Antitumour activities of levans produced by Zymomonas mobilis strains

Levans produced by four Zymomonas mobilis strains showed antitumour activity against sarcoma 180 and Ehrlich carcinoma in Swiss albino mice. Levans from two strains (ZAP and CP4) had the highest effects. NMR analysis showed that the polymers were composed only of fructose units. The results suggested that the antineoplasic effect is associated to the polysaccharide molecular weight and that a particular molecular weight range may be responsible for this effect.     

Myosin motors with artificial lever arms.

The myosin head consists of a globular catalytic domain and a light chain binding domain (LCBD). The coupling efficiency between ATP hydrolysis and myosin-induced actin movement is known to decline as the LCBD is truncated or destabilized. However, it was not clear whether the observed alteration in the production of force and movement reflects only the mechanical changes to the length of the LCBD or whether these changes also affect the kinetic properties of the catalytic domain. Here we show that replacement of the LCBD with genetically engineered domains of similar rigidity and dimensions produces functional molecular motors with unchanged kinetic properties. The resulting single-chain, single-headed motors were produced in Dictyostelium discoideum and obtained after purification from a standard peptone-based growth medium at levels of up to 12 mg/l. Their actin motility properties are similar or greater than those of native myosin. Rates of 2.5 and 3.3 microm/s were observed for motor domains fused to one or two of these domains, respectively. Their kinetic and functional similarity to the extensively studied myosin subfragment 1 (S1) and their accessibility to molecular genetic approaches makes these simple constructs ideal models for the investigation of chemo-mechanical coupling in the myosin motor.     

Variation in the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) among eight taxa of the Mimulus guttatus species complex

The internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1 and ITS2) of the 18S-25S nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence and the intervening 5.8S region were sequenced from three individuals in each of eight taxa of the Mimulus guttatus species complex. Three discrete variants, or "types," of ITS sequences were found, among which 30%-40% of sites differed, compared with 1%-2% within types. Dot plots indicate that these types were not related by conspicuous rearrangements or inversions. More than one ITS type was often found in the same taxon, and two of three ITS types span species boundaries, indicating their presence prior to speciation. These ITS sequences showed essentially no positional homology with the nearest sequenced relative, tomato. In contrast, the 5.8S region was relatively unvaried, with 8 of 162 sites varied in the sample among all eight taxa. The phylogeny inferred by the most common ITS sequence type, rooted by the two other ITS types, agreed with isozymes in showing the distinctness of M. nudatus, M. laciniatus, and M. tilingii from the other five taxa.      

Variation in heat shock proteins within tropical and desert species of poeciliid fishes

The 70-kilodalton heat shock protein (hsp70) family of molecular chaperones, which contains both stress-inducible and normally abundant constitutive members, is highly conserved across distantly related taxa. Analysis of this protein family in individuals from an outbred population of tropical topminnows, Poeciliopsis gracilis, showed that while constitutive hsp70 family members showed no variation in protein isoforms, inducibly synthesized hsp70 was polymorphic. Several species of Poeciliopsis adapted to desert environments exhibited lower levels of inducible hsp70 polymorphism than the tropical species, but constitutive forms were identical to those in P. gracilis, as they were in the confamilial species Gambusia affinis. These differences suggest that inducible and constitutive members of this family are under different evolutionary constraints and may indicate differences in their function within the cell. Also, northern desert species of Poeciliopsis synthesize a subset of the inducible hsp70 isoforms seen in tropical species. This distribution supports the theory that ancestral tropical fish migrated northward and colonized desert streams; the subsequent decrease in variation of inducible hsp70 may have been due to genetic drift or a consequence of adaptation to the desert environment. Higher levels of variability were found when the 30- kilodalton heat shock protein (hsp30) family was analyzed within different strains of two desert species of Poeciliopsis and also in wild-caught individuals of Gambusia affinis. In both cases the distribution of hsp30 isoform diversity was similar to that seen previously with allozyme polymorphisms.      

Novel pseudomonas plasmid involved in aniline degradation

Growth of the four methanogens investigated was inhibited by chloramphenicol-3-acetate; therefore, introduction of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase-encoding genes should not confer chloramphenicol resistance on these methanogens. Reduction of the aryl nitro group of chloramphenicol produced a compound which did not inhibit the growth of these methanogens.     

