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PubMed2001

Quantification of bacterial polysaccharides by the purpald assay: measurement of periodate-generated formaldehyde from glycol in the repeating unit.

We have adapted the purpald assay for measurement of bacterial polysaccharides (PS) containing substituted and/or unsubstituted glycol (SG or UG) in residues such as glycerol, ribitol, arabinitol, furanosyl galactose, and sialic acid. For the purpald assay of UG-containing PS, 50 microL of PS samples was consecutively reacted with 50 microL of 16 mM NaIO4 for 20 min, 50 microL of 136 mM purpald reagent in 2 N NaOH for 20 min, and 50 microL of 64 mM NaIO4 for 20 min in a 96-well tissue culture plate followed by a measurement of absorbance at 550 nm with a plate reader. For SG-containing PS, conversion of SG to UG with 25 micro;L of 0.3 N NaOH, 1 h at room temperature for de-O-acetylation followed by 25 microL of 0.6 M H2SO4, 1 h at 80 degrees C for acid hydrolysis of PS precedes the periodate treatment in the purpald assay. The concentration of the samples can be calculated from the sample absorbance and the reference standard curve constructed from the reference concentrations of the same PS (well-characterized) and their corresponding absorbance values assayed in the same plate. The purpald assay provides a tool in addition to the existing ones for the measurement of glycol-containing PS. Among the usefulness of this method are the determinations of the glycerol content in the phospho-glycerol-containing PS and the SG and UG contents and structural integrity in PS and conjugate vaccines.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2002

A fluorometric assay for detection of lysyl oxidase enzyme activity in biological samples.

Lysyl oxidase catalyzes the final known enzymatic step required for collagen and elastin cross-linking in the biosynthesis of normal mature functional insoluble extracellular matrices. In addition, lysyl oxidase has been identified as a possible tumor suppressor. Lysyl oxidase activity in biological samples is traditionally and most reliably assessed by tritium release end-point assays using radiolabeled collagen or elastin substrates involving laborious vacuum distillation of the released tritiated water. In addition, a less sensitive fluorometric method exists that employs nonpeptidyl amine lysyl oxidase substrates and measures hydrogen peroxide production with horseradish peroxidase coupled to homovanillate oxidation. The present study describes a more sensitive fluorescent assay for lysyl oxidase activity that utilizes 1,5-diaminopentane as substrate, and released hydrogen peroxide is detected using Amplex red in horseradish peroxidase-coupled reactions. This method allows the detection of 40 ng of enzyme per 2 ml assay at 37 degrees C and is 7.5 times more sensitive than the currently available fluorometric assay for enzyme activity. This method eliminates the interference that occurs in some biological samples and can be successfully used to detect lysyl oxidase activity in cell culture experiments.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed2002

Continuous spectrometric assays for glutaminyl cyclase activity.

The enzymatic conversion of one chromogenic substrate, l-glutamine-p-nitroanilide, and two fluorogenic substrates, l-glutaminyl-2-naphthylamide and l-glutaminyl-4-methylcoumarinylamide, into their respective pyroglutamic acid derivatives by glutaminyl cyclase (QC) was estimated by introducing a new coupled assay using pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase as the auxiliary enzyme. For the purified papaya QC, the kinetic parameters were found to be in the range of those previously reported for other glutaminyl peptides, such as Gln-Gln, Gln-Ala, or Gln-tert-butyl ester. The assay can be performed in the presence of ammonia up to a concentration of 50 mM. Increasing ionic strength, e.g., potassium chloride up to 300 mM, resulted in an increase in enzymatic activity of about 20%. This is the first report of a fast, continuous, and reliable determination of QC activity, even in the presence of ammonium ions, during the course of protein purification and enzymatic analysis.

Aminoacyltransferases↗
PubMed1996

N-ethoxycarbonyl-D-phenylalanyl-L-prolyl-alpha-azalysine p-nitrophenyl ester: a novel, high selective and optimal chromogenic active site titrant for human and bovine alpha-, beta- and gamma-thrombin.

