Leishmania mexicana glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase showed conformational changes upon binding a bi-substrate adduct

Certain pathogenic trypanosomatids are highly dependent on glycolysis for ATP production, and hence their glycolytic enzymes, including glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), are considered attractive drug targets. The ternary complex structure of Leishmania mexicana GPDH (LmGPDH) with dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and NAD(+) was determined to 1.9A resolution as a further step towards understanding this enzyme's mode of action. When compared with the apo and binary complex structures, the ternary complex structure shows an 11 degrees hinge-bending motion of the C-terminal domain with respect to the N-terminal domain. In addition, residues in the C-terminal domain involved in catalysis or substrates binding show significant movements and a previously invisible five-residue loop region becomes well ordered and participates in NAD(+) binding. Unexpectedly, DHAP and NAD(+) appear to form a covalent bond, producing an adduct in the active site of LmGPDH. Modeling a ternary complex glycerol 3-phosphate (G3P) and NAD(+) with LmGPDH identified ten active site residues that are highly conserved among all GPDHs. Two lysine residues, Lys125 and Lys210, that are presumed to be critical in catalysis, were mutated resulting in greatly reduced catalytic activity. Comparison with other structurally related enzymes found by the program DALI suggested Lys210 as a key catalytic residue, which is located on a structurally conserved alpha-helix. From the results of site-directed mutagenesis, molecular modeling and comparison with related dehydrogenases, a catalytic mechanism of LmGPDH and a possible evolutionary scenario of this group of dehydrogenases are proposed.     

Adaptation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 to cells expressing a binding-deficient CD4 mutant (lysine 46 to aspartic acid).

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) was adapted to replicate efficiently in cells expressing an altered form of the CD4 viral receptor. The mutant CD4 (46 K/D) contained a single amino acid change (lysine 46 to aspartic acid) in the CDR2 loop of domain 1, which results in a 15-fold reduction in affinity for the viral gp120 glycoprotein. The ability of the adapted virus to replicate in CD4 46 K/D-expressing cells was independently enhanced by single amino acid changes in the V2 variable loop, the V3 variable loop, and the fourth conserved (C4) region of the gp120 glycoprotein. Combinations of these amino acids in the same envelope glycoprotein resulted in additive enhancement of virus replication in cells expressing the CD4 46 K/D molecule. In cells expressing the wild-type CD4 glycoproteins, the same V2 and V3 residue changes also increased the efficiency of replication of a virus exhibiting decreased receptor-binding ability due to an amino acid change (aspartic acid 368 to glutamic acid) in the gp120 glycoprotein. In neither instance did the adaptive changes restore the binding ability of the monomeric gp120 glycoprotein or the oligomeric envelope glycoprotein complex for the mutant or wild-type CD4 glycoproteins, respectively. Thus, particular conformations of the gp120 V2 and V3 variable loops and of the C4 region allow postreceptor binding events in the membrane fusion process to occur in the context of less than optimal receptor binding. These results suggest that the fusion-related functions of the V2, V3, and C4 regions of gp120 are modulated by CD4 binding.     

Dopamine signalling in mushroom bodies regulates temperature-preference behaviour in Drosophila

The ability to respond to environmental temperature variation is essential for survival in animals. Flies show robust temperature-preference behaviour (TPB) to find optimal temperatures. Recently, we have shown that Drosophila mushroom body (MB) functions as a center controlling TPB. However, neuromodulators that control the TPB in MB remain unknown. To identify the functions of dopamine in TPB, we have conducted various genetic studies in Drosophila. Inhibition of dopamine biosynthesis by genetic mutations or treatment with chemical inhibitors caused flies to prefer temperatures colder than normal. We also found that dopaminergic neurons are involved in TPB regulation, as the targeted inactivation of dopaminergic neurons by expression of a potassium channel (Kir2.1) induced flies with the loss of cold avoidance. Consistently, the mutant flies for dopamine receptor gene (DopR) also showed a cold temperature preference, which was rescued by MB-specific expression of DopR. Based on these results, we concluded that dopamine in MB is a key component in the homeostatic temperature control of Drosophila. The current findings will provide important bases to understand the logic of thermosensation and temperature preference decision in Drosophila.     

