Characterizing emission factors and oxidative potential of motorcycle emissions in a real-world tunnel environment

Transportation emissions significantly affect human health, air quality, and climate in urban areas. This study conducted experiments in an urban tunnel in Taipei, Taiwan, to characterize vehicle emissions under real driving conditions, providing emission factors of PM2.5, eBC, CO, and CO2. By applying multiple linear regression, it derives individual emission factors for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), light-duty vehicles (LDVs), and motorcycles (MCs). Additionally, the oxidative potential using dithiothreitol assay (OPDTT) was established to understand PM2.5 toxicity. Results showed HDVs dominated PM2.5 and eBC concentrations, while LDVs and MCs influenced CO and CO2 levels. The CO emission factor for transportation inside the tunnel was found to be higher than those in previous studies, likely owing to the increased fraction of MCs, which generally emit higher CO levels. Among the three vehicle types, HDVs exhibited the highest PM2.5 and eBC emission factors, while CO and CO2 levels were relatively higher for LDVs and MCs. The OPDTTm demonstrated that fresh traffic emissions were less toxic than aged aerosols, but higher OPDTTv indicated the impact on human health cannot be ignored. This study updates emission factors for various vehicle types, aiding in accurate assessment of transportation emissions' effects on air quality and human health, and providing a guideline for formulating mitigation strategies.

Utilization of Personalized Machine-Learning to Screen for Dysglycemia from Ambulatory ECG, toward Noninvasive Blood Glucose Monitoring

Blood glucose (BG) monitoring is important for critically ill patients, as poor sugar control has been associated with increased mortality in hospitalized patients. However, constant BG monitoring can be resource-intensive and pose a healthcare burden in clinical practice. In this study, we aimed to develop a personalized machine-learning model to predict dysglycemia from electrocardiogram (ECG) data. We used the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database as our source of data and obtained more than 20 ECG records from each included patient during a single hospital admission. We focused on lead II recordings, along with corresponding blood sugar data. We processed the data and used ECG features from each heartbeat as inputs to develop a one-class support vector machine algorithm to predict dysglycemia. The model was able to predict dysglycemia using a single heartbeat with an AUC of 0.92 ± 0.09, a sensitivity of 0.92 ± 0.10, and specificity of 0.84 ± 0.04. After applying 10 s majority voting, the AUC of the model's dysglycemia prediction increased to 0.97 ± 0.06. This study showed that a personalized machine-learning algorithm can accurately detect dysglycemia from a single-lead ECG.

Particulate matter in a motorcycle-dominated urban area: Source apportionment and cancer risk of lung deposited surface area (LDSA) concentrations

Source-apportioned particle concentrations are necessary to properly evaluate the health impacts of air pollution. In this study, a measurement station was established at an urban roadside in northern Taiwan to the investigate lung deposited surface area (LDSA) concentration, a relevant metric for the adverse health effects of aerosol exposure, along with PM₁ and equivalent black carbon (eBC) concentrations, particle number concentration (PNC), and particle size distribution (PSD). Through positive matrix factorization and multi-linear regression analysis, we attributed 57% of LDSA to traffic emissions over the entire study. During rush hour, the motorcycle fraction increased to 0.83 and LDSA (77.6 ± 9.9 µm²/cm³) and PNC (14,000 ± 2400 particles/cm³) values peaked, while 74% of LDSA was attributed to traffic. The LDSA ratio, defined as the ratio of measured LDSA to that estimated from the particle size distribution with a spherical assumption, also increased, highlighting the greater degree of fractal morphology during rush hour. The relationship between LDSA emitted by traffic and PNC yielded a higher r² (0.92) than the r² between traffic LDSA and eBC (0.82). Finally, the excess lifetime cancer risk linked with traffic emission was 1.56 × 10^-4 (i.e. 15.6 excess cancer cases for a population of 100,000 people) based on the LDSA apportionment results.

Chitosan-Based Anti-Oxidation Delivery Nano-Platform: Applications in the Encapsulation of DHA-Enriched Fish Oil

Refined cobia liver oil is a nutritional supplement (CBLO) that is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as DHA and EPA; however, PUFAs are prone to oxidation. In this study, the fabrication of chitosan-TPP-encapsulated CBLO nanoparticles (CS@CBLO NPs) was achieved by a two-step method, including emulsification and the ionic gelation of chitosan with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). The obtained nanoparticles were inspected by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and showed a positively charged surface with a z-average diameter of between 174 and 456 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results showed the three-stage weight loss trends contributing to the water evaporation, chitosan decomposition, and CBLO decomposition. The loading capacity (LC) and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of the CBLO loading in CS@CBLO NPs were 17.77-33.43% and 25.93-50.27%, respectively. The successful encapsulation of CBLO in CS@CBLO NPs was also confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The oxidative stability of CBLO and CS@CBLO NPs was monitored by FTIR. As compared to CBLO, CS@CBLO NPs showed less oxidation with a lower generation of hydroperoxides and secondary oxidation products after four weeks of storage. CS@CBLO NPs are composed of two ingredients that are beneficial for health, chitosan and fish oil in a nano powdered fish oil form, with an excellent oxidative stability that will enhance its usage in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries.

Pre-termination in aflR of Aspergillus sojae inhibits aflatoxin biosynthesis

The aflR gene product is the main transcriptional regulator of aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus. Although A. sojae strains do not produce aflatoxins, they do have an aflR homologue. When compared with the aflR of A. parasiticus, the A. sojae gene contains two mutations: an HAHA motif and a premature stop codon. To investigate the functionality of the A. sojae aflR gene product, we used a GAL4 one-hybrid system in yeast. The transcription-activating activity of AflR from A. sojae was 15% of that from A. parasiticus. The introduction of an additional aflR from A. sojae into an A. parasiticus strain did not affect aflatoxin productivity. A hybrid aflR comprising the amino-terminal region of A. sojae aflR and the carboxy-terminal region of A. parasiticus aflR suppressed the effect associated with pre-termination of the A. sojae AflR. We conclude that the premature stop codon of the A. sojae aflR is the key to its functionality and leads to prevention of aflatoxin biosynthesis through loss of the transcription of aflatoxin biosynthesis-related genes.

