一株高ACE抑制活性乳杆菌的筛选鉴定、培养条件优化及其基因组分析

【背景】乳杆菌是人体肠道益生菌,其发酵乳中可检测到血管紧张素转换酶(Angiotensin converting enzyme,ACE)抑制肽。海洋蕴藏着丰富的微生物种质资源,分布着大量的乳杆菌。【目的】从高通量测序结果中发现渤海沉积物中分布着乳杆菌资源。为了进一步开发具有ACE抑制活性的海洋乳杆菌资源,提高乳杆菌发酵乳的ACE抑制活性,筛选瑞士乳杆菌(Lactobacillus helveticus)并对其特性进行研究。【方法】采用高通量测序技术从渤海沉积物中检测乳杆菌,并对其进行富集分离,对筛选出的乳杆菌进行16S rRNA基因鉴定和全基因组测序分析,测定该菌发酵乳的ACE抑制活性,并采用正交实验优化发酵条件。【结果】渤海沉积物中含有乳杆菌并成功筛选出一株瑞士乳杆菌GY-3,其发酵乳具有较高的ACE抑制活性。该菌在发酵温度37°C,接种量3%,且在脱脂乳培养基中添加1.0%葡萄糖,0.6%大豆蛋白胨,1.0%酵母浸粉,0.04%MnSO_4·4H_2O时,抑制活性最高,可达79.52%。通过对该菌基因组进行测序研究,发现其产ACE抑制肽涉及蛋白酶系统、多肽转运系统和肽酶系统。【结论】为扩大海洋源产ACE抑制肽的乳杆菌种质资源、开发高产ACE抑制活性的发酵菌株奠定了基础,进一步研究了如何提高乳杆菌产ACE抑制肽的水平,并对其基因组进行了研究,为今后生物学特性和ACE抑制活性机理的研究奠定了基础,并对降血压相关产品的开发具有重要意义。     

Synthesis and hydrolysis of cholesteryl esters by isolated rat-liver lysosomes and cell-free extracts of human lung fibroblasts

The objective of this study was to examine and characterize the cholesteryl ester synthesizing [S] and hydrolyzing [H] properties of the acid cholesteryl ester hydrolase (acid cholesteryl ester hydrolase), both in isolated rat liver lysosomes and in cell-free extracts from cultured fibroblasts. For both liver lysosomes and fibroblasts extracts, the major synthesizing activity was found around pH 4 and did not require exogenous ATP. The rate of hydrolysis was measured at pH 4.5. Several different inhibitors were used in order to characterize the reactions. Ammonium chloride did not markedly affect the activity of acid cholesteryl ester hydrolase at pH 4 [S] or 4.5 [H], whereas chloroquine was a potent inhibitor of acid CEase in both liver lysosomes and fibroblast extracts. The [S] activity of the acid cholesteryl ester hydrolase in either material was not affected by the acylCoA:cholesterol acyltransferase inhibitor Compound 58-035 from Sandoz. Progesterone, on the other hand, which is an often used acylCoA:cholesterol acyltransferase inhibitor, markedly blocked both activities of the acid CEase. Our results indicate that the lysosomal compartment of both studied tissues, in addition to hydrolysis activity, also have a significant esterification activity. It appears that both activities are carried out by the same enzyme.     

The isolation and characterization of 60 nm vesicles (''nanovesicles'') produced during ionophore A23187-induced budding of human erythrocytes.

