Erratum

Allatotropin (AT) is a 13 amino acid neuropeptide isolated from the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, which stimulates the biosynthesis of juvenile hormone (JH) in adult females of this insect. In this paper we report that AT stimulates inositol phosphate formation in both female and male corpora allata (CA) of adult Manduca sexta. Furthermore, thapsigargin, a potent Ca²⁺-ATPase inhibitor, staurosporine, a potent inhibitor of protein kinases A and C, and 2,5-di-(tert-butyl)-1,4-hydroquinone (DBHQ), a potent inhibitor of liver microsomal ATP-dependent Ca²⁺ sequestration, all stimulate JH biosynthesis without changing the basal level of inositol phosphates. These data suggest that AT activates an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP₃) pathway. Furthermore, increases in the free intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration in the CA stimulate JH biosynthesis. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Second messengers involved in the muscarinic control of the heart: the role of the phosphoinositide response

Two heart muscarinic responses are compared, the reduction of cyclic AMP concentration and the hydrolysis of phosphoinositides. It is suggested that the former is more important physiologically, since the latter is a slow response requiring much higher agonist concentrations. Inositol trisphosphate released from phosphoinositides is unlikely to produce a positive inotropic effect by releasing calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. However, long term muscarinic effects may involve activation of protein kinase C by diacylglycerol released from phosphoinositides.     

ERp44 C160S/C212S mutants regulate IP3R1 channel activity

Previous studies have indicated that ERp44 inhibits inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP₃)-induced Ca²⁺ release (IICR) via IP₃R₁, but the mechanism remains largely unexplored. Using extracellular ATP to induce intracellular calcium transient as an IICR model, Ca²⁺ image, pull down assay, and Western blotting experiments were carried out in the present study. We found that extracellular ATP induced calcium transient via IP₃Rs (IICR) and the IICR were markedly decreased in ERp44 over-expressed Hela cells. The inhibitory effect of C160S/C212S but not C29S/T396A/ΔT(331--377) mutants of ERp44 on IICR were significantly decreased compared with ERp44. However, the binding capacity of ERp44 to L3V domain of IP₃R₁ (1L3V) was enhanced by ERp44 C160S/C212S mutation. Taken together, these results suggest that the mutants of ERp44, C160/C212, can more tightly bind to IP₃R₁ but exhibit a weak inhibition of IP₃R₁ channel activity in Hela cells.     

微生物发酵生产醇类产品

本文讨论了微生物发酵产品如乙醇、甲醇、甘油、木糖醇和肌醇等的利用和开发前景,并强调了现代生物技术与常规生物技术相结合为选育高效菌株的重要性 。     

Isolation of Festuclavine and Three New Indole Alkaloids,Roquefortine A,B and C from the Cultures of Penicillium roqueforti

The structure and absolute configuration of a metabolite isolated from Aspergillus silvaticus was studied by an X-ray diffraction method. Crystals were orthorhombic, with space group P2₁2₁2₁, and a=9.894 (5), b = 6.803 (4), c=22.519 (6) Å, and Z=4. The structure was solved by a direct method and refined by a block-diagonal least-square method to R=0.07 for 1143 non-zero reflections. The metabolite was identified as naphthalic anhydride obtained from atrovenetin. The absolute configuration determined by the Bijvoet method is consistent with that shown chemically. The molecule has two intramolecular hydrogen bonds.