Flavonol glycosides with lipid accumulation inhibitory activity from Sedum sarmentosum

Three new flavonol glycosides, sarmenosides V–VII (1–3), were isolated from the whole plant of Sedum sarmentosum (Crassulaseae). The structures of 1–3 were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. Among the flavonoid constituents from S. sarmentosum, 1 and 3 were found to show oleic acid–albumin-induced lipid accumulation inhibitory activity.     

Analysis of the saccharification capability of high-functional cellulase JN11 for various pretreated biomasses through a comparison with commercially available counterparts

Although the capabilities of Trichoderma reesei cellulases have been greatly improved, these enzymes are still too costly for commercial use. The aim of this research was to assess the biomass saccharification capability of JN11, a recombinant cellulase, compared with that of the commercially available cellulases Accellerase 1500 and Cellic CTec. The activities of JN11, Accellerase 1500, and Cellic CTec were compared by using various types of cellulosic biomass, including rice straw, Erianthus, eucalyptus, and Japanese cedar. JN11 had higher saccharification capability for rice straw, Erianthus, eucalyptus, and Japanese cedar compared with the commercial cellulases. The JN11 saccharification of cellulosic biomasses, including hemicellulose (NaOH-pretreated biomasses), resulted in high glucose and xylose yields because of the high xylanase/xylosidase activity of JN11. Moreover, even JN11 saccharification of hemicellulose-free biomasses (sulfuric acid-, hydrothermally, and steam exploded-pretreated biomasses) resulted in high glucose yields. The cellulase activity of JN11, however, was comparable to that of its commercial counterparts. These findings indicate that the saccharification ability of cellulase is unrelated to its cellulase activity when measured against Avicel, CMC, pNP-lactoside, and other substrates. JN11 showed high activity for all types of pretreated cellulosic biomasses, indicating its usefulness for saccharification of various cellulosic biomasses.     

Entry from the cell surface of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus with cleaved S protein as revealed by pseudotype virus bearing cleaved S protein

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is known to take an endosomal pathway for cell entry; however, it is thought to enter directly from the cell surface when a receptor-bound virion spike (S) protein is affected by trypsin, which induces cleavage of the S protein and activates its fusion potential. This suggests that SARS-CoV bearing a cleaved form of the S protein can enter cells directly from the cell surface without trypsin treatment. To explore this possibility, we introduced a furin-like cleavage sequence in the S protein at amino acids 798 to 801 and found that the mutated S protein was cleaved and induced cell fusion without trypsin treatment when expressed on the cell surface. Furthermore, a pseudotype virus bearing a cleaved S protein was revealed to infect cells in the presence of a lysosomotropic agent as well as a protease inhibitor, both of which are known to block SARS-CoV infection via an endosome, whereas the infection of pseudotypes with an uncleaved, wild-type S protein was blocked by these agents. A heptad repeat peptide, derived from a SARS-CoV S protein that is known to efficiently block infections from the cell surface, blocked the infection by a pseudotype with a cleaved S protein but not that with an uncleaved S protein. Those results indicate that SARS-CoV with a cleaved S protein is able to enter cells directly from the cell surface and agree with the previous observation of the protease-mediated cell surface entry of SARS-CoV.     

Automated and simultaneous two-dimensional micro-high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of proline and hydroxyproline enantiomers in mammals

A fully automated 2D-HPLC system employing a microbore-ODS column and a narrowbore-enantioselective column has been developed for the simultaneous enantiomer determination of proline, trans-4-hydroxyproline and cis-4-hydroxyproline in mammals. As a first dimension, a monolithic ODS column of 0.53 mm i.d. showed 3-6 times larger theoretical plate numbers than those of particle-packed ODS columns, and the best enantioseparations were obtained by a Chiralpak QN-2-AX column of 1.5 mm i.d. in the second dimension (separation factors: 1.44-1.83). The R.S.D. values for within-day and dayto-day precisions were less than 5.8%, and the lower limits of quantitation for the D-enantiomers were 1 fmol. The present method was successfully applied to the determination of proline and hydroxyproline enantiomers in the serum and collagen-rich skin tissue. Small amounts of D-proline were found both in the serum (1.57 +/- 0.19 nmol/mL) and in the skin (0.093 +/- 0.015 nmol/mg protein), while the amounts of D-hydroxyproline were smaller than the lower limit of quantitation.     

