Glutathione peroxidase activity and release of glutathione from oxygen-deficient perfused rat heart.

The effect of cellular hypoxia on glutathione levels in rat hearts was determined. Hearts perfused with 95% N₂–5% CO₂ demonstrated a significant decrease in tissue reduced glutathione content when compared to control hearts perfused with 95% O₂–5% CO₂. The hypoxic perfusate contained reduced glutathione and its release was time dependent over a period of 60 minutes. The cellular depletion of oxidized glutathione and its release into coronary effluent were less evident with respect to reduced glutathione. Moreover during hypoxic perfusion we have observed a decrease of cytosol glutathione peroxidase activity. These results suggest that severe oxygen-deprivation causes in myocardial cells a significant perturbation of glutathione metabolism.     

Impaired deoxyuridine utilization in the B12-inactivated rat and its correction by folate analogues

Rats were kept in an atmosphere of 50% N₂O in order to inactivate cob(I)alamin. There was an impaired utilization of deoxyuridine for DNA synthesis by marrow cells from these animals. The defect was not improved by the addition of hydroxocobalamin. Formylated tetrahydrofolates corrected the defect but tetrahydrofolate and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate produced either little or no improvement. Thus formyltetrahydrofolates overcome both the impairment of folate polyglutamate synthesis [11] and the impaired deoxyuridine utilization which follows N₂O-induced oxidation of the B₁₂ coenzyme.     

Utilization of [2-14C]tetrahydropteroylglutamic acid and 5-[G-3H]methyltetrahydropteroylglutamic acid as substrates for folate polyglutamate synthesis in fruit bats: Effect of vitamin B-12-deficiency

[2-¹⁴C]Tetrahydropteroylglutamic acid and 5-[G-³H]methyltetrahydropteroylglutamic acid were given intraperitoneally to fruit bats. Folate polyglutamates were formed in the liver from both substrates in different amounts and at different rates. The methylfolate pool appeared to remain separate from the tetrahydrofolate pool. More polyglutamate was formed from tetrahydropteroylglutamic acid than from 5-methyltetrahydropteroylglutamic acid. There was a fall in the folate content of the liver in the vitamin B-12-deficient bat and a more rapid incorporation of folates into polyglutamates but thereafter a more rapid loss of the labelled folate from liver.     

The role of 4,5-dioxovaleric acid in porphyrin and vitamin B12 formation by clostridia

4,5-Dioxovalerate, which has been proposed as an intermediate in the newly discovered so-called C₅ pathway that leads from L-glutamate to δ-aminolevulinate, strongly inhibits uroporphyrin formation from δ-aminolevulinate in cells of $\text{Clostridium}\text{tetanomorphum}$ and in cell-free extracts of this organism, in spite of the presence of L-alanine: 4,5-dioxovalerate aminotransferase (aminolevulinate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.43). The interference by 4,5-dioxovalerate with porphyrin formation is due to strong inhibition of δ-aminolevulinate dehydratase (EC 4.2.1.24). Since 4,5-dioxovalerate hence effectively prevents the operation of the reaction sequence from L-glutamate to porphyrin, it is concluded that 4,5-dioxovalerate does not function as a physiological δ-aminolevulinate precursor.     

Effects of nitrous oxide-induced inactivation of cobalamin on methionine and S-asenosylmethionine metabilism in the rat

Inhalation of nitrous oxide oxidises cobalamin and, in turn, inactivates methionine synthetase which forms methionine from homocysteine and which requires cob[I]alamin as a co-factor. This study was planned to determine the effect of virtual cessation of methionine synthesis via a cobalamn-dependeent pathway, on tissue levels of methionine, S-adenosylmethionine and on related enzymes. The level of methionine in liver fell initially after exposure to N₂O but was restored to pre-N₂O levels after 6 days despite continuing N₂O exposure. Brain methionine fell within 12 h of N₂O exposure but the fall was not significant. The restoration of methionine levels is accompanied by an increase in activity of betaine homoysteine methyltransferase in liver but this enzyme was not detected in brain. The activity of methionine synthetase remained very low in both liver and brain as long as N₂O inhalation was continued. There was an initial rise in liver S-adenosyl-methionine levels followed by a steady fall to 40% of its initial level after 11 days of N₂O exposure. However, there was no change in the level of S-adenosylmethionine in brain during this period. The data indicate that either brain meets its requirement by increased methionine uptake from plasma or that there are alternate pathways in brain for methionine synthesis other than those requiring a cobalamin coenzyme.     

