Occurrence of a novel acetylated amino acid,Nα-acetylhistidine,in skeletal muscle of freshwater fish and other ectothermic vertebrates

The occurrence of N^α-acetylhistidine (NAH) in skeletal muscle of 91 species of freshwater fish and 9 species of other ectothermic vertebrates was investigated, with consideration of phylogenetic relationships. Of the 91 freshwater fish species examined, 13 species (7 cichlids, 5 anabantids, and 1 catfish) contained considerable amounts (> 1 µmol/g) of NAH in their skeletal muscles. The highest level (10.37 µmol/g) of NAH was found in the tissue of Betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish). Moreover, the NAH contents in the tissues of Trichogaster trichopterus (three spot gourami), Kryptopterus bicirrhis (glass catfish), Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia), Mikrogeophagus ramirezi (ram cichlid) and Parachromis managuensis (Guapote tigre) were 3.17–6.16 µmol/g. The skeletal muscle of amphibians (5 species) and reptiles (4 species) had a low level (< 0.25 µmol/g) of NAH. The present findings clearly demonstrate NAH as the fifth imidazole-related compound, in addition to histidine, carnosine, anserine and ophidine (balenine), recognized as a major non-protein nitrogenous constituent in the skeletal muscle of vertebrate animals.     

Primary alveolar echinococcosis: Course of larval development and antibody responses in intermediate host rodents with different genetic backgrounds after oral infection with eggs of Echinococcus multilocularis

We investigated parasite establishment, subsequent larval development and antibody responses in gerbils, cotton rats and 4 inbred mouse strains until 16 weeks post inoculation (p.i.) with 200 eggs of Echinococcus multilocularis. The rate of parasite establishment in the liver determined at 4 weeks p.i. was highest in DBA/2, followed by AKR/N, C57BL/10 and C57BL/6 mice, whereas gerbils harboured few parasite foci. The accurate number of liver lesions in cotton rats could not be determined due to rapid growth and advanced multivesiculation of the parasite observed at 2 weeks p.i. The course of larval development was most advanced in DBA/2 mice with mature protoscolex formation at 16 weeks p.i., followed by AKR/N harbouring metacestodes with sparsely distributed immature protoscoleces. On the other hand, C57BL/6 and C57BL/10 mice had infertile metacestodes without any protoscolex formation. The parasite growth in mice was totally slower than those in gerbils and cotton rats. Specific IgG and IgM responses against 3 types of native crude antigens of larval E. multilocularis were evaluated using somatic extracts of and vesicle fluid of metacestode, and somatic extracts from purified protoscoleces. The 4 mouse strains demonstrated basically similar kinetics with apparent IgG and IgM increases at 9 weeks p.i. and thereafter, except C57BL/10, exhibited higher levels of IgM against crude antigens at some time point of infection. On the other hand, a follow-up determination of specific IgG and IgM levels against recombinant antigens from larval E. multilocularis revealed that each mouse strain showed different antibody-level kinetics. The findings in the present study demonstrate that the course of host–parasite interactions in primary alveolar echinococcosis, caused by larval E. multilocularis, clearly varies among intermediate host rodents with different genetic backgrounds.     

The retarded rate of acid-catalyzed solvolysis of glycoside bonds between reducing-end glucose residue and ceramide in glycosphingolipids compared with that of glycoside bonds between hexopyranosides

Rates of acid-catalyzed solvolysis of glycoside bonds in glycosphingolipids were compared to establish a basis for conducting saccharide analysis. Permethylated globotetraosylceramide and asialogangliotriaosylceramide as model compounds for methylation and sugar composition analysis, respectively, were solvolyzed under acidic conditions and the sugar components thus obtained were determined at specified times by gas liquid chromatography, after they had been derivatized. Reducing-end glucose residues in both compounds were liberated more slowly than other sugar residues. Glycoside bonds between reducing-end glucose and ceramide in glycosphingolipids would thus appear to be more resistant towards acid-catalysed solvolysis than other glycoside bonds between hexopyranosides.     

Backbone and sidechain methyl Ile (δ1), Leu and Val resonance assignments of the catalytic domain of the yeast mRNA decapping enzyme, Dcp2

Eukaryotic mRNA decapping by Dcp2 is the penultimate step in several mRNA decay pathways. To understand regulation of Dcp2 by ligand interactions, we have assigned the backbone and sidechain methyl Ile (δ1), Leu and Val chemical shifts of the catalytic domain of the S. Cerevisiae enzyme.     

