Crystal structure of Streptomyces erythraeus trypsin at 2.7 A resolution.

The crystal structure of Streptomyces erythraeus trypsin (abbreviated as SET) has been determined in order to clarify the precise structure of the vicinity of the active site of serine protease and to understand its structure-function relationship. Crystals of SET were prepared at its active pH range (pH 5-10) without any inhibitors which might have affected the circumstances around the active sites. The structure model of SET was made based on the electron density map obtained by the multiple isomorphous replacement method at 3.5 A resolution, and refined by the restrained least-squares method. The current model yields a crystallographic R-factor of 0.272 for 4,968 reflections between 8 and 2.7 A resolution. Though the sequence homology among SET, Streptomyces griseus trypsin and bovine trypsin, 32-37%, is not so high, their overall structures are similar to each other. Comparison of the three molecular structures shows that: 1) the folding of the main chains of the three proteins is essentially the same though there are significant differences on the molecular surface; 2) the spatial arrangements of the catalytic triads in the three proteins are similar to each other; 3) in SET and S. griseus trypsin a short stretch of 3(10)-helix is found through Ala56 to Thr59; His57 in this segment is one important amino acid residue involved in the active sites.     

Mechanism of induction of cellular DNA synthesis by the adenovirus E1A 12S cDNA product

The mechanism of induction of DNA synthesis in quiescent rat 3Y1 cells by the adenovirus E1A gene was investigated using the 3Y1 derivative cell lines g12-21, gn12RB1, and gn12RB2. The g12-21 cells express the E1A 12S cDNA and the latter two cells express both the E1A 12S cDNA and the human retinoblastoma susceptibility (Rb) gene at different levels in response to dexamethasone (dex). The cDNA sequences of E1A-inducible cell cycle-dependent genes, clone 3 and clone 16, were isolated by differential screening of a cDNA library constructed from dex-treated g12-21 cells. The quiescent 3Y1 cells induced c-fos and c-myc expression within 2 h after serum stimulation and expressed clone 16 and clone 3 transiently at around 8 h before the onset of DNA synthesis (10 h). In contrast, the quiescent g12-21 cells treated with dex expressed a high level of E1A at 6 to 8 h after treatment and expressed clone 16 and clone 3 at around 8 h without stimulation of c-fos and c-myc expression, suggesting that E1A bypasses the cell cycle early in G1. The half-maximal rate of DNA synthesis was reached in a much shorter time in dex-treated g12-21 cells (12 h) than in serum-treated 3Y1 cells (18 h), suggesting that E1A also bypasses the cell cycle at the G1/S boundary. The gn12RB1 and gn12RB2 cells were unable to induce DNA synthesis in response to dex presumably due to lower levels of E1A expression, although gn12RB2 but not gn12RB1 cells could express clone 16 and clone 3. These results suggest that the level of E1A required for bypass at the G1/S boundary is higher than that required early in G1.     

A protein with multiple heme-binding sites from rabbit serum

A 93,000 molecular weight protein (HBP.93) which binds hemin and protoporphyrin IX with high affinity has been isolated from rabbit serum using affinity chromatography on hemin-conjugated agarose. The amino acid composition of this protein is unique in that the proline and histidine contents are remarkably high (16.6 and 9.9 mol %, respectively). A large increase in the absorbance of the Soret region arises from the heme-protein interaction. The spectrophotometric titration showed that the protein can bind 25-35 mol of hemin/mol of protein. The apparent dissociation constant was estimated to be 1-4 X 10(-7) M for hemin at pH 7.4 and approximately 10(-6) M for protoporphyrin IX at pH 9.2. The similarity of the difference spectrum of heme-HBP.93 complex to that of heme-hemopexin complex suggests that a bisimidazol-type coordination of heme iron is involved in the binding. The extremely high capacity of HBP.93 to bind heme is also demonstrated by a large increase in the sedimentation velocity of the protein upon heme binding. The native heme-protein complex migrates faster than the heme-free protein in a polyacrylamide gel at pH 8.8; the increased mobility appears to be due to the charge on the carboxyl groups of the bound heme. Although the use of a hemin-agarose column has failed to reveal a protein of similar size and heme affinity in the sera of a number of other species, including man, the heme-binding properties and high histidine level of the human alpha 2-histidine-rich glycoprotein raise the possibility that the two proteins are related.     

