重组蛋氨酸裂解酶的表达、复性及活性研究

探索以包涵体形式表达的重组蛋氨酸裂解酶的纯化、复性方法,并对其活性进行检测。将阴道毛滴虫蛋氨酸裂解酶重组表达载体PET-15b-mgl1转化大肠杆菌BL21,经异丙基-β-D-硫代半乳糖苷(IPTG)诱导,并对表达条件进行优化,获得大量表达。通过对包涵体的纯化及复性研究,检测重组蛋氨酸裂解酶的免疫活性及酶活性。Western blotting结果表明,重组蛋氨酸裂解酶免疫小鼠制备的多抗可以和从阴道毛滴虫中提取的天然蛋氨酸裂解酶发生特异性反应。活性检测结果显示复性蛋氨酸裂解酶有活性,复性效率达到25%左右。以包涵体形式表达的蛋氨酸裂解酶经变性、纯化及复性后,获得大量有活性的酶,为深入了解其结构、功能及酶学性质,开展其在临床检测中的应用研究奠定基础。     

Effect of L-arginine on asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) or homocysteine-accelerated endothelial cell aging

We investigated here the effect of l-arginine on asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) or homocysteine-accelerated endothelial aging. Endothelial cells were cultured in medium containing 70micromol/L arginine until fourteenth passage. ADMA, dl-homocysteine, and l-arginine were replaced every 48h starting at the fourth passage. ADMA or homocysteine inhibited significantly the population doublings (PD) and accelerated the process of aging. Co-incubation with l-arginine enhanced PD, inhibited senescence associated beta-galactosidase activity, and increased telomerase activity. This effect was associated with an increase in NO synthesis and NO synthase protein expression. Furthermore, l-arginine-induced NO formation was accompanied by a reduction in oxidative stress and an increase in protein expression and enzyme activity of heme oxygenase (HO)-1. The NO synthase inhibitor l-NAME completely abolished the effect of l-arginine on ADMA or homocysteine-accelerated aging. These findings demonstrate that l-arginine prevents the onset of endothelial aging in ADMA or homocysteine-treated cells by increasing NO formation and consequently the induction of HO-1. This might provide a new strategy to delay ADMA or homocysteine-accelerated aging.     

Structural insights into pathogenic mutations in heme-dependent cystathionine-beta-synthase

Human cystathionine β-synthase plays a key role in maintaining low intracellular levels of homocysteine and is unique in being a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme that is a hemeprotein. It catalyzes the β-replacement of serine and homocysteine to generate the condensation product, cystathionine. While the structure of a truncated catalytic core of the protein has been determined by crystallography, a model for the full-length enzyme has been developed guided by hydrogen–deuterium exchange mass spectrometric and docking studies. In this review, we have utilized the available structural models for human cystathionine β-synthase to conduct a structure–function analysis of a select group of pathogenic mutations described in patients with hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia.     

Detection of Reaction Intermediates during Human Cystathionine β-Synthase-monitored Turnover and H2S Production

Human cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), a novel heme-containing pyridoxal 5′-phosphate enzyme, catalyzes the condensation of homocysteine and serine or cysteine to produce cystathionine and H₂O or H₂S, respectively. The presence of heme in CBS has limited spectrophotometric characterization of reaction intermediates by masking the absorption of the pyridoxal 5′-phosphate cofactor. In this study, we employed difference stopped-flow spectroscopy to characterize reaction intermediates formed under catalytic turnover conditions. The reactions of l-serine and l-cysteine with CBS resulted in the formation of a common aminoacrylate intermediate (k_obs = 0.96 ± 0.02 and 0.38 ± 0.01 mm⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively, at 24 °C) with concomitant loss of H₂O and H₂S and without detectable accumulation of the external aldimine or other intermediates. Homocysteine reacted with the aminoacrylate intermediate with k_obs = 40.6 ± 3.8 s⁻¹ and re-formed the internal aldimine. In the reverse direction, CBS reacted with cystathionine, forming the aminoacrylate intermediate with k_obs = 0.38 ± 0.01 mm⁻¹ s⁻¹. This study provides the first insights into the pre-steady-state kinetic mechanism of human CBS and indicates that the reaction is likely to be limited by a conformational change leading to product release.     

