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Y Morohashi

Publications and source records attributed to Y Morohashi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Isolation of a cDNA Clone for alpha-Amylase in Mung Bean Cotyledons : Analysis of alpha-Amylase mRNA Levels in Cotyledons during and following Germination of Mung Bean Seeds.

A cDNA was isolated that codes for alpha-amylase in mung bean (Vigna radiata) cotyledons, and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence (421 amino acid residues) is about 65% homologous with those of barley alpha-amylases. By comparing the deduced sequence with the sequence of the purified alpha-amylase, it was inferred that 23 N-terminal amino acids of a nascent polypeptide represent a signal peptide. Northern blot analysis showed that the levels of alpha-amylase mRNA are in parallel with the activities of alpha-amylase synthesis in cotyledons. Under the conditions where the solute leakage from cotyledons is accelerated during imbibition, a rapid increase in the amount of the alpha-amylase mRNA occurs. We postulate that a factor(s) which regulates in an inhibitory manner the alpha-amylase expression at the transcriptional level may be present in dry cotyledons and be removed by leakage.

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Control of alpha-Amylase Development in Cotyledons during and following Germination of Mung Bean Seeds.

Developmental patterns of alpha-amylase in Vigna radiata cotyledons during and following germination were quite different depending on the differences in the treatments of cotyledons during the imbibitional stage. When axis-detached cotyledons were imbibed in water with seed-coats attached, alpha-amylase activity did not increase and remained low. On the other hand, when the cotyledons were imbibed in water after seed-coat removal, the enzyme activity increased markedly. If the axis was attached to the cotyledons, alpha-amylase showed a marked development even under the former imbibition conditions. These changes in the enzyme activity were in parallel with those in the enzyme content, and the content, in turn, was dependent upon the availability of mRNA for alpha-amylase. We propose that the regulation of the development of alpha-amylase in cotyledons may involve some factor(s) inhibitory to accumulation of alpha-amylase mRNA, which is present in dry cotyledons and can be removed from cotyledons by leakage or by the presence of the axis.

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[MEP therapy of advanced lung cancer].

Fourty-four patients with advanced non-small cell cancer of the lung were treated with a combination chemotherapy of mitomycin C, endoxan, and cisplatin (MEP). The overall response rate was 20%, with 9 partial responses. The median duration of response was 7 months. The overall median survival was 10 months. No significant difference was noted in survival time between PR and NC. MEP therapy seems to provide a relatively easy therapeutic approach in the treatment of advanced lung cancer with no associated renal toxicity or loss of hair.

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Appearance and Disappearance of Cyanide-Resistant Respiration in Vigna mungo Cotyledons during and following Germination of the Axis.

Mitochondrial preparations isolated from black gram (Vigna mungo L.) cotyledons exhibited cyanide-resistant respiration which was of mitochondrial origin. The appearance and the disappearance of this alternative respiration took place during and following imbibition. During the first 6 hours of imbibition, the respiration was completely inhibited by cyanide, but after this time the alternative respiration markedly developed, reaching a maximal cyanide-resistance 12 to 16 hours after the start of imbibition. Subsequently, the alternative respiration gradually disappeared. The actions of cycloheximide and chloramphenicol indicated that the appearance was dependent on cytoplasmic protein synthesis and that the disappearance depended on both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial protein synthesis. The alternative pathway contributed to state 4 respiration, but not to state 3 respiration, in mitochondria from 1-day-old cotyledons. On day 3, it contributed to neither state 3 nor state 4.

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Biogenesis of Mitochondria in Imbibed Peanut Cotyledons : II. DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHT AND HEAVY MITOCHONDRIA.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF MITOCHONDRIA PRESENT IN IMBIBED PEANUT COTYLEDONS: a light type (density 1.182 grams per cubic centimeter) and a heavy type (density 1.205 grams per cubic centimeter). The membrane fractions from these two types can be distinguished using sucrose density gradient analysis, and differences in membrane density between the light and heavy types are reflected in differences in their protein N and phospholipid P composition. With increasing time after imbibition, there is a substantial increase in the amount and activity of the light type of mitochondria due to their de novo synthesis. The membrane density of the light mitochondrial fraction declines over 5 days after the start of imbibition as the phospholipid P to protein N ratio increases. The heavy mitochondrial fraction declines during the first 3 days after the start of imbibition, and then it remains at a low, but constant, level thereafter. Even during the decline, however, there is synthesis of proteins comparable to that into light mitochondria. The mitochondrial biogenesis that has been observed in peanut cotyledons is of the light type, the function and physiological importance of the minor heavy type is not known.

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Development of Mitochondrial Activities in Pea Cotyledons during and following Germination of the Axis.

Development of mitochondrial activities in pea cotyledons during early times after the start of imbibition occurred in two phases. In the first phase (0 to 8 hours after the start of imbibition), succinate or NADH oxidation increased rapidly, while malate or alpha-ketoglutarate oxidation remained low. The latter activities developed only 8 to 12 hours after the start of imbibition (the second phase). Development in the first phase was induced by water uptake, but some development occurred even when the cotyledons were fully imbibed. The presence of the axis was required for the second phase of the development. It is suggested that mitochondrial development in the second phase is brought about by activation of the electron transfer path at a site between the oxidation of endogenous NADH and the reduction of ubiquinone.

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Development of Mitochondrial Activities in Pea Cotyledons: INFLUENCE OF DESICCATION DURING AND FOLLOWING GERMINATION OF THE AXIS.

Mitochondria in 4-hour imbibed and desiccated pea cotyledons develop in a similar manner upon rehydration to those in cotyledons hydrated only once. As a consequence of desiccation during imbibition, mitochondria revert to their original state as in the mature dry cotyledon, although limited damage occurs. This damage is more evident when the initial imbibition time before desiccation is longer. The presence of the axis does not protect cotyledonary mitochondria from damage, nor does it influence mitochondrial development upon rehydration of desiccated cotyledons. During the early hours after the start of imbibition mitochondrial development is dependent both upon hydration levels of the cotyledon and upon other metabolic processes, as shown by sensitivity to conditions that prevent ATP synthesis.

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