Synthesis and characteristics of the human serum albumin-triazine chiral stationary phase

Human serum albumin (HSA) was successfully bonded to silica with s-triazine as activator. The coupling reaction by this method was rapid and effective. The triazine-activated silica is relatively stable and can be installed for at least 1 month without obvious loss of reactivity when stored below 30 degrees C, pH below 7. It was observed that the amount of bound HSA reached 120 mg/g silica calculated from the UV absorbance difference of the HSA solution. d, l-tryptophan was selected as the probe solute to characterize the properties of HSA bonded s-triazine chiral stationary phase, and separation factor of 9.4 was obtained for d,l-tryptophan. Furthermore, the amount of effective HSA on silica was measured by high-performance frontal analysis, and only 16.8 mg/g silica was responsible for the resolution of d,l-tryptophan. These results indicate that the amount of both the bound and effective HSA on silica with triazine as activator was much higher than those by the Schiff base coupling method. Different kinds of enantiomers were resolved successfully on the aminopropylsilica-bonded HSA s-triazine chiral stationary phase.     

Solution properties of antitumor sulfated derivative of alpha-(1-->3)-D-glucan from Ganoderma lucidum

Four fractions of a water-insoluble alpha-(1-->3)-D-glucan GL extracted from fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum were dissolved in 0.25 M LiCl/DMSO, and then reacted with sulfur trioxide-pyridine complex at 80 degrees C to synthesize a series of water-soluble sulfated derivatives S-GL. The degree of substitution of DS was measured by using IR infrared spectra, elemental analysis, and 13C NMR to be 1.2-1.6 in the non-selective sulfation. Weight-average molecular weight Mw and intrinsic viscosity [eta] of the sulfated derivatives S-GL were measured by multi-angle laser light scattering and viscometry. The Mw value (2.4 x 10(4)) of sulfated glucan S-GL-1 was much lower than that (44.5 x 10(4)) of original alpha-(1-->3)-D-glucan GL-1. The Mark-Houwink equation and average value of characteristic ratio C(infinity) for the S-GL in 0.2 M NaCl aqueous solution at 25 degrees C were found to be: [eta] = 1.32 x 10(-3) Mw(1.06) (cm3 g(-1)) and 16, respectively, in the Mw range from 1.1 x 10(4) to 2.4 x 10(4). It indicated that the sulfated derivatives of the alpha-(1-->3)-D-glucan in the aqueous solution behave as an expanded chain, owing to intramolecular hydrogen bonding or interaction between charge groups. Interestingly, two sulfated derivatives synthesized from the alpha-(1-->3)-D-glucan and curdlan, a beta-(1-->3)-D-glucan, all had significant higher antitumor activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) than the originals. The effect of expanded chains of the sulfated glucan in the aqueous solution on the improvement of the antitumor activity could not be negligible.     

Subcellular and developmental expression of alternatively spliced forms of fibroblast growth factor 14

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) 11–14 comprise a subfamily of FGFs with poorly defined biological function. Here we characterize two isoforms of FGF14 (FGF14-1a and FGF14-1b) that result from the alternative usage of two different first exons. We demonstrate that these isoforms have differential subcellular localization and that they are differentially expressed in various adult tissues. Using in situ hybridization we show that Fgf14 is widely expressed in brain, spinal cord, major arteries and thymus between 12.5 and 14.5 days of mouse embryonic development. We also show that during cerebellar development, Fgf14 is first observed at postnatal day 1 in post mitotic granule cells, and later in development, in migrating and post migratory granule cells. The developmental expression pattern of Fgf14 in the cerebellum is complementary to that of Math1, a marker for proliferating granule cells in the external germinal layer.     

Nuclear import of cubitus interruptus is regulated by hedgehog via a mechanism distinct from Ci stabilization and Ci activation

The Hedgehog (Hh) signal is transduced via Cubitus interruptus (Ci) to specify cell fates in the Drosophila wing. In the absence of Hh, the 155 kDa full-length form of Ci is cleaved into a 75 kDa repressor. Hh inhibits the proteolysis of full-length Ci and facilitates its conversion into an activator. Recently, it has been suggested that Hh promotes Ci nuclear import in tissue culture cells. We have studied the mechanism of Ci nuclear import in vivo and the relationship between nuclear import, stabilization and activation. We found that Ci rapidly translocates to the nucleus in cells close to the anteroposterior (AP) boundary and this rapid nuclear import requires Hh signaling. The nuclear import of Ci is regulated by Hh even under conditions in which Ci is fully stabilized. Furthermore, cells that exhibit Ci stabilization and rapid nuclear import do not necessarily exhibit maximal Ci activity. It has been previously shown that stabilization does not suffice for activation. Consistent with this finding, our results suggest that the mechanisms regulating nuclear import, stabilization and activation are distinct from each other. Finally, we show that cos2 and pka, two molecules that have been characterized primarily as negative regulators of Ci activity, also have positive roles in the activation of Ci in response to Hh.     

