Oxygenated Ylangene-Derived Sesquiterpenoids from the Soft Coral Lemnalia philippinensis

Chemical examination of a Taiwanese soft coral Lemnalia philippinensis led to the isolation of three oxygenated ylangene-derived sesquiterpenoids 1–3, including two new metabolites, philippinlins A and B (1 and 2). The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of detailed spectroscopic data. Compound 1 was shown to exhibit cytotoxicity against HepG2, MDA-MB231 and A549 cancer cell lines.     

Cloning and characterization of monacolin K biosynthetic gene cluster from Monascus pilosus

Monacolin K is a secondary metabolite synthesized by polyketide synthases (PKS) from Monascus, and it has the same structure as lovastatin, which is mainly produced by Aspergillus terreus. In the present study, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone, mps01, was screened from the BAC library constructed from Monascus pilosus BCRC38072 genomic DNA. The putative monacolin K biosynthetic gene cluster was found within a 42 kb region in the mps01 clone. The deduced amino acid sequences encoded by the nine genes designated as mokA- mokI, which share over 54% similarity with the lovastatin biosynthetic gene cluster in A. terreus, were assumed to be involved in monacolin K biosynthesis. A gene disruption construct designed to replace the central part of mokA, a polyketide synthase gene, in wild-type M. pilosus BCRC38072 with a hygromycin B resistance gene through homologous recombination, resulted in a mokA-disrupted strain. The disruptant did not produce monacolin K, indicating that mokA encoded the PKS responsible for monacolin K biosynthesis in M. pilosus BCRC38072.     

Low levels of haptoglobin and putative amino acid sequence in Taiwanese Lanyu miniature pigs

Porcine haptoglobin (Hp) is an acute phase protein. Its plasma level increases significantly during inflammation and infection. One of the main functions of Hp is to bind free hemoglobin (Hb) and inhibit its oxidative activity. In the present report, we studied the Hp phenotype of Taiwanese Lanyu miniature pigs (TLY minipigs; n=43) and found their Hp structure to be a homodimer (beta-alpha-alpha-beta) similar to human Hp 1-1. Interestingly, Western blot and high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis showed that 25% of the TLY minipigs possessed low or no plasma Hp level (<0.05 mg/ml). The Hp cDNA of these TLY minipigs was then cloned, and the translated amino acid sequence was analyzed. No sequences were found to be deficient; they showed a 99.7% identity with domestic pigs (NP_999165). The mean overall Hp level of the TLY minipigs (0.21 +/- 0.25 mg/ml; n=43) determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was markedly lower than that of domestic pigs (0.78 +/- 0.45 mg/ml; p<0.001), while 25% of the TLY minipigs had an Hp level that was extremely low (<0.05 mg/ml). In addition, the initial recovery rate (first 40 min) in the circulation of infused fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-Hb was significantly higher in the TLY minipigs with extremely low Hp levels than those with high levels. This data suggests that the low concentration of Hp-Hb complex is responsible for the higher recovery rate of Hb in the circulation. TLY minipigs have been used as an experimental model for cardiovascular diseases; whether they can be used as a model for inflammatory diseases, with Hp as a marker, remains a topic of interest. However, since the Hp level varies significantly among individual TLY minipigs, it is necessary to prescreen the Hp levels of the animals to minimize variation in the experimental baseline. The present study may provide a reference value for future use of the TLY minipig as an animal model for inflammation-associated diseases.     

