Notes: Human PBMC were isolated and encapsulated in a alginate-collagen matrix (via electrostatic bead generator) either alone or after infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Viability of PBMC-alone or M. tuberculosis-infected PBMC microspheres were measured with the CellTiter-Glo® 3D Cell Viability Assay. Luminescence measurements in the study were accomplished with either the GloMax® 20/20 Luminometer or GloMax® Discover Instrument. (4815)

Notes: An insertional mutagenesis screen of the Dengue virus genome was used to identify regions tolerating small 15 amino acid insertions. The NS1 protein, which is essential for viral genome replication, was shown to be highly tolerant to insertions. NS1 was tagged with both a minimal fusion tag (Small BiT) and NanoLuc Luciferase. Tagged protein variants were assessed for viral infectivity, and used to investigate the protein localization and levels of NS1. (5075)

Notes: A bicistronic firefly/Renilla construct was engineered and transfected into 1.25 × 10⁵ MCF7 cells/well of a 12-well plate using the ViaFect™ Transfection Reagent. Reporter activities were measured with the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System and read on a GloMax® 20/20 Luminometer. (4688)

Notes: Epiprofin (Epfn) was expressed in HaCaT cells from various HaloTag® Fusion vectors with either full-length or deletion mutants of the CMV promoter to provide different levels of Epfn expression. (The authors do not state whether the N-terminal or C-terminal HaloTag® Fusion vectors were used). HaCaT 72hr proliferation was highest when using the CMVd3 promoter (e.g., pFC17A or pFN24A) for the lowest expression level. Reporter assays were performed on in the HaCaT cells as well and were measured with the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System on a GloMax® Instrument. Transfection studies performed with primary keratinocytes utilized the ViaFect™ Transfection Reagent using the reverse transfection method. (4690)

Notes: This paper describes a bioluminescence-based method for the detection of DNA methyltransferase activity based on methylation-resistant cleavage and protein expression. The authors used Dam methylase as a model enzyme, MboI as the methylation-resistant endonuclease, and luciferase reporter DNA (LR-DNA) as the target. LR-DNA was amplified by PCR and then used as substrate in a Dam methylation reaction. If the target sites in the LR-DNA were fully methylated, they were resistant to subsequent MboI cleavage and expressed luciferase upon in vitro transcription/translation. Incomplete methylation or the absence of methylation resulted in DNA digestion and diminished/absent luciferase activity. TNT® T7 Quick for PCR DNA was used for in vitro translation of the LR-DNA, and the Luciferase Assay System and GloMax® 20/20 Luminometer were used to measure luciferase activity. (4191)

Notes: Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is useful for determining water biodegradability, and the application of this measure allows researchers to analyze the efficiency of a given water treatment process in reducing the biodegradable natural organic matter (NOM). Such analyses allow researchers to determine the amount of oxygen required for the biochemical degradation of organic material over time. BOD protocols are well established for freshwater and wastewater; however, no satisfactory standard protocols have been developed for seawater and saltwater. The authors of this study set out to develop a protocol for a reliable Mediterranean seawater analysis using an appropriate seeding method. Raw seawater was collected from the Mediterranean Sea at the desalination plant at El Prat de Llobregat (Spain). The BacTiter-Glo™ Microbial Cell Viability Assay, which uses ATP indicator as the presence of viable cells, was used to monitor inoculum activity. Assay results were measured using the GloMax® 20/20 Luminometer. The authors determined a minimum seed quantity required for reliable BOD determination. (4260)

Notes: In this study the luminescence-based BacTiter-Glo System and the GloMax 20/20 luminometer were used to detect ATP concentrations as low as 0.0001 nM in various water samples. The results correlated with those generated using traditional microbial detection methods. (4103)

Notes: In this study, the effect of solar disinfection on Shigella flexneri and Salmonella typhimurium in drinking water samples was evaluated. A variety of viability indicators were used to investigate the effectiveness of the disinfection method, including measurement of cellular ATP levels. The BacTiter-Glo Assay was used for ATP detection. (4104)