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Prodrugs of peptides. 11. Chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis kinetics of N-acyloxymethyl derivatives of a peptide-like bond.

Various carboxylic acid esters of the N-hydroxymethyl derivative of N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine benzylamide, used as a peptide-like model, were prepared and their decomposition kinetics studied in aqueous solution and in human plasma solutions. These N-acyloxymethylamide derivatives were found to undergo a facile decomposition by a pH-independent process in the pH range 4-8.5, the half-lives being 1-11hr at 37 degrees C. The cause of this limited stability was suggested to be due to the occurrence of an elimination-addition mechanism involving a reactive N-acylminium ion intermediate. In alkaline solutions (pH greater than 10) the derivatives showed a normal ester stability. The ester group in the N-acyloxymethyl derivatives was readily hydrolyzed by plasma enzymes to yield the N-hydroxymethyl amide, which subsequently decomposed to the parent amide. The results obtained suggest that N-acyloxymethylation of a peptide bond may be a useful prodrug approach to obtain derivatives with varying lipophilicities and a ready ability to undergo conversion to the parent peptide in vivo. However, the stability of the derivatives in aqueous solutions is limited.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Stability and dynamics of domain-swapped bovine-seminal ribonuclease.

The proteins of the ribonuclease-A (RNase-A) family are monomeric, with the exception of bovine-seminal ribonuclease (BS-RNase). BS-RNase is formed by swapping the N-terminal helices across the two monomeric units. A molecular-dynamics (MD) study has been performed on the protein for a simulation time of 5.5 ns to understand the factors responsible for the stability of the dimer. Essential dynamics analysis and motional correlation of the protein atoms yielded the picture of a stabilising, yet flexible, interface. We have investigated the role of intermolecular H-bonding, protein/water interaction, and protein/water networks in stabilising the dimer. The networks of interchain H-bonds involving side-chain/side-chain or side-chain/main-chain (ScHB) interactions between the two chains have also been studied. The ability of protein atoms in retaining particular H2O molecules was investigated as a function of the accessible surface area (ASA), depth, and hydration parameters, as well as their participation in protein/water networks.

Animals↗

Alteration of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator folding pathway.

The cellular phenotype of the most common cystic fibrosis-causing mutation, deletion of phenylalanine 508 (deltaF508) in the amino-terminal nucleotide binding domain (NBD1) of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), is the inability of the mutant protein to fold and transit to the apical membrane of affected epithelial cells. Expressed NBD1s were purified and folded in vitro into soluble monomers capable of binding nucleotide. Here we report that the deltaF508 mutation has little effect on the thermodynamic stability of the folded NBD1. The deltaG(0)(D,GdnHCl) is 15.5 kJ/mol for the wild type NBD1 and 14.4 kJ/mol for NBD1deltaF. In contrast, the mutation significantly reduces the folding yield at a variety of temperatures, indicating that Phe-508 makes crucial contacts during the folding process, but plays little role in stabilization of the native state. Under conditions that approximate the efficiency of maturation in vivo, the rate off-pathway is significantly increased by the disease causing mutation. These results establish a molecular mechanism for most cases of cystic fibrosis and provide insight into the complex processes by which primary sequence encodes the three-dimensional structure.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Cryopreservation of Chlorophyll Synthesis and Apoprotein Stabilization in Barley Etioplasts.

Methods for the cryopreservation of protein import and integration in pea chloroplasts and of protein import or protein synthesis in tobacco mitochondria were modified to yield enzymatically active cryopreserved etioplasts from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The cryoprotectants ethylene glycol and dimethy sulfoxide were about 64 and 77% effective, respectively, for the cryopreservation of etioplast intactness. Phototransformation of protochlorophyllide a, esterification of chlorophyllide a or zinc-pheophorbide a, and stabilization of the de novo synthesized plastid-encoded chlorophyll-apoproteins P700, CP47, CP43, D2, and D1 were successfully preserved in liquid nitrogen. Cryopreservation of freshly prepared intact etioplasts completely retained enzymatic activities for accumulation of chlorophyll a or resulted in a slightly decreased yield of zinc-pheophytin a.

