Deubiquitinating enzyme USP36 contains the PEST motif and is polyubiquitinated.

The ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway has been emphasized for the regulation of numerous cellular mechanisms and the significance of deubiquitination, mediated by deubiquitinating (DUB) enzymes, has been emerging as an essential regulatory step to control these cellular mechanisms. Previously, we demonstrated a human DUB enzyme, HeLa DUB-1, expressed in human ovarian cancer cells. Here, we report human USP36, which has the extension of the C-terminal region of HeLa DUB-1 and has conserved amino acid domains as previously shown in other DUBs.

Complementation of temperature tolerance by rat Rgl-1 recessive oncogene in the absence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sop genes.

It has been demonstrated that homozygous mutations at the L(2)gl locus in Drosophila result in the development of tumor in the presumptive adult optic centers of the larval brain and of the imaginal discs. We previously cloned an L(2)gl homologue, Rgl-1, in the rat brain. In this study, we analyzed the capability of Rgl-1 in recovering temperature tolerance in the absence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sop genes, yeast homologues of the Drosophila recessive oncogene Lethal (2) giant larvae.

Differential expression of proteins in rat plasma exposed to benzene.

Benzene, a ubiquitous environmental contaminant, is an important solvent in the chemical industry and is also known as a constituent of petroleum. It has been reported that benzene is associated with hematotoxicity including leukemia in humans and cancer in laboratory animals. To study protein expression alterations in rat plasma exposed to benzene, rats were exposed to levels of 1, 10, 100 ppm benzine for 6 h/day and 5 d/week for 2 or 6 weeks.

Murine Asb-17 expression during mouse testis development and spermatogenesis.

In this study we isolated a murine mAsb-17 from mouse testis by RT-PCR using primers designed based on the sequences from the GenBank database. The sequence analysis showed that mAsb-17 encodes a 295 amino acid polypeptide with a molecular weight of approximately 34 kDa containing two ankyrin repeats and one SOCS box. The amino acid sequence of mASB-17 showed 87.

Cloning and characterization of the catabolite control protein A gene from Bacillus stearothermophilus No. 236.

The gene encoding the catabolite control protein A (CcpA) of Bacillus stearothermophilus No. 236, a strong xylanolytic bacterium, was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of the ccpA gene corresponded to an open reading frame of 1,005 bp that encodes a polypeptide of 334 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 36,902 kDa.

A novel cysteine protease HeLa DUB-1 responsible for cleaving the ubiquitin in human ovarian cancer cells.

The regulation of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation is becoming important for a number of cellular processes. Human HeLa DUB-1 cDNA, encoding a novel deubiquitinating enzyme, was isolated from ovarian cancer cells. It has 1,647 bp nucleotides and encodes a 548 amino acid polypeptide with the molecular weight of approximately 61 kDa.

Elective stenting for symptomatic middle cerebral artery stenosis presenting as transient ischaemic deficits or stroke attacks: short term arteriographical and clinical outcome.

Background: Although stent assisted angioplasty is an effective treatment for coronary and peripheral arterial disease, its efficacy in intracranial arteriosclerotic disease has not been verified.

Objectives: To assess the radiographic and clinical outcome of stent assisted angioplasty for symptomatic middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis.

Methods: We attempted stent assisted angioplasty in 14 patients with symptomatic high grade stenosis (>60%) on the proximal portion of the MCA, who had experienced either recurrent transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) resistant to medical therapy or one or more stroke attacks.

Identification and characterization of a novel inulin binding module (IBM) from the CFTase of Bacillus macerans CFC1.

A novel inulin-binding module (IBM), which was identified from the N-terminal region of the cycloinulinooligosaccharide fructanotransferase (CFTase) in Bacillus macerans CFC1, was characterized using the discrete entity of IBM produced by the recombinant Escherichia coli strains. Deletion analyses located the inulin binding activity in the N-terminal region between 241 and 389 amino acid residues, which was removed from the mature enzyme by processing when secreted from the B. macerans CFC1 cells.

IMUP-1 and IMUP-2 genes are up-regulated in human ovarian epithelial tumors.

