The Saccharomyces cerevisiae small GTPase, Gsp1p/Ran, is involved in 3' processing of 7S-to-5.8S rRNA and in degradation of the excised 5'-A0 fragment of 35S pre-rRNA, both of which are carried out by the exosome

Dis3p, a subunit of the exosome, interacts directly with Ran. To clarify the relationship between the exosome and the RanGTPase cycle, a series of temperature-sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae dis3 mutants were isolated and their 5.8S rRNA processing was compared with processing in strains with mutations in a S. cerevisiae Ran homologue, Gsp1p. In both dis3 and gsp1 mutants, 3' processing of 7S-to-5.8S rRNA was blocked at three identical sites in an allele-specific manner. In contrast, the 5' end of 5.8S rRNA was terminated normally in gsp1 and in dis3. Inhibition of 5.8S rRNA maturation in gsp1 was rescued by overexpression of nuclear exosome components Dis3p, Rrp4p, and Mtr4p, but not by a cytoplasmic exosome component, Ski2p. Furthermore, gsp1 and dis3 accumulated the 5'-A0 fragment of 35S pre-rRNA, which is also degraded by the exosome, and the level of 27S rRNA was reduced. Neither 5.8S rRNA intermediates nor 5'-A0 fragments were observed in mutants defective in the nucleocytoplasmic transport, indicating that Gsp1p regulates rRNA processing through Dis3p, independent of nucleocytoplasmic transport.

[Secondary eosinophilia in a patient with hypereosinophilic syndrome after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from a sibling donor]

A 23-year-old man first visited a local hospital in 1998 because of exertional dyspnea. Peripheral blood examination revealed mild leukocytosis with 82% eosinophils, and he was treated with prednisolone. As the eosinophilia did not improve, he was referred to Tokai University Hospital in March 1999 for further diagnosis and treatment. The patient was diagnosed as having hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) because of unexplained hypereosinophilia persisting for more than 6 months, resulting in cardiac dysfunction. His disease was progressive in spite of immunosuppressive therapy, interferon-alpha and cytotoxic chemotherapy. Since he had an HLA-identical brother, allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was performed in October 1999. After completion of the immunosuppressive therapy on day 79 after BMT, the number of eosinophils gradually increased again. Although we suspected recurrence of the disease, DNA fingerprinting revealed that the peripheral granulocytes were 100% donor type. An increase of interleukin-5 (IL-5) produced by peripheral lymphocytes and a decrease of the Th1/2 ratio suggested that the eosinophilia was related to GVHD. The eosinophilia was eventually controlled by cyclosporin. We conclude that DNA fingerprinting and examination of the IL-5 level and Th1/2 ratio are useful for differentiating between relapse and GVHD in cases of eosinophilia occurring after BMT for HES.

Sex-specific developmental changes in amygdala responses to affective faces

It is hypothesized that adolescent development involves a redistribution of cerebral functions from lower subcortical structures to higher regions of the prefrontal cortex to provide greater self-control over emotional behavior. We further hypothesized that this redistribution is likely to be moderated by sex-specific hormonal changes. To examine developmental sex differences in affective processing, 19 children and adolescents underwent fMRI while viewing photographs of faces expressing fear. Males and females differed in the pattern of their amygdala vs prefrontal activation during adolescent maturation. With age, females showed a progressive increase in prefrontal relative to amygdala activation in the left hemisphere, whereas males failed to show a significant age related difference. There appear to be sex differences in the functional maturation of affect-related prefrontal-amygdala circuits during adolescence.

