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Cationic charge-dependent hepatic delivery of amidated serum albumin.

To obtain a quantitative correlation between the physicochemical properties of amidated bovine serum albumin (BSA) and their tissue distribution characteristics for the development of targeted delivery of proteins, BSA was amidated with hexamethylenediamine (HMD) or ethylenediamine (ED) to obtain cationized BSAs. Their structural changes were examined by spectroscopic and electrophoretic techniques then their tissue distribution was studied in mice. Circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence measurements showed that spectroscopic changes occurred as the number of free NH2 groups increased. Capillary electrophoresis revealed a linear relationship between the mobility and the increased number of free NH2 groups. 111In-cationized BSAs were rapidly taken up by liver, but HMD-BSA showed a faster uptake than ED-BSA with a similar number of free NH2 groups, suggesting that the diamine reagent with a longer carboxyl side chain results in more efficient hepatic targeting. The hepatic uptake clearance (CL(liver)) of both derivatives increased significantly with a decrease in electrophoretic mobility (mu(ep)) towards the anode and reached a plateau at low electrophoretic mobility. The electrophoretic mobility is an appropriate indicator of the degree of amidation, which was closely correlated with the hepatic uptake clearance. The correlation between the mobility and the clearance shows that a low degree of amidation is sufficient for efficient hepatic targeting of proteins.

Amides↗

Effects of co-operative ligand binding on protein amide NH hydrogen exchange.

Amide protection factors have been determined from NMR measurements of hydrogen/deuterium amide NH exchange rates measured on assigned signals from Lactobacillus casei apo-DHFR and its binary and ternary complexes with trimethoprim (TMP), folinic acid and coenzymes (NADPH/NADP(+)). The substantial sizes of the residue-specific DeltaH and TDeltaS values for the opening/closing events in NH exchange for most of the measurable residues in apo-DHFR indicate that sub-global or global rather than local exchange mechanisms are usually involved. The amide groups of residues in helices and sheets are those most protected in apo-DHFR and its complexes, and the protection factors are generally related to the tightness of ligand binding. The effects of ligand binding that lead to changes in amide protection are not localised to specific binding sites but are spread throughout the structure via a network of intramolecular interactions. Although the increase in protein stability in the DHFR.TMP.NADPH complex involves increased ordering in the protein structure (requiring TDeltaS energy) this is recovered, to a large extent, by the stronger binding (enthalpic DeltaH) interactions made possible by the reduced motion in the protein. The ligand-induced protection effects in the ternary complexes DHFR.TMP.NADPH (large positive binding co-operativity) and DHFR.folinic acid.NADPH (large negative binding co-operativity) mirror the co-operative effects seen in the ligand binding. For the DHFR.TMP.NADPH complex, the ligand-induced protection factors result in DeltaDeltaG(o) values for many residues being larger than the DeltaDeltaG(o) values in the corresponding binary complexes. In contrast, for DHFR.folinic acid.NADPH, the DeltaDeltaG(o) values are generally smaller than many of those in the corresponding binary complexes. The results indicate that changes in protein conformational flexibility on formation of the ligand complex play an important role in determining the co-operativity in the ligand binding.

Amides↗

Lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary inflammation is not accompanied by a release of anandamide into the lavage fluid or a down-regulation of the activity of fatty acid amide hydrolase.

The effect of lipopolysaccharide inhalation upon lung anandamide levels, anandamide synthetic enzymes and fatty acid amide hydrolase has been investigated. Lipopolysaccharide exposure produced a dramatic extravasation of neutrophils and release of tumour necrosis factor alpha into the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, which was not accompanied by epithelial cell injury. The treatment, however, did not change significantly the levels of anandamide and the related compound palmitoylethanolamide in the cell-free fraction of the BAL fluid. The activities of the anandamide synthetic enzymes N-acyltransferase and N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D and the activity of fatty acid amide hydrolase in lung membrane fractions did not change significantly following the exposure to lipopolysaccharide. The non-selective fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride was a less potent inhibitor of lung fatty acid amide hydrolase than expected from the literature, and a dose of 30 mg/kg i.p. of this compound, which produced a complete inhibition of brain anandamide metabolism, only partially inhibited the lung metabolic activity.

