Antifibrotic effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvia miltiorrhiza </Emphasis>on dimethylnitrosamine-intoxicated rats

Excessive oxidative stress is implicated in hepatic fibrogenesis. Extracts of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Sm) have been shown to protect cells against oxidative stress. In this study we investigated the in vitro and in vivo effects of Sm on hepatic fibrosis. A cell line of rat hepatic stellate cells (HSC-T6) was stimulated with transforming growth factor-1 (TGF-1). The inhibitory effects of Sm (50~400 g/ml) on TGF-1-induced -smooth muscle actin (-SMA) secretion and the mRNA expressions of fibrosis-related genes, including -SMA, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), were assessed. Fibrosis was induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) administration in rats. DMN-treated rats were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: saline, Sm (20 mg/kg), Sm (100 mg/kg), or silymarin (100 mg/kg), each given by gavage twice daily for 5 weeks starting from the onset of DMN administration. Sm (200 and 400 g/ml) significantly inhibited TGF-1-stimulated -SMA secretion and the mRNA expressions of -SMA, CTGF, and TIMP-1 in HSC-T6 cells. Fibrosis scores of livers from DMN-treated rats with either a low (1.8 ± 0.2) or high (1.8 ± 0.1) dose of Sm, or silymarin (1.4 ± 0.2) were significantly reduced in comparison with DMN-treated rats receiving saline (3.1 ± 0.1). Hepatic collagen contents were also significantly reduced by either Sm or silymarin treatment. The mRNA expression levels of -SMA, TGF-1, and procollagen I were all attenuated in Sm- and silymarin-treated rats. Moreover, levels of plasma aspartate transaminase activities were reduced by Sm and silymarin treatment. In conclusion, our results show that Sm exerted antifibrotic effects in both HSC-T6 cells and in rats with DMN-induced fibrosis.     

Assessment of within-population genetic structure in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus crispula</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q. dentata</Emphasis> by amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis

The spatial genetic structure was assessed by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique for Quercus crispula Blume (37 individuals) and Q.dentata Thunberg (54 individuals) growing along a 550-m transect in Ishikari, Hokkaido, northern Japan. The simple Mantel test revealed significant negative correlation between genetic similarity and geographic distance in Q.dentata and negative but insignificant correlation in Q.crispula. Spatial autocorrelation analysis revealed that Mantels r generally decreased from positive to negative values with the increase of spatial distance in both oak species with significant deviation from zero for the 50–100-m (positive) and 250–300-m classes (negative) in Q.dentata. Thus, significant spatial genetic structure was revealed at least in Q.dentata     

Reverse genetic analysis of the glutathione metabolic pathway suggests a novel role of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> PHGPX</Emphasis> and<Emphasis Type="Italic"> URE2</Emphasis> genes in aluminum resistance in<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis>

We have taken a systematic genetic approach to study the potential role of glutathione metabolism in aluminum (Al) toxicity and resistance, using disruption mutants available in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast disruption mutants defective in phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidases (PHGPX; phgpx1 , phgpx2 , and phgpx3), were tested for their sensitivity to Al. The triple mutant, phgpx1 /2/3, was more sensitive to Al (55% reduction in growth at 300 M Al) than any single phgpx mutant, indicating that the PHGPX genes may collectively contribute to Al resistance. The hypersensitivity of phgpx3 to Al was overcome by complementation with PHGPX3, and all PHGPX genes showed increased expression in response to Al in the wild-type strain (YPH250), with maximum induction of approximately 2.5-fold for PHGPX3. Both phgpx3 and phgpx1/2/3 mutants were sensitive to oxidative stress (exposure to H₂O₂ or diamide). Lipid peroxidation was also increased in the phgpx1/2/3 mutant compared to the parental strain. Disruption mutants defective in genes for glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) (gtt1 and gtt2), glutathione biosynthesis (gsh1 and gsh2), glutathione reductase (glr1) and a glutathione transporter (opt1) did not show hypersensitivity to Al relative to the parental strain BY4741. Interestingly, a strain deleted for URE2, a gene which encodes a prion precursor with homology to GSTs, also showed hypersensitivity to Al. The hypersensitivity of the ure2 mutant could be overcome by complementation with URE2. Expression of URE2 in the parental strain increased approximately 2-fold in response to exposure to 100 M Al. Intracellular oxidation levels in the ure2 mutant showed a 2-fold (non-stressed) and 3-fold (when exposed-to 2 mM H₂O₂) increase compared to BY4741; however, the ure2 mutant showed no change in lipid peroxidation compared to the control. The phgpx1/2/3 and ure2 mutants both showed increased accumulation of Al. These findings suggest the involvement of PHGPX genes and a novel role of URE2 in Al toxicity/resistance in S. cerevisiae.Communicated by D.Y. Thomas     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> propagation of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clivia</Emphasis>

