Isolation and Identification of 2-Methylxanthopurpurin-7-methylether from the Mycelium of Alternaria porri

An attempt was made to estimate the base composition of DNA from UV absorption spectrum of its enzymatic digest. Preheated DNA sample was denatured, dialyzed and hydrolyzed to nucleotides with nuclease P1. A half of the digest was dialyzed and absorbance of the un-dialyzed digest was read at 16 different wavelengths with the dialyzed one as a reference. The data were input to a computer with standard extinction coefficients. The G+C contents thus obtained were fairly reproducible and reliable. An easier computing with a table calculator was found to be satisfactory for a routine work. It was noted that mathematically correct program does not always give reasonable answers. Base compositions of some DNA estimated by this method were also reported.     

Isolation and Characterization of Antitumor Lipopolysaccharide from Proteus mirabilis

Systematic isolation of the cell constituents of Proteus mirabilis RMS–203 was performed to find out localization of antitumor principle only in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) layer of the cell wall fraction.

LPS with strong antitumor activity was extracted from P. mirabilis RMS–203 by phenol-water method followed by purification on DEAE-Sephadex A–50 column chromatography.

The main components of purified LPS were galactose, hexosamine, 2-keto-deoxy-octonic acid (KDO), myristic acid, β-hydroxymyristic acid and α,ε-diaminopimelic acid.

The minimal effective dose of LPS against Ehrlich solid carcinoma in mice was 0.1~1.0 μg/mouse. LD₅₀ in mice and pyrogenicity in rabbits were 28 mg/kg and 10^?3–10^?5 μg/rabbit, respectively.     

银杏内生真菌Aspergillus oryzae YX-5抗肿瘤活性物质的分离与鉴定

【背景】植物内生真菌是天然活性物质的重要来源。【目的】对一株具有抗肿瘤活性的银杏内生真菌米曲霉Aspergillus oryzae YX-5进行活性物质的分离与鉴定。【方法】将该菌株发酵培养后,发酵液经乙酸乙酯萃取,采用减压柱层析、葡聚糖凝胶柱层析和高效液相色谱分析,从其代谢产物中分离活性化合物,在分离过程中以MTT法跟踪检测分离到的各组分及纯化合物的抗肿瘤活性。【结果】从菌株YX-5的发酵产物中分离纯化得到4个化合物。经核磁共振和高分辨质谱分析,将其分别鉴定为羟基曲霉酸(1)、环(4-羟脯氨酸-苯丙氨酸)(2)、环(亮氨酸-苯丙氨酸)(3)和环(丙氨酸-苯丙氨酸)(4)。其中羟基曲霉酸对人宫颈癌HeLa细胞具有显著的细胞毒活性,其IC_(50)为1.07μg/mL。【结论】报道羟基曲霉酸在抗肿瘤方面的活性,表明米曲霉及羟基曲霉酸在抗肿瘤天然产物开发中具有一定的应用潜力。     

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of one of the most highly expressed genes, a pdcA homolog of Aspergillus nidulans, in Aspergillus oryzae

A homolog of Aspergillus nidulans pdcA that is probably one of the most highly expressed in Aspergillus oryzae ATCC 22788 was isolated, as measured by the frequency among randomly selected 324 expressed sequence tags. It has an 1,632 bp open reading frame for a polypeptide of about 60 kDa. Its amino acid sequence revealed 74% identity and 84% similarity to that of A. nidulans pyruvate decarboxylase.     

Isolation of clustered genes that are notably homologous to the eicosapentaenoic acid biosynthesis gene cluster from the docosahexaenoic acid-producing bacterium Vibrio marinus strain MP-1

A 40-kbp DNA fragment was isolated from the cosmid library of Vibrio marinus strain MP-1. Among the 22 putative open reading frames (ORFs) in this fragment, ORFs 8, 9, 10 and 11 had high homology with ORFs 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the eicosapentaenoic acid biosynthesis gene cluster, respectively. Then, we speculate that these ORFs are responsible for docosahexaenoic acid biosynthesis in this bacterium.     

A Novel Isoindoline,Porritoxin Sulfonic Acid,from Alternaria porri and the Structure-phytotoxicity Correlation of Its Related Compounds

Novel zinniol-related compound 3, named porritoxin sulfonic acid, with an isoindoline skeleton was isolated from the culture liquid of Alternaria porri. The structure was determined to be 2-(2″-sulfoethyl)-4-methoxy-5-methyl-6-(3′-methyl-2′-butenyloxy)-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-1-one. The phytotoxic activities of three isoindolines (1-3) were evaluated in a seedling-growth assay against stone leek and lettuce.     

