The hydroxyl- and superoxide-radical-eliminating ability of water-soluble biosubstances was examined by ESR combined with the spin-trapping method, indicating a median inhibitory dose, ID^h₅₀ (mM) and id^h₅₀ (mg/mL) for the hydroxyl radical, and ID^s₅₀ (mM) and id^s₅₀ (mg/mL) for the superoxide radical. Both the 1/[ID^h₅₀ (mM)] and 1/[ID^s₅₀ (mM)] values of selected biosubstances were linearly related to the second-order rate constant, k₂ (M⁻¹ s⁻¹), defined for the reaction between biosubstances and the radicals in a logarithmic presentation. The result indicates that ID^h₅₀ (mM) and ID^s₅₀ (mM) are suitable parameters for both types of radical-eliminating ability. The obtained results are depicted two-dimensionally, taking id^h₅₀ (mg/mL) as the abscissa and id^s₅₀ (mg/mL) as the ordinate in the ROS inhibitory diagram. The biosubstances tested were assigned to five separate areas characterized by their functional groups on the diagram. The obtained ROS inhibitory diagram indicates the possibility for screening appropriate antioxidants.

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Five new 3-O-alkyl-4a,10a-dihydrofusarubins (2–6) were isolated from the culture filtrate of a strain of Fusarium sp. (Mj-2), together with the known metabolite, anhydrofusarubin (1). The structures of the new metabolites were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses to be 3-O-butyl, 3-O-3′-methylbutyl, 3-O-2′-methylbutyl and 3-O-2′-phenylethyl-4a,10a-dihydrofusarubin A, and an isomer of 3-O-2′-phenylethyl-4a,10a-dihydrofusarubin A. Their antifungal and antibacterial activities were evaluated together with a 3-O-methyl derivative (7) prepared from 3-O-butyl-4a,10a-dihydrofusarubin A (2), indicating that the size of the O-substituent at C-3 in the 4a,10a-dihydrofusarubins negatively affected the metabolites' antimicrobial activity.

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A further phytochemical investigation of the rhizomes of Acorus gramineus afforded three new quinone derivatives (1–3), together with two known compounds (4 and 5). The identification and structural elucidation of these new compounds were based on 1D and 2D NMR (COSY, HMQC, HMBC and NOESY) and MS data. The absolute configurations were established on the basis of their circular dichroism (CD) data. To investigate the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of the isolated compounds (1–5), the nitric oxide (NO) production was evaluated in the lipopolysaccharide-activated microglia cell line, BV-2. Compounds (1–5) were also tested for their cytotoxicity against four human tumor cell lines (A549, SK-OV-3, SK-MEL-2, and HCT-15) in vitro by using the SRB assay.

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Two additional anthraquinone derivatives containing a (Z)-dienyl side-chain, dehydroanthrasesamones A (2) and B (3), were isolated from a hairy root culture of Sesamum indicum after preventing light throughout all experimental procedures. Their respective structures were determined to be 1-hydroxy-2-[(Z)-4-methylpenta-1,3-dien-1-yl]anthraquinone and 1,4-dihydroxy-2-[(Z)-4-methylpenta-1,3-dien-1-yl]anthraquinone by spectroscopic methods.

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Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We used a traditional Chinese medicine, alpinate oxyphyllae fructus (AOF), to evaluate its effect on Ang II-induced cardiac apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction. Ang II-treated H9c2 cells were administered AOF of 20–100 µg/mL concentrations. Ang II significantly increased TUNEL-positive nuclei in the H9c2 cells, effect was inhibited by AOF administration in both pre-treated and post-treated H9c2 cells. Caspases 9 and 3 activities were increased by Ang II and downregulated by AOF administration, especially in pre-treatment. AOF treatment reversed Ang II-induced mitochondria membrane potential instability in H9c2 cells as observed by JC-1 stain assay. Furthermore, pro-apoptotic proteins Bad and cytochrome c increased and decreased respectively under AOF administration. The levels of p-Bad anti-apoptotic protein were significantly increased after AOF treatment. This study indicates that mitochondrial dependent apoptosis induced by Ang II.

