Chemical and serological properties of lipopolysaccharides from Vibrio parahaemolyticus O-untypeable strains isolated from patients

Chemical and serological studies have been carried out on the O-antigenic lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of six strains, U-6443, W-90144, X-3972, AD-7999, 90A-6611 and KX-V212, of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from patients. The O-serotypes of these strains have not been identified because they were not agglutinated by any diagnostic antisera against known O-serotype strains. A compositional sugar analysis of their LPS revealed that out of the six O-untypeable (OUT) strains, U-6443, W-90144 and AD-7999 strains belonged to chemotype II (chemotype of O2), 90A-6611 and KX-V212 strains to chemotype III (chemotype of O3, O5, O11 and O13) and X-3972 strain to chemotype IV (chemotype of O4). A structural analysis of LPS isolated from KX-V212 revealed that the inner core region of the LPS consisted of only one mole of 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-manno-octonic acid, which carried a phosphate group at position C4 and the outer core at position C5. In passive hemolysis tests performed by using LPS as the antigen to sensitize sheep red blood cells (SRBC), and diagnostic antisera (O1 to O11) or anti-whole-cell rabbit antisera raised against O12, O13 and the six OUT strains, strong cross-reactivity was observed among LPS derived from the strains belonging to chemotype II (U-6443, W-90144, AD-7999 and O2). Strong cross-reactivity was also observed between X-3972 (chemotype IV) and O4 LPS. In contrast, LPS from two of the strains belonging to chemotype III (90A-6611 and KX-V212) did not react with any of the antisera raised against known O-serotypes. Cross-absorption tests showed that the O-antigens of U-6443, W-90144 and AD-7999 were identical to that of O2, and the O-antigen of X-3972 to that of O4. On the other hand, after the absorption of antisera raised against 90A-6611 and KX-V212 with O2 cells, the hemolytic activities against SRBC sensitized with homologous LPS were still retained at a high titer, whereas the hemolytic activities against SRBC sensitized with LPS from other O-serotype strains were completely eliminated. A cross-absorption test revealed that the O-antigens of these two strains were identical to each other. Thus, it was demonstrated that the O-serotype of OUT strains 90A-6611 and KX-V212 was not involved in the known O-serotypes; rather it represented a novel serotype which has not hitherto been reported.     

Three new chlorinated marine steroids, yonarasterols G, H and I, isolated from the okinawan soft coral, Clavularia viridis

Three new chlorinated marine steroids, yonarasterols G, H and I, were isolated from the Okinawan soft coral, Clavularia viridis. Their structures including the absolute configuration were determined based on the results of spectroscopic analysis and chemical conversion.     

Relationship between hypothalamic noradrenergic activity and the sympathetic activity in interscapular brown adipose tissue after cold-swim stress in rats.

Noradrenaline (NA) activities in both hypothalamus and interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) were simultaneously assessed before and after cold-swim stress in rats. The technique of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was employed for the analysis of NA and its primary neuronal metabolite, 3,4-dehydroxy-phenylethylenglycol (DHPG), and the ratio of DHPG to NA was used as an index of NA activity. The ratios of DHPG/NA in both hypothalamus and IBAT were significantly elevated 5 and 20 min after cold-swim stress. Moreover, we found that there is a highly significant positive relationship between the hypothalamic DHPG/NA ratio and the ratio of DHPG/NA in IBAT (r = 0.872, p less than 0.0001). This observation strongly supports the concept in which hypothalamic NA neurons play an important role in modulating the sympathetic outflow.     

Fatty Acid Composition of Hydrocarbon-Assimilating Yeast

As a part of extensive program on microbial utilization of hydrocarbons, lipid components of Candida petrophillum SD-14 grown on n-alkanes and glucose as carbon sources were studied. In any carbon source, cellular fatty acids of the yeast contained palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids as major components.

When n-tridecane was fed to the yeast, fatty acids with odd- and even-number of carbon atoms were produced in almost identical quantity. Another yeast, Torulopsis petrophillum SD-77, also gave a very similar fatty acid pattern by n-tridecane substrate. These phenomena indicate the existence of C₂ addition and β-oxidation of the fatty acid formed in the yeasts.

In the cases of n-tridecane, n-hexadecane and glucose as substrate, about a half of SD-14’s lipid was phospholipid, which consisted of phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl choline principally. Free alcohol and wax were not detected in any case.     

