• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is more frequently diagnosed and is characterized by hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. $\small{D}$-xylose, a sucrase inhibitor, may be useful as a functional sugar complement to inhibit increases in blood glucose levels. The objective of this study was to investigate the anti-diabetic effects of $\small{D}$-xylose both in vitro and stretpozotocin (STZ)-nicotinamide (NA)-induced models in vivo. MATERIALS/METHODS: Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: (i) normal control; (ii) diabetic control; (iii) diabetic rats supplemented with a diet where 5% of the total sucrose content in the diet was replaced with $\small{D}$-xylose; and (iv) diabetic rats supplemented with a diet where 10% of the total sucrose content in the diet was replaced with $\small{D}$-xylose. These groups were maintained for two weeks. The effects of $\small{D}$-xylose on blood glucose levels were examined using oral glucose tolerance test, insulin secretion assays, histology of liver and pancreas tissues, and analysis of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCK) expression in liver tissues of a STZ-NA-induced experimental rat model. Levels of glucose uptake and insulin secretion by differentiated C2C12 muscle cells and INS-1 pancreatic ${\beta}$-cells were analyzed. RESULTS: In vivo, $\small{D}$-xylose supplementation significantly reduced fasting serum glucose levels (P < 0.05), it slightly reduced the area under the glucose curve, and increased insulin levels compared to the diabetic controls. $\small{D}$-xylose supplementation enhanced the regeneration of pancreas tissue and improved the arrangement of hepatocytes compared to the diabetic controls. Lower levels of PEPCK were detected in the liver tissues of $\small{D}$-xylose-supplemented rats (P < 0.05). In vitro, both 2-NBDG uptake by C2C12 cells and insulin secretion by INS-1 cells were increased with $\small{D}$-xylose supplementation in a dose-dependent manner compared to treatment with glucose alone. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, $\small{D}$-xylose exerted anti-diabetic effects in vivo by regulating blood glucose levels via regeneration of damaged pancreas and liver tissues and regulation of PEPCK, a key rate-limiting enzyme in the process of gluconeogenesis. In vitro, $\small{D}$-xylose induced the uptake of glucose by muscle cells and the secretion of insulin cells by ${\beta}$-cells. These mechanistic insights will facilitate the development of highly effective strategy for T2D.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2010

The biochemical study of sugar uptake in yeasts started five decades ago and led to the early production of abundant kinetic and mechanistic data. However, the first accurate overview of the underlying sugar transporter genes was obtained relatively late, due mainly to the genetic complexity of hexose uptake in the model yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The genomic era generated in turn a massive amount of information, allowing the identification of a multitude of putative sugar transporter and sensor-encoding genes in yeast genomes, many of which are phylogenetically related. This review aims to briefly summarize our current knowledges on the biochemical and molecular features of the transporters of pentoses in yeasts, when possible establishing links between previous kinetic studies and genomic data currently available. Emphasis is given to recent developments concerning the identification of D-xylose transporter genes, which are thought to be key players in the optimization of S. cerevisiae for bioethanol production from lignocellulose hydrolysates.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2009

Insect cells such as Spodoptera frugiperda Clone 9 (Sf9) cells are widely chosen as the host for heterologous expression of a mammalian sugar transport protein using the baculovirus expression system. Characterization of the expressed protein is expected to include assay of its function, including its ability to transport sugars and to bind inhibitory ligands such as cytochalasin B. It is therefore very important first to establish the transport characteristics and other properties of the endogenous sugar transport proteins of the host insect cells. However, very little is known of the transport characteristics of Sf9 cells, although their ability to grow on TC-100 medium strongly suggested the presence of endogenous glucose transport system. In order to investigate the substrate and inhibitor recognition properties of the Sf9 cell transporter, the ability of pentoses to inhibit 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2dGlc) transport was investigated by measuring inhibition constants $(K_i)$. To determine the time period over which of sugar into the Sf cells was linear, the uptake of 2dGlc 0.1mM extracellular concentration was measured over periods ranging from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. The uptake was linear for at least 2 minutes at the concentration, implying that uptake made over a 1 minute time course would reflect initial rates of the sugar uptake. The data have also revealed the existence of a saturable transport system for pentose uptake by the insect cells. The transport was inhibited by D-xylose and D-ribose, although not as effective as hexoses. However, L-xylose had a little effect on 2dGlc transport in the Sf9 cells, indicating that the transport is stereoselective. Unlike the human erythrocyte-type glucose transport system, D-ribose had a somewhat greater apparent affinity for the Sf9 cell transporter than D-xylose. It is therefore concluded that Sf9 cells contain an endogenous sugar transport activity that in some aspects resembled the human erythrocyte-type counterpart, although the Sf9 and human transport systems do differ in their affinity for cytochalasin B.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 1977

A piscicidal substance was isolated from the culture medium of Streptomyces umbrosus by avicel column chromatography and avicel thin layer chromatography after extration with chroloform. Bluegreen fluorescence was emitted under UV irradiation. Factors which govern toxin production and nutrition requirement for high toxin titres were observed. Nutritional uptake for toxin production was not curresponded with that for cell growth. Alanine, valine, serine asparagine, arginine, histidine, urea and sodium nitrate as a carbon source and glucose, mannose, rhamnose, xylose, arabitol and starch as a carbon source were recognized as a favorable nutrient for high toxin production. Magnesium was essential factor whereas vitamins were not of effective. Most of toxin was formed simultaneously with cell growth in esponential phase. Maximal production was observed for six day culture at 3$0^{\circ}C$. Tissues of gill, kidney and pnacreas in Cyprinus carpio were denatured extreamly after treating with the substance. Atrophied nucleous, indented membrane and degradated cytoplasm with necrotic affectness were noted on each tissue. The chemical formula of the substance was designated as $C_{38}$ $H_{66}$ $NO_4$.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.50 no.spc1
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• pp.123-131
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• 2005

Lipid and protein contents in whole soybean seeds have negative correlation (r=-0.693**), however, these components in seed coat showed positive correlation (r=0.746**). Fatty acids in whole soybean seeds were higher in the order of $C_{18:2}>C_{18:1}>C_{16:0}>C_{18:3}>C_{18:0}$, while those of seed coat were higher in the order of $C_{18:3}>C_{18:2}>C_{18:0}>C_{16:0}>C_{18:1}$. The average content of total amino acid in twenty Korean soybean varieties was 38,938.7 mg/100 g, while that of seed coat was 4,418.4 mg/100g. Glutamic acid showed the highest composition rate $(16.4\%)$ in whole soybean seeds, while glycine was the highest in seed coat and their composition rate was $23.8\%$. The surface of shiny-lustre seed coats was smooth and their pore size was observed smaller than dull-lustre ones. Significant quadratic regression was observed among seed coat lightness, seed coat thickness, protein, lipid, unsaturated fatty acid and crude fiber. Fucose, rhamnose, glucose, mannose, galactose, arabinose and xylose were detected as a neutral mono-saccharides in the seed coats. The arabinose and xylose showed significant correlation with seed coat lightness. The unsaturated fatty acid was significantly correlated with seed coat lightness (r=0.726**). Water absorption rate was low in the thick seed coat varieties, but the rate was high in the shiny seed coat varieties. From the obtained results, it was considered that the thinner and brighter seed coat varieties were much favorable to increase the water absorption rate than thicker and darker seed coat ones.