How do Pieris rapae search for Brassicaceae host plants?

Pieris rapae curucivora Boisduval is a major cause of damage to important Brassicaceae vegetable crops. The method of host landing plant selection by adult females was investigated by covering cabbage (host) and lettuce (non-host) plants to block visual and/or olfactory signals, and also by using volatile extracts of both plants.     

Electric dichroism studies on ferriheme– and ferroheme–poly(L-lysine) complexes at pH 9–12

Transient electric dichroism has been measured for the ferriheme–poly(L -lysine)[(Lys)_n], ferroheme–(Lys)_n, and ferroheme–(Lys)_n–carbon monoxide (CO) solutions at pH 9–12. The Soret absorption maximum in electronic spectrum (λ), the reduced linear dichroism (ρ_∞) at complete orientation and the calculated angle (?) between the porphyrin plane of a bound heme and the oriented polymer axis are determined for the following complexes: a ferriheme–(Lys)_n complex at pH 9.5–10.5 (λ = 420 nm, ρ_∞ = 0.50, and ? = 19°), a ferroheme–(Lys)_n complex at pH 9.5–10.2 (λ = 432 nm, ρ_∞ = 0.77, and ? = 0°), and a ferroheme–(Lys)_n–CO complex at pH 9.25 (λ = 430 nm, ρ_∞ = 0.38, and ? = 24°). Based on the above data, the validity of the structures of heme–(Lys)_n complexes proposed by other investigators is discussed.     

Peptide synthesis by surfactant-chymotrypsin complexes in organic media

Peptide synthesis by surfactant-chymotrypsin (CT) complexes was performed in organic media containing 1%–8% (v/v) water. The CT complex exhibited a higher enzymatic activity than native CT. The control of the water content in the reaction media has a crucial effect on the enzymatic activity. The maximum conversion (57%) for the peptide synthesis by the surfactant-CT complex was obtained at 4% water content.     

Conformation study on poly(L-tyrosine) in dimethyl formamide by small-angle X-ray scattering

The size and shape parameters of poly(L -tyrosine) in dimethyl formamide were investigated with fractionated samples of different molecular weight by small-angle X-ray scattering. The molecular weight, the radius of gyration of the molecule as a whole, the radius of gyration of the cross section, the mass per unit length, and the length of helix molecule were determined. The molecular conformations proposed by Applequist and Pao for poly(L -tyrosine) were compared with the experimental results obtained. It was concluded that poly(L -tyrosine) exists in a form of the right-handed α-helix in dimethyl formamide.     

Localization, isolation and characterization of Mn-superoxide dismutase in bovine adrenocortical cells

Cyanide-insensitive superoxide dismutase activity was present in both cytosol (26%) and mitochondrial (64%) fractions of bovine adrenal cells. The cyanide-insensitive superoxide dismutase was isolated from the mitochondrial fraction. It contained 2.2 g atoms of manganese per mol of enzyme. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 82,000 and a subunit molecular weight of 22,000. The isoelectric point, amino acid composition, and spectra of visible and ultraviolet regions were similar to those of the Mn-superoxide dismutase from the other mitochondria.     

Transgenic mouse lines with ectopic expression of {alpha}-1, 3-galactosyltransferase: production and characteristics

The cDNA of murine     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of the natural product komaroviquinone and related compounds aiming at a potential therapeutic lead compound for high-risk multiple myeloma

Alternatives of treatments for multiple myeloma (MM) have become increasingly available with the advent of new drugs such as proteasome inhibitors, thalidomide derivatives, histone deacetylase inhibitors, and antibody drugs. However, high-risk MM cases that are refractory to novel drugs remain, and further optimization of chemotherapeutics is urgently needed.We had achieved asymmetric total synthesis of komaroviquinone, which is a natural product from the plant Dracocephalum komarovi. Similar to several leading antitumor agents that have been developed from natural compounds, we describe the antitumor activity and cytotoxicity of komaroviquinone and related compounds in bone marrow cells. Our data suggested that komaroviquinone-related agents have potential as starting compounds for anticancer drug development.