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Effects of mast cell inhibition on plasma and aortic content of lipids, hexosamine, and hydroxyproline in rats. Role of thyroid gland.

Twenty-one-day-old rats were treated with mast cell inhibitors for four weeks. Some of the rats were thyroidectomized in the beginning of the experiment. Mast cell impairment decreased plasma cholesterol and increased plasma triglyceride levels; in aorta, there was a decrease in total protein, hexosamine and hydroxyproline levels, while triglyceride concentration increased and total cholesterol did not change. In thyroidectomized rats, mast cell impairment led to decreased plasma cholesterol and aortic triglyceride content, increased aortic hexosamine and hydroxyproline levels and did not change plasma triglycerides, aortic total cholesterol and total protein content. It was concluded that some effects of mast cell inhibition on arterial wall metabolism are mediated through the thyroid gland.

Animals↗

An assay for total hexosamine and a differential assay for glucosamine and galactosamine.

Two new procedures are presented for quantitative determination of glucosamine and galactosamine. One, which is proposed for total hexosamine, yields chromogens of equal intensity with equal concentration of glucosamine and galactosamine. There is addition of the correspondent chromogens when they are present in mixtures. The procedure is presented as a manual as well as an automated assay. The other procedure is a differential assay which allows the detection of galactosamine without interference by glucosamine. By the two procedures, the hexosamines present in acid mucopolysaccharides and/or glycoproteins can be determined.

Acetylgalactosamine↗

Hyperglycemia induces PAI-1 gene expression in adipose tissue by activation of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway.

We examined whether acute in vivo increases in either plasma glucose or insulin concentrations stimulate PAI-1 gene expression in fat tissue. We studied chronically catheterized unstressed and awake, lean (approximately 300 g, n=12) and obese (approximately 450 g, n=12) Sprague-Dawley rats. Hyperglycemia (approximately 18mM) was induced for 3 h by glucose infusion during a pancreatic clamp (somatostatin inhibited endogenous insulin secretion). Compared with equivalent saline infusion, hyperglycemia induced a 6-7 fold increase in PAI-1 gene expression in both lean and obese rats (P<0.001). When the rate of cellular glucose uptake was matched during a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic (approximately 60 microU/ml) clamp, PAI-1 gene expression in both obese and lean rats was proportionately and significantly increased (P<0.001). We further examined whether induction of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway would mimic the effects of hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia on PAI-1 gene expression. Indeed, infusion of glucosamine (GlcN, 30 micromol/kg/min), induced a approximately 3-4 fold increase (P<0.01) in PAI-1 gene expression in both lean and obese animals. While obese rats had a four times greater fat mass then the lean rats, PAI-1 gene expression remained significantly higher when expressed as per gram fat. Our results support the hypothesis that increased glucose uptake induces PAI-1 gene expression in adipose tissue, probably through the activation of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. These findings may account for some of the fibrinolytic alterations seen in obese type 2 diabetic humans.

Adipose Tissue↗

Quantitative determination of hexosamines in glycoprotein by ion-exchange chromatography.

An ion-exchange chromatographic method for the quantitative determination of glucosamine and galactosamine in glycoproteins is described. The hexosamines are completely separated from interfering peptides of the acid hydrolysate using a small column of cation exchanger in a manner described earlier by Boas. Chromatographic separation of the hexosamine fraction and the determination of glucosamine and galactosamine are accomplished on an amino acid analyzer with ninhydrin.

Chromatography, Ion Exchange↗

A simple procedure for combined gas chromatographic analysis of neutral sugars, hexosamines and alditols. Determination of degree of polymerization of oligo- and polysaccharides and chain weights of glycosaminoglycans.

A reliable and reproducible method that allows the combined, simultaneous gas chromatographic (GC) determination of neutral sugars, hexosamines, alditols, identification and quantitation of the reducing aldose end-group in oligo and polysaccharides and glycosaminoglycans has been described. It involves the following steps: release of the reducing end-group from its protein linkage in glycosaminoglycans and reduction of this reducing end-group into alditol, release of the components of the reduced polymer by resin-catalysed hydrolysis, nitrous acid deamination of the resin-bound hexosamines in this hydrolysate into anhydroaldoses and a combined derivatization and GC determination of the neutral sugars as aldononitrile acetates, anhydroaldoses as peracetylated oximes and alditols as alditol acetates. Application of the method to determination of degree of polymerization of oligo-and polysaccharides and chain weights of proteoglycans has been described. This method has several advantages over the previous methods.

