Distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Petrosavia sakuraii</Emphasis> (Petrosaviaceae), a rare mycoheterotrophic plant,may be determined by the abundance of its mycobionts

Petrosavia sakuraii (Petrosaviaceae) is a rare, mycoheterotrophic plant species that has a specific symbiotic interaction with a narrow clade of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the distribution and abundance of mycobionts in two P. sakuraii habitats, Nagiso and Sengenyama (central Honshu, Japan), determine the distribution pattern of this rare plant. Nagiso is a thriving habitat with hundreds of P. sakuraii individuals per 100 m², whereas Sengenyama is a sparsely populated habitat with fewer than 10 individuals per 100 m². AM fungal communities associated with tree roots were compared at 20-cm distances from P. sakuraii shoots between the two habitats by molecular identification of AM fungal partial sequences of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene. The percentage of AM fungal sequences showing over 99 % identity with those of the dominant P. sakuraii mycobionts was high (54.9 %) in Nagiso, but low (13.2 %) in Sengenyama. Accordingly, the abundance of P. sakuraii seems to reflect the proportion of potential mycobionts. It is likely that P. sakuraii mycobionts are not rare in Japanese warm temperate forests since 11.2 % of AM fungal sequences previously obtained from a deciduous broad-leaved forest devoid of P. sakuraii in Mizuho, central Honshu, Japan, were >99 % identical to those of the dominant P. sakuraii mycobionts. Thus, results suggest that the abundant mycobionts may be required for sufficient propagation of P. sakuraii, and this quantitative trait of AM fungal communities required for P. sakuraii may explain the rarity of this plant.     

Pathogenicities and GP43kDa gene of three Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates originated from a nine-banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus )

We studied three different isolates of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis obtained from the mesenteric lymph node (D3LY1), the spleen (D3S1) and the liver (D3LIV1) of the same armadillo ( Dasypus novemcinctus ).Pulmonal inflammatory area was evaluated by intravenous inoculation of 10⁶ yeast cells of each isolates in young, male, ddY mice. Moreover, the partial sequence of GP43kDa gene of P. brasiliensis was analyzed. The lung inflammatory area was greater in animals inoculated with isolate D3S1. The partial sequence of GP43kDa gene indicated that isolate D3S1 is different from isolates D3LY1 and D3LIV1. This study suggested that the same armadillo might be susceptible to multiple P. brasiliensis isolates simultaneously. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Novel β-N-Acetylglucosaminidase from Streptomyces thermoviolaceus OPC-520: Gene Cloning,Expression, and Assignment to Family 3 of the Glycosyl Hydrolases

A β-N-acetylglucosaminidase gene (nagA) of Streptomyces thermoviolaceus OPC-520 was cloned in Streptomyces lividans 66. The nucleotide sequence of the gene, which encodes NagA, revealed an open reading frame of 1,896 bp, encoding a protein with an M_r of 66,329. The deduced primary structure of NagA was confirmed by comparison with the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the cloned β-N-acetylglucosaminidase expressed by S. lividans. The enzyme shares no sequence similarity with the classical β-N-acetylglucosaminidases belonging to family 20. However, NagA, which showed no detectable β-glucosidase activity, revealed homology with microbial β-glucosidases belonging to family 3; in particular, striking homology with the active-site regions of β-glucosidases was observed. Thus, the above-mentioned results indicate that NagA from S. thermoviolaceus OPC-520 is classified as a family 3 glycosyl hydrolase. The enzyme activity was optimal at 60°C and pH 5.0, and the apparent K_m and V_max values for p-nitrophenyl-β-N-acetylglucosamine were 425.7 μM and 24.8 μmol min⁻¹ mg of protein⁻¹, respectively.Streptomycetes are gram-positive, mycelial soil bacteria with a high G+C content. In addition to having the ability to synthesize a wide variety of antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents, they produce extracellular hydrolytic enzymes to obtain nutrients and energy by solubilizing polymeric compounds in soil. These enzymes include proteases, nucleases, lipases, and a variety of enzymes that hydrolyze different types of polysaccharides such as cellulose, chitin, and xylan (13). This last class of enzymes has received considerable attention not only from the standpoint of the utilization of renewable resources but also from that of basic research. Among actinomycetes, Streptomyces spp. make up one group regarded as particularly efficient in the breakdown of chitin (10). Following cellulose, chitin is the second most abundant polymer (β-1,4-linked polymer of N-acetylglucosamine) in nature. Efficient degradation of chitin by microorganisms is achieved by the concerted action of chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.30) (1, 19, 20).We have been studying the chitinolytic system of Streptomyces thermoviolaceus OPC-520 to clarify the roles of individual enzymes involved in chitin degradation, the relationship between structure and function, and the regulation of gene expression. When S. thermoviolaceus OPC-520 is cultivated in the presence of chitin, this strain secretes three different chitinases and only one β-N-acetylglucosaminidase and the production is repressed by glucose (unpublished data). Previously, we purified and characterized a major chitinase (Chi40) produced by the strain, which shows a high optimum temperature (70 to 80°C), high optimum pH (pH 8.0 to 10.0), and heat stability (22), and recently reported the cloning and expression of the Chi40 gene (23).While a number of chitinase genes have been isolated from a wide variety of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, insects, plants, and animals, examples of cloning of the β-N-acetylglucosaminidase gene involved in a chitinolytic system are few. To understand the role of β-N-acetylglucosaminidase in chitin degradation by strain OPC-520, its relationship to similar proteins isolated from other sources, and the regulatory system involved in the induction of the enzyme, we have isolated and expressed the gene encoding β-N-acetylglucosaminidase. Here we report the molecular cloning and biochemical characterization of a β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, designated NagA, from S. thermoviolaceus OPC-520. This novel enzyme, which is clearly different from the N-acetylglucosaminidases so far reported, is assigned to family 3 of the glycosyl hydrolases on the basis of sequence comparison. This is the first report of a β-N-acetylglucosaminidase gene isolated from the genus Streptomyces.     

