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Identification of a hydroxylamine glucuronide metabolite of an oral hypoglycemic agent.

Glucuronides of piperazine hydroxylamines are rarely reported in the literature, and even more rarely are their structures unambiguously identified. One major metabolite was detected by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry-radioactivity in urine from monkeys treated with the aryl piperazine oral hypoglycemic agent 9-[(1S,2R)-2-fluoro-1-methylpropyl]-2-methoxy-6-(1-piperazinyl) purine hydrochloride (1). The mass spectrum of this metabolite indicated that it was both monooxygenated and glucuronidated on the piperazine ring. Possible structures included the N- or O-glucuronic acid conjugates of a carbinolamine, hydroxylamine, or N-oxide. Treatment with beta-glucuronidase gave a monooxygenated derivative of the parent compound. 1H NMR analysis of either the glucuronic acid conjugate or the monooxygenated product provided insufficient evidence to unambiguously determine their structures. Incubation of 1 with pig liver microsomes resulted in formation of the same monooxygenated derivative derived from beta-glucuronidase treatment of the glucuronide metabolite. This in vitro system was used to generate sufficient material for analysis by 13C NMR, and the metabolite was identified as a hydroxylamine derivative 2. Incubation of the hydroxylamine with monkey liver microsomes and uridine diphospho-5'-glucuronic acid gave the same glucuronic acid conjugate as that observed in monkey urine. 13C NMR analysis of this biosynthetic product led to its unequivocal structure assignment as the O-glucuronic acid conjugate of the hydroxylamine 3.

Administration, Oral↗

Studies of the catalytic mechanism of microsomal UDP-glucuronyltransferase. Alpha-glucuronidase activity and its stimulation by phospholipids.

The rate at which a specific, purified form of microsomal UDP-glucuronyltransferase (designated as the GT2P type of this enzyme) catalyzes the hydrolysis of UDP-glucuronic acid was measured with pure, delipidated enzyme and enzyme reconstituted with different lysophosphatidylcholines. This activity of the GT2P type of UDP-glucuronyltransferase is referred to as alpha-glucuronidase activity. For delipidated enzyme, the rate of hydrolysis of UDP-glucuronic acid catalyzed by GT2P extrapolated to infinite concentrations of UDP-glucuronic acid was 1 X 10(-9) mol/min/mg of protein. This compares with a rate of glucuronidation of p-nitrophenol of 96 X 10(-9) mol/min/mg of enzyme, for delipidated enzyme. Addition of oleoyl- or myristoyllysophosphatidylcholine to GT2P did not affect the alpha-glucuronidase activity significantly. This activity was stimulated, however, in the presence of compounds that bind at the aglycone site but that do not undergo glucuronidation. alpha-Glucuronidase activity extrapolated to infinite concentration of UDP-glucuronic acid was 4.0 X 10(-9) mol/min/mg for delipidated enzyme assayed in the presence of less than saturating concentrations of p-nitrophenyl phenyl ether. Moreover, when the aglycone site of GT2P was occupied by ethers, the alpha-glucuronidase activity of this enzyme was enhanced by addition of phospholipids to delipidated enzyme. The extent of activation of the alpha-glucuronidase activity of GT2P, when the aglycone site was occupied, depended on the acyl chain of the lipid added to delipidated enzyme. These data indicate that the GT2P form of UDP-glucuronyltransferase catalyzes the hydrolysis of UDP-glucuronic acid at a significant rate and that lysophosphatidylcholines can influence this rate.