Comparison between mutagenesis in normal and transformed syrian hamster fibroblasts: Difference in the temporal order of HPRT gene replication

A highly tumorigenic subdiploid cell line, BP6T, derived in our laboratory from Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cells, is amenable to studies of somatic mutation in vitro. Cellular and biochemical characterization of clonally derived BP6T cells resistant to 6-thioguanine (TG^r) or ouabain (Oua^r) demonstrated these mutants to be similar qualitatively to mutants of SHE cells characterized previously (Barrett et al., 1978). BP6T TG^r mutants resistant to 6-thioguanine are cross-resistant to 8-azaguanine, lack HPRT activity, exhibit a low frequency of reversion and arise spontaneously at a rate of 5 × 10⁻⁷ mutants per cell per generation. BP6T Oua^r mutants were shown to be highly resistant to ouabain-mediated inhibition of ⁸⁶Rb influx, indicating an alteration in the Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase. These studies on the BP6T cell line provide the experimental basis for a comparative study of the mutagenic responses of normal, diploid SHE cells versus those of related, but transformed aneuploid cells. Highly synchronized cultures of these 2 cells were mutagenized by pulse treatment with BrdU during different periods of S phase, followed immediately by near-UV irradiation. The induced mutation frequencies so obtained provided information about the temporal order of replication of genes encoding HPRT and Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase in both SHE and BP6T cells. The temporal pattern of replication of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase gene loci is similar in both cell types, but the temporal order of replication of the HPRT gene is significantly different between SHE and BP6T cells (mid-late S phase, versus early S phase, resp.). This observed difference emphasizes the caution required in the study of mutagenesis and DNA replication using transformed, aneuploid cells under the assumption that the underlying mechanisms are the same for normal, diploid cells.     

Alicyclic acid metabolism in plants 8. Association, of two enzymes of the shikimate pathway in shoots of Phaseolus mungo seedlings

The association of two enzymes involved in the shikimate pathway,3-dehydroquinate hydro-lyase (EC 4.2.1.10 [EC] ) and shikimate: NADPoxidoreductase (EC 1.1.1.25 [EC] ), was studied with shoots of etiolated4-day-old Phaseolus mungo seedlings. The enzymes were not separableby ammonium sulfate fractionation, sucrose density gradientcentrifugation, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and chromatographyon Sephadex G-100 and DEAE-Sephadex A-50. The results are discussedin relation to the channelling function of metabolites in thealicyclic acid metabolism in higher plants. (Received October 28, 1975; )     

Aurintricarboxilic acid as a probe for the analysis of chromatin structure.

Aurintricarboxylic acid is shown to cause nuclear swelling, disaggregation of chromatin structure and release of histones from chromatin. The nuclear swelling is inhibited by Ca⁺⁺ and Mg⁺⁺. The potential usefulness of aurintricarboxylic acid as a probe in chromatin studies is suggested.     

Alicyclic acid metabolism in plants 12. Partial purification and some properties of shikimate kinase from Phaseolus mungo seedlings

Shikimate kinase from Phaseolus mungo seedlings was partiallypurified by DEAEcellulose, hydroxyapatite and Sephacryl S-200column chromatographies. The activity was completely inhibitedby EDTA and the requirement for Mg²⁺ could be partially replacedby Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺; Co²⁺ and Cd²⁺. Sulfhydryl inhibitor did not inhibitthe enzyme activity. The apparent Km values for shikimic acidand ATP at pH 8.6 were 0.25 mM and 0.38 mM, respectively. Theactivity appeared to be maximal at pH 8.6–9.0. Shikimate-3-phosphateand ADP inhibited the activity slightly. Aromatic amino acids,quinic acid and dehydroquinic acid had no significant effecton the activity. (Received January 11, 1979; )     