Acyltransferases↗

Expression and purification of antimicrobial peptide adenoregulin with C-amidated terminus in Escherichia coli.

Adenoregulin is a 33 amino acid antimicrobial peptide isolated from the skin of the arboreal frog Phyllomedusa bicolor. Natural adenoregulin is synthesized with an amidated valine residue at C-terminus and shows lethal effects against filamentous fungi, as well as a broad spectrum of pathogenic microorganisms. A synthetic gene for adenoregulin (ADR) with an additional amino acid glutamine at C-terminus was cloned into pET32a vector to allow expression of ADR as a Trx fusion protein in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The resulting expression level of the fusion protein could reach up to 20% of the total cell proteins. The fusion protein could be purified effectively by Ni2+-chelating chromatography. Released from the fusion protein by enterokinase cleavage and purified to homogeneity, the recombinant ADR displayed antimicrobial activity similar to that of the synthetic ADR reported earlier. Comparing the antimicrobial activities of the recombinant adenoregulin with C-amidated terminus to that without an amidated C-terminus, we found that the amide of glutamine at C-terminus of ADR improved its potency on certain microorganisms such as Tritirachium album and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Amides↗

Targeted lipidomics: fatty acid amides and pain modulation.

Mass spectrometric approaches to the identification and quantification of lipid signalling molecules are reviewed. Fatty acid amides are an important new class of lipid signalling molecules which include oleamide, the endocannabinoid anandamide, the endovanilloid/endocannabinoid N-arachidonoyldopamine (NADA) and the endovanilloid N-oleoyldopamine (OLDA) among many others. This diverse group of endogenous compounds comprises combinations of acyl backbones coupled by an amide bond to any of a variety of different small polar molecules such as ethanolamine, various amino acids, and catecholamines. Many fatty acid amides appear to play a role in pain and inflammation. Targeted lipidomics of fatty acid amides aims to identify new members of this diverse class of compounds, of which only a few representative molecules have been characterized to date. This effort has been made feasible by advances in chromatography and mass spectrometry, which permits: (1) identification of compounds present in complex mixtures, (2) astronomical increases in sensitivity due to miniaturization of HPLC components, and (3) novel scanning modes that permit the identification of compounds exhibiting similar structural components. Insofar as lipid signalling molecules such as prostanoids, leukotrienes and endocannabinoids operate via G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR), it appears likely that many of the numerous lipids awaiting identification may serve as ligands for any of the greater than 150 orphan GPCRs.

Amides↗

Dioxygenation of N-linoleoyl amides by soybean lipoxygenase-1.

Anandamide, a novel neurotransmitter, has been reported to be dioxygenated by brain lipoxygenase [1,11]. Anandamides constitute a new class of neuroregulatory fatty acid amides. However, little is known about the enzymatic dioxygenation of these lipids. Therefore, we have tested several members of the neuroactive fatty acid amide class containing a 1Z,4Z-pentadiene system whether they could be dioxygenated by soybean lipoxygenase-1, which is a model enzyme for mammalian lipoxygenases. In this study it was found that lipoxygenase-1 converts N-linoleoylethanolamide (ODNHEtOH), N-linoleoylamide (ODNH2), N-linoleoylmethylamide (ODNHMe) and N,N-linoleoyldimethylamide (ODN(Me)2 into 13-(S)-hydroperoxy-9Z,11E-octadeca-9,11-dienoyl amides derivatives. The apparent Km values for ODNHEtOH (23.6 +/- 3.7 microM), ODNH2 (8.60 +/- 0.65 microM) and linioleic acid (OD: 8.85 +/- 0.74 microM) are not significantly different. The k(cat) for ODNH2 (32.4 +/- 1.2 s(-1)) is twice as small as compared to the turnover numbers of the other substrates, viz. ODNHEtOH (61.6 +/- 5.0 s(-1)) and OD (54.4 +/- 2.0 s(-1). The results suggest that N-linoleoyl ethanolamide and N-linoleoyl amide can be readily converted by lipoxygenases in vivo.

