Complementary effects of bifidogenic growth stimulators and ammonium sulfate in natural rubber serum powder on Bifidobacterium bifidum.

Natural rubber serum powder, rich in crude protein and carbohydrates, had a strong growth-stimulating activity for Bifidobacterium bifidum JCM 1254, which was unable to grow in a fully synthetic medium, B12 assay medium. Natural rubber serum powder was fractionated by ultrafiltration (molecular weight cutoff 1000). The active ultrafiltrate was further concentrated and desalted with an adsorptive microconcentrator, which adsorbs virtually all amino acids and peptides. Through this purification step, it was found that the adsorbed fraction obtained did not stimulate growth independently but acted complementarily with a small amount of ammonium sulfate. The adsorbed fraction was subsequently analyzed on reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatography, and the activities of the eluates were measured on B12 assay medium with ammonium sulfate. Consequently, it was proved that several peptidic ingredients in the adsorbed fraction increased the growth of B. bifidum.     

Growth Regulators in Picea abies

The occurrence of growth regulators active in the Avena coleoptile straight-growth test in sprouting buds and seedlings of Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) was investigated. The acid ether fraction contained a growth stimulator, the Rf of which in isopropanol: ammonia: water was 0.2–0.4. This substance behaved as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in elec-trophoresis, in chromatography in various solvent systems on paper and on a Sephadex column. It gave the colour typical of IAA when sprayed with Ehrlich reagent and its fluorescence characteristics corresponded to IAA. Acid ether-soluble inhibitors showed most activity at Rf 0.4–0.7, but due to tailing they interfered with the determination of the stimulator at the Rf of IAA in the bioassay. They also masked the activity of other stimulators. Colour reactions were obtained with Ehrlich reagent in the inhibiting chromatogram zone. When eluates from this zone were tested in high dilutions or after gel filtration growth stimulation was obtained. The acid fraction of seedling shoots also contained a stimulator with Rf 0.7–0.8. In the neutral-basic ether-soluble fraction growth stimulation was obtained at Rf 0.5–0.7. The extracts also contained stimulatory substances insoluble in ether but soluble in n-butanol and partly in ethyl acetate. When the butanol fraction was hydrolyzed in 1 M NaOH a substance behaving as IAA when chromatographed was released.     

Role of 2-amino-3-carboxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, a strong growth stimulator for bifidobacteria, as an electron transfer mediator for NAD(P)(+) regeneration in Bifidobacterium longum.

2-Amino-3-carboxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (ACNQ) is a novel growth stimulator for bifidobacteria. The role of ACNQ as a mediator of the electron transfer from NAD(P)H to dioxygen (O(2)) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), proposed in our previous paper, was examined using the cell-free extract and whole cells of Bifidobacterium longum. Continuous monitoring of ACNQ, O(2) and H(2)O(2) by several amperometric techniques has revealed that ACNQ works as a good electron acceptor of NAD(P)H diaphorase and that the reduced form of ACNQ is easily autoxidized and also acts as a better electron donor of NAD(P)H peroxidase than NAD(P)H. The generation of H(2)O(2) by B. longum under aerobic conditions is effectively suppressed in the presence of ACNQ. These ACNQ-mediated reactions would play roles as NAD(P)(+)-regeneration processes. The accumulation of ACNQ in the cytosol has been also suggested. These characteristics of ACNQ seem to be responsible for the growth stimulation of bifidobacteria. Vitamin K(3), which has an extremely low growth-stimulating activity and was used as a reference compound, exhibits much lower activity as an electron transfer mediator. The difference in the activity is discussed in terms of the redox potential and partition property of the quinones.     

Comparison of exogenous growth stimuli for chemically transformed cells: growth factors, serum and cocultures

Rat tumor cells isolated from 2 fibrosarcomas which differed in their degree of differentiation were exposed to growth-stimulating influences in soft agar. The effects of growth factors (epidermal growth factor, fibrosarcoma growth factor and insulin), of fetal calf serum and of cocultured normal mesenchymal cells of rats and nude mice were compared. Each of the 3 growth factors exerted a specific response and dose dependence. Increasing concentrations of serum stimulated the number of cells which formed clones in soft agar. Experiments using combinations of growth factors and fetal calf serum demonstrated that a complex optimal mixture of growth stimuli was responsible for the efficient growth-promoting activity of the serum. In cocultures with normal cells, cloning efficiency of tumor cells was enhanced and growth of tumor cells was accelerated. This stimulus was due to the constant release of an agar-diffusible growth-stimulating factor by the normal, nondividing cells. Cocultured mouse cells showed an even higher growth-stimulating activity than rat fibroblasts. Cells obtained from the poorly differentiated fibrosarcoma responded, in relative terms, better to all growth-stimulating influences, than those derived from the well-differentiated tumor.     

