Impact of COVID-19 infections and vaccination on menstrual cycle symptoms in the south of Jordan: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Several recent studies have highlighted the need for more evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 infections and vaccines on the reproductive system and menstruation. This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 infection and vaccines on menstrual symptoms. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey utilizing face-to-face interviews from January 1 to 31 March 2022 was conducted in the city of Al-Karak in southern Jordan. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics, medical and reproductive history, the contraceptive method used if any, menstrual cycle (MC) status, previous medical and drug history, and the impact of infection and vaccination on the MC. RESULTS: The study questionnaire was completed by 400 participants with a mean age of 32.1±12.6 years. Regarding the history of COVID-19 infections, 33.8% of the participants reported a history of confirmed COVID-19 infections, 77.8% of them did not report any menstrual changes following the infection, while the remaining 22.2% reported changes in menstruation. The most commonly reported post-COVID-19 manifestations were irregular (27.6%) and light menstrual cycle (MC) (24.15) or dysmenorrhea (24.1%). Heavy menstruation was reported by 17.2% of participants post-COVID-19 infection. Two-thirds of the study participants (66.6%) reported no changes in the MC following the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. The most reported symptoms for those who experienced changes in the MC following the vaccination were irregular cycle (13.1%), heavy menstruation (7%), and light menstruation (7%). Other reported symptoms were dysmenorrhea (4.6%), intermenstrual bleeding (1.2%), and amenorrhea (0.5%). CONCLUSION: This study revealed minor changes in the MC following COVID-19 infections and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. These findings are consistent with published reports. It is recommended that future clinical trials for new vaccines for women of childbearing age include outcomes related to sex hormones and MC. Women should be encouraged to take the vaccines and report symptoms to healthcare professionals for further assessment.

Large real-time holographic 3D displays: enabling components and results.

A holographic 3D display with 300 mm×200 mm active area was built. The display includes a spatial light modulator that modulates amplitude and phase of light and thus enables holographic reconstruction with high efficiency. Furthermore, holographic optical elements in photopolymer films and laser light sources are used. The requirements on these optical components are discussed. Photographs taken at the display demonstrate that a 3D scene is reconstructed in depth, thus enabling selective accommodation of the observer's eye lenses and natural depth perception. The results demonstrate the advantages of SeeReal's holographic 3D display solution.

Crystal structure of transaldolase B from Escherichia coli suggests a circular permutation of the alpha/beta barrel within the class I aldolase family.

BACKGROUND: Transaldolase is one of the enzymes in the non-oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway. It transfers a C3 ketol fragment from a ketose donor to an aldose acceptor. Transaldolase, together with transketolase, creates a reversible link between the pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis. The enzyme is of considerable interest as a catalyst in stereospecific organic synthesis and the aim of this work was to reveal the molecular architecture of transaldolase and provide insights into the structural basis of the enzymatic mechanism. RESULTS: The three-dimensional (3D) structure of recombinant transaldolase B from E. coli was determined at 1.87 A resolution. The enzyme subunit consists of a single eight-stranded alpha/beta-barrel domain. Two subunits form a dimer related by a twofold symmetry axis. The active-site residue Lys132 which forms a Schiff base with the substrate is located at the bottom of the active-site cleft. CONCLUSIONS: The 3D structure of transaldolase is similar to structures of other enzymes in the class I aldolase family. Comparison of these structures suggests that a circular permutation of the protein sequence might have occurred in transaldolase, which nevertheless results in a similar 3D structure. This observation provides evidence for a naturally occurring circular permutation in an alpha/beta-barrel protein. It appears that such genetic permutations occur more frequently during evolution than was previously thought.

Steady-state kinetics of formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase from a methanol-utilizing yeast, Candida boidinii.

