Regulation of squid visual phospholipase C by activated G-protein alpha.

Phospholipase C (PLC) is the key enzyme in the phototransduction cascade of invertebrate rhabdomeric photoreceptors. In addition to 130 kDa PLC, a 95 kDa protein recognized by antibody against the catalytic site of PLC was found in the squid retina. The PLC-like 95 kDa protein (95 kDa PLC) was produced from 130 kDa PLC by an intrinsic protease in the presence of calcium. The 130 kDa PLC was stimulated by the active form of Gq-class G-protein alpha (Gq alpha), but the 95 kDa PLC was not, although their PLC activity was similar. A 35 kDa fragment, the counterpart of 95 kDa PLC, was not recognized by antibodies against catalytic site or N-terminal site of the 130 kDa PLC, indicating that the cleavage site is on the C-terminal side beyond the catalytic site. In the presence of a large excess of the 35 kDa fragment, 95 kDa PLC was stimulated by Gq alpha to a similar extent as intact 130 kDa PLC. These results indicate that the C-terminal polypeptide of PLC is necessary for regulation of its enzyme activity by Gq alpha. The uncoupling of PLC from Gq alpha, caused by limited proteolysis, is therefore a candidate regulatory mechanism of the phototransduction cascade in rhabdomeric photoreceptors.     

Megalin is downregulated via LPS-TNF-α-ERK1/2 signaling pathway in proximal tubule cells

Expression and function of megalin, an endocytic receptor in proximal tubule cells (PTCs), are reduced in diabetic nephropathy, involved in the development of proteinuria/albuminuria. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is chronically increased in diabetic sera, by the mechanism called metabolic endotoxemia. We investigated low-level LPS-mediated signaling that regulates megalin expression in immortalized rat PTCs (IRPTCs). Incubation of the cells with LPS (10 ng/ml) for 48 h suppressed megalin protein expression and its endocytic function. TNF-α mRNA expression was increased by LPS treatment, and knockdown of the mRNA with siRNA inhibited LPS-mediated downregulation of megalin mRNA expression at the 24-h time point. Incubation of IRPTCs with exogenous TNF-α also suppressed megalin mRNA and protein expression at the 24- and 48-h time points, respectively. MEK1 inhibitor PD98059 competed partially but significantly TNF-α-mediated downregulation of megalin mRNA expression. Collectively, low-level LPS-mediated TNF-α-ERK1/2 signaling pathway is involved in downregulation of megalin expression in IRPTCs.     

Molecular phylogeography of two sibling species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eurema</Emphasis> butterflies

The common yellow butterfly Eurema hecabe is widely distributed in East Asia, and is one of the most burdensome species for taxonomists due to the numerous geographic and seasonal wing colour patterns. Moreover, within this species, individuals with a yellow wing fringe that occur in temperate regions of Japan (Y type) proved to be biologically different from others that occur widely in subtropical regions of Japan and all over East Asia (B type). To unveil the genetic variation within and between the two types, a total of 50 butterflies collected at 18 geographic localities in East Asia were examined for nucleotide sequence variation of three mitochondrial regions: cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), cytochrome c oxidase subunit III (COIII) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5). In addition, they were also examined for infection status with the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia. The three mitochondrial sequences consistently showed that (i) Y type and B type were highly divergent, (ii) nucleotide variation within B type was very small although sampled from a geographically wide range, and (iii) a weak association existed between mitochondrial DNA haplotypes and Wolbachia infection status.     

Changes of Linoleic,Arachidonic and Eicosapentaenoic Acids in Rat Platelet,Aorta and Plasma Lipids after Changing from a Sardine Oil Diet to a Corn Oil Diet

When rats were fed on a diet containing sardine oil (SO) for 10 days, 20:5 (eicosapentaenoic acid) was incorporated into the platelet, aorta and plasma lipids. The 20:5/20:4 (arachidonic acid) ratios of phospholipids were higher in platelets than in aortas. When the diet was changed from SO to corn oil (CO), the levels of 20:5 in the plasma lipids and platelet phospholipids decreased with an increase of 20:4. Although the 20:5 levels of phospholipids in the aortas decreased, 20:4 did not increase during feeding with the CO diet for 4 days. The 20:5/20:4 ratios of the phosphatidylcholine in platelets and aortas rapidly changed from 5.0 and 1.1 to 2.4 and 0.6, respectively. The linoleic acid level of phosphatidylcholine in platelets and aortas increased rapidly by changing from the SO diet to the CO diet, but this fatty acid was not incorporated into phosphatidylinositol of the platelets and aortas.     

