Degradation of 1,4-dioxane and cyclic ethers by an isolated fungus

By using 1,4-dioxane as the sole source of carbon, a 1,4-dioxane-degrading microorganism was isolated from soil. The fungus, termed strain A, was able to utilize 1,4-dioxane and many kinds of cyclic ethers as the sole source of carbon and was identified as Cordyceps sinensis from its 18S rRNA gene sequence. Ethylene glycol was identified as a degradation product of 1,4-dioxane by the use of deuterated 1,4-dioxane-d8 and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. A degradation pathway involving ethylene glycol, glycolic acid, and oxalic acid was proposed, followed by incorporation of the glycolic acid and/or oxalic acid via glyoxylic acid into the tricarboxylic acid cycle.     

Chemical forms of selenium for cancer prevention.

Cancer is becoming an increasingly significant disease worldwide. Currently, more than 7 million people die each year from cancer. With the existing knowledge, at least one-third of worldwide cancer cases could be prevented. Searching for naturally occurring agents in routinely consumed foods that may inhibit cancer development, although challenging, constitutes a valuable and plausible approach to the control and prevention of cancer. To date, the use of the micronutrient selenium (Se) in human clinical trials is limited, but the outcome indicates that Se is among the most promising agents. Although it is convenient to describe the effects of Se in terms of the element, it must always be kept in mind that the chemical form of Se and the dose are determinants of its biological activities. Hyphenated techniques based on coupling chromatographic separation with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (ICP-MS) detection are now established as the most realistic and potent analytical tools available for real-life speciation analysis. These speciation investigations provide evidence that the Se compounds, which can generate monomethylated Se (e.g., Se-methylselenocysteine and methylseleninic acid), are more efficacious than other Se compounds because of their chemoprevention activity.     

The N-glycolyl form of mouse sialyl Lewis X is recognized by selectins but not by HECA-452 and FH6 antibodies that were raised against human cells

E-, P- and L-selectins critically function in lymphocyte recirculation and recruiting leukocytes to inflammatory sites. MECA-79 antibody inhibits L-selectin-mediated lymphocyte adhesion in several species and does not require sialic acid in its epitope. Many other antibodies, however, recognize human selectin ligands expressing N-acetylneuraminic acid but not mouse selectin ligands expressing N-glycolylneuraminic acid, suggesting that difference in sialic acid in sialyl Lewis X leads to differential reactivity. We found that HECA-452 and FH6 monoclonal antibodies bind Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing N-acetylneuraminyl Lewis X oligosaccharide but not its N-glycolyl form. Moreover, synthetic N-acetylneuraminyl Lewis X oligosaccharide but not its N-glycolyl oligosaccharide inhibited HECA-452 and FH6 binding. By contrast, E-, P- and L-selectin bound to CHO cells regardless of whether they express N-acetyl or N-glycolyl form of sialyl Lewis X, showing that selectins have a broader recognition capacity than HECA-452 and FH-6 anti-sialyl Lewis x antibodies. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

In vitro characteristics of rat mesangial cells in comparison with aortic smooth muscle cells and dermal fibroblasts

Rat glomerular mesangial cells were cultured and their antigens were compared with those of aortic vascular smooth muscle cells and dermal fibroblasts. Glomeruli, aortic, and dermal explants were cultured for 3 weeks and subcultured in the same conditions. These cultured cells were evaluated by indirect immunofluorescence studies using antibodies against Thy-1 antigen, desmin, and chicken gizzard actin. Most of mesangial cells were positive for Thy-1, desmin, and actin. On the other hand, fibroblasts were negative for desmin, and smooth muscle cells stained Thy-1 scarcely, and were negative for desmin. In the latter two cells, actin-positive fibrils were thinner and fainter than mesangial cells. These results indicated that mesangial cells could be distinguished in vitro from vascular smooth cells and fibroblasts by immunofluorescence microscopy.     

