Pyruvate:NADP+ oxidoreductase from Euglena gracilis: mechanism of O2-inactivation of the enzyme and its stability in the aerobe

O2-inactivation of pyruvate:NADP+ oxidoreductase from mitochondria of Euglena gracilis was studied in vitro, and a mechanism which consists of two sequential stages was proposed. Initially, the enzyme is inactivated by the direct action of O2 in a process obeying second-order kinetics. Although the catalytic activity for pyruvate oxidation is lost by this initial inactivation, NADPH oxidation with artificial electron acceptors still occurs. Subsequently, a secondary, O2-independent inactivation occurs, rendering the enzyme completely inactive. Pyruvate stimulates the O2-inactivation while CoA and NADP+ protect the enzyme from O2. The O2-inactivation is accelerated by reduction of the enzyme with pyruvate and CoA. Reactivation of the O2-inactivated enzyme was studied in Ar by incubation with Fe2+ in the presence of some other reducing reagent such as dithiothreitol. The evidence obtained indicates that the partially inactivated enzyme, which retains catalytic activity for NADPH oxidation, can be reactivated, but the completely inactivated enzyme is not. When Euglena cells were exposed to 100% O2 the enzyme in the cells was inactivated by O2, but the rate was quite slow compared with that observed in vitro. The enzyme inactivated by O2 in the cells was almost completely reactivated in vitro by incubation with Fe2+ and other reducing reagents in Ar, suggesting that the secondary, O2-independent inactivation does not occur in situ. When the cells were returned to air, reactivation of the O2-inactivated enzyme in the cells began immediately. The enzyme, kept in isolated, intact mitochondria, was stable in air; however, the enzyme was inactivated by O2 when the mitochondria were incubated with a high concentration of pyruvate.     

Histidine decarboxylase activities in mutant mice deficient in mast cells

The histamine contents were very low in the whole bodies of various types of mutant mice (W^v/W^v, W^v/W, W/W), in which the number of mast cells was decreased, but the L-histidine decarboxylase activities in these mutant mice were not much lower than in control wild type mice. These findings suggest the presence of high histidine decarboxylase activity in cells other than mast cells. Histidine decarboxylase in the whole body of mice was difficult to assay, because the enzyme was rapidly destroyed by proteases, but inclusion of a protease inhibitor, such as Leupeptin, Antipain, Chymostatin, or Pepstatin in the assay mixture permitted the accurate assay of histidine decarboxylase in crude extracts.     

Effects of caffeine on mating behavior and sperm precedence in Tribolium castaneum

Biogenic amines such as dopamine are physiologically neuroactive substances that affect behavioral and physiological traits in invertebrates, and it has long been known that these substances affect mating behavior in insects. Caffeine is a dopamine activator and thus enhances dopamine receptor activity. However, the effects of caffeine intake on insect mating behavior have been largely unexplored. Therefore, we examined the effect of caffeine on mating behavior in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Caffeine, which activates dopamine, affected the mating behavior of T. castaneum males. Males who orally ingested caffeine courted faster than males who did not, resulting in faster mounting of females and less time to a male's external aedeagus protrusion. However, the present results showed no difference in sperm precedence measured as a P2 value between males fed caffeine and males not fed caffeine. We discuss the effects of caffeine on insect mating and the possibility that caffeine consumption may cause males to mate with more females in the laboratory.     

Hydroxylation of Deoxyguanosine at 5′ Site of GG and GGG Sequences in Double-stranded DNA Induced by Carbamoyl Radicals

Free radicals generated by chemicals can cause sequence-specific DNA damage and play important roles in mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. Carbamoyl group (CONH 2 ) and its derived groups (CONR 2 ) occur as natural products and synthetic chemical compounds. We have investigated the DNA damage by carbamoyl radicals · (CONH 2 ), one of carbon-centered radicals. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopic study has demonstrated that carbamoyl radicals were generated from formamide by treatment with H 2 O 2 plus Cu(II), and from azodicarbonamide by treatment with Cu(II). We have investigated sequence specificity of DNA damage induced by carbamoyl radicals using 32 P-labeled DNA fragments obtained from the human c-Ha- ras -1 and p 53 genes. Treatment of double-stranded DNA with carbamoyl radicals induced an alteration of guanine residues, and subsequent treatment with piperidine or Fpg protein led to chain cleavages at 5'-G of GG and GGG sequences. Carbamoyl radicals enhanced Cu(II)/H 2 O 2 -mediated formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in double-stranded DNA more efficiently than that in single-stranded DNA. These results shows that carbamoyl radicals specifically induce hydroxylation of deoxyguanosine at 5' site of GG and GGG sequences in double-stranded DNA.     

