The lactosylceramide binding specificity of Helicobacter pylori

The possible role of glycosphingolipids as adhesion receptors for the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori was examined by use of radiolabeled bacteria, or protein extracts from the bacterial cell surface, in the thin-layer chromatogram binding assay. Of several binding specificities found, the binding to lactosylceramide is described in detail here, the others being reported elsewhere. By autoradiography a preferential binding to lactosylceramide having sphingosine/phytosphingosine and 2-D hydroxy fatty acids was detected, whereas lactosylceramide having sphingosine and nonhydroxy fatty acids was consistently nonbinding. A selective binding of H. pylori to lactosylceramide with phytosphingosine and 2-D hydroxy fatty acid was obtained when the different lactosylceramide species were incorporated into liposomes, but only in the presence of cholesterol, suggesting that this selectivity may be present also in vivo . Importantly, lactosylceramide with sphingosine and hydroxy fatty acids does not bind in this assay. Furthermore, a lactosylceramide-based binding pattern obtained for different trisaccharide glycosphingolipids is consistent with the assumption that this selectivity is due to binding of a conformation of lactosylceramide in which the oxygen of the 2-D fatty acid hydroxyl group forms a hydrogen bond with the Glc hydroxy methyl group, yielding an epitope presentation different from other possible conformers. An alternative conformation that may come into consideration corresponds to the crystal structure found for cerebroside, in which the fatty acid hydroxyl group is free to interact directly with the adhesin. By isolating glycosphingolipids from epithelial cells of human stomach from seven individuals, a binding of H.pylori to the diglycosylceramide region of the non-acid fraction could be demonstrated in one of these cases. Mass spectrometry showed that the binding-active sample contained diglycosylceramides with phytosphingosine and 2-D hydroxy fatty acids with 16-24 carbon atoms in agreement with the results related above.      

Production of dicarboxylic acids from novel unsaturated fatty acids by laccase-catalyzed oxidative cleavage

The establishment of renewable biofuel and chemical production is desirable because of global warming and the exhaustion of petroleum reserves. Sebacic acid (decanedioic acid), the material of 6,10-nylon, is produced from ricinoleic acid, a carbon-neutral material, but the process is not eco-friendly because of its energy requirements. Laccase-catalyzing oxidative cleavage of fatty acid was applied to the production of dicarboxylic acids using hydroxy and oxo fatty acids involved in the saturation metabolism of unsaturated fatty acids in Lactobacillus plantarum as substrates. Hydroxy or oxo fatty acids with a functional group near the carbon–carbon double bond were cleaved at the carbon–carbon double bond, hydroxy group, or carbonyl group by laccase and transformed into dicarboxylic acids. After 8 h, 0.58 mM of sebacic acid was produced from 1.6 mM of 10-oxo-cis-12,cis-15-octadecadienoic acid (αKetoA) with a conversion rate of 35% (mol/mol). This laccase-catalyzed enzymatic process is a promising method to produce dicarboxylic acids from biomass-derived fatty acids.     

Synthesis of sequential polydepsipeptides utilizing a new approach for the synthesis of depsipeptides

Sequential polydepsipeptides were synthesized by the depsipeptide active ester method using a new approach for the direct synthesis of N-protected depsipeptide free acids from hydroxy acids. The method uses synthesis of Boc-didepsipeptides by reaction of free hydroxy acids with Boc-amino acid N-hydroxysuccinimide esters catalyzed by 4-dimethylaminopyridine and chain elongation of the free depsipeptides by the reaction with Boc-amino acid N-hydroxysuccinimide esters in an organic solvent system of acetonitrile-tetrahydrofuran. The Boc-depsipeptide free acids were activated as their N-hydroxysuccinimide esters, which were polymerized after removal of the Boc-protecting group.     

