Implementation of batchwise bioscouring of cotton knits

The examination of critical factors determining the performance of bioscouring showed that a short treatment of the fabric at greater than 80°C after pectinase treatment at 60°C was essential for removal of waxes from the fabric as demonstrated by diminished intensities of methylene peaks in FT-IR measurements. Batch-wise bioscouring of cotton knits was carried out several times with post-treatment at 80°C using a rapid dyeing machine. The dye-ability of bioscoured knits was as good as the company's alkaline scoured ones with slightly higher K/S values. Water pollution caused by effluents of bioscouring and alkaline processes were estimated, as well as that due to the input of chemicals and enzymes. Higher BOD:COD_Cr ratios for enzymes indicated their biodegradable character. After calculation of energy consumption using a simulation program, an economic evaluation of the two processes was done on the basis of one ton production by considering the costs of chemicals and enzyme, water usage, energy consumption and waste water treatment charge.     

Monoglycerides from the brown alga Sargassum sagamianum: Isolation, synthesis, and biological activity

Polyunsaturated fatty acid-derived monoglycerides were characterized from the marine brown alga Sargassum sagamianum, collected from Jeju Island, Korea. A new compound of this structural class was isolated and determined to be 1-octadecatetraenoyl glycerol, by combined spectroscopic methods. Based on the structures and bioactivity of these compounds, a series of monoglycerides were synthesized using glycerol and various fatty acids. Several compounds exhibited moderate to significant inhibition of phospholipase A(2) and cyclooxygenase-2.     

Functional characterization of thioredoxin h type 5 with antimicrobial activity from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis>

A plant protein with effective antifungal activity was isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. The results of N-terminal sequencing analysis revealed that the isolated protein matches with a partial fragment of A. thaliana oxidoreductase thioredoxin h type 5; AtTrx-h5 (GenBank accession number AT1G45145). The AtTrx-h5 gene isolated from an Arabidopsis leaf cDNA library was transformed into Escherichia coli to investigate the functional characterizations of AtTrx-h5 protein. Recombinant AtTrx-h5 protein inhibited the conidia germination in 7 filamentous fungal cells and the proliferation in 3 pathogenic yeast cells. In addition, the cellular distribution of recombinant AtTrx-h5 protein in Fusarium solani showed pH-dependent cytosolic accumulation. Interestingly, AtTrx-h5 acted as an inhibitor of fungal growth via cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. We propose the novel functions of AtTrx-h5 as a potential candidate for natural antifungal material in the study.     

UbC gene allele frequency in Korean population and novel UbC mosaic repeat unit formation

The genomic structural organization of human UbC CDS repeat units could be representative of concerted evolution. The structure of the UbC gene and its repeat unit number frequency at scales of different human ethnic populations remain to be sufficiently determined. In this study, we performed comparative analysis of UbC CDS regions in genomes from 140 Korean individuals. We found that the UbC gene allele types 9, 8 and 7 are present in the Korean population in proportions of 97.1%, 0.4% and 2.5%, respectively. Interestingly, we discovered that the allele types 7 and 8 harbor the novel UbC gene mosaic repeat units 3??5 (combined between sequence parts derived from standard repeat units 3 and 5) and 8??9 (combined between sequence parts derived from standard repeat units 8 and 9) within their sequence structures, respectively. Our analysis showed that the novel mosaic repeat unit 3^5 lacks the highly human-specific amino acid S38, implying a functional consequence. These results suggest that the genomic organization of UbC repeat units is still undergoing dynamic structural changes due to concerted evolution through unequal crossing-over. Our results could represent valuable data for future investigations related to treating genetic diseases caused by UbC gene mutations and variations.     

Brain succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase. Reactions of sulfhydryl residues connected with catalytic activity.

Incubation of an NAD+-dependent succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase from bovine brain with 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene-4-iodoacetamide (DABIA) resulted in a time-dependent loss of enzymatic activity. This inactivation followed pseudo first-order kinetics with a second-order rate constant of 168 m(-1).min(-1). The spectrum of DABIA-labeled enzyme showed a characteristic peak of the DABIA alkylated sulfhydryl group chromophore at 436 nm, which was absent from the spectrum of the native enzyme. A linear relationship was observed between DABIA binding and the loss of enzyme activity, which extrapolates to a stoichiometry of 8.0 mol DABIA derivatives per mol enzyme tetramer. This inactivation was prevented by preincubating the enzyme with substrate, succinic semialdehyde, but not by preincubating with coenzyme NAD+. After tryptic digestion of the enzyme modified with DABIA, two peptides absorbing at 436 nm were isolated by reverse-phase HPLC. The amino acid sequences of the DABIA-labeled peptides were VCSNQFLVQR and EVGEAICTDPLVSK, respectively. These sites are identical to the putative active site sequences of other brain succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenases. These results suggest that the catalytic function of succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase is inhibited by the specific binding of DABIA to a cysteine residue at or near its active site.     