Temperature dependence and Arrhenius activation energy of F-actin velocity generated in vitro by skeletal myosin.

The effect of temperature on the velocity of rhodamine phalloidin-labelled F-actin moving in vitro on rabbit skeletal myosin has been studied. Translating actin filaments were visualized by epi-fluorescence in an inverted microscope, equipped with temperature control (+/- 0.2 K) of the stage and objective. Images were recorded in real time at magnifications of 400x or 160x by an intensified CCD camera on video tape. Motion of individual filaments was tracked by hand and velocities determined using frame times recorded simultaneously on the video tape. Velocity changed from 12 microns per second at 42 degrees C to 11 nm per second at 3 degrees C. The Arrhenius plot is non-linear, with the data following a cubic regression curve with no evident breaks or jumps. Data taken over the temperature range from single preparations followed the same curve for both heating and cooling; this indicates reversibility and absence of hysteresis. A hyperbolic model that smoothly translates with temperature between two asymptotic activation energies fits the data above 7 degrees C: these energies are 50(+/- 5) kJ per mole (Q10 = 1.9) at high temperatures and 289(+/- 29) kJ per mole (Q10 = 76.5) at low temperature with a transition temperature of 15.4(+/- 0.6) degrees C. These values are compared with other measurements made in vitro, in solution studies and on muscle fibres. An Arrhenius activation energy of 50 kJ per mole and a transition temperature of 15 degrees C are consistent with previous determinations but 289 kJ per mole is significantly greater than has been seen at low temperatures in other systems. This may indicate a different rate-limiting step in the kinetics of skeletal myosin driving actin filaments in vitro below 15 degrees C. Current determinations of the myosin "step-size" assume that the actin velocity is determined by the rate of ATP hydrolysis; the data confirm similar activation energies above 20 degrees C but they show that the temperature dependencies and activation energies are different at lower temperatures, implying uncoupling of the two processes.     

Getting to the guts of the matter: The status and potential of ‘omics’ research of parasitic protists of the human gastrointestinal system

Parasitic protists are a major cause of diarrhoeal illnesses in humans globally. Collectively, enteric pathogens exceed all other forms of infectious disease, in terms of their estimated global prevalence and socioeconomic impact. They have a disproportionately high impact on children in impoverished communities, leading to acute (diarrhoea, vomiting, dehydration and death) and chronic disease (malabsorption, malnutrition, physical and cognitive stunting and predisposition to chronic, non-communicable disease) consequences. However, historically, investment in research and disease control measures has been disproportionately poor, leading to their current classification as neglected pathogens. A sound understanding of their biology is essential in underpinning detection, treatment and control efforts. One major tool in rapidly improving our knowledge of these parasites is the use of biological systems, including ‘omic’ technologies. In recent years, these tools have shown significant success when applied to enteric protists. This review summarises much of this knowledge and highlights the significant remaining knowledge gaps. A major focus of the present review was to provide a perspective on a way forward to address these gaps using advanced biotechnologies.     

Evaluation of α-hydroxycinnamic acids as pyruvate carboxylase inhibitors

Through a structure-based drug design project (SBDD), potent small molecule inhibitors of pyruvate carboxylase (PC) have been discovered. A series of α-keto acids (7) and α-hydroxycinnamic acids (8) were prepared and evaluated for inhibition of PC in two assays. The two most potent inhibitors were 3,3′-(1,4-phenylene)bis[2-hydroxy-2-propenoic acid] (8u) and 2-hydroxy-3-(quinoline-2-yl)propenoic acid (8v) with IC₅₀ values of 3.0 ± 1.0 μM and 4.3 ± 1.5 μM respectively. Compound 8v is a competitive inhibitor with respect to pyruvate (K_i = 0.74 μM) and a mixed-type inhibitor with respect to ATP, indicating that it targets the unique carboxyltransferase (CT) domain of PC. Furthermore, compound 8v does not significantly inhibit human carbonic anhydrase II, matrix metalloproteinase-2, malate dehydrogenase or lactate dehydrogenase.