Biosynthesis of vitamin B12: Isobacteriochlorins,the link between corrins and sulphite reductases

The beautiful structure of vitamin B₁₂ has attracted great interest in its biosynthesis. This review briefly outlines the background and then covers very recent developments which have shown the importance of isobacteriochlorins in relation to the B₁₂ biosynthetic pathway. These isobacteriochlorin systems are also key materials for sulphite and nitrite reductase enzymes, and thus they act as a bridge, presumably an evolutionary bridge, between these enzymes and vitamin B₁₂. Determination of the structures of the isobacteriochlorins opens up the central part of the biosynthetic pathway to the corrin macrocycle.     

Study on solvent extraction of propionic acid from simulated discharged water in vitamin B12 production by anaerobic fermentation

The potential of recovering propionic acid from discharged water in vitamin B₁₂ production by anaerobic fermentation was investigated in this paper. A primary amine, N₁₉₂₃, was used as the extractant, kerosene as diluter and n-octanol as modifier. The influences of the content of N₁₉₂₃ in the organic phase, the phase ratio and the pH of aqueous phase on the extraction yield of propionic acid were studied. The organic phase composition with the volume ratio was proposed of N₁₉₂₃:kerosene:n-octanol as 45:35:20. Under conditions of the phase ratio (o/w) as 1:4, the pH of aqueous phase of 3.0 and after 5 min extraction, the extraction yield of propionic acid can be over 97%.     

Influence of vitamin B12 on blood levels of glucose and nitrogen-containing compounds in the chick

A vitamin B₁₂ deficiency in chicks has been found to significantly increase the blood levels of nonprotein nitrogen, amino nitrogen, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and glucose as compared with those of chicks receiving crystalline vitamin B₁₂. The level of uric acid was not consistently affected. These findings further suggest that vitamin B₁₂ is involved in nitrogen metabolism in the chick.     

Nature of vitamin B12 binding by native serum,seromucid, and highly purified fractions from chicken serum

1.

The nature of the binding of vitamin B₁₂ by two highly purified fractions from chicken serum was compared with the binding by native chicken serum and seromucoid. The following results were obtained:     

Convergence in the relationship of CO2 and N2O exchanges between soil and atmosphere within terrestrial ecosystems

Ecosystem CO₂ and N₂O exchanges between soils and the atmosphere play an important role in climate warming and global carbon and nitrogen cycling; however, it is still not clear whether the fluxes of these two greenhouse gases are correlated at the ecosystem scale. We collected 143 pairs of ecosystem CO₂ and N₂O exchanges between soils and the atmosphere measured simultaneously in eight ecosystems around the world and developed relationships between soil CO₂ and N₂O fluxes. Significant linear regressions of soil CO₂ and N₂O fluxes were found for all eight ecosystems; the highest slope occurred in rice paddies and the lowest in temperate grasslands. We also found the dominant role of growing season on the relationship of annual CO₂ and N₂O fluxes. No significant relationship between soil CO₂ and N₂O fluxes was found across all eight ecosystem types. The estimated annual global N₂O emission based on our findings is 13.31 Tg N yr⁻¹ with a range of 8.19–18.43 Tg N yr⁻¹ for 1980–2000, of which cropland contributes nearly 30%. Our findings demonstrated that stoichiometric relationships may work on ecological functions at the ecosystem level. The relationship of soil N₂O and CO₂ fluxes developed here could be helpful in biogeochemical modeling and large-scale estimations of soil CO₂ and N₂O fluxes.     

