The RR1 gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 is uniquely trans activated by ICP0 during infection.

As has been demonstrated for herpes simplex virus type 2, we show in this report that the herpes simplex virus type 1 ribonucleotide reductase large subunit (RR1) gene is trans activated in transient transfection assays by VP16 and ICP0 but not by ICP4. Deletion analysis demonstrated that responsiveness to induction to VP16 resides in an octamer/TAATGARAT sequence of the RR1 promoter and that the TATA box alone is sufficient to provide induction by ICP0. The induction of the RR1 gene by ICP0 but not by ICP4 suggested that it might be possible to identify the cis-acting element(s) responsive to ICP4 in an ICP4-inducible promoter. To this end, a series of chimeric promoters containing various portions of the regulatory sequences of the RR1 promoter and thymidine kinase (TK) promoter were constructed. The TK promoter is trans activated by both ICP0 and ICP4 in transient transfection assays and by ICP4 in infection. The data show that replacing the RR1 TATA region with the TK TATA region permits ICP4 inducibility even if the rest of the RR1 promoter elements remain intact. To test whether the RR1 gene is induced by ICP0 during infection, four mutant viruses were constructed. (i) TAATGARAT+ has the wild-type RR1 promoter driving chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and the RR2 promoter driving the lacZ gene. The RR2 gene codes for the small subunit of the ribonucleotide reductase and is expressed as a beta gene. (ii) TAATGARAT- has a triple-base change in the octamer/TAATGARAT element which renders it unresponsive to VP16 trans activation, eliminating that portion of the activation of the RR1 gene. (iii) TAATGARAT- delta alpha 0 has a deletion of the alpha 0 gene. (iv) TAATGARAT- delta alpha 4 has a deletion of the alpha 4 gene. Infections were carried out in Vero cells at a multiplicity of infection of 10 per cell; cells were assayed for CAT and beta-galactosidase (beta-Gal) activities and for virus yields. The first two infections gave strong CAT and beta-Gal activities and high yields of progeny virus. Infection with the third virus showed no CAT activity but did produce high levels of beta-Gal activity and virus progeny. The fourth infection resulted in strong CAT activity but no beta-Gal activity or progeny virus. The data demonstrated that the RR1 promoter was activated in the absence of ICP4 but not in the absence of ICP0 in these infections.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Kinetics of cell growth and heterologous glucoamylase production in recombinant Aspergillus nidulans

In the work, a study of cell growth and the regulation of heterologous glucoamylase synthesis under the control of the positively regulated alcA promoter in a recombinant Aspergillus nidulans is presented. We found that similar growth rates were obtained for both the host and recombinant cells when either glucose or fructose was employed as sole carbon and energy source. Use of the potent inducer cyclopentanone in concentrations greater than 3 mM resulted n maximum glucoamylase concentration and maximum overall specific glucoamylase concentration over 80 h of batch cultivation. However, cyclopentanone concentrations in excess of 3 mM also showed an inhibitory effect on spore germination as well as fungal growth. In contrast, another inducer, threonine, had no negative effect on spore germination even when concentrations of up to 100 mM were used with either glucose or fructose as carbon source. Glucoamylase synthesis in the presence of glucose plus either inducer did not begin until glucose was totally depleted, suggesting strong catabolite repression. Similar results were obtained when fructose was employed, although low levels of glucoamylase were detected before fructose depletion, suggesting partial catabolite repression. The highest enzyme concentration (570 mg/L) and overall specific enzyme concentration (81 mg/g cell) were observed in batch culture when cyclopentanone was the inducer and fructose the primary carbon source. A maximum glucoamylase concentration of 1.1 g/L and an overall specific glucoamylase concentration of 167 mg/g cell were obtained in a bioreactor using cyclopentanone as the inducer and limited-fructose feeding strategy, which nearly doubles the glucoamylase productivity from batch cultures. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Transient kinetics of the interaction of actin with myosin subfragment-1 in the absence of nucleotide.