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Haloarcula japonica is an extremely halophilic archaeon that requires high concentrations of NaCl to grow. Recently the draft genome sequence of Ha. japonica was determined, and a gene encoding an α-amylase, malA, was identified. The deduced amino acid sequence of MalA, consisting of 663 amino acids, showed homology to α-amylase family enzymes. The sequence did not contain a secretion signal sequence, indicating that the protein is a cytoplasmic enzyme. Transcription of the malA gene was confirmed by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, and the transcription start site was determined by a 5'-RACE experiment. The malA gene was cloned and expressed in Ha. japonica. The recombinant MalA was purified and characterized. MalA required a high concentration of NaCl for starch-hydrolyzing activity. It showed higher activity on soluble starch, amylose, and amylopectin, and lower activity on glycogen.

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The isoeugenol monooxygenase (iem) gene from Pseudomonas nitroreducens Jin1, responsible for the conversion of isoeugenol to vanillin, was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified Iem had a predicted molecular mass of 54 kDa. The V_max, K_M, and k_cat values for it, using isoeugenol as substrate, were 4.2 µmol vanillin min⁻¹ mg⁻¹ of protein, 120 µM, and 3.8 s⁻¹, respectively. Maximum substrate turnover for Iem occurred at 30 °C and pH 9.0. An ¹⁸Oxygen-labeling experiment revealed that oxidative cleavage of isoeugenol by Iem was catalyzed via a monooxygenation reaction, and that incorporation of the oxygen atom from O₂ into vanillin was preferable to incorporation from water. While the catalytic activity of Iem, as prepared, did not require the addition of any organic or metal cofactor, ICP-MS analysis showed 0.7 mol of iron per mol of Iem. Moreover site-directed mutagenesis of Iem of four conserved histidine residues individually, His¹⁶⁷, His²¹⁸, His²⁸², and His⁴⁷¹, which appear to be involved in ligand bonding with Fe²⁺, resulted in a loss of activity. Enzyme activity was not appreciably influenced by preincubation of Iem with high concentrations of chelators, suggesting that iron is tightly bound. Iem has an iron-mediated mechanism that is widely spread among the three domains of life.

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Acarbose is a pseudo-tetrasaccharide and one of the most effective inhibitors of glycoside hydrolases. Its derivatives, acarviosyl-maltooligosaccharides, which have longer maltooligosaccharide parts than the maltose unit of acarbose, were synthesized using a disproportionating enzyme partially purified from adzuki cotyledons. The enzyme was identified as a typical type-1 disproportionating enzyme (DPE1) by primary structure analysis. It produced six compounds from 100 mM acarbose and 7.5% (w/v) of maltotetraose-rich syrup. The masses of the six products were confirmed to accord with acarviosyl-maltooligosaccharides with the degrees of polymerization = 5–10 (AC5–AC10) by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra indicated that AC5–AC10 were α-acarviosyl-(1→4)-maltooligosaccharide, which have maltotriose-maltooctaose respectively in the maltooligosaccharide part. A predominance of AC7 in the products at the early stage of the reaction indicated that DPE1 catalyzes the transfer of the acarviosyl-glucose moiety from acarbose to the acceptors. ACn can be useful tools as new inhibitors of glycoside hydrolases.

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Drosophila imaginal discs are an excellent model system for studies of developmental plasticity. In imaginal discs, most cells adhere strictly to their specific identity, but some cells undergo transdetermination, a process wherein the determined identity switches to another disc-specific identity. In this study, we performed gain-of-function screening and identified a gene, CG17836/Xrp1, that induces ectopic antennae in the eye field upon overexpression at the early eye disc stage. An essential factor in the distalization process, Distalles, and its upstream regulators Wingless, Hedgehog, and Decapentaplegic, are ectopically induced by CG17836/Xrp1 overexpression in eye discs, and this provides molecular evidence of the formation of ectopic antennae. Further, forced expression of CG17836/Xrp1 induced severe cell-proliferation defects. These findings suggest that CG17836/Xrp1 is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation in eye discs and affects disc identity specification.

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The organic matrices in the exoskeleton of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii are classified into three groups depending on solubility; acid soluble, acid insoluble-SDS/dithiothreitol (DTT) soluble, and acid insoluble-SDS/DTT insoluble fractions. In our previous studies, Casp-1 and -2 were identified in the acid soluble fraction, and CAP-1 and -2 were identified in the acid insoluble-SDS/DTT soluble fraction. In this study, acid insoluble-SDS/DTT insoluble materials were digested with proteases and the resulting peptides were purified and sequenced. Based on the sequences, a cDNA encoding this protein was cloned. The whole primary sequence of the matrix protein named strong chitin-binding protein-1 (SCBP-1), was deduced. SCBP-1 consisted of 155 amino acid residues and had a Rebers-Riddiford consensus sequence for chitin binding. A recombinant protein of SCBP-N corresponding to the N-terminal part of SCBP-1 showed no chitin-binding ability, while SCBP-C corresponding to the C-terminal part of SCBP-1, showed weak affinity to chitin. These results suggest that the primary sequence of SCBP-1 does not have strong chitin-binding ability. Therefore, SCBP-1 probably binds covalently to chitin through a particular residue contained in the peptide part that was not obtained by protease digestion.

