e-Lynx - April 2008Dear Researcher, We are pleased to present the April e-Lynx, a newsletter devoted to keeping our customers up-to -date on new technologies, our new products, suppliers, activities and promotions.
New Products and ServicesActive
Motif - Suspension Cell FACE™
|
Active
Motif’s FACE™ Kits provide a simple cell-based
method to assay for phosphorylated protein targets.
The Suspension Cell FACE module enables you to take
advantage of the optimized FACE Kits while adapting
them for improved results when working with non-adherent
cell models. The Suspension Cell FACE module was designed
to be used with any colorimetric or chemiluminescent
FACE Kit; it provides you with 96-well filter plates
that make it easier to perform washing & liquid
handling steps through use of an appropriate vacuum
manifold. | Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AM48305 | Suspension Cell FACE™ | 2 x 96 rxns |
| AM48405 | Suspension Cell FACE™ Chemi | 2 x 96 rxns |
Macherey-Nagel
- Protino® Glutathione Agarose 4B
Protino® Glutathione Agarose 4B enables fast and convenient purification of recombinant Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST)-tagged proteins from whole cell extracts by affinity chromatography.
Binding
of protein is based on the selective interaction between the
Glutathione-S-Transferase tag of the recombinant protein and
the immobilized glutathione of the affinity resin. The binding
process is highly specific and selective as it is based on an
enzyme-substrate reaction between GST and its substrate glutathione,
a tripeptide. Thus, only one chromatographic step leads to a
high degree of purification. Elution of the GST-tagged protein
is performed with free glutathione in the elution buffer. The
affinity of Glutathione-S-Transferase for free glutathione is
higher than the one for the immobilized glutathione bound to
the agarose matrix. Therefore free glutathione replaces the
immobilized glutathione which leads to release of the GST-tagged
protein from the matrix.
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High flexibility – for batch, gravity flow and FPLC purification
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Universal Use – Suitable for small proteins, large protein complexes, proteins with low expression rates.
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A cost effective alternative for GST-tag purification
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| MCN74550010 | Protino® Glutathione Agarose 4B | 10 mL |
| MCN745500100 | Protino® Glutathione Agarose 4B | 100 mL |
Associates
of Cape Cod Inc. - Pyros EQS Software
The Pyros EQS is intuitive, easy-to-use
software that is designed specifically for endotoxin testing
with the Pyros Kinetix tube reader.
Pyros EQS is a sophisticated 21
CFR Part 11 Compliant, software
solution that provides efficient, accurate analysis and reporting.
The software writes to an *Oracle® database, the industry
standard in data security. It has multiple access levels for
improved security, detailed audit trails, and built-in trending
by date range, technician, sample type and LAL lot. The software
provides enhanced reporting options, flexible operation modes
and incorporates electronic signatures, as well as a supervisor
sign-off on completed tests. The application also offers two
choices for calculating Coefficient of Variations (CVs), and
a new summarized Pass/Fail Report. For users who do not require
21 CFR Part 11 compliance, a more affordable version without
the compliance features is also available.
Click here for the product brochure.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| SKPEQS11 | Pyros EQS Software with Manual (21 CFR Part 11 Compliant) |
Each |
| SKPEQS | Pyros EQS Software with Manual (Without Part 11 Compliance Features) |
Each |
Active
Motif - HDAC Assay Kit
Colourimetric or fluorescent assays for histone
deacetylase activity
HDAC (Histone Deacetylase) Assay Kits are 96-well plate-based assays to determine the HDAC activity in your extracts or purified samples. HDAC Assay Kits are available in both colourimetric and fluorescent formats to suit your needs.
Each HDAC Assay Kit contains positive control HeLa Nuclear Extract, deacetylated HDAC assay standard, HDAC peptide substrate, Trichostatin A as a model inhibitor and all the essential buffers for a full 96-well plate assay.
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Works with Class I and Class II HDAC enzymes
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Easy to adapt to work with Class III HDAC enzymes
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Use nuclear extracts, immunoprecipitates, column fractions or purified proteins
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Calculate enzymatic activity and screen inhibitor compounds
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AM56200 | HDAC Assay Kit (Fluorescent) | 1 x 96 rxns |
| AM56210 | HDAC Assay Kit (Colourimetric) | 1 x 96 rxns |
New Literature
Polyplus
Transfections - 2008 Catalogue
Polyplus Transfections offers reagents for intracellular delivery of biomolecules. They offer products for in vitro and in vivo delivery of genes, oligonucleotides, siRNA, proteins, antibodies and peptides.
Promotions
Macherey-Nagel
- iPod® Promotion
Until June 30, 2008
Take advantage of special pricing on
NucleoSpin® Kit Bundles
AND receive a FREE iPod nano
Click
here for details
Offer valid from March 1st
to June 30th, 2008
Cannot be combined with any other offers
or discounts
Promotional Code MCNI08
Abgent - 40% OFF Newly Released Antibodies
Abgent strives to provide you with an expansive and unique antibody collection for advancing your research.
Abgent now offers huge savings
on new products.
