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PubMed1991

Rat liver dimethylglycine dehydrogenase. Flavinylation of the enzyme in hepatocytes in primary culture and characterization of a cDNA clone.

Dimethylglycine dehydrogenase (Me2GlyDH), an enzyme of choline catabolism specifically expressed in the mammalian liver, was analyzed in rat hepatocytes in culture. This mitochondrial enzyme carries the FAD cofactor covalently attached to the polypeptide chain by its riboflavin 8 alpha position to N pi of histidine [Cook, R., Misono, K.S. & Wagner, C. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 12475-12480]. Subcellular fractionation of [14C]riboflavin-labelled hepatocytes and immunoprecipitation with Me2GlyDH-specific antiserum identified a [14C]riboflavin-labelled polypeptide of the size of mature Me2GlyDH only in the mitochondrial fraction. Immunoprecipitation of extracts from [35S]Met-labelled hepatocytes revealed a putative precursor protein to the mature Me2GlyDH in the cytoplasmic fraction. These Me2GlyDH polypeptides were not expressed in cells of the rat hepatoma cell line FAO. A Me2GlyDH cDNA clone of apparent full length was isolated from a rat liver cDNA bank constructed in the plasmid vector pcD-X [Okayama, H., Kawaichi, M., Brownstein, M., Lee, F., Yokota, T. & Arai, K. (1987) Methods Enzymol. 154, 3-28]. The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA contains an open reading frame encoding a protein of 96059 Da. This molecular mass agrees well with the migration on SDS/PAGE of the assumed Me2GlyDH precursor immunoprecipitated from the cytoplasm of [35S]Met-labelled cells. Proteolytic cleavage at the putative mitochondrial processing protease-recognition site Arg(-2)-Ala(-1)-Glu(+1) would lead to the formation of a protein of 91391 Da, which is in good agreement with the estimated 90 kDa of mature Me2GlyDH [Wittwer, A.J. & Wagner, C. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 4102-4108], and a 43-amino-acid leader peptide. The N-terminus of Me2GlyDH contains a conserved amino acid sequence which forms the dinucleotide-binding site in many enzymes with noncovalently bound FAD. Close to the modified histidine there is an amino acid sequence resembling a sequence conserved in thymidylate synthases and shown in these enzymes to be involved in the binding of the pteroyl polyglutamate cofactor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1984

Methotrexate analogues. 19. Replacement of the glutamate side chain in classical antifolates by L-homocysteic acid and L-cysteic acid: effect on enzyme inhibition and antitumor activity.

Methotrexate (MTX) and aminopterin (AMT) analogues containing L-homocysteic acid or L-cysteic acid in place of L-glutamic acid were synthesized and tested as inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase from L1210 cells and folyl polyglutamate synthetase from mouse liver. The ID50 against dihydrofolate reductase was comparable for the MTX and AMT analogues (0.04-0.07 microM), whereas the ID50 against folyl polyglutamate synthetase was 3- to 4-fold lower for the AMT analogues (40-60 microM) than for the MTX analogues (100-200 microM). Thus, N10-substitution has a greater effect on binding to folyl polyglutamate synthetase than dihydrofolate reductase. The cytotoxicity of these compounds was assayed in vitro against L1210 cells, and the AMT analogues again proved more potent (ID50 = 0.03-0.05 microM) than the MTX analogues (ID50 = 0.1-0.4 microM). A similarly increased potency was observed for the AMT analogues against L1210 leukemia in vivo. Though differential cell uptake cannot be ruled out as the basis of increased potency, it is possible that part of the activity of the AMT analogues involves interference with the intracellular polyglutamation of reduced folate cofactors, i.e., that they are "self-potentiating antifolates". Of the four compounds reported, the most active was N-(4-amino-4- deoxypteroyl )-L-homocysteic acid, which produced a 138% increase in life span (ILS) in L1210 leukemic mice when given on a modified bid X 10 schedule at a dose of 2 mg/kg. A comparable ILS was obtained with AMT itself at 0.24 mg/kg. Thus, replacement of gamma-CO2H by gamma-SO3H in the side chain does not decrease therapeutic effect. However, a higher dose is required, presumably to offset pharmacological differences reflecting the inability of the sulfonate group to be polyglutamated .