Yrb1p interaction with the gsp1p C terminus blocks Mog1p stimulation of GTP release from Gsp1p

Mog1p, a multicopy suppressor of gsp1, the temperature-sensitive mutant of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ran homologue, binds to GTP-Gsp1p but not to GDP-Gsp1p. The function of Mog1p in the Ran cycle is as yet unknown. This study found that Mog1p releases a nucleotide from GTP-Gsp1p but not from GDP-Gsp1p. Yrb1p, the S. cerevisiae homologue of RanBP1, which is a strong inhibitor of RCC1-stimulated nucleotide release, also inhibited the Mog1p-stimulated nucleotide release from GTP-Gsp1p. At a concentration corresponding to the molar concentration of GTP-Gsp1p, Yrb1p completely inhibited the Mog1p-stimulated nucleotide release. Consistently, the Yrb1p.GTP-Gsp1p complex was more stable than the Mog1p.GTP-Gsp1p complex. Yrb1p did not inhibit the Mog1p-stimulated nucleotide release from GTP-Gsp1DeltaC. The Gsp1DeltaC protein lacks the final eight amino acids of the C terminus, and for this reason, the interaction between GTP-Gsp1DeltaC and Yrb1p was strongly reduced. On the other hand, Mog1p binds to GTP-Gsp1DeltaC more efficiently than to GTP-Gsp1p.

[Delayed posttraumatic high flow priapism: a case report]

A 21-year-old male complained of persisting erection. A urethral balloon catheter had been for 3 weeks after indwelt urethral injury by a skateboard, and he was hospitalized because of penile erection persisting after removing the catheter. High flow priapism was suspected by intracavernous blood gas study and color Doppler ultrasound study. Selective internal pudendal arteriography revealed a leakage of contrast medium at the base of penis. He was treated with selective embolization of bilateral internal genital arteries using gelatin sponges and achieved detumescence. Normal potency was evident 3 months later by examining nocturnal penile tumescence.

The vibratory properties of an obturator prosthesis with a soft lining material

This study used modal analysis to evaluate the vibratory properties of cast obturator prostheses fitted with soft lining material. Three types of buccal flange bulbs were prepared: a resin (R) type; a 2 mm-thickness relined (RM) type; and a type fully relined with MOLTENO, (M) type. A vibration generator excited the obturator, while a Laser-Doppler Vibrometer detected the vibrations at specified measurement points. Both the excitation and response signals were sent to an FFT analyzer, which calculated the frequency response functions. Then, using DAMPCAL simulation software, the decay rates and the maximum amplitudes of rest and clasp parts were calculated. Statistical analysis was performed by means of one-way ANOVA with Fisher's PLSD test. The results indicated that for impacts simulated on both the defective and non-defective sides, the R type showed a significantly higher decay rate than did the other samples (p<0.0001). When impacts were directed at the non-defective side, the R and M types showed significantly smaller maximum amplitude values than did the RM type (p<0.0001). Only the M type, however, showed significantly smaller values when impacts were directed at the defective side (p<0.0001).

Evaluation of obturator prostheses using vibration analysis

Obturator prostheses have been extensively used in the functional rehabilitation of maxillectomy patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate in vitro the vibration movements of three types of obturator prostheses. Three types of bulbs were used: the solid type, the buccal flange type, and the hollow type. Modal analysis was performed to identify the better form. The three types of obturator prostheses were excited by a shaker, and the frequency response functions were recorded on an FFT analyzer to identify their modal shapes. In addition, transient response simulations were carried out, and decay rates of the resultant transient response waves were compared to evaluate the energy absorption after the obturator prosthesis had experienced an impact. The results showed that the modal shapes were closely similar, while the amplitudes at the rests and clasps of the hollow type bulb were the smallest. In the transient response simulation, the decay rates of the hollow type were significantly the highest (p < 0.01). In this study, modal analysis demonstrated that the hollow type obturator prosthesis showed the steepest vibration decay slope, indicating that it might be the best among the three types of bulbs for use in clinical treatments.