The serine proteinase catalyzed hydrolysis of N-ethoxycarbonyl-D-phenylalanyl-L-prolyl-alpha-azalysine p- nitrophenyl ester (Eoc-D-Phe-Pro-azaLys-ONp) was investigated at pH 6.2 and 21.0 degrees C. The results are consistent with the minimum three-step catalytic mechanism. The acylation step is rate limiting for human (Lys 77 species) and porcine plasmin, and for bovine beta-trypsin, the deacylation rate being limiting, on the other hand, for human and bovine alpha-, beta- and gamma-thrombin. Moreover the M(r) 33,000 species of human urokinase and the neuraminidase-treated porcine pancreatic beta-kallikrein-B do not catalyze the hydrolysis of the tripeptide. According to the specificity properties of the serine proteinases considered. Eoc-D-Phe- Pro-azaLys-ONp shows the characteristics of a novel, high selective and optimal chromogenic active site titrant for human and bovine alpha-, beta- and gamma-thrombin.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Inhibition of cloned human L-type cardiac calcium channels by 2,3-butanedione monoxime does not require PKA-dependent phosphorylation sites.

The oxime derivative 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) is used as an inorganic phosphatase to probe the phosphorylation state of many cellular proteins including the L-type calcium channel in various tissues. We used BDM further to shed light on the controversy surrounding direct phosphorylation of the L-type Ca2+ channel. We employed a recombinant system that utilizes HEK 293 cells expressing wild type and mutant human heart calcium channels. BDM reversibly reduced the calcium channel current induced by expression of the wild type channel in a concentration-dependent manner with an apparent IC50 value of 15.3 mM. Deletion of part of the carboxyl terminus of the alpha 1 subunit, which contains one putative protein kinase A site, or mutating all of the protein kinase A consensus sites of the pore forming subunit, did not significantly change the apparent IC50 value or alter in any other way the blocking effect of BDM on the expressed currents. Our data suggest that BDM produces reversible modifications of the cardiac calcium channel protein leading to an expected reduction in the amplitude of the expressed currents, but the site of action must be different from that of the consensus sites for protein kinase A dependent phosphorylation.

Calcium Channels↗
PubMed1997

Cleavage specificity of human rhinovirus-2 2A protease for peptide substrates.

Substrate requirements of the human rhinovirus serotype-2 2A protease have been examined using synthetic peptides. A chromogenic peptide with a sequence of TRPIITTA-p-nitroanilide was found to be cleaved efficiently by the 2A protease with an apparent Km value of 95 microM, which allowed the protease activity to be monitored and measured continuously using a spectrophotometer. Competition cleavage assays reveal this peptide was cleaved over 10-fold more efficiently than the 16-mer peptide derived directly from its native processing site. On the basis of these data, we conclude that the P1' glycine residue is not absolutely needed for the 2A cleavage to occur and the essential residues required for the 2A activity would exist within the N-terminal side of the scissile bond.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

A convenient microscale colorimetric method for terminal galactose on immunoglobulins.

A new approach for quantitative determination of terminal galactose (Gal) residues of immunoglobulins was developed by combining exoglycosidase digestion with the classical colorimetric estimation of reducing sugars. The ferricyanide colorimetric method was modified to increase the stability of the chromophore (Prussian blue) and adapted to determine the amount of terminal Gal residues present in immunoglobulins. The method involves the release of covalently bound Gal from immunoglobulins by Diplococcus pneumoniae beta-D-galactosidase (specific for beta(1,4) linked galactose), removal of the glycoprotein and enzyme from the reaction mixture by heat denaturation or ethanol precipitation, followed by colorimetric measurement of the released sugar using the ferricyanide assay. The ferricyanide method was modified to enhance the solubility and stability of the chromophore by increasing the concentration of aqueous sulfuric acid and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The linear range of the modified method was from approximately 11 to 111 microM Gal. Typical variation in assay results was on the order of 5%. Using the modified method, the terminal Gal content of a recombinant chimeric monoclonal antibody (anti-CD20, rIgG) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was determined and evaluated for batch-to-batch consistency. The method was used to optimize pH, time, temperature, and enzyme concentration for beta-galactosidase digestion for maximal release of terminal Gal residues from rIgG.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Design, chemical synthesis and kinetic studies of trypsin chromogenic substrates based on the proteinase binding loop of Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor (CMTI-III).

A series of trypsin chromogenic substrates with formula: Y-Ala-X-Abu-Pro-Lys-pNA, where X = Gly, Ala, Abu, Val, Leu, Phe, Ser, Glu and Y = Ac, H; pNA = p-nitroanilide was synthesized. The Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor CMTI-III molecule was used as a vehicle to design the trypsin substrates. To evaluate the influence of position P(4) on the substrate-enzyme interaction, kinetic parameters of newly synthesized substrates with bovine beta-trypsin were determined. The increasing hydrophobicity of the amino acid residue (Gly, Ala, Abu, Val) introduced in position P(4) significantly enhanced the substrate specificity (k(cat)/K(m)) which was over 8 times higher for the last residue than that for the first one. The introduction of residues with more hydrophilic side chain (Glu, Ser) in this position reduced the value of this parameter. These results correspond well with those obtained using molecular dynamics of bovine beta-trypsin with monosubstituted CMTI-I analogues, indicating that in both trypsin substrate and inhibitor position 4 plays an important role in the interaction with the enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Substrate specificity of penicillin acylase from Streptomyces lavendulae.

