Genome-Wide Association Study of Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a multifactorial disease with environmental and genetic determinants. The genetic determinants of CAD have previously been explored by the candidate gene approach. Recently, the data from the International HapMap Project and the development of dense genotyping chips have enabled us to perform genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on a large number of subjects without bias towards any particular candidate genes. In 2007, three chip-based GWAS simultaneously revealed the significant association between common variants on chromosome 9p21 and CAD. This association was replicated among other ethnic groups and also in a meta-analysis. Further investigations have detected several other candidate loci associated with CAD. The chip-based GWAS approach has identified novel and unbiased genetic determinants of CAD and these insights provide the important direction to better understand the pathogenesis of CAD and to develop new and improved preventive measures and treatments for CAD

Physiological and Biochemical Characterization of Three Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase Isozymes from Rice (Oryza sativaL.)

Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK) is a ubiquitous enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of the γ-phosphoryl group from a nucleoside triphosphate to a nucleoside diphosphate. In this study, we examined the subcellular localization, tissue-specific gene expression, and enzymatic characteristics of three rice NDPK isozymes (OsNDPK1-OsNDPK3). Sequence comparison of the three OsNDPKs suggested differential subcellular localization. Transient expression of green fluorescence protein-fused proteins in onion cells indicated that OsNDPK2 and OsNDPK3 are localized to plastid and mitochondria respectively, while OsNDPK1 is localized to the cytosol. Expression analysis indicated that all the OsNDPKs are expressed in the leaf, leaf sheath, and immature seeds, except for OsNDPK1, in the leaf sheath. Recombinant OsNDPK2 and OsNDPK3 showed lower optimum pH and higher stability under acidic pH than OsNDPK1. In ATP formation, all the OsNDPKs displayed lower K(m) values for the second substrate, ADP, than for the first substrate, NTP, and showed lowest and highest K(m) values for GTP and CTP respectively

ADAMTS-1: A metalloproteinase-disintegrin essential for normal growth, fertility, and organ morphology and function

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系A disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) represents a protein family possessing both metalloproteinase and disintegrin domains. ADAMTS-1, an ADAM family member cloned from cachexigenic colon adenocarcinoma, is unusual in that it contains thrombospondin type I motifs and anchors to the extracellular matrix. To elucidate the biological role of ADAMTS-1, we developed ADAMTS-1-null mice by gene targeting. Targeted disruption of the mouse ADAMTS-1 gene resulted in growth retardation with adipose tissue malformation. Impaired female fertilization accompanied by histological changes in the uterus and ovaries also resulted. Furthermore, ADAMTS-1(-/-) mice demonstrated enlarged renal calices with fibrotic changes from the ureteropelvic junction through the ureter, and abnormal adrenal medullary architecture without capillary formation. ADAMTS-1 thus appears necessary for normal growth, fertility, and organ morphology and function. Moreover, the resemblance of the renal phenotype to human ureteropelvic junction obstruction may provide a clue to the pathogenesis of this common congenital disease

Deregulation of Sucrose-Controlled Translation of a bZIP-Type Transcription Factor Results in Sucrose Accumulation in Leaves

Sucrose is known to repress the translation of Arabidopsis thaliana AtbZIP11 transcript which encodes a protein belonging to the group of S (S - stands for small) basic region-leucine zipper (bZIP)-type transcription factor. This repression is called sucrose-induced repression of translation (SIRT). It is mediated through the sucrose-controlled upstream open reading frame (SC-uORF) found in the AtbZIP11 transcript. The SIRT is reported for 4 other genes belonging to the group of S bZIP in Arabidopsis. Tobacco tbz17 is phylogenetically closely related to AtbZIP11 and carries a putative SC-uORF in its 5′-leader region. Here we demonstrate that tbz17 exhibits SIRT mediated by its SC-uORF in a manner similar to genes belonging to the S bZIP group of the Arabidopsis genus. Furthermore, constitutive transgenic expression of tbz17 lacking its 5′-leader region containing the SC-uORF leads to production of tobacco plants with thicker leaves composed of enlarged cells with 3–4 times higher sucrose content compared to wild type plants. Our finding provides a novel strategy to generate plants with high sucrose content

Evaluation of acceptor selectivity of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis trehalose 6-phosphate phosphorylase in the reverse phosphorolysis and synthesis of a new sugar phosphate

Trehalose 6-phosphate phosphorylase (TrePP), a member of glycoside hydrolase family 65, catalyzes the reversible phosphorolysis of trehalose 6-phosphate (Tre6P) with inversion of the anomeric configuration to produce beta-D-glucose 1-phosphate (beta-Glc1P) and D-glucose 6-phosphate (Glc6P). TrePP in Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis (LlTrePP) is, alongside the phosphotransferase system, involved in the metabolism of trehalose. In this study, recombinant LlTrePP was produced and characterized. It showed its highest reverse phosphorolytic activity at pH 4.8 and 40 degrees C, and was stable in the pH range 5.0-8.0 and at up to 30 degrees C. Kinetic analyses indicated that reverse phosphorolysis of Tre6P proceeded through a sequential bi bi mechanism involving the formation of a ternary complex of the enzyme, beta-Glc1P, and Glc6P. Suitable acceptor substrates were Glc6P, and, at a low level, D-mannose 6-phosphate (Man6P). From beta-Glc1P and Man6P, a novel sugar phosphate, alpha-D-Glcp-(1 1)-alpha-D-Manp6P, was synthesized with 51% yield

Efficient one-pot enzymatic synthesis of trehalose 6-phosphate using GH65 α-glucoside phosphorylases

Trehalose 6-phosphate (Tre6P) is an important intermediate for trehalose biosynthesis. Recent researches have revealed that Tre6P is an endogenous signaling molecule that regulates plant development and stress responses. The necessity of Tre6P in physiological studies is expected to be increasing. To achieve the cost-effective production of Tre6P, a novel approach is required. In this study, we utilized trehalose 6-phosphate phosphorylase (TrePP) from Lactococcus lactis to produce Tre6P. In the reverse phosphorolysis by the TrePP, 91.9 mM Tre6P was produced from 100 mM β-glucose 1-phosphate (β-Glc1P) and 100 mM glucose 6-phosphate (Glc6P). The one-pot reaction of TrePP and maltose phosphorylase (MP) enabled production of 65 mM Tre6P from 100 mM maltose, 100 mM Glc6P, and 20 mM inorganic phosphate. Addition of β-phosphoglucomutase to this reaction produced Glc6P from β-Glc1P and thus reduced requirement of Glc6P as a starting material. Within the range of 20-469 mM inorganic phosphate tested, the 54 mM concentration yielded the highest amount of Tre6P (33 mM). Addition of yeast increased the yield because of its glucose consumption. Finally, from 100 mmol maltose and 60 mmol inorganic phosphate, we successfully achieved production of 37.5 mmol Tre6P in a one-pot reaction (100 mL), and 9.4 g Tre6P dipotassium salt was obtained