Animals↗

Conjugation reactions in hepatocytes isolated from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The activities of three drug conjugation reactions, glutathione, glucuronic acid and sulphate conjugation and the synthesis of glutathione, have been measured in hepatocytes isolated from streptozotocin-induced male diabetic rats. The intracellular content of reduced glutathione (GSH) was decreased in diabetic rat hepatocytes compared with controls. Following depletion of the intracellular GSH stores with diethylmaleate, the resynthesis of GSH in the presence of 0.5 mM L-methionine, occurred faster in diabetic rat hepatocytes than in those from control rats indicating that the cystathione pathway may be more efficient in the diabetic animals. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the resynthesis of GSH between control and diabetic rat hepatocytes in the presence of L-cysteine. The GSH conjugation of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and 3,4-dichloronitrobenzene (DCNB) was deficient in diabetic rat hepatocytes, although only the effect on the former reaction was statistically significant (P less than 0.05). The Vmax for CDNB conjugation was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) in cytosolic fractions prepared from diabetic rat liver than in control rat liver fractions. This was accompanied by an increase in the affinity of the enzyme for CDNB. In contrast, the Vmax and Km for the conjugation of DCNB in cytosolic fractions were unaffected by the induced-diabetes. Glucuronic acid conjugation of both 1-naphthol and phenolphthalein was markedly deficient in diabetic rat hepatocytes. The intracellular concentrations of the cofactor for glucuronidation, UDP-glucuronic acid, were decreased in diabetic rat liver and this was thought to contribute to the defect in glucuronidation. The sulphation of 1-naphthol was not significantly altered by the induced diabetes. Deficiencies in glutathione and glucuronic acid conjugation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats may result in an increased susceptibility to xenobiotic induced cytotoxicity.

Animals↗

1H-N.m.r. spectral assignments for two series of heparin-derived oligosaccharides.

Six heparin-derived oligosaccharides, ranging in size from di- to octa-saccharide and forming two closely related series differing in structure by the substitution of an unsulfated D-glucuronate for a 2-sulfated L-iduronate residue, have been characterized by 2-dimensional 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy. In addition to providing new data on hexa- and octa-saccharides, several important changes to previously published data have been found for the two tetrasaccharides. The D-glucuronic acid H-5 proton is assigned to a resonance in the same region as resonances for the H-3 and H-4 D-glucuronate protons, rather than downfield from these resonances as earlier reported. The presence of D-glucuronic acid in the heparin sequence of the series-1 fragments affects the positions of neighboring D-glucosamine resonances, in particular shifting the anomeric proton signal in the preceding D-glucosamine 0.1-0.2 p.p.m. downfield. Resonances from the reducing-end D-glucosamines differ from internal D-glucosamine resonances both in relative position and in the degree of chemical shift difference between the H-6 and H-6' protons. This work illustrates the usefulness of two-dimensional techniques in determining heparin structure and emphasizes the need for direct analysis, rather than assignment by comparison to model compounds.

Carbohydrate Sequence↗

Sex differences in salicylic acid metabolism in streptozotocin induced diabetes in rats.

The metabolism of salicylic acid was studied in male and female streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Results obtained showed that in both sexes there was a significant increase in urinary excretion of salicyluric acid in diabetic rats when compared to controls (P less than or equal to 0.001). Within the diabetic groups, there was a significant increase in the urinary excretion of salicyluric acid in the female in comparison to the male rats (P less than or equal to 0.01). A statistically significant increase was observed in urinary excretion of salicyl-glucuronic acid in diabetic female compared to control female rats (P less than or equal to 0.01) while comparison of diabetic male to control male showed a significant decrease in urinary excretion of salicyl-glucuronic acid (P less than or equal to 0.01). Comparison of the diabetic female and male groups showed a high statistically significant difference in urinary excretion of salicyl-glucuronic acid. The diabetic ration, ie diabetic/control was significantly higher in female than in male rats with respect to salicyl-glucuronic acid (P less than or equal to 0.001) and total urinary excretion (P less than or equal to 0.01). The diabetic ratio may likely reflect the true significance of the roles played by the two metabolic pathways. The results suggest sex differences in the metabolism of salicylic acid; this may also be the case in other disease states.

Animals↗

Studies on the metabolism of arylacetic acids. 7. The influence of varying dose size upon the conjugation pattern of 2-naphthylacetic acid in the guinea pig, mouse and hamster.

1. The influence of dose size upon the metabolic conjugation of 2-naphthylacetic acid with various amino acids and glucuronic acid has been studied in the guinea pig, mouse and hamster. 2. Guinea pigs conjugated 2-naphthylacetic acid with glycine and glucuronic acid. 3. Mice conjugated 2-naphthylacetic acid with glycine, taurine and glucuronic acid. Taurine conjugation had the highest capacity, and both this and the glycine mechanism were saturated at doses above 100 mg/kg. 4. Hamsters utilized glutamine, glycine, taurine and glucuronic acid for the conjugation of 2-naphthylacetic acid. No conjugation pathway was saturated by doses up to 200 mg/kg. 5. The thus-far unique ability of 2-naphthylacetic acid to evoke multiple amino acid conjugations, using the taurine and glutamine mechanisms hitherto unknown in these species, appears to be due to its affinity for previously unrecognized enzyme systems, rather than to saturation of 'normal' pathways revealing novel routes at high doses.

