Comparative study of catalytic properties of mink and rat liver monoamine oxidase

Comparative substrate-inhibitor analysis of catalytic properties of mitochondrial monoamine oxidase (MAO) of liver of the American mink Mustela vison Schreber and of liver of Wistar rat has been performed. It has been found that MAO of mink, like MAO of rat, has properties of classic mammalian MAO: it deaminates tyramine, tryptamine, serotonin, benzylamine, β-phenylethylamine and does not deaminate histamine as well as does not have sensitivity to semicarbazide. Study of kinetics of the monoamine oxidase deamination revealed both qualitative and quantitative differences between these enzymes. Specificity of action on MAO-A form of four irreversible inhibitors—acridine derivatives—has been shown; this specificity was several times higher for the mink liver MAO than for the rat liver MAO. It is suggested that the liver MAO of both species of the studied animals has several isoenzyme forms or several centers of the substrate binding.     

Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic per-(6-thio-2,3-trimethylsilyl)cyclodextrin: Application to Langmuir film formation

New amphiphilic cyclodextrins are synthesized by selective modification. Two synthetic strategies are investigated. Per-(6-thio-2,3-trimethylsilyl)cyclodextrins can only be obtain by synthesizing first the per-6-thio-cyclodextrin and then silylating the remaining hydroxy functions. Characterizations of the products were achieved by ESI-MS and intramolecular coupling between thiol functions was evidenced. These new compounds are shown to be amphiphilic, and form stable Langmuir–Blodgett films that can be transferred on the upstroke and the downstroke of a substrate with a transfer ratio close to unity.     

Properties of monoamine oxidase in control and Lesch-Nyhan fibroblasts

Monoamine oxidase activity of the A type was measured in homogenates of cultured human skin fibroblasts. Twenty-four control lines had activities ranging over fifty-fold with an apparent bimodal distribution. Activity in fibroblasts from 20 patients with the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome fell in the low portion of the normal distribution with a mean activity about 50% that of the control mean (p<0.05). In a subgroup of control and Lesch-Nyhan lines with levels of enzyme activity from 0.9 to 179 pmol/min/mg protein, monoamine oxidase was similar with respect to apparent K_m for tryptamine, thermal stability at 56 C, and sensitivity to clorgyline. Thus the lower mean levels of activity observed in the Lesch-Nyhan as compared to control fibroblasts were not associated with other altered properties of the enzyme. The bimodal distribution of enzyme activity suggests that a genetic polymorphism for monoamine oxidase may control levels of activity expressed in fibroblasts.M. R. C. C. was funded by the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation. This work was supported by grants from USPHS—NS12105 and GM20124—and from the National Foundation-March of Dimes.     

Purification and properties of human liver monoamine oxidase

Human liver monoamine oxidase [monoamine: O₂ oxidoreductase (deaminating), E. C. 1.4.3.4] was purified by a method which does not depend on the isolation of mitochondria, and in which vacuum dialysis, during which the enzyme separates out as a yellow precipitate, is an important step in purification. By this method a final specific activity of 550 and fold purification of 40 was attained. A single peak was obtained with the analytical ultracentrifuge, and a sedimentation constant of 6.78S noted. A single active band was observed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme exhibits optimum activity at pH 8.7, with no activity below pH 5.5 or above pH 11.8. Using benzylamine hydrobromide as the substrate, in 0.05 m phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) at 27 °C, the Michaelis constant was found to be 1.7 × 10^?3m. The enzyme, which is quite stable, is a flavo-protein, as shown by absorption and fluorescence spectra. The C-terminal group is glycine. The molecular weight, as determined by SDS polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, is 64,000. Repeated attempts to determine the N-terminal group were unsuccessful.     

