Otsuma Women's University

About: Otsuma Women's University is a education organization based out in Tokyo, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Differential scanning calorimetry & Population. The organization has 422 authors who have published 913 publications receiving 12796 citations. The organization is also known as: Otsuma-Joshi-Daigaku.

Partial Purification and Characterization of 4-Hydroxybenzoate-polyprenyltransferase in Ubiquinone Biosynthesis of Pseudomonas putida

Abstract: 4-Hydroxybenzoate-polyprenyltransferase, an enzyme in ubiquinone biosynthesis, from Pseudomonas putida was partially purified by ion-exchange and gel filtration column chromatography. The enzyme required phospholipid as an essential factor for activity. Hexaprenyl pyrophosphate(-PP) and pentaprenyl-PP as well as nonaprenyl-PP were used as polyprenyl donors, but tetraprenyl- and farnesyl-PPs were scarcely transferred to 4-hydroxybenzoic acid. No inhibition was observed by the end-product, ubiquinone-9 of P. putida. Long chain acyl-CoA, free fatty acids, or isopentenyl-PP strongly inhibited the enzyme activity. A possible regulatory role of the enzyme in bacterial ubiquinone biosynthesis is discussed.

Changes in physicochemical properties and microstructure of dried squid during softening treatment

Abstract: Dried squid were prepared at 4 or 40 °C and softened first in water and then in alkaline solution. The physicochemical and structural changes in the dried squid during the softening treatment were examined. A significantly higher wet weight was observed for the 4 °C-dried squid during the softening treatment compared with the 40 °C-dried squid. The rupture stress and rupture energy of the 40 °C-dried squid were significantly higher than those of the 4 °C-dried squid during the softening treatment. The sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) pattern of the 4 °C-dried squid was almost the same as that of raw squid. The SDS-PAGE pattern of the 40 °C-dried squid showed many fragments of lower molecular weight. After soaking in distilled water the SDS-PAGE pattern of the 40 °C-dried squid did not change significantly; however, the SDS-PAGE pattern of the 4 °C-dried squid became the same as that of the 40 °C-dried squid. Histological analysis by light microscopy showed the formation of muscle fibre bundles in the 40 °C-dried squid. A higher water permeation was observed among the muscle fibres of the alkali-softened 4 °C-dried squid when compared with the alkali-softened 40 °C-dried squid. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry

Blocking effect of NIP-142 on the KCNQ1/KCNE1 channel current expressed in HEK293 cells.

Abstract: We examined the effect of NIP-142, a benzopyran compound with terminating effect on experimental atrial arrhythmia, on the KCNQ1/KCNE1 channel, which underlies the slow component of the cardiac delayed rectifier potassium channel (IKs). NIP-142, as well as chromanol 293B, showed concentration-dependent blockade of the current expressed in HEK293 cells; the EC50 value of NIP-142 and chromanol 293B for the inhibition of tail current was 13.2 μM and 4.9 μM, respectively. These results indicate that NIP-142 has blocking effect on the KCNQ1/KCNE1 channel current.