Study of the factors affecting the extraction of soybean protein by reverse micelles

In this work, the forward and back extraction of soybean protein by reverse micelles was studied. The reverse micellar systems were formed by anionic surfactant sodium bis(2-ethyl hexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT), isooctane and KCl solution. The effects of AOT concentration, aqueous pH, KCl concentration and phase volume ratio on the extraction efficiency of soybean protein were tested. Suitability of reverse micelles of AOT and Triton-X-100/AOT mixture in organic solvent toluene for soybean protein extraction was also investigated. The experimental results lead to complete forward extraction at the AOT concentration 120 mmol l⁻¹, aqueous pH 5.5 and KCl concentration 0.8 mol l⁻¹. The backward extraction with aqueous phase (pH 5.5) resulted in 100% extraction of soybean protein from the organic phase.     

Diel variation in chironomid (Diptera: Insecta) exuviae abundance and taxonomic richness in near-pristine upland streams of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area,South-Eastern Australia

We assessed diurnal variation of Chironomidae exuviae in two small upland streams in temperate Australia, during summer. Understanding the diel periodicity of exuviae can be an important consideration for biomonitoring purposes or to investigate adult emergence patterns. We collected 1,813 floating exuviae, comprising 54 taxa from four subfamilies, from flowing water using a drift net. Unlike many northern hemisphere temperate studies, we observed that peak exuviae abundance (7.3 exuviae per m3) and taxon richness (1.7 taxa per m3) occurred in the dusk and night hours, with the lowest numbers (0.9 exuviae per m3) and taxon richness (0.6 taxa per m3) recorded in the late morning to early afternoon. We suggest that this could be an adaptation to avoid stressful weather during the heat of summer days, or it could be to avoid visual predators. The numerically dominant taxa exhibited peak abundance in the dusk/night samples which indicates predominant crepuscular/nocturnal patterns of adult emergence. This pattern was consistent across both streams surveyed. Our taxon inventory rose steeply during the first 24-h occasion, then at a reduced rate during the second and third days of sampling. For flowing water collections of exuviae that utilise drift-netting, we suggest that sampling at all sites includes at least three 24-h cycles and avoids periods of heavy rainfall and increased stream flow.     

Chronic Administration of Cyclosporine A Changes Expression of BDNF and TrkB in Rat Hippocampus and Midbrain

Neurotrophins, including the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), are essential for regulating neuronal differentiation in developing brains. BDNF and its receptor tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB) are involved in neuronal signaling, survival and plasticity. Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a potent immunosuppressive agent which prevents allograft rejection in organ transplantation and various immunological diseases. We investigated whether chronic administration of CsA decreases BDNF gene expression in rats, and the influence of CsA on mRNA levels of TrkB receptors was also examined. For 30 days of CsA (10 mg/kg/day) administration, the expression of BDNF and TrkB mRNA was significantly decreased in the hippocampus and midbrain, but there was no significant difference in the cortex. CsA (0, 1, 5 10, 15 ug/ml) down-regulated BDNF and TrkB gene expression through cultured SH-SY5Y cells, as did all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), and there was no effect on cell viability. These experimental results indicate that suppression of the BDNF and TrkB mRNA, protein level of BDNF expression in the hippocampus and midbrain may be related to altered behavior observed following chronic administration of CsA. A common mechanism of adverse effects of CsA induced depressive symptoms may involve neurotoxicity mediated by down-regulation of brain BDNF and TrkB.     

Forest transitions in Eastern Europe and their effects on carbon budgets

Forests often rebound from deforestation following industrialization and urbanization, but for many regions our understanding of where and when forest transitions happened, and how they affected carbon budgets remains poor. One such region is Eastern Europe, where political and socio‐economic conditions changed drastically over the last three centuries, but forest trends have not yet been analyzed in detail. We present a new assessment of historical forest change in the European part of the former Soviet Union and the legacies of these changes on contemporary carbon stocks. To reconstruct forest area, we homogenized statistics at the provincial level for ad 1700–2010 to identify forest transition years and forest trends. We contrast our reconstruction with the KK11 and HYDE 3.1 land change scenarios, and use all three datasets to drive the LPJ dynamic global vegetation model to calculate carbon stock dynamics. Our results revealed that forest transitions in Eastern Europe occurred predominantly in the early 20th century, substantially later than in Western Europe. We also found marked geographic variation in forest transitions, with some areas characterized by relatively stable or continuously declining forest area. Our data suggest extensive deforestation in European Russia already prior to ad 1700, and even greater deforestation in the 18th and 19th centuries than in the KK11 and HYDE scenarios. Based on our reconstruction, cumulative carbon emissions from deforestation were greater before 1700 (60 Pg C) than thereafter (29 Pg C). Summed over our entire study area, forest transitions led to a modest uptake in carbon over recent decades, with our dataset showing the smallest effect (<5.5 Pg C) and a more heterogeneous pattern of source and sink regions. This suggests substantial sequestration potential in regrowing forests of the region, a trend that may be amplified through ongoing land abandonment, climate change, and CO₂ fertilization.     

