Phytochrome-mediated control of respiratory activities of mitochondria in cotyledons of dark-grown cucumber seedlings

Mitochondria isolated from cotyledons of dark-grown cucumber ( Cucumber sativus L., cv. Shimotsuki-Aonaga) seedlings after illumination with continuous far-red light showed an increased capacity for oxidation of malate or α-ketoglutarate, as compared with those from cotyledons of non-illuminated seedlings. This increase is supposed to be caused by phytochrome action (high irradiance response). Exogenous NAD⁺ had no effect on the rate of the oxidation of α-ketoglutarate or malate by mitochondria isolated from far-red light-treated cotyledons, but it enhanced the oxidation rate of mitochondria from control cotyledons to the level of mitochondria from light-treated ones. The NAD (NAD⁺+ NADH) content was higher in mitochondria isolated from continuously far-red light-treated cotyledons than in mitochondria from controls. The NAD content was also increased by the treatment with a red light pulse and this response was reversed by a subsequent far-red light pulse. It is proposed that phytochrome controls respiratory activities of cucumber mitochondria by changing the size of the NAD pool in the mitochondria.     

Isolation and characterization of mouse CD7 cDNA

The human CD7 antigen is a glycoprotein, M _r 40 000, expressed on the surface of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes and thymocytes, and is the earliest surface antigen to appear on T-cell lineage cells. In this study, putative mouse CD7 cDNA was identified based on its similarities with human CD7. Five independent clones originating from the same mRNA species were isolated (designated as mCD7) by screening a mouse thymocyte cDNA library with human CD7 cDNA, J61, under moderate stringency. The longest insert of a 995 base pair had an open reading frame of 210 amino acids. Northern blot analysis using the mouse CD7 cDNA probe demonstrated a single 1.2 kilobase mRNA ni the thymus, spleen, bone marrow, and small intestine. The protein deduced from mCD7 cDNA consisted of the leader, extracellular, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic domains of 24, 126, 21, and 39 amino acids, respectively, based on the hydrophobicity plot and the structure of human CD7. The extracellualr domain contained three potential N-glycosilation sites, while the cytoplasmic domain contained one potential protein kinase C phosphorylation site. The amino acid sequence had 45.5% similarity with human CD7, while the similarities for the individual domains ranged from 49.2% to 63.2%. The six highly conserved regions, which may possibly be involved with still unknown CD7-mediated functions, were located in the extracellular and cytoplasmic domains.The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper have seen submitted to the GenBank, DDBJ, and EMBL nucleotide sequence database and have been assigned the accession number D10329.     

Studies on the biosynthesis of bialaphos (SF-1293) Part 3. Production of phosphinic acid derivatives,MP-103, MP-104 and MP-105, by a blocked mutant of Streptomyceshygroscopicus SF-1293 and their roles in the biosynthesis of bialaphos

During biosynthetic studies on bialaphos to reveal the formation mechanisms of carbon-phosphorous bonds in detail, three new metabolites containing a HPC bond structure were isolated from the fermentation broth of a mutant of $\text{Streptomyces}\text{hygroscopicus}$ SF-1293. Based on the spectroscopic analysis, the structures of these compounds have been determined as shown in Fig. 1. Transformation experiments of these metabolites to bialaphos suggested that the reduction of the phosphorous atom in phosphate will take place at an early biosynthetic stage.     

Two forms of farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase from hog liver

Two forms of farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase were separated from hog liver extracts by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography. They were designated as farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase A and B, in order of elution. Both enzymes catalyzed the exclusive formation of E,E-farnesyl pyrophosphate from isopentenyl pyrophosphate and either dimethylallyl pyrophosphate or geranyl pyrophosphate. They also showed no detectable differences in pH optima, molecular weights, and susceptibilities to metal ions. However, the catalytic activity of the synthetase B was greatly stimulated by the addition of common sulfhydryl reagents. This stimulation was the result of conversion of the synthetase B into the synthetase A. Conversely the synthetase A was converted into form B when it was dialyzed against a buffer solution containing cupric ions. It is suggested that the formation and cleavage of disulfide bond(s) is involved in the interconversion between the two forms.     

Rapid and sensitive detection of benzodiazepines and zopiclone in serum using high-performance thin-layer chromatography

We developed a rapid and sensitive method of identifying benzodiazepines and zopiclone in human serum using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). These drugs were developed and separated on plates within 8–11 min and detected by means of UV radiation and colour. Each drug was accurately identified by means of the values of R_F × 100 and the spot colour in three systems. The detection limit of the benzodiazepines in serum was 0.1-0.4 μg/ml, except for cloxazolam and haloxazolam. The sensitivity was increased about ten-fold over the conventional method. These results suggested that the HPTLC system is useful for the initial detection and identification of these drugs in emergencies.     

Intestinal transit of an orally administered streptomycin–rifampicin-resistant variant of Bifidobacterium longum SBT2928: its long-term survival and effect on the intestinal microflora and metabolism

S. FUJIWARA, Y. SETO, A. KIMURA AND H. HASHIBA. 2001 .
Aims: The objectives of this study are to investigate the fate of a streptomycin–rifampicin-resistant variant of Bifidobacterium longum SBT2928 (BL2928SR) and the influence of its oral administration on the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microflora.
Methods and Results: Intestinal passage of BL2928SR was monitored by a combination of selection with antibiotics and identification by a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)–PCR method. Intestinal microflora was analysed by the method developed by Mitsuoka et al. (1965 , 1974 ). Long-term survival of orally administered BL2928SR in the human intestine was confirmed. BL2928SR ingestion specifically lowered faecal populations of Enterobacteriaceae and clostridia, including lecithinase-positive Clostridium spp.
Conclusions: BL2928SR and its parent strain, BL2928, are considered to be appropriate candidates for probiotics.
Significance and Impact of the Study: It is clarified that BL2928SR has the ability for long-term survival in the human gastrointestinal tract, and alters the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microflora.