1. Penicillin N was synthesized by coupling alpha-amino-alpha-p-nitrobenzyl-N-p-nitro-benzyloxycarbonyl-D-adipate with 6-aminopenicillanic acid benzyl ester, followed by removal of the protecting groups through hydrogenolysis. 2. alpha-Amino-alpha-p-nitrobenzyl-N-p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl-D-[5-14C]adipate was prepared by treating alpha-p-nitrobenzyl-N-p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl-D-glutamic acid with [14C]diazomethane followed by rearrangement with silver trifluoromethanesulphonate. 3. Coupling of alpha-amino-alpha-p-nitrobenzyl-N-p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl-D-[5-14C]adipate with 6-aminopenicillanic acid benzyl ester gave triprotected [10-14C]penicillin N. 4. 3H was introduced at C-6 of the Schiff's base derivative (10) by oxidation followed by reduction with NaB3H4. 5. The so-derived (6 alpha-3H)-labelled Schiff's base was hydrolysed to give 6-amino [6 alpha-3H]penicillanic acid benzyl ester p-toluenesulphonic acid salt, which after coupling as the free amine with alpha-amino-alpha-p-nitrobenzyl-N-pnitrobenzyloxycarbonyl-D-adipate and then hydrogenolysis, yielded [6alpha-3H]penicillin N. 6. Triprotected [10-14C]penicillin N and triprotected [6alpha-3H]penicillin N in admixture were hydrogenolysed to give [10-14C,6alpha-3H]penicillin N.     

Isolation of glutamic acid methyl ester from an Escherichia coli membrane protein involved in chemotaxis.

We have isolated glutamic acid 5-methyl ester from an Escherichia coli protein that is involved in chemotaxis. The bacteria were first incubated with [methyl-3H]methionine under conditions which are known to result in methylation of the protein. The protein, isolated by gel electrophoresis, was then digested by successive treatment with three proteolytic enzymes. One of the products was [methyl-3H]glutamic acid 5-methyl ester, identified by comparison with an authentic sample in the following studies: (a) chromatography on an automatic amino acid analyzer, (b) chromatography on paper in two solvent systems, (c) chromatography on paper of the N-acetyl derivatives, and (d) stability of the ester bond to various pH conditions. No aspartic acid 4-methyl ester was found in the enzymatic digest. Treatment of the methylated protein with alkali released the radioactivity as [3H]methanol, which was identified by gas chromatography and by preparation of the 3,5-dinitrobenzoate.     

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme in isolated human glomeruli

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity was measured with hippurylhistidylleucine as a substrate in isolated human glomeruli. The mean level was 2.2 +/- 0.47 mIU/mg glomerular protein. S9780, a newly designed competitive inhibitor of ACE, inhibited this activity by 85% at 0.3 microM. [3H]S9780 specifically bound to isolated human glomeruli. The Kd value and the number of sites were 23 nM and 83 fmol/mg, respectively. The prodrug, S9490, and Captopril were less potent than S9780 in displacing [3H]S9780 from its binding sites. Angiotensin I had no effect. Binding of [3H]S9780 was inhibited after preincubation of the glomeruli with a specific polyclonal anti-human ACE antibody. These results demonstrate that ACE is present in human adult glomeruli.     

Early pulmonary endothelial enzyme dysfunction after phorbol ester in conscious rabbits

We investigated changes in angiotensin converting-enzyme (ACE) activity before and at 5, 15, 60, and 240 min after 20 micrograms phorbol myristate acetate/kg body wt iv in conscious rabbits. ACE activity was estimated in vivo from the single-pass transpulmonary metabolism of the synthetic substrate [3H]benzoyl-Phe-Ala-Pro [( 3H]BPAP) under first-order reaction conditions. Within 5 min after PMA administration, all animals developed profound granulocytopenia (15% of control) and moderate thrombocytopenia (57% of control), both lasting for the duration of the experiment. Concomitantly, there was a significant decrease in the transpulmonary metabolism of [3H]BPAP and the calculated apparent first-order reaction constant Amax/Km of ACE for [3H]BPAP. No histological evidence of lung injury was observed at these times. Since a concomitant fall in the permeability surface area product for urea was also observed, we considered that the apparent decline in ACE activity might have resulted from a reduction in perfused endothelial surface area. To resolve this, we studied the effect of PMA on the Km (a measure of enzyme affinity for its substrate) and Amax (a derivative of Vmax that is dependent upon total enzyme present and thus capillary surface area) of ACE and 5'-nucleotidase for [3H]BPAP and [14C]AMP, respectively. A significant increase in Km for both enzymes was observed at 1 h after PMA, whereas Amax was unaffected, suggesting that low-dose PMA may indeed produce endothelial cell enzyme dysfunction independent of its effect on capillary surface area. These results provide evidence of pulmonary capillary functional injury before or in the absence of structural endothelial damage.     