Adamts5, the gene encoding a proteoglycan-degrading metalloprotease,is expressed by specific cell lineages during mouse embryonic development and in adult tissues

The secreted metalloprotease ADAMTS5 is implicated in destruction of the cartilage proteoglycan aggrecan in arthritis, but its physiological functions are unknown. Its expression profile during embryogenesis and in adult tissues is therefore of considerable interest. β-Galactosidase (β-gal) histochemistry, enabled by a LacZ cassette inserted in the Adamts5 locus, and validated by in situ hybridization with an Adamts5 cRNA probe and ADAMTS5 immunohistochemistry, was used to profile Adamts5 expression during mouse embryogenesis and in adult mouse tissues. Embryonic expression was scarce prior to 11.5 days of gestation (E11.5) and noted only in the floor plate of the developing brain at E9.5. After E11.5 there was continued expression in brain, especially in the choroid plexus, peripheral nerves, dorsal root ganglia, cranial nerve ganglia, spinal and cranial nerves, and neural plexuses of the gut. In addition to nerves, developing limbs have Adamts5 expression in skeletal muscle (from E13.5), tendons (from E16.5), and inter-digital mesenchyme of the developing autopod (E13.5–15.5). In adult tissues, there is constitutive Adamts5 expression in arterial smooth muscle cells, mesothelium lining the peritoneal, pericardial and pleural cavities, smooth muscle cells in bronchi and pancreatic ducts, glomerular mesangial cells in the kidney, dorsal root ganglia, and in Schwann cells of the peripheral and autonomic nervous system. Expression of Adamts5 during neuromuscular development and in smooth muscle cells coincides with the broadly distributed proteoglycan versican, an ADAMTS5 substrate. These observations suggest the major contexts in which developmental and physiological roles could be sought for this protease.     

Isoform‐specific cleavage of 14‐3‐3 proteins in apoptotic JURL‐MK1 cells

The proteins of 14‐3‐3 family are substantially involved in the regulation of many biological processes including the apoptosis. We studied the changes in the expression of five 14‐3‐3 isoforms (β, γ, ε, τ, and ζ) during the apoptosis of JURL‐MK1 and K562 cells. The expression level of all these proteins markedly decreased in relation with the apoptosis progression and all isoforms underwent truncation, which probably corresponds to the removal of several C‐terminal amino acids. The observed 14‐3‐3 modifications were partially blocked by caspase‐3 inhibition. In addition to caspases, a non‐caspase protease is likely to contribute to 14‐3‐3's cleavage in an isoform‐specific manner. While 14‐3‐3 γ seems to be cleaved mainly by caspase‐3, the alternative mechanism is essentially involved in the case of 14‐3‐3 τ, and a combined effect was observed for the isoforms ε, β, and ζ. We suggest that the processing of 14‐3‐3 proteins could form an integral part of the programmed cell death or at least of some apoptotic pathways. J. Cell. Biochem. 106: 673–681, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Carotenoid production in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis> achieved by metabolic engineering

The carotenoid synthetic genes, crtM and crtN, derived from Staphylococcus aureus, were introduced into B. subtilis, resulting in yellow pigmentation. Absorption maxima of pigments and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry demonstrated that the pigmented strain accumulated two C₃₀ carotenoids, 4,4′-diapolycopene and 4,4′-diaponeurosporene. A survival test using H₂O₂ revealed that the pigmented strain was more resistant to oxidative stress than the strain harboring an empty-vector. These findings indicate that B. subtilis can produce carotenoids, and the strain accumulating the carotenoids, CarotenoBacillus, will become a basal host for production of C₃₀ carotenoids and evaluation of their antioxidative effects.