po medycynę i życie codzienne (czy ktoś wyobraża sobie w dzisiejszych czasach proszek do prania „bez enzymu”). Przed rozwojem nowoczesnych metod biologii molekularnej i inżynierii genetycznej pozyskiwano interesujące substancje z...
-
Plastic Debris in the Stomach of the Invasive Signal Crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus from a Baltic Coastal River
PublicationPollution by plastic debris, widely recognized as a growing global problem [1-3] is caused by the production of synthetic polymers. Over recent years, the production of plastics has increased, while in Europe, fossil-based plastics production has decreased, and recycled plastics production has increased [4]. There are different types of plastics. Some types of plastic ingredients, applied in a wide variety of cosmetics and personal...
-
Biodegradable polymer packaging materials - influence on environment
PublicationAwareness of the waste problem and its impact on the environment has awakened new interest in the area of biodegradable polymers. Biodegradation of various polymers have been studied under diverse environments like in soil, in sewage sludge, in compost conditions and in sea water by different research groups. The aim of this paper is to present the research methods on the biodegradation of the commercially available biodegradable...
-
Methods of ZnO nanoparticles synthesis
PublicationZinc oxide nanostructures are interesting nanomaterials with a wide range of applications. Since the physical and chemical properties of ZnO nanoparticles are influenced both by their shape and size, a control of morphology of ZnO structures is needed for their commercial usage. Different chemical, physical, and biological methods used to produce ZnO nanostructures can be found in the literature. The production of ZnO nanoparticles...
-
Comparing phylogenetic trees using a minimum weight perfect matching
PublicationA phylogenetic tree represents historical evolutionary relationshipbetween different species or organisms. There are various methods for reconstructing phylogenetic trees.Applying those techniques usually results in different treesfor the same input data. An important problem is to determinehow distant two trees reconstructed in such a wayare from each other. Comparing phylogenetic trees is alsouseful in mining phylogenetic information...
-
Assessment of toxic and endocrine potential of substances migrating from selected toys and baby products
PublicationAnalysis of literature data shows that there is limited information about the harmful biological effects of mixture of compounds from the EDC group that are released from the surface of toys and objects intended for children and infants. One of the tools that can be used to obtain such information is appropriate bioanalytical tests. The aim of this research involved determining whether tests that use living organisms as an active...
-
Qualitative analysis of phospholipids and their oxidised derivatives – used techniques and examples of their applications related to lipidomic research and food analysis
PublicationPhospholipids (PLs) are important biomolecules that not only constitute structural building blocks and scaffolds of cell and organelle membranes, but also play a vital role in cell biochemistry and physiology. Moreover, dietary exogenous PLs are characterized by high nutritional value and other beneficial health effects, which are confirmed by numerous epidemiological studies. For this reason, PLs are of high interest in lipidomics...
-
Urban Lighting Research Transdisciplinary Framework—A Collaborative Process with Lighting Professionals
PublicationOver the past decades, lighting professionals have influenced the experience of the night by brightly illuminating streets, buildings, skylines, and landscapes 24/7. When this became the accepted norm, a dual perspective on night-time was shaped and the visual enjoyment of visitors after dusk was prioritized over natural nightscapes (nocturnal landscapes). During this time, researchers of artificial light at night (ALAN) observed...
-
Cyanides in the environment—analysis—problems and challenges
PublicationCyanide toxicity and their environmental impact are well known. Nevertheless, they are still used in the mining, galvanic and chemical industries. As a result of industrial activities, cyanides are released in various forms to all elements of the environment. In a natural environment, cyanide exists as cyanogenic glycosides in plants seeds. Too much consumption can cause unpleasant side effects. However, environmental tobacco smoke...
-
The state of the art in the field of decrease the pollution in the South Baltic area
PublicationVarious form of human activity such as maritime transports, industrial activities, busy traffic, intensive farming and animal husbandry can have negative impact on natural marine environment. Baltic Sea catchment area is characterized by the high river water flux and wastewater treatment plants discharges. Additionally, the limited shallow connection to the North Sea results in little water exchange and residence time of approximately...
