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PubMed1995

Quantitative structure activity relationships of catechol derivatives on nerve growth factor secretion in L-M cells.

PURPOSE: Although many catechol derivatives are potent stimulators of Nerve Growth Factor synthesis in L-M cells, not much is known about their mechanism of action. In order to obtain a Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR), AM1 quantum mechanical calculations were performed on a group of 23 catechol derivatives with different levels of activity. METHODS: A set of 18 parameters/descriptors were obtained by AM1 quantum mechanical calculations for each catechol derivative. Linear combinations of the calculated descriptors were fitted to the activity (as extracted from literature data) of the compounds by using simple or multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Good correlation with activity was obtained for specific parameters such as the adiabatic ionization potential and other 'oxidation'-related descriptors of the molecules while poor correlation was observed for most of the other parameters as, for example, for log P. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that activity is associated with parameters related to the oxidation of the catechol derivatives, strongly supporting recent literature suggesting that an oxidative process is involved in their action.

Catechols↗

PubMed2000

Studies on neurosteroids. Part XIII. Characterization of catechol estrogens in rat brains using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry.

The existence of catechol estrogens in rat brains was clarified using liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-ion trap-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS2). The catechol estrogens were extracted in the presence of ascorbic acid and then derivatized to acetates with acetic anhydride and pyridine. After a successive purification with silica gel mini-column chromatography, reversed-phase solid-phase extraction and preparative HPLC, the obtained fractions containing the catechol estrogen acetates were subjected to LC-APCI-MS2. 2-Hydroxyestrone, 2-hydroxyestradiol and their 4-hydroxy isomers were identified as acetates by comparison with authentic samples based on their chromatographic behavior and mass spectral data. The derivatization to acetate was useful for the treatment of labile catechol estrogens.

Acetates↗

PubMed2004

Synthesis of chlorinated and non-chlorinated biphenyl-2,3- and 3,4-catechols and their [2H3]-isotopomers.

A synthetic scheme is described for chlorinated biphenyl-2,3- and 3,4-catechols to be used as standards for structural assignment of metabolites and protein adducts of 2,2',5,5'-tetrachlorobiphenyl in which both rings retain chlorine substituents. The scheme has general applicability to the synthesis of chlorinated biphenyl catechols. Dimethyl catechol ethers are coupled to dichloroaniline via the Cadogan reaction to give a library of isomers, followed by demethylation of the ethers with BBr3 to yield the target catechols. Separation of pure isomers is accomplished by TLC or HPLC prior to or following demethylation, depending on the isomer mixture. [2H3]-Isotopomers are generated using 2,5-dichloroaniline-d3 as the starting arylamine in the coupling reaction. The dichloroaniline-d3 hydrochloride is obtained as the sole product from nitration of p-dichlorobenzene-d4 followed by Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation under strongly acidic conditions. This hydrogenation procedure provides a simple and convenient approach to selective reduction of aryl nitro groups in the presence of halogen ring substituents.

Biphenyl Compounds↗

PubMed2005

Catechol releases iron(III) from ferritin by direct chelation without iron(II) production.

It has been traditionally considered that catechols release iron from ferritin by reduction to iron(II), which diffuses through the ferritin channels into the intracellular milieu where it participates in the Fenton reaction, producing highly toxic hydroxyl radicals. However, in the present work we have proved that the mechanism of the release of iron from ferritin by catechol does not take place by iron(II) reduction but by direct iron(III) chelation and therefore without iron(II) production. A possible extension of these findings to other catechols is discussed on the basis of the stability with respect to the internal redox reaction of the iron(III)-catechol complexes.

Catechols↗

PubMed2005

Spin crossover of ferric complexes with catecholate derivatives. Single-crystal X-ray structure, magnetic and Mössbauer investigations.