A protein required for nuclear-protein import, Mog1p, directly interacts with GTP-Gsp1p, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ran homologue

We previously isolated 25 temperature-sensitive gsp1 alleles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ran homologue, each of which possesses amino acid changes that differ from each other. We report here isolation of three multicopy suppressors-PDE2, NTF2, and a gene designated MOG1-all of which rescued a growth defect of these gsp1 strains. The gsp1 suppression occurred even in the absence of GSP2, another S. cerevisiae GSP1-like gene. Previously, NTF2 was reported to suppress gsp1 but not PDE2. Mog1p, with a calculated molecular mass of 24 kDa, was found to be encoded by the yeast ORF YJR074W. Both MOG1 and NTF2 suppressed a series of gsp1 alleles with similar efficiency, and both suppressed gsp1 even with a single gene dose. Consistent with the high efficiency of gsp1 suppression, Mog1p directly bound to GTP, but not to GDP-Gsp1p. The disruption of MOG1 made yeast temperature-sensitive for growth. Deltamog1, which was suppressed by overexpression of NTF2, was found to have a defect in both classic and nonclassic nuclear localization signal-dependent nuclear-protein imports, but not in mRNA export. Thus, Mog1p, which was localized in the nucleus, is a Gsp1p-binding protein involved in nuclear-protein import and that functionally interacts with Ntf2p. Furthermore, the finding that PDE2 suppressed both gsp1 and rna1-1 indicates that the Ran GTPase cycle is regulated by the Ras-cAMP pathway.

Promoter/repressor system of Lactobacillus plantarum phage og1e: characterization of the promoters pR49-pR-pL and overproduction of the cro-like protein cng in Escherichia coli

The Lactobacillus plantarum phage og1e (42<HSP SP = "0. 25">259<HSP SP = "0.25">bp) has two repressor-like genes cng and cpg oriented oppositely, accompanied by three potential promoters pR, pL and pR49, and seven operator-like sequences (GATAC-boxes) (Kodaira et al., 1997). In this study, the og1e putative promoters were introduced into the Escherichia coli promoter-detecting plasmid pKK232-8. In E. coli CK111, pR (pKPR1), pL (pKPL1) and pR49 (pKPR49) exhibited distinct CAT activities. When pKPR1 or pKPL1 was coexistent with a compatible plasmid pACYC184 carrying pR-cng (pA4PRCN1), the CAT activity was decreased significantly. On the other hand, cng directed a protein (Cng) of 10.1 kDa in E. coli under the control of T7 promoter. Gel mobility-shift assays demonstrated that Cng binds specifically to a DNA region containing the GATAC-boxes. In addition, primer extension analyses demonstrated that the two sequences pR and pL act as a promoter in L. plantarum as well as in E. coli. These results suggested that the potential promoters pR and pL probably function for the lytic and lysogenic pathways, respectively, and Cng may act as a repressor presumably through the GATAC-boxes as operators.

Nuclear protein import, but not mRNA export, is defective in all Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants that produce temperature-sensitive forms of the Ran GTPase homologue Gsp1p

A series of ts mutations in the GSP1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was isolated by error-prone PCR. A total of 25 ts gsp1 strains was obtained. Each of these mutants showed between one and seven different amino acid alterations. In several of these ts gsp1 strains, the same amino acid residues in Gsp1p were repeatedly mutated, indicating that our screen for ts gsp1 mutations was saturating. All of the ts gsp1 strains isolated had a defect in nuclear protein import, but only 16 of the 25 ts gsp1 strains had a defect in mRNA export. Thus, Gsp1p is suggested to be directly involved in nuclear protein import, but not in mRNA export. Following release from alpha-factor arrest, 11 of the ts gsp1 mutants arrested in G1; the remainder did not show any specific cell-cycle arrest, at 37 degrees C, the nonpermissive temperature. While the mutants that are defective in both mRNA export and protein import have a tendency to arrest in G1, there was no clear correlation between the cell cycle phenotype and the defects in mRNA export and nuclear protein import. Based on this, we assume that Ran/Gsp1p GTPase regulates the cell cycle and the nucleus/cytosol exchange of macromolecules through interactions with effectors that were independent of each other, and are differentially affected by mutation.

