Purification and immunological properties of cathepsin B in carpCyprinus carpio

Cathepsin B was purified from the crude extract of carp (Cyprinus carpio) hepato-pancreas by the method involving ammonium sulfate fractionation and five sequential chromatographies monitored the activity with Z-Arg-Arg-MCA as a substrate, and the specific activity increased about 11,400 fold with a 2% recovery. Although the homogeneity of the purified cathepsin B was established on Native-PAGE, it migrated as two bands of 29,000 and 25,000 molecular weights by the single and heavy chains on SDS-PAGE, respectively. The monospecific antibody against the homogeneous cathepsin B was purified by the affinity chromatography on cathepsin B-Sepharose 4B, and did not immunologically react with rat cathepsin B, carp cathepsins H and L but only with carp cathepsin B by immunoelectrophoretic blot analysis. As the result of the tissue and liver distributions of cathepsin B, the remarkable immunological reactivities in the extracts of spleen, kidney and hepato-pancreas in carp and those of pacific cod, yellow fin tuna, skip jack tuna and common mackerel in pisces were detected with the anti-carp hepato-pancreas cathepsin B at molecular weight of nearby 29,000 or 25,000.     

Effects of supplementary UV-B radiation on development of damping-off in spinach caused by the soil-borne fungusFusarium oxysporum

The effects of UV-B radiation (290–320 nm) on development of damping-off of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) caused by the fungusFusarium oxysporum were examined in a growth cabinet. The incidence of disease greatly increased when experimental plants were grown in visible radiation with supplementary UV-B radiation. This increase was suppressed by increasing the irradiation of visible radiation.Fusarium oxysporum was isolated from the roots of all damping-off plants and the roots of some unwilted plants, indicating that spinach infected with the pathogen did not necessarily suffer from damping-off in 15d. Supplementary UV-B radiation suppressed the increase in growth components such as the number of leaves, the plant height and the fresh weight of aboveground plant parts, but did not affect the fresh weight of roots. The ratio of the number of plants infected with pathogen to the total number of plants was over 80% irrespective of light conditions. It was suggested that the defense response of spinach to this pathogen was greatly influenced by the physiological state of aboveground plant parts resulting from supplementary UV-B radiation.     

FAB CID-MS/MS characterization of tetrasaccharide tri- and tetrasulfate derived from the antigenic determinant recognized by the anti-chondroitin sulfate monoclonal antibody MO-225

The fast atom bombardment (FAB) collision induced dissociation (CID)-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (MS/MS) technique was successfully applied to characterize and identify the structures of the immunoreactive trisulfated and tetrasulfated tetrasaccharides that were obtained from the chondroitin sulfate in a shark fin using a treatment with chondroitinase ABC.Abbreviations FABMS fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry - CID collision induced dissociation - MS/MS mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry - UA2S-GalNAc6S 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O-(2-O-sulfo--d-gluco-4-enepyranosyluronic acid)-6-O-sulfo-d-galactose - UA-GalNAc4S 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O-(-d-gluco-4-enepyranosyluronic acid)-4-O-sulfo-d-galactose - UA-GalNAcDiS 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O-(-d-gluco-4-enepyranosyluronic acid)-4,6-di-O-sulfo-d-galactose     

Role of the active-site cysteine of Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin. Crystal structure analysis of the CuII(Cys112Asp) protein

Replacement of the cysteine at position 112 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin with an aspartic acid residue results in a mutant (Cys112Asp) protein that retains a strong copper-binding site. Cu^II(Cys112Asp) azurin can be reduced by excess [Ru^II(NH₃)₆]²⁺, resulting in a Cu^I protein with an electronic absorption spectrum very similar to that of wild-type Cu^I azurin. Cys112Asp azurin exhibits reversible interprotein electron-transfer reactivity with P. aeruginosa cytochrome c ₅₅₁ (μ?=?0.1?M sodium phosphate (pH?7.0);E°(Cu^II/I)?=?180 mV vs NHE); this redox activity indicates that electrons can still enter and exit the protein through the partially solvent-exposed imidazole ring of His117. The structure of Cu^II(Cys112Asp) azurin at 2.4-Å resolution shows that the active-site copper is five coordinate: the pseudo-square base of the distorted square-pyramidal structure is defined by the imidazole N^δ atoms of His46 and His117 and the oxygen atoms of an asymmetrically-bound bidentate carboxylate group of Asp112; the apical position is occupied by the oxygen atom of the backbone carbonyl group of Gly45. The Cu^II–Asp112 interaction is distinguished by an approximately 1.2-Å displacement of the metal center from the plane defined by the Asp112 carboxylate group.     

