Effect of relationships among clinical mastitis incidence, reproductive performance, and culling rate on the lifetime of dairy cows at Hiroshima University Farm.

Farm managers' decision to cull dairy cows is based on the cows' milk production, history of disorder(s), and reproductive performance, each of which affects dairy cows' lifetime (herd life and productive lifespan). We investigated the relationships among the incidence of clinical mastitis (CM), the reproductive performance, and the culling rate. We also assessed the effects of these relationships on the lifetimes of dairy cows, using the records made before and after the introduction of an automatic milking system (AMS) at Hiroshima University Farm. Milk yield, CM incidence density, and culling rate of dairy cows increased after the AMS introduction. The CM incidence was associated with an elongation of the calving interval in cows with the same parity. CM in the 1st parity might have caused the reductions of the cows' lifetime and their parity at culling. A higher age at first calving (AFC) was associated with an increase in culling rate but did not lead to a significant decrease in lifetime. Investigations of the factors mediating CM in the 1st parity or AFC with CM incidence or culling rate in the later stages might contribute to the control of lifetime of dairy cows.

Significance of a family-6 carbohydrate-binding module in a modular feruloyl esterase for removing ferulic acid from insoluble wheat arabinoxylan.

Ruminiclostridium josui Fae1A is a modular enzyme consisting of an N-terminal signal peptide, family-1 carbohydrate esterase module (CE1), family-6 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM6), and dockerin module in that order. Recombinant CE1 and CBM6 polypeptides were collectively and separately produced as RjFae1A, RjCE1, and RjCBM6. RjFae1A showed higher feruloyl esterase activity than RjCE1 towards insoluble wheat arabinoxylan, but the latter was more active towards small synthetic substrates than the former. This suggests that CBM6 in RjFae1A plays an important role in releasing ferulic acid from the native substrate. RjCBM6 showed a higher affinity for soluble wheat arabinoxylan than for rye arabinoxylan and beechwood xylan in native affinity polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Isothermal titration calorimetry analysis demonstrated that RjCBM6 recognized a xylopyranosyl residue at the nonreducing ends of xylooligosaccharides. Moreover, it showed exceptional affinity for 23-α-l-arabinofuranosyl-xylotriose (A2XX) among the tested branched arabinoxylooligosaccharides. Fluorometric titration analysis demonstrated that xylobiose and A2XX competitively bound to RjCBM6, and both bound to the same site in RjCBM6. RjCBM6's preference for the xylopyranosyl residue at the nonreducing end of xylan chains explains why the positive effect of CBM6 on RjFae1A activity was observed only during short incubation but not after extended incubation.

Randomised phase III study of S-1 alone versus S-1 plus lentinan for unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer (JFMC36-0701).

BACKGROUND: Lentinan (LNT) is a purified ß-1, 3-glucan that augments immune responses. The present study was conducted to assess the efficacy of LNT in combination with S-1 as a first-line treatment for unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive S-1 alone or S-1 plus LNT. The primary end-point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end-points were time-to-treatment failure (TTF), overall response rate (ORR), safety, quality of life (QOL), and biomarker. The percentages of LNT-binding monocytes in peripheral blood prior to treatment were analysed for the biomarker assessment. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-four and 155 patients were randomly assigned to receive S-1 alone or S-1 plus LNT, respectively. The median OS was 13.8 and 9.9 months (P = 0.208), the median TTF was 4.3 and 2.6 months (P < 0.001), the ORR was 22.3% and 18.7% for the S-1 and S-1 plus LNT groups, respectively. The incidences of haematologic and non-haematologic adverse events were similar, and no significant changes in QOL scores were observed during the treatment in both groups. In a subpopulation of patients with LNT-binding monocytes ≥2%, patients who received more than two cycles of chemotherapy showed a longer survival time in the S-1 plus LNT group. CONCLUSIONS: OS did not improve and TTF was significantly worse in the S-1 plus LNT group as compared with the S-1-only group. This study showed no efficacy of LNT when combined with S-1 treatment in patients with unresectable or recurrent gastric cancer. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ID NUMBER: UMIN 000000574.

Residual structures in the unfolded state of starch-binding domain of glucoamylase revealed by near-UV circular dichroism and protein engineering techniques.