Specific Contribution of Methionine and Choline in Nutritional Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: IMPACT ON MITOCHONDRIAL S-ADENOSYL-l-METHIONINE AND GLUTATHIONE*

The pathogenesis and treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are not well established. Feeding a diet deficient in both methionine and choline (MCD) is one of the most common models of NASH, which is characterized by steatosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, hepatocellular injury, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis. However, the individual contribution of the lack of methionine and choline in liver steatosis, advanced pathology and impact on mitochondrial S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) and glutathione (GSH), known regulators of disease progression, has not been specifically addressed. Here, we examined the regulation of mitochondrial SAM and GSH and signs of disease in mice fed a MCD, methionine-deficient (MD), or choline-deficient (CD) diet. The MD diet reproduced most of the deleterious effects of MCD feeding, including weight loss, hepatocellular injury, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis, whereas CD feeding was mainly responsible for steatosis, characterized by triglycerides and free fatty acids accumulation. These findings were preceded by MCD- or MD-mediated SAM and GSH depletion in mitochondria due to decreased mitochondrial membrane fluidity associated with a lower phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine ratio. MCD and MD but not CD feeding resulted in increased ceramide levels by acid sphingomyelinase. Moreover, GSH ethyl ester or SAM therapy restored mitochondrial GSH and ameliorated hepatocellular injury in mice fed a MCD or MD diet. Thus, the depletion of SAM and GSH in mitochondria is an early event in the MCD model of NASH, which is determined by the lack of methionine. Moreover, therapy using permeable GSH prodrugs may be of relevance in NASH.     

Cysteine Is Not the Sulfur Source for Iron-Sulfur Cluster and Methionine Biosynthesis in the Methanogenic Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

Three multiprotein systems are known for iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster biogenesis in prokaryotes and eukaryotes as follows: the NIF (nitrogen fixation), the ISC (iron-sulfur cluster), and the SUF (mobilization of sulfur) systems. In all three, cysteine is the physiological sulfur source, and the sulfur is transferred from cysteine desulfurase through a persulfidic intermediate to a scaffold protein. However, the biochemical nature of the sulfur source for Fe-S cluster assembly in archaea is unknown, and many archaea lack homologs of cysteine desulfurases. Methanococcus maripaludis is a methanogenic archaeon that contains a high amount of protein-bound Fe-S clusters (45 nmol/mg protein). Cysteine in this archaeon is synthesized primarily via the tRNA-dependent SepRS/SepCysS pathway. When a ΔsepS mutant (a cysteine auxotroph) was grown with ³⁴S-labeled sulfide and unlabeled cysteine, <8% of the cysteine, >92% of the methionine, and >87% of the sulfur in the Fe-S clusters in proteins were labeled, suggesting that the sulfur in methionine and Fe-S clusters was derived predominantly from exogenous sulfide instead of cysteine. Therefore, this investigation challenges the concept that cysteine is always the sulfur source for Fe-S cluster biosynthesis in vivo and suggests that Fe-S clusters are derived from sulfide in those organisms, which live in sulfide-rich habitats.     

