Tight interaction of eEF2 in the presence of Stm1 on ribosome.

The stress-related protein Stm1 interacts with ribosomes, and is implicated in repressing translation. Stm1 was previously studied both in vivo and in vitro by cell-free translation systems using crude yeast lysates, but its precise functional mechanism remains obscure. Using an in vitro reconstituted translation system, we now show that Stm1 severely inhibits translation through its N-terminal region, aa 1 to 107, and this inhibition is antagonized by eEF3.

Plasma mannose level, a putative indicator of glycogenolysis, and glucose tolerance in Japanese individuals.

Aims/introduction: Mannose is a monosaccharide constituent of glycoproteins and glycolipids. Experiments in rats have shown previously that the plasma mannose level decreases after glucose load, but does not decrease in diabetic rats, and that hepatic glycogenolysis is a source of this plasma mannose; however, these results are not fully elucidated in humans. Plasma mannose levels before/after glucose loading in humans with various degrees of glucose intolerance were examined to analyze their association with clinical factors.

Glycols modulate terminator stem stability and ligand-dependency of a glycine riboswitch.

The Bacillus subtilis glycine riboswitch comprises tandem glycine-binding aptamers and a putative terminator stem followed by the gcvT operon. Gene expression is regulated via the sensing of glycine. However, we found that the riboswitch behaves in a "glycine-independent" manner in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and ethylene glycol.