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Jiji Press Roundup Of Recent Bio News 1

Posted on: Monday, 1 December 2003, 06:00 CST

MOLECULAR "CHOPSTICKS" CARRY CHOLESTEROL-MAKING PROTEIN INTO NUCLEUS--A group of Japanese scientists has recently clarified the mechanism of cholesterol synthesis in cells, a finding that could lead to the discovery of drugs to suppress the formation of cholesterol in the human body.

When cells are deprived of cholesterol, the steroid regulatory element-binding protein 2, or SREBP-2, which controls the gene expression of cholesterol synthesis, is led to the Golgi apparatus, a cell structure that breaks up protein molecules to make them active.

A fragment of SREBP-2 residues is then transported by another protein called importin-beta into the cell nucleus, where it activates the transcription of genes that control the synthesis and the uptake of cholesterol and unsaturated fatty acids. The scientists, led by Tomitake Tsukihara of the Institute of Protein Research at the Osaka University, analyzed the crystal structure of importin-b using X-rays, and discovered that it uses the long helices of the seventh and the 17th repeated sequences of about 50 amino acid residues in protein molecules, to grip the SREBP-2 fragment like "a pair of chopsticks."

Importin-b passes through the nucleus pores, and opens the "chopsticks" inside the nucleus to release the SREBP-2 fragment, the scientists reported in the Nov. 28 edition of Science magazine of the United States.

They also said that besides SREBP-2 fragments, proteins made by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T cell leukemia virus type one (HTLV-1) can also be transported into the nucleus for gene expression by importin-b.

JAPAN FIRM DEVELOPS SYSTEM FOR EFFICIENT WASTE WATER DISPOSAL-- Japan's Daiki Co. has developed a system that reduces condensed oil tailings and sludge from waste water disposal processes at food factories.

Using microbes that break down oil ingredients, the system will reduce the volume of such by-products, usually treated as industrial waste, by 50-75 pct.

The system, easily applicable in conventional water disposal facilities, will help reduce the cost of getting rid of the unwanted by-products by more than 50 pct, Daiki said.

The price of a system capable of treating 100 cubic meters per day of water containing such by-products has been set at 20 million yen. The company will start selling the system in December.

SSP RAISES SALES TARGET FOR DREWELL SLEEPING PILLS--Japanese drug maker SSP Co. has raised its sales target for its Drewell over-the- counter sleeping pill to 2.5 billion yen for the current business year ending March 2004, up from an earlier target of 1.5 billion yen.

Drewell was launched on April 1 as Japan's first sleeping pill available at pharmacies without a doctor's prescription. Its aggregate sales totaled 1.35 billion yen as of the end of September, SSP said.

The pill is effective for those with sleeping disorders, as it suppresses substances that stimulate cerebral nerves. But it cannot be used constantly by patients suffering from insomnia, according to SSP. (For any inquiries about the articles, please send e-mail to en@jji.co.jp)END

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