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Human acid beta-glucosidase: isolation and amino acid sequence of a peptide containing the catalytic site.

Human acid beta-glucosidase (D-glucosyl-N-acylsphingosine glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.45) cleaves the glucosidic bonds of glucosylceramide and synthetic beta-glucosides. The deficient activity of this hydrolase is the enzymatic defect in the subtypes and variants of Gaucher disease, the most prevalent lysosomal storage disease. To isolate and characterize the catalytic site of the normal enzyme, brominated 3H-labeled conduritol B epoxide (3H-Br-CBE), which inhibits the enzyme by binding covalently to this site, was used as an affinity label. Under optimal conditions 1 mol of 3H-Br-CBE bound to 1 mol of pure enzyme protein, indicating the presence of a single catalytic site per enzyme subunit. After V8 protease digestion of the 3H-Br-CBE-labeled homogeneous enzyme, three radiolabeled peptides, designated peptide A, B, or C, were resolved by reverse-phase HPLC. The partial amino acid sequence (37 residues) of peptide A (Mr, 5000) was determined. The sequence of this peptide, which contained the catalytic site, had exact homology to the sequence near the carboxyl terminus of the protein, as predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the full-length cDNA encoding acid beta-glucosidase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Purification and characterization of a microsomal bile acid beta-glucosidase from human liver.

A human liver microsomal beta-glucosidase has been purified to apparent homogeneity in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis where a single protein band of Mr 100,000 was obtained under reducing conditions. The enzyme was enriched about 73, 000-fold over starting microsomal membranes by polyethylene glycol fractionation, anion exchange chromatographies on DEAE-Trisacryl, and Mono Q followed by affinity chromatography on N-(9-carboxynonyl)-1-deoxynojirimycin-AH-Sepharose 4B. The purified enzyme had a pH optimum between 5.0 and 6.4, was activated by divalent metal ions, and required phospholipids for exhibition of activity. The enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of 3beta-D-glucosido-lithocholic and 3beta-D-glucosido-chenodeoxycholic acids with high affinity (Km, 1.7 and 6.2 microM, respectively) and of the beta-D-glucoside (Km, 210 microM) and the beta-D-galactoside of 4-methylumbelliferone. The ratio of relative reaction rates for these substrates was about 6:3:11:1. No activity was detectable toward 6beta-D-glucosido-hyodeoxycholic acid, glucocerebroside, and the following glycosides of 4-methylumbelliferone: alpha-D-glucoside, alpha-L-arabinoside, beta-D-fucoside or beta-D-xyloside. Immunoinhibition and immunoprecipitation studies using antibodies prepared against lysosomal glucocerebrosidase showed no cross-reactivity with microsomal beta-glucosidase suggesting that these two enzymes are antigenically unrelated.

Bile Acids and Salts↗

Targeted disruption of the acid alpha-glucosidase gene in mice causes an illness with critical features of both infantile and adult human glycogen storage disease type II.

We have used gene targeting to create a mouse model of glycogen storage disease type II, a disease in which distinct clinical phenotypes present at different ages. As in the severe human infantile disease (Pompe Syndrome), mice homozygous for disruption of the acid alpha-glucosidase gene (6(neo)/6(neo)) lack enzyme activity and begin to accumulate glycogen in cardiac and skeletal muscle lysosomes by 3 weeks of age, with a progressive increase thereafter. By 3.5 weeks of age, these mice have markedly reduced mobility and strength. They grow normally, however, reach adulthood, remain fertile, and, as in the human adult disease, older mice accumulate glycogen in the diaphragm. By 8-9 months of age animals develop obvious muscle wasting and a weak, waddling gait. This model, therefore, recapitulates critical features of both the infantile and the adult forms of the disease at a pace suitable for the evaluation of enzyme or gene replacement. In contrast, in a second model, mutant mice with deletion of exon 6 (Delta6/Delta6), like the recently published acid alpha-glucosidase knockout with disruption of exon 13 (Bijvoet, A. G., van de Kamp, E. H., Kroos, M., Ding, J. H., Yang, B. Z., Visser, P., Bakker, C. E., Verbeet, M. P., Oostra, B. A., Reuser, A. J. J., and van der Ploeg, A. T. (1998) Hum. Mol. Genet. 7, 53-62), have unimpaired strength and mobility (up to 6.5 months of age) despite indistinguishable biochemical and pathological changes. The genetic background of the mouse strains appears to contribute to the differences among the three models.