Journal Article↗

High probability of disrupting a disulphide bridge mediated by an endogenous excited tryptophan residue.

It is well known that ultraviolet (UV) radiation may reduce or even abolish the biological activity of proteins and enzymes. UV light, as a component of sunlight, is illuminating all light-exposed parts of living organisms, partly composed of proteins and enzymes. Although a considerable amount of empirical evidence for UV damage has been compiled, no deeper understanding of this important phenomenon has yet emerged. The present paper presents a detailed analysis of a classical example of UV-induced changes in three-dimensional structure and activity of a model enzyme, cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi. The effect of illumination duration and power has been investigated. A photon-induced mechanism responsible for structural and functional changes is proposed. Tryptophan excitation energy disrupts a neighboring disulphide bridge, which in turn leads to altered biological activity and stability. The loss of the disulphide bridge has a pronounced effect on the fluorescence quantum yield, which has been monitored as a function of illumination power. A general theoretical model for slow two-state chemical exchange is formulated, which allows for calculation of both the mean number of photons involved in the process and the ratio between the quantum yields of the two states. It is clear from the present data that the likelihood for UV damage of proteins is directly proportional to the intensity of the UV radiation. Consistent with the loss of the disulphide bridge, a complex pH-dependent change in the fluorescence lifetimes is observed. Earlier studies in this laboratory indicate that proteins are prone to such UV-induced radiation damage because tryptophan residues typically are located as next spatial neighbors to disulphide bridges. We believe that these observations may have far-reaching implications for protein stability and for assessing the true risks involved in increasing UV radiation loads on living organisms.

Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases↗

Oligopeptidase B: cloning and probing stability under nonequilibrium conditions.

Oligopeptidase B is a member of a new serine peptidase family, unrelated to the trypsin and subtilisin families. It is a potential processing enzyme of prokaryotes, being very specific for the basic amino acid pairs of polypeptides. An understanding of the kinetics of the enzyme requires the examination of its conformational stability under a variety of conditions. To this end, the enzyme was cloned from Escherichia coli HB101 by the PCR method, expressed with high yield in E. coli XL1-Blue, and purified essentially in two chromatographic steps. The denatured enzyme failed to refold, which precluded the calculation of free energy of stability, deltaG0. Therefore, the unfolding rates were measured to probe the stability against urea, pH, and heat. Denaturation processes were monitored by intrinsic fluorescence, circular dichroism, and activity measurements. A static method, intrinsic fluorescence vs. pH, was indicative of significant changes in the tertiary structure of the enzyme pH < 6 and pH > 8.5. The more sensitive dynamic methods, unfolding rates in urea and inactivation rates at high temperature, revealed increased flexibility in the protein structure between pH 6 and pH 7, where the static method did not show significant changes. Inactivation of the enzyme in the acidic pH range correlated with the results obtained with the static rather than with the dynamic method. Acid denaturation at pH 3 was markedly retarded by 1 M NaCl. Against heat inactivation the enzyme was also considerably protected in the presence of salt, and the higher enthalpy and entropy of activation suggested the importance of hydration in the stabilization. The kinetics of unfolding followed single-exponential decay under strongly denaturing conditions (high urea concentration or high temperature), but deviated from the apparently two-state mechanism at low urea concentrations and at slightly acidic pH. The results indicate that under harsher denaturing conditions there is a single rate-limiting step in unfolding, whereas under milder conditions partly unfolded intermediates are populated.

Cloning, Molecular↗

[Adsorption of superoxide dismutase and catalase from microemulsions of surface active agents in heptane].

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase were solubilized in heptane microemulsions stabilized with an aerosol of sodium salt of sulfosuccinic acid bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester or its mixture with Triton X-45. The efficiencies of six methods of isolation of the enzymes from the microemulsions were compared. The methods used were based on the degradation of microheterogeneous systems induced by acetone, aqueous saline solution, sorbents, or combinations of these agents. Isolation procedures based on hydroxyapatite or silica gel sorbents yield SOD preparations with fully retained catalytic activity and catalase preparations with enhanced activity and operating stability.

