Chlorella starch branching enzyme II (BEII) can complement the function of BEIIb in rice endosperm.

In monocots, starch branching enzyme II (BEII) was functionally differentiated into BEIIa and BEIIb after separation from the dicots, and in cereals BEIIb plays a distinct role in amylopectin biosynthesis in the endosperm. The present study was conducted to examine to what extent a green algal BEII has an overlapping function with BEIIb in starch biosynthesis by introducing the Chlorella BEII gene into an amylose-extender (ae) mutant of rice. Chlorella BEII was found to complement the contribution of the rice endosperm BEIIb to the structures of amylopectin and starch granules because these mutated phenotypes were recovered almost completely to those of the wild type by the expression of Chlorella BEII.

Variation in storage alpha-glucans of the Porphyridiales (Rhodophyta).

Storage glucans were analyzed in the Porphyridiales which include the most primitive and phylogenetically diverged species in the Rhodophyta, to understand early evolution of the glucan structure in the Rhodophyta. The storage glucans of both Galdieria sulphuraria and Cyanidium caldarium consisted of glycogen, while those of Rhodosorus marinus, Porphyridium purpureum, P. sordidum and Rhodella violacea could be defined as semi-amylopectin.

Agitated depression successfully treated with electroconvulsive therapy combined with steroid cover in a patient with Addison's disease.

We report the case of a 70-year-old man with Addison's disease who developed severe agitated depression resulting in life-threatening medical conditions. The depression was treated safely with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) combined with steroid cover. Administration of steroid cover just before each ECT session may increase safety of the ECT procedure in psychiatric patients with Addison's disease.

Granule-bound starch synthase cDNA in Chlorella kessleri 11 h: cloning and regulation of expression by CO(2) concentration.

The cDNA for the granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS; ADP-glucose-starch glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.