We have developed a protocol for the in vitro propagation of the genus Clivia. Shoots were regenerated when fragments of the peduncle-pedicel junction (PP junction) from young inflorescences were used as explants. The optimal media for PP junction were Murashige and Skoog (MS)-based medium containing 10 M of 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 10 M of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) or MS supplemented with 5 M BA, 10 M -naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 250 mg l^-1 glutamine and 500 mg l^–1 casein hydrolysate and their usage depended on the breeding lines. Multiplication from initiations and in vitro seedlings was the best when the explants were cut longitudinally through the meristem and placed on MS plus 44 M BA. Plantlets were transferred on to hormone -free MS medium with charcoal for rooting.     

Genetic Distance in Housekeeping Genes Between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plasmodium falciparum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plasmodium reichenowi</Emphasis> and Within <Emphasis Type="Italic">P. falciparum</Emphasis>

The time to the most recent common ancestor of the extant populations of Plasmodium falciparum is controversial. The controversy primarily stems from the limited availability of sequences from Plasmodium reichenowi, a chimpanzee malaria parasite closely related to P. falciparum. Since the rate of nucleotide substitution differs in different loci and DNA regions, the estimation of genetic distance between P. falciparum and P. reichenowi should be performed using orthologous sequences that are evolving neutrally. Here, we obtained full-length sequences of two housekeeping genes, sarcoplasmic and endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase (serca) and lactate dehydrogenase (ldh), from 11 isolates of P. falciparum and 1 isolate of P. reichenowi and estimate the interspecific genetic distance (divergence) between the two species and intraspecific genetic distance (polymorphism) within P. falciparum. Interspecific distance and intraspecific distance at synonymous sites of interspecies-conserved regions of serca and ldh were 0.0672±0.0088 and 0.0011±0.0007, respectively, using the Nei and Gojobori method. Based on the ratio of interspecific distance to intraspecific distance, the time to the most recent common ancestor of P. falciparum was estimated to be (8.30±5.40) × 10⁴ and (11.62±7.56) × 10⁴ years ago, assuming the divergence time of the two parasite species to be 5 and 7 million years ago, respectively.This article contains an online supplementary table.Reviewing Editor: Dr. Martin Kreitman     

Structural diversity of O-polysaccharides and serological classification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas syringae</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">garcae</Emphasis> and other strains of genomospecies 4

Novel O-serotypes were revealed among Pseudomonas syringae pv. garcae strains by using a set of mouse monoclonal antibodies specific to the lipopolysaccharide O-polysaccharide. Structural studies showed that the O-polysaccharide of P. syringae pv. garcae NCPPB 2708 is a hitherto unknown linear L-rhamnan lacking strict regularity and having two oligosaccharide repeating units I and II, which differ in the position of substitution in one of the rhamnose residues and have the following structures: I:3)--L Rha (12)-- L Rha (12)--L-Rha-(13)--L Rha (1;II: 2)--L-Rha-(13) -L-Rha-(12)--L-Rha-(13)--L Rha (1.The branched O-polysaccharides of P. syringae pv. garcae ICMP 8047 and NCPPB 588^T have the same L-rhamnan backbone with repeating units I and II and a lateral chain of 14)- or 13)-linked residues of 3-acetamido-3,6-dideoxy-D-galactose (D-Fuc3NAc). Several monoclonal antibody epitopes associated with the L-rhamnan backbone or the lateral -D-Fuc3NAc residues were characterized.Translated from Mikrobiologiya, Vol. 73, No. 6, 2004, pp. 777–789.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Ovod, Zdorovenko, Shashkov, Kocharova, Knirel.     

