The carboxy-terminal lysine of alpha B-crystallin is an amine-donor substrate for tissue transglutaminase.

A hexapeptide, corresponding to the sequence around the glutamine in beta A3-crystallin that functions as amine-acceptor for transglutaminase, was synthesized. This peptide was biotinylated and used as a probe to identify amine-donor substrates for transglutaminase among lens proteins. It was found that Ca(2+)-activated transglutaminase linked this peptide not only to several beta-crystallins but, unexpectedly, also to alpha B-crystallin.

Site-specific racemization in aging alpha A-crystallin.

Of all aspartyl residues in bovine alpha A-crystallin, only Asp-151 exhibits pronounced racemization. Asp-151 is also one of the sites where peptide bond cleavage occurs in in vivo aging alpha A-crystallin. This aspartyl residue is followed by an alanyl residue and resides in a flexible carboxyl terminal extension of alpha-crystallin.

Proteolysis induces increased binding affinity of the monocyte type II FcR for human IgG.

Human monocytes express two types of IgG FcR, Fc gamma RI and Fc gamma RII. These can be assayed by using indicator E sensitized by human IgG (EA-human IgG) or mouse IgG1, (EA-mouse IgG1), respectively. On mouse macrophages, Fc gamma RI is sensitive to trypsin, whereas Fc gamma RII is trypsin resistant.

Alkylating activity in food products--especially sauerkraut and sour fermented dairy products--after incubation with nitrite under quasi-gastric conditions.

N-Nitroso compounds may well rank high among the genotoxic carcinogens present in our environment. Small amounts of such compounds may be formed in the human stomach after consumption of high-nitrate vegetables. Volatile nitrosamines can be conveniently determined but reliable methods of analysis for non-volatile N-nitroso compounds are still lacking.

Determination of volatile nitrosamines in cheese and cured meat products. Model study of a temperature- and pH-dependent artefact formation phenomenon in alkaline medium.

The present paper describes how the formation of artefactual nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) may jeopardize attempts at determining volatile nitrosamines in cheese by the mineral oil technique (MOT) or the glycerol isolation technique (GIT). When such isolation techniques were performed at an initial pH of about 11 and a final temperature of 100 degrees C (compared to 70 degrees C), up to about 10 micrograms NDMA per kg was formed. In a meat product, which was examined for comparison, even more extensive artefact formation (up to 70 micrograms NDMA per kg) was found.

Formation of volatile N-nitrosamines from food products, especially fish, under simulated gastric conditions.

Most food products do not form volatile nitrosamines under the simulated gastric conditions employed in the present study. Fish and other seafood products, however, regularly form nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), sometimes in amounts of tens of micrograms per 'portion'. These results corroborate the tentative conclusions of a previous report from this laboratory.

Formation of N-nitrosamine and N-nitrosamino acids from food products and nitrite under simulated gastric conditions.

Average-sized portions of a variety of food products were reacted with nitrite under realistically simulated gastric conditions. The aqueous incubation medium contained sodium nitrite (10 mg/l) and potassium thiocyanate to mimic the incoming flux of saliva, as well as pepsin, sodium chloride and hydrochloric acid, reflecting the composition of gastric juice. After incubation for 2 hr at 37 degrees C, volatile N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosamino acids were determined in the reaction mixtures.

Determination of eight volatile nitrosamines in thirty cured meat products with capillary gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry: the presence of nitrosodiethylamine and the absence of nitrosopyrrolidine.

Five samples each of six cured meat products were analysed for the presence of eight volatile nitrosamines. A combined steam distillation-extraction step at pH 8-9 plus a concentration step were used for preparation of extracts. These were analysed, without further clean-up, using a coupled capillary GC-HRMS system at a resolution of 4 000.