Hes1 is a negative regulator of inner ear hair cell differentiation

Hair cell fate determination in the inner ear has been shown to be controlled by specific genes. Recent loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments have demonstrated that Math1, a mouse homolog of the Drosophila gene atonal, is essential for the production of hair cells. To identify genes that may interact with Math1 and inhibit hair cell differentiation, we have focused on Hes1, a mammalian hairy and enhancer of split homolog, which is a negative regulator of neurogenesis. We report here that targeted deletion of Hes1 leads to formation of supernumerary hair cells in the cochlea and utricle of the inner ear. RT-PCR analysis shows that Hes1 is expressed in inner ear during hair cell differentiation and its expression is maintained in adulthood. In situ hybridization with late embryonic inner ear tissue reveals that Hes1 is expressed in supporting cells, but not hair cells, of the vestibular sensory epithelium. In the cochlea, Hes1 is selectively expressed in the greater epithelial ridge and lesser epithelial ridge regions which are adjacent to inner and outer hair cells. Co-transfection experiments in postnatal rat explant cultures show that overexpression of Hes1 prevents hair cell differentiation induced by Math1. Therefore Hes1 can negatively regulate hair cell differentiation by antagonizing Math1. These results suggest that a balance between Math1 and negative regulators such as Hes1 is crucial for the production of an appropriate number of inner ear hair cells.     

Analysis of mRNA decay and rRNA processing in Escherichia coli in the absence of RNase E-based degradosome assembly

We demonstrate here that the assembly of the RNase E-based degradosome of Escherichia coli is not required for normal mRNA decay in vivo. In contrast, deletion of the arginine-rich RNA binding site (ARRBS) from the RNase E protein slightly impairs mRNA decay. When both the degradosome scaffold region and the ARRBS are missing, mRNA decay is dramatically slowed, but 9S rRNA processing is almost normal. An extensive RNase E truncation mutation (rnedelta610) had a more pronounced mRNA decay defect at 37 degrees C than the temperature-sensitive rne-1 allele at 44 degrees C. Taken together, these data suggest that the inviability associated with inactivation of RNase E is not related to defects in either mRNA decay or rRNA processing.     

Dual origin and segmental organisation of the avian scapula

Bones of the postcranial skeleton of higher vertebrates originate from either somitic mesoderm or somatopleural layer of the lateral plate mesoderm. Controversy surrounds the origin of the scapula, a major component of the shoulder girdle, with both somitic and lateral plate origins being proposed. Abnormal scapular development has been described in the naturally occurring undulated series of mouse mutants, which has implicated Pax1 in the formation of this bone. Here we addressed the development of the scapula, firstly, by analysing the relationship between Pax1 expression and chondrogenesis and, secondly, by determining the developmental origin of the scapula using chick quail chimeric analysis. We show the following. (1) The scapula develops in a rostral-to-caudal direction and overt chondrification is preceded by an accumulation of Pax1-expressing cells. (2) The scapular head and neck are of lateral plate mesodermal origin. (3) In contrast, the scapular blade is composed of somitic cells. (4) Unlike the Pax1-positive cells of the vertebral column, which are of sclerotomal origin, the Pax1-positive cells of the scapular blade originate from the dermomyotome. (5) Finally, we show that cells of the scapular blade are organised into spatially restricted domains along its rostrocaudal axis in the same order as the somites from which they originated. Our results imply that the scapular blade is an ossifying muscular insertion rather than an original skeletal element, and that the scapular head and neck are homologous to the 'true coracoid' of higher vertebrates.     

pING family of conjugative plasmids from the extremely thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus: insights into recombination and conjugation in Crenarchaeota

A novel family of conjugative plasmids from Sulfolobus comprising the active variants pING1, -4, and -6 and the functionally defective variants pING2 and -3, which require the help of an active variant for spreading, has been extensively characterized both functionally and molecularly. In view of the sparse similarity between bacterial and archaeal conjugation and the lack of a practical genetic system for Sulfolobus, we compared the functions and sequences of these variants and the previously described archaeal conjugative plasmid pNOB8 in order to identify open reading frames (ORFs) and DNA sequences that are involved in conjugative transfer and maintenance of these plasmids in Sulfolobus. The variants pING4 and -6 are reproducibly derived from pING1 in vivo by successive transpositions of an element from the Sulfolobus genome. The small defective but mobile variants pING2 and -3, which both lack a cluster of highly conserved ORFs probably involved in plasmid transfer, were shown to be formed in vivo by recombinative deletion of the larger part of the genomes of pING4 and pING6, respectively. The efficient occurrence of these recombination processes is further evidence for the striking plasticity of the Sulfolobus genome.     

Requirement for the enzymes acetoacetyl coenzyme A synthetase and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) synthase for growth of Sinorhizobium meliloti on PHB cycle intermediates

We have identified two Sinorhizobium meliloti chromosomal loci affecting the poly-3-hydroxybutyrate degradation pathway. One locus was identified as the gene acsA, encoding acetoacetyl coenzyme A (acetoacetyl-CoA) synthetase. Analysis of the acsA nucleotide sequence revealed that this gene encodes a putative protein with a molecular weight of 72,000 that shows similarity to acetyl-CoA synthetase in other organisms. Acetyl-CoA synthetase activity was not affected in cell extracts of glucose-grown acsA::Tn5 mutants; instead, acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase activity was drastically reduced. These findings suggest that acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase, rather than CoA transferase, activates acetoacetate to acetoacetyl-CoA in the S. meliloti poly-3-hydroxybutyrate cycle. The second locus was identified as phbC, encoding poly-3-hydroxybutyrate synthase, and was found to be required for synthesis of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate deposits.