A number of minor compounds were isolated from fermentations of the protorifamycin I producing strain Nocardia mediterranei F 1/24(1,2)) and identified by means of chemical and spectroscopic methods. Two types of structures were identified: Type 1: modified protorifamycins (derived from protorifamycin I) Type 2: defective rifamycins (8-deoxyrifamycins).

We have previously shown that an intermittent mechanical strain regimen (5% elongation, 60 cycles/min, 15 min/h) that simulates fetal breathing movements stimulated fetal rat lung cell proliferation. Because normal lung growth requires proper coordination between cell proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, we subjected organotypic cultures of fetal rat lung cells ( day 19 of g...

This study evaluated the associations between job strain and arginase I in 378 healthy Japanese factory workers by a cross-sectional study measuring nitric oxide (NO)-related parameters (arginase I, L-arginine, exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and NOx), clinical parameters, and job strain using a Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire by Karasek. Arginase I and FEV1% were negatively corr...

BACKGROUND Pullulanase is an important debranching enzyme and has been widely utilized to hydrolyse the α-1,6 glucosidic linkages in starch/sugar industry. Selecting new bacterial strains or improving bacterial strains is a prerequisite and effective solution in industrial applications. Although many pullulanase genes have been cloned and sequenced, there is no report of P. polymyxa type I pull...

Using time-resolved far-infrared spectroscopy, we observe multiple routes for photoinduced phase transitions in V(2)O(3). This includes (i) a photothermal antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition and (ii) an incipient strain-generated paramagnetic metal to paramagnetic insulator transition, which manifests as coherent oscillations in the far-infrared conductivity. The ∼100 ps conductivity o...

background: bone morphogenetic protein 2 (bmp- 2) belongs to the tgf-β superfamily of proteins and plays an important role in the development of bone and cartilage. bmp- 2 is also associated with maintenance and repair of damaged bone. recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhbmp- 2) is now produced by genetic engineering techniques and used in treatment of thin bone fractures in the j...

Catechol 2,3-dioxygenases (C23Os; EC 1.3.11.2) form a large protein family that is divided into several subgroups. Amino acid sequences of C23Os belonging to subgroup I.2.A and those belonging to I.2.B are found to be approx. 50% identical. When the central parts of the C23O sequences belonging to I.2.B were fused with the N-terminal and C-terminal sequences of I.2.A C23O, the hybrid enzymes we...