PreDicta chip-based high resolution diagnosis of rhinovirus-induced wheeze.

Rhinovirus (RV) infections are major triggers of acute exacerbations of severe respiratory diseases such as pre-school wheeze, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The occurrence of numerous RV types is a major challenge for the identification of the culprit virus types and for the improvement of virus type-specific treatment strategies. Here, we develop a chip containing 130 different micro-arrayed RV proteins and peptides and demonstrate in a cohort of 120 pre-school children, most of whom had been hospitalized due to acute wheeze, that it is possible to determine the culprit RV species with a minute blood sample by serology. Importantly, we identify RV-A and RV-C species as giving rise to most severe respiratory symptoms. Thus, we have generated a chip for the serological identification of RV-induced respiratory illness which should be useful for the rational development of preventive and therapeutic strategies targeting the most important RV types.

Biocatalytic reduction of carboxylic acids.

An increasing demand for non-petroleum-based products is envisaged in the near future. Carboxylic acids such as citric acid, succinic acid, fatty acids, and many others are available in abundance from renewable resources and they could serve as economic precursors for bio-based products such as polymers, aldehyde building blocks, and alcohols. However, we are confronted with the problem that carboxylic acid reduction requires a high level of energy for activation due to the carboxylate's thermodynamic stability. Catalytic processes are scarce and often their chemoselectivity is insufficient. This review points at bio-alternatives: currently known enzyme classes and organisms that catalyze the reduction of carboxylic acids are summarized. Two totally distinct biocatalyst lines have evolved to catalyze the same reaction: aldehyde oxidoreductases from anaerobic bacteria and archea, and carboxylate reductases from aerobic sources such as bacteria, fungi, and plants. The majority of these enzymes remain to be identified and isolated from their natural background in order to evaluate their potential as industrial biocatalysts.

Enantiocomplementary Yarrowia lipolytica Oxidoreductases: Alcohol Dehydrogenase 2 and Short Chain Dehydrogenase/Reductase.

Enzymes of the non-conventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica seem to be tailor-made for the conversion of lipophilic substrates. Herein, we cloned and overexpressed the Zn-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase ADH2 from Yarrowia lipolytica in Escherichia coli. The purified enzyme was characterized in vitro. The substrate scope for YlADH2 mediated oxidation and reduction was investigated spectrophotometrically and the enzyme showed a broader substrate range than its homolog from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A preference for secondary compared to primary alcohols in oxidation direction was observed for YlADH2. 2-Octanone was investigated in reduction mode in detail. Remarkably, YlADH2 displays perfect (S)-selectivity and together with a highly (R)-selective short chain dehydrogenase/ reductase from Yarrowia lipolytica it is possible to access both enantiomers of 2-octanol in >99% ee with Yarrowia lipolytica oxidoreductases.