Identification and characterization of protein interactions with the major Niemann-Pick type C disease protein in yeast reveals pathways of therapeutic potential.

Niemann-Pick type C (NP-C) disease is a rare lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in NPC1 (95% cases) or NPC2 (5% cases). These proteins function together in cholesterol egress from the lysosome, whereby upon mutation, cholesterol and other lipids accumulate causing major pathologies. However, it is not fully understood how cholesterol is transported from NPC1 residing at the lysosomal membrane to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membrane.

Labelling of eicosapentaenoic acid with stable isotope C in the marine bacterium Shewanella marinintestina.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid that plays a critical role in marine life. It is present in several marine animals, including fish, but the primary producers of EPA are phytoplankton and specific marine bacteria. Although most of the EPA present in marine animals come from phytoplankton, the bacterial input into the marine EPA food web is still unknown.

Neuroprotective activity of new Δ3-N-acylethanolamines in a focal ischemia stroke model.

N-acylethanolamines (NAE, also called ethanolamides) are significant lipid signaling molecules with anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, cell-protective, and anticancer properties. Here, we present the use of a hitherto unreported group of Δ3-NAE and also some Δ4- and Δ5-NAE, in in vitro and in vivo assays to gain a better understanding of their structure-bioactivity relationships. We have developed an efficient synthetic method to rapidly produce novel unlabeled and C-labeled Δ3-NAE (NAE-18:5n-3, NAE-18:4n-6) and Δ4-NAE (NAE-22:5n-6).

Factors affecting levels of volatile 4-alkyl branched-chain fatty acids in sheep milk from 2 contrasting farming systems in New Zealand.

Knowledge of factors influencing the levels of 4-alkyl branched-chain fatty acid (vBCFA), and consequently the "sheepy flavor" intensity of New Zealand sheep milk, is currently limited. In this study, we investigated the effects of 2 contrasting farming systems (fully housed/mid-lactation or pasture-grazed/late lactation) on the levels of vBCFA in sheep milk on a commercial farm in the North Island of New Zealand. Fully housed/mid-lactation ewes were housed 24 h/d and fed a total mixed ration.

A new symbiotic nanoarchaeote (Candidatus Nanoclepta minutus) and its host (Zestosphaera tikiterensis gen. nov., sp. nov.) from a New Zealand hot spring.

Three thermophilic Nanoarchaeota-Crenarchaeota symbiotic systems have been described. We obtained another stable anaerobic enrichment culture at 80°C, pH 6.0 from a New Zealand hot spring.

Phospholipids of New Zealand Edible Brown Algae.

Edible brown algae have attracted interest as a source of beneficial allenic carotenoid fucoxanthin, and glyco- and phospholipids enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Unlike green algae, brown algae contain no or little phosphatidylserine, possessing an unusual aminophospholipid, phosphatidyl-O-[N-(2-hydroxyethyl) glycine], PHEG, instead. When our routinely used technique of P-NMR analysis of phospholipids was applied to the samples of edible New Zealand brown algae, a number of signals corresponding to unidentified phosphorus-containing compounds were observed in total lipids.

Normalization of Hepatic Homeostasis in the Mouse Model of Niemann-Pick Type C Disease Treated with the Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Vorinostat.

Niemann-Pick type C (NP-C) disease is a fatal genetic lipidosis for which there is no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapy. Vorinostat, an FDA-approved inhibitor of histone deacetylases, ameliorates lysosomal lipid accumulation in cultured NP-C patient fibroblasts. To assess the therapeutic potential of histone deacetylase inhibition, we pursued these observations in two murine models of NP-C disease.

Absolute Stereochemistry of 1,2-Diols from Lipids of Thermomicrobia.

1,2-Diol based phospholipids are a well-known feature of bacteria from the class Thermomicrobia. Since these bacteria contain only lipids with an alkyldiol-1-phosphate backbone instead of sn-glycero-3-phosphate, it is important to elucidate the stereochemistry of the 1,2-diols. We have studied the absolute stereochemistry of long-chain 1,2-diols isolated from Thermorudis pharmacophila (formerly known as Thermomicrobia sp.

Thermorudis pharmacophila sp. nov., a novel member of the class Thermomicrobia isolated from geothermal soil, and emended descriptions of Thermomicrobium roseum, Thermomicrobium carboxidum, Thermorudis peleae and Sphaerobacter thermophilus.

An aerobic, thermophilic and cellulolytic bacterium, designated strain WKT50.2T, was isolated from geothermal soil at Waikite, New Zealand. Strain WKT50.