Complexes of general formula [(TPA)Fe(R-Cat)]X.nS were synthesised with different catecholate derivatives and anions (TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine, R-Cat2- = 4,5-(NO2)2-Cat2- denoted DNC(2-); 3,4,5,6-Cl4-Cat2- denoted TCC2-; 3-OMe-Cat(2-); 4-Me-Cat(2-) and X = BPh4-; NO3-; PF6-; ClO4-; S = solvent molecule). Their magnetic behaviours in the solid state show a general feature along the series, viz., the occurrence of a thermally-induced spin crossover process. The transition curves are continuous with transition temperatures ranging from ca. 84 to 257 K. The crystal structures of [(TPA)Fe(DNC)]X (X = PF6-; BPh4-) and [(TPA)Fe(TCC)]X.nS (X = PF6-; NO3- and n= 1, S = H2O; ClO4- and n= 1, S = H2O; BPh4- and n= 1, S = C3H6O) were solved at 100 (or 123 K) and 293 K. For those two systems, the characteristics of the [FeN(4)O(2)] coordination core and those of the dioxolene ligands appear to be consistent with a prevailing Fe(III)-catecholate formulation. This feature is in contrast with the large quantum mixing between Fe(III)-catecholate and Fe(II)-semiquinonate forms recently observed with the more electron donating simple catecholate dianion. The thermal spin crossover process is accompanied by significant changes of the molecular structures as shown by the average variation of the metal-ligand bond distances which can be extrapolated for a complete spin conversion from ca. 0.123 to 0.156 A. The different space groups were retained in the low- and high-temperature phases.

Catechols↗

PubMed1977

Isolation of mutants with altered metabolic control of the NAH plasmid-encoded catechol meta-cleavage pathway.

Two types of mutants which displayed altered regulation of the NAH catabolic plasmid-encoded catechol meta-cleavage pathway were isolated in Pseudomonas putida. Altered metabolic control was indicated by assay of catechol 2,3-dioxygenase. In one type of mutant the catechol 2,3-dioxygenase was synthesized constitutively. In the other type the range of carbon sources which induce the catechol 2,3-dioxygenase was increased.

Catechols↗

PubMed2003

Development of new insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor kinase inhibitors using catechol mimics.

Because insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and its receptor play a pivotal role in many cancers, it is an attractive target for the design of inhibitors. Here we present a new family of bioisostere inhibitors, based on the structure of AG 538. AG 538 is a substrate-competitive inhibitor of the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R), with an IC50 = 61 nM in a cell-free kinase assay (Blum, G., Gazit, A., and Levitzki, A. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 15705-15712). AG 538 is a low molecular weight compound containing two catechol rings, which are sensitive to oxidation in cells. We have therefore prepared and examined catechol bioisosteres of AG 538. These AG 538 bioisosteres possess similar biological properties to AG 538; they inhibit IGF-1R by a substrate-competitive mechanism and are non-competitive vis à vis ATP. They inhibit IGF-1R kinase activity in the sub-micromolar concentration range in cell-free assays. IGF-1 induced IGF-1R autophosphorylation; IRS-1 phosphorylation and protein kinase B activation are inhibited at a low micromolar concentration range when applied to intact cells. These inhibitors also block the formation of colonies in soft agar by prostate and breast cancer cells. The ability to replace catechol groups with a moiety that is more stable in cells may aid in developing non-catechol-containing substrate-competitive inhibitors targeted toward IGF-1R and possibly against other protein-tyrosine kinases.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed2001

Rapid conversion of tea catechins to monomethylated products by rat liver cytosolic catechol-O-methyltransferase.

1. The metabolic O-methylation of several catechol-containing tea polyphenols by rat liver cytosolic catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) has been studied. 2. When (-)-epicatechin was used as substrate, its O-merthylation showed dependence on incubation time, cytosolic protein concentration, incubation pH and concentration of S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The O-methylation of increasing concentrations of (-)-epicatechin followed typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and the apparent Km and Vmax were 51 microM and 2882 pmol mg protein(-1) min(-1), respectively, at pH 7.4, and were 17 microM and 2093 pmol mg protein(-1) min(-1), respectively, at pH 10.0. 3. Under optimized conditions for in vitro O-methylation, (-)-epicatechin, (+)-epicatechin and (-)-epigallocatechin were rapidly O-methylated by rat liver cytosol. In comparison, (-)-epicatechin gallate and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate vere O-methylated at significantly lower rates under the same reaction conditions. catalysed O-methylation of (-)-epicatechin and (-)-epigallocatechin was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner by S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine, a demethylated product of S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The IC50 was approximately 10 microM. 5. In summary, the results showed that several catechol-containing tea polyphenols were rapidly O-methylated by rat liver cytosolic COMT. These observations raise the possibility that some of the biological effects of tea polyphenols may be exerted by their O-methylated products or may result from their potential inhibition of the COMT-catalysed O-methylation of endogenous catecholamines and catechol oestrogens.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dose-dependent induction of glandular stomach preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions in male F344 rats treated with catechol chronically.