Animals↗

Convenient method for the gas chromatographic analysis of hexosamines in the presence of neutral monosaccharides and uronic acids.

A convenient gas chromatographic method has been devised for the analysis of hexosamines in the presence of neutral and acidic sugars, which involves sequential derivatization reactions of nitrous acid deamination, mercaptalation, and trimethylsilylation. This method allows rapid, simultaneous determination of 0.1-1 micromole samples of hexosamines with coefficients of variation of less than 3%.

Adult↗

Studies on the control of hexosamine biosynthesis by glucosamine synthetase.

1. The nature of the feedback inhibition of hexosamine biosynthesis on rat liver glucosamine synthetase (l-glutamine-d-fructose 6-phosphate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.16) by UDP-N-acetylglucosamine was investigated in detail. 2. Further modifiers of physiological importance are described. Glucose 6-phosphate and AMP potentiated the UDP-N-acetylglucosamine inhibition, and UTP behaved as an activator. These three compounds only exerted their action when the feedback inhibitor was bound to the enzyme. 3. ATP also inhibited the enzyme. 4. The actions of these various effectors are discussed in kinetic terms. 5. An interpretation of these findings with reference to the regulation of hexosamine biosynthesis is presented.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Dynamic actions of glucose and glucosamine on hexosamine biosynthesis in isolated adipocytes: differential effects on glucosamine 6-phosphate, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, and ATP levels.

Glucose and glucosamine (GlcN) cause insulin resistance over several hours by increasing metabolite flux through the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP). To elucidate the early events underlying glucose-induced desensitization, we treated isolated adipocytes with either glucose or GlcN and then measured intracellular levels of glucose-6-P (G-6-P), GlcN-6-P, UDP-Glc-NAc, and ATP. Glucose treatment rapidly increased G-6-P levels (t((1/2)) < 1 min), which plateaued by 15 min and remained elevated for up to 4 h (glucose ED(50) = 4mm). In glucose-treated cells, GlcN-6-P was undetectable; however, GlcN treatment (2 mm) caused a rapid and massive accumulation of GlcN-6-P. Levels increased by 5 min ( approximately 400 nmol/g) and continued to rise over 2 h (t((1/2)) approximately 20 min) before reaching a plateau at >1,400 nmol/g (ED(50) = 900 microm). Thus, at high GlcN concentrations, unrestricted flux into the HBP greatly exceeds the biosynthetic capacity of the pathway leading to a rapid buildup of GlcN-6-P. The GlcN-induced rise in GlcN-6-P levels was correlated with ATP depletion, suggesting that ATP loss is caused by phosphate sequestration (with the formation of GlcN-6-P) or the energy demands of phosphorylation. As expected, GlcN and glucose increased UDP-GlcNAc levels (t((1/2)) approximately 14-18 min), but greater levels were obtained with GlcN (4-5-fold for GlcN, 2-fold for glucose). Importantly, we found that low doses of GlcN (<250 microm, ED(50) = 80 microm) could markedly elevate UDP-GlcNAc levels without increasing GlcN-6-P levels or depleting ATP levels. These studies on the dynamic actions of glucose and GlcN on hexosamine levels should be useful in exploring the functional role of the HBP and in avoiding the potential pitfalls in the pharmacological use of GlcN.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Glucose induces MafA expression in pancreatic beta cell lines via the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway.

MafA is a basic leucine zipper transcription factor that regulates gene expression in both the neuroretina and pancreas. Within the pancreas, MafA is exclusively expressed in the beta cells and is involved in insulin gene transcription, insulin secretion, and beta cell survival. The expression of the mafA gene within beta cells is known to increase in response to high glucose levels by an unknown mechanism. In this study, we demonstrate that pyruvate, which is produced by glycolysis from glucose, is not sufficient to induce mafA gene expression compared with high glucose. This suggests that the signal for MafA induction is independent of ATP levels and that a metabolic event occurring upstream of pyruvate production leads to the induction of MafA. Furthermore, insulin secretion mediated by high glucose is not important for MafA expression. However, the addition of glucosamine to beta cell lines stimulates MafA expression in the absence of high glucose, and inhibition of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway in the presence of high glucose abolishes MafA induction. Moreover, we demonstrate that the expression of UDP-N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase, the enzyme mediating O-linked glycosylation of cytosolic and nuclear proteins, is essential for glucose-dependent MafA expression. Consistent with this observation, inhibition of N-acetylglucosaminidase, the enzyme involved in the removal of the O-GlcNAc modification from proteins, with O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosylidene)amino-N-phenylcarbamate stimulates MafA expression under low glucose conditions. The presented data suggest that MafA expression mediated by high glucose requires flux through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway and the O-linked glycosylation of an unknown protein(s) by UDP-N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase.

