Dough and Breadmaking Properties of Wheat Flour Substituted by 10% with Germinated Quinoa Flour

Dough physical properties and baking quality of wheat flour substituted by 10% with non germinated quinoa flour (control), 24-h, 48-h and 72-h germinated quinoa flours were studied. The stability time and valorimeter value of the control and 24-h germinated quinoa flour substituted wheat flours were significantly longer and higher than those of 48-h and 72-h samples. The 10% substitution of germinated quinoa flour for wheat flour made distinctly harder dough than that of the control. The low amount of total and inner gas generations was observed for the 48-h and 72-h samples, as compared with those of the control and 24-h germinated quinoa samples. SEM observations showed that the gluten matrix of the control and 24-h germinated quinoa flour substituted wheat dough seemed to be more extended and more dispersed than those of 48-h and 72-h samples. The loaf volume of bread made from 24-h germinated quinoa flour substitution for wheat flour was the largest among the germinated samples; however, no significant differences were observed between the control and 24-h samples.

Antiviral Agents of Plant Origin. Antiherpetic Activity of Acacetin

The effect of acacetin isolated from Scoparia dulcis and several related flavonoids on herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) was studied in vitro by the method of plaque yield reduction. Among these compounds, acacetin was shown to be the most potent agent and caused dose-dependent inhibition of virus replication. Acacetin had a weak virucidal activity at higher concentrations. Analysis of early events following infection showed that attachment of the virus to host cells and penetration were unaffected by acacetin. Acacetin was found to exert strong inhibition of protein synthesis in virus-infected cells but not in uninfected cells. The transcription of immediate-early genes and translation of their transcripts were in particular almost stopped by acacetin even at a lower concentration. These selective effects can be attributed mainly to the antiviral activity of acacetin.

Bacterial Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Their Biosynthetic Genes, Functions, and Practical Use

The nutritional and pharmaceutical values of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) such as arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids have been well recognized. These LC-PUFAs are physiologically important compounds in bacteria and eukaryotes. Although little is known about the biosynthetic mechanisms and functions of LC-PUFAs in bacteria compared to those in higher organisms, a combination of genetic, bioinformatic, and molecular biological approaches to LC-PUFA-producing bacteria and some eukaryotes have revealed the notably diverse organization of the pfa genes encoding a polyunsaturated fatty acid synthase complex (PUFA synthase), the LC-PUFA biosynthetic processes, and tertiary structures of the domains of this enzyme. In bacteria, LC-PUFAs appear to take part in specific functions facilitating individual membrane proteins rather than in the adjustment of the physical fluidity of the whole cell membrane. Very long chain polyunsaturated hydrocarbons (LC-HCs) such as hentriacontanonaene are considered to be closely related to LC-PUFAs in their biosynthesis and function. The possible role of LC-HCs in strictly anaerobic bacteria under aerobic and anaerobic environments and the evolutionary relationships of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria carrying pfa-like genes are also discussed.

Elucidation of Softening Mechanism in Rinse Cycle Fabric Softeners. Part 1: Effect of Hydrogen Bonding

Most softening agents, such as rinse cycle fabric softeners, used by consumers at home contain cationic surfactants that have two long alkyl chains as their main component. The softening mechanism on fibers, especially cotton, has not yet been scientifically established, despite the market prevalence of fabric softeners for decades. One explanation for the softening effect is that the friction between fibers is reduced. According to this explanation, the fiber surfaces are coated by layers of alkyl chains. Because of the low coefficient of friction between alkyl chain layers of low surface energy, the fibers easily slide against one another yielding softer cotton clothing. However, no direct scientific evidence exists to prove the validity of this explanation. The softening mechanism of cotton yarn is discussed in this paper. Bending force values of cotton yarn treated with several concentrations of softener are measured by bend testing, and cotton and polyester yarns are compared. Results indicate that increases in cotton yarn hardness after natural drying are caused by cross-linking among inner fibers aided by bound water. This type of bound water has been known to exist even after 2 days of drying at 25 °C and 60 % relative humidity. Yarn dried in vacuo is soft, similar to that treated with softener. Thus, some of the softening effect caused by fabric softeners on cotton can be attributed to the prevention of cross-linking by bound water between cotton fibers.

p62/SQSTM1 plays a protective role in oxidative injury of steatotic liver in a mouse hepatectomy model

AIMS

Liver injury and regeneration involve complicated processes and are affected by various physio-pathological factors. We investigated the mechanisms of steatosis-associated liver injury and delayed regeneration in a mouse model of partial hepatectomy.

