An analysis of the concentration change of intermediate metabolites by gene manipulation in fatty acid biosynthesis.

In this report, concentration of malonic acid and acetic acid produced in Escherichia coli were investigated by the expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase genes (accs) and a malonyl-CoA:ACP transacylase gene (fabD). Both malonyl-CoA and acetyl-CoA are essential intermediate metabolites in the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway, and are reversibly transformed to malonic acid and acetic acid, respectively in the cell. Acetyl-CoA is converted to malonic-CoA by acetyl-CoA carboxylases (Accs), which are composed of 3 different subunits (AccA, AccB, and AccC), and the resulting malonyl-CoA is then converted to malonyl-[acp] by malonyl-CoA:ACP transacylase (FabD).

Establishment, present condition, and developmental direction of the new Korean healthcare accreditation system.

On July 23rd, 2010 a revised medical law (Article 58) was passed to change existing evaluation system of medical institutions to an accreditation system. The new healthcare accreditation system was introduced to encourage medical institutions to work voluntarily and continuously to improve patient safety and medical service quality. Changes regarding the healthcare accreditation system included the establishment of an accreditation agency, the voluntary participation of medical institutions, accreditation standards centering on the treatment process and patient safety, tracing methodology, and the announcement of comprehensive results concerning accreditation.

Old antibiotics target TB with a new trick.

Autophagy is now recognized as a cellular defense mechanism that can restrict the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Kim et al. (2012) demonstrate that antibiotics routinely used to treat Mtb infection elicit a host autophagy response critical for bacterial clearance.

Improved production of long-chain fatty acid in Escherichia coli by an engineering elongation cycle during fatty acid synthesis (FAS) through genetic manipulation.

The microbial biosynthesis of fatty acid of lipid metabolism, which can be used as precursors for the production of fuels of chemicals from renewable carbon sources, has attracted significant attention in recent years. The regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis pathways has been mainly studied in a model prokaryote, Escherichia coli. During the recent period, global regulation of fatty acid metabolic pathways has been demonstrated in another model prokaryote, Bacillus subtilis, as well as in Streptococcus pneumonia.

Regulation of progranulin expression in human microglia and proteolysis of progranulin by matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12).

Background: The essential role of progranulin (PGRN) as a neurotrophic factor has been demonstrated by the discovery that haploinsufficiency due to GRN gene mutations causes frontotemporal lobar dementia. In addition to neurons, microglia in vivo express PGRN, but little is known about the regulation of PGRN expression by microglia.

Goal: In the current study, we examined the regulation of expression and function of PGRN, its proteolytic enzyme macrophage elastase (MMP-12), as well as the inhibitor of PGRN proteolysis, secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), in human CNS cells.

Trp-tRNA synthetase bridges DNA-PKcs to PARP-1 to link IFN-γ and p53 signaling.

Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) engenders strong antiproliferative responses, in part through activation of p53. However, the long-known IFN-γ-dependent upregulation of human Trp-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS), a cytoplasmic enzyme that activates tryptophan to form Trp-AMP in the first step of protein synthesis, is unexplained. Here we report a nuclear complex of TrpRS with the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs) and with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1), the major PARP in human cells.

Three-dimensional electrospun poly(lactide-co-ɛ-caprolactone) for small-diameter vascular grafts.

Nanofibers have been applied to tissue engineering scaffolds because fiber diameters are of the same scale as the physical structure of protein fibrils in the native extracellular matrix. In this study, we utilized cell matrix engineering combined with cell sheet matrix and electrospinning technologies. We studied small-diameter vascular grafts in vitro by seeding smooth muscle cells onto electrospun poly(lactide-co-ɛ-caprolactone) (PLCL) scaffolds, culturing and constructing a three-dimensional network.

Heterologous co-expression of accA, fabD, and thioesterase genes for improving long-chain fatty acid production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli.

The goal of the present study was to increase the content of intracellular long-chain fatty acids in two bacterial strains, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 and Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655, by co-overexpressing essential enzymes that are involved in the fatty acid synthesis metabolic pathway. Recently, microbial fatty acids and their derivatives have been receiving increasing attention as an alternative source of fuel. By introducing two genes (accA and fabD) of P.

The activation of CD99 inhibits cell-extracellular matrix adhesion by suppressing β(1) integrin affinity.

CD99 is known to be involved in the regulation of cell-cell adhesion. However, it remains unclear whether CD99 controls cell-extracellular matrix adhesion. In this study, the effects of CD99 activation on cell-extracellular matrix adhesion were investigated.

Efficacy of testicular sperm chromatin condensation assay using aniline blue-eosin staining in the IVF-ET cycle.

Objective: This study was performed to evaluate testicular sperm chromatin condensation using aniline blue-eosin (AB-E) staining and its effects on IVF-ET.

Methods: Chromatin condensation was analyzed using AB-E staining in 27 cases of testicular sperm extraction. There were 19 cases of obstructive azoospermia (OA) and 8 cases of non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) in IVF-ET.

Genetic association study of a single nucleotide polymorphism of kallikrein-related peptidase 2 with male infertility.

Objective: To investigate a kallikrein-related peptidase 2 (KLK2) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in relation to male infertility because of its role in semen processing. We investigated the genetic association of the KLK2+255G>A genotype with male infertility.

Methods: We genotyped the SNP site located in intron 1 (+255G>A, rs2664155) of KLK2 from 218 men with male infertility (cases) and 220 fertile males (controls).

Runx2 protein stabilizes hypoxia-inducible factor-1α through competition with von Hippel-Lindau protein (pVHL) and stimulates angiogenesis in growth plate hypertrophic chondrocytes.

The regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) during endochondral bone formation is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the cross-talk between HIF-1α and Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) in the growth plate. Runx2 caused the accumulation of HIF-1α protein in ATDC5 chondrocytes and HEK293 cells under normoxic conditions.

A single-atom transistor.

The ability to control matter at the atomic scale and build devices with atomic precision is central to nanotechnology. The scanning tunnelling microscope can manipulate individual atoms and molecules on surfaces, but the manipulation of silicon to make atomic-scale logic circuits has been hampered by the covalent nature of its bonds. Resist-based strategies have allowed the formation of atomic-scale structures on silicon surfaces, but the fabrication of working devices-such as transistors with extremely short gate lengths, spin-based quantum computers and solitary dopant optoelectronic devices-requires the ability to position individual atoms in a silicon crystal with atomic precision.

Polysaccharide isolated from Triticum aestivum stimulates insulin release from pancreatic cells via the ATP-sensitive K+ channel.

Traditional natural plants have been used throughout the world for their antidiabetic effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the stimulating activity of a polysaccharide extract derived from T. aestivum sprout (TASP) on insulin secretion in vitro using the RIN-5F pancreatic β-cell line and rat pancreatic islets.

Mycobacterial induction of autophagy varies by species and occurs independently of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibition.

The interaction of host cells with mycobacteria is complex and can lead to multiple outcomes ranging from bacterial clearance to latent infection. Although many factors are involved, the mammalian autophagy pathway is recognized as a determinant that can influence the course of infection. Intervention aimed at utilizing autophagy to clear infection requires an examination of the autophagy and signal transduction induced by mycobacteria under native conditions.

Differential use of CCR5 by HIV-1 clinical isolates resistant to small-molecule CCR5 antagonists.

How HIV-1 resistant to small-molecule CCR5 antagonists uses the coreceptor for entry has been studied in a limited number of isolates. We characterized dependence on the N terminus (NT) and the second extracellular loop (ECL2) of CCR5 of three vicriviroc (VCV)-resistant clinical isolates broadly cross-resistant to other CCR5 antagonists. Pseudoviruses were constructed to assess CCR5 use by VCV-sensitive and -resistant envelopes of subtype B and C viruses.

Interferon regulatory factor 3 plays an anti-inflammatory role in microglia by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway.

Background: Microglia are the principal cells involved in the innate immune response in the CNS. Activated microglia produce a number of proinflammatory cytokines implicated in neurotoxicity but they also are a major source of anti-inflammatory cytokines, antiviral proteins and growth factors. Therefore, an immune therapy aiming at suppressing the proinflammatory phenotype while enhancing the anti-inflammatory, growth promoting phenotype would be of great benefit.

Interferon regulatory factor 3 inhibits astrocyte inflammatory gene expression through suppression of the proinflammatory miR-155 and miR-155*.

Astrocytes, together with microglia and macrophages, participate in innate inflammatory responses in the CNS. Although inflammatory mediators such as interferons generated by astrocytes may be critical in the defense of the CNS, sustained unopposed cytokine signaling could result in harmful consequences. Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) is a transcription factor required for IFNβ production and antiviral immunity.

Development of Escherichia coli MG1655 strains to produce long chain fatty acids by engineering fatty acid synthesis (FAS) metabolism.

The goal of this research was to develop recombinant Escherichia coli to improve fatty acid synthesis (FAS). Genes encoding acetyl-CoA carboxylase (accA, accB, accC), malonyl-CoA-[acyl-carrier-protein] transacylase (fabD), and acyl-acyl carrier protein thioesterase (EC 3.1.

Efficiency of peptide nucleic acid-directed PCR clamping and its application in the investigation of natural diets of the Japanese eel leptocephali.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-clamping using blocking primer and DNA-analogs, such as peptide nucleotide acid (PNA), may be used to selectively amplify target DNA for molecular diet analysis. We investigated PCR-clamping efficiency by studying PNA position and mismatch with complementary DNA by designing PNAs at five different positions on the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer 1 of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica in association with intra-specific nucleotide substitutions. All five PNAs were observed to efficiently inhibit amplification of a fully complementary DNA template.

In silico study of the ion channel formed by tolaasin I produced by Pseudomonas tolaasii.

A toxin produced by Pseudomonas tolaasii, tolaasin, causes brown blotch disease in mushrooms. Tolaasin forms pores on the cellular membrane and destroys cell structure. Inhibiting the ability of tolaasin to form ion channels may be an effective method to protect against attack by tolaasin.

New centromeric component CENP-W is an RNA-associated nuclear matrix protein that interacts with nucleophosmin/B23 protein.

CENP-W was originally identified as a putative oncogene, cancer-upregulated gene 2 (CUG2) that was commonly up-regulated in many cancer tissues. Recently, CENP-W has also been identified as a new centromeric component that interacts with CENP-T. As a complex with CENP-T, CENP-W plays crucial roles in assembly of the functional kinetochore complex.

[Monitoring the use of health-related quality of life measurements in Korean studies of patients with diabetes].

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to monitor the use of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instruments in Korean studies of patients with diabetes.

Methods: Of 86 Korean studies initially identified, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. For each study, a description of the instrument and its psychometric properties were monitored by the Instrument Review Criteria of the Scientific Advisory Committee.

High cell surface death receptor expression determines type I versus type II signaling.

Previous studies have suggested that there are two signaling pathways leading from ligation of the Fas receptor to induction of apoptosis. Type I signaling involves Fas ligand-induced recruitment of large amounts of FADD (FAS-associated death domain protein) and procaspase 8, leading to direct activation of caspase 3, whereas type II signaling involves Bid-mediated mitochondrial perturbation to amplify a more modest death receptor-initiated signal. The biochemical basis for this dichotomy has previously been unclear.