炎症诱发抑郁症：吲哚胺2,3 双加氧酶的激活是关键环节之一

本文通过回顾临床前期及临床期两阶段的文献,着重介绍炎症激活及抑郁症之间的相关联系并进一步探讨其机制。目前,抑郁症的机制研究热点之一是炎症反应又称为细胞因子假说,其中色氨酸--犬尿氨酸通路(KP)在该假说中的作用得到了越来越多的证实。该假说认为,色氨酸--犬尿氨酸途径是聚焦于抑郁症相关代谢产物改变的综合性通路。炎性抑郁症的产生是由于在免疫功能及神经递质改变下产生的炎性细胞因子激活了吲哚胺2,3-双加氧酶,从而进一步引发抑郁。吲哚胺2,3-双加氧酶的活性增加,不仅会导致色氨酸的衰竭同时还引起通过犬尿氨酸途径代谢的神经毒性产物的增加,而这两种改变都被认为与抑郁症的发病密切相关。在此基础上,我们主要聚焦于慢性病患者接受细胞因子治疗的相关研究,来探讨免疫激活病人中抑郁症发病的高风险性从而证明这一假说。这项工作的目的是希望通过对色氨酸--犬尿氨酸通路的研究,从吲哚胺2,3-双加氧酶的抑制,激活它的细胞因子的调节及寻找在犬尿氨酸途径中其它的靶点等方面来抗抑郁,从而为新型的抗抑郁药的发展提供新的方法途径。     

犬尿酸代谢途径异常与中枢神经系统疾病

犬尿氨酸代谢途径(kynurenine pathway,KP)是脑内色氨酸代谢的重要通路。该通路由不同代谢产物及酶系构成,受促炎介质和激素等影响,通过激活或改变通路中代谢产物的合成,调控神经递质释放与功能执行。近些年研究发现,多种中枢神经系统疾病的理化改变与该通路代谢紊乱相关。本文将重点介绍KP组成及其代谢产物的生理功能,并就KP与部分中枢神经系统疾病的研究进展作一综述。     

灰葡萄孢犬尿氨酸途径关键酶基因的鉴定

【背景】灰葡萄孢是一种重要的植物病原真菌,实验室前期明确了灰葡萄孢犬尿氨酸单加氧酶(kynurenine3-monooxygenase,KMO)基因BcKMO参与调控病菌的生长发育和致病力。犬尿氨酸单加氧酶(KMO)是犬尿氨酸途径的关键酶,但灰葡萄孢是否存在犬尿氨酸途径及其在病菌生长、发育和致病过程中的功能尚未见相关报道。【目的】鉴定灰葡萄孢犬尿氨酸途径中的关键酶基因,确定灰葡萄孢犬尿氨酸途径的存在,为阐明灰葡萄孢生长发育和致病力的分子机理奠定基础。【方法】利用生物信息学方法,对灰葡萄孢犬尿氨酸途径中犬尿氨酸酶(kynureninase,KYN)、吲哚-2,3-双加氧酶(indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase,IDO)、犬尿氨酸氨基转移酶(kynurenine amino transferase,KAT)的编码基因进行分析;利用Real-time PCR技术,检测灰葡萄孢野生型BC22、BcKMO基因T-DNA插入突变体BCG183、恢复菌株BCG183/BcKMO中犬尿氨酸途径关键酶基因的表达水平;利用真菌犬尿氨酸酶KYN检测试剂盒,测定BcKMO突变体中犬尿氨酸酶(KYN)的含量。【结果】灰葡萄孢中含有2个犬尿氨酸氨基转移酶(KAT)的编码基因、3个吲哚-2,3-双加氧酶(IDO)的编码基因、10个犬尿氨酸氨基转移酶(KAT)的编码基因。灰葡萄孢KYN编码基因、IDO编码基因、KAT编码基因在突变体BCG183中的表达水平显著高于或低于在野生型和恢复菌株。突变体BCG183中犬尿氨酸酶(KYN)的含量显著低于野生型BC22和恢复菌株。【结论】灰葡萄孢中存在犬尿氨酸途径,灰葡萄孢BcKMO基因突变影响KYN、IDO和KAT编码基因的表达以及犬尿氨酸酶(KYN)的含量。     

