Crystal structure determination of a neutral neurotoxin BmK M4 from Buthus martensii Karsch at 0.20 nm

BmK M4 is a neutral neurotoxin in the BmK toxin series.It is medially toxic and belongs to group III α-toxins.The purified sample was crystallized in rhombic space group P61.Using an X-ray diffraction technique,the crystal structure of BmK M4 was revealed by molecular replacement at 0.20 nm resolution.The model was refined.The final crystallographic R factor was 0.142 and the free R factor was 0.173.The root mean square deviation is 0.001 5 nm for the bond length and 1.753°for the bond angles.64 water molecules were added to the asymmetric unit.The refined structure showed an unusual non-prolyl cis peptide bond at residue 10.The structure was compared with group II α-toxin BmK M8 (an acidic,weak toxin).The potential structural implications of the cis peptide bond were discussed.     

Effect of temperature on the pathways of NADH-oxidation in broad-bean mitochondria

1. Respiration rates of broad-bean (Vicia faba) mitochondria were studied as a function of temperature. Arrhenius plots of all membrane-bound enzymes, as obtained with saturating substrate concentrations, revealed a break in the lower temperature range. That break was considered to indicate a phase transition of membrane phospholipids, characteristic for chilling-sensitive plants. A second discontinuity at 30°C occurred only with activities linked to energy conservation. — 2. The activation energies for the oxidation of NAD⁺-linked substrates differ between states 3 and 4. State 3 respiration of NAD⁺-linked substrates is the result a superimposition of two branches of electron transport, which can be separated by different sensibilities to rotenone. A characteristic temperature dependency of the respiratory control, as well as a shift of the low temperature break in the Arrhenius plot toward a higher temperature after state 4 to state 3 transition, are calculated to be caused by the superimposition of the two branches. — 3. The temperature dependency of the oxidation of extra-mitochondrial NADH and of succinate differs remarkably from that of the oxidation of matrix-NADH. It has been concluded that the rotenone-resistant oxidation of matrix-NADH and the oxidation of external NADH are mediated via different pathways with individual regulation sites.Abbreviations BSA bovine serum albumin - CCCP carbonylcyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone - TPP thiaminepyrophosphate     

Penicillium chrysogenum glucose oxidase -- a study on its antifungal effects

AIMS: Purification and characterization of the high molecular mass Candida albicans-killing protein secreted by Penicillium chrysogenum. METHODS AND RESULTS: The protein was purified by a combination of ultrafiltration, chromatofocusing and gel filtration. Enzymological characteristics [relative molecular mass (M(r)) = 155 000, subunit structure alpha(2) with M(r,alpha) = 76 000, isoelectric point (pI) = 5.4] were determined using SDS-PAGE and 2D-electrophoresis. N-terminal amino acid sequencing and homology search demonstrated that the antifungal protein was the glucose oxidase (GOX) of the fungus. The enzyme was cytotoxic for a series of bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi. Vitamin C (1.0 mg ml(-1)) prevented oxidative cell injuries triggered by 0.004 U GOX in Emericella nidulans cultures but bovine liver catalase was ineffective even at a GOX : catalase activity ratio of 0.004 : 200 U. A secondary inhibition of growth in E. nidulans cultures by the oxygen-depleting GOX-catalase system was likely to replace the primary inhibition exerted by H(2)O(2). CONCLUSIONS: Penicillium chrysogenum GOX possesses similar enzymological features to those described earlier for other Penicillium GOXs. Its cytotoxicity was dependent on the inherent antioxidant potential of the test micro-organisms. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Penicillium chrysogenum GOX may find future applications in glucose biosensor production, the disinfection of medical implants or in the food industry as an antimicrobial and/or preservative agent.     

Versuche über heterosexuelle Merkmale bei Ratten

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Bidirectional reaction steps in metabolic networks: II. Flux estimation and statistical analysis

Metabolic carbon labelling experiments enable a large amount of extracellular fluxes and intracellular carbon isotope enrichments to be measured. Since the relation between the measured quantities and the unknown intracellular metabolic fluxes is given by bilinear balance equations, flux determination from this data set requires the numerical solution of a nonlinear inverse problem. To this end, a general algorithm for flux estimation from metabolic carbon labelling experiments based on the least squares approach is developed in this contribution and complemented by appropriate tools for statistical analysis. The linearization technique usually applied for the computation of nonlinear confidence regions is shown to be inappropriate in the case of large exchange fluxes. For this reason a sophisticated compactification transformation technique for nonlinear statistical analysis is developed. Statistical analysis is then performed by computing appropriate statistical quality measures like output sensitivities, parameter sensitivities and the parameter covariance matrix. This allows one to determine the order of magnitude of exchange fluxes in most practical situations. An application study with a large data set from lysine-producing Corynebacterium glutamicum demonstrates the power and limitations of the carbon-labelling technique. It is shown that all intracellular fluxes in central metabolism can be quantitated without assumptions on intracellular energy yields. At the same time several exchange fluxes are determined which is invaluable information for metabolic engineering. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 55: 118-135, 1997.     

