Fluorescence spectroscopic study of α-chymotrypsin relevant to the enantioselectivity for optical resolution of amino acid esters in organic solvents

The fluorescence emission wavelength of alpha-chymotrypsin (CT) correlated with its enantioselectivity (E value) for the resolution of DL-tyrosine ethyl ester. The changes in the E value of the CT due to the changes in the solvent composition were closely related to its fluorescence properties (delta lambda(em)), which were most probably associated with the structural modification of the enzyme. A linear relationship was established between E value and delta lambda(em) in aqueous acetonitrile with high correlation coefficients (r = 0.94).     

Lipase-catalyzed enantioselective esterification of mono-aza-benzo-15-crown-5-ether derivatives in organic media

For the purpose of developing a new chiral crown ether unit as a chiral synthon, three racemic mono azabenzo-15-crown-5-ethers, i.e. (R,S)-1-(6,7,9,10,12,13,15,16-octahydro-5,8,14,17-tetraoxa-11-aza-benzocyclopentadecen-11-yl)-propan-2-ol, (R,S)-2-(6,7,9,10,12,13,15,16-octahydro-5,8,14,17-tetraoxa-11-aza-benzocyclopentadecen-11-yl)-1-phenyl-ethanol and (R , S)-1-[2-(6,7,9,10,12,13,15,16-octahydro-5,8,14,17-tetraoxa-11-aza-benzocyclopentadecen-11-ylmethyl)-phenyl]-ethanol were esterified with vinyl acetate using a lipase from Candida antarctica. The enzymatic acylation of alcohols produced monoacylated products. Two optically active azacrown ethers, (R)-propionic acid 1-methyl-2-(6,7,9,10,12,13,15,16-octahydro-5,8,14,17-tetraoxa-11-aza-benzocyclopentadecen-11-yl)-ethyl ester and (R)-acetic acid 1-[2-(6,7,9,10,12,13,15,16-octahydro-5,8,14,17-tetraoxa-11-aza-benzocyclopentadecen-11-ylmethyl)-phenyl]-ethyl ester were obtained within 48% and 36% yields, respectively and, at an enantiometric excess of over 99% in each case.     

Role of arginine in protein refolding, solubilization, and purification

Recombinant proteins are often expressed in the form of insoluble inclusion bodies in bacteria. To facilitate refolding of recombinant proteins obtained from inclusion bodies, 0.1 to 1 M arginine is customarily included in solvents used for refolding the proteins by dialysis or dilution. In addition, arginine at higher concentrations, e.g., 0.5-2 M, can be used to extract active, folded proteins from insoluble pellets obtained after lysing Escherichia coli cells. Moreover, arginine increases the yield of proteins secreted to the periplasm, enhances elution of antibodies from Protein-A columns, and stabilizes proteins during storage. All these arginine effects are apparently due to suppression of protein aggregation. Little is known, however, about the mechanism. Various effects of solvent additives on proteins have been attributed to their preferential interaction with the protein, effects on surface tension, or effects on amino acid solubility. The suppression of protein aggregation by arginine cannot be readily explained by either surface tension effects or preferential interactions. In this review we show that interactions between the guanidinium group of arginine and tryptophan side chains may be responsible for suppression of protein aggregation by arginine.     

AP endonuclease-independent DNA base excision repair in human cells

The paradigm for repair of oxidized base lesions in genomes via the base excision repair (BER) pathway is based on studies in Escherichia coli, in which AP endonuclease (APE) removes all 3' blocking groups (including 3' phosphate) generated by DNA glycosylase/AP lyases after base excision. The recently discovered mammalian DNA glycosylase/AP lyases, NEIL1 and NEIL2, unlike the previously characterized OGG1 and NTH1, generate DNA strand breaks with 3' phosphate termini. Here we show that in mammalian cells, removal of the 3' phosphate is dependent on polynucleotide kinase (PNK), and not APE. NEIL1 stably interacts with other BER proteins, DNA polymerase beta (pol beta) and DNA ligase IIIalpha. The complex of NEIL1, pol beta, and DNA ligase IIIalpha together with PNK suggests coordination of NEIL1-initiated repair. That NEIL1/PNK could also repair the products of other DNA glycosylases suggests a broad role for this APE-independent BER pathway in mammals.     

Natural history of the Nihon rat model of BHD

Hereditary cancer was first described in the rat by Eker and Mossige in 1954 in Oslo. The Eker rat model of hereditary renal carcinoma (RC) was the first example of a Mendelian dominantly inherited predisposition to a specific cancer in an experimental animal, and has been contributing to the elucidation of renal carcinogenesis. Recently, we found a second hereditary RC model in the Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat, in Japan in 2000, which was named the Nihon rat. The Nihon rat is also an example of a Mendelian dominantly inherited predisposition for development of RCs like the Eker rat, which are predominantly of the clear cell type (this type represents approximately 75 % of human RCC), and develop from earlier preneoplastic lesions than the Eker rat. We performed a genetic linkage analysis of the Nihon rat using 113 backcross animals, and found that the Nihon mutation was tightly linked to genes, which are located on the distal part of rat chromosome 10. Finally, we identified a germline mutation in the Birt-Hogg-Dubé gene (Bhd) (rat chromosome 10, human chromosome 17p11.2) caused by the insertion of a single nucleotide in the Nihon rat gene sequence, resulting in a frame shift and producing a stop codon 26 amino acids downstream. Thus, the Nihon rat will contribute to understanding the BHD gene function and renal carcinogenesis.     

