Identification of the fatty acid binding site on glutathione S-transferase P.

Glutathione S-transferase P (GST-P) bound a series of endogenous fatty acids (C12-C18). To clarify the function and the binding site of the fatty acids, interaction between fatty acids and GST-P was investigated by using 12-(9-anthroyloxy) stearic acid conjugated with Woodward's reagent K. The fluorescence-conjugated fatty acid noncompetitively inhibited GST activity. After GST-P was covalently labeled with the fatty acid, the enzyme was digested with Lysyl Endopeptidase. From the peptide mapping, a single fluorescence-labeled peptide was obtained. By the sequence analysis, the peptide binding fatty acid was determined as the residues of 141-188 from the amino terminus.     

Depression of biliary glutathione excretion by chronic ethanol feeding in the rat

The effects of chronic alcohol feeding on biliary glutathione excretion were studied in rats pair fed diets containing either ethanol (36% of total energy) or isocaloric carbohydrate for 4-6 weeks. An exteriorized biliary-duodenal fistula was established and total glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were measured. A significant decrease was observed in rats fed alcohol chronically compared to their pair fed controls in the biliary excretion of GSH (55.7 +/- 37.0 vs 243.1 +/- 29.0 micrograms/ml bile, p less than 0.025) as well as biliary GSSG (12.5 +/- 5.0 vs 49.9 +/- 8.0 micrograms/ml bile, p less than 0.05) and in bile flow (23.1 +/- 1.6 vs 29.2 +/- 1.3 micrograms/min, p less than 0.05). An acute dose of ethanol tended to exaggerate the decrease on biliary GSH and GSSG in the two groups of animals. The depression in biliary GSH could not be attributed to decreased GSH synthesis since S35-L-methionine incorporation into hepatic and biliary GSH was unchanged or even increased after chronic ethanol feeding.     

Activation of rat liver microsomal glutathione S-transferase by gallic acid

The effect of phenolic antioxidants on the rat liver microsomal glutathione S-transferase (MGST1) was investigated in vitro. When microsomes were incubated with various polyphenolic antioxidants, gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) markedly increased MGST1 activity and the increase was prevented in the presence of superoxide dismutase (SOD) or catalase. The MGST1 activity increased by gallic acid was decreased by further incubation with sodium arsenite, a sulfenic acid reducing agent, but was not with dithiothreitol, a disulfide bond reducing agent. The incubation of microsomes with gallic acid in the presence of the NADPH generating system which generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) through cytochrome P-450 system increased the MGST1activity in spite of scavenging the ROS and the increase was also depressed by SOD/catalase. The increase of MGST1 activity by gallic acid was prevented by co-incubation with a stable radical, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl or ferric chloride. These results suggest that the gallic acid acts as a pro-oxidant and activates MGST1 through oxidative modification of the enzyme.     

Effect of diethyl ether on the biliary excretion of acetaminophen

The biliary and renal excretion of acetaminophen and its metabolites over 8 hr was determined in rats exposed to diethyl ether by inhalation for 1 hr. Additional rats were anesthetized with urethane (1 g/kg ip) while control animals were conscious throughout the experiment (surgery was performed under hexobarbital narcosis: 150 mg/kg ip; 30-min duration). The concentration of UDP-glucuronic acid was decreased 80% in livers from ether-anesthetized rats but was not reduced in urethane-treated animals when compared to that in control rats. The concentration of reduced glutathione was not affected by either urethane or diethyl ether. Basal bile flow was not altered by the anesthetic agents. Bile flow rate after acetaminophen injection (100 mg/kg iv) was increased slightly over basal levels for 2 hr in hexobarbital-treated control rats, was unaltered in urethane-anesthetized animals, and was decreased throughout the 8-hr experiment in rats exposed to diethyl ether for 1 hr. In control and urethane-anesthetized animals, approximately 30-35% of the total acetaminophen dose (100 mg/kg iv) was excreted into bile in 8 hr, while only 16% was excreted in rats anesthetized with diethyl ether. Urinary elimination (60-70% of the dose) was not altered by exposure to ether. Separation of metabolites by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography showed that ether decreased the biliary elimination of unchanged acetaminophen and its glucuronide, sulfate, and glutathione conjugates by 47, 40, 49, and 73%, respectively, as compared to control rats. Excretion of unchanged acetaminophen and the glutathione conjugate into bile was depressed in urethane-anesthetized animals by 45 and 66%, respectively, whereas elimination of the glucuronide and sulfate conjugates was increased by 27 and 50%, respectively. These results indicate that biliary excretion is influenced by the anesthetic agent and that diethyl ether depresses conjugation with sulfate and glutathione as well as glucuronic acid.     

