Trypanosomatid essential metabolic pathway: New approaches about heme fate in Trypanosoma cruzi

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease, has a complex life cycle and depends on hosts for its nutritional needs. Our group has investigated heme (Fe-protoporphyrin IX) internalization and the effects on parasite growth, following the fate of this porphyrin in the parasite. Here, we show that epimastigotes cultivated with heme yielded the compounds α-meso-hydroxyheme, verdoheme and biliverdin (as determined by HPLC), suggesting an active heme degradation pathway in this parasite. Furthermore, through immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting assays of epimastigote extracts, we observed recognition by an antibody against mammalian HO-1. We also detected the localization of the HO-1-like protein in the parasite using immunocytochemistry, with antibody staining primarily in the cytoplasm. Although HO has not been described in the parasite’s genome, our results offer new insights into heme metabolism in T. cruzi, revealing potential future therapeutic targets.     

The influence of carbamazepine on the heme biosynthetic pathway

Carbamazepine, a drug which is widely used in neurological diseases, has a porphyrogenic effect in chick embryo liver cells in culture. It increased the concentration of cellular porphyrins by 80-fold and delta-aminolevulinate synthase activity by 4-fold. The increase in the accumulation of porphyrins preceded that of ALAS activity. Measurements of the activities of aminolevulinate dehydrase, porphobilinogen deaminase, and uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase showed that C inhibits UROD up to nearly 50% and PBGD activity up to 20%, but does not affect the activity of ALAD. The pattern of accumulation of porphyrins, mainly uro- and heptacarboxylporphyrin, is compatible with an inhibition of UROD. We may, therefore, conclude that the porphyrogenic effect of C in monolayers of chick embryo liver cells is the result of its inhibitory effect on the activity of UROD.     

Effect of some metabolic inhibitors on citric acid production by Aspergillus niger

Stationary cultures of Aspergillus niger grown on a synthetic medium have been used to study the effect of some metabolic inhibitors on citric acid production. Addition of 0.05 to 1 mM sodium malonate or 0.01 to 0.1 mM potassium ferricyanide, iodoacetate, sodium azide, sodium arsenate or sodium fluoride stimulated citric acid production (3.6 to 45%), but not total titratable acids. Addition of higher concentrations (0.2 to 10 mM) of later inhibitors caused a marked inhibition of fungal growth and citric acid production. The implications of these preliminary findings are discussed.     

Direct heme transfer reactions in the Group A Streptococcus heme acquisition pathway

The heme acquisition machinery in Group A Streptococcus (GAS) consists of the surface proteins Shr and Shp and ATP-binding cassette transporter HtsABC. Shp cannot directly acquire heme from methemoglobin (metHb) but directly transfers its heme to HtsA. It has not been previously determined whether Shr directly relays heme from metHb to Shp. Thus, the complete pathway for heme acquisition from metHb by the GAS heme acquisition machinery has remained unclear. In this study, the metHb-to-Shr and Shr-to-Shp heme transfer reactions were characterized by spectroscopy, kinetics and protein-protein interaction analyses. Heme is efficiently transferred from the β and α subunits of metHb to Shr with rates that are 7 and 60 times greater than those of the passive heme release from metHb, indicating that Shr directly acquires heme from metHb. The rapid heme transfer from Shr to Shp involves an initial heme donor/acceptor complex and a spectrally and kinetically detectable transfer intermediate, implying that heme is directly channeled from Shr to Shp. The present results show that Shr speeds up heme transfer from metHb to Shp, whereas Shp speeds up heme transfer from Shr to HtsA. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that Shr can interact with metHb and Shp but not HtsA. Taken together with our published results on the Shp/HtsA reaction, these findings establish a model of the heme acquisition pathway in GAS in which Shr directly extracts heme from metHb and Shp relays it from Shr to HtsA.     

