Genome-inspired search for new antibiotics. Isolation and structure determination of new 28-membered polyketide macrolactones, halstoctacosanolides A and B, from Streptomyces halstedii HC34

During the search for polyketide synthase (PKS) in the genome of Streptomyces halstedii HC34, we found clustered new genes which appeared to encode typical Type 1 PKSs beyond the cluster harboring the genes for the biosynthesis of antitumor antibiotic vicenistatin. The deduced domain configuration of these putative PKS genes allowed to predict a corresponding partial structure of polyketide, which was in turn materialized by isolation of new polyketide macrolactone halstoctacosanolides A and B from the fermentation broth of S. halstedii HC34. The structures of these metabolites were determined by spectroscopic means to have a novel 28-membered macrolactone structure. The partial structure deduced from the genetic data was completely compatible to the structures of halstoctacosanolides A and B. This success clearly demonstrates the present new approach of genome-inspired search for new antibiotics promising. Halstoctacosanolides A and B showed moderate antimicrobial activity against several microorganisms.     

High output power operation of 1.3-μm strained MQW lasers with low threshold currents at high temperature

We have investigated the temperature dependencies of the slope efficiency and the threshold current for strained multiquantum well (MQW) lasers as a parameter of the well number. Smaller well numbers mean larger temperature dependencies of the slope efficiency and the threshold current, while larger well numbers mean larger internal loss and broadening of the photoluminescence linewidth of the MQW structure. Furthermore, the change in the slope efficiency with temperature change is related to the change in internal loss. In this work, the 1.3-m strained MQW laser with a compressive strain of 1.0% and 7 wells shows the highest output power of 6.8 mW for an injection current of 50 mA and the lowest threshold current of 5.5 mA at 85°C, and the lowest variation in output power of 2.0 dB from 25–85°C at injection current of 50 mA.     

Nuclear structure and nuclear moments studied by the shell model and the interacting boson model

Magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments are discussed in terms of the interacting boson model (IBM) and the shell model. From the viewpoint of the IBM, systematic variations of magnetic moments will be discussed by analyzing data of Xe and Ba isotopes. Magnetic and quadrupole moments of various states of Sm and Os isotopes are discussed, pointing out an open problem in the magnetic moments of Os isotopes. The importance of measuring the quadrupole moment of O(6) or -unstable nuclei is emphasized by the example of¹²⁸Xe. The structure of neutron-rich unstable nuclei will be studied in terms of the shell model, by paying attention to the break-down of the closed shell structure, for instance, the collapse ofN=20 closed shell withZN=20. The magnetic moment of the anomalous ground state of¹¹Be is another topic of this discussion, and it is studied in terms of a new theoretical framework called variational shell model.     

Isolation of lignan glucosides and neolignan sulfate from the leaves of Glochidion zeylanicum (Gaertn) A. Juss

Six lignan and neolignan derivatives (1-6) were isolated from the n-BuOH-soluble fraction of a MeOH extract of the leaves of Glochidion zeylanicum. On the basis of spectral data, their structures were elucidated to be (+)-isolarisiresinol 3a-O-beta-glucopyranoside (1), dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 4-, 9- and 9'-O-beta-D-glucopyranosides (2-4, respectively), (+)-isolarisiresinol 2a-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5), and dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 9-O-sulfate (6), and 5 and 6 were new compounds.     

Novel real-time sensors to quantitatively assess in vivo inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production in intact cells

Real-time observation of messenger molecules in individual intact cells is essential for physiological studies of signaling mechanisms. We have developed a novel inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) sensor based on the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain from phospholipase C (PLC) delta. The environmentally sensitive fluorophore 6-bromoacetyl-2-dimethyl-aminonaphtalene was conjugated to the genetically introduced cysteine at the mouth of the IP(3) binding pocket for enhanced IP(3) selectivity and for rapid and direct visualization of intracellular IP(3) > or = 0.5 microM as fluorescence emission decreased. The probe, tagged with arginine-rich sequences for efficient translocation into various cell types, revealed a major contribution of Ca2+ influx to PLC-mediated IP(3) production that boosts Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum. Thus, our IP(3) probe was extremely effective to quantitatively assess real-time physiological IP(3) production via those pathways formed only in the intact cellular configuration.     

Phlomisflavosides A and B, new flavonol bisglycosides from Phlomis spinidens

From the aerial parts of Phlomis spinidens, two new flavonol bisglycosides, phlomisflavosides A (1) and B (2), were isolated together with the known compounds, astragalin, isoquercitrin, lamiridoside, phlomoside A, shanzhiside methyl ester, 8-O-acetylshanzhiside methyl ester, phlorigidoside C, rodioloside (=salidroside), forsythoside B, citroside A and lariciresinol-4'-O-beta-D-glucoside. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated based on spectral and chemical evidence.