Regulatory roles for APJ, a seven-transmembrane receptor related to angiotensin-type 1 receptor in blood pressure in vivo

APJ is a G-protein-coupled receptor with seven transmembrane domains, and its endogenous ligand, apelin, was identified recently. They are highly expressed in the cardiovascular system, suggesting that APJ is important in the regulation of blood pressure. To investigate the physiological functions of APJ, we have generated mice lacking the gene encoding APJ. The base-line blood pressure of APJ-deficient mice is equivalent to that of wild-type mice in the steady state. The administration of apelin transiently decreased the blood pressure of wild-type mice and a hypertensive model animal, a spontaneously hypertensive rat. On the other hand, this hypotensive response to apelin was abolished in APJ-deficient mice. This apelin-induced response was inhibited by pretreatment with a nitric-oxide synthase inhibitor, and apelin-induced phosphorylation of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase in lung endothelial cells from APJ-deficient mice disappeared. In addition, APJ-deficient mice showed an increased vasopressor response to the most potent vasoconstrictor angiotensin II, and the base-line blood pressure of double mutant mice homozygous for both APJ and angiotensin-type 1a receptor was significantly elevated compared with that of angiotensin-type 1a receptor-deficient mice. These results demonstrate that APJ exerts the hypotensive effect in vivo and plays a counterregulatory role against the pressor action of angiotensin II.     

Use of a serum-based antifungal susceptibility assay to predict the in vivo efficacy of novel echinocandin compounds

In vitro susceptibility assays of antifungal activity do not always accurately predict in vivo efficacy. As well as having a clear clinical importance, the ability to predict efficacy is also essential for effective screening of novel drug compounds. Initial screening of novel compounds must often be based on in vitro data. The present report describes the use of serum-MIC, an in vitro test of antifungal susceptibility, to accurately predict in vivo efficacy of echinocandin drugs in a mouse model of disseminated candidiasis. The basis of the serum-MIC method was to measure the inhibitory activity of a test compound against Candida albicans hyphal growth in the presence of pooled mouse serum. For 13 previously uncharacterized echinocandin compounds, as well as for the known echinocandin drugs, micafungin and caspofungin, serum-MIC determinations were shown to give better correlation to efficacy in the animal model than conventional, CLSI standard, in vitro antifungal susceptibility tests. The most accurate prediction of efficacy was obtained when the serum-MIC was adjusted in relation to the serum concentration at 30 min post-treatment. Furthermore, when the efficacy of micafungin was determined by measuring C. albicans kidney burden in the mouse model of infection, the adjusted serum-MIC consistently reflected the effective serum concentrations. Our data indicate that determination of serum-MIC values will facilitate prediction of the in vivo potency of new antifungal compounds such as novel echinocandins.     

Evidence for a novel pituitary protein (7B2) in human brain, cerebrospinal fluid and plasma: brain concentrations in controls and patients with Alzheimer's disease

A novel pituitary protein, designated as 7B2, recently purified in our laboratory was measured using a specific radioimmunoassay in conjunction with immuno-affinity extraction, in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in plasma obtained from normal volunteers. The mean concentrations of immunoreactive (IR)-7B2 were 2154 pg/ml in CSF and 29 pg/ml in plasma. Studies by SDS-poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that both CSF IR-7B2 and plasma IR-7B2 have an apparent molecular weight of around 20,000-21,000 as previously observed in various rat tissues. IR-7B2 was also measured in various brain regions obtained from control subjects and patients with Alzheimer's disease. IR-7B2 was widely distributed in the human brain, with the highest concentrations in substantia nigra and caudate. IR-7B2 brain concentrations were found to be similar between control subjects and patients with Alzheimer's disease. Gel permeation chromatography of extracts of various brain regions revealed two major peaks with apparent molecular weights of 45,000-50,000 and 11,000-16,000 in hypothalamus, caudate, frontal cortex, hippocampus, putamen and locus coeruleus, and only one peak with an apparent molecular weight of 14,000-16,000 in substantia nigra and globus pallidus. These data suggest that this novel pituitary protein may play a role of consequence perhaps as a neurotransmitter or as a neuromodulator in the human central nervous system.     

High glucose downregulates the number of caveolae in monocytes through oxidative stress from NADPH oxidase: implications for atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis, an inflammatory disease, is closely associated with hyperglycemia, major sign of diabetes mellitus. Caveolae are vesicular invaginations of the plasma membrane that mediate the intracellular transport of lipids such as cholesterol. We evaluated the relationship between the expression of caveolin-1 and the number of caveolae in macrophages under conditions of high glucose concentration. Increased superoxide production, induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and decreased caveolin-1 were observed in a concentration-dependent manner in THP-1 derived macrophages with high glucose concentrations. Mannitol, used as an osmotic control, showed no effects. Furthermore, co-localization of the NADPH oxidase component, p47(phox), and caveolin was confirmed by confocal microscopy. An atomic force microscopy (AFM) study showed that high glucose concentrations reduced the number and size of the caveolae. The percentage of cells with fragmented DNA was increased in cells grown in hyperglycemic media. Taken together, high glucose concentrations suppress the levels of caveolin-1 expression and reduce the number of caveolae. This might be due to the actions of superoxide via the activation of NADPH oxidase by translocation of its component and uncoupling of induced iNOS in macrophages. Furthermore, the apoptosis of macrophages might occur with high glucose concentrations, leading to the spreading of lipids from macrophages into intracellular spaces in the vessel wall.