Biomedical subjects

Keiko Taguchi

Publications and source records attributed to Keiko Taguchi.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

A novel alternative splice variant of nicastrin and its implication in Alzheimer disease.

Nicastrin interacts with gamma-secretase complex components predominantly via the N-terminal third of the transmembrane domain. The authentic transmembrane domain is critically required for the interaction with gamma-secretase complex components and for formation of an active gamma-secretase complex. In this study, we have identified a novel alternatively spliced transcript of nicastrin in human brain tissue. This transcript (NCSTN-DeltaE16) lacks exon 16 of nicastrin mRNA, which leads to deletion of 71 amino acids just upstream of its transmembrane domain. Its expression pattern was analyzed in the hippocampus of patients with pathologically diagnosed Alzheimer disease (cases) and non-Alzheimer dementia (controls). In patients with the APOE-epsilon4 allele, the frequency of Alzheimer disease appeared to be increased in the NCSTN-DeltaE16-positive group, but the association was not statistically significant. In conclusion, the expression of NCSTN-DeltaE16 transcript may confer some additional risk for developing Alzheimer disease beyond the risk due to ApoE-epsilon4 allele. Further investigation in larger scale population would be necessary to address its potential implication in Alzheimer disease.

Age of Onset↗

PubMed2005

Inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity and suppression of endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation by 1,2-naphthoquinone, a component of diesel exhaust particles.

Diesel exhaust particles contain redox-active quinones, such as 9,10-phenanthraquinone (9,10-PQ) and 1,2-naphthoquinone (1,2-NQ), which act as potent electron acceptors, thereby altering electron transfer tgljoint @/Set Line Joint Styleon proteins. We have previously found that 9,10-PQ inhibits constitutive nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity, by shunting electrons away from NADPH on the cytochrome P450 reductase domain of NOS, and thus suppresses acetylcholine (Ach)-induced vasorelaxation in the aortic ring. However, the effect of 1,2-NQ on endothelial NOS (eNOS) activity is still poorly understood. With the membrane fraction of cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells, we found that 1,2-NQ was a potent inhibitor of eNOS with an IC50 value of 1.4 microM, whereas trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (1,2-DDN), a redox-negative naphthalene analog of 1,2-NQ, did not show such an inhibitory action. Although 1,2-DDN (5 microM) did not affect Ach-mediated vasorelaxation, 1,2-NQ caused a significant suppression of Ach-induced endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in the aortic ring. However, 1,2-NQ did not affect sodium nitroprusside-induced endothelium-independent vasorelaxation. These results suggest that 1,2-NQ is an environmental quinone that inhibits eNOS activity, thereby disrupting NO-dependent vascular tone.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase is a novel risk gene for Alzheimer disease.

Lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (LCK) is a lymphoid-specific, Src family protein tyrosine kinase that is known to play a pivotal role in T-cell activation and interact with the T-cell coreceptors, CD4 and CD8. It has been shown to be significantly down-regulated in Alzheimer disease (AD) hippocampus compared with non-demented controls. Furthermore, it is located in a previously identified genetic linkage region (1p34-36) associated with AD. Therefore, we consider it to be a candidate gene for AD. We examined the relationship between AD and the LCK and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genes in 376 AD (including 323 late-onset AD (LOAD) cases and 53 early-onset AD (EOAD) cases) and 378 non-demented controls using a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). The polymorphism in intron 1 (+6424 A/G) was significantly associated with AD risk. The odds ratio (OR) for total AD associated with the GG genotype was 1.41 (95% CI=1.06-1.87) and that for LOAD was 1.37 (95%CI=1.02-1.85), while that for APOE-epsilon4 was 5.06 (95% CI=3.60-7.12). In the APOE-epsilon4 non-carrier subgroup, the GG genotype also showed significant association (OR=1.66; 95% CI=1.16-2.38). These results indicate that the LCK is a novel risk gene for AD regardless of the APOE genotype.

Age of Onset↗

PubMed2005

1,2-Naphthoquinone activates vanilloid receptor 1 through increased protein tyrosine phosphorylation, leading to contraction of guinea pig trachea.

1,2-Naphthoquinone (1,2-NQ) has recently been identified as an environmental quinone in diesel exhaust particles (DEP) and atmospheric PM2.5. We have found that this quinone is capable of causing a concentration-dependent contraction of tracheal smooth muscle in guinea pigs with EC50 value of 18.7 microM. The contraction required extracellular calcium and was suppressed by L-type calcium channel blockers nifedipine and diltiazem. It was found that 1,2-NQ activated phospholipase A2 (PLA2)/lipoxygenase (LO)/vanilloid receptor (VR1) signaling. Additionally, 1,2-NQ was capable of transactivating protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in guinea pig trachea, suggesting that phosphorylation of PTKs contributes to 1,2-NQ-induced tracheal contraction. Consistent with this notion, this action was blocked by the PTKs inhibitor genistein and the EGFR antagonist PD153035, indicating that contraction was, at least in part, attributable to PTKs phosphorylation that activates VR1, resulting in increased intracellular calcium content in the smooth muscle cells.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed2005

The interactions of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), a potential site for toxic actions.

