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Byline: Yu. N. Blikova (1), K. N. Otkidach (1), N. V. Shvedene (1), I. V. Pletnev (1), N. M. Sheina (1), Yu. G. Gorbunova (2) Abstract: Tetracrown-substituted metal phthalocyanines and metal phthalocyanine--crown ether mixtures are used as ionophores for plasticized PVC membranes of ion-selective electrodes for the ditopic binding and potentiometric determination of phenylalanine methyl ester. The complexation of the reagent with phenylalanine methyl ester is confirmed by extraction data and absorption spectra. Ion-selective electrodes are proposed for the monitoring of phenylalanine methyl ester in the biocatalytic synthesis of aspartame. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Chemistry, Moscow State University, Vorob'evy gory, Moscow, 119992, Russia (2) Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii pr. 31, Moscow, 117907, Russia Article History: Registration Date: 06/10/2004

This study addresses attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a focus on how the timing of a known biological insult affects ADHD symptom expression. The sample consists of children exposed to elevated levels of phenylalanine, either postnatally as in Phenylketonuria (PKU; n = 46) or prenatally as in Maternal PKU (MPKU; n = 15). Non-hyperphenylalaninemic siblings of children with PKU (n = 18) serve as controls. Results indicate that elevated levels of phenylalanine are associated with ADHD symptoms. The manifestations of the symptom expression are dependent on exposure timing: prenatal exposure is associated with a higher likelihood of expressing hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and posnatal exposure is associated with a higher likelihood of expressing inattentive symptoms. This toxicity is dose-dependent and higher levels of phenylalanine appear more detrimental. KEY WORDS: ADHD; ADHD subtype; PKU; prenatal factors; development.

Byline: Yoshihiro Ozeki (1), Yukie Chikagawa (1), Souichi Kimura (1), Hyun-cheol Soh (1), Kazuhiro Maeda (1), Wannarat Pornsiriwong (1), Masayuki Kato (1), Hirofumi Akimoto (1), Mikiko Oyanagi (1), Takashi Fukuda (1), Takatoshi Koda (2), Yoshio Itoh (1), Akiyo Yamada (1), Eric Davies (3), Hiroshi Ueno (4), Junko Takeda (4) Keywords: A-box Carrot 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid L-box P-box Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase Abstract: Deletion mutants of the carrot phenylalanine ammonia-lyase gene promoter were used to survey cis-elements for their effect on expression of promoter activity by transient expression. Two putative cis-elements were required to give full activity, but a third might be the most important in regulation of the promoter by 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan (2) , San-Ei Gen F.F.I., Inc., Osaka, Japan (3) Botany Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA (4) Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Nara Women's University, Nara, Japan Article History: Received Date: 24/09/2002 Accepted Date: 18/12/2002 Article note: Electronic Publication

Byline: H. Langeggen (1), E. Johnson (1), G. Hetland (2) Keywords: C5.sub.a; IL-8; HUVEC Abstract: Interleukin-8 (IL-8), C5a and N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) are chemotactic peptides with predominant effects on leukocytes during inflammation. With emphasis on C5a we studied the regulation of the production of IL-8 by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in vitro. Primary HUVEC cultures were incubated with IL-1[alpha], TNF[alpha], C5a and fMLP for 24 h and 48 h prior to measurement of IL-8 in supernatants of the cells by an enzyme immunoassay. Whereas IL-1[alpha] and TNF[alpha] significantly increased the levels of IL-8, C5a decreased the IL-8 production after 48 h. In addition, the ability of IL-1[alpha], TNF[alpha], C5a, fMLP and IL-8 to induce cell proliferation was compared by means of a 3.sup.H-thymidine incorporation assay. In contrast with IL-1[alpha] and TNF[alpha], both C5a and fMLP increased cell proliferation of HUVEC. This increase occurred with increasing concentrations of C5a contrary to IL-8, which showed increased cell proliferation at low, but not high IL-8 concentrations. Author Affiliation: (1) Research Forum and Department of Surgery, Ulleval University Hospital, Norway (2) Section of Environmental Immunology, Department of Environmental Medicine, National Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway Article History: Registration Date: 17/10/2004

Byline: Yoshihiro Ozeki (1), Yoshio Ito (1), Nobuhiro Sasaki (1), Mikiko Oyanagi (1), Hirofumi Akimoto (1), Yukie Chikagawa (1), Junko Takeda (2) Keywords: Keywords: Anthocyanin, Carrot, Differentiation, myb, Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) Abstract: and is also induced rapidly and transiently by transfer of cells to fresh medium and lowering the cell density. From the carrot genomic library, four clones of PAL genes, gDcPAL1,2,3 and 4, were obtained. Analyses of nucleotide sequences revealed that only the gDcPAL3 gene is responsible for the induction of anthocyanin synthesis by 2,4-D. Several cis-elements, boxes M, P, A, L, and G, exist in the proximal promoter region of gDcPAL3. Transient expression experiments in carrot protoplasts using deletion mutants of the proximal promoter region of gDcPAL3 gene showed that boxes M and L, both of which contain core sequences of the Myb binding sites, might play an important role in gDcPAL3 promoter activity. Four myb cDNAs, Dcmyb8,10,12 and 14 were obtained from a carrot subtracted cDNA library and their structure and expression patterns were analyzed. In addition to the analysis of the proximal region of gDcPAL3 promoter, the possibility of the regulation of gene expression by genomic DNA structure and chromatin modification in metabolic differentiation is discussed. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, 184--8588 Japan, JP (2) Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606--8502 Japan, JP Article note: Received 10 June 2000/ Accepted in revised form 1 July 2000

Byline: LF Pereira (1), PH Goodwin (2), L Erickson (3) Keywords: Keywords: Gene expression, Manihot esculenta, Phenylalanine ammonia lyase, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis, Xanthomonas cassavae Abstract: ). PAL enzyme activity and MEPAL mRNA levels were measured in leaves of cultivar MCOL 22 following mechanical wounding or inoculation with 2 bacterial pathogens. MCOL 22 is resistant to Xanthomonas cassavae, which causes cassava bacterial necrosis and susceptible to X. axonopodis pv. manihotis, which causes cassava bacterial blight. PAL enzyme activity in the resistant interaction was significantly higher than in the susceptible interaction or the control. Similarly, MEPAL transcripts were detected in leaves during the resistant interaction, but not during the susceptible reaction. RFLP analysis with MEPAL revealed a divergence between South American and African/Asian cultivars and showed promise for MEPAL as a marker for resistance to Xanthomonads. Author Affiliation: (1) Area de Ecofisiologia, IAPAR, Londrina, Pr Brasil, BR (2) Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph Ontario NIG 2WI, Canada, CA (3) Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Guelph Ontario NIG 2WI, Canada, CA Article note: Received 25 September 1998/ Accepted in revised form 4 January 1999