The dose-dependence of catechol glandular stomach carcinogenesis was investigated in male F344 rats. Groups of 30 male animals were fed catechol at dietary levels of 0 (control). 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8% for up to 104 weeks. Five rats of each group were killed at 34 weeks and the remaining animals were sacrificed at the termination, all undergoing histopathological examination. Moderate retardation of body weight increase was observed in the 0.8% group. but no adverse effects were found in terms of survival. Submucosal hyperplasias and adenomas of the pyloric glands developed in the 0.4 and 0.8% groups, only very minor changes being noted in the 0.1 and 0.2% groups at week 34. Incidences of adenocarcinoma development in the pylorus were 4% and 8% in 0.4% and 0.8% groups, respectively, and 0 in the 0.1% and 0.2% groups, at the termination. Adenomas and submucosal hyperplasias were found in nearly all animals fed 0.2% catechol or more, the incidences of those in 0.1% group being 0% and 56%, respectively. Serum gastrin levels were significantly increased in the 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8% groups at 34 weeks, and in all treated groups at the termination, at extents comparable with the induction of proliferative lesions in the pylorus. The results thus demonstrated that dietary levels of 0.4% and 0.8% catechol long-term induce adenocarcinomas in the pyloric glands, while 0.1 and 0.2% cause benign proliferative lesions, all accompanied by increase in serum gastrin levels. As a no-effect level could not be decided in the present study, further investigation of lower doses is needed to determine whether a threshold exists.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2002

Inhibition of NADPH oxidase activation in endothelial cells by ortho-methoxy-substituted catechols.

NADPH oxidase is a major enzymatic source of oxygen free radicals in stimulated endothelial cells (ECs). The ortho-methoxy-substituted catechol, apocynin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyacetophenone), isolated from the traditional medicinal plant Picrorhiza kurroa, inhibits the release of superoxide anion (O2*-) by this enzyme. The compound acts by blocking the assembly of a functional NADPH oxidase complex. The underlying chemistry of this inhibitory activity, and its physiological significance to EC proliferation, have been investigated. A critical event is the reaction of ortho-methoxy-substituted catechols with reactive oxygen species (ROS) and peroxidase. Analysis of this reaction reveals that apocynin is converted to a symmetrical dimer through the formation of a 5,5' carbon-carbon bond. Both reduced glutathione and L-cysteine inhibit this dimerization process. Catechols without the ortho-methoxy-substituted group do not undergo this chemical reaction. Superoxide production by an endothelial cell-free system incubated with apocynin was nearly completely inhibited after a lagtime for inhibition of ca. 2 min. Conversely, O2*- production was nearly completely inhibited, without a lagtime, by incubation with the dimeric form of apocynin. The apocynin dimer undergoes a two-electron transfer reaction with standard redox potentials of -0.75 and -1.34 V as determined by cyclic voltammetry. Inhibition of endothelial NADPH oxidase by apocynin caused a dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation. These findings identify a metabolite of an ortho-methoxy-substituted catechol, which may be the active compound formed within stimulated ECs that prevents NADPH oxidase complex assembly and activation.

Acetophenones↗

PubMed1997

Formation of catechol estrogen glutathione conjugates and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-dependent nephrotoxicity of 17beta-estradiol in the golden Syrian hamster.

