Light-induced changes of carotenoid pigments in anaerobic cells of the aerobic photosynthetic bacterium,Roseobacter denitrificans (Erythrobacter species OCh 114): reduction of spheroidenone to 3,4-dihydrospheroidenone

Roseobacter denitrificans, previously named Erythrobacter species OCh 114, synthesized spheroidenone as a major carotenoid under aerobic dark conditions. When the dark-grown cells were subjected to illumination under anacrobic conditions, many unknown yellow pigments appeared and a considerable amount of spheroidenone disappeared. Absorption maxima of these pigments were blue-shifted from those of spheroidenone. The most abundant of the pigments was isolated, and its chemical structure was determined as 3,4-dihydrospheroidenone on spectroscopic and chemical evidence. Presumably, over-reduction of the photosynthetic apparatus interfered with normal photosynthetic electron transfer and resulted in photoreduction of C=C double bond at the 3,4-position of spheroidenone.     

Annual reproductive and spawning cycles of femaleSebastiscus marmoratus

Synopsis Changes in serum steroid hormones were studied during the reproductive cycle of a viviparous rockfish,Sebastiscus marmoratus. Serum levels of estradiol-17β (E₂) and testosterone (T) were moderately high throughout the spawning period from December until February (E₂), and until post-spawning in April (T). Serum progesterone (prog) fluctuated but remained low throughout the annual reproductive cycle; 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17α, 20β-diOHprog), on the other hand, was relatively high during the spawning period. During the spawning period, 7 of 12 females reared under laboratory conditions spawned twice at 10-to 16-day intervals. Histological observations indicated that oocytes developed gradually during gestation of the preceding brood and; after parturition, developed more quickly towards the end of vitellogenesis and subsequent fertilization. In repeat spawners, E₂ and female-specific serum proteins remained high several days after the first parturition, then gradually decreased. Prog showed no significant changes over the period. The 17α, 20β-diOHprog, however, was low immediately after parturition, then rapidly increased, remained elevated during the middle of the period and then decreased. These results indicate that E₂ is involved in vitellogenesis, and 17α, 20β-diOHprog may have some important roles in gestation in the multiple spawnerS. marmoratus.     

Purification, molecular cloning, and genomic organization of human brain long-chain acyl-CoA hydrolase

An acyl-CoA hydrolase, referred to as hBACH, was purified from human brain cytosol. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 100 kDa and 43-kDa subunits, and was highly active with long-chain acyl-CoAs, e.g. a maximal velocity of 295 micromol/min/mg and K(m) of 6.4 microM for palmitoyl-CoA. Acyl-CoAs with carbon chain lengths of C(8-18) were also good substrates. In human brain cytosol, 85% of palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase activity was titrated by an anti-BACH antibody, which accounted for over 75% of the enzyme activity found in the brain tissue. The cDNA isolated for hBACH, when expressed in Escherichia coli, directed the expression of palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase activity and a 44-kDa protein immunoreactive to the anti-BACH antibody, which in turn neutralized the hydrolase activity. The hBACH cDNA encoded a 338-amino acid sequence which was 95% identical to that of a rat homolog. The hBACH gene spanned about 130 kb and comprised 9 exons, and was mapped to 1p36.2 on the cytogenetic ideogram. These findings indicate that the long-chain acyl-CoA hydrolase present in the brain is well conserved between man and the rat, suggesting a conserved role for this enzyme in the mammalian brain, and enabling genetic studies on the functional analysis of acyl-CoA hydrolase.     

Immunocytochemical study of pepsinogen 1-producing cells in the fundic mucosa of the stomach in developing mice

Summary Development and maturation of pepsinogen 1-producing cells were studied in the gastric fundic mucosa of the mouse by means of light- and electron-microscopic immunocytochemistry using rabbit anti-rat pepsinogen 1-serum. In the adult mouse, secretory granules in mucous neck cells, transitional mucous neck/chief cells and chief cells are immunolabeled. The numerical density of gold particles on zymogen granules is not significantly altered among different stages of maturation of chief cells. In addition, rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex of these cell types show a weak labeling. In mice from day 16 of gestation to postnatal day 14 mucous neck cells and chief cells cannot be distinguished, but only one type of pepsinogen 1-producing cell, called primitive chief cell, is identified in the fundic gland. The intensity of immunoreactivity of secretory granules in primitive chief cells is uniform within an individual cell but varies greatly among different cells. The majority of primitive chief cells contains weakly labeled granules regardless of the maturation stage of cells or of animals. On postnatal day 21, mucous neck, transitional and chief cells are distinguishable, and secretory granules in these cells are intensely immunolabeled as in the adult. These results suggest that pepsinogen 1-production rapidly increases with differentiation of mucouse neck and chief cells.     

