Expression, Purification and Properties of Alanine Racemase from Thermus thermophillus HB8

An alanine racemase (EC 5.1.1.1) from an extreme thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB8, was purified and characterized, and its gene was cloned. The cloned alanine racemase gene (alr) was expressed in Escherichia coli JM 109. The alr gene is composed of a 1080 bp and encoded a 360 amino acid, and was predicted to have a molecular weight of 38,596. The enzyme was purified by heat shock at 70°C for 10min and DEAE Toyopearl 650M column chromatography. The purified enzyme had an optimum pH9.0∼10.0 and an optimum temperature of 55°C∼60°C. Enzyme activity was retained 100% after incubation of the enzyme at 70°C for 10min. Alanine racemase from Thermus thermophilus HB8 is a monomeric enzyme with a molecular mass of 39 kDa.高度好熱性細菌 Thermus thermophilus HB8 由来アラニンラセマーゼ遺伝子を大腸菌中にクローニングし、発現させた後に、精製及び性質検討を行った。alr遺伝子は1080bpからなり360アミノ酸残基 HB8をコードしていたので、本酵素は38,596Daの分子量であると予想された。alr遺伝子の [ G + C ] 含量は、72%であり、Tm値は98.8℃であった。T.thermophilus HB8由来アラニンセマーゼを中等度好熱性細菌 Geobacillus stearothermophilus 及び赤痢菌 Shigella sonnei 由来アラニンラセマーゼと一次配列の比較をしたところ、G.stearothermophilus 由来のものと33%、赤痢菌由来の酵素を28%の相同性を示した。T.thermophilus HB8 由来アラニンラセマーゼを、70℃で10分間の熱処理後、DEAE-トーヨーパール陰イオン交換カラム等により精製した。精製酵素の最適温度は、d-アラニンからl-アラニンへの反応で55℃、l-アラニンからd-アラニンへの反応では60℃であり、最適pHは、9.0〜10.0であった。また、70℃で30分インキュベーションを行った後にも、活性の低下は見受けられず耐熱性を示した。更に、本酵素は分子量38,000モノマー酵素であると推定され、その反応機構に興味が持たれる

Inhaled steroid therapy and hospitalization for bronchial asthma : trend in Tokushima University Hospital

With the recognition that airway inflammation is present even in patients with mild bronchial asthma, therapy with inhaled corticosteroids is now indicated in various stages of patients. In the present article, we retrospectively examined the prescriptions for inhaled corticosteroids and other drugs for the treatment of outpatients with bronchial asthma at Tokushima University Hospital. We also analyzed asthma control in these patients, in terms of the incidence of emergency consultations and hospitalizations due to asthma exacerbations. To analyze the recent trend, the patients observed from 1998 to 2000 (recent years) were included, and for control purpose, those in 1990 and 1991 (earlier years) were also included. The percentage of patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids remarkably increased in recent years (mean 81.3%) compared to earlier years (mean 23.5%). In contrast, the usage of oral corticosteroids, oral xanthine derivatives, β2-adrenergic receptor agonists and anti-allergic agents tended to decrease in the 10 years period. After the introduction in 1995, considerable patients up to 25% have been treated with anti-leukotrienes. Emergency consultations decreased in recent years (mean 0.18/patient/year) compared to earlier years (mean 0.79/patient/year). Emergency hospitalizations also decreased in recent years (mean 0.043/patient/year) compared to earlier years (mean 0.23/patient/year).In the present study, spread of inhaled corticosteroid therapy and decline in incidence of emergency consultation and hospitalization were simultaneously observed at Tokushima University Hospital, and the former has, at least in part, a contribution to the latter