Trypanosoma cruzi glycoprotein of Mr 56000: characterization and assessment of its potential to protect against fatal parasite infections

A ∼ 56 000 Da membrane glycoprotein purified from epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi was characterized biochemically and tested for its efficacy to induce protection in mice from a lethal challenge with this protozoan parasite. Immunofluorescence assays with live and formalin-fixed epimastigotes and trypomastigotes localized the glycoprotein to the flagellum, the body of the parasite, and the cell membrane. Immunoblotting demonstrated the glyco-protein's presence in nearly equal amounts in all developmental stages of several T. cruzi isolates. Mice immunized with the purified glycoprotein and challenged with 10000 infectious trypomastigote forms of isolate Y survived the controls by up to four days. This significant protection makes this antigen a potential candidate for a multi-subunit vaccine against 7. cruzi.     

Repeated polyketide synthase modules involved in the biosynthesis of a heptaene macrolide by Streptomyces sp. FR-008

Genes for biosynthesis of a Streptomyces sp. FR-008 heptaene macrolide antibiotic with antifungal and mosquito larvicidal activity were cloned in Escherichia coli using heterologous DNA probes. The cloned genes were implicated in heptaene biosynthiesis by gene replacement. The FR-008 antibiotic contains a 38-membered, poiyketide-derived macrolide ring. Southern hybridization using probes encoding domains of the type i modular erythromycin polyketide synthase (PKS) showed that the Streptomyces sp. FR-008 PKS gene cluster contains repeated sequences spanning c. 105 kb of contiguous DNA; assuming c. 5 kb for each PKS module, this is in striking agreement with the expectation for the 21-step condensation process required for synthesis of the FR-008 carbon chain. The methods developed for transformation and gene replacement in Streptomyces sp. FR-008 make it possible to genetically manipulate polyene macrolide production, and may later lead to the biosynthesis of novel polyene macrolides.     

Purification and characterization of α-glucosidase from Aspergillus carbonarious

Summary An -glucosidase was purified from Aspergillus carbonarious CCRC 30414 over 20 fold with 37 % recovery. Its molecular mass was estimated to be 328 kDa by gel filtration with an optimum pH from 4.2 to 5.0, and pI=5.0. The optimum temperature is at 60°C over 40 min. The enzyme was partially inhibited by 5 mM Ag⁺, Hg²⁺, Ba²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Aso₄ ⁺.     

Extractive fermentation of lactic acid by immobilizedLactobacillus casei using ion—exchange resin

Summary A novel method of lactic acid fermentation byLactobacillus casei immobilized in Ca—alginate gels is described, in which an ion—exchange resin packed column is attached to a fermentor for separation of lactic acid from fermentative broth. The technique successfully alleviated the restriction imposed by lactic acid on bacterial growth and product formation. As compared to the conventional batch fermentation, the new fermentation technique enhanced the lactic acid productivity and sugar conversion rate from 0.328g/L·h and 88. 2% to 0.482g/L·h and 98.6%, respectively.     

Core fucosylation of high-mannose-type oligosaccharides in GlcNAc transferase I-deficient (Lec1) CHO cells

During studies on the fucosylation of endogenous proteins inparental (Pro5) and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) transferaseI-deficient (Lec1) Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, we observedthat Lec1 cells incorporate     

Changes and Relationship of PAF and TNF in Rats with Myocardial Ischaemia and Reperfusion Injury

IN THIS STUDY IT IS REPORTED THAT: (1) the levels of blood platelet-activating factor and serum tumour necrosis factor significantly increased after coronary ligation and reperfusion, compared with sham-ligated controls, in an anaesthetized rat model; (2) compared with vehicle controls, pretreatment with the PAF antagonist BN 50739 (10 mg/kg, i.v.) produced significant decreases in infarct size (from 29.6 +/- 4.0% to 22.4 +/- 2.1%, p < 0.05 after 3 h ligation, and from 28.5 +/- 9.5% to 10.5 +/- 4.5%, p < 0.01 after 4 h reperfusion) and the level of serum TNF (from 10.4 +/- 7.7 U/ml to 3.9 +/- 4.8 U/ml, p < 0.05); and (3) a significan positive correlation was found between the level of blood PAF or serum TNF and infarct size. The present results indicate that PAF and TNF may be important mediators involved in myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion injury, and that PAF antagonists may exert a protective effect on ischaemic or reperfused myocardium by inhibiting the interaction of PAF and TNF.     