Alleles↗

Deletion of the glucosidase II gene in Trypanosoma brucei reveals novel N-glycosylation mechanisms in the biosynthesis of variant surface glycoprotein.

The trypanosomatids are generally aberrant in their protein N-glycosylation pathways. However, protein N-glycosylation in the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei, etiological agent of human African sleeping sickness, is not well understood. Here, we describe the creation of a bloodstream-form T. brucei mutant that is deficient in the endoplasmic reticulum enzyme glucosidase II. Characterization of the variant surface glycoprotein, the main glycoprotein synthesized by the parasite with two N-glycosylation sites, revealed unexpected changes in the N-glycosylation of this molecule. Structural characterization by mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and chemical and enzymatic treatments revealed that one of the two glycosylation sites was occupied by conventional oligomannose structures, whereas the other accumulated unusual structures in the form of Glcalpha1-3Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-3(Manalpha1-6)Manbeta1-4GlcNAcbeta1-4GlcNAc, Glcalpha1-3Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-3(GlcNAcbeta1-2Manalpha1-6)Manbeta1-4GlcNAcbeta1-4GlcNAc, and Glcalpha1-3Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-2Manalpha1-3(Galbeta1-4GlcNAcbeta1-2Manalpha1-6)Manbeta1-4GlcNAcbeta1-4GlcNAc. The possibility that these structures might arise from Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 by unusually rapid alpha-mannosidase processing was ruled out using a mixture of alpha-mannosidase inhibitors. The results suggest that bloodstream-form T. brucei can transfer both Man9GlcNAc2 and Man5GlcNAc2 to the variant surface glycoprotein in a site-specific manner and that, unlike organisms that transfer exclusively Glc3Man9GlcNAc2, the T. brucei UDP-Glc: glycoprotein glucosyltransferase and glucosidase II enzymes can use Man5GlcNAc2 and Glc1Man5GlcNAc2, respectively, as their substrates. The ability to transfer Man5GlcNAc2 structures to N-glycosylation sites destined to become Man(4-3)GlcNAc2 or complex structures may have evolved as a mechanism to conserve dolichol-phosphate-mannose donors for glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor biosynthesis and points to fundamental differences in the specificities of host and parasite glycosyltransferases that initiate the synthesis of complex N-glycans.

Animals↗

Yeast GTB1 encodes a subunit of glucosidase II required for glycoprotein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum.

Glucosidase II is essential for sequential removal of two glucose residues from N-linked glycans during glycoprotein biogenesis in the endoplasmic reticulum. The enzyme is a heterodimer whose alpha-subunit contains the glycosyl hydrolase active site. The function of the beta-subunit has yet to be defined, but mutations in the human gene have been linked to an autosomal dominant form of polycystic liver disease. Here we report the identification and characterization of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene, GTB1, encoding a polypeptide with 21% sequence similarity to the beta-subunit of human glucosidase II. The Gtb1 protein was shown to be a soluble glycoprotein (96-102 kDa) localized to the endoplasmic reticulum lumen where it was present in a complex together with the yeast alpha-subunit homologue Gls2p. Surprisingly, we found that Deltagtb1 mutant cells were specifically defective in the processing of monoglucosylated glycans. Thus, although Gls2p is sufficient for cleavage of the penultimate glucose residue, Gtb1p is essential for cleavage of the final glucose. Our data demonstrate that Gtb1p is required for normal glycoprotein biogenesis and reveal that the final two glucose-trimming steps in N-glycan processing are mechanistically distinct.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of the non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase as beta-glucosidase 2.

The primary catabolic pathway for glucosylceramide is catalyzed by the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase that is defective in Gaucher disease patients. A distinct non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase has been described but its identity remained enigmatic for years. We here report that the non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase is identical to the earlier described bile acid beta-glucosidase, being beta-glucosidase 2 (GBA2). Expressed GBA2 is identical to the native non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase in various enzymatic features such as substrate specificity and inhibitor sensitivity. Expression of GBA2 coincides with increased non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase activity, and GBA2-targeted RNA interference reduces endogenous non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase activity in cells. GBA2 is found to be located at or close to the cell surface, and its activity is linked to sphingomyelin generation. Hydrophobic deoxynojirimycins are extremely potent inhibitors for GBA2. In mice pharmacological inhibition of GBA2 activity is associated with impaired spermatogenesis, a phenomenon also very recently reported for GBA2 knock-out mice (Yildiz, Y., Matern, H., Thompson, B., Allegood, J. C., Warren, R. L., Ramirez, D. M., Hammer, R. E., Hamra, F. K., Matern, S., and Russell, D. W. (2006) J. Clin. Invest. 116, 2985-2994). In conclusion, GBA2 plays a role in cellular glucosylceramide metabolism.

