Activation of protein phosphatase 2A by cAMP-dependent protein kinase-catalyzed phosphorylation of the 74-kDa B″ (δ) regulatory subunit in vitro and identification of the phosphorylation sites

Human erythrocyte protein phosphatase 2A, which comprises a 34-kDa catalytic C subunit, a 63-kDa regulatory A subunit and a 74-kDa regulatory B″ (δ) subunit, was phosphorylated at serine residues of B″ in vitro by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (A-kinase). In the presence and absence of 0.5 μM okadaic acid (OA), A-kinase gave maximal incorporation of 1.7 and 1.0 mol of phosphate per mol of B″, respectively. The K_m value of A-kinase for CAB″ was 0.17±0.01 μM in the presence of OA. The major in vitro phosphorylation sites of B″ were identified as Ser-60, -75 and -573 in the presence of OA, and Ser-75 and -573 in the absence of OA. Phosphorylation of B″ did not dissociate B″ from CA, and stimulated the molecular activity of CAB″ toward phosphorylated H1 and H2B histones, 3.8- and 1.4-fold, respectively, but not toward phosphorylase a.     

The CURLY LEAF gene controls both division and elongation of cells during the expansion of the leaf blade in Arabidopsis thaliana

The CURLY LEAF (CLF ) gene in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. is required for stable repression of a floral homeotic gene, AGAMOUS in leaves and stems To clarify the function of CLF in organ development, we characterized clf mutants using an anatomical and genetic approach. The clf mutants had normal roots, hypocotyls, and cotyledons, but the foliage leaves and the stems had reduced dimensions. A decrease both in the extent of cell elongation and in the number of cells was evident in the clf mutant leaves, suggesting that the CLF gene might be involved in the division and elongation of cells during leaf morphogenesis. An analysis of the development of clf mutant leaves revealed that the period during which cell division or cell elongation occurred was of normal duration, while the rates of both cell production and cell elongation were lower than in the wild type. Two phases in the elongation of cells were also recognized from this analysis. From analysis of an angustifolia clf double mutant, we found that the two phases of elongation of leaf cells were regulated independently by each gene. Thus, the CLF gene appears to affect cell division at an earlier stage and cell elongation throughout the development of leaf primordia. Received: 19 February 1998 / Accepted: 24 March 1998     

Cloning and characterization of two flavohemoglobins from Aspergillus oryzae

Two flavohemoglobin (FHb) genes, fhb1 and fhb2, were cloned from Aspergillus oryzae. The amino acid sequences of the deduced FHb1 and FHb2 showed high identity to other FHbs except for the predicted mitochondrial targeting signal in the N-terminus of FHb2. The recombinant proteins displayed absorption spectra similar to those of other FHbs. FHb1 and FHb2 were estimated to be a monomer and a dimer in solution, respectively. Both of the isozymes exhibit high NO dioxygenase (NOD) activity. FHb1 utilizes either NADH or NADPH as an electron donor, whereas FHb2 can only use NADH. These results suggest that FHb1 and FHb2 are fungal counterparts of bacterial FHbs and act as NO detoxification enzymes in the cytosol and mitochondria, respectively. This study is the first to show that a microorganism contains two isozymes of FHb and that intracellular localization of the isozymes could differ.     

Stimulation of Macrophages with the β-Glucan Produced by Aureobasidium pullulans Promotes the Secretion of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL)

A β-glucan produced by Aureobasidium pullulans (AP-PG) is consisting of a β-(1,3)-linked main chain with β-(1,6)-linked glucose side residues. Various β-glucans consisting of β-(1,3)-linked main chain including AP-PG are believed to exhibit anti-tumor activities, and actually, anti-tumor activities of AP-PG in mice have been demonstrated. In this study, we demonstrate that stimulation with AP-PG induces TRAIL expression in mouse and human macrophage-like cell lines. TRAIL is known to be a cytokine which specifically induces apoptosis in transformed cells, but not in untransformed cells. The expression of TRAIL mRNA after stimulation with AP-PG was increased in RAW264.7 cells, Mono Mac 6 cells, and macrophage-differentiated THP-1 cells. The mRNA expression of TNF-α and FasL is only weakly increased after stimulation with AP-PG. The induction activity of TRAIL by curdlan, a bacterial β-glucan, was very similar to that by AP-PG in RAW264.7 cells, but weaker in macrophage-differentiated THP-1 cells. Activation of caspases was found in HeLa cells after treatment with the supernatant of cultured medium from AP-PG-stimulated Mono Mac 6 cells, and was inhibited by the anti-TRAIL neutralizing antibody. These findings suggest that the stimulation with AP-PG effectively induces TRAIL in macrophages, and that it may be related to apoptosis induction of tumor cells.     

