Scand J Gastroenterol, 1998 Nov, 33(11), 1158 - 63 Fructose-sorbitol malabsorption and symptom provocation in irritable bowel syndrome: relationship to enteric hypersensitivity and dysmotility; Evans PR et al.; BACKGROUND: Fructose-sorbitol (F-S) mixtures can provoke symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients, and a proportion of IBS patients also have enteric hypersensitivity to distension . We hypothesized, therefore, that sugar malabsorption and fermentation to produce hydrogen gas may provoke symptoms to a greater extent in IBS patients hypersensitive to distension than in those patients without such hypersensitivity . Our aims were therefore to compare, in IBS patients, symptoms and breath hydrogen responses after F-S, on the basis of jejunal sensitivity and jejunal motor function . METHODS: Fifteen female IBS patients (44 +/- 15 years) underwent, on separate occasions, 3-h breath hydrogen analyses after ingesting 10 g lactulose and 25 g fructose with 5 g sorbitol . Jejunal sensitivity and motor function were determined by balloon distension and 24-h manometry studies, respectively . Cumulative symptom scores and breath hydrogen production were analysed on the basis of the presence or absence of jejunal hypersensitivity and dysmotility . RESULTS: Four and seven patients had jejunal hypersensitivity for initial perception and pain, respectively . Eleven, nine, and nine patients had jejunal dysmotility for fasting phase 3, phase 2, and fed motor activity, respectively . Of the patients with symptom provocation after F-S (n = 8 within 3 h, n = 12 within 12 h) or with F-S malabsorption (n = 10), the relative proportion did not differ on the basis of the presence or absence of jejunal hypersensitivity or of motor dysfunction . Symptom scores and hydrogen production also were not different in these subgroups . CONCLUSIONS: Although carbohydrate malabsorption can provoke symptoms in some IBS patients, there is no consistent association between such a phenomenon and the presence of either jejunal hypersensitivity or dysmotility. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 1998 Nov, 50(5), 579 - 82 Carbon catabolite repression of invertase during batch cultivations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: the role of glucose, fructose, and mannose; Dynesen J et al.; When Saccharomyces cerevisiae are grown on a mixture of glucose and another fermentable sugar such as sucrose, maltose or galactose, the metabolism is diauxic, i.e . glucose is metabolized first, whereas the other sugars are metabolized when glucose is exhausted . This phenomenon is a consequence of glucose repression, or more generally, catabolite repression . Besides glucose, the hexoses fructose and mannose are generally also believed to trigger catabolite repression . In this study, batch fermentations of S . cerevisiae in mixtures of sucrose and either glucose, fructose or mannose were performed . It was found that the utilization of sucrose is inhibited by concentrations of either glucose or fructose higher than 5 g/l, and thus that glucose and fructose are equally capable of exerting catabolite repression . However, sucrose was found to be hydrolyzed to glucose and fructose, even when the mannose concentration was as high as 17 g/l, indicating, that mannose is not a repressing sugar . It is suggested that the capability to trigger catabolite repression is connected to hexokinase PII, which is involved in the in vivo phosphorylation of glucose and fructose. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 1998 Nov, 50(5), 545 - 51 Evaluation of cell recycling in continuous fermentation of enzymatic hydrolysates of spruce with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and on-line monitoring of glucose and ethanol; Palmqvist E et al.; The maximum growth rate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 96581, adapted to fermentation of spent sulphite liquor (SSL), was 7 times higher in SSL of hardwood than the maximum growth rate of bakers' yeast . ATCC 96581 was studied in the continuous fermentation of spruce hydrolysate without and with cell recycling . Ethanol productivity by ATCC 96581 in continuous fermentation of an enzymatic hydrolysate of spruce was increased 4.6 times by employing cell recycling . On-line analysis of CO2, glucose and ethanol (using a microdialysis probe) was used to investigate the effect of fermentation pH on cell growth and ethanol production, and to set the dilution rate . Cell growth in the spruce hydrolysates was strongly influenced by fermentation pH . The fermentation was operated in continuous mode for 210 h and a theoretical ethanol yield on fermentable sugars was obtained. J Bacteriol, 1999 Jan, 181(1), 153 - 60 Sequence diversity of flagellin (fliC) alleles in pathogenic Escherichia coli; Reid SD et al.; To study the molecular evolution of flagellin, the protein subunit specifying flagellar (H) antigens, the fliC genes from 15 pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli were amplified by PCR and sequenced . Comparison of fliC sequences of H6 and H7 strains revealed that alleles have a mosaic structure indicating the occurrence of past horizontal transfer of DNA segments between strains . The close similarity of H7 sequences also indicates the exchange of an entire fliC H7 allele between distant clonal lineages . In addition, the ratio of silent substitutions to amino acid replacements suggests that a short segment in the central region of fliC has been under positive selection in the divergence of H6 and H7 alleles . Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that the fliC sequences of O157:H7 and O55:H7 serotypes are nearly identical and highly divergent from those of E . coli strains expressing H6 and H2 flagellar antigens . A nonmotile clone of sorbitol-fermenting O157 has rapidly accumulated multiple mutations in fliC, presumably as a result of the silencing of flagellin expression. J Bacteriol, 1999 Jan, 181(1), 40 - 6 Evidence for a chemiosmotic model of dehalorespiration in Desulfomonile tiedjei DCB-1; Louie TM et al.; Desulfomonile tiedjei DCB-1, a sulfate-reducing bacterium, conserves energy for growth from reductive dehalogenation of 3-chlorobenzoate by an uncharacterized chemiosmotic process . Respiratory electron transport components were examined in D . tiedjei cells grown under conditions for reductive dehalogenation, pyruvate fermentation, and sulfate reduction . Reductive dehalogenation was inhibited by the respiratory quinone inhibitor 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide, suggesting that a respiratory quinoid is a component of the electron transport chain coupled to reductive dehalogenation . Moreover, reductive dehalogenation activity was dependent on 1, 4-naphthoquinone, a possible precursor for a respiratory quinoid . However, no ubiquinone or menaquinone could be extracted from D . tiedjei . Rather, a UV-absorbing quinoid which is different from common respiratory quinones in chemical structure according to mass spectrometric and UV absorption spectroscopic analyses was extracted . ATP sulfurylase, adenosine phosphosulfate reductase, and desulfoviridin sulfite reductase, enzymes involved in sulfate reduction, were constitutively expressed in the cytoplasm of D . tiedjei cells grown under all three metabolic conditions . A periplasmic hydrogenase was detected in cells grown under reductive-dehalogenating and pyruvate-fermenting conditions . A membrane-bound, periplasm-oriented formate dehydrogenase was detected only in cells grown with formate as electron donor, while a cytoplasmic formate dehydrogenase was detected in cells grown under reductive-dehalogenating and pyruvate-fermenting conditions . Results from dehalogenation assays with D . tiedjei whole-cell suspensions and cell extracts suggest that the membrane-bound reductive dehalogenase is cytoplasm oriented . The data clearly demonstrate an enzyme topology in D . tiedjei which produces protons directly in the periplasm, generating a proton motive force by a scalar mechanism. J Biol Chem, 1998 Dec 25, 273(52), 35268 - 72 A toxic fusion protein accumulating between the mitochondrial membranes inhibits protein assembly in vivo; Beilharz T et al.; When overexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, beta-galactosidase fusion proteins directed to the mitochondria are toxic, preventing growth of yeast cells on non-fermentable carbon sources (Emr, S . D., Vassarotti, A., Garrett, J., Geller, B . L., Takeda, M., and Douglas, M . G . (1986) J . Cell Biol . 102, 523-533) . We show that such fusion proteins interfere with the assembly of respiratory complexes in the mitochondrial inner membrane, without blocking protein translocation . The gene YME1, encoding an ATP-dependent metalloprotease of the mitochondrial inner membrane, acts as a suppressor of this defect; a 3-fold overexpression of Yme1p is sufficient to restore respiratory complex assembly and mitochondrial function . Detailed knowledge of the topology and effect of the toxic beta-galactosidase fusion proteins will permit the identification and characterization of components that control protein sorting and protein assembly within the mitochondrial inner membrane. J Anim Sci, 1998 Nov, 76(11), 2912 - 20 Fibrolytic enzyme treatment of barley grain and source of forage in high-grain diets fed to growing cattle; Krause M et al.; We conducted a study to determine the effects of treating barley grain with a fibrolytic enzyme mixture on chewing activities, ruminal fermentation, and total tract digestibility in cattle . We also investigated the potential benefits of using barley straw rather than barley silage as a roughage source in high-grain diets for feedlot cattle . Steers were given ad libitum access to one of four diets that consisted of 95% barley-based concentrate and 5% forage (DM basis) . The concentrate was either control or enzyme-treated, and the forage was either barley silage or barley straw . Applying the enzyme mixture onto the barley lowered the concentrations of dietary ADF and NDF . However, it is not certain when this fiber hydrolysis occurred relative to feed consumption because the fiber analyses were conducted after the study was completed . Enzyme treatment of barley increased total tract dietary ADF digestibility by 28% (P<.05) . Acetate-to-propionate ratio tended to decrease, which suggests that enzymes may have increased ruminal starch digestion as a result of enhanced digestion of barley hulls . Replacing silage with straw increased ADF intake (P<.05) and resulted in 1-h/d increase in rumination time (P<.05) . Even though there was no effect of diet on ruminal pH, replacing silage with straw increased ruminal acetate, as a percentage of total VFA, and total tract ADF digestion (P<.01) . This study demonstrates that using a fibrolytic enzyme mixture in high-grain diets that contain mainly barley grain can improve fiber digestion and grain utilization, but the mode of action is unclear . Straw can be used rather than silage to increase the effective fiber content of a high-grain feedlot diet. J Anim Sci, 1998 Nov, 76(11), 2845 - 52 Nutritional evaluation of two agroindustrial by-products for ducks and pigs; Ragland D et al.; Forty-eight male White Pekin ducks and 24 crossbred barrows (Landrace or Yorkshire sows; PIC Line 355 boars) were used in three experiments to evaluate the nutritional value of two by-products generated from agricultural industries . In each experiment, test ingredients consisted of a dried meat solubles product (DMS) from swine processing facilities and a yeast fermentation product (YFP) from a commercial source . Soybean meal (SBM) with a CP content of 48% served as the control ingredient in the three experiments . Different batches of each by-product were evaluated in the three experiments utilizing an apparent ME (AME) assay for poultry (Exp . 1 and 2) and a digestibility assay for barrows (Exp . 3) . The nitrogen-corrected AME (AMEn) for SBM, DMS, and YFP in Exp . 1 were 2.909, 2.801, and 3.292 kcal, respectively . The AMEn for SBM, DMS and YFP in Exp 2 were 2.809, 3.207, and 3.565 kcal, respectively . In Exp . 3, diets were formulated such that the test ingredients provided the sole source of amino acids in each experimental diet . The AME of SBM, DMS, and YFP in Exp . 3 were 3.844, 2.208, and 3.552 kcal, respectively . Based on the results of the ME assay for poultry, the DMS product compares well to SBM and seems to be suitable for feeding to ducks . The YFP does not seem to be suitable for feeding nonruminant species based on poor ability to support nitrogen retention in both species (-36% and -20% in Exp . 1 and 2, and 20% in Exp . 3). Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 1998 Jul, 74(1), 43 - 53 Carob pod: a new substrate for citric acid production by Aspergillus niger; Roukas T; The production of citric acid from carob pod extract by A . niger in surface fermentation was investigated . A maximum citric acid concentration (85.5 g/L), citric acid productivity (4.07 g/L/d), specific citric acid production rate (0.18 g/g/d), and specific sugar uptake rate (0.358 g/g/d) was achieved at an initial sugar concentration of 200 g/L, pH of 6.5, and a temperature of 30 degrees C . Other kinetic parameters, namely, citric acid yield, biomass yield, specific biomass production rate, and fermentation efficiency were maximum at pH 6.5, temperature 30 degrees C, and initial sugar concentration 100 g/L . The external addition of methanol into the carob pod extract at a concentration up to 4% (v/v) improved the production of citric acid. Yeast, 1998 Nov, 14(15), 1355 - 71 Monovalent cation fluxes and physiological changes of Debaryomyces hansenii grown at high concentrations of KCl and NaCl; Thome-Ortiz PE et al.; Debaryomyces hansenii showed an increased growth in the presence of either 1 M, KCl or 1 M NaCl and a low acidification of the medium, higher for the cells grown in the presence of NaCl . These cells accumulated high concentrations of the cations, and showed a very fast capacity to exchange either Na+ or K+ for the opposite cation . They showed a rapid uptake of 86Rb+ and 22Na+ . 86Rb+ transport was saturable, with K(m) and Vmax values higher for cells grown in 1 M NaCl . 