Oligosaccharyltransferase is highly specific for the hydroxy amino acid in Asn-Xaa-Thr/Ser

Pig liver oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), which is involved in the en bloc transfer of the Dol-PP-linked GlcNAc(2)-Man(9)-Glc(3) precursor on to asparagine residues in the Asn-Xaa-Thr/Ser sequence, is highly stereospecific for the conformation of the 3-carbon atom in the hydroxy amino acid. Moreover, substitution of the hydroxy group by either SH as in cysteine, or NH(2) as in beta,gamma-diamino-butanoic acid as reported previously [Bause, E. et al., Biochem. J. 312 (1995) 979-985], followed by the determination of the pH optimum for enzymatic activity, indicates that neither a negative nor a positive charge in the hydroxy amino acid position is tolerated by the enzyme. Binding of the threonine beta-methyl group by OST is also specific, with serine, L-threo-beta-hydroxynorvaline and L-beta-hydroxynorleucine containing tripeptides all bound much less efficiently than the threonine peptide itself. The data are interpreted in terms of a highly stereospecific hydrophobic binding pocket for the threonine CH(3)-CH(OH) group.     

Activity of fluoro and deoxy analogues of glycerol as substrates and inhibitors of glycerol kinase

Analogues of glycerol in which each of the three hydroxy groups is successively replaced by fluorine or hydrogen have been examined as substrates or inhibitors of glycerol kinase (Candida mycoderma) to assess the ability of fluorine to mimic a substrate hydroxy group in enzyme-analogue interactions. The four diols resulting from replacement of the hydroxy groups at C-1 or C-2 of sn-glycerol by fluorine or hydrogen are weak substrates. Similar substitution of the C-3 hydroxy group gives compounds which act as competitive inhibitors of glycerol or dihydroxyacetone phosphorylation but show no activity as substrates. Comparison of the steady-state kinetic parameters of the corresponding analogues shows that replacement of a hydroxy group by either fluorine or hydrogen leads to compounds with similar activity in this system. A convenient synthesis of (+)-propane-1,2-diol is described.     

Effect of the position of the phenolic group in morphinans on their affinity for opiate receptor binding

Homologous series of N-methyl, N-allyl and N-cyclopropylmethylmorphinans, differing only in the position of the plenolic hydroxy group, were examined with respect to their binding affinities for the opiate receptor. IC₅₀'s were determined for competition with ³H-naltrexone in the presence and absence of 100 mM NaCl. While the compounds with the hydroxy in the 3-position had, as expected, by far the highest affinity, the corresponding molecules with the hydroxy in the 2- or 4- position had significant binding affinity ranging from 30 nM in the cyclopropyl- methyl series to 400 nM for the 2-hydroxy N-methyl morphinan. The sodium indices were also very similar to those of the corresponding 3-hydroxy compounds. The only 1-hydroxy derivative available was about 5-fold weaker than the corresponding 2- and 4-hydroxy compounds. Covering or removing the hydroxy group greatly weakened the binding but did not totally destroy it. There was good correlation between binding affinity and pharmacological potency for all except the methoxy compounds. Their high potency is consonant with $\text{in vivo}$ hydrolysis of the methyl ether.     

Interaction of cholesterol with sphingomyelin in bilayer membranes: evidence that the hydroxy group of sphingomyelin does not modulate the rate of cholesterol exchange between vesicles

