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PubMed1987

Structural requirements for the activity of antifolates as substrates for mammalian folylpolyglutamate synthetase.

The activity of mouse-liver folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) was compared using a number of folates and folate analogs in order to determine which structure modifications were compatible with enzyme catalysis and with efficient binding to enzyme. Most structural alterations in the amino acid side chain eliminated activity as a substrate for this enzyme, whereas modifications of any of several positions in the pteridine ring were tolerated with retention of FPGS substrate activity. Folate analogs with the lowest apparent Michaelis constants (Km,app) had a) a 4-amino group, b) a 5,6,7,8 reduced ring system, c) a quinazolate ring, and/or d) an unsubstituted 10-position. There was some correlation between FPGS substrate activity and the potency of folate antimetabolites as cytotoxic compounds but not necessarily as compounds selectively cytotoxic to tumor cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

II. Glutamine and glutamate.

Glutamine and glutamate with proline, histidine, arginine and ornithine, comprise 25% of the dietary amino acid intake and constitute the "glutamate family" of amino acids, which are disposed of through conversion to glutamate. Although glutamine has been classified as a nonessential amino acid, in major trauma, major surgery, sepsis, bone marrow transplantation, intense chemotherapy and radiotherapy, when its consumption exceeds its synthesis, it becomes a conditionally essential amino acid. In mammals the physiological levels of glutamine is 650 micromol/l and it is one of the most important substrate for ammoniagenesis in the gut and in the kidney due to its important role in the regulation of acid-base homeostasis. In cells, glutamine is a key link between carbon metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins and plays an important role in the growth of fibroblasts, lymphocytes and enterocytes. It improves nitrogen balance and preserves the concentration of glutamine in skeletal muscle. Deamidation of glutamine via glutaminase produces glutamate a precursor of gamma-amino butyric acid, a neurotransmission inhibitor. L-Glutamic acid is a ubiquitous amino acid present in many foods either in free form or in peptides and proteins. Animal protein may contain from 11 to 22% and plants protein as much as 40% glutamate by weight. The sodium salt of glutamic acid is added to several foods to enhance flavor. L-Glutamate is the most abundant free amino acid in brain and it is the major excitatory neurotransmitter of the vertebrate central nervous system. Most free L-glutamic acid in brain is derived from local synthesis from L-glutamine and Kreb's cycle intermediates. It clearly plays an important role in neuronal differentiation, migration and survival in the developing brain via facilitated Ca++ transport. Glutamate also plays a critical role in synaptic maintenance and plasticity. It contributes to learning and memory through use-dependent changes in synaptic efficacy and plays a role in the formation and function of the cytoskeleton. Glutamine via glutamate is converted to alpha-ketoglutarate, an integral component of the citric acid cycle. It is a component of the antioxidant glutathione and of the polyglutamated folic acid. The cyclization of glutamate produces proline, an amino acid important for synthesis of collagen and connective tissue. Our aim here is to review on some amino acids with high functional priority such as glutamine and to define their effective activity in human health and pathologies.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Enantioselective binding and stable encapsulation of alpha-amino aids in a helical poly(L-glutamic acid)-shelled dendrimer in aqueous solutions.

A novel water-soluble peptide-shelled dendrimer containing a poly(L-glutamic acid) segment grafted on the third-generation poly(amido amine) dendrimer was successfully synthesized, and its secondary structural properties and interaction with alpha-amino acids (Trp, Phe, and Tyr) were revealed by spectroscopic measurements. In the lower pH region, this peptide-dendrimer adopted an alpha-helix conformation with almost 100 % helicity resulting from the three-dimensional aggregation of the segment. Interactions with alpha-amino acids proceeded with positive cooperativity on the basis of a Hill plot, and as a result, D isomers preferentially bound to the alpha-helical segments relative to L isomers. The bound alpha-amino acids were not released into the water phase but were transferred into the inner core of the dendrimer where they remained stable, even when a conformational change of the helix segment was caused by pH variation.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1998

Single chain observation on collapse transition in giant DNA induced by negatively-charged polymer.

