Serial two-photon tomography for automated ex vivo mouse brain imaging

Here we describe an automated method, named serial two-photon (STP) tomography, that achieves high-throughput fluorescence imaging of mouse brains by integrating two-photon microscopy and tissue sectioning. STP tomography generates high-resolution datasets that are free of distortions and can be readily warped in three dimensions, for example, for comparing multiple anatomical tracings. This method opens the door to routine systematic studies of neuroanatomy in mouse models of human brain disorders.     

Analogous regulatory sites within the alphaC-beta4 loop regions of ZAP-70 tyrosine kinase and AGC kinases

The precise positioning of the flexible C-helix in the catalytic core is a critical step in the activation of most protein kinases. Consequently, the alphaC-beta4 loop, which anchors the C-helix to the catalytic core, is highly conserved and mediates key structural interactions that serve as a hinge for C-helix movement. While these hinge interactions are conserved across diverse eukaryotic protein kinase structures, some families such as AGC kinases diverge from the canonical hinge interactions. This divergence was recently proposed to facilitate an alternative mode of regulation wherein a conserved C-terminal tail interacts with the alphaC-beta4 loop to position the C-helix. Here we show how interactions between the alphaC-beta4 loop and the N-terminal SH2 domain of ZAP-70 tyrosine kinase are mechanistically and functionally analogous to interactions between the alphaC-beta4 loop and the C-terminal tail of AGC kinases. Such cis regulation of protein kinase activity may be a feature of other eukaryotic protein kinase families as well.     

Transglycosylation Catalyzed by Almond β-glucosidase and Cloned Pichia etchellsii β-glucosidase II using Glycosylasparagine Mimetics as Novel Acceptors

The stability of almond β-glucosidase in five different organic media was evaluated. After 1 hour of incubation at 30°C, the enzyme retained 95, 91, 81, 74 and 56% relative activity in aqueous solutions [30% (v/v)] of dioxane, DMSO, DMF, acetone and acetonitrile, respectively. Transglucosylation involving p-nitrophenyl β-D-glucopyranoside as donor and β-1-N-acetamido-D-glucopyranose, which is a glycosylasparagine mimic, as acceptor was explored under different reaction conditions using almond βglucosidase and cloned Pichia etchellsii β-glucosidase II. The yield of disaccharides obtained in both reactions turned out to be 3%. Both enzymes catalyzed the formation of (1→3)- as well as (1→6)- regioisomeric disaccharides, the former being the major product in cloned β-glucosidase II reaction while the latter predominated in the almond enzyme catalyzed reaction. Use of β-1-N-acetamido-D-mannopyranose and β-1-N-acetamido-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose as acceptors in almond β-glucosidase catalyzed reactions, however, did not afford any disaccharide products revealing the high acceptor specificity of this enzyme.     

Active Subtilisin-Like Protease from a Hyperthermophilic Archaeon in a Form with a Putative Prosequence

The gene encoding subtilisin-like protease T. kodakaraensis subtilisin was cloned from a hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1. T. kodakaraensis subtilisin is a member of the subtilisin family and composed of 422 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 43,783. It consists of a putative presequence, prosequence, and catalytic domain. Like bacterial subtilisins, T. kodakaraensis subtilisin was overproduced in Escherichia coli in a form with a putative prosequence in inclusion bodies, solubilized in the presence of 8 M urea, and refolded and converted to an active molecule. However, unlike bacterial subtilisins, in which the prosequence was removed from the catalytic domain by autoprocessing upon refolding, T. kodakaraensis subtilisin was refolded in a form with a putative prosequence. This refolded protein of recombinant T. kodakaraensis subtilisin which is composed of 398 amino acid residues (Gly⁻⁸² to Gly³¹⁶), was purified to give a single band on a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel and characterized for biochemical and enzymatic properties. The good agreement of the molecular weights estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (44,000) and gel filtration (40,000) suggests that T. kodakaraensis subtilisin exists in a monomeric form. T. kodakaraensis subtilisin hydrolyzed the synthetic substrate N-succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-p-nitroanilide only in the presence of the Ca²⁺ ion with an optimal pH and temperature of pH 9.5 and 80°C. Like bacterial subtilisins, it showed a broad substrate specificity, with a preference for aromatic or large nonpolar P1 substrate residues. However, it was much more stable than bacterial subtilisins against heat inactivation and lost activity with half-lives of >60 min at 80°C, 20 min at 90°C, and 7 min at 100°C.     

The ars Detoxification System Is Advantageous but Not Required for As(V) Respiration by the Genetically Tractable Shewanella Species Strain ANA-3

Arsenate [As(V); HAsO₄²⁻] respiration by bacteria is poorly understood at the molecular level largely due to a paucity of genetically tractable organisms with this metabolic capability. We report here the isolation of a new As(V)-respiring strain (ANA-3) that is phylogenetically related to members of the genus Shewanella and that also provides a useful model system with which to explore the molecular basis of As(V) respiration. This gram-negative strain stoichiometrically couples the oxidation of lactate to acetate with the reduction of As(V) to arsenite [As(III); HAsO₂]. The generation time and lactate molar growth yield (Y_lactate) are 2.8 h and 10.0 g of cells mol of lactate⁻¹, respectively, when it is grown anaerobically on lactate and As(V). ANA-3 uses a wide variety of terminal electron acceptors, including oxygen, soluble ferric iron, oxides of iron and manganese, nitrate, fumarate, the humic acid functional analog 2,6-anthraquinone disulfonate, and thiosulfate. ANA-3 also reduces As(V) to As(III) in the presence of oxygen and resists high concentrations of As(III) (up to 10 mM) when grown under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. ANA-3 possesses an ars operon (arsDABC) that allows it to resist high levels of As(III); this operon also confers resistance to the As-sensitive strains Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and Escherichia coli AW3110. When the gene encoding the As(III) efflux pump, arsB, is inactivated in ANA-3 by a polar mutation that also eliminates the expression of arsC, which encodes an As(V) reductase, the resulting As(III)-sensitive strain still respires As(V); however, the generation time and the Y_lactate value are two- and threefold lower, respectively, than those of the wild type. These results suggest that ArsB and ArsC may be useful for As(V)-respiring bacteria in environments where As concentrations are high, but that neither is required for respiration.     

Tannase activity from the marine cyanobacterium Phormidium valderianum BDU140441

The marine cyanobacterium Phormidium valderianum BDU 140441 exhibited the ability to grow at 0.25?mM tannic acid, a known hindering chemical for microbial growth. The tannic acid-degrading ability of the organism is evident from the UV–visible absorption spectrum. In addition, the existence of tannase has been localized by activity staining, and its induction in activity upon tannic acid exposure was confirmed in native gel. The critical tannic acid metabolization enzymes tested for are polyphenol oxidase and esterases; both are well known for tannic acid degradation. Upon tannic acid exposure, increased activity of polyphenol oxidase and expression of few new isoforms of esterase were identified by activity staining.