Deficient 5 alpha-reductase due to mutant enzyme with reduced affinity to steroid substrate

Enzyme kinetics of 5 alpha-reductase were compared in cultured genital skin fibroblasts taken from 6 control subjects and from an affected subject with 5 alpha-reductase deficiency in whom the diagnosis was established on hormonal grounds. The Km value for testosterone in the mutant enzyme was extremely high (1,427 vs. 185-417 nmol/l in controls). in the mutant enzyme was extremely high (1,427 vs 185-417 nmol/l in controls). A A mutant but stable enzyme with reduced affinity to steroid substrate is reported.     

Metal contamination and human health risk associated with the consumption of Labeo rosae from the Olifants River system,South Africa

The Olifants River, a tributary of the Limpopo River system, is one of the most polluted rivers in South Africa. In May 2011 the concentrations of metals in fish muscle tissue from two impoundments, Loskop and Flag Boshielo dams, on the Olifants River were measured and a human health risk assessment conducted to investigate whether it was safe to consume Labeo rosae from these impoundments. Labeo rosae is one of the most common pan fish in these impoundments and is readily available to rural communities. Metals are accumulating in the muscle tissue of L. rosae even although the fish populations appear to be healthy. At Loskop Dam all L. rosae analysed exceeded the recommended hazard quotient (HQ) of 1 for antimony, and less than 50% exceeded that for lead. At Flag Boshielo Dam, the recommended HQ was exceeded for lead in less than 50% of L. rosae analysed, and more than 50% exceeded that for antimony. The weekly consumption of 150?g of L. rosae muscle tissue from these impoundments may pose an unacceptable health risk to rural communities.     

Sesquiterpene lactones from Ambrosia maritima (Damssissa)

Six sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from the aerial parts of Ambrosia maritima. Four pseudoguaianolides were isolated for the first time in addition to parthenin and neoambrosin.     

Streptomyces canchipurensis sp. nov., isolated from a limestone habitat

Hundung Limestone habitat, Manipur, India is an unexplored site for microbial diversity studies. Using polyphasic taxonomy, a Streptomyces strain, MBRL 172^T, has been characterized. The strain was found to show highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Streptomyces coeruleofuscus NBRC 12757^T (99.2 %). The DNA relatedness between MBRL 172^T and S. coeruleofuscus NBRC 12757^T, and between MBRL 172^T and Streptomyces nogalater NBRC 13445^T, were 36.8 ± 4.4 and 52.5 ± 2.7 %, respectively. Strain MBRL 172^T was found to contain ll-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid and glucose, mannose and xylose as the major sugars in whole cell hydrolysates. The polar lipids in the cell membrane were identified as diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositolmannoside. The predominant menaquinones detected were MK-9(H₆) and MK-9(H₈). The cellular fatty acids identified were mainly saturated fatty acids: anteiso-C_15:0, iso-C_16:0 and iso-C_15:0. Based on differences in the biochemical and molecular characteristics from its closest relatives, the strain can be proposed to represent a novel taxon in the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces canchipurensis is proposed, with the type strain MBRL 172^T (=JCM 17575^T = KCTC 29105^T).     

Posttranscriptional regulation of colonic epithelial repair by RNA binding protein IMP1/IGF2BP1