Functional and structural features of the holin HOL protein of the Lactobacillus plantarum phage phi gle: analysis in Escherichia coli system

Lactobacillus plantarum phage phi gle has two consecutive cell lysis genes hol-lys (Oki et al., 1996b). In the present study, functional and structural properties of the hol protein (Hol) were characterized in Escherichia coli. Electron microscopic examinations showed that hol under plac in E. coli XL1-Blue injured the inner membrane to yield empty ghost cells with the bulk of the cell wall undisturbed. Northern blot analysis indicated that hol-lys genes under plac were co-transcribed, although the amount of hol transcript was larger than that of lys, ceasing via an apparently rho-independent terminator just downstream of hol. However, deletion and/or fusion experiments suggested that: (1) the N-terminal half of phi gle Hol composed of three putative transmembrane domains may be responsible for interaction with membrane; (2) the N-terminal end (five amino acids) seems nonessential; and (3) the C-terminal half containing charged amino acids appears to be involved in proper hol function. These results suggest that phi gle Hol is a member of the lambdoid holin family, but divergent in several properties from lambda holin.

MRI findings of VIIth cranial nerve involvement in sarcoidosis

Right facial nerve palsy in a 58-year-old woman was due to sarcoidosis demonstrated by Gd-DTPA enhanced MRI. Abnormal enhancement of the right VIIth cranial nerve in the distal internal acoustic canal was seen on MRI. The enhancing lesion was smaller after 1 month of prednisolone 50 mg day-1. This is the first report on facial nerve involvement in neurosarcoidosis examined by Gd-DTPA enhanced MRI. The use of Gd-DTPA enhanced MRI with thin slicing, e.g. 3 mm slice thickness and 1 mm interslice gap, is effective in detecting small extramedullary lesions.

Genome structure of the Lactobacillus temperate phage phi g1e: the whole genome sequence and the putative promoter/repressor system

The complete genome sequence of a Lactobacillus temperate phage phi g1e was established. The double-stranded DNA is composed of 42,259 bp, and encodes for sixty-two possible open reading frames (ORF) as well as several potential regulatory sequences. Based on comparative analysis with other related proteins of the Lactobacillus and Lactococcus phages as well as the Escherichia coli phages (such as lambda), functions were putatively assigned to several phi g1e ORFs: cng and cpg (encoding for repressors), hel (helicase), ntp (NTPase), and several ORFs (e.g., minor capsid proteins). An about 1000-bp DNA region of phi g1e containing cpg and cng was inferred to function as a promoter/repressor system for the phi g1e lysogenic and lytic pathway.

Characterization of the genes encoding integrative and excisive functions of Lactobacillus phage øg1e: cloning, sequence analysis, and expression in Escherichia coli

øg1e is a temperate phage of the Lactobacillus strain G1e. The phage-host junctions attR and attL cloned from the lysogen have a 24-bp common (core) sequence implicated in recombination. DNA sequencing analysis of a 5.2-kbp SacI fragment of the øg1e phage genome (42.5 kbp) revealed two possible open reading frames (ORF), xis and int, and the phage attachment (recombination) site (attP), whose 24-bp sequence is identical to the core sequence detected in attR and attL. The deduced int product (Int) is a basic protein of 391 amino acids with an estimated pI of 9.70, and significantly resembles other presumed integrases encoded by the Lactobacillus and Lactococcus phages including øadh and øLC3, as well as the Escherichia coli phages such as lambda. The predicted øg1e xis protein (Xis) is small and very acidic (66 amino acids; pI 4.55), and shows a resemblance (32% overall identity) with a putative excisionase encoded by the Staphylococcus phage ø11. The øg1e Int with a deduced molecular mass of 45.5 kDa was overproduced in E. coli cells, and electrophoretically analyzed.

Direct extraction of A and B blood group antigens from human red cells by liposomes

BACKGROUND

Some of the major blood group antigens are on lipids and proteins of the red cell membrane. Incubation of intact red cells with liposomes containing specially designed artificial lipids has been shown to result in the extraction of membrane proteins by the liposomes. The extraction of blood group structures and the retention of their antigenicity have not been reported.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

After the incubation of red cells with liposomes, the extraction of the antigens from human red cells by liposomes was examined by evaluation of the agglutination of the liposomes by respective antisera.