Some properties of β-1,3-glucan hydrolyzing enzymes from the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis

We examined some characteristics of hydrolyticenzymes, especially -1,3-glucanase, to obtain theinformation of cell wall lytic enzymes forrotifers.Crude enzyme (ammonium sulfate fraction) of rotifershydrolyzed starch, -1,3-glucan, glycol chitinand CM-cellulose. Optimum pH for hydrolysis ofstarch and CM-cellulose was 6.5, and that for -1,3glucan and glycol chitin was pH 6.0. Pectic acid,xylan and agarose were not hydrolyzed at pH 3–10.-1,3 glucanase was purified about 73-fold from crudeenzyme by ion-exchange chromatography and gelfiltration. Optimum pH and temperature of the enzymewere 6 and 60 °C, respectively. The molecular weight ofthe enzyme was estimated about 260 kDa by gelfiltration. The enzyme was inhibited byHgCl₂ and MnCl_{_2}.     

Relations Between the Extracellular Concentrations of Choline and Acetylcholine in Rat Striatum

Abstract: Changes in extracellular levels of acetylcholine (ACh) and choline (Ch) in the striatum of rats were examined by in vivo microdialysis after intraperitoneal injections of drugs. A dopamine D₂ antagonist, sulpiride (20 mg/kg), and a muscarinic antagonist, atropine (3.5 mg/kg), increased ACh levels and decreased Ch levels. On the contrary, the D₂ agonist (±)-2-( N -phenylethyl- N -propyl)amino-5-hydroxytetralin (N-434; 5 mg/kg) and an anesthetic, pentobarbital (50 mg/kg), decreased ACh levels and increased Ch levels. Perfusion of 10 µ M hemicholinium-3 (HC-3), a Ch uptake inhibitor, through the striatum induced a complete inhibition of ACh release and increased Ch levels in all drug-treated groups. The degree of relative increase in the level of Ch induced by HC-3 differed among the drug-pretreated groups; compared with the control group, the relative increase was larger in the sulpiride- and atropine-treated groups and smaller in the N-434 and pentobarbital-treated groups. Thus, we demonstrated reciprocal relations between extracellular concentrations of Ch and ACh after treatments by drugs. The data suggest that in the striatum, which is rich in cholinergic innervation, the extracellular Ch concentration is to a large extent determined by activity of the cholinergic transmission reflected in high-affinity choline uptake.     

Application of bacterial magnetic particles as novel DNA carriers for ballistic transformation of a marine cyanobacterium

Summary Bacterial magnetite particles (BMPs) of 50 to 100nm diam were used as DNA carriers for the ballistic transformation of the marine cyanobacteriumSynechococcus. BMPs were bombarded into the cyanobacterial cells at several bombardment velocities using a particle gun. Successful transformation and gene expression were confirmed by Southern hybridization and CAT assay, respectively. The BMPs were also observed in the cyanobacterial cells by transmission electron microscopy. These results suggested that BMPs can be used as carriers for introducing DNA into bacterial cells.     

Photomicrobial sensors for selective determination of phosphate

A photomicrobial sensor consisting of immobilized Chlorella vulgaris and an oxygen electrode has been developed for selective determination of phosphate. When 40 mM phosphate was added to the sensor system, the photocurrent increased to a maximum under light irradiation with a response time of 1 min. The current increased with increasing phosphate concentration in the range 8–70 mM. Selectivity of the sensor was satisfactory. Good agreement was obtained between the phosphate concentrations in lake water determined by the photomicrobial sensor and by conventional colorimetry (correlation coefficient 0.96).