Cholesterol undergoes exchange between membranes containing sphingomyelin at a much slower rate than between membranes lacking sphingomyelin. To investigate the role of the hydroxy group at the 3-position of sphingomyelin in the interaction between sphingomyelin and cholesterol, we have measured the rates of [4-14C]cholesterol exchange between unilamellar vesicles prepared with N-stearoylsphingomyelin or with synthetic analogues in which the hydroxy group is replaced with an O-alkyl group or with hydrogen. Vesicles prepared from 3-deoxy- and 3-O-methyl-N-stearoylsphingomyelin had the same rate of [14C]-cholesterol desorption. The half-times for exchange from vesicles prepared with 3-O-methyl- and 3-deoxy-N-stearoylsphingomyelins and 10 mol % of cholesterol were only slightly faster (a factor of only 1.5) than that found from vesicles prepared from N-stearoylsphingomyelin and 10 mol % cholesterol. The rate of cholesterol desorption from vesicles could be accelerated by preparing vesicles from bulky 3-O-alkyl analogues of sphingomyelin. Vesicles containing 3-O-ethyl-N-stearoylsphingomyelin and 3-O-tetrahydropyranyl egg sphingomyelin gave rate enhancements of approximately 14 and 35, compared with the rates observed in vesicles made from N-stearoyl- and egg sphingomyelin, respectively. These data indicate that insertion of sterically bulky groups at the 3-position of sphingomyelin (such as ethoxy and tetrahydropyranyloxy) in place of hydroxy interferes markedly with the molecular packing of cholesterol and sphingomyelin in bilayer membranes; however, the hydroxy group of sphingomyelin is not critical for the strong interaction of cholesterol with sphingomyelin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A ferredoxin from the thermohalophilic bacterium Rhodothermus marinus

The substrate specificity of human sphingosine kinase was investigated using a bacterially expressed poly(His)-tagged protein. Only the D-erythro isomer of the sphingoid bases, sphinganine and sphingenine, was effectively phosphorylated. Long chain 1-alkanols, alkane-1,2-diols, 2-amino-1-alkanol or 1-amino-2-alkanol and short chain 2-amino-1,3-alkanediols were very poor substrates, indicating that the kinase is recognizing the chain length and the position of the amino and secondary hydroxy group. A free hydroxy group at carbon 3 is not a prerequisite, however, since 1-O-hexadecyl-2-desoxy-2-amino-sn-glycerol was an efficient substrate with an apparent K(m) value of 3.8 microM (versus 15.7 microM for sphingenine). This finding opens new perspectives to design sphingosine kinase inhibitors. It also calls for some caution since it cannot be excluded that this ether lipid analogue is formed from precursors that are frequently used in research on platelet activating factor or from phospholipid analogues which are less prone to degradation.     

Subject index

Heats of fusion and heat capacities have been measured for saturated, unsaturated and hydroxy fatty acids, differing in degree of unsaturation, geometric isomerism, and position of unsaturated and hydroxy groups. Entropies of fusion are used to draw conclusions concerning molecular structure of fatty acid chains and lateral chain-chain interactions. Position of the functional group on the chain does not seem to significantly affect the entropy values for trans and cis single double bonds and single triple bonds, but differences are noted with hydroxy group position. Whereas single acid triglycerides of saturated acids have entropies which are about three times that of the corresponding acid, cis and trans single acid triglycerides do not show the same relationship with their corresponding acids. Comparing entropies of fusion for certain groups of fatty acids, only differing in carbon number, allows the estimation of chain equivalence with saturated fatty acids. Hence, for example it is shown that a 22 to 23-carbon cis mono-unsaturated fatty acid is equivalent to an 18-carbon saturated fatty acid.     

Choline biosynthesis in sheep. Evidence for extrahepatic synthesis.

Three isomers of methylphytylbenzoquinone have been isolated from lipids of the unicellular alga Scenedesmus obliquus, the most abundant being 2-methyl-6-phytylbenzoquinone (65% of the total). The 2-methyl-3-phytyl and 2-methyl-5-phytyl isomers amounted to 8 and 27% respectively. Previously problems have been encountered in the separation of the 3-phytyl and the 6-phytyl isomers, but in the present study it was found that they separated readily as quinols. Phytyl plastoquinone was also found and the relevance of these compounds to the biosynthesis of alpha-tocopherol is discussed. As well as phylloquinone, a hydroxyphylloquinone was detected, and studies indicated that it is the 5' carbon atom to which the hydroxy group is attached. Such a compound has been found by workers using other unicellular algae.     

