The Effect of copper sulphate on the activity of catalase.
Title: The Effect of copper sulphate on the activity of catalase. Aim: The aim of this experiment is to determine how copper sulphate affects the activity of catalase through the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen gas. The activity of catalase can only be determined by the volume of oxygen evolved in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. The enzyme catalase is an oxidase that catalyses the decomposition of hydrogen-peroxide to form water and oxygen. H2O 2 H2O + O2 In the above reaction, hydrogen-peroxide acts as the substrate, when mixed with the enzyme catalase (which will be yeast in the experiment). The hydrogen-peroxide and catalase will then react to form an enzyme-substrate complex which results to the formation of two products which are water molecule and oxygen gas. The inhibitor used in this experiment will be copper sulphate which will have effect on the activity of catalase. The activity of catalase can be measured by measuring the amount of oxygen produced when mixed with hydrogen-peroxide. The resulting effervescence can be exploited to measure the rate of enzyme reaction. Method The basic reaction mixture contains simply hydrogen peroxide (substrate) and yeast (as the source of enzyme) with or without copper sulphate. Adding yeast will start the reaction, and then the measurements will be taken
Qualification and quantification of microorganisms in soil role of microorganisms in the nitrogen cycle.
Letort Vanessa Student Number: 2029474 Module Number: HEV 3211 Purchase Diane SOIL MICROBIOLOGY QUALIFICATION AND QUANTIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS IN SOIL ROLE OF MICROORGANISMS IN THE NITROGEN CYCLE INTRODUCTION Microbial community plays an important role in soils. These organisms are diverse and dynamic, performing beneficial activities such as decomposing organic matter, making nitrogen available and, sometimes, suppressing certain undesirable soil pathogens (Graham & Mitchell, 1997). The active part of soil is actually quite small, 1 to 5 percent by mass is microscopic organisms like bacteria and fungi. Yet the living microbial biomass most readily metabolises organic compounds, contributes significantly to short-term plant nutrition, and is the most responsive to land use (Scholes and Scholes, 1995). The most numerous and common microorganisms are the bacteria, followed by the actinomycetes and fungi (Porteous, 2000). Bacteria consist of a very diverse and highly variable group of single-celled, prokaryotic organisms found in soils of every ecosystem. The bacterial population of soils is dominated by species of Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, and others. Actinomycetes are another specialized group of soil bacteria. They look more like a fungus, but they are taxonomically classified as bacteria. These organisms give freshly tilled soil that rich earthy
Investigation
Investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme trypsin. Plan Hypothesis To investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of reaction of the enzyme trypsin and from this, determine the enzymes optimum temperature. Introduction Enzymes are globular protein molecules, which are often defined as biological catalysts. They catalyse the breakdown of a substrate into two or more product molecules, using the cleft in its surface called an active site. The substrate molecule has a complementary shape. The random movement of the enzyme and substrate brings the substrate into the active site. An enzyme-substrate complex is temporarily formed. (1) This is because the R groups of the amino acids in the active site interact with the substrate and this interaction breaks the substrates apart. The two product molecules then depart the active site, leaving the enzyme molecule unchanged and ready to bind with another substrate molecule. Trypsin is a digestive enzyme, known as a protease, secreted by the pancreas. Trypsin attacks peptide bonds of proteins and polypeptides, thereby converting large peptide chains into shorter polypeptide segments. There are two basic types of proteases, the endopeptidases and the exopeptidases. Trypsin is an endopeptidase that is found in the alimentary canal of nearly all invertebrates and vertebrates organisms
Nucleic acid hybridization
NUCLEIC ACID HYBRIDISATION ANALYSIS Nucleic acid hybridisation is a process whereby a DNA or RNA strand forms an ordered series of hydrogen bonds with its complement, creating a duplex structure1. It is one of the backbones of biology2 and ever since it has became one of the important molecular techniques in molecular biology. According to the hybridisation theory, double-stranded DNA can be denatured into two single strands of complementary sequence by heating or treatment with alkali or other helix destabilising agents (e.g. formamide)3. The complementary strands will reassociate to reform a duplex structure3. Hybridisation of nucleic acid occurs not only between single-stranded DNA molecules but also between RNA molecules of complementary sequence and produce DNA-RNA hybrids3. Fig 1 below shows an example of hybridisation between nucleic acid. Fig 1: Filter hybridisation establishes whether a solution of denatured DNA (or RNA) contains sequences complementary to the strands immobilized on the filter4 DNA preparation is denatured and the single strands are adsorbed to a filter. A second denatured DNA (or RNA) preparation is added. The second preparation can adsorb to it only if it is able to base pair with the DNA that was originally adsorbed. Usually the second preparation is radioactively labelled, so that the reaction can be measured as the amount
Penicillin Enrichment of Listeria monocytogenes pathogenicity mutants.