22Na+ uptake showed a diffusion component, also higher for the cells grown with NaCl . Changes depended on growth conditions, and not on further incubation, which changed the internal ion concentration . K+ stimulated proton pumping produced a rapid extrusion of protons, and also a decrease of the membrane potential . Cells grown in 1 M KCl showed a higher fermentation rate, but significantly lower respiratory capacity . ATP levels were higher in cells grown in the presence of NaCl; upon incubation with glucose, those grown in the presence of KCl reached values similar to the ones grown in the presence of NaCl . In both, the addition of KCl produced a transient decrease of the ATP levels . As to ion transport mechanisms, D . hansenii appears to have (a) an ATPase functioning as a proton pump, generating a membrane potential difference which drives K+ through a uniporter; (b) a K+/H+ exchange system; and (c) a rapid cation/cation exchange system . Most interesting is that cells grown in different ionic environments change their studied capacities, which are not dependent on the cation content, but on differences in their genetic expression during growth. J Biol Chem, 1998 Dec 18, 273(51), 34391 - 8 A Mycoplasma fermentans-derived synthetic lipopeptide induces AP-1 and NF-kappaB activity and cytokine secretion in macrophages via the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways; Garcia J et al.; Mycoplasma lipoproteins have been demonstrated to stimulate monocytic cells and induce proinflammatory cytokine secretion . In this paper, we show that a synthetic analog of the Mycoplasma fermentans membrane-associated lipopeptide macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2 (MALP-2) induces mRNA synthesis and protein secretion of interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in human monocytes/macrophages and the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7, whereas the nonlipidated counterpart lacks this effect, underscoring the importance of protein acylation for cell activation . Synthetic MALP-2 (sMALP-2) induced the activation of MAPK family members extracellular signal regulated kinases 1 and 2, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, and p38 and induced NF-kappaB and AP-1 transactivation in macrophages . Whereas the specific p38 inhibitor SB203580 abrogated both cytokine synthesis and NF-kappaB and AP-1 transactivation in response to MALP-2, the selective MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 inhibitor PD-98059 decreased interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha production in response to sMALP-2 without affecting the transactivation of NF-kappaB or AP-1 . These results indicate that activation of MAPKs by sMALP-2 is a crucial event leading to the expression of proinflammatory cytokines . Our findings demonstrate that the synthetic analog of MALP-2 reproduces the macrophage stimulation activity found in different fractions of mycoplasmas . Given that MALP-2 has been recently shown to be expressed at the surface of M . fermentans as a molecular entity, sMALP-2 constitutes a valuable surrogate for investigating immunomodulation by these microorganisms and evaluating the role that this activity plays in the development of inflammatory diseases associated with mycoplasma infections. J Bacteriol, 1998 Dec, 180(24), 6503 - 10 Region of FLO1 proteins responsible for sugar recognition; Kobayashi O et al.; Yeast flocculation is a phenomenon which is believed to result from an interaction between a lectin-like protein and a mannose chain located on the yeast cell surface . The FLO1 gene, which encodes a cell wall protein, is considered to play an important role in yeast flocculation, which is inhibited by mannose but not by glucose (mannose-specific flocculation) . A new homologue of FLO1, named Lg-FLO1, was isolated from a flocculent bottom-fermenting yeast strain in which flocculation is inhibited by both mannose and glucose (mannose/glucose-specific flocculation) . In order to confirm that both FLO1 and Lg-FLO1 are involved in the yeast flocculation phenomenon, the FLO1 gene in the mannose-specific flocculation strain was replaced by the Lg-FLO1 gene . The transformant in which the Lg-FLO1 gene was incorporated showed the same flocculation phenotype as the mannose/glucose-specific flocculation strain, suggesting that the FLO1 and Lg-FLO1 genes encode mannose-specific and mannose/glucose-specific lectin-like proteins, respectively . Moreover, the sugar recognition sites for these sugars were identified by expressing chimeric FLO1 and Lg-FLO1 genes . It was found that the region from amino acid 196 to amino acid 240 of both gene products is important for flocculation phenotypes . Further mutational analysis of this region suggested that Thr-202 in the Lg-Flo1 protein and Trp-228 in the Flo1 protein are involved in sugar recognition. Arch Tierernahr, 1998, 51(4), 319 - 26 The comparison of in vitro fermentation kinetics estimated by three different methods; Varadyova Z et al.; Three different methods for the estimation of in vitro fermentation kinetics are compared . The glass syringe, flow gasometer and pressure transducer methods were used for measurement of gas production . The rumen fluid from fistulated Merino sheep mixed with McDougall's buffer (1:1) was used as an inoculum and added at an amount of 35 ml into the fermentation vessels containing 0.25 g of meadow hay . The total gas produced was recorded after 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 and 96 h of incubation . Hay dry matter degradability was the same with all three methods and achieved 56.5 to 58.2% . Total volatile fatty acids were significantly lower with the pressure transducer method than with the syringe and flow gasometer method . Lower values of mol% of butyrate and valerate obtained with the flow gasometer and pressure transducer methods in comparison with the syringe were also observed . Total gas production estimated by the flow gasometer method was lower than that stated by the two other methods . With regard to precision of the used methods syringe method was the best followed by the pressure transducer and flow gasometer method . It can be concluded that in spite of some limitations the pressure transducer method used in this experiment can be regarded as suitable for total gas estimation in in vitro rumen fermentation experiments. Arch Tierernahr, 1998, 51(4), 279 - 91 Influence of dietary concentrate to forage ratio on the development of rumen mucosa in calves; Zitnan R et al.; Effects of structural and non-structural carbohydrates on the development of rumen fermentation and ruminal mucosa in calves were examined during the weaning period . Barley/soybean meal (SBM) group was fed a concentrate starting from 2 weeks of age, whereas alfalfa group received a mixture of concentrate and alfalfa hay in which the proportion of the latter was gradually increased from 20% to 70% between weeks 2 and 9 of age . The total volatile fatty acid concentration in rumen fluid of calves increased with age, but at 9 weeks there were no significant differences between the two diets (barley/SBM group 153 mmol/l, alfalfa group 150 mmol/l) . Rumen papillae at 9 weeks of age, as compared to 6 weeks of age, were longer and fewer in number per square centimetre mucosa, with larger cut surface . This resulted in a higher surface of papillae per square centimetre mucosa at 9 weeks (barley/SBM group 286 mm2/cm2, alfalfa group 245 mm2/cm2) than at 6 weeks of age (barley/SBM group 217 mm2/cm2, alfalfa group 198 mm2/cm2) . At 9 weeks of age, the pH (barley/SBM 5.0, alfalfa 5.7), the acetate to propionate ratio (barley/SBM 2.2, alfalfa 3.2) as well as the length of the papillae in the ventral ruminal sac (barley/SBM 1.96 mm, alfalfa 2.37 mm) were increased in the alfalfa group when compared to the barley/SBM group (P < 0.1) . In the former group, the proportion of butyrate revealed significantly increased values at 4 and 6 weeks of age . In animals of the barley/SBM group at 9 weeks of age, characteristic protrusions with proliferated thick epithelium occurred on the papillae and increased the surface for absorption . On the epithelium (Stratum corneum) desquamating cells with parakeratosis could be observed . In the alfalfa group the papillae of the ventral ruminal sac were longer, without protrusions . The morphotypes of the adhering rumen microflora differed between the groups . It can be concluded that feeding greater amounts of non-structural carbohydrates increases the surface for absorption of the rumen epithelium in calves . The absence of hyperkeratosis and rumenitis in the barley/SBM group indicated that there is no reason to limit high starch diets in the early weaning period of calves. Proc Natl Sci Counc Repub China B, 1998 Oct, 22(4), 159 - 65 The effects of starch and protein degradation rates, hay sources, and feeding frequency on rumen microbial fermentation in a continuous culture system; Chen CY et al.; Six continuous culture fermenters were used in three experiments to study the effects of dietary starch and protein degradability combination, hay sources, and feeding frequency on fermentation by rumen microorganisms . Experiments 1 and 2 used a 3 x 2 factorial design in which six diets were formulated to contain low (LS), medium (MS), or high starch degradability (HS) in combination with low (LP) or high protein degradability (HP) . The dietary combinations were (1) LS + HP, (2) LS + LP, (3) MS + HP, (4) MS + LP, (5) HS + HP, and (6) HS + LP . In experiment 1, pangola was used as the hay source, and in experiment 2, alfalfa hay was used . In experiment 3, two starch degradabilities (LS, MS) and two hay sources (alfalfa, A; pangola, P) were combined with two feeding frequencies (2 X/d, 12 X/d) . The dietary combinations were (1) LS + A + 12 X/d, (2) MS + A + 12 X/d, (3) LS + A + 2 X/d, (4) MS + A + 2 X/d, (5) LS + P + 12 X/d, and (6) MS + P + 12 X/d . A CRD design was used for experiment 3 . Two rumen-cannulated Holstein cows fed alfalfa hay ad lib were used as donors of rumen fluid for all experiments . Each period was 6 d in length, with 5 d for adaptation and 1 d for sampling . In experiments 1 and 2, the effects of starch degradability on the composition of rumen microorganisms were significant . The MS or HS with HP had the highest total bacterial and protozoal density (P < 0.05) . As for VFA, pH and nitrogen products, the effects of starch and protein degradability were not significant . There was no interaction between starch and protein degradability on most of microbial composition (ammonia-N, microbial nitrogen) . In experiment 3, 12 X/d feeding frequency (MS + A + 12 X/d vs . MS + A + 12 X/d) resulted in higher pH, which tended to increase bacterial and protozoal density and starch and protein digestibilities . Different hay sources altered the starch and protein synchronization effect on the ammonia-N concentration (mg/dl) and non-ammonia N content (% DM) in the continuous culture system. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, 1998 May, 73(4), 321 - 5 Metabolic characterization of Kloeckera apiculata strains from star fruit fermentation; Romano P et al.; A total of 37 strains of Kloeckera apiculata was isolated during the spontaneous fermentation of star fruit must . Each strain was differentiated from the others on the basis of its capacity to produce acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, higher alcohols, acetoin and acetic acid . All the strains were characterized by the low production of higher alcohols and the high production of ethyl acetate, whereas consistent differences in the production of acetaldehyde, acetoin and acetic acid served to differentiate star fruit apiculate strains into six different phenotypes, present at different stages of the fermentation process . The metabolic strain diversity found can be interpreted as a natural consequence of environmental conditions, which influenced the frequency and selection of specific apiculate strains . From the biotechnological point of view the different metabolic biotypes represent an important source of strains for potential use as starter cultures for star fruit fermentation. Eur J Cancer, 1998 Jun, 34(7), 1105 - 10 Flow cytometric analyses of the specific activation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors after in vitro stimulation with a fermented mistletoe extract and mistletoe lectins; Stein GM et al.; Immunostimulatory properties of mistletoe extracts derived from Viscum album L . (VAL) are well described, demonstrating activation especially of T, T-helper cells and monocytes/macrophages . In order to characterise in detail the communication between different cell populations, we studied mistletoe-induced expression of co-stimulatory signals and their ligands by flow cytometry . Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 15 healthy controls were incubated for 7 days with a fermented VAL extract . VAL significantly upregulated the expression of the co-stimulatory molecule B7.1 (CD80) on monocytes/macrophages, but not B7.2 (CD86) . No significant changes in the expression of either molecules on B cells could be found, suggesting that only monocytes/macrophages act as antigen presenting cells (APCs) in this in vitro system . Purified mistletoe lectins, components of most VAL extracts were also analysed, but did not induce similar responses of monocytes/macrophages . The receptor for B7 molecules, CD28, but not CTLA-4 (CD152), was also found to be significantly enhanced on CD4+ cells after VAL simulation . There was no evidence for activation of a B cell response via the CD40/CD40L pathway . Our data support the concept that stimulation by VAL extracts induces a specific T-helper cell reaction with monocytes/macrophages acting as APCs and purified lectins do not exert the same effects. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 1998 Nov, 22(3), 241 - 6 Detection of Mycoplasma salivarium and Mycoplasma fermentans in synovial fluids of temporomandibular joints of patients with disorders in the joints; Watanabe T et al.; Thirty-six synovial fluid samples of temporomandibular joints were obtained from 33 patients with pain and anterior disk displacement (closed lock) in the joints . DNAs were prepared from the samples and amplified by a PCR-based assay specific for Mycoplasma salivarium or Mycoplasma fermentans . Of the 36 samples, five (14%), three (8%), and 19 (53%) were positive for M . salivarium, M . fermentans and both, respectively. Ukr Biokhim Zh, 1998 Jul-Aug, 70(4), 84 - 8 {Content of components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system of blood plasma of healthy children in the early neonatal period}; Voloshin AN et al.; The dynamics of the renin and angiotensin converting ferment activity and of the aldosterone concentration in the plasma of blood by healthy newborn full-term in the first week of the life after the birth was determined . The normative values of the studied indexes were obtained . The researches have shown the considerable functional tension of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, that has a very important signification for optimal course of adaptation and anabolic processes by the children at the very beginning of the postnatal development. Ukr Biokhim Zh, 1998 Jan-Feb, 70(1), 68 - 74 {Biotransformation of lignocellulse by the fungi Pleurotus floridae (Fries) Kummer and Phellinus igniarius (Linnearus:Fries) Quelet--the pathogens of white rot in trees}; Dombrovs'ka OM et al.; The peculiarities of lignocellulose biotransformation by white-rot fungi Pleurotus floridae and Phellinus igniarius during their solid-state fermentation of wastes of oil-bearing crops processing has been studied . The dynamics of oil-bearing crops processing wastes bioconversion has been studied . It has been marked that P . floridae utilized 20% cellulose and lignin during 9 weeks and 40% lignin and 30% cellulose during all period of fermentation (19 weeks) . The fungus P . igniarius utilized mainly cellulose (40% cellulose and 24% lignin in 19 weeks) . Lignin-degradative capacity of P . floridae (KL = 0.57) and P . igniarius (KL = 0.34) has been quantitatively estimated . The degradation of plant biopolimers corresponded to the production of ligninolytic (laccase, Mn(2+)-dependent peroxidase,) and cellulolytic (CMC-cellulase) enzymes . The component and isoenzyme content of ligninolytic enzyme complex of fungi Pleurotus floridae and Phellinus igniarius has been determined. Ukr Biokhim Zh, 1998 Jan-Feb, 70(1), 63 - 8 {Protective effect of cresacin in D-galactosamine-induced acute experimental hepatitis}; Korda MM; Antioxidant properties of cresacin were studied on the model of galactosamine hepatitis and on the isolated liver cells of white male rats . It has been shown, that cresacin in a dose of 20 mg/kg effectively inhibits the processes of lipid peroxidation induced by hepatotoxin . Cresacin also normalized some components of fermentative and non-enzymatic antioxidant system . In particular the indexes of the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and the level of reduced glutathione, total phospholipids and ascorbic acid was increased for certain . In vitro, on the isolated hepatocytes, cresacin showed the dose-dependent antioxidant effect . This fact is confirmed by its property to inhibit the speed of formation of the malonic dialdehyde in the incubation medium. Onderstepoort J Vet Res, 1998 Jun, 65(2), 87 - 95 Three new species of ciliated Protozoa from the hindgut of both white and black wild African rhinoceroses; Van Hoven W et al.; This report deals with the effect of the mode of feeding of the hindgut-fermenting herbivorous rhinoceros on the species of Protozoa fermenting the ingesta, as demonstrated by the proposed three new species of ciliated Protozoa: Didesmis synciliata differing from D . ovalis in having syncilia in place of simple cilia, Blepharoconus dicerotos being twice the size of B . cervicalis, and Blepharosphaera ceratotherii being one third the size of B . intestinalis . The findings are in line with the biological tenet that in herbivores the composition of the diet is the major factor determining the composition of the digestive organisms. Am J Clin Nutr, 1998 Dec, 68(6), 1276 - 83 Production rate of acetate during colonic fermentation of lactulose: a stable-isotope study in humans; Pouteau E et al.; BACKGROUND: Breath tests are currently used to qualitatively assess colonic fermentation; no quantitative estimations are available for healthy subjects . OBJECTIVE: This study describes a stable-isotope-dilution method to measure acetate production quantitatively from colonic bacterial fermentation . DESIGN: Six volunteers received a primed, constant, intravenous infusion of {1-13C}acetate at a rate of 1.01 +/- 0.04 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1) for 7 h . They ingested 20 g pure lactulose after 1 h of the tracer infusion . Expired air and arterialized venous blood were sampled every 15 min . RESULTS: Before lactulose intake, the breath-hydrogen concentration was 7 +/- 2 ppm and the plasma acetate concentration and isotopic enrichment were 141 +/- 14 micromol/L and 14.8 +/- 1.4 moles percent excess, respectively . Whole-body acetate turnover was 6.0 +/- 0.7 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1) . After lactulose ingestion, maximum breath hydrogen and acetate concentrations reached 63 +/- 15 ppm (P = 0.004) and 313 +/- 25 micromol/L (P = 0.002), respectively, whereas {13C}acetate enrichment decreased to 9.9 +/- 1.3 moles percent excess (P = 0.03) . Whole-body acetate turnover increased to 9.8 +/- 1.5 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1) and later decreased almost to baseline values . Colonic lactulose fermentation yielded 140 +/- 12 mmol acetate over 6 h, representing 86% of the production based on stoichiometric equations . CONCLUSION: This new method provides a quantitative estimate of colonic carbohydrate fermentation via evaluation of acetate production. Eur J Clin Nutr, 1998 Nov, 52(11), 790 - 5 Retrograded high-amylose corn starch reduces cholic acid excretion from the small bowel in ileostomy subjects; Langkilde AM et al.; OBJECTIVE: To study the short-term effect of resistant starch (RS) from retrograded high-amylose corn starch (HACS) on the excretion of bile acids and nutrients from the small bowel in humans . DESIGN: Seven healthy ileostomists were given a controlled, constant diet during three days . On days 2 and 3, 100 g/d of one of two test-products--drum-dried ordinary corn starch and autoclaved retrograded HACS, providing 5 and 39 g RS/d, respectively--was given, in random order . Ileostomy effluents were collected for 24 h per day and analysed for wet weight, dry weight, energy, bile acids and nutrients . SETTINGS: In-patient study at the metabolic ward, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Goteborg . RESULTS: Consumption of retrograded HACS caused (1) a 42% lower mean excretion of cholic acid (P = 0.024); (2) a 42% lower mean wet weight concentration of bile acids (P < 0.001); (3) a 70% increased excretion of dry weight (P = 0.001); and (4) a 41% increased excretion of energy (P= 0.036) compared with consumption of drum-dried ordinary corn starch . CONCLUSION: The reduced ileal excretion and concentration of cholic acid would be protective regarding colon cancer risk in addition to the increased fermentation substrate provided by RS and other energy-yielding components. EMBO J, 1998 Dec 1, 17(23), 7002 - 8 Sip4, a Snf1 kinase-dependent transcriptional activator, binds to the carbon source-responsive element of gluconeogenic genes; Vincent O et al.; The carbon source-responsive element (CSRE) mediates transcriptional activation of the gluconeogenic genes during growth of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae on non-fermentable carbon sources . Previous studies have suggested that the Cat8 protein activates the expression of CSRE-binding factors . We show here that one of these factors is Sip4, a glucose-regulated C6 zinc cluster activator which was identified by its interaction with the Snf1 protein kinase . We present genetic evidence that Sip4 contributes to transcriptional activation by the CSRE and biochemical evidence that Sip4 binds to the CSRE . Binding was detected in electrophoretic mobility shift assays with both yeast nuclear extracts and a bacterially expressed Sip4 fusion protein . Evidence suggests that Sip4 also activates the expression of other CSRE-binding proteins . Finally, we show that Cat8 regulates SIP4 expression and that overexpression of Sip4 compensates for loss of Cat8 . We propose a model for activation by the CSRE in which Sip4 and Cat8 have related functions, but Cat8 is the primary regulator because it controls Sip4 expression. Clin Tech Small Anim Pract, 1998 Nov, 13(4), 211 - 6 Interventional nutrition for gastrointestinal disease; Hickman MA; Nutritional intervention plays a key role in the successful management of gastrointestinal disease . This article focuses on several novel areas of nutritional intervention that are becoming increasingly important in gastrointestinal disease, including short-chain fatty acids, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and glutamine . Short-chain fatty acids are the principal end-products of bacterial fermentation of dietary fibers and have profound effects on normal intestinal cell metabolism and proliferation . Short-chain fatty acids have the potential to improve overall intestinal health, stimulate intestinal healing, and decrease intestinal inflammation . Omega-3 fatty acids, from dietary sources or supplements, may also be useful in decreasing intestinal inflammation and in preventing intestinal cancer . Finally, glutamine also may play an important role in the nutritional management of gastrointestinal disease. Biotechnol Prog, 1998 Nov, 14(6), 890 - 6 Pretreatment for cellulose hydrolysis by carbon dioxide explosion Zheng Y, Lin H, Tsao GT. Cellulosic materials were treated with supercritical carbon dioxide to increase the reactivity of cellulose, thereby to enhance the rate and the extent of cellulose hydrolysis . In this pretreatment process, the cellulosic materials such as Avicel, recycled paper mix, sugarcane bagasse and the repulping waste of recycled paper are placed in a reactor under pressurized carbon dioxide at 35 degreesC for a controlled time period . Upon an explosive release of the carbon dioxide pressure, the disruption of the cellulosic structure increases the accessible surface area of the cellulosic substrate to enzymatic hydrolysis . Results indicate that supercritical carbon dioxide is effective for pretreatment of cellulose . An increase in pressure facilitates the faster penetration of carbon dioxide molecules into the crystalline structures, thus more glucose is produced from cellulosic materials after the explosion as compared to those without the pretreatment . This explosion pretreatment enhances the rate of cellulosic material hydrolysis as well as increases glucose yield by as much as 50% . Results from the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation tests also show the increase in the available carbon source from the cellulosic materials for fermentation to produce ethanol . As an alternative method, this supercritical carbon dioxide explosion has a possibility to reduce expense compared with ammonia explosion, and since it is operated at the low temperature, it will not cause degradation of sugars such as those treated with steam explosion due to the high-temperature involved. Syst Appl Microbiol, 1998 Aug, 21(3), 340 - 5 The fermenting bacterium Malonomonas rubra is phylogenetically related to sulfur-reducing bacteria and contains a c-type cytochrome similar to those of sulfur and sulfate reducers; Kolb S et al.; Malonomonas rubra is a microaerotolerant fermenting bacterium which can maintain its energy metabolism for growth by decarboxylation of malonate to acetate . 16S rRNA sequence analysis revealed that M . rubra is closely related to the cluster of mesophilic sulfur-reducing bacteria within the delta subclass of the Proteobacteria, with the fermenting bacterium Pelobacter acidigallici and the sulfur reducers Desulfuromusa kysingii, D . bakii and D . succinoxidans as closest relatives . The cells contain high amounts (up to 12% of the total cell protein content) of a c-type cytochrome which is present mainly (> 60%) in the cytoplasm and to minor parts in the periplasm (> 20%) and associated with the membrane fraction (> 10%), independent of the growth substrate . This cytochrome is a tetraheme cytochrome of 13,700 Da molecular mass with a midpoint redox potential of -0.210 V.M . rubra does not reduce sulfur or ferric iron compounds . Since this cytochrome appears not to be involved in the energy metabolism it is concluded that it is a remnant of sulfur-reducing ancestors of this bacterium, without a conceivable physiological function in its present energy metabolism. Plant Foods Hum Nutr, 1998, 52(2), 133 - 40 Physicochemical properties and garification (gari yield) of selected cassava cultivars in Rivers State, Nigeria; Achinewhu SC et al.; Gari was processed from six different cassava cultivars TMS 3575, TMS 3044, hormone treated variety (HTV), TMS 30555, TMS 40944 and TMS 30572 . Chemical analyses of the gari samples showed pH values of: 4.0, 4.0, 3.9, 3.6, 3.4, 3.6 and total titratable acidity of 0.99, 0.99, 0.98, 0.85, 0.96, 0.85 (% lactic acid) for TMS 3575, 3044, HTV, 30555, 30572, and 40944 respectively . Physical characteristics of the samples showed the swelling index of 264.5%, 223.5%, 364.0%, 321.3%, 241.3% and 232.7%, water absorption capacity of 1.0 ml/g, 0.8, 1.5, 1.9, 1.7, 1.9 ml g(-l) sample, relative bulk density of 0.29, 0.30, 0.15, 0.17, 0.15 (g/cm3) and gari yield of 34%, 21%, 33%, 24%, and 23%, for cultivars, TMS 3575 (2), 3044, HTV, 30555, 30572, 40944 respectively . Sensory evaluation showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in quality and overall acceptability among the samples while Tukey test showed a difference (p<0.05) between HTV and between 3575 and 3044 . The cassava pulp from the cultivars and their corresponding gari had HCN content (mg/100 g) ranging from 7.9 to 9.3 for pulp and 1.1 to 1.5 for gari, respectively . The 72 hours fermentation period reduced the HCN in all cultivars by 85%, which is considered to be a safe level for human consumption. Biosens Bioelectron, 1998 Oct 15, 13(9), 1023 - 8 H+ISFET-based