Omeprazole is modestly superior to placebo in functional dyspepsia at standard (20 mg) and low doses (10 mg) but not in patients with dysmotility-like dyspepsia.

Here we describe the in vitro reconstitution of photosystem I light-harvesting complexes with pigments and proteins (Lhca1 and Lhca4) obtained by overexpression of tomato Lhca genes in Escherichia coli. Using Lhca1 and Lhca4 individually for reconstitution results in monomeric pigmentproteins, whereas a combination thereof yields a dimeric complex. Interactions of the apoproteins is highly specific, as reconstitution of either of the two constituent proteins in combination with a light-harvesting protein of photosystem II does not result in dimerization. The reconstituted Lhca1͞4, but not complexes obtained with either Lhca1 or Lhca4 alone, closely resembles the native LHCI-730 dimer from tomato leaves with regard to spectroscopic properties, pigment composition, and stoichiometry. Monomeric complexes of Lhca1 or Lhca4 possess lower pigment͞protein ratios, indicating that interactions of the two subunits not only facilitates pigment reorganization but also recruitment of additional pigments. In addition to higher averages of chlorophyll a͞b ratios in monomeric complexes than in LHCI-730, comparative f luorescence and CD spectra demonstrate that heterodimerization involves preferential ligation of more chlorophyll b.Precise assembly and alignment of pigments with the various proteins encoded by a family of nuclear Lhc genes underly the formation of the light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) of thylakoid membranes, enabling the collection of solar energy and its transmission to the two photochemically active reaction centers. Although the major LHCII has been analyzed in detail with respect to protein and pigment composition and organization (1), information about LHCs of photosystem I (PSI) are limited, mostly because they are difficult to isolate abundantly in an intact state. The original finding that four proteins of about 21 to 24 kDa form the LHCI (2) is now widely accepted, and the respective genes have been identified, cloned, and sequenced (3, 4). Recently, closely related photosystem I antenna components have been identified in red algae (5, 6). In vascular plants, there are two major LHCI subfractions with different protein compositions and fluorescence properties (7-9). One, LHCI-680, is enriched in polypeptides of 24 and 23 kDa (Lhca3 and Lhca2, respectively), has characteristic 77-K fluorescence at 680 nm and a low density in sucrose gradients, and is regarded as monomeric also on the basis of electrophoretic mobility. The LHCI-680 complex can be resolved into two green bands, one enriched in Lhca2 and the other in Lhca3, showing that both proteins are pigment binding (8, 10). The second complex, LHCI-730, exhibits 77-K fluorescence around 730 nm, has a higher sedimentation coefficient, is associated with proteins of 22 and 21 kDa (Lhca1 and Lhca4, respectively), and is considered to be dimeric (7-11). Further dissection of the LHCI-730 complex has not been achieved, leaving open the question of the extent to which both constitutent apoproteins function in pigment binding and whether the complex i...

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Background: This multicenter study was conducted to evaluate the performance of five recently introduced blood glucose (BG) monitoring (BGM) Ò [Bayer Vital GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany]) in a daily routine setting. All devices and strips were purchased from local regular distribution sources (pharmacies, four strip lots per device). The patients performed the finger prick and the glucose measurement on their own. In parallel, a healthcare professional performed the glucose assessment with the reference method (YSI 2300 Stat Plus). The primary objective was the comparison of the mean absolute relative differences (MARD). Secondary objectives were compliance with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) accuracy criteria under these routine conditions and Clarke and Parkes Error Grid analyses. Results: MARD ranged from 4.9% (FreeStyle Lite) to 9.7% (OneTouch UltraEasy). The ISO 15197:2003 requirements were fulfilled by the FreeStyle Lite (98.8%), FreeStyle Freedom Lite (97.5%), and Accu-Chek Aviva (97.0%), but not by the Contour (92.4%) and OneTouch UltraEasy (91.1%). The number of values in Zone A of the Clarke Error Grid analysis was highest for the FreeStyle Lite (98.8%) and lowest for the OneTouch Ultra Easy (90.4%). Conclusions: FreeStyle Lite, FreeStyle Freedom Lite, and Accu-Chek Aviva performed very well in this study with devices and strips purchased through regular distribution channels, with the FreeStyle Lite achieving the lowest MARD in this investigation.