Amino Acids, Sulfur↗
PubMed2003

Gateways to clinical trials. March 2003.

Gateways to clinical Trials is a guide to the most recent clinical trials in current literature and congresses. The data in the following tables has been retrieved from the Clinical Studies knowledge area of Prous Science Integrity, the drug discovery and devlopment protal, http://integrity.prous.com. This issue focuses on the following selection of drugs: AAV-CF, adalimumab, ademetionine, afeletecan hydrochloride, agomelatine, alemtuzumab, almotriptan, amdoxovir, aplidine, aranose, arsenic sulfide, atazanavir, atlizumab; Bimatoprost, BMS-181176, BMS-188667, bortezomib, bryostatin 1; Combretastatin A-4 phosphate; Darbepoetin alfa, darusentan, deferasirox, desloratadine, DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib-vaccine, DTI-0009; Eculizumab, edodekin alfa, emtricitabine, enfuvirtide, epoetin, esomeprazole magnesium etoricoxib; Fampridine, fenretinide, FR-146687; Galiximab, gamma-Hydroxybutyrate sodium, ganirelix acetate, gefitinib, Gemtuzumab ozogamicin, gimatecan; HEA125xOKT3, hIL-13-PE38QQR, HSV-2 theracine, Hu14.18-IL-2, human gammaglobulin; Idraparinux sodium, imatinib mesylate, IMiD3, insulin detemir, interleukin-4, irofulven, ISAtx-247; JT-1001; Levetiracetam, levosimendan, liposomal doxorubicin, liposomal vincristine sulfate, lixivaptan, lopinavir, lumiracoxib; Maxacalcitol, melatonin, midostaurin, MLN-518; Neridronic acid, nesiritide, nitronaproxen; Oblimersen sodium, oregovomab; PEG-filgrastim polyglutamate paclitaxel, prasterone, pregabalin; Rosuvastatin calcium, rotigotine hydrochloride; SGN-30; T-1249, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, teriparatide, tiotropium bromide, tipranavir, TMC-114, trabectedin, transdermal selegiline; UK-427857; Valdecoxib, valganciclovir hydrochloride, vardenafil, vatalanib succinate, vincristine sulfate TCS; Zofenopril calcium.

Clinical Protocols↗
PubMed1992

Biochemical and biological studies on 2-desamino-2-methylaminopterin, an antifolate the polyglutamates of which are more potent than the monoglutamate against three key enzymes of folate metabolism.

Biochemical and biological studies have been carried out with 2-desamino-2-methylaminopterin (dmAMT), which inhibits tumor cell growth in culture but is only a weak inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Since it was possible that the species responsible for growth inhibition are polyglutamylated metabolites, the di-, tri-, and tetraglutamates of dmAMT were synthesized and tested as inhibitors of purified recombinant human DHFR, murine L1210 leukemia thymidylate synthase (TS), chicken liver glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (GARFT), and murine L1210 leukemia aminoimidazolecarboxamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (AICARFT). The compounds with three and four gamma-glutamyl residues were found to bind two orders of magnitude better than dmAMT itself to DHFR, TS, and AICARFT, with 50% inhibitory concentration values in the 200 to 300 nM range against all three enzymes. In contrast, at a concentration of 10 microM, dmAMT polyglutamates had no appreciable effect on GARFT activity. These findings support the hypothesis that dmAMT requires intracellular polyglutamylation for activity and indicate that replacement of the 2-amino group by 2-methyl is as acceptable a structural modification in antifolates targeted against DHFR as it is in antifolates targeted against TS. In growth assays against methotrexate (MTX)-sensitive H35 rat hepatoma cells and MTX-resistant H35 sublines with a transport defect, dmAMT was highly cross-resistant with MTX, but not with the TS inhibitors N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid and N-(5-[N-(3,4-dihydro-2-methyl-4-ox-oquinazolin-6-yl)-N- methylamino]thenoyl)-L-glutamic acid, implicating DHFR rather than TS as the principal target for dmAMT polyglutamates in intact cells. On the other hand, an H35 subline resistant to 2'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine by virtue of increased TS activity was highly cross-resistant to N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid and not cross-resistant to MTX, but showed partial cross-resistance to dmAMT. Both thymidine and hypoxanthine were required to protect H35 cells treated with concentrations of dmAMT and MTX that inhibited growth by greater than 90% relative to unprotected controls. In contrast, N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid and N-(5-[N-(3,4-dihydro-2-methyl-4-oxoquinazolin-6-yl)-N-methylamino] thenoyl)- L-glutamic acid required only thymidine for protection. Like MTX, therefore, dmAMT appears to inhibit purine as well as pyrimidine de novo synthesis, and its effect on cell growth probably reflects the ability of dmAMT polyglutamates to not only block dihydrofolate reduction but also interfere with other steps of folate metabolism, either directly or indirectly via alteration of reduced folate pools.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed1975

