Inverse Agonism of SQ 29,548 and Ramatroban on Thromboxane A2 Receptor

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) show some level of basal activity even in the absence of an agonist, a phenomenon referred to as constitutive activity. Such constitutive activity in GPCRs is known to have important pathophysiological roles in human disease. The thromboxane A2 receptor (TP) is a GPCR that promotes thrombosis in response to binding of the prostanoid, thromboxane A2. TP dysfunction is widely implicated in pathophysiological conditions such as bleeding disorders, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Recently, we reported the characterization of a few constitutively active mutants (CAMs) in TP, including a genetic variant A160T. Using these CAMs as reporters, we now test the inverse agonist properties of known antagonists of TP, SQ 29,548, Ramatroban, L-670596 and Diclofenac, in HEK293T cells. Interestingly, SQ 29,548 reduced the basal activity of both, WT-TP and the CAMs while Ramatroban was able to reduce the basal activity of only the CAMs. Diclofenac and L-670596 showed no statistically significant reduction in basal activity of WT-TP or CAMs. To investigate the role of these compounds on human platelet function, we tested their effects on human megakaryocyte based system for platelet activation. Both SQ 29,548 and Ramatroban reduced the platelet hyperactivity of the A160T genetic variant. Taken together, our results suggest that SQ 29,548 and Ramatroban are inverse agonists for TP, whereas, L-670596 and Diclofenac are neutral antagonists. Our findings have important therapeutic applications in the treatment of TP mediated pathophysiological conditions.     

lac Repressor Is an Antivirulence Factor of Salmonella enterica: Its Role in the Evolution of Virulence in Salmonella

The genus Salmonella includes many pathogens of great medical and veterinary importance. Bacteria belonging to this genus are very closely related to those belonging to the genus Escherichia. lacZYA operon and lacI are present in Escherichia coli, but not in Salmonella enterica. It has been proposed that Salmonella has lost lacZYA operon and lacI during evolution. In this study, we have investigated the physiological and evolutionary significance of the absence of lacI in Salmonella enterica. Using murine model of typhoid fever, we show that the expression of LacI causes a remarkable reduction in the virulence of Salmonella enterica. LacI also suppresses the ability of Salmonella enterica to proliferate inside murine macrophages. Microarray analysis revealed that LacI interferes with the expression of virulence genes of Salmonella pathogenicity island 2. This effect was confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Interestingly, we found that SBG0326 of Salmonella bongori is homologous to lacI of Escherichia coli. Salmonella bongori is the only other species of the genus Salmonella and it lacks the virulence genes of Salmonella pathogenicity island 2. Overall, our results demonstrate that LacI is an antivirulence factor of Salmonella enterica and suggest that absence of lacI has facilitated the acquisition of virulence genes of Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 in Salmonella enterica making it a successful systemic pathogen.     

Induction and identification of tetraploids using in vitro colchicine treatment of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gerbera jamesonii</Emphasis> Bolus cv. Sciella

To induce variation through chromosome doubling in Gerbera jamesonii Bolus cv. Sciella, two-week-old in vitro grown shoots were treated with various concentrations of colchicine (0.01, 0.05, 0.10, 0.50 or 1% w/v) for 2, 4 or 8 h. Treated shoots were then cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 8.8 μM 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 155 μM adenine sulphate (ADS), and subsequently transferred to fresh MS medium containing 2.85 μM indole-3 acetic acid (IAA) for rooting. When shoots were treated with 0.1% colchicine for 8 h, 64% of recovered plantlets were tetraploid. Ploidy of plantlets was confirmed by flow cytometry, stomatal analysis, and morphological characters. Tetraploid plantlets displayed slower proliferation along with higher vigor and thickened broad leaves. Moreover, tetraploid plants developed larger flowers, longer stalks, and have improved vase-life, all contributing to higher ornamental value of gerbera.     

Molecular basis of drug resistance in smoothened receptor: An in silico study of protein resistivity and specificity