biosensor for determination of penicillin G; Liu J et al.; A biosensor based on an H+ ion sensitive field effect transistor (H+(-)ISFET) and penicillin G acylase has been developed . The response time of the sensor to different concentrations of penicillin G was 30 s . In a 20 mM phosphate buffer at pH 7.0, the linear range of the calibration curve was from 0.5 to 8 mM . The coefficients of variation for three samples with 20 repeated measurements were below 5% . Stability of the sensor could reach about 6 months and more than 1000 runs were performed without a significant decrease of the output value . The sensor was tested for measurement of the penicillin G content in penicillin fermentation both . Forty samples with low and high concentrations of penicillin G were chosen for the correlation test . The values assayed by the sensor method were compared with the values assayed by HPLC method, the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.9944 and the regression equation was y = 1.034X - 2083.7, respectively . The different measuring methods are discussed in the text. J Dairy Sci, 1998 Nov, 81(11), 3063 - 74 The use of fiber concentrations for ration formulation; Varga GA et al.; Dairy cattle require fibrous feedstuffs in the diet . However, defining the fiber requirements requires knowledge of many interacting components within the diet as well as how the feed is allocated and processed . To meet the demands of high producing dairy cows for energy, diets consist of large quantities of concentrates and high quality forages containing relatively low amounts of fiber . However, to maintain normal rumen function and milk fat percentage, a large portion of the fiber needs to come from forage . Current National Research Council recommendations are a minimum of 25 to 28% dietary neutral detergent fiber, 75% of which is supplied from forage . Chemical measures of fiber alone are not adequate for ration balancing; fiber varies in its effectiveness at stimulating chewing . This variation is greater when feeds contain high amounts of by-products in place of forages . The effectiveness in stimulation of chewing of fiber is variable as the particle size and retention times of indigestible and digestible fiber vary . Currently, little information exists about the fiber requirements of the cow from immediately postcalving until peak lactation . Early lactation cows are clearly more limited by physical fill than are cows in mid and late lactation . Rations based on nonforage fiber sources (> 45% neutral detergent fiber on a dry matter basis) are being evaluated for early lactation cows . Information is needed to determine the variation in the amount of fermentation acids produced, chewing activity, and amount of saliva secreted as these all contribute to the physical effectiveness of fiber. Indian J Exp Biol, 1998 Aug, 36(8), 816 - 9 Agar immobilized yeast cells in tubular reactor for ethanol production; Nigam JN et al.; Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were immobilized in agar gel and used in a tubular reactor for conversion of cane molasses to ethanol at 30 degrees C, pH 4.5 . Reactor was used in a continuous operation to test the operational stability and ethanol productivity . After 100 days of continuous fermentation at a dilution rate of 0.67 hr-1, some deactivation of cells was observed, but ethanol productivity was recovered by reactivating the cells by sparging air intermittently . It was found that intermittent reactivation during continuous operation was very important for satisfactory performance of the reactor . During operation, gel beads maintained their rigidity . Maximum ethanol concentration (94.9 g/L) was obtained with a feed containing 255 g/L reducing sugar, at a dilution rate of 0.2 hr-1 . Maximum volumetric productivity (79.5 g ethanol /L/hr), specific ethanol productivity (0.58 g ethanol/g cells/hr), specific sugar uptake rate (1.12 g sugar/g cells/hr) and ethanol yield coefficient (0.43 g ethanol/g sugar) were obtained with a feed containing 195 g/L reducing sugar at a dilution rate of 1.33 hr-1. J Med Entomol, 1998 Nov, 35(6), 967 - 76 Laboratory and field evaluations of oviposition responses of Aedes albopictus and Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae) to oak leaf infusions; Trexler JD et al.; Organic infusions created by fermenting white oak (Quercus alba L.) leaves in water were evaluated as sources of attractant odorants and contact oviposition stimulants for gravid Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes triseriatus (Say) . Infusions were bioassayed in the laboratory by giving single females a choice of ovipositing in 1 container with infusion and 7 containers with water . Ae . albopictus laid significantly more eggs in containers with infusion, regardless of concentration (dilutions ranging from 10 to 100%) or age (fermentation periods of 7, 28, 60 d), than in containers holding water . The largest proportion of eggs (76.8%) was deposited in response to a 60% concentration of 7-d-old infusion . In contrast, Ae . triseriatus exhibited variable oviposition responses but generally deposited the largest number of eggs in only a few concentrations of older age infusions . In binary "sticky screen" bioassays, there was no difference between the numbers of females attracted to infusion or water, indicating that oviposition responses to infusion were mediated by contact chemostimulants rather than by attraction to odorants . Oviposition responses to infusions by field populations of Ae . albopictus and Ae . triseriatus in Raleigh, NC, were evaluated with pairs of oviposition traps, one containing infusion and the other containing water . Generally, Ae . albopictus laid significantly more eggs in ovitraps containing infusion regardless of its age (7, 28, and 60 d old) or the mass of leaves fermented (126 g = 1x or 504 g = 4x) than in water . In contrast, Ae . triseriatus deposited an equivalent number of eggs in traps containing water or 1x, 80% infusion regardless of its age; however, the oviposition response to ovitraps containing 4x, 7-d-old, 50% infusion was significant . Placement of an automobile tire behind an ovitrap did not increase the number of Ae . albopictus eggs laid in ovitraps containing 4x, 7-d-old, 50% infusion or water relative to ovitraps without a tire . Our research indicates that baiting ovitraps with oak leaf infusion would increase the sensitivity of surveillance efforts for Ae . albopictus and Ae . triseriatus. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1998 Dec, 64(12), 4891 - 6 Expression of active human tissue-type plasminogen activator in Escherichia coli; Qiu J et al.; The formation of native disulfide bonds in complex eukaryotic proteins expressed in Escherichia coli is extremely inefficient . Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a very important thrombolytic agent with 17 disulfides, and despite numerous attempts, its expression in an active form in bacteria has not been reported . To achieve the production of active tPA in E . coli, we have investigated the effect of cooverexpressing native (DsbA and DsbC) or heterologous (rat and yeast protein disulfide isomerases) cysteine oxidoreductases in the bacterial periplasm . Coexpression of DsbC, an enzyme which catalyzes disulfide bond isomerization in the periplasm, was found to dramatically increase the formation of active tPA both in shake flasks and in fermentors . The active protein was purified with an overall yield of 25% by using three affinity steps with, in sequence, lysine-Sepharose, immobilized Erythrina caffra inhibitor, and Zn-Sepharose resins . After purification, approximately 180 microgram of tPA with a specific activity nearly identical to that of the authentic protein can be obtained per liter of culture in a high-cell-density fermentation . Thus, heterologous proteins as complex as tPA may be produced in an active form in bacteria in amounts suitable for structure-function studies . In addition, these results suggest the feasibility of commercial production of extremely complex proteins in E . coli without the need for in vitro refolding. J Nat Prod, 1998 Nov, 61(11), 1379 - 82 Quanolirones I and II, two new human cytomegalovirus protease inhibitors produced by Streptomyces sp . WC76535; Qian-Cutrone J et al.; Two new naphthacenequinone glycosides, quanolirones I (1) and II (2) were isolated, together with the known compound galtamycin from the fermentation broth of Streptomyces sp . WC76535 . The structures 1 and 2 were established by analysis of their spectroscopic data and by comparison of their data to those of galtamycin . Compounds 1, 2, and galtamycin showed inhibitory activity against HCMV protease with IC50 values of 14, 35, and 52 microM, respectively. Lett Appl Microbiol, 1998 Nov, 27(5), 243 - 6 Design and evaluation of malolactic enzyme gene targeted primers for rapid identification and detection of Oenococcus oeni in wine; Zapparoli G et al.; Rapid identification and detection of Oenococcus oeni was achieved by species-specific PCR . Two primers flanking a 1025 bp region of the O . oeni gene encoding the malolactic enzyme were designed . The expected DNA amplificate was obtained only when purified DNA from O . oeni was used . The identity of PCR product was confirmed by nested PCR and restriction analysis . Within 8 h, 10(3) cfu ml-1 of oenococci were detected in fermenting grape must containing 10(7) yeast cells, whereas the detection limit in wine was 10(4) cfu ml-1 . The rapidity and reliability of the PCR procedure established suggests that the method may be profitably applied in winery laboratories for quality control. J Appl Microbiol, 1998 Nov, 85(5), 779 - 89 Dynamics of indigenous and inoculated yeast populations and their effect on the sensory character of Riesling and Chardonnay wines; Egli CM et al.; To study the impact of yeast populations on wine flavour and to better understand yeast growth dynamics, wines were produced by the (i) indigenous microflora, (ii) vigorous yeast starter EC1118 and (iii) slowly fermenting yeast Assmannshausen . Sensory analysis revealed that wines differed depending on the fermentation type . However, these yeast-related differences did not exceed the varietal character . Both added starter cultures clearly dominated the Saccharomyces population from the middle of fermentation onwards . The starter cultures differed in their repression of indigenous non-Saccharomyces yeast . EC1118 limited growth of non-Saccharomyces yeasts more strongly than Assmannshausen . Sulphite addition further repressed growth of non-Saccharomyces yeasts . On completion, more than one Saccharomyces strain was present in each fermentation, with the largest variety in the non-inoculated and the smallest in the EC1118-inoculated fermentation . Results from the two genetic assays, karyotyping, and PCR using delta-primers were not fully equivalent, limiting the usefulness of delta-PCR in studies of native Saccharomyces yeasts. J Food Prot, 1998 Nov, 61(11), 1515 - 7 Growth and oil production of Apiotrichum curvatum in tomato juice; Akindumila F et al.; The lipid-accumulating yeast Apiotrichum curvatum ATCC 20509 (formerly Candida curvata D) grew in shake flask culture in freshly prepared tomato juice or tomato pulp; growth was improved when the medium was supplemented with sucrose and a basal salts mixture . Under controlled conditions in the fermentor, biomass and oil production reached a maximum at 96 h, compared with 130 h in shake flasks . Biomass production increased with the addition of 0.3% (wt/vol) urea to the juice, but decreased with the addition of 0.5% (wt/vol) yeast extract or Casamino Acids . The total amount of lipid produced and the percent of intracellular oil per cell dry weight were greatest in juice supplemented with 0.3% urea. J Biotechnol, 1998 Oct 19, 65(1), 69 - 80 Bioprocess monitoring: an optical biosensor for rapid bioproduct analysis; Gill A et al.; The use of an optical biosensor for rapid bioproduct analysis is described . The biosensor, which is sensitive to changes in the concentration of bioproduct at its biologically active surface, has been shown to provide concentration data within 10 s of sample addition to the device . This has been achieved through the use of linear regression analysis to extract information from the early part of the biosensor interaction profiles . The system has been used to monitor both the production and purification of antibody fragments expressed during batch fermentation of recombinant Escherichia coli . Data obtained using the biosensor have been used to provide real-time profiles describing the location of antibody fragments during bioprocessing . Biosensor data have also been compared with those obtained from ELISA, the traditional method of retrospective analyses of samples collected during bioprocessing. Int J Syst Bacteriol, 1998 Oct, 48 Pt 4, 1383 - 7 Syntrophobacter fumaroxidans sp . nov., a syntrophic propionate-degrading sulfate-reducing bacterium; Harmsen HJ et al.; A syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacterium, strain MPOBT, was isolated from a culture enriched from anaerobic granular sludge . It oxidized propionate syntrophically in co-culture with the hydrogen- and formate-utilizing Methanospirillum hungateii, and was able to oxidize propionate and other organic compounds in pure culture with sulfate or fumarate as the electron acceptor . Additionally, it fermented fumarate . 