Conversion of 12-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid to 12,15-, 12,16- and 12,17-dihydroxyoctadecanoic acids with Bacillus sp. U88

Summary A new microbial isolate, Bacillus sp. U88, transformed 12-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid to 12,15-, 12,16- and 12,17-dihydroxyoctadecanoic acids when grown aerobically in 1 % yeast extract medium at 30°C and shaken at 250 rpm for 5 days. These three dihydroxyfatty acids were derivatized with Trimethylsilyl ether and identified by GC-MS analysis. The yield of 12,15-, 12,16- and 12,17-dihydroxyoctadecanoic acids after 5 day incubation were 2.8 %, 7.1 % and 1.1 %, respectively.Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of other that may also be suitable.     

Markov State Models Reveal a Two-Step Mechanism of miRNA Loading into the Human Argonaute Protein: Selective Binding followed by Structural Re-arrangement

Argonaute (Ago) proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs) are central components in RNA interference, which is a key cellular mechanism for sequence-specific gene silencing. Despite intensive studies, molecular mechanisms of how Ago recognizes miRNA remain largely elusive. In this study, we propose a two-step mechanism for this molecular recognition: selective binding followed by structural re-arrangement. Our model is based on the results of a combination of Markov State Models (MSMs), large-scale protein-RNA docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Using MSMs, we identify an open state of apo human Ago-2 in fast equilibrium with partially open and closed states. Conformations in this open state are distinguished by their largely exposed binding grooves that can geometrically accommodate miRNA as indicated in our protein-RNA docking studies. miRNA may then selectively bind to these open conformations. Upon the initial binding, the complex may perform further structural re-arrangement as shown in our MD simulations and eventually reach the stable binary complex structure. Our results provide novel insights in Ago-miRNA recognition mechanisms and our methodology holds great potential to be widely applied in the studies of other important molecular recognition systems.     

Agriculture driving male expansion in Neolithic Time

正Dear Editor,Dispute between agriculture and initial population expansion in Neolithic Time has been in suspense for a long time.Agriculture first appeared in the Fertile Crescent of West Asia about 11–12 thousand years ago(kya),with domesticating few wild plant and animal species.There is also evidence of the cultivation of rice and millet in Yangtze and Yellow River Basins of China approximately 9 kya.During the subsequent times between 9 and 4 kya,agriculture arose     

Quaternary arrangement of an active,native group II intron ribonucleoprotein complex revealed by small-angle X-ray scattering

The stable ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex formed between the Lactococcus lactis group II intron and its self-encoded LtrA protein is essential for the intron’s genetic mobility. In this study, we report the biochemical, compositional, hydrodynamic and structural properties of active group II intron RNP particles (+A) isolated from its native host using a novel purification scheme. We employed small-angle X-ray scattering to determine the structural properties of these particles as they exist in solution. Using sucrose as a contrasting agent, we derived a two-phase quaternary model of the protein–RNA complex. This approach revealed that the spatial properties of the complex are largely defined by the RNA component, with the protein dimer located near the center of mass. A transfer RNA fusion engineered into domain II of the intron provided a distinct landmark consistent with this interpretation. Comparison of the derived +A RNP shape with that of the previously reported precursor intron (ΔA) particle extends previous findings that the loosely packed precursor RNP undergoes a dramatic conformational change as it compacts into its active form. Our results provide insights into the quaternary arrangement of these RNP complexes in solution, an important step to understanding the transition of the group II intron from the precursor to a species fully active for DNA invasion.     

Celastrol Induces Autophagy by Targeting AR/miR-101 in Prostate Cancer Cells

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process responsible for the degradation and recycling of cytoplasmic components through autolysosomes. Targeting AR axis is a standard strategy for prostate cancer treatment; however, the role of AR in autophagic processes is still not fully understood. In the present study, we found that AR played a negative role in AR degrader celastrol-induced autophagy. Knockdown of AR in AR-positive prostate cancer cells resulted in enhanced autophagy. Ectopic expression of AR in AR-negative prostate cancer cells, or gain of function of the AR signaling in AR-positive cells, led to suppression of autophagy. Since miR-101 is an inhibitor of autophagy and its expression was decreased along with AR in the process of celastrol-induced autophagy, we hypothesize that AR inhibits autophagy through transactivation of miR-101. AR binding site was defined in the upstream of miR-101 gene by luciferase reporter and ChIP assays. MiR-101 expression correlated with AR status in prostate cancer cell lines. The inhibition of celastrol-induced autophagy by AR was compromised by blocking miR-101; while transfection of miR-101 led to inhibition of celastrol-induced autophagy in spite of AR depletion. Furthermore, mutagenesis of the AR binding site in miR-101 gene led to decreased suppression of autophagy by AR. Finally, autophagy inhibition by miR-101 mimic was found to enhance the cytotoxic effect of celastrol in prostate cancer cells. Our results demonstrate that AR inhibits autophagy via transactivation of miR-101, thus combination of miR-101 mimics with celastrol may represent a promising therapeutic approach for treating prostate cancer.     