Color image detection by biomolecular photoreceptor using bacteriorhodopsin-based complex LB films

A biomolecular photoreceptor consisting of bacteriorhodopsin (bR)-based complex Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films was developed for color image detection. By mimicking the functions of the pigments in retina of human visual system, biomolecules with photoelectric conversion function were chosen and used as constituents for an artificial photoreceptor. bR and flavin were deposited onto the patterned (9-pixelized) ITO glass by LB technique. A 9-pixel biomolecular photoreceptor was fabricated with a sandwich-type structure of ITO/LB films/electrolyte gel/Pt. Since each functional molecule shows its own response characteristic according to the light illumination in the visible region, the simplified knowledge-based algorithm for interpretation of the incident light wavelength (color) was proposed based on the basic rule describing the relationship between the photoelectric response characteristics and the incident light wavelength. When simple color images were projected onto the photoreceptor, the primary colors in visible light region, red, green, and blue were clearly recognized, and the projected color images were fairly well reproduced onto the color monitor by the proposed photoreceptor with the knowledge-based algorithm. It is concluded that the proposed device has a capability of recognizing the color images and can be used as a model system to simulate the information processing function of the human visual system.     

随机突变提高单胺氧化酶活性

前期获得了一个对底物美西律具有一定活性的单胺氧化酶突变体A-1(F210V/L213C)。为进一步提高其酶活性,利用MegaWHOP PCR构建了库容约为104的随机突变库。筛选后获得了一个最优突变酶ep-1,比活力为A-1的189%。选择性测定结果表明,酶的对映体选择性有较大提高,E值由101提高到282;动力学常数测定揭示,酶催化效率有较大提高,kcat/Km由0.001 51 mmol/(L?s)提高到0.002 89 mmol/(L?s)。和A-1酶相比,在所测定的11种胺类底物中,ep-1对其他7种底物的比活力有较明显提高,对其他4种底物的比活力变化不大。序列分析表明,ep-1的突变为T162A。分子动力学模拟结果提示,该突变主要通过修正通道氨基酸的二级结构和扩大活性口袋来发挥作用。     

Effect of riboflavin on monoamine oxidase activity in cultured neuroblastoma cells

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) depends on a covalently attached FAD cofactor for activity. Activity is depressed in mouse neuroblastoma cells (NIE-115) grown in synthetic N2 medium lacking riboflavin. MAO activity in depleted cells is stimulated by added riboflavin, and this recovery is blocked by inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis, and not by an inhibitor of protein glycosylation. Recovery from riboflavin depletion appears to depend upon new RNA and protein synthesis, and not on the addition of FAD cofactor to an inactive MAO precursor.     

基于融合双亲短肽提高葡萄糖氧化酶的热稳定性

葡萄糖氧化酶(Glucose oxidase,简称GOD)可氧化葡萄糖生产葡萄糖酸及其衍生物,在新型无抗饲料添加剂的开发中具有良好的应用潜力,但其生产加工过程中尚存在热稳定差的瓶颈问题。本研究采用融合双亲短肽技术提高葡萄糖氧化酶的热稳定性,分别选取8种不同氨基酸长度、不同Linker连接的双亲短肽(Self-assembling peptides,SAPs)融合至黑曲霉来源的葡萄糖氧化酶的N端,构建了8种融合型酶SAP1-GS-GOD、SAP1-PT-GOD、SAP2-PT-GOD、SAP3-PT-GOD、SAP4-PT-GOD、SAP5-PT-GOD、SAP6-PT-GOD、SAP7-PT-GOD,并在毕赤酵母GS115中异源表达。获得的连接PT Linker的融合酶在60℃下孵育60 min后的相对酶活均高于初始酶。其中,融合酶SAP5-PT-GOD在60℃下孵育30 min的相对酶活为67%,是相同处理条件下初始酶相对酶活的10.9倍。同时,融合酶SAP1-PT-GOD、SAP2-PT-GOD、SAP3-PT-GOD、SAP5-PT-GOD的K_(cat)/K_m值较初始酶均有进一步的提高。研究表明,在葡萄糖氧化酶的N端融合以PT为Linker的目标双亲短肽能有效提高葡萄糖氧化酶的热稳定性,通过对融合酶分子内作用力进行分析,酶分子内氢键的增加对融合酶热稳定性的提高效果最为显著。上述研究获得的热稳定性提高的融合葡萄糖氧化酶及其效果机制分析对提高酶在加工和应用过程中的活性具有重要的研究意义和应用价值。     

In vitro andin vivo effect of organophosphate pesticides on monoamine oxidase activity in rat brain

The effects of some organophosphate pesticides, e.g. lebaycid, metacid and metasystox on the monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in rat brain mitochondria have been studied. These pesticides cause significant inhibition of MAO activityin vitro but have negligible effects on its activityin vivo.     