Animals↗

Altered acetaminophen disposition in fed and food-deprived rats after acute ethanol administration.

The effects of acute ethanol administration and resulting redox changes on the hepatic glucuronidation of acetaminophen were studied in male rats, either fed or deprived of food for 24-72 hr. Regardless of the animal's nutritional status, one of the primary effects of acute ethanol administration in vivo is an increase in hepatic NADH production, usually resulting in an increased intracellular NADH/NAD ratio. Inasmuch as NAD-requiring reactions, such as the conversion of UDP-glucose to UDP-glucuronic acid, could be impaired by such redox changes, the subsequent conjugation of drugs with glucuronic acid may be decreased after ethanol administration. To test this hypothesis, the effects of ethanol on the disposition of acetaminophen (200 mg/kg, ip), a drug excreted primarily as glucuronide and sulfate conjugates in the rat, were studied. In fed rats, administration of 2 g of ethanol per kg produced minimal redox changes, and no significant alterations in hepatic UDP-glucose or UDP-glucuronic acid concentrations. Consequently, no inhibition of acetaminophen-glucuronide formation was observed. However, after at least 24 hr of food deprivation, hepatic UDP-glucuronic acid and acetaminophen-glucuronide concentrations were significantly depressed by ethanol. These results suggest that the effect of ethanol on glucuronide formation in vivo depends on the nutritional state of the animal. In fed rats, homeostatic mechanisms act to prevent any redox-mediated alterations in glucuronide conjugation. However, in food-deprived animals, such compensatory mechanisms are apparently no longer operative, and acetaminophen glucuronidation is inhibited by ethanol administration.

Acetaminophen↗

Evidence for the intraluminal positioning of p-nitrophenol UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity in rat liver microsomal vesicles.

Addition of p-nitrophenol and UDP-glucuronic acid to rat hepatic microsomes enhanced the MgATP-stimulated Ca2+ sequestration. This stimulatory effect was more explicit in the presence of the activator of glucuronidation, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine. The stimulation of Ca2+ uptake was dependent on the p-nitrophenol concentration and showed a good correlation with the rate of p-nitrophenol glucuronidation. The stimulation of Ca2+ sequestration was probably due to its coaccumulation with the intraluminar Pi originated during glucuronidation. The increase in extravesicular osmolarity due to the addition of UDP-glucuronic acid to microsomes resuspended in an hyposmotic medium caused a rapid and prolonged shrinking as revealed by light-scattering measurements. This indicates a poor permeability of microsomal membrane to UDP-glucuronic acid. The subsequent addition of the pore-forming compound alamethicin resulted in an immediate swelling of vesicles indicating a rapid entry of UDP-glucuronic acid. Alamethicin also caused an about 15-fold increase in p-nitrophenol UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity. These results support the hypothesis of the intravesicular compartmentation of the microsomal UDP-glucuronosyltransferase catalytic site.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Metabolism of benzo[A]pyrene in hamster embryo cells. Effect of the concentration of benzo[A]pyrene on its metabolism.

The metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) by hamster embryo cells was studied. The production of water-soluble metabolites, shown to be conjugates with glucuronic acid, depended on BP concentration. With increased BP concentration the amount of glucuronic acid conjugates increased, but the proportion of conjugates in BP or its metabolites present in the medium decreased. The metabolites extracted with ethylacetate were trans-7,8-dihydrodiol-BP (7,8-dihydrodiol) and trans-9,10-dihydrodiol-BP (9,10-dihydrodiol), but large peaks of phenolic metabolites were found by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) after digesting the medium with beta-glucuronidase. Therefore, BP is metabolized to oxygenated forms, and of these, most of the phenolic metabolites and parts of the dihydrodiols are conjugated with glucuronic acid. The proportions of dihydrodiols to phenols, estimated by HPLC after beta-glucuronidase digestion, decreased when the BP concentration was decreased. The results suggest that dihydrodiols are less readily glucuronidated than phenols and so may be metabolized further to metabolites other than glucuronic acid conjugates.

Animals↗

Interaction between heparan sulphate chains. I. A gel chromatographic, light-scattering and structural study of aggregating and non-aggregating chains.

