Domain structure of the 90-kDa stress protein: Heparin- and antibody-binding domain

• 1.1. To understand the physiological roles of the 90-kDa stress protein (HSP90), we investigated the heparin- and antibody-binding domains of the protein.
• 2.2. For heparin-binding sites, HSP90 was digested completely with trypsin, and the digests were applied to a heparin-Sepharose column and eluted with 1.0 M NaCl, followed by 8.0 M urea.
• 3.3. Each elutant was purified by a reverse-phase C₁₈ column.
• 4.4. Two peptides from the NaCl-eluted fraction and no peptide from the urea-eluted fraction were purified.
• 5.5. The purified peptides were sequenced by an automated peptide sequencer.
• 6.6. One of the heparin-binding sites was present between Leu-362 and Arg-365; another was present between Leu-645 and Lys-648.
• 7.7. These two peptides were basic and considerably hydrophilic.
• 8.8. For antibody-binding sites, HSP90 was mildly digested with trypsin, electrophoresed on SDS-polyacrylamide gels and transferred to PVDF membranes.
• 9.9. The four bound of the trypsin fragments could be sequenced with a peptide sequencer.
• 10.10. There was only one antibody-binding peptide, 38 kDa, starting from Pro-2. The others showed no cross-reactivity with the antibody and started from Leu-283.
• 11.11. Therefore, the epitopes of HSP90 are present between Pro-2 and Leu-282.
• 12.12. The heparin-binding sites are present from the middle region of the HSP90 molecule, and the antigen sites are at the N-terminal domain.

     

Physicochemical property of bovine brain 73-kDa stress protein

• 1.1. An approximately 70-kDa protein was purified from bovine brain using an ATP-Sepharose column.
• 2.2. The protein sample was found to contain two proteins (major 73 kDa and minor 72 kDa) on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.
• 3.3. Antibodies raised against the 73- and 72-kDa proteins cross-reacted with stress-induced HSP73 and HSP72 from HeLa cells, respectively.
• 4.4. Heparin-binding peptides were obtained from trypsin digests of HSP73.

     

Stress-induced heat-shock protein synthesis in peripheral leukocytes of turkeys,Meleagris gallopavo

• 1.1. Thermal stress, in vitro and in vivo, induced the synthesis of heat-shock proteins, HSP90, HSP70, and HSP23 in turkey leukocytes.
• 2.2. HSP induction was both temperature- and time-dependent.
• 3.3. Salinity-specific stress proteins were expressed with elevated osmolality in culture medium.

     

Relationship between brain trehalase activity and trehalosema during direct and diapausing development in Pieris brassicae

• 1.1. Brain trehalase specific activity and trehalosemia were measured during the end of the developmental life cycle in non-diapausing and diapausing insects.
• 2.2. During non-diapausing development, trehalosemia reached maximum values at the beginning of pupal life. Then a constant decrease was observed up to the end of adult life.
• 3.3. The specific activity of brain trehalase was maximum when the insects were in active feeding periods, minimum activity appearing during moulting phases.
• 4.4. During diapausing development, trehalosemia was very high at the beginning of pupal life, particularly when insects were exposed to wintering conditions.
• 5.5. When diapause was broken, trehalosemia fell, announcing adult emergence.
• 6.6. Brain trehalase activity showed the same qualitative variations as in non-diapausing larvae, but with rather lower values.
• 7.7. During pupal life, brain trehalase activity decreased markedly during the long period necessary to obtain diapause breakdown.
• 8.8. Wintering conditions allow a progressive increase of brain trehalase activity, which preceded the fall of trehalosemia.

     

Development of a Gill Assay Library for Ecological Proteomics of Threespine Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

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Highlights

• •Construction of threespine stickleback gill assay library using DDA proteomics
• •Population-specific gill proteome signatures of four ecotypes identified by DIA
• •HSP47 and extracellular matrix proteins highly elevated in warm-adapted sticklebacks
• •Inflammasome and proteolytic proteins highly elevated in freshwater sticklebacks

     

Vanadium inhibition of human parietal lobe ATPases

In vitro influence of vanadate and vanadyl ions on the activities of Na,K- and Ca,Mg-ATPase from synaptosomal membranes of the parietal lobe of the human brain were compared.

• 1.1. Vanadate and vanadyl inhibit the enzymes activities in the investigated fraction.
• 2.2. Vanadate is a more effective inhibitor of both ATPases in the concentrations above 50 μM and vanadyl is an effective inhibitor in a very low concentration (10 nM).
• 3.3. Vanadate seems to be an uncompetitive inhibitor of Na,K-ATPase (k₁ = 880 nM).

