Conversion of DOPA to tetrahydroisoquinolines and stizolobic acid in a callus culture of Stizolobium hassjoo

Isolation and identification of l-3-carboxy-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline and l-1-methyl-3-carboxy-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline from seeds and callus of S. hassjoo are described. Administration of [β-¹⁴C]-labelled DOPA to a callus culture of this legume resulted in the incorporation of radioactivity into l-3-carboxy-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline, l-1-methyl-3-carboxy-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline and stizolobic acid, which was confirmed by constant specific radioactivity after co-crystallization with authentic samples of each compound.     

Cloning of a Phosphate-Regulated Hemolysin Gene (Phospholipase C) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Phospholipase C (heat-labile hemolysin) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a phosphate (P_i)-regulated extracellular protein which may be a significant virulence factor of this organism. The gene for this hemolytic enzyme was cloned on a 4.1-megadalton (Mdal) fragment from a BamHI digest of P. aeruginosa PAO1 genomic DNA and was inserted into the BamHI sites of the multicopy Escherichia coli(pBR322) and P. aeruginosa(pMW79) vectors. The E. coli and P. aeruginosa recombinant plasmids were designated pGV26 and pVB81, respectively. A restriction map of the 4.1-Mdal fragment from pGV26 was constructed, using double and single digestions with BamHI and EcoRI and several different restriction enzymes. Based on information from this map, a 2.4-Mdal BamHI/BglII fragment containing the gene for phospholipase C was subcloned to pBR322. The hybrid plasmids pGV26 and pVB81 direct the synthesis of enzymatically active phospholipase C, which is also hemolytic. The plasmid-directed synthesis of phospholipase C in E. coli or P. aeruginosa is not repressible by P_i as is the chromosomally directed synthesis in P. aeruginosa. Data are presented which suggest that the synthesis of phospholipase C from pGV26 and pVB81 is directed from the tetracycline resistance gene promoter. The level of enzyme activity produced by E. coli(pGV26) is slightly higher than the levels produced by P. aeruginosa(pMW79) under repressed conditions. In contrast, the levels produced by P. aeruginosa(pVB81) are at least 600-fold higher than the levels produced by P. aeruginosa(pMW79) under repressed conditions and approximately 20-fold higher than those produced by P. aeruginosa(pMW79) under derepressed conditions. The majority (85%) of the enzyme produced by E. coli(pGV26) remained cell associated, whereas >95% of the enzyme produced by P. aeruginosa(pVB81) was extracellular. Analysis of extracellular proteins from cultures of P. aeruginosa(pMW79) and P. aeruginosa(pVB81) by high-performance liquid chromotography and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the phospholipase C gene was cloned intact, and it is likely that several additional genes were cloned on the 4.1-Mdal fragment of DNA. It was also found that some of these genes encode proteins which are the same molecular weight as some previously described P_i-repressible proteins of P. aeruginosa. The existence of a P_i regulon of P. aeruginosa is proposed. It is likely that one of these genes also regulates the level of pyocyanin production by P. aeruginosa and that one or more play a role in transport or binding of P_i. The availability of the hybrid plasmids described herein will be useful in further studies on the role of this hemolysin in the virulence of P. aeruginosa and in the study of the genetics and physiology of P_i-regulated proteins.     

Population changes and ranging behaviour of wild Japanese monkeys at Mt. Kawaradake in Kyushu,Japan

Population changes and home range utilization of the wild Japanese monkey at Mt. Kawaradake have been studied since 1972. Age compositions of this troop were obtained over a seven-year period. Troop size decreased from over 100 to 40 individuals as a result of a capture in 1974. The capture affected directly and indirectly the troop's range and population dynamics. The troop reduced its range size from 4.7 km² to 2.67 km² and changed its utilization pattern in relation to the decrease in size. After the capture, the troop used one particular area intensively, whereas the rhythmic nomadic pattern had been observed as before. This may have been caused by the decrease in the overall food requirement of the troop. The birth rate increased significantly after the capture. However, troop size did not increase because of the low recruitment rate for adult females and the high mortality of juveniles.     

Enhancement of tryptophan production by Escherichia coli as an application of genetic engineering

Summary A feedback resistant trp operon plasmid that transformed a multiple mutant (trpR tnaA) of Escherichia coli was found to enhance remarkably the production of tryptophan in a bench-scale fermentor. 5.5 g of tryptophan was accumulated per litre of culture medium at 24th hr in batch. The productivity was 0.229 g/l/hr. This productivity is the highest among those ever reported by other workers. The recombinant plasmid (Tc^r Trp⁺ I^-) used was completely stable in each run when tetracycline was added by 10 g/l into the medium.     

