Protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms in Drosophila

Six protein kinase C (PKC) genes are present in Drosophila, comprising two classical PKCs (PKC53E and eye-PKC), two novel PKCs (PKC98E and PKCdelta), an atypical PKC (DaPKC), and a PKC-related kinase. Loss of function alleles affecting DaPKC and eye-PKC are available and their mutant phenotypes have been characterized. DaPKC is essential for early embryonic development because it regulates cell polarity and asymmetric cell division. Eye-PKC plays a role in the regulation of visual signaling, a G-protein coupled phospholipase Cbeta-mediated cascade. Both eye-PKC and DaPKC are differentially localized through tethering to multimolecular complexes. DaPKC interacts with partitioning-defective 3 (Par-3) and Par-6 proteins, which contain PDZ (PSD95, DLG, ZO-1) domains. Similarly, eye-PKC is anchored to a PDZ domain containing scaffolding protein INAD. Characterization of these two PKCs in Drosophila revealed a universal mechanism by which PKC is tethered to specific protein complexes for participation in distinct signal transduction processes.     

Real cells - virtual computers

Now it is quite usual to use real computers to simulte virtual cells. I suggest that real cells (e.g. cells cultured in vitro ) might be considered and used as molecular automata. As an imaginary experience, a molecular automata can be built, using real cells and a chemical inert molecule. I suggest that one could be able to test statistical properties of a 2D gas trapped in a box using this sort of automata. Moreover, I would conjecture that any possible algorithm can be implemented in such molecular automata.     

Dantrolene protects neurons against kainic acid induced apoptosis in vitro and in vivo

Apoptotic cell death induced by kainic acid (KA) in cultures of rat cerebellar granule cells (CGC) and in different brain regions of Wistar rat pups on postnatal day 21 (P21) was studied. In vitro , KA (100–500 μM) induced a concentration-dependent loss of cell viability in MTT assay and cell death had apoptotic morphology as studied by chromatin staining with propidium iodide (PI). In vivo , twenty-four hours after induction of status epilepticus (SE) by an intraperitoneal KA injection (5 mg/kg) we quantified apoptotic cells in hippocampus (CA1 and CA3), parietal cortex and cerebellum using PI staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique. We report that dantrolene, a specific ryanodine receptor antagonist, was able to significantly reduce the apoptotic cell death in CGC cultures and in hyppocampal CA1 and parietal cortex regions. Our finding can be valuable for neuroprotective therapy strategies in patients with repeated generalized seizures or status epilepticus.     

Neurons bearing presenilins: weapons for defense or suicide?

Apoptotic machinery designed for cell's organized self-destruction involve different systems of proteases which cleave vital proteins and disassemble nuclear and cytoplasmic structures, committing the cell to death. The most studied apoptotic proteolytic system is the caspase family, but calpains and the proteasome could play important roles as well. Alzheimer's disease associated presenilins showed to be a substrate for such proteolytic systems, being processed early in several apoptotic models, and recent data suggest that alternative presenilin fragments could regulate cell survival. Mutations in genes encoding presenilins proved to sensitize neurons to apoptosis by different mechanisms e.g. increased caspase-3 activation, oxyradicals production and calcium signaling dysregulation. Here we review the data involving presenilins in apoptosis and discuss a possible role of presenilins in the regulation of apoptotic biochemical machinery.     

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: inhibition of isozymes I, II and IV by sulfamide and sulfamic acid derivatives

Sulfamide and sulfamic acid are the simplest compounds containing the SO2NH2 moiety, responsible for binding to the Zn(II) ion within carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) active site, and thus acting as inhibitors of the many CA isozymes presently known. Here we describe two novel classes of CA inhibitors obtained by derivatizations of the lead molecules mentioned above. The new compounds, possessing the general formula RSO2NH-SO2X (X = OH, NH2), were obtained by reaction of sulfamide or sulfamic acid with alkyl/arylsulfonyl halides or arylsulfonyl isocyanates. A smaller series of derivatives has been obtained by reaction of aromatic aldehydes with sulfamide, leading to Schiff bases of the type ArCH = NSO2NH2. All the new compounds act as strong inhibitors of isozymes I, II and IV of carbonic anhydrase. Their mechanism of CA inhibition is also discussed based on electronic spectroscopic measurements on adducts with the Co(II)-substituted enzyme. These experiments led to the conclusion that the new inhibitors are directly coordinated (in a monodentate manner) to the metal ion within the enzyme active site, similarly to the classical inhibitors, the aromatic/heterocyclic sulfonamides.     

