Metabolism of a phenylcoumaran substructure lignin model compound in ligninolytic cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium

The degradation of the phenylcoumaran substructure model compound methyl dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol by the white-rot wood decay fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium was investigated using culture conditions optimized for lignin oxidation. Initial attack was in the cinnamyl alcohol side chain, which was oxidized to a glycerol structure. This was subsequently converted by loss of the two terminal carbon atoms, C and C, to yield a C-aldehyde structure, which was further oxidized to the C-acid compound. The next detected intermediate, a phenylcoumarone, was produced by double bond formation between C and C, and oxidation of the C-alcohol to an aldehyde group. Further oxidation of C to an acid yielded the next intermediate. The final identified degradation product was veratric acid. No products from the 5-substituted aromatic ring, and no phenolic products, were found. The initial glycerol-containing intermediate was a mixture of the threo and erythro forms, and no optical activity could be found, suggesting that its formation might have involved nonstereospecific C-C epoxidation followed by non-enzymatic hydrolysis of the epoxide.Abbreviations TLC thin layer chromatography - LDA lithium diisopropyl amide - DDQ 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone - MS mass spectrometry - UV ultraviolet spectroscopy     

Stimulatory guanine nucleotide-binding protein and adenylate cyclase activities in Bio 14.6 cardiomyopathic hamsters at the hypertrophic stage

The Bio 14.6 cardiomyopathic Syrian hamster is an animal model of human idiopathic cardiomyopathy. The pathogenesis of the disease in this animal has not yet been clearly elucidated. It is well known that α- and β-adrenergic receptors are increased in the myocardium of this animal, but that isoprenaline does not produce an augmented response. We examined the activity of cardiac stimulatory GTP-binding protein (Gs), which couple with β-adrenergic receptors to stimulate adenylate cyclase, in Bio 14.6 cardiomyopathic hamsters at 90 and 160 days of age. The cardiac norepinephrine concentration was significantly increased in Bio 14.6 hamsters compared with control hamsters (F1B) at 90 days of age (1,739±120 vs 1,470±161 ng/g wet tissue weight, p<0.05). Cardiac forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activities at 90 and 160 days of age were lower in the cardiomyopathic hamsters than in the F1B controls (90 days old: 98±24 vs 122±29 pmol/min/mg protein, p<0.05; 160 days old: 74±13 vs 124±28 pmol/min/mg protein, p<0.01). Cardiac Gs activities at 90 and 160 days of age were significantly lower in Bio 14.6 hamsters than those in F1B hamsters (90 days old: 204±42 vs 259±49 pmol/min/mg protein, p<0.05; 160 days old: 156±39 vs 211±60 pmol/min/mg protein, p<0.05). We thus demonstrated functional defects in cardiac Gs protein and adenylate cyclase activity in the Bio 14.6 cardiomyopathic hamsters at 90 to 160 days of age (the hypertrophic stage of cardiomyopathy). Such defects could be one possible mechanism preventing an enhanced response to β-adrenergic stimulation in this animal and could also contribute to myocardial decompensation in the late stage of cardiomyopathy.     

Distribution and roles of p-hydroxycinnamate: CoA ligase in lignin biosynthesis

p-Hydroxycinnamate:CoA ligases were extracted from the xylems of angiosperms and gymnosperms, and the substrate specificities toward ferulate and sinapate were examined. Most of angiosperm and gymnosperm CoA ligases examined were active with ferulate but not with sinapate; however, the enzymes of Erythrina crista-galli, Robinia pseudoacacia and bamboo showed considerable activity with sinapate. The other enzymes, although inactive with sinapate, showed no inhibitory effect on the Erythrina CoA ligase reaction with sinapate. The K_ms for sinapate and ferulate of the Erythrina enzyme were 1.0 and 2.1 μM, respectively, and p-hydroxycinnamate was the best substrate among cinnamates examined. The MW of the CoA ligase was 40 000 and the pH optimum was between 7.2 and 7.6. The possible roles of p-hydroxycinnamate:CoA ligase in lignin biosynthesis are discussed.     

