Silver nanocomposites based on copolymers of N, N-diallyl-N′-acylhydrazines (DAH) with acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and acrylamide have been developed. They exhibit cytotoxic activity against melanoma MS and rhabdomyosarcoma RD.

Molecular biological and cultivation-based approaches were used to investigate the microbial community of tehnogenic soil contaminated with poorly degradable toxic (chlorinated) aromatic compounds. Diversity of the bphA1 genes, the key genes for the degradation of biphenyl/polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) was assessed, and new bacterial degraders of biphemyl/PCB were isolated. Cloning of the PCR product obtained using the DNA isolated from soil as a template and the primers to the biphenyl 2,3-dioxygenase α-subunit gene (bphA1) revealed two types of the genes of aromatic dioxygenases (DO) with the highest similarity (97.8‒99.5%) to the genes encoding the Rieske cluster of DO α-subunits (bphA1) from uncultured bacteria. Two biphenyl-degrading isolates obtained from an enrichment culture of a soil sample incubated with biphenyl were identified as Pseudomonas (VRP2-6 and VRP2-2). According to their 16S rRNA gene sequences, they exhibited the highest similarity to the type strain of P. taiwanensis (99%) and P. alcaligenes (100%), respectively. Analysis of the bphA1 sequences of strains VRP2-6 and VRP2-2 revealed the similarity to those of the known biphenyl-degrading pseudomonads not exceeding 97.3%. The isolate VRP2-6 efficiently utilized ortho- and para-monochlorinated biphenyls and degraded dichlorinated biphenyl oxidizing both the ortho- and para-chlorinated rings of the biphenyl molecule. New pseudomonad strains may be of interest for development of biotechnologies aimed at monitoring and remediation of biphenyl/PCB-contaminated soils.

Бифенил 2,3-диоксигеназа – ключевой фермент в бактериальной деструкции бифенила и полихлорированных бифенилов (ПХБ), являющихся высокотоксичными устойчивыми соединениями. Исследовано разнообразие bphA1-генов, кодирущих -субъединицу бифенил 2,3-диоксигеназы, бактерий-деструкторов бифенила, входящих в состав микробного сообщества донных отложений прибрежной части Берингова моря (район порта Анадырь). Из накопительной культуры, полученной в результате инкубации образцов донных отложений с бифенилом, была выделена тотальная ДНК для дальнейшего ПЦР-анализа с использованием вырожденных праймеров, комплементарных бактериальным генам -субъединиц бифенил 2,3-диоксигеназ. Методом клонирования ПЦР-продукта выявлены три типа генов ароматических диоксигеназ, филогенетически близких генам подсемейства бифенил/толуол диоксигеназ и 3-фенилпропионат диоксигеназ бактерий порядка Actinomycetales.

Biphenyl 2,3-dioxygenase is the key enzyme involved in the bacterial destruction of biphenyl and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are highly stable toxic compounds. The diversity of bphA1 genes encoding the biphenyl 2,3-dioxygenase a-subunit of biphenyl-degrading bacteria from the microbial community of the Bering Sea coastal sediments (the Anadyr port area) was studied. The enrichment culture was obtained by the incubation of bottom sediments samples with biphenyl as the only carbon source. It was followed by total DNA extraction and PCR analysis with degenerate primers specific to the bacterial biphenyl 2,3-dioxygenase α-subunit genes. Subsequent cloning of the PCR products led to the identification of three types of aromatic dioxygenase genes, which appeared to be phylogenetically close to the genes of the biphenyl/toluene dioxygenase and 3-phenylpropionate dioxygenase subfamilies of the Actinomycetales bacteria.