Inhibition of Phosphatidic Acid Biosynthesis by cis-9,10-Methylene Hexadecanoic Acid

We tested the effect of oral administration of fermented sake lees with lactic acid bacteria (FESLAB) on a murine model of allergic rhinitis upon immunization and nasal sensitization with ovalbumin (OVA). We used Lactobacillus paracasei NPSRIk-4 (isolated from sake lees), and L. brevis NPSRIv-8 (from fermented milk) as starter strains to produce the FESLAB. Oral FESLAB administration resulted in the development of significantly fewer sneezing symptoms than those seen in sham control animals given sterile water. We also found that FESLAB suppressed the allergen-induced degranulation of RBL2H3 rat basophilic leukemia cells.     

Two isoforms of 17-kDa essential light chain of aorta media smooth muscle myosin

Aorta myosin contains two kinds of light chain, 20-kDa phosphorylatable light chain and 17-kDa essential light chain (LC17). Purified myosin from porcine aorta media showed 3 distinct light chain bands on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) in the presence of urea (urea-PAGE). The mobilities of the faster two components did not change after incubation of the myosin with a myosin light chain kinase. Gel slices containing the faster two bands were separately subjected to PAGE in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate. Both components showed identical mobility with that of LC17. The two components were designated as LC17a and LC17b in increasing order of mobility on urea-PAGE. They were isolated by DEAE-Toyopearl ion exchange column chromatography. The amino acid compositions of LC17a and LC17b were similar to each other, but the contents of Ser, Met, Ile, and His were distinctly different. These results suggest that the two components are isoforms. The ratio of the content of each isoform (LC17a: LC17b) in the purified porcine aorta myosin was 39:61, and essentially the same ratio was found with washed muscle homogenate of porcine aorta. Then washed aorta muscle homogenates of rabbit and rat were examined. Two bands having similar mobilities to those of porcine homogenate were also found in urea-PAGE. The ratios of the two components were 31:69 and 66:34, respectively, for rabbit and rat. Aorta smooth muscle thus may contain many types of isomyosin.     

Possible existence of autoantibodies against immunoglobulin allotypes in normal rabbits, and their relation to the expression of these allotypes

The concentration of a3 allotype was increased in the serum of heterozygous a1 a3 rabbits which received antiidiotypic antibodies against anti-a3 antibodies in the perinatal period. This is explained by the normal presence of anti-a3 autoantibodies which control the expression of a3 allotype in heterozygous a1 a3 rabbits under physiological conditions.     

Thermal transition in helical forms of Salmonella flagella

Flagellar filaments from three strains of Salmonella undergo reversible structural transitions between discrete helical forms when the temperature is changed under appropriate aqueous conditions. These transitions can be quantified by viscometry of concentrated flagellar solutions. A transition resulting in an increase in the right-handed structural twist of the filament is always exothermic. The change in van't Hoff enthalpy accompanying the transformation ranged between 90 kcal and 250 kcal per co-operative unit depending on the type of transformation. From the relation between the transition temperature and the pH, it is inferred that binding of five to six protons to a co-operative unit is involved in the transformations of two kinds of flagella.When small amounts of flagellins from straight mutants are incorporated into normal flagellar filaments by copolymerization, the transition temperature either increases or decreases, depending on the species of the mutant flagellins, as compared with that in the normal homopolymers. These results are discussed in terms of two-state models of flagellar polymorphism (Calladine, 1978; Kamiya et al., 1979).     

Transport of Tricarboxylic Acids in Salmonella typhimurium

Salmonella typhimurium possesses at least three inducible transport systems for the tricarboxylic acids (citric, isocitric, cis-aconitic, and tricarballylic). The first system was induced by citrate, isocitrate, or cis-aconitate, and transported citric acid and isocitric acid. The second system was also induced by the same acids as in the first system and transported cis-aconitic acid. This system required Mg(2+) ions and was stable at pH 8.4 but unstable at pH 7.0. The metal ion was replaced with Sr(2+) or Ca(2+) ions but not with Ba(2+) ions. The third system was induced by tricarballylate and transported citric acid, cis-aconitic acid, and tricarballylic acid.     

Lignin Induces ES Cells to Differentiate into Neuroectodermal Cells through Mediation of the Wnt Signaling Pathway

Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are characterized by their pluripotency and infinite proliferation potential. Ever since ES cells were first established in 1981, there have been a growing number of studies aimed at clinical applications of ES cells. In recent years, various types of differentiation inducement systems using ES cells have been established. Further studies have been conducted to utilize differentiation inducement systems in the field of regenerative medicine. For cellular treatments using stem cells including ES cells, differentiation induction should be performed in a sufficient manner to obtain the intended cell lineages. Lignin is a high-molecular amorphous material that forms plants together with cellulose and hemicelluloses, in which phenylpropane fundamental units are complexly condensed. Lignin derivatives have been shown to have several bioactive functions. In spite of these findings, few studies have focused on the effects of lignin on stem cells. Our study aimed to develop a novel technology using lignin to effectively induce ES cells to differentiate into neuroectodermal cells including ocular cells and neural cells. Since lignin can be produced at a relatively low cost in large volumes, its utilization is expected for more convenient differentiation induction technologies and in the field of regenerative medicine in the future.