Stir bar sorptive extraction and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the measurement of 4-nonylphenol and 4-tert-octylphenol in human biological samples

Alkylphenols, 4-nonylphenol (NP) and 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), in human urine and plasma samples were analyzed using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) in combination with thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). The method involved correction by stable isotopically labeled surrogate standards, 4-(1-methyl)octylphenol-d5 (m-OP-d5) and deuterium 4-tert-octylphenol (OP-d). A biological sample was extracted for 60 min at room temperature (25 degrees C) using a stir bar coated with a 500 microm thick polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer. Then, the stir bar was analyzed by TD-GC-MS in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode without any derivatization step. The average recoveries in human urine and plasma samples spiked with NP and OP at levels of 0.5 and 10 ng ml-1 were between 95.8 and 99.8% with correction using the added surrogate standards. The limits of quantitation were 0.2 ng ml-1 for NP and 0.02 ng ml-1 for OP. We measured the background levels of NP and OP in five human urine and three human plasma samples from healthy volunteers. NP and OP were not detected in all human urine samples (N.D. < 0.2 ng ml-1 for NP, and N.D. < 0.02 ng ml-1 for OP). However, 0.2-0.3 ng ml-1 for NP and 0.1-0.2 ng ml-1 for OP in human plasma samples were observed by this method.     

Natural transformation of the thermophilic cyanobacterium<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Thermosynechococcus elongatus</Emphasis> BP-1: a simple and efficient method for gene transfer

Proteins derived from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1, which performs plant-type oxygenic photosynthesis, are suitable for biochemical, biophysical and X-ray crystallographic studies. We found that T. elongatus displays natural transformation, and we established a simple and efficient protocol for transferring exogenous DNAs into the organisms genome. We obtained transformants directly on selective agar plates without having to amplify them prior to plating. We constructed several targeting vectors that enabled us to insert exogenous DNAs into specific sites without disrupting endogenous genes and operons. We also developed a new selectable marker gene for T. elongatus by optimizing the codons of the gene encoding a kanamycin nucleotidyltransferase derived from the thermophilic bacterium Bacillus stearothermophilus. This synthetic gene enabled us to select transformants as kanamycin-resistant colonies on agar plates at 52°C. Optimization of the conditions for natural transformation resulted in a transformation efficiency of up to 1.7×10³ transformants per g of DNA. The exogenous DNAs were integrated stably into the targeted sites of the T. elongatus genome via homologous recombination by double crossovers.Communicated by H. Ikeda     

Senescing human cells and ageing mice accumulate DNA lesions with unrepairable double-strand breaks

Humans and animals undergo ageing, and although their primary cells undergo cellular senescence in culture, the relationship between these two processes is unclear. Here we show that gamma-H2AX foci (gamma-foci), which reveal DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), accumulate in senescing human cell cultures and in ageing mice. They colocalize with DSB repair factors, but not significantly with telomeres. These cryptogenic gamma-foci remain after repair of radiation-induced gamma-foci, suggesting that they may represent DNA lesions with unrepairable DSBs. Thus, we conclude that accumulation of unrepairable DSBs may have a causal role in mammalian ageing.     

Interaction with IQGAP1 links APC to Rac1, Cdc42, and actin filaments during cell polarization and migration

Rho family GTPases, particularly Rac1 and Cdc42, are key regulators of cell polarization and directional migration. Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) is also thought to play a pivotal role in polarized cell migration. We have found that IQGAP1, an effector of Rac1 and Cdc42, interacts directly with APC. IQGAP1 and APC localize interdependently to the leading edge in migrating Vero cells, and activated Rac1/Cdc42 form a ternary complex with IQGAP1 and APC. Depletion of either IQGAP1 or APC inhibits actin meshwork formation and polarized migration. Depletion of IQGAP1 or APC also disrupts localization of CLIP-170, a microtubule-stabilizing protein that interacts with IQGAP1. Taken together, these results suggest a model in which activation of Rac1 and Cdc42 in response to migration signals leads to recruitment of IQGAP1 and APC which, together with CLIP-170, form a complex that links the actin cytoskeleton and microtubule dynamics during cell polarization and directional migration.     

Analysis of the chitin recognition mechanism of cuticle proteins from the soft cuticle of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Insect cuticle is composed mainly of chitin, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, and chitin-binding cuticle proteins. Four major cuticle proteins, BMCP30, 22, 18, and 17, have been previously identified and purified from the larval cuticle of silkworm, B. mori. We analyzed the chitin-binding activity of BMCP30 by use of chitin-affinity chromatography. The pH optimum for the binding of BMCP30 to chitin is 6.4, which corresponds to hemolymph pH. Competition experiments using chitooligosaccharides suggested that BMCP30 recognizes 4-6 mer of N-acetylglucosamine in chitin fiber as a unit for binding. The comparison of the binding properties of BMCP30 with those of BMCP18 showed that their binding activities to chitin are similar in a standard buffer but that BMCP30 binds to chitin more stably than BMCP18 in the presence of urea. BMCPs possess the RR-1 form of the R&R consensus, about 70 amino acids region conserved widely among cuticle proteins mainly from the soft cuticle of many insect and arthropod species. Analysis of the binding activity using deletion mutants of BMCPs revealed that this type of conserved region also functions as the chitin-binding domain, similarly to the RR-2 region previously shown to confer chitin binding. Thus, the extended R&R consensus is the general chitin-binding domain of cuticle proteins in Arthropoda.