Preparation of cytoplasmic bodies (cytospheres) from isolated hepatocytes and their biochemical properties

The controlled centrifugation of isolated rat hepatocytes at 260 000 g results in the formation of membrane-bounded cell fragments that we have termed 'cytospheres'. A method is described for the isolation of these cytospheres. Cytospheres are spherical, have a mean diameter of 9.2 +/- 3.2 microns (SD) and a protein content of 225 +/- 12 mg/g wet wt. About 3% of the protein from the original isolated hepatocyte suspension is recoverable. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows cytospheres to possess a trilaminar membrane, and a finely granular hyaloplasm generally devoid of organelles, filaments and microtubules. Freeze-fracture studies reveal a membrane structure typical of a plasma membrane. Ouabain and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-binding studies indicate that the original orientation of the plasma membrane is maintained throughout the formation of the cytospheres. The cytospheres have also been characterized biochemically. Cytospheres are enriched in the enzymes normally associated with the hyaloplasm, whereas the activities of enzymes localized in organelles are greatly diminished. Lipid analysis of the cytosphere membrane indicates that it is derived from the plasma membrane of the hepatocyte. Cytospheres are sensitive to changes in the osmolarity and ionic composition of their environment. Cytospheres should therefore prove a useful preparation for the study of hyaloplasm metabolism and of plasma membrane receptor and permeability properties.     

Subcellular localization of cyclo-oxygenase-prostaglandin E2 synthetase complex in goat vesicular gland by catalytic activity analysis

The catalytic activity of the cyclo-oxygenase prostaglandin E2 synthetase complex in subcellular organelles of goat vesicular gland was determined. The enzyme activity was found to be located mostly in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and partly in the nuclear membrane; comparatively very little activity could be detected in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. There was no detectable activity of the enzyme in the plasma membrane.     

HCMV Activates the IL-6-JAK-STAT3 Axis in HepG2 Cells and Primary Human Hepatocytes

Objectives

There has been increased interest in the possible role of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in carcinogenesis during the last decade. HCMV seroprevalence was enhanced in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but a possible relationship between HCC and HCMV infection remained to be assessed. The aim of this work was to investigate the pro-tumor influence of HCMV on primary human hepatocytes (PHH) and HepG2 cells.

Methods

Following infection of PHH and HepG2 cells by two different strains of HCMV, we measured the production of IL-6 in culture supernatants by ELISA and the protein levels of STAT3, pSTAT3, JAK, cyclin D1, survivin, p53, p21, and Mdm2 by western Blotting in infected and uninfected cells. Cell proliferation and transformation were investigated using Ki67Ag expression measurement and soft-agar colony formation assay respectively.

Results

Infection of HepG2 cells and PHH by HCMV resulted in the production of IL-6 and the subsequent activation of the IL-6R-JAK-STAT3 pathway. HCMV increased the expression of cyclin D1 and survivin. Cell proliferation was enhanced in HepG2 and PHH infected with HCMV, despite a paradoxical overexpression of p53 and p21. More importantly, we observed the formation of colonies in soft agar seeded with PHH infected with HCMV and when we challenged the HepG2 cultures to form tumorspheres, we found that the HCMV-infected cultures formed 2.5-fold more tumorspheres than uninfected cultures.

Conclusion

HCMV activated the IL-6-JAK-STAT3 pathway in PHH and HepG2 cells, favored cellular proliferation, induced PHH transformation and enhanced HepG2 tumorsphere formation. Our observations raise the possibility that HCMV infection might be involved in the genesis of hepatocellular carcinoma.     