Intracellular processing of exogenously derived non-lipoprotein [3H)cholesterol in normal and mutant human skin fibroblasts deficient in acid sterol ester hydrolase

By studying the incorporation and esterification of non-lipoprotein, free [³H]cholesterol in normal and acid sterol ester hydrolase-deficient human fibroblasts, it was examined whether the esterification reaction of the lysosomal acid sterol ester hydrolase contributed to the formation of cellular [³H|cholesteryl esters. Both the normal and the acid sterol ester hydrolase-deficient cells incorporated exogenous, vesicle-derived free [³H]cholesterol linearly as a function of time. Also, the rate of [³H]cholesteryl ester formation was almost the same in normal and mutant fibroblasts, indicating that the apparent esterification activity of the acid sterol ester hydrolase in normal fibroblasts did not contribute to the formation of [³H]cholesteryl esters in intact cells. To examine whether the incorporated [³H]cholesterol was transported into the endoplasmic reticulum and esterified by the acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase, the rate of [³H]cholesteryl ester formation was measured in the presence or absence of the acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase-inhibitor 58-035 (Sandoz Inc.). Results showed that the formation of [³H]cholesteryl esters was reduced markedly when cells were co-incubated with the acyltransferase inhibitor. Maximal inhibition (i.e., 75%) was obtained at an inhibitor concentration of 1 μg/ml. Since the inhibitor 58-035 is very specific for acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase, this finding clearly shows that exogenous, exchangeable [³H]cholesterol can reach and mix with the intracellular substrate pool of the enzyme.     

11C-Radiosynthesis and preliminary human evaluation of the disposition of the ACE inhibitor [11C]zofenoprilat

(4S)-1-[(S)-3-Mercapto-2-methylpropanoyl]-4-phenylthio-L-proline (Zofenoprilat, 2), the active metabolite of the potent ACE inhibitor Zofenopril Calcium (1), was labelled with carbon-11 (t1/2=20.4 min) to evaluate its pharmacokinetics behaviour in human body using Positron Emission Tomography (PET). [11C]2 labelling procedures were based on the use of immobilized Grignard reagent and the acylation of (S)-4-phenylthio-L-proline methyl ester (5) with 11C-labelled methacryloyl chloride, followed by a Michael addition with thiobenzoic acid. The radiochemical yield was 5-10% (EOB, decay corrected) and specific radioactivity ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 Ci/micromol (18.5-55.5 GBq/micromol). Preliminary in vivo human evaluation of [11C]2 showed that the drug accumulates in organs which express high levels of ACE, like lungs and kidneys, and in organs involved in drug metabolism such as the liver and gall bladder. Results of the distribution of [11C]2 showed a measurable concentration of the drug in the target tissues such as the kidney and to a minor extent, the heart, where it can afford organ protection.     

Protein kinase C contains two phorbol ester binding domains

A series of deletion and truncation mutants of protein kinase C (PKC) were expressed in the baculovirus-insect cell expression system in order to elucidate the ability of various domains of the enzyme to bind phorbol dibutyrate (PDBu). A PKC truncation mutant consisting of only the catalytic domain of the enzyme did not bind [3H]PDBu, whereas a PKC truncation mutant consisting of the regulatory domain (containing the tandem cysteine-rich putative zinc finger regions) bound [3H]PDBu. Deletion of the second conserved region (C2) of PKC did not abolish [3H]PDBu binding, whereas a deletion of the first conserved region (C1) of PKC, containing the two cysteine-rich sequences, completely abolished [3H]PDBu binding. Additional truncation and deletion mutants helped to localize the region necessary for [3H]PDBu binding; all PKC mutants that contained either one of the cysteine-rich zinc finger-like regions possessed phorbol ester binding activity. Scatchard analyses of these mutants indicated that each bound [3H]PDBu with equivalent affinity (21-41 nM); approximately 10-20-fold less than the native enzyme. In addition, a peptide of 146 amino acid residues from the first cysteine-rich region, as well as a peptide of only 86 amino acids residues from the second cysteine-rich region, both bound [3H]PDBu with high affinity (31 +/- 4 and 59 +/- 13 nM, respectively). These data establish that PKC contains two phorbol ester binding domains which may function in its regulation.     