Amides↗

The effect of hydroxylation of linoleoyl amides on their cannabinomimetic properties.

As yet, the physiological significance of hydroxylation of anandamide and linoleoyl amides is unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether hydroxylation of ODNHEtOH and ODNH2 influences their binding abilities to the CB-1 receptor and whether it alters their reactivity towards a fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) from rat brain. Neither the fatty acid amides nor their hydroxylated derivatives were able to displace the potent cannabinoid [3H]CP 55.940 from the CB-1 receptor (Ki > 1 microM). Hydroxylation of ODNHEtOH resulted in a strong reduction of the maximum rate of hydrolysis by a FAAH, but the affinity of FAAH for the substrate remained of the same order of magnitude. Hydroxylation of ODNH2 led to a decrease in the affinity of FAAH for the substrate, but its maximum rate of conversion was unaffected. Furthermore, hydroxylation of ODNHEtOH enhanced its capacity to inhibit competitively the hydrolysis of anandamide. The resulting prolonged lifetime of anandamide and other fatty acid amide derivatives may have a considerable impact on cellular signal transduction.

Amidohydrolases↗

Determination of the enantiomers of alpha-amino acids and alpha-amino acid amides by high-performance liquid chromatography with a chiral mobile phase.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the enantiomeric analysis of a mixture of an alpha-amino acid and the corresponding acid amide is described. Reversed-phase chromatography with copper(II) acetate and N,N-di-n-propyl-L-alanine in the mobile phase are used for the separation. For Val and Val-NH2, several parameters affecting retention and enantioselectivity were investigated. The results indicate that by manipulation of pH, ionic strength, temperature, concentration of CuII, N,N-di-n-propyl-L-alanine and ion-pairing reagent, good control of enantiomeric separation can be achieved. For alpha-amino acid amides a mechanism is proposed which may account for the retention and enantioselectivity. Examples of enantiomeric analysis of mixtures of alpha-amino acids and alpha-amino acid amides with aliphatic, aromatic and polar side-chains are given. The method can be used for the control of the enantiomeric purity of alpha-amino acids and the corresponding acid amides obtained by enantioselective synthesis.

Amides↗

Dynamics of cAPK type IIbeta activation revealed by enhanced amide H/2H exchange mass spectrometry (DXMS).

cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK) is a key component in numerous cell signaling pathways. The cAPK regulatory (R) subunit maintains the kinase in an inactive state until cAMP saturation of the R-subunit leads to activation of the enzyme. To delineate the conformational changes associated with cAPK activation, the amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange in the cAPK type IIbeta R-subunit was probed by electrospray mass spectrometry. Three states of the R-subunit, cAMP-bound, catalytic (C)-subunit bound, and apo, were incubated in deuterated water for various lengths of time and then, prior to mass spectrometry analysis, subjected to digestion by pepsin to localize the deuterium incorporation. High sequence coverage (>99%) by the pepsin-digested fragments enables us to monitor the dynamics of the whole protein. The effects of cAMP binding on RIIbeta amide hydrogen exchange are restricted to the cAMP-binding pockets, while the effects of C-subunit binding are evident across both cAMP-binding domains and the linker region. The decreased amide hydrogen exchange for residues 253-268 within cAMP binding domain A and for residues 102-115, which include the pseudosubstrate inhibitory site, support the prediction that these two regions represent the conserved primary and peripheral C-subunit binding sites. An increase in amide hydrogen exchange for a broad area within cAMP-binding domain B and a narrow area within cAMP-binding domain A (residues 222-232) suggest that C-subunit binding transmits long-distance conformational changes throughout the protein.

