Determination of products of acetohydroxy acid synthase by the colorimetric method, revisited

The enzyme acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS, EC 4.1.3.18) catalyzes two competing reactions of physiological importance: condensation of two molecules of pyruvate to form acetolactate (AL) or condensation of pyruvate and 2-ketobutyrate to form acetohydroxybutyrate (AHB). The activity of AHAS is most frequently analyzed using the Westerfeld method, in which the acetoin formed upon decarboxylation of AL is determined by colorimetric reaction with creatine and alpha-naphthol. However, there has been confusion as to the interpretation of the results of this assay in the presence of both substrates, conditions which lead to formation of both AL and AHB. By applying this assay to enzymatically prepared samples of AL and AHB which have also been analyzed by two other independent methods, we show here that the color yield for AHB in the commonly used assay is 35-40% that for equivalent amounts of acetoin or AL. The relative color yield is not significantly affected by varying the time or temperature of various steps in the color-forming reaction. This information could in principle be used, together with an independent specific assay for AHB, to determine the composition of an AHAS product mixture; it would, however, be less accurate than a simultaneous chromatographic method.     

Kinetics and mechanism of acetohydroxy acid synthase isozyme III from Escherichia coli

Acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS, EC 4.1.3.18) isozyme III from Escherichia coli has been studied in steady-state kinetic experiments in which the rates of formation of acetolactate (AL) and acetohydroxybutyrate (AHB) have been determined simultaneously. The ratio between the rates of production of the two alternative products and the concentrations of the substrates pyruvate and 2-ketobutyrate (2KB) leading to them, R, VAHB/VAL = R[( 2KB]/[pyruvate]), was found to be 40 +/- 3 under a wide variety of conditions. Because pyruvate is a common substrate in the reactions leading to both products and competes with 2-ketobutyrate to determine whether AL or AHB is formed, steady-state kinetic studies are unusually informative for this enzyme. At a given pyruvate concentration, the sum of the rates of formation of AL and AHB was nearly independent of the 2-ketobutyrate concentration. On the basis of these results, a mechanism is proposed for the enzyme that involves irreversible and rate-determining reaction of pyruvate, at a site which accepts 2-ketobutyrate poorly, if at all, to form an intermediate common to all the reactions. In the second phase of the reaction, various 2-keto acids can compete for this intermediate to form the respective acetohydroxy acids. 2-Keto acids other than the natural substrates pyruvate and 2-ketobutyrate may also compete, to a greater or lesser extent, in the second phase of the reaction to yield alternative products, e.g., 2-ketovalerate is preferred by about 2.5-fold over pyruvate. However, the presence of an additional keto acid does not affect the relative specificity of the enzyme for pyruvate and 2-ketobutyrate; this further supports the proposed mechanism. The substrate specificity in the second phase is an intrinsic property of the enzyme, unaffected by pH or feedback inhibitors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Imatinib Reverses Doxorubicin Resistance by Affecting Activation of STAT3-Dependent NF-κB and HSP27/p38/AKT Pathways and by Inhibiting ABCB1

Despite advances in cancer detection and prevention, a diagnosis of metastatic disease remains a death sentence due to the fact that many cancers are either resistant to chemotherapy (conventional or targeted) or develop resistance during treatment, and residual chemoresistant cells are highly metastatic. Metastatic cancer cells resist the effects of chemotherapeutic agents by upregulating drug transporters, which efflux the drugs, and by activating proliferation and survival signaling pathways. Previously, we found that c-Abl and Arg non-receptor tyrosine kinases are activated in breast cancer, melanoma, and glioblastoma cells, and promote cancer progression. In this report, we demonstrate that the c-Abl/Arg inhibitor, imatinib (imatinib mesylate, STI571, Gleevec), reverses intrinsic and acquired resistance to the anthracycline, doxorubicin, by inducing G2/M arrest and promoting apoptosis in cancer cells expressing highly active c-Abl and Arg. Significantly, imatinib prevents intrinsic resistance by promoting doxorubicin-mediated NF-κB/p65 nuclear localization and repression of NF-κB targets in a STAT3-dependent manner, and by preventing activation of a novel STAT3/HSP27/p38/Akt survival pathway. In contrast, imatinib prevents acquired resistance by inhibiting upregulation of the ABC drug transporter, ABCB1, directly inhibiting ABCB1 function, and abrogating survival signaling. Thus, imatinib inhibits multiple novel chemoresistance pathways, which indicates that it may be effective in reversing intrinsic and acquired resistance in cancers containing highly active c-Abl and Arg, a critical step in effectively treating metastatic disease. Furthermore, since imatinib converts a master survival regulator, NF-κB, from a pro-survival into a pro-apoptotic factor, our data suggest that NF-κB inhibitors may be ineffective in sensitizing tumors containing activated c-Abl/Arg to anthracyclines, and instead might antagonize anthracycline-induced apoptosis.     

