Carotenoid synthesis in Streptomyces setonii ISP5395 is induced by the gene crtS, whose product is similar to a sigma factor

In many species of actinomycetes, carotenogenesis can be photoinduced. The capacity to respond to photoinduction is, however unstable and, in various strains of Streptomyces, is lost at a relatively high frequency. In Streptomyces setonii ISP5395, which normally produces no carotenoids, carotenoid-producing mutants can be obtained following protoplast regeneration. We report here the characterization of a gene, crtS, which was isolated from one such mutant and can confer on wild-type S. setonii ISP5395 cells the capacity to synthesize carotenoids. Sequence analysis of crtS reveals an open reading frame, which shows homology to genes that encode alternative sigma factors in Bacillus subtilis. We propose that crtS encodes a sigma factor which is necessary for the expression of a cryptic gene(s) for carotenoid biosynthesis in S. setonii ISP5395.     

Fluctuation of algal alkaline phosphatase activity and the possible mechanisms of hydrolysis of dissolved organic phosphorus in Lake Barato

For freshwater cyanobacteria, the autofluorescence of phycocyanin is quite high while the in vivo fluorescence (IVF) yield of chlorophyll-a is relatively low, apparently because of low chlorophyll concentrations associated with photosystem II. In eucaryotic phytoplankton, even those with phycobili-protein accessory pigments (e.g. some cryptophytes), the opposite is true. Thus, an IVF ratio which relates phycocyanin to chlorophyll-a signals could be a good index of relative cyanobacterial abundance in the field. Spectrofluorometric scans of whole cells from laboratory cultures indicated that the ratio Em₆₆₀ @ Ex₆₃₀/Em₆₈₀ @ Ex₄₃₀ could be a very sensitive cyanobacterial indicator. Tandem flowthrough fluorometers were then fitted with the appropriate interference filters and their discriminatory power was evaluated with mixtures of cyanobacterial and eucaryotic phytoplankton. Although subject to many of the constraints of other IVF assays, tandem fluorometry should be particularly appropriate for real-time mapping of the relative spatial and temporal distributions of broad phytoplankton taxa in continuous vertical of horizontal profiles in lakes.     

Paradoxical enhancement of interleukin-2-mediated cytotoxicity against K562 cells by addition of a low dose of methotrexate

Summary In vitro effects of methotrexate (MTX) on interleukin-2(IL-2)-mediated cytotoxicity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were studied. PBMC were incubated with human recombinant IL-2 (25 U/ml) for 72 h; during the last 24 h, various concentrations (10 pM–1 µM) of MTX were added to the culture. Cytotoxicity against k562 cells was measured by a 4-h⁵¹Cr-release assay. The IL-2-mediated cytotoxicity was paradoxically increased at around a concentration (10 nM) MTX. Such a low concentration of MTX showed no anti-proliferative effect on cell growth. This enhancement with 10 nM MTX was shown only in an E-rosette⁺ (E⁺) population, but not in E-rosette^– (E^–). In addition, when E⁺ cells were treated with an anti-CD16 monoclonal antibody plus complement after incubation with IL-2 and MTX, MTX-induced enhancement was lost, suggesting that an E⁺CD16⁺ cell population was mainly involved in this augmentation. Positively sorted E⁺CD16⁺ cells showed similar enhancement of cytotoxicity after treatment with IL-2 plus MTX. On the other hand, MTX treatment did not show the phenotypical changes including of the E⁺CD16⁺ cells, indicating that this treatment did not affect the differentiation and proliferation of the specific cell subset. Our results indicate that a low dose of MTX could have a role in the regulation of immunological anti-cancer surveillance systems through the natural killer and lymphokine-activated cytotoxic cells.This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research (1–10) from the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan     

Electron-microscopic studies on the threshold value of calcium concentration for the release of storage granules and the acceleration of their degradation in the rat parathyroid gland

