Lysocin E Targeting Menaquinone in the Membrane of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is a Promising Lead Compound for Antituberculosis Drugs.

Tuberculosis remains a public health crisis and a health security threat. There is an urgent need to develop new antituberculosis drugs with novel modes of action to cure drug-resistant tuberculosis and shorten the chemotherapy period by sterilizing tissues infected with dormant bacteria. Lysocin E is an antibiotic that showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus by binding to its menaquinone (commonly known as vitamin K2). Unlike S. aureus, menaquinone is essential in both growing and dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This study aims to evaluate the antituberculosis activities of lysocin E and decipher its mode of action. We show that lysocin E has high in vitro activity against both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. tuberculosis and dormant mycobacteria. Lysocin E is likely bound to menaquinone, causing M. tuberculosis membrane disruption, inhibition of oxygen consumption, and ATP synthesis. Thus, we have concluded that the high antituberculosis activity of lysocin E is attributable to its synergistic effects of membrane disruption and respiratory inhibition. The efficacy of lysocin E against intracellular M. tuberculosis in macrophages was lower than its potent activity against M. tuberculosis in culture medium, probably due to its low ability to penetrate cells, but its efficacy in mice was still superior to that of streptomycin. Our findings indicate that lysocin E is a promising lead compound for the development of a new tuberculosis drug that cures drug-resistant and latent tuberculosis in a shorter period.

Diet-related changes of basal lamina fenestrations in the villous epithelium of the rat small intestine: Statistical analysis on scanning electron microscopy.

The epithelial basal lamina of the small intestine has numerous fenestrations for intraepithelial migration of leukocytes. We have reported dynamic changes of fenestrations in dietary conditions. To investigate this phenomenon, we performed statistical analyses using scanning electron microscopy images of the epithelial basal lamina of rat intestinal villi after removal of the villous epithelium by osmium maceration. We examined structural changes in the number and size of fenestrations in the rat jejunum and ileum under fasted and fed states for 24 h. Our findings revealed that, in the jejunum, the number of free cells migrating into the epithelium through fenestrations increased from 2 h after feeding, resulting in an increase in the fenestration size of intestinal villi; the number of free cells then tended to decrease at 6 h after feeding, and the fenestration size also gradually decreased. By contrast, the increase in the fenestration size by feeding was not statistically significant in the ileum. These findings indicate that the number of migrating cells increases in the upper part of the small intestine under dietary conditions, which may influence the absorption efficiency of nutrients including lipids, as well as the induction of nutrient-induced inflammation.

Scanning ion-conductance microscopy with a double-barreled nanopipette for topographic imaging of charged chromosomes.

Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) is useful for imaging soft and fragile biological samples in liquids because it probes the samples' surface topography by detecting ion currents under non-contact and force-free conditions. SICM acquires the surface topographical height by detecting the ion current reduction that occurs when an electrolyte-filled glass nanopipette approaches the sample surface. However, most biological materials have electrically charged surfaces in liquid environments, which sometimes affect the behavior of the ion currents detected by SICM and, especially, make topography measurements difficult. For measuring such charged samples, we propose a novel imaging method that uses a double-barrel nanopipette as an SICM probe. The ion current between the two apertures of the nanopipette desensitizes the surface charge effect on imaging. In this study, metaphase chromosomes of Indian muntjac were imaged by this technique because, owing to their strongly negatively charged surfaces in phosphate-buffered saline, it is difficult to obtain the topography of the chromosomes by the conventional SICM with a single-aperture nanopipette. Using the proposed method with a double-barrel nanopipette, the surfaces of the chromosomes were successfully measured, without any surface charge confounder. Since the detailed imaging of sample topography can be performed in physiological liquid conditions regardless of the sample charge, it is expected to be used for analyzing the high-order structure of chromosomes in relation to their dynamic changes in the cell division.

Scanning ion conductance microscopy of isolated metaphase chromosomes in a liquid environment.

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) uses a probing tip which scans over a sample surface for obtaining information on the sample surface characteristics. Among various types of SPM, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been widely applied to imaging of biological samples including chromosomes. Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) has been also introduced for visualizing the surface structure of biological samples because it can obtain "contact-free" topographic images in liquid conditions by detecting ion current flow through a pipette opening. However, we recently noticed that the consistent imaging of chromosomes is difficult by SICM. In this paper, the behaviors of the ion current on the sample surfaces were precisely investigated for obtaining SICM images of isolated muntjac metaphase chromosomes more consistently than at present. The present study revealed that application of positive potential to the pipette electrode was acceptable for obtaining the topographic image of chromosomes, while application of negative potential failed in imaging. The approach curves were then studied for analyzing the relationship between the ion current and the tip sample distance when the pipette is approaching chromosomes. The current-voltage (I-V) curve further provided us the accurate interpretation of the ion current behavior during chromosome imaging. These data were further compared with those for SICM imaging of HeLa cells. Our findings indicated that chromosomes are electrically charged and the net charge is strongly negative in normal Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline. We finally showed that the ion concentration of the bath electrolyte is important for imaging chromosomes by SICM.