Characterization of Japanese eel immunoglobulin M and its level in serum

Japanese eel immunoglobulin M (IgM) was purified from the sera of Anguilla japonica immunized with Edwardsiella tarda FPU 347 and characterized. Analysis of the purified IgM on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels (SDS-PAGE) under reducing and non-reducing conditions revealed that the eel IgM was a tetrameric protein with a molecular weight of 790,000; it contained an equimolar heavy chain and light chain with molecular weights of 72,000 and 25,000, respectively. While the N-terminal sequence of the heavy chain, VELTQPGSMVLKPGQSLTI, showed similarity to the variable regions of those of teleost fishes Igs, the N-terminal sequence of the light chain, DIVLTQSPAVQSVQLGDT, was similar to the variable regions of chondrostei and mammalian kappa chains. Lectin-binding assays showed that the binding of concanavalin A (Con A) to the Japanese eel IgM heavy chain was competitively inhibited by D-mannose and could be abolished by alpha-mannosidase treatment indicating the presence on the heavy chain of oligosaccharides, whose terminal were a bound mannoses. The average IgM concentration in the sera of the healthy eels was 3.4 mg ml(-1); it amounted to 10.3% of the total serum protein.

adhA in Aspergillus parasiticus is involved in conversion of 5'-hydroxyaverantin to averufin

Two routes for the conversion of 5'-hydroxyaverantin (HAVN) to averufin (AVF) in the synthesis of aflatoxin have been proposed. One involves the dehydration of HAVN to the lactone averufanin (AVNN), which is then oxidized to AVF. Another requires dehydrogenation of HAVN to 5'-ketoaverantin, the open-chain form of AVF, which then cyclizes spontaneously to AVF. We isolated a gene, adhA, from the aflatoxin gene cluster of Aspergillus parasiticus SU-1. The deduced ADHA amino acid sequence contained two conserved motifs found in short-chain alcohol dehydrogenases-a glycine-rich loop (GXXXGXG) that is necessary for interaction with NAD(+)-NADP(+), and the motif YXXXK, which is found at the active site. A. parasiticus SU-1, which produces aflatoxins, has two copies of adhA (adhA1), whereas A. parasiticus SRRC 2043, a strain that accumulates O-methylsterigmatocystin (OMST), has only one copy. Disruption of adhA in SRRC 2043 resulted in a strain that accumulates predominantly HAVN. This result suggests that ADHA is involved in the dehydrogenation of HAVN to AVF. Those adhA disruptants that still made small amounts of OMST also accumulated other metabolites, including AVNN, after prolonged culture.

Repressor-AFLR interaction modulates aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus parasiticus

Regulation of aflatoxin (AF) biosynthesis likely involves a complex interplay of positive- and negative-acting factors that are affected by physiological cues responsive to internal and external stimuli. These factors, presumably, modulate the expression of the AF pathway-specific regulatory gene, aflR, whose product, AFLR, a zinc cluster transcription factor, then turns on or off the transcription of other AF genes. To determine if the AFLR carboxyl region (AFLRC) interacts with positive- or negative-acting proteins, we fused the Aspergillus parasiticus aflR carboxyl coding region (aflRC) to the promoter of A. parasiticus nitrite reductase gene (niiA(p)::aflRC), and transformed it into A. parasiticus SRRC 2043. Transformants that contained two copies of niiA(p)::aflRC, one at the niaD locus and another at the aflR locus, overproduced AF precursors independent of the nitrogen source. The higher copy number of the integrated niiA(p)::aflRC correlated with increased production of AF precursors by the transformants as well as increased expression of both aflRC and native aflR in potato dextrose broth and A&M medium. Since aflRC does not encode a DNA-binding domain, the expressed AFLRC should not bind to the promoters of AF pathway genes and affect transcription directly. The results are consistent with AFLRC titrating out a putative repressor that interacts with AFLR under different growth conditions and modulates AF biosynthesis. This interaction also indirectly affects sclerotial development.

Generation of aflR disruption mutants of Aspergillus parasiticus

The aflR gene of Aspergillus parasiticus and A. flavus encodes a binuclear zinc-finger, DNA-binding protein, AflR, responsible for activating the transcription of all known aflatoxin biosynthetic genes including itself. Studies to determine how environmental and nutritional factors affect aflR expression and hence aflatoxin production in A. parasiticus have been difficult to perform due to the lack of aflR "knockout" mutants. Transformation of an O-methylsterigmatocystin (OMST)-accumulating strain of A. parasiticus with an aflR-niaD gene disruption vector resulted in clones harboring a recombinationally inactivated aflR gene which no longer produced OMST or aflR transcript. By transformation of this aflR disruptant strain with constructs containing mutated versions of the aflR promoter, we identified three cis-acting sites that were necessary for aflR function: an AflR-binding site, a PacC-binding site, and a G + A-rich site near the transcription start site of aflR.

Genes encoding cytochrome P450 and monooxygenase enzymes define one end of the aflatoxin pathway gene cluster in Aspergillus parasiticus

The identification of overlapping cosmids resulted in the discovery of the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway gene cluster in Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. This finding led to the cloning and characterization of one regulatory and 16 structural genes involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis, including the most recent report on the gene, ordA, which has been identified to be involved in the formation of four aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2). However, these genes do not account for all the identified chemical/biochemical steps in aflatoxin synthesis and efforts are underway to identify the genes controlling the other steps. We are also attempting to define the outer boundaries of the aflatoxin pathway gene cluster in the Aspergillus genome. For this goal, we extended sequencing in both directions from the existing (60 kb) aflatoxin pathway gene cluster, beyond the pksA gene at one end and the omtA gene at the other. Within the 25-kb genomic DNA sequence determined at the omtA end of the cluster, several new gene sequences were identified. The recently reported genes, vbs and ordA, were found within this 25-kb region. Two additional genes were also found in this region, a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase encoding gene, tentatively named cypX, and a monooxygenase encoding gene, tentatively named moxY, and these are also reported in this study. The sequence beyond these genes showed a 5-kb non-coding region of DNA followed by the presence of a cluster of genes probably involved in sugar metabolism. Northern blot analysis and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) studies demonstrated that the genes, cypX and moxY, are expressed concurrently with genes involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis. Therefore, the two putative aflatoxin pathway genes cypX and moxY followed by a 5-kb non-coding region of DNA define one end of the boundary of the aflatoxin pathway gene cluster in A. parasiticus.

Characterization of the Aspergillus parasiticus major nitrogen regulatory gene, areA

The major nitrogen regulatory gene, areA, was cloned from Aspergillus parasiticus. It encoded a polypeptide of 864 amino acids which contained a nuclear localization signal (NLS), a highly acidic region from positions 497 to 542, a Cys-X(2)-Cys-X(17)-Cys-X(2)-Cys DNA-binding motif and a conserved carboxy-terminus. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays suggested that the A. parasiticus AREA DNA-binding domain fusion protein bound cooperatively to single GATA elements in the A. parasiticus niaD-niiA intergenic region. AREA also bound to the aflR-aflJ intergenic region of the aflatoxin biosynthesis gene cluster. Regions of areA were fused to a yeast GAL4 DNA-binding domain coding region to localize putative transcription activation domain(s) of AREA based on activation of the GAL1(p)::lacZ reporter gene expression. The portion between NLS and the acidic domain demonstrated 16-20-fold higher activation activities than other portions of AREA, which suggests that the transcription activation domain is located in this region.

