Effects of ω3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Growth and Tissue Fatty Acid Compositions of Maternal Rats and Their Progeny

The effects of ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA; mainly eicosapentaenoic acid (20: 5, ω3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6, ω3)] on the growth, tissue weights and fatty acid compositions of tissue total lipids in female rats and their progeny were investigated. Female rats of the Wistar strain, weighing 77~94g, were fed a 25% casein diet containing 5% of either corn oil (control), sardine oil or PUFA ethyl ester for 8 ~ 9 weeks prior to mating, and during gestation and lactation, and then for a further 2 weeks. The progeny were weaned to the maternal diet and then the latter was administered for a further 2 weeks. Dietary changes in the body weights of the dams were not generally seen, but the body weights at birth and growth of the offspring from the females supplied with the PUFA diet were inferior compared to those of the other groups. The fertility did not differ among the dietary groups. The weights of several tissues in the dams and the progeny increased in proportion to their body weights but not that of the progeny brain, which remained ' almost unchanged by the dietary fats. As to the fatty acid compositions of total lipids in the tissues, on the whole, decreased levels of ωβ fatty acids and increased percentages of ω3 fatty acids were found in the sardine and PUFA groups, the changes being greater in the PUFA group than in the sardine one. Such findings due to the feeding of PUFA were more remarkable in the progeny compared with in the dams. Eicosatrienoic acid (20: 3, ω9) was almost completely undetectable in the tissue total lipids of all the dietary groups.     

2-(2-Phenylmorpholin-4-yl)pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones; A new class of potent,selective and orally active glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitors

A series of 2-(2-phenylmorpholin-4-yl)pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones was synthesized and examined for their inhibitory activity against glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). We found 21, 29 and 30 to possess potent in vitro GSK-3β inhibitory activity with good in vitro PK profiles. 21 demonstrated significant decrease of tau phosphorylation after oral administration in mice and excellent PK profiles.     

6-(4-Pyridyl)pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones as CNS penetrant glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitors

The discovery of a series of 6-(4-pyridyl)pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones derived from a hit compound with low molecular weight and sufficient chemical space is reported. Transformation of substituents led to subnanomolar potent inhibitors with in vivo tau phoshorylation lowering activity.     

Lysinibacillus chungkukjangi sp. nov., isolated from Chungkukjang, Korean fermented soybean food

One bacterial strain 2RL3-2^T was isolated from Chungkukjang, a traditional Korean fermented food made from soybeans, and determined to be a Gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming rod. Growth of the novel strain was optimal at 30°C and pH 7.0. The 16S rRNA gene of strain 2RL3-2^T showed the highest level of sequence similarity to Lysinibacillus sinduriensis BLB-1^T (99.0%), Lysinibacillus massiliensis 4400831^T (97.1%), Lysinibacillus xylanilyticus XDB9^T (97.0%), and Lysinibacillus odysseyi 34hs-1^T (96.8%). Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain 2RL3-2^T formed a robust cluster with L. sinduriensis BLB-1^T, L. massiliensis 4400831^T, and L. odyssey 34hs-1^T. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0 (47.3%), iso-C_16:0 (16.3%), and anteiso-C_17:0 (11.3%), and the only menaquinone was MK-7. Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidylethanolamine were the major polar lipids, along with an unknown phospholipid and two unknown lipids. The peptidoglycan type was A4α, with an interpeptide bridge of l-Lys-d-Asp. DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain 2RL3-2^T and closely related Lysinibacillus species were below 43±4%. Therefore, based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic characteristics, it was determined that strain 2RL3-2^T represents a novel species of the genus Lysinibacillus, for which the name Lysinibacillus chungkukjangi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 2RL3-2^T (=KACC 16626^T =NBRC 108948^T).     

Short time ionic liquids pretreatment on lignocellulosic biomass to enhance enzymatic saccharification

The potential of 1-buthyl-3-methylpyridinium chloride, [Bmpy][Cl], as a pretreatment solvent for lignocellulosic biomasses, Bagasse and Eucalyptus, was investigated. The yields of regenerated biomasses ranged between 35% and 96%, and varied according to the pretreatment time, type of ionic liquid (IL) and biomass. The pretreatment of the biomass with [Bmpy][Cl] resulted in up to 8-fold increase in the cellulose conversion when compared with the untreated biomass. For a short pretreatment period (i.e., 10 min), [Bmpy][Cl] showed better performance than 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Emim][OAc]) with respect to the initial enzymatic saccharification rates. The increase in the reaction rates with [Emim][OAc] treatment was because of a reduction in the cellulose crystallinity. In contrast, a decrease in the crystallinity index was not clearly observed for the biomass pretreated with [Bmpy][Cl], and the enhancement of the enzymatic saccharification rates using this IL is presumably due to a reduction in the degree of polymerization of cellulose in the biomass.     

