A colorimetric procedure for the determination of aspartic acid.
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The N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor is an intriguing target for the development of drugs with anti-Parkinsonian activity as well as with protective actions against degenerative processes induced by brain ischemia. Amantadine is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease without a well established mechanism of action. We show here that amantadine inhibits, in a non-competitive way, the NMDA receptor-mediated stimulation of acetylcholine release from rat neostriatum in vitro in "therapeutic" (i.e., low micromolar) concentrations. This indicates that amantadine might exert its anti-Parkinsonian effect via blockade of NMDA receptors. Sustained stimulation of NMDA receptors induces so-called excitotoxicity. Recently, it was demonstrated that amantadine is able to inhibit NMDA induced cell death in a neuronal culture. On the basis of these findings it seems worth investigating if amantadine is also able to protect against neurodegenerative processes caused by brain ischemia in vivo.
In order to facilitate structure-function studies of the glucagon receptor by site-directed mutagenesis, we have designed and synthesized a gene for the rat glucagon receptor. The gene codes for the native 485-amino-acid protein but contains 91 unique restriction sites. To characterize gene expression, a highly specific, high affinity antipeptide antibody was prepared against the receptor. The synthetic gene was expressed in transiently transfected monkey kidney (COS-1) cells. COS cells expressing the synthetic receptor gene bound glucagon with affinity and specificity similar to that of hepatocytes containing native receptor. The transfected COS cells also showed increased intracellular cAMP levels in response to glucagon. The functional role of an aspartic acid residue in the NH2-terminal tail of the receptor was tested by site-directed mutagenesis. This site in the related growth hormone releasing factor receptor was shown to be responsible for the little mouse (lit) genetic defect that results in mice of small size with hypoplastic pituitary glands. Mutant glucagon receptors with amino acid replacements of Asp64 were expressed at normal levels in COS cells but failed to bind glucagon. These results indicate that amino acid Asp64 may play a key role in glucagon binding to receptor.
Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase Cel6A is an inverting glycosidase. Structural studies have established that the tunnel-shaped active site of Cel6A contains two aspartic acids, D221 and D175, that are close to the glycosidic oxygen of the scissile bond and at hydrogen-bonding distance from each other. Here, site-directed mutagenesis, X-ray crystallography, and enzyme kinetic studies have been used to confirm the role of residue D221 as the catalytic acid. D175 is shown to affect protonation of D221 and to contribute to the electrostatic stabilization of the partial positive charge in the transition state. Structural and modeling studies suggest that the single-displacement mechanism of Cel6A may not directly involve a catalytic base. The value of (D2O)(V) of 1.16 +/- 0.14 for hydrolysis of cellotriose suggests that the large direct effect expected for proton transfer from the nucleophilic water through a water chain (Grotthus mechanism) is offset by an inverse effect arising from reversibly breaking the short, tight hydrogen bond between D221 and D175 before catalysis.
The genetic basis for a case of familial hyperproinsulinemia has been elucidated recently. It involves a single point mutation in the proinsulin gene resulting in the substitution of aspartic acid for histidine-10 of the B chain of insulin. We have synthesized a human insulin analogue, [AspB10]insulin, corresponding to the mutant proinsulin and evaluated its biological activity. [AspB10]Insulin displayed a binding affinity to insulin receptors in rat liver plasma membranes that was 534 +/- 146% relative to the natural hormone. In lipogenesis assays, the synthetic analogue exhibited a potency that was 435 +/- 144% relative to insulin, which is statistically not different from its binding affinity. Reversed-phase HPLC indicated that the synthetic analogue is more apolar than natural insulin. We suggest that the observed properties reflect changes in the conformation of the analogue relative to natural insulin, which result in a stronger interaction with the insulin receptor. Thus, a single substitution of an amino acid residue of human insulin has resulted in a superactive hormone.