Penicillin enrichment of Listeria monocytogenes pathogenicity mutants 9906035 University of Warwick, Coventry, Warwickshire Penicillin Enrichment of Listeria monocytogenes pathogenicity mutants Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen. This project aimed to produce strains that were defective for intracellular growth by mutagenising a culture with ultra violet light and nitrosoguanidine. Intracellular mutants were selected for using a method of ampicillin enrichment. Approximately 200 colonies survived the enrichment process but only four colonies were characterised. These putative mutants, as well as nine putative mutants isolated from a previous experiment, were used to infect a culture of the mouse fibroblast cell line, L2, to look for mutants that generate small plaques. Unfortunately this infection was unsuccessful, but the generation times of the putative mutants were calculated. One mutant had a slow generation time of 88.2 minutes, three had fast generation times of 43.8, 39.6 and 33.6 minutes. The rest had relatively normal generation times of 60 minutes. INTRODUCTION Listeria monocytogenes is a facultatively intracellular, gram positive, food-borne pathogen. Infection with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a relatively rare disease, which can be fatal to the fetus in pregnant women, or can present it self as meningitis in the
A review of positive and negative impacts of microbes on the environment
A REVIEW OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF MICROBES IN THE ENVIRONMENT . INTRODUCTION .1. Microbes in the environment 'Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, a large and diverse group of microscopic organisms that exist as single cells or cell clusters; it also includes viruses which are microscopic but not cellular', (Madigan, Martinko and Parker, 2003: 1). It consists of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaebacteria; and eukaryotic organisms such as fungi, protozoa and algae. Microbiologists have evidence that microbes are the oldest life forms on earth. 'Isotopic ratios and microfossils indicate that chemical evolution led to primitive forms of prokaryotic life less than 1 billion years after the formation of Planet Earth, which is 4.5 billion years old', (Atlas and Bartha, 1998: 27). Figure 1.1 shows the evolutionary events of microorganisms over the last 4 billion years. Figure 1.1: Evolutionary events of Microorganisms (Source: Atlas and Bartha, 1997: 28) The human race, and many other higher life forms, owes its existence to microbial activity 10,000 years ago when cyanobacteria fixed oxygen in the atmosphere. Figure 1.1 highlights how biodiversity has gradually increased since anaerobic bacteria evolved. Scientific evidence shows that the sun's temperature has increased by 30% during the past 4-5 billion years. By microbial activity
Microbiology coursework
Abstract The first part of the practical involved streaking cultures using different strains of Bacillus subtilis which were then incubated at 37°C. Spore germination was also observed in three strains of B. subtilis by patching them out on agar and incubating at 37°C. Also, two strains of B. subtilis, cultured overnight, were tested for heat resistant spores by conducting serial dilutions of both. Finally an overnight culture of B. subtilis was tested for sensitivity to various chemotherapeutic agents by conducting an agar disc diffusion test and incubating for a week at 37°C. The second part involved analysis of human flora in which samples were taken from the nose and throat and cultured on Vogel-Johnson and blood agar respectively and then incubated at 37°C for a week. The two plate cultures of B. subtilis streaked previously were observed for isolated colonies. The three strains of B. subtilis incubated previously were tested for proper spore germination. Also the viable count was determined for the serially diluted cultures of B. subtilis and the inhibitory zones around each of the antibiotic discs from the previous session were measured. In the third part, the nose and throat cultures were examined for their appearance and Gram staining was carried out for specific identification of the bacteria. The cultures were then re-streaked on nutrient, blood and
Acute Myacardial Infarction