1. Heparan sulphate from bovine lung was fractionated with cetylpyridinium chloride. Solubilisation of complexes was accomplished by increasing concentrations of NaCl in a step-wise manner. Fractions I-IV, which were low-sulphated, contained more D-glucuronic acid than L-iduronic acid, fraction V contained equal proportions while fraction VI was L-iduronic acid-rich. 2. Gel chromatography of heparan sulphates II-IV in 0.5 M sodium acetate yielded extremely asymmetric profiles, while fractions V, VI and heparin did not. 3. Heparan sulphate IV was separated into aggregatable and non-aggregatable species by gel chromatography in 0.5 M sodium acetate. The particle/molecular weights of the two species were determined by light scattering. In 0.15 M NaCl or KCl the aggregatable chains yielded particle weights of 60 000-100 000 while the molecular weight was 20 000 (in 4.0 M guanidine HCl). Non-aggregatable chains afforded 'monomeric' values in 0.15 M NaCl or KCl. 4. Periodate oxidation of D-glucuronic acid residues in N-acetylated block regions followed by scission in alkali was used to fragment aggregating and non-aggregating heparan sulphate IV. The former chains yielded, on average, shorter oligosaccharides than did the latter. Reoxidation of the remaining D-glucuronic acid residues (adjacent to N-sulphated amino sugars) in the oligosaccharides followed by alkaline cleavage resulted in distinctly different fragmentation patterns in the two cases. The iduronate-containing oligosaccharides derived from aggregatable chains were markedly degraded into fragments ranging from glucosamine-L-iduronic acid-glucosamine-(C-3 fragment) to higher saccharides. Only higher saccharides were obtained from fragments of non-aggregatable chains. 5. It is concluded that self-associating heparan sulphates comprise both D-glucuronic acid- and L-iduronic acid-containing repeating units and that these units are arranged in an alternating or mixed fashion. These characteristics are analogous to those observed with self-associating dermatan sulphate species (Fransson, L.-A. and Cöster, L. (1979) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 582, 132-144).

Animals↗

Probiotic effects of beta-glucuronidase on the peach-potato aphid Myzus persicae (Aphididae).

beta-glucuronidase (GUS) is a reporter protein commonly expressed in transgenic plants allowing the visualization of the transformed individuals. In our recent work, we showed that consumption of transformed potato plants expressing this GUS enzyme improves performance of the phloem feeding aphid Myzus persicae. Those results led us to the conclusion that the expression of GUS in potato plants might be responsible for the probiotic effect measured in feeding aphids. In the present paper, artificial diets were used to provide active GUS (10 and 500 microg ml(-1)), inactivated heated GUS (500 microg ml(-1)), glucuronic acid (10, 100 and 500 microg ml(-1)), and bovine serum albumin (500 microg ml(-1)) to M. persicae. Our results reveal that these chemicals provided as food intake might influence the biological parameters of this aphid. Experiments showed a probiotic effect of 500 microg ml(-1) GUS diet, resulting in reduced larval mortality, and increased adult reproduction period and fecundity, which led to an increased population growth potential (r(m)=0.17+/-0.01 versus r(m)=0.12+/-0.03 for aphids fed on control diet). A lower amount of added GUS led to fewer variations, biological parameters being only slightly altered (r(m)=0.14+/-0.03). Statistically similar alterations of the biological parameters were obtained when comparing aphids fed on the diet added with inactivated GUS or the non-structural bovine serum albumin protein (r(m)=0.15+/-0.02 and 0.14+/-0.03, respectively). Feeding assays conducted with glucuronic acid supplemented diets enhanced longevity and nymph production of the adult aphids and reduced larval mortality, resulting in r(m)=0.15+/-0.02 for the highest dose (500 microg ml(-1)). Although 100 microg ml(-1) glucuronate diet did not induce any effect on M. persicae (r(m)=0.12+/-0.03), aphids fed on 10 microg ml(-1) glucuronate diet exhibited unexpected reduced demographic parameters (r(m)=0.10+/-0.03). Immuno-histological analysis showed GUS labeling along the whole digestive epithelium of adults and in various tissues including embryos and bacteriocytes. These results suggest that GUS crosses through the digestive tract. Western blots performed with protein extracts of transformed potato plants expressing the gus gene showed a unique band of molecular weight 76 kDa. On the contrary, in extracts from aphids fed on transgenic potato plants or bred on GUS 500 microg ml(-1) artificial diet, several proteins of lower molecular weight were hybridized, revealing proteolysis of ingested GUS. It is concluded that GUS protein, and more precisely GUS activity, is responsible for the probiotic effects on aphid feeding. The possible pathways of induction of such physiological alterations by GUS are discussed.