SLPI facilitates cell migration by regulating lamellipodia/ruffles and desmosomes, in which Galectin4 plays an important role.

To elucidate the underlying mechanism of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI)-induced cell migration, we compared SLPI-deleted human gingival carcinoma Ca9-22 (ΔSLPI) cells and original (wild-type: wt) Ca9-22 cells using several microscopic imaging methods and gene expression analysis. Our results indicated reduced migration of ΔSLPI cells compared to wtCa9-22 cells. The lamellipodia/dorsal ruffles were smaller and moved slower in ΔSLPI cells compared to wtCa9-22 cells. Furthermore, well-developed intermediate filament bundles were observed at the desmosome junction of ΔSLPI cells. In addition, Galectin4 was strongly expressed in ΔSLPI cells, and its forced expression suppressed migration of wtCa9-22 cells. Taken together, SLPI facilitates cell migration by regulating lamellipodia/ruffles and desmosomes, in which Galectin4 plays an important role.

Dynamic changes in basal lamina fenestrations in rat intestinal villous epithelium under high-fat diet condition.

The basal lamina of the villous epithelium in the small intestine has numerous fenestrations, which are produced by leukocytes for their intraepithelial migration. We previously showed that these fenestrations change due to the dynamics of migrating leukocytes in response to dietary conditions and suggested the possibility that this change is related to the regulation of the absorption of large-sized nutrients such as chylomicrons. The present study was, thus, designed to investigate structural changes in basal lamina fenestrations in response to a high-fat diet. The ultrastructure of the intestinal villi in the rat upper jejunum was investigated by electron microscopy of tissue sections in both the normal and the high-fat diet groups, and the fenestrations in the villous epithelium of rat upper jejunum were studied by scanning electron microscopy of osmium macerated/ ultrasonicated tissues. The present study showed that free cells adhering to the fenestrations increased in the upper jejunum two hours after feeding high-fat diet and the size of the fenestrations in this region also increased after feeding high-fat diet for 2 days. This enlargement of fenestrations may play an important role in increasing the efficiency of lipid absorption by facilitating the movement of chylomicrons from the intercellular space to the lamina propria.

Dual effect of polyphosphate on mineralization of rat osteoblast ROS17/2.8 cells in a dose-dependent manner.

Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a linear polymer of orthophosphate, is found at high concentrations in osteoblasts. We demonstrated the effects of various polyP concentrations on the mineralization of rat osteoblast ROS17/2.8 cells. Mineralization of ROS17/2.8 was induced by a high polyP concentration (1 mg/mL), which was accompanied by an upregulation of the bone sialoprotein and osteocalcin. In contrast, a low polyP concentration (1 × 10-2 mg/mL) reduced mineralization without affecting the osteogenic gene expression. Furthermore, gene expression profiling and forced expression analysis indicated that phosphodiesterase 11a could be a candidate involved in the dose-dependent effect of polyP on osteoblast mineralization.

A bacterial metabolite ameliorates periodontal pathogen-induced gingival epithelial barrier disruption via GPR40 signaling.

Several studies have demonstrated the remarkable properties of microbiota and their metabolites in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases. 10-Hydroxy-cis-12-octadecenoic acid (HYA), a bioactive metabolite generated by probiotic microorganisms during the process of fatty acid metabolism, has been studied for its protective effects against epithelial barrier impairment in the intestines. Herein, we examined the effect of HYA on gingival epithelial barrier function and its possible application for the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease. We found that GPR40, a fatty acid receptor, was expressed on gingival epithelial cells; activation of GPR40 by HYA significantly inhibited barrier impairment induced by Porphyromonas gingivalis, a representative periodontopathic bacterium. The degradation of E-cadherin and beta-catenin, basic components of the epithelial barrier, was prevented in a GPR40-dependent manner in vitro. Oral inoculation of HYA in a mouse experimental periodontitis model suppressed the bacteria-induced degradation of E-cadherin and subsequent inflammatory cytokine production in the gingival tissue. Collectively, these results suggest that HYA exerts a protective function, through GPR40 signaling, against periodontopathic bacteria-induced gingival epithelial barrier impairment and contributes to the suppression of inflammatory responses in periodontal diseases.