Light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) located in the thylakoid membrane of plant chloroplasts are the collectors of solar radiation that fuel photosynthesis, and thus enable life on our planet. They consist of pigments that are non-covalently bound to light-harvesting proteins (Lhc proteins), which form a family whose members share a significant sequence identity. Due to their central role in photosynthesis, LHCs belong in several respects to the best-analysed membrane proteins. In the past decade, tremendous progress has been made in identifying new members of the Lhc family, in localising the LHCs within the photosystems, and in elucidating the structure and function of LHCs, which is summarised in this review. By contrast, gaining insight into the assembly process and the degradation of the LHCs could not keep pace. Therefore, topics for the next decade will be the elucidation of the location(s) and the operating mode of steps in the assembly and degradation process.

To dissect the expression of the psbB gene cluster of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast genome and to assess the role of the photosystem II H-phosphoprotein (PSII-H) in the biogenesis and/or stabilization of PSII, an aadA gene cassette conferring spectinomycin resistance was employed for mutagenesis. Disruption of the gene cluster has no effect on the abundance of transcripts of the upstream psbB/T locus. Likewise, interruption of psbB/T and psbH with a strong transcriptional terminator from the rbcL gene does not influence transcript accumulation. Thus, psbB/T and psbH may be independently transcribed, and the latter gene seems to have its own promoter in C. reinhardtii. In the absence of PSII-H, translation and thylakoid insertion of chloroplast PSII core proteins is unaffected, but PSII proteins do not accumulate. Because the deletion mutant also exhibits PSII deficiency when dark-grown, the effect is unrelated to photoinhibition. Turnover of proteins B and C of PSII and the polypeptides PSII protein A and PSII protein D is faster than in wild-type cells but is much slower than that observed in other PSII-deficient mutants of C. reinhardtii, suggesting a peripheral location of PSII-H in PSII. The role of PSII-H on PSII assembly was examined by sucrose gradient fractionation of pulse-labeled thylakoids; the accumulation of high-molecular-weight forms of PSII is severely impaired in the psbH deletion mutant. Thus, a primary role of PSII-H may be to facilitate PSII assembly/stability through dimerization. PSII-H phosphorylation, which possibly occurs at two sites, may also be germane to its role in regulating PSII structure, stabilization, or activity.

The conversion of violaxanthin (Vx) to zeaxanthin (Zx) in the de-epoxidation reaction of the xanthophyll cycle plays an important role in the protection of chloroplasts against photooxidative damage. Vx is bound to the antenna proteins of both photosystems. In photosystem II, the formation of Zx is essential for the pH-dependent dissipation of excess light energy as heat. The function of Zx in photosystem I is still unclear. In this work we investigated the de-epoxidation characteristics of light-harvesting complex proteins of photosystem I (LHCI) under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Recombinant LHCI (Lhcal-4) proteins were reconstituted with Vx and lutein, and the convertibility of Vx was studied in an in vitro assay using partially purified Vx de-epoxidase isolated from spinach thylakoids. All four LHCI proteins exhibited unique de-epoxidation characteristics. An almost complete Vx conversion to Zx was observed only in Lhca3, whereas Zx formation in the other LHCI proteins decreased in the order Lhca4 > Lhca1 > Lhca2. Most likely, these differences in Vx de-epoxidation were related to the different accessibility of the respective carotenoid binding sites in the distinct antenna proteins. The results indicate that Vx bound to site V1 and N1 is easily accessible for de-epoxidation, whereas Vx bound to L2 is only partially and/or with the slower kinetics convertible to Zx. The de-epoxidation properties determined for the monomeric recombinant proteins were consistent with those obtained for isolated native LHCI-730 and LHCI-680 in the same in vitro assay and the de-epoxidation state found under in vivo conditions in native LHCIs.