Abnormal findings in the ocular fundi of colony-born cynomolgus monkeys

The ocular fundi of 1,151 apparently healthy colony-born cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) ranging in age from newborn to 19 years were examined using an ophthalmoscope. Two hundred and thirty-eight abnormal findings were recorded in 219 of the 1,151 monkeys. Of these, 23 were related to the optic disc and 115 to the retinal vessels. Of the remaining 100 abnormal findings, 91 were retinal degenerations and 9 were retinal hemorrhages. The 23 optic disc abnormalities consisted of 3 cases of micropapilla, 4 of ectasia and 16 of myelination of the retinal nerve fibers. Of the 115 retinal vascular abnormalities, 87 were arterial tortuosity, one was venous tortuosity, 2 were tortuosity of both artery and vein, 2 were artery-vein crossing, 20 were copper-wire artery, one was inosculation of the artery, one was vascularization of the vein and one was persistent hyaloid artery. Of the 91 retinal degenerations, one was degeneration of the periphery of the macular and the optic disc, 8 were macular degeneration and 82 were peripheral degeneration. Nine cases of retinal hemorrhages appeared under 6 years of age.     

Molecular and crystal structures of Aib-containing oligopeptides Boc-Leu4-Aib-Leu4-OBzl and Boc-(Leu4-Aib)2-OBzl.

Sample peptides Boc-Leu4-Aib-Leu4-OBzl and Boc-(Leu4-Aib)2-OBzl, were crystallized by the solvent-evaporation method. Both crystals are monoclinic, with space group of P2(1) and Z = 2. The cell parameters are a = 16.580 (7), b = 21.105 (7), c = 11.583 (4) A, and beta = 104.90 (3) degrees (Boc-Leu4-Aib-Leu4-OBzl), and a = 15.247 (9), b = 19.04 (1), c = 16.311 (9) A, and beta = 117.10 (1) degrees [Boc-(Leu4-Aib)2-OBzl]. Crystal structures were solved by the direct method and refined to R values of 0.096 (the former peptide) and 0.112 (the latter). Peptide backbones fold into a right-handed alpha-helix, except for the C-terminal Aib residue in Boc-(Leu4-Aib)2-OBzl. Both peptide molecules are stabilized by six (the former) or seven (the latter) intramolecular (5----1) hydrogen bonds, and arranged in the head-to-tail fashion, which makes an infinite column. In this column, one (the former) or two (the latter) intermolecular hydrogen bonds link the neighboring molecules. In the case of Boc-Leu4-Aib-Leu4-OBzl, the solvent molecule N,N-dimethylformamide was found in the difference Fourier map. There was a hydrogen bond between peptide and solvent molecule. Along the lateral direction, only hydrophobic contacts were observed between adjacent peptide molecules.     

Plant farnesyltransferase can restore yeast Ras signaling and mating.

Farnesyltransferase (FTase) is a heterodimeric enzyme that modifies a group of proteins, including Ras, in mammals and yeasts. Plant FTase alpha and beta subunits were cloned from tomato and expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to assess their functional conservation in farnesylating Ras and a-factor proteins, which are important for cell growth and mating. The tomato FTase beta subunit (LeFTB) alone was unable to complement the growth defect of ram1 delta mutant yeast strains in which the chromosomal FTase beta subunit gene was deleted, but coexpression of LeFTB with the plant alpha subunit gene (LeFTA) restored normal growth, Ras membrane association, and mating. LeFTB contains a novel 66-amino-acid sequence domain whose deletion reduces the efficiency of tomato FTase to restore normal growth to yeast ram1 delta strains. Coexpression of LeFTA and LeFTB in either yeast or insect cells yielded a functional enzyme that correctly farnesylated CaaX-motif-containing peptides. Despite their low degree of sequence homology, yeast and plant FTases shared similar in vivo and in vitro substrate specificities, demonstrating that this enzymatic modification of proteins with intermediates from the isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway is conserved in evolutionarily divergent eukaryotes.     

Pentazocine-induced biphasic analgesia in mice.

Pentazocine (PZ) is well known to act as an opioid mixed agonist-antagonist analgesic. In the present study, we selected the mouse warm plate test condition of 51 +/- 0.5 degrees C instead of 55 +/- 0.5 degrees C to determine the analgesic action of PZ. As a result, i.c.v. PZ produced a biphasic antinociceptive response, while U-50,488H (U-50) and morphine (MRP) showed a monophasic response. Pretreatment with i.c.v. beta-FNA (mu antagonist) antagonized the initial response, whereas the delayed one was antagonized by pretreatment with nor-BNI (kappa antagonist). In addition, pretreatment with NTI (delta antagonist) significantly attenuated the initial response but not the delayed one. These results suggest that the initial and delayed responses may be mediated mainly by mu/delta and kappa receptors, respectively. With regards to the interaction between MRP and PZ, a low dose of PZ antagonized the analgesic action of MRP, while a high dose PZ plus MRP showed the additive effect. Furthermore, tolerance developed almost equally to both initial and delayed responses, indicating that tolerance to the kappa component of PZ may be developed as well as the mu component of action of PZ.