Two derivatives of the C-terminal tripeptide of gastrin devoid of -NH2 from the phenylalanyl residue and of -COOH from the aspartic acid, MBOC-Met.Asn.Phe-OH (I) and MBOC-Met.Asp-OBenz.Phe-OMe (II), stimulated gastric acid secretion in the dog when infused intravenously at doses of 100 to 400 mug/kg-hr. Maximal responses induced by I and II were about 30-40% of that induced by the C-terminal tetrapeptide of gastrin. At a dose of 600 mug/kg-hr, I had an inhibitory action while II initially augmented and then inhibited acid production. Neither the C-terminal amide nor the carboxyl group of the aspartyl residue is essential for the gastric stimulatory activity of gastrin peptides.
The sequence of the heavy chain C region of mouse mutant IgG2a antibodies with reduced capacity for C1q binding but with retained ability for Fc receptor-mediated functions was determined by cDNA cloning and by mRNA sequencing. The specific mutation was found to be the substitution of asparagine324 with aspartic acid. Asparagine324 represents a new residue relating to the C1q-binding sites previously described.
This study focuses on the molecular level interpretation of the selective gas-phase cleavage at aspartic acid residues (Asp) in protonated peptides. A phi3P+CH2C(=O)group (phi = 2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl) is attached to the N-terminal nitrogen of the selected peptides LDIFSDF and LDIFSDFR, via solid-phase synthesis, to "mimic" the tightly held charge of a protonated arginine (Arg) residue. Collision-induced dissociation in a quadrupole ion trap instrument and surface-induced dissociation in a dual quadrupole instrument were performed for electrospray-generated ions of the fixed-charge peptide derivatives. Selective cleavages at Asp-Xxx are observed for those ions with charge provided only by the fixed charge or for those with a fixed charge and one Arg plus one added proton. This supports a previously proposed mechanism which suggests that the cleavages at Asp-Xxx, initiated by the acidic hydrogen of the Asp residue, become significant when ionizing protons are strongly bound by Arg in the protonated peptides. It is clear that the fixed charge is indeed serving as a "mimic" of protonated Arg and that a protonated Arg side chain is not required to interact with the Asp to induce cleavage at Asp-Xxx. When the number of protons exceeds the number of Arg in a peptide containing Arg and Asp, nonselective cleavages occur. The fragmentation efficiency of the peptides is consistent with the idea that these nonselective cleavages are promoted by a mobile proton. The peptide with a fixed charge and one added proton, [phi3P+CH2C(=O)-LDIFSDF + H]2+, fragments much more efficiently than the corresponding peptide with a fixed charge, an Arg and one added proton, [phi3P+CH2C(=O)-LDIFSDFR + H]2+; both of these fragment more efficiently than the peptide with a fixed charge and no added proton, phi3P+CH2C(=O)-LDIFSDF. MS/MS/MS (i.e., MS3) experimental results for bn ions formed at Asp-Xxx from phi3P+CH2C(=O)-LDIFSDF and its H/D exchange derivative, phi3P+CH2C(=O)-LDIFSDF-d11, are consistent with the bn ions formed at Asp-Xxx having a succinic anhydride cyclic structure. MS/MS experiments were also carried out for phi3P+CH2C(=O)-AAAA, a peptide derivative containing active hydrogens only at amide nitrogens plus the C-terminus, and its active H/D exchange product, phi3P+CH2C(=O)-AAAA-d5. The results show that a hydrogen originally located at an amide nitrogen is transferred away in the formation of a cyclic charge remote b ion.