Effect of organic anions and bile acid conjugates on biliary excretion of taurine-conjugated bile acid sulfates in the rat

Biliary organic anion excretion is mediated by an ATP-dependent primary active transporter, canalicular multispecific organic anion transporter/multidrug resistance protein 2. On the other hand, a multiplicity of canalicular organic anion transporter/multidrug resistance protein 2 has been suggested. Therefore, to examine the effect of hydrophobicity on the substrate specificity of canalicular multispecific organic anion transporter/multidrug resistance protein 2, we examined the effect of organic anions and bile acid conjugates on biliary excretion of three taurine-conjugated bile acid sulfates with different hydrophobicity, taurolithocholate-3-sulfate, taurochenodeoxycholate3-sulfate, and taurocholate-3-sulfate in rats. Biliary excretions of these bile acid conjugates were delayed in Eisai hyperbilirubinemic rats. Biliary excretion of these bile acid conjugates was inhibited by sulfobromophthalein, whereas biliary excretion and taurocholate-3-sulfate was not inhibited by phenolphthalein glucuronide. Taurolithocholate-3-sulfate and ursodeoxycholate-3-glucuronide decreased biliary excretion of taurochenodeoxycholate-3-sulfate and taurocholate-3-sulfate, but ursodeoxycholate-3,7-disulfate did not affect biliary excretion of taurochenodeoxycholate-3-sulfate and taurocholate-3-sulfate. These findings indicate that very hydrophilic organic anions are not good substrates of canalicular multispecific organic anion transporter/multidrug resistance protein 2.     

Effect of abiotic stresses on glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase activity in barley root tips

In the present work we investigated the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in barley root tip and their relation to root growth inhibition induced by different abiotic stresses. Cadmium-induced root growth inhibition is strongly correlated with increased GST and GPX activity. Similarly, strong induction of GPX and GST activity was observed in Hg-treated root tips, where also the highest root growth inhibition was detected. Relationship between increased GST activity and root growth inhibition was also observed during other heavy metal treatments. On the other hand, only a slight increase of GPX activity was observed after application of Pb, Ni, and Zn, while Co did not affect GPX activity. Similarly to Hg and Cd, Cu treatment caused a strong increase in GPX activity. GPX activity in barley root tips was not affected by cold, heat or drought treatment and only a slight increase was observed after salt or H₂O₂ treatment. Apart from salt treatment, only a weak increase in GST activity was observed during heat, drought and H₂O₂ stresses, while during cold treatment its activity slightly decreased. Some detected differences in the spatial distribution of GST and GPX activity along the root tip suggests that at least two proteins are responsible for these activities. These proteins play a crucial role not only during stresses, but also in unstressed seedlings in the differentiation processes of root tip. The application of different inhibitors suggests that the main proportion of these activities detected in barley root tip are probably catalysed by GSTs possessing also GPX activity.     

Studies on the glutathione S-transferase of human platelets

The glutathione S-transferases of human platelets have been compared with those of erythrocytes. Although wide variations in activity were found, in individual subjects, the activity in these cell types was significantly correlated. The enzymes demonstrated similar isoelectric points and electrophoretic mobilities and it appears that the platelet enzyme is also a product of the GST3 locus. There was no correlation between platelet enzyme activity and plasma concentrations of retinol and cholesterol, but in men, the relationship between activity and carotene was significant. It is suggested that GST3 isoenzyme activity depends on vitamin A.     

Influences of amino acid features of glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins on their solubility

We have previously described our strategy for high-throughput (HT) production of recombinant antigens for anti-mKIAA antibody generation, which involves using shotgun fragments generated during entire sequencing of mKIAA cDNAs. We applied this strategy to 1628 mouse KIAA (mKIAA) cDNA fragments, and 84.2% of the GST-mKIAA fusion proteins were successfully purified. The solubility of the proteins was predicted by a small-scale bacterial culture, and a large-scale culture was then performed according to the expected results. Among them, 43.8% of the proteins were purified as a soluble form and 56.2% as an insoluble form. The average yield of the soluble proteins was 0.15 nmol/mL of bacterial culture, and that of the insoluble proteins was 0.55 nmol/mL Statistical analysis of the data revealed a significant correlation between amino acid features of the recombinant proteins and their solubility. To achieve the most effective and feasible protein expression, we constructed a decision tree in which the analyzed data were reflected. The information described here may provide practical guidelines for HT production of recombinant proteins.     