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It is often desirable to obtain gene libraries with the greatest possible number of variants. We tested two different methods for desalting the products of library ligation reactions (silica-based microcolumns and drop dialysis), and examined their effects on final library size. For both intramolecular and intermolecular ligation, desalting by drop dialysis yielded approximately 3–5 times more transformants than microcolumn purification.

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White rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, and brown rot fungus, Postia placenta, grown on agar plates, were visualized by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe. Mycelia grown on wood chips were also clearly detected by PNA-FISH following blocking treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the visualization of fungi in wood by FISH.

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We isolated an Arabidopsis knockout line lacking glutamate decarboxylase 1 (GAD1), one that produced γ-aminobutyrate (GABA), as an oxidative stress-insensitive mutant, and found that chloroplastic H₂O₂ enhances GAD1 expression and GABA levels. This suggests a possible relationship between GABA metabolism and the chloroplastic H₂O₂-mediated stress response.

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ManR, a DNA-binding protein possessing the Zn(II)₂Cys₆ binuclear cluster domain, acts as a positive regulator of mannanolytic enzyme genes in Aspergillus oryzae. In this study, we found that ManR controlled the expression not only of mannanolytic enzyme genes but also of cellulolytic enzyme genes in A. oryzae, based on DNA microarray analysis of a manR-disruptant and a manR-overexpressing strain. A new model for the regulation of cellulase and hemicellulase genes mediated by ManR and XlnR in A. oryzae is proposed.

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We developed the Gateway recycling cloning system, which allows multiple linking of expression cassettes by multiple rounds of the Gateway LR reaction. Employing this system, the recycling donor vector pRED419 was subjected to the first LR reaction with an attR1-attR2 type destination vector. Then conversion vector pCON was subjected to an LR reaction to restore the attR1-attR2 site on the destination vector for the next cloning cycle. By repetition of these two simple steps, we linked four expression cassettes of a reporter gene in Gateway binary vector pGWB1, introduced the constructs into tobacco BY-2 cells, and observed the expression of transgenes.

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The beneficial effects of the phytochemical compounds in fruits and vegetables have been extrapolated mainly from in vitro studies or short-term dietary supplementation studies. Recent approaches using animal models of Caenorhabditis elegans are becoming quite popular, and in this regard the effects of Alpinia zerumbet leaf extract (ALP) on C. elegans lifespan were investigated under both normal and stress conditions. ALP significantly increased, mean lifespan by 22.6%, better than the positive control, resveratrol. Furthermore, both under thermal and oxidative stressed conditions, ALP increased the survival rate significantly better than quercetin. Further studies indicated that the significant longevity-extending effects of ALP on C. elegans can be attributed to its in vitro free-radical scavenging effects and its upregulation of stress-resistance proteins, including superoxide dismutase 3 (SOD-3) and heat-shock protein (HSP-16.2). These results suggest that phytochemical compounds in A. zerumbet have beneficial effects on the lifespan of C. elegans, and that they can be used as a source of dietary supplements for aging and age-related diseases.

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Fucoidan, a fucose-rich polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweed, has antitumor, anticoagulant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. Several studies have shown that a fucoidan treatment of cancer cells induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis and inhibited angiogenesis and invasion. We investigated in the present study the effect of low-molecular-weight fucoidan (LMWF) on apoptosis in estrogen receptor-negative MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. The LMWF treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells was associated with the activation of caspases and mitochondrial dysfunction, including dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), alteration of Ca²⁺ homeostasis, cytochrome c release, and decreased expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins. Understanding the molecular events that mediated LMWF-induced MDA-MB-231 cell death will contribute to a more rational approach to cancer chemotherapy.

