Variety of nucleotide sugar transporters with respect to the interaction with nucleoside mono- and diphosphates

Nucleotide sugar transporters have long been assumed to be antiporters that exclusively use nucleoside monophosphates as antiport substrates. Here we present evidence indicating that two other types of nucleotide sugar transporters exist that differ in their antiport substrate specificity. Biochemical studies using microsomes derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells expressing either human (h) UGTrel7 or the Drosophila (d) FRC (Fringe connection) transporter revealed that (i) efflux of preloaded UDP-glucuronic acid from the yeast microsomes expressing hUGTrel7 was strongly enhanced by UDP-GlcNAc added in the external medium, but not by UMP or UDP, suggesting that hUGTrel7 may be described as a UDP-sugar/UDP-sugar antiporter, and (ii) addition of UDP-sugars, UDP, or UMP in the external medium stimulated the efflux of preloaded UDP-GlcNAc from the yeast microsomes expressing dFRC to a comparable extent, suggesting that UDP, as well as UMP, may serve as an antiport substrate of dFRC. Antiport of UDP-sugars with these specific substrates was reproduced and definitively confirmed using proteoliposomes reconstituted from solubilized and purified transporters. Possible physiological implications of these observations are discussed.     

Peripheral ethanolamine plasmalogen deficiency: a logical causative factor in Alzheimer's disease and dementia

Although dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) is the most common form of dementia, the severity of dementia is only weakly correlated with DAT pathology. In contrast, postmortem measurements of cholinergic function and membrane ethanolamine plasmalogen (PlsEtn) content in the cortex and hippocampus correlate with the severity of dementia in DAT. Currently, the largest risk factor for DAT is age. Because the synthesis of PlsEtn occurs via a single nonredundant peroxisomal pathway that has been shown to decrease with age and PlsEtn is decreased in the DAT brain, we investigated potential relationships between serum PlsEtn levels, dementia severity, and DAT pathology. In total, serum PlsEtn levels were measured in five independent population collections comprising >400 clinically demented and >350 nondemented subjects. Circulating PlsEtn levels were observed to be significantly decreased in serum from clinically and pathologically diagnosed DAT subjects at all stages of dementia, and the severity of this decrease correlated with the severity of dementia. Furthermore, a linear regression model predicted that serum PlsEtn levels decrease years before clinical symptoms. The putative roles that PlsEtn biochemistry play in the etiology of cholinergic degeneration, amyloid accumulation, and dementia are discussed.     

Activation of phospholipase C pathways by a synthetic chondroitin sulfate-E tetrasaccharide promotes neurite outgrowth of dopaminergic neurons

In dopaminergic neurons, chondroitin sulfate (CS) proteoglycans play important roles in neuronal development and regeneration. However, due to the complexity and heterogeneity of CS, the precise structure of CS with biological activity and the molecular mechanisms underlying its influence on dopaminergic neurons are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the ability of synthetic CS oligosaccharides and natural polysaccharides to promote the neurite outgrowth of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons and the signaling pathways activated by CS. CS-E polysaccharide, but not CS-A, -C or -D polysaccharide, facilitated the neurite outgrowth of dopaminergic neurons at CS concentrations within the physiological range. The stimulatory effect of CS-E polysaccharide on neurite outgrowth was completely abolished by its digestion into disaccharide units with chondroitinase ABC. Similarly to CS-E polysaccharide, a synthetic tetrasaccharide displaying only the CS-E sulfation motif stimulated the neurite outgrowth of dopaminergic neurons, whereas a CS-E disaccharide or unsulfated tetrasaccharide had no effect. Analysis of the molecular mechanisms revealed that the action of the CS-E tetrasaccharide was mediated through midkine-pleiotrophin/protein tyrosine phosphatase zeta and brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tyrosine kinase B receptor pathways, followed by activation of the two intracellular phospholipase C (PLC) signaling cascades: PLC/protein kinase C and PLC/inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate/inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor signaling leading to intracellular Ca(2+) concentration-dependent activation of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II and calcineurin. These results indicate that a specific sulfation motif, in particular the CS-E tetrasaccharide unit, represents a key structural determinant for activation of midkine, pleiotrophin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor-mediated signaling, and is required for the neuritogenic activity of CS in dopaminergic neurons.     

E6AP-dependent degradation of DLG4/PSD95 by high-risk human papillomavirus type 18 E6 protein

