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F Spener

Publications and source records attributed to F Spener.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

The lipoxygenase sensor, a new approach in essential fatty acid determination in foods.

Both an enzyme electrode and enzyme column with immobilized lipoxygenase, respectively, were used for the determination of essential fatty acids. The former was applied in a batch system, the latter was part of a fully automated flow injection analysis (FIA)-system. The oxygen consumption due to the lipoxygenase catalysed oxygenation of essential fatty acids was monitored amperometrically. Both systems were compared with regard to linear ranges of the calibration plots, sensitivities, detection limits, apparent Michaelis-Menten constants and lifetimes. The enzyme electrode showed different sensitivities for linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids, the most common essential fatty acids. The reason for this was not a second oxygenation step by lipoxygenase in case of alpha-linolenic acid, but a different dialytic behaviour of the two substrates. Hence, only the FIA-system was used for the determination of these fatty acids in real matrices such as vegetable oils and margarines. In the presence of detergent the triglycerides of the hydrophobic food samples were converted into water soluble glycerol and free fatty acids by a 15 min incubation with a ready to use lipase/esterase-mix, thus avoiding the use of organic solvents for analysis. Results obtained by the enzymatic FIA-system were in excellent agreement with those obtained by standard gas chromatography.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Liquid-crystalline structure of nucleic acids: effect of antracycline drugs and copper ions.

The formation of liquid-crystalline dispersions (L.C.D.) from double-stranded DNA and polynucleotide (NA) molecules complexed with a number of anthracycline derivatives was investigated. These drugs form two types of complexes (complex I and complex II) with NA, which differ in the mode of drug orientation in respect to the NA helical axis. When complex II forms, addition of copper ions causes bridging of neighboring NA molecules through polymeric copper-anthracycline links (Figure 1). This results in an extra-increase in the amplitude of the intense CD band, characteristic for complex II, in the drug absorption region. Comparison of data obtained for different analogs and derivatives of daunomycin, has shown that the presence of 4 coordinating oxygen atoms at positions 5,6 and 11,12 (or 1,12) of the anthracycline ring system represents the basic prerequisite for the formation of a long polymeric chelate bridge after addition of copper ions. A second requirement relates to the chemical and stereochemical properties of sugar residues at position 7. These are important for proper positioning of the neighboring anthracycline aglycones in the polymeric chelate bridges and for spatial fixation of Cu2+ ions. Base sequence of double-stranded polynucleotides plays, if any, a minor role in polymeric chelate bridge formation. The question concerning the sterical orientation of two neighbouring antracyclines in the linking bridges, formed between NA molecules fixed in the liquid-crystalline structure, remains open.

Anthracyclines↗

Inhibition of microbial lipases with stereoisomeric triradylglycerol analog phosphonates.

1,2(2,3)-Diradylglycero O-(p-nitrophenyl) n-hexylphosphonates were synthesized, with the diradylglycerol moiety being di-O-octylglycerol, 1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-pyrenedecanylglycerol, or 1-O-octyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol, and tested for their ability to inactivate lipases from Chromobacterium viscosum (CVL) and Rhizopus oryzae (ROL). The experimental data indicate the formation of stable, covalent 1:1 enzyme-inhibitor adducts with the di-O-alkylglycero phosphonates. The differences in reactivity of diastereomeric phosphonates with opposite configuration at the glycerol backbone was less expressed with both enzymes tested as compared to the influence of the stereochemistry at the phosphorus. Both lipases exhibited the same preference for the chirality at the phosphorus that was independent from the absolute configuration at the glycerol backbone. However, with CVL and ROL the inhibitors with the active site serine-directed phosphonate linked at position sn-1 of the glycerol moiety reacted significantly faster than the corresponding sn-3 analogs, reflecting the sn-1 stereopreference of the enzymes towards triacylglycerol analogs with a sn-2 O-alkyl substituent. In contrast, the phosphonates based on the 1-O-octyl-2-oleoylglycerol did not significantly inactivate CVL. Unexpectedly, these substances were hydrolyzed in the presence of lipase.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Formation of polymeric chelate bridges between double-stranded DNA molecules fixed in spatial structure of liquid-crystalline dispersions.