Polyglutamate forms of folate in resting and proliferating mammalian tissues.

1. Tritiated folic acid (pteroylglutamic acid) was injected into rats whose livers were undergoing regeneration after partial hepatectomy, and into normal control rats. 2. The major form of labelled liver folate was found to be pteroylpentaglutamate in both hepatectomized and normal rats and there was no difference in the proportion of pteroylpentaglutamate to other forms of folate in the regenerating or resting liver. 3. Folate concentrations were also measured in leucocytes from normal and leukaemic patients. 4. Pteroylpolyglutamates constituted the main form of folate in both sets of cells. There was again no difference in proportion of pteroylpolyglutamate to pteroylmonoglutamate forms of folate between normal mature cells and primitive blast cells. 5. It is therefore suggested that pteroylpolyglutamates, which constitute nearly all the folates in cells actively synthesizing DNA and protein as well as in resting cells, probably act as the coenzymes in vivo for the folate-dependent reactions in DNA, RNA and protein synthesis in mammalian systems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Carrier-mediated transport of folate compounds in L1210 cells. Initial rate kinetics and extent of duality of entry routes for folic acid and diastereomers of 5-methyltetrahydrohomofolate in the presence of physiological anions.

Comparison of the kinetic parameters for influx of highly purified [3H]folic acid versus [3H]methotrexate in L1210 cells under anionic buffer conditions showed a marked discordancy. In addition, the kinetics for influx of [3H]folic acid were unchanged in variant L1210 cells defective in [3H]methotrexate transport. In these variant cells, the Vmax for methotrexate was reduced 17-fold and the Km was increased 3-fold. The results show that [3H]folic acid influx is mediated by a system which has a low affinity, but a 20-fold higher capacity, for folate compounds than the classical high-affinity system mediating [3H]methotrexate influx. Since the latter system also exhibits very low affinity for [3H]folic acid, it would not be expected to contribute significantly to the total influx of [3H]folic acid. The high-capacity system for [3H]folic acid influx is different from that believed to mediate pterin influx in L1210 cells since it was not inhibited by adenine, a potent inhibitor of pterin influx. However, exposure of cells to [3H]folic acid in a nonanionic buffer resulted in marked stimulation of initial influx, and a fraction of influx under these conditions was inhibited by methotrexate. These results suggest that anions modulate the extent of multiplicity of [3H]folic acid influx by their known effects on the high-affinity, reduced folate/methotrexate system. The diastereomers, at carbon 6, of [14C]5-methyltetrahydrohomofolate shared both transport systems. The influx Km for the natural diastereomer was one-half that of the unnatural form for both transport systems. Both diastereomers showed a much greater differential in affinity between the two transport systems than did [3H]folic acid. Our results suggest that an analog which could be effectively transported by the low-affinity/high-capacity route may be useful in the treatment of tumors resistant to methotrexate due to a defective high-affinity/low capacity influx system. We also found that incubation of L1210 cells with [3H]folic acid or the natural diastereomer [14C]5-methyltetrahydrohomofolate for 10 min resulted in the formation of a nonexchangeable fraction of radioactivity amounting to 20-40% of the total accumulation. This non-exchangeable fraction may be explained by the accumulation of metabolites other than polyglutamates. Preloading of cells with methotrexate prior to incubation with [3H]folic acid prevented the accumulation of radioactivity as a nonexchangeable fraction.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Biochemical studies on PT523, a potent nonpolyglutamatable antifolate, in cultured cells.

