Diamines prevent thermal aggregation and inactivation of lysozyme

Protein aggregation is a major obstacle in both biological applications and biomedical fields involving proteins. In this study, we investigated the essential structure of small additives that function as chemical chaperones. Aggregation-suppressing competent additives were 1,3-diaminopropane, 1,4-diaminobutane, and 1,5-diaminopentane, which suppressed aggregation in the given order; whereas no diols or monoamines prevented the thermal aggregation and the inactivation of lysozyme. The heat-inactivation rate of lysozyme with 1,3-diaminopropane was almost identical to that of lysozyme with spermine and arginine ethylester, which are the most prominent additives reported yet.     

Elaboration of neosamine rings in the biosynthesis of neomycin and butirosin

The proteins Neo-11 and Neo-18 encoded in the neomycin gene cluster (neo) of Streptomyces fradiae NCIMB 8233 have been characterized as glucosaminyl-6'-oxidase and 6'-oxoglucosaminyl:L-glutamate aminotransferase, respectively. The joint activity of Neo-11 and Neo-18 is responsible for the conversion of paromamine to neamine in the biosynthetic pathway of neomycin through a mechanism of FAD-dependent dehydrogenation followed by a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-mediated transamination. Neo-18 is also shown to catalyze deamination at C-6' of neomycin, thus suggesting bifunctional roles of the two enzymes in the formation of both neosamine rings of neomycin. The product of the btrB gene, a homologue of neo-18 in the butirosin biosynthetic gene cluster (btr) in Bacillus circulans, exhibits the same activity as Neo-18; this indicates that there is a similar reaction sequence in both butirosin and neomycin biosynthesis.     

Differential Regulation of NAPDH Oxidases in Salt-Tolerant Eutrema salsugineum and Salt-Sensitive Arabidopsis thaliana

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) signalling is crucial in modulating stress responses in plants, and NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are an important component of signal transduction under salt stress. The goal of this research was to investigate whether the regulation of NOX-dependent signalling during mild and severe salinity differs between the halophyte Eutrema salsugineum and the glycophyte Arabidopsis thaliana. Gene expression analyses showed that salt-induced expression patterns of two NOX genes, RBOHD and RBOHF, varied between the halophyte and the glycophyte. Five days of salinity stimulated the expression of both genes in E. salsugineum leaves, while their expression in A. thaliana decreased. This was not accompanied by changes in the total NOX activity in E. salsugineum, while the activity in A. thaliana was reduced. The expression of the RBOHD and RBOHF genes in E. salsugineum leaves was induced by abscisic acid (ABA) and ethephon spraying. The in silico analyses of promoter sequences of RBOHD and RBOHF revealed multiple cis-acting elements related to hormone responses, and their distribution varied between E. salsugineum and A. thaliana. Our results indicate that, in the halophyte E. salsugineum, the maintenance of the basal activity of NOXs in leaves plays a role during acclimation responses to salt stress. The different expression patterns of the RBOHD and RBOHF genes under salinity in E. salsugineum and A. thaliana point to a modified regulation of these genes in the halophyte, possibly through ABA- and/or ethylene-dependent pathways.     

Child maltreatment moderates the association of MAOA with symptoms of depression and antisocial personality disorder.

There is a growing body of data indicating that Gene × Child Maltreatment interactions at monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) play a role in vulnerability to symptoms of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) but not major depression (MD). Using a sample of 538 participants from the Iowa Adoption Studies, we introduce a conceptual model that highlights two distinct pathways from child maltreatment to symptoms of MD, suggesting that maltreatment has different effects depending on genotype and highlighting the importance of including the indirect pathway through ASPD. As predicted by the model, high activity alleles predispose to symptoms of MD in the context of child maltreatment whereas low activity alleles predispose to symptoms of ASPD. We conclude that the Gene × Environment interplay at this locus (MAOA) contributes to both symptoms of ASPD and MD and that careful specification of child maltreatment may be essential if genetic association research is to produce replicable results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

天然气半贫液脱碳工艺三元胺液配方优选

为实现天然气脱碳工厂降本增效目标,基于某工厂PZ活化MDEA半贫液工艺,在现有设备能力下进一步提升胺液性能,进行三元复配胺液配方筛选以替代原有吸收剂。本文针对单一胺液的贫液、半贫液及富液分别进行实验,确定合适的主体胺液及添加剂,将胺液进行三元复配后通过实验探究三元复配胺液的吸收及再生性能,旨在寻找吸收容量大、吸收速率快、解吸率高、循环溶解度高、再生能耗低综合性能优的胺液配方。通过研究发现,单一胺液中AMP、DETA及PZ吸收性能较优,TEA再生能耗最低,解吸率最高;对于三元复配胺液而言,当MDEA/DEEA为主体胺液时,两种胺液配方贫液状态下的吸收速率和吸收负荷均较高,MDEA/TEA双主体胺液的最终解吸率高于MDEA/DEEA双主体胺液,TEA的加入显著提高了胺液的解吸率;筛选得到的三元高效胺液配方18%MDEA+18%TEA+4%PZ的半贫液循环溶解度高于原PZ活化MDEA配方,再生能耗较低,可代替PZ活化MDEA胺液应用于天然气半贫液脱碳工艺。     

Partial inhibition of pheromone production inDendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) by polysubstrate monooxygenase inhibitors

Female and male mountain pine beetles,Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, were treated topically with piperonyl butoxide or sesame oil, both of which are known to inhibit poly substrate monooxygenase activity. Beetles then exposed to vapors of the host monoterpenes -pinene and myrcene were found to contain reduced levels of the pheromonestrans-verbenol and ipsdienol, as well as a buildup of monoterpene precursors. Polysubstrate monooxygenase enzymes appear to be at least partially responsible for the detoxification of host monoterpenes and for the production of terpene alcohol pheromones in this species.Research supported in part by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canada, Operating Grants A3881 and A7774.     

蛹拟青霉代谢产物清除自由基和抑制单胺氧化酶活性的研究

用二苯代苦味肼基自由基(DPPH)—TLC法和酶标仪法对1株蛹拟青霉RCEF0892摇瓶发酵菌丝体及发酵液甲醇-乙酸乙酯[V(甲醇)∶V(乙酸乙酯)=1∶1]提取物清除自由基活性进行了定性和定量分析,发现该菌株发酵液提取物具有较强的清除自由基活性,在浓度为5.0mg/mL,于37℃下保温10min时,它对0.4mg/mL的DPPH自由基的清除率可达79.92%。同时,以大鼠肝脏线粒体单胺氧化酶为靶标的体外实验发现,RCEF0892菌株菌丝体提取物具有较强的抑制单胺氧化酶活性,且其活性和浓度呈量效关系,其对大鼠肝脏线粒体单胺氧化酶的半数抑制浓度IC50为81.39μg/mL。     

Cover Picture: Screening for Cytochrome P450 Reactivity by Harnessing Catalase as Reporter Enzyme (ChemBioChem 4/2009)

The cover picture shows a bacterial cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP152A1, blue protein) screening for new substrates, such as nifidepine (highlighted green). The identification of novel reactivities of P450 enzymes is of major importance for applications in biocatalysis, biosensing and metabolic engineering. In their contribution on p. 751 ff, Niemeyer et al. report a novel assay for the rapid and facile screening of substrate libraries for organic hydroperoxide‐mediated P450 reactivity. Peroxide depletion is monitored in a fluorescence microplate assay, by harnessing a previously undescribed reactivity of the enzyme catalase (orange protein structure). The assay thus connects the occurrence of P450 reactivity with a universal read‐out, thereby circumventing the need for substrate‐specific detection schemes.