Animals↗

Purification and biochemical characterisation of human placental acid alpha-glucosidase.

An acid alpha-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.3) has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from the soluble fraction of the human term placenta. In the presence of SDS, two doublets of 79 and 67 kDa were seen in addition to other bands of extremely low intensity. Each of these bands was seen to cross-react with polyclonal antiserum raised to the purified enzyme, thus confirming the homogeneity of the preparation. The purified enzyme exhibited a broad substrate specificity. The kinetic data revealed the possible presence of multiple substrate binding sites. Chemical modification using group specific reagents indicated the presence of a carboxyl group and tryptophan at the active site. Based on these results a possible structure for the active site of the human term placental acid alpha-glucosidase has been proposed.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗

The beta-glucosidase of the yeast cell surface.

There are two distinct components of the system which limits the rate at which intact cells of S. cerevisiae C hydrolyze external beta-glucosides; one component requires metabolic energy and the other is stereospecific for beta-glucosides. The stereospecific component is localized at the cell membrane, as shown by its sensitivity to heavy metal inhibitors which did not penetrate the cell under the conditions used. It was shown that cellobiose-grown cells were able to remove cellobiose from the medium in which they were incubated, and that the cellobiose uptake system was identical to that which limits the patent beta-glucosidase activity. In order to test the hypothesis that the system in question was a transport system, for beta-glucosides the ability of cellobiose-grown cells to take up (14)C-labeled methyl-beta-glucoside (MBG) was studied. The induced cells were able to take up MBG-(14)C and the label could be partially chased out by cold MBG and cellobiose; glucose-grown cells could not incorporate label. However, induced cells could not take up label when incubated with (14)C-MBG, thus excluding the hypothesis of transport of intact beta-glucosides. It was concluded that the stereospecific membrane component was actually a beta-glucosidase, coupled to an energy-dependent transport system for the glucose moiety; the function of the latter was rate-limiting in the over-all activity of the entire system.

Biological Transport↗

Gaucher disease type 1: cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding acid beta-glucosidase from an Ashkenazi Jewish patient.

Gaucher disease (GD) type 1 is the most prevalent lysosomal storage disease and the most prevalent genetic disease among the Ashkenazi Jews. The defective activity of acid beta-glucosidase is the enzymatic basis of GD and is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. To investigate the genetic basis of Ashkenazi Jewish GD type 1, a cDNA encoding acid beta-glucosidase was isolated from a cDNA library constructed using splenic poly(A)+RNA from a patient. The cDNA was sequenced to identify mutations, and the presence of a single missense mutation in the patients' genome was confirmed by selective oligonucleotide hybridization and by restriction endonuclease digestion analyses of amplified genomic sequences. This G----A transition (Arg-119 to Gln-119) was present heterozygously in the index patient and his affected third cousin but was not present in normal non-Jewish individuals. This mutation is the second single base mutation found in Ashkenazi Jewish GD type 1 patients. Furthermore, results obtained with the affected third cousin suggest that at least three mutant alleles may be present in this GD subpopulation.

Child↗

Heterogeneity of mutations in the acid beta-glucosidase gene of Gaucher disease patients.

