CODEN : IJBBBQ ISSN
: 0301-1208
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VOLUME 45 |
NUMBER 5 |
OCTOBER 2008 |
Minireview
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Melatonin:
Fifty Years of Scientific Journey from the Discovery in Bovine Pineal Gland to Delineation of Functions in Human |
289 |
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Indrajit
Chowdhury, Anamika Sengupta and Saumen Kumar Maitra* |
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Papers
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Molecular
cloning, expression and characterization of a-amylase gene from a marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. MY-1 |
305 |
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Xueying Tao, Moon-Sun Jang, Kyoung-Sook Kim, Ziniu Yu and |
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Plastocyanin
microheterogeneity in Scenedesmus acutus MT8 |
310 |
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Curcumin-induced
recovery from hepatic injury involves induction of apoptosis of activated
hepatic stellate cells |
317 |
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Effects
of various extremely low frequency magnetic fields on the free radical
processes, natural antioxidant system and respiratory burst system activities
in the heart and liver tissues |
326 |
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Protective
effect of taurine and quercetin against renal dysfunction associated with the
combined use of gentamycin and diclofenac |
332 |
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Adel A Kheir
Eldin, Amira A. Shaheen, Hanan M Abd Elgawad* and |
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Notes |
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Suppressive effect of Strychnos nux-vomica on
induction of ovalbumin-specific IgE antibody response in mice |
341 |
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Enzymatic characteristics of
quercetinases from some indigenous Aspergillus
flavus strains |
345 |
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Kinetics
of α-chymotrypsin catalyzed hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate |
350 |
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354 |
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Instructions to Authors |
356 |
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——————
*Author
for correspondence
AUTHOR INDEX
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341 |
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289 |
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326 |
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310 |
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341 |
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332 |
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350 |
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326 |
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332 |
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332 |
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317 |
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310 |
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310 |
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350 |
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345 |
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345 |
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305 |
MINIREVIEW
Indian
Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Vol. 45, October 2008, pp. 289-304
Melatonin: Fifty Years of Scientific Journey from the Discovery in Bovine Pineal Gland to Delineation of Functions in Human
Indrajit Chowdhury1, Anamika Sengupta2 and Saumen Kumar Maitra3*
1Department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2Department of Physiology, Morehouse
3Department
of Zoology,
Received 24 November 2007; revised 01 July 2008
Melatonin
(N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) was first purified and characterized from the
bovine pineal gland extract by Aron Lerner and co-workers in 1958. Since then,
a plethora of information has piled up on its biosynthesis, metabolism,
time-bound periodicity, physiological and patho-physiological functions, as
well as its interactions with other endocrine or neuro-endocrine organs and
tissues in the body. Melatonin has wide range of applications in physiology and
biomedical fields. In recent years, a significant progress has been made in the
understanding mechanism of its actions at the cellular and molecular levels. Consistent
efforts have uncovered the mystery of this indoleamine, and demonstrated its
role in regulation of a large as well as diverse body functions in different
groups of animals in general, and in humans in particular. Current review, in
commemoration of 50 years of discovery of melatonin, while revisiting the
established dogmas, summarizes current information on biosynthesis, secretion,
metabolism and molecular mechanism of
action of melatonin at cellular
level and highlights the recent
research on its role in human physiology and clinical biology.