Establishment and characterization of a cell line, HS-Os-1 derived from an osteoblastic type of human osteosarcoma

A new human cell line, HS-Os-1, derived from a case of osteoblastic osteosarcoma arising in the humerus of an 11-year-old girl was established. Light microscopically, HS-Os-1 cells growing in a monolayer (in vitro) were pleomorphic, intermingled with a few multinucleated giant ones, and positive with alkaline phosphatase reaction. In the transplanted tumors in athymic nude mice (in vivo), atypical spindle or polygonal cells densely proliferated with prominent osteoid formation and even calcification. HS-Os-1 cells, both in vitro and in vivo, were mostly positive for vimentin and a few for S-100 protein. Ultrastructurally, HS-Os-1 cells in vitro and in vivo also revealed essentially the same features as the eccentrically located, euchromatin-rich nuclei with prominent nucleoli, a lot of well-developed, irregularly-dilated rough endoplasmic reticula, polysomes and microfilaments in the cytoplasm. Namely, HS-Os-1 cells fully expressed and possessed morphological characteristics as osteoblastic nature during the cultivation and heterotransplantation. This cell line, therefore, proved to be extremely useful to search for human osteosarcomas.     

Determination of aromatization of 19-oxygenated 16 alpha-hydroxyandrostenedione with human placental microsomes by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with coulometric detection

A sensitive assay of aromatization of 16 alpha-hydroxylated androgens, 16 alpha-hydroxyandrostenedione (16 alpha-OHA), 16 alpha,19-dihydroxyandrostenedione [16 alpha,19-(OH)2A], and 16 alpha-hydroxy-19-oxo androstenedione (16 alpha-OH-19-oxo A), was developed using reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography with a coulometric detector. The estrogens, estriol and 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone, were simultaneously detected in quantities as low as 300 pg of the estrogens formed in an assay by an internal standard method. Apparent Km and Vmax of the microsomal aromatase for 16 alpha-OHA, 16 alpha,19-(OH)2A or 16 alpha-OH-19-oxo A were 1.06, 4.00 or 571 microM and 0.014, 0.087 or 1.67 pmol/min/micrograms protein, respectively. The results show that the 19-oxo steroid has extremely low affinity for aromatase relative to the other substrates.     

Antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic effects of Phyllanthus amarus

This study aimed to examine the antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic potential of Phyllanthus amarus Schum. et Thonn. using the bacterial preincubation mutation assay and an in-vivo alkaline elution method for DNA single-strand breaks in hamster liver cells. The aqueous extract of the entire plant showed an antimutagenic effect against induction by 2-aminofluorene (AF2), 2-aminoanthracene (2AA) and 4-nitroquinolone-1-oxide (4-NQO) in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100, and in Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA/pKM101. All the results were dose-dependent; however, inhibition of N-ethyl-N-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG)-induced mutagenesis was observed only with S. typhimurium TA100. The extract also exhibited activity against 2-nitrofluorene (2NF) and sodium azide-induced mutagenesis with S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100, respectively. Based on the alkaline elution method, the plant extract prevented in vivo DNA single-strand breaks caused by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in hamster liver cells. When the extract was administered 30 min prior to the administration of DMN, the elution rate constant decreased more than 2.5 times, compared to that of control. These results indicate that P. amarus possesses antimutagenic and antigenotoxic properties.     

NaCl induced ornithine decarboxylase and DNA synthesis in rat stomach mucosa

A sensitive method is described that detects an alteration in the structure of tRNA that is caused by cadmium but not by magnesium or zinc ions. The chromatographic system, RPC-5, separates Drosophila tyrosyl-tRNA into two fractions. These two isoacceptors differ by a single position in the anticodon where either a guanosine or queuine resides. Cadmium ions apparently interact with the tRNA and prevent the chromatographic separation. This is the first instance where cadmium is shown to cause a selective change in nucleic acid structure. The RPC-5 system seems to be uniquely useful in detecting such a change.     

Srs2 helicase prevents the formation of toxic DNA damage during late prophase I of yeast meiosis

Proper repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) is key to ensure proper chromosome segregation. In this study, we found that the deletion of the SRS2 gene, which encodes a DNA helicase necessary for the control of homologous recombination, induces aberrant chromosome segregation during budding yeast meiosis. This abnormal chromosome segregation in srs2 cells accompanies the formation of a novel DNA damage induced during late meiotic prophase I. The damage may contain long stretches of single-stranded DNAs (ssDNAs), which lead to aggregate formation of a ssDNA binding protein, RPA, and a RecA homolog, Rad51, as well as other recombination proteins inside of the nuclei, but not that of a meiosis-specific Dmc1. The Rad51 aggregate formation in the srs2 mutant depends on the initiation of meiotic recombination and occurs in the absence of chromosome segregation. Importantly, as an early recombination intermediate, we detected a thin bridge of Rad51 between two Rad51 foci in the srs2 mutant, which is rarely seen in wild type. These might be cytological manifestation of the connection of two DSB ends and/or multi-invasion. The DNA damage with Rad51 aggregates in the srs2 mutant is passed through anaphases I and II, suggesting the absence of DNA damage-induced cell cycle arrest after the pachytene stage. We propose that Srs2 helicase resolves early protein-DNA recombination intermediates to suppress the formation of aberrant lethal DNA damage during late prophase I.