Aggregation of tobacco mosaic virus by sodium chondroitin sulfate

The precipitation of tobacco mosaic virus by sodium chondroitin sulfate in an aqueous solution was investigated kinetically by means of turbidimetry. The virus solution became turbid after the addition of chondroitin sulfate. A threshold concentration of chondroitin, 1.33 mg/ml, was required for virus precipitation, irrespective of the virus concentration. The precipitation resulted from a mutual spatial exclusion phenomenon, leading to the separation of the virus as a crystalline phase. The dimension of chondroitin sulfate calculated at the threshold concentration agreed well with that obtained by other methods. The initial slopes and the aggregation half-times of the virus aggregates depended on both chondroitin and virus concentrations and the former increased with the increase in concentration of each. Above the threshold concentration of chondroitin sulfate, tobacco mosaic virus aggregation was a rapid-aggregation process and ended within 100 sec.     

Congenital diverticulum of the ileum in a rat.

A congenital diverticulum of the ileum (Meckel's diverticulum), approximately 10 mm long, was detected in a rat and examined histologically. The histological findings were basically the same as in the ileum. Although Meckel's diverticulum is uncommon in the rat, the present report demonstrated the possibility of discovering new cases.     

Quantitative detection of bisphenol A and bisphenol A diglycidyl ether metabolites in human plasma by liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry

Due to the ubiquity of epoxy resin compounds and their potential role in increasing the risk for reproductive dysfunction and cancer, the need for an assessment of human exposure is urgent. Therefore, we developed a method for measuring bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) metabolites in human blood samples using high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Human blood samples were processed using enzymatic deconjugation of the glucuronides followed by a novel sample preparation procedure using a solid-phase-cartridge column. This selective analytical method permits rapid detection of the metabolites, free BPA and a hydrolysis product of BADGE (BADGE-4OH) with detection limits in the low nanogram per milliliter range (0.1 ng ml⁻¹ of BPA and 0.5 ng ml⁻¹ of BADGE-4OH). The sample extraction was achieved by Oasis HLB column on gradient elution. The recoveries of BPA and BADGE-4OH added to human plasma samples were above 70.0% with a standard deviation of less than 5.0%. This selective, sensitive and accurate method will assist in elucidating potential associations between human exposure to epoxy-based compounds and adverse health effects.     

Estimation of transport distance of fine particulate organic matter in relation to channel morphology in tailwaters of the Lake Biwa and reservoir dams

Knowledge on transport and deposition of fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) from reservoir dams is increasingly required for habitat management and restoration of dam tailwater ecosystems. Variations in the transport distance of FPOM, however, have never been studied well, particularly in relation to channel morphology, due to channel size restrictions of artificial tracers such as corn pollen when applied to larger river channels. This study aims to show the relations between FPOM retention efficiency and channel morphology in dam tailwaters using lentic plankters as tracers. We estimated the mean transport distance, S _p, by calculating downstream reduction ratios of lentic tracer plankters and calculated the deposition velocity, v _dep. Suspended FPOM samples were collected in tailwaters of two river channels below reservoir dams and two artificial canals below Lake Biwa in the Yodo River system. The longest S _p (19.2 km) and the shortest one (2.2 km) were recorded in the deep canal and shallow canal, respectively, showing a positive correlation with channel hydraulic radius. The values of v _dep were 4.7–6.4 times higher in river channels than in artificial canals. These results indicate that increasing complexity of bed morphology can minimize S _p, whereas bed degradation and armored bed materials may lead to increased S _p. Advantages of lentic plankters as tracers for estimating distance ranges of reservoir dam impact on river ecosystems are also discussed.     

Isolation of cDNA for bovine stomach 155 kDa protein exhibiting myosin light chain kinase activity.

Two proteins with myosin light chain kinase activity and electrophoretic molecular weights of 155,000 and 130,000 were each isolated from bovine stomach smooth muscle [Kuwayama, H., Suzuki, M., Koga, R., & Ebashi, S. (1988) J. Biochem. 104, 862-866]. The 155 kDa component showed a much higher superprecipitation-inducing activity than the 130 kDa component, when compared on the basis of equivalent myosin light chain kinase activity. In this study, we isolated a cDNA for the entire coding region of the 155 kDa protein. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed a high degree of similarity to those of chicken and rabbit smooth muscle myosin light chain kinases. Multiple motifs, such as three repeats of an immunoglobulin C2-like domain, a fibronectin type III domain, and unusual 20 repeats of 12 amino acids were detected in the sequence. Part of the amino-terminal sequence was similar to that of the actin- and calmodulin-binding domain of smooth muscle caldesmon. These observations suggest that the 155 kDa protein has additional functions other than its enzymatic activity. Two mRNAs of 6.0 and 2.6 kb in length in the bovine stomach smooth muscle RNAs were hybridized with cDNA probes. The 2.6-kb RNA probably encodes telokin, which is the carboxyl terminus of smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase. mRNAs with identical lengths were also detected in bovine aorta.     