In an animal model of hormone-mediated carcinogenesis, male golden Syrian hamsters develop renal carcinoma following prolonged exposure to 17beta-estradiol. The basis for the species and tissue specificity is unclear. Detailed information on the disposition of 17beta-estradiol in this model is lacking. Because catechol estrogens have been implicated in this model of carcinogenesis, we investigated the metabolism and nephrotoxicity of 17beta-estradiol in golden Syrian hamsters, with emphasis on the formation of catechol estrogen thioethers. 17beta-Estradiol (50 micromol/kg, i.p.) is a mild nephrotoxicant, causing significant elevations in the urinary excretion of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT), alkaline phosphatase, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glucose. Increases in renal protein carbonyls and lipid hydroperoxides, which are markers of oxidative damage, also occur after administration of 17beta-estradiol (50 micromol/kg, i.p.). 17beta-Estradiol-mediated nephrotoxicity is reduced by treating animals with acivicin, an inhibitor of gamma-GT, implying that toxicity is mediated by metabolites requiring metabolism by this enzyme. Following administration of 17beta-[14C]estradiol (100 micromol/kg) to hamsters, 9.7% of the dose is recovered in bile after 5 h, the majority (7.9%) representing aqueous metabolites. Seven catechol estrogen GSH conjugates were identified, 2-hydroxy-1,4-bis-(glutathion-S-yl)-17beta-estradiol, 2-hydroxy-4-(glutathion-S-yl)-17beta-estradiol, 2-hydroxy-4-(glutathion-S-yl)-estrone, 4-hydroxy-1-(glutathion-S-yl)-estrone, 2-hydroxy-1-(glutathion-S-yl)-estrone, 4-hydroxy-1-(glutathion-S-yl)-17beta-estradiol, and 2-hydroxy-1-(glutathion-S-yl)-17beta-estradiol. At 5.4 micromol/kg of 17beta-estradiol, a dose-reflective of daily exposure levels in the hamster model of nephrocarcinogenicity, 12% of the dose is recovered within 5 h as a combination of GSH conjugates of 2- and 4-hydroxy-17beta-estradiol and 2- and 4-hydroxyestrone. In summary, oxidation of catechol estrogens, followed by GSH conjugation, occurs in vivo and 17beta-estradiol is a mild nephrotoxicant in a manner dependent on the activity of gamma-GT.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed1998

Carcinogenicity of antioxidants BHA, caffeic acid, sesamol, 4-methoxyphenol and catechol at low doses, either alone or in combination, and modulation of their effects in a rat medium-term multi-organ carcinogenesis model.

The carcinogenicity of low dietary levels of the antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), caffeic acid, sesamol, 4-methoxyphenol (4-MP) and catechol, known to target the forestomach or glandular stomach, were examined alone or in combination in a 2-year long-term experiment and their modifying effects assessed in a medium-term multiorgan model. In the carcinogenicity study, groups of 30-31 male F344 rats were treated with 0.4% BHA, 0.4% caffeic acid, 0.4% sesamol, 0.4% 4-MP and 0.16% catechol either alone or in combination for up to 104 weeks and then killed. In the medium-term multi-organ model, groups of 10 to 15 male F344 rats were given diethylnitrosamine (DEN), N-methylnitrosourea (MNU), 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH), N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN) and 2,2'-dihydroxy-di-n-propylnitrosamine (DHPN) for a total multiple initiation period of 4 weeks (DMBDD treatment). BHA, caffeic acid, sesamol and 4-MP, each at doses of 0.4% or 0.08%, and catechol at doses of 0.16% or 0.032% were administered in the diet either alone or in combination after completion of the initiation regimen. All surviving animals were killed at the end of week 28, and major organs were examined histopathologically. In the carcinogenicity study, slightly increased incidences of forestomach papillomas were found in the sesamol- (15.8%), caffeic acid- (14.8%), catechol- (3%) and 4-MP- (11.5%) treated groups as compared with basal diet (0%), and a significant increase was observed with the five antioxidants in combination (42.9%, P < 0.001). In a medium-term multiorgan carcinogenesis model, incidences of forestomach papillomas and/or carcinomas were increased in each high dose group, but additive or synergistic effects were not found in the combination group. In the low dose case, the incidence of forestomach papillomas was significantly increased only in the combination group. With regard to other organs, the incidence of colon tumors was significantly decreased only in the high dose combination group. The results indicate that even at low dose levels phenolic compounds can exert additive/synergistic effect on carcinogenesis.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Resveratrol inhibits TCDD-induced expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 and catechol estrogen-mediated oxidative DNA damage in cultured human mammary epithelial cells.

