Activation of Ralfuranone/Ralstonin Production by Plant Sugars Functions in the Virulence of .

Plant pathogenic bacteria possess sophisticated mechanisms to detect the presence of host plants by sensing host-derived compounds. , the causative agent of bacterial wilt on solanaceous plants, employs quorum sensing to control the production of the secondary metabolite ralfuranones/ralstonins, which have been suggested to be involved in virulence. Here, we report that d-galactose and d-glucose, plant sugars, activate the production of ralfuranones/ralstonins in .

Identification of a binding protein for sesamin and characterization of its roles in plant growth.

Sesamin is a furofuran-type lignan that is found abundantly in seeds of Sesamum indicum (sesame) and has been widely accepted as a dietary supplement with positive effects on human health. The biological activity of sesamin in human cells and organs has been analysed extensively, although comparatively few studies show biological functions for sesamin in planta. Herein we screened sesamin-binding proteins (SBP) from sesame seedling extracts using sesamin-immobilized nano-beads.

Functional characterization of an invertebrate gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor in the Yesso scallop Mizuhopecten yessoensis.

The neuropeptide control of bivalve reproduction with particular reference to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (invGnRH) is a frontier yet to be investigated. Bivalves are unique because they have two forms of the invGnRH peptide; however, there has been no functional characterization of the peptide-receptor pair. Therefore, the identification of a cognate receptor is a preliminary step toward exploring the biological roles of invGnRHs in bivalves.

Alteration of Membrane Physicochemical Properties by Two Factors for Membrane Protein Integration.

After a nascent chain of a membrane protein emerges from the ribosomal tunnel, the protein is integrated into the cell membrane. This process is controlled by a series of proteinaceous molecular devices, such as signal recognition particles and Sec translocons. In addition to these proteins, we discovered two endogenous components regulating membrane protein integration in the inner membrane of Escherichia coli.

Functional specialization of UDP-glycosyltransferase 73P12 in licorice to produce a sweet triterpenoid saponin, glycyrrhizin.

Glycyrrhizin, a sweet triterpenoid saponin found in the roots and stolons of Glycyrrhiza species (licorice), is an important active ingredient in traditional herbal medicine. We previously identified two cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, CYP88D6 and CYP72A154, that produce an aglycone of glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinic acid, in Glycyrrhiza uralensis. The sugar moiety of glycyrrhizin, which is composed of two glucuronic acids, makes it sweet and reduces its side-effects.

Peptide receptors and immune-related proteins expressed in the digestive system of a urochordate, Ciona intestinalis.

The digestive system is responsible for nutrient intake and defense against pathogenic microbes. Thus, identification of regulatory factors for digestive functions and immune systems is a key step to the verification of the life cycle, homeostasis, survival strategy and evolutionary aspects of an organism. Over the past decade, there have been increasing reports on neuropeptides, their receptors, variable region-containing chitin-binding proteins (VCBPs) and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the ascidian, Ciona intestinalis.

Repertoires of G protein-coupled receptors for -specific neuropeptides.

Neuropeptides play pivotal roles in various biological events in the nervous, neuroendocrine, and endocrine systems, and are correlated with both physiological functions and unique behavioral traits of animals. Elucidation of functional interaction between neuropeptides and receptors is a crucial step for the verification of their biological roles and evolutionary processes. However, most receptors for novel peptides remain to be identified.

Catalytic Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Dehydroamino Acid Esters with Biscarbamate Protection and Its Application to the Synthesis of xCT Inhibitors.

Catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of dehydroamino acid esters with biscarbamate protection was examined for the first time to prepare optically active amino acids. The new method was successfully applied to the synthesis of new cystine-glutamate exchanger inhibitors.

CdsA is involved in biosynthesis of glycolipid MPIase essential for membrane protein integration in vivo.

MPIase is a glycolipid that is involved in membrane protein integration. Despite evaluation of its functions in vitro, the lack of information on MPIase biosynthesis hampered verification of its involvement in vivo. In this study, we found that depletion of CdsA, a CDP-diacylglycerol synthase, caused not only a defect in phospholipid biosynthesis but also MPIase depletion with accumulation of the precursors of both membrane protein M13 coat protein and secretory protein OmpA.

Development of Software for the In-Depth Analysis of Protein Dynamics as Determined by MALDI Mass Spectrometry-Based Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange.

Hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) coupled with pepsin digestion is useful for rapidly analyzing the kinetic properties of small amounts of protein. However, the analysis of HDX by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) is time-consuming due to a lack of dedicated software. Currently available software programs mainly calculate average mass shifts, even though the isotopic distribution width contains information regarding multiple protein conformations.

Imaging Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Flavonoids in Blue Viola Petals and Their Enclosure Effects on Violanin during Color Expression.

The color expression of anthocyanin pigments in blue flowers is precisely controlled by their chemical and physical properties such as pH and the presence of metal ions or colorless copigments. Despite the large number of known blue flowers, their coloration mechanisms have not been examined in sufficient detail. In this work, the blue coloration of Viola cornuta petals was expressed via the copigmentation of various flavonol 3- O-glycosides.

A hidden link between leaf development and senescence.

Leaf senescence is the final step of leaf development and is usually accompanied by visible color changes from green to yellow or brown. Unlike the senescence of the whole body of animals and unicellular organisms, which is often associated with death, leaf senescence in plants requires highly integrative processes towards cell death with nutrient recycling and storage. Since leaf senescence plays pivotal roles in the production of plant biomass and grain yield, the mechanisms of degradation and relocation of macromolecules as well as the regulation of signaling and biosynthetic pathways have received much attention.

Isolation and Identification of a Volatile Compound in Habanero Pepper (Capsicum chinense).