Initial velocity studies and product inhibition studies were conducted for the forward and reverse reactions of formaldehyde dehydrogenase (formaldehyde: NAD oxidoreductase, EC 1.2.1.1) isolated from a methanol-utilizing yeast Candida boidinii. The data were consistent with an ordered Bi-Bi mechanism for this reaction in which NAD+ is bound first to the enzyme and NADH released last. Kinetic studies indicated that the nucleoside phosphates ATP, ADP and AMP are competitive inhibitors with respect to NAD and noncompetitive inhibitors with respect to S-hydroxymethylglutathione. The inhibitions of the enzyme activity by ATP and ADP are greater at pH 6.0 and 6.5 than at neutral or alkaline pH values. The kinetic studies of formate dehydrogenase (formate:NAD oxidoreductase, EC 1.2.1.2) from the methanol grown C. boidinii suggested also an ordered Bi-Bi mechanism with NAD being the first substrate and NADH the last product. Formate dehydrogenase the last enzyme of the dissimilatory pathway of the methanol metabolism is also inhibited by adenosine phosphates. Since the intracellular concentrations of NADH and ATP are in the range of the Ki values for formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase the activities of these main enzymes of the dissimilatory pathway of methanol metabolism in this yeast may be regulated by these compounds.

Gene and subunit organization of bacterial pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes of bacterial origin are compared with respect to subunit composition, organization of the corresponding genes, and the number and location of lipoyl domains. Special attention is given to two unusual examples of pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes, formed by Zymomonas mobilis and Thiobacillus ferrooxidans.

Studies on an enzyme, S-formylglutathione hydrolase, of the dissimilatory pathway of methanol in Candida boidinii.

In Candida boidinii, S-formylglutathione formed by reaction of the glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase is hydrolyzed to formate and glutathione by a special enzyme, S-formylglutathione hydrolase which is induced in C. boidinii along with the other enzymes of the dissimilatory pathway during growth on CH3OH. The S-formylglutathione hydrolase was purified to apparent homogeneity and a specific activity of 1390 U/mg. The molecular weight of the native enzyme was determined as 61 000 by gel filtration and 64 000 by sedimentation-diffusion equilibrium. It is composed of two nonidentical polypeptide chains of 35 000 and 25 000 daltons. The Km-value of S-formylglutathione was found to be 0.21 mM. Glutathione is a competitive inhibitor with a Ki vaue of 18.5 mM. The enzyme is very specific for S-formylglutatione, S-acetylglutathione gave 1.3%, respectively. Other glutathione derivatives of hydroxyacids tested were not split by the S-formylglutatione hydrolase.

Purification and properties of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from a methanol-utilizing yeast, Candida boidinii.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (D-glucose-6-phosphate: NADP oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.49) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-phospho-D-gluconate: NADP oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.44) were purified approx. 1700 fold and 330 fold, respectively, from Candida boidinii grown on methanol. The final enzyme preparations were homogeneous as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weights of the enzymes were estimated to be 118 000 and 110 000, respectively. Both enzymes are composed of two probably identical subunits and the molecular weights of the polypeptide chains were calculated to be 61 000 and 58 000, respectively. From a consideration of enzyme activities and types of inhibition by different metabolites the role of these two enzymes in glucose- and methanol-metabolism is discussed.

Cloning of conserved genes from Zymomonas mobilis and Bradyrhizobium japonicum that function in the biosynthesis of hopanoid lipids.

The squalene-hopene cyclase (SHC) is the only enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of hopanoid lipids that has been characterized on the genetic level. To investigate if additional genes involved in hopanoid biosynthesis are clustered with the shc gene, we cloned and analyzed the nucleotide sequences located immediately upstream of the shc genes from Zymomonas mobilis and Bradyrhizobium japonicum. In Z. mobilis, five open reading frames (ORFs, designated as hpnA-E) were detected in a close arrangement with the shc gene. In B. japonicum, three similarly arranged ORFs (corresponding to hpnC-E from Z. mobilis) were found. The deduced amino acid sequences of hpnC-E showed significant similarity (58-62%) in both bacteria. Similarities to enzymes of other terpenoid biosynthesis pathways (carotenoid and steroid biosynthesis) suggest that these ORFs encode proteins involved in the biosynthesis of hopanoids and their intermediates. Expression of hpnC to hpnE from Z. mobilis as well as expression of hpnC from B. japonicum in Escherichia coli led to the formation of the hopanoid precursor squalene. This indicates that hpnC encodes a squalene synthase. The two additional ORFs (hpnA and hpnB) in Z. mobilis showed similarities to enzymes involved in the transfer and modification of sugars, indicating that they may code for enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the complex, sugar-containing side chains of hopanoids.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of glucose-fructose oxidoreductase from Zymomonas mobilis.