Brown Adipose Tissue in Cetacean Blubber

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an important role in thermoregulation in species living in cold environments, given heat can be generated from its chemical energy reserves. Here we investigate the existence of BAT in blubber in four species of delphinoid cetacean, the Pacific white-sided and bottlenose dolphins, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens and Tursiops truncates, and Dall’s and harbour porpoises, Phocoenoides dalli and Phocoena phocoena. Histology revealed adipocytes with small unilocular fat droplets and a large eosinophilic cytoplasm intermingled with connective tissue in the innermost layers of blubber. Chemistry revealed a brown adipocyte-specific mitochondrial protein, uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), within these same adipocytes, but not those distributed elsewhere throughout the blubber. Western blot analysis of extracts from the inner blubber layer confirmed that the immunohistochemical positive reaction was specific to UCP1 and that this adipose tissue was BAT. To better understand the distribution of BAT throughout the entire cetacean body, cadavers were subjected to computed tomography (CT) scanning. Resulting imagery, coupled with histological corroboration of fine tissue structure, revealed adipocytes intermingled with connective tissue in the lowest layer of blubber were distributed within a thin, highly dense layer that extended the length of the body, with the exception of the rostrum, fin and fluke regions. As such, we describe BAT effectively enveloping the cetacean body. Our results suggest that delphinoid blubber could serve a role additional to those frequently attributed to it: simple insulation blanket, energy storage, hydrodynamic streamlining or contributor to positive buoyancy. We believe delphinoid BAT might also function like an electric blanket, enabling animals to frequent waters cooler than blubber as an insulator alone might otherwise allow an animal to withstand, or allow animals to maintain body temperature in cool waters during sustained periods of physical inactivity.     

A DPP-4 Inhibitor Suppresses Fibrosis and Inflammation on Experimental Autoimmune Myocarditis in Mice

Myocarditis is a critical inflammatory disorder which causes life-threatening conditions. No specific or effective treatment has been established. DPP-4 inhibitors have salutary effects not only on type 2 diabetes but also on certain cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of a DPP-4 inhibitor on myocarditis has not been investigated. To clarify the effects of a DPP-4 inhibitor on myocarditis, we used an experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) model in Balb/c mice. EAM mice were assigned to the following groups: EAM mice group treated with a DPP-4 inhibitor (linagliptin) (n = 19) and those untreated (n = 22). Pathological analysis revealed that the myocardial fibrosis area ratio in the treated group was significantly lower than in the untreated group. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the levels of mRNA expression of IL-2, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly lower in the treated group than in the untreated group. Lymphocyte proliferation assay showed that treatment with the DPP-4 inhibitor had no effect on antigen-induced spleen cell proliferation. Administration of the DPP-4 inhibitor remarkably suppressed cardiac fibrosis and reduced inflammatory cytokine gene expression in EAM mice. Thus, the agents present in DPP-4 inhibitors may be useful to treat and/or prevent clinical myocarditis.     

Novel Parallelized Electroporation by Electrostatic Manipulation of a Water-in-Oil Droplet as a Microreactor

Electroporation is the most widely used transfection method for delivery of cell-impermeable molecules into cells. We developed a novel gene transfection method, water-in-oil (W/O) droplet electroporation, using dielectric oil and an aqueous droplet containing mammalian cells and transgene DNA. When a liquid droplet suspended between a pair of electrodes in dielectric oil is exposed to a DC electric field, the droplet moves between the pair of electrodes periodically and droplet deformation occurs under the intense DC electric field. During electrostatic manipulation of the droplet, the local intense electric field and instantaneous short circuit via the droplet due to droplet deformation facilitate gene transfection. This method has several advantages over conventional transfection techniques, including co-transfection of multiple transgene DNAs into even as few as 10³ cells, transfection into differentiated neural cells, and the capable establishment of stable cell lines. In addition, there have been improvements in W/O droplet electroporation electrodes for disposable 96-well plates making them suitable for concurrent performance without thermal loading by a DC electric field. This technique will lead to the development of cell transfection methods for novel regenerative medicine and gene therapy.     

Real-time single-molecule observations of T7 Exonuclease activity in a microflow channel

T7 Exonuclease (T7 Exo) DNA digestion reactions were studied using direct single-molecule observations in microflow channels. DNA digestion reactions were directly observed by staining template DNA double-stranded regions with SYTOX Orange and staining single-stranded (digested) regions with a fluorescently labeled ssDNA-recognizing peptide (ssBP-488). Sequentially acquired photographs demonstrated that a double-stranded region monotonously shortened as a single-stranded region monotonously increased from the free end during a DNA digestion reaction. Furthermore, DNA digestion reactions were directly observed both under pulse-chase conditions and under continuous buffer flow conditions with T7 Exo. Under pulse-chase conditions, the double-stranded regions of λDNA monotonously shortened by a DNA digestion reaction with a single T7 Exo molecule, with an estimated average DNA digestion rate of 5.7 bases/s and a processivity of 6692 bases. Under continuous buffer flow conditions with T7 Exo, some pauses were observed during a DNA digestion reaction and double-stranded regions shortened linearly except during these pauses. The average DNA digestion rate was estimated to be 5.3 bases/s with a processivity of 5072 bases. Thus, the use of our direct single-molecule observations using a fluorescently labeled ssDNA-recognizing peptide (ssBP-488) was an effective analytic method for investigating DNA metabolic processes.