Ramipril inhibition of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) small intestinal brush border membrane angiotensin converting enzyme

1. Rabbit small intestinal brush border membranes possessed prominent angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity. 2. Intestinal ACE was located on the lumen surface, as verified by ACE co-enrichment with brush border membrane marker enzymes. 3. Hydrolysis kinetics of rabbit intestinal ACE were comparable to the lung, utilizing the substrate (N-[3-(2-furyl)acryloyl]-L-phenylalanylglycylglycine; the Vmax = 543 +/- 51 mumol/min/g and Km = 0.62 +/- 0.09 mmol/l. 4. Intestinal brush border ACE activity was strongly inhibited by the antihypertensive drug Ramipril, which yielded an IC50 value of 5 nmol/l; the ACE activity remained completely inhibited during 15 days after a single dose of 10 mumol/l Ramipril.     

Aromatase and testosterone fatty acid esters: the search for a cryptic biosynthetic pathway to estradiol esters.

The estradiol fatty acid esters (lipoidal derivatives, LE2) are extremely potent estrogens that accumulate in fat, including fat of menopausal women. These steroidal esters are protected from metabolism and are converted to the free, biologically active steroid through the action of esterases. Previous studies have shown that biosynthetic pathways in the adrenal gland exist in which steroid fatty acid esters are substrates. This led us to determine whether a cryptic aromatase pathway exists in which testosterone esters could be converted directly into LE2. We tested a representative fatty acid ester, testosterone stearate, both as an inhibitor and as a substrate for the aromatase enzyme from human placental microsomes. This ester had neither activity. In addition, we tested [1 beta-3H]testosterone acetate as a substrate for this enzyme complex, measuring the production of 3H2O as evidence of aromatization. Although the rate of reaction was considerably slower than that of testosterone, 3H2O was produced. However, when [2, 4, 6, 7-3H]testosterone acetate was incubated and the steroidal products isolated, we found that hydrolysis of the substrate had occurred. Both [3H]-labeled testosterone and estradiol were found, and very little if any [3H]estradiol acetate was formed. Thus, we conclude that an aromatase pathway involving testosterone esters does not exist and that the sole source of LE2 is through direct esterification of estradiol.     

Coumarin-Ser-Asp-Lys-Pro-OH, a fluorescent substrate for determination of angiotensin-converting enzyme activity via high-performance liquid chromatography

N-Acetyl-Ser-Asp-Lys-Pro-OH (AcSDKP-OH), a negative regulator of hematopoietic stem cell proliferation, is shown to be a physiological substrate of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE), a zinc-dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase, involved in cardiovascular homeostasis. Recently, a study carried out on captopril-treated volunteers revealed that the kinetics of [3H]AcSDKP-OH hydrolysis in vitro in the plasma of donors correlates closely to the plasmatic ratio angiotensin II/angiotensin I, which characterized the conversion activity of ACE. This prompted us to design a fluorescent substrate, 2-[7-(dimethylamino)-2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yl]acetyl-SDKP-OH, or coumarin-SDKP-OH, which could be an alternative to the radiolabeled analogue used in that study, allowing an easier and more rapid determination of enzyme activity. We report here the synthesis and the determination of the kinetics constants of this fluorescent derivative compared with those of [3H]AcSDKP-OH with human plasma ACE (133 and 125 microM, respectively), which are in the same range as those of the physiological substrate angiotensin I. Furthermore, the hydrolysis of the fluorescent substrate shows the same sensitivity toward chloride concentration as the natural substrate, demonstrating its specificity for N-domain hydrolysis. This fluorescent derivative was used to develop a sensitive assay for the determination of ACE activity in human plasma.     