The formation of cholesteric liquid-crystalline dispersions from DNA-daunomycin complexes in water-salt polyethyleneglycol-containing solutions was investigated. In the case of nonclassical complex formation between DNA and daunomycin (DAU), reactive groups of DAU were used for the formation of polymeric chelate complex with divalent copper ions (-DAU-Cu-...-Cu-DAU-), located between neighboring double-stranded DNA molecules, fixed in spatial structure of liquid-crystalline dispersions. The formation of polymeric chelate complex does not depend upon the sense of helicoidal twist of DNA cholesterics. A many-fold increase in the CD band in the DAU absorption region is specific to this process. A reduction of the divalent copper ions as a result of a redox-process is accompanied by destroying of structure of polymeric chelate complex between DNA molecules and by disappearance of the abnormal CD band in daunomycin absorption region.

Ascorbic Acid↗

Mammary derived growth inhibitor is not a distinct protein but a mix of heart-type and adipocyte-type fatty acid-binding protein.

The amino acid sequence of the mammary derived growth inhibitor (MDGI) from bovine mammary gland (Böhmer, F.-D., Kraft, R., Otto, A. , Wernstedt, C., Hellman, U., Kurtz, A., Müller, T., Rohde, K., Etzold, G., Lehmann, W., Langen, P., Heldin, C.-H., and Grosse, R. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 15137-15143) revealed 95% identity to bovine heart fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), explaining the observed immunocross-reactivity. However, a cDNA encoding MDGI has not been found to date. Artificial MDGI cDNA was expressed in an in vitro transcription/translation assay. Analysis by isoelectric focusing of the immunoprecipitated in vitro translation products of lactating bovine mammary gland mRNA did not indicate a protein corresponding to the in vitro translation product of artificial MDGI mRNA. Moreover, two-dimensional electrophoresis of bovine mammary gland proteins confirmed the absence of a protein with the pI of the in vitro translated artificial MDGI mRNA in bovine mammary gland and instead revealed, apart from H-FABP, an unknown protein that was recognized by anti-H-FABP antibodies. From lactating bovine mammary gland the cDNA for adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (A-FABP) was cloned. The in vitro translation of recombinant mRNA derived from this cDNA yielded a polypeptide that behaved like the unknown immunoreactive protein. Western blotting and immunofluorescence using monospecific antibodies demonstrated the coexistence of H-FABP and A-FABP in the lactating mammary gland. Taking into account that deviations of the MDGI sequence from the bovine H-FABP sequence correspond with A-FABP we attribute the structure originally reported as MDGI to a mix of these proteins.

Adipose Tissue↗

Crystal structure of a bacterial lipase from Chromobacterium viscosum ATCC 6918 refined at 1.6 angstroms resolution.

The crystal structure of a lipase from the bacterium Chromobacterium viscosum ATCC 6918 (CVL) has been determined by isomorphous replacement and refined at 1.6 angstroms resolution to an R-factor of 17.8%. The lipase has the overall topology of an alpha/beta type protein, which was also found for previously determined lipase structures. The catalytic triad of the active center consists of the residues Ser87, Asp263 and His285. These residues are not exposed to the solvent, but a narrow channel connects them with the molecular surface. This conformation is very similar to the previously reported closed conformation of Pseudomonas glumae lipase (PGL), but superposition of the two lipase structures reveals several conformational differences. r.m.s. deviations greater than 2 angstroms are found for the C alpha-atoms of the polypeptide chains from His15 to Asp28, from Leu49 to Ser54 and from Lys128 to Gln158. Compared to the PGL structure in the CVL structure, three alpha-helical fragments are shorter, one beta-strand is longer and an additional antiparallel beta-sheet is found. In contrast to PGL, CVL displays an oxyanion hole, which is stabilized by the amide nitrogen atoms of Leu17 and Gln88, and a cis-peptide bond between Gln291 and Leu292. CVL contains a Ca2+, like the PGL, which is coordinated by four oxygen atoms from the protein and two water molecules.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Hydrolysis and esterification of acylglycerols and analogs in aqueous medium catalyzed by microbial lipases.

The stereoselectivity of microbial lipases from Chromobacterium viscosum (CVL) and Rhizopus arrhizus (RAL) towards monoacylglycerols (rac-1(3)-oleoylglycerol and 2-oleoylglycerol), diacylglycerols (1,3-dioleoylglycerol and rac-1,2(2,3)-dioleoylglycerol) and 2-O-ether analogs (rac-1(3)-oleoyl-2-O-hexadecylglycerol and rac-1(3)-octanoyl-2-O-hexadecylglycerol) was determined. The results of the hydrolysis of 2-O-ether analogs confirmed the importance of the substituent at C-2 of acylglycerols in the stereoselective recognition by microbial lipases and also showed that acylation of mono- and diradylglycerols with oleic acid overlaps the hydrolysis reaction in aqueous medium. With the short-chain, water-soluble octanoic acid no significant esterification occurred. Using rac-1,2(2,3)-dioleoylglycerol as a substrate for the hydrolysis with RAL and CVL, the appearance of 1,3-dioleoylglycerol and of 1(3)-monooleoylglycerol was demonstrated. The possibility of chemical vs. enzyme-catalyzed isomerization of 1,2-dioleoylglycerol and of 2-oleoylglycerol is discussed.