The specificity of fumarate as a switching factor of the bacterial flagellar motor

Fumarate restores to flagella of cytoplasm-free, CheY- containing envelopes of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium the ability to switch from one direction of rotation to another. To examine the specificity of this effect, we studied flagellar rotation of envelopes which contained, instead of fumarate, one of its analogues. Malate, maleate and succinate promoted switching, but to a lesser extent than fumarate. These observations were made both with wild-type envelopes and with envelopes of a mutant which lacks the enzymes succinate dehydrogenase and fumarase, indicating that the switching-promoting activity of the analogues was not caused by their conversion to fumarate. Aspartate and lactate did not promote switching. Using strains defective in specific enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and lacking the cytoplasmic chemotaxis proteins as well as some of the chemo-taxis receptors, we demonstrated that, in intact bacteria, unlike the situation in envelopes, fumarate promoted clockwise rotation via its metabolites acetyl phosphate and acetyladenylate, but did not promote switching (presumably because of the presence of cytoplasmic fumarate). All of the results are consistent with the notion that fumarate acts as a switching factor, presumably by lowering the activation energy of switching. Thus fumarate and some of its metabolites may serve as a connection point between the bacterial metabolic state and chemotactic behaviour.     

Multimeric bivalent immunogens from recombinant tetanus toxin H<Subscript>C</Subscript> fragment,synthetic hexasaccharides,and a glycopeptide adjuvant

Using recombinant tetanus toxin H_C fragment (rTT-H_C) as carrier, we prepared multimeric bivalent immunogens featuring the synthetic hexasaccharide fragment of O-PS of Vibrio cholerae O:1, serotype Ogawa, in combination with either the synthetic hexasaccharide fragment of O-PS of Vibrio cholerae O:1, serotype Inaba, or a synthetic disaccharide tetrapeptide peptidoglycan fragment as adjuvant. The conjugation reaction was effected by squaric acid chemistry and monitored in virtually real time by SELDI-TOF MS. In this way, we could prepare well-defined immunogens with predictable carbohydrate–carrier ratio, whose molecular mass and the amount of each saccharide attached could be independently determined. The ability to prepare such neoglycoconjugates opens unprecedented possibilities for preparation of conjugate vaccines for bacterial diseases from synthetic carbohydrates.     

A mutant of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (B.t.i.) resistant to antibiotics

Summary PST, a spontaneous mutant of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (B.t.i.) resistant to penicillin, streptomycin and tetracycline was isolated by serial selections. In the absence of antibiotics it showed genetic stability for 16 generations. Mosquito larvicidal activity of PST was similar to that of B.t.i., its parental strain. It also maintained the specific antigenicity of B.t.i. although its rate of growth was somewhat lower, a generation time of 55 min for PST vs. 38 min for B.t.i. Cell concentration plays a major role in the phenomenon of PST resistance to penicillin.This antibiotic resistant mutant of b.t.i. provides us with an efficient tool to trace B.t.i. among the indigenous bacteria present in septic habitats in the field as well as inside the larval gut.     