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The beta subunit of the heterotrimeric G proteins that transduce signals across the plasma membrane is made up of an amino-terminal alpha-helical segment followed by seven repeating units called WD (Trp-Asp) repeats that occur in about 140 different proteins. The seven WD repeats in Gbeta, the only WD repeat protein whose crystal structure is known, form seven antiparallel beta sheets making up the blades of a toroidal propeller structure (Wall, M. A., Coleman, D. E., Lee, E., Iniguez-Lluhi, J. A., Posner, B. A., Gilman, A. G., and Sprang, S. R. (1995) Cell 83, 1047-1058; Sondek, J., Bohm, A., Lambright, D. G., Hamm, H. E., and Sigler, P. B. (1996) Nature 379, 369-374). It is likely that all proteins with WD repeats form a propeller structure. Alignment of the sequence of 918 unique WD repeats reveals that 85% of the repeats have an aspartic acid (D) residue (not the D of WD) in the turn connecting beta strands b and c of each putative propeller blade. We mutated each of these conserved Asp residues to Gly individually and in pairs in Gbeta and in Sec13, a yeast WD repeat protein involved in vesicular traffic, and then analyzed the ability of the mutant proteins to fold in vitro and in COS-7 cells. In vitro, most single mutant Gbeta subunits fold into Gbetagamma dimers more slowly than wild type to a degree that varies with the blade. In contrast, all single mutants form normal amounts of Gbetagamma in COS-7 cells, although some dimers show subtle local distortions of structure. Most double mutants assemble poorly in both systems. We conclude that the conserved Asp residues are not equivalent and not all are essential for the folding of the propeller structure. Some may affect the folding pathway or the affinity for chaperonins. Mutations of the conserved Asp in Sec13 affect folding equally in vitro and in COS-7 cells. The repeats that most affected folding were not at the same position in Sec13 and Gbeta. Our finding, both in Gbeta and in Sec13, that no mutation of the conserved Asp entirely prevents folding suggests that there is no obligatory folding order for each repeat and that the folding order is probably not the same for different WD repeat proteins, or even necessarily constant for the same protein.
In this study, we describe the pharmacological characterization of novel aryl-ether, biaryl, and fluorene aspartic acid and diaminopropionic acid analogs as potent inhibitors of EAAT2, the predominant glutamate transporter in forebrain regions. The rank order of potency determined for the inhibition of human EAAT2 was N(4)-[4-(2-bromo-4,5-difluorophenoxy)phenyl]-L-asparagine (WAY-213613) (IC(50) = 85 +/- 5 nM) > N(4)-(2'-methyl-1,1'-biphenyl-4-yl)-L-asparagine (WAY-213394) (IC(50) = 145 +/- 22 nM) = N(4)-[7-(trifluoromethyl)-9H-fluoren-2-yl]-L-asparagine (WAY-212922) (IC(50) = 157 +/- 11 nM) = 3-{[(4'-chloro-2-methyl-1,1'-biphenyl-4-yl)carbonyl]amino}-L-alanine (WAY-211686) (IC(50) = 190 +/- 10 nM). WAY-213613 was the most selective of the compounds examined, with IC(50) values for inhibition of EAAT1 and EAAT3 of 5 and 3.8 microM, respectively, corresponding to a 59- and 45-fold selectivity toward EAAT2. An identical rank order of potency [WAY-213613 (35 +/- 7 nM) > WAY-213394 (92 +/- 13 nM) = WAY-212922 (95 +/- 8 nM) = WAY-211686 (101 +/- 20 nM)] was observed for the inhibition of glutamate uptake in rat cortical synaptosomes, consistent with the predominant contribution of EAAT2 to this activity. Kinetic studies with each of the compounds in synaptosomes revealed a competitive mechanism of inhibition. All compounds were determined to be nonsubstrates by evaluating both the stimulation of currents in EAAT2-injected oocytes and the heteroexchange of d-[(3)H]aspartate from cortical synaptosomes. WAY-213613 represents the most potent and selective inhibitor of EAAT2 identified to date. Taken in combination with its selectivity over ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors, this compound represents a potential tool for the further elucidation of EAAT2 function.
Insig-1 and Insig-2 are closely related proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that mediate feedback control of cholesterol synthesis by sterol-dependent binding to the following two membrane proteins: the escort protein Scap, thus preventing proteolytic processing of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins; and the cholesterol biosynthetic enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase, thus inducing the ubiquitination and ER-associated degradation of the enzyme. Here, we report that the conserved Asp-205 in Insig-1, which abuts the fourth transmembrane helix at the cytosolic side of the ER membrane, is essential for its dual function. When Asp-205 was mutated to alanine, the mutant Insig-1 lost the ability to bind to Scap and, thus, was unable to suppress the cleavage of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins. The mutant Insig-1 was ineffective also in accelerating sterol-stimulated degradation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase. Alanine substitution of the corresponding aspartic acid in Insig-2 produced the same dual defects. These studies identify a single amino acid residue that is crucial for the function of Insig proteins in regulating cholesterol homeostasis in mammalian cells.