Effect of 3′-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene in the induction of malignant transformation and of 8-azaguanine-resistant mutations and chromosomal aberrations in a diploid clone derived from normal rat liver cells in culture

Summary The effect of 3′methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3′-Me-DAB) in the induction of malignant transformation and of 8-azaguanine-resistant mutations and chromosomal aberrations was studied in a diploid strain derived from normal rat liver cells. The cells were malignantly transformed by treatment with 3′-Me-DAB 1.7 μg/ml for 130 to 221 d or 1.7 μg/ml for 53 d followed by 24.9 μg/ml for 27 to 77 d. The untreated control cells did not transform spontaneously until the 232nd d in culture. Some properties of the 3′-Me-DAB-treated cells were compared to those of untreated control cells but no reliable marker for predicting the tumorigenic potential of the cells was found. The single addition of 3′-Me-DAB caused little induction of 8-azaguanine-resistant mutations and chromosomal aberrations to the cells. However, mutations and chromosomal aberrations were significantly induced byN-acetoxy-4-methylaminoazobenzene, an active metabolite of 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene or 3′-Me-DAB in the presence of liver microsomes. This study was supported by a grant for cancer research from the Japanese Ministry of Education.     

Silver(I) tetraiodoethylene complexes with twisted olefin moiety

The reactions of silver perchlorate and tetraiodoethylene in different solvents, namely, benzene and toluene, isolated two silver(I)–iodocarbon complexes, [Ag(C₂I₄)(C₆H₆)₂(ClO₄)] (1) and [Ag(C₂I₄)(ClO₄)] (2). Both compounds contain intact iodoalkenes which coordinate via σ-donation of a halogen lone pair and retain their carbon–iodine bonds. Owing to the participation of the benzene molecules in coordination, complex 1 is found to be a discrete monomer in which the five-coordinate geometry of the silver ion is comprised of two benzene molecules, one C₂I₄ group and one perchlorate ion. In contrast, the unsaturated coordination environment of the metal ion in 2 is filled by the second iodocarbon group leading to a two-dimensional framework. The coordinated tetraiodoethylene molecules involve severe twisting of the C=C double bond, causing the C=C stretching band to move to a lower frequency.     

Modelling the population dynamics of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense in Hiroshima Bay, Japan. II. Sensitivity to physical and biological parameters

Using the numerical model developed in a previous paper [Yamamotoet al. (2002c) J. Plankton Res., 24, 33–47], the sensitivityof population dynamics of Alexandrium tamarense to physicaland biological parameters was analysed. Horizontal and verticaldiffusions led to the dispersion of dense A. tamarense populationsin the surface layer of the innermost portion of the bay. Temperatureand salinity influenced the timing of the A. tamarense bloomdue to its stenothermal and stenohaline characteristics. Althoughincreasing the light intensity caused the bloom of A. tamarenseto begin earlier, it lowered the cell density at the bloom peakas a result of phosphate depletion in the ambient water. Bothincreasing the cyst density and the excystment rate had littleinfluence on the population dynamics of A. tamarense vegetativecells. Increasing the phosphate concentration led to increasesin cell density of A. tamarense, indicating that growth is phosphate-limited.Oysters, which are cultured intensively in this bay, appearto stimulate the bloom of A. tamarense through the regenerationof phosphorus from their faeces/pseudofaeces. The phosphorusreduction measure that has been taken since 1980 and the recentconstruction of a large dam are discussed as important factorsthat may influence the population dynamics of A. tamarense.     

Plant-mediated indirect effects of carpenterworms on the insect communities attracted to fermented tree sap

Carpenterworm (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) larvae bore into trunks of the oak Quercus acutissima, thereby promoting sap exudation, and prey on insects attracted to tree sap. We examined the interactions between carpenterworms and sap-attracted insects to elucidate community-level consequences of carpenterworms and to estimate the relative magnitudes of their direct and indirect effects on community structure. Species richness, total abundance, and Simpson’s index of diversity (1/D) in tree sap communities were all significantly higher in carpenterworm-associated patches (sap-exuding patches that contained either larvae or larval nests) than in patches without evidence of carpenterworms. Abundance was also significantly higher in carpenterworm-associated patches for 10 out of 14 taxonomic groups, and this difference was much greater in the following groups that are sensitive to resource increases: drosophilid flies (Drosophilidae), sap beetles (Nitidulidae), and rove beetles (Staphylinidae). These results indicate that carpenterworms increase community size indirectly by increasing resource abundance, which is supported by the results of structural equation modeling (SEM). SEM also revealed that the direct effect of carpenterworms on species richness was weaker than their indirect effect, suggesting that predation by carpenterworms does not determine community structure. Similarly, carpenterworms can increase the abundance of some taxa by increasing resource abundance, and the predation pressure from carpenterworms on most taxa may be minor. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Loss of Apm1, the micro1 subunit of the clathrin-associated adaptor-protein-1 complex, causes distinct phenotypes and synthetic lethality with calcineurin deletion in fission yeast