Stepwise development of structure–activity relationship of diverse PARP-1 inhibitors through comparative and validated in silico modeling techniques and molecular dynamics simulation

Inhibitors of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) enzyme are useful for the treatment of various diseases including cancer. Comparative in silico studies were performed on different ligand-based (2D-QSAR, Kernel-based partial least square (KPLS) analysis, Pharmacophore Search Engine (PHASE) pharmacophore mapping), and structure-based (molecular docking, MM-GBSA analyses, Gaussian-based 3D-QSAR analyses on docked poses) modeling techniques to explore the structure–activity relationship of a diverse set of PARP-1 inhibitors. Two-dimensional (2D)-QSAR highlighted the importance of charge topological index (JGI7), fractional polar surface area (Jurs_FPSA3), and connectivity index (CIC2) along with different molecular fragments. Favorable and unfavorable fingerprints were demonstrated in KPLS analysis, whereas important pharmacophore features (one acceptor, one donor, and two ring aromatic) along with favorable and unfavorable field effects were demonstrated in PHASE-based pharmacophore model. MM-GBSA analyses revealed significance of different polar, non-polar, and solvation energies. Docking-based alignment of ligands was used to perform Gaussian-based 3D-QSAR study that further demonstrated importance of different field effects. Overall, it was found that polar interactions (hydrogen bonding, bridged hydrogen bonding, and pi–cation) play major roles for higher activity. Steric groups increase the total contact surface area but it should have higher fractional polar surface area to adjust solvation energy. Structure-based pharmacophore mapping spotted the positive ionizable feature of ligands as the most important feature for discriminating highly active compounds from inactives. Molecular dynamics simulation, conducted on highly active ligands, described the dynamic behaviors of the protein complexes and supported the interpretations obtained from other modeling analyses. The current study may be useful for designing PARP-1 inhibitors.     

Optimizing recombinant protein expression in the T7 system under the control of the proUp promoter

-Galactosidase and streptokinase expression was tested under the control of the T7 promoter in batch and fed-batch cultures. An Escherichia coli host GJ1158, which contained the T7 RNA polymerase gene under the osmo-responsive proUp promoter, was used for expression studies. -Galactosidase expression was enhanced from 26 mg l^–1 to 127 mg l^–1 in batch culture when a combination of sucrose and sorbitol was used instead of salt as an inducer. Similarly in fed-batch cultures 140 mg streptokinase l^–1 was formed with sucrose and sorbitol induction which was higher than that achieved with IPTG induced cultures.     

Ferric ion (hydr)oxo clusters in the “Venus flytrap” cleft of FbpA: M?ssbauer, calorimetric and mass spectrometric studies

Isothermal calorimetric studies of the binding of iron(III) citrate to ferric ion binding protein from Neisseria gonorrhoeae suggested the complexation of a tetranuclear iron(III) cluster as a single step binding event (apparent binding constant K(app) (ITC) = 6.0(5) × 10(5) M(-1)). High-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometric data supported the binding of a tetranuclear oxo(hydroxo) iron(III) cluster of formula [Fe(4)O(2)(OH)(4)(H(2)O)(cit)](+) in the interdomain binding cleft of FbpA. The mutant H9Y-nFbpA showed a twofold increase in the apparent binding constant [K(app) (ITC) = 1.1(7) × 10(6) M(-1)] for the tetranuclear iron(III) cluster compared to the wild-type protein. M?ssbauer spectra of Escherichia coli cells overexpressing FbpA and cultured in the presence of added (57)Fe citrate were indicative of the presence of dinuclear and polynuclear clusters. FbpA therefore appears to have a strong affinity for iron clusters in iron-rich environments, a property which might endow the protein with new biological functions.     

Why boys will be boys: two pathways of fetal testicular androgen biosynthesis are needed for male sexual differentiation