On-line metabolic pathway analysis based on metabolic signal flow diagram

In this work, an integrated modeling approach based on a metabolic signal flow diagram and cellular energetics was used to model the metabolic pathway analysis for the cultivation of yeast on glucose. This approach enables us to make a clear analysis of the flow direction of the carbon fluxes in the metabolic pathways as well as of the degree of activation of a particular pathway for the synthesis of biomaterials for cell growth. The analyses demonstrate that the main metabolic pathways of Saccharomyces cerevisiae change significantly during batch culture. Carbon flow direction is toward glycolysis to satisfy the increase of requirement for precursors and energy. The enzymatic activation of TCA cycle seems to always be at normal level, which may result in the overflow of ethanol due to its limited capacity. The advantage of this approach is that it adopts both virtues of the metabolic signal flow diagram and the simple network analysis method, focusing on the investigation of the flow directions of carbon fluxes and the degree of activation of a particular pathway or reaction loop. All of the variables used in the model equations were determined on-line; the information obtained from the calculated metabolic coefficients may result in a better understanding of cell physiology and help to evaluate the state of the cell culture process.     

Thermochromism of heme adducts of Glycera hemoglobin and some other monomeric heme proteins

The thermally induced difference spectra of myoglobin (Mb) and Glycera dibranchiata hemoglobin (Hbm) derivatives and of cytochrome-c were recorded between 4 degrees and 30 degrees C in the 390-750 nm range. Thermodynamic parameters were estimated and upper and lower temperature limiting spectra were deduced for the various heme protein derivatives' equilibria. The effective iron d-electron population divides the hemes broadly into two different groups of behavior type. In the first group, Hbm(III)N3, Hbm(III), Mb(III)(H2O), and Cytc(III) show equilibria between two spin states. The weakest coupling between the heme and the globin occurs among the second group, for Hbm(II)CO and Mb(II)CO, which in the higher temperature limit undergoes averaging of the carbonyl tilt, while an axially elongated geometry is probably accessed for Hbm(II)NO and Mb(II)NO. Examples of the less common situation of increased absorption intensity and/or low-spin states at higher temperature were found in both groups. In the case of the methyl thioglycolate low-spin adducts of Hbm(III), an acid/base equilibrium involving thioglycolate deprotonation occurs. Apparent enthalpy-entropy compensation is exhibited by all these heme derivatives, and it is suggested that the delta H degrees and delta S degrees values relate to the intimacy of coupling between the heme structure and the solvent-dependent microconformation of the globin.     

Effect of pH on metabolic pathway shift in fermentation of xylose by Clostridium tyrobutyricum

The effect of pH (between 5.0 and 6.3) on butyric acid fermentation of xylose by Clostridium tyrobutyricum was studied. At pH 6.3, the fermentation gave a high butyrate production of 57.9 g l(-1) with a yield of 0.38-0.59 g g(-1) xylose and a reactor productivity up to 3.19 g l(-1)h(-1). However, at low pHs (<5.7), the fermentation produced more acetate and lactate as the main products, with only a small amount of butyric acid. The metabolic shift from butyrate formation to lactate and acetate formation in the fermentation was found to be associated with changes in the activities of several key enzymes. The activities of phosphotransbutyrylase (PTB), which is the key enzyme controlling butyrate formation, and NAD-independent lactate dehydrogenase (iLDH), which catalyzes the conversion of lactate to pyruvate, were higher in cells producing mainly butyrate at pH 6.3. In contrast, cells at pH 5.0 had higher activities of phosphotransacetylase (PTA), which is the key enzyme controlling acetate formation, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to lactate. Also, PTA was very sensitive to the inhibition by butyric acid. Difference in the specific metabolic rate of xylose at different pHs suggests that the balance in NADH is a key in controlling the metabolic pathway used by the cells in the fermentation.     

Microenvironmental cytokines and expression of erythroid heme metabolic enzymes

In this study, we demonstrated that benzene and its metabolites, phenol and hydroquinone, were toxic to human burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) growth, hydroquinone being the most toxic. Phenol (10(-4) M) was also found to have a marked toxicity on stromal cell colony formation. BFU-E binding with human-tumor necrosis factor (rHu-TNF) was linear with the number of BFU-E colonies. Recombinant rHu-TNF suppressed BFU-E growth in a dose-dependent manner and this was reversed with anti-TNF antibody. Binding studies of rHu-TNF for human K562 cells indicated that K562 cells have a binding constant of approximately 1075 per cell. The heme pathway enzymes, uroporphyrinogen deaminase, and heme oxygenase activities were measured in BFU-E cultures exposed to iron, interleukins (1 and 2), and various lymphocyte and macrophage-conditioned media with or without hemin. In most instances, hemin was found to stimulate the heme synthetic pathway in the presence of these agents. Iron and adherent (macrophage) cell conditioned media (CM) were found to stimulate heme oxygenase activity. Macrophage CM was found to suppress erythropoiesis in contrast to phytohemagglutinin-stimulated leukocyte (PHAL)-CM, which enhanced erythroid growth. In addition, porphobilinogen deaminase levels were greater in 14-day cultures containing hemin plus PHAL-CM as compared with hemin alone. These results are discussed with respect to the generation of hematopoietic inhibitory-stimulatory factors by the marrow microenvironment and their effects on heme synthesis and degradation.     