The carboxy-terminal portion of the aflatoxin pathway regulatory protein AFLR of Aspergillus parasiticus activates GAL1::lacZ gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

AFLR, a DNA-binding protein of 444 amino acids, transactivates the expression of aflatoxin biosynthesis genes in Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus, as well as the sterigmatocystin synthesis genes in Aspergillus nidulans. We show here by fusion of various aflR coding regions to the GAL4 DNA-binding coding region that the AFLR carboxyl terminus contained a region that activated GAL1::lacZ gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and that the AFLR internal region was required for the activation activity. Compared to the AFLR carboxy-terminal fusion protein (AFLRC), a mutant AFLRC retained approximately 75% of the activation activity after deletion of three acidic amino acids, Asp365, Glu366, and Glu367, in a previously identified acidic stretch. Removal of the carboxy-terminal amino acid, Glu444, did not affect the activation activity. Substitutions of acidic Glu423, Asp439, or Asp436/Asp439 with basic amino acids, Lys and His, resulted in 10- to 15-fold-lower activation activities. Strikingly, the Asp436His mutation abolished the activation activity. Substitutions of basic His428 and His442 with acidic Asp resulted in 20 and 40% decreases in the activation activities, respectively. Simultaneous substitutions of Arg427, Arg429, and Arg431 with Leu also significantly decreased the activation activity; the decrease was approximately 50-fold. Results suggest that the AFLR carboxy-terminal region is involved in transcription activation and that total acidity in this region is not a major determinant of AFLR's activation ability in S. cerevisiae.

Characterization of the critical amino acids of an Aspergillus parasiticus cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase encoded by ordA that is involved in the biosynthesis of aflatoxins B1, G1, B2, and G2

The conversion of O-methylsterigmatocystin (OMST) and dihydro-O-methylsterigmatocystin to aflatoxins B1, G1, B2, and G2 requires a cytochrome P-450 type of oxidoreductase activity. ordA, a gene adjacent to the omtA gene, was identified in the aflatoxin-biosynthetic pathway gene cluster by chromosomal walking in Aspergillus parasiticus. The ordA gene was a homolog of the Aspergillus flavus ord1 gene, which is involved in the conversion of OMST to aflatoxin B1. Complementation of A. parasiticus SRRC 2043, an OMST-accumulating strain, with the ordA gene restored the ability to produce aflatoxins B1, G1, B2, and G2. The ordA gene placed under the control of the GAL1 promoter converted exogenously supplied OMST to aflatoxin B1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In contrast, the ordA gene homolog in A. parasiticus SRRC 2043, ordA1, was not able to carry out the same conversion in the yeast system. Sequence analysis revealed that the ordA1 gene had three point mutations which resulted in three amino acid changes (His-400-->Leu-400, Ala-143-->Ser-143, and Ile-528-->Tyr-528). Site-directed mutagenesis studies showed that the change of His-400 to Leu-400 resulted in a loss of the monooxygenase activity and that Ala-143 played a significant role in the catalytic conversion. In contrast, Ile-528 was not associated with the enzymatic activity. The involvement of the ordA gene in the synthesis of aflatoxins G1, and G2 in A. parasiticus suggests that enzymes required for the formation of aflatoxins G1 and G2 are not present in A. flavus. The results showed that in addition to the conserved heme-binding and redox reaction domains encoded by ordA, other seemingly domain-unrelated amino acid residues are critical for cytochrome P-450 catalytic activity. The ordA gene has been assigned to a new cytochrome P-450 gene family named CYP64 by The Cytochrome P450 Nomenclature Committee.

Preferential formation and decreased removal of cisplatin-DNA adducts in Chinese hamster ovary cell mitochondrial DNA as compared to nuclear DNA

Levels of DNA adducts in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells exposed to cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cisplatin) for 24 h, have been shown to be 4- to 6-fold higher in mitochondrial (mt) DNA as compared to nuclear (n) DNA (Olivero et al., Mutation Res., 346 (1995) 221). The aim of the present study was to understand if the preferential cisplatin binding in mtDNA is partially caused by lack of adduct removal in the mitochondria. Chinese hamster ovary cells were exposed for 6 h to 50 microM cisplatin, followed by incubation for 24 and 48 h in cisplatin-free medium. At the 30-h time point (6 h with cisplatin, 24 h without cisplatin), half of the cells from each plate were harvested and the remainder were cultured and harvested at 54 h (6 h with cisplatin, 48 h without cisplatin). The 30- and 54-h time points are called 'T30' and 'T54', respectively. Cisplatin-DNA adducts were measured in DNA from nuclear and mitochondrial fractions by dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluoroimmunoassay (DELFIA), a sensitive competitive microtiter-based immunoassay utilizing antiserum elicited against cisplatin-modified DNA. An initial higher level of cisplatin-DNA adducts was observed in mtDNA when compared to nDNA, at T30. In addition, a lack of removal of adducts in mtDNA was demonstrated in cells at T54. Dilution of DNA adducts by DNA replication was documented in pulse-chase experiments that employed [3H]thymidine incorporation. Adduct removal by repair-related mechanisms was considered to comprise the difference between total DNA adduct removal and adduct removal related to DNA replication. The final results demonstrated that both, higher initial binding and lack of removal of cisplatin-DNA adducts appear to contribute to the preferential cisplatin-mtDNA binding observed in CHO cells.

avnA, a gene encoding a cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase, is involved in the conversion of averantin to averufin in aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus parasiticus

Recent studies have shown that at least 17 genes involved in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway are clustered within a 75-kb DNA fragment in the genome of Aspergillus parasiticus. Several additional transcripts have also been mapped to this gene cluster. A gene, avnA (previously named ord-1), corresponding to one of the two transcripts identified earlier between the ver-1 and omtA genes on the gene cluster was sequenced. The nucleotide sequence of the avnA gene contains a coding region for a protein of 495 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 56.3 kDa. The gene consists of three exons and two introns. Disruption of the avnA gene in the wild-type aflatoxigenic A. parasiticus strain (SU1-N3) resulted in a nonaflatoxigenic mutant which accumulated a bright yellow pigment. Thin-layer chromatographic studies with six different solvent systems showed that the migration patterns of the accumulated metabolite were identical to those of averantin, a known aflatoxin precursor. Precursor feeding studies with this mutant showed that norsolorinic acid and averantin were not converted to aflatoxin whereas 5'-hydroxyaverantin, averufanin, averufin, versicolorin A. sterigmatocystin, and O-methylsterigmatocystin were converted to aflatoxins. Southern blot analysis of the wild-type strain and avnA-disrupted mutant strain indicated that the avnA gene was disrupted in the mutant strain. A search of the GenBank database for similarity indicated that the avnA gene encodes a cytochrome P-450-type monooxygenase, and it has been assigned to a new P-450 gene family named CYP60A1. We have therefore concluded that the avnA gene encodes a fungal cytochrome P-450-type enzyme which is involved in the conversion of averantin to averufin in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway in A. parasiticus.

