Heterologous and High Production of Ergothioneine in Escherichia coli

Ergothioneine (ERG) is a histidine-derived thiol compound suggested to function as an antioxidant and cytoprotectant in humans. Therefore, experimental trials have been conducted applying ERG from mushrooms in dietary supplements and as a cosmetic additive. However, this method of producing ERG is expensive; therefore, alternative methods for ERG supply are required. Five Mycobacterium smegmatis genes, <i>egtABCDE</i>, have been confirmed to be responsible for ERG biosynthesis. This enabled us to develop practical fermentative ERG production by microorganisms. In this study, we carried out heterologous and high-level production of ERG in Escherichia coli using the <i>egt</i> genes from M. smegmatis. By high production of each of the Egt enzymes and elimination of bottlenecks in the substrate supply, we succeeded in constructing a production system that yielded 24 mg/L (104 μM) secreted ERG

Socioeconomic status and type 2 diabetes complications among young adult patients in Japan

<div><p>Objective</p><p>To assess the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and complications of type 2 diabetes among young adults in Japan.</p><p>Design</p><p>A cross-sectional study.</p><p>Setting</p><p>Outpatient wards of 96 member hospitals and clinics of the Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions.</p><p>Participants</p><p>A total of 782 outpatients with type 2 diabetes (525 males, 257 females), aged 20–40 years as of March 31, 2012. After excluding 110 participants whose retinopathy diagnosis was in question, 672 participants were analyzed.</p><p>Measurements</p><p>We examined the relations between SES (educational level, income, type of public healthcare insurance, and employment status) and diabetes complications (retinopathy and nephropathy) using a multivariate logistic regression analysis.</p><p>Results</p><p>The prevalence of type 2 diabetic retinopathy was 23.2%, while that of nephropathy was 8.9%. The odds of having retinopathy were higher among junior high school graduates (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.09–3.34), patients receiving public assistance (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.20–3.95), and patients with irregular (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.03–2.86) or no employment (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.36–3.68), compared to those with a higher SES, even after covariate adjustment (e.g., age, gender, body mass index). Similarly, the odds of having nephropathy were higher among patients with middle (OR 3.61, 95% CI 1.69–8.27) or low income levels (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.11–6.07), even after covariate adjustment.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Low SES was associated with a greater likelihood of type 2 diabetes complications in young adults. These findings suggest the necessity of health policies that mitigate socioeconomic disparity and thereby reduce the prevalence of diabetic complications.</p></div

General characteristics of patients and prevalence of diabetes complications.

<p>General characteristics of patients and prevalence of diabetes complications.</p

General characteristics according to SES (%).

<p>General characteristics according to SES (%).</p

Multivariate logistic regression analysis for SES and diabetic retinopathy.

<p>Multivariate logistic regression analysis for SES and diabetic retinopathy.</p