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Y Fujinaga

Publications and source records attributed to Y Fujinaga.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Classification of Clostridium butyricum based on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Eleven strains of Clostridium butyricum collected from different sources were analysed by both sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The strains could be classified into four groups based on their banding profiles of the proteins extracted from the cells on SDS-PAGE. Group I consisted of seven strains, and these strains were further divided into five subgroups by PFGE. The strains belonging to groups II, III, and IV on SDS-PAGE were also classified into the same II to IV groups by PFGE. These data indicate that grouping of the strains of C. butyricum can be performed by employing both SDS-PAGE and PFGE.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

botR/A is a positive regulator of botulinum neurotoxin and associated non-toxin protein genes in Clostridium botulinum A.

The genes of the botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT) complex are clustered in a locus consisting of two divergent polycistronic operons, one containing the non-toxic, non-haemagglutinin (NTNH) component and bontA genes, the other containing the haemagglutinin (HA) component genes. The two operons are separated by a gene (botR/A, previously called orf21) encoding a 21 kDa protein. A recombinant Clostridium botulinum A strain that overexpresses botR/A was constructed by electroporating strain 62 with the vector pAT19 containing botR/A under the control of its own promoter. The transformed strain produced more BoNT/A and associated non-toxic proteins (ANTPs) and the corresponding mRNAs than the non-transformed strain. Partial inhibition of botR/A by antisense mRNA resulted in lower levels of BoNT/A, NTNH and HA70 and the levels of the corresponding mRNAs. Gel mobility shift assays and immunoprecipitations showed that BotR/A bound to the DNA promoter region upstream from the two BoNT/A complex operons. These results show that botR/A activated transcription of the genes encoding BoNT/A and ANTPs in C. botulinum A by interacting directly with the region promoter, and that the homologous genes in C. botulinum B, C and D presumably have the same function.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Molecular composition of the 16S toxin produced by a Clostridium botulinum type D strain, 1873.

The 16S toxin was purified from a Clostridium botulinum type D strain 1873 (D-1873). Furthermore, the entire nucleotide sequences of the genes coding for the 16S toxin were determined. It became clear that the purified D-1873 16S toxin consists of neurotoxin, nontoxic nonhemagglutinin (NTNH), and hemagglutinin (HA), and that HA consists of four subcomponents, HA1, HA2, HA3a, and HA3b, the same as type D strain CB16 (D-CB16) 16S toxin. The nucleotide sequences of the nontoxic components of these two strains were also found to be identical except for several bases. However, the culture supernatant and the purified 16S toxin of D-1873 showed little HA activity, unlike D-CB16, though the fractions successively eluted after the D-1873 16S toxin peak from an SP-Toyopearl 650S column showed a low level of HA activity. The main difference between D-1873 and D-CB16 HA molecules was the mobility of the HA1 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Therefore it was presumed that the loss of HA activity of D-1873 16S toxin might be caused by the differences of processing HA after the translation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Structure of a truncated human surfactant protein D is less effective in agglutinating bacteria than the native structure and fails to inhibit haemagglutination by influenza A virus.

Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a lung-specific protein that is synthesized and secreted by lung epithelial cells and is believed to play an important role in lung host defence. This protein belongs to the C-type lectin family, which is characterized by an N-terminal cysteine-rich domain, a collagen-like domain, a neck domain and a carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). To elucidate the biological actions of this animal lectin against such pathogens as micro-organisms, the biological activities of a recombinant partial SP-D lacking a collagen-like domain were examined. A recombinant human SP-D, consisting of a short collagen region (two repeats of Gly-Xaa-Yaa amino acid sequences), the neck domain and the CRD, was expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant SP-D was purified on a nickel column and then on a maltose-agarose column. This protein can form a trimeric structure owing to the neck domain and exhibits sugar-binding activity and specificity similar to those of native human SP-D. The recombinant SP-D caused dose-dependent and calcium-dependent agglutination of E. coli Y1088. The agglutination titre (the concentration required to achieve a 50% decrease in light transmission by agglutination) of recombinant SP-D was approx. 6-fold that of native SP-D. As for conglutination, the recombinant trimeric conglutinin required 8-16-fold higher concentrations than the native counterpart. In haemagglutination inhibition (HI) of influenza A virus, although native and recombinant conglutinin showed similar levels of HI activity, the recombinant SP-D was unable to inhibit haemagglutination, even at a concentration approx. 120-fold that of the native SP-D. The lectin precipitation and lectin blot assays showed that the truncated SP-D could bind to influenza A virus as well as native SP-D did. These results indicate that the agglutination activity of trimeric collectins can be largely retained, and furthermore that the oligomeric structure with several hands at opposite sites can enhance agglutination activity. The difference in HI activity against influenza A virus between native and recombinant SP-D suggests that SP-D uses a different mechanism from that of conglutinin to inhibit viral haemagglutination.

