Effect of Nutrient Inflow on the Bacterial Flora in the River Sakuragawa,Japan

The relationship between nutrient level and microorganisms in the waters of the River Sakuragawa, Japan, was studied from 1976 to 1977. Statistical analyses show that the organic nutrients for the bacteria were mainly autochthonous, and that the water system of the River Sakuragawa was never polluted enough to fall into a condition that could be classified as dystrophic.     

Purification and characterization of glutamate N-acetyltransferase involved in citrulline accumulation in wild watermelon

Citrulline is an efficient hydroxyl radical scavenger that can accumulate at concentrations of up to 30 mm in the leaves of wild watermelon during drought in the presence of strong light; however, the mechanism of this accumulation remains unclear. In this study, we characterized wild watermelon glutamate N-acetyltransferase (CLGAT) that catalyses the transacetylation reaction between acetylornithine and glutamate to form acetylglutamate and ornithine, thereby functioning in the first and fifth steps in citrulline biosynthesis. CLGAT enzyme purified 7000-fold from leaves was composed of two subunits with different N-terminal amino acid sequences. Analysis of the corresponding cDNA revealed that these two subunits have molecular masses of 21.3 and 23.5 kDa and are derived from a single precursor polypeptide, suggesting that the CLGAT precursor is cleaved autocatalytically at the conserved ATML motif, as in other glutamate N-acetyltransferases of microorganisms. A green fluorescence protein assay revealed that the first 26-amino acid sequence at the N-terminus of the precursor functions as a chloroplast transit peptide. The CLGAT exhibited thermostability up to 70 degrees C, suggesting an increase in enzyme activity under high leaf temperature conditions during drought/strong-light stresses. Moreover, CLGAT was not inhibited by citrulline or arginine at physiologically relevant high concentrations. These findings suggest that CLGAT can effectively participate in the biosynthesis of citrulline in wild watermelon leaves during drought/strong-light stress.     

Potential involvement of dissociated apoA-I in the ABCA1-dependent cellular lipid release by HDL

Helical apolipoproteins of high density lipoprotein (HDL) remove phospholipid and cholesterol from cells and generate HDL particles being mediated by ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1). In murine macrophage cell line RAW264 cells, cAMP induced expression of ABCA1, release of cellular phospholipid and cholesterol by apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), and reversible binding of apoA-I to the cell. The apoA-I-dependent lipid release was directly proportional to the cAMP-induced binding of apoA-I, and was inhibited 70% by a monoclonal antibody selective to lipid-free apoA-I, 725-1E2. In contrast, apparent cellular cholesterol release to HDL was substantial even without ABCA1 induction, and it was increased only by 27% after the cAMP treatment. The antibody inhibited this increment by 70%. Lipid-free apoA-II liberated apoA-I from HDL by displacement and thereby markedly expanded the cAMP-induced part of the cholesterol release to the HDL-containing medium, and the antibody inhibited this part also by 70%. Binding experiments of the double-labeled reconstituted HDL showed that cAMP induced reversible binding of apoA-I but not the association of cholesteryl ester with the cells. The effect of the antibody on the cellular cholesterol release to the reconstituted HDL was similar to that of the HDL-mediated release. The data implicated that the ABCA1-dependent cholesterol release to HDL is mediated by apoA-I dissociated from HDL.     

A putative mitochondrial ftsZ gene is present in the unicellular primitive red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae

Two ftsZ homologues were isolated from the unicellular primitive red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae (CmftsZ1 and CmftsZ2). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that CmftsZ1 is most closely related to the ftsZ genes of alpha-Proteobacteria, suggesting that it is a mitochondrial-type ftsZ gene, whereas CmftsZ2 is most closely related to the ftsZ genes of cyanobacteria, suggesting that it is a plastid-type ftsZ gene. Southern analysis indicates that CmftsZ1 and CmftsZ2 are both single-copy genes located on chromosome XIV in the C. merolae genome. Northern analysis revealed that both CmftsZ1 and CmftsZ2 are transcribed, and accumulate specifically before cell and organelle division. The results of Western analysis suggest that CmFtsZ1 is localized in mitochondria.     

Control of nanobiointerfaces generated from well-defined biomimetic polymer brushes for protein and cell manipulations

To better understand protein/material and cell/material interactions at the submolecular level, well-defined polymer brushes consisting of poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) on silicon wafers were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Silicon wafers were treated with 3-(2-bromoisobutyryl)propyl dimethylchlorosilane (BDCS) to form a monolayer that acts as initiators for ATRP. Silicon-supported BDCS monolayers were soaked in a methanol/water mixture solution containing Cu(I)Br, bipyridine, and a sacrificial initiator. After MPC was added to the solution, ATRP was carried out for 18 h. The molecular weight and thickness of the PMPC brush layer on the silicon surface increased with an increase in the polymerization time. The dense polymer brushes were obtained by the "grafting from" system. By selective decomposition of the BDCS monolayer by UV light-irradiation, the PMPC brush region and the sizes were well controlled, resulting in fabricating micropatterns of the PMPC brushes. When the thickness of the PMPC brush layer was greater than 5.5 +/- 1.0 nm (3 h polymerization), serum protein adsorption and fibroblast adhesion were effectively reduced, i.e., proteins and cells could recognize such thin polymer brushes on the surface. In addition, the density of the adherent cells on the patterned PMPC brush surface could be controlled by changing the size of the pattern.     