Gaucher disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner and is the most prevalent lysosomal storage disease. Gaucher disease has marked phenotypic variation and molecular heterogeneity, and several simple and complex alleles of the acid beta-glucosidase gene have been identified as causal to this disease. Certain combinations of alleles have been shown to correlate well with the severity of the disease, but many Gaucher disease patients exist whose disease is not explained by any of the published mutations. This study was undertaken to identify mutant alleles in such incompletely characterized Gaucher disease, in an attempt to find further correlations between clinical phenotype and the presence of acid beta-glucosidase alleles. RNA was isolated from Gaucher cell lines and converted to cDNA, the cDNA was amplified by PCR and cloned, and several clones for each allele were sequenced. Several new singly mutated and multiply mutated alleles were identified, and sequence-specific oligonucleotide hybridization was used to verify the presence of these mutations in the genome of these patients. All newly identified mutations occurred only rarely in the Gaucher disease population, making it difficult to determine whether inheritance of a particular combination of alleles always correlates with the clinical manifestations seen in the test patients. Three of the newly described alleles were single missense mutations in exon 8, one was a single missense mutation in exon 5, and the fifth was a complex allele, comprising a series of different point mutations scattered throughout exons 5 and 6.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alleles↗

The role of glucosidase I (Cwh41p) in the biosynthesis of cell wall beta-1,6-glucan is indirect.

CWH41, a gene involved in the assembly of cell wall beta-1,6-glucan, has recently been shown to be the structural gene for Saccharomyces cerevisiae glucosidase I that is responsible for initiating the trimming of terminal alpha-1,2-glucose residue in the N-glycan processing pathway. To distinguish between a direct or indirect role of Cwh41p in the biosynthesis of beta-1,6-glucan, we constructed a double mutant, alg5Delta (lacking dolichol-P-glucose synthase) cwh41Delta, and found that it has the same phenotype as the alg5Delta single mutant. It contains wild-type levels of cell wall beta-1,6-glucan, shows moderate underglycosylation of N-linked glycoproteins, and grows at concentrations of Calcofluor White (which interferes with cell wall assembly) that are lethal to cwh41Delta single mutant. The strong genetic interactions of CWH41 with KRE6 and KRE1, two other genes involved in the beta-1,6-glucan biosynthetic pathway, disappear in the absence of dolichol-P-glucose synthase (alg5Delta). The triple mutant alg5Deltacwh41Deltakre6Delta is viable, whereas the double mutant cwh41Deltakre6Delta in the same genetic background is not. The severe slow growth phenotype and 75% reduction in cell wall beta-1,6-glucan, characteristic of the cwh41Deltakre1Delta double mutant, are not observed in the triple mutant alg5Deltacwh41Deltakre1Delta. Kre6p, a putative Golgi glucan synthase, is unstable in cwh41Delta strains, and its overexpression renders these cells Calcofluor White resistant. These results demonstrate that the role of glucosidase I (Cwh41p) in the biosynthesis of cell wall beta-1,6-glucan is indirect and that dolichol-P-glucose is not an intermediate in this pathway.

Benzenesulfonates↗

Overexpression, purification, and partial characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae processing alpha glucosidase I.

The gene encoding yeast processing alpha glucosidase I, CWH41, was overexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae AH22, resulting in a 28-fold increase in expression of the soluble form of the enzyme. The soluble enzyme results from proteolytic cleavage between residues Ala 24 and Thr 25 of the transmembrane sequence of the membrane-bound form of the enzyme. This cleavage could be partially inhibited by addition of leupeptin and pepstatin during the enzyme isolation. The enzyme was purified to a final specific activity of 8550 U/mg protein using a combination of ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion exchange, concanavalin A, and gel filtration chromatography. The soluble form of the enzyme is a monomer with a molecular weight of 98 kDa by SDS-PAGE, and 89 kDa by gel filtration. The molecular weight decreased by approximately 5 kDa after treatment with N-glycosidase F, indicating that it is a glycoprotein. Soluble glucosidase I was sensitive to diethyl pyrocarbonate and not affected by N-ethylmaleimide, suggesting that mechanistically it is more similar to the plant than the mammalian form of the enzyme.

Base Sequence↗

Topological studies on the enzymes catalyzing the biosynthesis of Glc-P-dolichol and the triglucosyl cap of Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-P-P-dolichol in microsomal vesicles from pig brain: use of the processing glucosidases I/II as latency markers.