Agglutination↗
PubMed1997

Cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding bovine mannan-binding protein.

To identify the bovine mannan-binding protein (MBP), a search for the cDNA homologue of human MBP was carried out. cDNA clones encoding bovine MBP were isolated from a bovine liver cDNA library using a cDNA fragment encoding a short collagen region, neck domain and carbohydrate recognition domain of human MBP. The cDNA carried an insert of 747 bp encoding a protein of 249 amino acid (aa) residues with a signal peptide of 19 aa. The mannan-binding protein fraction of bovine serum that eluted with 100 mM mannose from a mannan-Sepharose column was analyzed under reducing conditions by SDS-PAGE. The major band of 33 kDa obtained reacted with anti-human MBP rabbit serum. The partial aa sequence of the purified 33-kDa protein was identical to the aa sequence deduced from the obtained cDNA. Results of the passive hemolysis experiment using sheep erythrocytes coated with yeast mannan suggest that this MBP has the ability to activate complement. Northern blot analysis showed a 1.8-kb mRNA that was expressed only in the liver. Based on results of genomic analysis, this bovine MBP is likely to be a homologue of human MBP and to also have homology to rat and mouse MBP-C which are localized in liver cells rather than to rat and mouse MBP-A found in serum. Alignments of bovine collectins show that bovine MBP cannot be included among the other bovine collectins, such as bovine SP-D, conglutinin and CL-43. Finally, these genomic and biological analyses indicate that the cDNA obtained here encoded a bovine serum MBP.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Direct detection by PCR of Escherichia coli O157 and enteropathogens in patients with bloody diarrhea.

Direct detection of Escherichia coli O157 and foodborne pathogens associated with bloody diarrhea were achieved using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after the preparation of DNA from stool specimens using the microspin technique. PCR was compared with cultivation and toxin production tests with respect to the efficiency of detection of each pathogen; E. coli O157, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Salmonella serovar Enteritidis and Campylobacter jejuni. Detection of some or all of the above pathogens in clinical stool specimens was achieved using PCR. The minimum number of cells required for the detection of the above pathogens by PCR was 10(1) CFUs/0.5 g of stool sample. PCR was completed within 6 hr. The above pathogens were also detected in cultivation and toxin production tests. Partial purification of the template DNA using the microspin technique was essential for the elimination of PCR inhibitors from the DNA samples. This PCR method is an accurate, easy-to-read screening method for the detection of Shiga-like toxin producing E. coli O157 and enteropathogens associated with bloody diarrhea in stool specimens.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1996

Mosaic structures of neurotoxins produced from Clostridium botulinum types C and D organisms.

