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Chemistry (including Biochemistry)/penicillin
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Question
Hello there,
My name is Megan and I'm 17 years old.
I'm doing research on penicillin for a school project. I found a way of making it from mold but I was wondering if you knew what each ingredient does. (Lactose Monohydrate, Corn Starch, Sodium Nitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium MonoPhosphate, Glucose Monohydrate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate) I tried asking the author of the recipe but he couldn't answer. He said I should contact a chemist. I also tried researching each individual ingredient on the internet but there is so much information that it got me nowhere.
Thank you, Megan
Hello Megan!
Those ingredients are just the growth medium for the penicillin mold culture. Lactose monohydrate and glucose monohydrate are sugars to feed the mold. The salts provide necessary nutrients. There is no penicillin in your 'recipe' yet, because it must be isolated from mold. I'd be interested in seeing your plans for isolating the penicillin; I could not find your recipe.
Good luck with your project! :)
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| Comment | Thank you, you're answer helped. We did the experiment today and it went well. We now have to wait 7 days... Here is the recipe in cas you want to make your own Penicillin: 1. Prepare a penicillium culture. Expose a slice of bread or a citrus peel to a 70 degree Fahrenheit environment. A blue-green mold should develop. 2. Sterilize the equipment. Place the flask in the oven at 315 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour, or sterilize in a pressure cooker for at least 15 minutes. Wash the milk bottles. 3. Fill the Erlenmeyer flask. Cut the bread or citrus peel into small pieces and fill the flask. Allow to incubate in the dark at 70 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 days. After this incubation period, the flask can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 10-14 days. 4. Prepare the media. Dissolve the following ingredients, in the order listed, into 500ml of cold tap water: 44.0 grams Lactose Monohydrate, 25.0 grams cornstarch, 3.0 grams sodium nitrate, 0.25 grams magnesium sulfate, 0.50 grams potassium phosphate mono, 2.75 grams glucose monohydrate, 0.044 grams zinc sulfate, 0.044 grams manganese sulfate. Then add enough cold tap water to make one liter. Use hydrochloric acid to adjust the pH to between 5.0 and 5.5. 5. Fill the bottles with media. Fill the milk bottles with this media. Use only enough so that when the bottle is placed in its side, the media does not reach the plug. 6. Add the penicillin spores. First sterilize the bottles of media in a pressure cooker or in the stove, as you did the Erlenmeyer flask. When they have cooled, add approximately one tablespoon of the spores from the bread or citrus peel. 7. Incubate the bottles. Allow the bottles to rest undisturbed on their sides at 70 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 days. If the culture has worked to produce penicillin, it will be in the liquid portion of the media following this incubation period. Finally, filter the media and refrigerate immediately. Thank you again, Megan | ||
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Answers by Expert:
Trista Robichaud, PhD
Expertise
No homework questions, especially ones copied and pasted from textbooks. I will answer questions about principles or give hints, but I do not do other's homework. I'm comfortable answering basic biochemistry, chemistry, and biology questions up to and including an undergraduate level of understanding. This includes molecular biology, protein purification, and genetics. My training/inclination is primarily in structural biology, or how the shapes of things affect their function. Other interests include protein design, protein engineering, enzyme kinetics, and metabolic diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. My chemistry weaknesses are that I do not know organic or inorganic synthesis well, nor am I familiar with advanced inorganic reactions. I will attempt quantum mechanics and thermodynamics questions, but primarily as they relate to biological systems. Furthermore, I cannot tell you if a skin photograph is cancerous, or otherwise diagnose any disease. I can tell you how we currently understand the basic science behind a disease state, but I cannot recommend treatment in any way. Please direct such questions to your medical professional.
Experience
I hold a PhD in Biomedical Science from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. I specialize in Biochemistry, with a focus on protein chemistry. My thesis work involved the structure and functions of the human glucose transporter 1. (hGLUT1) Currently I am a postdoc working in peptide (mini-protein) design and enzymology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. I am in Bjorn Steffensen's lab (PhD, DDS), studying gelatinase A and oral carcinoma.
Organizations
2001 American Association for the Advancement of Science
2007 American Chemical Society
2007 Protein Society
2011 UTHSCSA Women’s Faculty Association
Publications
Levine KB, Robichaud TK, Hamill S, Sultzman LA, Carruthers A. Properties of the human erythrocyte glucose transport protein are determined by cellular context. Biochemistry 44(15):5606-16, 2005. (PMID 15823019)
Robichaud TK, Appleyard AN, Herbert RB, Henderson PJ, Carruthers A “Determinants of ligand binding affinity and cooperativity at the GLUT1 endofacial site” Biochemistry 50(15):3137-48, 2011. (PMID 21384913)
Xu X, Mikhailova M, Chen Z, Pal S, Robichaud TK, Lafer EM, Baber S, Steffensen B. “Peptide from the C-terminal domain of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) inhibits membrane activation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2)” Matrix Biol. 2011 Sep;30(7-8):404-12. (PMID: 21839835)
Robichaud TK, Steffensen B, Fields GB. Exosite interactions impact matrix metalloproteinase collagen specificities. J Biol Chem. 2011 Oct 28;286(43):37535-42 (PMID: 21896477)
Poster Abstracts:
Robichaud TK, Carruthers. A "Mutagenesis of the Human type 1 glucose transporter exit site: A functional study." ACS 234th Meeting, Boston MA. Division of Biological Chemistry, 2007
Robichaud TK, Bhowmick M, Tokmina-Roszyk D, Fields GB “Synthesis and Analysis of MT1-MMP Peptide Inhibitors” Biological Chemistry Division of the Protein Society Meeting, San Diego CA 2010
Robichaud TK; Tokmina-Roszyk D; Steffensen B and Fields GB “Catalytic Domain Exosites Contribute to Determining Matrix Metalloproteinase Triple Helical Collagen Specificities” Dental Science Symposium. UTHSCSA 2011
Robichaud TK; Tokmina-Roszyk D; Steffensen B and Fields GB “Exosite Interactions Determine Matrix Metalloproteinase Specificities” Gordon Research Conference on Matrix Metalloproteinase Biology, Bristol RI 2011
Education/Credentials
Oakland University, Auburn Hills MI BS, Biochemistry 1998
University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester MA PhD, Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology 2001-2008
University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio TX Postdoc, Biochemistry 2009-Present
Awards and Honors
1998 Honors College Graduate, Oakland University
2009 Institutional National Research Service Award, Pathobiology of Occlusive Vascular Disease T32 HL07446
2011 1st Place, Best Postdoctoral Poster, Dental Science Symposium, UTHSCSA, April 2011
Past/Present Clients
Invited Seminars:
Robichaud TK, Fields GB. “Synthesis and Analysis of MTI-MMP Triple Helical Peptide Inhibitors” Pathology Research Conference, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Pathology Department (June 18th, 2010)
Robichaud TK & Hill, B “How To Give A Great Scientific Talk” Invited Lecture, Pathobiology of Occlusive Vascular Disease Seminars, UTHSCSA (Nov 11th 2010), Cardiology Seminar Series, Texas Research Park (Feb 21st, 2011)
Robichaud TK; Tokmina-Roszyk D; Steffensen B and Fields GB “Exosite Interactions Determine Matrix Metalloproteinase Specificities” Gordon-Keenan Research Seminar “Everything You Wanted to Know About Matrix Metalloproteinases But Were Afraid to Ask” Bristol, RI (Aug 6th, 2011)
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