ATP-induced shrinkage of DNA with MukB protein and the MukBEF complex of Escherichia coli

Fluorescence microscopic observation of individual T4 DNA molecules revealed that the MukBEF complex (bacterial condensin) and its subunit, the MukB (a member of the SMC [structural maintenance of chromosomes] superfamily) homodimer, of Escherichia coli markedly shrunk large DNA molecules in the presence of hydrolyzable ATP. In contrast, in the presence of ADP or ATP-gammaS, the conformation of DNA was almost not changed. This suggests that the ATPase activity of subunit MukB is essential for shrinking large DNA molecules. Stretching experiments on the shrunken DNA molecules in the presence of ATP and MukBEF indicated a cross-bridging interaction between DNA molecules.     

Up-regulation of the peroxisomal β-oxidation system occurs in butyrate-grown Candida tropicalis following disruption of the gene encoding peroxisomal 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase

In the yeast Candida tropicalis, two thiolase isozymes, peroxisomal acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase and peroxisomal 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, participate in the peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation system. Their individual contributions have been demonstrated in cells grown on butyrate, with C. tropicalis able to grow in the absence of either one. In the present study, a lack of peroxisomal 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase protein resulted in increased expression (up-regulation) of acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase and other peroxisomal proteins, whereas a lack of peroxisomal acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase produced no corresponding effect. Overexpression of the acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase gene did not suppress the up-regulation or the growth retardation on butyrate in cells without peroxisomal 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, even though large amounts of the overexpressed acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase were detected in most of the peroxisomes of butyrate-grown cells. These results provide important evidence of the greater contribution of 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase to the peroxisomal β-oxidation system than acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase in C. tropicalis and a novel insight into the regulation of the peroxisomal β-oxidation system.     

Improvement of isoflavone aglycones production using β-glucosidase secretory produced in recombinant Aspergillus oryzae

β-Glucosidase (BGL1) from Aspergillus oryzae was efficiently produced in recombinant A. oryzae using sodM promoter-mediated expression system. The yield of BGL1 was 960 mg/l in liquid culture, which is 20-fold higher than the yield of BGL1 produced using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recombinant BGL1 converted isoflavone glycosides into isoflavone aglycones more efficiently than β-glucosidase from almond. In addition, BGL1 produced isoflavone aglycones even in the presence of the insoluble form of isoflavone glycosides.     

Comprehensive characterization of secreted aspartic proteases encoded by a virulence gene family in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is a commensal organism, but causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. Certain factors such as yeast-hyphae transition and hydrolytic enzymes are suggested as virulence attributes of C. albicans. Among them, 10 types of secreted aspartic protease (SAP) genes have received particular attention as a major virulence gene family. However, their full functional repertoire, including its biochemical properties, remains to be elucidated. Hence, we purified all Sap isozymes using Pichia pastoris and comprehensively determined and compared their biochemical properties. While optimum pH of Sap7 was 6.5 and that of Sap8 was 2.5, presence of other Sap isozymes functioning within a broad range of optimum pH could allow C. albicans to survive and cause infections in various tissues. The substrate specificities of Sap isozymes were analysed by using FRETS-25Xaa libraries. Sap7 and Sap10 showed high substrate specificity, while other Sap isozymes had broad substrate specificities. Principal component analysis revealed that the 10 Sap isozymes were clustered into 3 distinct groups in terms of their substrate specificities. Interestingly, Sap4-6, which are coproduced in the hyphal form, were clustered as the same group, indicating that they may target similar host proteins. These results will lead to further understanding of C. albicans pathogenicity.     

Babesia gibsoni: Detection in blood smears and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues using deoxyribonucleic acid in situ hybridization analysis

In this study, we attempted to detect Babesia gibsoni in blood smears and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues obtained from B. gibsoni-infected dogs using in situ hybridization. Using a digoxigenin-conjugated deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) probe, both intraerythrocytic and exoerythrocytic parasites in the culture could be specifically stained in blood smears fixed with 4% phosphate-buffered paraformaldehyde. This indicated that genomic DNA extracted from the parasites could be detected using in situ hybridization. Moreover, the parasite could be specifically stained in paraffin-embedded spleen, lymph node, and kidney sections using in situ hybridization. Infected erythrocytes in blood vessels in the spleen and kidney, hemosiderin-laden macrophages in the spleen, and phagocytized erythrocytes, which seemed to be infected with the parasites, in lymph nodes were also specifically stained. This suggests that in situ hybridization can be utilized to investigate both the life cycle of B. gibsoni and the pathological condition of canine babesiosis.     

Identification of S-acyl glutathione conjugates of bile acids in human bile by means of LC/ESI-MS

Previous work from this laboratory has reported the biotransformation of bile acids (BA) into the thioester-linked glutathione (GSH) conjugates via the intermediary metabolites formed by BA:CoA ligase and shown that such GSH conjugates are excreted into the bile in healthy rats as well as rats dosed with lithocholic acid or ursodeoxycholic acid. To examine whether such novel BA-GSH conjugates are present in human bile, we determined the concentration of the GSH conjugates of the five BA that predominate in human bile. Bile was obtained from three infants (age 4, 10, and 13 months) and the BA-GSH conjugates quantified by means of liquid chromatography (LC)/electrospray ionization (ESI)-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (MS) in negative-ion scan mode, monitoring characteristic transitions of the analytes. By LC/ESI-MS, only primary BA were present in biliary BA, indicating that the dehydroxylating flora had not yet developed. GSH conjugates of chenodeoxycholic and lithocholic acid were present in concentrations ranging from 27 to 1120 pmol/ml, several orders of magnitude less than those of natural BA N-acylamidates. GSH conjugates were not present, however, in the ductal bile obtained from 10 adults (nine choledocholithiasis, one bile duct cancer). Our results indicate that BA-GSH conjugates are formed and excreted in human bile, at least in infants, although this novel mode of conjugation is a very minor pathway.