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At least 1,171 records · Page 65Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Quantitative 3-dimensional profiling of channel networks within transparent lab-on-a-chip microreactors using a digital imaging method.

We have developed a method for the quantitative 3-dimensional profiling of micron sized channel networks within optically transparent "lab-on-a-chip" microreactor devices. The method involves capturing digitised microscope images of the channel network filled with an optically absorbing dye. The microscope is operated in transmission mode using light filtered through a narrow bandpass filter with a maximum transmission wavelength matching the wavelength of the absorbance maximum of the dye solution. Digitised images of a chip filled with solvent and dye solution are analysed pixel by pixel to yield a spatially resolved array of absorbance values. This array is then converted to optical path length values using the Beer-Lambert law, thereby providing the 3D profile of the channel network. The method is capable of measuring channel depths from 10 to 500 microm (and probably even smaller depths) with an accuracy of a few percent. Lateral spatial resolution of less than 1 microm is achievable. It has been established that distortion of the measured profiles resulting from a mismatch in refractive index between the dye solution and the glass of the microreactors is insignificant. The method has been successfully used here to investigate the effects of thermal bonding and etch time on channel profiles. The technique provides a convenient, accurate and non-destructive method required to determine channel profiles; information which is essential to enable optimisation of the operating characteristics of microreactor devices for particular applications.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Diurnal triglyceride profiles in healthy normolipidemic male subjects are associated to insulin sensitivity, body composition and diet.

BACKGROUND: Elevated fasting and postprandial triglycerides (TG) are established risk factors for Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). Usually, fasting plasma TG are measured, although TG are mainly produced in a postprandial state. Our objective was to investigate diurnal TG profiles using serial capillary TG measurements, in normolipidemic healthy males. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight, non-obese, non-smoking males (range: 20-55 years, mean age: 32 +/- 12 years), measured diurnal capillary TG, at six fixed timepoints during the day on three different days and recorded their food intake. Insulin sensitivity was estimated by HOMA. Diurnal capillary TG profiles were calculated as integrated area under the mean capillary TG curve (TGc-AUC). RESULTS: All subjects had normal fasting plasma TG and cholesterol. The average TGc-AUC was 23.6 +/- 6.7 mmol h L-1. Significant correlations with TGc-AUC were: fasting insulin (r = 0. 40, P < 0.005), HOMA (r = 0.32, P < 0.05), relative fat mass (r = 0. 31, P < 0.05), dietary protein-(r = 0.31, P < 0.05) and saturated fat intake (r = 0.30, P < 0.05). Age was not associated to diurnal triglyceridemia. After subdividing the group into quartiles on the base of TGc-AUC, differences were found between the highest (n = 12) and lowest quartile (n = 12) for: fasting capillary TG, fasting insulin, HOMA and systolic blood pressure. Fasting plasma TG and dietary intake were not different. CONCLUSION: Diurnal TG profiles in healthy normolipidemic males are not age-dependent, but are associated to insulin sensitivity, fat mass and diet. Diurnal capillary TG profiles may be a valuable additional tool in estimating a risk profile for CHD since significant differences in diurnal TG are not always reflected by elevated fasting plasma TG.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Differentiation of Arcobacter species by numerical analysis of AFLP profiles and description of a novel Arcobacter from pig abortions and turkey faeces.

AIMS: To evaluate the efficacy of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP)-based genetic profiling for taxonomic and epidemiological analyses of diverse Arcobacter species. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seventy-two isolates of A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus, A. skirrowii and A. nitrofigilis, and a previously unclassified porcine abortion strain were studied. AFLP profiling was performed using a BglII-Csp6I-based protocol previously used to characterize Campylobacter species. Duplicate profiles of 20 isolates were 93.25% similar, indicating high reproducibility. Numerical analysis of all 72 strains revealed five phenons at the 29% similarity level, four of which represented each of the known species studied. The remaining phenon was further characterized by phenotypic and 16S rDNA sequence analyses, the results of which indicated it to be a novel Arcobacter species. The genetically distinct subgroups of A. cryaerophilus were differentiated at the 39.5% similarity level. For strain typing, 62 distinct types were defined, with evidence of clonal lineages within A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus and A. skirrowii. CONCLUSIONS: AFLP profiling is an effective means of determining taxonomic and strain relationships for arcobacters. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: First use of AFLP profiling for diverse Arcobacter species; indication of clonality in A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus and A. skirrowii; potentially novel Arcobacter taxon identified.