Keywords: AA-NAT, Biological rhythm, Cancer, Melatonin, Pineal
gland, Reproduction, Seasonal affective disorder
Suprachiasmatic nucleus, Sleep, Jet-lag
*E-mail: dgp_skmaitra@yahoo.co.in, skmaitra@visva-bharati.ac.in
PAPERS
Indian
Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Vol. 45, October 2008, pp. 305-309
Molecular cloning, expression and characterization of a-amylase gene from a marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. MY-1
Xueying Tao1,2, Moon-Sun Jang1, Kyoung-Sook Kim1, Ziniu Yu2 and Young-Choon Lee1*
1Department of Biotechnology, College of Natural Resources and Life Science, Dong-A University, Busan 604-714, South Korea
2State Key Laboratory of
Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University,
Received 25 April 2008;
revised 23 August 2008
A gene (amyA) encoding an extracellular a-amylase from a marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. MY-1 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. It comprised an open-reading-frame of 2,007 base pairs and encoded a protein of 669 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 73,770 daltons and a pI of 5.15. The entire amino acid sequence of amyA gene showed 86% similarity to the a-amylase preproprotein from Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis. It consisted of a signal peptide, α-amylase catalytic domain and an amy C domain. The recombinant amylase was purified to homogeneity and biochemically characterized. The enzyme revealed maximum activity at pH 7.0 and 40şC. The enzyme hydrolyzed soluble starch and some maltooligosaccharides to several oligosaccharides, and maltose was the common product from different substrates.
Keywords: Pseudoalteromonas, a Amylase, Cloning, Characterization
*E-mail: yclee@dau.ac.kr
Indian
Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Vol. 45, October 2008, pp. 310-316
Plastocyanin microheterogeneity in Scenedesmus acutus MT8
Mitko I Dimitrov1*,
Anthony A Donchev1, Georgi R Toromanov1,
and Tonka G Toncheva-Panova2
1Institute
of Biophysics,
2Institute
of Plant Physiology,
Received 30 October 2007; revised 29 August 2008
Two
total plastocyanin (PC) fractions — loosely bound (lPC) and strongly bound
(sPC) were extracted (84% and 16%, respectively) from the homogenate of Scenedesmus
acutus MT8. Two-fold isolation-purification procedure including DE-52
chromatography separated lPC into a smaller oxidized [lPC (II)] and a larger
reduced [lPC(I)] fractions, in contrast to sPC, where sPC(II) greatly dominated
over sPC(I). Analytical isoelectric focusing (IEF) separated lPC(II) into two main fractions only in the
presence of
Keywords: Plastocyanin, Microheterogeneity,
Dimorphism, Isoelectric focusing, Chromatofocusing
*E-mail: mitkod@bio21.bas.bg
Indian
Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Vol. 45, October 2008, pp. 317-325
Curcumin-induced recovery from hepatic injury involves induction of apoptosis of activated hepatic stellate cells
Department of Biochemistry,
Received 14 May 2007; revised 28 July 2008
Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) undergo activation and transdifferentiation to myofibroblast like cells in liver injury, leading to liver fibrosis. During recovery from injury, activated HSCs may either revert back to quiescent state or undergo apoptosis or both. In the present study, we have examined whether recovery from hepatic injury involves apoptosis of activated HSCs and tested whether curcumin (the yellow pigment from Curcuma longa Linn.) promotes recovery from hepatic injury by inducing apoptosis of these cells. Hepatic injury was induced by CCl4 and apoptosis was studied in HSCs isolated from liver by MTT assay, DNA fragmentation, and DAPI and annexin staining. Hepatic recovery was assessed by measuring hepatic marker activities, such as serum GOT, GPT and protein. Hepatic recovery occurred within 4 weeks after inducing injury in untreated control, whereas curcumin treatment caused hepatic recovery within 2 weeks, as evidenced by the reduction of hepatic marker activities to near normal levels. HSCs isolated from liver of animals treated with curcumin showed maximum apoptotic marker activities in 2nd week, whereas in HSCs from untreated control recovering from injury, maximum apoptosis was observed in 4th week. Induction of apoptosis in vivo during hepatic recovery was also suggested by increase in caspase-3 activity. Treatment of isolated HSCs in culture with curcumin caused apoptosis during later stages confirming that curcumin induced apoptosis of activated HSCs and not in unactivated quiescent HSCs. These results suggested that hepatoprotective effect of curcumin causing recovery from injury involved apoptosis of activated HSCs.