In most cervical cancers, DNAs of high-risk mucosotropic human papillomaviruses (HPVs), such as types 16 and 18, are maintained so as to express two viral proteins, E6 and E7, suggesting that they play important roles in carcinogenesis. The carboxy-terminal PDZ domain-binding motif of the E6 proteins is in fact essential for transformation of rodent cells and induction of hyperplasia in E6-transgenic mouse skin. To date, seven PDZ domain-containing proteins, including DLG1/hDLG, which is a human homologue of the Drosophila discs large tumor suppressor (Dlg), have been identified as targets of high-risk HPV E6 proteins. Here, we describe DLG4/PSD95, another human homologue of Dlg, as a novel E6 target. DLG4 was found to be expressed in normal human cells, including cervical keratinocytes, but only to a limited extent in both HPV-positive and HPV-negative cervical cancer cell lines. Expression of HPV18 E6 in HCK1T decreased DLG4 levels more strongly than did HPV16 E6, the carboxy-terminal motif of the proteins being critical for binding and degradation of DLG4 in vitro. DLG4 levels were restored by expression of either E6AP-specific short hairpin RNA or bovine papillomavirus type 1 E2 in HeLa but not CaSki or SiHa cells, reflecting downregulation of DLG4 mRNA as opposed to protein by an HPV-independent mechanism in HPV16-positive cancer lines. The tumorigenicity of CaSki cells was strongly inhibited by forced expression of DLG4, while growth in culture was not inhibited at all. These results suggest that DLG4 may function as a tumor suppressor in the development of HPV-associated cancers.     

Simultaneous Treatment of Dioxins and Heavy Metals in Tagonoura Harbor Sediment by Two-Step Pyrolysis

This paper describes the simultaneous treatment of PCDD/PCDF and toxic heavy metals contaminated sediment by pyrolysis with emphasis on complete removal and destruction of PCDD/PCDF in Tagonoura harbor sediment during a two-step pyrolysis process. Pyrolysis was conducted at different temperatures and N ₂ gas flow rates. Results showed that almost all PCDD/PCDF (99.998%) can be removed from the sediment by treatment at 800°C for 30 minutes in single-step pyrolysis; however, PCDD/PCDF remained in the gas phase without destruction. Analysis also revealed that some PCDD/PCDF formation occurred during the single-step pyrolysis. However, by the use of two-step pyrolysis, where off-gases from the first furnace are heated at 1000°C, PCDD/PCDF in the final gas effluent was dramatically reduced by a thermal degradation mechanism. Stabilization of toxic heavy metals was also observed. Specifically, their leaching activity drastically decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Significant metal volatilization did not occur. Though the low temperature pyrolysis was effective in removing PCDD/PCDF, the leachability of toxic heavy metals such as Cr and Ni was higher that of 800°C; however, lower than untreated. Two-step pyrolysis at 800°C for 30 minutes in the single-step and 1000°C in the two-step pyrolyzer would be effective for the treatment of sediments contaminated with PCDD/PCDF, toxic heavy metals and organic matters simultaneously.     

Absence of increased alpha1-microglobulin in IgA nephropathy proteinuria

To search for biomarkers of IgA nephropathy, protein profiles of urine samples from patients with IgA nephropathy and normal volunteers were compared using two-dimensional DIGE. Most of the 172 spots identified in the urine were serum proteins, and their amounts in IgA nephropathy urine were much higher than those in normal urine; this can be explained as proteinuria caused by glomerular dysfunction. However, only alpha(1)-microglobulin, also one of the major serum proteins, in IgA nephropathy urine was not higher in amount than that in normal urine. We confirmed using ELISA analysis that the amounts of transferrin and albumin in IgA nephropathy and diabetic nephropathy urine were much higher than those in normal urine, whereas the amount of alpha(1)-microglobulin in IgA nephropathy urine was not higher than that in normal urine and was much lower than that in diabetic nephropathy urine. Approximately 50% of alpha(1)-microglobulin forms a complex with IgA in serum. These results suggest that alpha(1)-microglobulin in IgA nephropathy urine is a characteristic protein and might be a biomarker for IgA nephropathy and that alpha(1)-microglobulin might have a relationship with IgA nephropathy pathology.     

Liquid chromatography method for detecting native fluorescent bioamines in urine using post-column derivatization and intramolecular FRET detection

Liquid chromatography (LC) with fluorescence detection is described for simultaneous determination of native fluorescent bioamines (indoleamines and catecholamines). This is based on intramolecular fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) in an LC system following post-column derivatization of native fluorescent bioamines' amino groups with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA). OPA fluorescence was achieved through an intramolecular FRET process when the molecules were excited at maximum excitation wavelength of the native fluorescent bioamines. Bioamines separated by reversed-phase LC on ODS column were derivatized with OPA and 2-mercaptoethanol. This method provides sufficient selectivity and sensitivity for the determination of normetanephrine, dopamine, tyrosine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, tryptamine, and tryptophan in healthy human urine without prior sample purification.     

Where is the right path heading from the centromere to spindle microtubules?

The kinetochore is a large protein complex that ensures accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis by connecting the centromere and spindle microtubules. One of the kinetochore sub-complexes, the constitutive centromere-associated network (CCAN), associates with the centromere and recruits another sub-complex, the KMN (KNL1, Mis12, and Ndc80 complexes) network (KMN), which binds to spindle microtubules. The CCAN-KMN interaction is mediated by two parallel pathways (CENP-C- and CENP-T-pathways) in the kinetochore, which bridge the centromere and microtubules. Here, we discuss dynamic protein-interaction changes in the two pathways that couple the centromere with spindle microtubules during mitotic progression.