A novel two-step synthesis of α-linked mannobioses based on an acid-assisted reverse hydrolysis reaction

Instead of an enzyme-assisted reverse hydrolysis reaction for the synthesis of manno-oligosaccharides, we propose here a versatile new approach. By Fischer type glycosylation, a D-mannose solution of extremely high concentration (approximately 83% (w/w)) was incubated at 60°C for 65 h in 0.5 M HCl. After dilution and neutralization, the small amount of formed β-linked oligosaccharides was hydrolyzed by β-mannosidase. The yields of α-D-Manp-(1→2)-D-Manp (7.9%), α-D-Manp-(1→3)-D-Manp (7.9%), and α-D-Manp-(1→6)-D-Manp (29.1%) isolated by an activated carbon column chromatography were almost identical to those of the enzymatic reaction, but the yield of α-D-Manp-(1→3)-D-Manp increased enormously by the present method.     

Preclinical Assessment of the Analgesic Pharmacology of NKTR-181 in Rodents

Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology - Pharmacological evaluation of the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist properties of NKTR-181 in rodent models. Graded noxious stimulus intensities were used in...     

Application of otolith microchemistry to estimate the migratory history of Japanese eel Anguilla japonica on the Sanriku Coast of Japan

The age and migratory history of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel, collected in Miyako Bay along the Sanriku coast of Japan, was examined using the otolith microstructure and analysis of strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) concentrations conducted with wavelength dispersive X‐ray spectrometry by an electron microprobe. The line analysis of Sr : Ca ratios along the life history transect of each otolith showed a peak (ca. 15–17 × 10^?3) which corresponded with the period of their leptocephalus and early glass eel stages in the ocean. The mean Sr : Ca ratios from the elver mark to the otolith edge indicated that there were eels with several general categories of migratory history, including sea eels that never entered freshwater (average Sr : Ca ratios, ≥6.0 × 10^?3), and others that entered freshwater for brief periods but returned to the estuary or bay. This evidence of the occurrence of sea eels in this northern area indicates that Japanese eels of the Sanriku coast do not necessarily migrate into freshwater rivers during recruitment as do glass eels at the beginning of their growth phase; even those that do enter freshwater may later return to the marine environment. Thus, anguillid eel migrations into freshwater are clearly not an obligatory migratory pathway, but rather a facultative catadromy with seawater or estuarine residents as an ecophenotype.     

DISC1 localizes to the centrosome by binding to kendrin

Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) was identified as a novel gene disrupted by a (1;11)(q42.1;q14.3) translocation that segregated with major mental disorders in a Scottish family. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we screened a human brain cDNA library for interactors of the DISC1 protein. One of the positive clones encoded kendrin/pericentrin-B, a giant protein known to localize specifically to the centrosome. The interaction between DISC1 and kendrin in mammalian cells was demonstrated by an immunoprecipitation assay. Residues 446-533 of DISC1 were essential for the interaction with kendrin. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed the colocalization of DISC1 and kendrin to the centrosome. These data indicate that DISC1 localizes to the centrosome by binding to kendrin. Kendrin has been reported to anchor the gamma-tubulin complex to the centrosome, providing microtubule nucleation sites. The present study suggests the possible involvement of DISC1 in the pathophysiology of mental disorders due to its putative effect on centrosomal function.     

Hydrogen production from glucose by anaerobes

Various anaerobes were cultivated in media containing glucose. When 100 mL of thioglycollate medium containing 2.0% (w/v) glucose was used, Clostridium butyricum ATCC 859, NBRC 3315, and NBRC 13949 evolved 227-243 mL of biogas containing about 180 mL of hydrogen in 1 day. Although some strains had some resistance against oxygen, C. butyricum ATCC 859 and 860 did not have it. C. butyricum NBRC 3315 and Enterobacter aerogenes NBRC 13534 produced hydrogen in the presence of glucose or pyruvic acid, and E. aerogenes NBRC 13534 produced hydrogen by not only glucose and pyruvic acid but also dextrin, sucrose, maltose, galactose, fructose, mannose, and mannitol. When a medium containing 0.5% (w/v) yeast extract and 2.0% (w/v) glucose was used, E. aerogenes NBRC 13534 evolved more biogas and hydrogen than C. butyricum NBRC 3315 in the absence of reducing agent.