Sialidase in Cerebellar Granule Cells Differentiating in Culture

The optimal conditions for the assay of sialidase in cerebellar granule cells cultivated in vitro, established using [3H]GD1a and 2'-(4-methylumbelliferyl)-alpha-D-N-acetylneuraminic acid (MUB-NeuNAc) as substrates, were the following: pH optimum for both substrates, 3.9; optimal molarity of sodium acetate/acetic acid buffer, 0.05 M with [3H]GD1a and 0.1 M for MUB-NeuNAc; substrate concentration for apparent maximal activity, 0.5 mM for MUB-NeuNAc and 0.1 mM for [3H]GD1a; enzyme activity linear with time up to 30 min with MUB-NeuNAc and up to 90 min with [3H]GD1a; and enzyme activity linear with enzyme protein content up to 80 micrograms with MUB-NeuNAc and up to 20 micrograms with [3H]GD1a. The assay with [3H]GD1a required the presence of Triton X-100 in a molar ratio to GD1a of 15:1. Poly-L-lysine, which was used for plating the cells, was capable of decreasing sialidase activity against [3H]GD1a/Triton X-100 when added to the incubation mixture. However, it had no effect on the enzyme working on MUB-NeuNAc. Using no more than 20 micrograms of cellular protein, the contamination, if any, by poly-L-lysine released from the dish was below the concentration limit exhibiting inhibition. Using the above optimal conditions, sialidase activity was measured during cerebellar granule cell differentiation in culture. From day 0 to day 7-8 in culture, the enzyme activity rose from 20 to 130 nmol of product released/h/mg of protein with MUB-NeuNAc and from 1 to 100 nmol of product released/h/mg of protein with [3H]GD1a.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

On the active site of liver acetyl-CoA. Arylamine N-acetyltransferase from rapid acetylator rabbits (III/J)

A covalent, catalytic intermediate of cytosolic liver acetyl coenzyme A: arylamine N-acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.5) from rapid acetylator rabbits (III/J) was isolated and chemically characterized. The active site was further studied using two covalent inhibitors, [2-3H]iodoacetic acid and bromoacetanilide. Inhibition experiments with [2-3H]iodoacetic acid at pH 6.9 showed that the incorporation of 0.7 mol of [2-3H]iodoacetic acid/mol of N-acetyltransferase led to rapid, irreversible loss of enzyme activity. Preincubation of the enzyme with acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) completely protected against inactivation by [2-3H]iodoacetic acid. After incubating the N-acetyltransferase with [2-3H]acetyl-CoA in the absence of an acceptor amine, an acetyl-cysteinyl-enzyme intermediate was isolated and characterized. Preincubation of N-acetyltransferase with iodoacetic acid prevented the incorporation of the [2-3H]acetyl group into the enzyme. The product analog, bromoacetanilide, caused a rapid irreversible loss of N-acetyltransferase activity. The reaction was pseudo first-order and saturated at high bromoacetanilide concentrations (KI = 0.67 mM; k3 = 1 min-1). Preincubation of the enzyme with acetyl-CoA prevented inactivation by the inhibitor. The acceptor amine 4-ethylaniline did not prevent inhibition. Incorporation of the inhibitor was directly proportional to the loss of activity showing a 1:1 stoichiometry of enzyme to inhibitor. The target amino acid was identified as cysteine by amino acid analysis of inhibitor-treated enzyme.     

A microassay-based procedure for measuring low levels of toxic organophosphorus compounds through acetylcholinesterase inhibition

Using a microtiter plate spectrophotometric system, an assay procedure was developed for the following toxic organophosphorus compounds: 1,2,2-trimethylpropyl ester of methylphosphonofluoridic acid (1, soman); ethyl N,N-dimethylphosphoramidocyanidate (3, tabun); O-ethyl S-[2-[bis(1-methylethyl)amino]ethyl]- methylphosphonothiolate (4, VX); the diethyl 4-nitrophenyl ester of phosphoric acid (5, paraoxon); and bis(1-methylethyl) phosphorofluoridate (6, DFP). The procedure, based on the Ellman assay method, uses inhibition of eel acetylcholinesterase (0.01 unit per well) to carry out the determination of inhibitor concentrations for both a standard curve and the unknown samples on a single 96-well microtiter plate. On a typical plate, samples of both unknowns and standards (a minimum of six concentrations were used per standard curve) were assayed five times per sample, with three control (uninhibited) enzyme activity points included for each sample. The time required for carrying out a single plate was approx 30 min. Sensitivity for the most potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor tested was 0.4 nM under the conditions used for a typical assay. It should be noted, however, that no attempt was made to optimize the assay procedure for sensitivity.     