Changes in serotonin levels and 5-HT receptor activity in duodenum of streptozotocin-diabetic rats

Few previous studies have discussed the changes in serotonin receptor activity in the small intestine of diabetic animals. Therefore, we examined serotonin content in duodenal tissue and dose-dependent effects of serotonin agonists and antagonists on the motor activity of ex vivo vascularly perfused duodenum of streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats. Serotonin content was significantly increased in enterochromaffin cells but not altered in serotonin-containing neurons in STZ-diabetic rats. Motor activity assessed by frequency, amplitude, and percent motility index per 10 min of pressure waves was reduced in the duodenum of diabetic rats, and this reduction was reversed by insulin treatment. Serotonin dose dependently increased the motor activity in control rat duodenum but only a higher concentration of serotonin increased the motor activity in diabetic rats. The 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor subtype 4 (5-HT(4)) antagonist SB-204070 dose dependently reduced motor activity in both control and diabetic rats, whereas the 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist azasetron, even at a higher concentration, failed to affect motor activity in diabetic rat duodenum but dose dependently reduced motor activity in control rat duodenum. These results suggest that 5-HT(3) receptor activity was impaired but 5-HT(4) receptor activity was intact in STZ-diabetic rat duodenum. Such an impairment of 5-HT(3) receptor activity may induce the motility disturbance in the small intestine of diabetes mellitus.     

A high-level expression of CYP2A in the lung of the suncus (Suncus murinus) and its role in the activation of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone

Northern blot analysis of mRNA prepared from the lung of Suncus murinus (suncus), which was classified as an ancestor of primates, revealed that the expression level of cytochrome P450 2A (CYP2A) mRNA was about 100-fold higher than in the lung from rats and mice. To confirm that the pulmonary CYP2A of the suncus had a catalytic activity, the metabolism of a specific substrate for CYP2A6, (+)-cis-3,5-dimethyl-2-(3-pyridyl) thiazolidin-4-one hydrochloride (SM-12502), was determined. The intrinsic clearance for SM-12502 S-oxidation by the suncus lung microsomes was calculated to be 99-fold higher than that by rat liver microsomes. The mutagen-producing activity of a 9,000 g supernatant fraction prepared from suncus lung was examined using 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) as a promutagen. The results showed that the suncus lung possessed 82-fold higher mutagen-producing activity than the rat lung, indicating that NNK was efficiently activated by the CYP2A isoform expressed in the suncus lung and that the suncus was a sensitive animal species to the genotoxicity of NNK contained in tobacco smoke.     

Pollen-based reconstructions of Japanese biomes at 0, 6000 and 18,000 14C yr bp

A biomization method, which objectively assigns individual pollen assemblages to biomes ( Prentice et al., 1996 ), was tested using modern pollen data from Japan and applied to fossil pollen data to reconstruct palaeovegetation patterns 6000 and 18,000 ¹⁴C yr bp Biomization started with the assignment of 135 pollen taxa to plant functional types (PFTs), and nine possible biomes were defined by specific combinations of PFTs. Biomes were correctly assigned to 54% of the 94 modern sites. Incorrect assignments occur near the altitudinal limits of individual biomes, where pollen transport from lower altitudes blurs the local pollen signals or continuous changes in species composition characterizes the range limits of biomes. As a result, the reconstructed changes in the altitudinal limits of biomes at 6000 and 18,000 ¹⁴C yr bp are likely to be conservative estimates of the actual changes. The biome distribution at 6000 ¹⁴C yr bp was rather similar to today, suggesting that changes in the bioclimate of Japan have been small since the mid‐Holocene. At 18,000 ¹⁴C yr bp the Japanese lowlands were covered by taiga and cool mixed forests. The southward expansion of these forests and the absence of broadleaved evergreen/warm mixed forests reflect a pronounced year‐round cooling.     

Biosynthesis of glycogen in Neurospora crassa. Purification and properties of the UDPglucose:glycogen 4-alpha-glucosyltransferase.

The Neurospora crassa glycogen synthase (UDPglucose:glycogen 4-alpha-glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.11) was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a procedure involving ultracentrifugation, DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and 3-aminopropyl-Sepharose column chromatography. The final purified enzyme preparation was almost entirely dependent on glucose-6-P and had a specific activity of 6.9 units per mg of protein. The subunit molecular weight of the glycogen synthase was determined by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel to be 88 000--90 000. The native enzyme was shown to have a molecular weight of 270 000 as determined by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Thus, the glucose-6-P-dependent form of the N. crassa glycogen synthase can exist as trimer of the subunit. Limited proteolysis with trypsin or chymotrypsin converted the glucose-6-P-dependent form of the enzyme into an apparent glucose-6-P-independent form. The enzyme was shown to catalyze transfer of glucose from UDPglucose to glycogen as well as to its phosphorylase limit dextrin, but not to its beta-amylase limit dextrin. Moreover, glucose, maltose and maltotriose were not active as acceptors.