Fruit structure of Amborella trichopoda (Amborellaceae)

The indehiscent fruitlets of the apparently basalmost extant angiosperm, Amborella trichopoda, have a pericarp that is differentiated into five zones, a thin one‐cell‐layered skin (exocarp), a thick fleshy zone of 25–35 cell layers (outer mesocarp), a thick, large‐celled sclerenchymatous zone (unlignified) of 6–18 cell layers (middle mesocarp), a single cell layer with thin‐walled (silicified?) cells (inner mesocarp), and a 2–4‐cell‐layered, small‐celled sclerenchymatous zone (unlignified) derived from the inner epidermis (endocarp). The border between inner and outer mesocarp is not even but the inner mesocarp forms a network of ridges and pits; the ridges support the vascular bundles, which are situated in the outer mesocarp. In accordance with previous observations by Bailey & Swamy, no ethereal oil cells were observed in the pericarp; however, lysigenous cavities as mentioned by these authors are also lacking; they seem to be an artefact caused by re‐expanding dried fruits. The seed coat is not sclerified. The fruitlets of Amborella differ from externally similar fruits or fruitlets in other basal angiosperms, such as Austrobaileyales or Laurales, in their histology. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 148 , 265–274.     

cDNA cloning and mRNA expression of LIM protein gene homologue from the silkworm, Bombyx mori

LIM protein cDNA, from Bombyx mori that contains an open reading frame of 622 bp encoding 94 amino acids, was identified and characterized. The B. mori LIM protein homologue is classified into group 2 LIM proteins that contain glycine-rich LIM domain. B. mori LIM protein mRNA is up-regulated at late embryogenesis and detected in the mid-gut of 5th instar larvae.     

The effects of probiotics on PPI-triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication

Background: This study was performed to evaluate whether the addition of probiotics to proton pump inhibitor (PPI)‐based triple therapy increases the likelihood of successful Helicobacter pylori eradication. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and forty‐seven H. pylori‐infected patients were randomized into a triple‐plus‐yogurt group (yogurt group, n = 168) or a triple‐only group (control group, n = 179). Triple therapy consisted of PPI b.i.d., clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d., and amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d. for 7 days. Yogurt group received triple therapy for 1 week and one bottle of Will yogurt per day for at 3 weeks, starting on the first day of triple therapy. Will yogurt (a Korean brand) contains Lactobacillus acidophilus HY2177, Lactobacillus casei HY2743, Bifidobacterium longum HY8001, and Streptococcus thermophilus B‐1. ¹³C‐urea breath test was performed at least 4 weeks after completion of triple therapy. Eradication rates, compliances, and adverse events were compared. Results: By intention‐to treat analysis the H. pylori eradication rates in the yogurt group 79.2% (133 of 168) was similar to that in the control group 72.1% (129 of 179) (p = .124). However, by per‐protocol (PP) analysis, the eradication rate in the yogurt group, 87.5% (133 of 152) was higher than that in the control group, 78.7% (129 of 164) (p = .037). Common adverse events were metallic taste (11.8%) and diarrhea (8.6%). The frequency of adverse effects in the yogurt group 41.1% (69/168) were higher than in the control group, 26.3% (47 of 179) (p = .003). However, most adverse events were mild to moderate in intensity, and the severities of adverse effects were similar in both groups (p = .401). Conclusions: The addition of Will yogurt to triple therapy did not reduce the side‐effects of triple therapy. But it increased the H. pylori eradication rate by PP analysis, encouraging more research in this field.     

A support vector machine approach to assess drug efficacy of interferon-alpha and ribavirin combination therapy

BACKGROUND: Interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) in combination with ribavirin can be used for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C. This therapeutic approach achieves an overall sustained response rate of approximately 40%, but treatment takes 6-12 months and patients often experience significant adverse reactions. OBJECTIVE: We aim to develop a tool to distinguish potential responders from nonresponders prior to initiation of IFNalpha-ribavirin treatment. METHODS: Using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and viral genotype, we applied the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm to build a tool to predict responsiveness to IFNalpha-ribavirin combination therapy. Furthermore, we utilized the SVM algorithm with the recursive feature elimination method to identify a subset of factors that are significantly more influential than the others. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The SVM model is a promising method for inferring responsiveness to IFNalpha dealing with the complex nonlinear relationship between factors (such as SNPs and viral genotype) and successful therapy. In this study, we demonstrate that our tool may allow patients and doctors to make more informed decisions by analyzing host SNP and viral genotype information.     