Rapid turn-over of plasma membrane sphingomyelin and cholesterol in baby hamster kidney cells after exposure to sphingomyelinase

Plasma membrane sphingomyelin in baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cells was hydrolyzed with sphingomyelinase (Staphylococcus aureus) and the effects on membrane cholesterol translocation and the properties of membrane bound adenylate cyclase and Na+/K(+)-ATPase were determined. Exposure of confluent BHK-21 cells to 0.1 U/ml of sphingomyelinase led to the degradation (at 37 degrees C) of about 60% of cell sphingomyelin. No simultaneous hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine occurred. The hydrolysis of sphingomyelin subsequently led to the translocation (within 40 min) of about 50-60% of cell [3H]cholesterol from a cholesterol oxidase susceptible pool to an oxidase resistant compartment. The translocation of [3H]cholesterol from the cell surface to intracellular membranes was accompanied by a paralleled increase in [3H]cholesterol ester formation. When cells were first exposed to sphingomyelinase (to degrade sphingomyelin) and then incubated without the enzyme in serum-free media, the mass of cell sphingomyelin decreased initially (by 60%), but then began to increase and reached control levels within 3-4 h. The rapid re-synthesis of sphingomyelin was accompanied by an equally rapid normalization of cell [3H]cholesterol distribution. The re-formation of cell sphingomyelin also led to a decreased content of cellular [3H]cholesterol esters, indicating that unesterified [3H]cholesterol was pulled out of the cholesterol ester cycle and transported to the cell surface. Exposure of BHK-21 cells to sphingomyelinase further led to a dramatically decreased activity of ouabain-sensitive Na+/K(+)-ATPase, whereas forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was not affected. The activity of Na+/K(+)-ATPase returned to normal in parallel with the normalization of cell sphingomyelin mass and cholesterol distribution. We conclude that sphingomyelin has profound effects on the steady-state distribution of cell cholesterol, and that manipulations of cell sphingomyelin levels directly and reversibly affects the apparent distribution of cholesterol. Changes in the lipid composition of the plasma membrane also appears to selectively affect important metabolic reactions in that compartment.     

Purification and Properties of Cystathionine [gamma]-Synthase from Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Cysthathionine [gamma]-synthase (CS), an enzyme involved in methionine biosynthesis, was purified from an acetone powder prepared from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). After several chromatographic steps and radiolabeling of the partially purified enzyme with sodium cyanoboro[3H]hydride, a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of 34,500 was isolated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-high performance electrophoresis chromatography. Since the molecular weight of the native enzyme was 155,000, CS apparently consists of four identical subunits. The pyridoxal 5[prime]-phosphate-dependent forward reaction has a pH optimum of 7.5 and follows a hybrid ping-pong mechanism with Km values of 3.6 mM and 0.5 mM for L-homoserine phosphate and L-cysteine, respectively. L-Cysteine methyl ester, thioglycolate methyl ester, and sodium sulfide were also utilized as thiol substrates. The latter observation suggests that CS and phosphohomoserine sulfhydrase might be a single enzyme. CS does not seem to be a regulatory enzyme but was irreversibly inhibited by DL-propargylglycine (Ki = 45 [mu]M, Kinact = 0.16 min-1). Furthermore, the homoserine phosphate analogs 4-(phosphonomethyl)-pyridine-2-carboxylic acid, Z-3-(2-phosphonoethen-1-yl)pyridine-2-carboxylic acid, and DL-E-2-amino-5-phosphono-3-pentenoic acid acted as reversible competitive inhibitors with Ki values of 45, 40, and 1.1 [mu]M, respectively.     