An oxygenase enzyme system for Trametes versicolor

Abstract An oxygenase enzyme was isolated from the basidiomycete fungus Trametes versicolor , that is capable of attacking lignin and a large number of di- and tri-substituted benzene rings containing at least one hydroxy group. This enzyme system was produced late in the growth cycle without the requirement for any inducer. This non-selective enzyme system is thermophilic and operates at pH 3–5 in the presence of air or oxygen. The action of this enzyme system caused the loss of UV absorption in ferulic acid solution, the formation of hydroxy muconic semialdehyde from catechol, and transformation with the production of CO₂ from a number of hydroxy aromatics as well as lignin.     

Essential structural features of acetogenins: role of hydroxy groups adjacent to the bis-THF rings

The presence of two hydroxy groups adjacent to the THF ring(s) is a common structural feature of natural acetogenins. To elucidate the role of each hydroxy group in the inhibitory action of acetogenins, we synthesized three acetogenin analogues which lack either or both of the hydroxy groups, and investigated their inhibitory activities with bovine heart mitochondrial complex I. Our results indicate that the presence of either of the two hydroxy groups sufficiently sustains a potent inhibitory effect.     

Biosynthesis of hetero-polysaccharides by Acetobacter xylinum - Synthesis and characterization of metal-ion adsorptive properties of partially carboxymethylated cellulose

Biological reconstruction of water-soluble carboxymethylated cellulose (CMC; D.S. =0.47) has been achieved by culturing Acetobacter xylinum in medium containing CMC and -glucose to give a novel hetero-polysaccharide having a carboxymethyl function. The novel extracellular polysaccharide, carboxymethylated-bacterial cellulose (CM-BC), had an ion exchange ability with enhanced specific adsorption for lead and uranyl ions compared to the original CMC and bacterial cellulose. The contribution of the hydroxy group at C-2 was confirmed by applying carboxymethylated chitin, which possesses acetamido group at C-2 of the glucose residue, as the carbon source of the incubation.     

识别未衍生化的13—羟化GAs及其葡萄糖苷的单克隆抗体

抗ＧＡ３ 及其葡萄糖苷的ＭＡＢ１０单克隆抗体源于以ＧＡ３ 中的３ 位羟基（３－ＯＨ）为偶联位点,人血清白蛋白（ＨＳＡ）为载体合成的ＧＡ３－３－ＨＳＡ 免疫原． 该抗体对１３－羟化ＧＡｓ（１３－ＯＨＧＡｓ、ＧＡ１、ＧＡ３、ＧＡ５ 等）和ＧＡ３ 葡萄糖苷具有高亲和力． ７ 位羧基的甲酯化可显著降低ＭＡＢ１０ 对１３－ＯＨ ＧＡｓ的亲和力,而３－ＯＨ 的糖苷化却未降低其亲和力． 用该抗体建立的两种分别用于ＧＡ３ 及其葡萄糖苷测定的酶联免疫吸附法（ＥＬＩＳＡ）,其检测线性范围均为０．２～２０ ｐｍ ｏｌ． 借助这两种ＥＬＩＳＡｓ,研究了羊蹄（Ｒｕｍ ｅｘ ｊａｐｏｎｉｃｕｓ）叶片中ＧＡ３ 及其类似ＧＡｓ和葡萄糖苷的动态变化．结果表明,叶片衰老与游离态ＧＡｓ的糖苷化有关;而６－ＢＡ 延缓衰老则可能与其减缓ＧＡｓ的糖苷化有关     

An improved synthesis of a key intermediate for (+)-biotin from D-mannose

An efficient and reproducible process for the synthesis of methyl 2,3,4,5-tetradeoxy-7,8-O-isopropylidene-D-arabino-nanonate (2), a key intermediate in the total synthesis of (+)-biotin (1), starting from readily available D-mannose is described. The crucial part of this synthesis was the development of a practical route to a novel O-benzyl protected unsaturated ester methyl (benzyl 5,6,7,8-tetradeoxy-2,3-O-isopropylidene-alpha-D-lyxo-nona-5,7-dienofuranosid) uronate (7), allowing the one-step preparation of hydroxy ester methyl 5,6,7,8-tetradeoxy-2,3-O-isopropylidene-alpha-D-lyxo-nanofuranuronate (8) by the catalytic debenzylation and hydrogenation over palladium on carbon catalyst. This procedure requires no chromatographic purification, which makes it ideal for synthetic preparation on an industrial scale.     

