Histoenzymological compartmentation of butyryl cholinesterase in the Glossimetra orientalis Mehra 1937

Butyryl cholinesterase activity in Glossimetra orientalis was studied histochemically with Gomori's method using butyrylthiocholine as substrate. Eserine sulphate (10(-5) M) was used as inhibitor for AChE. The study reveals that the enzyme is present mainly in the musculature of the reproductive system, excretory canal, nerve cells and fibers, tegument and subtegumentary cells and suckers. The testes, ovary and parenchyma are completely negative. The functional significance of the enzyme in the various locations have been discussed.     

Structural modification of acyl carrier protein by butyryl group

Fatty acid synthesis in bacteria is catalyzed by a set of individual enzymes known as the type II fatty acid synthase. Acyl carrier protein (ACP) shuttles the acyl intermediates between individual pathway enzymes. In this study, we determined the solution structures of three different forms of ACP, apo‐ACP, ACP, and butyryl‐ACP under identical experimental conditions. The structural studies revealed that attachment of butyryl acyl intermediate to ACP alters the conformation of ACP. This finding supports the more general notion that the attachment of different acyl intermediates alters the ACP structure to facilitate their recognition and turnover by the appropriate target enzymes.     

Study of the interaction of main potato glycoalkaloids in inhibition of immobilized butyryl cholinesterase

The interaction of main potato glycoalkaloids alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine in inhibition of horse serum butyryl cholinesterases immobilized on the pH-sensitive field-effect transistors has been investigated. The method of isobol diagram of Loewe and Muishnek has been used for interpretation of results. It has been shown the alpha-chaconine inhibits the immobilized bytyryl cholinesterases more strongly than alpha-solanine, and their mixture has the addition effect.     

The hydrolysis of rac-glycerol 1-monodecanoate by serum butyryl cholinesterase

Butyryl cholinesterase from horse and human sera catalyzed the hydrolysis of monoacylglycerols containing fatty acids varying in chain length from 8 to 12 carbons; maximum activity was obtained with rac-glycerol 1-monodecanoate as substrate. Neither the triacylglycerols of these fatty acids nor the monoacylglycerols of longer chain length fatty acids were hydrolyzed at measurable rates in the system used. The enzyme was eserine sensitive and indistinguishable from butyryl cholinesterase as judged by purification, response to the several inhibitors tested, and heat inactivation. Data from mixed substrate experiments suggest a possible effector role for butyryl choline in accelerating the rate of rac-glycerol 1-monodecanoate hydrolysis. Fatty acid released during the course of rac-glycerol 1-monodecanoate hydrolysis may irreversibly inactivate the enzyme.     

Candida rugosa lipase-catalyzed intramolecular O- to N- transacylation of butyryl propranolol in the presence of cyclodextrins

In the present paper, a novel enzymatic reaction between (R,S)-O-butyryl propranolol (O-BP) and lipase from Candida rugosa in the presence of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) is described. Under the used condition, lipase catalyzed the intramolecular transacylation of O-BP into N-butyryl propranolol (N-BP). Propranolol, the product of the expected hydrolysis reaction, was not detected in the reaction medium. A chiral analysis of the reaction product indicated that lipase showed a preference for (R)-O-butyryl propranolol since it first transformed the (R)-enantiomer and then the corresponding (S)-enantiomer. The influence of different reaction conditions on the initial rate is also studied.     

Organic aciduria and butyryl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency in BALB/cByJ mice

A metabolic screening program of inbred strains of mice has detected a marked organic aciduria in the BALB/cByJ strain. Gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis identified large quantities ofn-butyrylglycine plus lesser quantities of ethylmalonic acid. Crosses with the nonexcreting C57BL/6J strain indicate that this condition is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. Independently from this screening a variant with no detectable enzyme activity of butyryl CoA dehydrogenase (BCD) in liver and kidney of the BALB/cByJ strain but not other BALB/c sublines was discovered. Data from a three-point cross indicated that the null variant maps to the structural locus for the enzyme,Bcd-1, on chromosome 5. The findings indicate that a mutation at or nearBcd-1 in the BALB/cByJ strain resulted in a biochemical abnormality manifest as the BCD deficiency. It is concluded that accumulation of butyryl CoA due to a block in the oxidation of short-chain fatty acids results in an overproduction of organic metabolites leading to the observed organic aciduria. The fact that other BALB/c substrains do not exhibit this abnormality further suggests that this disorder reflects subline divergence within the BALB/c family.This work was supported by NIH Grants RR02512 and GM32592 to the University of Pennsylvania and HD23168, NS17752, and HD08536 to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, National Science Foundation Grant BSR 84-18828 to The Jackson Laboratory, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International to Dr. Prochazka.     

Genetics and ontogeny of butyryl CoA dehydrogenase in the mouse and linkage of Bcd-1 with Dao-1

A zymogram method has been developed for fatty acyl CoA dehydrogenase and used to examine the electrophoretic properties of butyryl CoA dehydrogenase (BCD) from mouse tissues. A single form of BCD is present in extracts of liver, kidney, heart, and intestine. Ontogenetic, tissue distribution, and subcellular fractionation results are consistent with the mitochondrial origin previously reported for this enzyme. A genetic variant for BCD-1 was used to provide evidence for a locus determining the electrophoretic properties of this enzyme (designated Bcd-1), which is linked to Dao-1 (encoding d-amino acid oxidase).This research was funded in part by the Australian Research Grants Committee.     