Studies on the mode of action of PT523 [N alpha-(4-amino-4-deoxypteroyl)-N delta-hemiphthaloyl-L-ornithine], a potent nonpolyglutamatable antifolate, were carried out in sensitive and resistant H35 rat hepatoma cell lines in culture, to compare it with other antifolates, including three dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitors, i.e., methotrexate (MTX), gamma-fluoro-MTX, and trimetrexate (TMQ), two thymidylate synthase inhibitors, i.e., N10-propargyl-5,8- dideazafolate (PDDF) and 2-desamino-2-methyl-N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolate (dmPDDF), and the glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase inhibitor 5,10-dideaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate. PT523 was the most active compound in this group against the parental H35 cells, with an IC50 ranging from 2.5 nM for 72 hr of treatment to 0.21 microM for 2 hr of treatment. Sublines resistant to MTX by virtue of a transport defect or a combination of defective transport and increased DHFR activity were resistant to PT523 and MTX but not to PDDF, whereas sublines resistant to fluoropyrimidines by virtue of increased thymidylate synthase activity were resistant to PDDF but not to PT523, TMQ, or MTX. Inhibition of H35 cell growth by PT523 was associated with a concentration- and time-related decrease in de novo dTMP and purine biosynthesis. Growth inhibition by PT523, MTX, and TMQ was prevented by leucovorin or a combination of thymidine (dThd) and hypoxanthine but not by dThd or hypoxanthine alone; in contrast, growth inhibition by dmPDDF was prevented by dThd alone. Intracellular reduced folate polyglutamate pools were markedly altered by PT523 treatment, with the most pronounced effect being an increase in 7,8-dihydrofolate mono- and polyglutamates and a decrease in 5,10-methylene-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate mono- and polyglutamates, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate mono- and polyglutamates, and 10-formyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate mono- and polyglutamates. This pattern was qualitatively similar to that observed with MTX and TMQ but different from that observed with dmPDDF or 5,10-dideaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate, which resulted in little or no change in the folate species. Uptake of [3H]MTX and [3H]folinic acid, but not [3H]folic acid, by H35 cells was inhibited in a dose-related manner by PT523, suggesting that penetration of the cell probably involves, at least in part, active transport by the MTX/reduced folate carrier. To determine whether the potent cellular effects of PT523 might be due to chemical or enzymic clevage to N'-(4-amino-4-deoxypteroyl)-L-ornithine, a potent inhibitor of folylpolyglutamate synthetase, the formation of [3H]MTX polyglutamates in CCRF-CEM lymphoblasts pulsed with [3H]MTX after preincubation with PT523 was examined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Expression of bone sialoprotein in mineralized tissues of tooth and bone and in buccal-pouch carcinomas of Syrian golden hamsters.

