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The Basics of ELISA ImmunoassaysUnderstanding the basic principles of immunoassays is easy. The essential components of antibody-based immunoassay systems are threefold: an antigen to detect and perhaps quantitate; a specific antibody to this antigen; and a system to measure the amount of antigen in a given sample. Although it appears to be a very simple system, in many cases a number of other assay materials are necessary to allow for quick and convenient measurement.Featured TechNoteWhat are t …

Definition of an Enzyme To function, any organism needs energy.The production of this energy is based in particular on enzymes, proteins with catalytic properties and responsible for accelerating reactions in our cells.Almost 100% of the metabolic processes in our body require these molecules in order to function properly and therefore ensure the maintenance of life.Without enzyme , you run out of fuel!These small elements perform a large number of functions in living things: they contribute to …

The enzyme-substrate complex in the active siteLysozyme enzyme complex with its substrateThe folding of the peptide chain of the lysozyme, dominated by helical structures, creates a kind of invagination in which the substrate of the enzyme is lodged, represented here by the backbone of this small molecule. The close relationship between the enzyme and its substrate lowers ...Credits: RCSB PDB (rcsb.org) of 3GXR (Helland et al. 2009 Cell.Mol.Life Sci. 66: 2585-2598)Direct evidence of the formatio …

Tag Enzymes ProcessGlycosylation is a powerful enzymatic process that plays a pivotal role in all living organisms including prokaryotic cells. The modification controls numerous cellular processes including cell and protein stability and signaling (Ohtsubo & Marth, 2006). UDP NAM is an essential building block of bacterial peptidoglycan biosynthesis. While synthetic preparation of this molecule and derivatives thereof prove challenging, we outline here a robust and scalable step-by-step che …

AbstractBackgroundThe purpose of this study was to define the potency of amikacin and comparator agents against a collection of blood and respiratory nosocomial isolates implicated in ICU based pulmonary infections gathered from US hospitals.MethodsMinimum inhibitory concentrations of amikacin, aztreonam, cefepime, ceftazidime, ceftolozane/tazobactam, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, meropenem, piperacillin/tazobactam and tobramycin were tested against 2460 Gram-negative isolates. Amikacin …