Animals↗

Protein unfolding during reversed-phase chromatography: II. Role of salt type and ionic strength.

While reversed-phase chromatography (RPC) may be a powerful method for purification of proteins at the analytical scale, both preparative and analytical applications have been hindered by the complex chromatographic behavior of proteins compared to small molecules. Further, preparative applications have been limited because of poor yields caused by the denaturing conditions involved. One means for modulating both the stability and chromatographic behavior of proteins is through the use of added salt. In this investigation, we show how salt type and ionic strength affect protein conformation on RPC surfaces. Exposure of amide groups of adsorbed BPTI was monitored using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and hydrogen-deuterium isotope exchange. Sodium chloride, sodium acetate, and ammonium sulfate were studied at ionic strengths up to I = 0.375, with adsorption hold times being 5 min and 2 h. We found that increasing ionic strength decreased exposure of the exchange reporter groups in essentially all cases. However, even at the same ionic strength the level and distribution of residue protection varied with salt type and hold time. NaCl does not protect certain reporter groups at all, while those that it does protect to some degree at short hold times can exchange slightly more at longer times. The pattern and level of protection for NaAc at short times is similar to that for NaCl, but at longer times more uniform protection is seen as the reporter groups completely exposed at short times become more protected. For (NH(4))(2)SO(4) the pattern of protection at short hold time is similar to those of the other salts, although it protects all groups much more. This would be expected from the Hofmeister series. However, at longer times the level of protection with (NH(4))(2)SO(4) decreases below that of the other salts, while it uniquely protects all groups to nearly the same level. Such subtle variations in the protein structure would not have been detected without the measurements and analysis used here. Chromatographic retention times and peak shapes were obtained for the above systems. Variations of behavior were seen that could not be correlated with any of the above protection patterns and levels or even with heuristics such as the Hofmeister series. This suggests further conformational changes upon elution may be critical to the retention process. However, an excellent correlation was found between peak width at half-height and the average degree of unfolding, as indicated by the average level of isotopic exchange. Thus, while further studies are needed to definitively determine the connection between protein unfolding and retention, use of this correlation may improve designing and screening for chromatographic conditions that minimize protein unfolding.

Adsorption↗

Is N2O3 the main nitrosating intermediate in aerated nitric oxide (NO) solutions in vivo? If so, where, when, and which one?

The widespread opinion that N(2)O(3) as a product of NO oxidation is the only nitros(yl)ating agent under aerobic conditions is based on experiments in homogeneous buffered water solutions. In vivo NO is oxidized in heterogeneous media and this opinion is not correct. The equilibrium in the system being dependent on temperature and DeltaG((sol)) for NO, NO(2), isomers of both N(2)O(3), and N(2)O(4). For polar solvents including water, DeltaG((sol)) for N(2)O(3) is high enough, and a stationary concentration of N(2)O(3) in the mixture with other oxides is sufficient to guarantee the hydrolysis of N(2)O(3) to nitrite. In heterogeneous media, the mixture contains solvates NO(2(sol)), N(2)O(3(sol)), and N(2)O(4(sol)) at stationary nonequilibrium concentrations. As far as DeltaG((sol)) is decreased in heterogeneous mixtures with low polar solvents and/or at increased temperatures, the equilibrium in such a system shifts to NO(2). Although NO(2) is a reactive free radical, it almost does not react with water. In contrast, the reaction with most functional protein groups efficiently proceeds by a radical type with the formation of nitrite and new radicals (X) further stabilized in various forms. Therefore, the ratio of the nitrosylated and nitrated products yields depends on actual concentrations of all NO(x).

Animals↗

The consequences of replacing histidine 356 in isocitrate lyase from Escherichia coli.