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene), a naturally occurring phytoalexin present in grapes and other foods, has been reported to possess chemopreventive effects as revealed by its striking inhibition of diverse cellular events associated with tumor initiation, promotion and progression. In our present study, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), when treated with the cultured human mammary epithelial (MCF-10A) cells, induced the expression of cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and 1B1 (CYP1B1) that are responsible for the oxidation of 17beta-estradiol to produce catechol estrogens. Resveratrol strongly inhibited the TCDD-induced aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) DNA binding activity, the expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 and their catalytic activities in MCF-10A cells. It also reduced the formation of 2-hydroxyestradiol and 4-hydroxyestradiol from 17beta-estradiol by recombinant human CYP1A1 and CYP1B1, respectively. Furthermore, resveratrol significantly attenuated the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and oxidative DNA damage as well as the cytotoxicity induced by the catechol estrogens. Our data suggest that CYP1A1- and CYP1B1-catalyzed catechol estrogen formation might play a key role in TCDD-induced oxidative damage, and resveratrol can act as a potential chemopreventive against dioxin-induced human mammary carcinogenesis by blocking the metabolic formation of the catechol estrogens and scavenging the ROS generated during their redox cycling.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗

PubMed2005

Inhibition of DNA methylation by caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid, two common catechol-containing coffee polyphenols.

We studied the modulating effects of caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid (two common coffee polyphenols) on the in vitro methylation of synthetic DNA substrates and also on the methylation status of the promoter region of a representative gene in two human cancer cells lines. Under conditions that were suitable for the in vitro enzymatic methylation of DNA and dietary catechols, we found that the presence of caffeic acid or chlorogenic acid inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner the DNA methylation catalyzed by prokaryotic M.SssI DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) and human DNMT1. The IC50 values of caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid were 3.0 and 0.75 microM, respectively, for the inhibition of M.SssI DNMT-mediated DNA methylation, and were 2.3 and 0.9 microM, respectively, for the inhibition of human DNMT1-mediated DNA methylation. The maximal in vitro inhibition of DNA methylation was approximately 80% when the highest concentration (20 microM) of caffeic acid or chlorogenic acid was tested. Kinetic analyses showed that DNA methylation catalyzed by M.SssI DNMT or human DNMT1 followed the Michaelis-Menten curve patterns. The presence of caffeic acid or chlorogenic acid inhibited DNA methylation predominantly through a non-competitive mechanism, and this inhibition was largely due to the increased formation of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH, a potent inhibitor of DNA methylation), resulting from the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT)-mediated O-methylation of these dietary catechols. Using cultured MCF-7 and MAD-MB-231 human breast cancer cells, we also demonstrated that treatment of these cells with caffeic acid or chlorogenic acid partially inhibited the methylation of the promoter region of the RARbeta gene. The findings of our present study provide a general mechanistic basis for the notion that a variety of dietary catechols can function as inhibitors of DNA methylation through increased formation of SAH during the COMT-mediated O-methylation of these dietary chemicals.

Antioxidants↗

PubMed1995

Overexpression of Pseudomonas putida catechol 2,3-dioxygenase with high specific activity by genetically engineered Escherichia coli.

The cloned xylE gene encoding catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (metapyrocatechase) from TOL plasmid in Pseudomonas putida mt-2 has been expressed in Escherichia coli W3110 to a level of approximately 15% of the total soluble protein. Of the total iron in the crude extract, 45% was on the enzyme. The crystallized enzyme from E. coli had higher iron content (3.7 mol/mol enzyme) and specific activity (536 U/mg) than the enzyme from P. putida mt-2. However, no differences were observed in physicochemical, protein-chemical, and kinetic properties between the two enzymes. The enzyme was a homotetramer, and no changes were observed in the values of M(r) (136,000 +/- 5,000) and Stokes radius (4.26 nm) in the concentration range from 0.36 nM to 2.8 microM, indicating that the native enzyme neither dissociated into subunits nor polymerized in this range. The catalytic center activity and the Km values for catechol and dioxygen were 278 s-1, 1.87 and 7.45 microM, respectively, at pH 7.5 and 25 degrees C. The enzyme showed a broad substrate specificity. Among substrates, 4-methylcatechol and 4-chlorocatechol showed specificity constants (approximately 200 microM-1.s-1) higher than that for catechol. Acetone and phenol derivatives competitively inhibited the activity against catechol. The relationship between specific activity and iron content was not linear, suggesting some conformational changes in the partially iron-depleted enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1997

Catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism: frequency analysis in Han Chinese subjects and allelic association of the low activity allele with bipolar affective disorder.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase catalyses the O-methylation of biologically active or toxic catechols and is a major component of the metabolism of drugs and neurotransmitters such as L-dopa, noradrenaline, adrenaline, and dopamine. Human catechol-O-methyltransferase activity is an autosomal partially dominant trait and is strongly associated with a valine to methionine substitution at codon 158 of the protein. About 25% of Caucasians have low activity, 50% intermediate activity and 25% high activity as determined by either phenotypic or genotypic measurement. In black populations, the low activity allele (Met158; COMTL) is less frequent with about 7% being homozygous. Using a PCR based genotyping assay, we report that the Met158 allele is also less frequent in normal Han Chinese subjects with about 3% of the population being homozygous. Because of its role in catecholamine metabolism and several lines of evidence pointing to a locus for psychosis near the COMT gene on chromosome 22q11, we have analysed the COMT Val158Met polymorphism as a candidate susceptibility factor for bipolar affective disorder. We report an association between bipolar affective disorder and the Met158 allele (p = 0.004) and genotype (p = 0.01) in 93 affected Chinese subjects and 98 controls. We hypothesize that either the low activity allele of catechol-O-methyltransferase is a risk factor for bipolar affective disorder in Chinese populations or is in linkage disequilibrium with a nearby susceptibility gene or polymorphism.

Bipolar Disorder↗

PubMed2005

Further tests of the association between schizophrenia and single nucleotide polymorphism markers at the catechol-O-methyltransferase locus in an Askenazi Jewish population using microsatellite markers.

Association studies are now primarily being conducted with single nucleotide polymorphisms because they are present everywhere in the genome and can be genotyped in "high throughput" formats. Microsatellite markers have a higher degree of polymorphism than single nucleotide polymorphisms and have been widely used in both linkage and association studies of disease. Polymorphic microsatellite markers with several alleles can readily detect linkage disequilibrium but at any given locus there may be differences between single nucleotide polymorphisms and microsatellites in their power to detect linkage disequilibrium because of the evolutionary history of the locus, especially the rate at which both the single nucleotide polymorphisms and microsatellite polymorphisms have mutated and the number of disease mutations and their history. In the current study, we examined the efficiency of microsatellite markers in association analysis by looking at all existent microsatellite markers in the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene region and by genotyping these microsatellites in a large cohort of schizophrenia patients and healthy controls, a subset of a sample where catechol-O-methyltransferase and schizophrenia were found to be associated. We also estimated the levels of linkage disequilibrium between these microsatellites and the previously reported single nucleotide polymorphisms (within the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene) found to be associated with schizophrenia. A modest allelic association of P=0.041 was found between schizophrenia and the microsatellite marker D22S944, which was not significant, however, when corrected for all microsatellites tested. Nevertheless, significant linkage disequilibrium was found between this marker and the three single nucleotide polymorphisms within the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene that displayed association with the disease in the previously published research on this sample. Significant linkage disequilibrium was also observed between microsatellites up to approximately 300 kb distant from those single nucleotide polymorphisms. Although significant, the extent of linkage disequilibrium in terms of r2 was small (in the order of 0.01).

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1991

Degradation of 2-methylaniline in Rhodococcus rhodochrous: cloning and expression of two clustered catechol 2,3-dioxygenase genes from strain CTM.

Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain CTM degrades 2-methylaniline mainly via the meta-cleavage pathway. Conversion of the metabolite 3-methylcatechol was catalysed by an Mr 156,000 catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (C23OI) comprising four identical subunits of Mr 39,000. The corresponding gene was detected by using an oligonucleotide as a gene probe. This oligonucleotide was synthesized on the basis of a partial amino acid sequence obtained from the purified enzyme from R. rhodochrous. The structural gene of C23OI was located on a 3.5 kb BglII restriction fragment of plasmid pTC1. On the same restriction fragment the gene for a second catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, designated C23OII, was found. This gene coded for the synthesis of the Mr 40,000 polypeptide of the Mr 158,000 tetrameric C23OII. More precise mapping of the structural genes showed that the C23OI gene was located on a 1.2 kb BglII-SmaI fragment and the C23OII gene on the adjacent 1.15 kb SmaI fragment. Comprehensive substrate range analysis showed that C23OII accepted all the substrates that C23OI did, but additionally cleaved 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl and catechols derived from phenylcarboxylic acids. C23OI exhibited highest activity towards methylcatechols, whereas C23OII cleaved unsubstituted catechol preferentially.

Aniline Compounds↗