Linear chromosomal physical and genetic map of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent

A physical map of the 952kbp chromosome of Borrelia burgdorferi Sh-2-82 has been constructed. Eighty-three intervals on the chromosome, defined by the cleavage sites of 15 restriction enzymes, are delineated. The intervals vary in size from 96kbp to a few hundred bp, with an average size of 11.5 kbp. A striking feature of the map is its linearity; no other bacterial groups are known to have linear chromosomes. The two ends of the chromosome do not hybridize with one another, indicating that there are no large common terminal regions. The chromosome of this strain was found to be stable in culture; passage 6, 165 and 320 cultures have identical chromosomal restriction maps. We have positioned all previously known Borrelia burgdorferi chromosomal genes and several newly identified ones on this map. These include the gyrA/gyrB/dnaA/dnaN gene cluster, the rRNA gene cluster, fla, flgE, groEL (hsp60), recA, the rho/hip cluster, the dnaK (hsp70)/dnaJ/grpE cluster, the pheT/pheS cluster, and the genes which encode the potent immunogen proteins p22A, p39 and p83. Our electrophoretic analysis detects five linear and at least two circular plasmids in B. burgdorferi Sh-2-82. We have constructed a physical map of the 53 kbp linear plasmid and located the operon that encodes the two major outer surface proteins ospA and ospB on this plasmid. Because of the absence of functional genetic tools for this organism, these maps will serve as a basis for future mapping, cloning and sequencing studies of B. burgdorferi.     

The chloroplast gene encoding ribosomal protein S4 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii spans an inverted repeat — unique sequence junction and can be mutated to suppress a streptomycin dependence mutation in ribosomal protein S12

The ribosomal protein gene rps4 was cloned and sequenced from the chloroplast genome of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The N-terminal 213 amino acid residues of the S4 protein are encoded in the single-copy region (SCR) of the genome, while the C-terminal 44 amino acid residues are encoded in the inverted repeat (IR). The deduced 257 amino acid sequence of C. reinhardtii S4 is considerably longer (by 51–59 residues) than S4 proteins of other photosynthetic species and Escherichia coli, due to the presence of two internal insertions and a C-terminal extension. A short conserved C-terminal motif found in all other S4 proteins examined is missing from the C. reinhardtii protein. In E. coli, mutations in the S4 protein suppress the streptomycin-dependent (sd) phenotype of mutations in the S12 protein. Because we have been unable to identify similar S4 mutations among suppressors of an sd mutation in C. reinhardtii S12 obtained using UV mutagenesis, we made site-directed mutations [Arg₆₈ (CGT) to Len (CTG and CTT)] in the wild-type rps4 gene equivalent to an E. coli Gln₅₃ to Len ribosomal ambiguity mutation (ram), which suppresses the sd phenotype and decreases translational accuracy. These mutants were tested for their ability to transform the sd S 12 mutation of C. reinhardtii to streptomycin independence. The streptomycin-independent isolates obtained by biolistic transformation all possessed the original sd mutation in rps12, but none had the expected donor Leu₆₈ mutations in rps4. Instead, six of 15 contained a Gln₇₃ (CAA) to Pro (CCA) mutation five amino acids downstream from the predicted mutant codon, irrespective of rps4 donor DNA. Two others contained six- and ten-amino acid, in-frame insertions at S4 positions 90 and 92 that appear to have been induced by the biolistic process itself. Eight streptomycin-independent isolates analyzed had wild-type rps4 genes and may possess mutations identical to previously isolated suppressors of sd that define at least two additional chloroplast loci. Cloned rps4 genes from streptomycin-independent isolates containing the Gln₇₃ to Pro mutation and the 6-amino acid insertion in r-protein S4 transform the sd strain to streptomycin independence.     

Screening of Drug Metabolizing Enzymes for the Ginsenoside Compound K In Vitro: An Efficient Anti-Cancer Substance Originating from Panax Ginseng

Ginsenoside compound K (CK), a rare ginsenoside originating from Panax Ginseng, has been found to possess unique pharmacological activities specifically as anti-cancers. However, the role of cytochrome P450s (CYPs) in the metabolism of CK is unclear. In this study, we screened the CYPs for the metabolism of CK in vitro using human liver microsomes (HLMs) or human recombinant CYPs. The results showed that CK inhibited the enzyme activities of CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 in the HLMs. The K_m and V_max values of CK were 84.20±21.92 μM and 0.28±0.04 nmol/mg protein/min, respectively, for the HLMs; 34.63±10.48 μM and 0.45±0.05 nmol/nmol P450/min, respectively, for CYP2C9; and 27.03±5.04 μM and 0.68±0.04 nmol/nmol P450/min, respectively, for CYP3A4. The IC₅₀ values were 16.00 μM and 9.83 μM, and K_i values were 14.92 μM and 11.42μM for CYP2C9 and CYP3A4, respectively. Other human CYP isoforms, including CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, and CYP2C19, showed minimal or no effect on CK metabolism. The results suggested that CK was a substrate and also inhibitors for both CYP2C9 and CYP3A4. Patients using CK in combination with therapeutic drugs that are substrates of CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 for different reasons should be careful, although the inhibiting potency of CK is much poorer than that of enzyme-specific inhibitors.