Characterization of the Aspergillus parasiticus niaD and niiA gene cluster

The nitrate reductase gene (niaD) and nitrite reductase gene (niiA) of Aspergillus parasiticus are clustered and are divergently transcribed from a 1.6-kb intergenic region (niaD-niiA). The deduced aminoacid sequence of the A. parasiticus nitrate reductase demonstrated a high degree of homology to those of other Aspergillus species, as well as to Leptosphaeria maculans, Fusarium oxysporum, Gibberella fujikuroi and Neurospora crassa, particularly in the cofactor-binding domains for molybdenum, heme and FAD. A portion of the deduced nitrite reductase sequence was homologous to those of A. nidulans and N. crassa. The nucleotide sequences in niaD-niiA of A. parasiticus and of A. oryzae were 95% identical, indicating that these two species are closely related. Several GATA motifs, the recognition sites for the N. crassa positive-acting global regulatory protein NIT2 in nitrogen metabolism, were found in A. parasiticus niaD-niiA. Two copies of the palindrome TCCGCGGA and other partial palindromic sequences similar to the target sites for the pathway specific regulatory proteins, N. crassa NIT4 and A. nidulans NirA, in nitrate assimilation, were also identified. A recombinant protein containing the A. nidulans AreA (the NIT2 equivalent) zinc finger and an adjacent basic region was able to bind to segments of niaD-niiA encompassing the GATA motifs. These results suggest that the catalytic and regulatory mechanisms of nitrate assimilation are well conserved in Aspergillus.

Hepatotumorigenicity and peroxisome proliferation induced by the hypolipidemic CI-924 in a two-year study in male and female B6C3F1 mice

The hepatic tumorigenicity of CI-924 (5,5'-(1,1'-biphenyl)-2,5-diylbis(oxy)(2,2-dimethylpentanoic acid)), a hypolipidemic agent, was evaluated in 50 B6C3F1 mice/sex/dose given drug in the diet at 0, 5, 25, and 75 mg/kg/day for 2 yr. Peroxisomal and drugmetabolizing enzyme determinations, as well as ultrastructural evaluations, were conducted in subsets of these same groups, because drugs of this class cause peroxisome proliferation and hepatic tumors in rodents. CI-924 elicited dose-dependent increases in the incidence of hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas in both sexes that were statistically significant at 75 mg/kg. Stereologic evaluation revealed significant increases in hepatocellular peroxisome volume ratio, due to increased numbers of peroxisomes, in females at all doses and males at 75 mg/kg. Peroxisomal enzyme activity measurements revealed no change in catalase, but dose-dependent increases in carnitine acetyltransferase and cyanide-insensitive beta-oxidation in both sexes. Peroxisome proliferation, determined biochemically or ultrastructurally, was twice as great in females compared to males. Total cytochrome P-450 was increased in both sexes given 75 mg/kg. There were dose-dependent decreases in glutathione S-transferase in males and increased glutathione peroxidase in both sexes at 25 and 75 mg/kg. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that while CI-924 induced hepatic tumors in male and female B6C3F1 mice the associated peroxisome proliferation, while moderate in females, was only weak in the males after 2 yr of exposure.

Hybridization of genes involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis to DNA of aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic aspergilli

Southern blots of DNA from a number of aspergilli belonging to Aspergillus section Flavi, including aflatoxin-producing and non-aflatoxigenic isolates of A. flavus and A. parasiticus, were probed with the aflatoxin pathway genes aflR and omt-1. DNA of all A. flavus, A. parasiticus and A. sojae isolates examined hybridized with both genes. None of the A. oryzae isolates examined hybridized to the aflR probe and one of the three did not hybridize to the omt-1 probe. None of the A. tamarii isolates examined hybridized to either gene. Our results suggest that some isolates in this section do not produce aflatoxin because they lack at least one of the genes necessary for biosynthesis, and that non-producing A. flavus, A. parasiticus and A. sojae strains either lack a gene we did not examine or have genes that are not being expressed.

Comparison of the omtA genes encoding O-methyltransferases involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis from Aspergillus parasiticus and A. flavus

O-methyltransferase (OMT) is one of the key enzymes in aflatoxin (AF) biosynthesis in the fungi, Aspergillus flavus (Af) and A. parasiticus (Ap). Genomic DNA clones containing the omtA genes from Ap strain SRRC 143 and Af strain CRA01-2B were sequenced. Comparison of the genomic DNA sequences with the cDNA of this Ap gene revealed the presence of four introns ranging from 52 to 60 bp in length in both species; the region encoding the putative S-adenosylmethionine-binding motif was located between the third and fourth introns. The coding sequence of omtA from Ap strain SRRC 143 demonstrated a greater than 97% sequence identity with that from Af strain CRA01-2B, within the coding region.

The Aspergillus parasiticus polyketide synthase gene pksA, a homolog of Aspergillus nidulans wA, is required for aflatoxin B1 biosynthesis

Aflatoxins comprise a group of polyketide-derived carcinogenic mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus. By transformation with a disruption construct, pXX, we disrupted the aflatoxin pathway in A. parasiticus SRRC 2043, resulting in the inability of this strain to produce aflatoxin intermediates as well as a major yellow pigment in the transformants. The disruption was attributed to a single-crossover, homologous integration event between pXX and the recipient A. parasiticus genome at a specific locus, designated pksA. Sequence analysis suggest that pksA is a homolog of the Aspergillus nidulans wA gene, a polyketide synthase gene involved in conidial wall pigment biosynthesis. The conserved beta-ketoacyl synthase, acyltransferase and acyl carrier-protein domains were present in the deduced amino acid sequence of the pksA product. No beta-ketoacyl reductase and enoyl reductase domains were found, suggesting that pksA does not encode catalytic activities for processing beta-carbon similar to those required for long chain fatty acid synthesis. The pksA gene is located in the aflatoxin pathway gene cluster and is linked to the nor-1 gene, an aflatoxin pathway gene required for converting norsolorinic acid to averantin. These two genes are divergently transcribed from a 1.5 kb intergenic region. We propose that pksA is a polyketide synthase gene required for the early steps of aflatoxin biosynthesis.