P-glycoprotein, glutathione and glutathione S-transferase increase in a colon carcinoma

The acquisition of resistance to anticancer agents used in chemotherapy is the main cause of treatment failure in malignant disorders, provoking tumours to become resistant during treatment, although they initially respond to it. The main multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanism in tumour cells is the expression of P-gly-coprotein (P-gly), that acts as an ATP-dependent active efflux pump of chemotherapeutic agents. Furthermore, an increased detoxification of compounds mediated by high levels of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione S-transferase (GST), has been found in resistant cells. We developed a study aiming to evaluate the evolution of the main drug resistance markers in tumour cells: P-gly, GSH and GST, during the acquisition of resistance to colchicine, for the purpose of studying the adaptation process and its contribution to the MDR phenomenon. A human colon adenocarcinoma cell line was exposed to colchicine during 82 days, being P-gly, GSH levels and GST activity evaluated by flow cytometry, spectrofluorimetry and spectrophotometry, during exposure time. P-gly and GSH levels increased gradually during the exposure to colchicine, reaching 2.35 and 3.21 fold each. On day 82, GST activity increased 1.84 fold at the end of the exposure period. Moreover, an increment in drug cross-resistance was obtained that ranges from 2.62 to 5.22 fold for colchicine, vinblastine, vincristine and mitomycin C. The increments obtained in P-gly, GSH and GST could probably contribute to the MDR phenomenon in this human colon adenocarcinoma cell line.     

Amino acid sequence of glutathione S-transferase b from guinea pig liver

The amino acid sequence of glutathione S-transferase b (GST b) from guinea pig liver was determined by conventional methods. GST b was composed of two identical subunits, each with 217 amino acid residues. As GSTs are generally classified into three classes, alpha, mu, and pi, GST b belonged to class mu and the amino acid sequence of GST b showed about 80% homology with that of rat GST Yb.     

阿苯哒唑对蚯蚓（Eisenia fetida）酸性磷酸酶、谷胱甘肽硫转移酶及腺三磷酶活性的影响

研究了蚯蚓在染毒2,7d和14d时,兽药阿苯哒唑(100～600mg/kg)对蚯蚓体及其不同部位的酸性磷酸酶(AP)、谷胱甘肽硫转移酶(GST)、腺三磷酶(Ca2 -ATPase)活性的影响。结果表明,阿苯哒唑对蚯蚓3种酶的活性均有显著影响,其中对AP和GST活性的影响比对Ca2 -ATPase的大。该药对AP和GST活性的抑制作用均随染毒时间的延长而加强,染毒浓度和时间表现出显著的互作效应。另外,AP活性也显著受到染毒浓度与蚯蚓部位的互作影响,影响最大的部位是蚯蚓前部;该药对Ca2 -ATPase活性的影响相对较小,浓度、时间和部位没有表现出明显的互作效应。     

Study on the biochemical characterization of herbicide detoxification enzyme, glutathione S-transferase

To gain further insight into herbicide detoxification, we studied the herbicide activity and specificity toward glutathione S-transferases from human and rice. In this study, the genes of the plant specific phi and tau class GST enzymes from Oryza sativa (OsGST) and human pi class GST enzyme (hGSTP1-1) were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli with the pET and pKK vector systems, respectively. The gene products were purified to homogeneity by GSH Sepharose affinity column chromatography. The herbicide specificity of the enzymes was investigated by enzyme-catalyzed conjugation of GSH with chloroacetanilide, diphenylether and chloro-s-triazine herbicides. The hGSTP1-1 showed very high specific activity toward atrazine. On the other hand, the phi class OsGST enzymes showed high specific activity toward chloroacetanilide herbicides, acetochlor, alachlor and metolachlor. The tau class GST enzymes displayed remarkable activity toward the diphenylether herbicide, fluorodifen. From these results, we conclude that the phi and the tau class GST enzymes show herbicide specificities and also they play an important role in the detoxification reaction of plant toward herbicides.     

Selenium-independent glutathione peroxidase activity associated with glutathione S-transferase from the housefly, Musca domestica

1. A glutathione S-transferase having Se-independent glutathione peroxidase activity was isolated from 100,000 g supernatant from housefly homogenate. 2. The specific activity of the partially purified Se-independent glutathione peroxidase was 1776 nmol NADPH oxidized/min/mg protein, representing an 87-fold purification. 3. The Mr of this enzyme was estimated to be 37,000 and 26,000 by gel filtration chromatography and gel electrophoresis, respectively. 4. Selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity could not be detected in this same supernatant. 5. Se-independent glutathione peroxidase activity should be considered in future studies of the insect antioxidant defense system.     