不同类型冠心病患者血清Hcy、TBIL、hs-CRP、尿酸的表达及临床意义

目的:探讨不同类型冠心病患者血清同型半胱氨酸(Hcy)、总胆红素(TBIL)、高敏C反应蛋白(hs-CRP)、尿酸的水平及临床意义。方法:选取首都医科大学附属北京地坛医院2015年9月-2018年7月收治的冠心病患者132例为冠心病组,根据临床诊断分为稳定型心绞痛52例(SAP组)、不稳定型心绞痛42例(UAP组)、急性心肌梗死38例(AMI组),另选取50例同时期于我院体检的健康志愿者为对照组,检测各组Hcy、TBIL、hs-CRP、尿酸的水平,采用Pearson相关分析Hcy、TBIL、hs-CRP、尿酸水平之间的相关性,采用Logistic回归分析冠心病的影响因素。结果:冠心病组患者的血清Hcy、hs-CRP、尿酸水平显著高于对照组,TBIL水平显著低于对照组(P0.05)。AMI、UAP组患者的血清Hcy、hs-CRP、尿酸水平显著高于SAP组,TBIL水平显著低于SAP组(P0.05),且AMI组患者的血清Hcy、hs-CRP、尿酸水平显著高于UAP组,TBIL水平显著低于UAP组(P0.05)。经Pearson相关分析显示,Hcy与hs-CRP、尿酸呈正相关,与TBIL呈负相关,hs-CRP与尿酸呈正相关(P0.05),TBIL与hs-CRP、尿酸无明显相关性(P0.05)。经Logistic回归分析显示,Hcy、hs-CRP、尿酸、高血压、糖尿病均是冠心病的独立危险因素(P0.05),TBIL是冠心病的保护因素(P0.05)。结论:冠心病患者血清Hcy、hs-CRP、尿酸水平升高,TBIL水平降低,Hcy、TBIL、hs-CRP、尿酸与患者的病情相关,也是冠心病的影响因素。     

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and variations of homocysteine concentrations in patients with Behcet's disease

Background

Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic, relapsing, multi-systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown causes. This disease is mainly characterized by mucocutaneous, ocular, vascular, and central nervous system manifestations. The aim of this study is to investigate the associations between C677T and A1298C polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene and the plasma homocysteine (Hcy), folate, and B12 levels in a relatively large cohort of Tunisian patients with BD.

Methods

The study included 142 patients with BD and 172 healthy controls. The C677T and A1298C polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR-RFLP. Serum Hcy level was determined using a fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Serum folate and vitamin B12 levels were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.

Results

Genotype and allele frequencies of the two studied MTHFR polymorphisms did not show any significant differences among BD patients compared to controls. Patient carriers of the 677TT variant and the 677 T allele displayed significantly higher Hcy concentration. Moreover, no significant association was found between neither A1298C polymorphism nor the C allele and Hcy, folate, and B12 levels. In multivariate analyses, we reported that 677 T allele, male gender, and creatinine level were independent risk factors for hyperhomocysteinemia (HHC).

Conclusions

In the present study, we report the absence of any significant differences between genotype and allele frequencies for both studied polymorphisms among BD patients compared to healthy controls. Besides, we showed that the T allele of MTHFR C677T polymorphism influenced the Hcy level which is an independent risk factor for HHC in Tunisian BD patients.     

Plasma total homocysteine level and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677C>T genetic polymorphism in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Hyperhomocysteinemia is a known risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Homocysteine has been also linked to inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, we investigated the relationship between plasma homocysteine levels and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the gene coding for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of homocysteine, and the correlation between the plasma homocysteine levels and generally used inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and matrix metalloproteinase-3) in 96 Japanese patients with RA. Plasma homocysteine levels in patients with the MTHFR 677TT genotype were significantly higher than in those with the 677CC genotype (p < 0.05). In addition, plasma homocysteine levels were increased along with the elevation of general inflammatory markers. Therefore, we conclude that homocysteine might affect the inflammatory status of patients, and the MTHFR 677C>T SNP could be a predictive factor of hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with RA.     

Selective recognition of homocysteine and cysteine based on new ruthenium(II) complexes

A series of the new ruthenium(II) complexes with different number of aldehyde groups have been synthesized and characterized for the simple and selective sensing of homocysteine (Hcy) and cysteine (Cys). The reaction of these ruthenium(II) complexes with Hcy and Cys afforded thiazinane or thiazolidine derivatives which resulted in the obvious changes in the UV-visible spectra and strong enhancement of the luminescence intensity of the system. The luminescence enhancement of [Ru(dmb)₂(L2)]²⁺ (dmb: 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine) showed a good linearity in the concentration of 4.2-350 μM and 6-385 μM with the detection limits of 0.3 μM and 1 μM for Hcy and Cys, respectively. The absorption and emission bands from metal-to-ligand charge transfer transition in the visible region and the large Stokes shift of the ruthenium(II) complex chromophore made it suitable for biological applications.