Utilization of Amino Acids as a Sole Source of Nitrogen by Obligate Chemolithoautotroph Thiobacillus ferrooxidans

An obligate chemolithoautotroph, Thiobacillus ferrooxidans API 9–3, could utilize amino acids, other than glycine, methionine and phenylalanine, as a sole source of nitrogen. However, both the growth rate and growth yield were lower than those in Fe²⁺-NH4 -salts medium, suggesting that the ammonium ion was a superior nitrogen source for the strain compared to amino acids. Methionine and phenylalanine strongly inhibited the cell growth on Fe²⁺-NH4-salts medium at 10 mm. [¹⁴C]Glycine could not be taken up into the cells, and this meant the strain could not use glycine as a sole source of nitrogen. The uptake of [¹⁴C]leucine into the cells was dependent on the presence of Fe^{2 +}. When the strain was cultured on Fe^{2 +} - leucine (lOmm)-salts medium lacking an inorganic nitrogen source for 5 days at 30°C, 83.5% and 16.5% of the cellular carbon were derived from carbon dioxide and leucine, respectively, indicating that carbon dioxide was a superior carbon source for the bacterium compared to leucine. The ammonium ion did not inhibit the utilization of leucine for cellular carbon. Leucine uptake was markedly inhibited by inhibitors of protein synthesis, such as chloramphenicol (94.3% at 1 mm), streptomycin (57.2% at 5mm) and rifampin (77.2% at 0.1 mm), respectively. Carbon dioxide uptake was also completely inhibited by chloramphenicol at 4mm. These results suggest that the transport of both amino acids and carbon dioxide into the cells was dependent on protein synthesis.     

Leucine Dehydrogenase of a Thermophilic Anaerobe,Clostridium thermoaceticum: Gene Cloning,Purification and Characterization

The leucine dehydrogenase (l-leucine: NAD⁺ oxidoreductase, deaminating, EC 1.4.1.9) gene of Clostridium thermoaceticum was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli C600 with a vector plasmid, pICD242, which was constructed from pBR322 and the leucine dehydrogenase gene derived from C. thermoaceticum. The enzyme overproduced in the clone was purified about 12 fold to homogeneity by heat treatment and another two steps with a yield of 46%. The enzyme of E. coli- pICD242 was immunochemically identical with that of C. thermoaceticum. The enzyme has a molecular weight of about 350,000 and consists of six subunits identical in molecular weight (56,000). The enzyme is not inactivated by heat treatment: at pH 7.2 and 75°C for 15 min; at 55°C and various pH’s between 6.0 and 10.0 for 10 min. The enzyme catalyzes the oxidative deamination of branched-chain l-amino acids and the reductive amination of their 2-oxo analogues in the presence of NAD⁺ and NADH, respectively. The pro-S hydrogen at C-4 of the dihydronicotin- amide ring of NADH is exclusively transferred to the substrate; the enzyme is B stereospecific. The enzymological properties are very similar to those of the Bacillus stearothermophilus enzyme [T. Ohshima, S. Nagata and K. Soda, Arch. Microbiol., 141, 407 (1985)].     

Isolation and Sequences of Peptic Peptides,and the Complete Sequence of Ile Chain of Ricin D

Sixteen peptic peptides, which contain arginine(s) or lysine, were isolated from cyanogen bromide fragments CB I and CB II of Ile-chain. Sequence determination has been performed on most of these peptides to provide overlaps for the tryptic peptides. Thus, complete amino acid sequence of Ile-chain consisting of 265 amino acid residues was determined. Some structural characteristics of the protein are also discussed.     

Red Pigment Formation by the Reaction of Oxidized Ascorbic Acid and Protein in a Food Model System of Low Moisture Content

Ascorbic acid-protein mixtures of low moisture content stored for 2~3 days in aerobic conditions at 60°C produced a red coloration, which was shown to have resulted from an amino-carbonyl reaction of oxidized ascorbic acid (dehydroascorbic acid, DHA) by the facts that DHA-casein or ovalbumin systems yielded a rapid red coloration in low moisture conditions as well as in an ethanol suspension. Zein showed only a weak red coloration with DHA. An apparent decrease in the free amino group, as determined by the TNBS method, was observed to be associated in parallel with the red pigment formation. The electrophoretic pattern of ovalbumin changed significantly upon incubation with DHA, together with the formation of the red pigment. The red pigment extracted from a DHA-casein system showed an absorption spectrum, TLC Rf value, and hydrolyzed products (DHA and scorbamic acid) identical to those of 2,2′-nitrilo di-2(2)-deoxy-l-ascorbic acid mono ammonium salt, produced from DHA and amino acid. Formation of the red pigment was also observed in the reaction of DHA with N_α-acetyl lysine. These results indicate that the ε-amino group of lysine in protein can be attributed to the formation of a red pigment identical with NDA.     

