Ozone (O3), a major photochemical oxidant, induces leaf injury concomitant with salicylic acid (SA) synthesis. In pathogen-infected leaves, SA is synthesized via two pathways, involving phenylalanine or isochorismate. SA biosynthesis under O3 fumigation is not well understood. When we applied 14C-labeled benzoic acid (a precursor of SA in the pathway via phenylalanine) to O3-exposed tobacco leaves, it was effectively metabolized to SA. However, the activity and mRNA level of isochorismate synthase (ICS) were not increased. In contrast, ICS activity was increased in O3-exposed Arabidopsis thaliana L. These results suggest that SA is synthesized via benzoic acid from phenylalanine in O3-exposed tobacco leaves but via isochorismate in Arabidopsis. Ethylene is a plant hormone that promotes leaf damage in O3-exposed plants. During O3 exposure, transgenic plants with a phenotype of reduced O3-induced ethylene production accumulated less SA than did wild-type plants. O3 increased the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and the transcript levels of the chorismate mutase (CM) and PAL genes in wild-type tobacco, but their induction was suppressed in the transgenic plants. These results indicate that ethylene promotes SA accumulation by regulating the expression of the CM and PAL genes in O3-exposed tobacco.

Two new protein phosphatase inhibitors, oscillamide B (1) and C (2), were isolated from the cyanobacteria Planktothrix (Oscillatoria) agardhii and P. rubescens. The structures of the inhibitors were elucidated by analysis of HRFABMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectra, and chemical degradation. These inhibitors are ureido-containing cyclic peptides and inhibited serine/threonine protein phosphatases PP1 and PP2A. The inhibitory activities were closely related to the Arg and N-Me-Hty residues in the peptides.

Microcystis aeruginosa is a bloom-forming cyanobacterium found in eutrophic water bodies worldwide. M. aeruginosa blooms usually occur in freshwater; however, they have also been reported to occur in brackish water. Because M. aeruginosa often produces the cyanotoxin microcystin, they are a major concern to public health and environment. Despite this, the ecology, genomic basis, and evolutionary process underlying the M. aeruginosa bloom invasion from fresh to brackish water have been poorly investigated. Hence, in the present study, we have sequenced and characterized genomes of two newly discovered salt-tolerant M. aeruginosa strains obtained from Japanese brackish water lakes (Lakes Shinji and Tofutsu). Both genomes contain a set of genes for the synthesis of osmolyte sucrose (sppA, spsA, and susA), hitherto identified in only one strain (PCC 7806) of M. aeruginosa. Chemical and gene expression analyses confirmed sucrose accumulation induced by salt. A comprehensive genetic survey of >200 strains indicated that sucrose genes are extremely rare in M. aeruginosa. Most surprisingly, comparative genome analyses of the three strains indicated extremely low genetic diversity in the sucrose genes compared with other core genome genes, suggesting very recent acquisitions via horizontal transfer. Invasion of M. aeruginosa blooms into brackish water may be a recent event triggered by anthropogenic eutrophication of brackish water.

No abstract

Arsenic, a carcinogen, is assumed to induce global DNA hypomethylation by consuming the universal methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) in the body. A previous study reported that a methyl-deficient diet (MDD) with arsenic intake greatly reduced global DNA methylation (the content of 5-methylcytosine) in the liver of male C57BL/6 mice. In the present study, we investigated the DNA methylation level, SAM content, and expression of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) in the liver of male and female C57BL/6 mice fed a methyl-sufficient diet (MSD), an MDD, or an MDD + arsenic. The DNA methylation level was accurately determined by measuring the content of genomic 5-methyldeoxycytidine (5medC) by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) using stable-isotope-labeled 5medC and deoxycytidine (dC) as internal standards. The results of this study revealed that while the MDD and arsenic tended to reduce the genomic 5meC content in the male mice livers, the MDD + arsenic significantly increased the 5meC content in the female mice livers. Another unexpected finding was the small differences in 5meC content among the groups. The MDD and MDD + arsenic suppressed DNMT1 expression only in the male mice livers. In contrast, SAM content was reduced by the MDD and MDD + arsenic only in the livers of female mice, showing that the changes in 5meC content were not attributable to SAM content. The sex-dependent changes in 5meC content induced by methyl deficiency and arsenic may be involved in differences in male and female susceptibility to diseases via epigenetic modification of physiological functions.

ABSTRACTNew insights into the distribution and biochemistry of the cyanotoxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN) have been provided by the recent determination of its biosynthesis gene cluster (cyr) in several cyanobacterial species.Raphidiopsis curvataCHAB1150 isolated from China was analyzed for CYN analogues. Only 7-deoxy-CYN was detected in the cell extracts. Thecyrgene cluster ofR. curvataCHAB1150 was sequenced, and thecyrgenes of this strain were found to have extremely high similarities (96% to 100%) to those from other nostocalean species. These species includeCylindrospermopsis raciborskiiAWT205,Aphanizomenonsp. strain 10E6, andAphanizomenon ovalisporumILC-146. Insertion mutation was identified within thecyrIgene, and transcripts ofcyrIand another functional genecyrJwere detected inR. curvataCHAB1150. General congruence between the phylogenetic trees based on bothcyrand 16Srrnwas displayed. Neutral evolution was found on the whole sequences of thecyrgenes, and 0 to 89 negative selected codons were detected in each gene. Therefore, the function of CyrI is to catalyze the oxygenation of 7-deoxy-CYN in CYN biosynthesis. The transcripts of the mutatedcyrIgene may result from polycistronic transcription. The high conservation of thecyrgenes may be ascribed to purifying selection and horizontal gene transfer.

Toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis viridis was isolated from the eutrophic Dianchi Lake of south-western China. Three microcystins were detected from this strain by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Among them, [Dha 7 ] microcystin-RR is the major component and represents about 70-80% of the total toxins of this strain. We examined its microcystin production pattern in relation to culture conditions such as light intensity, nutrition, temperature, pH and growth phase. Of all the factors examined, light intensity and pH influenced the toxin production much more than other factors. At 25ЊC, a high production of [Dha 7 ] microcystin-RR was obtained at light intensity 15 E s Ϫ1 m Ϫ2 , and both low and high pH (pH 7.0 and pH 9.2) enhanced the yield of microcystin-RR. No strong relationships were found between total toxin and temperature ranging from 15ЊC. The highest production of total toxins was measured in the mid-exponential growth phase and lowest production towards the declining growth phase. Remarkable changes in toxin production and morphology emerged coincidentally following the transfer of nitrogen-deficient cells into fresh MA medium during the time course. These findings may shed light on the correlation between toxin production and morphogenesis of this strain.

No abstract