The expression of bone sialoprotein (BSP) is normally restricted to mineralized connective tissues of bones and teeth where it has been associated with mineral crystal formation. However, recent studies have revealed ectopic expression of BSP in various lesions, including oral and extraoral carcinomas, in which it has been associated with the formation of microcrystalline deposits and the metastasis of cancer cells to bone. To develop a model to study the induction of BSP in carcinoma development, BSP expression in squamous-cell carcinomas induced by chemical carcinogen in the hamster cheek-pouch epithelium was investigated. Hamster BSP cDNA was first isolated and characterized, then used to prepare probes for Northern and in situ hybridization. The protein sequence of hamster BSP displayed 86% amino acid identity with a consensus mammalian BSP sequence and retained polyglutamate sequences, the RGD sequence and sites of phosphorylation, glycosylation and sulphation. The tissue-specific expression of hamster BSP mRNA and protein was confirmed by in situ hybridization and immunolocalization in developing tissues. Squamous-cell carcinomas induced in the buccal pouches of 5-week-old male Syrian golden hamsters treated with chemical carcinogen had BSP mRNA and BSP in the proliferating neoplastic epithelium. In contrast, neither BSP mRNA nor the protein could be detected in the stroma within which islands of the transformed tissue had formed. Thus, the hamster cheek pouch is a well-characterized model that can be used to study the induced expression of BSP in association with the development of squamous-cell carcinomas.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed2000

Purification and characteristics of recombinant human folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthetase expressed at high levels in insect cells.

Folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthetase activity is central to the operation of folate metabolism and is essential for the survival of mammalian stem cell populations but the very low levels of endogenous expression of this enzyme have greatly limited its study. We now report the expression of cytosolic folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthetase (FPGS) cloned from human leukemic cells in baculovirus-infected insect cells at levels of 4-5% of the total soluble protein of the cells. As was the case with endogenously expressed mammalian FPGS, recombinant enzyme was quantitatively blocked at the amino terminus in spite of the large-scale production in insect cells. A three-step purification procedure resulted in an overall yield of 7-35 mg per liter of culture with a recovery of about 50% and purity approximately 95%; pure enzyme was stable to storage for extended periods. Pure protein had a specific activity of 25 micromol h(-1)mg(-1) with aminopterin as a substrate and used a broad spectrum of folates as substrates. The pure enzyme also carried out ATP hydrolysis in the absence of a folate substrate or glutamic acid; this partial reaction occurred at a k(cat) about 0.4% that of the full reaction. In vitro, this single protein added several (1-8) moles of glutamic acid per mole of folate analog, the same spectrum of folate polyglutamates as seen in vivo. The quantities of pure enzyme achievable in insect cells should allow functional and structural studies on this enzyme.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed2004

Mutation of the small acidic tract A1 drastically reduces nucleoplasmin activity.

Xenopus laevis nucleoplasmin is a molecular chaperone that mediates sperm decondensation and nucleosome assembly. Nucleoplasmin has three acidic tracts (A1, A2 and A3) and until recent years the long polyglutamic tract A2 was thought to be the binding site for basic proteins. However, the latest publications in this field show that neither A2 nor A3 is indispensable for histone and sperm-specific protein binding. In this work, we show that the mutation of only four acidic amino acid residues of the small A1 tract drastically reduces nucleoplasmin decondensing activity, pointing out this region as the potential binding site for sperm proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Concurrent use of folinic acid and methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis.

In a double blind placebo controlled crossover study, each arm of 4 weeks' duration, 20 mg of folinic acid/week or placebo were administered to 13 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. These individuals were receiving weekly intramuscular methotrexate (MTX) but were about to discontinue because of side effects. While there was considerable improvement in nausea during the study, the effect of folinic acid could not be differentiated from that of placebo. There was no adverse effect on control of disease activity. It therefore seems likely that polyglutamated tissue stores of MTX do not contribute to drug efficacy and in this format folinic acid could not be shown to be more useful than placebo in reducing drug induced nausea.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

In vitro and in vivo biological activities of a novel nonpolyglutamable anti-folate, MX-68.

