Utilization of soybeans and their components through the development of textured soy protein foods.

Textured soy protein (TSP), an extruded and fibrous-structured product, is mainly used as meat analog or extender. Meat alternatives are third in sales in the U.S.

Utilization of okara, a byproduct from soymilk production, through the development of soy-based snack food.

This study was conducted to develop a new soy-based food product that could utilize okara (a byproduct from soymilk production) and maximize the health benefits of okara for the consumer. A Japanese commercial okara snack product was used as a standard reference. Two types of dried okara powder, a commercially dried okara powder with 7.

Generation of the basis sets for multi-Gaussian ultrasonic beam models--an overview.

By using a small number of Gaussian basis functions, one can synthesize the wave fields radiated from planar and focused piston transducers in the form of a superposition of Gaussian beams. Since Gaussian beams can be transmitted through complex geometries and media, such multi-Gaussian beam models have become powerful simulation tools. In previous studies the basis function expansion coefficients of multi-Gaussian beam models have been obtained by both spatial domain and k-space domain methods.

Refinement of NMR-determined protein structures with database derived distance constraints.

The protein structures determined by NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy) are not as detailed and accurate as those by X-ray crystallography and are often underdetermined due to the inadequate distance data available from NMR experiments. The uses of NMR-determined structures in such important applications as homology modeling and rational drug design have thus been severely limited. Here we show that with the increasing numbers of high quality protein structures being determined, a computational approach to enhancing the accuracy of the NMR-determined structures becomes possible by deriving additional distance constraints from the distributions of the distances in databases of known protein structures.

Wild-type alpha-synuclein interacts with pro-apoptotic proteins PKCdelta and BAD to protect dopaminergic neuronal cells against MPP+-induced apoptotic cell death.

Alpha-synuclein is a pre-synaptic protein of unknown function that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Recently, we demonstrated that 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) induces caspase-3-dependent proteolytic activation of PKCdelta, which subsequently contributes to neuronal apoptotic cell death in mesencephalic dopaminergic neuronal cells. In the present study, we examined whether PKCdelta interacts with alpha-synuclein to modulate MPP+-induced dopaminergic degeneration.

Caspase-3 dependent proteolytic activation of protein kinase C delta mediates and regulates 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-induced apoptotic cell death in dopaminergic cells: relevance to oxidative stress in dopaminergic degeneration.

1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), the neurotoxic metabolite of MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine), induces apoptosis in dopaminergic neurons; however, the cellular mechanisms underlying the degenerative process are not well understood. In the present study, we demonstrate that caspase-3 mediated proteolytic activation of protein kinase C delta (PKC delta) is critical in MPP+-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis. MPP+ exposure in rat dopaminergic neuronal cells resulted in time-dependent increases in reactive oxygen species generation, cytochrome c release, and caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation.

Caspase-3-dependent proteolytic cleavage of protein kinase Cdelta is essential for oxidative stress-mediated dopaminergic cell death after exposure to methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl.

In the present study, we characterized oxidative stress-dependent cellular events in dopaminergic cells after exposure to an organic form of manganese compound, methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT). In pheochromocytoma cells, MMT exposure resulted in rapid increase in generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within 5--15 min, followed by release of mitochondrial cytochrome C into cytoplasm and subsequent activation of cysteine proteases, caspase-9 (twofold to threefold) and caspase-3 (15- to 25-fold), but not caspase-8, in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, we also found that MMT exposure induces a time- and dose-dependent proteolytic cleavage of native protein kinase Cdelta (PKCdelta, 72-74 kDa) to yield 41 kDa catalytically active and 38 kDa regulatory fragments.

On-line identification of diastereomeric dibenzo[a,l]pyrene diol epoxide-derived deoxyadenosine adducts by capillary electrophoresis-fluorescence line-narrowing and non-line narrowing spectroscopy.

A capillary electrophoretic method for the separation and on-line identification of closely related analytes using low-temperature fluorescence spectroscopy is reported for the eight diastereomeric deoxyadenosine (dA) adducts derived from dibenzo[a,l]pyrene diol epoxide (DB[a,l]PDE). Electrophoretic separation of stereoisomers was accomplished by application of a mixed surfactant buffer [dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS) and Brij-S], which was below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) due to the high concentration (approximately 25%) of organic solvent. Addition of multiple surfactant additives to the separation buffer provided electrophoretic resolution, which was unattainable under single surfactant conditions.