Identification of a novel polyketide synthase-nonribosomal peptide synthetase (PKS-NRPS) gene required for the biosynthesis of cyclopiazonic acid in Aspergillus oryzae

Cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) is a mycotoxin produced by several strains of Penicillium and Aspergillus species. Aspergillus oryzae strains used in fermented foods do not produce CPA; however, several wild-type A. oryzae strains produce CPA. Here, we identified a novel polyketide synthase-nonribosomal peptide synthetase (PKS-NRPS) gene involved in CPA production by comparing the telomere-adjacent region of a CPA-producing strain (A. oryzae NBRC 4177) with that of a nonproducing strain (A. oryzae RIB40). NBRC 4177 has an additional 17-18-kb sequence beyond the region corresponding to the telomere repeat in RIB40 and this additional regions contains 3' region of the PKS-NRPS gene, while RIB40 has only the 5' region of the PKS-NRPS gene. Gene disruption of the PKS-NRPS gene in NBRC 4177 resulted in elimination of CPA production. Thus, the PKS-NRPS gene is required for CPA biosynthesis, and the truncation of this gene is presumed as one of the determinants of CPA nonproductivity in A. oryzae RIB40.     

Dispersal and Settlement Properties of Kandelia candel (Rhizophoraceae) Propagules

Abstract Three different types were found in the floating pattern of Kandelia candel (L.) Druce propagules: horizontal-floating type, vertical-floating type and sinking type. These correspond to the specific gravity, which increases with flooding in sea water and the repeated exposure to air. The floating types gradually change to the sinking type. In nature, such a condition is found only under the intertidal zone of shallow lagoons where floating propagules can increase their specific gravity, lie on the mud deposits and develop their roots in contact with the muddy soil. The J-shaped seedlings frequently found in K. canel populations in mangrove swamps might be recognized as evidence of growing up in the intertidal zone.
It is speculated that the horizontal-floating propagule has a role as a drifter in the ocean and long-distance disperser, the vertical-floating one as a colonizer of nearby populations and the sinking one as a successor in the original habitat.     

Enantioselective synthesis of (S)-2-cyano-2-methylpentanoic acid by nitrilase

The nitrilase gene of Rhodococcus rhodochrous J1 was expressed in Escherichia coli using the expression vector, pKK223-3. The recombinant E. coli JM109 cells hydrolyzed enantioselectively 2-methyl-2-propylmalononitrile to form (S)-2-cyano-2-methylpentanoic acid (CMPA) with 96 % e.e. Under optimized conditions, 80 g (S)-CMPA l^?1 was produced with a molar yield of 97 % at 30 °C after a 24 h without any by-products.     

Genetic Basis for Spontaneous Hybrid Genome Doubling during Allopolyploid Speciation of Common Wheat Shown by Natural Variation Analyses of the Paternal Species

The complex process of allopolyploid speciation includes various mechanisms ranging from species crosses and hybrid genome doubling to genome alterations and the establishment of new allopolyploids as persisting natural entities. Currently, little is known about the genetic mechanisms that underlie hybrid genome doubling, despite the fact that natural allopolyploid formation is highly dependent on this phenomenon. We examined the genetic basis for the spontaneous genome doubling of triploid F₁ hybrids between the direct ancestors of allohexaploid common wheat (Triticum aestivum L., AABBDD genome), namely Triticum turgidum L. (AABB genome) and Aegilops tauschii Coss. (DD genome). An Ae. tauschii intraspecific lineage that is closely related to the D genome of common wheat was identified by population-based analysis. Two representative accessions, one that produces a high-genome-doubling-frequency hybrid when crossed with a T . turgidum cultivar and the other that produces a low-genome-doubling-frequency hybrid with the same cultivar, were chosen from that lineage for further analyses. A series of investigations including fertility analysis, immunostaining, and quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis showed that (1) production of functional unreduced gametes through nonreductional meiosis is an early step key to successful hybrid genome doubling, (2) first division restitution is one of the cytological mechanisms that cause meiotic nonreduction during the production of functional male unreduced gametes, and (3) six QTLs in the Ae . tauschii genome, most of which likely regulate nonreductional meiosis and its subsequent gamete production processes, are involved in hybrid genome doubling. Interlineage comparisons of Ae . tauschii ’s ability to cause hybrid genome doubling suggested an evolutionary model for the natural variation pattern of the trait in which non-deleterious mutations in six QTLs may have important roles. The findings of this study demonstrated that the genetic mechanisms for hybrid genome doubling could be studied based on the intrinsic natural variation that exists in the parental species.     

Identification of csypyrone B2 and B3 as the minor products of Aspergillus oryzae type III polyketide synthase CsyB

Since our first report on the identification of the fungal type III polyketide synthase (PKS) genes csyA～D in Aspergillus oryzae RIB40, type III PKS homologues have also been found in other fungal species. We previously reported the isolation and structural determination of csypyrone B1 as the main product of CsyB when inductively expressed in Aspergillus oryzae. Herein we report the isolation and identification of the two minor products of the csyB transformant in addition to csypyrone B1 as 4-(3-acetyl-4-hydroxy-2-oxo-2H-pyran-6-yl)butyric acid and 5-(3-acetyl-4-hydroxy-2-oxo-2H-pyran-6-yl)pentanoic acid. These compounds were named csypyrone B2 and B3, respectively, and both are homologues of main product csypyrone B1 with different side chain lengths. This result suggests that the carbon skeleton of the csypyrone B precursor is constructed by the condensation of fatty acyl-CoA and acetylmalonyl-CoA followed by pyrone formation. The alkyl side chain of the precursor may be oxidatively cleaved by enzyme(s) in the host fungus to give variations of csypyrone B with propanoic acid, butyric acid, or pentanoic acid side chains.     