Abortion, Veterinary↗
PubMed2001

Differentiation of Enterococcus spp. by cell membrane fatty acid methyl ester profiling, biotyping and ribotyping.

AIMS: Gas chromatographic analysis of cell membrane fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), biochemical profiling (biotyping) and EcoRI restriction endonuclease profiling of DNA containing ribosomal RNA sequences (ribotyping) were compared for differentiation of Enterococcus spp. METHODS AND RESULTS: FAME profiling, biotype profiling and ribotyping of 41 strains from retail Swiss-type cheeses and five strains from culture collections resulted in 17, 25 and 26 groups, respectively, with only two pairs of strains having the same FAME group, biotype profile and ribogroup. CONCLUSION: Substantial overlap occurred in groupings assigned by the three methods. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Differentiation of Enterococcus spp. strains increases if multiple methods are used.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗
PubMed2001

Helicobacter pylori in gastric cancer and peptic ulcer disease in a Colombian population. Strain heterogeneity and antibody profiles.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. The aim of this work was to describe, to compare H. pylori antigenic profiles, and to characterize the antibody response against Colombian strains in gastric cancer and peptic ulcer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Liquid culture supernatants were used to determine the antigenic profiles of 35 H. pylori strains by immunoblotting using a pool of positive sera. Characterization of strains included the evaluation of cytotoxic and vacuolating activities. The serologic antibody profiles of 124 patients (54 duodenal ulcer and 70 gastric cancer) were analyzed against two native strains (Hpu24, Hpc29) and NCTC11638. Antibodies to specific antigenic bands in each strain were related with presentation. RESULTS: Differences among antigenic profiles were observed between native isolates with each serum recognizing a wide range of antigens (30-120 Kd). A 68 Kd band in Hpu24 strain was recognized by 50% of sera from peptic ulcer patients but not by gastric cancer sera (p =.000). The immune profiles differed according to the strain used (i.e. a given sera did not recognize the same bands in different strains). Detection of H. pylori in gastric mucosa was associated with the presence of antibodies against low molecular weight antigenic bands. CONCLUSIONS: The heterogeneity in the antibody response to H. pylori and the prevalence specific anti-H. pylori antibodies in a specific disease depend on the strain used as antigen. The results support the hypothesis that there may be a differential antibody response to carcinogenic and ulcerogenic strains and suggest that there are antigenic bands that could be useful as markers of disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The Ser(447)-Stop polymorphism of lipoprotein lipase is associated with variation in longitudinal serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol profiles: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

The Ser(447)-Stop polymorphism of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) has been associated with altered high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels at individual measurements, but nothing is known of its associations with lipid profiles derived from serial measurements. We used multilevel statistical models to study effects of this polymorphism on longitudinal lipid profiles in 1,006 Bogalusa Heart Study subjects examined 4 to 9 times between the ages of 4 and 38 years. Stop(447) allele frequencies in African Americans (0.053 +/- 0.011) and whites (0.091 +/- 0.009) differed significantly (chi(2) = 7.595, 1 df, P =.006; Stop(447) homozygotes and heterozygotes combined). Overall, TG levels were lower and HDL-C levels higher in blacks than in whites of the same age and sex. Longitudinal TG profiles were lower in Stop(447) carriers at all ages. However, longitudinal HDL-C profiles differed among genotype groups with age: the Stop(447) allele was associated with higher HDL-C only in subjects above approximately 10 years of age. Genotype-specific HDL-C profiles also differed significantly among race/sex groups. Thus, we found evidence of LPL genotype effects that vary within individuals with age. Possible mechanisms, which could account for age-related changes in the effects of LPL variants, are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry profiling of steroids in times of molecular biology.

