Scale-up of D-lysine production from L-lysine by successive chemical racemization and microbial asymmetric degradation

In order to develop an industrial production process of D-lysine from L-lysine, successive chemical racemization and a microbial asymmetric degradation were investigated in a pilot scale. The racemization of L-lysine proceeded quantitatively. The cultivation conditions of Comamonas testosteroni for L-lysine degradation were optimized in a 30L jar fermenter and scaled-up to 5m tank. The L-lysine-degrading reaction was performed by using racemized lysine crystals as substrate and C. testosteroni IAM 1048 intact cells as biocatalysts. Crystalline D-lysine, with a chemical purity greater than 99% and optical purity of 99.9% enantiomeric excess, was obtained at a yield of 36% from the reaction mixture by simple purification. On the basis of these results, we have designed a process for a large scale production of D-lysine.     

Lysophosphatidic acid enhances airway response to acetylcholine in guinea pigs.

Inhalation of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA, 1-100 microg/ml) for 2 min enhanced the airway response induced by intravenous injection of ACh in guinea pigs. At 30 min after inhalation of LPA, the airway response to ACh was two fold higher than that before inhalation. This enhancement of airway response to ACh was partially inhibited by capsaicin desensitization or bilateral vagotomy. These results suggested that the enhancement of airway response to ACh induced by LPA may be due to the activation of capsaicin-sensitive fibers. It can be also contribute to bronchial asthma or other types of pulmonary disease such as cough variant asthma and atopic cough.     

Sensitizing effect of lysophosphatidic acid on Ca2+ response to hypotonic stress in cultured lens epithelial cells.

The effects of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a bioactive phospholipid, on the response of the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) to hypotonic stress were studied in cultured bovine lens epithelial cells, to test whether LPA affects cellular swelling-mediated increase in [Ca2+]i, which may relate to formation of sugar cataracts. Exposure of the cells to a 30% hypotonic stress caused only a slight increase in [Ca2+]i. Pretreatment with LPA (10 microM) significantly augmented the hypotonic stress-induced [Ca2+]i response, whereas addition of LPA to the cells did not affect [Ca2+]i. The hypotonic stress-induced increase in [Ca2+]i in the presence of LPA was inhibited by Gd3+, a blocker of mechanosensitive cation channels, but not by nicardipine, a L-type Ca2+ channel blocker, or thapsigargin, an inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum-ATPase pump. These results show that LPA sensitizes the response to hypotonic stress via increase in Ca2+ influx through Gd3+-sensitive stretch-activated ion channels, and not via Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. On the other hand, LPA did not affect the [Ca2+]i response to ATP, a Ca2+ mobilizing agonist. Therefore, LPA sensitizes the hypotonic stress-induced [Ca2+]i response in lens epithelial cells, suggesting that LPA potentiates the development of cataracts induced by cellular swelling such as sugar cataract.     

Effect of hormone replacement therapy on the production of bone-resorbing cytokines by peripheral blood cells in postmenopausal women.

We studied the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen on postmenopausal changes in the production of bone-resorbing cytokines interleukin 1 beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha). Both cytokines were measured in the supernatants of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated whole-blood cells from 72 untreated and 44 HRT-treated women by ELISA. The levels of IL-1beta were significantly higher in women in their 40s and 50s and in postmenopausal women than in women in their teens, 20s and 30s, while the levels of TNFalpha did not show any changes related to age. Both levels in HRT-treated women were significantly lower than those in untreated women at almost every postmenopausal stage. In a prospective study, HRT induced significant declines in both levels. These results show that estrogen decreases the accelerated production of IL-1beta and reduces the production of TNFalpha in postmenopausal women at each postmenopausal stage, even in late-postmenopausal women.     

