Navigation Links
Berkeley Lab scientists generate electricity from viruses
Date:5/13/2012

sciences, engineering, and physics at UC Berkeley; and Byung Yang Lee of Berkeley Lab's Physical Biosciences Division.

The piezoelectric effect was discovered in 1880 and has since been found in crystals, ceramics, bone, proteins, and DNA. It's also been put to use. Electric cigarette lighters and scanning probe microscopes couldn't work without it, to name a few applications.

But the materials used to make piezoelectric devices are toxic and very difficult to work with, which limits the widespread use of the technology.

Lee and colleagues wondered if a virus studied in labs worldwide offered a better way. The M13 bacteriophage only attacks bacteria and is benign to people. Being a virus, it replicates itself by the millions within hours, so there's always a steady supply. It's easy to genetically engineer. And large numbers of the rod-shaped viruses naturally orient themselves into well-ordered films, much the way that chopsticks align themselves in a box.

These are the traits that scientists look for in a nano building block. But the Berkeley Lab researchers first had to determine if the M13 virus is piezoelectric. Lee turned to Ramesh, an expert in studying the electrical properties of thin films at the nanoscale. They applied an electrical field to a film of M13 viruses and watched what happened using a special microscope. Helical proteins that coat the viruses twisted and turned in responsea sure sign of the piezoelectric effect at work.

Next, the scientists increased the virus's piezoelectric strength. They used genetic engineering to add four negatively charged amino acid residues to one end of the helical proteins that coat the virus. These residues increase the charge difference between the proteins' positive and negative ends, which boosts the voltage of the virus.

The scientists further enhanced the system by stacking films composed of single layers of the virus on top of each other. They found
'/>"/>