Annotated catalog,biological notes and diagnoses of the flower bugs (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae sensu lato) in the Korean Peninsula

The flower bugs or minute pirate bugs, Anthocoridae sensu lato, are represented by 12 genera and 24 species in the Korean Peninsula. The present catalog includes three newly recorded species to the fauna: Anthocoris confusus Reuter, Bilia japonica Carayon et Miyamoto, and Montandoniola pictipennis (Esaki). Distributional data and bibliographical references of each taxon are included. Biological notes (habitats, prey types, etc.) and diagnoses based on the local materials of the Korean Peninsula are also presented for the field of applied entomology.     

Time Course of Optical Quality and Intraocular Scattering after Refractive Lenticule Extraction

Purpose

To assess the time course of optical quality and intraocular scattering in relation to visual acuity after femtosecond lenticule extraction (FLEx) for the correction of myopia.

Methods

This study evaluated 36 eyes of 36 patients with spherical equivalents of −4.38±1.53 D [mean ± standard deviation] who underwent FLEx. Before surgery, and 1 week and 1, 3 and 6 months after surgery, we assessed the modulation transfer function (MTF) cutoff frequency, Strehl ratio, objective scattering index (OSI), and OQAS values (OVs), using a double-pass instrument. We also investigated the relationship of the OSI with corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) preoperatively and postoperatively.

Results

The mean changes in MTF cutoff frequency, Strehl ratio, OSI, OV100%, OV20%, and OV9% preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively were −5.51±15.01, −0.03±0.07, 0.35±0.83, −0.17±0.48, −0.14±0.38, and −0.09±0.22, respectively. We found no significant preoperative correlation between the OSI and logMAR CDVA (Spearman rank correlation coefficient r = 0.068, p = 0.69), and modest, but significant correlations 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively (r = 0.572, r = 0.562, r = 0.542, r = 0.540, p<0.001, respectively).

Conclusions

FLEx induced a transient decrease in optical quality in association with an increase in intraocular scattering in the early postoperative period, possibly due to mild interface haze formation, but gradually recovered with time. It is suggested that this transient degradation in optical quality related to an increase in the intraocular scattering may result in a slight delay of CDVA recovery in the early postoperative period.     

Functional Analysis of Deep Intronic SNP rs13438494 in Intron 24 of PCLO Gene

The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs13438494 in intron 24 of PCLO was significantly associated with bipolar disorder in a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies. In this study, we performed functional minigene analysis and bioinformatics prediction of splicing regulatory sequences to characterize the deep intronic SNP rs13438494. We constructed minigenes with A and C alleles containing exon 24, intron 24, and exon 25 of PCLO to assess the genetic effect of rs13438494 on splicing. We found that the C allele of rs13438494 reduces the splicing efficiency of the PCLO minigene. In addition, prediction analysis of enhancer/silencer motifs using the Human Splice Finder web tool indicated that rs13438494 induces the abrogation or creation of such binding sites. Our results indicate that rs13438494 alters splicing efficiency by creating or disrupting a splicing motif, which functions by binding of splicing regulatory proteins, and may ultimately result in bipolar disorder in affected people.     

TNF-α Acts as an Immunoregulator in the Mouse Brain by Reducing the Incidence of Severe Disease Following Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) causes acute central nervous system (CNS) disease in humans, in whom the clinical symptoms vary from febrile illness to meningitis and encephalitis. However, the mechanism of severe encephalitis has not been fully elucidated. In this study, using a mouse model, we investigated the pathogenetic mechanisms that correlate with fatal JEV infection. Following extraneural infection with the JaOArS982 strain of JEV, infected mice exhibited clinical signs ranging from mild to fatal outcome. Comparison of the pathogenetic response between severe and mild cases of JaOArS982-infected mice revealed increased levels of TNF-α in the brains of severe cases. However, unexpectedly, the mortality rate of TNF-α KO mice was significantly increased compared with that of WT mice, indicating that TNF-α plays a protective role against fatal infection. Interestingly, there were no significant differences of viral load in the CNS between WT and TNF-α KO mice. However, exaggerated inflammatory responses were observed in the CNS of TNF-α KO mice. Although these observations were also obtained in IL-10 KO mice, the mortality and enhanced inflammatory responses were more pronounced in TNF-α KO mice. Our findings therefore provide the first evidence that TNF-α has an immunoregulatory effect on pro-inflammatory cytokines in the CNS during JEV infection and consequently protects the animals from fatal disease. Thus, we propose that the increased level of TNF-α in severe cases was the result of severe disease, and secondly that immunopathological effects contribute to severe neuronal degeneration resulting in fatal disease. In future, further elucidation of the immunoregulatory mechanism of TNF-α will be an important priority to enable the development of effective treatment strategies for Japanese encephalitis.