浑球红细菌Rhodobacter sphaeroides吸氨酶(hup)基因簇的分离与鉴定

以Rhodobactercapsulatus的hopS’L基因DNA片段为探针,通过Southem杂交,从构建的Rhodobactersphaeroides601基因库中调取hup基因。阳性克隆Cosmid1可与Hup突变株JP91（HupS－）、RCC8（HupR-）以及BSE8（HupT-）互补,而Cosmid3和Cosmid9只能与BSE8互补;试验所产生的接合转移子均恢复了吸氢酶的活性和自养生长能力、将Cosmidl的3．5kbPstⅠ和4．5kbBamHⅠ片段分别亚克隆到pWY11和pWY10中。pWY11和pWY10的部分DNA序列与R．capsulatus中的相关基因具有很高的同源性,从而证明了所得到的Cosmid1确实含有R．sphaeroides的基因簇。     

Identification and Characterization of an Intracellular Lectin,Calnexin, from Aspergillus oryzae Using N-Glycan-Conjugated Beads

Recently, asparagine-linked oligosaccharides (N-glycans) have been found to play a pivotal role in glycoprotein quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In order to screen proteins interacting with N-glycans, we developed affinity chromatography by conjugating synthetic N-glycans on sepharose beads. Using the affinity beads with the dodecasaccharide Glc₁Man₉GlcNAc₂, one structure of the N-glycans, a 75-kDa protein, was isolated from the membranous fraction including the ER in Aspergillus oryzae. By LC-MS/MS analysis using the A. oryzae genome database, the protein was identified as one (AO090009000313) sharing similarities with calnexin. Further affinity chromatographic experiments suggested that the protein specifically bound to Glc₁Man₉GlcNAc₂, similarly to mammalian calnexins. We designated the gene AoclxA and expressed it as a fusion gene with egfp, revealing the ER localization of the AoClxA protein. Our results suggest that our affinity chromatography with synthetic N-glycans might help in biological analysis of glycoprotein quality control in the ER.     

Improved Microbial Production of Colominic Acid,a Homopolymer of N-Acetylneuraminic Acid

A culture medium has been devised for producing colominic acid in improved yields. Major improvements were obtained by using sorbitol as a source of carbon, by adding phosphate in high concentrations, and by supplementing a limited amount of yeast extract. E. coli O 16: Kl: HNM produced approximately 3000 µg/ml of colominic acid on cultivation at 37°C for 46 hr with a liquid medium consisting of sorbitol (2.0%), (NH₄)₂SO₄ (0.5%), K₂HPO₄ (1.4%), MgSO₄·7H₂O (0.05%), and yeast extract (0.05%).

Isolation and purification by deproteinization with ammonium sulfate, precipitation with ethanol, and by column chromatography on anion exchange resins resulted in a pure colominic acid preparation devoid of internal ester linkages.

In producing colominic acid, strains forming S-type colonies were more active than those forming R-type colonies.     

阿魏酸酯酶A的基因克隆与表达及其水解产物的纯化

为在毕赤酵母中表达来源于米曲霉Aspergillus oryzae的A型阿魏酸酯酶并研究其水解功能,探讨大孔树脂对其水解产物阿魏酸的纯化条件及纯化效果,以米曲霉A.oryzae CICC 40186总RNA为模板,通过RT-PCR技术克隆出了米曲霉阿魏酸酯酶A(AorFaeA)成熟肽的编码基因AorfaeA,并借助pPIC9K质粒实现了其在毕赤酵母GS115中的异源表达。SDS-PAGE分析结果显示纯化后的重组阿魏酸酯酶(reAorFaeA)为单一条带,其表观分子质量约39.0 kDa。以阿魏酸甲酯为底物,经高效液相色谱法测得该酶的最高酶活为58.35 U/mg。利用reAorFaeA和木聚糖酶复合酶水解去淀粉麦麸制备阿魏酸,用大孔树脂纯化小麦麸皮阿魏酸粗提液,所测树脂中HPD-300型大孔树脂的吸附量和解吸率较高,以50%的乙醇为洗脱液,当流速为1.0 mL/min时洗脱效果较好。在该纯化条件下,阿魏酸的回收率为92%,质量分数由原材料中的0.13%富集提高到10.55%。这些研究为阿魏酸的酶法"绿色生产"及应用奠定了坚实的理论基础。     

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase from the silkworm Bombyx mori: Identification,distribution, and biochemical characterization