Human sexual determination is initiated by a cascade of genes that lead to the development of the fetal gonad. Whereas development of the female external genitalia does not require fetal ovarian hormones, male genital development requires the action of testicular testosterone and its more potent derivative dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The "classic" biosynthetic pathway from cholesterol to testosterone in the testis and the subsequent conversion of testosterone to DHT in genital skin is well established. Recently, an alternative pathway leading to DHT has been described in marsupials, but its potential importance to human development is unclear. AKR1C2 is an enzyme that participates in the alternative but not the classic pathway. Using a candidate gene approach, we identified AKR1C2 mutations with sex-limited recessive inheritance in four 46,XY individuals with disordered sexual development (DSD). Analysis of the inheritance of microsatellite markers excluded other candidate loci. Affected individuals had moderate to severe undervirilization at birth; when recreated by site-directed mutagenesis and expressed in bacteria, the mutant AKR1C2 had diminished but not absent catalytic activities. The 46,XY DSD individuals also carry a mutation causing aberrant splicing in AKR1C4, which encodes an enzyme with similar activity. This suggests a mode of inheritance where the severity of the developmental defect depends on the number of mutations in the two genes. An unrelated 46,XY DSD patient carried AKR1C2 mutations on both alleles, confirming the essential role of AKR1C2 and corroborating the hypothesis that both the classic and alternative pathways of testicular androgen biosynthesis are needed for normal human male sexual differentiation.     

Applications of β-gal-III isozyme from Bacillus coagulans RCS3, in lactose hydrolysis

Bacillus coagulans RCS3 isolated from hot water springs secreted five isozymes i.e. β-gal I-V of β-galactosidase. β-gal III isozyme was purified using DEAE cellulose and Sephadex G 100 column chromatography. Its molecular weight characterization showed a single band at 315 kD in Native PAGE, while two subunits of 50.1 and 53.7 kD in SDS PAGE. β-Gal III had pH optima in the range of 6-7 and temperature optima at 65 °C. It preferred nitro-aryl-β-d-galactoside as substrate having K_m of 4.16 mM with ONPG. More than 85% and 80% hydrolysis of lactose (1-5%, w/v) was recorded within 48 h of incubation at 55 °C and 50 °C respectively and pH range of 6-7. About 78-86% hydrolysis of lactose in various brands of standardized milk was recorded at incubation temperature of 50 °C. These results marked the applications of β-gal III in processing of milk/whey industry.     

Preparation and characterization of flurbiprofen beads by melt solidification technique

Amelt solidification technique has been developed to obtain sustained-release waxy beads of flurbiprofen. Low glass transition temperature (t _g) and shear-induced crystallization of flurbiprofen made it a suitable candidate for melt solidification technique. The process involved emulsification and solidification of flurbiprofen-cetyl alcohol melt at significantly low temperature (5°C). The effect of variables, namely, the amount of cetyl alcohol and the speed of agitation, was studied using 3² factorial design. The technique and the beads were evaluated on the basis of process and desired yield, surface topography, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), particle size distribution, crushing strength, and drug release. Average values for process and desired yields were 97% wt/wt and 26% wt/wt, respectively. No interaction was observed between drug and excipient. Multiple regression analysis was carried out, and response surfaces were obtained. A curvilinear relationship was observed between percentage of desired yield and the amount of cetyl alcohol. Linear decrease in crushing strength was observed with increase in the amount of cetyl alcohol. Drug released from the beads followed zero order kinetics. Burst release was shown to a greater extent in beads containing a lower amount of cetyl alcohol. Response surfaces of time required for certain percentage of drug (t _D%) showed that after critical concentration of about 20% of cetyl alcohol (400 mg/batch), no significant release retardant effect was observed.     

Studies on Stibanate unresponsive isolates of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Leishmania donovani</Emphasis>

Visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar (KA) is generally caused byLeishmania donovani. Organic pentavalent antimonials (SbV) is the first line of treatment for KA. However, the number of KA patients unresponsive to treatment with Sb(V) is steadily increasing in India and elsewhere. The primary objective of this work is to determine the factor(s) associated with the rise of unresponsiveness. Analysis of the clonal population of parasites clearly indicated that wild type parasites isolated from KA patients who were clinically cured after treatment with Sb(V), were a mixture of resistant and sensitive cells. The resistant promastigotes were also resistant as amastigotesin vivo. It was further observed that Stibanate sensitive parasites can be made resistant to the drug by repeated passages in experimental animals followed by incomplete treatment with suboptimal doses of the drug. These results suggest that the steady rise in Sb(V) unresponsiveness of KA patients in India is due to infection with resistant parasites, generated as a result of irregular and often incomplete treatment of the patients.