Acyl chain specificity of the acyltransferases LpxA and LpxD and substrate availability contribute to lipid A fatty acid heterogeneity in Porphyromonas gingivalis

Porphyromonas gingivalis lipid A is heterogeneous with regard to the number, type, and placement of fatty acids. Analysis of lipid A by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry reveals clusters of peaks differing by 14 mass units indicative of an altered distribution of the fatty acids generating different lipid A structures. To examine whether the transfer of hydroxy fatty acids with different chain lengths could account for the clustering of lipid A structures, P. gingivalis lpxA (lpxA(Pg)) and lpxD(Pg) were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli strains in which the homologous gene was mutated. Lipid A from strains expressing either of the P. gingivalis transferases was found to contain 16-carbon hydroxy fatty acids in addition to the normal E. coli 14-carbon hydroxy fatty acids, demonstrating that these acyltransferases display a relaxed acyl chain length specificity. Both LpxA and LpxD, from either E. coli or P. gingivalis, were also able to incorporate odd-chain fatty acids into lipid A when grown in the presence of 1% propionic acid. This indicates that E. coli lipid A acyltransferases do not have an absolute specificity for 14-carbon hydroxy fatty acids but can transfer fatty acids differing by one carbon unit if the fatty acid substrates are available. We conclude that the relaxed specificity of the P. gingivalis lipid A acyltransferases and the substrate availability account for the lipid A structural clusters that differ by 14 mass units observed in P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide preparations.     

13C and 1H NMR studies of ionizations and hydrogen bonding in chymotrypsin-glyoxal inhibitor complexes

Benzyloxycarbonyl (Z)-Ala-Pro-Phe-glyoxal and Z-Ala-Ala-Phe-glyoxal have both been shown to be inhibitors of alpha-chymotrypsin with minimal Ki values of 19 and 344 nM, respectively, at neutral pH. These Ki values increased at low and high pH with pKa values of approximately 4.0 and approximately 10.5, respectively. By using surface plasmon resonance, we show that the apparent association rate constant for Z-Ala-Pro-Phe-glyoxal is much lower than the value expected for a diffusion-controlled reaction. 13C NMR has been used to show that at low pH the glyoxal keto carbon is sp3-hybridized with a chemical shift of approximately 100.7 ppm and that the aldehyde carbon is hydrated with a chemical shift of approximately 91.6 ppm. The signal at approximately 100.7 ppm is assigned to the hemiketal formed between the hydroxy group of serine 195 and the keto carbon of the glyoxal. In a slow exchange process controlled by a pKa of approximately 4.5, the aldehyde carbon dehydrates to give a signal at approximately 205.5 ppm and the hemiketal forms an oxyanion at approximately 107.0 ppm. At higher pH, the re-hydration of the glyoxal aldehyde carbon leads to the signal at 107 ppm being replaced by a signal at 104 ppm (pKa approximately 9.2). On binding either Z-Ala-Pro-Phe-glyoxal or Z-Ala-Ala-Phe-glyoxal to alpha-chymotrypsin at 4 and 25 degrees C, 1H NMR is used to show that the binding of these glyoxal inhibitors raises the pKa value of the imidazolium ion of histidine 57 to a value of >11 at both 4 and 25 degrees C. We discuss the mechanistic significance of these results, and we propose that it is ligand binding that raises the pKa value of the imidazolium ring of histidine 57 allowing it to enhance the nucleophilicity of the hydroxy group of the active site serine 195 and lower the pKa value of the oxyanion forming a zwitterionic tetrahedral intermediate during catalysis.     