A Motility Revertant of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">ndvB</Emphasis> Mutant of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bradyrhizobium japonicum</Emphasis>

A motility revertant of a Bradyrhizobium japonicum ndvB mutant was isolated and characterized. The ndvB mutants of B. japonicum have been reported to be osmotically sensitive, as well as defective in motility, periplasmic cyclic -(13), (16)-D-glucan synthesis, and symbiosis with soybean. The motility revertant was restored for osmotic tolerance but not for cyclic -glucan production or effective symbiosis. These results support our hypothesis that cyclic -glucans have an important role in symbiosis—the suppression of a plant defense response—in addition to their role in periplasmic osmoprotection.     

Efficiency in thin-film liquid system for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hosta</Emphasis> micropropagation

Three varieties of Hosta (Striptease, Minuteman and Stiletto) at four densities (40, 80, 120 and 200 explants per litre) were micropropagated on semi-solid agar and a thin-film liquid system with intermittent wetting of plant tissue. The mechanics of wetting by a small wave front required a larger rectangular vessel (11 × 27=297 cm ²) compared to the common cylindrical baby food jar (18 cm ²). Plants multiplied more rapidly in the agitated thin-film system than on agar. Lower plant densities increased rates of multiplication in liquid, but had little or no effect on multiplication rate on agar. Increasing plant density lowered the overall multiplication rate, but yielded greater numbers of plants per vessel. Yield, tabulated for utilization of shelf-space in growth room, was greater at all densities in rectangular vessels of liquid than conventional jars of agar media. Increased plant density lowered the sugar residual in media following the culture cycle and liquid media had less residual sugar than agar media. A liquid medium with 50 g l^–1 sucrose was concentrated enough so that sugar depletion did not limit growth, even at the highest densities. The liquid system allows the technician to skip the step of manually spacing and orienting the freshly cut bud tissue at the transfer station. Harvesting 75–100 plants per vessel from the large rectangular vessels resulted in most efficient use of technician time. Plants from liquid and agar acclimatized to greenhouse. Increased multiplication, space utilization, sugar availability and worker efficiency was demonstrated to be greater in thin-film liquid than more conventional agar-based system.     

Study of galactoglucomannans from the seed of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cercis canadensis</Emphasis> L.

Galactoglucomannans were isolated by selective precipitation from aqueous and alkaline extracts of endosperm and hulls of Cercis canadensis, a member of the family Fabaceae. Their monosaccharide composition (Man : Gal : Glu) was as follows: 10.4 : 0.9 : 1 (polysaccharide from the endosperm) and 4.5 : 0.9 : 1 (polysaccharide from the hulls). The identity of IR spectra was indicative of the similarity of their structure. Analysis of the structure of the galactoglucomannan from endosperm by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy showed that its main chain consisted of 1,4--D-manno- and 1,4--D-glucopyranose. Part of the mannose residues in the chain were substituted at C6 with single residues of -D-galactopyranose. Galactoglucomannans are located in different parts of the seed and implement different functions.__________Translated from Prikladnaya Biokhimiya i Mikrobiologiya, Vol. 41, No. 3, 2005, pp. 324–329.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Mestechkina, Egorov, Anulov, Shcherbukhin.     

Discovery,localization, and sequence characterization of molecular markers for the crown rust resistance genes <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pc38, Pc39</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pc48</Emphasis> in cultivated oat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Avena sativa</Emphasis> L.)