Increased expression of Aspergillus parasiticus aflR, encoding a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein, relieves nitrate inhibition of aflatoxin biosynthesis

The aflR gene from Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus may be involved in the regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis. The aflR gene product, AFLR, possesses a GAL4-type binuclear zinc finger DNA-binding domain. A transformant, SU1-N3 (pHSP), containing an additional copy of aflR, showed increased transcription of aflR and the aflatoxin pathway structural genes, nor-1, ver-1, and omt-1, when cells were grown in nitrate medium, which normally suppresses aflatoxin production. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that the recombinant protein containing the DNA-binding domain, AFLR1, bound specifically to the palindromic sequence, TTAGGCCTAA, 120 bp upstream of the AFLR translation start site. Expression of aflR thus appears to be autoregulated. Increased expression of aflatoxin biosynthetic genes in the transformant might result from an elevated basal level of AFLR, allowing it to overcome nitrate inhibition and to bind to the aflR promotor region, thereby initiating aflatoxin biosynthesis. Results further suggest that aflR is involved in the regulation of multiple parts of the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway.

Comparative mapping of aflatoxin pathway gene clusters in Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus

Aflatoxins are toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Aflatoxins are synthesized by condensation of acetate units; their synthesis is estimated to involve at least 16 different enzymes. In this study we have shown that at least nine genes involved in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway are located within a 60-kb DNA fragment. Four of these genes, nor-1, aflR, ver-1, and omtA (previously named omt-1), have been cloned in A. flavus and A. parasiticus. In addition, five other genes, pksA, uvm8, aad, ord-1, and ord-2 have been recently cloned in A. parasiticus. The pksA, aad, and uvm8 genes exhibit sequence homologies to polyketide synthase, aryl-alcohol dehydrogenase, and fatty acid synthase genes, respectively. The cDNA sequences of ord-1 and ord-2 genes, which may be involved in later steps of aflatoxin biosynthesis, have been determined; the ord-1 gene product exhibits homology to cytochrome P-450-type enzymes. By characterizing the overlapping regions of the DNA inserts in different cosmid and lambda DNA clones, we have determined the order of these aflatoxin pathway genes within this 60-kb DNA region to be pksA, nor-1, uvm8, aflR, aad, ver-1, ord-1, ord-2, and omtA in A. parasiticus and nor-1, aflR, ver-1, ord-1, ord-2, and omtA in A. flavus. The order is related to the order in enzymatic steps required for aflatoxin biosynthesis. The physical distances (in kilobase pairs) and the directions of transcription of these genes have been determined for both aflatoxigenic species.

Sequence variability in homologs of the aflatoxin pathway gene aflR distinguishes species in Aspergillus section Flavi

The Aspergillus parasiticus aflR gene, a gene that may be involved in the regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis, encodes a putative zinc finger DNA-binding protein. PCR and sequencing were used to examine the presence of aflR homologs in other members of Aspergillus Section Flavi. The predicted amino acid sequences indicated that the same zinc finger domain, CTSCASSKVRCTKEKPACARCIERGLAC, was present in all of the Aspergillus sojae, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus parasiticus isolates examined and in some of the Aspergillus oryzae isolates examined. Unique base substitutions and a specific base deletion were found in the 5' untranslated and zinc finger region; these differences provided distinct fingerprints. A. oryzae and A. flavus had the T-G-A-A-X-C fingerprint, whereas A. parasiticus and A sojae had the C-C-C-C-C-T fingerprint at the corresponding positions. Specific nucleotides at positions -90 (C or T) and -132 (G or A) further distinguished A. flavus from A. oryzae and A. parasiticus from A. sojae, respectively. A sojae ATCC 9362, which was previously designated A. oryzae NRRL 1988, was determined to be a A. sojae strain on the basis of the presence of the characteristic fingerprint, A-C-C-C-C-C-C-T. The DNAs of other members of Aspergillus Section Flavi, such as Aspergillus nomius and Aspergillus tamarii, and some isolates of A. oryzae appeared to exhibit low levels of similarity to the A. parasiticus aflR gene since low amounts of PCR products or no PCR products were obtained when DNAs from these strains were used.

Structural and functional analysis of the nor-1 gene involved in the biosynthesis of aflatoxins by Aspergillus parasiticus

The nor-1 gene was cloned previously by complementation of a mutation (nor-1) in Aspergillus parasiticus SU-1 which blocked aflatoxin B1 biosynthesis, resulting in the accumulation of norsolorinic acid (NA). In this study, the nucleotide sequences of the cDNA and genomic DNA clones encompassing the coding region of the nor-1 gene were determined. The transcription initiation and polyadenylation sites of nor-1 were located by primer extension and RNase protection analyses and by comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the nor-1 genomic and cDNA clones. A plasmid, pNA51-82, was created for one-step disruption of the nor-1 gene by inserting a functional copy of the nitrate reductase (niaD) gene from A. parasiticus into the coding region of the nor-1 gene. Transformation of A. parasiticus NR-3 (niaD Afl+) with pNA51-82 resulted in niaD+ transformants that accumulated NA and produced reduced levels of aflatoxin as determined by thin-layer chromatography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analyses of extracts from mycelia and the growth medium. Southern analysis of genomic DNA isolated from the NA-accumulating transformants indicated that the wild-type nor-1 gene in the chromosome had been replaced by the nonfunctional allele carried on pNA51-82. This recombinational inactivation event provides direct evidence that the nor-1 gene is functionally involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis. Comparison of the predicted nor-1 amino acid sequence with sequences in the GenBank and EMBL databases suggested that the protein is a member of the family of short-chain alcohol dehydrogenases, consistent with its proposed function as a keto reductase.

'One for all scales' methods for plasmid, phagemid and bacteriophage DNAs preparation

We have established two simple, reliable, economical and time-saving methods, one for plasmid and phagemid DNAs another for bacteriophage DNAs, that can be applied for any desired scale of vector and its recombinant DNAs preparation. The methods require neither toxic chemicals nor expensive enzymes or chemical reagents. In case of the small-scale preparation, the entire procedure can be done in one microfuge tube. The A260/A280 values for isolated DNAs were constantly between 1.60 and 1.85. The isolated plasmid or phagemid DNA can be used for restriction digestion, religation, transformation, construction of deletion mutants, sequencing, PCR and in vitro transcription. The double-stranded and single-stranded phage DNAs prepared from the present method have the quality to serve as good templates for PCR and site-directed mutagenesis experiments.

Cloning of the Aspergillus parasiticus apa-2 gene associated with the regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis

An Aspergillus parasiticus gene, designated apa-2, was identified as a regulatory gene associated with aflatoxin biosynthesis. The apa-2 gene was cloned on the basis of overproduction of pathway intermediates following transformation of fungal strains with cosmid DNA containing the aflatoxin biosynthetic genes nor-1 and ver-1. Transformation of an O-methylsterigmatocystin-accumulating strain, A. parasiticus SRRC 2043, with a 5.5-kb HindIII-XbaI DNA fragment containing apa-2 resulted in overproduction of all aflatoxin pathway intermediates analyzed. Specific enzyme activities associated with the conversion of norsolorinic acid and sterigmatocystin were increased approximately twofold. The apa-2 gene was found to complement an A. flavus afl-2 mutant strain for aflatoxin production, suggesting that apa-2 is functionally homologous to afl-2. Comparison of the A. parasiticus apa-2 gene DNA sequence with that of the A. flavus afl-2 gene (G. A. Payne, G. J. Nystorm, D. Bhatnagar, T. E. Cleveland, and C. P. Woloshuk, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:156-162, 1993) showed that they shared > 95% DNA homology. Physical mapping of cosmid subclones placed apa-2 approximately 8 kb from ver-1.