Chromobacterium↗

Enantiomeric perylene-glycerolipids as fluorogenic substrates for a dual wavelength assay of lipase activity and stereoselectivity.

A new type of fluorogenic alkyldiacyl glycerols was synthesized and used as fluorogenic substrates for the analysis of lipase activities and stereoselectivities. These compounds contain perylene as a fluorophore and the trinitrophenylamino (TNP) residue as a quencher. Both substituents are covalently bound to the omega-ends of the sn-2 and sn-1 (3) acyl chains, respectively. Upon glycerolipid hydrolysis, the residues are separated from each other thus allowing determination of lipase activity by the continuous increase in fluorescence intensity which is caused by dequenching. Using enantiomeric pairs of these compounds, we were able to analyze lipase stereoselectivity depending on the reaction medium. Mixtures of enantiomeric fluorogenic alkyldiacyl glycerols, selectively labelled with pyrene or perylene as fluorophores, can be used for a dual-wavelength "stereoassay" of lipases. Since absorption and emission maxima of both labels are clearly separated, hydrolysis of the respective enantiomeric substrates can be determined simultaneously, and the difference in the rates of hydrolysis can be taken as a parameter for the stereopreference of a lipase. Hydrolysis rates measured with perylene-substituted lipids are generally lower than those obtained with the pyrene analogs. Thus, with a mixture of perylene and pyrene-substituted lipids, we observe a higher apparent stereoselectivity of lipases since we measure a combination of stereo- and substrate selectivity. In the presence of albumin, all microbial lipases tested so far exhibit stereopreference for the sn-1 glycerol position. In our assay, the apparent stereoselectivities are highest if in the presence of albumin, the sn-1 position carries pyrene and the sn-3 position is substituted with perylene. The lipase stereoselectivity assay described here requires the simultaneous measurement of the fluorescence intensities at two different wavelengths in a single cuvette and can thus be carried out using existing and cheap instrumentation that was developed for the fluorimetric analysis of Ca+2 concentrations.

Animals↗

Adjustable 'cross-linking' of neighboring DNA molecules in liquid-crystalline dispersions through (daunomycin-copper) polymeric chelate complexes.

The interaction of daunomycin molecules with double-stranded DNA in the liquid-crystalline state was investigated. It was shown that at a certain extent of daunomycin binding a change of the mechanism of anthracycline orientation with reference to the DNA chain occurs. This is testified by the alteration of the sense of spatial packing of the DNA molecules in liquid-crystalline dispersions formed as a result of phase separation in poly(ethyleneglycol)-containing solutions, as well as by the onset of the reaction of daunomycin with divalent copper ions. Using this reaction, polymeric (daunomycin-copper) chelate cross-links between the DNA molecules fixed in the liquid-crystalline dispersions were formed. The length of such cross-links as adjusted by the distance between the DNA molecules, which, in turn, depends on the concentration of poly(ethyleneglycol) used for phase separation. The above molecular building mechanism may lead to new interesting applications.

Animals↗

Isolation and characterization of two fatty acid binding proteins from mouse brain.

Two fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) were isolated from Swiss Webster mouse brains. Neither protein cross-reacted with antisera to recombinant liver L-FABP. One protein, designated brain H-FABP, migrated on tricine sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) as a single band at 14.5 kDa with pl 4.9. Brain H-FABP bound NBD-stearic acid and cis-parinaric acid with K D values near 0.02 and 0.5 microM, respectively. Brain H-FABP cross-reacted with affinity-purified antisera to recombinant heart H-FABP. The second protein, mouse brain B-FABP, migrated on tricine SDS-PAGE gels as a doublet at 16.0 and 15.5 kDa with pl values of 4.5 and 4.7, respectively. Brain B-FABP bound NBD-stearic and cis-parinaric acid with K D values near 0.01 and 0.7 microM, respectively. The brain B-FABP doublet was immunoreactive with affinity-purified antibodies against recombinant mouse brain B-FABP, but not with affinity-purified antibodies against heart H-FABP. (3H)Oleate competition binding indicated that the two brain FABPs had distinct ligand binding specificities. Both bound fatty acids, fatty acyl CoA, and lysophosphatidic acid. Although both preferentially bound unsaturated fatty acids, twofold differences in specific saturated fatty acid binding were observed. Brain B-FABP and brain H-FABP represented 0.1% and 0.01% of brain total cytosolic protein, respectively. In summary, mouse brain contains two native fatty acid binding proteins, brain H-FABP and brain B-FABP.

