Protein phosphatase inhibitory activity of tautomycin photoaffinity probes evaluated at femto-molar level

Herein we describe the further improvement of our in-house developed firefly bioluminescence assay system for the determination of inhibition of protein phosphatase (PP). The advantage with the new system is higher sensitivity as well as being time and sample efficient. The inhibition activity of tautomycin with PP1gamma was determined using the upgraded test system and Ki was found to be 4.5 nM, which compare favorably with the activity reported previously by others using different methods. The test system was then used in order to determine the activity of nine tautomycin (TTM) photoaffinity probes. One of the TTM photoaffinity probes (anti-10) was found to possess higher activity than the natural product itself with a Ki of 3.4 nM, while the remaining photoaffinity probes were found to possess Ki in the range of 8.0-213 nM.     

A possible role of oxidative stress in the switch mechanism of the cell death mode from apoptosis to necrosis--studies on rho0 cells

Apoptosis is induced not only during morphogenesis and embryogenesis but also under various pathological conditions, especially related to oxidative stress. Apoptotic cells are phagocytized by neighboring cells while necrotic cells cause local and general reactions sometimes lethal to our bodies. Data have been accumulated to demonstrate that the switch of the cell death mode from apoptosis to necrosis does occur. However, detailed mechanisms involved in the switch mechanism remain unsolved although decreases in the intracellular level of ATP and a burst in the cellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been proposed. Recently, we have shown that the population of apoptotic cells reaches maximum in human osteosarcoma 143B cells treated for 6h with menadione (MEN) while necrotic cells become predominant at 9h of the treatment. In the present study we have attempted to clarify the role of cellular ATP in the switch mechanism using rho(0) cells derived from human osteosarcoma rho+ cells. Results are summarized as follows: (1) Apoptotic and necrotic changes in rho(0) cells are much faster than rho+ cells after the treatment with MEN. (2) Cellular level of ATP in rho(0) cells remains essentially in the same level before and after the MEN-treatment while intracellular levels of superoxide continuously increase after the MEN-treatment. (3) rho+ cells treated with MEN in the presence of antimycin A plus oligomycin show similar changes to those of MEN-treated rho(0) cells. (4) MEN-induced increases in the cellular level of superoxide are distinctly suppressed by inhibitors of NADPH oxidase. These results suggest that the intracellular level of superoxide may be a key factor directly related to the switch mechanism from apoptosis to necrosis, and that decreases in cellular level of ATP accelerate both apoptotic and necrotic changes of the cells.     

Backbone resonance assignments for the periplasmic chaperone LolA from Escherichia coli

LolA is an essential periplasmic protein in Gram-negative bacteria and plays a role in transporting lipoproteins through periplasmic space from the inner to the outer membrane. We established backbone resonance assignments of ²H/¹³C/¹⁵N labeled LolA from Escherichia coli.     

Synthesis of D-labeled naphthyliodoacetamide and application to quantitative peptide analysis by isotope differential mass spectrometry

D-labeled and -unlabeled N-beta-naphthyliodoacetamides have been synthesized for specific modification of the sulfhydryl groups of cysteine residues in proteins or peptides, and have been applied to quantitative analysis of several peptides. A combination of these reagents, coupled with mass spectrometry, is anticipated to serve as a useful tool for quantitative analysis of peptides and hence proteins.     

Clinical Features of Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy and the Detection of Subunit-Specific Autoantibodies to the Ganglionic Acetylcholine Receptor in Japanese Patients

Autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG) is a rare acquired channelopathy that is characterized by pandysautonomia, in which autoantibodies to ganglionic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (gAChR) may play a central role. Radioimmunoprecipitation (RIP) assays have been used for the sensitive detection of autoantibodies to gAChR in the serum of patients with AAG. Here, we developed luciferase immunoprecipitation systems (LIPS) to diagnose AAG based on IgGs to both the α3 and β4 gAChR subunits in patient serum. We reviewed the serological and clinical data of 50 Japanese patients who were diagnosed with AAG. With the LIPS testing, we detected anti-α3 and -β4 gAChR antibodies in 48% (24/50) of the patients. A gradual mode of onset was more common in the seropositive group than in the seronegative group. Patients with AAG frequently have orthostatic hypotension and upper and lower gastrointestinal tract symptoms, with or without anti-gAChR. The occurrence of autonomic symptoms was not significantly different between the seropositive and seronegative group, with the exception of achalasia in three patients from the seropositive group. In addition, we found a significant overrepresentation of autoimmune diseases in the seropositive group and endocrinological abnormalities as an occasional complication of AAG. Our results demonstrated that the LIPS assay was a useful novel tool for detecting autoantibodies against gAChR in patients with AAG.     