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) catalyzes the interconversion of serine and tetrahydrofolate (THF) to glycine and methylenetetrahydrofolate. cDNA encoding Bombyx mori SHMT (bmSHMT) was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence consisted of 465 amino acids and was found to share homology with other SHMTs. Recombinant bmSHMT was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The enzyme showed optimum activity at pH 3.0 and 30°C and was stable under acidic conditions. The K_m and k_cat/K_m values for THF in the presence of Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP⁺) were 0.055 mM and 0.081 mM^?1 s^?1, respectively, whereas those toward NADP⁺ were 0.16 mM and 0.018 mM^?1 s^?1 and toward l ‐serine were 1.8 mM and 0.0022 mM^?1 s^?1, respectively. Mutagenesis experiments revealed that His119, His132, and His135 are important for enzymatic activity. Our results provide insight into the roles and regulation mechanism of one‐carbon metabolism in the silkworm B. mori.     

Species identification of Aspergillus section Flavi isolates from Portuguese almonds using phenotypic, including MALDI-TOF ICMS, and molecular approaches

AIMS: Section Flavi is one of the most significant sections in the genus Aspergillus. Taxonomy of this section currently depends on multivariate approaches, entailing phenotypic and molecular traits. This work aimed to identify isolates from section Flavi by combining various classic phenotypic and genotypic methods as well as the novel approach based on spectral analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF ICMS) and to evaluate the discriminatory power of the various approaches in species identification. METHODS AND RESULTS: Aspergillus section Flavi isolates obtained from Portuguese almonds were characterized in terms of macro- and micromorphology, mycotoxin pattern, calmodulin gene sequence and MALDI-TOF protein fingerprint spectra. For each approach, dendrograms were created and results were compared. All data sets divided the isolates into three groups, corresponding to taxa closely related to Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus tamarii. In the A. flavus clade, molecular and spectral analyses were not able to resolve between aflatoxigenic and nonaflatoxigenic isolates. In the A. parasiticus cluster, two well-resolved clades corresponded to unidentified taxa, corresponding to those isolates with mycotoxin profile different from that expected for A. parasiticus.     

大肠杆菌O157：H7中编码vt2基因的噬菌体的分离与鉴定

根据GenBank中VT1、VT2毒素的基因序列设计合成2对引物,以大肠杆菌O157:H7菌株DNA为模板,扩 增vt1、vt2。诱导只扩增出vt2的菌株释放噬菌体,利用多种指示菌经双层琼脂平板法来分离纯化VT2噬菌体,观 察噬菌斑的特征,提纯病毒粒子进行电镜观察,并对噬菌体中vt2基因检测、克隆和序列分析。结果显示VT2噬菌 体感染MC1061在双层琼脂平板上形成的噬菌斑小而混浊,多呈磨玻璃样;而首次感染大肠杆菌CC118(λpir),此 后用MC1061分离的噬菌体,再以MC1061为指示菌,在双层琼脂平板上形成小而清晰透明的噬菌斑。电镜下噬 菌体头部呈六边形外廓,尾部细长无尾鞘结构。以噬菌体DNA为模板进行PCR扩增,检测到vt2特异性DNA 带,克隆的vt2基因序列与GenBank中编码VT2毒素的核苷酸序列(X07865,NC_002655,BA000007,AF291819) 的同源性分别达到99％,确定编码VT2毒素的基因位于噬菌体上,并获得VT2噬菌体(?)HY。     

Genome-wide comparison of genes involved in the biosynthesis,metabolism, and signaling of juvenile hormone between silkworm and other insects

Juvenile hormone (JH) contributes to the regulation of larval molting and metamorphosis in insects. Herein, we comprehensively identified 55 genes involved in JH biosynthesis, metabolism and signaling in the silkworm (Bombyx mori) as well as 35 in Drosophila melanogaster, 35 in Anopheles gambiae, 36 in Apis mellifera, 47 in Tribolium castaneum, and 44 in Danaus plexippus. Comparative analysis showed that each gene involved in the early steps of the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, in the neuropeptide regulation of JH biosynthesis, or in JH signaling is a single copy in B. mori and other surveyed insects, indicating that these JH-related pathways or steps are likely conserved in all surveyed insects. However, each gene participating in the isoprenoid branch of JH biosynthesis and JH metabolism, together with the FPPS genes for catalyzing the final step of the MVA pathway of JH biosynthesis, exhibited an obvious duplication in Lepidoptera, including B. mori and D. plexippus. Microarray and real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that different copies of several JH-related genes presented expression changes that correlated with the dynamics of JH titer during larval growth and metamorphosis. Taken together, the findings suggest that duplication-derived copy variation of JH-related genes might be evolutionarily associated with the variation of JH types between Lepidoptera and other insect orders. In conclusion, our results provide useful clues for further functional analysis of JH-related genes in B. mori and other insects.