MX-68 is a newly synthesized anti-folate, chemically designed not to undergo intracellular polyglutamation and to have increased affinity to dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). In the present study, we examined the in vitro and in vivo biological activities of MX-68 compared with methotrexate (MTX) which forms several polyglutamates intracellularly. MX-68 dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of PHA-, anti-CD3-, or PMA plus ionomycin-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and endothelial cells (EC) from normal subjects as well as IL-1 beta- or TNF alpha-stimulated synovial fibroblastic cells (SC) from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Coaddition of folinic acid completely reversed the anti-proliferative effects of both MX-68 and MTX. Although the anti-proliferative activities of MX-68 were almost comparable to those of MTX, the washout study clearly showed the characteristic nature of MX-68. When drugs were removed during culture, the suppressive effect of MX-68 completely disappeared, whereas suppression by MTX was merely weakened. MX-68 dramatically suppressed the onset of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice when the drug was orally administered three times a week. starting from the day of first immunization. In this model, 2 mg/kg of MX-68 was sufficient to completely suppress arthritis, whereas suppression by the same dose of MTX was partial. These lines of evidence suggest that polyglutamation is not always a prerequisite in the anti-rheumatic effects of anti-folate. In addition, since intracellular accumulation of polyglutamates is thought to have adverse effects, MX-68 may become a more potent and less toxic anti-rheumatic drug than MTX.

2-Aminoadipic Acid↗
PubMed1988

Role of folylpolyglutamate synthetase in the regulation of methotrexate polyglutamate formation in H35 hepatoma cells.

The effect of culture conditions on the glutamylation of methotrexate by intact H35 hepatoma cells and folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) activity in the corresponding crude extracts has been examined. The rate of cellular glutamylation of methotrexate observed in rapidly dividing cultures was 4-fold higher than confluent cultures, and was accompanied by an increase in extract FPGS activity (2.2-fold). The depletion of cellular folates produced comparable increases in both cellular methotrexate glutamylation and extract FPGS activity (approximately 1.8-fold). Near-quantitative reductions in cellular methotrexate glutamylation were caused by media additions of reduced folates and methotrexate to confluent cultures of wild-type and folate-depleted H35 cells. However, these produced relatively modest reductions in FPGS activity in the corresponding crude extracts (approximately 50%). Methionine exclusion resulted in a greater than 50% decrease in FPGS activity in crude extracts of these cells compared to extracts of control cultures. The combination of methionine exclusion and folinic acid addition lowered the FPGS activity to less than 25% that of control. The data suggest that the changes in the glutamylation rate of methotrexate in whole cells due to culture conditions such as folate restriction, reduced folate addition, methionine exclusion, and growth state are at least in part a consequence of alterations in FPGS activity. This conclusion is consistent with the proposition that the metabolism of slow-acting substrates for FPGS (such as 4-amino antifolates and their corresponding polyglutamates) may be sensitive to changes in enzyme levels or activity (Cook et al., Biochemistry, 26: 530-539, 1987). Analysis of the products formed by FPGS from extracts using methotrexate as the substrate revealed no significant amounts of polyglutamate species higher than 4-NH2-10-CH3-PteGlu3. In contrast, when using the thymidylate synthase inhibitor N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid as the starting substrate under identical assay conditions, FPGS from extracts catalyzed the formation of predominantly long chain polyglutamate derivatives (Glu4 and higher). These results reflect the relative efficacy of methotrexate and N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid, as well as their polyglutamate derivatives, as substrates for FPGS.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

ywfE in Bacillus subtilis codes for a novel enzyme, L-amino acid ligase.

The ATP-dependent carboxylate-amine/thiol ligase superfamily is known to contain enzymes catalyzing the formation of various types of peptide, such as d-alanyl-d-alanine, polyglutamate, and gamma-peptide, but, curiously, no enzyme synthesizing alpha-dipeptides of l-amino acids is known. We attempted to find such an enzyme. By in silico screening based on the consensus sequence of the superfamily followed by an in vitro assay with purified enzyme to avoid the degradation of the peptide(s) synthesized, ywfE of Bacillus subtilis was found to code for the activity forming l-alanyl-l-glutamine from l-alanine and l-glutamine with hydrolysis of ATP to ADP. No AMP was formed, supporting the idea that the enzyme belongs to the superfamily. Surprisingly, the enzyme accepted a wide variety of l-amino acids. Among 231 combinations of l-amino acids tested, reaction products were obtained for 111 combinations and 44 kinds of alpha-dipeptides were confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography analyses, while no tripeptide or longer peptide was detected and the d-amino acids were inert. From these results, we propose that ywfE encodes a new member of the superfamily, l-amino acid ligase.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2000

Isotachophoretic analysis of the dihydrofolate reductase reaction in the presence of methotrexate and ascorbic acid.

