Molecular cloning and expression of the novel fungal beta-glucosidase genes from Humicola grisea and Trichoderma reesei

A novel fungal beta-glucosidase gene (bgl4) and its homologue (bgl2) were cloned from the cellulolytic fungi Humicola grisea and Trichoderma reesei, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequences of H. grisea BGL4 and T. reesei BGL2 comprise 476 and 466 amino acids, respectively, and share 73.1% identity. These beta-glucosidases show significant homology to plant beta-glucosidases belonging to the beta-glucosidase A (BGA) family. Both genes were expressed in Aspergillus oryzae, and the recombinant beta-glucosidases were purified. Recombinant H. grisea BGL4 is a thermostable enzyme compared with recombinant T. reesei BGL2. In addition to beta-glucosidase activity, recombinant H. grisea BGL4 showed a significant level of beta-galactosidase activity, while recombinant T. reesei BGL2 showed weak beta-galactosidase activity. Cellulose saccharification by Trichoderma cellulases was improved by the addition of recombinant H. grisea BGL4.     

Enhanced calcium absorption in the small intestine by a phytate-removed deamidated soybean globulin preparation

Soybean globulins were deamidated after removing phytate using ion-exchange resins, and then hydrolyzed by digestive enzymes. The phytate-removed deamidated soybean globulins (PrDS) retained high calcium-binding ability even after the hydrolysis by digestive enzymes. PrDS and its hydrolysates enhanced calcium absorption from the small intestine when injected into the small intestine together with a calcium solution.     

Cellular expression of murine Ym1 and Ym2, chitinase family proteins,as revealed by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry

Ym is one of the chitinase family proteins, which are widely distributed in mammalian bodies and can bind glycosaminoglycans such as heparin/heparan sulfate. Ym1 is a macrophage protein produced in parasitic infections, while its isoform, Ym2, is upregulated in lung under allergic conditions. In the present study, we revealed the distinct cellular expression of Ym1 and Ym2 in normal mice by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Ym1 was principally expressed in the lung, spleen, and bone marrow, while Ym2 was found in the stomach. Ym1-expressing cells in the lung were alveolar macrophages, and the immunoreactivity for Ym1 was localized in rough endoplasmic reticulum. In the spleen, Ym1-expressing cells gathered in the red pulp and were electron microscopically identified as immature neutrophils. In the bone marrow, immature neutrophils were intensely immunoreactive, but lost this immunoreactivity with maturation. Moreover, needle-shaped crystals in the cytoplasm of macrophages, which formed erythroblastic islands, also showed intense Ym1 immunoreactivity. Ym2 expression was restricted to the stratified squamous epithelium in the junctional region between forestomach and glandular stomach. The function of Ym1 and Ym2 is still unclear; however, the distinct cellular localization under normal conditions suggests their important roles in hematopoiesis, tissue remodeling, or immune responses as an endogenous lectin.     

Effect of phytate-removal and deamidation of soybean proteins on calcium absorption in the in situ rats

Soybean proteins were deamidated by cation-exchange resins after phytate, the inhibitor for calcium absorption from the small intestine, was removed in order to provide the enhancement function of calcium absorption to soybean proteins. About 92% of the phosphorus was removed from the soybean proteins by anion-exchange-resin treatment, indicating that most of the phytate was removed. About 70% of the acid amide was deamidated by cation-exchange-resin treatment, and phytate-removed and deamidated soybean proteins (PrDS) having high calcium binding properties were obtained. PrDS were hydrolyzed by digestive enzymes and their calcium-binding properties and the enhancement function of the calcium absorption from the small intestine of rats were examined. As a result, PrDS retained their high calcium binding properties even after hydrolysis by digestive enzymes. In situ experiments showed that PrDS and their hydrolysates enhanced the calcium absorption from the intestine.     

Taurine inhibits apoptosis by preventing formation of the Apaf-1/caspase-9 apoptosome

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis contributes to cell death during myocardial infarction. One of the factors that regulate the degree of apoptosis during ischemia is the amino acid taurine. To study the mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of taurine, we examined the interaction between taurine and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis using a simulated ischemia model with cultured rat neonatal cardiomyocytes sealed in closed flasks. Exposure to medium containing 20 mM taurine reduced the degree of apoptosis following periods of ischemia varying from 24 to 72 h. In the untreated group, simulated ischemia for 24 h led to mitochondrial depolarization accompanied by cytochrome c release. The apoptotic cascade was also activated, as evidenced by the activation of caspase-9 and -3. Taurine treatment had no effect on mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release; however, it inhibited ischemia-induced cleavage of caspase-9 and -3. Taurine loading also suppressed the formation of the Apaf-1/caspase-9 apoptosome and the interaction of caspase-9 with Apaf-1. These findings demonstrate that taurine effectively prevents myocardial ischemia-induced apoptosis by inhibiting the assembly of the Apaf-1/caspase-9 apoptosome. ischemia; cultured cardiomyocytes     

Cloning, nucleotide sequence, and overexpression of the L-rhamnose isomerase gene from Pseudomonas stutzeri in Escherichia coli

The gene encoding L-rhamnose isomerase (L-RhI) from Pseudomonas stutzeri was cloned into Escherichia coli and sequenced. A sequence analysis of the DNA responsible for the L-RhI gene revealed an open reading frame of 1,290 bp coding for a protein of 430 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 46,946 Da. A comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with sequences in relevant databases indicated that no significant homology has previously been identified. An amino acid sequence alignment, however, suggested that the residues involved in the active site of L-RhI from E. coli are conserved in that from P. stutzeri. The L-RhI gene was then overexpressed in E. coli cells under the control of the T5 promoter. The recombinant clone, E. coli JM109, produced significant levels of L-RhI activity, with a specific activity of 140 U/mg and a volumetric yield of 20,000 U of soluble enzyme per liter of medium. This reflected a 20-fold increase in the volumetric yield compared to the value for the intrinsic yield. The recombinant L-RhI protein was purified to apparent homogeneity on the basis of three-step chromatography. The purified recombinant enzyme showed a single band with an estimated molecular weight of 42,000 in a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel. The overall enzymatic properties of the purified recombinant L-RhI protein were the same as those of the authentic one, as the optimal activity was measured at 60 degrees C within a broad pH range from 5.0 to 11.0, with an optimum at pH 9.0.     

Molecular dynamics and interactions for creation of stimulation-induced stabilized rafts from small unstable steady-state rafts

We have evaluated the sizes and lifetimes of rafts in the plasma membrane from the existing literature, with a special attention paid to their intrinsically broad distributions and the limited time and space scales that are covered by the observation methods used for these studies. Distinguishing the rafts in the steady state (reserve rafts) from those after stimulation or unintentional crosslinking of raft molecules (stabilized receptor-cluster rafts) is critically important. In resting cells, the rafts appear small and unstable, and the consensus now is that their sizes are smaller than the optical diffraction limit (250 nm). Upon stimulation, the raft-preferring receptors are clustered, inducing larger, stabilized rafts, probably by coalescing small, unstable rafts or cholesterol-glycosphingolipid complexes in the receptor clusters. This receptor-cluster-induced conversion of raft types may be caused by suppression of alkyl chain isomerization and the lipid lateral diffusion in the cluster, with the aid of exclusion of cholesterol from the bulk domain and the boundary region of the majority of transmembrane proteins. We critically inspected the possible analogy to the boundary lipid concept. Finally, we propose a hypothesis for the coupling of GPI-anchored receptor signals with lipid-anchored signaling molecules in the inner-leaflet raft.