Colorimetric assay for monoamine oxidase in tissues using peroxidase and 2,2'-azinodi(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) as chromogen

Monoamine oxidase is assayed in tissue by a colorimetric reaction using horse radish peroxidase and 2,2'-azinodi(ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid to measure H2O2 formed during oxidation of amines. The method has a coefficient of variation of approximately 2.5% and provides results comparable with those of radiometric assay. Monoamine oxidase activities in rat liver mitochondria and crude mitochondrial fraction from brain and with tyramine as a substrate were 18.9 +/- 0.4 and 4.61 +/- 0.15 nmol/min/mg of protein, respectively, using this method. Kinetic parameters of liver and brain monoamine oxidase with various substrates and inhibitors appeared to be the same when determined by either colorimetric or radiometric methods.     

Development of monoamine oxidase activity and monoamine effects on glutamate release in cerebellar neurons and astrocytes

Activities of monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B were measured during the first month of postnatal development in mouse cerebellum and in primary cultures of either cerebellar granule cells or cerebellar astrocytes, derived from 7-day-old cerebella. In addition, effects of the two monoamines, serotonin (a MAO A substrate) and phenylethylamine (a MAO B substrate) on the release of glutamate under resting conditions and in a transmitter related fashion (i.e., potassium-induced, calcium-dependent glutamate release) were studied during the same period. Both MAO A and MAO B activities increased during in vivo development (beginning around postnatal day 14) and in cultured astrocytes (during a comparable time period and to a similar extent), but remained constant at a low level in granule cells. In 4-day-old cerebellar granule cell cultures there was no potassium-induced glutamate release but serotonin as well as phenylethylamine reduced the release in both the presence and absence of excess potassium. In 8- and 12-day-old granule cell cultures and in 8- and 18-day old astrocyte cultures there was a pronounced glutamate release during superfusion with 50 mM K⁺. In both neurons and astrocytes this response was inhibited by 1 nM of either serotonin or phenylethylamine. In the astrocytes the inhibition was followed by an increased release of glutamate in both the presence and absence of the high potassium concentration, whereas the 8-day-old neurons showed only a slight increase in glutamate release after the with-drawal of the monoamine and only in the absence of excess potassium. The response was almost identical in 8-and 18-day-old astrocytes in spite of the marked difference in MAO activities.Special issue dedicated to Dr. Paola S. Timiras.     

3D-QSAR method on indole and pyrrole inhibitors of monoamine oxidase type A

Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) converts norepinephrine and serotonin to an oxidative form. These monoamine neurotransmitters have important roles in depression. The MAO-A inhibitors have been discovered for neurodegenerative disease therapy. In order to design novel MAO-A inhibitors, in this study, the quantitative structure-activity relationships for the combined series of indoles and pyrroles were elucidated and the structural conditions to show good inhibitory effects on MAO-A were derived. This result can help us design new inhibitors irrespective of their specific moiety.     

Osthenol,a prenylated coumarin,as a monoamine oxidase A inhibitor with high selectivity

Osthenol (6), a prenylated coumarin isolated from the dried roots of Angelica pubescens, potently and selectively inhibited recombinant human monoamine oxidase-A (hMAO-A) with an IC₅₀ value of 0.74?µM and showed a high selectivity index (SI?>?81.1) for hMAO-A versus hMAO-B. Compound 6 was a reversible competitive hMAO-A inhibitor (K_i?=?0.26?µM) with a potency greater than toloxatone (IC₅₀?=?0.93?µM), a marketed drug. Isopsoralen (3) and bakuchicin (1), furanocoumarin derivatives isolated from Psoralea corylifolia L., showed slightly higher IC₅₀ values (0.88 and 1.78?µM, respectively) for hMAO-A than 6, but had low SI values (3.1 for both). Other coumarins tested did not effectively inhibit hMAO-A or hMAO-B. A structural comparison suggested that the 8-(3,3-dimethylallyl) group of 6 increased its inhibitory activity against hMAO-A compared with the 6-methoxy group of scopoletin (4). Molecular docking simulations revealed that the binding affinity of 6 for hMAO-A (?8.5?kcal/mol) was greater than that for hMAO-B (?5.6?kcal/mol) and that of 4 for hMAO-A (?7.3?kcal/mol). Docking simulations also implied that 6 interacted with hMAO-A at Phe208 and with hMAO-B at Ile199 by carbon hydrogen bondings. Our findings suggest that osthenol, derived from natural products, is a selective and potent reversible inhibitor of MAO-A, and can be regarded a potential lead compound for the design of novel reversible MAO-A inhibitors.     

