Chemical ionization-mass spectra of aldobiouronic acids and dialdose dianhydrides

Chemical ionization (c.i.) mass spectra with isobutane as the reagent gas are reported for the peracetates of aldobiouronic acids and related compounds, and for peracetates and permethylated derivatives of dialdose dianhydrides. Ions (M⁺ + 43) having relatively high intensities were detected in the spectra of disaccharides lacking the dianhydride structure. Peracetylated dialdose dianhydrides showed very weak (M⁺ + 43) ions, and permethylated dianhydrides did not show them. The (M⁺ + 43) ion consisted of molecular ion and acetoxyl radical (but not of the reagent gas). In the c.i. mass spectra of the usual disaccharide peracetates, (M⁺ ? 31) and (M⁺ ? 60) ions had large intensities. In contrast, c.i. mass spectra extremely similar to the corresponding e.i. mass spectra were obtained for dialdose dianhydrides.     

Crystal structures of the apo- and holomutant human lysozymes with an introduced Ca2+ binding site

The three-dimensional structures of apo- and holomutant human lysozymes (D86/92 lysozyme), in which a calcium binding site was designed and created for enhancing molecular stability by replacing both Gln86 and Ala92 with aspartic acids, were refined at 1.8-A resolution by x-ray crystallography. The overall structures and crystallographic thermal factors of all three proteins, the apo-, holo-D86/92, and the wild-type human lysozymes, were essentially identical; these results showed that the introduction of the calcium binding site did not affect either the overall structure or molecular rigidity of the proteins. However, structure analyses of the apo-D86/92 lysozyme revealed that the mutations affected the side chain conformation of residue 86 and hydrogen networks between the protein and the internal solvent molecules. In the structure of the holo-D86/92 lysozyme, seven oxygen ligands formed a slightly distorted pentagonal bipyramid around the calcium ion, indicating that the coordination around the calcium ion was quite similar to that in baboon alpha-lactalbumin. The pentagonal bipyramid coordination could be one of the most widely found and appropriate calcium binding schemes in proteins.     

The signal transduction pathway involved in the migration induced by a monocyte chemotactic cytokine

Recombinant monocyte-chemotactic and activating factor (rMCAF; alternative acronyms MCP-1, TDCF, human JE) induced migration of human monocytes across polycarbonate or nitrocellulose filters. Maximal induction of migration was observed at a concentration of 10 ng/ml (10(-9) M). Checkerboard analysis revealed that rMCAF elicited true gradient-dependent chemotactic migration, although a gradient independent chemokinetic effect was observed at low concentrations (1-5 ng/ml). rMCAF caused a rapid (less than 5 s) and transient (approximately 1.5 min) increase of free cytosolic Ca2+ ions, as assessed by the fura-2 probe. No Ca2+ increase was detected in neutrophils or lymphocytes stimulated by rMCAF. Studies conducted in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ or in the presence of Ni2+ (an inhibitor of Ca2+ influx) suggested that the increase of intracellular Ca2+ induced by rMCAF is dependent on the influx of extracellular Ca2+ through plasma membrane channels. Bordetella pertussis toxin inhibited the intracellular Ca2+ elevation and chemotaxis caused by rMCAF. The possible involvement of Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinases in rMCAF signaling pathway(s) was explored using inhibitors. Inhibitors of GMP-dependent kinase and myosin L chain kinase had no effect on rMCAF-induced monocyte migration. In contrast, protein kinase C/cAMP-dependent kinase inhibitors (such as, C-I, H-7, HA-1004, KT5720, and Staurosporine) markedly decreased rMCAF induced chemotaxis suggesting the involvement of a serine/threonine protein kinase, possibly protein kinase C, in rMCAF signaling pathway.     

Automated determination of orotic acid, uracil and pseudouridine in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with column switching

A column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic method, requiring no sample preparation apart from filtration, is described for quantification of urinary orotic acid, uracil and pseudouridine. The analyses were carried out using a reversed-phase octadecylsilane-bonded column for sample clean-up and a cation-exchange column for separation; 5–20 ]sml samples of urine were directly analysed, and more than 100 samples could be analysed consecutively. Each sample required only 30 min. Detection limits of these compounds were 5 pmol. Creatinine-related urinary uracil excretion was lowest in the newborn period (17.3 ± 14.4 μmol/g of creatinine). A patient with partial ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency and his mother usually excreted a high level of uracil during the period of normal orotic acid excretion and normal serum ammonia level.     

Normal mode refinement: crystallographic refinement of protein dynamic structure. II. Application to human lysozyme.

The dynamic structure of a protein, human lysozyme, is determined by the normal mode refinement of X-ray crystal structure. This method uses the normal modes of both internal and external motions to distinguish the real internal dynamics from the external terms such as lattice disorder, and gives an anisotropic and concerted picture of atomic fluctuations. The refinement is carried out with diffraction data of 5.0 to 1.8 A resolution, which are collected on an imaging plate. The results of the refinement show: (1) Debye-Waller factor consists of two parts, highly anisotropic internal fluctuations and almost isotropic external terms. The former is smaller than the latter by a factor of 0.72 in the scale of B-factor. Therefore, the internal dynamics cannot be recognized directly from the apparent electron density distribution. (2) The internal fluctuations show basically similar features as those predicted by the normal mode analysis, with almost the same amplitude and a similar level of anisotropy. (3) Correlations of fluctuations are detected between two lobes forming the active site cleft, which move simultaneously in opposite directions. This corresponds to the hinge-bending motion of lysozyme.     

International Commission for Protection Against Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens. A method for combining and comparing short-term genotoxicity test data: preface. A report from ICPEMC Committee 1.

The ability to repair 'mis-instructive', O6-methylguanine, and 'non-instructive', AP sites, DNA lesions in Fischer 344 rat livers at various ages was determined. Different behaviours were observed. While the AP-endodesoxyribonuclease enzymes displayed a high constant level throughout the animals' lifetime, the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity presented a stepwise modulation (DNA normalisation of results): the O6-MT activity significantly increased within the first month of animal life and enhanced again after 6 months reaching a maximum plateau in the 12-18-month-old animals. Thereafter a net significant decrease of O6-MT enzyme was detected in the 24-month-old group. While the repair of the widely formed AP sites appeared uniformly efficient like 'house keeping' functions, the removal of the rare precancerous O6-methylguanine is age-dependent indicating a decreased protection of the youngest and oldest animals against this 'mis-instructive' damage. However, any extrapolation of the age-associated cancer risk needs further assessment.