Glucose-fructose oxidoreductase (E.C. 1.1.99.-) from the ethanol-producing Gram-negative bacterium Zymomonas mobilis is a periplasmic, soluble enzyme that forms a homotetramer of 160 kDa with one NADP(H) cofactor per subunit that is tightly, but noncovalently, bound. The enzyme was crystallized by the hanging drop vapor diffusion method using sodium citrate as precipitant. The obtained crystals belong to the space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit cell constants of 84.6 A, 94.1 A, and 117.0 A, consistent with two monomers in the asymmetric unit. They diffract to a resolution of about 2 A and are suitable for X-ray structure determination.

Cloning, organization and functional analysis of ilvA, ilvB and ilvC genes from Corynebacterium glutamicum.

Corynebacterium glutamicum is an industrially important bacterium for the manufacture of amino acids. We constructed genomic libraries of this Gram+ bacterium and screened for clones carrying isoleucine biosynthesis genes (ilv) by complementation of Escherichia coli mutants. Clones complementing ilvA, ilvB, and ilvC were isolated. As based on the functional analysis of the corresponding plasmids in C. glutamicum, the DNA fragments isolated encode threonine dehydratase, acetohydroxy acid synthase, and isomeroreductase, catalyzing three subsequent reactions in Ile synthesis. Subcloning and transposon mutagenesis revealed that ilvB and ilvC reside on a 7-kb chromosomal fragment and that these genes are transcribed in the same direction. A shuttle vector was constructed to allow exonuclease treatment and assay subsets of plasmids for gene expression in the original C. glutamicum background. These constructs and their enzyme activity determinations revealed that despite close linkage ilvC is expressed independently from ilvB. Using Southern blots, a 15-kb fragment of chromosomal DNA carrying the ilvBC cluster was characterized. This fragment does not contain ilvA, demonstrating the entirely different organization of the isoleucine biosynthesis genes in C. glutamicum from that in enterobacteria.

A family of Corynebacterium glutamicum/Escherichia coli shuttle vectors for cloning, controlled gene expression, and promoter probing.

A new family of vectors including cloning vectors (pEK0; pEC5), an expression vector (pEKEx1), and promoter probe vectors (pEKpllacZ; pEKplCm), has been constructed. All these shuttle vectors are based on the replication origins of the corynebacterial pBL1 and the Escherichia coli ColE1 plasmids, and thus are able to replicate in Corynebacterium glutamicum and E. coli. Plasmids pEK0 and pEC5 carry multiple restriction sites useful for gene cloning and the kanamycin- or chloramphenicol-resistance-encoding gene from Tn903 or from Tn9, respectively. In C. glutamicum, both vectors are compatible with vectors containing the corynebacterial pHM1519 replicon. Based on plasmid pEK0, the expression vector pEKEx1 was developed to allow for isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside-inducible expression of inserted genes in C. glutamicum and E. coli. Also based on pEK0, the promoter probe vectors pEKpllacZ and pEKplCm were constructed to carry the promoterless lacZ or cat reporter genes downstream from useful cloning sites, for assaying the transcriptional activity of cloned fragments.

Disruption of Escherichia coli transaldolase into catalytically active monomers: evidence against half-of-the-sites mechanism.