Involvement of glucocorticoid-mediated Zn2+ signaling in attenuation of hippocampal CA1 LTP by acute stress

Glucocorticoid-glutamatergic interactions have been proposed as a potential model to explain stress-mediated impairment of cognition. However, it is unknown whether glucocorticoid-zincergic interactions are involved in this impairment. Histochemically reactive zinc (Zn(2+)) is co-released with glutamate from zincergic neurons. In the present study, involvement of synaptic Zn(2+) in stress-induced attenuation of CA1 LTP was examined in hippocampal slices from young rats after exposure to tail suspension stress for 30s, which significantly increased serum corticosterone. Stress-induced attenuation of CA1 LTP was ameliorated by administration of clioquinol, a membrane permeable zinc chelator, to rats prior to exposure to stress, implying that the reduction of synaptic Zn(2+) by clioquinol participates in this amelioration. To pursue the involvement of corticosterone-mediated Zn(2+) signal in the attenuated CA1 LTP by stress, dynamics of synaptic Zn(2+) was checked in hippocampal slices exposed to corticosterone. Corticosterone increased extracellular Zn(2+) levels measured with ZnAF-2 dose-dependently, as well as the intracellular Ca(2+) levels measured with calcium orange AM, suggesting that corticosterone excites zincergic neurons in the hippocampus and increases Zn(2+) release from the neuron terminals. Intracellular Zn(2+) levels measured with ZnAF-2DA were also increased dose-dependently, but not in the coexistence of CaEDTA, a membrane-impermeable zinc chelator, suggesting that intracellular Zn(2+) levels is increased by the influx of extracellular Zn(2+). Furthermore, corticosterone-induced attenuation of CA1 LTP was abolished in the coexistence of CaEDTA. The present study suggests that corticosterone-mediated increase in postsynaptic Zn(2+) signal in the cytosolic compartment is involved in the attenuation of CA1 LTP after exposure to acute stress.     

Effect of the C-terminal domain of Vibrio proteolyticus chitinase A on the chitinolytic activity in association with pH changes

Aims: To reveal the cause of the difference in activity of chitinase A from Vibrio proteolyticus and chitinase A from a strain of Vibrio carchariae (a junior synonym of Vibrio harveyi), we investigated the pH‐dependent activity of full‐length V. proteolyticus chitinase A and a truncated recombinant corresponding to the V. harveyi form of chitinase A. Methods and Results: After overexpression in Escherichia coli strain DH5α, the full‐length and truncated recombinant chitinases were purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation and anion exchange column chromatography. Chitinase activity was measured at various pH values using α‐crystal and colloidal chitins as the substrate. The pH‐dependent patterns of the relative specific activities for α‐crystal chitin differed between the full‐length and truncated recombinant chitinases, whereas those for colloidal chitin were similar to each other. Conclusion: The difference in the activity of V. proteolyticus chitinase A and V. harveyi chitinase A might be partly due to a change in the pH dependence of the chitinase activities against α‐crystal chitin, resulting from C‐terminal processing. Significance and Impact of Study: The present results are important findings for not only ecological studies on the genus Vibrio in association with survival strategies, but also phylogenetic studies.     

PI4P-signaling pathway for the synthesis of a nascent membrane structure in selective autophagy

Phosphoinositides regulate a wide range of cellular activities, including membrane trafficking and biogenesis, via interaction with various effector proteins that contain phosphoinositide binding motifs. We show that in the yeast Pichia pastoris, phosphatidylinositol 4'-monophosphate (PI4P) initiates de novo membrane synthesis that is required for peroxisome degradation by selective autophagy and that this PI4P signaling is modulated by an ergosterol-converting PpAtg26 (autophagy-related) protein harboring a novel PI4P binding GRAM (glucosyltransferase, Rab-like GTPase activators, and myotubularins) domain. A phosphatidylinositol-4-OH kinase, PpPik1, is the primary source of PI4P. PI4P concentrated in a protein-lipid nucleation complex recruits PpAtg26 through an interaction with the GRAM domain. Sterol conversion by PpAtg26 at the nucleation complex is necessary for elongation and maturation of the membrane structure. This study reveals the role of the PI4P-signaling pathway in selective autophagy, a process comprising multistep molecular events that lead to the de novo membrane formation.     

Development of Taenia asiatica cysticerci to infective stage and adult stage in Mongolian gerbils

The development of metacestodes and adult worms of Taenia asiatica in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were observed. Cysticerci were recovered from gerbils subcutaneously injected with hatched oncospheres. The recovery rate ranged from 0.1 to 3.2%. No cysticerci were recovered from the orally inoculated gerbils. The infectivity of the cysticerci recovered at 48 weeks post-infection was evaluated. Tapeworms were recovered on day 14 post-infection from the small intestine of 5 of 11 gerbils, with a recovery rate of 27% (6 worms recovered/22 worms inoculated). Three and four adult worms were recovered from two human volunteers who ingested five cysticerci after 4 months post-infection. In worms recovered from gerbils, segmentation and genital primordia in the posterior proglottids and hooklets in the residual rostellum were observed. The results indicate that gerbils can serve as an alternative intermediate host and that partial development of the adult worm stage occurs in gerbils.