Dynamics of basal lamina fenestrations in the rat intestinal villous epithelium in response to dietary conditions.

The epithelial basal lamina of the small intestine forms a felt-like sheet at the base of the epithelium. Previous studies have shown that the basal lamina has numerous fenestrations, which are produced by leukocytes penetrating through the basal lamina. In this study, we aimed to directly visualize fenestrations of the rat basal lamina in intestinal villi by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after removal of the villous epithelium by osmium maceration and ultrasonic treatment. Structural changes in fenestrations were then investigated in relation to dietary conditions. SEM of these tissues revealed the presence of fenestrations in the villous epithelial basal lamina in all segments of the small intestine, although the number was the highest in the jejunum. The present study also showed that the number and size of fenestrations increased after feeding in the jejunum, whereas changes were unclear in the ileum. These findings suggested that the basal lamina fenestrations were changed through the dynamics of migrating leukocytes in dietary conditions and may also be related to the regulation of nutrient absorption, particularly as lipids are transported from the intercellular space of the epithelium to the lamina propria.

Scanning ion conductance microscopy for visualizing the three-dimensional surface topography of cells and tissues.

Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM), which belongs to the family of scanning probe microscopy, regulates the tip-sample distance by monitoring the ion current through the use of an electrolyte-filled nanopipette as the probing tip. Thus, SICM enables "contact-free" imaging of cell surface topography in liquid conditions. In this paper, we applied hopping mode SICM for obtaining topographical images of convoluted tissue samples such as trachea and kidney in phosphate buffered saline. Some of the SICM images were compared with the images obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after drying the same samples. We showed that the imaging quality of hopping mode SICM was excellent enough for investigating the three-dimensional surface structure of the soft tissue samples. Thus, SICM is expected to be used for imaging a wide variety of cells and tissues - either fixed or alive- at high resolution under physiologically relevant liquid conditions.

Synthesis of α-Substituted Enoximes with Nucleophiles via Nitrosoallenes.

This paper reports nitrosoallene-mediated synthesis of α-substituted enoximes. Nucleophilic substitution of nitrosoallenes, a novel chemical species prepared from allenyl N-hydroxysulfonamides, afforded α-functionalized enoximes. Introduction of various nucleophiles proceeded smoothly to form C-N, C-O, C-S, C-F, and C-C bonds in the presence of azodicarboxylates.

Combining silver- and organocatalysis: an enantioselective sequential catalytic approach towards pyrano-annulated pyrazoles.

A one-pot asymmetric Michael addition/hydroalkoxylation sequence, catalyzed by a sequential catalytic system consisting of a squaramide and a silver salt, provides a new series of chiral pyrano-annulated pyrazole derivatives in excellent yields (up to 95%) and high enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee).

The oxidation of tetrabromobisphenol A by potassium monopersulfate with an iron(III)-phthalocyanine-tetrasulfonic acid catalyst in the presence of humic acid.

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a type of brominated flame retardant that shows endocrine disruption effects, has been identified in leachates from landfills. Iron(III)-porphyrins that mimic the active site of peroxidases have been shown to be effective in oxidizing halogenated phenols, such as TBBPA. In the present study, TBBPA was subjected to oxidation with potassium monopersulfate (KHSO5) using an iron(III)-phthalocyanine-tetrasulfonic acid (FePcTS), structural analogue of iron(III)-porphyrin, in the presence of humic acid (HA), a major component in landfill leachates. When TBBPA was oxidized using the above system, the levels of degradation and debromination increased with increasing pH in the presence of HA. Because of landfill leachates are weakly alkaline (around pH 8), oxidation products derived from TBBPA were investigated at pH 8. Approximately 48% of the bromine in the degraded TBBPA was incorporated into HA, and hydroxy-tribromobisphenol A was determined to be the major brominated intermediate in the HA fraction. In the iron(III)-porphyrin catalytic systems, the brominated intermediate incorporated into HA is mainly TBBPA, and no hydroxy-substituted bromophenols are found. Thus, the catalytic power of FePcTS is higher than that of iron(III)-porphyrin catalysts.

Comparison of the oxidation products produced by tetrahalobisphenol A flame retardants as a result of potassium monopersulfate oxidation with an iron(III)-tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin in the presence of humic acid.

