Some properties of diacylglycerol acyltransferase in a particulate fraction from maturing safflower seeds

The activity of diacylglycerol acyltransferase of a subcellular particulate fraction from maturing safflower seeds was remarkably stimulated by the addition of 1, 2-diacylglycerols which were previously emulsified in a gelatin solution by sonication. Metal ions were inhibitory to the reaction. Deoxycholate and diisopropyl fluorophosphate were the most effective inhibitors. Sulfhydryl groups seemed to be of limited significance in the enzyme. Both 1, 2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol and 2, 3-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol were good substrates of diacylglycerol acyltransferase, but the 1, 3-isomer did not serve as an acyl acceptor. The enzyme showed broad specificity for synthetic rac-1, 2-diacylglycerols containing various fatty acids. However, rac-1, 2-diacetylglycerol and rac-1, 2-dibutyrylglycerol, which are soluble in water, were ineffective. The enzyme exhibited no significant specificity for saturated and unsaturated fatty acyl-CoA thioesters as acyl donors. This suggests that the fatty acid composition at the 3-position of the glycerol molecule of safflower triacylglycerols may depend on the composition of the endogenous acyl-CoA pool.     

Enhancement of hyperthermia-induced apoptosis by local anesthetics on human histiocytic lymphoma U937 cells

The combined effects of hyperthermia at 44 degrees C and local anesthetics on apoptosis in human histiocytic lymphoma U937 cells were investigated. When the cells were exposed to hyperthermia for l0 min marginal DNA fragmentation and nuclear fragmentation were observed. In the presence of amide-type local anesthetics further enhancement was found depending on concentration. The order of the concentration required for maximum induction was the reverse order of the lipophilicity (prilocaine > lidocaine > bupivacaine). Western blotting revealed that in hyperthermia there was initial release of Ca(2+) from the intracellular store site as indicated by increased expression of the type 1 inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor. However, the combination with lidocaine did not induce any further enhancement. Lidocaine enhanced the decrease in ATP content and the increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in individual cells induced by hyperthermia. In addition, superoxide formation, decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential, and activation of intracellular caspase-3 were found in the cells treated with hyperthermia and lidocaine. All of these were suppressed in part in the presence of the intracellular Ca(2+) ion chelator BAPTA-AM (bis-(O-aminophenoxy)-ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid-acetoxymethyl). The present results indicate that local anesthetics at optimal concentrations enhance hyperthermia-induced apoptosis via Ca(2+)- and mitochondria-dependent pathways. Initial release of Ca(2+) from intracellular store sites caused by hyperthermia and followed by the subsequent increase in the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration and the additional activation of the mitochondrial caspase-dependent pathway (partly regulated by intracellular Ca(2+) concentration) plays a crucial role in the enhancement of apoptosis induced by the combination of hyperthermia and lidocaine.     

Transient and permanent gene transfer into the brain of the teleost fish medaka (Oryzias latipes) using human adenovirus and the Cre-loxP system

In this study, we demonstrated that human type-5 adenovirus infected the brain of the teleost fish, medaka (Oryzias latipes), in vivo. Injection of adenoviral vector into the mesencephalic ventricle of medaka larvae induced the expression of reporter genes in some parts of the telencephalon, the periventricular area of the mesencephalon and diencephalon, and the cerebellum. Additionally, the Cre-loxP system works in medaka brains using transgenic medaka carrying a vector containing DsRed2, flanked by loxP sites under control of the β-actin promoter and downstream promoterless enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). We demonstrated that the presence of green fluorescence depended on injection of adenoviral vector expressing the Cre gene and confirmed that EGFP mRNA was transcribed in the virus-injected larvae.     

nanos1: a mouse nanos gene expressed in the central nervous system is dispensable for normal development

A mouse nanos (nanos1) gene was cloned and its function was examined by generating a gene-knockout mouse. The nanos1 gene encodes an RNA-binding protein, which contains a putative zinc-finger motif that exhibits similarity with other nanos-class genes in vertebrates and invertebrates. Although nanos1 is not detected in primordial germ cells, it is observed in seminiferous tubules of mature testis. Interestingly, maternally expressed nanos1 is observed in substantial amounts in oocytes, but the amount of maternal RNA is rapidly reduced after fertilization, and the transient zygotic nanos1 expression is observed in eight-cell embryos. At 12.5 days postcoitum, nanos1 is re-expressed in the central nervous system and the expression continues in the adult brain, in which the hippocampal formation is the predominant region. The nanos1 -deficient mice develop to term without any detectable abnormality and they are fertile. No significant neural defect is observed in terms of their behavior to date.     