In the current model for Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-P-P-Dol assembly, Man5GlcNAc2-P-P-Dol, Man-P-Dol, and Glc-P-Dol are synthesized on the cytoplasmic face of the ER and diffuse transversely to the lumenal leaflet where the synthesis of the lipid-bound precursor oligosaccharide is completed. To establish the topological sites of Glc-P-Dol synthesis and the lipid-mediated glucosyltransfer reactions involved in Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-P-P-Dol synthesis in ER vesicles from pig brain, the trypsin-sensitivity of Glc-P-Dol synthase activity and the Glc-P-Dol:Glc0-2Man9GlcNAc2-P-P-Dol glucosyltransferases (GlcTases) was examined in sealed microsomal vesicles. Since ER vesicles from brain do not contain glucose 6-phosphate (Glc 6-P) phosphatase activity, the latency of the lumenally oriented, processing glucosidase I/II activities was used to assess the intactness of the vesicle preparations. Comparative enzymatic studies with sealed ER vesicles from brain and kidney, a tissue that contains Glc 6-P phosphatase, demonstrate the reliability of using the processing glucosidase activities as latency markers for topological studies with microsomal vesicles from non-gluconeogenic tissues lacking Glc 6-P phosphatase. The results obtained from the trypsin-sensitivity assays with sealed microsomal vesicles from brain are consistent with a topological model in which Glc-P-Dol is synthesized on the cytoplasmic face of the ER, and subsequently utilized by the three Glc-P-Dol-mediated GlcTases after "flip-flopping" to the lumenal monolayer.

1-Deoxynojirimycin↗

Genomic organization and promoter activity of glucosidase I gene.

Glucosidase I initiates the processing of asparagine (N-) linked glycoproteins by removing the distal alpha1,2-linked glucosyl residue of the tetradecasaccharide Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2). The gene encoding this enzyme was isolated and its structural organization and promoter activity determined. The major transcript for glucosidase I on northern blot appeared to be 3.1 kb; Southern blotting and DNA sequencing indicated the size of the gene to be 6.8 kb, comprising four exons separated by three introns. The first exon encodes the cytoplasmic tail and transmembrane domain; the fourth encodes the putative catalytic domain of the enzyme. Exon-intron junctions are flanked by consensus splice donor and acceptor sequences. Transcription initiation sites were mapped by primer extension, ribonuclease protection assay and RT-PCR analysis. Primer extension results showed multiple initiation sites at -150, -156, and -272 bp relative to the translation initiation codon ATG. Sequence analysis of 5' flanking region showed no canonical TATA box, a high GC content, Sp1 and ETF binding sites (typical of a housekeeping gene promoter). Also noteworthy, the promoter region contains several generic STAT factor binding sites, one nearly perfect, and two half GR binding elements. Other cis- acting elements recognized by transcription factors such as AP-2, NF-kappaB, estrogen receptor, and progesterone receptor (PR) were also present in the putative promoter region. To determine the promoter activity, a construct encompassing the region between -2114 to -5 bp of the putative promoter was ligated to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter plasmid and transiently transfected into COS 7 cells. CAT assay results clearly show transcriptional activity of the promoter.

Animals↗

Binding residues and catalytic domain of soluble Saccharomyces cerevisiae processing alpha-glucosidase I.

Alpha-glucosidase I initiates the trimming of newly assembled N-linked glycoproteins in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Site-specific chemical modification of the soluble alpha-glucosidase I from yeast using diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) and tetranitromethane (TNM) revealed that histidine and tyrosine are involved in the catalytic activity of the enzyme, as these residues could be protected from modification using the inhibitor deoxynojirimycin. Deoxynojirimycin could not prevent inactivation of enzyme treated with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) used to modify tryptophan residues. Therefore, the binding mechanism of yeast enzyme contains different amino acid residues compared to its mammalian counterpart. Catalytically active polypeptides were isolated from endogenous proteolysis and controlled trypsin hydrolysis of the enzyme. A 37-kDa nonglycosylated polypeptide was isolated as the smallest active fragment from both digests, using affinity chromatography with inhibitor-based resins (N-methyl-N-59-carboxypentyl- and N-59-carboxypentyl-deoxynojirimycin). N-terminal sequencing confirmed that the catalytic domain of the enzyme is located at the C-terminus. The hydrolysis sites were between Arg(521) and Thr(522) for endogenous proteolysis and residues Lys(524) and Phe(525) for the trypsin-generated peptide. This 37-kDa polypeptide is 1.9 times more active than the 98-kDa protein when assayed with the synthetic trisaccharide, alpha-D-Glc1,2alpha-D-Glc1,3alpha-D-Glc-O(CH2)(8)COOCH(3), and is not glycosylated. Identification of this relatively small fragment with catalytic activity will allow mechanistic studies to focus on this critical region and raises interesting questions about the relationship between the catalytic region and the remaining polypeptide.