Keywords: Hepatic stellate cells, Apoptosis, Curcumin, Hepatic
fibrosis, Retinol
*E-mail: prsbn@md4.vsnl.net.in
Indian
Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Vol. 45, October 2008, pp. 326-331
Effects of various
extremely low frequency magnetic fields on the free radical processes, natural
antioxidant system and respiratory burst system activities in the heart and
liver tissues#
Ayse
Gulnihal Canseven1*, Sule Coskun2 and Nesrin Seyhan1
1Department of Biophysics,
2Department of Biology,
Received 04 January 2008; revised 19 July 2008
Magnetic fields (MFs) can affect biological
systems by increasing the release of free radicals that are able to alter cell
defense systems and breakdown tissue homeostasis. In the present study, the
effects of extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) were
investigated on free radical levels, natural antioxidant systems and
respiratory burst system activities in heart and liver tissues of guinea pigs
exposed to 50 Hz MFs of 1, 2 and 3 mT for 4 h/day and 8 h/day for 5 days by
measuring malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), glutathione (GSH) levels
and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. A total of sixty-two male guinea pigs,
10-12 weeks old were studied in seven groups as control and exposure groups:
Group I (control), II (1 mT, 4 h/day), III (1 mT, 8 h/day), IV (2 mT, 4 h/day),
V (2 mT, 8 h/day), VI (3 mT, 4 h/day), and VII (3 mT, 8 h/day). Controls were
kept under the same conditions without any exposure to MF. MDA levels increased
in liver in groups II and IV, but decreased in group VII for both liver and
heart tissues. NOx levels declined in heart in groups II and III and in liver
in groups III, V, and VI, but increased in liver in group VII. GSH levels
increased in heart in groups II, IV, V, and in liver in groups V and VI and VI,
but decreased in groups II and IV in liver. MPO activity decreased in liver in
groups III, IV, VI and VII with respect to controls and in heart tissues in
groups II, III and IV; however, there was a significant increase MPO activity
in heart in group VII. From the results, it can be concluded that the intensity
and exposure duration of MFs are among the effective conditions on the
formation of free radicals and behaviour of antioxidant enzymes.
Keywords: Extremely low frequency, Electromagnetic
fields, Free radicals, MDA, NOx, GSH, Myeloperoxidase activity
*E-mail: canseven@gazi.edu.tr, agcanseven@gmail.com; aysecanseven@hotmail.com
Indian
Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Vol. 45, October 2008, pp. 332-340
Protective effect of taurine and quercetin against renal
dysfunction associated
with the combined use of gentamycin and diclofenac
Adel A Kheir Eldin, Amira A. Shaheen, Hanan M Abd Elgawad* and Nagwa I Shehata
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of
Pharmacy,
Received 12 March 2008; revised 26 August 2008
The potential protective effects of taurine and
quercetin against gentamycin (GM)/diclofenac (DC) combined nephrotoxicity were
investigated in rats. The results showed that administration of DC alone at an
oral dose of 5 mg/kg b.wt/day for 28 days had no significant effect on the
measured parameters, except for marked increase in urinary uronic acid
excretion. Administration of GM alone at a dose of 100 mg/kg b.wt/day i.p. for
8 days resulted in obvious nephrotoxicity. Combined GM-DC treatment led to the
most pronounced nephrotoxicity, as indicated by greater elevations in serum
urea, creatinine and urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG),
together with severe depression of renal cortical Na+, K+-ATPase,
compared to GM-treated group. Moreover, only combined treatment resulted in
significant decrease in urinary potassium and renal cortical glutathione
peroxidase (GSHPx), together with an increase in renal cortical lipid
peroxidation products (LPOs). Co-administration of taurine or quercetin
normalized creatinine clearance and ameliorated the elevations in urinary
proteins, uronic acids, NAG and renal cortical LPOs in GM/DC treated rats. The
study justifies the use of taurine and quercetin as renoprotective agents
against the nephrotoxicity caused by GM/DC therapy.