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We investigated the protective effect of a hydrous ethanol extract of brown rice fermented with Aspergillus oryzae (ERF) which contained nucleobases and low fiber on the methotrexate (MTX)-induced gastrointestinal damage in rats. The rats were assigned to three groups: control (CON), MTX, and MTX-ERF. The rats in the CON and MTX groups were fed for 4 weeks on a basal diet, and those in the MTX-ERF group were fed on a 9.16% ERF-containing basal diet. The rats in the MTX and MTX-ERF groups were administered with MTX after 3 weeks. The survival rate and incidence rate of diarrhea were monitored over 1 week. On day 4 after the administration, half of the rats in each group were killed, and gastrointestinal samples were collected. Feeding with ERF improved the incidence rate of diarrhea, increased the protein content in small intestinal mucosa, and also apparently improved the survival rate. These results indicate that dietary ERF could protect against MTX-induced gastrointestinal damage.

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The water sorption kinetics of dried pasta were measured in the 20–90 °C range in 1.83 mol/L of NaCl and at 80 °C in 1.83 mol/L of LiCl, KCl, NaBr and NaI solutions in order to elucidate the role of salt in the kinetics. At the temperatures higher than 70.8 °C, the change in the enthalpy of sorption, ΔH, in the 1.83 mol/L NaCl solution was 33.1 kJ/mol, which was greater than the ΔH value in water, and the activation energy for the sorption, E, in the salt solution was 25.6 kJ/mol, which was slightly lower than the E value in water. The Hofmeister series of ions was an index for their effect on the equilibrium amount of the sorbed solution of pasta. The apparent diffusion coefficient of water into pasta was not correlated with the crystal radius of the salts, but was with the Stokes radius of the hydrated ions. Equations were formulated to predict the amount of sorbed solution under any condition of temperature and NaCl concentration.

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The populations of the Kii Peninsula in Japan and of Guam present high incidences of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism-dementia complex. It is thought that low levels of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) in the drinking water are involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that catalepsy, behavioral immobility and a Parkinsonian symptom results from functionally impaired dopaminergic neurons in mice fed low amounts of Ca and Mg (LCa/Mg). A group of mice fed a LCa/Mg diet for 6 weeks was compared to a control group on a standard diet. Cataleptic symptoms such as akinesia and rigidity were measured by the bar test. The anti-parkinsonian drugs dopamine (DA) precursor L-3,4-dihydroxy phenylamine (L-DOPA), the selective DA receptor D₂ agonist bromocriptine, and the DA releaser amantadine were tested for their effects on induced catalepsy. The mice developed catalepsy after 3 weeks on the LCa/Mg diet. LCa/Mg diet-induced catalepsy was improved by the administration of L-DOPA (50–200 mg/kg i.p.) in combination with benserazide (25 mg/kg i.p.), or of bromocriptine (0.25–4 mg/kg i.p.) or of amantadine (5–20 mg/kg i.p.). Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the intensity of tyrosine hydroxylase fluorescence was significantly decreased in the substantia nigra at the 6th week of LCa/Mg feeding in comparison with pair-fed controls. These results suggest that catalepsy in LCa/Mg mice results from hypofunction of the dopaminergic neurons. Moreover, our results support the hypothesis that LCa/Mg intake is one etiological factor in neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease.

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Valproic acid (VPA) is a short-chained, branched fatty acid that is widely used in humans as an anticonvulsant and mood stabilizer, and has been reported to increase the liver NAD concentration. We investigated the effects of VPA on the conversion of tryptophan to nicotinamide. Rats were fed diets containing various amounts of VPA (0, 0.5, and 1.0% in the diets) for 14 d, 24-h urine samples were collected, and tryptophan and its catabolites were measured. We found that the conversion of tryptophan to nicotinamide was increased by feeding a diet containing VPA (p<0.01; 0% vs. 1.0% VPA). Of the intermediates formed during the conversion of tryptophan to nicotinamide, the tryptophan to 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid step was not affected by the administration of VPA, while such metabolites beyond quinolinic acid as nicotinamide and its catabolites were significantly increased (p<0.01; 0% vs. 1.0% VPA). This increase was dependent on the intake of VPA.

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In this study, we evaluated the antiobesity effects of Vigna nakashimae (VN) extract and elucidated the underlying mechanisms. VN extract suppressed adipocyte differentiation and significantly attenuated the expression of adipogenic genes in 3T3-L1 cells. It decreased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and its target genes in fully differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. Moreover, it enhanced the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), and increased the expression of fatty acid oxidation genes. In high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice, VN extract suppressed HFD-induced increases in body weight, epididymal fat tissue weight, and hepatic lipid levels, and decreased the plasma levels of triacylglycerols, fatty acid, total cholesterol, and inflammatory cytokines. Consistently with in vitro study results, VN extract prevented HFD-induced increases in the expression of PPARγ and its target genes, and restored the decrease in the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC in epididymal fat and liver tissues. These findings suggest that Vigna nakashimae prevents obesity through suppression of PPARγ expression and activation of AMPK, and that it might be a useful dietary supplement for the prevention of obesity.

