Amphioxus homologs of Go-coupled rhodopsin and peropsin having 11-cis- and all-trans-retinals as their chromophores

Because of low contents in the native organs and failure of the expression in cultured cells, the chromophore configurations of the pigments in Go-coupled opsin and peropsin groups in the opsin family are unknown. Here we have succeeded in expression of the amphioxus homologs of these groups in HEK293s cells and found that they can be regenerated with 11-cis- and all-trans-retinals, respectively. Light isomerized the chromophores of these opsins into the all-trans and 11-cis forms, respectively. The results strongly suggest that the physiological function of peropsin would be a retinal photoisomerase, while 11-cis configuration is necessary for the Go-coupled opsin groups.     

Incorporation and accumulation of docosahexaenoic acid from the medium by Pichia methanolica HA-32

Yeast species were screened for the incorporation and accumulation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with a yeast-malt medium containing 0.5% free fatty acid prepared from fish oil (DHA, 28% of total fatty acids in fish oil). The most suitable strain was Pichia methanolica HA-32. The optimum cultivation conditions for the accumulation of lipids and incorporation of DHA were as follows: 5% glucose, 20% yeast extract, and 3% free fatty acid in the medium, at pH 6.0 and with incubated at 25 degrees C for 3 days. Under these conditions, about 200 mg of total lipids and 60 mg of DHA were recovered from 1 g of dry cells. The accumulation of DHA in cells increased in conjunction with the amount of yeast extract added to the medium. Vitamin B groups and minerals also had an effect on the accumulation of DHA. Choline and K2HPO4, which caused browning of the medium, promoted the accumulation of DHA in cells.     

Regression by ACE inhibition of arteriosclerotic changes induced by chronic blockade of NO synthesis in rats

We previously reported that chronic inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis with N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) induces vascular inflammation at week 1 and produces subsequent arteriosclerosis at week 4 and that cotreatment with an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor prevents such changes. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that treatment with an ACE inhibitor after development of vascular inflammation could inhibit arteriosclerosis in rats. Wistar-Kyoto rats were randomized to four groups: the control group received no drugs, the 4wL-NAME group received L-NAME (100 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)) for 4 wk, the 1wL + 3wNT group received L-NAME for 1 wk and no treatment for the subsequent 3 wk, and the 1wL + 3wACEI group received L-NAME for 1 wk and the ACE inhibitor imidapril (20 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)) for the subsequent 3 wk. After 4 wk, we observed significant arteriosclerosis of the coronary artery (medial thickening and fibrosis) and increased cardiac ACE activity in the 1wL + 3wNT group as well as in the 4wL-NAME group, but not in the 1wL + 3wACEI group. In a separate study, we examined apoptosis formation and found that posttreatment with imidapril (20 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)) or an ANG II AT1-receptor antagonist, CS-866 (5 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)), induced apoptosis (TdT-mediated nick end-labeling) in monocytes and myofibroblasts appearing in the inflammatory lesions associated with a clear degradation in the heart (DNA electrophoresis). In conclusion, treatment with the ACE inhibitor after 1 wk of L-NAME administration inhibited arteriosclerosis by inducing apoptosis in the cells with inflammatory lesions in this study, suggesting that increased ANG II activity inhibited apoptosis of the cells with inflammatory lesions and thus contributed to the development of arteriosclerosis.     

Energy-yielding properties of SoxB-type cytochrome bo(3) terminal oxidase: analyses involving Bacillus stearothermophilus K1041 and its mutant strains

We isolated a K17q8 mutant from K17 mutant cells of Bacillus stearothermophilus which contain SoxB-type cytochrome bo(3) as well as cytochrome bd but not SoxM-type cytochrome caa(3), which is the main terminal oxidase in B. stearothermophilus K1041. The respiration of K17q8 was highly sensitive to as little as 10 microM cyanide, indicating that the main terminal oxidase is cytochrome bo(3). The aerobic growth yield of K17q8 was lower than that of wild-type K1041, but higher than that of parental K17. The H(+)/O ratio of K17q8 was about 5, i.e. a little lower than the 6.1-6.5 of K1041, but higher than the 2.9-3.1 of K17 [Sone et al. (1999) J. Biosci. Bioeng. 87, 495-499]. Analyses of membrane fragments indicated that K17q8 contains about 0.2 nmol cytochrome bo(3) per mg membrane protein, and scarcely any subunits of cytochromes caa(3) and bd. From the membrane fraction of K17q8, cytochrome bo(3) was purified and shown to be composed of two subunits with apparent molecular masses of 56 and 19 kDa. The enzyme contained protoheme IX and heme O, as the main low-spin heme and high-spin heme. Analysis of the substrate specificity indicated that the high-affinity site is very specific to cytochrome c-551, a cytochrome c which is a membrane-bound lipoprotein of thermophilic Bacillus. The I(50) of purified cytochrome bo(3) was determined to be 4 microM, indicating that cytochrome bo(3) among the three terminal oxidases in B. stearothermophilus was most susceptible to cyanide. The respiration of K17q8 was mostly inhibited by the addition of cyanide at this concentration.     