The patatin-like protein from the latex of Hevea brasiliensis (Hev b 7) is not a vacuolar protein

Upon centrifugation, rubber latex is divided into a layer of rubber particles, the cytosol, and the lutoid-body fraction, which is of vacuolar origin. One of the proteins isolated from the lutoid-body fraction is a protein with a molecular mass of 43 kDa, which has esterase activity on p-nitrophenylpalmitate and which shows significant sequence similarity with patatin, a vacuolar protein with esterase activity from potato (Solanum tuberosum). This protein is a major allergen in rubber latex products (Hev b 7) and can also be isolated from the cytosol fraction of rubber latex. The mature protein isolated from lutoid-bodies has no structural features expected for a vacuolar protein: the N-terminal methionine in the cDNA-derived sequence is cleaved off, the second residue is N-acetylated, and the C-terminal sequence is identical to that in the cDNA-derived sequence. Thus the patatin-like protein in Hevea brasiliensis is not a vacuolar protein, but may be associated with not yet characterized particles in the cytoplasm, which either sediment with lutoid-bodies or remain in the cytosol fraction, depending on the centrifugation conditions.     

Purification and characterization of NAD(P)H quinone reductase from the latex of Hevea brasiliensis Müll.-Arg. (Euphorbiaceae)

NAD(P)H quinone reductase [NAD(P)H-QR] present in the latex of Hevea brasiliensis Müll.-Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) was purified to homogeniety from the B-serum fraction obtained by freeze-thawing of the bottom fraction of ultracentrifuged fresh latex. The purification protocol involved acetone fractionation, heat treatment, ion exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography. The M(r) determined by SDS-PAGE for the protein subunit was 21 kDa, and the molecular mass of the native enzyme estimated by gel filtration was 83 kDa, indicating that the native enzyme is a homotetramer. The enzyme showed pH stability over a range of 6 to at least 10 (with an optimum at pH 8) and thermal stability up to 80 degrees C. High NAD(P)H-QR activity (70%) was still retained after 10 h of preincubation at 80 degrees C. A comparable substrate specificity for this enzyme was observed among menadione, p-benzoquinone, juglone, and plumbagin, with only duroquinone generating a lower activity. Positive correlations between latex NAD(P)H-QR activity and rubber yield per tapping [fresh latex (r=0.89, P<0.01), dry rubber (r=0.81, P<0.01)] together with flow time (r=0.85, P<0.01) indicated that enzyme activity could possibly be used as a marker to predict the yield potential of selected clones.     

Molecular characterization of alpha-lactalbumin folding variants that induce apoptosis in tumor cells

This study characterized a protein complex in human milk that induces apoptosis in tumor cells but spares healthy cells. The active fraction was purified from casein by anion exchange chromatography. Unlike other casein components the active fraction was retained by the ion exchanger and eluted after a high salt gradient. The active fraction showed N-terminal amino acid sequence identity with human milk alpha-lactalbumin and mass spectrometry ruled out post-translational modifications. Size exclusion chromatography resolved monomers and oligomers of alpha-lactalbumin that were characterized using UV absorbance, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The high molecular weight oligomers were kinetically stable against dissociation into monomers and were found to have an essentially retained secondary structure but a less well organized tertiary structure. Comparison with native monomeric and molten globule alpha-lactalbumin showed that the active fraction contains oligomers of alpha-lactalbumin that have undergone a conformational switch toward a molten globule-like state. Oligomerization appears to conserve alpha-lactalbumin in a state with molten globule-like properties at physiological conditions. The results suggest differences in biological properties between folding variants of alpha-lactalbumin.     