16S rRNA sequence analysis revealed a relationship with Syntrophobacter wolinii and Syntrophobacter pfennigii . The G + C content of its DNA was 60.6 mol%, which is in the same range as that of other Syntrophobacter species . DNA-DNA hybridization studies showed less than 26% hybridization among the different genomes of Syntrophobacter species and strain MPOBT . This justifies the assignment of strain MPOBT to the genus Syntrophobacter as a new species . The name Syntrophobacter fumaroxidans is proposed; strain MPOBT (= DSM 10017T) is the type strain. Int J Syst Bacteriol, 1998 Oct, 48 Pt 4, 1205 - 12 Pseudoalteromonas tunicata sp . nov., a bacterium that produces antifouling agents; Holmstrom C et al.; A dark-green-pigmented marine bacterium, previously designated D2, which produces components that are inhibitory to common marine fouling organisms has been characterized and assessed for taxonomic assignment . Based on direct double-stranded sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, D2T was found to show the highest similarity (93%) to members of the genus Pseudoalteromonas . The G + C content of D2T is 42 mol%, and it is a facultatively anaerobic rod and oxidase-positive . D2T is motile by a sheathed polar flagellum, exhibited non-fermentative metabolism and required sodium ions for growth . The strain was not capable of using citrate, fructose, sucrose, sorbitol and glycerol but it utilizes mannose and maltose and hydrolyses gelatin . The molecular evidence, together with phenotypic characteristics, showed that this bacterium which produces an antifouling agent constitutes a new species of the genus Pseudoalteromonas . The name Pseudoalteromonas tunicata is proposed for this bacterium, and the type strain is D2T (= CCUG 26757T). Int J Syst Bacteriol, 1998 Oct, 48 Pt 4, 1197 - 204 Entomoplasma freundtii sp . nov., a new species from a green tiger beetle (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae); Tully JG et al.; A mollicute (strain BARC 318T) isolated from gut tissue of a green tiger beetle (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) was found by dark-field microscopy to consist of non-helical, non-motile, pleomorphic coccoid forms of various sizes . In ultrastructural studies, individual cells varied in diameter from 300 to 1200 nm, were surrounded by a cytoplasmic membrane and showed no evidence of cell wall . The organisms were readily filterable through membrane filters with mean pore diameters of 450 and 300 nm, with unusually large numbers of organisms filterable through 200 nm pore membrane filters . Growth occurred over a temperature range of 15-32 degrees C with optimum growth at 30 degrees C . The organism fermented glucose and hydrolysed arginine but did not hydrolyse urea . Strain BARC 318T was insensitive to 500 U penicillin ml-1 and required serum or cholesterol for growth . It was serologically distinct from all currently described sterol-requiring, fermentative Mycoplasma species and from 12 non-sterol-requiring Mesoplasma species, 13 non-sterol-requiring Acholeplasma species and 5 previously described sterol-requiring Entomoplasma species . Strain BARC 318T was shown to have a G + C content of 34 mol% and a genome size of 870 kbp . The 16S rDNA sequence of strain BARC 318T was compared to 16S rDNA sequences of several other Entomoplasma species and to other representative species of the genera Spiroplasma and Mycoplasma, and to other members of the class Mollicutes . These comparisons indicated that strain BARC 318T had close phylogenetic relationships to other Entomoplasma species . On the basis of these findings and other similarities in morphology, growth and temperature requirements and genomic features, the organism was assigned to the genus Entomoplasma . Strain BARC 318T (ATCC 51999T) is designated the type strain of Entomoplasma freundtii sp . nov. Biosens Bioelectron, 1998 Oct 1, 13(7-8), 875 - 80 Development of a biosensor for monitoring of glycerol during alcoholic fermentation; Compagnone D et al.; A biosensor for the measurement of glycerol in FIA was constructed using covalently immobilized glycerokinase and glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase in conjunction with a Pt based hydrogen peroxide probe . Different immobilization strategies have been studied including random and asymmetric immobilization onto a polymeric support and immobilization onto two different membranes . The latter resulted in the best configuration for batch measurement . The most effective configuration for measurement in FIA was the immobilization of glycerokinase in a glass beads reactor coupled with glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase on a preactivated Immobilon AV membrane kept at the electrode surface . Using a 250-microliter injection loop, 3 mmol ATP(Mg+2) in 0.1 M borate buffer pH 8.5 and a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min, a linear response in the 2 x 10(-6)/10(-3) mol/l range and a detection limit of 5 x 10(-7) mol/l were obtained for glycerol . Lifetime of the glycerol-3-phosphate membrane was extended up to 1 month by storage in the working buffer containing 1% DEAE-dextran and 5% lactitol . More than 350 samples can be assayed with this system . The biosensor was used to monitor off-line glycerol production during alcoholic fermentations carried out at different pHs and temperatures. Vopr Pitan, 1998, (4), 5 - 8 {Proteolysis of immunoglobulins--biologically-active supplement in a fermented milk in gastrointestinal system of rats}; Gmoshinskii IV et al.; There was studied a possibility of immunochemical specificity conservation in immunoglobulins ingested with a bolus of experimental fermented milk formula . Adult rats received intragastrically 4 ml of studied formula supplied with gamma-globulin fraction of normal serum . Concentration was measured of IgG, IgA and IgM in gastric and intestinal content and in feces 1, 2 and 30 hours later the ingestion by radial immunodiffusion and ELISA . At two hours of digestion up to 25.7% of IgG could be recovered from gastrointestinal tract in immunoprecipitated form . IgA and IgM macromolecules degraded in the intestinal lumen with significantly higher rate . Only trace amounts of IgG were revealed in feces . Molecular weight of immunoprecipitated IgG in distal intestinal compartment was equal to 50 kD according gel filtration data . This corresponds to large breakdown fragments of Fab or Fc type . It was concluded that this fragments could stimulate in non-specific manner some kinds of immunocompetent lymphocytes of intestinal tract. J Med Microbiol, 1998 Nov, 47(11), 983 - 6 Use of PCR to detect mycoplasma DNA in respiratory tract specimens from adult HIV-positive patients; Cultrera R et al.; The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was evaluated retrospectively for its ability to detect Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma spp . in respiratory tract specimens obtained from adult patients with AIDS . Mycoplasma DNA was detected in specimens from 12 of 84 patients . Of the 107 specimens tested, 13 and seven positive PCR results were obtained with the genus- and species-specific oligonucleotide primers used, respectively, in two different steps . With the latter, one sample was positive for U . urealyticum plus M . hominis, another for M . fermentans plus M . salivarium, and five others were positive for M . salivarium . The unexpected detection of U . urealyticum DNA in respiratory secretions from an adult AIDS patient suggested that this urogenital mycoplasma could have a role in determining or exacerbating respiratory tract infections in the HIV-positive population, but that its low rate of isolation could be related to the frequent failure of methods used currently to detect mycoplasmas. Biodegradation, 1998, 9(2), 113 - 8 Alcohol and acid formation during the anaerobic decomposition of propylene glycol under methanogenic conditions; Veltman S et al.; Intermediates formed during the anaerobic decomposition of propylene glycol under methanogenic conditions were studied using a serum bottle technique . The pathway is similar to the anaerobic decomposition of ethylene glycol as previously reported . For both compounds, the decomposition is believed to proceed via an initial disproportionation of the glycol to form equal molar amounts of the volatile fatty acid and normal alcohol of the same chain length . In the case of ethylene glycol, disproportionation results in the formation of acetate and ethanol, while disproportionation of propylene glycol produces propionate and n-propanol . Following disproportionation, the alcohols produced from glycol fermentation are oxidized to their corresponding volatile fatty acid with the reduction of protons to form hydrogen . Ethanol and propionate oxidation to acetate proceeds via a well-established syntrophic pathway that is favorable only under low hydrogen partial pressures . Subsequent degradation of acetate proceeds via acetoclastic methanogenesis with the production of carbon dioxide and methane . Despite the production of hydrogen in the initial steps of glycol degradation, both compounds are completely degradable under the methanogenic conditions tested in this study. Electrophoresis, 1998 Oct, 19(14), 2474 - 8 Off-line quantitative monitoring of plasmid copy number in bacterial fermentation by capillary electrophoresis; Breuer S et al.; Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an effective instrumental alternative to conventional slab gel electrophoresis in the determination of plasmid copy number during recombinant protein formation processes . This analytical setup provides efficient separation of different species of linearized plasmid molecules and quantification by UV detection . Both fused silica and gel-filled capillaries are assessed with respect to peak resolution and reproducibility . The application of coated capillaries eliminates the electroosmatic flow to a large extent, resulting in excellent separation of DNA fragments . The application of UV detection enables the analysis of linearized plasmid DNA with a conventional laboratory CE device . All investigated plasmids show good peak resolution due to their significant differences in molecular size, which is essential for sufficient separation of individual DNA molecules. Eur J Haematol, 1998 Oct, 61(4), 250 - 4 Intestinal permeability in patients with acute myeloid leukemia; Sundstrom GM et al.; Intestinal permeability was studied in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) before, during and after chemotherapy . Intestinal permeability was determined by the lactulose (La)/mannitol (Ma) absorption test in 16 adult patients with de novo AML . The hydrogen breath test was used to disclose bacterial fermentation of the test substances in the small intestine . The permeability was found significantly increased (p<0.02) in the patients before induction chemotherapy treatment . During induction treatment and throughout the cytopenic period the intestinal permeability was constantly and significantly increased, compared with controls . In patients with abnormally increased permeability, no increase in hydrogen breath test result was noted . From our results it can be concluded that increased intestinal permeability is present in AML patients before commencing chemotherapy . Factors other than chemotherapy would seem to be more important regarding the occurrence of intestinal disturbances in these patients. J Antibiot (Tokyo), 1998 Sep, 51(9), 845 - 51 3-amino-5-hydroxybenzoic acid in antibiotic biosynthesis . XI . Biological origins and semisynthesis of thionaphthomycins, and the structures of naphthomycins I and J; Hooper AM et al.; Fermentations of Streptomyces sp . E/784 produce low levels of the novel C-30 alkylthio-substituted ansamycin antibiotics naphthomycins J (9) and I (10), in addition to the more abundant C-30 hydroxylated analogues actamycin (1) and naphthomycin D (2) and C-30 chlorinated analogues naphthomycins H (3) and A (4) . The addition of N-acetyl-L-cysteine to the fermentation medium substantially increases the production of the thionaphthomycins J and I at the expense of their chloro analogues H and A . Other thiols and thiol progenitors are similarly utilised, including N-acetyl-L-cysteine methyl ester which affords the known naphthomycin F (8) and its novel 2-demethyl homologue (7) . The formation of thioansamycins from chloroansamycins and thiols in vivo is probably non-enzymic since similar conversions can be effected in vitro. J Antibiot (Tokyo), 1998 Sep, 51(9), 837 - 44 Inhibition of fungal sphingolipid biosynthesis by rustmicin, galbonolide B and their new 21-hydroxy analogs; Harris GH et al.; The mode of action of the known antifungal macrolides rustmicin (1) and galbonolide B (2) has been determined to be the inhibition of sphingolipid biosynthesis . A large scale fermentation and isolation process was developed for production of large quantities of rustmicin . New 21-hydroxy derivatives of both compounds were isolated from pilot scale fermentations and were also produced by biotransformation of rustmicin and galbonolide B. J Antibiot (Tokyo), 1998 Sep, 51(9), 823 - 8 Fattiviracin A1, a novel antiherpetic agent produced by Streptomyces microflavus Strain No . 2445 . I . Taxonomy, fermentation, isolation, physico-chemical properties and structure elucidation; Uyeda M et al.; A novel antiherpetic agent, fattiviracin A1, was isolated from the culture broth of strain No . 