Effects of hyperthermia on the nucleolar proteins in tumour cells

The effects of hyperthermia at 41 degrees C and 43 degrees C on the nucleolar protein B23 in Ehrlich ascites tumour (EAT), human glioblastoma U-87 MG and U-373 MG cell lines were studied. Cellular localization of protein B23 was detected by an immunofluorescence technique using monoclonal antibody against protein B23. Diminution of fluorescence in the nucleoli occurred when the cells were treated at high temperature. The decrease in fluorescence level depends on the treatment temperature and duration. Among the three cell lines studied, the U-373 MG glioblastoma was the least responsive to hyperthermia followed by the U-87 MG glioblastoma. The decrease in nucleolar fluorescence of the EAT cells treated at 41 degrees C and 43 degrees C correlated with their subsequent cell survival. Dispersion of the nucleolar argyrophilic granules occurred in EAT cells after heating at 43 degrees C for 1 h. The possible implication of such effect is discussed in relation to the heat-sensitive elements in the nucleolus.

Regulated expression of the nor-1 and ver-1 genes associated with aflatoxin biosynthesis

RNA transcript accumulation for the ver-1 and nor-1 genes, which are associated with aflatoxin biosynthesis in the fungus Aspergillus parasiticus, was measured before and during aflatoxin production in liquid shake culture. Transcripts were not detected until near the end of trophophase (growth phase) and could still be observed well into stationary phase during batch fermentation in an aflatoxin-supporting growth medium. Maximum accumulation of both transcripts occurred just prior to the onset of stationary phase. Aflatoxin B1 was first detected approximately 8 h after the appearance of the ver-1 and nor-1 transcripts. In contrast, maximum transcript accumulation for the pyrG gene (encoding orotidine monophosphate decarboxylase), which is involved in primary metabolism, was observed at the onset of trophophase when the ver-1 and nor-1 transcripts could not be detected. Accumulation of the ver-1 and nor-1 transcripts was also studied following a nutritional shift from a non-aflatoxin-supporting medium (peptone mineral salts [PMS]) to a glucose-containing medium (glucose mineral salts [GMS]), which does support aflatoxin biosynthesis. Transcripts from ver-1 and nor-1 could not be detected on PMS medium but did accumulate approximately 4 to 7 h following transfer to GMS medium. Additionally, aflatoxins were not detected in PMS medium but were observed to accumulate within 24 h after the shift from PMS to GMS. These data suggest that aflatoxin biosynthesis is in part regulated by the accumulation of the ver-1 and nor-1 transcripts.

Primary structure of the gene for glycyl-tRNA synthetase from Bombyx mori

The primary structure of the gene encoding Bombyx mori glycyl-tRNA synthetase was determined by sequence analysis of one cDNA and two genomic clones. The sequence of the protein deduced from the nucleotide sequence was verified by sequence analysis of eight peptides. The M(r) 77,667 protein is encoded in a single open reading frame of 2061 nucleotides. There are no introns in the gene. The deduced protein sequence has no obvious similarity to Escherichia coli glycyl-tRNA synthetase but contains a sequence in its amino terminus that is similar to a sequence found in the Drosophila melanogaster and human glutamyl-tRNA synthetases, the hamster and human histidyl-tRNA synthetases, bovine tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase, and the mammalian peptide chain release factor. The B. mori glycyl-tRNA synthetase also has sequence similarity with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae (cytoplasmic and mitochondrial), E. coli, and human threonyl-tRNA synthetases. This sequence similarity occurs in a sequence motif that is characteristic of other class II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. Two transcription start sites approximately 100 nucleotides apart were identified by ribonuclease mapping. One of the transcription start sites is used preferentially in the posterior silk gland. The peak in mRNA accumulation occurs 80-100 h prior to the peak in glycyl-tRNA synthetase activity and enzyme protein.

Isolation and characterization of a gene from Aspergillus parasiticus associated with the conversion of versicolorin A to sterigmatocystin in aflatoxin biosynthesis

DNA isolated from the wild-type aflatoxin-producing (Afl+) fungus Aspergillus parasiticus NRRL 5862 was used to construct a cosmid genomic DNA library employing the homologous gene (pyrG) encoding orotidine monophosphate decarboxylase for selection of fungal transformants. The cosmid library was transformed into an Afl- mutant, A. parasiticus CS10 (ver-1 wh-1 pyrG), deficient in the conversion of the aflatoxin biosynthetic intermediate versicolorin A to sterigmatocystin. One pyrG+ Afl+ transformant was identified. DNA fragments from this transformant, recovered by marker rescue, contained part of the cosmid vector including the pyrG gene, the ampr gene, and a piece of the original genomic insert DNA. Transformation of these rescued DNA fragments into A. parasiticus CS10 resulted in production of wild-type levels of aflatoxin and abundant formation of sclerotia. The gene responsible for this complementation (ver-1) was identified by Northern RNA analysis and transformation with subcloned DNA fragments. The approximate locations of transcription initiation and polyadenylation sites of ver-1 were determined by an RNase protection assay and cDNA sequence analysis. The predicted amino acid sequence, deduced from the ver-1 genomic and cDNA nucleotide sequences, was compared with the EMBL and GenBank data bases. The search revealed striking similarity with Streptomyces ketoreductases involved in polyketide biosynthesis.

Cloning of a gene associated with aflatoxin B1 biosynthesis in Aspergillus parasiticus

A cosmid library was constructed by inserting genomic DNA isolated from a wild-type aflatoxin-producing strain of Aspergillus parasiticus (SU-1) into a cosmid vector containing an homologous nitrate reductase (niaD) gene as a selectable marker. One cosmid was isolated which complemented an aflatoxin-deficient, nitrate-nonutilizing mutant strain, A. parasiticus B62 (nor-1, niaD), to aflatoxin production. Deletion and complementation analyses showed that a 1.7 kb BglII-SphI DNA fragment isolated from this cosmid was responsible for renewed aflatoxin production. Northern hybridization analyses revealed that the major RNA transcribed from this DNA fragment was 1.4 kilonucleotides in size. Genetic complementation proved to be a useful strategy for cloning a gene associated with aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. parasiticus.

