An evaluation of compound-specific isotope analyses for assessing the biodegradation of MTBE at Port Hueneme, CA

The use of compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) as a diagnostic tool for MTBE biodegradation in aquifers was tested at the Port Hueneme, CA site. There, a 1500-m long dissolved MTBE plume and associated engineered aerobic flow-through biobarrier have been well-studied, leading to delineation of regions of known significant and limited bioattenuation. This allowed comparison of field-scale CSIA results with a priori knowledge of aerobic MTBE biodegradation, leading to conclusions concerning the utility of CSIA as a diagnostic tool for other aerobic biodegradation sites. Groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for both 13C and 2H (D) in MTBE through the bioactive treatment zone and within the larger MTBE plume. For reference, the 13C enrichment factor for MTBE biodegradation in laboratory-scale microcosms using site groundwater and sediments was also quantified. Aerobic microcosms showed a 13C enrichment of 5.5 to 6.4 +/- 0.2 per thousand over a two-order of magnitude concentration decrease, with an average isotope enrichment factor (epsilon(c)) of -1.4 per thousand, in agreement with other aerobic microcosm studies. Less 13C enrichment (about 25%) was observed for similar MTBE concentration reductions in groundwater samples collected within the aerobic biotreatment zone, and this enrichment was comparable to the scatter in delta13C values within the source zone. Increasing enrichment with decreasing MTBE concentration seen in microcosm data was not evident in either the 13C or D field data. The discrepancy between field and laboratory data may reflect small-scale (<1 m) spatial heterogeneity in MTBE biodegradation activity and the mixing of water from adjacent strata during groundwater sampling; for example, relatively nonattenuated MTBE-impacted water from one stratum could be mixed with highly attenuated/low-MTBE concentration from another, and this could produce a sample with both reduced MTBE concentration and low enrichment. Overall, the results suggest that 13C data alone may produce inconclusive results at sites where MTBE undergoes aerobic biodegradation, and that even with two-dimensional CSIA (13C and D), an increase in the confidence of data interpretation may only be possible with data sets larger than those typically collected in practice.

Mechanistic studies of the effects of anti-factor H antibodies on complement-mediated lysis

We have recently reported that complement factor H, a negative regulator of complement-mediated cytotoxicity, is produced and secreted by most bladder cancers. This observation was exploited in the development of the BTA stat and BTA TRAK diagnostic assays, both of which make use of two factor H-specific monoclonal antibodies in sandwich format. Here we show that both antibodies exert interesting effects on the biochemistry of complement activation in in vitro systems. Antibody X13.2 competes with C3b for association with factor H and strongly inhibits factor H/factor I-mediated cleavage of C3b, thereby evidently inactivating a negative regulator of complement; yet, the antibody strongly inhibits complement-mediated lysis as well. Conversely, antibody X52. 1, which does not compete with C3b and has no effect on solution-phase cleavage of C3b, is capable of enhancing complement-mediated lysis of various cell types, including cancer cells, by over 10-fold. Our observations indicate that it is possible to deconvolute the biochemical roles of factor H in complement by means of appropriate inhibitors, a finding with potentially valuable implications for both basic research and cancer therapy.