Biosynthesis of Leaf Alcohol Formation of 3Z-Hexenal from Linolenic Acid in Chloroplasts of Thea sinensis Leaves

The synthetic activity for 3Z-hexenal, an important precursor of 3Z-hexenol (leaf alcohol), was localized in chloroplasts of Thea sinensis leaves. 3Z-Hexenal, which is easily isomerized to 2E-hexenal (leaf aldehyde), was formed from linolenic acid in the presence of oxygen. 13-l-Hydroperoxy-linolenic acid also served as a precursor, but the triglyceride and methyl ester of linolenic acid did not. This enzyme system appeared to be tightly bound to the lamellae membranes of chloroplasts.     

Resveratrol Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Malignant NK Cells via JAK2/STAT3 Pathway Inhibition

Natural killer (NK) cell malignancies, particularly aggressive NK cell leukaemias and lymphomas, have poor prognoses. Although recent regimens with L-asparaginase substantially improved outcomes, novel therapeutic approaches are still needed to enhance clinical response. Resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenol, has been extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective and anti-cancer activities. In this study, we investigated the potential anti-tumour activities of resveratrol against the NK cell lines KHYG-1, NKL, NK-92 and NK-YS. Resveratrol induced robust G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, significantly suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner for all four cell lines. In addition, resveratrol suppressed constitutively active STAT3 in all the cell lines and inhibited JAK2 phosphorylation but had no effect on other upstream mediators of STAT3 activation, such as PTEN, TYK2, and JAK1. Resveratrol also induced downregulation of the anti-apoptotic proteins MCL1 and survivin, two downstream effectors of the STAT3 pathway. Finally, resveratrol induced synergistic effect on the apoptotic and antiproliferative activities of L-asparaginase against KHYG-1, NKL and NK-92 cells. These results suggest that resveratrol may have therapeutic potential against NK cell malignancies. Furthermore, our finding that resveratrol is a bonafide JAK2 inhibitor extends its potential benefits to other diseases with dysregulated JAK2 signaling.     

Clinical Utility of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detecting Anti-Melanoma Differentiation-Associated Gene 5 Autoantibodies

ObjectiveAutoantibodies to melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) are specifically expressed in patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and are associated with a subset of DM patients with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD). Here, we examined the clinical utility of a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system for detecting these antibodies.MethodsHere we developed an improved ELISA for detecting anti-MDA5 antibodies. We then performed a multicenter clinical study involving 8 medical centers and enrolled 242 adult patients with polymyositis (PM)/DM, 190 with non-PM/DM connective tissue disease (CTD), 154 with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), and 123 healthy controls. Anti-MDA5 antibodies in the patients’ serum samples were quantified using our newly developed ELISA, and the results were compared to those obtained using the gold-standard immunoprecipitation (IP) assay. In addition, correlations between the ELISA-quantified anti-MDA5 antibodies and clinical characteristics were evaluated.ResultsIn patients with PM/DM, the anti-MDA5 antibody measurements obtained from the ELISA and IP assay were highly concordant; the ELISA exhibited an analytical sensitivity of 98.2%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, and negative predictive value of 99.5% (compared to the IP assay). Anti-MDA5 antibodies were detected in 22.7% of the DM patients, but not in any of the patients with PM, non-PM/DM CTD, or IIP. Clinically amyopathic DM, RP-ILD, arthritis, and fever were more prevalent in DM patients who were anti-MDA5 antibody-positive than in those who were antibody-negative (P ≤ 0.0002 for all comparisons). In addition, anti-MDA5 antibody-positive patients with RP-ILD exhibited higher antibody levels than those without RP-ILD (P = 0.006).ConclusionOur newly developed ELISA can detect anti-MDA5 antibodies as efficiently as the gold standard IP assay and has the potential to facilitate the routine clinical measurement of anti-MDA5 antibodies in patients who suspected to have DM.     

Impacts of introduced species on the biota of an oceanic archipelago: the relative importance of competitive and trophic interactions

Introduced species negatively impact native species through competitive and trophic interactions, particularly on oceanic islands that have never been connected to any continental landmass. However, there are few studies on the relative importance of competitive interactions (resource competition with introduced species) and trophic interactions (predation or herbivory by introduced species) with respect to the negative impacts on native organisms on oceanic islands. A literature review on introduced and native species of the oceanic Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands in the western Pacific Ocean indicated that many native species (e.g., bees, beetles, damselflies, butterflies, land snails, birds, and plants) have been negatively impacted by introduced predators and herbivores (e.g., lizards, rats, flatworms, and goats). Several native plants and bees have been negatively affected by introduced competitors. However, the native species that have competed with introduced species have also suffered from either intense herbivory or predation by other introduced species. Thus, introduced predators and herbivores have had greater impacts on native species than introduced competitors in the Ogasawara Islands.