Retrocyclin-2: structural analysis of a potent anti-HIV theta-defensin

Retrocyclins are circular mini-defensins with significant potential as agents against human immunodeficiency virus, influenza A, and herpes simplex virus. Retrocyclins bind carbohydrate-containing surface molecules such as gp120 and CD4 with high affinity (Kd, 10-100 nM), promoting their localization on cell membranes. The structural features important for activity have yet to be fully elucidated, but here, we have determined the first three-dimensional structure of a retrocyclin, namely, one of the most potent forms, retrocyclin-2. In the presence of SDS micelles, a well-defined beta-hairpin braced by three disulfide bonds that defines the cystine ladder motif is present. By contrast, a well-defined structure could not be determined in aqueous solution, suggesting that the presence of SDS micelles stabilizes the extended conformation of retrocyclin-2. Translational diffusion measurements indicate that retrocyclin-2 interacts with the SDS micelles, and such a membrane-like interaction may be an important feature in the mechanism of action of these antimicrobial peptides. Analytical ultracentrifugation and the NMR data indicated that retrocyclin-2 self-associates to form a trimer in a concentration-dependent manner. The ability to self-associate may contribute to the high-affinity binding of retrocyclins for glycoproteins by increasing the valency and enhancing the ability of retrocyclins to cross-link cell surface glycoproteins.     

一种新型蛋白类药物口服载体的海藻酸钠/巯基化果糖-壳聚糖复合水凝胶

壳聚糖经果糖修饰以改善其水溶性,再经半胱氨酸修饰得到巯基化果糖-壳聚糖。海藻酸钠与巯基化果糖-壳聚糖混合溶液经氯化钙及硫酸钠双重交联制得复合水凝胶珠。溶胀试验结果表明:该凝胶珠在pH值6.8及7.4时的溶胀率分别是pH值1.2时的7倍和10倍左右。牛血清白蛋白(BSA)包载试验结果表明:BSA重量为凝胶珠质量的20%时,包载率可达94%以上,随着巯基化果糖-壳聚糖在凝胶珠中比例增加,BSA包载率上升。BSA释放试验表明:pH值1.2时BSA的释放率很低,只有6%～10%的BSA从凝胶珠中释放出来,随后累积释放量基本不变;pH值6.8和pH值7.4时BSA的释放率迅速提高,因此这种复合水凝胶珠可作为一种潜在的口服蛋白类药物载体。     

Adenovirus-mediated expression of pig α(1,3) galactosyltransferase reconstructs Gal α(1,3) Gal epitope on the surface of human tumor cells

INTRODUCTIONGal a(1, 3) Gal (gal epitope) is a carbohydrate epitope, which is produced in large amounton the cells of pigs, mice and New World monkey(monkey of South America) by the glycosylationenzyme G alal 1 ) 4G IcNAc3- a- D- galactosyltransferase[or(1, 3)GT; EC2.4.1.511111. This enzyme is active in the Golgi appaxatus of cells and transfers galactose from the sugandonor uridine diphoSphate galactose (UDP-galactose) to the acceptor Nacetyllactosamine residue (Galaal-4GlcNAc-R…     

医用外科拉链细胞毒性试验研究

将医用外科拉链的 16 4 0浸出液与小鼠成纤维细胞L92 9悬液 (1x10 4/ml)共培养 ,观察其对L92 9细胞生长抑制的影响 ,结果表明 ,该外科拉链对L92 9细胞形态、生长和增殖没有影响 ,无细胞毒性作用 ,具有良好的生物相容性 ,符合生物材料应用要求     

芽孢乳杆菌发酵葡萄糖制备D(-)-乳酸的研究

在国内首次报道了发酵法制备D(-)-乳酸,采用芽孢乳杆菌(Sporolactobacillus sp．)从葡萄糖发酵制备D-乳酸。该发酵为微需氧,发酵培养基组成(g/L):葡萄糖60,酵母膏6,玉米浆5,NH4NO3l,麸皮2,NaH2PO4 4,CaCO340。发酵液的初始pH为7．0.在最佳条件下,37℃发酵72h可产40．7g/L的D-乳酸,葡萄糖转化率67．83％。通过离子配位色谱分析,产物的D-乳酸光学纯度为96．04％e．e．。