Subcellular localization of fructosyl amino acid oxidases in peroxisomes of Aspergillus terreus and Penicillium janthinellum

Fructosyl amino acid oxidase (FAOD) is the enzyme catalyzing the oxidative deglycation of Amadori compounds, such as fructosyl amino acids, yielding the corresponding amino acids, glucosone, and H(2)O(2). In a previous report, we determined the primary structures of cDNAs coding for FAODs from two fungal strains Aspergillus terreus AP1 and Penicillium janthinellum and we found that both fungal FAODs included the putative peroxisome targeting signal 1 (PTS1) at the carboxyl terminal (Yoshida, N. et al., Eur. J. Biochem., 242, 499-505, 1996). In this study, we determined the intracellular localization of FAODs in these two fungi. Subcellular fractionation experiments and immuno-electronmicroscopic observations, together with the previous findings indicated that the FAODs were localized in peroxisomes of A. terreus AP1 and P. janthinellum. These FAODs were also found to belong to a new member of "peroxisomal sarcosine oxidase family protein" in eucaryotic cells.     

Alcohol dehydrogenases that catalyse methyl formate synthesis participate in formaldehyde detoxification in the methylotrophic yeast Candida boidinii

Methyl formate synthesis during growth on methanol by methylotrophic yeasts has been considered to play a role in formaldehyde detoxification. An enzyme that catalyses methyl formate synthesis was purified from methylotrophic yeasts, and was suggested to belong to a family of alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs). In this study we report the gene cloning and gene disruption analysis of three ADH-encoding genes in the methylotrophic yeast Candida boidinii (CbADH1, CbADH2 and CbADH3) in order to clarify the physiological role of methyl formate synthesis. From the primary structures of these three genes, CbAdh1 was shown to be cytosolic and CbAdh2 and CbAdh3 were mitochondrial enzymes. Gene products of CbADH1, CbADH2 and CbADH3 expressed in Escherichia coli showed both ADH- and methyl formate-synthesizing activities. The results of gene-disruption analyses suggested that methyl formate synthesis was mainly catalysed by a cytosolic ADH (CbAdh1), and this enzyme contributed to formaldehyde detoxification through glutathione-independent formaldehyde oxidation during growth on methanol by methylotrophic yeasts.     

Optical assessment of silicon nanowire arrays fabricated by metal-assisted chemical etching

Silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays were prepared on silicon substrates by metal-assisted chemical etching and peeled from the substrates, and their optical properties were measured. The absorption coefficient of the SiNW arrays was higher than that for the bulk silicon over the entire region. The absorption coefficient of a SiNW array composed of 10-μm-long nanowires was much higher than the theoretical absorptance of a 10-μm-thick flat Si wafer, suggesting that SiNW arrays exhibit strong optical confinement. To reveal the reason for this strong optical confinement demonstrated by SiNW arrays, angular distribution functions of their transmittance were experimentally determined. The results suggest that Mie-related scattering plays a significant role in the strong optical confinement of SiNW arrays.     

Quantitative Visualization of the Interaction between Complement Component C1 and Immunoglobulin G: The Effect of CH1 Domain Deletion

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) adopts a modular multidomain structure that mediates antigen recognition and effector functions, such as complement-dependent cytotoxicity. IgG molecules are self-assembled into a hexameric ring on antigen-containing membranes, recruiting the complement component C1q. In order to provide deeper insights into the initial step of the complement pathway, we report a high-speed atomic force microscopy study for the quantitative visualization of the interaction between mouse IgG and the C1 complex composed of C1q, C1r, and C1s. The results showed that the C1q in the C1 complex is restricted regarding internal motion, and that it has a stronger binding affinity for on-membrane IgG2b assemblages than C1q alone, presumably because of the lower conformational entropy loss upon binding. Furthermore, we visualized a 1:1 stoichiometric interaction between C1/C1q and an IgG2a variant that lacks the entire C_H1 domain in the absence of an antigen. In addition to the canonical C1q-binding site on Fc, their interactions are mediated through a secondary site on the C_L domain that is cryptic in the presence of the C_H1 domain. Our findings offer clues for novel-modality therapeutic antibodies.     

Deposition of Lead Phosphate by Lead-Tolerant Bacteria Isolated from Fresh Water near an Abandoned Mine

Specialist bacteria can synthesize nanoparticles from various metal ions in solution. Metal recovery with high efficiency can be achieved by metal-tolerant microorganisms that proliferate in a concentrated metal solution. In this study, we isolated bacteria (Pseudomonas sp. strain KKY-29) from a bacterial library collected from water near an abandoned mine in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. KKY-29 was maintained in nutrient medium with lead acetate and synthesized hydrocerussite and pyromorphite nanoparticles inside the cell; KKY-29 also survived nanoparticle synthesis. Quantitative PCR analysis of genes related to phosphate metabolism showed that KKY-29 decomposed organic phosphorus to synthesize lead phosphate. KKY-29 also deposited various metal ions and synthesized metal nanoparticles when incubated in various metal salt solutions other than lead. The present study considers the development of biotechnology to recover lead as an economically valuable material.     

Simulation study of electrical dynamic characteristics of lithium-ion battery

The electrical dynamic characteristics of a lithium-ion battery have been simulated by an equivalent circuit, which is derived from the measured impedance. The transient voltage response to the various kinds of applied current waves such as single pulse, single rectangular, triangle, and sawtooth waves is experimentally examined and calculated by using the numerical Laplace transform with the equivalent circuit. The experimental and calculated results are compared and discussed, focusing on the range of current where the linear relationship is valid. Changing the time range, the state of charge (SOC) and the battery temperature as parameters, their influence on the linear range of the applied current has been investigated.     

Thermal performance of a packed bed reactor for a high‐temperature chemical heat pump

The thermal performance of a chemical heat pump that uses the reaction system of calcium oxide/lead oxide/carbon dioxide, which is developed for utilization of high‐temperature heat above 800°C, is studied experimentally. The thermal performance of a packed‐bed reactor of a calcium oxide/carbon dioxide reaction system, which stores and transforms a high‐temperature heat source in the heat pump operation, is examined under various heat pump operation conditions. The energy analysis based on the experiment shows that it is possible to utilize high‐temperature heat with this heat pump. This heat pump can store heat above 850°C and then transform it into a heat above 900°C under an approximate atmospheric pressure. An applied system that combines the heat pump and a high‐temperature process is proposed for high‐efficiency heat utilization. The scale of the heat pump in the combined system is estimated from the experimental results. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A fast method for the determination of the efficiency coefficient of bare CR-39 detector

A fast and simple method for the determination of the efficiency coefficient (η) of bare CR-39 detector is presented and discussed. The efficiency coefficient of bare CR-39 detector is then calculated by different ways and the obtained values are found to be comparable to each other. The average value of η of bare CR-39 is found to be 0.20 ± 0.01 tracks cm⁻² day⁻¹ per Bq m⁻³.