This review's aim is to outline the potential of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry profiling of steroids in the diagnosis of endogenous human steroid disorders. Mass spectrometry currently provides the highest specificity in clinical steroid analysis. The non-invasive and non-selective GC-MS urinary steroid profiling technique enables diagnosis of almost any adrenal enzyme defects in steroid biosynthesis. While enzymatic defects can be diagnosed from spot urine samples in most cases, analysis of 24-hr urinary samples permits determination of hormonal excretion rates or enables diagnostic or therapeutic monitoring of steroid related diseases. Profiling plasma steroids by isotope dilution/GC-MS is particularly suitable where only minimal plasma samples are available and/or the highest specificity is required; therefore, GC-MS steroid profiling presents a complementary analytical technique whenever highest specificity is required. Clinical GC-MS profiling of steroids is also highly recommended as a reasonable initial diagnostic approach--especially in unclear situations--avoiding uncritical and expensive attempts at molecular diagnostic testing.

Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures↗
PubMed1984

Development of individual insulin infusion profiles for open loop infusion systems.

A computer controlled syringe-type insulin infusion pump storing up to 254 different infusion rates, eight different meal programs and two different basal rates automatically changeable during 24 h in EPROM was used for insulin infusion applying a wavy step profile. This profile approaching the physiological postprandial insulin secretion of the B-cell was calculated by an algorithm following the biphasic insulin secretion model proposed by E. Cerasi . The computer program for the open loop infusion device simulated the feed-back structure of a closed loop insulin secretion control by an algorithm based upon a theoretical postprandial blood sugar profile. Fifteen unstable juvenile onset insulin requiring diabetics could be well controlled after two to three days of an intravenous open loop insulin infusion program. The programs consisted of two constant basal rates and superimposed wavy step profile programs activated at the beginning of each meal. The preabsorptive bolus or cephalic phase was an additional tool both for improved postprandial blood sugar control and further reduction of insulin consumption. The programmable insulin infusion device proved as a valuable tool for the study of a sophisticated insulin infusion profile suitable as well for open loop as for closed loop insulin infusion systems.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

[Significance of the estriol profile as an endogenous function test of the fetoplacental unit].

Oestriol profile represents a functional parameter of the foetal placental unit. Basing on the fact that maternal cortisol regulates oestriol production via a negative feedback action on foetal hypothalamus, relative low serum oestriol concentrations in the morning are compared with increasing oestriol concentrations in the evening, spaced out at short-time intervals, pointing to a dynamic oestriol production of the foetal placental unit. The mean oestriol concentration in the morning and maximum peak values in the evening were determined as criteria of the oestriol profile. In normal pregnancies (n = 74) the oestriol concentration in the morning increases from an average value of 8.0 ng/ml in the 32nd/33rd week to 11.6 ng/ml in the 40th/41st week of gestation. During the same period the peak values in the evening rise from 8.8 to 15.9 ng/ml. The mean cortisol concentrations in normal pregnancies (n = 49) from 32nd to 41st week are in the range of 333 +/- 88 ng/ml in the morning and 205 +/- 66 ng/ml in the evening. There is no significant difference between individual weeks. The predictive value of the oestriol profile was assessed regarding the foetal outcome of 55 high-risk pregnancies. 32 newborn infants exhibited intrauterine growth retardation with birth weights below the 10th and 5th percentile, respectively. In this group 6 patients exhibited low oestriol values in the morning, whereas 12 demonstrated a pathological profile in the evening. In 11 of 12 high-risk pregnancies exhibiting pathological oestriol profile growth, retardation of the newborn was found to be below the 5th percentile. Cortisol concentrations do not significantly differ between normal and high-risk pregnancies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Circadian Rhythm↗
PubMed1991

[24-hour blood pressure profile: reproducibility of automatic ambulatory measurement].