色氨酸代谢限速酶IDO1及其抑制剂的研究

吲哚胺2,3-双加氧化酶1(indoleamine 2,3dioxygenase 1,IDO1)是肝脏以外催化色氨酸沿着犬尿氨酸途径(KP)分解代谢的限速酶。IDO1过度活化引起犬尿氨酸途径上具有神经毒性的产物的蓄积,是导致神经紊乱和神经退行性疾病的重要原因。IDO1又是免疫耐受酶,在诱导母胎免疫耐受和肿瘤免疫逃逸中均发挥重要作用,被视为新的免疫检查点。IDO1与阿尔茨海默病,肿瘤免疫逃逸等疾病的相关性已被证实,因此IDO1抑制剂作为极具潜能的药物受到日益广泛的关注。     

犬尿氨酸信号通路的组成成分及对脊髓继发性损伤的影响

急性脊髓损伤(spinal cord injury, SCI)发生时,损伤部位具有神经保护作用的M2型小胶质细胞/巨噬细胞转换成具有神经毒性的M1型,并分泌大量炎性介质,同时上调犬尿氨酸信号通路(kynurenine pathway, KP)的犬尿氨酸3-羟化酶,引起兴奋性毒素喹啉酸(quinolinic acid, QUIN)分泌,进一步促进神经炎症,最终加重脊髓继发性损伤。这一过程还涉及血红素氧化酶1(heme oxygenase-1, HO-1)和红细胞相关因子2(nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, Nrf2)信号通路。近年大量的研究发现,通过调节KP抑制QUIN可用于治疗神经性疾病和SCI,本文就以上内容做一简要综述。     

靶向色氨酸降解酶在肿瘤免疫治疗中的研究进展

免疫疗法为肿瘤患者带来了巨大希望。色氨酸作为人体必需氨基酸,在肿瘤免疫中具有重要意义。吲哚胺-2,3-双加氧酶1和2 (indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1/2, IDO1/2)、色氨酸-2,3-双加氧酶2 (tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase 2, TDO2)和白介素4诱导蛋白1 (interleukin-4-induced-1, IL4I1)是催化色氨酸降解的关键酶。研究表明靶向色氨酸降解酶能够恢复抗肿瘤免疫反应,并与其他免疫疗法(如免疫检查点抑制剂)具有协同作用,这给免疫肿瘤学领域带来了希望。然而,IDO1抑制剂的临床试验却带来了令人失望的结果。本综述将讨论色氨酸降解酶及其抑制剂在肿瘤免疫治疗中的潜在效果和问题,并提出了可选的规避方法。     

肠道微生物与血清素互作研究进展

肠道微生物在肠道稳态和大脑健康中发挥着举足轻重的作用.血清素是大脑的一种重要的单胺类神经递质,90％以上在结肠肠嗜铬细胞中由色氨酸代谢转化而来,在机体发挥广泛作用.近年来的研究表明,血清素对机体发挥的作用可能受到肠道微生物影响.肠道中某些微生物具有产生血清素的能力,同时,微生物群及其代谢产物(如丁酸)能通过影响色氨酸羟...     

色氨酸操纵子研究进展

色氨酸只能由微生物和植物合成。催化色氨酸分支途径的酶由色氨酸操纵子编码。生物体内色氨酸合成受到严格调控,色氨酸操纵子发挥重要作用。本文综述色氨酸代谢途径及其调节,并对途径工程在色氨酸操纵子改造中的应用进行回顾。     

大肠杆菌trpBA和serA基因的串联表达

大肠杆菌trpBA基因编码的色氨酸合成酶(tryptophan synthetase, TSase)是色氨酸合成的关键酶; serA基因编码的磷酸甘油酸脱氢酶(D-3-phosphoglycerate-dehydrogenase, PGDH)为L-丝氨酸合成(色氨酸合成的底物)的关键酶。为了通过基因工程手段来增加色氨酸的产量, 在利用高效的原核表达载体pET22b(+)分别对trpBA和serA基因克隆表达的基础上, 采用PCR方法扩增了抗反馈抑制的serA和trpBA基因, 将两基因串联于pET22b(+)载体上, 共构建了4种方式的串联质粒, 实现了2种蛋白酶在大肠杆菌中的共表达。聚丙烯酰胺电泳分析显示, ABA-Ⅰ重组菌株在37 kD (PGDH)、29 kD(色氨酸合成酶的α亚基)、44 kD(β亚基)处均有明显的蛋白表达带。4种串联表达质粒重组菌的TSase酶活性, 分别比含空载体菌相应酶的活性提高2~4倍, PGDH酶活性分别提高约2.1~3.6倍。经摇瓶发酵实验表明酶活性较高的ABA-I菌株色氨酸合成量亦最高, 约为对照菌株的20.2倍。     