RESULTS

Initial regeneration of the steatotic liver was significantly delayed after hepatectomy. Although hepatocyte proliferation was not significantly suppressed, severe liver injury with oxidative stress (OS) occurred immediately after hepatectomy in the steatotic liver. Fas-ligand (FasL)/Fas expression was upregulated in the steatotic liver, whereas the expression of antioxidant and anti-apoptotic molecules (catalase/MnSOD/Ref-1 and Bcl-2/Bcl-xL/FLIP, respectively) and p62/SQSTM1, a steatosis-associated protein, was downregulated. Interestingly, pro-survival Akt was not activated in response to hepatectomy, although it was sufficiently expressed even before hepatectomy. Suppression of p62/SQSTM1 increased FasL/Fas expression and reduced nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf-2)-dependent antioxidant response elements activity and antioxidant responses in steatotic and nonsteatotic hepatocytes. Exogenously added FasL induced severe cellular OS and necrosis/apoptosis in steatotic hepatocytes, with only the necrosis being inhibited by pretreatment with antioxidants, suggesting that FasL/Fas-induced OS mainly leads to necrosis. Furthermore, p62/SQSTM1 re-expression in the steatotic liver markedly reduced liver injury and improved liver regeneration.

INNOVATION

This study is the first which demonstrates that reduced expression of p62/SQSTM1 plays a crucial role in posthepatectomy acute injury and delayed regeneration of steatotic liver, mainly via redox-dependent mechanisms.

CONCLUSION

In the steatotic liver, reduced expression of p62/SQSTM1 induced FasL/Fas overexpression and suppressed antioxidant genes, mainly through Nrf-2 inactivation, which, along with the hypo-responsiveness of Akt, caused posthepatectomy necrotic/apoptotic liver injury and delayed regeneration, both mainly via a redox-dependent mechanism.

Catenisphaera adipataccumulans gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family Erysipelotrichaceae isolated from an anaerobic digester

An obligately anaerobic bacterium, designated strain GK12(T), was isolated from an anaerobic digester in Fukagawa, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The cells of strain GK12(T) were non-motile, non-spore-forming cocci that commonly occurred in chains. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain GK12(T) was affiliated with the family Erysipelotrichaceae in the phylum Firmicutes and showed 91.8 % sequence similarity to the most closely related species, Faecalicoccus acidiformans. The strain grew at 30-50 °C (optimally at 40 °C) and at pH 5.5-8.5 (optimally at pH 7.5). The main end product of glucose fermentation was lactate. Yeast extract was required for growth. The strain contained C14 : 0, C14 : 0 1,1-dimethoxyalkane (DMA), C16 : 0 DMA and C18 : 0 DMA as the major cellular fatty acids (>10 % of the total). The polar lipid profile was composed of phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and an unidentified phospholipid. The whole-cell sugars were galactose, rhamnose and ribose. The cell-wall murein contained alanine, glutamic acid, lysine, serine and threonine, but not diaminopimelic acid. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 47.7 mol%. Based on phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic properties, a novel genus and species, Catenisphaera adipataccumulans gen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed to accommodate strain GK12(T) ( = NBRC 108915(T) = DSM 25799(T)).

Role of fatty acid synthase in the development of Dictyostelium discoideum

Fatty acids are fundamental cellular components, and provide essential building blocks for membrane biosynthesis. Although the use of gene knockout mutants is a robust method for examining the function of specific cellular metabolic networks, fatty acid synthase knockout mutants are extremely difficult to isolate. In the Dictyostelium discoideum genome, we found two putative fatty acid synthase genes, and we created a knockout mutant for one of them to examine the physiological consequences. In this study, we found that a continuous fatty acid supply was necessary for normal development, and the fatty acid synthase knockout mutant showed severe developmental delay. This developmental defect was corrected in chimeras composed of wild type cells and knockout mutant cells (3:7, respectively). The knockout mutant also showed aberrant expression of fatty acid biosynthesis genes. These results showed that D. discoideum needs correct fatty acid synthesis for normal development.

Expression and characterization of a class III alcohol dehydrogenase gene from Gluconobacter frateurii in the presence of methanol during glyceric acid production from glycerol

Some acetic acid bacteria have been shown to produce large amounts of glyceric acid (GA) from glycerol, which is a by-product of biodiesel fuel (BDF) production. Previously, a Gluconobacter strain was found that produced decreased amounts of GA from glycerol in the presence of methanol, a major ingredient of raw glycerol derived from the BDF industry. Thus, a comparative transcriptome analysis of Gluconobacter frateurii NBRC103465 was performed to investigate changes in gene expression during GA production from glycerol in the presence of methanol. Cells grown with methanol showed upregulated expression of a class III alcohol dehydrogenase homolog (adhC(Gf)) and decreased GA production. adhC(Gf) was cloned and expressed heterologously in Escherichia coli, and the presence of an additional protein with an approximate molecular mass of 39 kDa in the cytosol of the recombinant E. coli cells was identified by SDS-PAGE. Activity measurements of the cytosol revealed that the translational product of adhC(Gf) exhibited formaldehyde dehydrogenase activity in the presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and glutathione. Gluconobacter frateurii cells grown in 1% methanol-containing glycerol were found to have fivefold higher formaldehyde dehydrogenase activity than cells grown without methanol, suggesting that adhC(Gf) in G. frateurii cells functions in the dissimilation of methanol-derived formaldehyde.