Effect of leucine on enzymes of the tryptophan-niacin metabolic pathway in rat liver and kidney

Dietary excess of leucine affects tryptophan–niacin metabolism adversely and has thus been implicated in the etiology of pellagra. To understand the biochemical basis of leucine-induced changes in tryptophan–niacin metabolism the effect of leucine on enzymes of tryptophan–niacin metabolism was investigated. Excess of leucine in the diet had no effect on rat liver 3-hydroxyanthranilate oxygenase and nicotinate phosphoribosyltransferase but significantly decreased the activity of quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase of rat liver and kidney. The activities of tryptophan oxygenase in liver and picolinate carboxylase in kidney were significantly higher in leucine-fed animals than in the controls. Also, oxidation of [U-¹⁴C]tryptophan in vivo was higher in leucine-fed animals. Increased picolinate carboxylase and decreased quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase activities would result in a decrease in NAD formation from dietary tryptophan. Lowered NAD formation from tryptophan particularly when the niacin concentrations in the diet are marginal would result in a state of conditioned niacin deficiency.     

Regulation of heme pathway in regenerating mouse liver.

1. delta-Aminolevulinic acid synthetase (ALA-S), rhodanese and microsomal heme oxygenase (MHO), were quantitated in Cl4C induced regenerating mouse liver. 2. Maximal hepatomegalia was observed at 48 hr after i.p. injection of a single dose of the toxin. 3. ALA-S activity decreased on day 2, and then significantly increased (50%) between days 3 and 7, returning afterwards to control values. 4. Cytoplasmic rhodanese, as well as MHO activities, exhibited a clear correlation as compared with the ALA-S activity profile. 5. Porphyrin biosynthesis from precursor delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was significantly increased even after 15 days of intoxication. 6. Present results would indicate that Cl4C is acting in a dual fashion.     

Effect of high boron levels on growth and some metabolic activities of the halotolerantdunaliella tertiolecta

Growth of Dunaliella tertiolecta was retarded when the alga was exposed to high boron (B) concentrations between 50 and 200 g m-³. Photosynthetic oxygen evolution as well as respiratory oxygen uptake were significantly suppressed with the rise of B concentration. Similarly the contents of chlorophyll, glycerol, lipid and proteins were lowered, while that of saccharides was raised.     

Effect of the fungicide chlorothalonil (Bravo) on some metabolic activities of aquatic fungi

Physiological responses ofAchlya proliferoides, Saprolegnia ferax andDictyuchus sterilis as affected by the fungicide chlorothalonil (Bravo) were determined. Glucose consumption differed in dependence on the organisms used. Ammonia and peptide nitrogen secretion were stimulated inS. ferax but inhibited in the other two organisms. All doses of the fungicide used decreased phosphorus absorption and increased acid phosphatase activity. The lowest concentrations (30 ppm) of the fungicide increased DNA, RNA and protein synthesis while inhibition was observed at moderate or high concentrations. Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities were inhibited inA. proliferoides, stimulated inS. ferax but remained similar to that of the control inD. sterilis.     

Photosensory transduction in Euglena gracilis: Effect of some metabolic drugs on the photophobic response

We have investigated the effect of some metabolic drugs, 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU), 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), sodium azide (NaN₃), on the photobehavior of single cells of Euglena gracilis, in order to clarify the relevance of different metabolic pathways in the process of photoperception and sensory transduction in this alga. The results obtained show that the photophobic response of Euglena is not affected by the action of these drugs. This suggests that neither the photosynthetic process nor oxidative phosphorylation play a significant role in the phenomenon of photosensory transduction in Euglena.List of Abbreviations DNP 2,4-dinitrophenol - DCMU 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea - PSI Photosystem I - PSII Photosystem II