Biochemistry and toxicology

Biochemistry and toxicology

Head of laboratory:

Prof.  Gabi Drochioiu PhD
Tel: +40 232  201279+40 232  201279
Fax: + 40 232 201313
e-mail: gabidr@uaic.ro

Areas of activity:

analytical biochemistry, analytical toxicology, biostructure, mechanisms of toxicity, neurodegenerative diseases, peptide synthesis (SPPS), mass spectrometry (MS), circular dichroism (CD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), enzymology, metabolism, microbiology, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nucleic acids, proteomics, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).

Infrastructure:

• Autoclave 760 – Asal
• Circulating Baths, Raypa UNI-200
• Consort EV243 Range Power Supply Units
• EasiGel Horizontal Gel Electrophoresis H1
• Eppendorf® Thermomixer Compact with 1.5 mL block, AC input 115 V, Eppendorf
• Fluorescence spectrophotometer SMF25 KONTRON-HiLoadTMPumpP-50
• Gel Imaging System G:Box F3, Syngene
• Hot Air Oven LDO-030E, LabTech
• Incubator shaker KS 4000 IC control, Ika
• Mikro 22R Centrifuge, Hettich
• Mini-PROTEAN Electrophoresis System Tetra Cell 4 gels, 1 mm with PowerPac Basic Power Supply, Bio RAD
• Semi-Dry Blotter system, Biostep
• ModulusTM Microplate Multimode reader, Turner BioSystems
• Sprout® Mini-Centrifuge, Heathrow Scientific
• Type 1 and Type 2 (Ultrapure) Milli-Q® Water Purification Systems, Merck Millipore
• Ultrasonic bath Selecta Ultrasons
• Ultrasonic Homogenizer - model CV18
• UV-vis Spectrophotometer LIBRA S35 PC
• Vibra HT Analitycal Balance, Intell-Lab
• Vortex mixers SA8, Stuart

Representative publications:

1.    Drochioiu, G., Ciobanu, C. I., Bancila, S., Ion, L., Petre, B. A., Andries, C., Gradinaru, R.V., Murariu, M. Ultrasound-based protein determination in maize seeds. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 29, 93-103, 2016.
2.    Ion, L., Ciobanu, C. I., Murariu, M., Gradinaru, V. R., Drochioiu, G. SDS-induced Peptide Conformational Changes: From Triglycyl-glycine to Amyloid-β Oligomers Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. Int. J. Pept. Res. Ther., 22, 1: 45-551-11, 2016.
3.    Andries, C., Manea, M., Drochioiu, G., Gradinaru, R. New insights into coenzyme A interaction with mercury ions provided by mass spectrometric and circular dichroism spectroscopic approaches. Eur. J. Mass Spectrom., 21(2), 97-102., 2015.
4.    Drochioiu, G., Tudorachi, L., Murariu, M. NOSH aspirin may have a protective role in Alzheimer’s disease. Med. hypotheses, 84(3), 262-267, 2015.
5.    Surleva, A., Drochioiu, G. A modified ninhydrin micro-assay for determination of total cyanogens in plants. Food chem., 141(3), 2788-2794, 2013.
6.    Murariu, M., Drochioiu, G. Biostructural theory of the living systems. BioSystems, 109, 126-132, 2012.
7.    Petre, B.A., Ulrich, M., Stumbaum, M., Bernevic, B., Moise, A., Doering, G., Przybylski, M. When is Mass Spectrometry Combined with Affinity Approaches Essential? A Case Study of Tyrosine Nitration in Proteins, J.Am.Soc.Mass Spectrom. 23, 1831-1840, 2012.
8.    Gradinaru, R., Ionas, A., Pui, A., Zbancioc, G., Drochioiu, G. Interaction of inorganic mercury with CoA-SH and acyl-CoAs. Biometals, 24, 1115-1121, 2011.
9.    Murariu, M., Dragan, E. S., Adochitei, A., Zbancioc, G., Drochioiu, G. Silver binding to peptides: a CD study. J. Pept. Sci., 17, 512-519, 2011.
10.    Murariu, M., Dragan, E. S., Drochioiu, G. Model peptide-based system used for the investigation of metal ions binding to histidine-containing polypeptides. Biopolymers, 93, 497-508, 2010.
11.    Drochioiu, G., Manea, M., Dragusanu, M., Murariu, M., Dragan, E. S., Petre, B. A., Mezo, G., Przybylski, M. Interaction of β-amyloid(1-40) peptide with pairs of metal ions: an electrospray ion trap mass spectrometric model study. Biophys. Chem., 144, 9-20, 2009.
12.    Ulrich, M., Petre A, N. Youhnovski, D. Worlitzsch, M. Schirle, M. Schumm J. Lee, J. Checkel, M. Dinauer, P. Schmid, F. Ratjen, M. Przybylski, G. DöringPost-translational tyrosine nitration of eosinophil granule toxins mediated by eosinophil peroxidase , J. Biol. Chem. 283, 28629-28640, 2008.
13.    Murariu, M., Dragan, E. S., Drochioiu, G. Synthesis and mass spectrometric characterization of a metal-affinity decapeptide: copper-induced conformational alterations. Biomacromolecules, 8, 3836-3841, 2007.
14.    Gradinaru, R., Schowen, R. & Ghisla, S. Solvent isotope effects in reactions of human medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase active site mutants, Biochemistry, 46, 2497-2509, 2007.
15.    Drochioiu, G., Damoc, E. N., Przybylski, M. Novel UV assay for protein determination and the characterization of copper-protein complexes by mass spectrometry. Talanta, 69, 556-564, 2006.