Twelve patients (8 males, 4 females; mean age 53 [43-60] years) who were undergoing rehabilitation treatment after myocardial infarction were studied to ascertain the reproducibility of ambulatory automatic blood pressure measurements. All were in the last stage of a rehabilitation programme (tolerance to ordinary activity; symptom-free exercise at 75 W). Within two weeks 2, 3 or 4 blood-pressure profiles over 24 hours (total of 32 readings) were obtained by automatic measurement and the records and mean values were compared. Single mild stresses, such as gymnastic exercise or visit to the doctor, were identifiable on the records, but did not alter the overall profile or mean values. Normotensives, hypertensives and borderline hypertensives had 24-hour profiles which were nearly identical with regard to the curve "envelope", day-night profile and mean values in the individual patients. Mean values of diastolic and systolic pressures day by day in each patient showed no deviations greater than 5 mm Hg. Therapeutic measures were recognizable by parallel fall of the curve "envelope", as well as by a reduction in mean value.--At least in these selected patients a single 24-hour profile would in principle have sufficed to describe blood pressure behaviour.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Nanosecond freezing of water under multiple shock wave compression: continuum modeling and wave profile measurements.

Using real time optical transmission and imaging measurements in multiple shock wave compression experiments, water was shown to solidify on nanosecond time scales [D. H. Dolan and Y. M. Gupta, J. Chem. Phys. 121, 9050 (2004)]. Continuum modeling and wave profile measurements, presented here, provide a complementary approach to examine the freezing of shocked water. The water model consisted of thermodynamically consistent descriptions of liquid and solid (ice VII) water, relationships for phase coexistence, and a time-dependent transition description to simulate freezing dynamics. Continuum calculations using the water model demonstrate that, unlike single shock compression, multiple shock compression results in pressure-temperature conditions where the ice VIII phase is thermodynamically favored over the liquid phase. Wave profile measurements, using laser interferometry, were obtained with quartz and sapphire windows at a peak pressure of 5 GPa. For water confined between sapphire windows, numerical simulations corresponding to a purely liquid response are in excellent agreement with the measured wave profile. For water confined between quartz windows (to provide a nucleating surface), wave profile measurements demonstrate a pure liquid response for an incubation time of approximately 100 ns followed by a time-dependent transformation. Analysis of the wave profiles after the onset of transformation suggests that water changes from a metastable liquid to a denser phase, consistent with the formation of a high-pressure ice phase. Continuum analyses and simulations underscore the need for multiple time scales to model the freezing transition. Findings from the present continuum work are extremely consistent with optical results reported previously. These studies constitute the first comprehensive investigation reported for freezing of a liquid at very short time scales.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Soft tissue profile in Anatolian Turkish adults: Part II. Comparison of different soft tissue analyses in the evaluation of beauty.

This study examined the soft tissue analyses of Steiner, Ricketts, Burstone, Sushner, Holdaway, and Merrifield to evaluate orthodontists' perceptions of Anatolian Turkish adults' beauty. Forty-four subjects (21 females, mean age, 21.35 years; 23 males, mean age, 21.41 years) with Angle Class I occlusal relationship, and normal anteroposterior (ANB angle, 2 degrees +/- 2 degrees ) and vertical (SN-MP angle, 32 degrees +/- 5 degrees ) skeletal relationships were selected from the dental students at the University of Istanbul. The material consisted of lateral cephalometric radiographs and facial-profile slides of these subjects. Ten linear and 6 angular measurements were analyzed on each radiograph, and the facial profiles were judged as poor, fair, good, or excellent by 6 raters. After the scoring, 34 subjects (16 females and 18 males) were placed in the unattractive group, and 10 subjects (5 females and 5 males) were placed in the attractive group. The significance of the differences between the groups was studied by means of the Mann-Whitney U test. The results demonstrated that persons having a high mandibular plane angle, a small nose, protrusive lips, and a retrusive profile were selected as attractive. Among the 7 esthetic lines used to evaluate the soft tissue profile, only Ricketts' norms for upper and lower lips corresponded to the values we found for attractive profiles.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Evolving trends in risk profiles and causes of death after heart transplantation: a ten-year multi-institutional study.