Summary To determine both a threshold value of calcium concentration (CC) for the release of storage granules and that for the acceleration of degradation of these granules, the rat parathyroid glands were perfused in situ with HEPES-Ringer solutions containing different concentration of Ca²⁺ for 10 min. With perfusates containing 0.83–1.21 mM Ca²⁺ (equivalent to 8–11 mg/dl serum calcium), the number of type-I storage granules (large core) [NSG-I] and that of type-II storage granules (small core) [NSG-II] remained unchanged. With perfusates containing 0.83 mM Ca²⁺ (7.5 mg/dl) or less, however, both NSG-I and NSG-II decreased remarkably and the former was larger than the latter. On the contrary, with perfusates containing 1.27 mM Ca²⁺ (11.5 mg/dl) or more, NSG-II increased and the ratio of NSG-I to NSG-II was changed reversely. We concluded that a thereshold value of CC required for the release of storage granules may be present between 0.88 and 0.83 mM Ca²⁺ (8 and 7.5 mg/dl) and that a threshold value of CC for accelerating the transformation of type-I granules into type-II, the degradation of storage granules, may be situated at about 1.27 mM Ca²⁺ (11.5 mg/dl). Additionally, it was suggested that both prosecretory and storage granules are not only formed at the innermost Golgi cisterna but also at the trans-Golgi network.     

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte response to minor H-43a alloantigen in H-43b mice. Privileged H-2Kb restriction to the response is not due to immunodominance or epistatic effect but due to Ir gene function of H-2Kb itself

Previous study demonstrated that anti-H-43a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response of H-43b CWB (H-2b) stain carrying non-major histocompatability complex (MHC) genes of C3H and F1 strains raised by crossing CWB with various H-43b strains was restricted exclusively by self H-2Kb (Kb). In the present study, newly produced C3W strain (H-2k, H-43b), which is H-43-congenic to C3H/HeN (H-2k, H-43a), was used as H-43b mice, and possibility of immunodominance of Kb was examined. No anti-H-43a CTL response could be induced in C3W strain and F1 strains raised by crossing C3W with other H-43b strains not carrying Kb. Thus, the possibility of immunodominance of Kb over the other MHC class I alleles could not be supported. We also examined possibility of epistatic effect of I region genes and non-MHC genes on the Kb restriction. (C3W x C57BL/6)F1(I-Ak/b) and (C3W x B6.CH-2bm12)F1(I-Ak/bm12)mice showed equally anti-H-43a CTL response restricted exclusively by self Kb, and (C3W x B10.MBR)F1(Ik/k) mice also showed anti-H-43a CTL response restricted solely by self Kb. Cold target competition experiments demonstrated that H-43b C57BL/10 or A.BY mice, which do not have non-MHC genes of C3H mounted anti-H-43a CTL response restricted solely by self Kb. Thus, no relation of I region genes or non-MHC genes to the Kb restriction was shown. All the results indicate that H-43b mouse strains, including F1, can not achieve anti-H-43a CTL response unless they carry Kb allele. Notably, (C3W x C57BL/6)F1 mice mounted self Kb-restricted anti-H-43a CTL response, whereas (C3W x B6.CH-2bm1)F1 mice carrying mutated Kb could not mount anti-H-43a CTL response at all. These findings indicate strongly that Kb itself is classical Ir gene of anti-H-43a CTL response and directs self Kb restriction of the response.     

Glucosidase II, a glycoprotein of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. Proteolytic cleavage into enzymatically active fragments

Glucosidase II removes the inner two alpha-linked glucose residues from freshly transferred Asn-linked oligosaccharide chains in the endoplasmic reticulum. This enzyme, whose activity could be measured by the hydrolysis of an artificial substrate (p-nitrophenyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside), was purified 240-fold from a rat liver microsome fraction by DEAE-cellulose, concanavalin A-Sepharose 4B, and hydroxylapatite chromatography. The apparent molecular weight of the active polypeptide was 123 000 as estimated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Glucosidase II has at least one high-mannose oligosaccharide chain that can be cleaved by endoglycosidase H. Trypsin readily cleaved the 123-kilodalton (kDa) form of glucosidase II into a fully active 73-kDa core. The pattern of this cleavage suggests a domain structure for this enzyme. We demonstrate that trypsin first removes a glycosylated 25-kDa domain to yield an apparently unglycosylated 98-kDa product which is further cleaved to yield the active 73-kDa core.     