台湾农村生活废水之水质特性及其影响研究

本研究之目的乃以桃园灌区农村生活废水为对象,调查其水质特性受季节变化之影响等,并与桃园大圳第二支线上游之灌溉水质进行比较。结果显示,农村生活废水的各项水质浓度与社区户数间并没有一致性存在,而是与社区规划、社区生活形态有关。其中,若因洗车、花园浇灌水等的稀释作用较小时,社区生活废水的化学需氧量约为 159～563mg/L、总氮 15～68mg/L,总磷 0.6～5.7mg/L。在季节变化的影响方面,发现生活废水中的 pH值乃随雨季初期→中期→末期而逐渐降低;电导度、生化需氧量、有机氮、凯氏氮及总氮的平均污染浓度则随雨季初期→中期→末期的顺序而升高;至于化学需氧量、氨氮、硝酸盐氮、亚硝酸盐氮及总磷,是以雨季中期之污染值最高。最后,研究指出,农村生活废水的污染浓度非常高,其中,电导度是桃园大圳第二支线上游灌溉水质的 2.2倍,化学需氧量为 22.5倍,生化需氧量 45.6倍,氨氮 2.2倍,有机氮 122.4倍,凯氏氮 44.0倍,亚硝酸盐氮 2.4倍,总氮 14.3倍及总磷 128.3倍。因此,若不慎将生活废水排入灌溉水道,将严重影响灌溉水的品质。     

Recovery from rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block was longer in the larynx than in the pelvic limb of anesthetized dogs

Objective

To determine if neuromuscular monitoring at the pelvic limb accurately reflects neuromuscular function in the larynx after administration of rocuronium in anesthetized dogs.

Inter‐ and intrapopulation variation in dormancy of Oryza sativa (weedy red rice) and allelic variation in dormancy‐linked loci

Oryza sativa (weedy red rice), the same species as cultivated rice, is a serious problem in rice production worldwide. Seed dormancy contributes to its persistence. We determined the effect of germination temperature and after‐ripening period on germination capacity (GC) of red rice seeds from Arkansas rice fields in three production zones. We also determined the gene diversity (GD) of dormancy‐linked loci among selected populations. The germination behaviour was evaluated at three temperatures (1°C, 15°C and 35°C) and four after‐ripening periods (0, 30, 60 and 90 days) in two independent experiments. Germination response to temperature and after‐ripening time differed among and within populations in each production zone. Overall, populations from the Delta and Grand Prairie were more dormant than those from White River. Regardless of ecotype or production zone, incubation at 35°C (mean GC = 84–100%) favoured the germination of seeds after‐ripened for 60 days. Germination of these seeds was most variable at suboptimal temperature (15°C), with mean GC ranging from 44 to 97%; at 1°C, none of the seeds germinated. Primary dormancy was released in the majority of populations after 90 days of after‐ripening. Blackhull populations generally had lower mean GC than strawhull populations, regardless of temperature, and required longer after‐ripening time to release dormancy. They also showed a higher inter‐ and intrapopulation variation in germination and after‐ripening than strawhulls and had the highest gene diversity (GD = 0.55–0.58) among test populations. Non‐dormant strawhulls were most distant (D = 0.63) from dormant blackhulls. Ecotype influenced genotypic clustering more than the dormancy trait.     

Genetic relationships of Rhododendron (Ericaceae) in Taiwan based on the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA

Summary

The genetic relationships of 20 Rhododendron species in Taiwan was determined based on the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA. Sequences of the complete ITS region including ITS1, 5.8S rDNA, and ITS2, were obtained by direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified fragments. Gaultheria itoana was used as an outgroup. Aligned sequences of ITS1 and ITS2 from the 21 taxa resulted in 493 characters. According to the dendrogram, six main clusters were classified among the 20 species of the genus Rhododendron in Taiwan. Rhododendron oldhamii, R. nakaharai, R. taiwanalpinum, R. simsii, R. lasiostylum, R. rubropilosum, R. breviperulatum, R. kanehirai, and R. noriakianum were grouped with R. longiperulatum in cluster I. Rhododendron lamprophyllum was grouped with R. ovatum in cluster II. Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum, R. morri, R. hyperythrum, and R. rubropunctatum were grouped with R. formosanum in cluster III. In addition, R. mariesii, R. ellipticum and R. kawakamii formed three independent clusters. In this study, the findings based on ITS sequences are in agreement with the systematics of Rhododendron.