氚水在模拟水生－陆生生态系中的迁移与分布

利用同位素示踪技术研究了进入水体的ＨＴＯ向陆地的迁移。结果表明：１．进入水体的ＨＴＯ将向系统各组分转移,池水中的ＨＴＯ单调地减少,底泥及水生生物中的ＨＴＯ浓度皆在经历某一最大值后平缓地下降;２．ＨＴＯ中的而以自由水沉和结合态氚存在于水生动植物和底泥中;３．ＨＴＯ还明显地向毗邻的陆地和作物迁移,在一个半月期间,陆地系统中的总而约占水体的２４％。     

植物细胞离析酶的制备和应用

用 Aspergillus sp．A-19菌经固体发酵研制成一种新的植物细胞离析酶(SeparatasezA—P)。其离析单细胞的酶活力平均为70 767u／g,有效作用的pH在3．0—7．0,温度为20—45℃。发酵培养基配方是麸皮：桔皮粉：(NH₄)₂SO₄(w／w)为100:100:O．63,料水比为1 :2．0,培养适宜条件为25℃、60小时。     

麦迪霉素产生菌酮基还原酶基因的研究

将麦迪霉素产生菌基因文库中与放线紫红索酮基还原酶基因actⅢ有同源性的4·0kb DNA片段克隆到质粒载体pWHM3中,构成重组质粒pCB4。将质粒pCB4转入酮基还原酶基因缺陷菌株——加利利链霉菌ATCC3167l中,得到转化子。转化子发酵产物经TLC和HPLC分析证明是阿克拉菌酮,与加利利链霉菌原株ATCC31133的产物相同,说明麦迪霉素产生菌酮基还原酶基因互补了加利利链霉菌ATCC31671中缺陷的酮基还原酶基因,使其恢复了产生阿克拉菌酮的能力。4．Okb DNA片段插入方向相反的重组质粒pCBR4在加利利链霉菌ATCC31671中发酵产物经TLC分析证明也是阿克拉菌酮,这说明4．0kbDNA片段中麦迪霉素产生菌酮基还原酶基因具有自身的启动子。对4．0kb DNA片段进行了限制酶酶切分析,建立了其酶切图谱。以actⅢ基因为探针,经分子杂交以及亚克隆和DNA转化实验,将麦迪霉索产生菌酮基还原酶基因定位于BssH Ⅱ—BamH Ⅰ 1．3kb DNA片段上。对1．3kb DNA片段核苷酸序列分析结果表明：此1．3kbDNA片段中含有一个独立的ORF,起始密码ATG,终止密码TAG,含783bp;在起始密码上游有GGAGG5个核苷酸SD序列;此ORF编码260个氨基酸,与actⅢ基因编码的261个氨基酸相似性为77．4%,相同性为66．7％,对麦迪霉素产生苗酮基还原酶基因的可能作用进行了讨论。     

DISCOVERY OF TWO MID-TERTIARY MAMMALIAN FAUNAS FROM HAIYUAN, NINGXIA, CHINA

Inl988-199otheRegionalGeologicalSurveyTeamoftheGeologicalBureauofNingxia(RGSN)foundsomefossilmammalsinthelowerpartoftheHo11g1iugouFormationandtheupperpartoftheOligocene.Inl992ajointteamoflnstituteofVertebratePaleontologyandPaleoanthropo1ogy,AcademiaSinica(IVPP),andtheRGSNwenttoHaiyuailCountyandcollectedmorefossilmamma1sfromtheYuanjia-wowoareausi11gascreen-washingmethodThemammalfaunafromthelowerpartoftheHongliugouFormationiscomposedofAprotodonsp.,Indricotheriidaeindet.,Rhinoceroti…