Keywords: Nephrotoxicity,
Gentamycin, NSAIDs, Taurine, Quercetin
*E-mail: hananabdelgawad@yahoo.com
NOTES
Indian
Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Vol. 45, October 2008, pp. 341-344
Suppressive effect of Strychnos nux-vomica on induction of
ovalbumin-specific IgE antibody response in mice#
Govinda Rao Duddukuri*, A Naga Brahmam
and D
Department of
Biochemistry,
+Department of Biochemistry, AIIMS,
Received 29 October 2007; revised 10 September 2008
Strychnos nux-vomica Linn. (SNV; Loganiaceae), a medicinal plant has been used as folk medicine for alleviating inflammation, joint pains and allergic symptoms. In the present study, we examined its possible immunomodulatory effect on induction of ovalbumin (OVA)-specific IgE antibody response in a murine model, as evaluated by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA). The OVA-specific IgE antibody response was significantly suppressed in BALB/c mice (H-2d), following intraperitoneal administration of aqueous stem extract of the plant along with OVA. Furthermore, the different doses of SNV extract were found to significantly suppress the induction of OVA-specific IgE antibody response. The anti-OVA IgE antibody response was suppressed in different haplotypes of mice viz., C57BL/6 (H-2b) and SWR/J(H-2q). However, preliminary findings revealed no significant change in the total IgG antibody response against OVA, as evaluated by ELISA. These results confirm the suppressive activity of S. nux-vomica on allergen-specific IgE antibody response and suggest its possible application in allergic conditions.
Keywords:
Strychnos
nux-vomica, Immunomodulation, Immunosuppression, IgE antibody response, Passive
cutaneous anaphylaxis, ELISA
*E-mail: dgrao@rediffmail.com
Indian
Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Vol. 45, October 2008, pp.345-349
Enzymatic characteristics of quercetinases from some indigenous
Aspergillus flavus strains
R S S Yadav and K D
Department of Chemistry, D D U
Received 16 April 2007; revised 18 August 2008
Five indigenous Aspergillus flavus strains MTCC-2206, 1884, 1883, 1783 and 2456 were screened for the secretion of quercetinase. Fungal strains MTCC-2206, 1884, 1883, and 1783 were found to secrete the quercetinase in the range of 0.24-0.36 enzyme unit/mL of the culture medium, while MTCC-2456 secreted only 0.04 enzyme unit/mL. The enzymatic characteristics of quercetinase were determined. The Km values using quercetin as the substrate were 12.5 µM, 14.0 µM, 12.5 µM and 13.0 µM for the quercetinase produced by MTCC-2206, 1884, 1883 and 1783, respectively. The pH optima for the above enzymes were 6.5, 6.5, 6.0 and 6.0 and temperature optima were 45, 40, 45 and 50şC, respectively. The partial purification from only one strain MTCC-2206 was achieved (nearly 3-fold purification).
Keywords: Quercetinase, Aspergillus
flavus, Dioxygenase, Copper enzyme
*E-mail: kds_chemistry@rediffmail.com
Indian
Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Vol. 45, August 2008, pp.350-353
Kinetics of α-chymotrypsin catalyzed hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate in ethanolamine surfactants#
Kallol K Ghosh* and Santosh Kumar Verma
Received 19 November 2007; revised 13 August 2008
The kinetics of α-chymotrypsin (α-CT) catalyzed hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate has been studied in aqueous solution of alkyldimethylethanolammonium bromide (cetyl, dodecyl, decyl) surfactants at concentrations below and above their critical micelle concentration. From Michaelis-Menten kinetics, the catalytic rate constant kcat and the Michaelis constant KM have been determined. The bell-shaped profiles of α-CT activity with increasing surfactant concentrations indicate the interaction between the micelle-bound enzyme and substrate.
Keywords: α-Chymotrypsin, 4-Nitrophenyl
acetate, Hydrolysis, Micellar enzymology, Alkyldimethyl ethanol-ammonium bromide, Surfactants
E-mail: sqin@ms.qdio.ac.cn
Indian
Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Vol. 45, August 2008, pp.354-355
Book Review
Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration (AIPH) (Series
Editor: Govindjee,
Price: 219 Euro.