Molecular markers for the crown rust resistance genes Pc38, Pc39, and Pc48 in cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.) were identified using near-isogenic lines and bulked segregant analysis. Six markers for Pc48, the closest being 6 cM away, were found in a Pendek-39 × Pendek-48 (Pendek3948) population, but none was found in a Pendek-48 × Pendek-38 (Pendek4838) population. Three markers for Pc39 were found in the Pendek3948 population, one of which cosegregated with the gene. This same marker was found to be 6 cM away from the gene in an OT328 × Dumont (OT328Du) population. Nine markers for Pc38 were found in the Pendek4838 population, eight of which are within 2 cM of the gene. One other marker for Pc38 was found in the OT328Du population; however, comparative mapping suggests that the Pc38 region in OT328Du is in a different location than that in Pendek4838. A number of markers unlinked to the genes under study formed linkage groups in both the Pendek3948 and Pendek4838 populations. Four of these show homology or homoeology to each other and to the Pc39 region in Pendek3948. Two RFLP clones closely linked to Pc38 code for a putative leucine-rich repeat transmembrane protein kinase and a cre3 resistance gene analogue. This study provides information to support molecular breeding in oat, and contributes to ongoing research into genomic regions associated with fungal pathogen resistance.     

Cloning and expression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">mel</Emphasis> gene from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus thuringiensis</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

Previous work from our laboratory has shown that most of Bacillus thuringiensis strains possess the ability to produce melanin in the presence of l-tyrosine at elevated temperatures (42 °C). Furthermore, it was shown that the melanin produced by B. thuringiensis was synthesized by the action of tyrosinase, which catalyzed the conversion of l-tyrosine, via l-DOPA, to melanin. In this study, the tyrosinase-encoding gene (mel) from B. thuringiensis 4D11 was cloned using PCR techniques and expressed in Escherichia coli DH5 . A DNA fragment with 1179 bp which contained the intact mel gene in the recombinant plasmid pGEM1179 imparted the ability to synthesize melanin to the E. coli recipient strain. The nucleotide sequence of this DNA fragment revealed an open reading frame of 744 bp, encoding a protein of 248 amino acids. The novel mel gene from B.thuringiensis expressed in E. coli DH5 conferred UV protection on the recipient strain.     

Callus induction and <Emphasis Type="Italic">de novo</Emphasis> regeneration from callus in Guar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyamopsis tetragonoloba</Emphasis>)

Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L. Taub) is a drought tolerant and multipurpose grain legume cash crop grown primarily under rainfed conditions in several countries. The effect of various growth regulators and their combinations on a variety of explants, namely the embryo, cotyledons, cotyledonary nodes, shoot tip and hypocotyle, has been studied and an efficient system for callus induction and regeneration from callus has been developed. It was established that Murashige and Skoogs culture medium containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (10.0M) in combination with 6-benzylaminopurine (5.0M) with embryo or cotyledon explants is most suitable for induction of green and friable morphogenic callus, with a range of 82.5–95% of cultured explants responding to callus induction. Efficient de novo shoot regeneration was achieved by culturing the callus obtained on this medium on Murashige and Skoogs medium containing 1-naphthlenacetic acid (13.0M) in combination with 6-benzylaminopurine (5.0M) with a range of 82.1–88.4% of callus clumps producing 20–25 shoots. In vitro rooting of cultured shoots was obtained on half-salt concentration of Murashige and Skoogs culture medium supplied with indole-3-butyric acid (5.0M) on which 82–90% of cultured shoots produced healthy roots. The in vitro regenerated plants were grown to pod setting and subsequent maturity under greenhouse conditions.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sarcocystis</Emphasis> sp. in red foxes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vulpes vulpes</Emphasis>) from northern Croatia

The prevalence of Sarcocystis sp. was assessed in foxes from northern Croatia (city of Varadin). The intestine of 50 (29 male and 21 female) foxes aged 1–5 years, killed during the rabies control campaign, were examined. Sarcocystis sp. was identified in 62% of the fox intestinal samples examined. There was no sex difference in the rate of invasion. However, the rate of invasion differed significantly between the animals aged 1 year (47%), and those aged 2 (71%) and 3–5 years (71%).     