The antifolate methotrexate (MTX) is widely used in cancer chemotherapy. In this study, we show that MTX (MTX-Glu1) and MTX-polyglutamates (MTX-Glu2-5) strongly inhibited the growth of the leukemic cell line MOLT-4. This effect, however, was mitigated by ascorbic acid. We investigated whether ascorbic acid is able to reduce dihydrofolic acid (DHF) to tetrahydrofolic acid (THF) directly or by circumventing the MTX inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). The inhibition of this NADPH-dependent reduction of DHF by MTX-Glun in the absence or presence of ascorbate, was determined by analytical isotachophoresis. Using 0.01 M HCl/histidine, pH 6.0, as a leading electrolyte (L) and 0.005 M 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES)/histidine, pH 6.0, as a terminating electrolyte (T), MTX-Glun derivatives including MTX-Glu1 could be easily separated, whereas the quantitative estimation of THF was not possible. A quantitative characterization of the DHFR reaction by measuring NADPH, NADP+ and ascorbate was achieved with another system (L: 0.01 M HCI/beta-alanine, pH 3.73; T: 0.01 M caproic acid, pH 3.27). Nanomolar concentrations of MTX-Glu1-5 inhibited consumption of NADPH and production of NADP+. Ascorbic acid was not able to reduce DHF, neither directly nor after inhibition of DHFR by MTX. However, ascorbic acid seemed to diminish the oxidation of THF and this may account for its capacity to reduce the inhibitory effect of MTX on MOLT-4 cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Glutamate and aspartate immunoreactivity in hypothalamic presynaptic axons.

Within the hypothalamus, a large number of neuroactive substances are found, many first detected in this part of the brain. Excitatory amino acids, recognized as important transmitters in other parts of the brain, have received little attention here. To study glutamate immunoreactivity at the ultrastructural level in the hypothalamus, postembedding colloidal gold or silver-intensified gold was used. Antisera raised against glutamate conjugated with glutaraldehyde to keyhole limpet hemocyanin were specific for glutamate, tested with a battery of tests including immunodot blot, ELISA assays. Western blot, and Sepharose epoxy-conjugated amino acids. Antisera did not cross-react with other amino acids and related compounds, with proteins containing glutamate, or with polyglutamate. A population of presynaptic boutons in the suprachiasmatic, arcuate, ventromedial, supraoptic, and parvocellular and magnocellular paraventricular nuclei showed strong immunoreactivity for glutamate. Highly labeled presynaptic axons generally made asymmetrical Gray type 1 synaptic contacts with dendrites or cell bodies and had up to eight times more immunogold particles per unit area than postsynaptic dendrites. Axon terminals exhibiting strong glutamate immunoreactivity had large numbers of round, clear vesicles adjacent to the synaptic specialization together with a few larger, dense-core vesicles. The largest number of gold particles over axons were located in regions containing the small clear vesicles. Axons in general had about three times more gold particles over them than did the postsynaptic dendrites. Staining of single boutons in adjacent serial ultrathin sections with glutamate or GABA antisera showed that non-GABAergic terminals had a higher level of glutamate staining than did axons immunoreactive for GABA. In control experiments, immunostaining with glutamate antiserum could be blocked by solid-phase absorption of the antiserum with glutamate conjugated with glutaraldehyde to proteins. Aspartate was also detected with immunocytochemistry in some presynaptic boutons in the medial hypothalamus. To compare the response of neurons to aspartate and glutamate, calcium-imaging dyes were used in combination with digital video microscopy. Whereas almost all neurons showed a rise in intracellular Ca2+ in response to glutamate, many but not all of the same cells also showed a Ca2+ rise of smaller magnitude in response to aspartate. These ultrastructural immunocytochemical data, taken in conjunction with biochemical and electrophysiological experiments, suggest that glutamate, and to a lesser extent aspartate, may play an important neurotransmitter role in a wide variety of hypothalamic circuits.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Aggregation of ampholine on heparin and other acidic polysaccharides in isoelectric focusing.