Calcineurin is a highly conserved regulator of Ca(2+) signaling in eukaryotes. In fission yeast, calcineurin is not essential for viability but is required for cytokinesis and Cl(-) homeostasis. In a genetic screen for mutations that are synthetically lethal with calcineurin deletion, we isolated a mutant, cis1-1/apm1-1, an allele of the apm1(+) gene that encodes a homolog of the mammalian micro1A subunit of the clathrin-associated adaptor protein-1 (AP-1) complex. The cis1-1/apm1-1 mutant as well as the apm1-deleted (Deltaapm1) cells showed distinct phenotypes: temperature sensitivity; tacrolimus (FK506) sensitivity; and pleiotropic defects in cytokinesis, cell integrity, and vacuole fusion. Electron micrographs revealed that Deltaapm1 cells showed large vesicular structures associated with Golgi stacks and accumulated post-Golgi secretory vesicles. Deltaapm1 cells also showed the massive accumulation of the exocytic v-SNARE Syb1 in the Golgi/endosomes and a reduced secretion of acid phosphatase. These phenotypes observed in apm1 mutations were accentuated upon temperature up-shift and FK506 treatment. Notably, Apm1-GFP localized to the Golgi/endosomes, the spindle pole bodies, and the medial region. These findings suggest a role for Apm1 associated with the Golgi/endosome function, thereby affecting various cellular processes, including secretion, cytokinesis, vacuole fusion, and cell integrity and also suggest that calcineurin is involved in these events.     

Crystal structure of a family 54 alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase reveals a novel carbohydrate-binding module that can bind arabinose

As the first known structures of a glycoside hydrolase family 54 (GH54) enzyme, we determined the crystal structures of free and arabinose-complex forms of Aspergillus kawachii IFO4308 alpha-l-arabinofuranosidase (AkAbfB). AkAbfB comprises two domains: a catalytic domain and an arabinose-binding domain (ABD). The catalytic domain has a beta-sandwich fold similar to those of clan-B glycoside hydrolases. ABD has a beta-trefoil fold similar to that of carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) family 13. However, ABD shows a number of characteristics distinctive from those of CBM family 13, suggesting that it could be classified into a new CBM family. In the arabinose-complex structure, one of three arabinofuranose molecules is bound to the catalytic domain through many interactions. Interestingly, a disulfide bond formed between two adjacent cysteine residues recognized the arabinofuranose molecule in the active site. From the location of this arabinofuranose and the results of a mutational study, the nucleophile and acid/base residues were determined to be Glu(221) and Asp(297), respectively. The other two arabinofuranose molecules are bound to ABD. The O-1 atoms of the two arabinofuranose molecules bound at ABD are both pointed toward the solvent, indicating that these sites can both accommodate an arabinofuranose side-chain moiety linked to decorated arabinoxylans.     

Cytochrome aa3 in facultatively aerobic and hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum oguniense

We partially purified and characterized the cytochrome aa3 from the facultatively aerobic and hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum oguniense. This cytochrome aa3 showed oxygen consumption activity with N, N, N', N'-tetramethyl-1,4-phenylenediamine and ascorbate as substrates, and also displayed bovine cytochrome c oxidase activity. These enzymatic activities of cytochrome aa3 were inhibited by cyanide and azide. This cytochrome contained heme As, but not typical heme A. An analysis of trypsin-digested fragments indicated that 1 subunit of this cytochrome was identical to the gene product of subunit I of the SoxM-type heme--copper oxidase (poxC). This is the first report of a terminal oxidase in hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon belonging to the order Thermoproteales.