Disruption of the hydrogen bonding network at the interface of Escherichia coli transaldolase by substitution of R300 to a glutamic acid residue resulted in a monomeric enzyme at basic pH values, with almost no change in the kinetic parameters. The stability of the R300A and R300E mutants towards urea and thermal inactivation is similar to that of the wild-type enzyme. X-ray analysis showed that no structural changes occurred as a consequence of the side chain replacement. This indicates that the quaternary structure is not required for catalytic activity nor does it contribute significantly to the stability of the enzyme. The results are not consistent with a proposed half-of-the-sites reaction mechanism.

The same domain motif for ubiquinone reduction in mitochondrial or chloroplast NADH dehydrogenase and bacterial glucose dehydrogenase.

The respiratory chain NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (NADH dehydrogenase or Complex I) of mitochondria comprises some 30 different subunits, and one FMN and 4 or 5 iron-sulfur clusters as internal redox groups. The bacterial glucose dehydrogenase, which oxidizes glucose to gluconolactone in the periplasmatic space and transfers the electrons to ubiquinone, is a single polypeptide chain with pyrolloquinoline quinone as the only redox group. We report here that the two different enzymes have the same ubiquinone binding domain motif and we discuss the predicted membrane folding of this domain with regard to its role in the proton translocating function of the two enzymes.

Isocitrate lyase of Ashbya gossypii--transcriptional regulation and peroxisomal localization.

The isocitrate lyase-encoding gene AgICL1 from the filamentous hemiascomycete Ashbya gossypii was isolated by heterologous complementation of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae icl1d mutant. The open reading frame of 1680 bp encoded a protein of 560 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 62584. Disruption of the AgICL1 gene led to complete loss of AgIcl1p activity and inability to grow on oleic acid as sole carbon source. Compartmentation of AgIcl1p in peroxisomes was demonstrated both by Percoll density gradient centrifugation and by immunogold labeling of ultrathin sections using specific antibodies. This fitted with the peroxisomal targeting signal AKL predicted from the C-terminal DNA sequence. Northern blot analysis with mycelium grown on different carbon sources as well as AgICL1 promoter replacement with the constitutive AgTEF promoter revealed a regulation at the transcriptional level. AgICL1 was subject to glucose repression, derepressed by glycerol, partially induced by the C2 compounds ethanol and acetate, and fully induced by soybean oil.

In vivo fluxes in the ammonium-assimilatory pathways in corynebacterium glutamicum studied by 15N nuclear magnetic resonance

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and glutamine synthetase (GS)-glutamine 2-oxoglutarate-aminotransferase (GOGAT) represent the two main pathways of ammonium assimilation in Corynebacterium glutamicum. In this study, the ammonium assimilating fluxes in vivo in the wild-type ATCC 13032 strain and its GDH mutant were quantitated in continuous cultures. To do this, the incorporation of 15N label from [15N]ammonium in glutamate and glutamine was monitored with a time resolution of about 10 min with in vivo 15N nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) used in combination with a recently developed high-cell-density membrane-cyclone NMR bioreactor system. The data were used to tune a standard differential equation model of ammonium assimilation that comprised ammonia transmembrane diffusion, GDH, GS, GOGAT, and glutamine amidotransferases, as well as the anabolic incorporation of glutamate and glutamine into biomass. The results provided a detailed picture of the fluxes involved in ammonium assimilation in the two different C. glutamicum strains in vivo. In both strains, transmembrane equilibration of 100 mM [15N]ammonium took less than 2 min. In the wild type, an unexpectedly high fraction of 28% of the NH4+ was assimilated via the GS reaction in glutamine, while 72% were assimilated by the reversible GDH reaction via glutamate. GOGAT was inactive. The analysis identified glutamine as an important nitrogen donor in amidotransferase reactions. The experimentally determined amount of 28% of nitrogen assimilated via glutamine is close to a theoretical 21% calculated from the high peptidoglycan content of C. glutamicum. In the GDH mutant, glutamate was exclusively synthesized over the GS/GOGAT pathway. Its level was threefold reduced compared to the wild type.