Purification and characterization of cytochrome c-553 from Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori, a microaerophilic Gram-negative spiral bacterium residing in the human stomach, contains a small size soluble cytochrome c. This cytochrome c was purified from the soluble fraction of H. pylori by conventional chromatographies involving octyl-cellulose and CM-Toyopearl. Its reduced form gave an alpha absorption band at 553 nm, and thus the cytochrome was named H. pylori cytochrome c-553. The cytochrome, giving a band below 10,000 Da upon SDS-PAGE, was determined to have a mass of 8,998 by time of flight mass spectroscopy. Its N-terminal peptide sequence was TDVKALAKS---, indicating that the nascent polypeptide was cleaved to produce a signal peptide of 19 amino acid residues and a mature protein composed of 77 amino acid residues. The cb-type cytochrome c oxidase oxidized ferrocytochrome c-553 of this bacterium actively (V(max) of about 250 s(-1)) with a small K(m) (0.9 microM). Analysis of the effect of the salt concentration on the oxidase activity indicated that oxidation of cytochrome c-553 is highly inhibited under high ionic conditions. The amino acid sequence of H. pylori cytochrome c-553 showed the closest similarity to that of Desulfovibrio vulgaris cytochrome c-553, and these sequences showed a weak relationship to that of the cytochrome c(8)-group among class I cytochromes c.     

C8/119S mutation of major mite allergen Derf-2 leads to degenerate secondary structure and molecular polymerization and induces potent and exclusive Th1 cell differentiation

Hyposensitization therapy for atopic diseases has been conducted for decades but suffered from many problems including anaphylactic reactions. We previously developed a mutant protein of the major mite allergen Derf-2, C8/119S, which showed reduced binding to IgE. The C8/119S mutant was shown to exhibit more efficient hyposensitizing effect than Derf-2 in the animal model of allergic bronchial asthma. In the present study, we indicate that C8/119S exhibits markedly augmented immunogenicity for the proliferation of Derf-2-specific human T cells and T cell clones irrespective of the epitope specificity as compared with Derf-2. Furthermore, C8/119S has induced potent and almost exclusive differentiation of Th1 cells from the peripheral blood of atopic patients in vitro. Neither Ag dosage effect nor absence of B cell-mediated Ag presentation could fully account for these effects. C8/119S has been indicated to lose the characteristic beta-barrel structure as judged by circular dichroism spectroscopic analysis and to polymerize solubly in physiological condition. Heating of Derf-2 also caused less stable molecular aggregation, but it hardly affected the secondary structure and failed to induce such a polarity toward the Th1 cell differentiation. These results have indicated that the degenerate secondary structure of C8/119S leading to stable molecular polymerization is primarily responsible for the marked increase in T cell-immunogenicity and the induction of exclusive Th1 cell differentiation in atopic patients. It has been suggested strongly that the recombinant C8/119S protein can provide an effective Ag with the least risk of anaphylaxis for allergen immunotherapy against house dust mite in human.     

Serum interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein are markedly elevated in acute decompensated heart failure patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction

Cytokines play important roles in heart failure (HF). We examined whether cytokine levels are different in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) patients between with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSDF) and with preserved LV ejection function (PLVEF). We studied 81 HF patients who were admitted to our hospital with acute decompensation. They were divided into two groups: LVSDF (LVEF) < 45% and PLVEF (LVEF ? 45%). Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and IL-18 and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were measured on admission and at discharge. On admission, IL-6 and hsCRP were higher in LVSDF than in PLVEF. IL-6 and hsCRP decreased after treatment in LVSDF, but not in PLVEF, while plasma BNP levels decreased in both HF with treatment. There was no difference in TNF-α or in IL-18 level between LVSDF and PLVEF, and they did not change after treatment in either group. In conclusion, cytokine profiles were different in ADHF between those with LVSDF and PLVEF. Activation of IL-6–hsCRP pathway may play a specific role in ADHF with LVSDF.     

Proxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α mediates high-fat, diet-enhanced daily oscillation of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity in mice

Acute thrombotic events frequently occur in the early morning among hyperlipidemic patients. The activity of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a potent inhibitor of the fibrinolytic system, oscillates daily, and this is considered one mechanism that underlies the morning onset of acute thrombotic events in hyperlipidemia. Although several studies have reported the expression of the PAI-1 gene is under the control of the circadian clock system, the molecular mechanism of the circadian transactivation of PAI-1 gene under hyperlipidemic conditions remains to be elucidated. Here, the authors investigated whether hyperlipidemia induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) enhances the daily oscillation of plasma PAI-1 activity in mice. The mRNA levels of the PAI-1 gene were increased and rhythmically fluctuated with high-oscillation amplitude in the livers of wild-type mice fed with the HFD. Circadian expression of proxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) mRNA was also augmented as well as that of PAI-1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed the HFD-induced hyperlipidemia significantly increased the binding of PPARα to the PAI-1 promoter. Luciferase reporter analysis using primary hepatocytes revealed CLOCK/BMAL1-mediated PAI-1 promoter activity was synergistically enhanced by cotransfection with PPARα/retinoid X receptor-α (RXRα), and this synergistic transactivation was repressed by negative limbs of the circadian clock, PERIOD2 and CRYPTOCHROME1. As expected, HFD-induced PAI-1 mRNA expression was significantly attenuated in PPARα-null mice. These results suggest a molecular link between the circadian clock and lipid metabolism system in the regulation of PAI-1 gene expression, and provide an aid for understanding why hyperlipidemia increases the risk of acute thrombotic events in the morning.