Incorporation of Soymilk Lipid into Soy Protein Coagulum by the Addition of Calcium Chloride

ABSTRACT: The effect of protein composition on the lipid incorporation into protein coagulum (tofu curd) was investigated using soymilk prepared from mixtures of glycinin-rich and β-conglycinin-rich soybeans. The lipid incorporation takes place with the addition of CaCl₂ so that a particulate fraction of the protein is aggregated. The incorporation occurred by less addition of CaCl₂ with increasing glycinin in soymilk. The protein particle content and the glycinin content of the particles increased along with increasing glycinin. The lipid incorporation took place at lower CaCl₂ concentration when the particulate glycinin content was high. The mechanism of the lipid incorporation into soybean curd is discussed from these results.     

Serum Amylase elevation following hepatic resection in patients with chronic liver disease

BACKGROUND: Factors liable to cause hyperamylasemia after hepatectomy were studied retrospectively in 140 patient with chronic liver disease. METHODS: The pringle maneuver was performed in 113 patients (Pringle group), the hemihepatic vascular occlusion technique in 21 (hemihepatic group), and no vascular occlusion in 6 (no-occlusion group). RESULTS: In the Pringle group, postoperative serum amylase levels were elevated significantly in comparison with the preoperative levels, but were not elevated in hemihepatic and no-occlusions groups. In the Pringle group, there were 4 patients whose postoperative serum amylase levels exceeded 3.5 times the upper limit of the normal range together with serum pancreatic isoamylase or lipase elevation or both. When compared with the other 109 patients, these 4 patients had a significantly longer vascular occlusion time (51 +/-3 minutes versus 94 +/- 8 minutes P<0.005). One of them developed pancreatitis and died from hepatic failure. CONCLUSION: Prolongation of portal congestion carries a potential risk of serum amylase elevation and pancreatitis after hepatectomy in patients with underlying liver disease.     

Difference in antigen presentation pathways between cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells

Antigen presentation by thymic epithelial cells (TEC) to T cells that undergo maturation is one of the major events in the selection of the T cell repertoire. We have already reported that medullary TEC lines (mTEC) established from newborn C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice are able to present a soluble antigen, ovalbumin (OVA), to OVA-specific, I-Ab restricted helper T cell lines but cortical TEC (cTEC) lines are not (Mizuochi, T. et al., J. Exp. Med. 1992. 175: 1601). In this report, to clarify the cause of this difference, we analyzed the biochemical nature as well as the distribution of both major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules and invariant chains (Ii) in both TEC by immunoprecipitation and laser confocal scanning microscopic analysis, as well as the expression of mRNA encoding H-2Ma or H-2Mb. Our results demonstrate that cTEC and mTEC are both able to present peptide antigens to peptide-specific, I-Ab-restricted helper T cell hybridoma and are able to present class II MHC alloantigens to an I-Ab-specific T cell line, that mRNA for H-2Ma and H-2Mb are expressed in both TEC, that cTEC and mTEC apparently incorporate tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate-labeled OVA in the same manner, and that the SDS-stable MHC class II molecules, onto which peptides were loaded, are formed in both cTEC and mTEC. However, these molecules were more rapidly degraded in mTEC than in cTEC. In addition, two Ii-derived polypeptides of approximately 21 kDa and 10 kDa were precipitated by the anti-class II monoclonal antibody Y3P; 10-kDa polypeptides were detected in the both TEC, while 21-kDa polypeptides were detected only in cTEC. Finally, beta chains of MHC class II with less sialylated oligosaccharides were precipitated from the cell surface of cTEC. Taken together, these results suggest that there are substantial differences in the antigen-presenting pathways of cTEC and mTEC, and these difference might be responsible for T cell selection events in the thymus.     

Nucleotide sequence surrounding the locus marker D21S246 on human chromosome 21

Most of the human Not I linking clones identified to date are considered to be derived from CpG islands because of the recognition sequence of this enzyme, and CpG islands have been reported to be located around the 5' regions of genes. As a pilot study, we determined the complete nucleotide sequence (41,924 bp) of a human cosmid clone (LL21NC02Q7A10) containing the marker D21S246 originating from a Not I linking clone. As a result of sequence analysis, we successfully mapped and revealed the genomic gene structure for KIAA0002 previously reported as a cDNA clone. This gene consists of 15 exons and was shown to exist at the D21S246 locus on human chromosome 21q21.3-q22.1. These results demonstrated that genomic marker-anchored DNA sequencing is a useful approach for the human genome project.     

Gelation of Food Protein Induced by Recombinant Microbial Transglutaminase

ABSTRACT: The recombinant microbial transglutaminase from Streptoverticillium mobaraense var. (rMTGase) was expressed in Escherichia coli. Specific enzyme activity of rMTGase was comparable to native MTGase. However, the gelation of a sodium caseinate solution induced by rMTGase was slower than that induced by native MTGase. In addition, the mechanical property of kamaboko prepared with rMTGase was weaker than that with native MTGase. In SDS‐PAGE analysis, α‐casein monomers decreased more slowly during the incubation with rMTGase than MTGase. These results confirmed the difference of cross‐linking activity between the 2 enzymes. Furthermore, thermal stability of rMTGase was lower compared to native MTGase. These results suggest that the difference of cross‐linking activity and thermal stability between the 2 enzymes cause differences in gelation activity of protein.     

Lack of correlation between Sendai virus P/C mRNA structure and its utilization of two AUG start sites from alternate reading frames: implications for viral bicistronic mRNAs

The polycistronic P/C mRNA of Sendai virus encodes five proteins (C', P, C, Y1, and Y2) each of which initiates from a distinct start site. Two major proteins, P and C, are expressed in approximately equimolar amounts from two consecutive AUGs in overlapping reading frames. To better understand the mechanism of expression of the C protein from a downstream AUG, site-directed mutants of the P/C mRNA were created and expressed in COS1 cells. The secondary structure of the mRNA was examined to determine whether the mRNA structure played any role in the synthesis of the C protein. Our results ruled out any significant involvement of the 5' UTR, sequence contexts, secondary structure, distance between the start sites, and sequences downstream to the C-AUG. However, they are consistent with the concept that the synthesis of the C protein is primarily dependent on the orientation of its reading frame, i.e., +1 in relation to the upstream P reading frame. The downstream reading frame was translated poorly when it occurred in +2 orientation in relation to the upstream reading frame. Interestingly, all the known functional bicistronic mRNAs with overlapping reading frames from cytoplasmic RNA viruses have their downstream reading frame in +1 orientation relative to the upstream frame. We propose that the evolutionary conservation of the downstream reading frame in +1 orientation in these bicistronic mRNAs is important for its efficient translation.     

Ubiquity of omnivores in natural ecosystems

A preliminary analysis was published in 1993 of 100 cases of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) carried out in our service following a protocol that included sinusitis, nasal polyps, and other endoscopic nasal procedures. Another 100 cases of ESS were analyzed for the present study and compared with the 1993 group. Comparative analysis showed improved results in the second series, with fewer minor complications and no major complications. These findings confirm the general opinion that endoscopic sinus surgery requires an adequate training period before optimal results are obtained.