Autoradiographical distribution of imidazoline binding sites in monoamine oxidase A deficient mice

This study has used receptor autoradiography to characterize imidazoline binding sites (I-BS) in monoamine oxidase (MAO) A knockout and wild-type mice. A comparison between MAO-A and MAO-B, binding of the endogenous beta-carboline [(3)H]harmane, and I-BS, has been made using sections from brain and kidney. The loss of binding to MAO-A in the knockout animals was confirmed using the selective radioligand [(3)H]Ro41-1049, with labelling reduced to background levels. The binding of [(3)H]Ro19-6327 to MAO-B was unaffected, indicating no change in this isoform in response to the loss of MAO-A. A reduction in binding to the I(2)-BS, as labelled by both [(3)H]idazoxan and [(3)H]2-BFI (2-(2-benzofuranyl)-2-imidazoline), was seen in the MAO-A knockout animals in both brain and kidney sections, whereas binding to the I(1)-BS in kidney sections remained unchanged. The loss of I(2) binding was found to be regionally dependent and was positively correlated with the relative expression of MAO-A in specific regions in the wild-type animals. Using the MAO-A knockout mice it was also possible to demonstrate a non-MAO-A population of binding sites labelled by the putative I-BS endogenous ligand, harmane.     

In vitro synthesis of monoamine oxidase of rat liver outer mitochondrial membrane

Monoamine oxidase, an intrinsic protein of outer mitochondrial membrane, was purified from bovine liver and rabbit antibody against the enzyme was prepared. The antibody could react with the monoamine oxidase of rat liver mitochondria. When rat liver RNA was translated $\text{in}\text{vitro}$ using rabbit reticulocyte lysate and monoamine oxidase peptide in the translation products was immunoprecipitated by the antibody, the peptide was detected in the products programmed by the messenger RNA's from total and free polysomes but not that from bound polysomes. The enzyme synthesized $\text{in}\text{vitro}$ had the same apparent molecular size as the mature protein in outer mitochondrial membrane.     

Inhibition of monoamine oxidase A promotes secretory differentiation in basal prostatic epithelial cells

Abstract Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) expression is associated with high-grade prostate cancer. Immunohistochemistry showed that MAO-A is also expressed in the basal epithelial cells of normal prostate glands. Using cultured primary prostatic epithelial cells as a model, we showed that MAO-A prevents basal epithelial cells from differentiating into secretory cells. Under differentiation-promoting conditions, clorgyline, an irreversible MAO-A inhibitor, induced secretory cell-like morphology and repressed expression of cytokeratin 14, a basal cell marker. More importantly, clorgyline induced mRNA and protein expression of androgen receptor (AR), a hallmark of secretory epithelial cells. In clorgyline-treated cells, androgen induced luciferase activity controlled by the promoter of prostate-specific antigen, an AR target gene, in a dose-dependent manner. This activity was blocked by the AR antagonist Casodex, showing that AR is functional. In turn, androgen decreased MAO-A expression in clorgyline-treated, secretory-like cells. Our results demonstrated that cultured basal epithelial cells have the potential to differentiate into secretory cells, and that inhibition of MAO-A is a key factor in promoting this process. Increased expression of MAO-A in high-grade prostate cancer may be an important contributor to its de-differentiated phenotype, raising the possibility that MAO-A inhibition may restore differentiation and reverse the aggressive behavior of high-grade cancer.     