Discuss the Registered Nurses role in the initial assessment, investigation and nursing management/ treatment of a patient with Acute Myocardial Infarction. Your discussion should include reference to: * A recognised framework for assessing the patient. * Relevant pathophysiology of the condition. * Rationale for investigations conducted and management/ treatment instigated. * Current best practice. * The actions of any medications prescribed. This assignment will be discussing the role of a registered nurse in the initial assessment, investigations, treatment and management of a patient with Acute Myocardial Infarction (MI) it will discuss the anatomy of the heart and how it functions. The pathophysiology, initial signs, diagnosis and what kind of treatment will be provided for MI. This assignment will not be based on reflective practice. The research will be literature from text books, journals, and the internet. The A, B, C, D, and E; (Advanced Basic Life Support 2001) assessment of the patient will be used to make the diagnosis of MI in the first hour of onset of a MI. The heart lies in the thoracic cavity of the body; it consists of four chambers which are divided by the vertical septum. The upper chambers are the left and right atria, the lower chambers are the left and right ventricles there is a one-way valve system which means that the blood only travels
Bacterial Metabolism and Enzymatic Growth
Bacterial Metabolism and Enzymatic Growth Introduction Bacteria differ in the substances from which they derive energy and the enzymes that they produce. Enzymes are biological catalysts; they are substances produced by the body to control the rate of reactions within the body. Particular enzymes, exoenzymes, are produced in large quantities and are excreted into the cell's environment where they speed up the catabolism of insoluble polymers for nutrients (Madigan, 2009). Endoenzymes, unlike exoenzymes are produced in small quantities and remain within the cell (Kocholaty et al, 1938). The purpose of these experiments is to determine the enzymatic and metabolic activities of a variety of bacteria in varying environments. The environments in which the bacteria are observed contain the presence of indole, urease, hydrogen sulfide, and carbohydrates lactose, sucrose, and glucose. The species of tester bacteria cultures for metabolic activities are Escherichia coli (Ec), Pseudomonas aeruoginosa (Pa), Bacillus subtilis (Bs), and Proteus vulgaris (Pv). The enzymatic activities of bacteria are observed in the presence of the enzymes amylase, lipase, and protease. The bacteria used are Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruoginosa, and Bacillus subtilis. The metabolism of the aforementioned carbohydrates results in a change of acidity, evident by a colour change in the presence of the
The biology of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli, causal agent of corm rot of Gladiolus corms
Chapter Two The biology of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli, causal agent of corm rot of Gladiolus corms Abstract Gladiolus corm rots disease caused by F.oxysporum f.sp. gladioli results in severe crop lossess in many parts of the world. The problem is increasing owing to the lack understanding of the physiological and ecological factors affecting on of F.oxysporum f.sp. gladioli. Different physiological factors as Temperature, Ph, Nutrition, Water activity were employed to understand their effects on F. oxysporum f. sp. gladioli. Results showed that, the strains responded diversely to the different Physiological factors. The optimum temperature for G010 was 20-250 C, and 8 pH. However the optimum growth for 640, 160 strains were 25-300 C, and pH 4. PDA was the best suitable media for all isolates[A1]. Briefly there are differences between F.oxysporum f. sp. gladioli strains and they are differing in their needs. Those differences could affect on the pathogenity. Introduction Most known fungal species are strictly saprophytic, with less than 10% of the more or less 100.000known fungal species able to colonize plants Carlile et al. (2001). Plant parasitic fungi have dominated the living plants as an abundant source of nutrients ( Mendgen et al., 1996). But there is a different level of specialization in plant-fungal interaction. The first group include involves true