New PEG2 type polyethylene glycol derivatives for protein modification

Although proteins with 2,4-bis (o-methoxypolyethylene glycol)-6-chloro-s-triazine (PEG2-Cl) as a divalent PEG modification have some advantages compared to proteins with the linear PEG modification, PEG2Cl cannot react with amino groups at neutral pH. Therefore, we have prepared new PEG2 derivatives that have an activated ester as the functional group. We confirmed that these derivatives are useful for the divalent modification of proteins, such as bSOD and rhG-CSF. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

Methane production from rice straw pretreated by a mixture of acetic–propionic acid

Rice straw was treated with a mixed solution of acetic acid and propionic acid to enhance its biodegradability. The effect of acid concentration, pretreatment time, and the ratio of solid to liquid on the delignification performance of rice straw were investigated. It was found that the optimal conditions for hydrolysis were 0.75 mol/L acid concentration, 2 h pretreatment time and 1:20 solid to liquid ratio. Batch methane fermentation of untreated rice straw, pretreated rice straw, and the hydrolysates (the liquid fraction) of pretreatment were conducted at 35 °C for 30 days, and the results indicated that methane production of rice straw can be enhanced by dilute organic acid pretreatment. Moreover, most of the acid in hydrolysates can also be converted into methane gas.     

Bisleuconothine A,an eburnane–aspidosperma bisindole alkaloid from Leuconotis griffithii

A new bisindole alkaloid, bisleuconothine A (1) consisting of an eburnane–aspidosperma type skeleton, was isolated from the bark of Leuconotis griffithii. The structure including absolute stereochemistry was elucidated on the basis of 2D NMR data and X-ray analysis. Bisleuconothine A (1) showed cell growth inhibitory activity against various human cancer cell lines.     

Synthesis and antibacterial activities of new quinolone derivatives utilizing 1-azabicyclo[1.1.0]butane

The ring-opening reactions of 1-azabicyclo[1.1.0]butane 3 with thiols 6a-f gave 3-sulfenylazetidine derivatives 7a-f in 50-92% yields. Treatment of 3 with aromatic amines 11a-e and dibenzylamine 11f in the presence of Mg(ClO(4))(2) afforded the corresponding 3-aminoazetidine derivatives 12a-f in 24-53% yields. These azetidine derivatives were introduced into the C7 position of a quinolone nucleus 8 to afford the corresponding fluoroquinolones 9a-f and 13a-f in 21-83% yields. Some of them exhibited superior antibacterial activity against quinolone-susceptible MRSA in comparison with clinically used fluoroquinolones, such as levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and gatifloxacin.     

Thirteen novel deoxynivalenol-degrading bacteria are classified within two genera with distinct degradation mechanisms

The mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON), a secondary metabolite produced by species of the plant pathogen Fusarium, causes serious problems in cereal crop production because of its toxicity towards humans and livestock. A biological approach for the degradation of DON using a DON-degrading bacterium (DDB) appears to be promising, although information about DDBs is limited. We isolated 13 aerobic DDBs from a variety of environmental samples, including field soils and wheat leaves. Of these 13 strains, nine belonged to the Gram-positive genus Nocardioides and other four to the Gram-negative genus Devosia. The degradation phenotypes of the two Gram types were clearly different; all washed cells of the 13 strains degraded 100 μg mL(-1) DON to below the detection limit (0.5 μg mL(-1)), but the conditions inducing the DON-degrading activities differed between the two Gram types. The HPLC profiles of the DON metabolites were also distinct between the two genera, although all strains produced 3-epi-deoxynivalenol. The Gram-positive strains showed DON assimilation in media containing DON as a carbon source, whereas the Gram-negatives did not. Our results suggest that aerobic DDBs are distributed within at least two phylogenetically restricted genera, suggesting independent evolution of the DON-degradation mechanisms.     

A novel actinomycete derived from wheat heads degrades deoxynivalenol in the grain of wheat and barley affected by Fusarium head blight

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a hazardous and globally prevalent mycotoxin in cereals. It commonly accumulates in the grain of wheat, barley and other small grain cereals affected by Fusarium head blight (caused by several Fusarium species). The concept of reducing DON in naturally contaminated grain of wheat or barley using a DON-degrading bacterium is promising but has not been accomplished. In this study, we isolated a novel DON-utilising actinomycete, Marmoricola sp. strain MIM116, from wheat heads through a novel isolation procedure including an in situ plant enrichment step. Strain MIM116 had background degradation activity, and the activity was enhanced twofold by the consumption of DON. Among Tween 20, Triton X-100 and Tween 80, we selected Tween 80 as a spreading agent of strain MIM116 because it promoted DON degradation and the growth of strain MIM116 in the presence of DON. The inoculation of MIM116 cell suspension plus 0.01% Tween 80 into 1,000 harvested kernels of wheat and barley resulted in a DON decrease from approximately 3 mg kg^?1 to less than 1 mg kg^?1 of dry kernels, even when cells had only basal levels of DON-degrading activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that describes (1) the isolation of a DON-degrading bacterium from wheat heads, (2) the effects of surfactants on the biodegradation of DON and (3) the decrease of DON levels in naturally contaminated wheat and barley grain using a DON-degrading bacterium.     

CD44 suppresses TLR-mediated inflammation

The cell adhesion molecule CD44, which is the major hyaluronan receptor, has been implicated in the binding, endocytosis, and metabolism of hyaluronan. Previous studies have revealed that CD44 plays crucial roles in a variety of inflammatory diseases. In recent years, TLRs, which are ancient microbial pattern recognition receptors, have been shown to initiate an innate immune response and have been linked to a variety of inflammatory diseases. The present study shows that CD44 negatively regulates in vivo inflammation mediated by TLRs via NF-kappaB activation, which leads to proinflammatory cytokine production. Furthermore, our results show that CD44 directly associates with TLR2 when stimulated by the TLR2 ligand zymosan and that the cytoplasmic domain of CD44 is crucial for its regulatory effect on TLR signaling. This study indicates that CD44 plays a protective role in TLR-mediated inflammation and is the first to demonstrate a direct association between CD44 and a TLR.