Settling-site selection and survival of two scale insects,Ceroplastes rubens andC. ceriferus,on citrus trees

We studied settling-site selection and the resulting survival of two sessile scale insects, Ceroplastes rubens and C. ceriferus, in the citrus tree, Citrus unshiu, in central Japan. C. rubens preferred 0-year-old twigs most as a settling-site; the density of nymphs settling on 0-year-old twigs was significantly higher than those on ≥1-year-old twigs, and few nymphs settled on ≥3-year-old twigs. The mean survival rates from settling until reproduction in the next year were significantly higher on more preferred twigs than on less preferred ones. In C. ceriferus, nymphs significantly preferred 1- and 2-year-old twigs to 0- and ≥3-year-old ones, and the mean survival rates on the more preferred 1- and 2-year-old twigs were significantly higher than those on less preferred ≥3-year-old twigs. However, the survival rate on less preferred 0-year-old twigs was slightly higher than those on 1- and 2-year-old ones. Thus, in both species of scale, it was the preferred twigs which were more profitable sites for survival after settling, except for less preferred 0-year-old twigs for C. ceriferus. In both scale species, most mortality was due to growth cessation, which is believed to be related to the twig quality as a food source. Predators and parasitoids were minor mortality factors. Both species showed constant survival rates until the density of settled nymphs exceeded double the “upper-limit” density, whereupon they decreased drastically. Nymphs of C. rubens settling on twigs of high scale density showed a spacing-out distribution, those of C. ceriferus did not. In C. rubens, an increase in preference for originally less profitable twigs at the later stage of the settling season was observed, but not in C. ceriferus. Accordingly, individuals of C. rubens showed a stronger tendency to avoid conspecifics than did C. ceriferus. Although nymphs of the two scales clearly preferred more profitable sites, their settling-site selection did not agree with the predictions from the ideal free distribution theory (Fretwell and Lucas, 1970). The discrepancies were (1) frequent settling on less profitable sites at the early stage of the settling season, (2) insufficient utilization of the most profitable twigs, and (3) virtually 100% mortality on overcrowded twigs under conditions where unoccupied profitable twigs still remained. These discrepancies are thought due to the limited dispersal time of nymphs.     

Probing the substrate specificity of the intracellular brain platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase.

Platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolases (PAF-AHs) are unique PLA2s which hydrolyze the sn-2 ester linkage in PAF-like phospholipids with a marked preference for very short acyl chains, typically acetyl. The recent solution of the crystal structure of the alpha(1) catalytic subunit of isoform Ib of bovine brain intracellular PAF-AH at 1.7 A resolution paved the way for a detailed examination of the molecular basis of substrate specificity in this enzyme. The crystal structure suggests that the side chains of Thr103, Leu48 and Leu194 are involved in substrate recognition. Three single site mutants (L48A, T103S and L194A) were overexpressed and their structures were solved to 2.3 A resolution or better by X-ray diffraction methods. Enzyme kinetics showed that, compared with wild-type protein, all three mutants have higher relative activity against phospholipids with sn-2 acyl chains longer than an acetyl. However, for each of the mutants we observed an unexpected and substantial reduction in the V(max) of the reaction. These results are consistent with the model in which residues Leu48, Thr103 and Leu194 indeed contribute to substrate specificity and in addition suggest that the integrity of the specificity pocket is critical for the expression of full catalytic function, thus conferring very high substrate selectivity on the enzyme.     

Prophages integrating into prophages: A mechanism to accumulate type III secretion effector genes and duplicate Shiga toxin-encoding prophages in Escherichia coli

Bacteriophages (or phages) play major roles in the evolution of bacterial pathogens via horizontal gene transfer. Multiple phages are often integrated in a host chromosome as prophages, not only carrying various novel virulence-related genetic determinants into host bacteria but also providing various possibilities for prophage-prophage interactions in bacterial cells. In particular, Escherichia coli strains such as Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing E. coli (STEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) strains have acquired more than 10 prophages (up to 21 prophages), many of which encode type III secretion system (T3SS) effector gene clusters. In these strains, some prophages are present at a single locus in tandem, which is usually interpreted as the integration of phages that use the same attachment (att) sequence. Here, we present phages integrating into T3SS effector gene cluster-associated loci in prophages, which are widely distributed in STEC and EPEC. Some of the phages integrated into prophages are Stx-encoding phages (Stx phages) and have induced the duplication of Stx phages in a single cell. The identified attB sequences in prophage genomes are apparently derived from host chromosomes. In addition, two or three different attB sequences are present in some prophages, which results in the generation of prophage clusters in various complex configurations. These phages integrating into prophages represent a medically and biologically important type of inter-phage interaction that promotes the accumulation of T3SS effector genes in STEC and EPEC, the duplication of Stx phages in STEC, and the conversion of EPEC to STEC and that may be distributed in other types of E. coli strains as well as other prophage-rich bacterial species.