Amides↗

Estimation of protein secondary structure from the laser Raman amide I spectrum.

A new method for estimating protein secondary structure from the laser Raman spectrum has been developed whereby the amide I Raman band of a protein is analyzed directly as a linear combination of amide I bands of proteins whose secondary structures are known. For 14 proteins, analyzed by removing each one from the reference set and analyzing its structure in terms of the remaining proteins, the average correlation coefficients between the Raman and X-ray diffraction estimates of helix, beta-strand, turn, and undefined were 0.98, 0.98, 0.82 and 0.35, respectively. Significant correlations were also observed for distinctions between alpha-helix (0.98) and disordered helix (0.82), and between parallel (0.82) and antiparallel (0.97) beta-sheets. The average standard deviation of these Raman estimates from the X-ray values is less than 4%. In addition, a singular value analysis of 20 Raman amide I spectra indicates that there may be as many as nine significant independent pieces of information present in the amide I region.

Amides↗

Antifungal amides from Piper arboreum and Piper tuberculatum.

In continuation of our study of the Piperaceae we have isolated several amides, mainly those bearing isobutyl, pyrrolidine, dihydropyridone and piperidine moieties. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of extracts from leaves of Piper arboreum yielded two new amides, N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-7(E),9(Z)-pentadienoyl]-pyrrolidine (1), arboreumine (2) together with the known compounds N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-7(E)-pentaenoyl]-pyrrolidine (3) and N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-7(E),9(E)-pentadienoyl]-pyrrolidine (4). Catalytic hydrogenation of 3 yielded the amide N-[10-(13,14-methylenedioxyphenyl)-pentanoyl]-pyrrolidine (5). We also have isolated six amides (6-11) and two antifungal cinnamoyl derivatives (12, 13) from seeds and leaves of Piper tuberculatum. Compounds 1-11 showed antifungal activity as determined by direct bioautography against Cladosporium sphaerospermum while compounds 3-4 and 6-13 also showed antifungal activity against C. cladosporioides.

Amides↗

Structure-activity analysis of brevinin 1E amide, an antimicrobial peptide from Rana esculenta.

Brevinin 1E, consisting of 24 amino acid residues, from Rana esculenta has potent antimicrobial and hemolytic activity. From a structural point of view, this peptide has a N-terminal hydrophobic region, a proline hinge region in the middle and a C-terminal loop region delineated by an intra-disulfide bridge, which is a common structural feature of antimicrobial peptides from Rana species. To investigate the structural features for antimicrobial and hemolytic activity, truncated and linearized brevinin 1E amides were synthesized and characterized. A deletion of three amino acids from the N-terminal region did not greatly affect antimicrobial activity but dramatically reduced hemolytic activity. The contribution of the intra-disulfide bridge to antimicrobial and hemolytic activity was somewhat different between brevinin 1E amide and truncated fragments. In brevinin 1E amide, the elimination of the intra-disulfide bridge did not greatly affect antimicrobial and hemolytic activity whereas the elimination of the intra-disulfide bridge in the truncated fragments did not decrease antimicrobial activity but did decrease hemolytic activity. Circular dichroism spectra and the retention time on the C18 reverse phase column revealed that the intra-disulfide bridge (i, i+6) formed an amphipathic loop which increased hydrophobicity and helped to induce the alpha-helical structure in the membrane-mimetic environment. Even though the intra-disulfide bridge and the N-terminal region were responsible for the alpha-helical structure and hydrophobicity, these two structural features were not essential for antimicrobial activity. The hemolytic activity of brevinin 1E amide and its analogs also correlated well with the retention time rather than the alpha-helicity.

Amides↗

Significance of a carboxyl-terminal amide moiety in the folding and biological activity of crustacean hyperglycemic hormone.