RESULTS

Agglutination specific to the A and B blood group antigens was seen, which indicated that the antigenicity of the blood group antigens was retained even after the extraction by the liposomes. The presence of an artificial boundary lipid, 1,2-dimyristamido-1,2-deoxyphosphatidylcholine, in the liposome was crucial to the efficient extraction of the A and B antigens. On the other hand, the extraction of D, M, N, and P1 was not always detectable by agglutination.

CONCLUSION

The A and B blood group antigens were directly extracted from red cells by liposomes without loss of antigenicity.

Cloning, sequence analysis, and expression of the genes encoding lytic functions of Bacteriophage phi g1e

The lysis genes of a Lactobacillus phage phi g1e were cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. Nucleotide sequencing of a 3813-bp phi g1e DNA revealed five successive open reading frames (ORF), Rorf50, Rorf118, hol, and lys and Rorf175, in the same DNA strand. By comparative analysis of the DNA sequence, the putative hol product (holin) has an estimated molecular weight is 14.2 kDa, and contains two potential transmembrane helices and highly charged N- and C-termini, resembling predicted holins (which are thought to be a cytoplasmic membrane-disrupting protein) encoded by other phages such as mv1 from Lactobacillus bulgaricus, phi adh from Lactobacillus gasseri, as well as monocins from Listeria. On the other hand, the putative phi g1e lys product (lysin) of 48.4 kDa shows significant similarity with presumed muramidase, known as a cell wall peptidoglycandegrading enzyme, encoded by the Lactobacillus phage mv1 and phi adh, the Lactococcus lactis phage phi LC3, and the Streptococcus pneumoniae phages Cp-1, Cp-7 and Cp-9. When expressed in E. coli, the phi g1e lysin and/or holin decreased the cell turbidity significantly, suggesting that the phi g1e hol-lys system is involved in cytolytic process.

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the major capsid proteins of Lactobacillus bacteriophage phi gle

Bacteriophage phi gle was induced from a lysogenic Lactobacillus strain Gle. phi gle genome is double-stranded DNA of approximately 42.5 kilo-base (kb) pairs. SDS poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis demonstrated that the phage particles contain 4 major structural (capsid) proteins, gpB, gpG, gpO, and gpP, whose molecular weights (MW) are estimated to be 64, 43, 29 and 26 kilodaltons (kDa), respectively. More than 16 minor proteins ranging from 113 to 9.6 kDa were also detected. The genes for the major capsid proteins were cloned and each DNA sequence was determined. N-terminal amino acid alignments determined by protein sequencing completely coincided with those deduced from the nucleotide sequences.

The virion proteins encoded by bacteriophage phi K and its host-range mutant phi KhT: host-range determination and DNA binding properties

The microvirid phage phi K, specific for Escherichia coli K12, contains a circular single-stranded (SS) DNA in the icosahedral virion, which comprises four phage gene products, F (capsid), G (major spike), H (minor spike), and J (core). phi KhT, a host-range mutant of phi K, can grow on E. coli C and B, besides K12, and is more thermosensitive than the parental phage phi K. Sequencing analysis revealed that the genome of phi K and phi KhT consists of 6,089 nucleotides (nt), and codes for eleven genes, whose sequences are similar to those of alpha 3, phi X174, and G4 infective to strain C. In phi KhT, two nt had changed: one is in the gene G, resulting in replacement of the 75th codon Ala with Ser, and the other is at 67th codon of the gene H: Val to Ala. Chemically synthesized gene J protein composed of 23 amino acids (aa) binds to phi K SS DNA more tightly than and preferentially over the host E. coli SS-DNA-binding protein (SSB). These results indicate that the two spike proteins G and H are involved in the determination of phi K host-range, and support a model in which the gene J protein functions in packaging the viral SS DNA into the virion vesicle.