Construction of L-lysine-, L-threonine-, and L-isoleucine-overproducing strains of Corynebacterium glutamicum.

The gram-negative bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum is used for the industrial production of amino acids, for example, of L-glutamate and L-lysine. By cloning and expressing the various genes of the L-lysine pathway in C. glutamicum, we would demonstrate that an increase of the flux of L-aspartate semialdehyde to L-lysine could be obtained in strains with increased dihydrodipicolinate synthase activity. Recently we detected that in C. glutamicum two pathways exist for synthesis of D,L-diaminopimelate and L-lysine. Mutants defective in one pathway are still able to synthesize enough L-lysine for growth, but the L-lysine secretion is reduced to 50 to 70%. Using NMR spectroscopy, we could calculate how much of the L-lysine secreted into the medium is synthesized via either one or the other pathway. Amplification of the feedback inhibition insensitive homoserine dehydrogenase and homoserine kinase in a high L-lysine-overproducing strain enabled channeling of the carbon flow from the intermediate aspartate semialdehyde towards homoserine, resulting in a high accumulation of L-threonine. For a further flux from L-threonine to L-isoleucine, the allosteric control of threonine dehydratase was eliminated.

Isoprenoid biosynthesis in bacteria: two different pathways?

The biosynthesis of isopentenylpyrophosphate, a central intermediate of isoprenoid formation, was investigated in six different bacterial organisms. Cell-free extracts of Myxococcus fulvus, Staphylococcus carnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Halobacterium cutirubrum converted [14C]acetyl-CoA or [14C]hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA to [14C]mevalonic acid. Furthermore, [14C]mevalonic acid, [14C]mevalonate-5-phosphate and [14C]mevalonate-5-pyrophosphate were metabolized to [14C]isopentenylpyrophosphate. These data demonstrated the in vitro operation of acetoacetate pathway for the formation of isopentenylpyrophosphate in bacteria. In contrast, no intermediates of this reaction sequence could be detected using cell-free extracts of Zymomonas mobilis and Escherichia coli. These results indicate that at least two different pathways for the biosynthesis of isopentenylpyrophosphate are present in bacteria.

Isolation of the dxr gene of Zymomonas mobilis and characterization of the 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase.

The gene encoding the second enzyme of the 2C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for isopentenyl diphosphate biosynthesis, 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) reductoisomerase, was cloned and sequenced from Zymomonas mobilis. The deduced amino acid sequence showed the highest identity (48.2%) to the DXP reductoisomerase of Escherichia coli. Biochemical characterization of the purified DXP reductoisomerase showed a strict dependence of the enzyme on NADPH and divalent cations (Mn(2+), Co(2+) or Mg(2+)). The enzyme is a dimer with a molecular mass of 39 kDa per subunit and has a specific activity of 19.5 U mg protein(-1). Catalysis of the intramolecular rearrangement and reduction of DXP to MEP is competitively inhibited by the antibiotic fosmidomycin with a K(i) of 0.6 microM.

Exceptional characteristics of heterotetrameric (alpha 2 beta 2) E1p of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from Zymomonas mobilis: expression from an own promoter and a lipoyl domain in E1 beta.

In the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) of Zymomonas mobilis the beta subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1p) as well as the acetyltransferase (E2p) contain an N-terminal lipoyl domain. Both lipoyl domains were acetylated in vitro using 2-14C-pyruvate as a substrate, demonstrating that both lipoyl domains can accept acetyl groups from the E1 component. As previously shown the structural genes (pdhA alpha beta, pdhB, lpd) encoding the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of Z. mobilis are located in two distinct gene clusters, pdhA alpha beta and pdhB-orf2-lpd (U. Neveling et al. (1998) J. Bacteriol. 180, 1540-1548). Analysis of pdh gene expression using lacZ fusions revealed that the DNA fragments upstream of pdhA alpha, pdhB and lpd each have promoter activities. These pdh promoter activities were 7-30-fold higher in Z. mobilis than in Escherichia coli.