Background: Normal cells lose their ability to divide after a finite number of cell divisions. Under the influence of Simian virus 40 (SV 40) large T-antigen, which interacts with the cell cycle regulators p53 and pRb, cells enter a phase of an extended pre-immortalized cells. Immortalization-up-regulated protein 1 (IMUP-1) and immortalization-up-regulated protein 2 (IMUP-2) genes have been recently cloned and are known to be involved in SV40-mediated immortalization.

Cytoprotective effects of heme oxygenase-1 induction by 3-O-caffeoyl-1-methylquinic acid.

The novel antioxidant 3-O-caffeoyl-one-methylquinic acid (MCGA3) is a methyl chlorogenic acid derivative isolated from bamboo leaves. MCGA3 scavenges reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibits lipid peroxidation and xanthine oxidase in vitro. In this study, we evaluated the cytoprotective effect of MCGA3, which occurs via heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) induction in bovine vascular endothelial cells exposed to tert-butylhydroperoxide (tBHP).

DUB-1A, a novel deubiquitinating enzyme subfamily member, is polyubiquitinated and cytokine-inducible in B-lymphocytes.

Recently, we isolated the Dub-2A gene, which encodes a novel murine deubiquitinating enzyme subfamily member, from a bacterial artificial chromosome library clone by PCR amplification with degenerate PCR primers for the Dub-2 cDNA (Baek, K.-H., Mondoux, M.

Identification of anther-specific gene expression from T-DNA tagging rice.

We have screened a total of 5,500 T-DNA tagging rice lines in which beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene sequence was randomly inserted as a transgene into the plant genome. Histochemical GUS assays were carried out to select the T-DNA tagging rice lines that show its expression in anther. Of the tagging lines screened, three lines were found to express GUS specifically in the anther that is about 0.

Effects of 20-hydroxyecdysone and serotonin on neurite growth and survival rate of antennal lobe neurons in pupal stage of the silk moth Bombyx mori in vitro.

Effects of 20-hydroxyecdysone and serotonin on the morphological development and the survival of antennal lobe neurons from day-2 pupal brains of the silk moth Bombyx mori were investigated in vitro. Four morphologically distinct neuronal types could be identified in the cultured antennal lobe neurons: unipolar, bipolar, multi-polar and projection neurons. Antennal lobe neurons in culture with 20-hydroxyecdysone and serotonin showed different patterns of the morphological development from those described in Manduca sexta.

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta is a natural activator of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1).

Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3 beta) is implicated in many biological events, including embryonic development, cell differentiation, apoptosis, and insulin response. GSK3 beta has now been shown to induce activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase MEKK1 and thereby to promote signaling by the stress-activated protein kinase pathway. GSK3 beta-binding protein blocked the activation of MEKK1 by GSK3 beta in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells.

Comparison of responses elicited by immunization with a Legionella species common lipoprotein delivered as naked DNA or recombinant protein.

To evaluate the peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (PAL) antigen of Legionella pneumophila as a vaccine candidate, mice were immunized intramuscularly with pcDNA3-PAL and intraperitoneally with recombinant PAL (t-rPAL), which were compared for their ability to induce PAL-specific immune responses. The t-rPAL protein induced PAL-specific IgG antibody production significantly more than did pcDNA3-PAL. The IgG2a and IgG1 production was predominant after pcDNA3-PAL and t-rPAL administration, respectively.

A dominant antigenic region of the hantaan virus nucleocapsid protein is located within a amino-terminal short stretch of hydrophilic residues.

The nucleocapsid (N) protein of the Hantaan virus (HTNV) is a major viral antigen that induces a strong antibody response during the acute phase of infection. By immunoblot analyses of the recombinant N proteins using human sera of the hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), we have confirmed previous finding by other investigators of the presence of a highly antigenic region near the amino terminus of the HTNV N protein. We have further located the antigenic region within a short stretch of hydrophilic sequences between the 26 and the 46th amino acid residues.

Construction of recombinant swinepox viruses and expression of the classical swine fever virus E2 protein.

To explore the swinepox virus (SPV) as a potential live vector for immunization, a vector was developed for the construction of a recombinant SPV carrying foreign genes. In this system, a foreign gene placed under the strong vaccinia virus promoter P(11) can be inserted into the viral thymidine kinase (TK) gene, and the recombinant virus can be isolated in a non-selective medium by the co-expression of E. coli lacZ gene.