Binding and Functional Properties of Five Extrinsic Proteins in Oxygen-evolving Photosystem II from a Marine Centric Diatom,Chaetoceros gracilis

Oxygen-evolving photosystem II (PSII) isolated from a marine centric diatom, Chaetoceros gracilis, contains a novel extrinsic protein (Psb31) in addition to four red algal type extrinsic proteins of PsbO, PsbQ′, PsbV, and PsbU. In this study, the five extrinsic proteins were purified from alkaline Tris extracts of the diatom PSII by anion and cation exchange chromatographic columns at different pH values. Reconstitution experiments in various combinations with the purified extrinsic proteins showed that PsbO, PsbQ′, and Psb31 rebound directly to PSII in the absence of other extrinsic proteins, indicating that these extrinsic proteins have their own binding sites in PSII intrinsic proteins. On the other hand, PsbV and PsbU scarcely rebound to PSII alone, and their effective bindings required the presence of all of the other extrinsic proteins. Interestingly, PSII reconstituted with Psb31 alone considerably restored the oxygen evolving activity in the absence of PsbO, indicating that Psb31 serves as a substitute in part for PsbO in supporting oxygen evolution. A significant difference found between PSIIs reconstituted with Psb31 and with PsbO is that the oxygen evolving activity of the former is scarcely stimulated by Cl⁻ and Ca²⁺ ions but that of the latter is largely stimulated by these ions, although rebinding of PsbV and PsbU activated oxygen evolution in the absence of Cl⁻ and Ca²⁺ ions in both the former and latter PSIIs. Based on these results, we proposed a model for the association of the five extrinsic proteins with intrinsic proteins in diatom PSII and compared it with those in PSIIs from the other organisms.     

Airway Wall Area Derived from 3-Dimensional Computed Tomography Analysis Differs among Lung Lobes in Male Smokers

Background

It is time-consuming to obtain the square root of airway wall area of the hypothetical airway with an internal perimeter of 10 mm (√Aaw at Pi10), a comparable index of airway dimensions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), from all airways of the whole lungs using 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) analysis. We hypothesized that √Aaw at Pi10 differs among the five lung lobes and √Aaw at Pi10 derived from one certain lung lobe has a high level of agreement with that derived from the whole lungs in smokers.

Methods

Pulmonary function tests and chest volumetric CTs were performed in 157 male smokers (102 COPD, 55 non-COPD). All visible bronchial segments from the 3^rd to 5^th generations were segmented and measured using commercially available 3-dimensional CT analysis software. √Aaw at Pi10 of each lung lobe was estimated from all measurable bronchial segments of that lobe.

Results

Using a mixed-effects model, √Aaw at Pi10 differed significantly among the five lung lobes (R² = 0.78, P<0.0001). The Bland-Altman plots show that √Aaw at Pi10 derived from the right or left upper lobe had a high level of agreement with that derived from the whole lungs, while √Aaw at Pi10 derived from the right or left lower lobe did not.

Conclusion

In male smokers, CT-derived airway wall area differs among the five lung lobes, and airway wall area derived from the right or left upper lobe is representative of the whole lungs.     

Glucosylceramide Contained in Koji Mold-Cultured Cereal Confers Membrane and Flavor Modification and Stress Tolerance to Saccharomyces cerevisiae during Coculture Fermentation

In nature, different microorganisms create communities through their physiochemical and metabolic interactions. Many fermenting microbes, such as yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, and acetic acid bacteria, secrete acidic substances and grow faster at acidic pH values. However, on the surface of cereals, the pH is neutral to alkaline. Therefore, in order to grow on cereals, microbes must adapt to the alkaline environment at the initial stage of colonization; such adaptations are also crucial for industrial fermentation. Here, we show that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is incapable of synthesizing glucosylceramide (GlcCer), adapted to alkaline conditions after exposure to GlcCer from koji cereal cultured with Aspergillus kawachii. We also show that various species of GlcCer derived from different plants and fungi similarly conferred alkali tolerance to yeast. Although exogenous ceramide also enhanced the alkali tolerance of yeast, no discernible degradation of GlcCer to ceramide was observed in the yeast culture, suggesting that exogenous GlcCer itself exerted the activity. Exogenous GlcCer also increased ethanol tolerance and modified the flavor profile of the yeast cells by altering the membrane properties. These results indicate that GlcCer from A. kawachii modifies the physiology of the yeast S. cerevisiae and demonstrate a new mechanism for cooperation between microbes in food fermentation.     

Fibroblast colonies in monolayer cultures of human bone marrow

In a liquid culture of human bone marrow, the development of fibroblast colonies takes place on days 6 to 9. Twenty percent fetal calf serum is used as the stimulus for fibroblast colony growth. Human bone marrow cells are plated as 2 × 10₅ cells in the culture. Normal human bone marrow yields 47 ± 4 fibroblasts colonies per 2 × 10₅ cells plated. Bone marrow fibroblast cultures using agar or methylcellulose restrict colony formation. Marked colony suppression was observed in acute leukemia, and a discrete colony number was observed in hypoplastic anemia. This fibroblast culture method should be applied to a larger number of patients to determine whether it has a pathognomonic value and clinical significance.     

