The Separation and Characterization of Carbohydrate Rich Component from Ovomucin in Chicken Eggs

We investigated the effects of near-infrared irradiation on the photoconversion of Chenopodium album water-soluble chlorophyll-binding protein (CaWSCP) in the presence of sodium hydrosulfite and found a further photoconversion from CP742 to CP763, a novel form of CaWSCP. Interestingly, one-third of the absorption peak at 668 nm was recovered in CP763, but re-irradiation under oxidative conditions eliminated the photo convertibility of CaWSCP.     

Diurnal variations in response of rat liver tyrosine aminotransferase activity to food intake

Effects of fasting and refeeding on the hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase activity were examined in rats that had been fed during the night. The tyrosine aminotransferase activity showed clear diurnal variations, with a maximal activity after the feeding time. The tyrosine aminotransferase rhythm persisted even under starvation, though the amplitude decreased remarkably. When the starved rats were refed at night, the tyrosine aminotransferase activity increased rapidly to a high level, but it increased slowly to a rather lower level when they were refed in daytime.     

Interferon and cytotoxic factor (cytotoxin) released in the blood of mice infected with Mycobacterium bovis BCG. III. Interferon and cytotoxin induced by the specific antigen as compared with those induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide

The time course of development and decline of the ability of BCG-infected mice to produce interferon in the serum in response to the intravenous infection of purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PPD) was very similar to that of their systemic hypersensitivity to PPD. A cytotoxic factor (cytotoxin) was produced in parallel with interferon in the serum of BCG-infected mice after stimulation with PPD. The duration of the period in which cytotoxin-production responsiveness to PPD was definitely detectable was much shorter than that for interferon-production responsiveness although the periods for the maximum production of interferon and cytotoxin coincided. The kinetics of release of interferon in the serum of BCG-infected mice after stimulation with PPD did not parallel that of release of cytotoxin. The four kinds of activities, interferons and cytotoxins induced by PPD and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the serum of BCG-infected mice, were compared for their stability to heating at 56 C and to treatment at pH 2. The kinetics of inactivation of these four activities differed significantly, when the serum was either heated at 56 C or treated at pH 2. Interferon produced in response to LPS could be neutralized by anti-L cell(NDV) interferon rabbit serum as easily as L cell (NDV) interferon, 16 times as much antiserum was required to neutralize the same amount of interferon in response to PPD, but cytotoxins induced by PPD and LPS were not neutralized at all by the antiserum. From these findings it is thought likely that interferons and cytotoxins induced by PPD and LPS in the serum of BCG-infected mice are different substances, although the antigenic relationship between cytotoxins induced by PPD and LPS remains unknown.     

Identification of latent procathepsin H in microsomal lumen: characterization of proteolytic processing and enzyme activation

Procathepsin H in kidney and liver microsomal lumen was identified to have a molecular mass of 41 kDa by immunoblot analysis. The proenzyme was then concentrated by applying the microsomal contents to a concanavalin A-Sepharose column. When the concanavalin A-adsorbed fraction was incubated at pH 4.0 at 20 degrees C, the activity measured with synthetic substrate increased 3.5 times over that of the control after 24 h incubation. Immunoblot analysis showed that acidic treatment caused the disappearance of procathepsin H. Thus the proenzyme might be processed to the mature enzyme under acidic conditions. The marked increase of enzymatic activity and the conversion of proenzyme were completely blocked with pepstatin which is a potent inhibitor of aspartic proteases. These results suggested that a protease for processing procathepsin H might be cathepsin D, a major lysosomal aspartic protease. Therefore, procathepsin H seems to be synthesized first in the enzymatically inactive form in endoplasmic reticulum and successively converted into the active form in lysosomes during biosynthesis.     

Solution Radioactivated by Hadron Radiation Can Increase Sister Chromatid Exchanges

When energetic particles irradiate matter, it becomes activated by nuclear reactions. Radioactivation induced cellular effects are not clearly understood, but it could be a part of bystander effects. This investigation is aimed at understanding the biological effects from radioactivation in solution induced by hadron radiation. Water or phosphate buffered saline was activated by being exposed to hadron radiation including protons, carbon- and iron-ions. 1 mL of radioactivated solution was transferred to flasks with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells cultured in 5 mL of complete media. The induction of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) was used to observe any increase in DNA damage responses. The energy spectrum and the half-lives of the radioactivation were analyzed by NaI scintillation detector in order to identify generated radionuclides. In the radioactivated solution, 511 keV gamma-rays were observed, and their half-lives were approximately 2 min, 10 min, and 20 min. They respectively correspond to the beta+ decay of ¹⁵O, ¹³N, and ¹¹C. The SCE frequencies in CHO cells increased depending on the amount of radioactivation in the solution. These were suppressed with a 2-hour delayed solution transfer or pretreatment with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Our results suggest that the SCE induction by radioactivated solution was mediated by free radicals produced by the annihilated gamma-rays. Since the SCE induction and DMSO modulation are also reported in radiation-induced bystander effects, our results imply that radioactivation of the solution may have some contribution to the bystander effects from hadron radiation. Further investigations are required to assess if radioactivation effects would attribute an additional level of cancer risk of the hadron radiation therapy itself.     

Isobutanol production from cellobiose in Escherichia coli

Converting lignocellulosics into biofuels remains a promising route for biofuel production. To facilitate strain development for specificity and productivity of cellulosic biofuel production, a user friendly Escherichia coli host was engineered to produce isobutanol, a drop-in biofuel candidate, from cellobiose. A beta-glucosidase was expressed extracellularly by either excretion into the media, or anchoring to the cell membrane. The excretion system allowed for E. coli to grow with cellobiose as a sole carbon source at rates comparable to those with glucose. The system was then combined with isobutanol production genes in three different configurations to determine whether gene arrangement affected isobutanol production. The most productive strain converted cellobiose to isobutanol in titers of 7.64?±?0.19 g/L with a productivity of 0.16 g/L/h. These results demonstrate that efficient cellobiose degradation and isobutanol production can be achieved by a single organism, and provide insight for optimization of strains for future use in a consolidated bioprocessing system for renewable production of isobutanol.     

Unique distributions of natriuretic hormones in dog brain

We examined the regional distributions of atrial natriuretic polypeptide (ANP) and digoxin-like immunoreactivity (DLI) in dog brain, using specific radioimmunoassay. The molecular form of the dog brain ANP was similar to that of alpha-hANP, in gel filtration and reversed-phase HPLC. Distribution of ANP in dog brain differed from rat brain. A significant amount of ANP-like immunoreactivity (ANPLI) was observed in the periaqueductal grey, ventral thalamus and spinal cord, however, only a trace amount was seen in the hypothalamus. The DLI was widely distributed in the dog brain, especially with over 2 ng/g wet wt. of the immunoreactivity content in mammillary body, septum, striatal body, hypothalamus and periaqueductal grey. Different from the localizations of natriuretic hormones in rat brain, the periaqueductal grey matter in dog brain may be an important source of both natriuretic hormones.