(2-Nitroethyl)benzene: a major flower scent from the Japanese loquat Eriobotrya japonica [Rosales: Rosaceae]

(2-Nitroethyl)benzene was identified as a major component of the flower scent of the Japanese loquat Eriobotrya japonica [Rosales: Rosaceae], together with p-methoxybenzaldehyde and methyl p-methoxybenzoate. The corresponding volatiles from chopped leaves did not contain these three compounds. This is the first time that 1-nitro-2-phenyl-ethane has been demonstrated to be a natural product among Japanese plants, although two Japanese millipedes are known to possess the same aromatics.     

Novel methods for nucleotide length control in double-stranded polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid production using uneven length components

ABSTRACT

Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PIC), a double-stranded RNA that induces innate immunity in mammals, is a candidate immunopotentiator for pharmaceuticals. The potency and adverse effects of PIC are strongly correlated with the nucleotide length, and the inability to precisely control the length in PIC production limits its practical use. Length extension during the annealing process is the major factor underlying the lack of control, but tuning the annealing conditions is insufficient to resolve this issue. In this study, we developed a novel method to produce accurate nucleotide length PIC at an industrial scale. The length extension was significantly suppressed by the assembly of multiple short polyinosinic acid molecules with one long polycytidylic acid molecule. A newly developed PIC, uPIC100-400, demonstrated a reproducible length and better storage stability than that of corresponding evenly structured PIC. Human dsRNA receptors exhibited equivalent responsiveness to uPIC100-400 and the evenly structured PIC with the same length.     

Individual Colorimetric Observer Model

This study proposes a vision model for individual colorimetric observers. The proposed model can be beneficial in many color-critical applications such as color grading and soft proofing to assess ranges of color matches instead of a single average match. We extended the CIE 2006 physiological observer by adding eight additional physiological parameters to model individual color-normal observers. These eight parameters control lens pigment density, macular pigment density, optical densities of L-, M-, and S-cone photopigments, and λ_max shifts of L-, M-, and S-cone photopigments. By identifying the variability of each physiological parameter, the model can simulate color matching functions among color-normal populations using Monte Carlo simulation. The variabilities of the eight parameters were identified through two steps. In the first step, extensive reviews of past studies were performed for each of the eight physiological parameters. In the second step, the obtained variabilities were scaled to fit a color matching dataset. The model was validated using three different datasets: traditional color matching, applied color matching, and Rayleigh matches.     

Essential structure of orexin 1 receptor antagonist YNT-707, part III: Role of the 14-hydroxy and the 3-methoxy groups in antagonistic activity toward the orexin 1 receptor in YNT-707 derivatives lacking the 4,5-epoxy ring

Morphinan derivatives lacking the 4,5-epoxy ring were synthesized to examine the participation of the 14-OH group, the 3-OMe group, and the aromaticity of the A-ring in the activity and selectivity for the orexin 1 receptor (OX₁R). The assay results and the conformational analyses of the 14-dehydrated and 14-H derivatives suggested that the orientations of the 6-amide side chain and the 17-benzenesulfonyl group would play important roles in the activity for OX₁R. In the 6β-derivatives, removal of the 3-OMe group and the reduction of the A-ring significantly decreased the activity toward the OX₁R, but these changes did not affect the 6α-derivatives. These results indicate that the 3-OMe group and the A-ring would be essential structural moieties for the 6β-derivatives.     

Spatial heterogeneity in induced defense of Brachionus calyciflorus within a single lake caused by a bed of floating-leaved macrophyte Trapa species

Limnology - While induced defense of aquatic organisms against predators has been considerably studied by both laboratory and field research, our understanding is still limited about, for example,...     

Electrochemical screening of recombinant protein solubility in Escherichia coli using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM)

A microbial array chip with collagen gel spots entrapping living Escherichia coli (E. coli) DH5alpha was applied for the screening of recombinant protein solubilities. The alpha-fragment of beta-galactosidase (betaGal) was fused to the target protein, namely, maltose-binding protein (MBP), to monitor the solubility of MBP. Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was used to detect the release of p-aminophenol from E. coli cells catalyzed by intracellular betaGal. Comparison of the SECM-based method with the Western blotting-based method indicated that the current response obtained using SECM increased with an increase in the betaGal activity and therefore, with the soluble fraction of MBP in the host cells.     

Legumain/asparaginyl endopeptidase controls extracellular matrix remodeling through the degradation of fibronectin in mouse renal proximal tubular cells

Legumain/asparaginyl endopeptidase (EC 3.4.22.34) is a novel cysteine protease that is abundantly expressed in the late endosomes and lysosomes of renal proximal tubular cells. Recently, emerging evidence has indicated that legumain might play an important role in control of extracellular matrix turnover in various pathological conditions such as tumor growth/metastasis and progression of atherosclerosis. We initially found that purified legumain can directly degrade fibronectin, one of the main components of the extracellular matrix, in vitro. Therefore, we examined the effect of legumain on fibronectin degradation in cultured mouse renal proximal tubular cells. Fibronectin processing can be inhibited by chloroquine, an inhibitor of lysosomal degradation, and can be enhanced by the overexpression of legumain, indicating that fibronectin degradation occurs in the presence of legumain in lysosomes from renal proximal tubular cells. Furthermore, in legumain-deficient mice, unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced renal interstitial protein accumulation of fibronectin and renal interstitial fibrosis were markedly enhanced. These findings indicate that legumain might have an important role in extracellular matrix remodeling via the degradation of fibronectin in renal proximal tubular cells.     

AMPK mediates autophagy during myocardial ischemia in vivo

We have recently shown that autophagy is induced by ischemia and reperfusion in the mouse heart in vivo. Ischemia stimulates autophagy through an AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent mechanism, whereas reperfusion after ischemia stimulates autophagy through a Beclin 1-dependent, but AMPK-independent, mechanism. Autophagy plays distinct roles during ischemia and reperfusion: autophagy may be protective during ischemia, whereas it may be detrimental during reperfusion. We will discuss the role of AMPK in mediating autophagy during myocardial ischemia in vivo.