Purification and characterization of β-(pyrazol-1-yl)-l-alanine synthase from Citrullus vulgaris

From seedlings of Citrullus vulgaris the enzyme β-(pyrazol-1-yl)-l-alanine synthase was purified 200-fold, when it showed electrophoretic homogeneity (MW 58 000) and could be dissociated into identical subunits (MW 32 000) each containing one molecule of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate. The K_m value was 2.5 × 10^?3 M for O-acetyl-l-serine and 7.4 × 10^?2 M for pyrazole. The enzyme did not catalyse the formation of related β-substituted alanines, such as l-mimosine and l-quisqualic acid, and significant differences were found between the β-(pyrazol-1-yl)-l-alanine synthase and β-substituted alanine syntheses and cysteine synthase from other sources.     

Differential regulation of periplasmic nitrate reductase gene (napKEFDABC) expression between aerobiosis and anaerobiosis with nitrate in a denitrifying phototroph Rhodobacter sphaeroides f. sp. denitrificans

A denitrifying phototroph, Rhodobacter sphaeroides f. sp. denitrificans, has the ability to denitrify by respiring nitrate. The periplasmic respiratory nitrate reductase (Nap) catalyses the first step in denitrification and is encoded by the genes, napKEFDABC. By assaying the ss-galactosidase activity of napKEFD-lacZ fusions in wild type and nap mutant cells grown under various growth conditions, the environmental signal for inducing nap expression was examined. Under anoxic conditions with nitrate, nap genes expression in the wild-type strain was highest in the dark, and somewhat lowered by incident light, but that of the napA, napB, and napC mutant strains was low, showing that nap expression is dependent on nitrate respiration. Under oxic conditions, both the wild type and nap mutant cells showed high ss-galactosidase activities, comparable to the wild-type grown under anoxic conditions with nitrate. Myxothiazol, a specific inhibitor of the cytochrome bc (1) complex, did not affect the beta-galactosidase activity in the wild-type cells grown aerobically, suggesting that the redox state of the quinone pool was not a candidate for the activation signal for aerobic nap expression. These results suggested that the trans-acting regulatory signals for nap expression differ between anoxic and oxic conditions. Deletion analysis showed that the nucleotide sequence from -135 to -88 with respect to the translational start point is essential for nap expression either under anoxic or oxic conditions, suggesting that the same cis-acting element is involved in regulating nap expression under either anoxic with nitrate or oxic conditions.     

Unusual Accumulation of Demethylspheroidene in Anaerobic-Phototrophic Growth of crtA-Deleted Mutants of Rhodovulum sulfidophilum

Rhodovulum sulfidophilum produces carotenoids in the spheroidene pathway. Spheroidene monooxygenase, CrtA, catalyzes the conversion of spheroidene to spheroidenone. crtA-deleted mutants of R. sulfidophilum did not produce spheroidenone and demethylspheroidenone. In these mutants, the ratio of demethylspheroidene to spheroidene increased with exposure to light. One mutant exhibiting a spheroidene-predominant phenotype did not grow under anaerobic-light conditions and was devoid of bacteriochlorophyll a, even under semiaerobic-light conditions There was no difference in the growth of the mutants under aerobic-dark conditions. These data suggest that demethylspheroidene is important for photosynthesis in R. sulfidophilum.     

The formation of Zn-Chl a in Chlorella heterotrophically grown in the dark with an excessive amount of Zn2+

Chlorella, when heterotrophically cultivated in the dark, is able to grow with Zn2+ at 10-40 mM, which is 10 times the concentration lethal to autotrophically grown cells. However, the lag phase is prolonged with increasing concentrations of Zn2+; for example, in this study, 1 d of the control lag phase was prolonged to about 16 d with Zn2+ at 16.7 mM (x2,000 of the control). Once the cells started to grow, the log phase was finished within 4-6 d regardless of Zn concentration, which was almost the same as that of the control. The photosysystem I reaction center chlorophyll, P700, and the far-red fluorescence were detected only after the late log phase of the growth curve, suggesting that chlorophyll-protein complexes can be organized after cell division has ceased. Interestingly, at more than 16.7 mM of Zn2+, Zn-chlorophyll a was accumulated and finally accounted for about 25% of the total chlorophyll a in the late stationary phase. We found that the Zn-chlorophyll a was present in the thylakoid membranes and not in the soluble fractions of the cells. The rather low fluorescence yield at around 680 nm in the stationary phase suggests that Zn-chlorophyll a can transfer its excitation energy to other chlorophylls. Before accumulation of Zn-chlorophyll a, a marked amount of pheophytin a was temporally accumulated, suggesting that Zn-chlorophyll a could be chemically synthesized via pheophytin a.     