Physicochemical and biological properties of 2-O-α-D-galactosyl-cyclomaltohexaose (α-cyclodexterin) and -cyclomaltoheptaose (β-cyclodextrin)

The physicochemical and biological properties of the new branched cyclomaltooligosaccharides (cyclodextrins; CDs), 2-O-α-D-galactosyl-cyclomaltohexaose (2-O-α-D-galactosyl-α-cyclodextrin, 2-Gal-αCD) and 2-O-α-D-galactosyl-cyclomaltoheptaose (2-O-α-D-galactosyl-β-cyclodextrin, 2-Gal-βCD), were investigated. The formation of inclusion complexes of 2-Gal-CDs with various kinds of guest compounds (clofibrate, cholesterol, cholecalciferol, digitoxin, digitoxigenin, and prostaglandin A(1)) was examined by a solubility method, and the results were compared with those of non-branched CDs and other 6-O-glycosyl-CDs such as 6-O-α-D-galactosyl-CDs, 6-O-α-D-glucosyl-CDs, and 6-O-α-maltosyl-CDs. The inclusion abilities of 2-Gal-αCD for clofibrate and prostaglandin A(1), and 2-Gal-βCD for clofibrate, cholecalciferol, cholesterol, and digitoxigenin were markedly weaker than those of non-branched CD and other 6-O-glycosyl-CDs in each series, probably because of a steric hindrance caused by the α-(1→2)-galactoside linkage. The hemolytic activities of 2-Gal-CDs on human erythrocytes were the lowest among each CD series, and the compounds showed negligible cytotoxicity towards Caco-2 cells up to at least 100mM.     

The MET1b gene encoding a maintenance DNA methyltransferase is indispensable for normal development in rice

While Arabidopsis bears only one MET1 gene encoding the DNA methyltransferase that is mainly responsible for maintaining CG methylation after DNA replication, rice carries two MET1 genes, MET1a and MET1b, expressed in actively replicating and dividing cells, and MET1b is more abundantly expressed than is MET1a. A met1a null mutant displayed no overt phenotypes, implying that MET1b must play a major role in the maintenance DNA methylation. Here, we employed two met1b null mutants, generated by homologous recombination-mediated knock-in targeting and insertion of endogenous retrotransposon Tos17. These MET1a/MET1a met1b/met1b homozygotes exhibited abnormal seed phenotypes, which is associated with either viviparous germination or early embryonic lethality. They also displayed decreased levels of DNA methylation at repetitive CentO sequences and at the FIE1 gene locus in the embryos. In addition, independently isolated knock-in-targeted plants, in which the promoterless GUS reporter gene was fused with the endogenous MET1b promoter, showed the reproducible, dosage-dependent, and spatiotemporal expression patterns of GUS. The genotyping analysis of selfed progeny of heterozygous met1a met1b null mutants indicated that weakly active MET1a seems to serve as a genetic backup mechanism in rice met1b gametophytes, although the stochastic and uncoordinated activation of epigenetic backup mechanisms occurred less efficiently in the met1b homozygotes of rice than in the met1 homozygotes of Arabidopsis. Moreover, passive depletion of CG methylation during the postmeiotic DNA replication in the haploid nuclei of the met1a met1b gametophytes in rice results in early embryonic lethality. This situation somewhat resembles that of the met1 gametophytes in Arabidopsis.     

Effects of male age on the mating behavior of both sexes in the sorghum plant bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus (Hemiptera: Miridae)

In the sorghum plant bug Stenotus rubrovittatus (Matsumura) (Hemiptera: Miridae), mating behavior consists of male courtship and female mating receptivity. Previous studies have found that female age is correlated with ovary development and that mature females with developed ovaries are more receptive to male courtship. Thus, we examined whether male age affects the mating behavior of both sexes and male accessory gland development. Unmated males 0–9 days after emergence and 3-day-old virgin females receptive to male courtship were studied. Immediately after emergence, only 20 % of the males courted females (n = 25). At 3 days old, 68 % of the males courted females (n = 25), the most active age. In contrast, more than 75 % of the courted females were receptive to the male courtship regardless of male age. These results indicate that only male courtship behavior is affected by male age, although it is not enhanced in proportion to male age. Male accessory glands developed with male age. However, no clear relationship was detected between male courtship behavior and accessory gland development. In S. rubrovittatus, it is difficult to explain male courtship behavior solely from male age and accessory gland development.     

Peripheral ethanolamine plasmalogen deficiency: a logical causative factor in Alzheimer's disease and dementia

Although dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) is the most common form of dementia, the severity of dementia is only weakly correlated with DAT pathology. In contrast, postmortem measurements of cholinergic function and membrane ethanolamine plasmalogen (PlsEtn) content in the cortex and hippocampus correlate with the severity of dementia in DAT. Currently, the largest risk factor for DAT is age. Because the synthesis of PlsEtn occurs via a single nonredundant peroxisomal pathway that has been shown to decrease with age and PlsEtn is decreased in the DAT brain, we investigated potential relationships between serum PlsEtn levels, dementia severity, and DAT pathology. In total, serum PlsEtn levels were measured in five independent population collections comprising >400 clinically demented and >350 nondemented subjects. Circulating PlsEtn levels were observed to be significantly decreased in serum from clinically and pathologically diagnosed DAT subjects at all stages of dementia, and the severity of this decrease correlated with the severity of dementia. Furthermore, a linear regression model predicted that serum PlsEtn levels decrease years before clinical symptoms. The putative roles that PlsEtn biochemistry play in the etiology of cholinergic degeneration, amyloid accumulation, and dementia are discussed.