Click here
for a listing of applicable products and promotion details
Assay
Designs - Buy 3, Get 1 Free - Antibody and Protein Promotion
Offer extended until December 31st, 2008
Fall into savings with this buy 3, get 1 free promotion on Assay Designs top selling antibodies and proteins. All you need to do is select at least 4 Assay Designs™ antibodies or proteins from the list below and you will receive the lowest priced product free of charge.
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Over 110 antibodies and proteins to choose from, including many Stressgen® brand products
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Diverse set of research areas including heat shock, cell signaling, oxidative stress, and inflammation
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Superb performance documented in thousands of peer-reviewed publications
Click here for promotion details
Valid until December 31st,
2008 or while quantities last
Promotional Code: EOY112607
Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts
Technical Report
The CometAssay™:
A Tool for Measuring DNA Repair
by Trevigen
The single cell gel electrophoresis or CometAssay™ is a state of the art technique for quantitating DNA damage and repair from in vivo and in vitro samples of eukaryotic cells and some prokaryotic cells. This technique is rapid, non-invasive, sensitive, visual and inexpensive compared to conventional techniques and is a powerful tool to study factors modifying mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. It is the only technique that directly measures DNA damage in individual cells and as a result has rapidly gained importance in the fields of genetic toxicology and human biomonitoring. The CometAssay™ measures double strand breaks (DSBs), single strand breaks (SSBs), alkali labile sites, oxidative DNA base damage, DNA-DNA/ DNA-protein/DNA-Drug crosslinking and DNA repair.
During the course of cancer treatment tumor cells frequently become resistant to the therapeutic agent. When this happens it is frequently not possible to administer a high enough dose of chemotherapeutic drugs to overcome the resistance of the cancer cells since the patient cannot tolerate the dose. Resistance to the effects of chemotherapeutic drugs frequently is a result of the tumor's ability to overcome the damaging actions of the therapy (1).
At the core of this resistance are the DNA repair mechanisms and or cellular pumps that export drugs from the cell before they can reach the nucleus. DNA repair pathways maintain genome integrity by repairing adducts and breaks. These same repair pathways confer resistance to the cancer killing effects of the most established therapies. It would therefore seem logical that an effective form of cancer treatment would involve the nontoxic inhibition of one or more DNA repair pathways to increase the effectiveness of therapeutic agents. There is evidence that drugs that inhibit one of these pathways in such tumors may be useful agents in the treatment of cancer.
The CometAssay™ is
ideally suited to evaluate compounds that affect cellular
DNA pathways. In the study below using both the alkaline
CometAssayTM and the neutral CometAssay™ we demonstrate
the effect of the PI3 kinase inhibitor, wortmannin on
the repair of double strand breaks in DNA. PI3 kinases
are activated in the presence of double strand DNA breaks
and are critical to the Non Homologous End Joining (NHEJ)
pathway.
In figure 1, Jurkat cells were incubated in the presence of escalating concentrations of the topoisomerase inhibitor etoposide for 2 hours. Subsequent to treatment, the percent DNA in the tail and comet tail length were determined using both neutral and alkaline CometAssay™ procedures. Table 1 shows the results of experiments in which Jurkat cells were treated with etoposide and then permitted to repair damaged DNA in the presence or absence of wortmannin. In these experiments cells were washed to remove etoposide and then permitted to recover for 1 hour. As judged by the neutral CometAssay™, etoposide treated cells in the absence of the PI3K inhibitor wortmanin, underwent DNA repair as comet length and percent DNA in the tail returned to the same value as that of the untreated controls. However, CometAssay™ parameters for etoposide treated cells incubated in the presence of wortmannin remained unchanged indicating that NHEJ was inhibited during the 1 hour recovery period. The data is a good example of the utility of the CometAssay™ as a tool for measuring DNA repair and for the evaluation of compounds that interfere with specific DNA repair pathways.
Figure 1 - Exposure to Jurkat Cells to Etoposide
Table 1 - Effect of Wortmannin on DNA Repair
References:
1. Helleday, T., Petermann, E., Lundin, C., Hodgson,
B. and Sharma, R.A.
2008. Nature Reviews Cancer 8: 193-204.
Ordering Information:
| Product Number | Description |
| TV4250050K | CometAssay™ Kit |
| TV4251050K | CometAssay™ Silver Kit |
| TV4252040K | High Throughput CometAssay™ Kit |
| TV4253096K | CometAssay™ 96 |
| TV4256010CC | CometAssay™ Control Cells |
Tradeshows
Visit MJSBioLynx at the following events:
| Tradeshow | Location | Date |
| Minishow - Carleton University | Carleton University Nesbitt Biology Bldg. Lobby Ottawa, On |
April 3rd, 2008 10:00 am - 2:00 pm |
| Rendez-vous Protéomique | McGill University Leacock Bldg. Montreal, Qc |
April 10th, 2008 |
| Minishow - Canadian Food Inspection Agency | Fallowfield Location First Floor Teaching Lab |
April 22nd, 2008 |