Animals↗

Hexosamine and cell wall biogenesis in the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii.

Chitin, a beta-(1-->4) polymer of N-acetyl-glucosamine, is an important constituent of fungal cell walls. This polymer is synthesized by the incorporation of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine units from the precursor UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) in a reaction catalyzed by chitin synthase. In the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii, chitin, the major component of the cell wall, is synthesized and incorporated in the cell surface of the free-swimming zoospore during the abrupt transition from this wall-less cell to the sessile, wall-containing cyst. Studies with cycloheximide indicate that chitin synthesis occurs in the apparent absence of protein synthesis, and thus posttranslational controls presumably regulate the cell wall biogenesis during encystment. Glutamine: fructose 6-phosphate amidotransferase, first enzyme of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway, was found to play a central role in the regulation of chitin synthesis in this fungus. This enzyme exists in two forms, which are interconvertible by phosphorylation or dephosphorylation of serine residues. It is allosterically inhibited in the phosphorylated form, as it is in the zoospore, by UDP-GlcNAc. In addition, UDP-GlcNAc inhibits the dephosphorylation of amidotransferase catalyzed by protein phosphatases 2A and 2C. Thus, UDP-GlcNAc plays a dual role in hexosamine and chitin synthesis in zoospore: it not only inhibits the phosphorylated form of the enzyme but also prevents its dephosphorylation. The available data suggest that substrate availability plays a role in the control of chitin synthesis during zoospore differentiation.

Blastocladiella↗

Transcriptional regulation of transforming growth factor beta1 by glucose: investigation into the role of the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway.

BACKGROUND: The hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) is hypothesized to mediate many of the adverse effects of hyperglycemia. We have shown previously that increased flux through this pathway leads to induction of the growth factor transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) and to insulin resistance in cultured cells and transgenic mice. TGF-beta is regulated by glucose and is involved in the development of diabetic nephropathy. We therefore hypothesized that the HBP was involved in the regulation of TGF-beta by glucose in rat vascular and kidney cells. METHODS: A plasmid containing the promoter region of TGF-beta1 cloned upstream of the firefly luciferase gene was electroporated into rat aortic smooth muscle, mesangial, and proximal tubule cells. Luciferase activity was measured in cellular extracts from cells cultured in varying concentrations of glucose and glucosamine. RESULTS: Glucose treatment of all cultured cells led to a time- and dose-dependent stimulation in TGF-beta1 transcriptional activity, with high (20 mM) glucose causing a 1.4- to 2.0-fold increase. Glucose stimulation did not occur until after 12 hours and disappeared after 72 hours of treatment. Glucosamine was more potent than glucose, with 3 mM stimulating up to a 4-fold increase in TGFbeta1-transcriptional activity. The stimulatory effect of glucosamine was also dose-dependent but was slower to develop and longer lasting than that of glucose. CONCLUSIONS: The metabolism of glucose through the HBP mediates extracellular matrix production, possibly via the stimulation of TGF-beta in kidney cells. Hexosamine metabolism therefore, may play a role in the development of diabetic nephropathy.

Animals↗

Characterization of transposon mutants of biofilm-producing Staphylococcus epidermidis impaired in the accumulative phase of biofilm production: genetic identification of a hexosamine-containing polysaccharide intercellular adhesin.