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Cell injury associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been reported in various muscular disorders. We found that a Cichorium intybus (Cii) extract reduced H₂O₂-induced viability loss in C2C12 myoblasts, inhibited oxidative stress-induced apoptosis and increased intracellular heat shock protein 70 (Hsp 70) expression. Cii also inhibited the level of intracellular ceramide. These results indicate that Cii may prevent skeletal muscle atrophy by inducing the expression of Hsp 70 and inhibiting the level of ceramide.

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We attempted to clarify the reason why folate fortification ameliorates hyperhomocysteinemia induced by vitamin B₆ deficiency. Hyperhomocysteinemia caused by vitamin B₆ deficiency significantly decreased the rat liver 5-methyltetrahydrofolate level which was significantly improved by folate fortification. This result suggests that the amelioration of hyperhomocysteinemia in response to folate supplementation had enhanced the removal of homocysteine via methionine synthase.

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L-Arabinose isomerase from Bacillus thermoglucosidasius KCTC 1828 (BTAI) was expressed in Escherichia coli. The optimal temperature and pH for the activity of the purified BTAI were 40 °C and pH 7.0. The Mn²⁺ ion was an activator of BTAI activity. The kinetic parameters of BTAI for D-galactose were a K_m of 175 mM and a k_cat/K_m of 2.8 mM⁻¹min⁻¹. The conversion ratio by BTAI to D-tagatose reached 45.6% at 40 °C.

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We investigated the effect of blueberries (BB) on lipids and oxidative stress parameters in hypercholesterolemic guinea pigs. The animals were fed for 75 d on a high-cholesterol (HC) diet supplemented with fresh BB. BB reduced oxidative stress and cholesterol accumulation in the aorta and liver of the guinea pigs. This effect may be related to its antioxidative potential and lipid-reducing effect.

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We investigated the effects of a water extract of natto on the aging of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The water extract significantly prolonged the adult lifespan of the wild-type worms and rendered them resistant to oxidative and thermal stress. In addition, treatment with natto extract significantly delayed the accumulation of lipofuscin, a characteristic of aging cells. Our findings suggest that components of natto have a beneficial anti-aging effect in vivo.

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Bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanol extract from the root of Sophora flavescens led to the isolation of eight known prenylated flavonoids responsible for the vasorelaxation activity in porcine coronary arteries. Among them, kushenol N and 5-methylsophoraflavanone B strongly induced the relaxation of porcine coronary arteries with respective ED₅₀ values of 8.6 and 12.4 µM. This activity and the results of a high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis suggest that kushenol N and 5-methylsophoraflavanone B could be active markers in the S. flavescens extract for vasorelaxation activity.

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The 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) biosynthetic gene cluster of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 140N isolated from traditional Korean fermented food was isolated by PCR screening. It showed 78.9% inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and produced 0.8 g/L of DNJ in an optimized medium containing 2% soluble starch, 1% tryptone, 0.05% KH₂PO₄, and 0.05% (NH₂)₄SO₄. Soybean paste fermented with B. amyloliquefaciens 140N produced DNJ with 84.4% inhibitory activity.

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We used recombinant rat dectin-1 proteins to newly establish sandwich ELISA for determining barley β-glucan (BβG). The ELISA method had a working range of 15–4,000 µg/L. Plasma BβG was detectable up to 24 h after an intravenous administration of BβG (1 mg/kg of body weight) to rats. This method may be an effective tool for investigating the immune modulatory effects of BβG.

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Human amyloid-β peptide 1-42 (Aβ) was subjected to a radical reaction by using ascorbic acid and CuCl₂. The percentage of D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) after 24 h had increased to 6.69 ± 0.09%, this being comparable with the reported D-Asp concentration of purified core amyloids in Alzheimer's disease patients. This racemization was significantly inhibited by radical scavengers. L-Alanine was also racemized during the same reaction.