The synthesis of ethacrynic acid thiazole derivatives as glutathione S-transferase pi inhibitors

Glutathione S-transferase pi (GSTpi) is a phase II enzyme which protects cells from death and detoxifies chemotherapeutic agents in cancer cells. Ethacrynic acid (EA) is a weak GSTpi inhibitor. Structure modifications were done to improve the ability of EA to inhibit GSTpi activity. Eighteen EA thiazole derivatives were designed and synthesized. Compounds 9a, 9b and 9c with a replacement of carboxyl group of EA by a heterocyclic thiazole exhibited improvement over EA to inhibit GSTpi activity.     

Biliary excretion of copper,manganese, and horseradish peroxidase in eisai hyperbilirubinemic mutant rats (EHBRs) with defective biliary excretion of glutathione

A mixture of copper (Cu) (0.38 mg/kg), manganese (Mn) (0.038 mg/kg), and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) (5.0 mg/kg) was injected intravenously (iv) into mature Eisai hyperbilirubinemic rats (EHBRs) and Sprague-Dawley rats (SDRs). Bile was collected at 10-min intervals before and after the injection, under anesthesia. The liver, kidneys, and blood were removed 40 min after the injection. The serum-conjugated bilirubin concentration was 0.85 mg/dL in the EHBRs, but was below detection limits in the SDRs. The bile-reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration was much lower in the EHBRs (0.04 mg/mL) than in the SDRs (1.30 mg/mL). However, the hepatic GSH concentration was about 1.6 times higher in EHBRs (2.26 mg/g liver) than in SDRs (1.43 mg/g liver). The low, excretion of biliary GSH was not caused by the activity of GGT in the liver, since there was no significant difference in the activity between the two groups (5.8±3.4 and 4.6±2.4 μmol p-nitroaniline/g protein/30 min in SDR and EHBR groups, respectively). There was a delay of initial biliary excretion of Cu in EHBRs compared to SDRs. The biliary concentration of Mn was slightly lower in EHBRs than in SDRs. Forty min after the injection of metals, however, there was no difference between hepatic concentrations of the two metals in the two groups. Our results suggest that abnormal deposition of the two metals is not observed naturally in EHBRs. Injected HRP was excreted rapidly and notably in the EHBRs compared to SDRs. Furthermore, the biliary concentration of β-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase (β-NAG) was significantly higher in EHBRs than in SDRs. Rapid biliary excretion of Cu, but not of Mn, may be related to the hepatobiliary transport of GSH, but the transport and lysosomal function do not originally regulate the biliary excretion of Cu.     

The distribution and comparison of glutathione, glutathione reductase and glutathione S-transferase in various camel tissues

Extracts prepared from liver, kidney, lung and brain of camel contain glutathione, glutathione S-transferase and glutathione reductase. Liver had the highest level of glutathione (218.7 mumol/g wet weight) whereas brain had the lowest level (66.4 mumol/g wet weight). The highest activity for glutathione reductase was found in the kidney (2.6 mumol/min/mg protein) while the lowest activity was found in the lung (0.9 mumol/min/mg protein). Glutathione S-transferase activity was the highest in liver (4.2 mumol/min/mg protein) and the lowest in brain (1 mumol/min/mg protein). Purified glutathione S-transferases from lung, kidney, brain and liver were similar in their molecular size, subunit composition as well as immuno-reactivity and showed some differences in their response to heat and inhibitors.     

Effect of bile salts on the biliary excretion of glycodihydrofusidate in the rat

The biliary elimination of glycodihydrofusidate (GDHF), a structural analogue of bile salts, was studied in bile fistula rats. GDHF was excreted in bile with a maximal excretory rate (Tm = 0.80 mumol min-1 kg-1) which is much lower than bile salts Tm. The effects of dehydrocholate and taurocholate on GDHF biliary secretion suggest a stimulatory effect of bile salts on canalicular excretion of the drug. (a) When a bolus intravenous injection of 3 mumol of GDHF was followed after 2 min by a continuous dehydrocholate perfusion (10 mumol min-1 kg-1), biliary excretion of GDHF was increased in comparison with control rats. (b) Upon attaining the biliary Tm by continuous perfusion of GDHF at a rate of 1.35 mumol min-1 kg-1, infusion with either taurocholate or dehydrocholate increased its Tm to a similar degree. These results are similar to those previously obtained with the effects of bile salt infusions on the Tm of bromosulfophthalein. They suggest therefore that hepatic transport of GDHF and bile salts occurs by routes which are distinct for canalicular transport in spite of the striking structural similarities between GDHF and bile salts.