We isolated the gene encoding a botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) of 1285 amino acids with a molecular weight of 147,364 from the toxigenic bacteriophage d-sA of Clostridium botulinum type D strain South African (Dsa). The BoNT of Dsa (BoNT/Dsa) is composed of three regions on the basis of the homology to BoNT types C1 (BoNT/C1) and D (BoNT/D). The N-terminal (Met-1 to Val-522) and the C-terminal regions (Trp-945 to Glu-1285) have high identity to corresponding regions of BoNT/D (96% identity) and BoNT/C1 (74% identity), respectively. The core region (Pro-523 to Lys-944) is common to three toxins (83% to 92% identity). These results suggest that neurotoxins produced from Clostridium botulinum types C and D are composed in a mosaic-like fashion.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Simple method for detection of Clostridium botulinum type A to F neurotoxin genes by ploymerase chain reaction.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method was established to detect each type of neurotoxin genes of Clostridium botulinum types A to F by employing the oligonucleotide primer sets corresponding to special regions of the light chains of the neurotoxins. In this procedure, the PCR products were easily confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion profiles, and as little as 2.5 pg of template DNAs from toxigenic strains could be detected. The specific PCR products were obtained from toxigenic C. botulinum types A to F, a type E toxin-producing C. butyricum strain, and a type F toxin-producing C. baratii strain, but no PCR product was detected in nontoxigenic strains of C. botulinum and other clostridial species. The neurotoxin genes were also detected in food products of a seasoned dry salmon and a fermented fish (Izushi) which had caused type E outbreaks of botulism. Therefore, it is concluded that this PCR-based detection method can be used for the rapid diagnosis of botulism.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Molecular cloning of the gene encoding the mosaic neurotoxin, composed of parts of botulinum neurotoxin types C1 and D, and PCR detection of this gene from Clostridium botulinum type C organisms.

The DNA fragment common to the genes encoding botulinum neurotoxin types C1 (BN/C1) and D (BN/D) was amplified by PCR from the culture supernatant of Clostridium botulinum type C strain 6813 (C6813) that was treated with either DNase I or proteinase K but not from the supernatant that was treated with both DNase I and proteinase K, suggesting the neurotoxin gene is located on a certain bacteriophage DNA. Thus, to isolate the neurotoxin gene, we performed PCR with the culture supernatant of C6813 and seven primer pairs designed from the genes encoding BN/C1 and BN/D. The coding region in the connected sequence encodes a neurotoxin composed of 1,280 amino acids with a molecular weight of 147,817. The neurotoxin from C6813 has 95% amino acid identity to BN/C1, except for its C-terminal one-third, which is quite similar to the C-terminal one-third of BN/D (95% identity). When we performed PCRs with four primer pairs designed from the 5'-terminal two-thirds of the BN/C1 gene and two primers from the 3'-terminal one-third of the BN/D gene, DNA fragments of the expected sizes (0.5 to 1.3 kbp) could be amplified from C. botulinum type C strains 6812 and 6814. These results suggest that some strains of C. botulinum type C contain the gene encoding the mosaic neurotoxin composed of parts of BN/C1 and BN/D.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Molecular composition of Clostridium botulinum type A progenitor toxins.

The molecular composition of progenitor toxins produced by a Clostridium botulinum type A strain (A-NIH) was analyzed. The strain produced three types of progenitor toxins (19 S, 16 S, and 12 S) as reported previously. Purified 19 S and 16 S toxins demonstrated the same banding profiles on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), indicating that they consist of the same protein components. The nontoxic components of the 19 S and 16 S toxins are a nontoxic non-hemagglutinin (HA) (molecular mass, 120 kDa) and HA. HA could be fractionated into five subcomponents with molecular masses of 52, 35, 20, 19, and 15 kDa in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol. The molar ratios of neurotoxins, nontoxic non-HAs, and each HA subcomponent of the 19 S and 16 S toxins showed that only HA-35 of the 19 S toxin was approximately twice the size of that of the 16 S toxin, suggesting that the 19 S toxin is a dimer of the 16 S toxin cross-linked by the 35-kDa subcomponent. The nontoxic non-HA of the 12 S toxin, but not those of the 19 S and 16 S toxins, demonstrated two bands with molecular masses of 106 and 13 kDa on SDS-PAGE with or without 2-mercaptoethanol. It was concluded from the N-terminal amino acid sequences that 106- and 13-kDa proteins were generated by a cleavage of whole nontoxic non-HA. This may explain why the 12 S and 16 S (and 19 S) toxins exist in the same culture. We also found that the HA and its 35-kDa subcomponent exist in a free state in the culture fluid along with three types of progenitor toxins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Long-term results and prognostic factors after repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm with concomitant malignancy.