Biotransformation of biphenyl by the filamentous fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Talaromyces helicus</Emphasis>

The filamentous fungusTalaromyces helicus , isolated from oil-contaminated sludge, oxidizes biphenyl via 4-hydroxybiphenyl to the dihydroxylated derivatives 4,4-dihydroxybiphenyl and 3,4-dihydroxybiphenyl, which, to a certain extent, are converted to glycosyl conjugates. The sugar moiety of the conjugate formed from 4,4-dihydroxybiphenyl was identified as glucose. Further metabolites: 2-hydroxybiphenyl, 2,5-dihydroxylated biphenyl, and the ring cleavage product 4-phenyl-2-pyrone-6-carboxylic acid accumulated only in traces. From these results the main pathway for biotransformation of biphenyl in T. helicus could be proposed to be the excretion of dihydroxylated derivatives (>75%) and their glucosyl conjugates (<25%).     

Unusual ADP-forming acetyl-coenzyme A synthetases from the mesophilic halophilic euryarchaeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haloarcula marismortui</Emphasis> and from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrobaculum aerophilum</Emphasis>

ADP-forming acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACD), the novel enzyme of acetate formation and energy conservation in archaea ( ), has been studied only in few hyperthermophilic euryarchaea. Here, we report the characterization of two ACDs with unique molecular and catalytic features, from the mesophilic euryarchaeon Haloarcula marismortui and from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum. ACD from H. marismortui was purified and characterized as a salt-dependent, mesophilic ACD of homodimeric structure (166 kDa). The encoding gene was identified in the partially sequenced genome of H. marismortui and functionally expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme was reactivated from inclusion bodies following solubilization and refolding in the presence of salts. The ACD catalyzed the reversible ADP- and P_i-dependent conversion of acetyl-CoA to acetate. In addition to acetate, propionate, butyrate, and branched-chain acids (isobutyrate, isovalerate) were accepted as substrates, rather than the aromatic acids, phenylacetate and indol-3-acetate. In the genome of P. aerophilum, the ORFs PAE3250 and PAE 3249, which code for and subunits of an ACD, overlap each other by 1 bp, indicating a novel gene organization among identified ACDs. The two ORFs were separately expressed in E. coli and the recombinant subunits (50 kDa) and (28 kDa) were in-vitro reconstituted to an active heterooligomeric protein of high thermostability. The first crenarchaeal ACD showed the broadest substrate spectrum of all known ACDs, catalyzing the conversion of acetyl-CoA, isobutyryl-CoA, and phenylacetyl-CoA at high rates. In contrast, the conversion of phenylacetyl-CoA in euryarchaeota is catalyzed by specific ACD isoenzymes.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Hans Günter Schlegel on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

Characterization of an unusual <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ds</Emphasis> transposable element in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis>: Insertion of an abortive circular transposition intermediate

The maize Ac/Dstransposable elements, which belong to the hAT transposon superfamily, are widely used as insertional mutagens in numerous plant species. Molecular studies suggest that Ac/Ds elements transpose in a conservative non-replicative fashion; however the molecular mechanism of transposition remains unclear. We describe here the identification of an unusual Ds element, Ds-mmd1, in a transgenic Arabidopsis line. Ds-mmd1 is rearranged relative to the original Ds element, such that the original 5 and 3 ends are internal and previously internal sequences are the new 5 and 3 termini of Ds-mmd1. Short duplications of plant genomic DNA and Ds sequences are present at the Ds-mmd1 junctions, suggesting that a circular Dsmolecule was part of the events that created the Ds-mmd1 element. In addition, a revertant analysis on mmd1 plants demonstrated that Ds-mmd1 can be eliminated from the genome in an Ac-dependent process.     

