Triplex formation using oligonucleotide clamps carrying 8-aminopurines

The synthesis and properties of triplex-forming DNA clamps carrying 8-aminopurines are described. The stability of triple helices is enhanced by replacing purine bases with 8-aminopurine residues. These enhanced binding properties are used for the specific capture of polypyrimidine RNA/DNA sequences of interest.     

Anaerobic fermentation of glycerol: a path to economic viability for the biofuels industry

Although biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol represent a secure, renewable and environmentally safe alternative to fossil fuels, their economic viability is a major concern. The implementation of biorefineries that co-produce higher value products along with biofuels has been proposed as a solution to this problem. The biorefinery model would be especially advantageous if the conversion of byproducts or waste streams generated during biofuel production were considered. Glycerol-rich streams generated in large amounts by the biofuels industry, especially during the production of biodiesel, present an excellent opportunity to establish biorefineries. Once considered a valuable 'co-product', crude glycerol is rapidly becoming a 'waste product' with a disposal cost attributed to it. Given the highly reduced nature of carbon in glycerol and the cost advantage of anaerobic processes, fermentative metabolism of glycerol is of special interest. This review covers the anaerobic fermentation of glycerol in microbes and the harnessing of this metabolic process to convert abundant and low-priced glycerol streams into higher value products, thus creating a path to viability for the biofuels industry. Special attention is given to products whose synthesis from glycerol would be advantageous when compared with their production from common sugars.     

ThermoTRP channels as modular proteins with allosteric gating

Ion channels activate by sensing stimuli such as membrane voltage, ligand binding or temperature and transduce this information into conformational changes that open the channel pore. Thus, a key question in understanding ion channel function is how do the protein domains involved in sensing stimuli (sensors) and opening the pore (gates) communicate. In this regard, transient receptor potential (TRP) channels that confer thermosensation [A. Dhaka, V. Viswanath, A. Patapoutian, TRP ion channels and temperature sensation, Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 29 (2006) 135-161; I.S. Ramsey, M. Delling, D.E. Clapham, An introduction to TRP channels, Annu. Rev. Physiol. 68 (2006) 619-647] (thermoTRP; Q(10)>10) are unique to the extent that they integrate a variety of physical and chemical stimuli. In some cases such as, for example, the vanilloid receptor TRPV1 [M.J. Caterina, M.A. Schumacher, M. Tominaga, T.A. Rosen, J.D. Levine, D. Julius, The capsaicin receptor: a heat-activated ion channel in the pain pathway, Nature 389 (1997) 816-824] and TRPA1 [G.M. Story, A.M. Peier, A.J. Reeve, S.R. Eid, J. Mosbacher, T.R. Hricik, T.J. Earley, A.C. Hergarden, D.A. Andersson, S.W. Hwang, P. McIntyre, T. Jegla, S. Bevan, A. Patapoutian, ANKTM1, a TRP-like channel expressed in nociceptive neurons, is activated by cold temperatures, Cell 112 (2003) 819-829; S. Jordt, D. Julius, Molecular basis for species-specific sensitivity to "hot" chilli peppers, Cell 108 (2002) 421-430] the integration of these stimuli elicit pain [M. Tominaga, M.J. Caterina, A.B. Malmberg, T.A. Rosen, H. Gilbert, K. Skinner, B.E. Raumann, A.I. Basbaum, D. Julius, The cloned capsaicin receptor integrates multiple pain-producing stimuli, Neuron 21 (1998) 531-543; M. Bandell, A. Dubin, M. Petrus, A. Orth, J. Mathur, S. Hwang, A. Patapoutian, High-throughput random mutagenesis screen reveals TRPM8 residues specifically required for activation by menthol, Nat. Neurosci. 9 (2006) 466-468; S. Zurborg, B. Yurgionas, JA. Jira, O. Caspani, P.A. Heppenstall, Direct activation of the ion channel TRPA1 by Ca(2+), Nat. Neurosci. 10 (2007) 277-279]. These stimuli include voltage, pH, agonist binding, and temperature. Understanding how each of these distinct physiological signals regulate channel opening will be informative about the mechanical linkages that can act either independently or in concert to influence channel activation. In this paper we show that thermoTRP channel-forming proteins are modular in the sense that certain structure or structures (modules) confer temperature-dependent regulation, whereas others confer voltage-dependent regulation. We also discuss the thermodynamic basis of heat and cold activation in an effort to elucidate what confer to these channels the capability to be gated by temperature directly.     