-
Biochemistry - Laboratory exercises - Nowy
e-Learning CoursesExerise 1. The ability to accumulate metal cations by edible mushrooms, comparison with edible plants Exercise 2. Measurement of activity of glutathione S-transferases - the detoxifying enzymes present in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells Exercise 3. Cell membranes permeability Exercise 4. Detection of mutagenic substances using Ames test Exercise 5. Gluten content in food products part 1. Exercise 6. Gluten content in food...
-
Biochemistry - Laboratory exercises
e-Learning CoursesExerise 1. The ability to accumulate metal cations by edible mushrooms, comparison with edible plants Exercise 2. Measurement of activity of glutathione S-transferases - the detoxifying enzymes present in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells Exercise 3. Cell membranes permeability Exercise 4. Detection of mutagenic substances using Ames test Exercise 5. Gluten content in food products part 1. Exercise 6. Gluten content in food...
-
Multiresidue Methods for Determination of Currently Used Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetables Using QuECHERS Technique
PublicationApplied all over the world, pesticides are some of the most common pollutants of the environment because of their stability, mobility, their consequent long-term adverse effects on living organisms in general and human health in particular. For these reasons it is essential to monitor and analyse pesticide residues in the fruits and vegetables. The analysis of food samples for the presence of pesticides causes a lot of difficulties...
-
In silico design of telomerase inhibitors.
PublicationTelomerase is a reverse transcriptase enzyme involved in DNA synthesis at the end of linear chromosomes. Unlike in most other cells, telomerase is reactivated most cancerous cells and, therefore, has become a promising new anticancer target. Despite extensive research, direct telomerase inhibitors have yet not been introduced to the clinics because of the complexity of this enzyme. Structures of this protein from simple organisms...
-
From Individual to Collective: Intelligence Amplification with Bio-Inspired Decisional DNA and its Extensions
PublicationIn nature, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. The idea behind our vision is to develop an artificial system, an architecture that would support discovering, adding, storing, improving and sharing information and knowledge among agents and organizations through experience. We propose a novel Knowledge Representation (KR) approach in...
-
A New Expression System Based on Psychrotolerant Debaryomyces macquariensis Yeast and Its Application to the Production of Cold-Active β-D-Galactosidase from Paracoccus sp. 32d
PublicationYeasts provide attractive host/vector systems for heterologous gene expression. The currently used yeast-based expression platforms include mesophilic and thermotolerant species. A eukaryotic expression system working at low temperatures could be particularly useful for the production of thermolabile proteins and proteins that tend to form insoluble aggregates. For this purpose, an expression system based on an Antarctic psychrotolerant...
-
Selected anionic and cationic surface active agents: case study on the Kłodnica sediments
PublicationSurface active agents (surfactants) are a group of chemical compounds, which are used as ingredients of detergents, cleaning products, cosmetics and functional products. After use, wastes containing surfactants or their degradation products are discharged to wastewater treatment plants or directly into surface waters. Due to their specific properties of SAAs, compounds are able to migrate between different environmental compartments...
-
Green aspects of techniques for the determination of currently used pesticides in environmental samples
PublicationPesticides are among the most dangerous environmental pollutants because of their stability, mobility and long-term effects on living organisms. Their presence in the environment is a particular danger. It is therefore crucial to monitor pesticide residues using all available analytical methods. The analysis of environmental samples for the presence of pesticides is very difficult: the processes involved in sample preparation are...
-
The difficulties in polybrominated diphenyl ethers identification by GC-EI-MS technique
PublicationAwareness about the harmful effects of brominated flame retardants on living organisms increases mainly due to link their presence in the human environment with health disorders. Therefore is a need to conduct research aimed at content control of these chemicals in the environment. Recent improvements in injection techniques and mass spectrometer ionization methods have led to a variety of options to determine PBDEs in environmental...
-
The Use of Vegetables in the Biomonitoring of Cadmium and Lead Pollution in the Environment
PublicationLead and cadmium emitted from various anthropogenic sources have the ability to accumulate in tissues of living organisms. The phenomenon of accumulation of metals in the body is harmful and undesirable. On the other hand, the ability of plants to accumulate heavy metals from the individual elements of the environment has been used in biomonitoring of pollution. Leaf and root of vegetables have particular predisposition for accumulating...