Biosynthesis of vitamin B12: Timing of the methylation steps between uro'gen III and cobyrinic acid

The sequence of methylation between uro'gen III and cobyrinic acid has been defined by applying ¹³C pulse-labeling methods to a cell-free system from Propionibacterium shermanii. Feeding experiments using unenriched S-adenosyl methionine (¹²CH₃-SAM) followed by ¹³C-enriched SAM (¹³CH₃-SAM) (or vice versa) at various intervals caused differentiation in the ¹³C NMR signals of the SAM-derived methyl groups in cobyrinic acid (isolated as cobester). Unenriched uro'gen III and sirohydrochlorin as substrates led to cobyrinic acid containing seven and five enriched methyl groups, respectively, which on NMR analysis gave as a sequence of methylation C-2 > C-7 > C-20 > C-17 > C-12α > C-1 > C-5 C-15.     

Ecosystem–atmosphere exchange of CH4 and N2O and ecosystem respiration in wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeastern China

Natural wetlands are critically important to global change because of their role in modulating atmospheric concentrations of CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O. One 4‐year continuous observation was conducted to examine the exchanges of CH₄ and N₂O between three wetland ecosystems and the atmosphere as well as the ecosystem respiration in the Sanjiang Plain in Northeastern China. From 2002 to 2005, the mean annual budgets of CH₄ and N₂O, and ecosystem respiration were 39.40 ± 6.99 g C m^?2 yr^?1, 0.124 ± 0.05 g N m^?2 yr^?1, and 513.55 ± 8.58 g C m^?2 yr^?1 for permanently inundated wetland; 4.36 ± 1.79 g C m^?2 yr^?1, 0.11 ± 0.12 g N m^?2 yr^?1, and 880.50 ± 71.72 g C m^?2 yr^?1 for seasonally inundated wetland; and 0.21 ± 0.1 g C m^?2 yr^?1, 0.28 ± 0.11 g N m^?2 yr^?1, and 1212.83 ± 191.98 g C m^?2 yr^?1 for shrub swamp. The substantial interannual variation of gas fluxes was due to the significant climatic variability which underscores the importance of long‐term continuous observations. The apparent seasonal pattern of gas emissions associated with a significant relationship of gas fluxes to air temperature implied the potential effect of global warming on greenhouse gas emissions from natural wetlands. The budgets of CH₄ and N₂O fluxes and ecosystem respiration were highly variable among three wetland types, which suggest the uncertainties in previous studies in which all kinds of natural wetlands were treated as one or two functional types. New classification of global natural wetlands in more detailed level is highly expected.     

Structure, evolution and action of vitamin B6-dependent enzymes

The number of known three-dimensional structures of vitamin B₆-dependent enzymes has doubled in the past two years. A fourth type of fold for B₆-dependent enzymes, involving a TIM-barrel domain, has been discovered. Alanine racemase is the first known representative of this new fold. Significant progress has been made in understanding the allosteric effects in the tryptophan synthase reaction.     

The production and emission of nitrous oxide from headwater streams in the Midwestern United States

The emission of nitrous oxide (N₂O) from streams draining agricultural landscapes is estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to constitute a globally significant source of this gas to the atmosphere, although there is considerable uncertainty in the magnitude of this source. We measured N₂O emission rates and potential controlling variables in 12 headwater streams draining a predominantly agricultural basin on glacial terrain in southwestern Michigan. The study sites were nearly always supersaturated with N₂O and emission rates ranged from ?8.9 to 266.8 μg N₂O‐N m^?2 h^?1 with an overall mean of 35.2 μg N₂O‐N m^?2 h^?1. Stream water NO₃^? concentrations best‐predicted N₂O emission rates. Although streams and agricultural soils in the basin had similar areal emission rates, emissions from streams were equivalent to 6% of the anthropogenic emissions from soils because of the vastly greater surface area of soils. We found that the default value of the N₂O emission factor for streams and groundwater as defined by the IPCC (EF5‐g) was similar to the value observed in this study lending support to the recent downward revision to EF5‐g. However, the EF5‐g spanned four orders of magnitude across our study sites suggesting that the IPCC's methodology of applying one emission factor to all streams may be inappropriate.     