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) catalyzes the oxidative phosphorylation of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to 1,3-diphosphoglycerate, one of the precursors for glycolytic ATP biosynthesis. The enzyme contains an active site cysteine thiolate, which is critical for its catalytic function. As part of a continuing study of the interactions of quinones with biological systems, we have examined the susceptibility of GAPDH to inactivation by 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (9,10-PQ). In a previous study of quinone toxicity, this quinone, whose actions have been exclusively attributed to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, caused a reduction in the glycolytic activity of GAPDH under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, indicating indirect and possible direct actions on this enzyme. In this study, the effects of 9,10-PQ on GAPDH were examined in detail under aerobic and anaerobic conditions so that the role of oxygen could be distinguished from the direct effects of the quinone. The results indicate that, in the presence of the reducing agent DTT, GAPDH inhibition by 9,10-PQ under aerobic conditions was mostly indirect and comparable to the direct actions of exogenously-added H2O2 on this enzyme. GAPDH was also inhibited by 9,10-PQ anaerobically, but in a somewhat more complex manner. This quinone, which is not considered an electrophile, inhibited GAPDH in a time-dependent manner, consistent with irreversible modification and comparable to the electrophilic actions of 1,4-benzoquinone (1,4-BQ). Analysis of the anaerobic inactivation kinetics for the two quinones revealed comparable inactivation rate constants (k(inac)), but a much lower inhibitor binding constant (K(i)) for 1,4-BQ. Protection and thiol titration studies suggest that these quinones bind to the NAD+ binding site and modify the catalytic thiol from this site. Thus, 9,10-PQ inhibits GAPDH by two distinct mechanisms: through ROS generation that results in the oxidization of GAPDH thiols, and by an oxygen-independent mechanism that results in the modification of GAPDH catalytic thiols.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed2005

Identification of hippocampus-related candidate genes for Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex multifactorial disease in which many genetic and environmental factors are involved. We performed an association study using 376 AD patients and 376 control subjects. We studied 35 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 35 genes that were significantly downregulated or upregulated only in the AD hippocampus compared with control and found that 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with AD. Our data indicated that single nucleotide polymorphisms could highly reflect differences in gene expression. Furthermore, an intronic polymorphism (+9943T/C) in POU2F1 was most significantly associated with AD (p = 0.0007). Our results suggest that POU2F1 is a candidate gene for AD.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Glutathione peroxidase mimics as novel antioxidants from vegetables.

Vegetables are generally recognized as rich sources of dietary antioxidants for inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Here we investigated lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH)-reducing activity of several vegetables to estimate their role on the prevention of lipid peroxidation in food and the digestive tract. By using HPLC analysis, we screened vegetables possessing the ability to convert 13-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HPODE) to its reduced derivative, 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE). Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) was found to be highly active in the reduction of 13-HPODE among tested vegetables. There was no relationship between 13-HPODE reducing activity and GSH peroxidase (GPX) activity in the tested vegetables. 13-HPODE-reducing activity of welsh onion was enhanced by the addition of sulfhydryl compounds including glutathione (GSH). Neither GPX inhibitor nor heat treatment suppressed 13-HPODE-reducing activity effectively. These results suggest that welsh onion and other vegetables contain GPX mimics responsible for the reduction of LOOH. GPX mimics may be helpful in the attenuation of harmful effect of LOOH from food.

Antioxidants↗

PubMed2004

[Incontinence].

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Aged↗

PubMed2003

Decreased enzyme activity of hepatic thioredoxin reductase and glutathione reductase in rabbits by prolonged exposure to inorganic arsenate.