The primary attachment to polymer surfaces followed by accumulation in multilayered cell clusters leads to production of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms, which are thought to contribute to virulence in biomaterial-related infections. We isolated Tn917 transposon mutants of biofilm-producing S. epidermidis 13-1, which were completely biofilm negative. In pulsed-field gel electrophoresis no obvious deletions of the mutants were noted. The Tn917 insertions of mutants M10 and M11 were located on different EcoRI fragments but on identical 60-kb SmaI and 17-kb BamHI chromosomal fragments. Linkage of transposon insertions of mutants M10 and M11 with the altered phenotype was demonstrated by phage transduction, whereas the several other mutants apparently represented spontaneous variants. In a primary attachment assay with polystyrene spheres, no significant difference between any of the mutants and the wild type could be detected. Cell clustering as an indication of intercellular adhesion, which is a prerequisite for accumulation in multilayered cell clusters, was not detected with any mutant. These results demonstrate that the mutants were impaired in the accumulative phase of biofilm production. Mutants M10 and M11 did not produce detectable amounts of a specific polysaccharide antigen (D. Mack, N. Siemssen, and R. Laufs, Infect. Immun. 60:2048-2057, 1992), whereas substantially reduced amounts of antigen were produced by the spontaneous variants. Hexosamine was determined as the major specific component of the antigen enriched by gel filtration of biofilm-producing S. epidermidis 1457 because almost no hexosamine was detected in material prepared from the isogenic biofilm-negative transductant 1457-M11, which differentiates the antigen from other S. epidermidis polysaccharide components. Our results provide direct genetic evidence for a function of the antigen in the accumulative phase of biofilm production by S. epidermidis by mediating intercellular adhesion.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

Developmental regulation of hexosamine biosynthesis by protein phosphatases 2A and 2C in Blastocladiella emersonii.

Extracts of the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii were found to contain protein phosphatases type 1, type 2A, and type 2C with properties analogous to those found in mammalian tissues. The activities of all three protein phosphatases are developmentally regulated, increasing during sporulation, with maximum level in zoospores. Protein phosphatases 2A and 2C, present in zoospore extracts, catalyze the dephosphorylation of L-glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (EC 2.6.1.16, amidotransferase), a key regulatory enzyme in hexosamine biosynthesis. The protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid induces encystment and inhibits germ tube formation but does not affect the synthesis of the chitinous cell wall. These results strongly suggest that phosphatase 2C is responsible for the dephosphorylation of amidotransferase in vivo. This dephosphorylation is inhibited by uridine-5'-diphospho-N-acetylglucosamine, the end product of hexosamine synthesis and the substrate for chitin synthesis. This result demonstrates a dual role of uridine-5'-diphospho-N-acetylglucosamine by inhibiting the activity of the phosphorylated form of amidotransferase and by preventing its dephosphorylation by protein phosphatases.

Blastocladiella↗

Glucose induces increases in levels of the transcriptional repressor Id2 via the hexosamine pathway.

Changes in glucose levels are known to directly alter gene expression. A number of previous studies have found that these effects are in part mediated by modulating the levels and the activity of transcription factors. We have investigated an alternative mechanism by which glucose might regulate gene expression by modulating levels of a transcriptional repressor. We have focused on Id2, which is a protein that indirectly regulates gene expression by sequestering certain transcription factors and preventing them from forming functional dimers. Id2 targets include the class A basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors and the sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1. We demonstrate that increases in glucose levels cause a rapid increase in levels of Id2 in J774.2 macrophages, and a number of lines of evidence indicate that this is via the hexosamine pathway because 1) the effect of glucose requires glutamine; 2) the effect of glucose is mimicked by low levels of glucosamine; 3) the effect of glucose is inhibited by azaserine, an inhibitor of glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT); and 4) adenoviral mediated overexpression of GFAT increases levels of Id2. We go on to show that increases in Id2 can have functional effects on metabolic genes, because Id2 blocked the SREBP-1-induced induction of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) promoter activity, whereas Id2 alone does not modulate activity of the HSL promoter. In summary, these studies define a new mechanism by which glucose uses the hexosamine pathway to regulate gene expression by increasing levels of a transcriptional repressor.

Animals↗

Effects of exercise and feeding on the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway in rat skeletal muscle.

