A conserved nuclear receptor, Tailless, is required for efficient proliferation and prolonged maintenance of mushroom body progenitors in the Drosophila brain

The intrinsic neurons of mushroom bodies (MBs), centers of olfactory learning in the Drosophila brain, are generated by a specific set of neuroblasts (Nbs) that are born in the embryonic stage and exhibit uninterrupted proliferation till the end of the pupal stage. Whereas MB provides a unique model to study proliferation of neural progenitors, the underlying mechanism that controls persistent activity of MB-Nbs is poorly understood. Here we show that Tailless (TLL), a conserved orphan nuclear receptor, is required for optimum proliferation activity and prolonged maintenance of MB-Nbs and ganglion mother cells (GMCs). Mutations of tll progressively impair cell cycle in MB-Nbs and cause premature loss of MB-Nbs in the early pupal stage. TLL is also expressed in MB-GMCs to prevent apoptosis and promote cell cycling. In addition, we show that ectopic expression of tll leads to brain tumors, in which Prospero, a key regulator of progenitor proliferation and differentiation, is suppressed whereas localization of molecular components involved in asymmetric Nb division is unaffected. These results as a whole uncover a distinct regulatory mechanism of self-renewal and differentiation of the MB progenitors that is different from the mechanisms found in other progenitors.     

Hydropiperoside,a novel coumaryl glycoside from the root of Polygonum hydropiper

From the methanol extract of the root of Polygonum hydropiper, a novel coumaryl glycoside hydropiperoside was isolated together with anthraquinone, ellagic acid 3,3′-di-O-methyl ether, gallic acid, two quercetin glycosides and an unidentified aromatic δ-lactone possessing antifertility activity. The structure of hydropiperoside was established as β-d-(1,3,6-tri-p-coumaryl)-fructofuranosyl-α-d-glucopyranoside by combination of extensive ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectra, and the FD/MS spectrum.     

SOSUI-GramN: high performance prediction for sub-cellular localization of proteins in gram-negative bacteria

A predictive software system, SOSUI-GramN, was developed for assessing the subcellular localization of proteins in Gram-negative bacteria. The system does not require the sequence homology data of any known sequences; instead, it uses only physicochemical parameters of the N- and C-terminal signal sequences, and the total sequence. The precision of the prediction system for subcellular localization to extracellular, outer membrane, periplasm, inner membrane and cytoplasmic medium was 92.3%, 89.4%, 86.4%, 97.5% and 93.5%, respectively, with corresponding recall rates of 70.3%, 87.5%, 76.0%, 97.5% and 88.4%, respectively. The overall performance for precision and recall obtained using this method was 92.9% and 86.7%, respectively. The comparison of performance of SOSUI-GramN with that of other methods showed the performance of prediction for extracellular proteins, as well as inner and outer membrane proteins, was either superior or equivalent to that obtained with other systems. SOSUI-GramN particularly improved the accuracy for predictions of extracellular proteins which is an area of weakness common to the other methods.     

Targeted gene expression by the Gal4-UAS system in zebrafish

Targeted gene expression by the Gal4-UAS system is a powerful methodology for analyzing function of genes and cells in vivo and has been extensively used in genetic studies in Drosophila . On the other hand, the Gal4-UAS system had not been applied effectively to vertebrate systems for a long time mainly due to the lack of an efficient transgenesis method. Recently, a highly efficient transgenesis method using the medaka fish Tol2 transposable element was developed in zebrafish. Taking advantage of the Tol2 transposon system, we and other groups developed the Gal4 gene trap and enhancer trap methods and established various transgenic fish expressing Gal4 in specific cells. By crossing such Gal4 lines with transgenic fish lines harboring various reporter genes and effector genes downstream of UAS (upstream activating sequence), specific cells can be visualized and manipulated in vivo by targeted gene expression. Thus, the Gal4 gene trap and enhancer trap approaches together with various UAS lines should be important tools for investigating roles of genes and cells in vertebrates.     

Inactivation of bleomycin by an N-acetyltransferase in the bleomycin-producing strain Streptomyces verticillus

Abstract Bleomycin-producing Streptomyces verticillus ATCC15003 possesses a bleomycin acetyltransferase which inactivates the drug in the presence of acetyl coenzyme A. The site of acylation in enzymically prepared acetylbleomycin A2 was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis; the primary amino group of the β-aminoalanine moiety of bleomycin was acetylated. Acetylbleomycin A2 had no detectable antibacterial activity and did not induce in vitro DNA degradation.     