Animal Feed↗

Crystal structure of Escherichia coli ArnA (PmrI) decarboxylase domain. A key enzyme for lipid A modification with 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinose and polymyxin resistance.

Gram-negative bacteria including Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa can modify the structure of lipid A in their outer membrane with 4-amino-4-deoxy-l-arabinose (Ara4N). Such modification results in resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides of the innate immune system and antibiotics such as polymyxin. ArnA is a key enzyme in the lipid A modification pathway, and its deletion abolishes both the Ara4N-lipid A modification and polymyxin resistance. ArnA is a bifunctional enzyme. It can catalyze (i) the NAD(+)-dependent decarboxylation of UDP-glucuronic acid to UDP-4-keto-arabinose and (ii) the N-10-formyltetrahydrofolate-dependent formylation of UDP-4-amino-4-deoxy-l-arabinose. We show that the NAD(+)-dependent decarboxylating activity is contained in the 360 amino acid C-terminal domain of ArnA. This domain is separable from the N-terminal fragment, and its activity is identical to that of the full-length enzyme. The crystal structure of the ArnA decarboxylase domain from E. coli is presented here. The structure confirms that the enzyme belongs to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family. On the basis of sequence and structure comparisons of the ArnA decarboxylase domain with other members of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family, we propose a binding model for NAD(+) and UDP-glucuronic acid and the involvement of residues T(432), Y(463), K(467), R(619), and S(433) in the mechanism of NAD(+)-dependent oxidation of the 4''-OH of the UDP-glucuronic acid and decarboxylation of the UDP-4-keto-glucuronic acid intermediate.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The N-glycan acceptor specificity of a glucuronyltransferase, GlcAT-P, associated with biosynthesis of the HNK-1 epitope.

The acceptor specificity of a rat brain glucuronyltransferase, GlcAT-P, associated with biosynthesis of the HNK-1 epitope on glycoproteins, was investigated using asialoorosomucoid as a model acceptor substrate. Structural analysis of N-linked oligosaccharides, to which glucuronic acid was transferred by GlcAT-P, by means of two-dimensional mapping of pyridylamino-oligosaccharides and MS spectrometry, demonstrated that the enzyme transferred glucuronic acid to bi-, tri-, and tetra-antennary complex type sugar chains, with almost equal efficiency, indicating that the enzyme has no preference as to the number of acceptor sugar branches. Next, we studied the branch specificity of this enzyme by means of the selective branch scission method involving two step exoglycosidase digestion using authentic pyridylamino-oligosaccharides. The GlcAT-P is highly specific for the terminal N-acetyllactosamine structure and no glucuronic acid was incorporated into a Galbeta1-3GlcNAc moiety. The GlcAT-P transferred glucuronic acid to the galactose residues in the N-acetyllactosamine branches of bi-, tri-, and tetra-antennary oligosaccharide chains, with different efficiencies and most preferentially to those in the Galbeta1-4GlcNAcbeta1-4Manalpha1-3 branch.

Animals↗

Synthesis, characterization and properties of uridine 5'-( -D-apio-D-furanosyl pyrophosphate).