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA), commercially used halogenated flame retardants, can be found in leachates from landfills, because hydrophobic interactions with humic acids (HAs), major organic components in landfills, result in an increase in their solubility. The oxidation characteristics of TBBPA and TCBPA in the presence of HA were compared using a catalytic system comprised of a combination of iron(III)-tetrakis(p-sulfophenyl)porphyrin (FeTPPS) and KHSO5 that can mimic the enzymatic reactions that occur in landfills. The levels of degradation and dehalogenation of TBBPA and TCBPA at pH 4 were significantly lower than at pH 8, which is a typical pH value for landfill leachates. In the presence of HA at pH 8, 2-hydroxyisopropyl-2,6 -dihalophenols (2HIP-26DXPs) were detected as major by-products. These compounds are likely produced via the ß-carbon scission of the substrates, and their levels decreased with increasing reaction time. The levels of coupling compounds between 2,6-dihalopnenols and TBBPA or TCBPA increased with reaction time. The 27% of Br in the degraded TBBPA and 50% of Cl in the degraded TCBPA were incorporated into the HA as a result of catalytic oxidation via the FeTPPS/KHSO5 system. These results suggest that TCBPA is incorporated into HA more readily than TBBPA. The coupling compounds between HA and halogenated intermediates from TBBPA or TCBPA were assigned by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Quantifying cell-to-cell variation in power-law rheology.

Among individual cells of the same source and type, the complex shear modulus G(∗) exhibits a large log-normal distribution that is the result of spatial, temporal, and intrinsic variations. Such large distributions complicate the statistical evaluation of pharmacological treatments and the comparison of different cell states. However, little is known about the characteristic features of cell-to-cell variation. In this study, we investigated how this variation depends on the spatial location within the cell and on the actin filament cytoskeleton, the organization of which strongly influences cell mechanics. By mechanically probing fibroblasts arranged on a microarray, via atomic force microscopy, we observed that the standard deviation σ of G(∗) was significantly reduced among cells in which actin filaments were depolymerized. The parameter σ also exhibited a subcellular spatial dependence. Based on our findings regarding the frequency dependence of σ of the storage modulus G('), we proposed two types of cell-to-cell variation in G(') that arise from the purely elastic and the frequency-dependent components in terms of the soft glassy rheology model of cell deformability. We concluded that the latter inherent cell-to-cell variation can be reduced greatly by disrupting actin networks, by probing at locations within the cell nucleus boundaries distant from the cell center, and by measuring at high loading frequencies.

Potassium monopersulfate oxidation of 2,4,6-tribromophenol catalyzed by a SiO2-supported iron(III)-5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin.

Iron(III)-porphyrin complexes are generally regarded as green catalysts, since they mimic the catalytic center of cytochrome-P450 and widely used as green catalysts for degrading halogenated phenols in wastewater, such as landfill leachates. However, iron(III)-porphyrins are deactivated by self-oxidation in the presence of an oxygen donor, such as KHSO5. In the present study, to enhance the reusability of an iron(III)-porphyrin catalyst, iron(III)-5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (FeTCPP) was immobilized on a functionalized silica gel. The oxidative degradation of 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TrBP), a widely used brominated flame retardant that is found in landfill leachates, was examined using the prepared catalyst. In addition, the influence of humic substances (HSs), major components of leachates, on the TrBP oxidation was investigated. Concerning the effect of pH, more than 90% of the TrBP was degraded in the pH range of 3-8 in the absence of HS, while the optimal pH for the reaction was in the range of pH 5-7 in the presence of HS. Although the oxidation of TrBP was inhibited in the presence of HSs, more than 90% of the TrBP was degraded in the presence of 50 mg L(-1) of HS. Thus, the prepared catalyst, SiO2-FeTCPP, showed a high catalytic activity and could be reused up to 10 times even in the presence of HS.

Cyclopentanoids from cyclopentadiene: synthesis of (-)-methyl jasmonate and (+)-12-oxophytodienoic acid.

Linoleic acid metabolites, (-)-methyl jasmonate and (+)-12-oxophytodienoic acid ((+)-12-oxo-PDA), were prepared from the same precursor (1,2-trans, 1,3-cis, 2'Z)-2-(pent-2'-enyl)-cyclopent-4-en-1,3-diol, which was obtained by regioselective pent-2-enylation of cyclopentadiene and following photooxidation to cis-1,3-diol. A methoxycarbonylmethyl substituent was introduced to the cyclopentane ring via alkylation of the pi-allyl palladium intermediate derived from (1R,2S,3S,2'Z)-3-acetoxy-2-(pent-2'-enyl)cyclopent-4-ene-1-ol with dimethyl malonate for (-)-methyl jasmonate. The alpha-chain was introduced to the cyclopentane ring via the S(N)2 type nucleophilic substitution of (1S,2R,3R,2'Z)-3-acetoxy-2-(pent-2'-enyl)cyclopent-4-ene-1-ol with a dialkylcuprate for (+)-12-oxo-PDA.