Recombinant peptides related to Pej-SGP-I, one of several crustacean hyperglycemic hormones (CHHs) existing in the kuruma prawn Penaeus japonicus, were expressed in bacterial cells, and then purified after being allowed to refold. Their circular dichroism spectra suggested that the recombinant Pej-SGP-I having a free carboxyl-terminus (rPej-SGP-I-OH) differed slightly in secondary structure from the recombinant Pej-SGP-I having an amidated C-terminus (rPej-SGP-I-amide). The hyperglycemic activity of rPej-SGP-I-amide was comparable to that of natural Pej-SGP-I, whereas rPej-SGP-I-OH showed weaker hyperglycemic activity by approximately one order of magnitude. These results indicate that the C-terminal amide of CHH affects secondary structure and is significant in conferring hyperglycemic activity.

Amides↗

Fatty acid amide hydrolase substrate specificity.

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), also referred to as oleamide hydrolase and anandamide amidohydrolase, is a serine hydrolase responsible for the degradation of endogenous oleamide and anandamide, fatty acid amides that function as chemical messengers. FAAH hydrolyzes a range of fatty acid amides, and the present study examines the relative rates of hydrolysis of a variety of natural and unnatural fatty acid primary amide substrates using pure recombinant rat FAAH.

Amidohydrolases↗

Acyclic amides as estrogen receptor ligands: synthesis, binding, activity and receptor interaction.

We have prepared a series of bisphenolic amides that mimic bibenzyl and homobibenzyl motifs commonly found as substructures in ligands for the estrogen receptor (ER). Representative members were prepared from three classes: N-phenyl benzamides, N-phenyl acetamides, and N-benzyl benzamides; in some cases the corresponding thiocarboxamides and sulfonamides were also prepared. Of these three classes, the N-phenyl benzamides had the highest affinity for ER, the N-phenyl acetamides had lower, and the N-benzyl benzamides were prone to fragmentation via a quinone methide intermediate. In the N-phenyl benzamide series, the highest affinity analogues had bulky N-substituents; a CF3 group, in particular, conferred high affinity. The thiocarboxamides bound better than the corresponding carboxamides and these bound better than the corresponding sulfonamides. Binding affinity comparisons suggest that the p-hydroxy group on the benzoate ring, which contributes most to the binding, is playing the role of the phenolic hydroxyl of estradiol. Computational studies and NMR and X-ray crystallographic analysis indicate that the two anilide systems studied have a strong preference for the s-cis or exo amide conformation, which places the two aromatic rings in a syn orientation. We used this structural template, together with the X-ray structure of the ER ligand binding domain, to elaborate an additional hydrogen bonding site on a benzamide system that elevated receptor binding further. When assayed on the individual ER subtypes, ERalpha and ERbeta, these compounds show modest binding affinity preference for ERalpha. In a reporter gene transfection assay of transcriptional activity, the amides generally have full to nearly full agonist character on ERalpha, but have moderate to full antagonist character on ERbeta. One high affinity carboxamide is 500-fold more potent as an agonist on ERalpha than on ERbeta. This work illustrates that ER ligands having simple amide core structures can be readily prepared, but that high affinity binding requires an appropriate distribution of bulk, polarity, and functionality. The strong conformational preference of the core anilide function in all of these ligands defines a rather rigid geometry for further structural and functional expansion of these series.

Amides↗

Inter- and intra-molecular migration of peptide amide hydrogens during electrospray ionization.

