Control of the growth of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris in industrialized orange juice using rosemary essential oil and nisin

The use of rosemary essential oil (RO) and its combination with nisin (RO+N) in preventing the multiplication of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris in orange juice was evaluated. The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC) for RO were both 125 μg ml⁻¹ while RO+N displayed a synergistic effect. The use of RO and RO+N at concentrations of 1, 4 and 8× MIC in orange juice for 96 h was evaluated in terms of their sporicidal effectiveness. With regard to the action against A. acidoterrestris spores, RO at 8× MIC was sporostatic, whereas RO+N at 1× MIC was sporicidal. Morphological changes in the structure of the micro-organism after treatment were also observed by microscopy. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis showed that most cells were damaged or killed after treatment. In general, the antioxidant activity after addition of RO+N decreased with time. The results demonstrate that using the combination of RO and nisin can prevent the A. acidoterrestris growth in orange juice.     

Reaction of small heat-shock proteins to different kinds of cellular stress in cultured rat hippocampal neurons

Upregulation of small heat-shock proteins (sHsps) in response to cellular stress is one mechanism to increase cell viability. We previously described that cultured rat hippocampal neurons express five of the 11 family members but only upregulate two of them (HspB1 and HspB5) at the protein level after heat stress. Since neurons have to cope with many other pathological conditions, we investigated in this study the expression of all five expressed sHsps on mRNA and protein level after sublethal sodium arsenite and oxidative and hyperosmotic stress. Under all three conditions, HspB1, HspB5, HspB6, and HspB8 but not HspB11 were consistently upregulated but showed differences in the time course of upregulation. The increase of sHsps always occurred earlier on mRNA level compared with protein levels. We conclude from our data that these four upregulated sHsps (HspB1, HspB5, HspB6, HspB8) act together in different proportions in the protection of neurons from various stress conditions.     

Solid-Supported Oligonucleotide Systems for Special Biomedical Applications

Abstract

The use of composite beads consisting of a 6 μm polystyrene core with 30 nm surface-bound silica particles to routine automatic oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) synthesis is described.     

High-level expression of a tobacco chitinase gene in Nicotiana sylvestris. Susceptibility of transgenic plants to Cercospora nicotianae infection

Endochitinases (E.C. 3.2.14, chitinase) are believed to be important in the biochemical defense of plants against chitin-containing fungal pathogens. We introduced a gene for class I (basic) tobacco chitinase regulated by Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S-RNA expression signals into Nicotiana sylvestris. The gene was expressed to give mature, enzymatically active chitinase targeted to the intracellular compartment of leaves. Most transformants accumulated extremely high levels of chitinase-up to 120-fold that of non-transformed plants in comparable tissues. Unexpectedly, some transformants exhibited chitinase levels lower than in non-transformed plants suggesting that the transgene inhibited expression of the homologous host gene. Progeny tests indicate this effect is not permanent. High levels of chitinase in transformants did not substantially increase resistance to the chitin-containing fungus Cercospora nicotiana, which causes Frog Eye disease. Therefore class I chitinase does not appear to be the limiting factor in the defense reaction to this pathogen.     

Ultrastructural changes induced by alpha-sarcin in a human pulmonary tumor grown in naked mice.

alpha-Sarcin is a cytotoxic polypeptide produced by Aspergillus giganteus. It suppresses protein synthesis in yeast and wheat germ extracts and has a purine-specific RNase activity. The substance has been tested for its antitumor properties in a series of induced tumor systems in mice such as sarcoma and carcinoma among others. Although some of the in vitro effects of alpha-Sarcin on certain cellular components have been elucidated, the biological effects leading to cellular damage are still obscure. In this work we analysed the morphological changes in tumor cells derived from human pulmonary adenocarcinoma heterotransplanted and grown in naked mice, induced shortly (24 hours) after a single intratumoral injection of alpha-Sarcin (0.4 mg/tumor). The results obtained were: 1) swelling of mitochondria; 2) cell necrosis with partial removal of necrotic cells by phagocytosis; 3) thickening of interlobular connective tissue; 4) hyperplasia of goblet-cell-like clear cells. The mode of action concerning these cellular changes is presently uncertain. In view of the severity of these structural alterations it seems conceivable that alpha-Sarcin may enter the cell undergoing interactions with different intracellular structures. This would require a selective membrane permeabilization, perhaps induced upon formation of complexes with negatively-charged membrane phospholipids.     