Oxidative debromination and degradation of tetrabromo-bisphenol A by a functionalized silica-supported iron(III)-tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin catalyst.

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a commonly used brominated flame retardant, also functions as an endocrine disruptor. Thus, the degradation of TBBPA has attracted considerable interest among the scientific community. Iron(III)-porphyrin complexes are generally regarded as "green" catalysts and have been reported to catalyze the efficient degradation and dehalogenation of halogenated phenols in environmental wastewaters. However, they are quickly deactivated due to self-degradation in the presence of an oxygen donor, such as KHSO5. In the present study, an iron(III)-tetrakis (p-sulfonatophenyl)-porphyrin (FeTPPS) was immobilized on imidazole-modified silica (FeTPPS/IPS) via coordination of the Fe(III) with the nitrogen atom in imidazole to suppress self-degradation and thus enhance the catalyst reusability. The oxidative degradation and debromination of TBBPA and the influence of humic acid (HA), a major component in leachates, on the oxidation of TBBPA was investigated. More than 95% of the TBBPA was degraded in the pH range from 3 to 8 in the absence of HA, while the optimal pH for the reaction was at pH 8 in the presence of HA. Although the rate of degradation was decreased in the presence of HA, over 95% of the TBBPA was degraded within 12 h in the presence of 28 mg-C L⁻¹ of HA. At pH 8, the FeTPPS/IPS catalyst could be reused up to 10 times without any detectable loss of activity for TBBPA for degradation and debromination, even in the presence of HA.

Effect of isoproterenol on local contractile behaviors of rat cardiomyocytes measured by atomic force microscopy.

Inotropic agents induce changes in the contraction amplitude and frequency of cardiomyocytes (CMs). However, it is unknown how local contractions of CMs treated by inotropic agents behave spatiotemporally. In this study, the effect of isoproterenol, a positive inotropic agent, on local contractions of isolated neonatal rat CMs was explored by atomic force microscopy (AFM). We observed that changes in local contraction amplitude of CM in the presence of isoproterenol were heterogeneous; they were unchanged or increased, at different positions, with respect to the amplitude of untreated CMs. Interestingly, spatial heterogeneities of local contraction amplitude of CM in the presence of isoproterenol did not obviously correlate with the local elasticity, indicating that the local contractions were facilitated by cooperative dynamics of the cytoskeletal structure in relatively large regions, rather than those just under AFM indentation. Moreover, local contraction amplitude of CM in the presence of isoproterenol was not proportional to that in the control condition, showing that the former change was no longer additive in local scales.

Influence of halogen substituents on the catalytic oxidation of 2,4,6-halogenated phenols by Fe(III)-tetrakis(p-hydroxyphenyl) porphyrins and potassium monopersulfate.

The influence of halogen substituents on the catalytic oxidation of 2,4,6-trihalogenated phenols (TrXPs) by iron(III)-porphyrin/KHSO5 catalytic systems was investigated. Iron(III)-5,10,15,20-tetrakis(p-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (FeTHP) and its supported variants were employed, where the supported catalysts were synthesized by introducing FeTHP into hydroquinone-derived humic acids via formaldehyde poly-condensation. F (TrFP), Cl (TrCP), Br (TrBP) and I (TrIP) were examined as halogen substituents for TrXPs. Although the supported catalysts significantly enhanced the degradation and dehalogenation of TrFP and TrCP, the oxidation of TrBP and TrIP was not enhanced, compared to the FeTHP catalytic system. These results indicate that the degree of oxidation of TrXPs is strongly dependent on the types of halogen substituent. The order of dehalogenation levels for halogen substituents in TrXPs was F > Cl > Br > I, consistent with their order of electronegativity. The electronegativity of a halogen substituent affects the nucleophilicity of the carbon to which it is attached. The levels of oxidation products in the reaction mixtures were analyzed by GC/MS after extraction with n-hexane. The most abundant dimer product from TrFP via 2,6-difluoroquinone is consistent with a scenario where TrXP, with a more electronegative halogen substituent, is readily oxidized, while less electronegative halogen substituents are oxidized less readily by iron(III)-porphyrin/KHSO5 catalytic systems.