Identification and characterization of yeast isolated from indonesian fermented food

Yeast strains with amylolytic activity were isolated from cassavatapé and its precursor,ragi. they were divided into two groups based on their characteristics: group 1, possessing high amylolytic activity and low ethanol yield; and group 2, possessing low amylolytic activity and high ethanol yield. The major strains of the group 1 were identified asEndomyces fibuliger, and those of group 2 were identified asPichia anomala. Based on 18S rDNA analysis, an isolate fromragi that had a high amylolytic activity was thought to be an undescribed species that was related to the basidiomycetous genera.     

Effect of minerals on glucose isomerase production by Streptomyces kanamyceticus

Summary A study has been made of the mineral requirements of Streptomyces kanamyceticus KCC S-0433 for production of glucose isomerase. The optimal concentrations of MgSO₄ and K₂HPO₄ for enzyme production are 0.07% and 0.05%, respectively. The elements Fe, Mn and Zn are required at levels of 10, 3 and 3 mg/l, respectively. Cu, Co and Ca have inhibitory effects on the production of the enzyme.     

Inference of Structure Ensembles of Flexible Biomolecules from Sparse,Averaged Data

We present the theoretical foundations of a general principle to infer structure ensembles of flexible biomolecules from spatially and temporally averaged data obtained in biophysical experiments. The central idea is to compute the Kullback-Leibler optimal modification of a given prior distribution with respect to the experimental data and its uncertainty. This principle generalizes the successful inferential structure determination method and recently proposed maximum entropy methods. Tractability of the protocol is demonstrated through the analysis of simulated nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy data of a small peptide.     

Bluetongue virus RNA binding protein NS2 is a modulator of viral replication and assembly

Background  

Bluetongue virus (BTV) particles consist of seven structural proteins that are organized into two capsids. In addition, BTV also encodes three non-structural (NS) proteins of which protein 2 (NS2) is the RNA binding protein and is also the major component of virus encoded inclusion bodies (VIBs), which are believed to be virus assembly sites. To investigate the contribution of NS2 in virus replication and assembly we have constructed inducible mammalian cell lines expressing full-length NS2. In addition, truncated NS2 fragments were also generated in an attempt to create dominant negative mutants for NS2 function.     

Novel expression of kallikreins, kallikrein-related peptidases and kinin receptors in human pleural mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the pleura that is causally related to exposure to asbestos fibres. The kallikrein serine proteases [tissue (hK1) and plasma (hKB1) kallikreins, and kallikrein-related peptidases (KRP/hK2-15)] and the mitogenic kinin peptides may have a role in tumourigenesis. However, it is not known whether hK1, hKB1, KRP/hK proteins or kinin receptors are expressed in pleural mesotheliomas. The expression of hK1, hKB1, KRP/hK2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, and kinin B(1) and B(2) receptors was assessed in archived selected normal tissue and mesothelioma tumour sections by immunoperoxidase and immunofluorescence labelling. hK1, hKB1 and kinin B(1) and B(2) receptors were expressed in malignant cells of the epithelioid and sarcomatoid components of biphasic mesothelioma tumour cells. The percentage of cells with cytoplasmic and nuclear labelling and the intensity of labelling were similar for hK1, hKB1 and the kinin receptors. KRP/hK2, 6, 8 and 9 were also expressed in the cytoplasm and nuclei of mesothelioma cells, whereas KRP/hK5 and hK7 showed predominantly cytoplasmic localisation. This is a first report, but further studies are required to determine whether these proteins have a functional role in the pathogenesis of mesothelioma and/or may be potential biomarkers for pleural mesothelioma.     

Rewiring of sIgM-Mediated Intracellular Signaling through the CD180 Toll-like Receptor

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) development and progression are thought to be driven by unknown antigens/autoantigens through the B cell receptor (BCR) and environmental signals for survival and expansion including toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands. CD180/RP105, a membrane-associated orphan receptor of the TLR family, induces normal B cell activation and proliferation and is expressed by approximately 60% of CLL samples. Half of these respond to ligation with anti-CD180 antibody by increased activation/phosphorylation of protein kinases associated with BCR signaling. Hence CLL cells expressing both CD180 and the BCR could receive signals via both receptors. Here we investigated cross-talk between BCR and CD180-mediated signaling on CLL cell survival and apoptosis. Our data indicate that ligation of CD180 on responsive CLL cells leads to activation of either prosurvival Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK)/phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT-mediated, or proapoptotic p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK)-mediated signaling pathways, while selective immunoglobulin M (sIgM) ligation predominantly engages the BTK/PI3K/AKT pathway. Furthermore, pretreatment of CLL cells with anti-CD180 redirects IgM-mediated signaling from the prosurvival BTK/PI3K/AKT toward the proapoptotic p38MAPK pathway. Thus preengaging CD180 could prevent further prosurvival signaling mediated via the BCR and, instead, induce CLL cell apoptosis, opening the door to therapeutic profiling and new strategies for the treatment of a substantial cohort of CLL patients.     

Utilization of an amphipathic leucine zipper sequence to design antibacterial peptides with simultaneous modulation of toxic activity against human red blood cells

The toxicity of naturally occurring or designed antimicrobial peptides is a major barrier for converting them into drugs. To synthesize antimicrobial peptides with reduced toxicity, several amphipathic peptides were designed based on the leucine zipper sequence. The first one was a leucine zipper peptide (LZP); in others, leucine residues at the a- and/or d-position were substituted with single or double alanine residues. The results showed that LZP and its analogs exhibited appreciable and similar antibacterial activity against the tested gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. However, the substitution of alanine progressively lowered the toxicity of LZP against human red blood cells (hRBCs). The substitution of leucine with alanine impaired the binding and localization of LZP to hRBCs, but had little effect on the peptide-induced damage of Escherichia coli cells. Although LZP and its analogs exhibited similar permeability, secondary structures, and localization in negatively charged membranes, significant differences were observed among these peptides in zwitterionic membranes. The results suggest a novel approach for designing antibacterial peptides with modulation of toxicity against hRBCs by employing the leucine zipper sequence. Also, to the best of our knowledge, the results demonstrate that this sequence could be utilized to design novel cell-selective molecules for the first time.     

The Effect of Inbreeding on Mortality and Morbidity among Telugu-speaking Populations of Kharagpur, West Bengal, India

Increased mortality and morbidity including congenital malformations among the offspring of consanguineous marriages have been widely reported in human populations from different parts of the world. However, there are few studies on the effect of the intensity of inbreeding and different degrees of inbreeding on mortality and morbidity. The present study is an attempt to examine the effects of inbreeding on mortality and morbidity including congenital disorders in different levels of inbreeding among Telugu-speaking populations of Kharagpur, West Bengal, India, based on data collected through extensive pedigrees. The study reveals that the frequency of spontaneous abortions and stillbirths is higher in the offspring of consanguineous marriages than in that of non-consanguineous marriages. A similar effect is also observed in the infant mortality rate, which is known to have a genetic component, but is not seen in the mortality rate of children and juveniles. The rate of morbidity is consistently higher in the offspring of consanguineous marriages with a sex bias in favour of inbred females. The increased morbidity rates in inbred individuals tend to be inversely correlated with the increase in average autosomal inbreeding coefficient. This appears to strengthen Sanghvi’s hypothesis of a decline in the frequency of deleterious genes with intensification of inbreeding through generations. The present study also confirms an increase in genetic disorders with an increase in inbreeding in almost all populations.