Determination of the single strand origin of Shigella sonnei plasmid pKYM

The Shigella sonnei plasmid pKYM replicates by a rolling-circle mechanism in Escherichia coli. A 571 nucleotides HincII restriction fragment of the pKYM DNA harbors two potential hairpin loops (I and II). We cloned the fragment into a -ori defective M13 vector phage, M13 delta lac183. The chimera phage, MDKY5, showed a larger plaque size, and increased phage yield and rate of progeny replicative form DNA (RF) synthesis. Rifampicin reduced rate of conversion of the single- to double-stranded RF DNA. In addition, we introduced nucleotide deletions within the cloned pKYM DNA, by Bal31 nuclease digestion. Each of the deletion mutants thus constructed was lacking in a sequence containing the hairpin loops and formed smaller plaques. The in vivo analyses revealed that a 136 nucleotides sequence containing the two hairpins I and II is the pKYM minus origin for complementary strand synthesis (single strand origin, referred to as SSO) and harbors a recognition site(s) by host E. coli RNA polymerase, for primer RNA synthesis. Moreover, we found a 24 nt sequence, upstream of the SSO domain having 83% homology to the recombination site A (RSA) which functions in plasmid sitespecific recombination and/or transfer.

Distribution of extrinsic enkephalin-containing nerve fibers in the rat rectum and their origin in the major pelvic ganglion

The distribution of nerve fibers containing enkephalin (ENK)-like immunoreactivity was examined in the rectum of aganglionosis rats (AGRs) which completely lack the intramural ganglion cells in the large intestine, and was compared with that of their normal littermates. Furthermore, Met5-enkephalin-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8 (MEAGL)-like immunoreactive neurons projecting to the rectum were examined using retrograde tracing combined with immunohistochemistry in the major pelvic ganglion of normal male rats. In the intermuscular space of the aganglionic rectum of AGRs, unlike the pattern of the normal intermuscular plexus, moderate numbers of ENK-like-immunoreactive fibers were arranged in an irregular, coarse network; greatly diminished numbers of immunoreactive fibers were found in the submucosa. No ENK-like-immunoreactive fibers were seen in the circular muscle layer and mucosa. In the normal rat rectum, ENK-like-immunoreactive fibers were seen throughout all layers, and immunoreactive nerve cells were found predominantly in the myenteric plexus of colchicine-treated animals. Fluoro-Gold injected into the upper rectum labelled numerous principal ganglion neurons in the major pelvic and inferior mesenteric ganglia. Less than 10% of tracer-labelled neurons were positive for fluorescein immunolabelling of MEAGL in the major pelvic ganglion; no immunoreactive neurons were found in the inferior mesenteric ganglion. In the major pelvic ganglion of the colchicine-treated normal rats, about 5% of principal ganglion neurons were immunoreactive for MEAGL. Comparison of serial paraffin sections of the major pelvic ganglion stained for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), MEAGL and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), respectively, revealed that more than half of MEAGL-like immunoreactive neurons were also positive for TH; there was no case showing co-existence of MEAGL with VIP in the principal neurons. These results indicate that a small number of enkephalin-containing neurons in the major pelvic ganglion project to the rectum, and that more than half of these neurons are postganglionic sympathetic. They may terminate mainly in the myenteric ganglia in the rectum.

[Clinical treatment of urinary tract stones with Alexandrite laser]

Clinical treatment of urolithiasis with Alexandrite-laser which is a solid pulse laser system developed in Switzerland is reported. Two cases of renal stones, 3 cases of vesical stones, and 35 renal units in 34 cases of ureteral stones were treated. The approach to the aimed stone was, percutaneous to the renal stones, and transurethral to the vesical and ureteral stones. The clinical success rate was 92.5% (37/40), when we defined success as the endoscopically observed fragmentation. The uric acid stone in the bladder was not disintegrated even when the plasma occurred, but the ureteral uric acid stone was easily fragmented. The difference was thought to be attributed to the condition of the surface. The Alexandrite-laser system generates a 750 nm wavelength, and this wavelength is neither absorbed in water nor hemoglobin, so is thought to be harmless to the tissue. Actually, if misirradiation to the ureteral mucosa during lithotripsy was done, neither plasma formation nor perforation occurred. In conclusion, the Alexandrite-laser is thought to be safe and effective equipment for the treatment of urolithiasis.