Magnesium-Dependent Ecto-ATP Diphosphohydrolase Activity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Herpetomonas muscarum muscarum</Emphasis>

In the present work we characterized the ecto-ATP diphosphohydrolase activity of the trypanosomatid parasite Herpetomonas muscarum muscarum. This parasite hydrolyzed ATP at a rate of 15.52 nmol Pi/mg protein/min and this activity reached a maximum at pH 7.5. Classical inhibitors of acid phosphatases, such as sodium orthovanadate (N_aVO₃), sodium fluoride (NaF), and ammonium molybdate presented no effect on this activity. MgCl₂, ZnCl₂, and MnCl₂ stimulated the ATP hydrolysis by H. m. muscarum. The ecto-ATPase activity was insensitive to oligomycin and sodium azide, two inhibitors of mitochondrial Mg-ATPase, bafilomycin A₁, a V-ATPase inhibitor, ouabain, a Na⁺+K⁺-ATPase inhibitor and to levamizole, an inhibitor of alkaline phosphatase. An extracellular impermeant inhibitor 4,4-diisothiocyanostylbene 2,2-disulfonic acid (DIDS) and a inhibitor of some ecto-ATPases, suramin, which is also a competitive antagonist of P₂-purinergic receptors, promoted a great inhibition on the ATP hydrolysis. This enzyme is able to hydrolysis ATP, ADP, UTP, and UDP, but not GTP, GDP, CTP, or CDP. ADP inhibited the enzymatic activity in a concentration dependent manner, reaching 70% inhibition. Received: 17 September 2002 / Accepted: 19 November 2002     

Osmotic sucrose enhancement of single-cell embryogenesis and transformation efficiency in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncidium</Emphasis>

Traditional breeding processes to genetically modify the long reproductive cycle and slow seed maturation of orchids have limits. We developed a more efficient protocol using particle bombardment to produce transgenic plants of Oncidium Sharry Baby OM8 (Orchidaceae). Pretreating protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) with 0.5 M sucrose for 2 h increased single-cell embryogenesis 3- to 4-fold; however, shoot formation was suppressed. In addition, new PLBs were regenerated from the entire sucrose-pretreated PLBs, whereas in untreated PLBs, this occurred only from the bases. Pretreated PLBs were bombarded with pSPFLP containing genes encoding a sweet pepper ferredoxin-like protein (pflp), hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) and -glucuronidase (GUS) driven by the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Pretreated PLBs showed a 14.8-fold increase in GUS expression over the untreated PLBs 40days after bombardment. The presence of pflp and hpt transgenes in the 40 putatively stably transformed lines that produced 113 clones was confirmed by PCR analysis. Six lines (eight clones) were positive for both pflp and hpt transgenes. In addition, clones derived from these lines were either all positive or all negative for the two transgenes, which suggests homogeneity in pretreated PLBs with more single-cell embryogenesis. Thus, sucrose pretreatment enhanced the regeneration of PLBs, single-cell embryogenesis and efficiency of transformation.     

Studies of hydrolytic activity of enzyme preparations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trychoderma</Emphasis> fungi

Enzyme preparations were isolated from the culture liquid of five mutant strains of the cellulase producer Penicillium verruculosum. The hydrolytic activities of these preparations against unbleached eucalypt cellulose was compared to that of commercial preparations of Trichoderma reesei (T. longibrachiatum). In the majority of cases, P. verruculosum enzymes provided higher yields of reducing sugars (RSs) and glucose. A correlation was found between the yield of RSs and the avicelase activity of the preparations in the reaction mixture.Translated from Prikladnaya Biokhimiya i Mikrobiologiya, Vol. 41, No. 2, 2005, pp. 210–212.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Skomarovsky, Gusakov, Okunev, Soloveva, Bubnova, Kondrateva, Sinitsyn.