Stereoselective synthesis of conformationally rigid apio carbanucleosides as potential antiviral agents

Apio north-methanocarbocyclic nucleosides 1-3 with bicyclo[3. 1.0]hexane template were first synthesized. Introduction of hydroxymethyl substituent was efficiently and stereoselectively accomplished by aldol and retro-aldol reaction and fixed conformation was achieved from a modified Simmons-Smith cyclopropanation on a cyclopentane ring.     

Flavonoids: from cell cycle regulation to biotechnology

Flavonoids have been proposed to play diverse roles in plant growth and development, including defense, symbiosis, pollen development and male fertility, polar auxin transport, and protection against ultraviolet radiation. Recently, a new role in cell cycle regulation has emerged. Genetic alteration of glucuronide metabolism by altered expression of a Pisum sativum UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (PsUGT1) results in an altered cell cycle in pea, alfalfa, and Arabidopsis. In alfalfa, altered expression of PsUGT1 results in accumulation of a flavonoid-like compound that suppresses growth of cultured cells. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that PsUGT1 functions by controlling cellular levels of a factor controlling cell cycle (FCC).     

Novel SIRT1 activator MHY2233 improves glucose tolerance and reduces hepatic lipid accumulation in db/db mice

The NAD⁺-dependent deacetylase SIRT1, which is associated with the improvement of metabolic syndromes, such as type 2 diabetes, is a well-known longevity-related gene. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have shown the known protective effects of SIRT1 activators, such as resveratrol and SRT1720, on diabetes- or obesity-induced fatty liver and insulin resistance. Here, we newly synthesized 18 benzoxazole hydrochloride derivatives based on the structure of resveratrol and SRT1720. We performed an in vitro SIRT1 activity assay to identify the strongest SIRT1 activator. The assay confirmed MHY2233 to be the strongest SIRT1 activator (1.5-fold more potent than resveratrol), and docking simulation showed that the binding affinity of MHY2233 was higher than that of resveratrol and SRT1720. To investigate its beneficial effects, db/db mice were orally administered MHY2233 for 1?month, and various metabolic parameters were assessed in the serum and liver tissues. MHY2233 markedly ameliorated insulin signaling without affecting body weight in db/db mice. In particular, the mRNA expression of lipogenic genes, such as acetyl CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthase, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein, which increased in db/db mice, decreased following oral treatment with MHY2233.In conclusion, the novel SIRT1 activator MHY2233 reduced lipid accumulation and improved insulin resistance. This finding may contribute toward therapeutic approaches for fatty liver disease and glucose tolerance.     

Functional Analysis of Coordinated Cleavage in V(D)J Recombination

V(D)J recombination in vivo requires a pair of signals with distinct spacer elements of 12 and 23 bp that separate conserved heptamer and nonamer motifs. Cleavage in vitro by the RAG1 and RAG2 proteins can occur at individual signals when the reaction buffer contains Mn²⁺, but cleavage is restricted to substrates containing two signals when Mg²⁺ is the divalent cation. By using a novel V(D)J cleavage substrate, we show that while the RAG proteins alone establish a moderate preference for a 12/23 pair versus a 12/12 pair, a much stricter dependence of cleavage on the 12/23 signal pair is produced by the inclusion of HMG1 and competitor double-stranded DNA. The competitor DNA serves to inhibit the cleavage of substrates carrying a 12/12 or 23/23 pair, as well as the cutting at individual signals in 12/23 substrates. We show that a 23/33 pair is more efficiently recombined than a 12/33 pair, suggesting that the 12/23 rule can be generalized to a requirement for spacers that differ from each other by a single helical turn. Furthermore, we suggest that a fixed spatial orientation of signals is required for cleavage. In general, the same signal variants that can be cleaved singly can function under conditions in which a signal pair is required. However, a chemically modified substrate with one noncleavable signal enables us to show that formation of a functional cleavage complex is mechanistically separable from the cleavage reaction itself and that although cleavage requires a pair of signals, cutting does not have to occur simultaneously at both. The implications of these results are discussed with respect to the mechanism of V(D)J recombination and the generation of chromosomal translocations.