The kinetic parameters of several substrates of penicillin acylase from Streptomyces lavendulae have been determined. The enzyme hydrolyses phenoxymethyl penicillin (penicillin V) and other penicillins with aliphatic acyl-chains such as penicillin F, dihydroF, and K. The best substrate was penicillin K (octanoyl penicillin) with a k(cat)/K(m) of 165.3 mM(-1) s(-1). The enzyme hydrolyses also chromogenic substrates as NIPOAB (2-nitro-5-phenoxyacetamido benzoic acid), NIHAB (2-nitro-5-hexanoylamido benzoic acid) or NIOAB (2-nitro-5-octanoylamido benzoic acid), however failed to hydrolyse phenylacetil penicillin (penicillin G) or NIPAB (2-nitro-5-phenylacetamido benzoic acid) and penicillins with polar substituents in the acyl moiety. These results suggest that the structure of the acyl moiety of the substrate is more determinant than the amino moiety for enzyme specificity. The enzyme was inhibited by several organic acids and the extent of inhibition changed with the hydrophobicity of the acid. The best inhibitor was octanoic acid with a K(i) of 0.8 mM. All the results, taking together, point to an active site highly hydrophobic for this penicillin acylase from Streptomyces lavendulae.

Chromogenic Compounds↗
PubMed2000

Gene therapies that enhance hippocampal neuron survival after an excitotoxic insult are not equivalent in their ability to maintain synaptic transmission.

Research shows that overexpression of cytoprotective genes can spare neurons from necrotic death, but few studies have addressed the functional status of surviving neurons. Overexpression of a brain glucose transporter, Glut-1, or the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, in rats decreases the size of hippocampal lesions produced by kainic acid (KA) treatment. In animals in which KA-induced lesions are reduced to similar extents by Glut-1 or Bcl-2 overexpression, spatial learning is spared by Glut-1, but not Bcl-2. We postulated that Glut-1 and Bcl-2 act differently to protect hippocampal function and investigated the effects of vector overexpression on synaptic physiology after KA treatment. Three days after KA and vector delivery to the dentate gyrus, mossy fiber-CA3 (MF-CA3) population excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were recorded in vitro. In addition to producing a lesion in area CA3, KA treatment reduced baseline MF-CA3 synaptic strength, posttetanic potentiation (PTP), and long-term potentiation (LTP). A similar reduction in the KA-induced lesion was produced by overexpression of Glut-1 or Bcl-2. Glut-1, but not Bcl-2, attenuated the impairments in synaptic strength and PTP. Overexpression of Glut-1 or Bcl-2 preserved LTP after KA treatment. Results indicate greater protection of MF-CA3 synaptic transmission with overexpression of Glut-1 compared to Bcl-2 and suggest that not all neuroprotective gene therapy techniques are equivalent in their ability to spare function.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Schistosoma mansoni: evidence for a 28-kDa membrane-anchored protease on schistosomula.

Transformation of cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni into schistosomula is accompanied by release of a soluble 28-kDa serine protease (s28) from the acetabular glands. The postulated activities of s28 include cleavage of skin connective tissue proteins (elastin, etc.), release of the cercarial glycocalyx, and cleavage of complement proteins. Our previous results demonstrated the presence of an antigenically cross-reactive protein on the surface of mechanically transformed schistosomula. As shown here, schistosomula express on their surface a 28-kDa serine protease (m28) which can be immunoprecipitated with anti-s28 antibodies. m28 eluted from the schistosomular tegumental membrane with NP-40 was purified to homogeneity in one step by adsorption on a chymotrypsin inhibitor column: 6-aminocaproyl-D-tryptophan methyl ester-Sepharose. Proteolytic activity of m28 was completely inhibited by the chymotrypsin inhibitor N-succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-chloromethyl ketone. Efficient removal of m28 from schistosomula was achieved with NP-40, deoxycholate, cholate, Tween 20, and phospholipases A2 and C, but not with papain, trypsin, pronase, or proteinase K. Furthermore, treatment with phosphatidyl inositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) followed by hydroxylamine also released m28. Anti-cross-reactive determinant antibodies which recognize a neo epitope exposed in glycosyl phosphatidyl inositol-containing molecules cleaved by PI-PLC bind to purified m28. The latter results suggest that m28 is anchored to the tegumental membrane of schistosomula by a lipid anchor and that perhaps some of the m28 molecules are bound via glycosylphosphatidyl inositol. Based on inhibitor sensitivity and antigenic cross-reactivity, it is conceivable that s28 and m28 are related, if not identical, proteins. Finally, m28 was detected antigenically also on lung-stage and adult worms of S. mansoni.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Stable gene expression with VSV-G pseudotyped-retrovirus vector in the rat liver.

