Nitrosylation of rabbit ferrous heme-hemopexin

Hemopexin (HPX) serves as a trap for toxic plasma heme, ensuring its complete clearance by transportation to the liver. Moreover, HPX-heme has been postulated to play a key role in the homeostasis of nitric oxide (NO). Here, the thermodynamics for NO binding to rabbit ferrous HPX-heme as well as the EPR and optical absorption spectroscopic properties of rabbit ferrous nitrosylated HPX-heme (HPX-heme-NO) are reported. The value of the dissociation equilibrium constant for NO binding to rabbit ferrous HPX-heme (i.e., H) is (1.4±0.2)×10^–7 M, at pH 7.0 and 10.0 °C; the value of H is unaffected by sodium chloride. At pH 7.0, rabbit ferrous HPX-heme-NO is a six-coordinate heme-iron species, characterized by an X-band EPR spectrum with an axial geometry and by =146 mM^–1 cm^–1 at 419 nm. At pH 4.0, rabbit ferrous HPX-heme-NO is a five-coordinate heme-iron species, characterized by an X-band EPR spectrum with three-line splitting centered at 334 mT and by =74 mM^–1 cm^–1 at 387 nm. The pK_a value of the reversible pH-induced six- to five-coordinate spectroscopic transition is 4.8±0.1 in the absence of sodium chloride and 4.3±0.1 in the presence of 1.5×10^–1 M sodium chloride. This result is in agreement with the effect of sodium chloride on rabbit HPX-heme stability. The present data have been analyzed in parallel with those of a related heme model compound and heme-protein systems.     

Metastatic sweat gland adenocarcinoma: A clinico-pathological dilemma

Background  

Sweat gland adenocarcinoma is a rare malignancy with high metastatic potential seen more commonly in later years of life. Scalp is the most common site of occurrence and it usually spreads to lymph nodes. Liver, lung and bones are the distant sites of metastasis with fatal results. The differentiation between apocrine and eccrine metastatic sweat gland carcinoma is often difficult. The criteria's are inadequate to be of any practical utility.     

Myogenic potential of mouse primordial germ cells

Primordial germ cells are the only stem cells that retain true developmental totipotency after gastrulation, express markers typical of totipotent/pluripotent status and are able both in vivo and in vitro to give rise to pluripotent stem cells as EC and EG cells. We have therefore explored the possibility of the trans-differentiation of mouse PGCs to a myogenic lineage by transplanting them directly or after in vitro culture into a regenerating muscle and by culturing them on monolayers of differentianting muscle cells. The results obtained suggest that mouse PGCs may trans-differentiate into myogenic cells, provided that their somatic environment is preserved. This occurs at an estimated frequency of 0.01%, which is no higher than that reported for stem cells of adult tissues.     

Determination, diversification and multipotency of mammalian myogenic cells

In amniotes, myogenic commitment appears to be dependent upon signaling from neural tube and dorsal ectoderm, that can be replaced by members of the Wnt family and by Sonic hedgehog. Once committed, myoblasts undergo different fates, in that they can differentiate immediately to form the myotome, or later to give rise to primary and secondary muscle fibers. With fiber maturation, satellite cells are first detected; these cells contribute to fiber growth and regeneration during post-natal life. We will describe recent data, mainly from our laboratory, that suggest a different origin for some of the cells that are incorporated into the muscle fibers during late development. We propose the possibility that these myogenic cells are derived from the vasculature, are multi-potent and become committed to myogenesis by local signaling, when ingressing a differentiating muscle tissue. The implications for fetal and perinatal development of the whole mesoderm will also be discussed.     

Multimeric self-assembly equilibria involving the histone-like protein H-NS. A thermodynamic study

The thermodynamic parameters affecting protein-protein multimeric self-assembly equilibria of the histone-like protein H-NS were quantified by "large zone" gel-permeation chromatography. The abundance of the different association states (monomer, dimer, and tetramer) were found to be strictly dependent on the monomeric concentration and affected by physical (temperature) and chemical (cations) parameters. On the basis of the results obtained in this study and the available structural information concerning this protein, a mechanism is proposed to explain the association behavior also in relation to the functional properties of the protein.     

Binding motifs of CBP2 a potential cell surface target for carcinoma cells

Previously we have shown (Hebert et al. [1999] J. Cell Biochem. 73:248-258) that among many cell lines the CBP2 gene product, Hsp47, eludes its retention receptor, erd2P, resulting in the appearance of Hsp47 on the cell surface associated with the tetraspanin protein CD9. Since Hsp47 possesses a highly restricted binding cleft, random peptide display libraries were used to characterize peptides binding to Hsp47 and then to target this protein on carcinoma cell lines in vitro. Comparison of the clones obtained from panning revealed little specific homology based on sequence alone. To determine whether carcinoma cells expressing Hsp47 could selectively take up the selected bacteriophages, traditional immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy were employed. These studies revealed that phage-displaying Hsp47 binding peptides bound to cell lines expressing Hsp47 and that the peptides were rapidly taken up to a location coincident with Hsp47 staining. These observations were confirmed by cytometric analyses. These data indicate that CBP2 product may provide a molecular target for chemotherapy and/or imaging of malignancies.     