Polar organic solvent added to an aqueous solution changes hydrolytic property of lipase

For developing further uses of lipase as a biocatalyst, its hydrolytic activity toward some esters was investigated in a miscible solution composed of a buffer and a polar organic solvent. Twenty percent dimethylformamide, 35% dimethylsulfoxide, 15% 1,4-dioxane, 15% dimethoxyethane, and 2% diethoxyethane promoted the hydrolysis by a lipase from Rhizomucor miehei toward some hydrophobic substrates, 4-methylumbelliferyl oleate, 4-methylumbelliferyl palmitate, and monoolein. While hydrolysis by this lipase toward the substrates with a relatively weak hydrophobicity (4-metylumbelliferyl heptanoate and 4-methylumbelliferyl nanoate) was suppressed by these solvents. A fluorometric analysis showed that the polar organic solvent in the buffer induced some conformational change around a tryptophan residue of R. miehei lipase. In addition to the influence of the miscible solvent on the solubility of the substrates, the conformational change of the protein induced by the miscible solvent would also affect the reactive properties of the lipase. Adding a polar organic solvent to an aqueous solution will be an efficient method for changing hydrolytic performance of lipases.     

The Role in Ozone Phytotoxicity of the Evolution of Ethylene upon Induction of 1-Aminocydopropane-1-carboxylic Acid Synthase by Ozone Fumigation in Tomato Plants

The rate of evolution of ethylene by tomato plants was rapidlyincreased by O₃ fumigation. The time course of the increasein 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase activitywas the same as that in the rate of evolution of ethylene, suggestingthat ACC synthase activity might be a rate-limiting step inthe evolution of ethylene that is caused by O₃ fumigation. Therate of the O₃-induced evolution of ethylene was increased bythe application of ACC to tomato plants, suggesting the involvementof ACC oxidase in the O₃-induced evolution of ethylene. Treatmentof plants with tiron inhibited the evolution of ethane, butnot of ethylene. These results indicated that evolution of ethylenein O₃-treated tomato plants might result from enzymatic reactionscatalyzed by both ACC synthase and ACC oxidase, but not fromstimulation by O₃ of the peroxidation of lipids mediated byfree radicals. Pretreatment of leaves with aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), aninhibitor of ACC synthase, significantly inhibited the evolutionof ethylene that was induced by O₃ and concomitantly reducedthe extent of O₃-induced visible damage to leaves. Treatmentwith 2,5-norbonadiene, an inhibitor of the action of ethylene,strongly reduced the extent of visible damage caused by O₃,even though it did not suppress the evloution of ethylene. Theseresults indicate that ethylene acts on certain metabolic processesto cause visible damage. (Received September 7, 1995; Accepted December 18, 1995)     

Characterization of the metal-substituted dipeptidyl peptidase III (rat liver)

Dipeptidyl peptidase III (DPP III) (EC 3.4.14.4), which has a HELLGH-E (residues 450-455, 508) motif as the zinc binding site, is classified as a zinc metallopeptidase. The zinc dissociation constants of the wild type, Leu(453)-deleted, and E508D mutant of DPP III at pH 7.4 were 4.5 (+/-0.7) x 10(-13), 5.8 (+/-0.7) x 10(-12), and 3.2 (+/-0.9) x 10(-10) M, respectively. The recoveries of the enzyme activities by the addition of various metal ions to apo-DPP III were also measured, and Co(2+), Ni(2+), and Cu(2+) ions completely recovered the enzyme activities as did Zn(2+). The dissociation constants of Co(2+), Ni(2+), and Cu(2+) ions for apo-DPP III at pH 7.4 were 8.2 (+/-0.9) x 10(-13), 2.7 (+/-0.3) x 10(-12), and 1.1 (+/-0.1) x 10(-14) M, respectively. The shape of the absorption spectrum of Co(2+)-DPP III was very similar to that of Co(2+)-carboxypeptidase A or Co(2+)-thermolysin, in which the Co(2+) is bound to two histidyl nitrogens, a water molecule, and a glutamate residue. The absorption spectrum of Cu(2+)-DPP III is also very similar to that of Cu(2+)-thermolysin. The EPR spectrum and the EPR parameters of Cu(2+)-DPP III were very similar to those of Cu(2+)-thermolysin but slightly different from those of Cu(2+)-carboxypeptidase A. The five lines of the superfine structure in the perpendicular region of the EPR spectrum in Cu(2+)-DPP III suggest that nitrogen atoms should coordinate to the cupric ion in Cu(2+)-DPP III. All of these data suggest that the donor set and the coordination geometry of the metal ions in DPP III, which has the HExxxH motif as the metal binding site, are very similar to those of the metal ions in thermolysin, which has the HExxH motif.