Primary structure of alanyl-tRNA synthetase and the regulation of its mRNA levels in Bombyx mori

cDNA clones encoding Bombyx mori alanyl-tRNA synthetase were isolated from a library in lambda gt11 using antibody, synthetic oligonucleotides, and a characterized cDNA as probes. Analysis of the sequence revealed significant homology between the B. mori and Escherichia coli alanyl-tRNA synthetases, particularly in their amino-terminal domains. Northern blot analysis indicated that the mRNA for alanyl-tRNA synthetase is 3.8 kilobase pairs in mRNA isolated from posterior silk gland, middle silk gland, and ovarian tissue. Steady-state levels of alanyl-tRNA synthetase mRNA in the posterior silk gland increased in the first 48 h of the fifth larval instar, decreasing gradually thereafter. In the middle silk gland, alanyl-tRNA synthetase mRNA peaked at 72 h of the fifth larval instar, declining to undetectable levels by 120 h. Genomic Southern blot analysis using a nick-translated cDNA probe revealed hybridization to single fragments when B. mori genomic DNA was digested with various restriction endonucleases.

Development of a homologous transformation system for Aspergillus parasiticus with the gene encoding nitrate reductase

The nitrate reductase structural gene (niaD) and an niaD mutant strain were isolated from Aspergillus parasiticus and used to develop a homologous transformation system. A transformation frequency of 110 to 120 transformants per microgram linear DNA was obtained with the 10.9 kb plasmid pSL82, which contained the niaD gene of A. parasiticus. Plasmid pSL82 was also capable of complementing Aspergillus nidulans FGSC A691, a niaD mutant, though at lower frequencies. Southern hybridization analyses of A. parasiticus niaD transformants showed that the niaD gene of pSL82 had integrated into the fungal genome. In addition, vector (bacterial plasmid) sequences were also present in one of the niaD transformants.

[Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis coexisting with fistula between ureter and sigmoid colon: a case report]

A 63-year-old woman with the complaints of left renal stone and fistula between left ureter and colon was transferred to our clinic by a local doctor. Anemia, gamma-globulinemia, and acceleration of ESR were detected by hematology on admission. Kidney-ureter-bladder X-ray and intravenous pyelography showed left non-functioning kidney with coral stone, and RP revealed a fistula between left ureter and sigmoid colon. She was operated by nephroureterectomy and fistulectomy. The resected kidney appeared pale and parenchyma was almost replaced by yellowish tissue and pus. Histologically, the lesion was confirmed to be xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. Meanwhile, the cause of the fistula was considered to be due to extending ureteritis and pelvic infection from the pyelonephritis. Postoperative course was satisfactory.

[A case of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis--an experience of echo-guided aspiration biopsy for the diagnosis]

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis is a rare disease of the kidney. The pre-operative diagnosis of this disease is usually very difficult. Recently, echo-guided aspiration biopsy has been suggested for the differential diagnosis of the renal mass. We experienced a case of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis and performed echo-guided aspiration biopsy. A 57-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with complaints of upper abdominal pain and right lumbago. Judging from the findings obtained by intravenous pyelography, computed tomographic scan, ultrasonography and angiography, the lesion was a right renal inflammatory mass but renal tumor could not be denied. Because clear cell carcinoma was suspected from the results of echo-guided aspiration biopsy, right radical nephrectomy was performed. However, the resected kidney was diagnosed to be xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. Post-operative course was uneventful.

[A case of superselective transcatheter embolization for injured renal segmental artery associated with percutaneous nephroureterolithotomy (PNL)]

A case in which the renal segmental artery was injured due to percutaneous nephroureterolithotomy (PNL) and treated by superselective transcatheter embolization is reported. The patient was a 30-year-old man with left ureteral and bilateral renal calculi. The left renal and ureteral calculi were successfully removed by PNL and a 24Fr. nephrostomy catheter was placed for 8 days after PNL. A few minutes after removal of the nephrostomy catheter, arterial bleeding, which seemed to occur due to injury of renal segmental artery associated with PNL, began. The bleeding was stopped by replacement of a 24Fr. nephrostomy catheter and the patient received 5 units of packed red blood cells. Six days after hemorrhage, superselective transcatheter embolization was performed. No further bleeding occurred and the nephrostomy catheter was removed 2 days later without any incident. This interventional technique is safe and useful to control bleeding from renal segmental artery injured by PNL.

[A case of prostate cancer with multiple pulmonary metastases]

A 65-year-old man was hospitalized with bloody sputum. His chest X-ray showed multiple nodules in both lung fields. Transbronchial lung biopsy demonstrated a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, which suggested that respiratory abnormalities might be metastatic cancer. Because he had noticed pollakisuria and dysuria, urologic consultation was sought. The findings of digital examination, urethrography, and ultrasonotomography suggested that he had an advanced prostate cancer. In addition, tumor markers of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), acid phosphatase (ACP), and prostate antigen (PA) showed abnormal titers; 120 ng/dl, 166 IU/l, and 15.4 ng/ml, respectively. The prostate tissue obtained by transperineal biopsy revealed histopathologically adenocarcinoma and positive findings in immunohistochemical staining for PAP and PA as well as the specimens from the lung. Bilateral orchiectomy and medication of 250 mg of DESD daily as an antiandrogen therapy improved respiratory symptoms. One week after the operation, the multiple shadows on the chest X-ray diminished dramatically. Moreover, serum values of PAP and PA also decreased to the normal range. He is alive in a stable condition 6 months after the operation.

[Evaluation of urinary cytology for upper urinary tract disease]

One hundred and seventy-two patients with upper urinary tract disease were examined by cytological study of ureteral urine which was taken by ureteral catheterization. Of 139 patients with benign disease or ureteral stricture due to non-urological cancer, only one case with renal cyst revealed positive findings (false positive rate: 0.7%). Two positive cases, which were a renal hemorrhage without followup and a uterine cervical cancer with squamous cancer cells in the ureteral urine, were excluded. Although 6 of 17 (35%) uroepithelial cancers in the upper urinary tract were registered as positive, this examination was little use for detecting stage pTa, grade 1 or papillary non-invasive tumors. However, 2 out of 12 (17%) renal pelvic or ureteral cancer patients with negative results of voided urine were cytologically detected by ureteral urine. Five out of 6 cases of these cancers demonstrated malignant cells in the renal pelvic urine sampled from surgical specimen. We have recently experienced aspiration cytology for upper urinary tract disease, using the percutaneous puncture method, and five of 7 upper urinary tract patients were cytologically diagnosed. This procedure could be valuable for detecting even patients with associated bladder cancer or failure of ureteral catheterization.