Animals↗

Heterologous expression and characterisation of mouse brain fatty acid binding protein.

A novel brain-type member of the fatty acid binding protein family (B-FABP) was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, either as inclusion bodies at 37 degrees C or in soluble form at 22 degrees C. Both B-FABP renatured from inclusion bodies and the solubly expressed protein could be purified to homogeneity by anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration in a functional conformation as they bound oleic acid with high affinity. None of the five cysteines of B-FABP was involved in disulphide bond formation. Isoelectric focusing revealed heterogeneity of the renatured protein but not of the solubly expressed protein. By Western blotting using affinity purified rabbit antibodies raised against the recombinant B-FABP it was demonstrated that in adult mice, B-FABP is predominantly expressed in the olfactory bulb.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Differentiation-dependent expression of heart type fatty acid-binding protein in C2C12 muscle cells.

The aim of the present work was to establish a cell culture model for the investigation of the influence of heart type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) on differentiation and lipid metabolism. Up to now no data have been reported on H-FABP in cell lines of skeletal muscle, one of the major sources of this protein in vivo. For this purpose mouse C2C12 cells were chosen, because these cells can be stimulated to differentiate in vitro from myoblasts to spontaneously contracting, multiply nucleated myotubes expressing muscle-specific proteins like creatine kinase. Analysis of the cellular proteins by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and ELISA demonstrated that the expression of H-FABP is differentiation dependent as well in these cells. Furthermore, immunofluorescent labeling with H-FABP-specific antibodies revealed that induction of this protein occurred mainly in myotubes. Myoblasts contained only 7.1 +/- 3.1 ng H-FABP/mg soluble protein, however, upon differentiation, this value increased about 60-fold to 420 +/- 90 ng/mg (n = 4) in a mixture of myoblasts and myotubes. H-FABP from C2C12 cells was subsequently cloned and shown to be identical to the known mouse H-FABP. The induction of H-FABP during differentiation was also detected at mRNA level by probing with H-FABP-cDNA. Insulin, a known stimulator of in vitro muscle cell differentiation, led to an increased differentiation as referenced by creatine kinase activity, which is paralleled by an increased H-FABP expression. The enhancement of H-FABP expression by insulin was found to be time- and dose-dependent. The increasing H-FABP content may relate to an increasing fatty acid oxidation that has been reported for differentiated L6 cells, a related muscle cell line from rat. Such a correlation would favor a role of H-FABP in lipid metabolism.

Animals↗

Analysis of the ligand binding properties of recombinant bovine liver-type fatty acid binding protein.

The coding part of the cDNA for bovine liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) has been amplified by RT-PCR, cloned and used for the construction of an Escherichia coli (E. coli) expression system. The recombinant protein made up to 25% of the soluble E. coli proteins and could be isolated by a simple two step protocol combining ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Dissociation constants for binding of oleic acid, arachidonic acid, oleoyl-CoA, lysophosphatidic acid and the peroxisomal proliferator bezafibrate to L-FABP have been determined by titration calorimetry. All ligands were bound in a 2:1 stoichiometry, the dissociation constants for the first ligand bound were all in the micro molar range. Oleic acid was bound with the highest affinity and a Kd of 0.26 microM. Furthermore, binding of cholesterol to L-FABP was investigated with the Lipidex assay, a liposome binding assay and a fluorescence displacement assay. In none of the assays binding of cholesterol to L-FABP was observed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Inversion of lipase stereospecificity for fluorogenic alkyldiacyl glycerols. Effect of substrate solubilization.

