Extract from a mutant Rhodobacter sphaeroides as an enriched carotenoid source.

BACKGROUND: The extract Lycogen™ from the phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides (WL-APD911) has attracted significant attention because of its promising potential as a bioactive mixture, attributed in part to its anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidative activity. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the components of Lycogen™ and its anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidative activity. DESIGN AND RESULTS: The mutant strain R. sphaeroides (WL-APD911) whose carotenoid 1,2-hydratase gene has been altered by chemical mutagenesis was used for the production of a new carotenoid. The strain was grown at 30°C on Luria-Bertani (LB) agar plates. After a 4-day culture period, the mutant strain displayed a 3.5-fold increase in carotenoid content, relative to the wild type. In the DPPH test, Lycogen™ showed more potent anti-oxidative activity than lycopene from the wild-type strain. Primary skin irritation test with hamsters showed no irritation response in hamster skins after 30 days of treatment with 0.2% Lycogen™. Chemical investigations of Lycogen™ using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) (1)H, (13)C, and COSY/DQCOSY spectra have identified spheroidenone and methoxyneurosporene. Quantitative analysis of these identified compounds based on spectral intensities indicates that spheroidenone and methoxyneurosporene are major components (approximately 1:1); very small quantities of other derivatives are also present in the sample. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we identified the major carotenoid compounds contained in Lycogen™, including spheroidenone and methoxyneurosporene by high-resolution NMR spectroscopy analysis. The carotenoid content of this mutant strain of R. sphaeroides was 3.5-fold higher than that in normal strain. Furthermore, Lycogen™ from the mutant strain is more potent than lycopene from the wild-type strain and does not cause irritation in hamster skins. These findings suggest that this mutant strain has the potential to be used as an enriched carotenoid source.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and fluorouracil-based treatment in Taiwan colorectal cancer.

This study aimed to investigate the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms and the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy in Taiwan. We investigated 126 CRC cases. The most common polymorphisms C677T (rs1801133) and A1298C (rs1801131) in MTHFR were genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The frequencies of C677T and A1298C were further compared with those in the HapMap database for Whites and Asians. In this study, we found that TT-homozygosity at MTHFR C677T was significantly associated with survival in CRC patients [P<0.001; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.068-0.212]. In CRC patients receiving 5-FU-based chemotherapy, the TT genotype at C677T was also significantly associated with survival (P=0.001; 95% CI=0.113-0.400) and recurrence after surgery (P<0.001; 95% CI=0.295-0.609). The A1298C genotypes had a significant impact on survival (χ=7.103; P=0.029). The MTHFR A1298C CC genotype may increase the risk of death in Taiwanese CRC patients. The MTHFR C677T TT genotype was present at a lower frequency in our CRC patients than in the HapMap Asian population, but the frequency was similar to that in Whites in the HapMap database. The distribution of MTHFR A1298C genotypes was similar in our CRC and in the HapMap Asian population, but was different from that in the White population. This study suggested that MTHFR C677T and A1298C are associated with prognosis in CRC patients undergoing 5-FU-based chemotherapy.

Non-Maternal Infant Handling in Wild Formosan Macaques of Mount Longevity, Taiwan.

In this paper, we present quantitative data on how the social network and sex of infants influence allomothering behaviour among wild Formosan macaques, Macaca cyclopis. Using long-term field data collected from the Mount Longevity study site in Kaohsiung (Taiwan), we have tested relevant hypotheses incorporating data on age, rank and reproductive state of infant handlers, and the relationship between handlers and infants. The results support 2 major hypotheses, i.e. those of reciprocity and alliance formation. Nevertheless, neither could account for the observed occurrences of unrelated infant handling by dominant females.

Sequence variants of ADIPOQ and association with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Taiwan Chinese Han population.

Diabetes is a serious global health problem. Large-scale genome-wide association studies identified loci for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), including adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene and transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2), but few studies clarified the effect of genetic polymorphisms of ADIPOQ and TCF7L2 on risk of T2DM. We attempted to elucidate association between T2DM and polymorphic variations of both in Taiwan's Chinese Han population, with our retrospective case-control study genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ADIPOQ and TCF7L2 genes both in 149 T2DM patients and in 139 healthy controls from Taiwan. Statistical analysis gauged association of these polymorphisms with risk of T2DM to show ADIPOQ rs1501299 polymorphism variations strongly correlated with T2DM risk (P = 0.042), with rs2241766 polymorphism being not associated with T2DM (P = 0.967). However, both polymorphisms rs7903146 and rs12255372 of TCF7L2 were rarely detected in Taiwanese people. This study avers that ADIPOQ rs1501299 polymorphism contributes to risk of T2DM in the Taiwanese population.