Life Science Articles

RSS

ATP Biosynthesis

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a high-energy molecule present in living cells. It is a nucleoside triphosphate that provides energy within cells for metabolism and is used in several cellular processes including the synthesis of key biomolecules.

2 Dec 2016

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) Function in Cells

ATP is the main source of energy for most cellular processes. The building blocks of ATP are carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus. Because of the presence of unstable, high-energy bonds in ATP, it is readily hydrolyzed in reactions to release a large amount of energy.

2 Dec 2016

What is Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE)?

Electrophoretic techniques separate charged molecules in an electric field. The mobility of a molecule is inversely proportional to its size and directly proportional to its charge.

2 Dec 2016

What is the Expanded Genetic Code?

There are 20 canonical amino acids that are encoded by the genetic code of nearly all known organisms - there are only very few exceptions. In order to add novel building blocks to this existing repertoire, unique aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and tRNA pairs are required, in addition to the specific amino acid codon and a source of the amino acid.

30 Nov 2016

Applications of Confocal Imaging

Epifluorescent microscopy is capable of generating images of certain fluorescent samples; however, the sample will appear indistinct if the sample reaches a thickness greater than micrometers. This is because some parts of the sample lie outside of the focal plane. A new imaging approach was required to overcome this challenge.

29 Nov 2016

Applications of the Expanded Genetic Code

The genetic code consists of 64 triplets of nucleotides called codons. With the exception of three codons, each codon encodes for at least one of the 20 canonical amino acids and most of the amino acids are encoded by more than one codon.

17 Nov 2016

START and STOP Codons

The universal genetic code is made up of several codons or triplet bases. The standard code has evolved over time to minimize coding errors. There are a total of 64 codons in the genetic code arising from the permutation and combination of the 4 bases in nucleic acids.

17 Nov 2016

LC-NMR Applications

LC-NMR combines two techniques - liquid chromatography (LC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). It involves a HPLC separation followed by the detection of separated components by UV or other methods and ultimately NMR analysis. LC-NMR is a powerful analytical tool used to resolve complex mixtures. The coupling of LC separation with NMR characterization has been employed in a wide range of applications.

18 Aug 2016

Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) Applications

LC-MS is a technique routinely used in sample analysis that combines liquid chromatography (LC) with mass spectrometry (MS). Extremely sensitive modern MS has helped LC-MS replace several immunoassays. LC-MS has helped improve the efficiency of drug discovery due to its excellent sensitivity and specificity. The technique can be combined with stable isotope dilution for precise and reproducible assays.

18 Aug 2016

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) Applications

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a hybrid analytical technique that couples the separation capabilities of GC with the detection properties of MS to provide a higher efficiency of sample analyses. While GC can separate volatile components in a sample, MS helps fragment the components and identify them on the basis of their mass.

18 Aug 2016

Liquid Chromatography versus Gas Chromatography

Chromatography is classified into two types based on the physical state of the mobile phase used – liquid chromatography (LC) and gas chromatography (GC).

18 Aug 2016

Hybrid Analytical Techniques: GC-MS, LC-MS, GC-IR, LC-NMR

Hybrid techniques are a combination of 2 or more analytical techniques that help detect and quantify components in a mixture. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), gas chromatography-infrared spectroscopy (GC-IR), and liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (LC-NMR) are a few of the most popular hybrid analytical techniques. These are widely used in chemistry and biochemistry.

18 Aug 2016

Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography (HIC)

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is a powerful technique used for the purification of proteins in analytical and preparatory applications.

10 Aug 2016

Regulation of Gene Expression

Gene expression can be regulated by various cellular processes with the aim to control the amount and nature of the expressed genes.

10 Aug 2016

Eukaryotes

Eukaryotes are multicellular organisms whose cells have a membrane-bound nucleus. This nucleus contains membrane-bound organelles, such as mitochondria and the Golgi apparatus, and the genetic material. Examples of eukaryotes include humans and plants.

10 Aug 2016

Size Exclusion Chromatography (Gel Filtration)

Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) separates components of a sample on the basis of their molecular size. Differential exclusion or inclusion of the molecules is achieved via filtration through a gel that contains spherical beads. These beads have pores of a specific size distribution so as to include or exclude molecules of different sizes when they pass through the gel.

9 Aug 2016

How Does Ion Exchange Chromatography Work?

Ion exchange (IEX) chromatography is a technique that is commonly used in biomolecule purification. It involves the separation of molecules on the basis of their charge.

9 Aug 2016

Chromatography Overview

Chromatography in Greek means to ‘write with colors.’ It is a versatile separation technique developed in 1903 by Mikhail Tswett, a Russian botanist. He separated colorful plant pigments using a column of calcium carbonate. Ever since its discovery, chromatography has evolved as a powerful tool in the lab for the separation and identification of different compounds in a mixture.

9 Aug 2016

Affinity Chromatography Applications

There are a variety of uses for affinity chromatography purification techniques. They are being increasingly used to separate pharmaceutical and biological samples nowadays. Here are several ways that the technique is used.

9 Aug 2016

Affinity Chromatography – How Does it Work?

Affinity chromatography is a separation process used to purify molecules or a group of molecules that are in a biochemical mixture. It employs two phases; a stationary phase and a mobile phase. Specific molecules from the moving phase will bond to the stationary phase based on their properties whilst the rest of the solution passing through unaffected.

9 Aug 2016