OBJECTIVE: Long-term results after repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with concomitant malignancy were reviewed, and factors which may affect survival were analyzed. DESIGN: Retrospective series with follow-up of three to 125 months. Setting. Department of Surgery, Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, Matsuyama, Japan. PATIENTS: Among 112 consecutive repairs of AAA, 16 cases had concomitant malignancy. The malignant lesions included eight gastric cancers and eight other malignant tumours. The malignancies were divided using TNM Classification into an early stage (stage O or I) group (n=9) and an advanced stage (stage II, III, or IV) group (n=7). INTERVENTIONS: All aneurysms were successfully repaired, and simultaneous resection of the concomitant malignancy was performed in five cases. While 13 malignant lesions were resected completely, three could not be resected completely, but were treated by other surgical procedures. MEASURES: Survival rates were predicated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank test was used to compare survival rates. RESULTS: The one-, two-, and five-year survival rates after repair of AAA were 80%, 72% and 63%, respectively. The survival rates for the early stage group were significantly higher than those for the advanced stage group (p<0.05). Patients with concomitant gastric cancer or who underwent complete resection of the malignant lesion survived longer. CONCLUSION: In patients with concomitant AAA and malignancy, factors influencing survival for those with malignant lesions also affected survival after aneurysmectomy. Detection of early-stage concomitant malignancy and more aggressive treatment for the malignancy may improve the outcome.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1995

Molecular characterization of two forms of nontoxic-nonhemagglutinin components of Clostridium botulinum type A progenitor toxins.

The entire sequences of the type A nontoxic-nonhemagglutinin gene and an adjacent open reading frame designated as orf 22-a, which are located between the neurotoxin and the HA-35 genes were determined. SDS-PAGE and N-terminal amino acid sequence analyses of the purified type A progenitor toxins (12S, 16S and 19S) indicate that the nontoxic-nonhemagglutinins of 16S and 19S are single peptides of approximately 120k, but that of 12S has a cleavage at the site between Pro-144 and Phe-145 of this protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Type A and B neurotoxin genes in a Clostridium botulinum type AB strain.

The genetic structure of neurotoxin genes in a Clostridium botulinum strain producing both type A and B neurotoxins (type AB) was investigated. Analyses by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using type-specific primers corresponding to the coding regions for N-terminals of light-chains and C-terminals of heavy-chains of type A and type B neurotoxins, and Southern hybridization of total DNA showed that the type AB strain I.P.7212 carries at least one copy each of type A and B neurotoxin genes. Partial nucleotide sequences obtained by direct sequencing of the PCR products indicate that the type A and B genes carried by this strain are not classical type A and non-proteolytic type B genes, but are similar to the type A gene present in a strain which had caused infant botulism in Kyoto and the type B gene present in a proteolytic type B strain.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Characterization of nontoxic-nonhemagglutinin component of the two types of progenitor toxin (M and L) produced by Clostridium botulinum type D CB-16.

A 9.8-kbp DNA fragment which contained a neurotoxin gene and its upstream region was cloned from Clostridium botulinum type D strain CB-16. Nucleotide sequencing of the fragment revealed that genes encoding for hemagglutinin (HA) subcomponents and one for a nontoxic-nonhemagglutinin (NTNH) component were located upstream of the neurotoxin gene. This strain produced two toxins of different molecular size (approximately 300 kDa and 500 kDa) which were designated as progenitor toxins (M and L toxins). The molecular size of the NTNH component of L toxin was approximately 130 kDa on SDS-PAGE and its N-terminal amino acid sequence was M-D-I-N-D-D-L-N-I-N-S-P-V-D-N-K-N-V-V-I which agreed with that deduced from the nucleotide sequence. In contrast, the M toxin had a 115-kDa NTNH component whose N-terminal sequence was S-T-I-P-F-P-F-G-G-Y-R-E-T-N-Y-I-E, corresponding to the sequence from Ser141 of the deduced sequence. A 15-kDa fragment, which was found to be associated with an M toxin preparation, possessed the same N-terminal amino acid sequence as that of the 130-kDa NTNH component. Furthermore, five major fragments generated by limited proteolysis with V8 protease were shown to have N-terminal amino acid sequences identical to those deduced from the nucleotide sequence of 130-kDa NTNH. These results indicate that the 130-kDa NTNH of the L toxin is cleaved at a unique site, between Thr and Ser, leading to the 115-kDa NTNH of the M toxin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