Role of myotonic dystrophy protein kinase (DMPK) in glucose homeostasis and muscle insulin action

Myotonic dystrophy 1 (DM1) is caused by a CTG expansion in the 3'-unstranslated region of the DMPK gene, which encodes a serine/threonine protein kinase. One of the common clinical features of DM1 patients is insulin resistance, which has been associated with a pathogenic effect of the repeat expansions. Here we show that DMPK itself is a positive modulator of insulin action. DMPK-deficient (dmpk-/-) mice exhibit impaired insulin signaling in muscle tissues but not in adipocytes and liver, tissues in which DMPK is not expressed. Dmpk-/- mice display metabolic derangements such as abnormal glucose tolerance, reduced glucose uptake and impaired insulin-dependent GLUT4 trafficking in muscle. Using DMPK mutants, we show that DMPK is required for a correct intracellular trafficking of insulin and IGF-1 receptors, providing a mechanism to explain the molecular and metabolic phenotype of dmpk-/- mice. Taken together, these findings indicate that reduced DMPK expression may directly influence the onset of insulin-resistance in DM1 patients and point to dmpk as a new candidate gene for susceptibility to type 2-diabetes.     

Quantitative analysis of the binding affinity of poly(ADP-ribose) to specific binding proteins as a function of chain length

Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is synthesized by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases in response to genotoxic stress and interacts non-covalently with DNA damage checkpoint and repair proteins. Here, we present a variety of techniques to analyze this interaction in terms of selectivity and affinity. In vitro synthesized PAR was end-labeled using a carbonyl-reactive biotin analog. Binding of HPLC-fractionated PAR chains to the tumor suppressor protein p53 and to the nucleotide excision repair protein XPA was assessed using a novel electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Long ADP-ribose chains (55-mer) promoted the formation of three specific complexes with p53. Short PAR chains (16-mer) were also able to bind p53, yet forming only one defined complex. In contrast, XPA did not interact with short polymer, but produced a single complex with long PAR chains (55-mer). In addition, we performed surface plasmon resonance with immobilized PAR chains, which allowed establishing binding constants and confirmed the results obtained by EMSA. Taken together, we developed several new protocols permitting the quantitative characterization of PAR–protein binding. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the affinity of the non-covalent PAR interactions with specific binding proteins (XPA, p53) can be very high (nanomolar range) and depends both on the PAR chain length and on the binding protein.     

Combining regio- and enantioselectivity of lipases for the preparation of (R)-4-chloro-2-butanol

Preparation of 98% ee (R)-4-chloro-2-butanol was carried out by the enzymatic hydrolysis of chlorohydrin esters, using fungal resting cells and commercial enzymes. Hydrolyzes were carried out using lipases from Candida antarctica (Novozym 435), C. rugosa, Rhizomucor miehei (Lipozyme IM), Burkolia cepacia, and resting cells of Rhizopus oryzae and Aspergillus flavus. The influence of the enzyme, the solvent, the temperature, and the alkyl chain length on the selectivity of hydrolyzes of isomeric mixtures of chlorohydrin esters is described. Regioselectivity was higher than 95% for some of the tested lipases. Novozym 435 allowed preparation of the (R)-4-chloro-2-butanol after 15 min of reaction at 30-40 degrees C.     

Genetic variants of the FADS gene cluster and ELOVL gene family, colostrums LC-PUFA levels, breastfeeding, and child cognition

Introduction

Breastfeeding effects on cognition are attributed to long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), but controversy persists. Genetic variation in fatty acid desaturase (FADS) and elongase (ELOVL) enzymes has been overlooked when studying the effects of LC-PUFAs supply on cognition. We aimed to: 1) to determine whether maternal genetic variants in the FADS cluster and ELOVL genes contribute to differences in LC-PUFA levels in colostrum; 2) to analyze whether these maternal variants are related to child cognition; and 3) to assess whether children''s variants modify breastfeeding effects on cognition.