Hydrophobic Components in Delipidated Granule of Egg Yolk

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is volatile compound important as one of the characteristic flavor compounds of marine food products. The precursor of DMS in marine products is dimethyl-β- propiothetin (DMPT), which is abundunt in green algae. DMPT was effectively extracted by the use of hydrophilic solvents from dried hitoegusa (Monostroma nitidum), a green alga. At around pH 4 and at over pH 9, the extracted DMPT was rapidly degraded to DMS; at around pH 7.5, this degradation was much slower. The DMS obtained volatilized immediately from aqueous solution. However, when the DMPT was formed into a powder with dextrin and heated to release the DMS, 40 — 60% of the DMS remained in the powder. The amount of DMS remaining was 80 % when cyclodextrin was used to form the powder.     

Sampling Strategies in Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring: Evaluating How Precision and Sensitivity Vary with the Number of Animals Sampled per Farm

Because antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals is a major public health concern, many countries have implemented antimicrobial monitoring systems at a national level. When designing a sampling scheme for antimicrobial resistance monitoring, it is necessary to consider both cost effectiveness and statistical plausibility. In this study, we examined how sampling scheme precision and sensitivity can vary with the number of animals sampled from each farm, while keeping the overall sample size constant to avoid additional sampling costs. Five sampling strategies were investigated. These employed 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6 animal samples per farm, with a total of 12 animals sampled in each strategy. A total of 1,500 Escherichia coli isolates from 300 fattening pigs on 30 farms were tested for resistance against 12 antimicrobials. The performance of each sampling strategy was evaluated by bootstrap resampling from the observational data. In the bootstrapping procedure, farms, animals, and isolates were selected randomly with replacement, and a total of 10,000 replications were conducted. For each antimicrobial, we observed that the standard deviation and 2.5–97.5 percentile interval of resistance prevalence were smallest in the sampling strategy that employed 1 animal per farm. The proportion of bootstrap samples that included at least 1 isolate with resistance was also evaluated as an indicator of the sensitivity of the sampling strategy to previously unidentified antimicrobial resistance. The proportion was greatest with 1 sample per farm and decreased with larger samples per farm. We concluded that when the total number of samples is pre-specified, the most precise and sensitive sampling strategy involves collecting 1 sample per farm.     

ADAMTSL6β promotes fibrillin‐1 microfibril assembly,which is possibly mediated via binding through the third thrombospondin type I domain to fibrillin‐1

Fibrillin‐1 is the major component of extracellular matrix microfibrils. Microfibrils dysfunction is responsible for the onset of various connective tissue diseases, including Marfan syndrome. Although ADAMTSL (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs‐like) 6β is one of the fibrillin‐1 binding proteins, the detailed mechanism underlying the involvement of ADAMTSL6β in microfibril formation remains unclear. In this study, we created deletion mutants of ADAMTSL6β and examined their interactions with fibrillin‐1 assembly. Pull‐down assay of the ADAMTSL6β deletion mutants and fibrillin‐1 protein revealed that ADAMTSL6β binds to fibrillin‐1 through the third thrombospondin type I domain. Furthermore, we observed that formation of fibrillin‐1 matrix assembly was enhanced in MG63 cells, expressing full‐length ADAMTSL6β, when compared with that of wild type MG63 cells. While MG63 cells expressing Δ TSP3‐ADAMTSL6β form showed enhanced assembly formation, Δ TSP2‐ADAMTSL6β form did not enhance that, indicating the difference between Δ TSP2‐Δ TSP3 has a critical role for fibrillin‐1 assembly. As the difference of Δ TSP2‐Δ TSP3 is the third thrombospondin type I domain, we concluded that the third thrombospondin type I domain of ADAMTSL6β influence the microfibril formation. Our data are the functional presentation of the biological role of ADAMTSL6β in the process of microfibril formation.