Catalytically active filaments - pyruvate decarboxylase from Neurospora crassa. pH-controlled oligomer structure and catalytic function

Pyruvate decarboxylase is a key enzyme in organisms whose energy metabolism is based on alcoholic fermentation. The enzyme catalyses the nonoxidative decarboxylation of 2-oxo acids in the presence of the cofactors thiamine diphosphate and magnesium ions. Pyruvate decarboxylase species from yeasts and plant seeds studied to date are allosterically activated by their substrate pyruvate. However, detailed kinetic studies on the enzyme from Neurospora crassa demonstrate for the first time the lack of substrate activation for a yeast pyruvate decarboxylase species. The quaternary structure of this enzyme species is also peculiar because it forms filamentous structures. The complex enzyme structure was analysed using a number of methods, including small-angle X-ray solution scattering, transmission electron microscopy, analytical ultracentrifugation and size-exclusion chromatography. These measurements were complemented by detailed kinetic studies in dependence on the pH.     

Pancreatitis severity in mice with impaired CFTR function but pancreatic sufficiency is mediated via ductal and inflammatory cells-Not acinar cells

Mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene (CFTR) are an established risk factor for cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic pancreatitis. Whereas patients with CF usually develop complete exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, pancreatitis patients with CFTR mutations have mostly preserved exocrine pancreatic function. We therefore used a strain of transgenic mice with significant residual CFTR function (CFTR^tm1HGU) to induce pancreatitis experimentally by serial caerulein injections. Protease activation and necrosis were investigated in isolated acini, disease severity over 24h, pancreatic function by MRI, isolated duct stimulation and faecal chymotrypsin, and leucocyte function by ex vivo lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Pancreatic and lung injury were more severe in CFTR^tm1HGU but intrapancreatic trypsin and serum enzyme activities higher than in wild-type controls only at 8h, a time interval previously attributed to leucocyte infiltration. CCK-induced trypsin activation and necrosis in acini from CFTR^tm1HGU did not differ from controls. Fluid and bicarbonate secretion were greatly impaired, whereas faecal chymotrypsin remained unchanged. LPS stimulation of splenocytes from CFTR^tm1HGU resulted in increased INF-γ and IL-6, but decreased IL-10 secretion. CFTR mutations that preserve residual pancreatic function significantly increase the severity of experimental pancreatitis—mostly via impairing duct cell function and a shift towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype, not by rendering acinar cells more susceptible to pathological stimuli.     

Water conditions influence the detectability of Crossodactylus gaudichaudii (Anura,Hylodidae) in streams of the Atlantic Forest

Stream-dwelling amphibians' occurrence, behaviour and reproductive success are strongly influenced by dynamic abiotic factors, for example, water flow and spray. These factors can disproportionately affect these frogs due to their dependency on specific favourable conditions for development and incapacity to disperse from unfavourable environments. We analysed the influence of environmental covariates on the detectability of Crossodactylus gaudichaudii, an amphibian species endemic to streams in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We conducted sampling in the streams of the Duas Bocas Biological Reserve, Brazil, and we measured air and water temperature, air humidity and pH of water on each sampling occasion. We estimated the effects of variables on the detectability of the species using single-season occupancy models. Our results indicated that the detectability of the species increases on occasions with higher water temperatures (24–26°C) and lower pH (5.0–5.5). We investigated the influence of these covariates only on the detectability of adult frogs, but it is likely that the physiochemical properties of stream water are more important to aquatic larvae, and hence, the probability of their detection. Given this, further studies should examine the relevance of covariates on the detectability of adult frogs as well as larvae.     