Studies on the damage to Escherichia coli cell membrane caused by different rates of freeze-thawing

Freeze-thawing of Escherichia coli cells caused a release of cell membrane components such as protein, phospholipids and lipopolysaccharides. A greater amount of release and a lesser extent of cell survival were seen in slow freeze-thawing than in rapid freeze-thawing. Several dehydrogenases in the cells were also freed. The mode of release was also dependent on the rate of freeze-thawing.The materials released by slow freeze-thawing were found to be mostly composed of outer membrane components, whereas the materials released by rapid freeze-thawing contained cytoplasmic as well as outer membrane components. The chemical composition of these fragments differed significantly from that of the original membranes. The relative content of cytoplasmic membrane-bound enzymes in these fragments also differed from that of the cytoplasmic membrane.The fragmentation was assumed to have resulted mainly from the crystallization of external water. In slow freeze-thawing, it was considered that the phase separation of the membrane phospholipid bilayer increased the possibility of outer membrane fragmentation. Rapid freeze-thawing caused cytoplasmic membrane damage to the cells as well as to the outer membrane. In rapid freeze-thawing, the effect of phase separation appeared to be small because of rapid passage through the transition temperatures.The presence of 10% glycerol completely inhibited the release of cellular materials and enzymes. Cell survival was maintained at a high level in the glycerol-treated samples whether freeze-thawed slowly or rapidly.     

Angiostrongylus cantonensis: Development following pulmonary arterial transfers into permissive and nonpermissive hosts

The survival, growth, and egg-laying capacity of young adult Angiostrongylus cantonensis, surgically transferred from intracranial sites into pulmonary arteries, were studied. A variety of experimental animals (rats, guinea pigs, mice, and mastomys) were chosen as donor animals and as recipient hosts (rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits). These species were specifically chosen to span the spectrum of host permissiveness relative to worm development in an attempt to understand the mechanisms which underlie species-dependent resistance. Recipient animals were monitored not only for the development of parasites per se but also for antibody production and histopathologic changes. The results indicated that these procedures were technically feasible, with good worm development following intra-rat transfers, as early as 15 days after initial exposure. Studies were performed to analyze the constraints of development both on initial, i.e., prelung and subsequent i.e., postlung development. When worms were obtained from permissive species such as rat or mastomys, transfer into rats resulted in good growth and development; however, worms which developed initially in exposed mice or guinea pigs developed less well in the rat. Conversely, worms which developed initially in permissive host such as the rat, when transferred into a variety of less permissive hosts such as the guinea pig and rabbit, apparently did not survive and caused significant morbidity and mortality within the nonpermissive host. Histopathologic evaluation revealed a strong eosinophilic perivascular and peribronchiolar infiltration as well as granulomatous reactions surrounding the worms in the lungs of recipient guinea pigs and rabbits, changes not observed in the lungs of permissive rat recipients. As reaginic antibody responses were also more prominent in nonpermissive than in permissive animals, it is possible that IgE responses may be more directly related to the phenomenon of morbidity and/or permissiveness than are other aspects of immune response. In support of this contention was the finding of nearly equivalent hemagglutinating antibody production between permissive rats and nonpermissive guinea pigs and rabbits.     

Binding mode of indole to horseradish peroxidase

The binding of indole to both horseradish peroxidase and its cyanide complex can be detected by difference spectra in the Soret region. Indole and cyanide binding are not competitive processes. The effect of indole on the binding rate constants between horseradish peroxidase and cyanide and compound I formation reactions between horseradish peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide or m-chloroperbenzoic acid was studied by the stopped-flow method. In all cases the rate constants of the indole-peroxidase complex with the ligand or substrates were smaller than those of free peroxidase. Since the m-chloroperbenzoic acid reaction has been shown to approach a diffusion-controlled rate, the effect of indole binding on the rate constant for compound I formation using this peracid was analyzed semiquantitatively using theoretical equations for a diffusion-controlled rate process with a capture-window active site model. The effect of indole binding on the diffusion-controlled rate constant could be explained by a decrease in the radius of the capture-window active site.     

Protection by picolinamide,a novel inhibitor of poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase,against both streptozotocin-induced depression of proinsulin synthesis and reduction of NAD content in pancreatic islets

Picolinamide, 2-pyridinecarboxylic acid amide, was found to be a strong inhibitor of poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase of nuclei from rat pancreatic islet cells. Another experiment using isolated pancreatic islets of rats showed that picolinamide protects against streptozotocin-induced depression of proinsulin synthesis as well as against streptozotocin-induced reduction of NAD content. The protection by picolinamide against the NAD depression was considered to be due to the blockage of an increased degradation of NAD mediated by a streptozotocin-induced increase in poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase activity. A possible mechanism of streptozotocin diabetes and its prevention is discussed.