Action of porcine-pancreatic amylase on oxidized-reduced amylose of low degree of modification

Amylose was oxidized with 0.1–0.2 mol of periodate per glucose residue (G), and then reduced with sodium borohydride or borotritide to give an oxidized-reduced amylose of low degree of modification. Mild acid hydrolysis gave erythritol, 2-O-α-d-glucosyl-l-erythritol, higher homologs, and other products. Extensive action of porcine-pancreatic amylase on the polymer gave, besides d-glucose and maltose, oligosaccharides containing one or more oxidized-reduced (modified, M), acyclic residues. The enzymic products containing only one oxidized-reduced residue were identified as a modified tetrasaccharide (MG₃) and a modified pentasaccharide (MG₄). Structures of MG₃ and MG₄ were identified by a combination of enzymic and chemical approaches. With glucoamylase, MG₄ was converted into MG plus d-glucose, whereas MG₃ was totally resistant. On mild acidic hydrolysis, MG₃ was converted into 2-O-α-d-glucosyl-d-erythritol plus maltose. These results indicate that MG₃ is G-M-G-G and that MG₄ is G-G-M-G-G. In principle, MG₄ could occupy the five d-glucose residue, substrate-binding site of porcine-pancreatic amylase in such a way that M, the acyclic structure replacing a d-glucose residue, is placed just to the “left” of the catalytic site. The modified structure, being very vulnerable to acidic hydrolysis, might then be expected to be very readily attacked by the amylase, but in fact, it is not.     

Energetic performance analysis of staged palliative surgery in tricuspid atresia using vector flow mapping

Background

Staged palliative surgery markedly shifts the balance of volume load on a single ventricle and pulmonary vascular bed. Blalock-Taussig shunt necessitates a single ventricle eject blood to both the systemic and pulmonary circulation. On the contrary, bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt release the single ventricle from pulmonary circulation.

Case presentation

We report a case of tricuspid atresia patient who underwent first palliative surgery and second palliative surgery. Volume loading condition was assessed by energetic parameters (energy loss, kinetic energy) intraoperatively using vector flow mapping. These energetic parameters can simply indicate the volume loading condition.

Conclusion

Vector flow mapping was useful tool for monitoring volume loading condition in congenital heart disease surgery.

     

Mevalonate-Dependent Enzymatic Synthesis of Amorphadiene Driven by an ATP-Regeneration System Using Polyphosphate Kinase

Polyphosphate kinase (PPK), which can regenerate ATP from ADP, was utilized in the mevalonate-dependent enzymatic synthesis of amorphadiene. The activity of PPK, cloned from Escherichia coli, was determined by (31)P-NMR. The yield from the PPK-catalyzed synthesis was 25%, 2.5 times higher than that without PPK. The (31)P-NMR analysis of the final reaction mixture indicated no accumulation of intermediates.     

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of non-steroidal farnesoid X receptor (FXR) antagonist

A series of substituted-isoxazole derivatives was prepared as candidate farnesoid X receptor (FXR) antagonists, based on our previously proposed ligand superfamily concept. Structure-activity relationship studies indicated that the shape and the structural bulkiness of the substituent at the 5-position of the isoxazole ring affected FXR-antagonistic activity. Compounds 15 g (5-substituent: 2-naphthyl) and 15 h (5-substituent: 4-biphenyl) were identified as potent antagonists with higher selectivity for FXR over progesterone receptor than the naturally occurring FXR antagonist GS. The 5-substituent is also a critical determinant of the characteristic corepressor recruitment profile of this class of FXR antagonists, though distinct mechanisms appear to be involved: 15 h stabilizes the corepressor-nuclear receptor interaction, while 15 g inhibits coactivator recruitment.     

DIDS, a chemical compound that inhibits RAD51-mediated homologous pairing and strand exchange

RAD51, an essential eukaryotic DNA recombinase, promotes homologous pairing and strand exchange during homologous recombination and the recombinational repair of double strand breaks. Mutations that up- or down-regulate RAD51 gene expression have been identified in several tumors, suggesting that inappropriate expression of the RAD51 activity may cause tumorigenesis. To identify chemical compounds that affect the RAD51 activity, in the present study, we performed the RAD51-mediated strand exchange assay in the presence of 185 chemical compounds. We found that 4,4′-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (DIDS) efficiently inhibited the RAD51-mediated strand exchange. DIDS also inhibited the RAD51-mediated homologous pairing in the absence of RPA. A surface plasmon resonance analysis revealed that DIDS directly binds to RAD51. A gel mobility shift assay showed that DIDS significantly inhibited the DNA-binding activity of RAD51. Therefore, DIDS may bind near the DNA binding site(s) of RAD51 and compete with DNA for RAD51 binding.     

Diphenylmethane skeleton as a multi-template for nuclear receptor ligands: preparation of FXR and PPAR ligands

Novel, potent farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) agonists were obtained by using a diphenylmethane skeleton as a substitute for a steroid skeleton.     

Ypt11 functions in bud-directed transport of the Golgi by linking Myo2 to the coatomer subunit Ret2

A yeast class V myosin Myo2 transports the Golgi into the bud during its inheritance. However, the mechanism that links the Golgi to Myo2 is unknown. Here, we report that Ypt11, a Rab GTPase that reportedly interacts with Myo2, binds to Ret2, a subunit of the coatomer complex. When Ypt11 is overproduced, Ret2 and the Golgi markers, Och1 and Sft2, are accumulated in the growing bud and are lost in the mother cell. In a ret2 mutant that produces the Ret2 protein with reduced affinity to Ypt11, no such accumulation is observed upon overproduction of Ypt11. At a certain stage of budding, it is known that the late Golgi cisternae labeled with Sec7-GFP show polarized distribution in the bud. We find that this polarization of late Golgi cisternae is not observed in the ypt11Delta mutant. Indeed, analyses of Sec7-GFP dynamics with spatio-temporal image correlation spectroscopy (STICS) and fluorescence loss in photobleaching (FLIP) reveals that Ypt11 is required for the vectorial actin-dependent movement of the late Golgi from the mother cell toward the emerging bud. These results indicate that the Ypt11 and Ret2 are components of a Myo2 receptor complex that functions during the Golgi inheritance into the growing bud.     

Depletion and deletion analyses of eucaryotic translation initiation factor 1A in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Translation initiation factor eIF1A is a highly conserved, small, acidic protein that is required for cell growth in yeast. Biochemical studies in vitro implicate eIF1A in dissociating ribosomes, promoting methionyl-tRNA(i) binding to 40S ribosomal subunits, scanning of mRNAs and recognizing the AUG initiation codon. To elucidate the pleiotropic functions of eIF1A in vivo, the factor was depleted by placing its gene behind the repressible GAL1 promoter. After Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were shifted to glucose medium, depletion of eIF1A was seen after 3-4 generations, corresponding with cessation of cell growth. Polysome profiles of the depleted strain showed ribosome run-off from mRNAs, indicating that eIF1A is involved in the initiation phase of translation. A decrease in free 40S ribosomes and an apparent increase in free 60S ribosomes were attributed to the formation of 40S subunit dimers. The result suggests that one of the functions of eIF1A is to prevent formation of 40S dimers. Mutant forms of eIF1A lacking either the positively charged N-terminal region or the negatively charged C-terminal region were constructed and tested for their ability to confer cell growth as the sole source of eIF1A. Either deletion supports cell growth, albeit at a slower rate, and causes a reduction in polysomes, although eIF1A lacking the N-terminal region is more deleterious. Therefore the charged terminal regions contribute to, but are not absolutely essential for, eIF1A function.