Ligation of B and T lymphocyte attenuator prevents the genesis of experimental cerebral malaria

B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA; CD272) is a coinhibitory receptor that is predominantly expressed on T and B cells and dampens T cell activation. In this study, we analyzed the function of BTLA during infection with Plasmodium berghei ANKA. Infection of C57BL/6 mice with this strain leads to sequestration of leukocytes in brain capillaries that is associated with a pathology resembling cerebral malaria in humans. During the course of infection, we found an induction of BTLA in several organs, which was either due to up-regulation of BTLA expression on T cells in the spleen or due to infiltration of BTLA-expressing T cells into the brain. In the brain, we observed a marked induction of BTLA and its ligand herpesvirus entry mediator during cerebral malaria, which was accompanied by an accumulation of predominantly CD8+ T cells, but also CD4+ T cells. Application of an agonistic anti-BTLA mAb caused a significantly reduced incidence of cerebral malaria compared with control mice. Treatment with this Ab also led to a decreased number of T cells that were sequestered in the brain of P. berghei ANKA-infected mice. Our findings indicate that BTLA-herpesvirus entry mediator interactions are functionally involved in T cell regulation during P. berghei ANKA infection of mice and that BTLA is a potential target for therapeutic interventions in severe malaria.     

Dissecting the complete lipoprotein biogenesis pathway in Streptomyces scabies

Following translocation, bacterial lipoproteins are lipidated by lipoprotein diacylglycerol transferase (Lgt) and cleaved of their signal peptides by lipoprotein signal peptidase (Lsp). In Gram-negative bacteria and mycobacteria, lipoproteins are further lipidated by lipoprotein N-acyl transferase (Lnt), to give triacylated lipoproteins. Streptomyces are unusual amongst Gram-positive bacteria because they export large numbers of lipoproteins via the twin arginine protein transport (Tat) pathway. Furthermore, some Streptomyces species encode two Lgt homologues and all Streptomyces species encode two homologues of Lnt. Here we characterize lipoprotein biogenesis in the plant pathogen Streptomyces scabies and report that lgt and lsp mutants are defective in growth and development while only moderately affected in virulence. Lipoproteins are lost from the membrane in an S. scabies lgt mutant but restored by expression of Streptomyces coelicolor lgt1 or lgt2 confirming that both encode functional Lgt enzymes. Furthermore, lipoproteins are N-acylated in Streptomyces with efficient N-acylation dependent on Lnt1 and Lnt2. However, deletion of lnt1 and lnt2 has no effect on growth, development or virulence. We thus present a detailed study of lipoprotein biogenesis in Streptomyces, the first study of Lnt function in a monoderm bacterium and the first study of bacterial lipoproteins as virulence factors in a plant pathogen.     

IRAG is essential for relaxation of receptor-triggered smooth muscle contraction by cGMP kinase

Signalling by cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I (cGKI) relaxes various smooth muscles modulating thereby vascular tone and gastrointestinal motility. cGKI-dependent relaxation is possibly mediated by phosphorylation of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor I (IP(3)RI)-associated protein (IRAG), which decreases hormone-induced IP(3)-dependent Ca(2+) release. We show now that the targeted deletion of exon 12 of IRAG coding for the N-terminus of the coiled-coil domain disrupted in vivo the IRAG-IP(3)RI interaction and resulted in hypomorphic IRAG(Delta12/Delta12) mice. These mice had a dilated gastrointestinal tract and a disturbed gastrointestinal motility. Carbachol- and phenylephrine-contracted smooth muscle strips from colon and aorta, respectively, of IRAG(Delta12/Delta12) mice were not relaxed by cGMP, while cAMP-mediated relaxation was unperturbed. Norepinephrine-induced increases in [Ca(2+)](i) were not decreased by cGMP in aortic smooth muscle cells from IRAG(Delta12/Delta12) mice. In contrast, cGMP-induced relaxation of potassium-induced smooth muscle contraction was not abolished in IRAG(Delta12/Delta12) mice. We conclude that cGMP-dependent relaxation of hormone receptor-triggered smooth muscle contraction essentially depends on the interaction of cGKI-IRAG with IP(3)RI.     