     

Limited cleavage of human lactoferrin with pepsin

• 1.1. Human lactoferrin in the iron-saturated form was treated with pepsin at pH 3.0, and a fragment with a single iron-binding site was isolated in a 90% pure state.
• 2.2. Its mol. wt was near 33,000.
• 3.3. Its N-terminal residue was alanine, and its iron-binding properties were identical to those of lactoferrin.
• 4.4. The curve showing iron incorporation from lactoferrin and its fragment into reticulocytes showed a biphasic character.
• 5.5. It is concluded that lactoferrin consists of two largely independent parts, which may have arisen by a gene duplication process.

     

Complement-like protein from the phylogenetically primitive vertebrate,Eptatretus Stouti,is a Humoral Opsonin

• 1.1. Serum from the Pacific hagfish,Eptatretus stouti,contains a complement-like protein (CLP).
• 2.2. CLP from unfractionated hagfish serum and from affinity-purified preparations binds to yeast cell surfaces.
• 3.3. Incubation with CLP enhances the phagocytosis of yeast by hagfish leukocytes.
• 4.4. CLP-mediated opsonization can be inhibited by anti-CLP antibody, EDTA, d(+)mannose and l(+)rhamnose.
• 5.5. Additional opsomic factors are also in hagfish serum.

     

Seasonal changes of water,electrolytes and aldosterone levels in blood serum,brain and kidney of the Egyptian cobra “Naja haje haje”

 

• 1.The levels of water, Na, K, Ca and Mg in blood serum, brain and kidney and aldosterone level in blood of Naja haje haje were studied during the different phases of the annual cycle.
• 2.The water content in the tissues studied displayed only minor changes as the animals passed from one phase to the other.
• 3.A significant increase in Na was recorded in the brain during the different phases indicating a depressed sodium pump, whereas the blood Na level showed a significant decrease during hibernation.
• 4.K increased in blood serum, brain and kidney during hibernation, while a nonsignificant decrease was found in blood serum during arousal. The brain may act as a potassium reservoir.
• 5.An increase in Ca and Mg concentration was recorded in blood serum, brain and kidney during prehibernation and hibernation. The data suggested a homeostatic function in the transport and metabolism of these cations.
• 6.Aldosterone exhibited a highly significant decrease especially during hibernation. The aldosterone regulation of ionic composition is discussed.
• 7.Na/K and Ca/Mg ratios in the brain may explain the decreased excitability during winter torpor.

     

The effect of high salinity on development,mortality and ray number of Echinaster spinulosus (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) at different developmental stages

• 1.1. Embryos and larvae of the asteroid Echinaster spinulosus were exposed to high salinity stress at various stages during early development.
• 2.2. Highest percentages of three-rayed (9.7%) and four-rayed (29%) individuals occurred when individuals which had developed for 48 hr (appearance of pre-oral lobe) at ambient salinity (30%o) were exposed to high salinity (39%o).
• 3.3. The percentage of ray-number aberrancies increased with increasing salinity.
• 4.4. The ontogenetic events associated with the formation of the hydrocoelic rudiments at the pre-oral lobe stage may be sensitive to salinity and influence the development of ray number.
• 5.5. The ability to induce variations of ray number in asteroids with salinity stress may yield an experimental approach for the determination of the adaptive significance of ray number in asteroids.

     

Main kinetic characteristics of acetylcholinesterase from brain of Hypostomus punctatus,a Brazilian bentonic fish (cascudo)

• 1.1. A potentiometric method for the assay of cholinesterase has been proposed and compared with a colorimetric assay.
• 2.2. Main kinetic parameters of cholinesterase from Hypostomus punctatus brain were determined indicating that true acetylcholinesterase is by far the predominant enzyme in the brain of this fish.
• 3.3. We have compared our data with published results described from other fish species.
• 4.4. The enzyme inhibition achieved after 3 hr incubation of brain homogenates with ethyl-parathion have indicated that this enzyme shows a characteristic organophosphorous sensitive behavior.

     

High-density Peptide Arrays Help to Identify Linear Immunogenic B-cell Epitopes in Individuals Naturally Exposed to Malaria Infection

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Highlights

• •Profiling antibody responses of patients with naturally acquired malaria immunity.
• •High-density peptide arrays featuring linear epitopes.
• •Epitope mapping of known and potential novel vaccine candidates.
• •Novel immunogenic epitopes discovered, and known antibody target motifs confirmed.