The AIPH (Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration) series, Vol. 26 titled, “Biophysical Techniques in Photosynthesis II” edited by T J Aartsma & J Maysik, University of Leiden brings about new developments in the biophysical tools and techniques, and how they could reveal the finer and deeper details of the mechanism of photosynthesis. It contains 24 attractive and authoritative chapters contributed by 54 experts from 10 counties. The chapters have been clubbed under 5 thematic heads.
The first section (4 chapters) of the book covers tools and techniques on imaging — which is very familiar now in the medical field. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), 3D electron microscopy (EM), electron tomography and femtosecond laser coupled optical microscopy (applications of non-linear contrast mechanism to optical microscopy) are included in this section and these would tempt biologists of all descriptions in using them. A chapter on MRI of plants for reporting water transport and water balance in relation to photosynthesis adds value.
The second section (5 chapters) dwells on techniques for elucidating structures, especially those on stabilizing membrane proteins like plant light-harvesting complexes, and X-ray crystallography of photosynthetic proteins. Discussions on electron crystallography details about analyzing crystals by EM-based methods as an alternate to X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy have been provided. The chapter on X-ray scattering measurements explains the need for knowing amplitudes and time scale of molecular motions, supplementing the detailed structural elucidation by X-ray crystallography.
The
3rd part of the book (4 chapters) deals with optical spectroscopy
such as time-resolved infrared spectroscopy, non-linear femtosecond optical
spectroscopy techniques, subpicoseond fluorescence spectral evolution using a
streak camera and target analysis and optical spectroscopy of an individual
photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes. These techniques and protocols
enable unraveling of the pathways and dynamics of energy transfer processes. It
appears that these experimental tools and protocols would encourage more
rigorous experimentation on linking ultra-fast energy transfer, and electron
and proton transfer dynamics. Further, the single molecule detection technique
has been successfully used for individual light-harvesting complex of purple
photosynthetic bacteria. The beauty of electronic structure of molecular
aggregates in “producing efficient energy conversion” systems is shown in this
section.
The penultimate 4th section (6 chapters) is devoted to the applications of magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The high field and high frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), involving single and multiple transitions are attractive additions for EPR users. The breakthroughs in pulsed microwaves, swappable cryomagnets, and fast data acquisition systems have been highlighted in these chapters. Illustrative examples on how these techniques are complementary to protein crystallography, solid-state NMR as well as optical spectroscopic methods, distance measurements in the photosynthetic reaction centers in bacteria, and the use of site-directed spin labeling techniques for probing structural and conformational patterns in photosynthetic machinery are new and fascinating.
The last section (5 chapters) is on theoretical treatments of spectroscopic methods and their recent advancements. Advancements, particularly on calculations of electrostatic energy, energy transfer and molecular dynamics, and on some newly developed quantum chemical methods have been covered. This section would be of considerable value to researchers interested in theory and modeling.
The present volume of AIPH series is a timely addition as a vital reference book for courses and programmes on physics, physical chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, biophysics, agricultural engineering and microbiology, life sciences, environmental sciences and ecology. It must be stated that the plant biophysics is an emerging strong discipline in plant sciences. Such type of techniques-based books are very useful for such advance undergraduate and graduate programmes. All the contributors have done excellent job. They have been successful in giving rigor to theoretical treatments as well as giving an overall perception of how these techniques reveal new dimension to a biologic process such as photosynthesis. Each chapter invites the readers to visualize a new direction in the specified field, and the two editors have done best to bridge different topics into coherent themes and sections. This reviewer strongly recommends that departments, colleges, universities and institutes (traditional and professionals) should have copies of this valuable book on biophysical techniques. Springer does bring excellence in publishing high quality books and journals, and this one adds their consistency. However, for students at large the cost is prohibitory.
Prasanna Mohanty
INSA
Honorary Scientist at RPRC,
Courtesy-Professor, Functional Biology, DAVV
Formerly
at JNU
photosis@rediffmail.com