Poly-glutamic acid, a polyanion, has been shown to induce the all-or-none collapse transition in individual duplex DNAs from an elongated coil into a collapsed compact state, through the observation of single chains by fluorescence microscopy. This experimental finding is discussed in relation to the change in the higher-order structure of DNAs in the cytoplasmic space induced by a change in the concentration of polyanions, such as mRNA, as a possible route for feedback in gene expression.

Bacteriophage T4↗
PubMed2001

An examination of polymorphic genes and folate metabolism in mothers affected by a spina bifida pregnancy.

The effect of four polymorphic genes of folate-dependent methionine biosynthesis have been investigated in mothers affected by a neural tube defect pregnancy (NTD) and matched controls. The influence of the various genotypes on total red cell 5-methyl-H(4)folate,5,10-methenyl-H(4)folate, and 5-formyl-H(4)folate is reported, as is the effect on homocysteine and radioassay folate in both serum and red cells. All of the single nucleotide polymorphisms studied would seem to contribute to the cellular folate profile in some way. From the data presented, and from the work of others, it is likely that C677T 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase is the most important of these polymorphisms. Control mother folate profiles seem reasonably predictive of any given methionine cycle mutation, but profiles in NTD mothers do not. On this basis, it seems likely that some other, as yet unidentified folate lesion is causal for NTD. In NTD-C677T 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase in particular, indexes of folate depletion such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) folate level, oligo-gamma-glutamyl chain length, homocysteine, and radioassay folate values all seem to deteriorate with increased mutant allele carriage. This indicates that this folate polymorphism may provide a critical threshold effect that helps to promote NTD occurrence in the presence of another, as yet unidentified folate-related factor. In more general terms, on a by genotype basis, all 11 genotypes studied give NTD mothers a higher homocysteine compared to controls. Furthermore, a trend that is less universal indicates that NTD mothers have higher 5,10-methenyl-H(4)folate and 5-methyl-H(4)folate levels and lower 5-formyl-H(4)folate and H(4)PteGlu(1) levels than do controls. One of the most consistent, and possibly specific, differences between participant groups is a statistically significant elevation of 5,10-methenyl-H(4)folate in NTD mothers (affects three genotypes). Possible interpretations of this finding are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Simple preparation of nanoparticles coated with carbohydrate-carrying polymers.

Nanoparticles bearing carbohydrate chains on the surface can be prepared by the simple diafiltration method. The nanoparticles prepared by the present method displayed high yield, no-aggregation formation, small size, narrow size distribution, and one-step procedure. Also, the high density carbohydrate chains on the particles can be recognized by liver cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Secretion of gamma-glutamyl hydrolase in vitro.

gamma-Glutamyl hydrolase (also known as conjugase) is a ubiquitous enzyme that has the capacity to cleave folyl- and antifolylpolyglutamates. This study has revealed that the enzyme is secreted by primary cultures of rat hepatocytes and by H35 hepatoma cells. H35 cells have lower cellular levels of gamma-glutamyl hydrolase than do hepatocytes but secrete a greater proportion of gamma-glutamyl hydrolase. More than 99% of the total enzyme from H35 cells accumulated in the medium after 48 h. The cells were shown to remain intact during the secretion period since lactate dehydrogenase, dihydrofolate reductase, and lysosomal hydrolases other than gamma-glutamyl hydrolase were retained within the cell. Using the substrate 4-amino-10-methyl-pteroyldiglutamate (4-NH2-10-CH3-Pte-Glu2), the intracellular and secreted enzyme form(s) from H35 cells were found to have the following properties (a) Km values of 24.3 +/- 3.7 microM and 34.8 +/- 8.6 microM, respectively, and (b) maximal activity at pH 5 to 7 and apparent molecular weights of 120,000 by gel filtration. Both the cellular and secreted enzymes convert 4-NH2-10-CH3-PteGlu4 and pteroylpentaglutamate acid, to the corresponding monoglutamates with little or no appearance of intermediate chain length polyglutamates. This suggests that both act primarily as endopeptidases. Thus far, the cellular and secreted enzymes cannot be differentiated although the current studies do not establish this point unequivocally. Alterations in the cellular and secreted H35 cell gamma-glutamyl hydrolase levels in response to changes in culture conditions revealed that glutamine enhances activity while insulin diminishes it. Other transformed cells found to secrete this protein are Hep-G2 human hepatoma, JAR human choriocarcinoma, HeLa, and rat glioma. gamma-Glutamyl hydrolase could not be detected in medium conditioned by human MCF-7 breast cancer cells, and relatively low activities were found in the medium from CCRF-CEM or K562 leukemia cells. These studies directly establish for the first time the secretion of gamma-glutamyl hydrolase in vitro.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Stereoselective electron transfer between chiral substrates and metal chelates anchored to polypeptides.