Comparison of the metabolic and behavioral disturbances following paraventricular- and ventromedial-hypothalamic lesions

Lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) result in an obesity syndrome with several metabolic and behavioral manifestations. It has also been reported that damage to the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) leads to changes characteristic of obesity. However, little is known about the consequence of PVH lesions, especially in contrast to the extensive documentation of VMH lesion-induced effects. To assess the basic features of the two hypothalamic obesity syndromes, rats underwent VMH, PVH, or sham lesions and, for 15 weeks, were maintained ad lib on a series of test diets. Both lesions groups were hyperphagic and showed similar weight gains. Although both lesion groups became obese (measured by % carcass fat), VMH rats were fatter than PVH animals. Similarly, only VMH rats were hyperinsulinemic. Further tests were conducted in PVH and VMH rats restricted to control body weights. VMH, but not PVH, rats developed a persisting elevation in basal gastric acid secretion. As well, only VMH, and not PVH, animals developed an obesity when restricted to normal weights. These data indicate similarities in PVH and VMH rats maintained ad lib but experiments on restricted animals reveal fundamental differences in the two obesities and point to different etiologies.

Synthesis and evaluation of 2,4-diaminoquinazoline antifolates with activity against methotrexate-resistant human tumor cells

In an attempt to find potent antifolates with selectivity against tumor cells with intrinsic or acquired resistance to methotrexate, eleven nonclassical 2,4-diaminoquinazoline antifolates were synthesized and tested as inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase from L5178Y cells. Several compounds appeared to be good enzyme inhibitors, with I50 values around 1 nM. Two of the compounds were also good inhibitors of cell growth in vitro. One of these (PKC-32, 9-(2,4-diamino-5-methylquinazoline-6-methylene)aminophenanthren e) appeared to be 100-fold more potent than methotrexate as an inhibitor of growth of a methotrexate-resistant cell line with impaired transport for methotrexate. PKC-32 and PKC-155 were also tested against mouse tumors in vivo. PKC-32 was modestly active in vivo as compared with methotrexate. This drug may be a useful agent in the treatment of methotrexate-resistant tumors.

Neoplastic changes in transposed deltopectoral skin

In a patient who had undergone pharyngeal resection and reconstruction with transposed deltopectoral skin, multiple benign verrucous tumors developed in the neopharynx. These did not resemble the carcinoma for which the original ablative surgery was performed but required extensive resection for restoration of adequate swallowing. Although this complication appears to be rare, the number of patients at risk is sizable, and further examples may be expected in the future.

Reactivity of normal and VMH-lesion rats to quinine-adulterated foods: negative evidence for negative finickiness

Much of the evidence for the existence of a negative finickiness component in the ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) syndrome comes from studies comparing the relative reactivities of VMH and normal rats to quinine adulteration. The present experiments addressed two major questions regarding the response of normal and VMH animals to quinine: (a) Do the anorexic properties of quinine depend on quinine's sensory properties (i.e., its bitter taste) or on its postingestive effects; (b) do VMH rats in fact overrespond to quinine adulteration? These issues were examined by comparing the feeding adjustments to quinine by VMH and normal animals in a sham-feeding situation and under normal feeding circumstances, on animals' initial exposure to this drug. The results were consistent with the view that the sensory properties of quinine alone were sufficient to induce large changes of food intake in both groups. In terms of whether lesion rats were more reactive to the taste of quinine, it is argued that previous research had measured reactivity in two dissimilar ways. The present data were used to illuminate how use of these two procedures for measuring reactivity lead to diametrically opposed conclusions regarding the existence of negative finickiness in the VMH syndrome. It is suggested that when the more appropriate measure of reactivity is adopted and when the confound of body weight differences between normal and VMH animals is eliminated, little evidence exists for a conclusion that VMH rats are more reactive than normals to quinine-adulterated foods.

Role of superhelicity in homologous pairing of DNA molecules promoted by Escherichia coli recA protein

In the presence of ATP and an excess of recA protein, superhelical closed circular DNA (form I DNA) and homologous single-stranded fragments paired to form D-loops in the early stage of incubation and dissociated during subsequent incubation. RecA protein that was not bound to single-stranded DNA ("free recA protein") was shown to be responsible for the dissociation of D-loops. Larger amount of free recA protein gave a lower final yield of D-loops. When the concentration of form I DNA was increased in the presence of a fixed amount of single-stranded DNA, larger amounts of free recA protein were required to produce a certain extent of dissociation. When form I DNA, excess recA protein, and ATP were incubated without single-stranded DNA, or with heterologous single-stranded fragments before the addition of homologous single-stranded fragments, formation and subsequent dissociation of D-loops were observed as in the case when all components of the reaction were added from the start. Therefore, the dissociation of D-loops is a result of the stoichiometric interaction between free recA protein and form I DNA bearing D-loops. In the process of formation and dissociation of D-loops, form I DNA was converted to an inactive substrate without any apparent damage to the DNA. The concentration of free recA protein appeared to decrease during the reaction. These observations revealed that formation and dissociation of D-loops are sequential reactions when form I DNA is the substrate and recA protein is present in excess. The dissociation of D-loops and the inactivation of form I DNA can be explained by a model in which recA protein cooperatively binds to form I DNA from the site of D-loop, resulting in stimulation of unidirectional unwinding of the double helix.

Evaluation of 2,2'-anhydro-1-(3'-Ok-acetyl-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodocytosine hydrochloride and related compounds as antineoplastic and antiviral agents

2,2'-Anhydro-1-(3'-O-acetyl-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodocytosine (anhydro-araIC 3'-acetate), previously synthesized and isolated as a crude product by Moffatt and his coworkers, was purified and characterized. The availability of pure anhydro-araIC 3'-acetate made possible a comparative study of the antineoplastic, antiviral and biochemical potencies of anhydro-araIC 3'-acetate with the structurally related agents 2,2'-anhydro-1-(3'-O-acetyl-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine (anhydro-araC 3'-acetate) and 2,2'-anhydro-1-(beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodocytosine (anhydro-araIC). The presence of the 5-iodo substituent and/or the 3'-O-acetyl group on 2,2'-anhydro1-(beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine (anhydro-araC) did not alter the capacity of these agents to exert cytotoxic and antineoplastic activity against L1210, P388, L5178Y and human leukemia cells and against human colon and rectal carcinomas, as well as antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus Type 1. All of the compounds caused inhibition of [3H]thymidine incorporation into the DNA of L1210 cells in culture, with anhydro-araIC 3'-acetate being significantly less inhibitory than the other derivatives. Little or no interference with RNA and protein synthesis was produced by these pyrimidine nucleosides. Both anhydro-araIC 3'-acetate and anhydro-araIC were potent inhibitors of the activity of DNA polymerase alpha from the L1210 leukemia at the nucleoside level, while anhydro-araC 3'-acetate and anhydroaraC were non-inhibitory; none of the agents caused inactivation of DNA polymerase beta. The findings suggest that the antineoplastic and antiviral activities of the 2,2'-anhydro-arabinosylcytosine nucleosides may be the result of biochemical actions different from those of araC.