Isocitrate lyase from Escherichia coli has been expressed in transformed E. coli JE10 cells lacking the isocitrate lyase (icl) gene. After directed mutagenesis of icl by the restriction-site elimination method, partially purified isocitrate lyase mutants in which His 356 has been converted to Lys, Arg, Gln, Asp, or Leu have been characterized after induction of transformed, induced JE10 cells. Values of kcat compared to those for wild-type (wt) enzyme (100) at 37 degrees C, pH 7.3, are 18, 1, <1, 0, and 0 for H356K, H356R, H356E, H356Q, and H356L mutant enzymes, respectively. Km values for the 1:1 Mg-isocitrate complex (in millimolar units) are: 0.13, wt; 0.11, H356K; and 0.63, H356R. Further chromatographic purification of isocitrate lyase yields highly purified wt, H356K, and H356R enzymes. The pH profile of the stability of isocitrate lyase, which has never been reported, showed that the H356R enzyme was unstable in the pH range investigated; the wt and H356R variant differed but each was sufficiently stable to study the pH dependence of catalysis. The log kcat/pH profiles for highly purified wt and H356K enzymes are roughly bell-shaped and have pKa and pKb values for dissociation of an ionizable group on the enzyme-substrate complex of <6.3 and 8.4 for wt and 5.9 and 7.9 for H356K enzymes. Plots of pKm vs pH were different for the wt and H356K variant. Values of pKa and pKb (derived from log kcat/Km plots vs pH) for the dissociation of an activity-related ionizable group on the variant were 5.3 and 7.6, whereas the analogous pKb value for the wt enzyme was 8.4. The data suggest that His 356 is an important functional residue in isocitrate lyase, perhaps in deprotonating isocitrate during catalytic cleavage.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Quantitative aspects of the use of bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase as a reporter system in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The quantitative aspects of the use of the reporter system chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) has been evaluated in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It was found that the CAT activity measured with a radiosotopic fluor diffusion assay was strongly dependent on the amount of yeast extract applied, both when CAT was expressed endogenously and when a purified Escherichia coli enzyme was investigated. Desalting the yeast extract by gel filtration partly eliminated the problem, indicating that some low-molecular-weight compound was involved in the phenomenon. However, the extract still exhibited stability problems on ice. An immunological CAT assay was tested and found to yield satisfactory quantitative result.

Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase↗

Photo-cross-linked oligonucleotide duplex as a decoy-DNA for inhibition of restriction endonuclease activity.

As a novel type of regulator molecule for DNA-recognizing proteins, a photo-cross-linked oligonucleotide duplex was designed and synthesized. The molecule regulated the activity of a restriction endonuclease by being recognized as a substrate. This type of regulating molecule is regarded as a decoy-DNA. 4,5',8-[4-Aminoethylaminomethyl]-trioxalen (aeAMT) was conjugated with an oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN) at the 5'-end and the aeAMT was cross-linked with the thymine residue of the complementary oligonucleotide upon UVA irradiation. The terminally cross-linked oligonucleotides, singly clipped (SC) decoy-DNA, acquired thermal stability. An oligonucleoside phosphorothioate (OPT) was also introduced as one or both components, yielding three types of decoy-DNAs, SC-ODN-ODN (SC.DD), SC-OPT-ODN (SC.SD), and SC-OPT-OPT (SC.SS). The SC decoy-DNAs inhibited the function of the restriction endonuclease, AatII, in a sequence-specific and concentration-dependent manner with an appreciable IC50 value (1.3 microM for SC.DD, 0.016 microM for SC.SD, 0.002 microM for SC.SS). The SC decoy-DNAs were found to be effective for regulating the DNA recognizing proteins.

DNA↗

Dispersion Stability and Electrorheological Properties of Polyaniline Particle Suspensions Stabilized by Poly(vinyl methyl ether).

In the present article, a novel method of stabilization of a semi conductive polyaniline particle nonaqueous suspension of electrorheological (ER) materials was introduced. Using as the steric stabilizer poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME), a dispersion polymerization of aniline was performed and stable aqueous dispersions of the polyaniline were obtained. However, a stable colloidal suspension of polyaniline in silicone oil medium can be obtained only with a low concentration of PVME (0.75%), although the average size of the individual, redispersed particles in oil generally decreased with increasing concentration of PVME. At higher concentrations of PVME, formation of highly packed particle aggregates was investigated, as seen in the scanning electron microscopy images. The polyaniline suspension stabilized by 0.75% PVME content exhibited the best dispersing state and, therefore, showed the highest zero-field viscosity. Such a well-stabilized polyaniline suspension also showed the maximum ER property, namely the largest normalized yield stress in an electric field. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗

Minus sense transcripts of brome mosaic virus RNA-3 intercistronic region interfere with viral replication.