Electron transfer from ortho-dihydroxy substrates, such as L(+)-ascorbic acid, L-adrenaline, and L-dopa, to iron(III) in [Fe(tetpy)(OH)2]+ ions anchored to sodium poly(L-glutamate) (FeTL) or poly(D-glutamate) (FeTD) was found to proceed stereoselectively when structurally ordered and partially shielded active sites prevent easy approach for redox partner. Oxidant-reductant interactions are then mediated by the polypeptide, whose conformational asymmetry ensures an efficient sterically discriminating environment. Evidence is produced that stereoselectivity chiefly arises from transition state effects, while thermodynamic discrimination is of minor importance. Theoretical models of the diastereomeric electron-transfer complexes were constructed by conformational energy calculations based on Coulombic, nonbonded, and hydrogen-bonded energy terms. The molecular parameters of the models enabled "differential" thermodynamic functions of the diastereomeric pairs and stereoselectivity to be evaluated and satisfactorily compared with those experimentally determined. The models give good insight into the observed topochemical phenomena and support the idea that stereoselectivity is coupled with a remote attack mechanism on the central metal ion where the peripheral tetpy ligand of the active sites acts as an electron-transfer agent.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed1995

Post-poly(Glu) cleavage and degradation modified by O-sulfated tyrosine: a novel post-translational processing mechanism.

Expression of bioactive peptides requires several modifications of the primary translation product. Gastrin, a vertebrate gut hormone, occurs in multiple forms, including a bioactive fragment of the predominant gastrin-17. Gastrin-17 is, however, without known cleavage sites. In order to identify the new site, we therefore isolated, from antral mucosa, fragments of gastrin-34 and -17 monitored by monospecific immunoassays. After three steps of reverse-phase chromatography, the short gastrins were identified as hepta-, hexa- and pentapeptide amides. By far the most abundant of these was tyrosine O-sulfated gastrin-6. The near complete sulfation contrasts with the larger gastrins, of which only half are sulfated. The longest N-terminal fragment of gastrin-34 was a hexadecapeptide without complementarity to the short gastrins. Instead, the predominant N-terminal fragment of gastrin-17 was the decapeptide complementary to gastrin-7. Therefore the novel processing site is the Glu10-Ala11 bond that follows a poly(Glu6-10) sequence. Moreover, gastrin-7 is apparently trimmed, with subsequent accumulation of sulfated gastrin-6. Consequently, O-sulfated tyrosine ensures production of a new hormone which stimulates gastric acid secretion as potently as gastrin-17.

Amides↗
PubMed1982

Interaction of yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase with negatively charged carriers.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of an interaction of yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase with negatively charged carriers such as polyanionic agents or a polarized electrode. Various polyanions were found to promote enzyme aggregation as judged by ultracentrifugation measurements and chemical modification. The data obtained suggest that these interactions are mediated through the N-terminal domain of the protein. However, the most striking property of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase described here is concerned with its significant dipolar moment as evidenced by electrocapillary measurements, which allows an orientation of the macromolecule in an electric field. Further, the enzyme could be absorbed by a negatively charged surface, first by hydrophobic links and then oriented perpendicularly to the surface. Therefore, the intrinsic properties of yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase agree with the formation of an enzyme-membrane complex and afford the ability for a specific orientation of the molecule at the lipid bilayer surface or in the cytoplasm.