We synthesized enantiomeric 1-O-alkyl-2,3-diacyl-sn-glycerol and 3-O-alkyl-1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol containing pyrene as a fluorescent reporter and the trinitrophenylamino residue as a fluorescence quencher; both reporter groups were covalently bound to the omega end of the acyl chains at positions sn-2 and sn-3(1), respectively. The fluorescence of the intact substrate molecules was very low. Chemical or enzymic release of the fatty acyl chains lead to fluorescence dequenching. The rate of lipolysis could be measured from the time-dependent increase in fluorescence intensity. We used the respective substrates for the continuous determination of activity and stereopreference of four different microbial lipases from Chromobacterium viscosum, Candida rugosa, Pseudomonas sp., Rhizopus arrhizus, as well as cutinase from Fusarium solani and lipoprotein lipase from bovine milk. The stereopreference of the lipases depended, in general, on how the substrate was solubilized in the reaction medium. All lipases under investigation preferentially hydrolysed the sn-1 acyl ester bond, if the lipid analog was dispersed in albumin-containing Tris/HCl buffer in the absence of detergent or organic solvent. In mixtures of 1:1 (by vol.) water/ethanol, the enzymes showed higher activity toward the sn-3 acyl ester bond, except for lipoprotein lipase which preferred the sn-1 acyl isomer under all conditions tested. Different stereopreferences were observed with the different lipases if the substrate was solubilized by amphiphiles (micelles of N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate). C. rugosa lipase and F. solani cutinase showed high stereopreference for the sn-3 acyl ester, whereas Pseudomonas sp. lipase and C. viscosum lipase hydrolysed both enantiomers at similar rates. From spectroscopic studies, it can be inferred that the conformation of the fluorescent lipids is probably similar in water, mixtures of water and organic solvents, and in micelles. The possible effects of reaction conditions on substrate accessibility and enzyme conformation on stereoselectivity of the respective lipases are discussed.

Diglycerides↗

Three-dimensional structure of bovine heart fatty-acid-binding protein with bound palmitic acid, determined by multidimensional NMR spectroscopy.

The three-dimensional structure of the holo form of recombinant cellular bovine heart fatty-acid-binding protein (H-FABPc), a polypeptide of 133 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 15 kDa, has been determined by multidimensional homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy applied to uniformly 15N-labeled and unlabeled protein. A nearly complete set of 1H and 15N chemical shift assignments was obtained. A total of 2329 intramolecular distance constraints and 42 side-chain chi 1 dihedral-angle constraints were derived from cross-relaxation and J coupling information. 3D nuclear Overhauser enhancement and exchange spectroscopy combined with heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence (NOESY-HMQC) experiments, performed on a sample of uniformly 13C-labeled palmitic acid bound to unlabeled cellular heart fatty-acid-binding protein revealed 10 intermolecular contacts that determine the orientation of the bound fatty acid. An ensemble of protein conformations was calculated with the distance-geometry algorithm for NMR applications (DIANA) using the redundant dihedral-angle constraint (REDAC) strategy. After docking the fatty acid into the protein, the protein-ligand arrangement was subject to distance-restrained energy minimization. The overall conformation of the protein is a beta-barrel consisting of 10 antiparallel beta-strands which form two nearly orthogonal beta-sheets of five strands each. Two short helices form a helix-turn-helix motif in the N-terminal region of the polypeptide chain. The palmitic acid is bound within the protein in a U-shaped conformation close to the two helices. The obtained solution structure of the protein is consistent with a number of fatty-acid-binding-protein crystal structures.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Stereoselectivity of microbial lipases. The substitution at position sn-2 of triacylglycerol analogs influences the stereoselectivity of different microbial lipases.

In the present study, the stereoselectivity of purified lipases from Candida rugosa, Chromobacterium viscosum, Pseudomonas species and Rhizopus arrhizus towards triacylglycerols in comparison to various structural analogs were investigated. Different triacylglycerol analogs with distinct polarities at position sn-2 of the glycerol backbone (1,3-diacyl-2-X-glycerol, where 2-X = 2-acyloxy, 2-alkyloxy, 2-deoxy-2-alkyl, or 2-deoxy-2-phenyl) were synthesized. Substrate hydrophobicity and steric requirement was modified by variation of the alkyl and acyl chain length. Hydrolysis of these substrates demonstrated that minor structural variations at C2 of triacylglycerol strongly affect the stereoselectivity of the lipases tested. It was noteworthy that the variation of substrate structure did not only affect the quantity of stereoselectivity expressed as percentage enantiomeric excess, but also resulted in a reversal of stereopreference in some cases. Replacement of the acylester in position 2 of glycerol by a non-ester-linked aliphatic moiety shifted the preference of Chromobacterium viscosum lipase from sn-3 to sn-1. Lipases from Chromobacterium viscosum. Pseudomonas species and Rhizopus arrhizus exhibited sn-3 preference with 2-deoxy-2-phenyl analogs, while towards substrates with a 2-deoxy-2-alkyl moiety sn-1 stereobias was recorded. Candida rugosa lipase was rather insensitive to substrate variations concerning the polarity at position 2 of the glycerol backbone. However, variation of the acyl chain length significantly influenced stereoselectivity of this lipase.

Candida↗