The kinetics of the association of actin with myosin subfragment-1 (S1) has been studied by using S1 labeled at the sulfhydryl group SH1 with 5-(iodoacetamido)fluorescein (S1-AF). Upon rapid mixing in a stopped-flow apparatus, the fluorescence intensity of the fluorescein moiety increased by 50%, followed by a slower increase that was well resolved. This slow phase of the fluorescence change could not be fitted to either a monoexponential or a biexponential function, but it could be fitted to a sum of three exponential terms yielding three observed first-order rate constants (lambda i). The dissociation of acto.-(S1-AF) was studied by displacement of S1-AF from the complex with native S1. The dissociation kinetics was characterized by a single rate constant (approximately 0.012 s-1 at 20 degrees C), and this constant was independent of S1 concentration. Together with previous equilibrium data that were obtained under identified conditions for formation of acto-subfragment-1 (Lin, S.-H., and H. C. Cheung. 1991. Biochemistry. 30:4317-4323), a six-state two-pathway model is proposed as a minimum kinetic scheme for formation of rigor acto.S1. In this model, unbound subfragment-1 exists in two conformational states (S1' and S1) which are in equilibrium with each other, one corresponding to the previously established low-temperature state and the other to the high-temperature state. Each subfragment-1 state can interact with actin to form a collision complex, followed by two isomerizations to form two acto-subfragment-1 states (A.S1' and A.S1). Both isomerizations were visible in stopped-flow experiments. Two special cases of the model were considered: 1) a rapid pre-equilibration of the initial collision complex with actin and S1, and 2) trace accumulation of the collision complex. The first case required that the three combinations of the three observed rate constants be independent of actin concentration. The data were incompatible with this approximation. The other special case required that the sum of the lambda i vary linearly with actin concentration and the other two combinations of lambda i vary with actin concentration in a quadratic fashion. The present data were in agreement with the second case. At 20 degrees C and in 60 mM KCl, 2 mM MgCl2, 30 mM 2-([-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]amino)ethanesulfonic acid, and pH 7.5, the biomolecular association rate constants for the interaction of actin with S1' and S1 were 8.58 x 10(5) and 1.11 x 10(6) M-1 s-1, respectively.     

Isolation and identification of a novel tandemly repeated DNA sequence in the centromeric region of human chromosome 8

EcoRI subclones, designated as 50E1 and 50E4, were independently obtained from a cosmid clone previously mapped to the centromeric region of human chromosome 8. Southern blot hybridization analyses suggested that both subclones contain repetitive DNA sequences different from the chromosome 8 specific alphoid DNA. DNA sequence analysis of the 704 bp insert of 50E1 and the 1, 962 bp insert of 50E4 revealed that both inserts contained tandemly repeated units of 220 bp. Fluorescence in situ hybridization studies confirmed these two subclones to be specifically located on the centromeric region of chromosome 8. A 220 bp consensus sequence, derived from nine monomeric repeats, showed no significant homology to alphoid consensus sequences or to other currently known human centromeric DNA sequence. Furthermore, no significant homology was found with any other DNA sequence deposited in the EMBL or GenBank databases, indicating that this chromosome 8 specific repetitive DNA sequence is novel. From slot blot experiments it was estimated that 0.013% of the human genome comprises 1,750 of these monomeric repeats, residing on the centromeric region of chromosome 8 in tandem array(s).     

Lysophosphatidylcholine disrupts the acrosome of tammar wallaby (macropus eugenii) spermatozoa

The acrosomal status of wallaby spermatozoa was evaluated by light and electron microscopy after incubation in 1–100 μM lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) for up to 120 min. Treatment with 1 and 10 μM LPC for 120 min did not lead to acrosomal loss, or detectable alteration to the acrosome, as detected by Bryan's staining and light microscopy. Incubation with 25 μM LPC had little effect on acrosomal loss, however statistically significant changes (P < 0.05) in the acrosomal matrix (altered) were detected after 10-min incubation by light microscopy. Around 50% of acrosomes were altered after 20-min incubation in 50 μM LPC (P < 0.001), and 40% of spermatozoa had lost their acrosome after 60-min incubation (P < 0.001). Treatment with 75 and 100 μM LPC led to rapid acrosomal loss from around 50% of spermatozoa within 10 min (P < 0.001), and by 60 min acrosomal loss was 70–80%. LPC, like the diacylglycerol DiC₈ (1,2-di-octanoyl-sn-glycerol), is thus an effective agent to induce loss of the relatively stable wallaby sperm acrosome, and it also induces changes within the acrosomal matrix. Ultrastructure of the LPC-treated spermatozoa revealed that the plasma membrane and the acrosomal membranes were disrupted in a manner similar to that seen after detergent treatment (Triton X-100). There was no evidence of point fusion between the plasma membrane overlying the acrosome and the outer acrosomal membrane. The plasma membrane was the first structure to disappear from the spermatozoa. The acrosomal membranes and matrix showed increasing disruption with time and LPC concentration. Wallaby spermatozoa incubated with LPC at concentrations that induced significant acrosomal loss also underwent a rapid decline in motility that suggested that acrosomal loss may be due to cell damage, rather than a physiological AR. This study concluded that LPC-induced acrosomal loss from tammar wallaby spermatozoa is due to its action as a natural detergent and not as a phosphoinositide pathway intermediate. The study further demonstrates the unusual stability of the marsupial acrosomal membranes. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

