Low-pressure microwave-induced helium plasma emission spectrometry: Vaporization characteristics of metal chlorides,nitrates, and sulfates

A low-pressure microwave-induced helium plasma serves as an excitation source for metal chlorides, nitrates, and sulfates vaporized from a filament, resulting in fractional vaporization and differential sensitivities of detection of the elements depending on the vapor pressures of their salts. The shapes of the single emission peaks, which are simple in the presence of potassium chloride, become complex and may double in number.     

The different effects of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor on rat fibrosarcoma sublines

Summary The antitumor effect of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (rH-TNF) on two clones of rat fibrosarcoma with different metastatic potential to lymph nodes was examined. The colony formation of clone A, which has high metastatic potential, was completely inhibited by continuous exposure to rH-TNF at 50 U/ml. In contrast, colony formation of clone G, which has low metastatic potential, was not inhibited by high concentrations of rH-TNF (10,000 U/ml). The inhibitory effect of rH-TNF on colony formation by clone A was also observed with a 1-h exposure to rH-TNF. This effect was time and concentration dependent, as determined by the colony assay, ³H-thymidine uptake assay, and ⁵¹Cr-release assay. ³H-thymidine and ³H-uridine uptake per cell of clone A exposed to rH-TNF was not decreased. This suggests that the mechanisms of the antitumor effect of rH-TNF were not due to inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis of tumor cells. In vivo growth and lymph node metastases of clone A inoculated i.p. to Donryu strain rats were completely suppressed by 14 consecutive i.p. injections of 10⁵ or 10⁶ U/kg per day of rH-TNF. On the other hand the growth of clone G was not influenced by rH-TNF administration.     

Synthesis of acetone glycerol acyl esters by immobilized lipase ofMucor miehei

Summary The applications of immobilized lipase ofMucor miehei for the synthesis of acetone glycerol acyl ester from acetone glycerol and fatty acid, which is the first step for monoglyceride production was investigated. With a high oleic acid to acetone glycerol ratio (O/A, mol/mol), a high catalytic activity was observed under low water content in the reaction mixture. By the combination of high O/A ratio (>3) and removal of water which was produced during the reaction, the conversion degree was increased to almost 100%. With the O/A ratio of 3, the approximate half-life of the immobilized lipase and productivity of ester was estimated to be 20 days and 869 g product/g immobilized enzyme per 2 half-lives, respectively.     

Production of extracellular 5-aminolevulinic acid byClostridium thermoaceticum grown in minimal medium

Summary A growth associated formation of extracellular 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was found in the homoacetogenesis of glucose byClostridium thermoaceticum grown in minimal defined medium. The growth and ALA production was enhanced by L-cysteine HCl both in complex medium (UM) and minimal defined medium (MDM). The amount of ALA produced extracellularly in MDM wasca. 15 mg/L after 90-h anaerobic cultivation (cell-mass: 1.5 g/l; glucose consumed: 20 g/l).     

Influence of Co2+, Ni2+ and Fe2+ on the production of tetrapyrroles by Methanosarcina barkeri

Summary The selective formation of three tetrapyrroles, Co-containing corrinoids, Ni-containing factor F₄₃₀ and Fe-containing cytochromes (haems) by Methanosarcina barkeri Fusaro (DSM 804) was achieved as a function of the concentrations of Co²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Fe²⁺ in a methanol minimmum medium. It was found that about 70% of the total tetrapyrroles synthesized was excreted into the culture supernatant. Hence, the continuous production of tetrapyrroles in a fixed-bed reactor (supporter: porous diatomaceous clay) was carried out at a dilution rate of 10 day^-1 (850 ml medium/85 ml column/day). The effluent discharged from the reactor contained the excreted tetrapyrroles, the concentrations of which were dependent upon the Co²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Fe²⁺ concentrations in the feed medium. The maximum productivities from the reactor (1 l basis) were 52 M corrinoids/day, 24 M F₄₃₀/day and 8 M haems/day, respectively.     

Cloning and sequencing of a ligninase gene from a lignindegrading basidiomycete,Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Summary A ligninase gene has been cloned from a Phanerochaete chrysosporium genomic DNA library. Nucleotide sequencing of the gene has revealed that the ligninase structural gene contains 1116 bp of the protein-encoding sequence, of which 84 bp encode the signal peptide. The protein-encoding sequence is interrupted by eight introns which conform to the universal G-T/A-G splicing rule observed for the 3 and 5 intron boundaries. The putative eukaryotic regulatory sequences, i.e. CAAT and TATA box-like sequences, are present in the 5 flanking region.     

Antitumor effect of RBS (rice bran saccharide) on ENNG-induced carcinogenesis

We examined whether orally administered RBS (rice bran saccharide), prepared from rice bran by hot water extraction, increases immunocompetence, inhibits gastrointestinal carcinogenesis with N-ethyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG) or shows an antitumor effect. After the administration of RBS, phytohemagglutinin (PHA)- and pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-stimulated blastogenesis of lymphocytes derived from the mesenteric lymph nodes and peripheral blood was enhanced, and the helper/ suppressor T-cell ratio was elevated, and migration activity of peritoneal macrophages was also increased in rats treated continuously with ENNG. ENNG-induced gastrointestinal carcinomas were observed in 43% of those administered RBS (ENNG-RBS) as compared with 88% in the control (ENNG) and 94% in the prednisolone (PRD) group (ENNG-PRD). The 12-month survival rate of rats bearing gastrointestinal cancer was 58% in the ENNG-RBS group as compared with 25% in the ENNG group and 15% in the ENNG-PRD group. RBS prevented the reduction in immunocompetence in the course of carcinogenesis, suppressed carcinogenesis, and prolonged the survival of rats with gastrointestinal cancer. Antitumor activities of RBS are thought to be a kind of host mediated action. The growth inhibition ratio of transplantable ENNG-induced cancer in Wistar rats was 42.1% in the RBS and 51.8% in the 5-FU group. Since little is known about the potent antitumor activity of -glucan, it would be interesting to consider the relationship between the structure and the biological activities of polysaccharides.     

Continuous acetic acid production by the bioreactor system loading a new ceramic carrier for microbial attachment

Summary We have developed a bioreactor system for aerobic fermentation, using a new ceramic carrier APHROCELL which has a suitable shape for liquid and gas passage. In acetic acid fermentation byAcetobacter cells from ethanol, as a typical example of aerobic fermentation, a productivity of 17.25 g/l h was attained at continuous production of 23 g-acetic acid/l; at an acetic acid concentration around 53 g/l, the productivity was 6.4 g/l h. Thus a marketable vinegar can be obtained continuously by this bioreactor system. Because of the simplicity of the APHROCELL reactor, scale up should be relatively easy.     

Monoclonal antibodies that depress a specific subset of multiple components of the glutathione-induced response ofHydra

Summary Reduced glutathione evokes a feeding response, the tentacle-ball formation inHydra japonica. This response consists of at least 5 components (R1–R5). We raised 6 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), each of which depressed a specific subset of these components, and we also examined the immunocytochemical localization of antigens with these mAbs at light microscopic level. The 2 mAbs that depressed R2 and R4 bound to the cnidocils of the desmoneme and the stenotele nematocytes; the 3 mAbs that depressed R5 bound to the apical surface adjacent to the cnidocils of the nematocytes; and the 2 mAbs that depressed R1 and R3 bound to the apical spot structures of unidentified cells in the ectoderm.Together with the specificity of the action of the mAbs on the behavioral response, the correspondence between the effects on the response and the structures visualized with these mAbs suggests that these structures include components of the receptor-effector system relevant to chemoreception.