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Tolerance of microorganisms to diverse stresses (i.e., multistress tolerance) is a very useful property with industrial applications. We have developed a simple method for isolating multistress-tolerant semidominant mutants of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by one-step selection under lethal hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) stress condition, which we named the lethal concentration of H₂O₂ (LCH) method. This method involves simply isolating colonies after plating of mutagenized S. cerevisiae cells, which are cultivated overnight in liquid media, on agar plates containing a lethal concentration of H₂O₂ for the wild-type strain. Phenotypic and genetic analyses of the ten strains isolated by this method revealed that two strains exhibiting stress tolerance to H₂O₂, ethanol, heat shock, salt, organic solvent, freeze-thaw, chronological aging, and high concentrations of glucose possess semidominant and distinct single-gene mutations designated as MLT1-1 (multistress tolerance) and MLT2-1, which are responsible for multistress tolerance. From these results, we expect this method to confer multistress tolerance on industrial yeasts.

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When an M31 strain of Agrobacterium tumefaciens was grown in a mineral salt medium at 30 °C containing 1.0% lactitol as sole carbon source, a keto-sugar was efficiently accumulated in the supernatant. This oxidation from lactitol to the keto-sugar was caused by M31 cells grown with medium containing a disaccharide unit, including sucrose, lactitol, lactose, maltose, or maltitol, suggesting that the enzyme is inducible. M31 also demonstrated good growth characteristics in Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) medium containing 1.0% sucrose, and cells grown under these conditions showed strong lactitol transformation activity. The keto-sugar product was reduced by chemical hydrogenation and the resulting product was hydrolyzed to D-gulose, D-galactose, and D-sorbitol by acid hydrolysis, revealing that the reduced products are lactitol and D-gulosyl-(β-1,4)-D-sorbitol. Taken together, these results indicate that M31 can convert lactitol to 3-ketolactitol and thus provide access to the rare sugar D-gulose.

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Severe chili anthracnose disease in Thailand is caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. capsici. To discover anti-anthracnose substances we developed an efficient dual-fluorescent labeling bioassay based on a microdilution approach. Indicator strains used in the assay were constructed by integrating synthetic green fluorescent protein (sGFP) and Discosoma sp. red fluorescent protein (DsRedExp) genes into the genomes of C. gloeosporioides or C. capsici respectively. Survival of co-spore cultures in the presence of inhibitors was determined by the expression levels of these fluorescent proteins. This developed assay has high potential for utilization in the investigation of selective inhibition activity to either one of the pathogens as well as the broad-range inhibitory effect against both pathogens. The value of using the dual-fluorescent assay is rapid, reliable, and consistent identification of anti-anthracnose agents. Most of all, the assay enables the identification of specific inhibitors under the co-cultivation condition.

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The application of microbial catalysts to syngas from the gasification of lignocellulosic biomass is gaining interest. Acetogens, a group of anaerobic bacteria, can grow autotrophically on gaseous substrates such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide or syngas and produce acetate via the acetyl-CoA pathway. Here, we report the isolation from a soil sample of two thermophilic acetogen strains, Y72 and Y73, that are closely related to Moorella sp. HUC22-1 and M. thermoacetica ATCC39073. The optimal growth temperature and pH for the strains were 60 °C and 6.0–6.5. Uracil auxotrophy was induced in them by replacing the orotate monophosphate decarboxylase gene (pyrF) with the kanamycin resistant marker (kan^r). The transformants were isolated by supplementation of the basal medium with 300 mg/L of kanamycin. The transformation efficiency of strains Y72 and Y73 was 20-fold higher than that of strain ATCC39073. Hence these strains are considered possible hosts for thermophilic syngas fermentation.

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A gene encoding a novel organic solvent-tolerant alkaline lipase, lipS (GenBank ID JQ071496), was cloned from cold-adapted Pseudomonas mandelii. Recombinant LipS was expressed in Escherichia coli as a 32-kDa soluble protein and was purified by standard procedures. It maintained more than 80% of its activity under alkaline conditions, pH 8–10.5, with an apparent optimum temperature range of 40–50 °C. It maintained thermal stability from 4 to 50 °C. After 1 h of incubation at 60 °C, approximately 50% of its activity remained. It retained its activity in organic solvents, and activity increased in the presence of ethanol and of DMSO. Our data indicate that LipS is an alkaline lipase with relatively high thermal stability and notable tolerance of organic solvents.