Dual recognition of S 1 and S 4 pistils by S 4 sm pollen in self-incompatibility of Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai)

Most cultivars of Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) exhibit gametophytic self-incompatibility controlled by a single S-locus with multiple S-haplotypes. A self-compatible (SC) cultivar, ??Osanijisseiki?? (S ₂ S ₄ ^sm ), arising by a bud mutation of ??Nijisseiki?? (S ₂ S ₄ ), has a stylar-part mutant S ₄ ^sm -haplotype, which lacks the pistil S ₄ gene, which is the S ₄ -RNase gene. To efficiently breed SC cultivars, we selected ??Nashi Chuukanbohon Nou 1 Gou?? (??NCN1??) harboring homozygous S ₄ ^sm from a self-progeny of Osanijisseiki and crossed it with ??Okusankichi?? (S ₅ S ₇ ), ??Hakkou?? (S ₄ S ₅ ), or ??Ri-14?? (S ₁ S ₂ ). Fruit set (%) was compared after self-pollination of the trees in the three progenies. All trees derived from the three progenies were predicted to be SC, except for the S ₄ S ₄ ^sm trees in the progeny of NCN1 × Hakkou. However, S ₁ S ₄ ^sm trees in the progeny of NCN1 × Ri-14 proved to be self-incompatible (SI). The pollen from Osanijisseiki was incompatible with ??Doitsu?? (S ₁ S ₂ ), but that from Nijisseiki was compatible, suggesting a possibility that the S ₄ ^sm pollen was rejected by S ₁ -harboring pistils. This possibility was clarified by crossing the pollen from NCN1 (S ₄ ^sm S ₄ ^sm ) to Doitsu, ??Imamuraaki?? (S ₁ S ₆ ), or ??Hougetsu?? (S ₁ S ₇ ), all of which proved incompatible. On the other hand, S ₄ ^sm pollen was accepted by pistils harboring the S ₂ , S ₃ , S ₅ , S ₆ , S ₇ , S ₉ , and S _k haplotypes. The dual recognition of S ₁ and S ₄ pistils by S ₄ ^sm pollen can be attributed to a mutation of the pollen S ₄ gene(s).     

Sucrose inversion by immobilized yeast cells in a complete mixing reactor

Using whole cell invertase of Saccharomyces pastorianus, entrapped in spherical agar pellets, sucrose hydrolysis was carried out in a continuously fed fluidized bed reactor. The effective rate of reaction determined experimentally for the catalytic pellet was correlated with particle radius (R), intraparticle concentration of enzyme (E_p) and external concentration of substrate (S _R). The results were elucidated by theoretical analysis incorporating internal mass transfer resistance. At high degrees of diffusional resistance, the effectiveness factor was successfully estimted from Bischoff's equation. A dimensionless number, m_A ? R(k₂E_p/K_mD)^0.5(K_m/(K_m + S _R)), was used conveniently to predict the effectiveness factor in those cases wher the intraparticle diffusional effect was less significant. This number was employed to determine critical pellet size for an optimal reaction. The relationship between the properties of the pellet (size and intraparticle enzyme activity) and its apparent kinetic constants (k′₂ and K′_m), estimated according to Lineweaver-Burk, are discussed.     

How Live Performance Moves the Human Heart

We investigated how the audience member’s physiological reactions differ as a function of listening context (i.e., live versus recorded music contexts). Thirty-seven audience members were assigned to one of seven pianists’ performances and listened to his/her live performances of six pieces (fast and slow pieces by Bach, Schumann, and Debussy). Approximately 10 weeks after the live performance, each of the audience members returned to the same room and listened to the recorded performances of the same pianists’ via speakers. We recorded the audience members’ electrocardiograms in listening to the performances in both conditions, and analyzed their heart rates and the spectral features of the heart-rate variability (i.e., HF/TF, LF/HF). Results showed that the audience’s heart rate was higher for the faster than the slower piece only in the live condition. As compared with the recorded condition, the audience’s sympathovagal balance (LF/HF) was less while their vagal nervous system (HF/TF) was activated more in the live condition, which appears to suggest that sharing the ongoing musical moments with the pianist reduces the audience’s physiological stress. The results are discussed in terms of the audience’s superior attention and temporal entrainment to live performance.     

Microcalorimetric study of aerobic growth of Escherichia coli in batch culture

Thermograms of an aerobic batch culture of Escherichia coli K-12 in synthetic medium were obtained by using a newly designed mecrocalorimeter. The thermograms reflected sharp changes of metabolic activity in glucose-, nitrogen-, or oxygen-limited cultures. The thermo chemical analysis for each culture condition was done using the data of the heat evolved, the head of combustion of cells, and the elementary analysis of the cells. The efficiency of energy conversion determined experimentally revealed nutritional differences.