Smoothened (SMO) antagonist Vismodegib effectively inhibits the Hedgehog pathway in proliferating cancer cells. In early stage of treatment, Vismodegib exhibited promising outcomes to regress the tumors cells, but ultimately relapsed due to the drug resistive mutations in SMO mostly occurring before (primary mutations G497W) or after (acquired mutations D473H/Y) anti-SMO therapy. This study investigates the unprecedented insights of structural and functional mechanism hindering the binding of Vismodegib with sensitive and resistant mutant variants of SMO (SMO^Mut). Along with the basic dynamic understanding of Vismodegib-SMO complexes, network propagation theory based on heat diffusion principles is first time applied here to identify the modules of residues influenced by the individual mutations. The allosteric modulation by GLY497 residue in Vismodegib bound SMO wild-type (SMO^WT) conformation depicts the interconnections of intermediate residues of SMO with the atom of Vismodegib and identify two important motifs (E-X-P-L) and (Q-A-N-V-T-I-G) mediating this allosteric regulation. In this study a novel computational framework based on the heat diffusion principle is also developed, which identify significant residues of allosteric site causing drug resistivity in SMO^Mut. This framework could also be useful for assessing the potential allosteric sites of different other proteins. Moreover, previously reported novel inhibitor “ZINC12368305,” which is proven to make an energetically favorable complex with SMO^WT is chosen as a control sample to assess the impact of receptor mutation on its binding and subsequently identify the important factors that govern binding disparity between Vismodegib and ZINC12368305 bound SMO^WT/Mut conformations.     

Erratum to: State of the art: refinement of multiple sequence alignments

Correction to Chakrabarti S, Lanczycki CJ, Panchenko AR, Przytycka TM, Thiessen PA and Bryant SH: State of the art: refinement of multiple sequence alignments. BMC Bioinformatics 2006, 7:499.     

Temperature and Mg2+ sensing by a novel PhoP-PhoQ two-component system for regulation of virulence in Edwardsiella tarda

The PhoP-PhoQ two-component system is commonly used by bacteria to sense environmental factors. Here we show that the PhoP-PhoQ system of Edwardsiella tarda detects changes in environmental temperature and Mg(2+) concentration as well as regulates the type III and VI secretion systems through direct activation of esrB. Protein secretion is activated from 23 to 35 °C or at low Mg(2+) concentrations, but it is suppressed at or below 20 °C, at or above 37 °C, or at high Mg(2+) concentrations. The effects of temperature and Mg(2+) concentration are additive. The PhoQ sensor domain has a low T(m) of 37.9 °C, and it detects temperatures through a conformational change of its secondary structure. Mutation of specific Pro or Thr residues increased the stability of the PhoQ sensor drastically, altering its temperature-sensing ability. The PhoQ sensor detects Mg(2+) concentration through the direct binding of Mg(2+) to a cluster of acidic residues (DDDSAD) and through changes that likely affect its tertiary structure. Here, we describe for the first time the use of PhoP-PhoQ as a temperature sensor for bacterial virulence control.     

Synthesis and complexation studies of 16-membered [1+1] selenaaza- and some related macrocycles

A novel 16-membered [1+1] unsymmetrical selenaaza Schiff base macrocycle, 8,9,10,11-tetrahydo-7H-dibenzo-[d,o][1,3,7,10,13]diselenatriazacyclohexadecine (5) with N₃Se₂ donor set, has been synthesized by cyclocondensation of di(o-formylphenylseleno)methane and diethylenetriamine. Reduction of 5 with NaBH₄ afforded 6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13-octahydro-5H-dibenzo-[d,o][1,3,7,10,13]diselenatriazacyclohexadecine (6). Macrocycle, 10,11,12,13,14,15,16,26,27,28,29,30,31,32-tetradecahydrotetrabenzo[b,k,n,w][1,13,5,9,17,21]diselenatetraazacyclotetracosine (2b) was synthesized similarly from di(o-formylphenyl)selenide and 1,3-diaminopropane followed by reduction with NaBH₄. Single crystal X-ray structures of 5 and 2b have been determined. Attempted complexation reactions of 5 with Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), Pd(II) and Cu(II) ions and those of 6 with Ag(I), Hg(II) and Pd(II) ions are reported. 28-Membered selenaaza macrocycle 2c on reaction with HgCl₂ and NH₄PF₆, provided a dinuclear Hg(II) complex 9. Complex 9 has been characterized by single crystal X-ray structure.     

Lymphatic system: a vital link between metabolic syndrome and inflammation

Metabolic syndrome is defined by a cluster of different metabolic risk factors that include overall and central obesity, elevated fasting glucose levels, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and intimal atherogenesis. Metabolic syndrome leads to increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (e.g., heart disease and stroke). The exacerbated progression of metabolic syndrome to cardiovascular disease has lead to intense study of the physiological ramifications of metabolic syndrome on the blood vasculature. These studies have particularly focused on the signaling and architectural alterations that manifest in hypertension and atherosclerosis. However, despite the overlap of metabolic syndrome pathology with lymphatic function, tangent effects on the lymphatic system have not been extensively documented. In this review, we discuss the current status of metabolic syndrome and provide evidence for, and the remaining challenges in studying, the connections among the lymphatic system, lipid transport, obesity, insulin resistance, and general inflammation.