Products of the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HSNP) have been implicated in glucose-induced insulin resistance. We measured the major products of HSNP, UDP-N-acetyl hexosamines (UDP-HexNAc), and the activity of L-glutamine: D-fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT, rate-limiting enzyme) in rat hindlimb muscles immediately after exercise and 1, 3, and 16 h postexercise (swimming) in fed and fasted rats and sedentary controls. Muscle glycogen decreased by 50-75% postexercise. In sedentary rats, muscle GFAT activity decreased by approximately 30% (P < 0.002) after an 18-h fast. GFAT activity was not affected by exercise under any condition. Muscle UDP-HexNAc increased approximately 30% postexercise (P < 0.01) in ad libitum-fed but not in fasted rats. UDP-HexNAc remained elevated (approximately 30%, P < 0.002) for 16 h if animals were fed postexercise. Concentrations of UDP-hexoses, GDP-mannose, and UDP were unchanged postexercise. Conclusions are that muscle GFAT activity is regulated by the nutritional state but not by acute exercise. Glucose flux via HNSP may be increased postexercise in muscles of ad libitum-fed rats. Increased HSNP products may serve as negative feedback regulators to limit excessive muscle glycogen deposition postexercise.

Animal Feed↗

Decreased hexosamine biosynthesis in GH-deficient dwarf rat muscle. reversal with GH, but not IGF-I, therapy.

Enhanced glucose flux via the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HNSP) has been implicated in insulin resistance. We measured L-glutamine:D-fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase activity (GFAT, a rate-limiting enzyme) and concentrations of UDP-N-acetyl hexosamines (UDP-HexNAc, major products of HNSP) in muscle and liver of growth hormone (GH)-deficient male dwarf (dw) rats. All parameters measured, except body weight, were similar in 5-wk-old control and dw rats. Muscle GFAT activity declined progressively with age in controls and dw rats but was consistently 30-60% lower in 8- to 14-wk-old dw rats vs. age-matched controls; UDP-HexNAc concentrations in muscle were concomitantly 30% lower in dw rats vs. controls (P < 0.01). Concentrations of UDP-hexoses, GDP-mannose, and UDP in muscle were similar in control and dw rats. Muscle HNSP activity was similarly diminished in fed and fasted dw rats. In liver, only a small difference in GFAT activity was evident between controls and dw rats, and no differences in UDP-HexNAc concentrations were observed. Treatment with recombinant human GH (rhGH) for 5 days restored UDP-HexNAc to control levels in dw muscles (P < 0.01) and partially restored GFAT activity. Insulin-like growth factor I treatment was ineffective. We conclude that GH participates in HNSP regulation in muscle.

Animals↗

High glucose-induced transforming growth factor beta1 production is mediated by the hexosamine pathway in porcine glomerular mesangial cells.

Previous studies revealed that exposure of mesangial cells to high glucose concentration induces the production of matrix proteins mediated by TGF-beta1. We tested if structural analogues of D-glucose may mimic the high glucose effect and found that D-glucosamine was strikingly more potent than D-glucose itself in enhancing the production of TGF-beta protein and subsequent production of the matrix components heparan sulfate proteoglycan and fibronectin in a time- and dose-dependent manner. D-Glucosamine also promoted conversion of latent TGF-beta to the active form. Therefore, we suggested that the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (the key enzyme of which is glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase [GFAT]) contributes to the high glucose-induced TGF-beta1 production. Inhibition of GFAT by the substrate analogue azaserine or by inhibition of GFAT protein synthesis with antisense oligonucleotide prevented the high glucose-induced increase in cellular glucosamine metabolites and TGF-beta1 expression and bioactivity and subsequent effects on mesangial cell proliferation and matrix production. Overall, our study indicates that the flux of glucose metabolism through the GFAT catalyzed hexosamine biosynthetic pathway is involved in the glucose-induced mesangial production of TGF-beta leading to increased matrix production.

Animals↗

Morphometric evaluation of rhesus articular cartilage: correlation of hexosamine and 35SO4 = incorporation.

Morphometric evaluation of 20 rhesus articular cartilage samples were correlated with hexosamine and an 18-hour incorporation of 35SO4- as a measure of proteoglycan production on samples from the same joint. Reduced chondrocyte cellularity was the basis of the reduced maintenance of the matrix by the chondrocyte. In the more cellular cartilage, the matrix/lacunae area ratio was less than 25, and the less cellular group had a ratio of greater than 40. An inverse correlation existed between morphometric cartilage matrix/lacunar area ratio and hexosamine content. A significant difference of 35SO4 incorporation was not seen between the three morphometric grades. Morphometric assessment reduces the subjectivity of articular cartilage evaluation.

Animals↗