BACKGROUND: Pseudotyped-retrovirus-mediated gene transfer to the regenerating rat liver was investigated in vivo and the findings were compared with those for retrovirus-mediated gene transfer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four weeks prior to gene transfer, the spleen was transpositioned to the left subcutaneous position to develop a port-splenic shunt. Twenty-four hours after a partial hepatectomy (68%) was performed, the liver was perfused in situ and kept in contact with either a pseudotyped-retrovirus vector encoding LacZ (7 x 10(7) cfu/ml, Group 1) or a retrovirus vector encoding LacZ (1 x 10(4) cfu/ml, Group 2) for 30 min. The animals were sacrificed at various points after gene transfer, and X-gal staining, reversed polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and ONPG assay were performed to detect the transferred LacZ cDNA. RESULTS: In X-gal staining, the transferred LacZ cDNA started to show a strong beta-galactosidase activity in 30 to 50% of the hepatocytes at 3 days after gene transfer. Positive staining continued to be recognized until 28 days with a slight decrease in its intensity thereafter. On the other hand, Group 2 animals showed weak staining, which was observed in about 10 to 15% of the hepatocytes from 3 days after gene transfer and then decreased thereafter. In RT-PCR, positive mRNA of LacZ was detected constitutively until 28 days after gene transfer in Group 1, whereas two-thirds of the samples showed a negative band in Groups 2 at 3 days after gene transfer. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the pseudotyped-retrovirus vector was useful in establishing a stable and strong expression of the in vivo gene transfer, while targeting the regenerating liver.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Detection and differentiation of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in broiler chicken samples using a PCR/DNA probe membrane based colorimetric detection assay.

Campylobacter enteritis in humans has been linked to consumption of poultry meat. Surveys show that 30-100% of poultry harbour Campylobacter as normal flora of the digestive tract which indicates a need to identify prevalent organism types in flocks and trace their epidemiology. In this study we describe a Campylobacter genus specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, amplifying the 16 S-23 S rRNA intergenic spacer region with an internal Campylobacter genus specific DNA probe and species specific probes for Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli designed for confirmation of the amplified PCR products by Southern blot and colorimetric reverse hybridization assays. The specificity of this assay was established by testing a range of food pathogens. Broiler chicken samples were tested following presumptive positive identification by the Malthus System V analyser (Malthus Instruments, UK). The combined PCR and colorimetric reverse hybridization assay is easy to perform and faster than conventional methods for confirmation and identification of Campylobacter species.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Amino acid and protein targets of 1,2-diacetylbenzene, a potent aromatic gamma-diketone that induces proximal neurofilamentous axonopathy.

The gamma-diketone analogs 1,2-diacetylbenzene (1,2-DAB) and 2,5-hexanedione (2,5-HD), but not the delta-diketone 1,3-diacetylbenzene (1,3-DAB) or the beta-diketone 2,4-hexanedione, induce neuropathological changes in the rodent central and peripheral nervous systems. The molecular targets of these neurotoxic aromatic and aliphatic gamma-diketones, and of their nonneurotoxic structural analogs and ninhydrin, are examined by assessing their differential reactivity with neural and nonneural amino acids and proteins in vitro and in vivo. Whereas 1,2-DAB is chromogenic and forms polymers with amino acids (notably lysine) and proteins (especially lysine-rich proteins), 1,3-DAB lacks these properties. Ninhydrin forms a chromophore without evidence of protein polymerization. 1,2-DAB preferentially targets neurofilament over microtubule protein in vitro and in situ. Based on protein reactivity, 1,2-DAB is three orders of magnitude more reactive than 2,5-HD. Lysine-rich neurofilament protein subunits NF-H and NF-M are more susceptible than lysine-poor NF-L and beta-tubulin to 1,2-DAB. These observations correlate with the development of proximal (1,2-DAB) and distal (2,5-HD) neurofilament-filled axonal swellings and segregated intact microtubules observed during systemic treatment with aromatic and aliphatic gamma-diketones.

Acetophenones↗