A Gram-negative, strictly aerobic, motile bacterial strain, designated Gsoil 124T, was isolated from a soil sample taken from a ginseng field in Pocheon Province (South Korea). The isolate contained Q-10 as the predominant lipoquinone, plus C18:1 7c and summed feature 4 (C16:1 6c and/or iso- C15:0 2-OH) as the major fatty acids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 68.1 mol%, and the major polar lipids consisted of sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylethanolamine. A comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain Gsoil 124T was most closely related to Sphingopyxis chilensis (98.7%), Sphingopyxis alaskensis (98.2%), Sphingopyxis witflariensis (98.2%), Sphingopyxis taejonensis (98.0%), and Sphingopyxis macrogoltabida (97.6%). However, the DNA-DNA relatedness between strain Gsoil 124T and its phylogenetically closest neighbors was less than 22%. Thus, on the basis of its phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain Gsoil 124T should be classified as representing a novel species in the genus Sphingopyxis, for which the name Sphingopyxis panaciterrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Gsoil 124T (=KCTC 12580T=LMG 24003T).

The growth hormone releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) plays a critical role in growth. We identified three nominally unrelated kindreds harboring the identical mutation (E72X) in GHRHR, the gene that encodes GHRHR; all three families originated in the Indian subcontinent. Because of the relative geographic proximity of these populations, we employed haplotype analysis in the region of GHRHR to determine the likelihood that this mutation occurred in a common ancestor rather than having occurred on separate occasions in different individuals. Members of all three kindreds segregating the E72X mutation were genotyped for highly polymorphic dinucleotide repeat microsatellites in a 15.5 centimorgan (cM) region around GHRHR on chromosome 7p15. We conclude that the affected individuals share a common ancestor, and we use the association with linked markers to estimate the age of this unique mutation.

It was shown that the exposure of a recombinant reverse transcriptase of human immunodeficiency virus HIV-1 to bidistilled modified water substantially decreases the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity of this enzyme.

The effect of bidistilled modified water obtained by treating bidistilled water with static electric field in the cathode compartment of a diaphragm electrolyzer on the production of tumor necrosis factor and activity of natural killer cells of mice was studied. It was found that bidistilled modified water added to cultured murine macrophages increases the tumor necrosis factor production 2.5-3-fold. A similar degree of stimulation of tumor necrosis factor production was observed after peroral administration of bidistilled modified water for 10-25 days. The activity of natural killer cells under these conditions increased by 150%. The stimulation of these immunity system components responsible for the resistance of the organism to tumors led to a suppression of tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice receiving bidistilled modified water.

It was shown that bidistilled modified water substantially enhances the hydrolysis of the peptide the bovine insulin B-chain. The exposure of the peptide to bidistilled modified water for 20 hours at room temperature leads to an almost complete hydrolysis of its molecule into fragments that differ from the initial molecule in elution time from a column in high-performance liquid chromatography.

It was shown that bidistilled modified water induces a marked decrease in the intensity of intrinsic fluorescence of bovine serum albumin and increases the binding of this protein to the fluorescent probe 1.8 ANS. These effects can be interpreted as a denaturing action of bidistilled modified water on the protein and a change in its conformational state, which is probably caused by changes in the microenvironment of the protein molecule. In addition, a substantial increase in the intrinsic fluorescence of bidistilled modified water, as compared with that of distilled water, was found.