An Active Efflux System for Heavy Metals in Cisplatin-Resistant Human KB Carcinoma Cells

The mechanism for cisplatin resistance in cisplatin-resistant KCP-4 cells was studied. Although multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) was not detected in KCP-4 cells, the cells were more resistant to heavy metals than multidrug-resistant C-A120 cells that overexpressed MRP. KCP-4 cells expressed metallothionein, but it was scarcely involved in cisplatin resistance in these cells. KCP-4 cells did not express canalicular multispecific organic anion transporter (cMOAT). The glutathione(GSH) level was 4.7-fold higher in KCP-4 cells than in KB-3-1 cells. When the GSH level in KCP-4 cells was decreased by treating the cells with buthionine sulfoximine and nitrofurantoin, the accumulation of and sensitivity to cispaltin in the cells were increased. C-A120 cells were only 3.0-fold more resistant to cisplatin than KB-3-1 cells and this resistance was not affected by the increased glutathione level. The accumulation of platinum in C-A120 and KCP-4 cells was 68.5 and 20.4% of that in KB-3-1 cells, respectively, while the intracellular levels of antimony potassium tartrate in C-A120 and KCP-4 cells were 13.2 and 9.9% of that in KB-3-1 cells, respectively. The ATP-dependent efflux of antimony was enhanced in both C-A120 and KCP-4 cells. These results, taken together, suggest an efflux pump for heavy metals different from MRP and cMOAT is involved in cisplatin resistance in KCP-4 cells.     

A reappraisal of intrageneric classification ofTalaromyces based on the ubiquinone systems

Ubiquinone profiles of 25 strains ofTalaromyces were determined using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Together with data of earlier authors, examination of the most recently described species allowed us to solve some taxonomic problems in the intrageneric classification. Ubiquinone Q-10(H₂) was found in the majority ofTalaromyces species with aPenicillium anamorph, which are mostly placed in seriesFlavi andLutei of sectionTalaromyces. Flavi andLutei are closely related and homogeneous taxa based on their morphological characters used in the section. However, exceptionol prfiles were consistently shown byT. trachyspermus and the allied taxa of seriesTrachyspermi of the sectionTalaromyces, in which a mixture of ubiquinone Q-10(H₂) and ubiquinone Q-10(H₄) was found. Thus the accommodation ofT. trachyspermus and the allied taxa in the sectionTalaromyces was not supported by their ubiquinone systems.Trachyspermi is distinguished from other taxa ofTalaromyces by its production of white ascomata and rapid growth at 37°C. A new section,Trachyspermus, is proposed herein. SectionEmersonii showed heterogeneity; the ubiquinone profiles (Q-10(H₂) or Q-10 and Q-10(H₂)) inTalaromyces with aGeosmithia anamorph were relatively homogeneous, whereas those of another group with aPaecilomyces anamorph were considerably variable. OnlyTalaromyces with aGeosmithia anamorph can be placed in the sectionEmersonii.     