[structure: see text] A solid-phase synthesis method for the preparation of novel beta3- and beta2-peptides derived from l-aspartic acid and beta-amino-l-alanine, respectively, is described. The methodology allows independent buildup of the beta-peptide backbone and the introduction of sequential side chain substitutions. Representative peptides from the two classes, an amino-substituted beta3-hexapeptide and an acyl-substituted beta2-hexapeptide, have been prepared, and their solution conformation is studied by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy.
Convergent data demonstrate that excitatory amino acid systems (glutamate and aspartate) participate in synaptic plasticity of the central nervous system. Their action is mediated by at least three subclasses of receptors which have been characterized on the basis of their selective affinity to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), quisqualate and kainate. NMDA receptors appear to be directly involved in the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) at the hippocampal level, and quisqualate/kainate receptors in the expression of LTP. This suggests that excitatory amino acid systems may have an important role in learning and memory. However, how these systems interfere with memory processes remains largely unknown. We have isolated a pseudopeptide, gamma-L-glutamyl-L-aspartate (gamma-LGLA) (Ungerer et al., 1988), which has the pharmacological properties of a competitive antagonist at NMDA receptors as evidenced by biochemical studies and by the fact that gamma-LGLA selectively blocks the clonico-tonic seizures induced by NMDA, while having no significant action against seizures induced by kainate or quisqualate. Elsewhere, gamma-LGLA is devoid of toxicity at the doses used. Behavioral effects of gamma-LGLA were first studied in a Y-maze avoidance learning task. Animals had to leave the start alley within 5 sec. (temporal component) and to choose the left alley of the maze (spatial component) to avoid footshock. They underwent one trial every minute and were trained to a criterion of 7 correct out of 8 consecutive trials. Retention was tested either 1 h, 3 h, 6h, 24 h, 7 days or 21 days after acquisition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
BACKGROUND: Preclinical and clinical data suggest that N-phosphonacetyl-L-aspartic acid (PALA) can augment the cytotoxic effects of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In addition, the combination of 5-FU and radiation therapy has been used with success in prolonging survival and providing palliation of symptoms in patients with advanced unresectable pancreatic carcinoma. This Phase I study was undertaken to determine the feasibility and evaluate the qualitative and quantitative toxicities of PALA and escalating doses of 5-FU administered concomitantly with radiation therapy in patients with locally advanced nonmetastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Ten previously untreated patients with advanced nonmetastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas were treated with 250 mg/m2 of PALA given as an intravenous bolus followed 24 hours later by 5-FU, which was given by continuous 24-hour infusion every week. The 5-FU doses were assigned according to a Phase I drug escalation (1000 mg/m2, 1300 mg/m2, and 1700 mg/m2). Radiation therapy was delivered concurrently with chemotherapy at a dose of 180 cGy per fraction (900 cGy per week) over 6 1/2 weeks. PALA and 5-FU were continued weekly after the end of radiation therapy, with disease assessments made every 8 weeks. Chemotherapy was continued until the disease progressed. RESULTS: All 10 patients were evaluable. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 5-FU was 1300 mg/m2. Two of the four patients treated at the 1700 mg/m2 dose level experienced dose-limiting toxicities, nausea/vomiting and mucositis, respectively. Toxicities were mild to moderate at the 1000 mg/m2 and 1300 mg/m2 dose levels. Two patients treated with 5-FU at the 1300 mg/m2 dose level had complete responses, and one patient treated at the 1700 mg/m2 dose level had a partial response. The median survival was 12.5 months, and four patients survived more than 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: PALA and 5-FU administered concomitantly with radiation therapy is an active regimen in locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer. Dose-limiting toxicities are nausea/vomiting and mucositis. The MTD of 5-FU is 1300 mg/m2. The regimen is well tolerated and administered in an outpatient setting.
Subreceptor selectivity tuning of N-(3-pyrrolidinyl)benzamides leading to the selective dopamine D3 ligand ent1h and the derivatives 1g and 1e/ent1e which preferably recognize human D2 or D4 receptors, respectively, is described. Binding profiles were controlled by both, absolute and relative configuration. The enantiopure target compounds were synthesized from aspartic acid.
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