Active site structural change of α-chymotrypsin due to 2-halogeno-ethanols; comparison with ethanol, 1-propanol,and urea

Summary 2-Halogeno-ethanols change the active site structure of -chymotrypsin more rapidly and effectively than ethanol, 1-propanol and urea, probably before producing an extensive conformation change.     

The medaka draft genome and insights into vertebrate genome evolution

Teleosts comprise more than half of all vertebrate species and have adapted to a variety of marine and freshwater habitats. Their genome evolution and diversification are important subjects for the understanding of vertebrate evolution. Although draft genome sequences of two pufferfishes have been published, analysis of more fish genomes is desirable. Here we report a high-quality draft genome sequence of a small egg-laying freshwater teleost, medaka (Oryzias latipes). Medaka is native to East Asia and an excellent model system for a wide range of biology, including ecotoxicology, carcinogenesis, sex determination and developmental genetics. In the assembled medaka genome (700 megabases), which is less than half of the zebrafish genome, we predicted 20,141 genes, including approximately 2,900 new genes, using 5'-end serial analysis of gene expression tag information. We found single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at an average rate of 3.42% between the two inbred strains derived from two regional populations; this is the highest SNP rate seen in any vertebrate species. Analyses based on the dense SNP information show a strict genetic separation of 4 million years (Myr) between the two populations, and suggest that differential selective pressures acted on specific gene categories. Four-way comparisons with the human, pufferfish (Tetraodon), zebrafish and medaka genomes revealed that eight major interchromosomal rearrangements took place in a remarkably short period of approximately 50 Myr after the whole-genome duplication event in the teleost ancestor and afterwards, intriguingly, the medaka genome preserved its ancestral karyotype for more than 300 Myr.     

An origin of the radio jet in M87 at the location of the central black hole

Powerful radio jets from active galactic nuclei are thought to be powered by the accretion of material onto the supermassive black hole (the 'central engine'). M87 is one of the closest examples of this phenomenon, and the structure of its jet has been probed on a scale of about 100 Schwarzschild radii (R(s), the radius of the event horizon). However, the location of the central black hole relative to the jet base (a bright compact radio 'core') remains elusive. Observations of other jets indicate that the central engines are located about 10(4)-10(6)R(s) upstream from the radio core. Here we report radio observations of M87 at six frequencies that allow us to achieve a positional accuracy of about 20?microarcseconds. As the jet base becomes more transparent at higher frequencies, the multifrequency position measurements of the radio core enable us to determine the upstream end of the jet. The data reveal that the central engine of M87 is located within 14-23R(s) of the radio core at 43?GHz. This implies that the site of material infall onto the black hole and the eventual origin of the jet reside in the bright compact region seen on the image at 43?GHz.     

热处理对环境半导体材料β-FeSi2形成的影响

作者对采用非质量分离离子束注入沉积法(IBD)在Si(100)上制备的β-FeSi2薄膜进行了研究,通过X射线衍射(XRD)和扫描电镜(SEM)以及原子力显微镜(AFM)分析表明:当退火温度在600℃和700℃附近时有利于β-FeSi2的形成。     

De novo mutations in the gene encoding STXBP1 (MUNC18-1) cause early infantile epileptic encephalopathy

Early infantile epileptic encephalopathy with suppression-burst (EIEE), also known as Ohtahara syndrome, is one of the most severe and earliest forms of epilepsy. Using array-based comparative genomic hybridization, we found a de novo 2.0-Mb microdeletion at 9q33.3-q34.11 in a girl with EIEE. Mutation analysis of candidate genes mapped to the deletion revealed that four unrelated individuals with EIEE had heterozygous missense mutations in the gene encoding syntaxin binding protein 1 (STXBP1). STXBP1 (also known as MUNC18-1) is an evolutionally conserved neuronal Sec1/Munc-18 (SM) protein that is essential in synaptic vesicle release in several species. Circular dichroism melting experiments revealed that a mutant form of the protein was significantly thermolabile compared to wild type. Furthermore, binding of the mutant protein to syntaxin was impaired. These findings suggest that haploinsufficiency of STXBP1 causes EIEE.     

ITPKC functional polymorphism associated with Kawasaki disease susceptibility and formation of coronary artery aneurysms

Kawasaki disease is a pediatric systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology for which a genetic influence is suspected. We identified a functional SNP (itpkc_3) in the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase C (ITPKC) gene on chromosome 19q13.2 that is significantly associated with Kawasaki disease susceptibility and also with an increased risk of coronary artery lesions in both Japanese and US children. Transfection experiments showed that the C allele of itpkc_3 reduces splicing efficiency of the ITPKC mRNA. ITPKC acts as a negative regulator of T-cell activation through the Ca2+/NFAT signaling pathway, and the C allele may contribute to immune hyper-reactivity in Kawasaki disease. This finding provides new insights into the mechanisms of immune activation in Kawasaki disease and emphasizes the importance of activated T cells in the pathogenesis of this vasculitis.     

Deficiency of fibrinolytic enzyme activities in the serum of patients with Alzheimer-type dementia

Previously we reported that there is a kallikrein deficiency in the cerebral tissue of patients with Alzheimer-type dementia. The present study was performed to investigate protease changes in the serum of these patients. The results showed that the kallikrein activity was normal, but that the activities of plasmin and urokinase were significantly low. The present findings indicate a derangement in the clotting and fibrinolytic systems in Alzheimer patients.     

Quaternary structure-induced photoreduction of haem of haemoglobin.

Spectroscopic studies have provided extensive information on the primary process of visual pigments and photoexcitation of chlorophyll as well as their effects on photoreactivity on the higher-order structures of protein has been observed only rarely. Resonance Raman spectroscopy can reveal the vibrational frequencies of the chromophore in a molecule provided the excitation wavelength is in the absorption band of that molecule. As the visible absorption bands of haemproteins are due to pi pi* transitions of the porphyrin ring, we can selectively observe the vibrational frequencies of iron porphyrin during in situ interactions with immediate amino acid residues of protein when the wavelength of excitation light is close to the Soret or Q band. Correlation of some vibrational frequencies of haem with the oxidation and spin states of the haem iron has been studied in detail and an empirical rules has been established. This method is therefore especially suitable for the study of an effect of higher-order structures of protein on the chromophore. We report here a photoreaction facilitated by a particular quaternary structure of protein--in various haemoglobins resonance Raman spectroscopy showed that reversible photoreduction of haem took place in the T state but not the R state.     

Bilateral lesions of suprachiasmatic nucleus eliminate circadian rhythms of oxygen consumption and the respiratory quotient in rats

Summary Bilateral lesions of the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus of rats abolished circadian rhythms of oxygen consumption and of the respiratory quotient (RQ). The RQ remained constant at a level intermediate between the maximum (about 1.0) and minimum (about 0.9) values in control animals.     

Deficiency of kallikrein-like enzyme activities in cerebral tissue of patients with alzheimer's disease

Summary We examined the changes in the intracerebral activities, at the time of postmortem autopsy, in patients with Alzheimer's disease. When compared with the control group, the activity of kallikrein-like enzyme was significantly decreased, while prolyl endopeptidase activity increased, in the patients group. Aprotinin inhibited 50% of the activity of the former enzyme at 2×10^–7M. Taken together with the results of a multivariate study, the above findings may indicate that intracerebral kallikrein deficiency plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.