1-Deoxynojirimycin↗

Pyridoxine and pyridoxine-5'-beta-D-glucoside exert different effects on tissue B-6 vitamers but similar effects on beta-glucosidase activity in rats.

Pyridoxine glucoside is a partially available form of vitamin B-6 present in plant-derived foods. In this set of three studies, rats were fed diets containing different concentrations of either pyridoxine or pyridoxine glucoside in the presence or absence of a fixed concentration of pyridoxine for 2 wk. The distribution of B-6 vitamers and beta-glucosidase activity in tissues was examined to determine the metabolic effects of chronic consumption of pyridoxine glucoside. Rats fed pyridoxine glucoside either with or without pyridoxine exhibited a significant increase in the amount of hepatic pyridoxine 5'-phosphate (not detected in rats fed pyridoxine alone), whereas hepatic pyridoxal 5'-phosphate was decreased with increasing dietary pyridoxine glucoside. The activity of cytosolic beta-glucosidases in small intestine and kidney was affected by the dietary concentration of both pyridoxine and pyridoxine glucoside. Enzymatic activity capable of hydrolyzing pyridoxine glucoside was found in mucosal and intraluminal fractions of small intestine and in the kidney. Other tissues examined, including liver, spleen and stomach, did not hydrolyze pyridoxine glucoside in detectable quantities. These findings indicate that microbial and mucosal enzymes can participate in the intestinal hydrolysis of pyridoxine glucoside and that the kidney may contribute to postabsorptive hydrolysis. These findings further support the observations that dietary pyridoxine glucoside influences vitamin B-6 metabolism.

Animals↗

Fermented soybean-derived water-soluble Touchi extract inhibits alpha-glucosidase and is antiglycemic in rats and humans after single oral treatments.

A water-soluble extract of Touchi, a traditional Chinese food, was found to exert a strong inhibitory activity against rat intestinal alpha-glucosidase. We orally administered sucrose (2 g/kg) with or without Touchi extract (TE) to normal rats at 100 and 500 mg/kg. Postprandial increases in blood glucose levels at 30 and 60 min after the administration of TE were significantly depressed compared with controls. In humans, eight borderline diabetic subjects were administered 0.1-10.0 g TE before sucrose loading (75 g). TE decreased the glycemic response dose dependently after sucrose loading. Compared with the area under the curve of the postprandial rise in blood glucose with various doses, TE elicited a significant antiglycemic effect at a minimum effective dose of 0.3 g. In addition, when four diabetics were administered 0.3 g TE before eating 200 g of cooked rice, the postprandial increases in blood glucose and mean insulin levels were significantly depressed at 60 and 120 min, respectively, after ingestion compared with levels when no TE was administered. TE, which exhibits alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity, demonstrated an antihyperglycemic effect and may have potential use in the management of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetic mellitus.

Administration, Oral↗

New imidazoles as probes of the active site topology and potent inhibitors of beta-glucosidase.

Series of 4-arylimidazoles, omega-N-acylhistamines and 4-(omega-phenylalkyl)imidazoles were synthesized in order to probe the active site topology of sweet almond beta-glucosidase. These imidazole derivatives were shown to be very powerful competitive inhibitors. Among the 20 tested compounds, omega-N-benzoylhistamine and 4-(3'-phenylpropyl)imidazole are the most potent inhibitors of the enzyme, with pH-independent Ki values of 0.06 and 0.07 microM, respectively. The inhibition of 4-(omega-phenylalkyl)imidazoles exhibited an interesting trend as to Ki values: 4-phenylimidazole (6.6 microM)>4-benzylimidazole (1.4 microM)>4-(2'-phenylethyl)imidazole (0.82 microM)>4-(3'-phenylpropyl)imidazole (0.07 microM)<4-(4'-phenylbutyl)imidazole (0.13 microM)<4-(5'-phenylpentyl)imidazole (0.3 microM). This revealed that the imidazole and aryl binding sites (which result from favorable interactions within the corresponding glycone and aglycone binding subsites) are separated by the optimal distance equivalent to the length of a -CH2-CH2-CH2- group. Substitutions of the phenyl moieties of 4-phenylimidazole and 4-benzoylhistamine result in weaker inhibition. These classes of imidazoles are particularly powerful inhibitors of sweet almond beta-glucosidase.

Binding Sites↗