Mutagenic specificity of N-acetoxy-3-aminobenzanthrone, a major metabolically activated form of 3-nitrobenzanthrone, in shuttle vector plasmids propagated in human cells

3-Nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA) is a potent environmental mutagen and a potential human carcinogen present in diesel exhaust and airborne particulates. N-acetoxy-3-aminobenzanthrone (N-Aco-ABA) has been shown to be a major reactive metabolite of 3-NBA, which mainly produces adducts with guanine and adenine in cellular DNA. Here we analyzed mutations induced by N-Aco-ABA using supF shuttle vector plasmids to elucidate the mutagenic specificity of 3-NBA in human cells. Base sequence analysis of more than 100 plasmids with supF mutations induced in wildtype and DNA repair-deficient XP cells revealed that the major mutation was base substitutions of which the majority (42 and 38%, respectively) were G:C to T:A transversions. The next major mutation was G:C to A:T and A:T to G:C base substitutions in wildtype and XP cells, respectively. The DNA polymerase stop assay using N-Aco-ABA-treated plasmids as a template showed that most stop signals, i.e., adducted sites, appeared at G:C sites. These results suggest that N-Aco-ABA binds preferably to guanine rather than adenine, and adducted adenine is repaired more efficiently by the nucleotide excision repair. Error-prone DNA polymerases could insert adenine at sites opposite to N-Aco-ABA-adducted guanine, which leads to G:C to T:A transversion. These findings could be very important to evaluate the human lung cancer risk of environmental 3-NBA.     

Synthesis and biological activity of enantiomeric pairs of 5-[(E)-cycloalk-2-enylidenemethyl]thiolactomycin congeners

The title congeners were synthesized by employing our efficient synthetic route previously explored for preparing enantiomeric pairs of thiolactomycin and its 3-demethyl derivative. While all the synthesized congeners lacked in vitro antibacterial activity, some of the congeners bearing an (E)-cyclohept-2-enylidenemethyl or an (E)-cyclooct-2-enylidenemethyl group were found to exhibit more potent type I FAS inhibitory activity than (S)-3-demethylthiolactomycin having an unnatural configuration.     

Electronic and molecular structures of C60-based polyanionic high-spin molecular clusters: Direct spin identification and electron spin transient nutation spectroscopy for high-spin chemistry

C₆₀-based polyanionic high-spin clusters (S = 1–3) in their ground state have been prepared by successive chemical reductions of pristine C₆₀ fullerene with potassium in the presence of dicyclohexano-18-crown-6-ether in solution. Intermolecular spin-triplet, quintet, and septet states arising from the C₆₀-based polyanionic molecular clusters have been generated at ambient temperature and identified by CW-ESR and pulse-ESR-based two-dimensional (2D) electron spin transient nutation (2D-ESTN) spectroscopy in organic rigid glasses, for the first time. Intermolecular exchange interactions between mono- and polyanionic C₆₀ fullerenes are ferromagnetic via bridging potassium metal cations. The molecular structures of the polyanionic high-spin C₆₀ clusters in solution have been proposed by a well-established phenomenological spin Hamiltonian approach in terms of the D-tensor-based calculations for the high-spin clusters. The findings of the C₆₀-based high-spin molecular clusters evidence the occurrence of an intramolecular triplet C₆₀ dianion in the ground state. Unequivocal spin identification for molecular high-spin entities by 2D-ESTN spectroscopy and its powerfulness have been illustrated, emphasizing that the 2D-ESTN spectroscopy is useful for mixtures of molecular species with different spin multiplicities, characterized by a small g-anisotropy, for which the powerfulness of advanced high-frequency ESR spectroscopy is hampered.     

Hematopoiesis-dependent expression of CD44 in murine hepatic progenitor cells

The fetal liver serves as the predominant hematopoietic organ until birth. However, the mechanisms underlying this link between hematopoiesis and hepatogenesis are unclear. Previously, we reported the isolation of a monoclonal antibody (anti-Liv8) that specifically recognizes an antigen (Liv8) present in murine fetal livers at embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5). Liv8 is a cell surface molecule expressed by hematopoietic cells in both fetal liver and adult mouse bone marrow. Here, we report that Liv8 is also transiently expressed by hepatoblasts at E11.5. Using protein purification and mass spectrometry, we have identified Liv8 as the CD44 protein. Interestingly, the expression of Liv8/CD44 in fetal liver was completely lost in AML1^−/− murine embryos, which lack definitive hematopoiesis. These results show that hepatoblasts change from Liv8/CD44-negative to Liv8/CD44-positive status in a hematopoiesis-dependent manner by E11.5, and indicate that Liv8/CD44 expression is an important link between hematopoiesis and hepatogenesis during fetal liver development.     

