Showagakuin Junior College

Crops that exhibit symptoms of calcium (Ca) deficiency constitute a major agricultural problem. Molecular breeding of resistant cultivars is a promising method for overcoming this problem. However, the involved genes must first be identified. Here, we show that the glucan synthase-like (GSL) 1 gene is essential for low-Ca tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. GSL1 is homologous to GSL10, which we previously showed was essential for low-Ca tolerance. Under low-Ca conditions, gsl1 mutants exhibit reduced growth and the onset of necrosis in new leaves. These symptoms are typical of Ca-deficient crops. A grafting experiment suggested that the shoot genotype, but not the root genotype, was important for the suppression of shoot necrosis. The ectopic accumulation of callose under low-Ca conditions was significantly reduced in gsl1 mutants compared with wild-type plants. Because the corresponding single-mutant phenotypes are similar, we investigated the interaction between GSL1 and GSL10 by testing the gsl1 gsl10 double mutant for sensitivity to low-Ca conditions. The double mutant exhibited a more severe phenotype than did the single mutants, indicating that the effects of GSL1 and GSL10 on low-Ca tolerance are additive. Because GSL genes are highly conserved within the plant kingdom, the GSL loci may be useful for breeding low-Ca tolerant crops.

The alpha-dicarbonyl compounds formed in the degradation of glucose and fructose were analyzed by HPLC using 2,3-diaminonaphthalene as derivatizing reagent, and identified as glucosone (GLUCO), 3-deoxyglucosone (3DG), 3-deoxyxylosone (3DX), tetrosone (TSO), triosone (TRIO), 3-deoxytetrosone (3DT), glyoxal (GO), and methylglyoxal (MGO). The results suggest that alpha-dicarbonyl compounds were formed from glucose via non-oxidative 3-deoxyglucosone formation and oxidative glucosone formation in glucose degradation. In addition, TRIO, GO, and MGO were also formed from glyceraldehyde as intermediate. The alpha-dicarbonyl compounds might be formed from glucose via these pathways in diabetes.

Glyceraldehyde (GLA) was determined in glucose degradation and glycation. GLA was detected as a decahydroacridine-1,8-dione derivative on reversed phase HPLC using cyclohexane-1,3-dione derivatizing reagent. The glucose-derived GLA level was higher than the glycation-derived GLA level, because GLA was converted to intermediates and advanced glycation end products (AGE) in glycation. GLA was also generated from 3-deoxyglucosone and glucosone as intermediates of glucose degradation and glycation. This study suggests that glyceraldehyde is generated by hyperglycemia in diabetes, and that it is also formed in medicines such as peritoneal dialysis solution.

Objective: One of the most powerful medications that have very broad aspects of clinical application are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). We use SSRI as a first choice agents in treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders and some anxiety disordes. Objective: To analyze the outcome of treatment of adolescent depresion with SSRI’s, considering the age group, disorder categories, response to treatment and side effects. Methods: A retrospective epidemiological investigation was conducted by means of medical records for all adolescent treated with sertraline during six months period at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Belgrade. The clinical response to treatment was rated by Beck Depression Inventory and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Results: 5 boys and 10 girls (mean age 15.7) were treated with sertraline during the first episode of depression; administred doses were 50–75 mg per day. 86% of patients improved, 10% droped out because of economic reasons, and 4% experienced side affects (nausea, vomiting, headache). Conclusion: Sertraline is potent, safe and effective in the treatment of young people with first episode of depression.KeywordsAttention Deficit Hyperactivity DisorderAnorexia NervosaOppositional Defiant DisorderAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder SymptomInternet AddictionThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system catalyses the immediate destruction of misfolded or impaired proteins generated in cells, but how this proteolytic machinery recognizes abnormality of cellular proteins for selective elimination remains elusive. Here, we report that the C-terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein (CHIP) with a U-box domain is an E3 ubiquitin-ligase collaborating with molecular chaperones Hsp90 and Hsc70. Thermally denatured firefly luciferase was multiubiquitylated by CHIP in the presence of E1 and E2 (Ubc4 or UbcH5c) in vitro, only when the unfolded substrate was captured by Hsp90 or Hsc70 and Hsp40. No ubiquitylating activity was detected in CHIP lacking the U-box region. CHIP efficiently ubiquitylated denatured luciferase trapped by the C-terminal region of Hsp90, which contains a CHIP binding site. CHIP also showed self-ubiquitylating activity independent of target ubiquitylation. Our results indicate that CHIP can be regarded as 'a quality-control E3' that selectively ubiquitylates unfolded protein(s) by collaborating with molecular chaperones.

微生物生成多糖ジェランガム水溶液のゲル化メカニズムとその食品への応用について研究した。ジェランガム水溶液は温度の低下にともないゲル化するが，そのゲル化性は食塩や庶糖の添加により促進される。ジェランガムは現在ゼリー類やジャム類，フィリング等として，多くの食品へ応用されており，さらに最近マイクロゲル用いた新しい利用法も開発されている。

東京近郊都市部におけるマヨネーズ, 食用油 (サラダ油, 天ぷら油, ごま油) の流通期間の季節変化に関し, 1982年3月から1983年2月にかけて, 主として千葉県市川市近辺に在住する栄養専門学校学生の家庭で購入した製品について調査を行い, 以下の成績を得た。1) 調査したマヨネーズの流通日数は, 年間平均で52.5日であった。季節別では春期が45.8日, 夏期が44.2日, 秋期が58.7日, 冬期が55.8日となり, 春夏期に短く, 秋冬期に長い傾向を示した。2) 食用油の流通日数は, 年間の平均で84.5日, 春期が72.2日, 夏期が84.2日, 秋期が72.7日, 冬期が113.8日となり, 冬期が著しく長い傾向を示した。3) 食用油中で調査試料数の最も多かったサラダ油 (n=187) の年間平均流通日数は76.7日で, 食用油全体に比べて短く, 季節別では, 冬期が最も長く100.0日であった。4) 食用油の包装容器別の年間平均流通日数は, プラスチック容器入りが73.4日, 缶入りが93.8日, びん入りが130.3日であり, プラスチック容器入りが最も短かった。サラダ油のみをみても, この傾向が存在した。5) 過去3回の調査と今回の調査により, マヨネーズおよび食用油 (試料全体) の夏期における流通期間は短縮される傾向が認められた。