2445 identified as Streptomyces microflavus . It was purified through 1-butanol extraction, column chromatographies on Diaion HP-10 and silica gel and HPLC using a reverse phase column . The structure of fattiviracin A1 was determined by several spectroscopic experiments and chemical degradations . It is a new macrocyclic diester consisting of four D-glucose units and two (C24 and C33) hydroxy fatty acids . It is closely related to cycloviracins B1 and B2, but differs from these known compounds in both the length of its side chain and the sugar moiety. J Infect, 1998 Jan, 36(1), 79 - 84 Antibodies to mycoplasma fermentans in HIV-positive heterosexual patients: seroprevalence and association with AIDS; Horowitz S et al.; There are conflicting reports concerning the prevalence of Mycoplasma fermentans in HIV-positive patients and its association with AIDS . Serum antibodies to M . fermentans were measured by a modified immunoblotting technique in 48 HIV-positive heterosexual patients and in 30 HIV-negative heterosexual controls . Antibodies to M . fermentans were detected in 19 (40%) of HIV-positive patients and in three (10%) of the HIV-negative controls (P = 0.01) . The prevalence of antibodies to Mycoplasma hominis and to Ureaplasma urealyticum was similar in both groups . In the HIV-positive group, 16/19 (84%) M . fermentans-positive patients developed AIDS, compared to eight of 29 (28%) M . fermentans-negative patients (P = 0.0004) . The HIV-positive patients with antibodies to M . fermentans had a lower CD4+ cell count and a higher prevalence of antibodies to the other mycoplasma tested (P = 0.007 and P = 0.03, respectively), as compared to the patients without antibodies to M . fermentans . These findings may suggest that the presence of antibodies to M . fermentans indicate an opportunistic infection . Of the 19 M . fermentans-positive patients, 11 were positive on the first examination, and eight became positive during the follow-up period . Seven out of these eight patients developed antibodies to M . fermentans before the development of AIDS . Therefore, the possibility exists that M . fermentans might influence the development of AIDS. J Int Med Res, 1998 Aug-Sep, 26(4), 171 - 80 Red-wine polyphenols and inhibition of platelet aggregation: possible mechanisms, and potential use in health promotion and disease prevention; Halpern MJ et al.; An extract from red-wine grape fermentation, ANOX has been developed as a source of red-wine polyphenols, which are thought to inhibit several of the pathogenic pathways that lead to cardiovascular disease . New data indicate that this extract has a significantly greater effect than either red wine or red-wine powder on the inhibition of platelet aggregation in vitro . Based on this data, about 300 - 500 mg of the extract is equivalent to the daily dose of red-wine polyphenols that appears to protect against cardiovascular disease . The possible synergistic effect of red-wine polyphenols with vitamin C, their vasorelaxing activity and their possible role in preventing over-crosslinking of connective tissues (premature ageing) are considered . The extract contains standardized amounts of the whole spectrum of polyphenolic compounds found in red wine and may provide a valuable reference substance in clinical investigations of the physiological actions of plant polyphenols; its potential use in functional nutrition and preventive medicine is also discussed. Am J Surg, 1998 Oct, 176(4), 384 - 9 The physiology of ileo-anal pouch function; Levitt MD et al.; Even excellent clinical function after ileo-anal pouch construction is associated with a variety of physiological abnormalities . Small bowel intestinal motility is essentially normal but the ileal reservoir serves to markedly suppress the ileal motor response both to progressive distension by intestinal contents and to transmitted myoelectrical complexes . As a result, the healthy pouch can accommodate a large volume of intestinal content before the rising baseline pressure and the appearance of large isolated contraction waves produce an urge to defecate . Evacuation in the normal pouch patient is rapid and highly efficient and is achieved by means of the Valsalva maneuver without any evidence of significant intestinal propulsion . External anal sphincter function is fully preserved but internal anal sphincter function is significantly impaired in the immediate postoperative period . Recovery occurs over the next 6 to 12 months but is often incomplete . Bacterial overgrowth in the pouch and prepouch ileum is almost universal and results in the premature deconjugation of primary bile salts and accumulation of secondary bile salts within the pouch . These produce morphologic changes in the ileal mucosa, and their excretion in pouch effluent gradually depletes the bile salt pool . Anerobic organisms also bind with vitamin B12 and the vitamin B12-intrinsic factor complex, resulting in subtle but measurable reductions in vitamin B12 levels in pouch patients . Finally, anerobic fermentation of mucus and undigested carbohydrate results in excessive quantities of short chain fatty acids within the pouch lumen . The clinical significance of these substances is unclear, but they may have an adverse action on both ileal mucosal and smooth muscle function . In essence, however, the pouch surgeon can maximize the likelihood of good clinical function by constructing a large capacity pouch, by avoiding surgery in patients with clearly deficient anal sphincter mechanisms, and by careful attention to pouch-anal anastomotic technique. Arq Gastroenterol, 1998 Apr-Jun, 35(2), 132 - 7 Use of undiluted whole cow's milk is effective for the routine treatment of children with acute diarrhea and severe dehydration; Sperotto G et al.; A comparison is made between two groups of children aged 1-24 months and admitted to a teaching University Hospital due to acute diarrhea and severe dehydration . One group (n = 119) received a diluted cow's milk formula and the other (n = 109) a full-strength formula . Duration of diarrhea was similar: In the group that received full-strength milk weight gain was greater during diarrhea (5.03 vs . 1.80 g/kg/day, P < 0.01) and during the hospital stay (5.39 vs . 2.33 g/kg/day, P < 0.001) . Weight for height z-scores and weight for height as percentage of median improved during the hospital stay only in the group that received the full-strength formula . Full-strength cow's milk seems to be an adequate routine regimen even for children with acute diarrhea that must be treated for severe dehydration . In developing countries diarrhea and dehydration are a disease of small children . As rates of exclusive breast feeding are low, mainly in the urban setting, cow's milk is the main and sometimes the only food available . Lactose-free formulae are priced out of reach of the poor people and in Latin America there is no accepted tradition for use of fermented milk products . Our study is an indication that use of undiluted cow's milk may be effective for the routine treatment of acute diarrhea in children that must be treated as inpatients due to severe dehydration. West Afr J Med, 1998 Jul-Sep, 17(3), 153 - 6 Effect of acute dietary fibre supplementation on colonic pH in healthy volunteers; Naaeder SB et al.; Dietary fibre and undigested starch are fermented to short chain fatty acids by colonic bacteria with acidification of the colon . It has been suggested that acidification of the colon by these fatty acids inhibits bacterial metabolism, but this concept has been disputed . The aim of this study was to investigate the short term effect of a dietary fibre load on colonic metabolism . Colonic pH and breath hydrogen was measured in healthy omnivorous British male volunteers following ingestion, in turn and at weekly intervals, of 15g lactulose, wheat bran biscuits, oat bran biscuits and ispaghula husk . All the test meals caused a reduction in caecal pH and an increase in breath hydrogen production . The changes were greatest with lactulose . Lactulose and wheat bran caused acidification of the right and left colon whereas oat bran and ispaghula husk caused acidification of mainly the right colon . An inverse correlation between right colonic pH and breath hydrogen was observed in only the oat bran study . This study has demonstrated the ability of dietary fibre to lower right colonic pH and to increase breath hydrogen excretion . The changes were greater with soluble fibre than with insoluble fibre but the change in luminal pH was persistent all round the colon with insoluble fibre. J Wildl Dis, 1998 Oct, 34(4), 797 - 800 Duodenal volvulus in free-living green turtles from coastal United Arab Emirates; Hasbun CR et al.; Post-mortem examinations performed during May and August of 1997 on three free-living green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the United Arab Emirates revealed that all had stomachs full of fresh seagrass (approximately 99% of the total ingesta) and presented with a duodenal volvulus involving a length of approximately 100 cm . Duodeni appeared empty and necrotic with diffuse purple-black mucosa . No apparent signs of obstruction by foreign objects, acute endoparasitism, or other disorders were observed . In all cases, duodenal volvulus was diagnosed, the cause of which may have been dietary in origin . The rise in water temperature, with an associated rise in the temperature of seagrass, thus enhancing the over-fermentation of ingesta with the subsequent liberation of excessive amounts of gas was the probable cause of volvulus formation . Ingestion of foreign bodies and physical movement also are discussed as causes of digestive disorders . It is recommended that handlers should avoid 360 degrees rotation when overturning turtles onto their carapaces. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1998 Nov 9, 252(1), 29 - 33 Gpr1p, a putative G-protein coupled receptor, regulates glucose-dependent cellular cAMP level in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Yun CW et al.; How cells monitor the availability of nutrition and transduce signals is a fundamental, unanswered question . We have found that Gpr1p, a recently identified G-protein (Gpa2p) coupled receptor in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, regulate the cellular cAMP level in response to glucose . The glucose-induced higher cAMP level found in the strain with GPA2 in multicopy plasmid decreased by deletion of GPR1 gene . A transient increase of cAMP in response to glucose was not observed in a Deltagpr1 mutant strain and this defect was complemented and restored by introducing GPR1 gene with YCp vector . Gpr1p was also required for the increase of cAMP in response to other fermentable sugars . Both membrane proximal regions o the third cytosolic loop in Gpr1p, which has been shown to be important for coupling to G-proteins, were also required for glucose-induced transient increase of cAMP . Our findings suggest that Gpr1p is part of the nutrition sensing machinery most likely acting as a receptor to monitor glucose as well as other fermentable sugars and regulate cellular cAMP levels . J Biol Chem, 1998 Nov 20, 273(47), 31337 - 44 Mitochondrial respiratory mutants in yeast inhibit glycogen accumulation by blocking activation of glycogen synthase; Yang R et al.; Control of glycogen synthase activity by protein phosphorylation is important for regulating the synthesis of glycogen . In this report, we describe a regulatory linkage between the ability of yeast cells to respire and activation of glycogen synthase . Strains containing respiration-deficient mutations in genes such as COQ3, required for the synthesis of coenzyme Q, were reduced in their ability to accumulate glycogen in response to limiting glucose . This lowered glycogen accumulation results from inactivation of the rate-determining enzyme, glycogen synthase (Gsy2p) . Reduced glycogen synthase activity is coincident with lowered glucose 6-phosphate and ATP levels in the respiration-deficient cells deprived of glucose . Alanine substitutions of three previously characterized phosphorylation sites in Gsy2p, Ser-650, Ser-654, or Thr-667, each suppressed the glycogen defect in cells unable to respire, suggesting that inactivation of this enzyme is mediated by phosphorylation of these residues . Inactivation of glycogen synthase requires the RAS signaling pathway that controls cAMP-dependent protein kinase and is independent of Pho85p previously identified as a Gsy2p kinase . These results suggest that yeast cells unable to shift from a fermentative to a respiratory metabolic regimen block accumulation of glycogen by inactivating Gsy2p through protein phosphorylation. Trends Biotechnol, 1998 Oct, 16(10), 419 - 27 Bacterial and other biological systems for polyester production; Steinbuchel A et al.; Poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) and other structurally related aliphatic polyesters from bacteria, referred to as polyhydroxyalkanoic acids, form biodegradable thermoplastics and elastomers that are currently in use, or being considered for use, in industry, medicine, pharmacy and agriculture . At present, they are produced by microbial fermentations; in the future, production will also be possible by in vitro methods or by agriculture using transgenic plants . Representatives from this highly diverse class of polyesters might be produced as commodity chemicals for bulk applications, and others as fine chemicals for special applications. J Biotechnol, 1998 Aug 27, 63(3), 187 - 98 Dielectric spectroscopy in the cultivation of suspended and immobilized hybridoma cells; Noll T et al.; Dielectric spectroscopy, also referred to as capacitance measurement, was evaluated as a tool for on-line and real-time monitoring of hybridoma cell growth in suspension batch culture and in immobilized cell culture in porous glass carriers . The capacitance signal proved to be a lumped parameter influenced by cell concentration, cell size and culture conditions . During a batch culture the cell specific capacitance signal changes by about 45% having a maximum value at the maximum growth rate . An excellent correlation between the specific capacitance and the specific amount of nucleotidetriphosphates in the cells could be shown . Dielectric spectroscopy proved to be a useful tool for on-line monitoring of cell attachment and growth in open porous microcarriers in fluidized bed fermenters . Also, in this system only an approximate correlation with viable cell concentration appeared, whereas an exact correlation with the glutamine consumption rate, a measure of the metabolic activity of the cells, could be shown . This allowed a closed loop control of the medium feed rate, which was directly linked to the capacitance signal during the entire course of a continuous fermentation. Physiol Res, 1998, 47(4), 259 - 63 Age effect on in vitro fermentation pattern and methane production in the caeca of chickens; Marounek M et al.; Age-dependent changes of the caecal fermentation pattern were studied in female chickens using in vitro batch incubation technique . Chickens were sequentially killed at the age of 1, 2, 3 and 4 months, their caecal contents added to a broth with starch and incubated at 39 degrees C for 20 h . Net productions of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), succinate, ethanol, lactate, methane, hydrogen and ammonia were determined . Methanogenesis was absent in caeca of 1-month-old chickens . Production of methane started in the second month and doubled in the third month of age . The start of methanogenesis was accompanied by changes of the fermentation stoichiometry . The production of succinate ceased and that of ethanol decreased to less than one tenth . There were no major changes of the caecal fermentation pattern in the fourth month of age . The ammonia production increased in the second month, indicating increased deamination activity . No major shifts in SCFA molar composition dependent on age were found . Calculated hydrogen recoveries suggest a decrease of reductive acetogenesis until 3 months of age . It can thus be concluded that age and the onset of methane production affect the fermentation pattern in the caeca of chickens. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 1998 Oct, 22(7), 1570 - 83 A review: acute and chronic effects of ethanol and alcoholic beverages on the pancreatic exocrine secretion in vivo and in vitro; Niebergall-Roth E et al.; Whereas oral or intraduodenal ethanol causes a moderate stimulation of pancreatic bicarbonate and enzyme output, intravenous ethanol inhibits basal and hormonally stimulated pancreatic exocrine secretion in humans, dogs, cats, pigs, rabbits, and rats . This inhibition could be mediated by inhibitory cholinergic mechanisms or be the result of a direct cellular effect of ethanol . In vitro investigations have specified several signaling molecules that may be involved in the action of ethanol on stimulus-secretion coupling in the exocrine pancreas, including cyclic adenosine monophosphate, intracellular calcium, and cholecystokinin and somatostatin receptors . In difference to pure ethanol solutions and distilled spirits, beer strongly stimulates pancreatic enzyme output, probably by nonalcoholic fermentation products . During chronic alcoholism, the ethanol-induced inhibition is replaced by an enhanced enzyme output that causes intraductal protein precipitation . In vitro investigations suggest that this increase is reversible after alcohol withdrawal . The occurrence of protein precipitates is considered to be a crucial step in the development of chronic alcoholic pancreatitis in humans . Other ethanol-induced secretory alterations that may contribute to the development of alcoholic pancreatitis are a decreased secretion of trypsin inhibitor, an increased cholinergic tone, and changes in the concentration of lithostathine. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 1998 Sep, 50(3), 384 - 9 Degradation of cyanide in agroindustrial or industrial wastewater in an acidification reactor or in a single-step methane reactor by bacteria enriched from soil and peels of cassava; Siller H et al.; During cassava starch production, large amounts of cyanoglycosides were released and hydrolysed by plant-borne enzymes, leading to cyanide concentrations in the wastewater as high as 200 mg/l . For anaerobic degradation of the cyanide during pre-acidification or single-step methane fermentation, anaerobic cultures were enriched from soil residues of cassava roots and sewage sludge . In a pre-acidification reactor this culture was able to remove up to 4 g potassium cyanide/l of wastewater at a hydraulic retention time (tHR) of 4 days, equivalent to a maximal cyanide space loading of 400 mg CN- 1(-1) day-1 . The residual cyanide concentration was 0.2-0.5 mg/l . Concentrated cell suspensions of the mixed culture formed ammonia and formate in almost equimolar amounts from cyanide . Little formamide was generated by chemical decay . A concentration of up to 100 mmol ammonia/l had no inhibitory effect on cyanide degradation . The optimal pH for cyanide degradation was 6-7.5, the optimal temperature 25-37 degrees C . At a pH of 5 or lower, cyanide accumulated in the reactor and pre-acidification failed . The minimal tHR for continuous cyanide removal was 1.5 days . The enriched mixed culture was also able to degrade cyanide in purely mineralic wastewater from metal deburring, either in a pre-acidification reactor with a two-step process or in a one-step methanogenic reactor . It was necessary to supplement the wastewater with a carbon source (e.g . starch) to keep the population active enough to cope with any possible inhibiting effect of cyanide. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 1998 Sep, 50(3), 379 - 83 The formation of 1-hydroxymethylnaphthalene and 6-hydroxymethylquinoline by both oxidative and reductive routes in Cunninghamella elegans; Mountfield RJ et al.; Extraction of medium after incubation of the fungus, Cunninghamella elegans, with 0.03% (w/v) 1-methylnaphthalene produced mainly 1-hydroxymethylnaphthalene together with some 1-naphthoic acid and hydroxynaphthoic acid . Higher concentrations of substrate were inhibitory to biotransformation . Similar incubations with 1-naphtoic acid as substrate resulted in reduction of the carboxyl group to give 1-hydroxymethylnaphthalene . When 6-methylquinoline was used, the main product was 6-hydroxymethylquinoline but also some quinoline-6-carboxylic acid and some 6-methylquinoline-N-oxide were identified . In a 2-l fermenter 2.5 g substrate was transformed in 324 h . The 6-hydroxymethylquinoline was also produced by reduction of quinoline-6-carboxylic acid by the organism. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 1998 Sep, 50(3), 299 - 302 An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the estimation of fungal biomass during solid-state fermentation; Dubey AK et al.; An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for sensitive, specific and quantitative estimation of fungal biomass during solid-state fermentation is described . Using this method, differential growth rates and colonization of the substrate can be studied . The assay has potential application for the efficient monitoring of solid-state fermentation involving specific fungus, for which available methods are not adequate. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, 1998 Apr, 73(3), 263 - 9 Genetic and fermentation properties of the K2 killer yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae T206; Franken DB et al.; Saccharomyces cerevisiae T206 K+R+, a K2 killer yeast, was differentiated from other NCYC killer strains of S . cerevisiae on the basis of CHEF-karyotyping and mycoviral RNA separations . Genomic DNA of strain T206 was resolved into 13 chromosome bands, ranging from approximately 0.2 to 2.2 Mb . The resident virus in strain T206 yielded L and M RNA species of approximately 5.1 kb and 2.0 kb, respectively . In micro-scale vinifications, strain T206 showed a lethal effect on a K-R- mesophilic wine yeast . Metabolite accumulation and toxin activity were measured over a narrow pH range of 3.2 to 3.5 . Contrary to known fermentation trends, the challenged fermentations were neither stuck nor protracted although over 70% of the cell population was killed . Toxin-sensitive cells showed cytosolic efflux. Curr Genet, 1998 Oct, 34(4), 287 - 96 Azf1p is a nuclear-localized zinc-finger protein that is preferentially expressed under non-fermentative growth conditions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Stein T et al.; In previous studies the AZF1 gene has been identified as a second high-copy number suppressor for a special mutant of the gene for the mitochondrial core enzyme of RNA polymerase . The first high-copy number suppressor of this mutant turned out to be the specificity factor MTF1 for mitochondrial transcription . Up to now, the influence of AZF1 on mitochondrial transcription, its precise localization in the cell and the regulation of its expression has not been determined . The putative protein contains a long stretch of poly-asparagine amino acids and a typical zinc-finger domain for DNA binding . These characteristic structural features were used to create the abbreviation AZF1 (Asparagine-rich Zinc Finger protein) . An initial computer analysis of the sequence gave no conclusive results for the presence of a mitochondrial import sequence or a typical nuclear-targeting sequence . A recent more-detailed analysis identified a possible nuclear localization signal in the middle of the protein . Disruption of the gene shows no effect on plates with glucose-rich medium or glycerol . In this report a specific polyclonal antibody against Azf1p was prepared and used in cell-fractionation experiments and in electron-microscopic studies . Both of these clearly demonstrate that the AZF1 protein is localized exclusively in the nucleus of the yeast cell . Northern analysis for the expression of the AZF1 messenger RNA under different growth conditions was therefore performed to obtain new insights into the regulation of this gene . Together with the respective protein-expression analysis these data demonstrate that Azf1p is preferentially synthezised in higher amounts under non-fermentable growth conditions . Over-expression of Azf1p in the yeast cell does not influence the expression level of the mitochondrial transcription factor Mtf1p, indicating that the influence of Azf1p on the suppression of the special mitochondrial RNA polymerase mutant is an indirect one . Subcellular investigation of the deletion mutant by electron microscopy identifies specific ultrastructural cell-division defects in comparison to the wild-type. Biosci Rep, 1998 Jun, 18(3), 143 - 54 Relationship of the Escherichia coli TrkA system of potassium ion uptake with the F0F1-ATPase under growth conditions without anaerobic or aerobic respiration; Trchounian A et al.; K+ uptake by the Escherichia coli TrkA system is unusual in that it requires both ATP and deltamuH+; a relation with H+ circulation through the membrane is therefore suggested . The relationship of this system with the F0F1-ATPase was studied in intact cells grown under different conditions . A significant increase of the N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide(DCCD)-inhibited H+ efflux through the F0F1 by 5 mM K+, but not by Na+ added into the potassium-free medium was revealed only in fermenting wild-type or parent cells, that were grown under anaerobic conditions without anaerobic or aerobic respiration and with the production of H2 . Such an increase disappeared in the deltaunc or the trkA mutants that have altered F0F1 or defective TrkA, respectively . This finding indicates a closed relationship between TrkA and F0F1, with these transport systems being associated in a single mechanism that functions as an ATP-driven H(+)-K(+)-exchanging pump . A DCCD-inhibited H(+)-L(+)-exchange through these systems with the fixed stoichiometry of H+ and K+ fluxes (2H+/K+) and a higher K+ gradient between the cytoplasm and the external medium were also found in these bacteria . They were not observed in cells cultured under anaerobic conditions in the presence of nitrate or under aerobic conditions with respiration and without production of H2 . The role of anaerobic or aerobic respiration as a determinant of the relationship of the TrkA with the F0F1 is postulated . Moreover, an increase of DCCD-inhibited H+ efflux by added K+, as well as the characteristics of DCCD-sensitive H(+)-K(+)-exchange found in a parent strain, were lost in the arcA mutant with a defective Arc system, suggesting a repression of enzymes in respiratory pathways . In addition, K+ influx in the latest mutant was not markedly changed by valinomycin or with temperature . The arcA gene product or the Arc system is proposed to be implicated in the regulation of the relationship between TrkA and F0F1. Protein Expr Purif, 1998 Nov, 14(2), 160 - 6 High-level expression of eukaryotic polypeptides from bacterial chromosomes; Olson P et al.; Attractive economics and short development timelines have often been cited as reasons for using bacteria to express eukaryotic proteins on a commercial scale . Nevertheless, routine techniques for bacterial expression of heterologous proteins are beset by a variety of technical and legal difficulties . In particular, the use of plasmids to express foreign proteins, popular promoter systems, protein fusion partners, and histidine tags and the recovery of proteins from inclusion bodies are affected by a host of issued patents . Chromosomally encoded leaderless fusions (CELF) offer a variety of technical and legal advantages over existing bacterial expression systems . In this study, we show that CELF can be used to produce a wide assortment of eukaryotic proteins at 10-liter fermentation scale . J Natl Cancer Inst, 1998 Oct 21, 90(20), 1559 - 63 The chondramides: cytostatic agents from myxobacteria acting on the actin cytoskeleton; Sasse F et al.; BACKGROUND: Chondramides are cyclodepsipeptides produced by strains of the myxobacterium, Chondromyces crocatus . These peptides, which have been reported to inhibit yeast and mammalian cell proliferation, are related to jasplakinolide, which has been isolated from marine sponges of the genus Jaspis and has been shown to interfere with the actin cytoskeleton (a structural component of cells that helps maintain their shape and is involved in processes, such as cell division and cell locomotion) . We studied the effects of the chondramides (A, B, C, and D) on tumor cell growth, on cytoskeletal structure, and on actin polymerization in vitro and compared these effects with those of cytochalasin D and jasplakinolide . METHODS: Cell proliferation was measured by means of tetrazolium salt reduction assays . Effects on the cytoskeleton were studied by use of fluorescence techniques, and actin polymerization in vitro was measured by means of viscosimetry . RESULTS: Proliferation of tested tumor cell lines was inhibited by the chondramides . Concentrations that inhibited proliferation by 50% (IC50 values) ranged from 3 to 85 nM and were of the same order of magnitude as those found for cytochalasin D and jasplakinolide . Fluorescence staining of potoroo cells incubated with chondramides A and B showed that organization of the actin cytoskeleton was disrupted; however, the microtubule system was not affected . Viscosimetric measurement showed that, depending on the experimental conditions, chondramide A induced or accelerated actin polymerization in vitro . CONCLUSION: The chondramides--unlike jasplakinolide--can be produced in large amounts by fermentation, and, similar to jasplakinolide, they appear to have antiproliferative activity against carcinoma cell lines by targeting the actin cytoskeleton. J Dairy Sci, 1998 Sep, 81(9), 2451 - 8 Influence of soybean oil in high fiber diets fed to nonlactating cows on ruminal unsaturated fatty acids and nutrient digestibility; Bateman HG 2nd et al.; An experiment with a 5 x 5 Latin