Hydrophobic effects on protein/nucleic acid interaction: enhancement of substrate binding by mutating tyrosine 45 to tryptophan in ribonuclease Tl

Hydrophobic effects on binding of ribonuclease Tl to guaninebases of several ribonucleotides have been proved by mutatinga hydrophobic residue at the recognition site and by measuringthe effect on binding. Mutation of a hydrophobic surface residueto a more hydrophobic residue (Tyr45 – Trp) enhances thebinding to ribonucleotides, including mononucleotide inhibitorand product, and a synthetic substrate-analog trinudeotide aswell as the binding to dinucleotide substrates and RNA. Enhancementson binding to non-substrate ribonucleotides by the mutationhave been observed with free energy changes ranging from –2.2 to – 3 .9 kJ/mol. These changes are in good agreementwith that of substrate binding, –2.3 kJ/mol, which iscalculated from Michaelis constants obtained from kinetic studies.It is shown, by comparing the observed and calculated changesin binding free energy with differences in the observed transferfree energy changes of the amino acid side chains from organicsolvents to water, that the enhancement observed on guaninebinding comes from the difference in the hydrophobic effectsof the side chains of tyrosine and tryptophan. Furthermore,a linear relationship between nucleolytic activities and hydrophobicityof the residues (Ala, Phe, Tyr, Trp) at position 45 is observed.The mutation could not change substantially the base specificityof RNase Tl, which exhibits a prime requirement for guaninebases of substrates.     

Lightning Observation in 3D Using a Multiple LF Sensor Network and Comparison with Radar Reflectivity

A three‐dimensional (3D) lightning mapper consisting of multiple low‐frequency (LF) sensors has been developed to monitor thunderstorms and to estimate their charge structure. We have been conducting an observation campaign using the 3D lightning mapper in Kansai, Japan, since October 2012. In this study, we determine 3D source locations of intracloud and cloud‐to‐ground flashes and compare them with the radar reflectivity estimated by phased‐array radar (PAR) with high temporal and spatial resolution. Most LF sources are located in high radar reflectivity regions, confirming that the 3D LF lightning mapper monitors thunderstorms. A lightning flash with heavy branches is clearly imaged. Based on the bidirectional leader theory that negative and positive ends of a lightning leader develop simultaneously, we estimate the positive and negative charge regions in a thundercloud from the LF source locations. The radar reflectivity estimated by PAR supports the charge structure estimated by LF source locations.     

Reaction of poly(epichlorohydrin) with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate and RI-UV dual-detector GPC of the product

Summary The chlorine in poly(epichlorohydrin) was found to be substituted by diethyldithiocarbamate (ETC) group by the reaction with NaETC in tetrahydrofuran at 60°C. The reaction product was analyzed by RI-UV dual-detector GPC. The composition i.e. the percentage of the chlorine replaced by the ETC group was found to be invariant with the elution count. This result might indicate the absence of polymer effect in the carbamation of poly(epichlorohydrin).     

Conformational properties of the guanine-binding site of ribonuclease T1 inferred from the X-ray structure and protein engineering

Recognition by ribonuclease T₁ of guanine bases via multidentatehydrogen bonding and stacking interactions appears to be mediatedmainly by a short peptide segment formed by one stretch of aheptapeptide, Tyr⁴²-Asn⁴³-Asn⁴⁴-Tyr⁴⁵-Gly⁴⁶-Gly⁴⁷-Phe⁴⁸. Thesegment displays a unique folding of the polypeptide chain—consistingof a reverse turn, Asn⁴⁴-Tyr⁴⁵-Glu⁴⁶-Gly⁴⁷, stabilized by ahydrogen-bond network involving the side chain of Asn⁴⁴, themain-chain atoms of Asn⁴⁴, Gly⁴⁷ and Phe⁴⁸ and one water molecule.The segment is connected to the C terminus of a ß-strandand expands into a loop region between Asn⁴³ and Ser⁵⁴. Lowvalues for the crystallographic thermal parameters of the segmentindicate that the structure has a rigidity comparable to thatof a ß-pleated sheet. Replacement of Asn⁴⁴ with alanineleads to a far lower enzymatic activity and demonstrates thatthe side chain of Asn⁴⁴ plays a key role in polypeptide foldingin addition to a role in maintaining the segment structure.Substitution of Asn⁴³ by alanine to remove a weak hydrogen bondto the guanine base destabilized the transition state of thecomplex by 6.3 kJ/mol at 37°C. In contrast, mutation ofGlu⁴⁶ to alanine to remove a strong hydrogen bond to the guaninebase caused a destabilization of the complex by 14.0 kJ/mol.A double-mutant enzyme with substitutions of Asn⁴³ by a histidineand Asn⁴⁴ by an aspartic acid, to reproduce the natural substitutionsfound in ribonuclease M_s, showed an activity and base specificitysimilar to that of the wild-type ribonuclease M_s. The segmenttherefore appears to be well conserved in several fungal ribonucleases.     