Mechanistic studies of new oximes reactivators of human butyryl cholinesterase inhibited by cyclosarin and sarin

Butyryl cholinesterase (BChE) has been seen as a key enzyme in the search for new strategies in the treatment of poisoning by organophosphates (OPs), since human BChE (HssBChE), complexed with the appropriate oxime, can be a suitable scavenger and deactivator for OPs in the blood stream. However, the efficacy of HssBChE is limited by its strict stoichiometric scavenging, slow reactivation, and propensity for aging. The improvement of the reactivation rate by new and more efficient oximes could contribute to mitigate this problem and increase the HssBChE efficiency as scavenger. Several oximes have been synthesized and tested with this goal, some with promising results, but the mechanistic aspects of the reactivation reaction are not fully understood yet. In order to better investigate this mechanism, docking and mixed quantum and molecular mechanics combined with principal components analysis were performed here to evaluate the capacity of reactivation and determine the preferred route for the reactivation reaction of two new oximes on HssBChE inhibited by the neurotoxic agents cyclosarin and sarin. Plots of potential energies were calculated and all the transition states of the reactional mechanism were determined. Our results showed a good correlation with experimental data and pointed to the most efficient oxime with both OPs. The protocol used could be a suitable tool for a preliminary evaluation of the HssBChE reactivation rates by new oximes.     

Acetate utilization and butyryl coenzyme A (CoA):acetate-CoA transferase in butyrate-producing bacteria from the human large intestine

Seven strains of Roseburia sp., Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Coprococcus sp. from the human gut that produce high levels of butyric acid in vitro were studied with respect to key butyrate pathway enzymes and fermentation patterns. Strains of Roseburia sp. and F. prausnitzii possessed butyryl coenzyme A (CoA):acetate-CoA transferase and acetate kinase activities, but butyrate kinase activity was not detectable either in growing or in stationary-phase cultures. Although unable to use acetate as a sole source of energy, these strains showed net utilization of acetate during growth on glucose. In contrast, Coprococcus sp. strain L2-50 is a net producer of acetate and possessed detectable butyrate kinase, acetate kinase, and butyryl-CoA:acetate-CoA transferase activities. These results demonstrate that different functionally distinct groups of butyrate-producing bacteria are present in the human large intestine.     

Quantification of butyryl CoA:acetate CoA-transferase genes reveals different butyrate production capacity in individuals according to diet and age

The gastrointestinal microbiota produces short-chain fatty acids, especially butyrate, which affect colonic health, immune function and epigenetic regulation. To assess the effects of nutrition and aging on the production of butyrate, the butyryl-CoA:acetate CoA-transferase gene and population shifts of Clostridium clusters lV and XlVa, the main butyrate producers, were analysed. Faecal samples of young healthy omnivores (24 ± 2.5 years), vegetarians (26 ± 5 years) and elderly (86 ± 8 years) omnivores were evaluated. Diet and lifestyle were assessed in questionnaire-based interviews. The elderly had significantly fewer copies of the butyryl-CoA:acetate CoA-transferase gene than young omnivores (P=0.014), while vegetarians showed the highest number of copies (P=0.048). The thermal denaturation of the butyryl-CoA:acetate CoA-transferase gene variant melting curve related to Roseburia/Eubacterium rectale spp. was significantly more variable in the vegetarians than in the elderly. The Clostridium cluster XIVa was more abundant in vegetarians (P=0.049) and in omnivores (P<0.01) than in the elderly group. Gastrointestinal microbiota of the elderly is characterized by decreased butyrate production capacity, reflecting increased risk of degenerative diseases. These results suggest that the butyryl-CoA:acetate CoA-transferase gene is a valuable marker for gastrointestinal microbiota function.     

Hyperkalemia, hyperglycemia, and plasma levels of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP induced by portal vein injection of cyclic nucleotides and their butyryl derivatives into dogs

The levels of serum potassium, blood glucose, and plasma adenosine cyclic 3':5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and guanosine cyclic 3':5'-monophosphate (cGMP) were studied after the portal vein injection of cyclic nucleotides and their derivatives, (cAMP, cGMP, N6, O2'-dibutyryl adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (DBcAMP), N6-monobutyryl adenosine cyclic 3':5'-monophosphate (NMBcAMP), and O2'-monobutyryl adenosine cyclic 3':5'-monophosphate (OMBcAMP), into dogs. Dose-related hyperglycemic responses were observed after the injection of DBcAMP (1-8 mg/kg). Transient and prominent hyperkalemia and hyperglycemia were caused by the injection of DBcAMP, NMBcAMP, and OMBcAMP (4 mg/kg). The hyperkalemic response was highest with NMBcAMP (1.22 mequiv./L), followed by OMBcAMP (0.64), DBcAMP (0.54), cGMP (0.47), and cAMP (0.41), whereas the hyperglycemic response was highest with NMBcAMP (146 mg/100 mL), followed by DBcAMP (93.6), OMBcAMP (77.1), and cAMP (56.0), and there was only a slight change with cGMP (28.4) compared with the control. The plasma level of cAMP was maximal with DBcAMP (1.92 nmol/mL), followed by NMBcAMP (1.28) and OMBcAMP (0.76), whereas the plasma levels of cGMP showed no evident change, except that caused by DBcAMP (0.27). Of the cyclic nucleotides tested, NMBcAMP was found to be most potent in causing both hyperkalemia and hyperglycemia. Based on these results, possible correlations between hyperkalemia, hyperglycemia, and plasma levels of cAMP and cGMP are discussed.