一株双歧杆菌质粒聚合酶基因的PCR扩增和鉴定

目的PCR扩增人双歧杆菌天然质粒的聚合酶基因。方法用改良型MRS双歧杆菌选择培养基,从人新鲜粪便分离长双歧杆菌,PCR扩增长双歧杆菌质粒聚合酶(Bifidobacterium plasmid polymerase,BPP)基因,对BPP基因检测阳性的PCR产物通过序列分析,进行鉴定。结果人长双歧杆菌天然质粒的聚合酶基因PCR扩增后,经1.0%琼脂糖凝胶电泳,测得BPP基因的相对分子质量约为1.9 kb。通过BLAST序列比对分析与GenBank中相应基因同源性为96%。结论成功克隆了1株双歧杆菌天然质粒的聚合酶基因,为构建与双歧杆菌宿主质粒相适应的载体奠定了基础。     

Production of nerve growth-stimulating factor(s) from chick embryo heart cells : Use of Cytodex 3 microcarriers and serum-free media

Medium conditioned by embryonic chick heart cells is known to support extensive neurite outgrowth from autonomic and sensory neurons. In the present report we describe the use of microcarrier cell culture with serum-free media to scale up the production of the nerve growth-stimulating factors. A growth medium composed of DME /F10 supplemented with insulin, transferrin, human serum albumin and fibronectin in combination with a low molecular weight (MW) fraction of fetal calf serum (FCS) or a mixture of FGF, dexamethasone, calmodulin and thrombin supported the heart cell proliferation at a rate similar to that of medium with 10% FCS. Furthermore, the level of successively accumulated nerve growth activity measured in a bioassay with sympathetic ganglia proved to be nearly equivalent to what was obtained when cells were grown in medium containing serum. The results confirm the potential of microcarrier cell culture in serum-free media for the production and subsequent recovery of a specific cell product.     

Differentiation of Mouse Bone Marrow Precursor Cells into Neutrophil Granulocytes by an Activity Separation from WEHI-3 Cell-Conditioned Medium

Colonies comprised exclusively of neutrophil granulocytes have been obtained by growing mouse bone marrow cells in nutrient semisolid agar cultures. A stimulator of predominantly granulocyte colony formation was present in the breakthrough fraction of preparations of colony-stimulating activity separated on DEAE-Sephadex A. The source of colony-stimulating activity was concentrated conditioned medium of a murine myelomonocytic cell line (WEHI-3), which unfractionated stimulated the growth of colonies of granulocytes, macrophages, megakaryocytes, as well as mixed colony types. After stepwise column chromatography of the conditioned medium, the breakthrough fraction was shown to stimulate predominantly granulocyte colony formation, and the fraction eluted with 1 M NaCl was found to induce primarily macrophage colony growth. Colony morphology was independent of the concentration of eluate used. The morphology of colonies varied with increasing concentrations of the breakthrough fraction. At low concentrations, granulocyte colony formation was almost exclusively observed. With increasing concentrations of this fraction, an increasing proportion of the colonies were found to contain macrophages. The effect of concentration of this activity was in marked contrast to previous findings where the incidence of granulocyte colony formation was inversely related to the concentration of colony-stimulating activity. This differential responsiveness of cell to stimulus has previously been interpreted as low concentrations of a growth and differentiation factor being required for macrophage production and high concentrations of the same factor required for granulocyte formation. Separation of these activities by DEAE Sephadex chromatography, and alteration of the dose-response curve, such that granulocyte colony formation varies directly with the amount of stimulator, indicates that the differentiation of these two cell blood lineages may be controlled by separate entities.     

Molecular components and toxicity of the venom of the solitary wasp, Anoplius samariensis

The solitary spider wasp, Anoplius samariensis, is known to exhibit a unique long-term, non-lethal paralysis in spiders that it uses as a food source for its larvae. However, neither detailed venom components nor paralytic compounds have ever been characterized. In this study, we examined the components in the low molecular weight fraction of the venom and the paralytic activity of the high molecular weight fraction. The major low molecular weight components of the venom were identified as gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamic acid by micro-liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry analysis. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mass analysis revealed that the A. samariensis venom contained the various proteins with weights of 4-100 kDa. A biological assay using Joro spiders (Nephila clavata) clearly showed that the high molecular weight fraction of the venom prepared by ultrafiltration exerted as potent non-lethal long-term paralysis as the whole venom, whereas the low molecular weight fraction was devoid of any paralytic activity. These results indicated that several venomous proteins in the high molecular weight fraction are responsible for the paralytic activity. Furthermore, we determined the primary structure of one component designated As-fr-19, which was a novel multiple-cysteine peptide with high sequence similarity to several sea anemone and snake toxins including dendrotoxins, rather than any insect toxic peptides identified so far. Taken together, our data showed the unprecedented molecular and toxicological profiles of wasp venoms.     