The mechanism of complexation of pI range 3.5--5 Ampholine to heparin in isoelectric focusing has been explored by the dye-binding technique at different pH values in solution. There is no significant interaction between heparin and Ampholine at pH 6.7. Weak, or selective, binding occurs at pH 5.1, and very strong interaction at pH 3.5. In the latter system, the Ampholine components appear to behave as polycations due to their ordered sequence of positive charges, each two methylene groups apart, which favors a strong binding to polyanions. In addition, there appear to be variable stoichiometries for the strong binding between heparin and Ampholine, depending on their relative amounts. It is proposed that at a low ratio of heparin to Ampholine (Ampholine excess), aggregation is perpendicular to the heparin chain, with the end ammonium charge of each Ampholine molecule neutralizing one negative charge along the heparin molecule; at higher ratios (heparin excess), the bound Ampholine segment is aligned parallel to the heparin molecule, so that on the average one Ampholine component neutralizes approx. three negative charges. The banding of heparin in isoelectric focusing in the pH range 3.0--4.5 can be explained by aggregation of the various components on heparin in amounts dependent upon the net charge on the Ampholine species at the given pH, and upon the changing stoichiometries as a function of the variation in ratio of heparin to Ampholine along the pH gradient. Binding of Ampholine to polygalacturonate was also demonstrated in excess Ampholine in a pH range dependent on the degree of protonation of the carboxyl groups of this acidic polysaccharide as well as on the net positive charge of the Ampholine. The aggregation seen at pH 4.2--4.5 led to the prediction and subsequent demonstration that polygalacturonate would also exhibit binding upon isoelectric focusing. This supports the hypothesis that aggregation of Ampholine on polyanions having sufficient charge density is a general phenomenon which can lead to spurious banding of certain polymers at appropriate pH ranges in isoelectric focusing. On the basis of their behavior in isoelectric focusing at pH 3.0--4.5, strength of aggregation of the polyanions studied appears to be heparin A = heparin B greather than polyglutamate greater than carboxyl-reduced heparin B greater than polygalacturonic acid.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2006

Folate absorption from folate-fortified and processed foods using a human ileostomy model.

Data on folate absorption from food from validated human studies using physiological folate doses are still needed to estimate dietary requirements and to formulate recommendations. The aim of the present work was to study the effects from fortified and processed foods on folate absorption in ileostomy volunteers (n 9) using the area under the plasma concentration curve (AUC) and kinetic modelling. Using a standardized single-dose protocol, dairy products fortified with a candidate fortificant (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate ((6S)-5-CH3-H4folate), folic acid-fortified bread and a dessert crème containing natural yeast folate polyglutamates were compared with folate supplements. Absorbed folate was estimated by AUC and a kinetic model, and non-absorbed folate by ileostomal folate excretion. Median apparent absorption from test foods ranged from 55 to 86 %. Added folate-binding proteins (FBP) significantly reduced folate absorption from dairy products, as in the absence of FBP, AUC-dose-corrected ratios were increased and ileal folate excretion decreased. After in vivo gastrointestinal passage of dairy products containing FBP, up to 43 % of the ingested FBP was found in ileostomal effluent. Folate absorption was similar for (6S)-5-CH3-H4folate fortificant from fermented milk and for folic acid from fortified bread. Folic acid, ingested as food fortificant in bread, was significantly less absorbed compared with an isolated supplement. We conclude that all tested foods were suitable matrices for folate fortification. However, dairy products, fortified with the new candidate fortificant (6S)-5-CH3-H4folate, are suitable if no active FBP is present.

Absorption↗