Floral scent chemistry of mangrove plants

The flowers of mangrove plants are pollinated by a variety of pollinators including birds, bats, and insects. This study analyzed the floral scent chemistry of mangroves on Iriomote Island (located near Taiwan) including Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Lamk. (Rhizophoraceae), Kandelia candel (L.) Druce (Rhizophoraceae), Rhizophora stylosa Griff. (Rhizophoraceae), Sonneratia alba J. Smith (Sonneratiaceae), Nypa fruticans (Thunb.) Wurmb. (Palmae), Lumnitzera racemosa Willd. (Combretaceae), Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. (Avicenniaceae or Verbenaceae), and Pemphis acidula Forst. (Lythraceae). A total of 61 chemicals (fatty acid derivatives, terpenoids, carotenoid derivatives, benzenoids, nitrogen-containing compounds, 13 unknown chemicals) were detected in the floral scents of the various species. The species displayed a distinct chemical profile ranging from only two chemicals in the floral scent of Kandelia candel to more than 25 chemicals in the floral scent of Nypa fruticans. All of the identified chemicals have been found in the floral scents of other angiosperms. The chemical profile of some species can be correlated with their floral morphology and pollinators. Received: August 18, 2001 / Accepted: October 9, 2001     

Ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin and obestatin on the gastrointestinal motility

Ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin and obestatin are derived from a common prohormone, preproghrelin by posttranslational processing, originating from endocrine cells in the stomach. Ghrelin exerts stimulatory effects on the motility of antrum and duodenum in both fed and fasted state of animals. On the other hand, des-acyl ghrelin exerts inhibitory effects on the motility of antrum but not on the motility of duodenum in the fasted state of animals. Obestatin exerts inhibitory effects on the motility of antrum and duodenum in the fed state but not in the fasted state of animals. NPY Y2 and Y4 receptors in the brain may mediate the action of ghrelin, CRF type 2 receptor in the brain may mediate the action of des-acyl ghrelin, whereas CRF type 1 and type 2 receptors in the brain may mediate the action of obestatin.     

Structural basis for the activation of microtubule assembly by the EB1 and p150Glued complex

Plus-end tracking proteins, such as EB1 and the dynein/dynactin complex, regulate microtubule dynamics. These proteins are thought to stabilize microtubules by forming a plus-end complex at microtubule growing ends with ill-defined mechanisms. Here we report the crystal structure of two plus-end complex components, the carboxy-terminal dimerization domain of EB1 and the microtubule binding (CAP-Gly) domain of the dynactin subunit p150Glued. Each molecule of the EB1 dimer contains two helices forming a conserved four-helix bundle, while also providing p150Glued binding sites in its flexible tail region. Combining crystallography, NMR, and mutational analyses, our studies reveal the critical interacting elements of both EB1 and p150Glued, whose mutation alters microtubule polymerization activity. Moreover, removal of the key flexible tail from EB1 activates microtubule assembly by EB1 alone, suggesting that the flexible tail negatively regulates EB1 activity. We, therefore, propose that EB1 possesses an auto-inhibited conformation, which is relieved by p150Glued as an allosteric activator.     

Differential Isotope Labeling Strategy for Determining the Structure of Myristoylated Recoverin by NMR Spectroscopy

The three-dimensional solution structure of recombinant bovine myristoylated recoverin in the Ca2+-free state has been refined using an array of isotope-assisted multidimensional heteronuclear NMR techniques. In some experiments, the myristoyl group covalently attached to the protein N-terminus was labeled with 13C and the protein was unlabeled or vice versa; in others, both were 13C-labeled. This differential labeling strategy was essential for structural refinement and can be applied to other acylated proteins. Stereospecific assignments of 41 pairs of -methylene protons and 48 methyl groups of valine and leucine were included in the structure refinement. The refined structure was constructed using a total of 3679 experimental NMR restraints, comprising 3242 approximate interproton distance restraints (including 153 between the myristoyl group and the polypeptide), 140 distance restraints for 70 backbone hydrogen bonds, and 297 torsion angle restraints. The atomic rms deviations about the averaged minimized coordinate positions for the secondary structure region of the N-terminal and C-terminal domains are 0.44 ± 0.07 and 0.55 ± 0.18 Å for backbone atoms, and 1.09 ± 0.07 and 1.10 ± 0.15 Å for all heavy atoms, respectively. The refined structure allows for a detailed analysis of the myristoyl binding pocket. The myristoyl group is in a slightly bent conformation: the average distance between C1 and C14 atoms of the myristoyl group is 14.6 Å. Hydrophobic residues Leu28, Trp31, and Tyr32 form a cluster that interacts with the front end of the myristoyl group (C1-C8), whereas residues Phe49, Phe56, Tyr86, Val87, and Leu90 interact with the tail end (C9-C14). The relatively deep hydrophobic pocket that binds the myristoyl group (C14:0) could also accommodate other naturally occurring acyl groups such as C12:0, C14:1, and C14:2 chains.