The isotopic exchange of amide hydrogens in proteins in solution strongly depends on the surrounding protein structure, thereby allowing structural studies of proteins by mass spectrometry. However, during electrospray ionization (ESI), gas phase processes may scramble or deplete the isotopic information. These processes have been investigated by on-line monitoring of the exchange of labile deuterium atoms in homopeptides with hydrogens from a solvent suitable for ESI. The relative contribution of intra- and inter-molecular exchange in the gas phase could be studied from their distinct influence on the well-characterized exchange processes in the spraying solution. The deuterium content of individual labile hydrogens was assessed from the isotopic patterns of two consecutive collision-induced dissociation fragments, as observed with a 9.4 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer. Results demonstrate that gas phase exchange in the high-pressure region between the capillary and the skimmer cause substantial depletion of the isotopic information of penta-phenylalanine and penta-aspartic acid. For penta-alanine and hexa-tyrosine, the amide hydrogens located close to the N-terminus are depleted from deuterium during mass analysis. Amide hydrogens located close to the C-terminus still retain the information of the isotopic state in solution, but they are redistributed by intra-molecular exchange of the amide hydrogens with the C-terminal hydroxyl group.

Algorithms↗

Large-scale production of functional human adrenomedullin: expression, cleavage, amidation, and purification.

Human adrenomedullin (hAM) is a 52-amino-acid regulatory peptide containing a six-membered ring structure and an amidated C-terminus, features that are essential for its biological activity. Here, we describe a simple and effective protocol for producing large quantities of highly pure, functional recombinant hAM. A peptide precursor (hAM-Gly) was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with thioredoxin and collected as inclusion bodies. The fusion protein was then digested with BLase, a glutamate-specific endopeptidase, to prepare hAM-Gly. The essential ring structure formed spontaneously, while the terminal amide was generated by conversion of the added glycine residue using peptidylglycine alpha-amidating enzyme. The low solubility of hAM-Gly enabled the use of a selective precipitation/extraction method to generate a product that was 80-90% pure, which was sufficient to proceed with the alpha-amidating enzyme reaction. The resultant hAM was then purified further by column chromatography. The final yield was about 82 mg/L of bacterial culture, and the purity, determined by reverse phase HPLC, was >99.5%. The recombinant hAM was biologically active, eliciting concentration-dependent increases in cAMP in CHO-K1 cells expressing a specific hAM receptor and hypotensive responses when intravenously injected into rats. This new approach to the synthesis of hAM is simpler and more cost-effective for large-scale production than chemical synthesis. It therefore represents a new powerful tool that has the potential to facilitate analysis of the structure and function of hAM, as well as the development of new therapeutic protocols for the treatment of ailments such as hypertension.

Adrenomedullin↗

Protein folding intermediates with rapidly exchangeable amide protons contain authentic hydrogen-bonded secondary structures.

Recent studies on protein folding intermediates by pulsed amide proton exchange and by far-ultraviolet circular dichroism have shown important discrepancies between the secondary structure contents estimated by these two methods at early folding stages. To solve these apparent discrepancies, structural studies have been performed on the isolated, 101 residue long, C-terminal proteolytic domain (F2) of the Escherichia coli tryptophan synthase beta chain, which had previously been reported to behave as an early folding intermediate [Chaffotte, A. F., Cadieux, C., Guillou, Y., & Goldberg, M. E. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 4303-4308]. The secondary structure of F2 has been investigated by far-UV circular dichroism (CD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and NMR. The CD and FTIR spectra clearly indicate that isolated F2 has about 30-45% of its residues involved in secondary structures stabilized by conventional hydrogen bonds. The characteristics of the NMR spectrum (line broadening, absence of structure-induced chemical shifts, absence of nuclear Overhauser effects in the amide region, few dipolar interactions between the side-chain protons) suggest that isolated F2 is oscillating between several conformations in rapid equilibrium. The rate of amide proton exchange has been studied by one-dimensional NMR, which indicates a significant extent of proton protection, with, however, protection factors that can be estimated to be at most 60 and more probably closer to 10. Thus, F2 appears to exist as a molten globule that exhibits very low amide proton protection and yet contains a large fraction of its residues involved in authentic secondary structures stabilized by hydrogen bonds. Such a state is likely to correspond to the earliest structured folding intermediates thus far characterized.

Amides↗