Isolation and characterization of a bacterial growth-stimulating peptide from a peptic bovine hemoglobin hydrolysate

 A peptide with a bacterial-growth-stimulating activity was isolated from a bovine hemoglobin hydrolysate by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Its primary structure and molecular mass, determined by amino acid analysis and fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry, were identical to those of fragment 48–52 (Ser-Thr-Ala-Asp-Ala) of the β chain of bovine hemoglobin. The microbiological tests in solid media demonstrated that this peptide exhibited a growth-stimulating activity on gram-negative bacteria. Received: 18 September 1995/Received revision: 19 January 1996/Accepted: 29 January 1996     

巴西橡胶树赤霉素信号转导途径HbRGA1结构和功能分析

DELLA蛋白是赤霉素激素信号负调控因子,具有抑制植物生长发育的作用。解析其家族成员结构与功能将有助于揭示橡胶树DELLA蛋白家族成员调控橡胶树生长发育的机制。本研究从橡胶树热研73397叶片中克隆HbRGA1的cDNA全长序列。该基因长为2136 bp,含1839 bp的ORF,编码613个氨基酸。HbRGA1蛋白序列包含DELLA和GRAS保守结构域,与杨树、木薯和橡胶树DELLA基因相似性高达82.5%。qRT-PCR分析发现HbRGA1在橡胶树叶片中表达量高,在树皮和胶乳中表达量极低。叶片中HbRGA1表达量受喷施赤霉素和脱落酸等诱导显著上调。本研究表明HbRGA1与橡胶树赤霉素等激素信号密切相关,为深入研究其在橡胶树生长发育中的结构和功能打下良好基础。     

Mouse embryos contain polypeptide growth factor(s) capable of inducing a reversible neoplastic phenotype in nontransformed cells in culture

A growth-factor-like substance capable of inducing nontransformed mouse AKR-2B, rat NRK, and EGF-receptorless mouse NR6 cells to form progressively growing colonies in soft agar was identified in acid/ethanol extracts of 17-day mouse embryos. This "mouse embryo factor" (MEF) is similar to previously described transforming growth factors in that it is capable of stimulating DNA synthesis and conferring a reversible transformed morphology on nontransformed cells in vitro. Passage of crude embryo extracts over a Bio-Gel P-60 column gave a major peak of soft agar growth-stimulating activity in the 15,000 molecular weight range with a minor peak at about 22,000. This biological activity was sensitive to treatment with either trypsin or dithiothreitol, but was unaffected by heat (56 degrees C for 30 minutes or 100 degrees C for 3 minutes), indicating that the activity is due to a heat-stable polypeptide(s) with disulfide bonds. Separation of these polypeptide(s) by chromatography on carboxymethyl cellulose revealed two peaks of soft agar growth-stimulating activity which did not cochromatograph with a peak of epidermal growth factor receptor-competing activity. The similarities of this mouse embryo-derived growth factor to previously identified transforming growth factors suggest that both fetal development and neoplastic transformation may be affected by similar mechanisms.     

Studies on Carboxymethyl Cellulase and Xylanase Activities of Anaerobic Fungal Isolate CR4 from the Bovine Rumen

An anaerobic fungal isolate, CR4, was isolated from the bovine rumen. The DNA sequence of internal transcribed spacer region 1 showed that CR4 belonged to the genus Caecocmyces. The dry matter digestibility of timothy hay by anaerobic fungal isolate CR4 was determined. The effects of carbohydrate growth substrates on carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) and xylanase activities also were examined. The extent of dry matter digestibility of timothy hay was 31% at 6 days’ incubation. The highest specific activity of CMCase in the culture supernatant (SN) fraction was observed in xylose culture. The activity of CMCase was not detected in the SN fraction of cellobiose and xylan or in the cell-bound fraction of all growth substrates. The highest specific activity of xylanase in the SN fraction was observed in glucose culture. These results suggest that fiber-degrading enzyme activities were affected by growth substrates and that CR4 is xylanolytic. Zymogram analysis showed that CR4 produces three CMCases of molecular mass (95, 89, and 64 kDa) and three xylanases of molecular mass (82, 73, and 66 kDa). This is the first demonstration showing the molecular mass of fiber-degrading enzymes of Caecomyces.     

