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ABSTRACT. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed for the detection of the hemolysin (alpha toxin) gene of Clostridium septicum. The PCR primers were designed from the sequence of the hemolysin gene and synthesized. A DNA fragment of 270 bp was amplified from10 strains of C. septicum, but was not from strains of C. chauvoei, C. perfringens, C. novyi, or C. haemolyticum. When the PCR product was digested with Sau3AI, two DNA fragments of the expected 148 bp and 122 bp were recognized. The lowest detectable threshold of PCR for the hemolysin gene was 3.8 × 10 3 cells/ml. The PCR technique may be useful for rapid detection or identification of C. septicum associated with malignant edema. -KEY WORDS: alpha toxin, Clostridium septicum, PCR.

Cellular ubiquinone (UQ) is expected to act as an endogenous antioxidant against oxidative stress. To confirm this, UQ-reductases which are necessary to regenerate ubiquinol (UQH2) were investigated in rat tissue, and a novel NADPH-dependent UQ (NADPH-UQ) reductase was found in cytosol. The cytosolic NADPH-UQ reductase activity accounted for more than 80% of UQ-10 reduction by the rat liver homogenate in the presence of NADPH. Furthermore, the NADPH-UQ reductase activities in various tissues were correlated to the redox states of UQ in the corresponding tissues. Rat liver cytosol with NADPH protected lecithin liposomes containing UQ-10, as well as UQH2-10 from AMVN (2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile))-induced lipid peroxidation. The enzyme purified from rat liver cytosol, reduced UQ-10 in lecithin liposomes at approximately the same rate as did cytosol. These results supported that cytosolic NADPH-UQ reductase is the enzyme responsible for nonmitochondrial UQ reduction acting as an endogenous antioxidant against oxidative stress. The antioxidant role of the UQ redox cycle and NADPH-UQ reductase was discussed in relation to other cellular NADPH-dependent antioxidant enzymes.

SynopsisPolyisoprene in o-dichlorobenzene solution were reacted with maleic anhydride a t 180°C under nitrogez atmosphere to form modified polyisoprene with a-substituted succinic anhydride groups. These groups were converted by reaction with hydroxyethyl cinnamate in pyridine a t 25°C to cinnamate groups. Various amounts of cinnamate groups as photosensitive groups could be easily introduced into polyisoprene up to 75 mol % toward polyisoprene repeating units. Polymer glass transition temperatures of the products rose linearly from -7OOC for polyisoprene to 60°C with increasing amounts of the side groups. The solution viscosity of the products in chloroform decreased from 9.34 for polyisoprene to 0.77 with increasing amounts of the side groups. The photosensitivity of the polyisoprene, which is based on the photodimerization of the cinnamate groups, was higher than that of polypentenamer having cinnamate groups due to the interaction by the free carboxylic acids neighboring with the cinnamate groups. The photosensitivity of the cinnamate group was kinetically evaluated in terms of the dependence on the polymer glass transition temperature. The interaction by the free carboxylic acid groups in the polyisoprene reduced the dependence of the photosensitivity on the mobility of the polymer segments. Linear relationship between observed rate constants of the photodimerization and (Tuv -Tg + 50)-' was obtained and the slope of the line changed and became very small a t higher glass transition temperatures.