L—色氨酸的生产及其代谢控制育种

本综述了利用微生物生产Ｌ－色氨酸的各种方法和Ｌ－色氨酸的生物合成途径及其代谢调控机制,并介绍了利用重组ＤＮＡ技术选育Ｌ－色氨酸高产菌的研究现状。     

Role for dopamine in malonate-induced damage in vivo in striatum and in vitro in mesencephalic cultures

Defects in mitochondrial energy metabolism have been implicated in the pathology of several neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, the reactive metabolites generated from the metabolism and oxidation of the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) are thought to contribute to the damage to neurons of the basal ganglia. We have previously demonstrated that infusions of the metabolic inhibitor malonate into the striata of mice or rats produce degeneration of DA nerve terminals. In the present studies, we demonstrate that an intrastriatal infusion of malonate induces a substantial increase in DA efflux in awake, behaving mice as measured by in vivo microdialysis. Furthermore, pretreatment of mice with tetrabenazine (TBZ) or the TBZ analogue Ro 4-1284 (Ro-4), compounds that reversibly inhibit the vesicular storage of DA, attenuates the malonate-induced DA efflux as well as the damage to DA nerve terminals. Consistent with these findings, the damage to both DA and GABA neurons in mesencephalic cultures by malonate exposure was attenuated by pretreatment with TBZ or Ro-4. Treatment with these compounds did not affect the formation of free radicals or the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation resulting from malonate exposure alone. Our data suggest that DA plays an important role in the neurotoxicity produced by malonate. These findings provide direct evidence that inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase causes an increase in extracellular DA levels and indicate that bioenergetic defects may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic neurodegenerative diseases through a mechanism involving DA.     

Scurvy in capybaras bred in captivity in Argentine

In order to determine if the absence of vitamin C in the diet of capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) causes scurvy, a group of seven young individuals were fed food pellets without ascorbic acid, while another group of eight individuals received the same food with 1 g of ascorbic acid per animal per day. Animals in the first group developed signs of scurvy-like gingivitis, breaking of the incisors and death of one animal. Clinical signs appeared between 25 and 104 days from the beginning of the trial in all individuals. Growth rates of individuals deprived of vitamin C was considerably less than those observed in the control group. Deficiency of ascorbic acid had a severe effect on reproduction of another population of captive capybaras. We found that the decrease in ascorbic acid content in the diet affected pregnancy, especially during the first stages. The results obtained suggest that it is necessary to supply a suitable quantity of vitamin C in the diet of this species in captivity.     

Changes in lactate dehydrogenase activity in chicken tissues in hyperthyreosis in ontogenesis

The lactate dehydrogenase activity in reactions of lactate oxidation and synthesis was studied in subfractions of the chicken brain, heart and liver at the embryonal, early postembryonal and adult stages of development after thyroxine administration. It has been shown that during embryogenesis thyroxine predominantly enhanced the rate of lactate oxidation in the mitochondrial tissues. A marked increase in the lactate synthesis was found in cytoplasm of the adult chicken tissues. Specificity of enzyme activity alterations was detected in the chicken brain during ontogenesis after thyroxine administration.     

SSTR5 ablation in islet results in alterations in glucose homeostasis in mice

Somatostatin (SST) peptide is a potent inhibitor of insulin secretion and its effect is mediated via somatostatin receptor 5 (SSTR5) in the endocrine pancreas. To investigate the consequences of gene ablation of SSTR5 in the mouse pancreas, we have generated a mouse model in which the SSTR5 gene was specifically knocked down in the pancreatic beta cells (betaSSTR5Kd) using the Cre-lox system. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that SSTR5 gene expression was absent in beta cells at three months of age. At the time of gene ablation, betaSSTR5Kd mice demonstrated glucose intolerance with lack of insulin response and significantly reduced serum insulin levels. Insulin tolerance test demonstrated a significant increase of insulin clearance in vivo at the same age. In vitro studies demonstrated an absence of response to SST-28 stimulation in the betaSSTR5Kd mouse islet, which was associated with a significantly reduced SST expression level in betaSSTR5Kd mice pancreata. In addition, betaSSTR5Kd mice had significantly reduced serum glucose levels and increased serum insulin levels at 12 months of age. Glucose tolerance test at an older age also indicated a persistently higher insulin level in betaSSTR5Kd mice. Further studies of betaSSTR5Kd mice had revealed elevated serum C-peptide levels at both 3 and 12 months of age, suggesting that these mice are capable of producing and releasing insulin to the periphery. These results support the hypothesis that SSTR5 plays a pivotal role in the regulation of insulin secretion in the mouse pancreas.