Angiotensin I converting enzyme in gastric mucosa of the rabbit: localization by autoradiography, immunofluorescence, and immunoelectron microscopy.

To localize angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in the fundic mucosa of the rabbit, we used autoradiography with the ACE inhibitor [3H]-trandolaprilate and post-embedding immunocytochemical techniques with a goat anti-rabbit ACE, using fluorescence and electron microscopy. Autoradiographic localization of [3H]-trandolaprilate in rabbit fundus sections shows that ACE is present in the fundic mucosa and mainly in the gland area. Fundic mucosa was fixed with 4% formaldehyde and embedded in Lowicryl K4M. Semi-thin (1 micron) or thin sections (800-900 A) were stained with anti-rabbit ACE followed by fluorescein isothyocyanate-labeled rabbit anti-goat IgG or protein A-gold reagent, respectively. Label was present on endothelium of all blood vessels running through the mucosa. Label was prominently localized in the granules of mucous surface and neck cells and on the granules of chief cells. The intracellular localization of ACE, and particularly its intragranular presence within chief and mucous cells, suggests that the enzyme, at the fundic level, is involved in the intragranular processing of a peptide, the nature of which remains to be determined.     

Improvement of catalytic activity of Candida rugosa lipase in the presence of calix[4]arene bearing iminodicarboxylic/phosphonic acid complexes modified iron oxide nanoparticles

In the present study, iron oxide magnetite nanoparticles, prepared through a co-precipitation method, were coated with phosphonic acid or iminodicarboxylic acid derivatives of calix[4]arene to modulate their surfaces with different acidic groups. Candida rugosa lipase was then directly immobilized onto the modified nanoparticles through sol–gel encapsulation. The catalytic activities and enantioselectivities of the two encapsulated lipases in the hydrolysis reaction of (R/S)-naproxen methyl ester and (R/S)-2-phenoxypropionic acid methyl ester were assessed. The results showed that the activity and enantioselectivity of the lipase were improved when the lipase was encapsulated in the presence of calixarene-based additives; the encapsulated lipase with the phosphonic acid derivative of calix[4]arene had an excellent rate of enantioselectivity against the (R/S)-naproxen methyl and (R/S)-2-phenoxypropionic acid methyl esters, with E = 350 and 246, respectively, compared to the free enzyme. The encapsulated lipases (Fe-Calix-N(COOH)) and (Fe-Calix–P) showed good loading ability and little loss of enzyme activity, and the stability of the catalyst was very good; they only lost 6–11% of the enzyme’s activity after five batches.     

Oxidized LDL activates phospholipase A2 to supply fatty acids required for cholesterol esterification

We examined the roles of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in oxidized LDL (oxLDL)-induced cholesteryl ester formation in macrophages. In [3H]oleic acid-labeled RAW264.7 cells and mouse peritoneal macrophages, oxLDL induced [3H]cholesteryl oleate formation with an increase in free [3H]oleic acid and a decrease in [3H]phosphatidylcholine. The changes in these lipids were suppressed by methyl arachidonyl fluorophosphonate (MAFP), a cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2) inhibitor. However, MAFP had no effect on the ACAT activity or the binding and/or uptake of oxLDL. Stimulation with oxLDL in the presence of [3H]cholesterol increased [3H]cholesteryl ester bearing fatty acyl chains derived from cellular and/or exogenous (oxLDL) lipids. The formation of cholesteryl ester under this condition was also inhibited by MAFP, and the inhibitory effect was reversed by adding oleic acid. While oxLDL did not affect the activity or amounts of cPLA2, preincubation with oxLDL enhanced the release of oleic acid and arachidonic acid induced by ionomycin in RAW264.7 cells. 13(S)-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid, but not 7-ketocholesterol, also enhanced ionomycin-induced oleic acid release. These results suggest that oxLDL induces cPLA2 activation, which contributes, at least in part, to the supply of fatty acids required for the cholesteryl esterification, probably through the acceleration by oxidized lipids of the catalytic action of cPLA2 in macrophages.