Contact: Dan Krotz
dakrotz@lbl.gov
510-486-4019
DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Berkeley Lab researchers discover critical rotational motion in cells
2. Berkeley Lab researchers create first of its kind gene map of sulfate-reducing bacterium
3. Berkeley Lab tests cookstoves for Haiti
4. Illinois-UC Berkeley discovery turns seaweed into biofuel in half the time
5. UC Berkeley launches Synthetic Biology Institute to advance research in biological engineering
6. Berkeley Lab researchers make first perovskite-based superlens for the infrared
7. Getting organized: Berkeley Lab study shows how breast cell communities organize into breast tissue
8. Berkeley Lab researchers illuminate laminins role in cancer formation
9. Berkeley Lab to build DOE advanced biofuels user facility
10. Berkeley scientists find new way to get physical in the fight against cancer
11. Berkeley Lab researchers participate in Homeland Security study of subway airflow
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/21/2013)... shape is an uphill battle? Try staying fit in ... withers muscle and bone. , That,s the challenge a ... a new three-year, $1.2 million grant from NASA. Their ... multiyear exploratory missions. , "You could give astronauts the ... get them to stick to it, it isn,t going ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... of insulin action in cells in precise detail like ... what goes wrong in diabetes. , The breakthrough ... from Sydney,s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, is now ... journal Cell Metabolism . , First discovered in ... in the body because it helps us lower blood ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... University of Minnesota Medical School researchers from the ... the University,s Brain Tumor Program, have developed a new ... that allow them to discover new genes and gene ... was published this week in the journal Nature ... researchers in the lab of David Largaespada, Ph.D., professor ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Fueling fitness on the final frontier 2Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells 2Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells 3U of M researchers develop model for better testing, targeting of MPNST 2
... The history of evolution is periodically marked by explosions ... wide range of shapes and sizes. With a new ... record, researchers have discovered that these diversifications proceeded head-first. ... that diversified around the time of two separate extinction ...
... to help prevent or reduce severe wildfire will release more ... fire prevention, a new study concludes. There may be ... forest structure or health, wildlife enhancement or public safety ... say. In research just published in Frontiers in ...
... LIFE the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University ... growth pattern than non-breastfed children. Breastfeeding lowers the levels of ... means that growth is slightly slower. This is believed to ... The PhD project is part of SKOT, a ...
Cached Biology News:'Head-first' diversity shown to drive vertebrate evolution 2'Head-first' diversity shown to drive vertebrate evolution 3Forest health versus global warming: Fuel reduction likely to increase carbon emissions 2Breastfeeding promotes healthy growth 2
(Date:5/21/2013)... 2013 Custom Learning Designs, Inc.(CLD) ... solution using Tin Can API combined with its ... is a leading developer of training content and ... worldwide. , Tin Can API is a ... and trainers more accurately measure the Return on ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... May 21, 2013 The congress ... Transplant Association) is the biggest congress in ... Nearly 10,000 participants are in Istanbul ... research findings. New pioneering studies have been presented: ... PYROPHOSPHATE (SFP) ADMINISTERED VIA HEMODIALYSATE REDUCES ESA USE" ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... York , May 21, 2013 ... Transparency Market Research ( http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com ) "Biochip Products and ... IVD Tests) - U.S. Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and ... billion in 2011 and is expected to grow at ... reach an estimated value of USD 4.7 billion in ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... May 21, 2013  MacroGenics, Inc. today announced ... margetuximab (MGAH22), an Fc-modified chimeric monoclonal antibody (MAb), ... HER2 oncoprotein," will be presented at the 2013 ... Oncology during the Developmental Therapeutics - Immunotherapy Oral ... – 4:30 PM.  The presentation will describe the ...
Breaking Biology Technology:CLD Integrates Tin CAN API with its eLearning Solutions and Launches its Excelerometer Tracking Statement Dashboard 2CLD Integrates Tin CAN API with its eLearning Solutions and Launches its Excelerometer Tracking Statement Dashboard 3ERA-EDTA CONGRESS 2013: Late Breaking Clinical Trials 2ERA-EDTA CONGRESS 2013: Late Breaking Clinical Trials 3The U.S. Biochip Products and Services Market is Expected to Reach USD 4.7 Billion in 2018: Transparency Market Research 2The U.S. Biochip Products and Services Market is Expected to Reach USD 4.7 Billion in 2018: Transparency Market Research 3The U.S. Biochip Products and Services Market is Expected to Reach USD 4.7 Billion in 2018: Transparency Market Research 4The U.S. Biochip Products and Services Market is Expected to Reach USD 4.7 Billion in 2018: Transparency Market Research 5MacroGenics Announces Margetuximab (MGAH22) Phase 1 Data Presentation at ASCO; Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Study to Evaluate Activity of Margetuximab in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer 2MacroGenics Announces Margetuximab (MGAH22) Phase 1 Data Presentation at ASCO; Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Study to Evaluate Activity of Margetuximab in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer 3
... Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Vasogen Inc.,(NASDAQ: VSGN ; ... and,commercial development of technologies targeting the chronic inflammation,underlying ... at 4:10 p.m. on Wednesday, January 16, 2008. ... Time, during which management will,provide a Company update ...
... by Mark Walton, Ph.D., President, ViaGen, January 11, ... the,European Food Safety Authority,s strong endorsement of the safety ... U.S. Food and Drug,Administration to release its final risk ... voluntary moratorium. The international,scientific consensus is clear: food from ...
... Biodesign Institute have developed the worlds first gene detection ... results, appearing in the January 11 issue of the ... technology and may also revolutionize the way in which ... We are starting with the most well-known structure in ...
Cached Biology Technology:Vasogen to Conduct Year-end 2007 Conference Call 2Vasogen to Conduct Year-end 2007 Conference Call 3Vasogen to Conduct Year-end 2007 Conference Call 4Statement on the Release of the European Food Safety Assessment on the Safety of Food Derived From Clones and Their Offspring in the Food Supply 2Nanotechnology innovation may revolutionize gene detection in a single cell 2Nanotechnology innovation may revolutionize gene detection in a single cell 3
2-min, single-step add-mix-measure assay for luciferase expression and HTS in mammalian cells. Linear detection range: 2 fg to 46 ng luciferase....
Endomorphin-2. Cross reactivity: Endomorphin-1 3%, Met-enkephalin <0.03%, Leu-enkephalin <0.01% and beta-Endorphin <0.01%....
... cloning of BAC (100+kb), fosmid (40kb), and ... stability than any othe BAC vector. On ... yields and easy recombinant DNA purification. Available ... (pSMART VC) vectors for the highest insert ...
... System is used in conjunction ... PCR of problematic and/or GC-rich ... Solution with 10X PCRX Amplification ... broader magnesium concentration broader annealing ...
Biology Products: