Abstract: The present invention deals with reagents and compositions capable of effectively inhibiting peroxidase activity. According to the invention, peroxidase enzymatic activity is blocked with an acidic aqueous solution of a protein denaturing agent. Preferred protein denaturing agents are detergents and chaotropic substances.

Abstract: An insert device and co-culture device assembly incorporating the insert device, which includes an insert chamber with two fluid impermeable side walls that extend from a microporous bottom to an open top to form an inner cavity. The first side wall is shaped to form a convex arc that follows between about half of a circumference of the well and less than an entire circumference of the well. The second side wall joins ends of the first side wall and protrudes inward towards a center of the convex arc. A flange extends outward from or beneath the top and is notched to form a gap adjacent to the second side wall, which forms an access port allowing access to the lower chamber with a micropipette tip when the insert device is inserted into a well of a single or multi-well plate.

Abstract: The present invention deals with reagents and compositions capable of effectively inhibiting peroxidase activity. According to the invention, peroxidase enzymatic activity is blocked with an acidic aqueous solution of a protein denaturing agent. Preferred protein denaturing agents are detergents and chaotropic substances.

Abstract: The present invention deals with reagents and compositions capable of effectively inhibiting peroxidase activity. According to the invention, peroxidase enzymatic activity is blocked with an acidic aqueous solution of a protein denaturing agent. preferred protein denaturing agents are detergents and chaotropic substances.

Abstract: An insert device and co-culture device assembly incorporating the insert device, which includes an insert chamber with two fluid impermeable side walls that extend from a microporous bottom to an open top to form an inner cavity. The first side wall is shaped to form a convex arc that follows between about half of a circumference of the well and less than an entire circumference of the well. The second side wall joins ends of the first side wall and protrudes inward towards a center of the convex arc. A flange extends outward from or beneath the top and is notched to form a gap adjacent to the second side wall, which forms an access port allowing access to the lower chamber with a micropipette tip when the insert device is inserted into a well of a single or multi-well plate.

Abstract: The invention provides the use of tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether for adsorbing nucleic acids to solid phases such as those with silica surfaces. To this end, the invention also provides compositions comprising TDE. Methods are disclosed and claimed to purify nucleic acids from samples, as well as kits useful for performing these methods. Particularly, the invention encompasses methods for the purification of nucleic acids with low molecular weight. The nucleic acids purified by a method of the invention are suited for assays aiming at the detection of a target nucleic acid.

Abstract: The invention provides the use of tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether for adsorbing nucleic acids to solid phases such as those with silica surfaces. To this end, the invention also provides compositions comprising TDE. Methods are disclosed and claimed to purify nucleic acids from samples, as well as kits useful for performing these methods. Particularly, the invention encompasses methods for the purification of nucleic acids with low molecular weight. The nucleic acids purified by a method of the invention are suited for assays aiming at the detection of a target nucleic acid.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and kits for measuring enzyme activity in which the turbidity of a sample caused by cell components is minimized by particular additives. The methods include the steps of providing a cell suspension or a cell lysate containing cell components, adding a chromogenic substrate at the start of the enzyme reaction, adding a first additional substance to stop the enzyme reaction, and making a colorimetric measurement, wherein a second additional substance which reduces the light scattering and/or absorption caused by the cells or the cell components is added during or after termination of the enzyme reaction. In particular, a method is disclosed wherein the enzyme is lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the first additional substance to stop the reaction is HCl.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for the real time analysis of cell cultures and their molecular content. More precisely, the present invention provides a method to monitor the cellular reaction of cells to certain stimuli in real time in order to figure out a reasonable point of time to perform an analysis of the molecular content of the cells.

Abstract: The invention provides the use of tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether for adsorbing nucleic acids to solid phases such as those with silica surfaces. To this end, the invention also provides compositions comprising TDE. Methods are disclosed and claimed to purify nucleic acids from samples, as well as kits useful for performing these methods. Particularly, the invention encompasses methods for the purification of nucleic acids with low molecular weight. The nucleic acids purified by a method of the invention are suited for assays aiming at the detection of a target nucleic acid.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for the calorimetric measurement of enzyme activity comprising the following steps: preparing a cell suspension or a cell lysate containing cell components, adding a chromogenic substrate at the start of the enzyme reaction, adding a first additional substance to stop the enzyme reaction, and making a colorimetric measurement, wherein a second additional substance which reduces the light scattering and/or absorption caused by the cells or the cell components is added during or after termination of the enzyme reaction.

Abstract: A method of preparing a biotinylated polypeptide in a cell-free peptide synthesis reaction mixture by contacting, under suitable conditions, a polypeptide to be biotinylated, with a reaction mixture that includes ribosomes, tRNA, ATP, GTP, nucleotides, biotin and amino acids, and a polypeptide that includes an enzymatically active domain of a BirA enzyme. The polypeptide to be biotinylated includes a BirA substrate sequence tag, and the polypeptide to be biotinylated and the polypeptide comprising an enzymatically active domain of a BirA enzyme, are expressed in situ in the reaction mixture, by at least one nucleic acid molecule encoding the polypeptide to be biotinylated, and the enzymatically active domain of a BirA enzyme, respectively.

Abstract: The present invention deals with reagents and compositions capable of effectively inhibiting peroxidase activity. According to the invention, peroxidase enzymatic activity is blocked with an acidic aqueous solution of a protein denaturing agent. preferred protein denaturing agents are detergents and chaotropic substances.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for the colorimetric measurement of enzyme activities comprising the following steps: preparing a cell suspension or a cell lysate containing cell components adding a chromogenic substrate at the start of the enzyme reaction adding a first additional substance to stop the enzyme reaction colorimetric measurement wherein a second additional substance which reduces the light scattering and/or absorption caused by the cells or the cell components is added during or after termination of the enzyme reaction.

Abstract: The invention is a multichamber microdialysis device with a multitude of sample chambers in close side by side arrangement (similar to a microtiter plate) for receiving liquid samples, and at least one dialysate chamber for receiving a dialysate liquid. The sample chambers are surrounded by circumferential sidewalls and are in liquid exchange contact to a neighboring dialysis chamber via an exchange opening covered by a semipermeable membrane. The semipermeable membrane is fixed liquid-tight to the walls of the sample chamber, so that a diffusion exchange between the sample chamber and the correspondingly neighboring dialysate chamber is only possible via the membrane. Consequently, only molecules with a molecular weight below the molecular cut-off of the semipermeable membrane can diffuse from the sample chamber to the dialysate chamber or from the dialysate chamber to the sample chamber.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for the optimized production of proteins in an in vitro or in vivo expression system and reagents suitable therefor.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for improving the stability of linear short DNA towards exonucleases in cell-free in vitro transcription/translation systems using lysates containing exonucleases or in cellular systems containing exonucleases, wherein the stability of the linear short DNA is improved by adding unspecific linear DNA.

Abstract: The invention provides the means to enhance in E. coli-based expression systems the formation of fusion polypeptides containing as an N-terminal tag a biotinylation polypeptide. By way of specifically exchanging in the nucleic acid sequence encoding the biotinylation polypeptide nucleotides at 11 discrete positions enhances the formation of the total fusion polypeptide by at least 40%.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the analysis and optimization of the expression efficiency in the preparation of a protein in expression systems and to a method for the preparation of proteins in such expression systems.