In vivo priming of mouse CTL precursors directed to product of a newly defined minor H-42 locus is under a novel control of class II MHC gene

In a previous study, we discovered a new mouse minor histocompatibility antigen encoded by a locus at 8.5 cM apart from the H-2 complex, and we have since named the locus H-42. One allele of H-42, which is named H-42a, had been elucidated, but the other alleles, which we tentatively named H-42b, have not been elucidated. In the present study, we explored MHC control on the anti-H-42a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responsiveness in H-42b mice. In vivo immunization (i.v. injection) of H-42b mice with 5 to 30 X 10(6) spleen cells (SC) bearing allogeneic H-42a antigen but carrying H-2 complex (mouse MHC) matched with the H-42b mice failed to prime anti-H-42a CTL but induced stable and specific anti-H-42a CTL unresponsiveness, i.e., tolerance, in the H-42b recipient mice. In contrast, H-2 heterozygous H-42b F1 mice injected with SC bearing H-42a alloantigen on either of the parental H-2 haplotypes were effectively primed to generate anti-H-42a CTL. Exploration of the region or subregion in the H-2 complex of H-42a donor SC that should be compatible with H-42b recipient mice for the induction of their anti-H-42a CTL tolerance demonstrated that the compatibility at I region, most probably I-A subregion, but not at K, S, or D region, determined the induction of the tolerance. MHC class II compatible H-42a skin graft (SG) to H-42b mice, however, consistently primed the anti-H-42a CTL in the H-42b recipients. These results were discussed in several aspects, including uniqueness of MHC class II control on the CTL response to minor H-42a antigen, possibility of inactivation of responding anti-H-42a precursor CTL or helper T cells in H-42b mice by encountering the veto cells present in MHC class II-matched H-42a SC population, and significance of the present observations as a mechanism of CTL tolerance to self-components.     

Effects of short-term treatment with calcium on the parathyroid gland of the rat,under particular consideration of the alteration of storage granules

Summary Short-term effects of CaCl₂-treatment on parathyroid cells of the rat, especially on their storage granules, were studied at the ultrastructural level. After an injection of 4% CaCl₂, serum calcium levels (SCL) rapidly increased from 9.1 mg/dl (controls) to a maximum of 14.9 mg/dl at 20 min. At 5 min after the injection, the number of type-I storage granules (large core) [NSG-I] and that of type-II storage granules (small core) [NSG-II] remained unchanged, in spite of elevated SCL (12.4 mg/dl). As soon as SCL rose to 13.2 mg/dl at 7.5 min, NSG-I gradually decreased to a minimum at 30 min; in contrast, NSG-II gradually increased to a maximum at 30 min. Vacuolar bodies also increased together with the augmentation of type-II storage granules. The average diameter of the core of the storage granules decreased significantly after the injection. Protein A-gold method for immunocytochemistry showed that the cores of these granules contain parathormone. Acid-phosphatase activity was occasionally found in storage granules of both types, especially in those of type II. It is concluded (i) that type-I storage granules may be transformed into vacuolar bodies via type-II granules as a result of hydrolysis, and (ii) that these processes may be accelerated during hypercalcemia.     

Features of two hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA integrations suggest mechanisms of HBV integration.

Two integrated hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA molecules were cloned from two primary hepatocellular carcinomas each containing only a single integration. One integration (C3) contained a single linear segment of HBV DNA, and the other integration (C4) contained a large inverted duplication of viral DNA at the site of a chromosome translocation (O. Hino, T.B. Shows, and C.E. Rogler, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:8338-8342, 1986). Sequence analysis of the virus-cell junctions of C3 placed the left virus-cell junction at nucleotide 1824, which is at the 5' end of the directly repeated DR1 sequence and is 6 base pairs from the 3' end of the long (L) negative strand. The right virus-cell junction was at nucleotide 1762 in a region of viral DNA (within the cohesive overlap) which shared 5-base-pair homology with cellular DNA. Sequence analysis of the normal cellular DNA across the integration site showed that 11 base pairs of cellular DNA were deleted at the site of integration. On the basis of this analysis, we suggest a mechanism for integration of the viral DNA molecule which involves strand invasion of the 3' end of the L negative strand of an open circular or linear HBV DNA molecule (at the DR1 sequence) and base pairing of the opposite end of the molecule with cellular DNA, accompanied by the deletion of 11 base pairs of cellular DNA during the double recombination event. Sequencing across the inverted duplication of HBV DNA in clone C4 located one side of the inversion at nucleotide 1820, which is 2 base pairs from the 3' end of the L negative strand. Both this sequence and the left virus-cell junction of C3 are within the 9-nucleotide terminally redundant region of the HBV L negative strand DNA. We suggest that the terminal redundancy is a preferred topoisomerase I nicking region because of both its base sequence and forked structure. Such nicking would lead to integration and rearrangement of HBV molecules within the terminal redundancy, as we have observed in both our clones.