The distinct stage-specific effects of 2-(p-amylcinnamoyl)amino-4-chlorobenzoic acid on the activation of MAP kinase and Cdc2 kinase in Xenopus oocyte maturation

2-(p-amylcinnamoyl)amino-4-chlorobenzoic acid (PACA), pharmacological inhibitor of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)), inhibits epinephrine-stimulated thromboxane production in human platelets. In this study, we investigated the effect of PACA on meiotic maturation individually in stages V and VI oocytes. PACA prevented the maturation in stage V but merely delayed the process in stage VI oocytes. This was associated with the strong inhibition of Mos synthesis at both stages. Besides, PACA-induced inhibition of MAPK activation was evident in stage V but not in stage VI oocytes. PACA also inhibited the activation of Cdc2 kinase (Cdc2) in stage V but merely delayed the process in stage VI oocytes. Furthermore, 5 microM and higher concentrations of PACA completely inhibited the activation of MAPK and Cdc2 only in stage V, not in stage VI, oocytes. Moreover, we propose PACA as a new tool for the study of Xenopus oocyte maturation, which can also play a unique role for the studies of the stage-specific activation of MAPK and Cdc2.     

Expression cloning of a variety of novel protein kinases in Lotus japonicus

To investigate protein kinases expressed in Lotus japonicus, a cDNA expression library of the root-nodule of L. japonicus was immunologically screened with monoclonal antibodies directed to a highly conserved region in protein serine/threonine kinases (Ser/Thr kinases). Among 178 positive clones obtained from the lambdaZAPII cDNA library, 164 clones were found to encode novel proteins possessing the subdomain VIB sequences characteristic of Ser/Thr kinases. By phylogenetic analysis on the basis of deduced amino acid sequences, the isolated clones could be classified into five different families of Ser/Thr kinases : the SnRK family, GSK-3 family, Ndr kinase family, Ark family, and receptor kinase family. These results suggest that this expression cloning using the kinase-specific antibodies will provide new clues for investigations of a wide variety of known and novel protein kinases in higher plants.     

High production of methyl mercaptan by L-methionine-alpha-deamino-gamma-mercaptomethane lyase from Treponema denticola

Methyl mercaptan is derived from l-methionine by the action of l-methionine-alpha-deamino-gamma-mercaptomethane lyase (METase) and is a major component of oral malodor. This compound is highly toxic and is thought to play an important role in periodontal disease. We found that Treponema denticola, a member of the subgingival biofilm at periodontal disease sites, produced a large amount of methyl mercaptan even at low concentration of l-methionine. METase activity in a cell-free extract from T. denticola was detected by two-dimensional electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions, and the protein spot that exhibited high METase activity was identified using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The identified gene produced a METase with a K(m) value for l-methionine (0.55mM) that is much lower than those of METases previously identified in the other organisms. This result suggests that T. denticola is an important producer of methyl mercaptan in the subgingival biofilm.     

Identification, characterization, and site-directed mutagenesis of recombinant pentachlorophenol 4-monooxygenase

In a previous study, we constructed a three-dimensional (3D) structure of pentachlorophenol 4-monooxygenase (PcpB). In this study, further analyses are performed to examine the important amino acid residues in the catalytic reaction by identification of the proteins with mass spectrometry, circular dichroism (CD) and UV spectrometry, and determination of kinetic parameters. Recombinant histidine-tagged PcpB protein was produced and shown to have a similar activity to the native protein. Mutant proteins of PcpB were then produced (F85A, Y216A, Y216F, R235A, R235E, R235K, Y397A and Y397F) on the basis of the proposed 3D structure. The CD spectra of the proteins showed that there were no major changes in the structures of the mutant proteins, with the exception of R235E. Steady-state kinetics showed a 20-fold reduction in k(cat)/K(m) and a ninefold increase in K(m) for Y216F and a threefold reduction in k(cat)/K(m) and a sixfold increase in K(m) for Y397F compared to the wild type. On the other hand, the value of k(cat)/K(m) of R235K mutant was the same as that of wild type. As a result, it was confirmed that Y216 and Y397 play an important role with respect to the recognition of the substrate.     

Establishment and characterization of a cell line derived from a human serous surface papillary carcinoma of the ovary

A novel serous surface papillary carcinoma of the ovary (SSPC) cell line, HYKSSPC, was established successfully. Carcinoma cells were obtained from ascitic fluid of a 60-year-old Japanese woman. The population doubling time was 51.4 h. A phase contrast micrograph showed a pavement stone-like arrangement without contact inhibition. The chromosome number showed a wide distribution of aneuploidy, and the mode was in 46-47. An immunocytochemical study showed that CA125, BerER4 and cytokeratin were positive and that CEA, calretinin and thrombomodulin were negative. This cell line preserved some characters of the adenocarcinoma while growing in vitro. A chemosensitivity test revealed that HYKSSPC cells were sensitive to CDDP (cis-platinum), 5-fluorouracil, mitomycin C, paclitaxel and irinotecan. To our knowledge, HYKSSPC is the first established cell line derived from SSPC, and it may offer some useful information for investigating this disease.     

Accessory genes define the relationship between the herpes simplex virus and its host

Accessory genes of herpes simplex virus are implicated in the interplay between the virus and host responses to infection, ensuring the survival of the virus in the host and maintaining its transmission cycle in human populations. They will provide vital clues about novel vaccination strategies and gene and oncolytic therapies.