Biosynthesis of selenosubtilisin: A novel way to target selenium into the active site of subtilisin

Glutathione peroxidase （GPx, EC1.11.1.9）, an important anti-oxidative selenoenzyme, can catalyze the reduction of harmful hydroperoxides with concomitant glutathione, thereby protecting cells and other biological issues against oxidative damage. It captures considerable interest in redesign of its function for either the mechanism study or the pharmacological development as an antioxidant. In order to develop a general strategy for specifically targeting and operating selenium in active sites of enzymes, the catalytically essential residue selenocysteine （Sec） was first successfully bioincorporated into the catalytic center of subtilisin by using an auxotrophic expression system. The studies of the catalytic activity and the steady-state kinetics demonstrated that selenosubtilisin is an excellent GPx-like biocatalyst. In comparison with the chemically modified method, biosynthesis exhibits obvious advantages： Sec could be site-directly incorporated into active sites of enzymes to overcome the non-specificity generated by chemical modification. This study provides an important strategy for specifically targeting and operating selenium in the active site of an enzyme.     

Hopf bifurcation and chaos of financial system on condition of specific combination of parameters*

Exponential stability of the first order singular distributed parameter systems is discussed in the light of degenerate semi-group methods, which is described by the abstract developing equation in Hilbert space. The necessary and sufficient conditions concerning the exponential stability of the first order singular distributed parameter systems are given.     

STRATEGIC EXERCISE OF REAL OPTIONS：INVESTMENT DECISIONS IN TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

Viewing investment projects in new technologies as real options, this paper studies the effects ofendogenous competition and asymmetric information on the strategic exercise of real options. We firstdevelop a multi-period, game-theoretic model and show how competition leads to early exercise andaggressive investment behaviors and how competition erodes option values. We then relax the typicalfull-information assumption found in the literature and allow information asymmetry to exist acrossfirms. Our model shows, in contrast to the literature that payoff is independent of the ordering ofexercise, that the sequential exercise of real options may generate both informational and payoffexternalities. We also find some surpising but interesting results such as having more information isnot necessarily better.     

A rapid method of following the spontaneous regression of experimental leukemias

Summary Transplantation of virus and chemically induced leukemias from C3H/He-mgxAKR/F₁ hybrid mice into C3H/He-mg males induced leukemias in the latter, which was followed by a spontaneous regression of the disease within a few days. The regression of leukemia could easily be followed by measuring the changes in the pyruvate kinase activity of para-aortic lymph node cells.     

Lipolytic response of ‘diabetic’ mice (db/db) to isoproterenol and propranolol in vivo

Summary The genetically diabetic and obesedb/db mice responded lipolytically to isoproterenol and propranolol similarly to normal mice in vivo. However, considering the large amount of triglyceride in adb/db mouse, we conclude that the in vivo response ofdb/db adipose tissue is deficient in magnitude.     

The in vitro characterization of the inhibition of mouse brain protein kinase-C by retinoids and their receptors

Summary The mechanism of the in vitro inhibition of Ca²⁺-, phosphatidylserine-dependent protein kinase C (PK-C)² by the purifiedholo (ligand-saturated) forms of cellular retinol-binding protein (cRBP) and cellular retinoic acid-binding protein (cRABP) was studied. We report here that i) the PK-C-inhibitory action ofholo-cRBP andholo-cRABP is due to their respective ligands, all-trans-retinol and all-trans-retinoic acid; ii) the reduced phosphorylation of theholo-retinoid-binding proteins and brain cytosolic proteins is not the result of a retinoid-induced soluble phosphatase or protease activity; iii) retinoids reduce PK-C affinity for calcium and phosphatidylserine in vitro; and iv) the structure-function activity of the retinoids and the specific interaction of these effect of retinoids on plasma membrane-associated PK-C activity pays a significant role in defining the early epigenetic aspects of PK-C-dependent tumor promotion and may be a physiological mechanism by which retinoids induce terminal differentiation in cell types that do not express soluble retinoid-binding proteins.We would like to thank Dr L.M. De Luca (NIH, USA) for his contribution of retinylphosphate, Dr H.N. Bhagavan (Hoffmann-La Roche) for his contribution of the arotinoids, and Merrill-Dow Corp. for their contribution of difluoromethylornithine. This work was supported by NIH Grants CA-34968, CA-07175, CA-22484, and CA-09020.     

Partial purification and some characteristics of hamster molar alkaline phosphatase

Summary A rapid 3-step method is given to purify partially hamster molar alkaline phosphatase. Molecular weight was 50,200 and isoelectric point 3.7. The alkaline phosphatases in the mesenchymal and ectodermal parts of the tooth are probably identical.     

Lymphostatic Retinal Haemangiopathy

Zusammenfassung Verschluss der zervikalen Lymphbahnen führt zu einer lymphostatischen, retinalen Hämangiopathie mit Verdickung und Strukturveränderung der Basalmembranen.     

Effect of long-term fenfluramine treatment on drug-metabolism in rat

Zusammenfassung Nachweis, dass Fenfluramin in Dosen von 25 und 50 mg/kg p.o. Arzneimittel abbauende Enzyme stimuliert und die Cytochromen b₅ und P-450 in der Rattenleber vermehrt. Der induzierende Effekt ist bereits nach 3 Wochen maximal.