橡胶树热激蛋白HbHSP90.8-1基因的克隆与功能分析

白粉病是橡胶树生长发育过程中主要叶部病害之一。热激蛋白90（HSP90）分子伴侣在植物逆境胁迫抗性中起着重要作用。为研究HSP90家族成员结构及其在橡胶树抗白粉病中的功能,利用PCR技术从橡胶树品种热研73397叶片中克隆HbHSP90.8-1并采用生物信息学等技术对其结构和功能进行分析。结果表明,HbHSP90.8-1 cDNA序列全长2 844 bp,开放阅读框（ORF）2 454 bp,编码817个氨基酸。HbHSP90.8-1编码一个有信号肽、无跨膜结构且定位预测在内质网上的稳定亲水蛋白,存在HSP90 superfamily和HATPase superfamily结构域。系统进化分析结果表明橡胶树HbHSP90.8-1与木薯MeHSP90的亲缘关系最近,与麻风树JcHSP90聚为一类。通过qRT-PCR分析结果表明HbHSP90.8-1在橡胶树不同组织中均有表达,其在胶乳中的表达量最高;HbHSP90.8-1基因在白粉菌侵染、H₂O₂、ABA和ETH处理叶片中,表达量均呈现显著上调趋势;在MeJA和SA激素处理下,HbHSP90.8-1表达量呈现下调的趋势。说明HbHSP90.8-1参与橡胶树对白粉菌响应过程以及植物抗病相关激素信号转导途径。     

Periploca sepium Bunge as a model plant for rubber biosynthesis study

Periploca sepium Bunge (Chinese silk vine) is a woody climbing vine belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae. It originally comes from Northwest China. Periploca resembles the Para-rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, regarding a similar body plan to produce a milky exudate containing rubber latex. The Periploca plant was assessed as a rubber-producing plant by rubber structure elucidation and its molecular weight distribution. A rubber fraction purified from the milky exudate was subjected to 1H NMR analysis, and a characteristic signal derived from cis-polyisoprene was observed. In addition, when the molecular weight distribution of rubber components in the exudate was measured (using size-exclusion chromatography), the number-average molecular weight (Mn), weight-average molecular weight (Mw), and polydispersity (Mw/Mn) were estimated to be Mn = 1.3 x 10(5), Mw = 4.1 x 10(5), and Mw/Mn = 3.1, respectively. Furthermore, the presence of polyisoprene, with Mn = 4.0 x 10(4), Mw = 7.6 x 10(4), and Mw/Mn = 2.5, was also confirmed in plantlets obtained from shoots as a result of tissue culture.     

橡胶树DELLA基因HbRGL1的克隆与表达分析

DELLA蛋白属于植物特异性GRAS家族,是植物生长的负调控因子。为揭示橡胶树DELLA基因在橡胶树生长发育中的分子调控机制,本研究从橡胶树热研7-33-97中克隆HbRGL1的cDNA全长序列,含1 851 bp的ORF,编码616个氨基酸。生物信息学分析表明HbRGL1属于不稳定的亲水蛋白,定位在细胞核上,含有DELLA和GRAS保守结构域。系统进化关系分析表明HbRGL1与橡胶树HbGAIL、木薯MeGAIL、蓖麻RcGAI、麻风树JcGAI聚为一类。qRT-PCR分析表明HbRGL1在橡胶树不同组织中的表达量差异显著,在花中的表达量最高。在生长素（IAA）、乙烯利（ET）和脱落酸（ABA）等不同激素处理叶片中HbRGL1表达量均呈现显著上调趋势,尤其对赤霉素（GA₃）的应答具有反应快速且上调表达倍数最高。本研究为进一步阐明HbRGL1在橡胶树生长发育中的功能奠定理论基础。