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Aeromonas hydrophila ATCC 7966^T produces a catecholate siderophore amonabactin in response to iron starvation. In this study, we determined that this strain utilizes exogenously supplied enterobactin (Ent) for growth under iron-limiting conditions. A homology search of the A. hydrophila ATCC 7966^T genomic sequence revealed the existence of a candidate gene encoding a protein homologous to Vibrio parahaemolyticus IrgA that functions as the outer membrane receptor for ferric Ent. SDS–PAGE showed induction of IrgA under iron-limiting conditions. The growth of the double mutant of irgA and entA (one of the amonabactin biosynthetic genes) was restored when it was complemented with irgA in the presence of Ent. Moreover, a growth assay of three isogenic tonB mutants indicated that the tonB2 system exclusively provides energy for IrgA to transport ferric Ent. Finally, reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR revealed that the transcription of irgA and the TonB2 system cluster genes is iron-regulated, consistently with the presence of a predicted Fur box in the promoter region.

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Chitin is a major cell wall component of many filamentous fungi. Among the eight chitin synthase genes of Aspergillus nidulans, csmA and csmB encode a myosin motor-like domain (MMD) and a chitin synthase domain (CSD) at their N- and C-termini respectively. In our previous reports, we suggested that CsmA and CsmB play compensatory roles essential for polarized hyphal growth although their functions do not completely overlap, and that their MMDs are essential for their functions. In the present study, we constructed chimeric csm genes by swapping N-terminal MMD-encoding halves of csmA and csmB and studied them to identify functional differences in the MMDs. Expression of the chimeric gene encoding the MMD-including half of CsmA (MA) and the CSD-including half of CsmB thoroughly suppressed the phenotypic defects of the ΔcsmB mutant, whereas the chimeric gene encoding the MMD-including half of CsmB (MB) and the CSD-including half of CsmA did not fully suppress the defects of the ΔcsmA mutant, suggesting that MA suffices for the function of MB while MB is not functionally equivalent to MA.

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Bacteria form unique ecosystems by coexisting with large organisms. Here we present the first evidence of active flora surrounding xenophyophorea revealed through clone analyses of environmental ribosomal RNA gene sequences. The flora included eight phyla in the xenophyophorean cells with agglutinated test. The major operational taxonomic units were unique from that in the near-surface sediment. This flora appears to be formed by coexistence with xenophyophores.

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Heat-treated γ-glutamyltranspeptidase of Escherichia coli recovered enzymatic activity after incubation at 4 °C, while heat-treated γ-glutamyltranspeptidase of Bacillus subtilis did not. Fluorescent spectra, CD spectra, and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis suggested that the dimer of E. coli γ-glutamyltranspeptidase was separated into protomers by heat-treatment, but was renatured by incubation at 4 °C.

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Annexin II, an HSP27-interacting protein, is involved in the protection of human cells against UVC. UVB is concerned with deleterious actions on human health. In this study, we attempted to confirm the anti-UVB effect of annexin II, and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying annexin II-involving UV resistance. The RSa cells were more sensitive to UVB lethality than the AP^r-1 cells. Overproduction of annexin II in RSa cells resulted in increased resistance to UVB lethality, while annexin II siRNA-transfected AP^r-1 cells were sensitized to UVB lethality. The excision capacity of the two major types (CPD and 6-4PP) of UVC- and UVB-damaged DNA in AP^r-1 cells was greater than in RSa cells. The excision capacity of the RSa cells improved following upregulation of annexin II, while the capacity of the AP^r-1 cells decreased after annexin II downregulation. Our results suggest that annexin II is involved in the UV resistance of human cells, via functioning in nucleotide excision repair.

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Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)-release assay was applied to estimate the toxic potential of harmful algal species at the cellular level. African green monkey kidney (Vero), yellowtail fin epithelia (MJF), and rainbow trout gill (RTgill-W1) cells were used as target cells. A live cell suspension of Karenia mikimotoi (SUO-1) induced the release of LDH from these cell lines, while the activity of another strain, FUK, was much lower. The cell-free culture supernatants and ruptured cell suspensions of both strains of K. mikimotoi were less effective on LDH-release assay. Exposure experiments against abalone and shrimp revealed that SUO-1 showed much stronger lethal effects on these organisms than FUK. Among six phytoplankton species, three species known to be harmful algal species induced the release of LDH to different extents depending on the cell line, whereas the other three species, known to be non-toxic, showed no effects on any cell lines. These results suggest that LDH-release assay is a useful micro-plate assay for estimation of the toxic potential of harmful phytoplankton.

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