Perchlorate (ClO4) has been detected in some states in the U.S and become an environmental concern since the late 1990’s. Perchlorate properties, contamination, and health effects were introduced in this paper. Perchlorate biodegradation degradation were introduced and summarized. According to recent studies, perchlorate respiring bacteria are present in natural environments, providing possibil...

Density of catalytic organisms can determine the biodegradation capacity and specific biodegradation rate (SBR). A new index, biodegradation capacity utilization (BCU, %), was developed for estimating the extent of actual biodegradation of a gas compound over the full capacity. Three methanotrophic cultures were serially diluted (1-1/25), and methane SBR and BCU were measured. Consistently, bio...

Human hair keratin film consisting of fine fibrous and particle structures has been utilized as an alternative device to hair samples. Since application of heat is a well-known factor causing hair damage, the thermal effects on the keratin films and hair samples were examined focusing on color change, morphological observation, protein solubility, and oxidative proteins. The opaque white appear...

Regulatory evaluations of commercial chemicals in Canada, the United States, the European Union, and other countries aim to identify biodegradation rates of chemicals in natural soils and sediments. However, commonly used biodegradation testing methods are limited in their capacity to determine biodegradation rates under natural environmental conditions. As a result, widely varying biodegradati...

The ultimate biodegradation of the commercial products nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE9), octylphenol ethoxylates (OPE9), and their biodegradation intermediates, NPE1.5, OPE1.5, NP, and OP, was measured using conventional methods. The extent of biodegradation was also determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of metabolite...

This study examines the attributes of keratin intermediate filaments in single, live, nonmotile epithelial cells under steady-state conditions. From their substantive findings, the authors proposed a spatially and temporally defined “keratin cycle” that accounts for the genesis, maturation, and turnover of keratin filaments in the setting of live epithelial cells in culture. I suspect that, jus...

Lorenzo Alibardi (2010) Cornification of the beak of Rana dalmatina tadpoles suggests the presence of basic keratin-associated proteins. Zoological Studies 49(1): 51-63. An ultrastructural, immunocytochemical, and electrophoretic study on keratinocytes formation in the horny beak of tadpoles of the frog Rana dalmatina was conducted. The study showed that hard cornification in amphibians occurs ...

Avian integumentary organs include feathers, scales, claws, and beaks. They cover the body surface and play various functions to help adapt birds to diverse environments. These keratinized structures are mainly composed of corneous materials made of α-keratins, which exist in all vertebrates, and β-keratins, which only exist in birds and reptiles. Here, members of the keratin gene families were...

The expression of intermediate filaments is sensitively reflected in cell function. To examine the involvement of keratin in a secretory function, 15 kinds of keratin (keratin-2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20) were detected immunohistochemically and immunoelectron microscopically in the rabbit duodenum. Four types of secretory cells existed in the rabbit duodenum: enteroendoc...

Epiplakin, a member of the plakin protein family, is exclusively expressed in epithelial tissues and was shown to bind to keratins. Epiplakin-deficient (EPPK-/-) mice showed no obvious spontaneous phenotype, however, EPPK-/- keratinocytes displayed faster keratin network breakdown in response to stress. The role of epiplakin in pancreas, a tissue with abundant keratin expression, was not yet kn...