Change in product selectivity during the production of glyceric acid from glycerol by Gluconobacter strains in the presence of methanol

To enhance the value-added use of methanol-containing raw glycerol derived from biodiesel fuel production, the effect of methanol supplementation on glyceric acid (GA) production by Gluconobacter spp. was investigated. We first conducted fed-batch fermentation with Gluconobacter frateurii NBRC103465 using raw glycerol as a feeding solution. GA productivity decreased with increasing dihydroxyacetone (DHA) formation when the raw glycerol contained methanol. The results of this experiment and comparative experiments using a synthetic solution modeled after the raw glycerol indicate that the presence of methanol caused a change in the concentrations of GA and DHA, two glycerol derivatives produced during fermentation. Other Gluconobacter spp. also decreased GA production in the presence of 1% (v/v) methanol. In addition, purified membrane-bound alcohol dehydrogenase (mADH) from Gluconobacter oxydans, which is a key enzyme in GA production, showed a decrease in dehydrogenase activity toward glycerol as the methanol concentration increased. These results strongly suggest that the observed decrease in GA production by Gluconobacter spp. resulted from the methanol-induced inhibition of mADH-mediated glycerol oxidation.

Dose-saving isolation procedure in percutaneous ethanol sclerotherapy for venous malformations

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an isolation technique during ethanol injection sclerotherapy for venous malformations (VMs) in the head and neck region.

METHODS

The subjects were 23 patients with 35 VM lesions in the head and neck, treated between 1999 and 2012. The mean lesion area was 3.75 ± 3.09 cm(2) (±standard deviation). We confirmed the contour of the lesions to be treated on a fully filled image on direct injection cisternography, and observed patterns of communicating drainage to systemic veins. The cisterns were evacuated by squeezing and were isolated by manual compression of the communicators. Ethanol (94.5%) with a contrast agent was then injected into both isolable and unisolable lesions, up to a total volume of 1 mL/cm(2), avoiding complications. We investigated the relationship between lesion size and injected ethanol dose, and also dose per unit area.

RESULTS

Both manual evacuation by compression and isolation were performed in 20 (57.1%) isolable lesions, but not in 15 unisolable lesions. The mean injected ethanol dose was 0.65 ± 0.31 mL/cm(2) overall, 0.70 ± 0.32 in isolable and 0.59 ± 0.30 in unisolable lesions (NS). However, the injected ethanol dose was significantly lower for lesions sized >6 cm. Complete to near-complete shrinkage was observed in all isolable lesions, and in 60% of unisolable lesions (P < 0.05). Clinical outcome seemed unrelated to the injected ethanol dose or the dose per unit area. There was one case of recurrence and one complication in the unisolable lesions. No further relapses or complications were observed during the follow-up period of 38.6 ± 12.3 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical outcome was related to the isolability not to the injected dose. The isolation appears useful for improving the safety and effectiveness of ethanol sclerotherapy for VM.

Amphibacillus indicireducens sp. nov., an alkaliphile that reduces an indigo dye

Two indigo-reducing alkaliphilic strains, designated strain C40T and strain N214, were isolated from a fermented Polygonum Indigo (Polygonum tinctorium Lour.) liquor sample aged for 10 months and obtained from Date City, Hokkaido, Japan. 16S rRNA gene sequence phylogeny suggested that strains C40T and N214 were members of the genus Amphibacillus with the closest relative being Amphibacillus xylanus JCM 7361T (97.5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with strain C40T), which is the only strain having a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity higher than 97 % with strain C40T. Cells of strain C40T were Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic, straight rods that were motile by means of peritrichous flagella. The strains grew between 17 and 39 °C (optimum, 35 °C) and in the pH range of 9.0–12.0. No isoprenoid quinone was detected and the DNA G+C content was 37.5–37.7 mol%. The whole-cell fatty acid profile mainly consisted of iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0. DNA–DNA hybridization of strain C40T with Amphibacillus xylanus JCM 7361T revealed a DNA–DNA relatedness value of 10±3 %. Owing to the differences in phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, as well as DNA–DNA relatedness data from reported species of the genus Amphibacillus , the isolates merit classification as a novel species in the genus Amphibacillus , for which the name Amphibacillus indicireducens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is C40T ( = JCM 17250T = NCIMB 14686T). An additional strain of the species is N214. An emended description of the genus Amphibacillus is provided.