Methods

Data come from two population-based birth cohorts (n = 400 mother-child pairs from INMA-Sabadell; and n = 340 children from INMA-Menorca). LC-PUFAs were measured in 270 colostrum samples from INMA-Sabadell. Tag SNPs were genotyped both in mothers and children (13 in the FADS cluster, 6 in ELOVL2, and 7 in ELOVL5). Child cognition was assessed at 14 mo and 4 y using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the McCarthy Scales of Children''s Abilities, respectively.

Results

Children of mothers carrying genetic variants associated with lower FADS1 activity (regulating AA and EPA synthesis), higher FADS2 activity (regulating DHA synthesis), and with higher EPA/AA and DHA/AA ratios in colostrum showed a significant advantage in cognition at 14 mo (3.5 to 5.3 points). Not being breastfed conferred an 8- to 9-point disadvantage in cognition among children GG homozygote for rs174468 (low FADS1 activity) but not among those with the A allele. Moreover, not being breastfed resulted in a disadvantage in cognition (5 to 8 points) among children CC homozygote for rs2397142 (low ELOVL5 activity), but not among those carrying the G allele.

Conclusion

Genetically determined maternal supplies of LC-PUFAs during pregnancy and lactation appear to be crucial for child cognition. Breastfeeding effects on cognition are modified by child genetic variation in fatty acid desaturase and elongase enzymes.     

Genome-wide association of familial late-onset Alzheimer's disease replicates BIN1 and CLU and nominates CUGBP2 in interaction with APOE

Late-onset Alzheimer''s disease (LOAD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. The National Institute of Aging-Late Onset Alzheimer''s Disease Family Study and the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer''s Disease conducted a joint genome-wide association study (GWAS) of multiplex LOAD families (3,839 affected and unaffected individuals from 992 families plus additional unrelated neurologically evaluated normal subjects) using the 610 IlluminaQuad panel. This cohort represents the largest family-based GWAS of LOAD to date, with analyses limited here to the European-American subjects. SNPs near APOE gave highly significant results (e.g., rs2075650, p = 3.2×10⁻⁸¹), but no other genome-wide significant evidence for association was obtained in the full sample. Analyses that stratified on APOE genotypes identified SNPs on chromosome 10p14 in CUGBP2 with genome-wide significant evidence for association within APOE ε4 homozygotes (e.g., rs201119, p = 1.5×10⁻⁸). Association in this gene was replicated in an independent sample consisting of three cohorts. There was evidence of association for recently-reported LOAD risk loci, including BIN1 (rs7561528, p = 0.009 with, and p = 0.03 without, APOE adjustment) and CLU (rs11136000, p = 0.023 with, and p = 0.008 without, APOE adjustment), with weaker support for CR1. However, our results provide strong evidence that association with PICALM (rs3851179, p = 0.69 with, and p = 0.039 without, APOE adjustment) and EXOC3L2 is affected by correlation with APOE, and thus may represent spurious association. Our results indicate that genetic structure coupled with ascertainment bias resulting from the strong APOE association affect genome-wide results and interpretation of some recently reported associations. We show that a locus such as APOE, with large effects and strong association with disease, can lead to samples that require appropriate adjustment for this locus to avoid both false positive and false negative evidence of association. We suggest that similar adjustments may also be needed for many other large multi-site studies.     

Inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) by platinum(II) phenanthroline complexes

Inhibition of protein kinases in the fight against disease remains a constant challenge for medicinal chemists, who have screened multitudes of predominantly planar organic scaffolds, natural and synthetic, to identify potent—albeit not always selective—kinase inhibitors. Herein, in an effort to investigate the potential biological utility of metal-based compounds as inhibitors against the cancer-relevant targets mitogen-activated protein kinase and cyclin-dependent kinase 2, we explore various parameters in planar platinum(II) complexes with substituted phenanthroline ligands and aliphatic diamine chelate co-ligands, to identify combinations that yield promising inhibitory activity. The individual ligands’ steric requirements as well as their pattern of hydrogen bond donors/acceptors appear to alter inhibitory potency when modulated.