     

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• ScanSoft
• SpeechWorks International
• Viisage Technology
• Firstec
• BIO-key International
• HP
• ZN Vision Technologies
• Unisys
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• Communication Intelligence Corporation
• Infinity Technologies

     

Specificity of transcription of single-copy DNA in different rat tissues

• 1.1. The amount of single-copy DNA sequences transcribed in normal tissues of adult rats (brain and liver) and in the Guerin ascites tumor (GAT) was determined by hybridization of in vitro labelled ¹²⁵I-single-copy rat DNA with a vast excess of total nuclear RNA to very high Rot values (up to 350,000).
• 2.2. The tissue specificity of total nuclear RNA (nRNA) was estimated by annealing of single-copy DNA to a mixture of nuclear RNAs of two different organs (brain + GAT; liver + GAT).
• 3.3. Liver and GAT RNAs annealed to about 12% of the single-copy DNA.
• 4.4. Hybridization with a mixture of the two RNAs increased slightly the amount of hybridization.
• 5.5. In contrast to other tissues, brain nuclear RNA hybridized to a much higher level (20% of the single copy DNA). Addition of GAT RNA did not increase this value.

     

Correlation of acid phosphatase but not alkaline phosphatase activity with myelination in the developing mouse brain

• 1.1. Neonatal mice received subcutaneous injections of buffer, thiourea (TU) or propylthiouracil (PTU).
• 2.2. The PTU-treated mice were sacrificed on postnatal day 14 (P14) and the TU-treated mice on P28.
• 3.3. Brain weights of the TU- and PTU-treated mice were not significantly different from the controls.
• 4.4. Acid but not alkaline phosphatase activity in the braistem decreased after TU and PTU treatment.
• 5.5. Myelination as indicated by intensity of luxol fast blue staining was weaker in drug-treated animals.
• 6.6. The level of myelin marker enzyme, 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphohydrolase, was lower in the brainstem of PTU-treated animals.
• 7.7. The results suggest a correlation between acid phosphatase but not alkaline phosphatase activity with myelination in the developing mouse brain.

     

Company news

• Daon
• Musicrypt
• EMI Music Canada
• Digital Broadband Networks
• FaceKey Corporation
• Eystar Media Inc (EMI)
• Temasya Wira
• Animated Electronic Industries
• BIO-key International
• Entryport Corporation

     

A dopamine- and octopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase in the nervous system of Octopus vulgaris

• 1.1. Adenylate cyclase activity was assayed in the optic lobe of Octopus vulgaris.
• 2.2. Both octopamine and dopamine stimulate the octopus adenylate cyclase, apparently by competing with the same receptor site.
• 3.3. (±)-2-Amino-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene-HBr (6,7-ADTN) and a number of phenylethanolamine derivatives stimulate the octopus adenylate cyclase activity.
• 4.4. The dopamine D-1 antagonists R(+)-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine-HCl (SCH-23390) and (±)-7-bromo-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine-HCl (SKF-83566) are unable to antagonize the effects of dopamine and octopamine, and similarly ineffective is the agonist (±)-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine-7,8-diol-HCl (SKF-38393).
• 5.5. No detectable binding of labelled SCH-23390 occurs on membrane preparations from octopus optic lobe.

     

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• Martin State Airport
• Bioscrypt
• Saflink
• Office of the Secretary of Defense
• Department of Defense
• Boeing Corporation
• Bell ID, Gemplus
• Siemens
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In brief

• Bioscrypt
• Saflink
• Dell
• Fujitsu Microelectronics America
• Identix
• Viisage
• Acsys Biometrics
• US Government

     

Protein,fatty acids,calcium and phosphate absorption along the gastrointestinal tract of the young turkey

• 1.1. The net absorption of protein, fatty acids, calcium and phosphate along the small intestine of the turkey (Meleagris gallopovo) was evaluated with the aid of ⁹¹Y as a reference substance.
• 2.2. About 85% of the ingested protein was absorbed, with most of the absorption occurring in the duodenum and upper jejunum.
• 3.3. The overall lipid absorption coefficient was around 90%, and was inversely related to the fatty acid chain length and saturation.
• 4.4. Most of the lipid absorption occurred in the duodenum and jejunum.
• 5.5. Calcium absorption also occurred in the duodenum and jejunum: its fractional rate decreased with calcium intake.
• 6.6. Phosphate absorption occurred mostly in the duodenum and jejunum and its efficacy was only slightly affected by dietary phosphate intake.
• 7.7. The high nutrient absorption in the turkey duodenum, relative to that of the chick (Gallus domesticus), was discussed.