A volatile compound was isolated from the fruit of Habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense) and related varieties and identified as 6-methyl-(E)-4-heptenyl 3-methylbutyrate by H and C NMR spectroscopy and two-dimensional NMR experiments, including HMQC, HMBC, and H-H COSY. The compound has a retention index of 1387 and is one of the major volatile compounds in Habanero pepper. This compound would be useful as a new flavor.

Intercalation-enhanced "Click" Crosslinking of DNA.

DNA-DNA cross-linking agents constitute an important family of chemotherapeutics that non-specifically react with endogenous nucleophiles and therefore exhibit undesirable side effects. Here we report a cationic Sondheimer diyne derivative "DiMOC" that exhibits weak, reversible intercalation into duplex DNA (K =15 μm) where it undergoes tandem strain-promoted cross-linking of azide-containing DNA to give DNA-DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) with an exceptionally high apparent rate constant k =2.1×10  m  s .

Organoids for Drug Discovery and Personalized Medicine.

A wide variety of organs are in a dynamic state, continuously undergoing renewal as a result of constant growth and differentiation. Stem cells are required during these dynamic events for continuous tissue maintenance within the organs. In a steady state of production and loss of cells within these tissues, new cells are constantly formed by differentiation from stem cells.

Syntheses and Activities of the Functional Structures of a Glycolipid Essential for Membrane Protein Integration.

MPIase is the first known glycolipid that is essential for membrane protein integration in the inner membrane of E. coli. Since the amount of natural MPIase available for analysis is limited and it contains structural heterogeneity, precisely designed synthetic derivatives are promising tools for further elucidation of its membrane protein integration mechanism.

Identification and Characterization of Novel Nemophila menziesii Flavone Glucosyltransferases that Catalyze Biosynthesis of Flavone 7,4'-O-Diglucoside, a Key Component of Blue Metalloanthocyanins.

The brilliant blue color of the Nemophila menziesii flower is derived from metalloanthocyanin, which consists of anthocyanin {petunidin 3-O-[6-O-(trans-p-coumaroyl)-β-glucoside]-5-O-[6-O-(malonyl)-β-glucoside]}, flavone [apigenin 7-O-β-glucoside-4'-O-(6-O-malonyl)-O-β-glucoside] and metal ions (Mg2+, Fe3+). Although the two glucosyl moieties at the apigenin 7-O and 4'-O positions are essential for metalloanthocyanin formation, the mechanism of glucosylation has not yet been clarified. In this study, we used crude protein extract prepared from N.

In Vivo Incorporation of Azide Groups into DNA by Using Membrane-Permeable Nucleotide Triesters.

Metabolic incorporation of bioorthogonal functional groups into cellular nucleic acids can be impeded by insufficient phosphorylation of nucleosides. Previous studies found that 5azidomethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (AmdU) was incorporated into the DNA of HeLa cells expressing a low-fidelity thymidine kinase, but not by wild-type HeLa cells. Here we report that membrane-permeable phosphotriester derivatives of AmdU can exhibit enhanced incorporation into the DNA of wild-type cells and animals.

Author Correction: Oxidative rearrangement of (+)-sesamin by CYP92B14 co-generates twin dietary lignans in sesame.

The original version of of the Supplementary Information associated with this Article inadvertently omitted oligonucleotide primer sequences from Supplementary Table 3 and Supplementary Methods describing the molecular cloning of CYP92B14, CPR1 and CYP81Q cDNA fragments. The HTML has been updated to include a corrected version of the Supplementary Information.

piRNA-like small RNAs are responsible for the maternal-specific knockdown in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis Type A.

The mRNAs stored in eggs are crucial for embryogenesis. To address functions of maternal mRNAs, we recently reported the novel method MASK (maternal mRNA-specific knockdown), which we used to specifically knockdown maternal transcripts in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis Type A. In MASK, the cis element of a maternal gene is fused with eGFP or Kaede reporter gene, and the cassette is introduced into Ciona genome by transposon-mediated transgenesis.

The Coordinated Activities of nAChR and Wnt Signaling Regulate Intestinal Stem Cell Function in Mice.

Cholinergic signaling, which modulates cell activities via nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (n- and mAChRs) in response to internal or external stimuli, has been demonstrated in mammalian non-neuronal cells that synthesize acetylcholine (ACh). One of the major pathways of excitatory transmission in the enteric nervous system (ENS) is mediated by cholinergic transmission, with the transmitter ACh producing excitatory potentials in postsynaptic effector cells. In addition to ACh-synthesizing and ACh-metabolizing elements in the ENS, the presence of non-neuronal ACh machinery has been reported in epithelial cells of the small and large intestines of rats and humans.

Isolation of proanthocyanidins from red wine, and their inhibitory effects on melanin synthesis in vitro.

The red wines made from Vitis vinifera were identified as skin-whitening effectors by using in vitro assays. OPCs in the wine were evaluated for tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis. Strong tyrosinase inhibitory activity was observed in fractions with high oligomeric proanthocyanidin (OPC) content.

Oxidative rearrangement of (+)-sesamin by CYP92B14 co-generates twin dietary lignans in sesame.

(+)-Sesamin, (+)-sesamolin, and (+)-sesaminol glucosides are phenylpropanoid-derived specialized metabolites called lignans, and are rich in sesame (Sesamum indicum) seed. Despite their renowned anti-oxidative and health-promoting properties, the biosynthesis of (+)-sesamolin and (+)-sesaminol remained largely elusive. Here we show that (+)-sesamolin deficiency in sesame is genetically associated with the deletion of four C-terminal amino acids (Del4C) in a P450 enzyme CYP92B14 that constitutes a novel clade separate from sesamin synthase CYP81Q1.