background: the contamination of ecosystem with petroleum and its derivatives is con­sidered as one of the most crucial environmental threat in iran. application of micro­organisms has been demonstrated as an appropriate and more practical alternative to clean-up petroleum hydrocarbons in the contaminated environments. objectives: the objectives of this study were isolating rhizosphere-inhabiti...

N-Acylhomoserine lactone (AHL)-degrading enzyme, AiiM, was identified from the potato leaf-associated Microbacterium testaceum StLB037. In this study, we cloned eight aiiM gene homologues from other AHL-degrading Microbacterium strains. The similarity of the chromosomal locus of the aiiM gene is associated with the phylogenetic classification based on 16S rRNA. Degenerate PCR revealed that the ...

The distribution of tfdAalpha and cadA, genes encoding 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate (2,4-D)-degrading proteins which are characteristic of the 2,4-D-degrading Bradyrhizobium sp. isolated from pristine environments, was examined by PCR and Southern hybridization in several Bradyrhizobium strains including type strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110 and Bradyrhizobium elkanii USDA94, in phylog...

Two populations of ACh receptors (AChRs) with different degradation rates have been shown to coexist in the postsynaptic membrane after denervation of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). One population, consisting of the slowly degrading original AChRs inserted into the plasma membrane prior to denervation, has a degradation half-life (t1/2) of approximately 8 d. This degradation rate accelerates...

A collection of 17 atrazine-degrading bacteria isolated from soils was studied to determine the composition of the atrazine-degrading genetic potential (i.e. trzN, trzD and atz) and the presence of IS1071. The characterization of seven new atrazine-degrading bacteria revealed for the first time the trzN-atzBC gene composition in Gram-negative bacteria such as Sinorhizobium sp. or Polaromonas sp...

In this study, we isolated an endophytic quinclorac-degrading bacterium strain Q3 from the root of tobacco grown in quinclorac contaminated soil. Based on morphological characteristics, Biolog identification, and 16S rDNA sequence analysis, we identified strain Q3 as Bacillus megaterium. We investigated the effects of temperature, pH, inoculation size, and initial quinclorac concentration on gr...

There is increasing evidence that deficient clearance of β-amyloid (Aβ) contributes to its accumulation in late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD). Several Aβ-degrading enzymes, including neprilysin (NEP), insulin-degrading enzyme, and endothelin-converting enzyme reduce Aβ levels and protect against cognitive impairment in mouse models of AD. The activity of several Aβ-degrading enzymes rises with a...

Development of insecticide resistance has been a serious concern worldwide, whose mechanisms have been attributed to evolutionary changes in pest insect genomes such as alteration of drug target sites, up-regulation of degrading enzymes, and enhancement of drug excretion. Here, we report a previously unknown mechanism of insecticide resistance: Infection with an insecticide-degrading bacterial ...