Phosphorylation of a 51-kDa envelope membrane polypeptide involved in protein translocation into chloroplasts

In this report we demonstrate that a 51-kDa outer-envelope membrane protein (P51) is involved in protein translocation into chloroplasts. Furthermore it is shown that phosphorylation of P51 is functionally related to the process of binding and/or importing precursor proteins into chloroplasts. Several lines of evidence have been obtained supporting this suggestion. First, protein import into chloroplasts was inhibited by the membrane-impermeable agent pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, which has been shown to react with a component of the protein-import apparatus. Phosphorylation of envelope membrane polypeptides using [gamma-32P]ATP in the presence of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate resulted in an increased incorporation of 32P radiolabel into a 51-kDa membrane polypeptide (P51). A close correlation between the inhibition of protein import and the increase in the phosphorylation state of P51, both as a function of PLP concentration, was observed. Second, binding of purified precursor proteins to chloroplasts resulted in a specific increase in the phosphorylation state of P51. This effect was not exerted by the mature form of the precursor protein lacking the presequence. Third, internally generated ATP was able to compete specifically with externally added [gamma-32P]ATP for the phosphorylation of P51. Fourth, digestion of the outer-envelope membrane with low amounts of thermolysin resulted in a loss of protein import activity, which was associated with the removal of the phosphorylation site of P51. Phosphorylation of P51 proceeds with an apparent Km (ATP) of about 5 microM, which is much lower than the ATP concentration required for the protein translocation itself. We suggest that two different ATP-dependent processes are involved in protein translocation into chloroplasts. P51 represent presumably a regulatory component of the protein-import apparatus or the protein receptor itself.     

Energy dependence of protein translocation into chloroplasts

The translocation of in vitro synthesized precursor proteins into intact spinach chloroplasts was investigated with respect to its energy requirement. It was demonstrated that MgATP itself, and not a transmembrane electrochemical gradient across the envelope membrane, promotes protein import. By manipulating the external and the stromal level of MgATP, we provided evidence that MgATP energized the protein import not within the chloroplast but at the outside of the envelope membrane. It is postulated that an MgATP-dependent phosphorylation/dephosphorylation cycle at the outer membrane face was involved in the course of protein translocation into the chloroplast.     

Head-group contributions to bilayer stability: monolayer and calorimetric studies on synthetic, stereochemically uniform glucolipids

Monolayer and differential scanning calorimetry studies have been performed on synthetic, stereochemically uniform glyceroglucolipids having saturated, ether-linked alkyl chains. The limiting area, A0 = 40 A2 X molecule-1, resulting from the monolayer measurements of the glucolipids is comparable to the A0 value found for phosphatidylethanolamine lipids. The area corresponds to twice the value observed with saturated straight chain fatty acids, which indicates that at high surface pressure the space requirement of the glucose head group does not exceed that of the two alkyl chains. The apparent specific heat capacities of the glucolipid dispersions have been found to be higher than those of corresponding phospholipids. They can be approximated from group parameters with the additional assumption that the experimental partial molar heat capacity of glucose is valid for the glucose head groups of the lipids. The transition enthalpies of the C16 and C18 glyceroglucolipids are clearly larger than the delta H values of corresponding phospholipids, while the C14 glyceroglucolipid has the same transition enthalpy as dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine or ditetradecylphosphatidylethanolamine. Glucolipids exhibit gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition temperatures which are only slightly lower than those of their phosphatidylethanolamine analogues, although they are uncharged molecules. Like phosphatidylethanolamine the glucolipids do not show a pretransition; however, with the C14 glucolipid a highly cooperative posttransition, approximately 5 deg above the main transition, has been found. Calorimetric experiments with a C14 glucolipid, in which the hydroxyl protons of the glucose moiety have been exchanged by deuterium, suggest that the posttransition might reflect structural changes of the head group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)