Protein folding is a thermodynamic process driven by energy gaps between the native and unfolded states. Although a wealth of information is available on the structure of folded species, there is a paucity of data on unfolded species. Here, we analyzed the structural properties of the unfolded state of the starch-binding domain of glucoamylase from Aspergillus niger (SBD) formed in the presence of guanidinium hydrochloride (GuHCl). Although far-UV CD and intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence spectra as well as small angle X-ray scattering suggested that SBD assumes highly unfolded structures in the presence of GuHCl, near-UV circular dichroism of wild-type SBD suggested the presence of residual structures in the unfolded state. Analyses of the unfolded states of tryptophan mutants (W543L, W563A, W590A and W615L) using Similarity Parameter, a modified version of root mean square deviation as a measure of similarity between two spectra, suggested that W543 and W563 have preferences to form native-like residual structures in the GuHCl-unfolded state. In contrast, W615 was entirely unstructured, while W590 tended to form non-native ordered structures in the unfolded state. These data and the amino acid sequence of SBD suggest that local structural propensities in the unfolded state can be determined by the probability of the presence of hydrophobic or charged residues nearby tryptophan residues.

Calorimetric studies of the growth of anaerobic microbes.

This article aims to validate the use of calorimetry to measure the growth of anaerobic microbes. It has been difficult to monitor the growth of strict anaerobes while maintaining optimal growth conditions. Traditionally, optical density and ATP concentration are usually used as measures of the growth of anaerobic microbes. However, to take these measurements it is necessary to extract an aliquot of the culture, which can be difficult while maintaining anaerobic conditions. In this study, calorimetry was used to continuously and nondestructively measure the heat generated by the growth of anaerobic microbes as a function of time. Clostridium acetobutylicum, Clostridium beijerinckii, and Clostridium cellulovorans were used as representative anaerobic microbes. Using a multiplex isothermal calorimeter, we observed that peak time (tp) of C. acetobutylicum heat evolution increased as the inoculation rate decreased. This strong correlation between the inoculation rate and tp showed that it was possible to measure the growth rate of anaerobic microbes by calorimetry. Overall, our results showed that there is a very good correlation between heat evolution and optical density/ATP concentration, validating the use of the method.

NMR and CD analysis of an intermediate state in the thermal unfolding process of mouse lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase.

We previously reported that the thermal unfolding of mouse lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase (L-PGDS) is a completely reversible process under acidic conditions and follows a three-state pathway, including an intermediate state (I) between native state (N) and unfolded state. In the present study, we investigated the intermediate state of mouse C65A L-PGDS and clarified the local conformational changes in the upper and bottom regions by using NMR and CD spectroscopy. The (1)H-(15)N HSQC measurements revealed that the backbone conformation was disrupted in the upper region of the ß-barrel at 45°C, which is around the T(m) value for the N ↔ I transition, but that the signals of the residues located at the bottom region of L-PGDS remained at 54°C, where the maximum accumulation of the intermediate state was found. (1)H-NMR and CD measurements showed that the T(m) values obtained by monitoring Trp54 at the upper region and Trp43 at the bottom region of the ß-barrel were 41.4 and 47.5°C, respectively, suggesting that the conformational change in the upper region occurred at a lower temperature than that in the bottom region. These findings demonstrate that the backbone conformation of the bottom region is still maintained in the intermediate state.

[A case of cerebellum metastasis from colon cancer].

We report a case of cerebellum metastasis from transverse colon cancer, which had no evidence of recurrence in the thoracoabdominal region by chemotherapy and resection of liver and lung metastases after initial operation. The case is a 71-year-old male. We performed a radical resection of transverse colon cancer (D2) in 2001. The finding was moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma, se, n1, ly1, v2, H0, P0, M0, stage IIIa. Relapsing tumor, which metastasized to the liver in 3 years, the right lung in 4 years and 8 months and the left lung in 5 years and 11 months after initial operation, were totally resected. Following the partial resection of the left lung, he received a treatment with 12 times of mFOLFOX6 and S-1+PSK. There was a good control observed in the thoracoabdominal region with no metastases for 14 months. However, drift and dizziness developed in April 2008, and cerebellum metastasis was diagnosed by MRI. He underwent a partial resection of cerebellum tumor, radiation therapy and FOLFIRI. He has been alive for 1 year after the treatment of the cerebellum metastasis, and there has been no evidence of recurrence in the thoracoabdominal region in 8 years after initial operation.

Kinetically trapped metastable intermediate of a disulfide-deficient mutant of the starch-binding domain of glucoamylase.