Rectified photocurrent of molecular photodiode consisting of cytochrome c/GFP hetero thin films.

Photoinduced electron transfer in the molecular electronic device consisting of protein-adsorbed hetero Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) film was investigated. Three kinds of functional molecules, cytochrome c, viologen, and green fluorescent protein (GFP) were used as an electron acceptor, a mediator, and a sensitizer, respectively. The hetero-LB film was fabricated by subsequently depositing cytochrome c and viologen onto the pretreated ITO or quartz glass. GFP adsorbed hetero-LB films were prepared by soaking the hetero-LB films into the buffer solution containing GFP. The MIM (metal/insulator/metal) structured molecular device was constructed by depositing aluminum onto the surface of the GFP-adsorbed hetero LB films. Due to the excitation by irradiation with a 460 nm monochromic light source, the photoinduced unidirectional flow of electrons in the MIM device could be achieved and was detected as photocurrents. The photoswitching function was achieved and the rectifying characteristic was observed in the molecular device. Based on the measurement of transient photocurrent of molecular device, the unidirectional flow of electrons was verified.     

In vitro andin vivo effect of chloropromazine,imipramine and lithium chloride on monoamine oxidase activity in rat brain mitochondria

Chloropromazine (CPZ) and imipramine at a concentration of 1×10^–3 M inhibit rat brain mitochondrial monoamine oxidase activity in vitro by 70 and 55% respectively, while lithium, even at a concentration of 0.05 M, inhibits the activity of this enzyme very negligibly (4%). In vivo, these drugs at a dose level of 56 mg CPZ, 76 mg Jimipramine and 76 mg lithium chloride/Kg body wt., did not cause any observable variation from normal in brain mitochondrial monoamine oxidase activity.To whom correspondence should be addressed.     

Structure of rat monoamine oxidase A and its specific recognitions for substrates and inhibitors

Monoamine oxidase (MAO), a mitochondrial outer membrane enzyme, catalyzes the degradation of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system and is the target for anti-depression drug design. Two subtypes of MAO, MAOA and MAOB, are similar in primary sequences but have unique substrate and inhibitor specificities. The structures of human MAOB complexed with various inhibitors were reported early. To understand the mechanisms of specific substrate and inhibitor recognitions of MAOA and MAOB, we have determined the crystal structure of rat MAOA complexed with the specific inhibitor, clorgyline, at 3.2A resolution. The comparison of the structures between MAOA and MAOB clearly explains the specificity of clorgyline for MAOA inhibition. The fitting of serotonin into the binding pockets of MAOs demonstrates that MAOB Tyr326 would block access of the 5-hydroxy group of serotonin into the enzyme. These results will lead to further understanding of the MAOA function and to new anti-depression drug design. This study also presents that MAOA has a transmembrane helix at the C-terminal region. This is the first crystal structure of membrane protein with an isolated transmembrane helix.     

The study of ubiquitin-dependent increase in monoamine oxidase sensitivity to proteolysis and specific inhibitor, pargyline

Insertion of exogenous ubiquitin into rat brain mitochondria in the presence of ATP and the ATPregenerating system (creatine phosphate/creatine phosphokinase) results in the increase in: sensitivity of mitochondrial monoamine oxidases (MAO) A and B to inhibition by mechanism based inhibitor and incorporation of [³H]-pargyline, which was especially notable in the fraction obtained by immunoprecipitation of mitochondrial proteins with anti-ubiquitin antiserum and protein A Sepharose. This suggests that MAO is a potential substrate for ubiquitination in vitro. However, the content of the tritium label in this fraction was less than 0.1 % and not more than 0.25% of total radioactivity of [³H]-pargyline bound to control and ATP-ubiquitin treated mitochondria, respectively. Insertion of ubiquitin into mitochondria did not influence molecular masses of [³H]-pargyline labeled proteins. These results suggest that direct ubiquitination of MAO insignificantly contributes to marked changes in the sensitivity of MAO A and MAO B to proteolysis and specific inhibition found under these experimental conditions. It is possible that more complex processes are involved into realization of these effects during ATP-dependent ubiquitin incorporation into mitochondria.