PEN-2 enhances gamma-cleavage after presenilin heterodimer formation

The presenilin (PS) complex, including PS, nicastrin, APH-1 and PEN-2, is essential for gamma-secretase activity, which is required for amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) generation. However, the precise individual roles of the three cofactors in the PS complex in Abeta generation remain to be clarified. Here, to distinguish the roles of PS cofactors in gamma-secretase activity from those in PS endoproteolysis, we investigated their roles in the gamma-secretase activity reconstituted by the coexpression of PS N- and C-terminal fragments (NTF and CTF) in PS-null cells. We demonstrate that the coexpression of PS1 NTF and CTF forms the heterodimer and restores Abeta generation in PS-null cells. The generation of Abeta was saturable at a certain expression level of PS1 NTF/CTF, while the overexpression of PEN-2 alone resulted in a further increase in Abeta generation. Although PEN-2 did not enhance PS1 NTF/CTF heterodimer formation, PEN-2 expression reduced the IC50 of a specific gamma-secretase inhibitor, a transition state analogue, for Abeta generation, suggesting that PEN-2 expression enhances the affinity or the accessibility of the substrate to the catalytic site. Thus, our results strongly suggest that PEN-2 is not only an essential component of the gamma-secretase complex but also an enhancer of gamma-cleavage after PS heterodimer formation.     

Structural analyses of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of porcine pancreatic kallikrein

The structures of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of porcine pancreatic beta-kallikrein are reported. Asparagine-linked neutral oligosaccharides were released by N-oligosaccharide glycopeptidase digestion, and the reducing ends of the oligosaccharides were derivatized with a fluorescent reagent, 2-aminopyridine. The mixture of pyridylamino oligosaccharides was separated by reverse-phase and amide-adsorption high-performance liquid chromatography. The pyridylamino oligosaccharides were separated into more than 50 kinds of oligosaccharides. The structures of 5 kinds of triantennary and 12 kinds of tetraantennary oligosaccharides were determined by the use of high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and methylation analysis. Furthermore, the structures of five kinds of oligomannose-type oligosaccharides were elucidated by a combination of exoglycosidase digestion and high-performance liquid chromatography. 1H NMR data for 14 out of the 17 kinds of N-acetyllactosamine-type oligosaccharides reported here have not previously been described in the literature. (1) It has been shown that fucose containing tri- and tetraantennary oligosaccharides is predominant in porcine pancreatic beta-kallikrein B. (2) It has also been shown that the heterogeneity of the structure in these types of oligosaccharides is derived from the variety of the positions of galactose residues linked to outer N-acetylglucosamine residues. (3) The distribution of oligosaccharides into two glycosylation sites, asparagine-95 and asparagine-239, of beta-kallikrein B was determined. It has been found that oligomannose-type oligosaccharides are exclusively present at asparagine-239, although N-acetyllactosamine-type oligosaccharides occur at both glycosylation sites.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Calculated two-dimensional sugar map of pyridylaminated oligosaccharides: elucidation of the jack bean alpha-mannosidase digestion pathway of Man9GlcNAc2

We have developed a two-dimensional (2-D) mapping of pyridylaminated oligosaccharides as an aid to structural determination of glycoprotein-derived oligosaccharides. Using the available data of reverse-phase HPLC of pyridylamino-oligosaccharides, this was further extended to parameterization of unit contribution by each sugar component, which allows the prediction of possible structures from the elution volume. We have extended this approach to the data obtained with amide-silica HPLC column to obtain a calculated 2-D mapping technique for the oligomannose-type oligosaccharides (M-series). In this method, the elution volumes of all possible pyridylamino-oligosaccharides up to the size of Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 (50 in total) are calculated from the established UC values to construct a 2-D map. To test the validity of the calculated 2-D map, the structures of intermediate PA-oligosaccharides generated during the alpha-mannosidase (jack bean) digestion of Man9GlcNAc2 (porcine thyroglobulin) were analyzed to establish the digestion pathway. The validity of this approach is substantiated by an independent deduction of the intermediate structures based on structural relationships and the coincidence of elution volumes. Our results agree well with the recently published digestion pathway of Man5GlcNAc2 by the same enzyme and that of Man9GlcNAc2 by lysosomal alpha-mannosidase.     

Esterase-like activity of human serum albumin: Enantioselectivity in the burst phase of reaction with p-nitrophenyl α-methoxyphenyl acetate

Enantioselectivity in the burst phase of the reactions of d- and l-p-nitrophenyl α-methoxyphenyl acetates with human and bovine serum albumin was investigated kinetically in pH 7.4 phosphate buffer and at 25 °C. The burst phase was measured under the conditions of excess albumin over the enantiomer. Both albumins reacted with d enantiomer about threefold faster than l enantiomer, mainly due to the catalytic step and not due to the binding step. The reactivity of human serum albumin toward the enantiomers was four- to fivefold higher than that of bovine serum albumin.