BACKGROUND: As therapeutic options evolve for advanced heart failure, the appropriate role for cardiac transplantation will require survival analyses that reflect changing trends in causes of death and patient and institutional risk profiles. Results from multi-institutional studies could be used to monitor progress in individual centers. METHODS: Between 1990 and 1999, 7290 patients undergoing cardiac transplantation in 42 institutions entered a formal outcomes study. Changing survival, causes of death, and patient risk profiles were analyzed. Multivariable risk-factor equations were applied to a single institution (300 primary heart transplants) to examine differences in risk-adjusted expected versus observed actuarial outcomes over time. RESULTS: Overall survival in the 42 institutions improved during the decade (P =.02). One- and 3-year cardiac transplant research database survival was as follows: era 1 (1990-1992), 84% and 76%, respectively; era 2 (1993-1995), 85% and 79%, respectively; and era 3 (1996-1999), 85% and 79%, respectively. Causes of death changed over time. Pretransplantation risk profiles increased over time (P =.0001), with increases in reoperations, devices, diabetes, severely ill recipients, pulmonary vascular resistance, sensitization, ischemic times, donor age, and donor inotropic support. Three-year actuarial survival in a single institution was 3% less than risk-adjusted predicted survival in era 1, 1% higher than predicted in era 2, and 7% higher than predicted in era 3. CONCLUSIONS: Survival after cardiac transplantation is gradually improving, despite increasing risk profiles. Further improvement requires periodic re-evaluation of risk profiles and causes of death to target areas of surveillance, therapy, and research. By using these methods, progress at individual institutions can be assessed in a time-related, risk-adjusted manner that also reflects changing institutional experience, expertise, or both.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed2005

Evolutionary profiles from the QR factorization of multiple sequence alignments.

We present an algorithm to generate complete evolutionary profiles that represent the topology of the molecular phylogenetic tree of the homologous group. The method, based on the multidimensional QR factorization of numerically encoded multiple sequence alignments, removes redundancy from the alignments and orders the protein sequences by increasing linear dependence, resulting in the identification of a minimal basis set of sequences that spans the evolutionary space of the homologous group of proteins. We observe a general trend that these smaller, more evolutionarily balanced profiles have comparable and, in many cases, better performance in database searches than conventional profiles containing hundreds of sequences, constructed in an iterative and computationally intensive procedure. For more diverse families or superfamilies, with sequence identity <30%, structural alignments, based purely on the geometry of the protein structures, provide better alignments than pure sequence-based methods. Merging the structure and sequence information allows the construction of accurate profiles for distantly related groups. These structure-based profiles outperformed other sequence-based methods for finding distant homologs and were used to identify a putative class II cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase (CysRS) in several archaea that eluded previous annotation studies. Phylogenetic analysis showed the putative class II CysRSs to be a monophyletic group and homology modeling revealed a constellation of active site residues similar to that in the known class I CysRS.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2001

Polarity and permeation profiles in lipid membranes.

The isotropic (14)N-hyperfine coupling constant, a(o)(N), of nitroxide spin labels is dependent on the local environmental polarity. The dependence of a(o)(N) in fluid phospholipid bilayer membranes on the C-atom position, n, of the nitroxide in the sn-2 chain of a spin-labeled diacyl glycerophospholipid therefore determines the transmembrane polarity profile. The polarity variation in phospholipid membranes, with and without equimolar cholesterol, is characterized by a sigmoidal, trough-like profile of the form (1 + exp [(n - n(o))/lambda])(-1), where n = n(o) is the point of maximum gradient, or polarity midpoint, beyond which the free energy of permeation decreases linearly with n, on a characteristic length-scale, lambda. Integration over this profile yields a corresponding expression for the permeability barrier to polar solutes. For fluid membranes without cholesterol, n(o) approximately 8 and lambda approximately 0.5--1 CH(2) units, and the permeability barrier introduces an additional diffusive resistance that is equivalent to increasing the effective membrane thickness by 35--80%, depending on the lipid. For membranes containing equimolar cholesterol, n(o) approximately 9--10, and the total change in polarity is greater than for membranes without cholesterol, increasing the permeability barrier by a factor of 2, whereas the decay length remains similar. The permeation of oxygen into fluid lipid membranes (determined by spin-label relaxation enhancements) displays a profile similar to that of the transmembrane polarity but of opposite sense. For fluid membranes without cholesterol n(o) approximately 8 and lambda approximately 1 CH(2) units, also for oxygen. The permeation profile for polar paramagnetic ion complexes is closer to a single exponential decay, i.e., n(o) lies outside the acyl-chain region of the membrane. These results are relevant not only to the permeation of water and polar solutes into membranes and their permeabilities, but also to depth determinations of site-specifically spin-labeled protein residues by using paramagnetic relaxation agents.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy↗
PubMed1996