Refolding of a thermally unfolded disulfide-deficient mutant of the starch-binding domain of glucoamylase was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, isothermal titration calorimetry, CD, and (1)H NMR. When the protein solution was rapidly cooled from a higher temperature, a kinetic intermediate was formed during refolding. The intermediate was unexpectedly stable compared with typical folding intermediates that have short half-lives. It was shown that this intermediate contained substantial secondary structure and tertiary packing and had the same binding ability with beta-cyclodextrin as the native state, suggesting that the intermediate is highly-ordered and native-like on the whole. These characteristics differ from those of partially folded intermediates such as molten globule states. Far-UV CD spectra showed that the secondary structure was once disrupted during the transition from the intermediate to the native state. These results suggest that the intermediate could be an off-pathway type, possibly a misfolded state, that has to undergo unfolding on its way to the native state.

Characterization of family 17 and family 28 carbohydrate-binding modules from Clostridium josui Cel5A.

The endoglucanase Cel5A from an anaerobic celluloltyic bacterium, Clostridium josui, contains family 17 CBM (CjCBM17) and family 28 CBM (CjCBM28) in tandem. Individual CjCBM17 and CjCBM28 and tandem CjCBM17/28 were constructed to determine the binding characteristics of CjCBM17/28 and to compare the binding affinity of the three CBMs. CjCBM17/28 bound to non-crystalline cellulose, soluble cellulose derivatives, and oat-spelt xylan, but not to birchwood xylan or starch. The thermodynamic parameters for the binding of the CBMs with cellooligosaccharides were determined by isothermal titration calorimetry. The binding of CjCBM28 to cellotetraose and cellopentaose was enthalpically driven (large negative DeltaH value), while that of CjCBM17 was entropically driven (positive DeltaS value). These two CBMs had different mechanisms for binding to cellooligosaccharides. They showed similar binding constants (K(a)) for cellopentaose, but in the case of insoluble polysaccharides, the K(a) of CjCBM17/28 was approximately 3-7 times higher than that of individual CBMs.

Structural and thermodynamic analyses of solute-binding Protein from Bifidobacterium longum specific for core 1 disaccharide and lacto-N-biose I.

Recently, a gene cluster involving a phosphorylase specific for lacto-N-biose I (LNB; Galbeta1-3GlcNAc) and galacto-N-biose (GNB; Galbeta1-3GalNAc) has been found in Bifidobacterium longum. We showed that the solute-binding protein of a putative ATP-binding cassette-type transporter encoded in the cluster crystallizes only in the presence of LNB or GNB, and therefore we named it GNB/LNB-binding protein (GL-BP). Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements revealed that GL-BP specifically binds LNB and GNB with K(d) values of 0.087 and 0.010 microm, respectively, and the binding process is enthalpy-driven. The crystal structures of GL-BP complexed with LNB, GNB, and lacto-N-tetraose (Galbeta1-3GlcNAcbeta1-3Galbeta1-4Glc) were determined. The interactions between GL-BP and the disaccharide ligands mainly occurred through water-mediated hydrogen bonds. In comparison with the LNB complex, one additional hydrogen bond was found in the GNB complex. These structural characteristics of ligand binding are in agreement with the thermodynamic properties. The overall structure of GL-BP was similar to that of maltose-binding protein; however, the mode of ligand binding and the thermodynamic properties of these proteins were significantly different.

Thermal unfolding mechanism of lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase.

Lipocalin-type prostaglandin (PG) D synthase (L-PGDS) is a dual-functioning protein in the lipocalin family, acting as a PGD(2)-synthesizing enzyme and as an extracellular transporter for small lipophilic molecules. We earlier reported that denaturant-induced unfolding of L-PGDS follows a four-state pathway, including an activity-enhanced state and an inactive intermediate state. In this study, we investigated the thermal unfolding mechanism of L-PGDS by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and CD spectroscopy. DSC measurements revealed that the thermal unfolding of L-PGDS was a completely reversible process at pH 4.0. The DSC curves showed no concentration dependency, demonstrating that the thermal unfolding of L-PGDS involved neither intermolecular interaction nor aggregation. On the basis of a simple two-state unfolding mechanism, the ratio of van't Hoff enthalpy (DeltaH(vH)) to calorimetric enthalpy (DeltaH(cal)) was below 1, indicating the presence of an intermediate state (I) between the native state (N) and unfolded state (U). Then, statistical thermodynamic analyses of a three-state unfolding process were performed. The heat capacity curves fit well with a three-state process; and the estimated transition temperature (T(m)) and enthalpy change (DeltaH(cal)) of the N<-->I and I<-->U transitions were 48.2 degrees C and 190 kJ.mol(-1), and 60.3 degrees C and 144 kJ.mol(-1), respectively. Correspondingly, the thermal unfolding monitored by CD spectroscopy at 200, 235 and 290 nm revealed that L-PGDS unfolded through the intermediate state, where its main chain retained the characteristic beta-sheet structure without side-chain interactions.