Interference with virus replication through the use of defective viral sequences is providing new insight to replication strategies and novel approaches for induced resistance. Because replication of brome mosaic virus (BMV) is potentiated by the intercistronic region of RNA-3, we examined the effect of adding various (-)sense RNAs corresponding to this region in co-transfections with wild type BMV RNAs. Progeny accumulation in barley protoplasts transfected with RNAs 1+2 was decreased by 90% in the presence of (-)RNA-3 delta HindIII, the longest (-)sense transcript tested, and by 85% when RNA-3 was also present. This trans interference was concentration dependent, and the use of deletion derivatives of (-)RNA-3 delta HindIII revealed that previously identified regulatory sequences within the intercistronic region were responsible for the observed interference. These deletion mutants were found to be of differing stabilities and several served as effective substrates for host-encoded polymerase to yield complementary (+)strands. Indeed, it is possible that the copying of viral RNA by the host polymerase serves as a hybrid arrest mechanism for discriminating against viral RNA functions. However, neither the ability of these sequences to serve as templates for host polymerase nor their (+)strand products contributed to the interference phenomenon, which may provide a new approach for engineering resistance to viral infection.

Capsid↗

Tissue-specific expression of the large ATP synthase gene cluster in spinach plastids.

Plastids present in different tissues may vary morphologically and functionally, despite the fact that all plastids within the same plant contain identical genomes. This is achieved by regulation of expression of the plastid genome by tissue-specific factors, the mechanisms of which are not fully understood. The proton translocating ATP synthase/ATPase is a multisubunit complex composed of nine subunits, six encoded in the plastid and three in the nucleus. We have investigated the tissue-specific expression of the large ATP synthase gene cluster in spinach (Spinacia oleracea). This gene cluster encodes four of the six plastid-encoded ATP synthase genes. Transcript abundance, transcriptional activity, and transcript stability were investigated relative to gene dosage in root plastids and in stem, leaf, and flower chloroplasts. All three of these factors display significant tissue-specific variation. It was intriguing to discover that, although transcript abundance normalized to gene dosage varies in each tissue, transcript abundance as a proportion of the entire plastid RNA population in each tissue is not significantly different. Thus it appears that in these tissues the variation in transcription and stability of transcripts derived from the large ATP synthase gene cluster balances to yield an equivalent proportion of these transcripts in the plastid RNA population. Expression of this gene cluster in photosynthetic as well as non-photosynthetic tissues may facilitate the plasticity of structure and function which is characteristic of plastids.

Gene Expression Regulation↗

Non-invasive in vivo imaging with radiolabelled FIAU for monitoring cancer gene therapy using herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase and ganciclovir.