1. A method was developed for synthesizing UDP-apiose [uridine 5'-(alpha-d-apio-d-furanosyl pyrophosphate)] from UDP-glucuronic acid [uridine 5'-(alpha-d-glucopyranosyluronic acid pyrophosphate)] in 62% yield with the enzyme UDP-glucuronic acid cyclase. 2. UDP-apiose had the same mobility as uridine 5'-(alpha-d-xylopyranosyl pyrophosphate) when chromatographed on paper and when subjected to paper electrophoresis at pH5.8. When [(3)H]UDP-[U-(14)C]glucuronic acid was used as the substrate for UDP-glucuronic acid cyclase, the (3)H/(14)C ratio in the reaction product was that expected if d-apiose remained attached to the uridine. In separate experiments doubly labelled reaction product was: (a) hydrolysed at pH2 and 100 degrees C for 15min; (b) degraded at pH8.0 and 100 degrees C for 3min; (c) used as a substrate in the enzymic synthesis of [(14)C]apiin. In each type of experiment the reaction products were isolated and identified and were found to be those expected if [(3)H]UDP-[U-(14)C]apiose was the starting compound. 3. Chemical characterization established that the product containing d-[U-(14)C]apiose and phosphate formed on alkaline degradation of UDP-[U-(14)C]apiose was alpha-d-[U-(14)C]apio-d-furanosyl 1:2-cyclic phosphate. 4. Chemical characterization also established that the product containing d-[U-(14)C]apiose and phosphate formed on acid hydrolysis of alpha-d-[U-(14)C]apio-d-furanosyl 1:2-cyclic phosphate was d-[U-(14)C]apiose 2-phosphate. 5. The half-life periods for the degradation of UDP-[U-(14)C]apiose to alpha-d-[U-(14)C]apio-d-furanosyl 1:2-cyclic phosphate and UMP at pH8.0 and 80 degrees C, at pH8.0 and 25 degrees C and at pH8.0 and 4 degrees C were 31.6s, 97.2min and 16.5h respectively. The half-life period for the hydrolysis of UDP-[U-(14)C]-apiose to d-[U-(14)C]apiose and UDP at pH3.0 and 40 degrees C was 4.67min. After 20 days at pH6.2-6.6 and 4 degrees C, 17% of the starting UDP-[U-(14)C]apiose was degraded to alpha-d-[U-(14)C]apio-d-furanosyl 1:2-cyclic phosphate and UMP and 23% was hydrolysed to d-[U-(14)C]apiose and UDP. After 120 days at pH6.4 and -20 degrees C 2% of the starting UDP-[U-(14)C]apiose was degraded and 4% was hydrolysed.

Carbon Isotopes↗

Uridine diphosphate glucose dehydrogenase from cornea and epiphysial-plate cartilage.

1. UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.22) was extracted from epiphysial-plate cartilage of newborn pigs and from whole bovine corneas. 2. Formation of UDP-glucuronic acid was demonstrated by radioautography after separation of the sugar nucleotides by paper chromatography or t.l.c.: in these conditions a radioactive glucuronic acid spot also appears. 3. UDP-xylose prevented the formation in the incubation mixture of both UDP-glucuronic acid and free glucuronic acid. 4. In both tissues the dependence of the enzyme activity on pH and the K(m) values for UDP-glucose and NAD(+) were determined. 5. Inhibition by UDP-xylose with respect to UDP-glucose was investigated. The plots of 1/v versus 1/[UDP-glucose], and of percentage inhibition versus UDP-xylose concentration and the Hill coefficient showed that a co-operative effect existed between UDP-xylose-binding sites. 6. The physiological meaning of the different affinities of cartilage and cornea enzymes for UDP-xylose is discussed and related to the different glycosaminoglycan contents of the two connective tissues studied.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Irreversible glucuronyl C5-epimerization in the biosynthesis of heparan sulfate.

Glucuronyl C5-epimerase catalyzes the conversion of d-glucuronic acid to l-iduronic acid units in heparan sulfate biosynthesis. Substrate recognition depends on the N-substituent pattern of the heparan sulfate precursor polysaccharide and requires the adjacent glucosamine residue toward the non-reducing end to be N-sulfated. Epimerization of an appropriately N-sulfated substrate is freely reversible in a soluble system, with equilibrium favoring retention of d-gluco configuration (Hagner-McWhirter, A., Lindahl, U., and Li, J.-P. (2000) Biochem. J. 347, 69-75). We studied the reversibility of the epimerase reaction in a cellular system, by incubating human embryonic kidney 293 cells with d-[5-(3)H]galactose. The label was incorporated with glucuronic acid units into the heparan sulfate precursor polysaccharide and was lost upon subsequent C5-epimerization to iduronic acid. However, analysis of oligosaccharides obtained by deaminative cleavage of the mature heparan sulfate chains indicated that all glucuronic acid units retained their C5-(3)H label, irrespective of whether they had occurred in sequences susceptible or resistant to the epimerase. All (3)H-labels of the final products resisted incubation with epimerase in a soluble system, apparently due to blocking O-sulfate groups. These results indicate that glucuronic acid C5-epimerization is effectively irreversible in vivo and argue for a stringent organization of the biosynthetic machinery.