Efficient Separation and Analysis of Triacylglycerols: Quantitation of β-Palmitate (OPO) in Oils and Infant Formulas.

A high-efficiency, convenient, and reliable method for the separation of structurally similar triacylglycerols is detailed and applied in the quantitative analysis of 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol (OPO) in infant formulas and OPO oils. OPO is an important lipid component in "humanized" infant formula. A fast preparative isolation of an OPO-containing fraction from the crude complex mixture, by nonaqueous reversed phase HPLC, followed by Ag(+)-HPLC with detection at 205 nm allowed fine separation and detection of the desired fraction.

Limisphaera ngatamarikiensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a thermophilic, pink-pigmented coccus isolated from subaqueous mud of a geothermal hotspring.

A novel bacterial strain, NGM72.4(T), was isolated from a hot spring in the Ngatamariki geothermal field, New Zealand. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences grouped it into the phylum Verrucomicrobia and class level group 3 (also known as OPB35 soil group).

Novel long-chain diol phospholipids from some bacteria belonging to the class Thermomicrobia.

Polar lipids of bacteria from the class Thermomicrobia are known to contain long-chain 1,2-diols instead of glycerol, although the nature of polar head groups has not been investigated. We have studied phospholipid classes of two species from the class Thermomicrobia-Sphaerobacter thermophilus and Thermomicrobia sp. WKT50.

The identification and quantification of phospholipids from Thermus and Meiothermus bacteria.

Structural identities of the major phospholipid (PL-2), minor phospholipid (PL-1) and trace phospholipid (PL-0) from representative strains of the genera Thermus and Meiothermus were established. Phospholipids were quantified using phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance ((31)P-NMR). The structures of the major phospholipid (PL-2) from Thermus filiformis MOK14.

Discovery of lipids from B. longum subsp. infantis using whole cell MALDI analysis.

Bifidobacteria are dominant members of the microbial community in the intestinal tract of infants, and studies have shown that glycolipids extracted from the cell surface of these bacteria elicit beneficial immune responses. Accordingly, the identification and structural characterization of glycolipids from the cell wall of bifidobacteria is the first step in correlating glycolipid structure with biological activity. Using whole cell MALDI as a screening tool, we herein present for the first time the identification and structural elucidation of the major polar lipids from Bifidobacterium longum subs.

Paenibacillus darwinianus sp. nov., isolated from gamma-irradiated Antarctic soil.

A novel bacterium, strain Br(T), was isolated from gamma-irradiated soils of the Britannia drift, Lake Wellman Region, Antarctica. This isolate was rod-shaped, endospore forming, Gram-stain-variable, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative and strictly aerobic. Cells possessed a monotrichous flagellum.

Thermoflavifilum aggregans gen. nov., sp. nov., a thermophilic and slightly halophilic filamentous bacterium from the phylum Bacteroidetes.

A strictly aerobic, thermophilic, moderately acidophilic, non-spore-forming bacterium, strain P373(T), was isolated from geothermally heated soil at Waikite, New Zealand. Cells were filamentous rods, 0.2-0.

Isolation and structural characterisation of the major glycolipids from Lactobacillus plantarum.

To date, the structures of the glycolipids from Lactobacillus plantarum, a commonly used beneficial probiotic, have not been conclusively assigned. Herein, we report for the first time, the full characterisation of the four principal glycolipids of the L. plantarum cell wall using sugar, linkage and FAME analysis, as well as ESI-MS/MS and 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, and assign the major glycolipids as being: α-D-Glcp-diglyceride, α-D-Galp-(1→2)-α-D-Glcp-diglyceride, β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Galp-(1→2)-6-O-acyl-α-D-Glcp-diglyceride and β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Galp-(1→2)-α-D-Glcp-diglyceride.

Chthonomonas calidirosea gen. nov., sp. nov., an aerobic, pigmented, thermophilic micro-organism of a novel bacterial class, Chthonomonadetes classis nov., of the newly described phylum Armatimonadetes originally designated candidate division OP10.

An aerobic, saccharolytic, obligately thermophilic, motile, non-spore-forming bacterium, strain T49(T), was isolated from geothermally heated soil at Hell's Gate, Tikitere, New Zealand. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, T49(T) is the first representative of a new class in the newly described phylum Armatimonadetes, formerly known as candidate division OP10. Cells of strain T49(T) stained Gram-negative and were catalase-positive and oxidase-negative.