Application of ultra-high magnetic field for saccharide molecules: 1H NMR spectra of 6-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-cyclomaltoheptaose and -cyclomaltohexaose

1H NMR spectra of G1-alpha-CD and G1-beta-CD were recorded using a spectrometer equipped with a 21.6 T magnet. An ultra-high magnetic field was effective for detecting 1H NMR signals with a small difference in chemical shifts. Introducing a glucosyl group onto CDs as a branch caused deformation of equilibrated 1H signals of cyclodextrin. Particularly, 1H signals in branched glucose were shifted greatly.     

Improving the accuracy of predicting secondary structure for aligned RNA sequences

Considerable attention has been focused on predicting the secondary structure for aligned RNA sequences since it is useful not only for improving the limiting accuracy of conventional secondary structure prediction but also for finding non-coding RNAs in genomic sequences. Although there exist many algorithms of predicting secondary structure for aligned RNA sequences, further improvement of the accuracy is still awaited. In this article, toward improving the accuracy, a theoretical classification of state-of-the-art algorithms of predicting secondary structure for aligned RNA sequences is presented. The classification is based on the viewpoint of maximum expected accuracy (MEA), which has been successfully applied in various problems in bioinformatics. The classification reveals several disadvantages of the current algorithms but we propose an improvement of a previously introduced algorithm (CentroidAlifold). Finally, computational experiments strongly support the theoretical classification and indicate that the improved CentroidAlifold substantially outperforms other algorithms.     

Lowering effect of an isoflavone-rich fermented soybean extract on the serum cholesterol concentrations in female rats, with or without ovariectomy, but not in male rats

We examined the effect of administering an isoflavone-rich fermented soybean extract (FSBE) on the serum cholesterol concentrations in male rats and in intact and ovariectomized (OVX) female rats. Dietary FSBE decreased the serum cholesterol concentrations in intact female and OVX rats, but did not affect the concentrations in male rats. Dietary FSBE increased the hepatic total and esterified cholesterol contents in the intact female rats, but decreased them in the OVX rats. This hypocholesterolemic effect was not a simple estrogenic effect because it has appeared in some reports that estrogen administration decreased serum cholesterol both male and female rats. Dietary FSBE increased the hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene expression in the intact female rats as has previously been reported from many studies, but did not affect that of the OVX rats. Further investigation is needed into the hypocholesterolemic mechanism of FSBE.     

Gamma-ray exposure from neutron-induced radionuclides in soil in Hiroshima and Nagasaki based on DS02 calculations

As a result of joint efforts by Japanese, US and German scientists, the Dosimetry System 2002 (DS02) was developed as a new dosimetry system, to evaluate individual radiation dose to atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although the atomic bomb radiation consisted of initial radiation and residual radiation, only initial radiation was reevaluated in DS02 because, for most survivors in the life span study group, the residual dose was negligible compared to the initial dose. It was reported, however, that there were individuals who entered the city at the early stage after the explosion and experienced hemorrhage, diarrhea, etc., which were symptoms of acute radiation syndrome. In this study, external exposure due to radionuclides induced in soil by atomic bomb neutrons was reevaluated based on DS02 calculations, as a function of both the distance from the hypocenters and the elapsed time after the explosions. As a result, exposure rates of 6 and 4 Gy h(-1) were estimated at the hypocenter at 1 min after the explosion in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. These exposure rates decreased rapidly by a factor of 1,000 1 day later, and by a factor of 1 million 1 week later. Maximum cumulative exposure from the time of explosion was 1.2 and 0.6 Gy at the hypocenters in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. Induced radiation decreased also with distance from the hypocenters, by a factor of about 10 at 500 m and a factor of three to four hundreds at 1,000 m. Consequently, a significant exposure due to induced radiation is considered feasible to those who entered the area closer to a distance of 1,000 m from the hypocenters, within one week after the bombing.     

Production of Higher-quality Plastein from a Crude Single-cell Protein

From defatted n-paraffin-assimilating yeast cells, a crude protein was obtained by alkaliextraction followed by acid-precipitation. Then the protein was treated with ether until extractable substances were removed exhaustively at this stage. However, at the next stage where the ether-treated protein had been partially hydrolyzed with pepsin, when the hydrolysate was retreated with ether, it was found that ether-extractable substances totalling 270 mg/100 g were obtainable additionally. Chromatographic investigations demonstrated that the substances included significant amounts of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, some indoles, and a ubiquinone (n = 8).

From the protein hydrolysate (substrate) after the above ether-treatment, a plastein was synthesized with Bioprase under the specific conditions. The plastein was obtained as a precipitate when the whole reaction mixture was treated with aqueous ethanol or acetone. The quantity and quality (nitrogen content) of the plastein depended on the ethanol or acetone concentration. Roughly speaking, the higher the concentration, the more the plastein quantity. The converse relation held for the quality; a plastein precipitated by treatment solely with water showed a higher quality than any other case.