Chondroitin Sulfates↗
PubMed1999

An inhibitor of exported Mycobacterium tuberculosis glutamine synthetase selectively blocks the growth of pathogenic mycobacteria in axenic culture and in human monocytes: extracellular proteins as potential novel drug targets.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other pathogenic mycobacteria export abundant quantities of proteins into their extracellular milieu when growing either axenically or within phagosomes of host cells. One major extracellular protein, the enzyme glutamine synthetase, is of particular interest because of its link to pathogenicity. Pathogenic mycobacteria, but not nonpathogenic mycobacteria, export large amounts of this protein. Interestingly, export of the enzyme is associated with the presence of a poly-L-glutamate/glutamine structure in the mycobacterial cell wall. In this study, we investigated the influence of glutamine synthetase inhibitors on the growth of pathogenic and nonpathogenic mycobacteria and on the poly-L-glutamate/glutamine cell wall structure. The inhibitor L-methionine-S-sulfoximine rapidly inactivated purified M. tuberculosis glutamine synthetase, which was 100-fold more sensitive to this inhibitor than a representative mammalian glutamine synthetase. Added to cultures of pathogenic mycobacteria, L-methionine- S-sulfoximine rapidly inhibited extracellular glutamine synthetase in a concentration-dependent manner but had only a minimal effect on cellular glutamine synthetase, a finding consistent with failure of the drug to cross the mycobacterial cell wall. Remarkably, the inhibitor selectively blocked the growth of pathogenic mycobacteria, all of which release glutamine synthetase extracellularly, but had no effect on nonpathogenic mycobacteria or nonmycobacterial microorganisms, none of which release glutamine synthetase extracellularly. The inhibitor was also bacteriostatic for M. tuberculosis in human mononuclear phagocytes (THP-1 cells), the pathogen's primary host cells. Paralleling and perhaps underlying its bacteriostatic effect, the inhibitor markedly reduced the amount of poly-L-glutamate/glutamine cell wall structure in M. tuberculosis. Although it is possible that glutamine synthetase inhibitors interact with additional extracellular proteins or structures, our findings support the concept that extracellular proteins of M. tuberculosis and other pathogenic mycobacteria are worthy targets for new antibiotics. Such proteins constitute readily accessible targets of these relatively impermeable organisms, which are rapidly developing resistance to conventional antibiotics.

Aminobutyrates↗
PubMed2004

Roles and regulation of the glutamate racemase isogenes, racE and yrpC, in Bacillus subtilis.

Many bacteria, including Escherichia coli, have a unique gene that encodes glutamate racemase. This enzyme catalyses the formation of d-glutamate, which is necessary for cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis. However, Bacillus subtilis has two glutamate racemase genes, named racE and yrpC. Since racE appears to be indispensable for growth in rich medium, the role of yrpC in d-amino acid synthesis is vague. Experiments with racE- and yrpC-knockout mutants confirmed that racE is essential for growth in rich medium but showed that this gene was dispensable for growth in minimal medium, where yrpC executes the anaplerotic role of racE. LacZ fusion assays demonstrated that racE was expressed in both types of media but yrpC was expressed only in minimal medium, which accounted for the absence of yrpC function in rich medium. Neither racE nor yrpC was required for B. subtilis cells to synthesize poly-gamma-dl-glutamate (gamma-PGA), a capsule polypeptide of d- and l-glutamate linked through a gamma-carboxylamide bond. Wild-type cells degraded the capsule during the late stationary phase without accumulating the degradation products, d-glutamate and l-glutamate, in the medium. In contrast, racE or yrpC mutant cells accumulated significant amounts of d- but not l-glutamate. Exogenous d-glutamate utilization was somewhat defective in the mutants and the double mutation of race and yrpc severely impaired d-amino acid utilization. Thus, both racemase genes appear necessary to complete the catabolism of exogenous d-glutamate generated from gamma-PGA.

Adaptation, Physiological↗