Properties of Glycomacropeptide and Para-K-casein Derived from Human K-Casein and Comparison of Human and Bovine K-Caseins as to Susceptibility to Chymosin and Pepsin

The nutritional efficiency of quinolinic acid as a substitute for nicotinic acid was investigated using weanling rats Of the Sprague Dawley strain (3-weeks old) fed a nicotinic acid-free, tryptophan-limited diet containing various amounts of nicotinic acid or quinolinic acid. Judging from the growth response, food efficiency ratio, levels of NAD activity in the blood, liver, brain and upper small intestine, and urinary excretion of niacin we have concluded that exogenous quinolinic acid is approximately 1/9 as active as nicotinic acid. As many foods contain quinolinic acid, dietary quinolinic acid cannot be ignored from the standpoint of tryptophan and nicotinic acid replacement.     

Fluorescence Polarization of αs1, κ-Caseins and αs1-κ-Casein Complex

Conjugates of α^s1-,κ-caseins and α^s1-,κ-casein complex were prepared with dimethylaminonaphthalenesulfonate and pyrenebutyrate. Their fluorescence lifetimes and the rotational relaxation times were measured by single photon counting technique and fluorescence depolarization technique, respectively. Both dimethylaminonaphthalenesulfonate and pyrenebutyrate conjugates had more than two lifetimes and the longer lifetime of pyrenebutyrate conjugates was near 140 nsec.

The rotational relaxation time of pyrenebutyrate α^s1-,κ-casein complex was smaller than that of pyrenebutyrate κ-casein polymer, which suggested that the complex formation of α^s1- and κ-casein polymers led to dissociation of the κ-casein polymer.

Changes of the rotational relaxation time as a function of weight ratio of α^s1- and κ-casein polymers (α^s1/κ) showed the specific variation and it was suggested that 4 moles of α^s1-κ-casein complex were formed from one mole of κ-casein polymer.     

Phospholipids in Castor Seeds

Sites of restriction endonucleases were mapped on pOAD2, a plasmid harbored in Flavobacterium sp. KI72. The plasmid codes 6-aminohexanoic acid cyclic dimer hydrolase and 6-aminohexanoic acid linear oligomer hydrolase. pOAD2 (molecular weight: 28.8 megadaltons [Mdal]) had 6 HindIII and 5 EcoRI sites, which were located at 0, 8.4, 8.9, 11.1, 19.0 and 25.0 Mdal (for HindIII) and 3.3, 5.4, 20.4, 20.8, 22.6 Mdal (for EcoRI). A mutant which could not grow on 6-aminohexanoic acid cyclic dimer but grew on the linear dimer as the sole carbon and nitrogen source harbored a deletion plasmid pOAD21 derived from pOAD2. By comparing the restriction sites of these two plasmids, the deleted region was localized on which the 6-aminohexanoic acid cyclic dimer hydrolase was coded.     

Essential Regulation of Lung Surfactant Homeostasis by the Orphan G Protein-Coupled Receptor GPR116

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The role of cullin 5-containing ubiquitin ligases

The suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) box consists of the BC box and the cullin 5 (Cul5) box, which interact with Elongin BC and Cul5, respectively. SOCS box-containing proteins have ubiquitin ligase activity mediated by the formation of a complex with the scaffold protein Cul5 and the RING domain protein Rbx2, and are thereby members of the cullin RING ligase superfamily. Cul5-type ubiquitin ligases have a variety of substrates that are targeted for polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Here, we review the current knowledge on the identification of Cul5 and the regulation of its expression, as well as the signaling pathways regulated by Cul5 and how viruses highjack the Cul5 system to overcome antiviral responses.     

Environmental DNA as a ‘Snapshot’ of Fish Distribution: A Case Study of Japanese Jack Mackerel in Maizuru Bay,Sea of Japan

Recent studies in streams and ponds have demonstrated that the distribution and biomass of aquatic organisms can be estimated by detection and quantification of environmental DNA (eDNA). In more open systems such as seas, it is not evident whether eDNA can represent the distribution and biomass of aquatic organisms because various environmental factors (e.g., water flow) are expected to affect eDNA distribution and concentration. To test the relationships between the distribution of fish and eDNA, we conducted a grid survey in Maizuru Bay, Sea of Japan, and sampled surface and bottom waters while monitoring biomass of the Japanese jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) using echo sounder technology. A linear model showed a high R² value (0.665) without outlier data points, and the association between estimated eDNA concentrations from the surface water samples and echo intensity was significantly positive, suggesting that the estimated spatial variation in eDNA concentration can reflect the local biomass of the jack mackerel. We also found that a best-fit model included echo intensity obtained within 10–150 m from water sampling sites, indicating that the estimated eDNA concentration most likely reflects fish biomass within 150 m in the bay. Although eDNA from a wholesale fish market partially affected eDNA concentration, we conclude that eDNA generally provides a ‘snapshot’ of fish distribution and biomass in a large area. Further studies in which dynamics of eDNA under field conditions (e.g., patterns of release, degradation, and diffusion of eDNA) are taken into account will provide a better estimate of fish distribution and biomass based on eDNA.     

Constraining OCT with Knowledge of Device Design Enables High Accuracy Hemodynamic Assessment of Endovascular Implants

Background

Stacking cross-sectional intravascular images permits three-dimensional rendering of endovascular implants, yet introduces between-frame uncertainties that limit characterization of device placement and the hemodynamic microenvironment. In a porcine coronary stent model, we demonstrate enhanced OCT reconstruction with preservation of between-frame features through fusion with angiography and a priori knowledge of stent design.

Methods and Results

Strut positions were extracted from sequential OCT frames. Reconstruction with standard interpolation generated discontinuous stent structures. By computationally constraining interpolation to known stent skeletons fitted to 3D ‘clouds’ of OCT-Angio-derived struts, implant anatomy was resolved, accurately rendering features from implant diameter and curvature (n = 1 vessels, r² = 0.91, 0.90, respectively) to individual strut-wall configurations (average displacement error ~15 μm). This framework facilitated hemodynamic simulation (n = 1 vessel), showing the critical importance of accurate anatomic rendering in characterizing both quantitative and basic qualitative flow patterns. Discontinuities with standard approaches systematically introduced noise and bias, poorly capturing regional flow effects. In contrast, the enhanced method preserved multi-scale (local strut to regional stent) flow interactions, demonstrating the impact of regional contexts in defining the hemodynamic consequence of local deployment errors.

Conclusion

Fusion of planar angiography and knowledge of device design permits enhanced OCT image analysis of in situ tissue-device interactions. Given emerging interests in simulation-derived hemodynamic assessment as surrogate measures of biological risk, such fused modalities offer a new window into patient-specific implant environments.     

Valproate induces apoptosis by inducing accumulation of neutral lipids which was prevented by disruption of the SIR2 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We investigated the participation of HDACs in VPA induced apoptosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. VPA (20 mM) induced apoptosis in several HDAC mutants, including PRD3 and HDA1-disrupted cells and SIR2 over expressing cells, as well as in wild-type cells but not SIR2-disrupted cells. Intracellular reactive oxygen species and neutral lipid content increased markedly in all kinds of HDAC mutant cells tested except for SIR2-disrupted cells. Thus, these results suggest that 20 mM VPA induces neutral lipid accumulation and apoptosis-like features in S. cerevisiae, and that VPA-induced apoptosis was evaded by deletion of SIR2.