Enhanced binding of a 95 kDa protein to p53 in cells undergoing p53-mediated growth arrest.

To explore the biochemical functions of p53, we have initiated a search for cellular p53-binding proteins. Coprecipitation of three polypeptides was observed when cell lines overexpressing a temperature-sensitive (ts) p53 mutant were maintained at 32.5 degrees C (wild-type p53 activity, leading to growth arrest) but not at 37.5 degrees C (mutant p53 activity). One of these three proteins, designated p95 on the basis of its apparent molecular mass, was highly abundant in p53 immune complexes. We demonstrate herein that p95 is a p53-binding protein, which exhibits poor p53-binding in cells overproducing several distinct mutant p53 proteins. Yet, p95 associates equally well with both the wild-type (wt) and the mutant conformations of the ts p53 in transformed cells growth-arrested at 32.5 degrees C. On the basis of our findings we suggest that wt p53 activity increases p53-p95 complex formation and that such interaction may play a central role in p53 mediated tumour suppression.     

Parameters affecting the in vitro maturation of human monocytes to macrophages

In vitro maturation of human monocytes to macrophages was characterized by morphological criteria, cell size and lysosomal enzymes activity. Purified populations of monocytes were maintained in culture at either adherent or nonadherent conditions and their maturation to macrophages was observed in both cases. The addition of external factors such as hydrocortisone and vitamin D3 inhibited monocyte maturation. In the absence of external factors, nonadherent monocytes were inhibited in their maturation for up to 10 days when plated at crowded cell concentrations. In addition, the presence of human serum in the culture media had a higher inhibitory activity than similar concentrations of fetal calf serum. Supernates from crowded macrophages were also inhibitory for monocyte maturation. We suggest the possibility that cell crowding, as well as soluble factors found in the serum and probably secreted by macrophages, participate in the regulation of monocyte development by inhibiting their maturation. Once released from this inhibitory signal or environment, the monocytes mature to macrophages.     

Acetohydroxy Acid Synthase Activity in Chlorella emersonii under Auto- and Heterotrophic Growth Conditions

Acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) activity was studied in the green unicellular alga Chlorella emersonii. This activity and its regulation was compared in the algae grown autotrophically and heterotrophically on glucose in the dark. No evidence for the existence of more than one enzyme was found. The activity in crude extracts from either heterotrophically or autotrophically grown cells showed a K_m for pyruvate of 9 millimolar, a 22-fold preference for 2-ketobutyrate over pyruvate as the second substrate, 50% inhibition by 0.5 millimolar valine, and 50% inhibition by 0.3 micromolar sulfometuron methyl (SMM). Spontaneous mutants of the alga resistant to SMM were isolated, which appeared to be single gene mutants containing SMM-resistant AHAS activity. Hence, AHAS appears to be the sole direct target site of SMM in C. emersonii. The fact that the mutants had equivalent SMM resistance under auto- and heterotrophic conditions further supports the conclusion that the same enzyme functions under both physiological regimes. The addition of valine and isoleucine leads to partial relief of SMM inhibition of biomass increase, but not of SMM inhibition of cell division.     

Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration from leaf derived callus of winged bean [Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.]

Somatic embryos were obtained from callus cultures derived from leaf explants of the winged bean, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC. Initiation and development of the somatic embryos occurred with a two-step culture method. Callus cultures initiated on MS medium with NAA and BAP, upon transfer to a new medium with IAA and BAP, produced somatic embryos. Maximum embryogenesis of 60% was obtained on induction medium with 0.5 mg/l NAA plus 1.0 mg/l BAP followed by transfer to a secondary medium with 0.1 mg/l IAA and 2.0 mg/l BAP. Optimal embryo germination and plantlet development was achieved on MS medium with 0.2 mg/l BAP plus 0.1 mg/l IBA. The regenerated plants were successfully transferred to glasshouse conditions.Abbreviations MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - NAA 1-naphthaleneacetic acid - IAA Indole-3-acetic acid - IBA Indole-3-butyric acid - BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - KN Kinetin