Ligand Binding to the FA3-FA4 Cleft Inhibits the Esterase-Like Activity of Human Serum Albumin

The hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl esters of hexanoate (NphOHe) and decanoate (NphODe) by human serum albumin (HSA) at Tyr411, located at the FA3-FA4 site, has been investigated between pH 5.8 and 9.5, at 22.0°C. Values of K _s, k ₊₂, and k ₊₂/K _s obtained at [HSA] ≥ 5×[NphOXx] and [NphOXx] ≥ 5×[HSA] (Xx is NphOHe or NphODe) match very well each other; moreover, the deacylation step turns out to be the rate limiting step in catalysis (i.e., k ₊₃ << k ₊₂). The pH dependence of the kinetic parameters for the hydrolysis of NphOHe and NphODe can be described by the acidic pK _a-shift of a single amino acid residue, which varies from 8.9 in the free HSA to 7.6 and 7.0 in the HSA:NphOHe and HSA:NphODe complex, respectively; the pK>_a-shift appears to be correlated to the length of the fatty acid tail of the substrate. The inhibition of the HSA-Tyr411-catalyzed hydrolysis of NphOHe, NphODe, and 4-nitrophenyl myristate (NphOMy) by five inhibitors (i.e., diazepam, diflunisal, ibuprofen, 3-indoxyl-sulfate, and propofol) has been investigated at pH 7.5 and 22.0°C, resulting competitive. The affinity of diazepam, diflunisal, ibuprofen, 3-indoxyl-sulfate, and propofol for HSA reflects the selectivity of the FA3-FA4 cleft. Under conditions where Tyr411 is not acylated, the molar fraction of diazepam, diflunisal, ibuprofen, and 3-indoxyl-sulfate bound to HSA is higher than 0.9 whereas the molar fraction of propofol bound to HSA is ca. 0.5.     

Membrane Cholesterol Modulates LOX-1 Shedding in Endothelial Cells

The lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) is a scavenger receptor responsible for ox-LDL recognition, binding and internalization, which is up-regulated during atherogenesis. Its activation triggers endothelium dysfunction and induces inflammation. A soluble form of LOX-1 has been identified in the human blood and its presence considered a biomarker of cardiovascular diseases. We recently showed that cholesterol-lowering drugs inhibit ox-LDL binding and internalization, rescuing the ox-LDL induced apoptotic phenotype in primary endothelial cells. Here we have investigated the molecular bases of human LOX-1 shedding by metalloproteinases and the role of cell membrane cholesterol on the regulation of this event by modulating its level with MβCD and statins. We report that membrane cholesterol affects the release of different forms of LOX-1 in cells transiently and stably expressing human LOX-1 and in a human endothelial cell line (EA.hy926). In particular, our data show that i) cholesterol depletion triggers the release of LOX-1 in exosomes as a full-length transmembrane isoform and as a truncated ectodomain soluble fragment (sLOX-1); ii) endothelial cells secrete a soluble metalloproteinase which induces LOX-1 ectodomain shedding and iii) long term statins treatment enhances sLOX-1 proteolytic shedding.     

Functional and Spectroscopic Characterization of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Truncated Hemoglobins

The single-cell green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii harbors twelve truncated hemoglobins (Cr-TrHbs). Cr-TrHb1-1 and Cr-TrHb1-8 have been postulated to be parts of the nitrogen assimilation pathway, and of a NO-dependent signaling pathway, respectively. Here, spectroscopic and reactivity properties of Cr-TrHb1-1, Cr-TrHb1-2, and Cr-TrHb1-4, all belonging to clsss 1 (previously known as group N or group I), are reported. The ferric form of Cr-TrHb1-1, Cr-TrHb1-2, and Cr-TrHb1-4 displays a stable 6cLS heme-Fe atom, whereas the hexa-coordination of the ferrous derivative appears less strongly stabilized. Accordingly, kinetics of azide binding to ferric Cr-TrHb1-1, Cr-TrHb1-2, and Cr-TrHb1-4 are independent of the ligand concentration. Conversely, kinetics of CO or NO₂⁻ binding to ferrous Cr-TrHb1-1, Cr-TrHb1-2, and Cr-TrHb1-4 are ligand-dependent at low CO or NO₂⁻ concentrations, tending to level off at high ligand concentrations, suggesting the presence of a rate-limiting step. In agreement with the different heme-Fe environments, the pH-dependent kinetics for CO and NO₂−binding to ferrous Cr-TrHb1-1, Cr-TrHb1-2, and Cr-TrHb1-4 are characterized by different ligand-linked protonation events. This raises the question of whether the simultaneous presence in C. reinhardtii of multiple TrHb1s may be related to different regulatory roles.