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: synthesis of Schiff bases of hydroxybenzaldehydes with aromatic sulfonamides and their reactions with arylsulfonyl isocyanates

Reaction of o- or p-hydroxybenzaldehydes with sulfanilamide, homosulfanilamide and p-(2-aminoethyl)- benzene-sulfonamide afforded several new Schiff bases which were subsequently derivatized at the phenolic hydroxy moiety by reaction with arylsulfonylisocyanates. The new arylsulfonylcarbamates obtained in this way possessed interesting inhibitory properties against three carbonic anhydrase (CA) isozymes, hCA I, hCA II and bCA IV (h = human, b = bovine isozyme). All these new derivatives, the simple Schiff bases and the arylsulfonylcarbamates obtained as outlined above, were more inhibitory against all isozymes as compared to the corresponding parent sulfonamide from which they were obtained. Generally, the p-hydroxybenzaldehyde derivatives were more active than the corresponding ortho isomers. An interesting behavior was evidenced for some of the ortho-substituted arylsulfonylcarbamato-sulfonamides, which showed higher affinities for the isozyme hCA I, as compared to hCA II and bCA IV (generally hCA I is 10-1000 less sensitive to "normal" sulfonamide inhibitors, such as acetazolamide, methazolamide or dorzolamide, as compared to hCA II). This make the new derivatives attractive leads for designing isozyme I-specific inhibitors.     

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors; phosphoryl-sulfonamides--a new class of high affinity inhibitors of isozymes I and II

A series of phosphorylated aromatic/heterocyclic sulfonamides with the general formula ArSO2NHPO3H2 have been prepared by condensing ArSO2NH2 with phosphorus pentachloride, followed by controlled hydrolysis in the presence of formic acid. The new derivatives generally act as stronger inhibitors of two carbonic anhydrase (CA) isozymes, CA I and CA II, as compared to the parent unsubstituted sulfonamides from which they were obtained. The inhibition mechanism by this new class of CA inhibitors, as well as structure activity correlations for the series of investigated derivatives, are also discussed.     

Analysis of rat cytosolic 9-cis-retinol dehydrogenase activity and enzymatic characterization of rat ADHII

We report the characterization of two enzymes that catalyze NAD(+)-dependent 9-cis-retinol dehydrogenase activity in rat liver cystol. Alcohol dehydrogenase class I (ADHI) contributes > 80% of the NA D+-dependent 9-cis-retinol dehydrogenase activity recovered, whereas alcohol dehydrogenase class II (ADHII), not identified previously at the protein level, nor characterized enzymatically in rat, accounts for approximately 2% of the activity. Rat ADHII exhibits properties different from those described for human ADHII. Moreover, rat ADHII-catalyzed rates of ethanol dehydrogenation are markedly lower than octanol or retinoid dehydrogenation rates. Neither ethanol nor 4-methylpyrazole inhibits the 9-cis-retinol dehydrogenase activity of rat ADHII. We propose that ADHII represents the previously observed additional retinoid oxidation activity of rat liver cytosol which occurred in the presence of either ethanol or 4-methylpyrazole. We also show that human and rat ADHII differ considerably in enzymatic properties.     

A Theoretical Model for the Association Probabilities of Saturated Phospholipids from Two-Component Bilayer Lipid Membranes

The non-random mixing of biomembrane components, especially saturated phospholipids, exhibits important consequences in molecular biology. Particularly, the distribution of lipids within natural and model membranes is strongly determined by the selective association processes. These processes of phospholipids take place due to the cooperative modes in multiparticle systems as well as the specific lipid-lipid interactions both in the hydrophobic core and in the region of the polar headgroups. We demonstrated that the investigation of the selective association processes of saturated phospholipids might contribute to the insight of the lipid domains appearance inside the bilayer membranes. The association probabilities of like-pairs and cross-pairs from a binary mixture of saturated phospholipids were tested for both parallel and anti-parallel alignments of the polar headgroups. The present model confirms the experimental evidence for saturated phospholipids to have a high tendency for association in parallel configuration of the electric dipole moments of the polar headgroups whether the cross-sectional area of the polar headgroup is in an usual range of 25-55 2. There are three major lipid domains in a binary mixture of saturated phospholipids: (i) lipid domains in non-mixed phase of the first mixture component, in parallel alignment of the polar headgroups; (ii) lipid domains in non-mixed phase of the second mixture component, in anti-parallel alignment of the polar headgroups; (iii) lipid domains in mixed phase. We think that the selective association processes of phospholipids are neither exclusively, nor only involved in promoting the lipid domains appearance through bilayer phospholipid membranes.