An experimental cancer gene therapy model was employed to develop a non-invasive imaging procedure using radiolabelled 2'-fluoro-2'-deoxy-5-iodo-1-beta- d-arabinofuranosyluracil (FIAU) as an enzyme substrate for monitoring retroviral vector-mediated herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene ( HSV1-tk) transgene expression. Iodine-131 labelled FIAU was prepared by a no-carrier-added (n.c.a.) synthesis process and lyophilised to give "hot kits". The labelling yield was over 95%, with a radiochemical purity of more than 98%. The stability of [(131)I]FIAU in the form of lyophilised powder (the hot kit) was much better than that in the normal saline solution. The shelf life of the final [(131)I]FIAU hot kit product is as long as 4 weeks. Cellular uptake of [(131)I]FIAU after different periods of storage was investigated in vitro with HSV1-tk-retroviral vector transduced NG4TL4-STK and parental non-transduced NG4TL4 murine sarcoma cell lines over an 8-h incubation period. The NG4TL4-STK cells accumulated more radioactivity than NG4TL4 cells in all conditions, and accumulation increased with time up to 8 h. The kinetic profile of the cellular uptake of n.c.a. [(131)I]FIAU formulated from the lyophilised hot kit or from the stock solution was qualitatively similar. For animal model cancer gene therapy studies, FVB/N mice were inoculated subcutaneously with the HSV1-tk(+) and tk(-) sarcoma cells into the flank to produce tumours. Biodistribution studies showed that tumour/blood ratios were 2, 3.5, 8.2 and 386.8 at 1, 4, 8 and 24 h post injection, respectively, for the HSV1-tk(+) tumours, and 0.5, 0.5, 0.7 and 5.4, respectively, for the HSV1-tk(-) tumours. Radiotracer clearance from blood was completed in 24 h and was bi-exponential. A significant difference in radioactivity accumulation was revealed among the HSV1-tk(+) tumours, the tk(-) tumours and other tissues. At 24 h p.i., higher activity retention was observed in HSV1-tk(+) tumours (9.67%+/-3.89%ID/g) than in HSV1-tk(-) tumours (0.48%+/-0.19%ID/g). After seven consecutive daily treatments with the prodrug ganciclovir, planar gamma camera imaging showed HSV1-tk(+) tumour regression at day 4, and complete tumour regression at day 7. These results clearly demonstrate that the simplified n.c.a. synthesis process developed in this study is reliable and that the [(131)I]FIAU product is useful for in vivo monitoring of HSV1-tk gene transfer, expression and gene therapy.

Animals↗

Systematic review of a marine nutriceutical supplement in clinical trials for arthritis: the effectiveness of the New Zealand green-lipped mussel Perna canaliculus.

BACKGROUND: Nutritional supplements, such as Seatone, which contain freeze-dried tissue from the New Zealand green-lipped mussel Perna canaliculus, are sold in many countries to relieve arthritic symptoms and to aid in the regeneration of arthritic and injured joints. METHODS: Searches for all published controlled trials on the clinical effectiveness of green-lipped mussel, as a nutritional supplement with potential health benefits for arthritis, were carried out from four independent databases. No language restrictions were imposed, and the review was undertaken from extracted data and was assessed critically according to predefined criteria by the authors. RESULTS: Reports of clinical studies, using freeze-dried mussel powder, show mixed outcome measures and are not conclusive, with only two of five randomized controlled trials attesting benefits for rheumatoid and osteoarthritis patients. Similarly, animal studies have likewise yielded mixed findings. In both these cases possibly due to the lack of stabilization of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, now known to be the basis of anti-inflammatory activity. CONCLUSION: There is little consistent and compelling evidence, to date, in the therapeutic use of freeze-dried green-lipped mussel powder products for rheumatoid or osteoarthritis treatment, particularly in comparison to other cheaper alternative nutriceutical supplements of proven efficacy. However, further investigations are necessary to determine whether green-lipped mussel supplements, such as Seatone, are therapeutic options in the management of arthritis.

Animals↗

The preparation of tritiated tunicamycin.

A relatively simple and inexpensive procedure was devised for the radiolabeling of the glycoprotein biosynthesis inhibitor, tunicamycin. The procedure is based on hydrogen exchange in alkaline solutions of tritiated water. It was noted that the antibiotic was much more alkali labile than model compounds such as uridine. The alkali stability of the inhibitor was studied to determine conditions for optimum labeling and yield. The effects of alkaline incubation on the inhibitory properties of the antibiotic were also investigated and it was found that the breakdown products are not effective inhibitors of the reaction that transfers N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate to dolichyl phosphate. The isolated radioactive tunicamycin homologs, however, retained all their inhibitory action. Incubation of tunicamycin in the presence of deuterated water and mass spectral analysis showed that under the conditions used for the tritiation of tunicamycin the major product exchanged six hydrogen atoms. The position of the tritium atoms in labeled tunicamycin was not determined. The radioactive label in these compounds was shown to be stable under physiological conditions and should be useful for investigations involving the action of these antibiotics.

Alkalies↗