MAO inhibition by arylisopropylamines: the effect of oxygen substituents at the beta-position

Twenty-nine arylisopropylamines, substituted at the beta-position of their side chain by an oxo, hydroxy, or methoxy group, were evaluated in vitro as MAO-A and MAO-B inhibitors. The oxo derivatives ('cathinones') were in general less active as MAO-A inhibitors than the corresponding arylisopropylamines, but exhibited an interesting MAO-B inhibiting activity, which was absent in the hydroxy, methoxy, and beta-unsubstituted analogues. These results suggest that selective affinity for the two MAO isoforms in this family of compounds is modulated not only by the aryl substitution pattern but also by the side-chain substituents on the arylalkylamine scaffold.     

Inhibition of alpha-L-fucosidase by derivatives of deoxyfuconojirimycin and deoxymannojirimycin.

Deoxyfuconojirimycin (1,5-dideoxy-1,5-imino-L-fucitol) is a potent, specific and competitive inhibitor (Ki 1 x 10(-8) M) of human liver alpha-L-fucosidase (EC 3.2.1.51). Six structural analogues of this compound were synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit alpha-L-fucosidase and other human liver glycosidases. It is concluded that the minimum structural requirement for inhibition of alpha-L-fucosidase is the correct configuration of the hydroxy groups at the piperidine ring carbon atoms 2, 3 and 4. Different substituents in either configuration at carbon atom 1 (i.e. 1 alpha- and beta-homofuconojirimycins) and at carbon atom 5 may alter the potency but do not destroy the inhibition of alpha-L-fucosidase. The pH-dependency of the inhibition by these amino sugars suggests very strongly that inhibition results from the formation of an ion-pair between the protonated inhibitor and a carboxylate group in the active site of the enzyme. Deoxymannojirimycin (1,5-dideoxy-1,5-imino-D-mannitol) is also a more potent inhibitor of alpha-L-fucosidase than of alpha-D-mannosidase. This can be explained by viewing deoxymannojirimycin as beta-L-homofuconojirimycin lacking the 5-methyl group. Conversely, beta-L-homo analogues of fuconojirimycin can also be regarded as derivatives of deoxymannojirimycin. This has permitted deductions to be made about the structural requirements of inhibitors of alpha- and beta-D-mannosidases.     

Experimental evidence for a metallohydrolase mechanism in which the nucleophile is not delivered by a metal ion: EPR spectrokinetic and structural studies of aminopeptidase from Vibrio proteolyticus

Metallohydrolases catalyse some of the most important reactions in biology and are targets for numerous chemotherapeutic agents designed to combat bacterial infectivity, antibiotic resistance, HIV infectivity, tumour growth, angiogenesis and immune disorders. Rational design of inhibitors of these enzymes with chemotherapeutic potential relies on detailed knowledge of the catalytic mechanism. The roles of the catalytic transition ions in these enzymes have long been assumed to include the activation and delivery of a nucleophilic hydroxy moiety. In the present study, catalytic intermediates in the hydrolysis of L-leucyl-L-leucyl-L-leucine by Vibrio proteolyticus aminopeptidase were characterized in spectrokinetic and structural studies. Rapid-freeze-quench EPR studies of reaction products of L-leucyl-L-leucyl-L-leucine and Co(II)-substituted aminopeptidase, and comparison of the EPR data with those from structurally characterized complexes of aminopeptidase with inhibitors, indicated the formation of a catalytically competent post-Michaelis pre-transition state intermediate with a structure analogous to that of the inhibited complex with bestatin. The X-ray crystal structure of an aminopeptidase-L-leucyl-L-leucyl-L-leucine complex was also analogous to that of the bestatin complex. In these structures, no water/hydroxy group was observed bound to the essential metal ion. However, a water/hydroxy group was clearly identified that was bound to the metal-ligating oxygen atom of Glu152. This water/hydroxy group is proposed as a candidate for the active nucleophile in a novel metallohydrolase mechanism that shares features of the catalytic mechanisms of aspartic proteases and of B2 metallo-beta-lactamases. Preliminary studies on site-directed variants are consistent with the proposal. Other features of the structure suggest roles for the dinuclear centre in geometrically and electrophilically activating the substrate.