square design was conducted to determine the effects of the addition of soybean oil to high fiber diets on ruminal fermentation and ruminal lipid concentrations . Diets were 50% bermudagrass hay and 50% concentrate . Soybean oil was added to diets at 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8% of the dietary dry matter (DM) . Ruminal samples were collected every 2 h on the last day of each period and analyzed for volatile fatty acids and lipids . The addition of soybean oil decreased DM and organic matter intake but increased fatty acid intake . Soybean oil had no effect on total tract digestibility of DM, organic matter, N, or neutral detergent fiber but decreased digestibility of fatty acids . The addition of soybean oil decreased total volatile fatty acid concentrations and the acetate to propionate ratio . Ruminal concentrations of unsaturated free fatty acids increased nonlinearly as soybean oil in the diets increased but remained < 0.67 mg/g of DM or 3% of the total fatty acids . Ruminal concentrations of total fatty acids and total saturated fatty acids increased nonlinearly as soybean oil in the diets increased . Total unsaturated fatty acid concentrations increased linearly as soybean oil increased . Neutral lipid concentrations in the rumen did not respond to increased soybean oil . These data indicate that large amounts of soybean oil can be fed in high fiber diets without greatly increasing the concentration of ruminal unsaturated fatty acids or depressing nutrient digestibility. Nutrition, 1998 Oct, 14(10), 763 - 6 Complementary feeding: a global perspective; Michaelsen KF et al.; The growth of children in developing countries often declines with the introduction of complementary foods around the age of 6 mo and continues to decline up to 18 mo . These growth deficits are accompanied by delayed development and increased morbidity and mortality . The main cause is nutritionally inadequate and often contaminated complementary foods that typically consist of a cereal-based porridge, with little vegetables and no animal products . Such a diet is bulky, has a low nutrient density and a high content of antinutrients . Promotion of traditional household technologies such as germination and fermentation may be affordable measures to improve the complementary foods . Germination serves to reduce the bulkiness and thus increase the energy and nutrient density . Fermentation leads to hydrolysis of antinutrient phytates and hence increased bioavailability of minerals, and may also have beneficial effects on susceptibility to diarrhea . Alternative strategies include addition of vitamin C-rich foods and meat that enhance absorption of minerals, or direct enrichment of energy and nutrients by addition of animal products, such as fat, fish, meat or milk, vegetables or fruits, or a micronutrient mix. Nutrition, 1998 Oct, 14(10), 758 - 62 Nutritional management of acute diarrhea; Sullivan PB; Despite recommendations from several bodies such as the World Health Organization and others that feeding should be continued during diarrhea, the practice of withholding food during the early stages of diarrhea is still widespread . This contributes to a deterioration in patients' nutritional state . The principal controversy in the nutritional therapy of acute gastroenteritis centers on the relative risks of cows'-milk feeds . The two things that need to be considered in determining the optimum approach to feeding the child with acute diarrhea are the optimum timing for feeding children in relation to the onset of and recovery from symptoms and, secondly, the effects of specific food ingredients in the diet . Recent studies have demonstrated that the vast majority of young children with acute diarrhea can be successfully managed with continued feeding of undiluted non-human milk . Routine dilution of milk and routine use of lactose-free formula are not necessary, especially when oral rehydration therapy and early feeding (in addition to milk) form the basic approach to the clinical management of diarrhea in children . Confounding factors are the severity of the diarrhea, coexistent malnutrition, and young age (< 1 y); such infants are much more likely to have complications from early feeding with undiluted milk and some would advocate use of specifically designed lactose-free formula in such children . Children who are fed exclusively with human milk and those who receive solid foods with or without human milk may safely continue to receive their usual diets during diarrhea . Those who are fed exclusively with non-human milk--especially when very young and with severe diarrhea or malnutrition--should be closely observed if they continue to consume milk or they should receive a special formulation (e.g., a cereal-milk mixture or fermented milk product) . The use of nutrient-dense mixtures of common foods may be advisable to promote compensatory growth in those who lose weight during illness or because of anorexia or malabsorption. J Dairy Sci, 1998 Sep, 81(9), 2430 - 9 Effect of amount of dietary supplement and source of protein on milk production, ruminal fermentation, and nutrient flows in dairy cows; O'Mara FP et al.; An experiment with a multiple Latin square design using 36 midlactation Friesian cows was carried out to determine the effect of fish meal or soybean meal in a supplement fed at two amounts (3.5 or 7 kg/d) with grass silage . The diets were also fed to four ruminally and duodenally cannulated cows to determine digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and nutrient flows . Dry matter intake, milk production, milk constituent yields, and concentrations of protein and lactose were significantly increased by the supplements when provided at 7 kg/d . The supplement containing fish meal increased milk production, protein and lactose yields, and milk protein concentration, but the increases were smaller than those obtained by increasing the amount of supplement fed . Neither the type nor the amount of supplement fed affected digestibility of dry matter or organic matter, and few significant effects on ruminal fermentation were observed . Supplements fed at the higher allowance significantly increased the flow of dry matter, organic matter, all nitrogenous components, and amino acids to the duodenum . The supplement containing fish meal significantly increased the duodenal flow of nonammonia nonmicrobial N and some amino acids . Results indicated that an increase in the concentration of supplement in the diet is more effective in increasing milk production, protein concentration and yield, and flow of amino acids to the duodenum than is increasing the concentration of ruminally undegradable protein in the supplement. J Invertebr Pathol, 1998 Nov, 72(3), 319 - 22 Toxicity of purified fungal toxin hirsutellin A to the citrus rust mite phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ash.) Omoto C, McCoy CW. A toxic protein, hirsutellin A, isolated from culture filtrate during liquid fermentation of the fungal mycelia of Hirsutella thompsonii, was tested using contact/residual and residual leaf bioassay methodologies at concentrations of 0, 10, 32, 56, and 100 &mgr;g/ml against adult citrus rust mite, Phyllocoptruta oleivora . P . oleivora is the natural host of the parasitic fungus, H . thompsonii . Mite mortality increased with an increase in hirsutellin A concentration, reaching virtually 100% at 100 &mgr;g/ml using both leaf assay methods . The number of eggs found on leaf disk bioassays within a 3-day period decreased significantly with an increase in hirsutellin A concentration, suggesting that fecundity was affected prior to the death of the host . Extremophiles, 1998 Aug, 2(3), 223 - 8 Analysis of intracellular pH in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae under elevated hydrostatic pressure: a study in baro- (piezo-) physiology; Abe F et al.; Hydrostatic pressure is a distinctive feature of deep-sea environments, and this thermodynamic parameter has potentially inhibitory effects on organisms adapted to living at atmospheric pressure . In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, hydrostatic pressure causes a delay in or cessation of growth . The vacuole is a large acidic organelle involved in degradation of cellular proteins or storage of ions and various metabolites . Vacuolar pH, as determined using the pH-sensitive fluorescent dye 6-carboxyfluorescein, was analyzed in a hydrostatic chamber with transparent windows under elevated hydrostatic pressure conditions . A pressure of 40-60 MPa transiently reduced the vacuolar pH by approximately 0.33 . A vma3 mutant defective in vacuolar acidification showed no reduction of vacuolar pH after application of hydrostatic pressure, indicating that the transient acidification is mediated through the function of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase . The vacuolar acidification was observed only in the presence of fermentable sugars, and never observed in the presence of ethanol, glycerol, or 3-o-methyl-glucose as the carbon source . Analysis of a glycolysis-defective mutant suggested that glycolysis or CO2 production is involved in the pressure-induced acidification . Hydration and ionization of CO2 is facilitated by elevated hydrostatic pressure because a negative volume change (delta V < 0) accompanies the chemical reaction . Moreover the glucose-induced cytoplasmic alkalization is inhibited by elevated hydrostatic pressure, probably because of inhibition of the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase . Therefore, the cytoplasm tends to become acidic under elevated hydrostatic pressure conditions, and this could be crucial for cell survival . To maintain a favorable cytoplasmic pH, the yeast vacuoles may serve as proton sequestrants under hydrostatic pressure . We are investigating the physiological effects of hydrostatic pressure in the course of research in a new experimental field, baro-(piezo-) physiology. Indian J Exp Biol, 1998 Jul, 36(7), 688 - 92 Optimisation of different physical parameters for bioleaching of phosphate by Aspergillus niger from Indian rock phosphate; Ghosh R et al.; A mutant strain of Aspergillus niger AB100 was incubated with samples of rock phosphate . Mutation resulted in a greater amount of solubilisation (30 to 35%) as against the parent strain (10 to 15%) . The influence of leaching parameters such as ore concentration (pulp density), particle size, initial pH of the medium, temperature, volume of the medium in 250 ml flasks, inoculum concentration and age of inoculum was studied . When low quantity of rock phosphate is applied (0.1%) the solubilisation of phosphorus was optimal (40.5%) . Optimum particle size was--200 to 240 mesh, initial pH of the medium 4.0, optimum volume of the fermentation medium 160 ml, time period of incubation was 8 days, inoculum volume was 7.5 ml, and age of inoculum 7 days . The maximum leaching of phosphorus by using these optimum physical parameters is 45 to 50%. Adv Exp Med Biol, 1998, 439, 117 - 29 Differentiation of soy sauce types by HPLC profile pattern recognition . Isolation of novel isoflavones; Kinoshita E et al.; Nonvolatile minor components in various brands of Japanese fermented soy sauce were analyzed by gradient RP-HPLC and monitored at 280 nm . Chemometric pattern recognition techniques, such as cluster analysis, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), LDA using genetic algorithm (GA-LDA) and soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA), succeeded in differentiating the resulting HPLC profiles according to soy sauce brands . Three components playing key roles in the differentiation were isolated by preparative HPLC and purified by gel-filtration chromatography, or simply repeated preparative HPLC . FAB-MS, 1H-, 13C-NMR and IR spectra suggested that these three components having molecular weights of 386, 402 and 418 were isoflavone derivatives . By applying HMBC spectral analysis, these isoflavones were identified as conjugated ethers of tartaric acid with daidzein, genistein and 8-hydroxygenistein . These new isoflavone derivatives are produced by some strains of Aspergillus fungi. Yeast, 1998 Sep 15, 14(12), 1089 - 104 Transient mRNA responses in chemostat cultures as a method of defining putative regulatory elements: application to genes involved in Saccharomyces cerevisiae acetyl-coenzyme A metabolism; van den Berg MA et al.; To identify common regulatory sequences in the promoters of genes, transcription of 31 genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was analysed during the transient response to a glucose pulse in a chemostat culture . mRNA levels were monitored during the subsequent excess glucose, ethanol and acetate phases, while other conditions were kept constant . This setup allowed a direct comparison between regulation by glucose, ethanol and acetate . Genes with identical regulation patterns were grouped to identify regulatory elements in the promoters . In respect to regulation on glucose four classes were identified: no transcription under any of the conditions tested, no difference in regulation on glucose, induced on glucose and repressed on glucose . In addition, genes were found that were repressed or induced on ethanol or acetate . Sequence alignment of genes with similar regulation patterns revealed five new, putative regulatory promoter elements . (i) The glucose-inducible fermentation genes PDC1 and ADH1 share the sequence ATACCTTCSTT . (ii) Acetate-repression might be mediated by the decamer CCCGAG RGGA, present in the promoters of ACS2 and ACR1 . (iii) A specific element (CCWTTSRNCCG) for the glyoxylate cycle was present in seven genes studied: CIT2, ICL1, MLS1, MDH2, CAT2, ACR1 and ACH1 . These genes were derepressed on ethanol or acetate . (iv) The sequence ACGTSCRGAATGA was found in the promoters of the partially ethanol-repressed genes ACS1 and YAT1 . (v) Ethanol induction, as seen for ACS2, ADH3 and MDH1, might be mediated via the sequence CGGSGCCGRAG. Mol Cell Probes, 1998 Oct, 12(5), 301 - 8 Multiplex PCR for the detection of Mycoplasma fermentans, M . hominis and M . penetrans in cell cultures and blood samples of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome; Choppa PC et al.; A multiplex polym