利用酵母菌生产有机酸的研究进展

有机酸是含有一种或多种低分子量酸性基团(如羧基、磺酸基)的可生物合成的有机化合物,广泛应用于食品、农业、医药、生物基材料工业等领域。酵母菌具有生物安全、抗逆性强、底物谱广泛、方便遗传改造,以及大规模培养技术成熟等独特优点,因此利用酵母菌生产有机酸的研究日益受到国内外学者的关注。目前利用酵母生产有机酸还存在浓度低、副产物多,以及发酵效率低等缺陷。随着酵母菌代谢工程和合成生物学技术的发展,利用酵母菌生产有机酸取得了快速进展。本文总结了利用酵母合成11种有机酸的研究,包括内源和异源合成的大宗羧酸和高价值有机酸,并对该领域的未来研究方向进行了展望。     

Rapid microbial growth in a pH auxostat

Summary Feeding nutrient to meet demand dilutes slow-growing organisms from continuous culture and greatly favors rapid growth. Doubling times of roughly 10 minutes have been verified in a pH auxostat by viable cell counts and by direct counting with a Petroff-Hausser chamber. Effects of wall attachment were negligible because a fresh reactor was substituted frequently before wall growth could become established.     

Design considerations for two-stage enrichment clinical trials

When there is a predictive biomarker, enrichment can focus the clinical trial on a benefiting subpopulation. We describe a two-stage enrichment design, in which the first stage is designed to efficiently estimate a threshold and the second stage is a “phase III-like” trial on the enriched population. The goal of this paper is to explore design issues: sample size in Stages 1 and 2, and re-estimation of the Stage 2 sample size following Stage 1. By treating these as separate trials, we can gain insight into how the predictive nature of the biomarker specifically impacts the sample size. We also show that failure to adequately estimate the threshold can have disastrous consequences in the second stage. While any bivariate model could be used, we assume a continuous outcome and continuous biomarker, described by a bivariate normal model. The correlation coefficient between the outcome and biomarker is the key to understanding the behavior of the design, both for predictive and prognostic biomarkers. Through a series of simulations we illustrate the impact of model misspecification, consequences of poor threshold estimation, and requisite sample sizes that depend on the predictive nature of the biomarker. Such insight should be helpful in understanding and designing enrichment trials.     

ε-聚赖氨酸抑菌性能的研究进展

ε-聚赖氨酸(ε-poly-L-lysine,ε-PL)是抑菌谱广泛的天然抑菌剂,由通过α-羧基与ε-氨基连接的25–35个赖氨酸聚合而成。ε-PL主要由白色链霉菌发酵生产所得,比化学生产更加高效和环保。ε-PL具有水溶性好、耐热和对环境无污染等特点,具有良好的应用前景。本文从发酵生产入手,着重综述了ε-PL对各种微生物抑菌性能、抑菌机制及抑菌机制模型的研究进展。推测ε-PL是通过对细胞膜的破坏而改变细胞的通透性,或者作用到细胞内引起活性氧(reactive oxygen species, ROS)胁迫而影响调节基因的表达,从而起到抑菌作用。根据这2种抑菌方式分别建立了相应的抑菌模型,即毡毯模型和ROS诱导细胞凋亡模型。本文可为ε-PL对微生物抑制性能的深入研究提供依据,同时也提出了ε-PL抑菌机制的新模型,为扩展ε-PL应用领域提供了一定的参考。