Translesional DNA Synthesis through a C8-Guanyl Adduct of 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) in Vitro: REV1 INSERTS dC OPPOSITE THE LESION, AND DNA POLYMERASE �� POTENTIALLY CATALYZES EXTENSION REACTION FROM THE 3��-dC TERMINUS*

2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is the most abundant heterocyclic amine in cooked foods, and is both mutagenic and carcinogenic. It has been suspected that the carcinogenicity of PhIP is derived from its ability to form DNA adducts, principally dG-C8-PhIP. To shed further light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the induction of mutations by PhIP, in vitro DNA synthesis analyses were carried out using a dG-C8-PhIP-modified oligonucleotide template. In this template, the dG-C8-PhIP adduct was introduced into the second G of the TCC GGG AAC sequence located in the 5′ region. This represents one of the mutation hot spots in the rat Apc gene that is targeted by PhIP. Guanine deletions at this site in the Apc gene have been found to be preferentially induced by PhIP in rat colon tumors. DNA synthesis with A- or B-family DNA polymerases, such as Escherichia coli polymerase (pol) I and human pol δ, was completely blocked at the adducted guanine base. Translesional synthesis polymerases of the Y-family, pol η, pol ι, pol κ, and REV1, were also used for in vitro DNA synthesis analyses with the same templates. REV1, pol η, and pol κ were able to insert dCTP opposite dG-C8-PhIP, although the efficiencies for pol η and pol κ were low. pol κ was also able to catalyze the extension reaction from the dC opposite dG-C8-PhIP, during which it often skipped over one dG of the triple dG sequence on the template. This slippage probably leads to the single dG base deletion in colon tumors.Heterocyclic amines (HCAs)³ are naturally occurring genotoxic carcinogens produced from cooking meat (1). The initial carcinogenic event induced by HCAs is metabolic activation and subsequent covalent bond formation with DNA (1, 2). 2- Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is the most abundant heterocyclic amine in cooked foods, and was isolated from fried ground beef (3, 4). PhIP possesses both mutagenic and carcinogenic properties (5–8). Epidemiological studies have revealed that a positive correlation exists between PhIP exposure and mammary cancer incidence (9). PhIP induces colon and prostate cancers in male rats and breast cancer in female rats (8, 10).The incidences of colon, prostate, and breast cancers are steadily increasing in Japan and other countries and this has been found to correlate with a more Westernized lifestyle. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying PhIP-induced mutations is therefore of considerable interest. It is suspected that the carcinogenicity of PhIP is derived from the formation of DNA adducts, principally dG-C8-PhIP (11–14) (see Fig. 1). Studies of the mutation spectrum of PhIP in mammalian cultured cells and transgenic animals have revealed that G to T transversions are predominant and that guanine deletions from G stretches, especially from the 5′-GGGA-3′ sequence, are significant (15–20). Five mutations in the Apc gene were detected in four of eight PhIP-induced rat colon tumors, and all of these mutations involved a single base deletion of guanine from 5′-GGGA-3′ (21). These mutation spectra are thought to be influenced by various factors, including the primary structure of the target gene itself, the capacity of translesional DNA polymerases, and the activity level of repair enzymes (1). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of PhIP-induced mutations are largely unknown.Open in a separate windowFIGURE 1.Structure of the dG-C8-PhIP adduct.To shed further light on the molecular processes that underpin the mutations induced by PhIP, we performed in vitro DNA synthesis analyses using a dG-C8-PhIP-modified oligonucleotide template. We have recently reported the successful synthesis of oligonucleotides harboring a site-specific PhIP adduct (22). In our current study, we used this synthesis method to construct a 32-mer oligonucleotide template containing a 5′-TTCGGGAAC-3′ sequence with different site-specific PhIP adducts. We then utilized the resulting constructs in DNA synthesis analyses to reconstitute the PhIP-induced mutagenesis of the rat APC gene. DNA synthesis reactions with A- or B-family DNA polymerases, such as Escherichia coli pol I and human pol δ, or translesional synthesis (TLS) polymerases of the Y-family, pol η, pol ι, pol κ, and REV1, were carried out. Kinetic analyses of pol κ and REV1, for which TLS activities at the PhIP adduct were detected, were also performed.