Isolation and characterization of arbuscules from roots of an increased-arbuscule-forming mutant of Lotus japonicus.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previous methods for isolation of arbuscules from mycorrhizal roots are time-consuming, complex and expensive. Therefore, a simple, rapid and inexpensive method for the isolation of metabolically active arbuscules from plant root of an increased-arbuscule-forming mutant of Lotus japonicus (Ljsym78-2) is described. METHODS: Roots of the L. japonicus mutant plants Ljsym78-2 colonized by Glomus sp. were separated from soil, washed with water, immersed in CaSO(4) before being cut into 5-mm pieces and homogenized with a Waring blender at 6000 rpm for 30 s. The arbuscules were purified by separation from plant tissues with a 50-mum nylon mesh, finally collecting on a 30-mum nylon mesh. Enzyme histochemical staining showed that the collected arbuscules had succinate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase activities. KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The enzymic activity of the arbuscules was not affected after the isolation process. The establishment of this simple, rapid and inexpensive method for the isolation of metabolically active arbuscules will be useful to clarify the biochemical processes occurring in nutrient exchange at the arbuscular interface.

Thermodynamic effects of disulfide bond on thermal unfolding of the starch-binding domain of Aspergillus niger glucoamylase.

The thermodynamic effects of the disulfide bond of the fragment protein of the starch-binding domain of Aspergillus niger glucoamylase was investigated by measuring the thermal unfolding of the wild-type protein and its two mutant forms, Cys3Gly/Cys98Gly and Cys3Ser/Cys98Ser. The circular dichroism spectra and the thermodynamic parameters of binding with beta-cyclodextrin at 25 degrees C suggested that the native structures of the three proteins are essentially the same. Differential scanning calorimetry of the thermal unfolding of the proteins showed that the unfolding temperature t1/2 of the two mutant proteins decreased by about 10 degrees C as compared to the wild-type protein at pH 7.0. At t1/2 of the wild-type protein (52.7 degrees C), the mutant proteins destabilized by about 10 kJ mol(-1) in terms of the Gibbs energy change. It was found that the mutant proteins were quite stabilized in terms of enthalpy, but that a higher entropy change overwhelmed the enthalpic effect, resulting in destabilization.

Thermal unfolding and modular architecture of Clostridium stercorarium Xyn10B.

To examine the possibility of module interaction in the thermal unfolding of different modular architectures, four truncated proteins were constructed from Clostridium stercorarium Xyn10B: a family 10 catalytic module (CM10), a polypeptide compound of one family 22 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM22-2) and the catalytic module (CBM22-CM10), two family 22 CBMs and the catalytic module (2CBM22-CM10), and only two family 22 CBMs (2CBM22). Thermal unfolding of four proteins were observed by differential scanning calorimetry. CM10 was unfolded reversibly and denatured as one component. The unfolding of protein CBM22-CM10 comprising CBM22-2 connected with CM10 was irreversible, and can be assumed to be one-component denaturation. Protein 2CBM22, with two CBM22s in tandem, unfolded as two independent modules. However, 2CBM22-CM10, with two CBM22s, unfolded as two and not the expected three separate components. These findings constitute the first reported case in which differences in thermal unfolding units and mechanisms were derived from differences in the modular architectures of proteins.

Effect of family 22 carbohydrate-binding module on the thermostability of Xyn10B catalytic module from Clostridium stercorarium.

A family 22 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM22) from Clostridium stercorarium Xylanase10B raised the optimum temperature of the xylanase, but in the remaining activity of heating test, apparently the catalytic module alone showed higher remaining activity. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that CBM22 conferred resistance to thermal unfolding of the enzyme and prevented the enzyme from refolding after thermal unfolding.

Comparison of starch hydrolysis activity and thermal stability of two Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylases and insights into engineering alpha-amylase variants active under acidic conditions.

Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylase (BLA) is widely used in various procedures of starch degradation in the food industry, and a BLA species with improved activity at higher temperature and under acidic conditions is desirable. Two BLA species, designated as PA and MA, have been isolated from the wild-type B. licheniformis strain and a mutant strain, respectively. In this study, their starch-hydrolysis activity and thermal stability were examined. MA showed higher activity than PA, especially at acidic pH (pH 5.0-5.5), and even after 1 h of treatment at 90 degrees C. MA was active in the range of pH 4.0-8.0, which is much wider than that (pH 4.5-7.5) of PA. It was shown that the proton dissociation constants on the acidic and alkaline sides (pKa1 and pKa2) were shifted to more acidic and basic values, respectively, by the mutation of PA to MA. The activation energy and thermodynamic parameters for their thermal inactivation indicate that MA is more thermally stable and catalytically active than PA, suggesting that MA could be useful for glucose-production process coupled with reactions catalyzed by beta-amylase.