Preliminary studies on the inhibitory effect of novel Pd(II) complexes of vitamin B6 on cell divisions

Two novel complexes of Pd(II) involving vitamin B₆ compounds have been synthesized. They are compatible with the compositions Pd(P.H.)₂ C₂(P=pyridoxol) and Pd(PL.H)₂C₂ (PL = pyridoxal). The complexes inhibited the growth as well as the biosynthesis of RNA, DNA, and protein of E. coli B-766. Photoacoustic spectral (PAS) measurements showed that the complexes bound to DNA of the bacteria and were present only in the kidney of treated mice. The complexes inhibited the incorporation of ³H-thymidine as well as ¹⁴C-leucine in the DNA and protein, respectively, of liver cell cultures (BL8L). The inhibition of cell division of Walker-S-cells and human lymphocytes by the complexes was highly significant.     

Specificity of receptors for leukotrienes A4, B4, C4, D4, E4 and histamine on the guinea-pig lung parenchyma. Effect of FPL-55712 and desensitization of the myotropic activity

The novel metabolites of arachidonic acid, leukotriene (LT) A₄, B₄, C₄, D₄ and E₄ have potent myotropic activity on guinea-pig lung parenchymal strip . The receptors responsible for their action were characterized using desensitization experiments and the selective SRS-A antagonist, FPL-55712. During the continuous infusion of LTB₄, the tissues became desensitized to LTB₄ but were still responsive to histamine, LTA₄, LTC₄, LTD₄ and LTE₄. When LTD₄ was infused continuously, the lung strips contracted to LTB₄ and histamine but were no longer responsive to LTA₄, LTC₄, LTD₄ and LTE₄. Furthermore, FPL-55712 (10 ng ml⁻¹− 10 ug ml⁻¹) produced dose-dependent inhibitions of LTA₄, LTC₄, LTD₄ and LTE₄ without inhibiting the contraction to LTB₄ and histamine. On the basis of these results, it appears that the guinea-pig lung parenchyma may have one type of receptor for LTB₄ and another for LTD₄; LTA₄, LTC₄ and LTE₄ probably act on the LTD₄ receptor.     

UV-B增强下施硅对稻田CH4和N2O排放及其增温潜势的影响

大气平流层臭氧损耗导致的地表紫外辐射增强作为全球变化重要问题之一,受到广泛关注。硅是水稻生长有益元素,但施硅是否影响稻田CH_4和 N_2O排放,迄今相关报道尚不多见。通过大田试验,研究UV-B增强下施硅对水稻生长、稻田甲烷(CH_4)和氧化亚氮( N_2O)排放及其增温潜势的影响。UV-B辐照设2水平,即对照(A,自然光)和增强20%(E);施硅量设2水平,即对照(Si0,0 kg SiO_2/hm2)和施硅(Si1,200 kg SiO_2/hm2)。结果表明,UV-B增强降低了成熟期水稻地上部和地下部生物量,而施硅能缓解UV-B增强对水稻生长的抑制作用,使水稻地上部和地下部生物量增加。UV-B增强可显著提高稻田CH_4和 N_2O排放通量和累积排放量,增加稻田CH_4和 N_2O排放的综合增温潜势。施硅能明显降低稻田CH_4排放,促进 N_2O排放,降低稻田CH_4和 N_2O排放的综合增温潜势。研究表明,施硅显著降低稻田CH_4和 N_2O的全球增温潜势,缓解UV-B增强对稻田CH_4和 N_2O的全球增温潜势的促进作用。