Correction to: EMBO Reports (2019) 20: e47074. DOI 10.15252/embr.201847074 | Published online 6 May 2019The authors noticed that the control and disease labels had been inverted in their data analysis resulting in publication of incorrect data in Figure 1C. The corrected figure is displayed below. This change affects the conclusions as detailed below. The authors apologize for this error and any confusion it may have caused.In the legend of 1C, change from, “Differential gene expression analysis of pediatric ileal CD patient samples (n = 180) shows increased (> 4‐fold) IMP1 expression as compared to non‐inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pediatric samples (n = 43)”.Open in a separate windowFigure 1CCorrected Open in a separate windowFigure 1COriginal To, "Differential gene expression analysis of pediatric ileal CD patient samples (n = 180) shows decreased (> 4‐fold) IMP1 expression as compared to non‐inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pediatric samples (n = 43)”.In abstract, change from, “Here, we report increased IMP1 expression in patients with Crohn''s disease and ulcerative colitis”.To, “Here, we report increased IMP1 expression in adult patients with Crohn''s disease and ulcerative colitis”.In results, change from, “Consistent with these findings, analysis of published the Pediatric RISK Stratification Study (RISK) cohort of RNA‐sequencing data 38 from pediatric patients with Crohn''s disease (CD) patients revealed that IMP1 is upregulated significantly compared to control patients and that this effect is specific to IMP1 (i.e., other distinct isoforms, IMP2 and IMP3, are not changed; Fig 1C)”.To, “Contrary to our findings in colon tissue from adults, analysis of published RNA‐sequencing data from the Pediatric RISK Stratification Study (RISK) cohort of ileal tissue from children with Crohn’s disease (CD) 38 revealed that IMP1 is downregulated significantly compared to control patients in the RISK cohort and that this effect is specific to IMP1 (i.e., other distinct isoforms, IMP2 and IMP3, are not changed; Fig 1C)”.In discussion, change from, “Indeed, we report that IMP1 is upregulated in patients with Crohn''s disease and ulcerative colitis and that mice with Imp1 loss exhibit enhanced repair following DSS‐mediated damage”.To “Indeed, we report that IMP1 is upregulated in adult patients with Crohn''s disease and ulcerative colitis and that mice with Imp1 loss exhibit enhanced repair following DSS‐mediated damage”.     

Isolation and identification of a potent allelopathic substance in Bangladesh rice

Aqueous methanol extracts of Bangladesh rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. BR17) inhibited the growth of roots and shoots of cress (Lepidium sativum), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), timothy (Phleum pratense), Digitaria sanguinalis, Echinochloa crus-galli and Echinochloa colonum. Increasing the extract concentration increased the inhibition, suggesting that the BR17 may have growth inhibitory substances and possess allelopathic potential. The aqueous methanol extract of the BR17 was purified and a main inhibitory substance was isolated and determined by spectral data as 2,9-dihydroxy-4-megastigmen-3-one. This substance inhibited root and shoot growth of cress and E. crus-galli seedlings at concentrations greater than 0.03 and 3 μM, respectively. The concentrations required for 50% growth inhibition on cress roots and shoots were 0.22 and 0.47 μM, respectively, and on E. crus-galli roots and shoots were 36 and 133 μM, respectively. These results suggest that 2,9-dihydroxy-4-megastigmen-3-one may contribute to the growth inhibitory effect of BR17 and may play an important role in the allelopathy of BR17. Thus, Bangladesh rice BR17 may be potentially useful for weed management in a field setting. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Oral Administration of Live <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bifidobacterium</Emphasis> Substrains Isolated from Centenarians Enhances Intestinal Function in Mice

We studied the effects of two bifidobacteria strains isolated from healthy centenarians on intestinal function in mice. Bifidobacterium adolescentis BBMN23 and Bifidobacterium longum BBMN68 were orally administrated to specific pathogen-free BALB/c mice at different doses (2 × 10¹¹, 2 × 10⁹, or 2 × 10⁷ CFU/kg body weight) each day for 4 weeks. Villus height, crypt depth, villus width, and villus/crypt ratio (V/C) were determined. The content of duodenal secreted immunoglobulin A (sIgA) was also evaluated. There were clear increases in height and width of duodenal villi in both treated groups. Crypt depths were deeper in animals treated with BBMN23 than in controls, while depths were reduced in animals receiving BBMN68. The V/C ratio was increased after feeding with BBMN68, while BBMN23 had no significant effect. Both strains improved the sIgA content of the duodenum. These results suggest that BBMN23 and BBMN68 may improve intestinal digestion and ability and enhance immune barrier function in the intestine.     

T-Cell Antigen Receptor-alpha Chain Transmembrane Peptides: Correlation between Structure and Function

Core peptide (CP) is a unique peptide derived from the transmembrane sequence of T cell antigen receptor (TCR)-alpha chain that is capable of inhibiting the immune response both in vitro and in animal models of T cell mediated inflammation. CP contains two basic amino acids (lysine and arginine) in its sequence. The presence of these charged residues interspersed between hydrophobic amino acids is important for function. Here in an attempt to understand CP’s biophysical properties leading to activity we have synthesized a number of CP analogues and correlated their model structure with their biological activity. It became apparent that it is not only the charge of the amino acids but also the nature of the polar amino acids themselves and the topography and spacing between them by hydrophobic amino acids, creating a hydrophobic face, that are critical for CP function.Australian Peptide Conference Issue.