Congruence of fatty acid methyl ester profiles and morphological characters of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Gigasporaceae.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Order Glomales, Class Zygomycetes) are a diverse group of soil fungi that form mutualistic associations with the roots of most species of higher plants. Despite intensive study over the past 25 years, the phylogenetic relationships among AM fungi, and thus many details of evolution of the symbiosis, remain unclear. Cladistic analysis was performed on fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles of 15 species in Gigaspora and Scutellospora (family Gigasporaceae) by using a restricted maximum likelihood approach of continuous character data. Results were compared to a parsimony analysis of spore morphological characters of the same species. Only one tree was generated from each character set. Morphological and developmental data suggest that species with the simplest spore types are ancestral whereas those with complicated inner wall structures are derived. Spores of those species having a complex wall structure pass through stages of development identical to the mature stages of simpler spores, suggesting a pattern of classical Haeckelian recapitulation in evolution of spore characters. Analysis of FAME profiles supported this hypothesis when Glomus leptotichum was used as the outgroup. However, when Glomus etunicatum was chosen as the outgroup, the polarity of the entire tree was reversed. Our results suggest that FAME profiles contain useful information and provide independent criteria for generating phylogenetic hypotheses in AM fungi. The maximum likelihood approach to analyzing FAME profiles also may prove useful for many other groups of organisms in which profiles are empirically shown to be stable and heritable.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Profiling the global tyrosine phosphorylation state.

Protein tyrosine kinases and protein tyrosine phosphatases play a key role in cell signaling, and the recent success of specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors in cancer treatment strongly validates the clinical relevance of basic research on tyrosine phosphorylation. Functional profiling of the tyrosine phosphoproteome is likely to lead to the identification of novel targets for drug discovery and provide a basis for novel molecular diagnostic approaches. The ultimate aim of current mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomic approaches is the comprehensive characterization of the phosphoproteome. However, current methods are not yet sensitive enough for routine detection of a large percentage of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, which are generally of low abundance. In this article, we discuss alternative methods that exploit Src homology 2 (SH2) domains for profiling the tyrosine phosphoproteome. SH2 domains are small protein modules that bind specifically to tyrosine-phosphorylated peptides; there are more than 100 SH2 domains in the human genome, and different SH2 domains bind to different classes of tyrosine-phosphorylated ligands. These domains play a critical role in the propagation of signals in the cell, mediating the relocalization and complex formation of proteins in response to changes in tyrosine phosphorylation. We have developed an SH2 profiling method based on far-Western blotting, in which a battery of SH2 domains is used to probe the global state of tyrosine phosphorylation. Application to the classification of human malignancies suggests that this approach has potential as a molecular diagnostic tool. We also describe ongoing efforts to modify and improve SH2 profiling, including the development of a multiplexed assay system that will allow high-throughput functional profiling of the tyrosine phosphoproteome.

Blotting, Far-Western↗
PubMed2001

Analysis of stable low molecular weight (LMW) RNA profiles of hydrocarbon metabolizing bacteria by staircase electrophoresis.

Staircase electrophoresis (SCE) in polyacrilamide gels was used to analyze the stable low-molecular weight (LMW) RNA profiles of several propane and butane oxidizing bacteria belonging to different species and genera. Differences in the number and distribution of the RNA bands in these profiles allowed us to differentiate among them. Congruent results were found between the established classification of these bacteria and results obtained by LMW RNA profiling and moreover, some misclassified strains can be assigned to the correct genus and species using this technique. LMW RNA profiling by staircase electrophoresis, which makes possible the analysis of a large number of strains in a short time, permits rapid identification of hydrocarbon metabolizing species when compared with LMW RNA profiles of reference strains.

Bacteria↗