Sequence Analysis of the Streptococcus mutans Ingbritt dexA Gene Encoding Extracellular Dextranase

The complete nucleotide sequence (3,747 bp) of the dextranase gene (dexA) and flanking regions of the chromosome of Streptococcus mutans Ingbritt (serotype c) were determined. The open reading frame for dexA was 2,550 bp, ending with a stop codon TGA. A putative ribosome-binding site, promoter preceding the start codon, and potential stem-loop structure were identified. The presumed dextranase protein (DexA) consisting of 850 amino acids was estimated to have a molecular size of 94,536 Da and a pI of 4.79. The nucleotide sequence and the deduced amino acid sequences of S. mutans dexA exhibited homologies of 57.8% and 47.0%, respectively, to those of Streptococcus sobrinus dex. The homologous region of dex of S. sobrinus was in the N-terminal half. The C terminus of DexA consisted of a hexapeptide LPQTGD, followed by 7 charged amino acids, 21 amino acids with a strongly hydrophobic character, and a charged hexapeptide tail, which have been reported as a common structure of C termini of not only the surface-associated proteins of Gram-positive cocci but also the extracellular enzymes such as β-fructosidase of S. mutans and dextranase of S. sobrinus. The DexA protein had no significant homology with the glucosyltransferases, the glucan-binding protein, or the dextranase inhibitor of mutans streptococci.     

Characterization of the Dextranase Gene (dex) of Streptococcus mutans and Its Recombinant Product in an Escherichia coli Host

The gene (dex), which encodes the Streptococcus mutans dextranase (Dex), was cloned in Escherichia coli. The E. coli host harboring a recombinant plasmid (pSD2) containing an 8-kb BamHI insert produced a Dex protein of 133 kDa as well as smaller enzymes of 118, 104, and 88 kDa. The Dex produced by the recombinant E. coli was apparently located in the cytoplasmic fraction, not in the periplasmic nor the extracellular fractions. Subcloning and deletion analysis of pSD2 showed that the structural gene of Dex was encoded by a 4-kb BamHI-SalI fragment. The fragment also contained the dex promoter which was effective in the E. coli cell.     

Assignment of 82 Known Genes and Gene Clusters on the Genome of the Unicellular Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC6803

We have previously constructed the physical map of a cyanobacterium,Synechoystis sp. strain PCC6803 on the basis of restrictionand linking clone analysis. Since a total of 82 genes and geneclusters have been isolated from this strain, most of whichare involved in oxygenic photosynthesis, portions of their sequenceswere amplified by the PCR method and assigned on the physicalmap of the genome by hybridization with restriction fragments,ordered clones, which were obtained from cosmid and libraries,and long PCR-products. An exception was the gene psbG2 whichwas mapped on an extra-chromosomal unit of 45 kb. Since geneticmaps of some of genes assigned above, especially those for photosynthesis,have been reported for two other cyanobacterial strains, Anabaenasp. PCC7120 and Synechococcus sp. PCC7002, gene organizationswere compared among the three strains. However, no significantcorrelation was observed, suggesting that rearrangement of genesoccurred in the respective strains during or after establishmentof the species.     

Chemical modification of lipase with a comb-shaped synthetic copolymer of polyoxyethylene allyl methyl diether and maleic anhydride

Summary Lipase fromPseudomonas fluorescens was coupled with a copolymer of polyoxyethylene allyl methyl diether and maleic anhydride, activated PM. The PM-lipase became soluble and active in organic solvents, and also heat stable. It catalyzed the ester synthesis in benzene and ester hydrolysis in an aqueous system with high enzymic activity.     

Modeling signaling‐dependent pluripotency with Boolean logic to predict cell fate transitions

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) exist in multiple stable states, each with specific cellular properties and molecular signatures. The mechanisms that maintain pluripotency, or that cause its destabilization to initiate development, are complex and incompletely understood. We have developed a model to predict stabilized PSC gene regulatory network (GRN) states in response to input signals. Our strategy used random asynchronous Boolean simulations (R‐ABS) to simulate single‐cell fate transitions and strongly connected components (SCCs) strategy to represent population heterogeneity. This framework was applied to a reverse‐engineered and curated core GRN for mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and used to simulate cellular responses to combinations of five signaling pathways. Our simulations predicted experimentally verified cell population compositions and input signal combinations controlling specific cell fate transitions. Extending the model to PSC differentiation, we predicted a combination of signaling activators and inhibitors that efficiently and robustly generated a Cdx2⁺Oct4^? cells from naïve mESCs. Overall, this platform provides new strategies to simulate cell fate transitions and the heterogeneity that typically occurs during development and differentiation.