Determination of glabridin in human plasma by solid-phase extraction and LC-MS/MS.

Glabridin is a major flavonoid included specifically in licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.), and has various physiological activities including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. We have developed and validated an analytical method for determination of glabridin in human plasma by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and LC-MS/MS. Glabridin was extracted from plasma by SPE using a C8 cartridge and analyzed by LC-MS/MS using mefenamic acid as an internal standard (IS). The analyte were separated by a C18 column on LC, and monitored with a fragment ion of m/z 201 formed from a molecular ion of m/z 323 for glabridin and that of m/z 196 from m/z 240 for IS during negative ion mode with tandem MS detection. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of glabridin was 0.1 ng/mL in plasma, corresponding to 1.25 pg injected on-column. The calibration curves exhibited excellent linearity (r>0.997) between 0.1 and 50 ng/mL. Precision and accuracy were <17 and <+/-7% at LLOQ, and <11 and <+/-5% at other concentrations. Glabridin was recovered >90%, and was stable when kept at 10 degrees C for 72 h, at -20 degrees C until 12 weeks, and after three freeze-thaw cycles. This is the first report on determination of glabridin in body fluids by the selective, sensitive, and reproducible method.

Fluorometric study of the acid-induced denaturation of Staphylococcal nuclease and its mutant forms.

The acid-induced denaturation of wild-type Staphylococcal nuclease (WT) and its eight mutant forms, L25A, V66L, G79S, A90S, G88V, H124L, V66L/G88V, and V66L/G79S/G88V, was investigated using Trp140 fluorescence as a probe at 30 degrees C. The values of pH(1/2), at which the denaturation is half completed, and n, the apparent number of protons which trigger the denaturation and are taken up by the proteins upon denaturation at pH(1/2), were evaluated from the pH dependence of the fluorescence intensity. The values of pH(1/2) and n for WT were 3.8 and 1.8 respectively. The amino acid replacements changed the pH(1/2) values to a range between 3.0 (H124L) and 4.4 (G79S) and also changed the n values to a range between 1.0 (A90S) and 3.0 (G88V). There was a negative correlation between the values of pH(1/2) and n. It was suggested that the amino acid replacements may change the energy levels of the native state and/or the denatured state mainly in the neutral (stable) pH region, not in the acidic (unstable) region, resulting in the correlative changes in pH(1/2) and n.

Contributions of polysaccharide and lipid regions of lipopolysaccharide to the recognition by spike G protein of bacteriophage phi X174.

A histidine-tagged G protein of bacteriophage phi X174 (HisG) bound strongly with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli C, one of a phi X174-sensitive Ra strain. The dissociation constant, Kd, was measured to be 0.16 +/- 0.04 microM by fluorometric titration. HisG showed slightly less affinity to LPSs of the insensitive Rc and Rd 2 strains having shorter R-core polysaccharide sequences than that of the sensitive Ra strains. The difference between the two types of LPS was demonstrated by CD spectra; LPSs of the sensitive strains increased the signal intensity for beta-sheet, while the insensitive strains decreased it. The chemically degraded LPS derivatives lacking a hydrophobic lipid region showed much less affinity to HisG, indicating the importance of the lipid region of LPS for strong binding with HisG. On the other hand, since the degraded derivatives increased the intensity of CD spectra, the polysaccharide region is thought to contribute to the conformation change of the protein.

Isothermal titration calorimetric studies on the binding of a family 6 carbohydrate-binding module of Clostridium thermocellum xynA with xlylooligosaccharides.

The family 6 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) of Clostridium thermocellum XynA was expressed, and the binding equilibria of the CBM with xylooligosaccharides (degree of polymerization DP = 2-8) were observed by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) at pH 8. The association constant, Ka, increased with increasing DP from 5 x 10(3) M(-1) (DP = 2) to approximately 5 x 10(5) M(-1) (DP = 5-8) at 20 degrees C. The Ka values at 60 degrees C were about 1/10 of those at 20 degrees C. The binding was found to be an enthalpy-driven reaction. The DP dependence of the thermodynamic parameters of the binding reaction suggested the size of the ligand-binding site to be 5 xylose units long.