Ebola virus matrix protein VP40 uses the COPII transport system for its intracellular transport

The Ebola virus matrix protein VP40 plays an important role in virion formation and viral egress from cells. However, the host cell proteins and mechanisms responsible for intracellular transport of VP40 prior to its contribution to virion formation remain to be elucidated. Therefore we used coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometric analyses to identify host proteins interacting with VP40. We found that Sec24C, a component of the host COPII vesicular transport system, interacts specifically with VP40 via VP40 amino acids 303 to 307. Coimmunoprecipitation and dominant-negative mutant studies indicated that the COPII transport system plays a critical role in VP40 intracellular transport to the plasma membrane. Marburg virus VP40 was also shown to use the COPII transport system for intracellular transport. These findings identify a conserved intersection between a host pathway and filovirus replication, an intersection that can be targeted in the development of new antiviral drugs.     

Characterization of the catalytic domains of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma reesei</Emphasis> endoglucanase I,II, and III,expressed in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

The genes encoding the catalytic domains (CD) of the three endoglucanases (EG I; Cel7B, EG II; Cel5A, and EG III; Cel12A) from Trichoderma reesei QM9414 were expressed in Escherichia coli strains Rosetta-gami B (DE3) pLacI or Origami B (DE3) pLacI and were found to produce functional intracellular proteins. Protein production by the three endoglucanase transformants was evaluated as a function of growth temperature. Maximal productivity of EG I-CD at 15°C, EG II-CD at 20°C and EG III at 37°C resulted in yields of 6.9, 72, and 50 mg/l, respectively. The endoglucanases were purified using a simple purification method based on removing E. coli proteins by isoelectric point precipitation. Specific activity toward carboxymethyl cellulose was found to be 65, 49, and 15 U/mg for EG I-CD, EG II-CD, and EG III, respectively. EG II-CD was able to cleave 1,3–1,4-β-d-glucan and soluble cellulose derivatives. EG III was found to be active against cellulose, 1,3–1,4-β-d-glucan and xyloglucan, while EG I-CD was active against cellulose, 1,3–1,4-β-d-glucan, xyloglucan, xylan, and mannan.     

Identification of the P-TEFb complex-interacting domain of Brd4 as an inhibitor of HIV-1 replication by functional cDNA library screening in MT-4 cells

We conducted a phenotypic cDNA screening using a T cell line-based assay to identify human genes that render cells resistant to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). We isolated potential HIV-1 resistance genes, including the carboxy terminal domain (CTD) of bromodomain-containing protein 4 (Brd4). Expression of GFP-Brd4-CTD was tolerated in MT-4 and Jurkat cells in which HIV-1 replication was markedly inhibited. We provide direct experimental data demonstrating that Brd4-CTD serves as a specific inhibitor of HIV-1 replication in T cells. Our method is a powerful tool for the identification of host factors that regulate HIV-1 replication in T cells.     

Possible involvement of an FKBP family member protein from a psychrotrophic bacterium Shewanella sp. SIB1 in cold-adaptation.

A psychrotrophic bacterium Shewanella sp. strain SIB1 was grown at 4 and 20 degrees C, and total soluble proteins extracted from the cells were analyzed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Comparison of these patterns showed that the cellular content of a protein with a molecular mass of 28 kDa and an isoelectric point of four greatly increased at 4 degrees C compared to that at 20 degrees C. Determination of the N-terminal amino acid sequence, followed by the cloning and sequencing of the gene encoding this protein, revealed that this protein is a member of the FKBP family of proteins with an amino acid sequence identity of 56% to Escherichia coli FKBP22. This protein was overproduced in E. coli in a His-tagged form, purified, and analyzed for peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity. When this activity was determined by the protease coupling assay using N-succinyl-Ala-Leu-Pro-Phe-p-nitroanilide as a substrate at various temperatures, the protein exhibited the highest activity at 10 degrees C with a k(cat)/K(m) value of 0.87 micro m(-1) x s(-1). When the peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity was determined by the RNase T(1) refolding assay at 10 and 20 degrees C, the protein exhibited higher activity at 10 degrees C with a k(cat)/K(m) value of 0.50 micro m(-1) x s(-1). These k(cat)/K(m) values are lower but comparable to those of E. coli FKBP22. We propose that a FKBP family protein is involved in cold-adaptation of psychrotrophic bacteria.