A circularly permuted β-lactamase as a novel reporter for evaluation of protein cyclization efficiency

Split inteins have been used as a versatile tool in protein engineering to mediate efficient in vivo and in vitro trans-splicing of a protein. The trans-splicing ability of split inteins was also applied to the in vivo cyclization of a protein. However, cyclization efficiency is dependent upon the type of split inteins employed and the conditions under which cyclization occur. In this study, a novel reporter system that easily measures the cyclization efficiency of split inteins was developed. For this purpose TEM-1 beta-lactamase was divided into two fragments (24 approximately 215 and 216 approximately 286 amino acids) and circularly permuted. The circularly permuted beta-lactamase expressed in Escherichia coli showed little beta-lactamase activity, most likely due to the structural modification of the protein. However, when the circularly permuted beta-lactamase was cyclized by the Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 DnaB split mini-intein, beta-lactamase activity both in vitro and in vivo was recovered. These results suggest that the novel reporter system can be exploited to develop new inteins with high efficiency of in vivo protein cyclization.     

One-pot biotransformation of racemic styrene oxide into (R)-1,2-phenylethandiol by two recombinant microbial epoxide hydrolases

An enantioconvergent biotransformation of racemic styrene oxide by using two recombinant microbial epoxide hydrolases (EHs) in one pot has been investigated to prepare enantiopure vicinal diols. The recombinant whole cell possessing EH gene from Aspergillus niger LK or Rhodotorula glutinis exhibited a complementary enantioselectivity and regioselectivity, compared to the recombinant cell containing Caulobacter crescentus EH gene. When two recombinant microbial EHs were used in combination, 1.3 g of enantiopure (R)-1,2-phenylethandiol with more than 90% enantiopurity and 95% overall yield was obtained from 1.2 g of racemic styrene oxide in a preparative-scale batch enantioconvergent biotransformation.     

Expression of a Chinese cabbage cysteine proteinase inhibitor, BrCYS1, retards seed germination and plant growth in transgenic Tobacco plant

Phytocystatins are plant cysteine proteinase inhibitors that regulate endogenous and heterologous cysteine proteinases of the papain family. A cDNA encoding the phytocystatin BrCYS1 (Brassica rapa cysteine proteinase inhibitor 1 ) has been isolated from Chinese cabbage (B. rapa subsp.pekinensis) flower buds. In order to explore the role of this inhibitory enzyme, tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Samson) containing altered amounts of phytocystatin were generated by over-expressingBrCYS1 cDNA in either the sense or the antisense configuration. The resulting plants hadin vitro enzyme inhibitory activities that were over 10% of those detected in wild type plants. The transgenic plants exhibited retarded seed germination and seedling growth and a reduced seed yield, whereas these properties were enhanced in antisense plants. These data suggest that BrCYS1 participates in the control of seed germination, post-germination and plant growth by regulating cysteine peptidase activity.     

The effect of DTT in protein preparations for proteomic analysis: Removal of a highly abundant plant enzyme, ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase

Rubisco is a major photosynthetic plant enzyme in the chloroplasts, catalyzing a photosynthetic reaction through carboxylation and oxygenation in the leaves. Despite its biological importance, its high abundance causes difficulties in the proper separation of protein mixtures during 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Here, we resolved those plant soluble proteins by efficiently removing Rubisco. This resulted in a high quality and resolution of 2-DE gels. Rubisco removal was achieved through aggregation in the presence of a high DTT concentration, which subsequently increased the visualization of less abundant proteins and reduced horizontal streaking. This simple method may provide a means for finding more biologically important protein targets via plant proteomics.     

Effects of surrounding pastureland on Jilmoe Moor vegetation in Mt. Odae National Park, Korea

Jilmoe Moor, a montane peatland found in Mt. Odae National Park, Korea, has been influenced by a surrounding pasture-land for more than 30 years. Here, we used multivariate analyses to study the vegetation structure at that Moor. Four distinct communities were consistently separated (82.2% of the total variance): two wetland communities --Sphagnum palustre (SP) andPersicaria nepalensis-Persicaria thunbergii (PNPT). In addition, we recorded two invaded upland communities:Phleum pratense (PP) andFestuca ovina-Artemisia feddei (FOAF). Of those pasture species, timothy (Phleum pratense) was most dominant in all wetland communities except SP. Our data demonstrate that the pasture has affected the settlement and expansion of two pasture communities on the moor by acting as a propagule source and also through the input of nutrients in the form of fertilizer and waste from cattle. Moreover, this enrichment of the moor habitat may have facilitated replacement of the original wetland community. That is, its unusually high levels of phosphorus and potassium may have resulted in the dominance ofPersicaria nepalensis, andP. thunbergii, which often occur on nutrient-rich sites. Therefore, proper policies should be enacted to restore Jilmoe Moor as a montane peatland by eliminating the effect of the surrounding pasture.