Cloning of the genomic sequence encoding a processed adenylate kinase 2 pseudogene

A chromosomal DNA sequence harboring a processed AK2B pseudogene was isolated from a human genomic library. It was a variant of the AK2B gene sequence including several point mutations, deletions, and insertions. The nucleotide sequence of the ORF of the AK2B pseudogene predicted a truncated form of the AK2B mutant suggesting that the processed pseudogene is nonfunctional. A repetitive sequence, AAAAGAGAG, found in the 5' and 3' flanking regions of the pseudogene and the poly(A) tract in the 3' end junction suggest that a mRNA of AK2B may have been converted to the processed pseudogene by retrotransposition events. Previously, it was suggested that an adenylate kinase (AK) 2 related gene on chromosome 2, confirmed by Southern analysis using somatic cell hybrid cell lines, may be a processed pseudogene. It is proposed that the processed pseudogene isolated in this study may be the AK2 related nonfunctional gene localized on human chromosomes 2.     

A 54 kDa cysteine protease purified from the crude extract of Neodiplostomum seoulense adult worms

As a preliminary study for the explanation of pathobiology of Neodiplostomum seoulense infection, a 54 kDa protease was purified from the crude extract of adult worms by sequential chromatographic methods. The crude extract was subjected to DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow column, and protein was eluted using 25 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4) containing 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 M NaCl in stepwise elution. The 0.2 M NaCl fraction was further purified by Q-Sepharose chromatography and protein was eluted using 20 mM sodium acetate (pH 6.4) containing 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 M NaCl, respectively. The 0.1M NaCl fraction showed a single protein band on SDS-PAGE carried out on a 7.5-15% gradient gel. The proteolytic activities of the purified enzyme were specifically inhibited by L-trans-epoxy-succinylleucylamide (4-guanidino) butane (E-64) and iodoacetic acid. The enzyme, cysteine protease, showed the maximum proteolytic activity at pH 6.0 in 0.1 M buffer, and degraded extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen and fibronectin with different activities. It is suggested that the cysteine protease may play a role in the nutrient uptake of N. seoulense from the host intestine.     

Genetic polymorphism of glutathione S-transferase P1 and breast cancer risk

To evaluate the potential association between the GSTP1 genotype and the development of breast cancer, a hospital based case-control study was conducted on Korean women. The study population consisted of 171 histologically confirmed incident breast cancer cases and 171 age-matched controls with no present or previous history of cancer. PCR-RFLP was used for the GSTP1 genotyping and statistical evaluations were performed using an unconditional logistic regression model. Postmenopausal women with the GSTP1 Val allele were found to have a reduced risk of breast cancer (OR = 0.3, 95 % CI = 0.10-0.74). A significant interaction was observed between the GSTP1 genotype and alcohol consumption (p for interaction = 0.01); compared with never-drinking women with Ile/Ile genotype, ever-drinking women with the GSTP1 Val allele had almost a three-fold risk of breast cancer (OR = 2.9, 95 % CI = 1.05-7.85), whereas never-drinking women with Val allele had half this risk (OR = 0.5, 95 % CI = 0.27-0.93). Our findings suggest that the GSTP1 polymorphism influences individual susceptibility to breast cancer in the Korean women and this effect may be modified by alcohol consumption.     

Potential and practical adrenomedullary PET radiopharmaceuticals as an alternative to m-iodobenzylguanidine: m-(omega-[18F]fluoroalkyl)benzylguanidines

To investigate adrenomedullary radiopharmaceuticals for positron emission tomography (PET), we have developed no-carrier-added m-(omega-[18F]fluoroalkyl)benzylguanidines. m-(omega-[18F]Fluoroalkyl)benzylguanidines were prepared in two steps starting from N,N'-bis(tert-butyloxycarbonyl)-N' '-(omega-methanesulfonyloxyalkyl)benzylguanidines in 20-30% radiochemical yields (decay corrected for 100 min) and with high radiochemical purity (>97%) and shown to be stable (>90%) in an in vitro metabolic stability assay. The binding of m-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)benzylguanidine ((18F]3) to SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma cells was temperature dependent, and binding levels at 4 degrees C were reduced to half of that at 37 degrees C, which was similar to the reduction rate observed for [123I]MIBG. Tissue distribution studies in mice showed the highest uptake in the adrenals (%ID/g = 27.2 +/- 5.0%) with relatively high uptake in the myocardium (%ID/g = 9.3 +/- 0.5%). The results suggest that this radiotracer holds promise as a useful adrenomedullary radiopharmaceutical for PET imaging.