Chronic exposure of humans to inorganic arsenic, mainly pentavalent arsenate (iAsV), results in drinking water-induced oxidative stress (Pi et al., 2002). Thioredoxin reductase (TR) and glutathione reductase (GR) are the two critical enzymes in the response to oxidative stress in vivo. In the present study we examined alterations in enzyme activities of hepatic TR and GR from prolonged exposure of male New Zealand white rabbits to iAsV. Exposure of rabbits to iAsV in drinking water (5 mg/L) for 18 weeks caused a significant suppression of hepatic TR and GR activities, of approximately 30% and 20%, respectively, below controls. In vitro experiments suggested that trivalent inorganic arsenic (iAsIII) but not pentavalent arsenicals including iAsV, monomethylarsonic acid (MMAsV), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAsV) affected the hepatic TR activity of rabbit. So it was suggested that in the present study iAsV ingested via drinking water was metabolized to reactive trivalent arsenicals, such as iAsIII, which may play an important role in the decreased TR and GR activities from prolonged exposure to iAsV observed in vivo.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed2003

Oxidative-stress-inducible qorA encodes an NADPH-dependent quinone oxidoreductase catalysing a one-electron reduction in Staphylococcus aureus.

This work characterized the putative quinone oxidoreductase gene (qorA) from Staphylococcus aureus. The deduced amino acid sequence indicated that the 333 aa protein contains an NAD(P)H-binding motif. A Northern blot analysis revealed that 2.6 kb and 1.4 kb signals were detected by using a qorA probe. Both the signals were enhanced under the presence of a redox-cycling agent, 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (PQ). It was also revealed that the expression of three genes, SA1988, SA1989 (qorA) and SA1990, was enhanced at the transcriptional level by PQ exposure. The results suggested that the 2.6 kb signal detected by the qorA probe was in two co-transcripts, i.e. SA1990-qorA and qorA-SA1988 were transcribed. Besides, primer extension analyses confirmed the enhancement of qorA and SA1990 transcripts. The GST (glutathione S-transferase)-tagged QorA protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified using a glutathione affinity column. In purification steps, a 36 kDa band co-purified with the GST-QorA, and it was detected even in the thrombin-cleaved fraction. N-terminal amino acid sequences for the 36 kDa protein revealed that it was an intact QorA. They showed that QorA formed a multimer under physiological conditions. The purified recombinant GST-QorA catalysed NADPH consumption in the presence of PQ as a substrate, but not NADH. To characterize the catalytic activity of QorA, superoxide anion that was generated through one-electron reduction of PQ and hydroquinone that was produced by two-electron reduction of PQ were measured. During reduction of PQ by GST-QorA, superoxide anion was generated, whereas a small amount of 9,10-dihydroxyphenanthrene (hydroquinone of PQ) was produced. These results suggest that the activity of QorA is similar to zeta-Crystallin, catalysing an NADPH-dependent one-electron reduction of quinone.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Molecular evidence of presenilin 1 mutation in familial early onset dementia.

Early onset familial Alzheimer disease (FAD) has been associated with mutations in three genes, of which presenilin 1 (PSEN1) mutations are the most frequent. We reported previously a variant form of FAD, due to deletion of exon 9 of PSEN1, with spastic paralysis and rigidity. We describe a novel PSEN1 mutation in a family of Japanese origin with six affected individuals of both genders in two generations. The disease is characterized by presenile dementia, which is preceded by spastic paraparesis and apraxia. This mutation, which is predicted to cause a missense substitution of serine for glycine, occurred at codon 266 in exon 8 of PSEN1. The mutation was not found in 200 controls and 200 sporadic AD patients. On this basis alone, it seems this mutation is pathogenic. Our findings provide a new clue to the etiology of the familial early onset dementia.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Oxidation of proximal protein sulfhydryls by phenanthraquinone, a component of diesel exhaust particles.

Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) contain quinones that are capable of catalyzing the generation of reactive oxygen species in biological systems, resulting in induction of oxidative stress. In the present study, we explored sulfhydryl oxidation by phenanthraquinone, a component of DEP, using thiol compounds and protein preparations. Phenanthraquinone reacted readily with dithiol compounds such as dithiothreitol (DTT), 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol (BAL), and 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid (DMPS), resulting in modification of the thiol groups, whereas minimal reactivities of this quinone with monothiol compounds such as GSH, 2-mercaptoethanol, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine were seen. The modification of DTT dithiol caused by phenanthraquinone proceeded under anaerobic conditions but was accelerated by molecular oxygen. Phenanthraquinone was also capable of modifying thiol groups in pulmonary microsomes from rats and total membrane preparation isolated from bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC), but not bovine serum albumin (BSA), which has a Cys34 as a reactive monothiol group. A comparison of the thiol alkylating agent N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) with that of phenanthraquinone indicates that the two mechanisms of thiol modification are distinct. Studies revealed that thiyl radical intermediates and reactive oxygen species were generated during interaction of phenanthraquinone with DTT. From these findings, it is suggested that phenanthraquinone-mediated destruction of protein sulfhydryls appears to involve the oxidation of presumably proximal thiols and the reduction of molecular oxygen.

Animals↗