A Dual Read-Out Assay to Evaluate the Potency of Compounds Active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a serious global health problem caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. There is an urgent need for discovery and development of new treatments, but this can only be accomplished through rapid and reproducible M. tuberculosis assays designed to identify potent inhibitors. We developed an automated 96-well assay utilizing a recombinant strain of M. tuberculosis expressing a far-red fluorescent reporter to determine the activity of novel compounds; this allowed us to measure growth by monitoring both optical density and fluorescence. We determined that optical density and fluorescence were correlated with cell number during logarithmic phase growth. Fluorescence was stably maintained without antibiotic selection over 5 days, during which time cells remained actively growing. We optimized parameters for the assay, with the final format being 5 days’ growth in 96-well plates in the presence of 2% w/v DMSO. We confirmed reproducibility using rifampicin and other antibiotics. The dual detection method allows for a reproducible calculation of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), at the same time detecting artefacts such as fluorescence quenching or compound precipitation. We used our assay to confirm anti-tubercular activity and establish the structure activity relationship (SAR) around the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-carboxamides, a promising series of M. tuberculosis inhibitors.     

Molecular interactions of alcohols with zeolite BEA and MOR frameworks

Zeolites can adsorb small organic molecules such as alcohols from a fermentation broth. Also in the zeolite-catalyzed conversion of alcohols to biofuels, biochemicals, or gasoline, adsorption is the first step. Several studies have investigated the adsorption of alcohols in different zeolites experimentally, but computational investigations in this field have mostly been restricted to zeolite MFI. In this study, the adsorption of C1–C4 alcohols in BEA and MOR was investigated using density functional theory (DFT). Calculated adsorption geometries and the corresponding energies of the designed cluster models were comparable to periodic calculations, and the adsorption energies were in the same range as the corresponding computational and experimental values reported in the literature for zeolite MFI. Thus, BEA and MOR may be good adsorption materials for alcohols in the field of downstream processing and catalysis. Aside from the DFT calculations, adsorption isotherms were determined experimentally in this study from aqueous solutions. For BEA, the adsorption of significant amounts of alcohol from aqueous solution was observed experimentally. In contrast, MOR was loaded with only a very small amount of alcohol. Although differences were found between the affinities obtained from gas-phase DFT calculations and those observed experimentally in aqueous solution, the computational data presented here represent molecular level information on the geometries and energies of C1–C4 alcohols adsorbed in zeolites BEA and MOR. This knowledge should prove very useful in the design of zeolite materials intended for use in adsorption and catalytic processes, as it allows adsorption behavior to be predicted via judiciously designed computational models.     

Reflux induces DNA strand breaks and expression changes of MMP1+9+14 in a human miniorgan culture model

Gastroesophageal reflux disease has been implicated in the pathogenesis of adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus. The same applies to laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and squamous cell cancer of the head and neck, but so far, this link has not been proven. The impact of low pH and bile acids has not been studied extensively in cells other than oesophageal cancer cell lines and tissue. The aims of this study were to investigate the pathogenic potential of reflux and its single components on the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract. We measured DNA stability in human miniorgan cultures (MOCs) and primary epithelial cell cultures (EpCs) in response to reflux by the alkaline comet assay. As matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in extracellular matrix remodelling processes and may contribute to cancer progression, we studied the expression of MMP1, -9, and -14 in MOCs, EpC, UM-SCC-22B, and FADU_DD. DNA strand breaks (DNA-SBs) increased significantly at low pH and after incubation with human or artificial gastric juice. Single incubation with glycochenodeoxycholic acid also showed a significant increase in DNA-SBs. In epithelial cell cultures, human gastric juice increased the number of DNA-SBs at pH 4.5 and 5.5. Artificial gastric juice significantly up regulated the gene expression of MMP9. Western blot analysis confirmed the results of gene expression analysis, but the up regulation of MMP1, -9, and -14 was donor-specific. Reflux has the ability to promote genomic instability and may contribute to micro environmental changes suitable for the initiation of malignancy. Further functional gene analysis may elucidate the role of laryngopharyngeal reflux in the development of head neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).