Synthesis of Microcrystalline Hematite and Magnetite in Organic Solvents and Effect of a Small Amount of Water in the Solvents

Microcrystalline magnetite (Fe₃O₄) particles having diameters of 7-34 nm were synthesized by thermal treatment of iron(III) acetylacetonate in organic solvents at high temperatures (423-573 K) and under autogenous pressures of the solvents. When the treatment was conducted in 1-propanol containing a small amount of water (1-3 vol%), nanosized hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) crystallized, which then was reduced to magnetite after a prolonged reaction time, indicating that a small amount of water in 1-propanol drastically changed the reaction mechanism for the formation of iron oxides.     

Nonlinear two-stage model for color discrimination

We modified a two-stage model for color discrimination proposed in a previous study [Color Res. Appl.25, 105 (2000)]; in order to extend the model to wider conditions, we considered the conditions with luminance modulations in addition to color modulations. Using the modified model, we successfully predicted color discrimination data with test color changes along both the chromatic and luminance axes under a variety of background colors. Both qualitative and quantitative assessments in modeling showed that nonlinearity is required in both the cone and the cone-opponent stages to interpret adaptation effects of both color and luminance on color discrimination. This fact suggests that the nonlinear properties at each stage have different roles in color perception.     

一个标准一次检验全球接受

标准与检验携手并进，缺一不可，已成为推动全球大市场发展的重要力量。标准为产品、服务、相关体系、生产过程及相关材料等提供了相应的技术规范和质量要求。检测则是验证这些标准是否可靠地得到实现。一旦标准在国际上得到广泛的认可，它就成为相关产品或服务的国际市场的发展依据，这就表明这个市场建立在可靠的质量基础之上，并具有较高的消费者信任度。标准是一种世界各地各种业务用以开发产品、服务和相关体系的技术语言。因各种业务都理解这种语言，那么在这种语言基础上所生产的产品或所产生的服务无论在何地都应具有相同的质量。制…     

Ultra-rapid synthesis of syngas by the catalytic reforming of methane enhanced byin-situ heat supply through combustion

Development in highly active catalysts for the reforming of methane with CO₂ and partial oxidation of methane was conducted to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide with high reaction rates. An Ni-based four-components catalyst, Ni-Ce₂O₃-Pt-Rh, supported on an alumina wash-coated ceramic fiber in a plate shape was suitable for the objective reaction. By combining the catalytic combustion of ethane or propane, methane conversion was markedly enhanced, and a high space-time yield of syngas, 25,000 mol/l·h was obtained at a catalyst temperature of 700 ‡C or furnace temperature of 500 ‡C. The extraordinary high space-time yield of syngas was also confirmed even under the very rapid flow rate conditions as a contact time of 3 m-sec by using a monolithic shape of catalyst bed without back pressure.     

为全球信息社会制定全球标准

随着信息使用费用的急剧下降,我们可以使用的信息量不仅比以前大大增加,而且使用信息的人数也越来越多。现在社会学家已不再谈及技术时代、计算机时代或电子时代了,因为我们这一代正在建立的社会是信息社会,它将给人类生活的各个方面带来重大改变。为使全球各地能够真正公平合理地享受信息社会带来的益处,信息社会必须覆盖全球。数字电子设备包括的计算机网络、数字电视、3G电话以及相关硬件、软件和服务是信息社会的关键构件,也可以把它们统称为信息通讯技术(ICTs)。ICTs对信息知识的电子化传播是必不可少的,没有ICTs就没有全球信息社…     

Calibration of solar simulator for evaluation of dye-sensitized solar cells

The photo-to-electricity energy conversion efficiencies of ruthenium-dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) are measured under a solar simulator. The error in conversion efficiencies was compared under a variety of spectral conditions. Measurements of the conversion efficiencies of DSC between a solar simulator and outdoor sunlight result in about 10% error. This error was seen when the spectral intensity of a xenon-lamp solar simulator (imitating an air mass (AM) 1.5 spectrum) was adjusted by the short-circuit photocurrent I_Si of a crystalline silicon (c-Si) standard cell. In order to adjust the energetic intensity of AM 1.5 for DSC that has a spectrum response only in the visible region light, the c-Si reference cell is modified with a glass UV filter (KG-5, Schott) and the solar simulator was adjusted by I_{IR-cut Si}. The energetic spectrum of the solar simulator has a good accuracy over the wavelength range 300–750 nm, giving the conversion efficiency of DSC an accuracy of about 2%. The dependency of the ratio of I_Si to I_{IR-cut Si} on natural sun power is discussed in view of scattering of the visible light under changing natural sun light.