Carbohydrate Epimerases↗

Separation by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography of the glucuronide, sulfate and glutathione conjugates formed from benzo[a]pyrene in cell cultures from rodents, fish and humans.

A large proportion of the metabolites formed from benzo[a]pyrene (BP) in cell cultures from rodents, fish and humans result from conjugation of an oxidized metabolite of BP with sulfate, glucuronic acid or glutathione (GSH). To improve the analysis of these metabolites, a reversed-phase ion-pair h.p.l.c. system using a step gradient of methanol:tetrabutyl-ammonium bromide in ammonium formate buffer has been developed for the separation of these three classes of conjugates. This system separated 3-hydroxy-BP glucuronide and sulfate conjugates and resolved them from GSH conjugates of BP 4,5-oxide, 7,8-oxide and 7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide. Cultures of early passage Syrian hamster, Wistar rat and Sencar mouse embryo cells, a bluegill fry (BF-2) cell line and a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) were exposed to [3H]BP for 24 h. Medium samples from each were extracted with chloroform: methanol:water, and the water-soluble metabolites were analyzed by ion-pair h.p.l.c. The largest peak of metabolites in the media from cell cultures from rodents and the bluegill fry cell line co-eluted with the glucuronic acid conjugate of 3-hydroxy-BP. These phenol-glucuronides represented 48-62% of the total water-soluble metabolites in the fish and rodent cell cultures. Treatment of this material with beta-glucuronidase released 3-hydroxy-BP and 9-hydroxy-BP in ratios from 3:4 to 13.3:1 in various cultures. Media from the bluegill fry cell line and the mouse embryo cell cultures also contained a peak of BP-diol glucuronides; treatment of these peaks with beta-glucuronidase released mainly BP-7,8-diol. In HepG2 cells, 40% of the water-soluble metabolites were identified as sulfate conjugates of 3-hydroxy-BP and 9-hydroxy-BP. No glucuronic acid conjugates of BP metabolites were detected in HepG2 cells. Only small amounts of the water-soluble metabolites from these cell cultures eluted in the same volumes as the synthetic GSH conjugate of BP-4,5-oxide, BP-7,8-oxide and BP-7,8-diol-9,10-oxide. These studies indicate that conjugation with glucuronic acid represents a major pathway of formation of water-soluble metabolites from BP in cells derived from a number of species and demonstrate the value of this ion-pair h.p.l.c. system for the analysis of conjugates formed from BP.

Animals↗

The energy-coupling controlled efflux of 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-gluconate in Escherichia coli K 12.

Experiments were devised to test the plausibility and the predictions of a efflux rate equation which was previously derived [10]9 1. 2-Keto-3-deoxy-D-gluconate transport system conforms with universal laws relating zero-trans influx, influx at steady-state, steady-state levels of accumulation to external and internal substrate concentrations. 2. Full-time-course uptake kinetics fit the linearized graphical representation that can be inferred from the integrated rate equation. 3. Influx does not depend upon internal substrate concentration nor upon energy-coupling. 4. Zero-trans outflux (leak inot empty medium) is a first-order process (rate constant: 0.02 min-1) and not mediated by the carrier. Absence of cis-competition with D-glucuronate is in agreement with a simple diffusion mechanism. 5. Outflux increases when external substrate concentration is raised (counterflow). Outflux at steady-state equilibrates influx, and is a first-order process (rate constant: 0.15 min-1). 6. Uncoupling with azide leads to accelerate zero-trans outflux by a factor of 2-3. No further acceleration is obtained when other classical uncouplers are used. The process remains first-order, independent of the amount of carrier, and is accelerated by the presence of internal D-glucuronate as a result from trans-inhibition of the recapture. 7. Exchange outflux is all the more accelerated by azide as the carrier is less saturated. The process is clearly carrier-mediated and the outflux rate obeys a Michaelis law with respect to internal concentration. V is equal to V for influx. 8. Homo and hetero-overshoot experiments are in agreement with the participation of the carrier for mediating influx as well as outflux. 9. The kinetics of D-glucuronate outflux in a strain lacking the specific hexuronate permease but carrying the 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-glucuronate permease are similar to those obtained with 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-gluconate. We draw the conclusion that energy-coupling promotes the adjustment of outflux without interfering with influx rate. It apparently acts by reducing, in a continuous range, the affinity of the carrier facing inwards. The discussion is focused on the comparison with previously published models and on possible molecular mechanisms.

Azides↗