Synthesis of a novel class of glycocluster with a cyclic α-(1→6)-octaglucoside as a scaffold and their binding abilities to concanavalin A

The synthesis of small glycoclusters with high affinity toward lectins is one of the important subjects in glycotechnology. Although cyclic α-(1→6)-d-octaglucoside (CI8) is an attractive scaffold on which to put glycosyl pendants, the compound has only secondary hydroxyl groups, which are relatively unreactive for substitution reactions. The oxidation of the vicinal diols of CI8 and reductive amination of the resultant dialdehydes with 2-aminoethyl mannoside gave mannose-CI8 conjugates with a variety of average mannose incorporation numbers (2-7). The average numbers were deduced from MALDI-TOF mass and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The binding ability of mannose-CI8 conjugates to concanavalin A increased with the increasing numbers of average mannose incorporation, reaching a plateau at tetravalence, as estimated from a latex bead-based agglutination lectin assay. Toxicity tests demonstrated the biocompatibility of mannose-CI8 conjugates.     

The thermal induced helix--beta transition of poly(N epsilon-methyl-L-lysine) and poly(N delta-ethyl-L-ornithine) in aqueous solution

Uncharged poly(N^ε-methyl-L -lysine) (PMLL) and its isomer, poly(N^δ-ethyl-L -ornithine) (PELO), in alkaline solution (pH ca. 12) undergo a helix-to-β transition upon mild heating at 50°C or higher in a manner similar to that of poly(L -lysine) (PLL). The rate of conversion follows the order: PMLL < PELO < PLL. The helix can be regenerated upon cooling near zero degrees, for instance, after more than 12 hr at 2°C. At concentrations less than 0.02% the β form is intramolecular, but at higher concentrations both intra- and intermolecular β forms are generated. Poly(N^δ-methyl-L -ornithine) (PMLO), an isomer of PLL, behaves like poly(L -ornithine); uncharged PMLO in alkaline solution is partially helical and becomes disordered at elevated temperatures.     

A three-dimensional model of the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle

Most of the pre-mRNAs in the eukaryotic cell are comprised of protein-coding exons and non-protein-coding introns. The introns are removed and the exons are ligated together, or spliced, by a large, macromolecular complex known as the spliceosome. This RNA-protein assembly is made up of five uridine-rich small nuclear RNAs (U1-, U2-, U4-, U5- and U6-snRNA) as well over 300 proteins, which form small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs). Initial recognition of the 5′ exon/intron splice site is mediated by the U1 snRNP, which is composed of the U1 snRNA as well as at least ten proteins. By combining structural informatics tools with the available biochemical and crystallographic data, we attempted to simulate a complete, three dimensional U1 snRNP from the silk moth, Bombyx mori. Comparison of our model with empirically derived crystal structures and electron micrographs pinpoints both the strengths and weaknesses in the in silico determination of macromolecular complexes. One of the most striking differences between our model and experimentally generated structures is in the positioning of the U1 snRNA stem-loops. This highlights the continuing difficulties in generating reliable, complex RNA structures; however, three-dimensional modeling of individual protein subunits by threading provided models of biological significance and the use of both automated and manual docking strategies generated a complex that closely reflects the assembly found in nature. Yet, without utilizing experimentally-derived contacts to select the most likely docking scenario, ab initio docking would fall short of providing a reliable model. Our work shows that the combination of experimental data with structural informatics tools can result in generation of near-native macromolecular complexes.     

MALE PEACH APHID ATTRACTION IN THE FIELD BY SEX PHEROMONES1)

Abstract Field trials by sex pheromone of aphid to trap peach aphids Myzus persicae have been carried out in 1995 and in 1996. Suitable time and the effect of ratio of two components nepetalactone and nepetalactol to apply the lure have been observed.     

An interspecific somatic hybrid between Actinidia chinensis and Actinidia kolomikta and its chilling tolerance

Protoplasts isolated from cotyledon-derived callus of Actinidia chinensisPlanch. var. chinensis (2N=2x=58) were fused with mesophyll protoplasts of Actiniadia kolomikta(Maxim. et Rupr.) Maxim (2N=2x=58) using a PEG method. Plantlets were regenerated from the fusion product clone 11. RAPD analyses, chromosome numbers of root tip cells and fluorescence peak position of leaf nuclei confirmed that clone 11 was an interspecific somatic hybrid (2N=4x=116) between A. chinensis and A. kolomikta. The chilling tolerance of the somatic hybrid was tested with in vitro leaves at low temperatures. Based on data of leaf thickness, electroconductivity, proline levels, malondialdehyde content and activity of superoxide dismutase, dendrogram cluster analysis suggested that the interspecific somatic hybrid was similar to A. kolomikta, and might have a higher capacity of cold resistance than A. chinensis.     

Formin-like 1 (FMNL1) Is Regulated by N-terminal Myristoylation and Induces Polarized Membrane Blebbing

The formin protein formin-like 1 (FMNL1) is highly restrictedly expressed in hematopoietic lineage-derived cells and has been previously identified as a tumor-associated antigen. However, function and regulation of FMNL1 are not well defined. We have identified a novel splice variant (FMNL1γ) containing an intron retention at the C terminus affecting the diaphanous autoinhibitory domain (DAD). FMNL1γ is specifically located at the cell membrane and cortex in diverse cell lines. Similar localization of FMNL1 was observed for a mutant lacking the DAD domain (FMNL1ΔDAD), indicating that deregulation of autoinhibition is effective in FMNL1γ. Expression of both FMNL1γ and FMNL1ΔDAD induces polarized nonapoptotic blebbing that is dependent on N-terminal myristoylation of FMNL1 but independent of Src and ROCK activity. Thus, our results describe N-myristoylation as a regulative mechanism of FMNL1 responsible for membrane trafficking potentially involved in a diversity of polarized processes of hematopoietic lineage-derived cells.     

Expression of the p80 region of bovine viral diarrhea virus and identification of specific antibodies to this recombinant protein in bovine sera.

A 917-base pair segment of the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) genome encoding part of the p80 region was cloned into plasmid Gex-2T expression vector for expression as a fusion protein with glutathione-S-transferase (GST). When the p80 and GST sequences were in the same reading frames, the resulting GST-p80 fusion protein had a molecular mass of 58 kilodaltons (kDa) in SDS-PAGE. Extracts of control E. coli carrying only the vector plasmid (Gex-2T) did not contain this new 58-kDa protein band. Mouse monoclonal antibody specific to BVDV-p80 recognized this recombinant protein. Seventy cattle sera that had an SN titer (to TGAC isolate of cytopathic BVDV) greater than 1:8 reacted with this recombinant protein in Western blots. Of 28 cattle sera that had SN titers less than or equal to 1:8, only one serum tested positive on Western blots.