Retinal Flip in Rhodopsin Activation?

Rhodopsin is a well-characterized structural model of a G protein-coupled receptor. Photoisomerization of the covalently bound retinal triggers activation. Surprisingly, the x-ray crystal structure of the active Meta-II state has a 180° rotation about the long-axis of the retinal polyene chain. Unbiased microsecond-timescale all-atom molecular dynamics simulations show that the retinal cofactor can flip back to the orientation observed in the inactive state of rhodopsin under conditions favoring the Meta-I state. Our results provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence from molecular dynamics simulations showing how rotation of the retinal ligand within its binding pocket can occur in the activation mechanism of rhodopsin.     

Risk and benefit judgment of excreta as fertilizer in agriculture: An exploratory investigation in Rwanda and Uganda

This research explores the use of psychometric techniques to improve understanding of psychological mechanisms underlying judgment of excreta as fertilizer in agriculture including other excreta-related activities. Participants consisted of environmental health students, smallholder farmers, and traders in rural and urban Rwanda and Uganda. The finding reveals an inverse relationship between risk and benefit judgments. This relationship holds for the three groups of participants with significant risk and benefit correlations of p < .0001. This finding is consistent with other studies in showing that affect plays a key role in risk perception, judgment, and decision-making. Building on this finding, we conclude that individuals with high risk and low benefit judgment for excreta-related practices would eschew them or emphasize strict standards. Individuals with a high benefit and low risk judgment would engage in excreta management practices regardless of the actual risks involved. This finding is relevant for risk communication and risk management as it indicates that individuals do not rely only on risk management information they receive concerning excreta and related risks but also depend, to an extent, on their feelings about these substances when making judgments and decisions regarding the purpose for using excreta as fertilizer and the level of exposure they can tolerate and manage.     

Automated docking to explore subsite binding by glycoside hydrolase family 6 cellobiohydrolases and endoglucanases

Cellooligosaccharides were computationally docked using AutoDock into the active sites of the glycoside hydrolase Family 6 enzymes Hypocrea jecorina (formerly Trichoderma reesei) cellobiohydrolase and Thermobifida fusca endoglucanase. Subsite -2 exerts the greatest intermolecular energy in binding beta-glucosyl residues, with energies progressively decreasing to either side. Cumulative forces imparting processivity exerted by these two enzymes are significantly less than by the equivalent glycoside hydrolase Family 7 enzymes studied previously. Putative subsites -4, -3, +3, and +4 exist in H. jecorina cellobiohydrolase, along with putative subsites -4, -3, and +3 in T. fusca endoglucanase, but they are less important than subsites -2, -1, +1, and +2. In general, binding adds 3-7 kcal/mol to ligand intramolecular energies because of twisting of scissile glycosidic bonds. Distortion of beta-glucosyl residues to the (2)S(O) conformation by binding in subsite -1 adds approximately 7 kcal/mol to substrate intramolecular energies.     

In vivo 3-D distributions of electric fields in pig skin with rectangular pulse electrical current stimulation (RPECS)

We developed stimulating and detecting electrodes. We experimentally examined three dimensional (3-D) distributions of electric fields in living pig skin under and around the stimulating electrodes with the detecting electrodes and rectangular pulsed electrical current stimulation (RPECS). We verified our previous physical assumption, E ≈ I / (A σ_dz), in the skin under the electrode, where E, I, A and σ_dz respectively represent the electric field, the externally imposed peak current, the cross sectional area of the stimulating electrode and the perpendicular conductivity of the skin. Pulses were 30 mA, 140 μs and 128 pulses per second (pps). These parameters were previously used in our laboratory to enhance cutaneous regeneration, in vivo, with RPECS. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Acceptor specificity of the human leukocyte alpha3 fucosyltransferase: role of FucT-VII in the generation of selectin ligands

The alpha3 fucosyltransferase, FucT-VII, is one of the key glycosyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of the sialyl Lewis X (sLex) antigen on human leukocytes. The sialyl Lewis X antigen (NeuAcalpha(2-3)Galbeta(1-4)[Fucalpha(1-3)]GlcNAc-R) is an essential component of the recruitment of leukocytes to sites of inflammation, mediating the primary interaction between circulating leukocytes and activated endothelium. In order to characterize the enzymatic properties of the leukocyte alpha3 fucosyltransferase FucT-VII, the enzyme has been expressed in Trichoplusia ni insect cells. The enzyme is capable of synthesizing both sLexand sialyl-dimeric-Lexstructures in vitro , from 3'-sialyl-lacNAc and VIM-2 structures, respectively, with only low levels of fucose transfer observed to neutral or 3'-sulfated acceptors. Studies using fucosylated NeuAcalpha(2-3)-(Galbeta(1- 4)GlcNAc)3-Me acceptors demonstrate that FucT-VII is able to synthesize both di-fucosylated and tri-fucosylated structures from mono- fucosylated precursors, but preferentially fucosylates the distal GlcNAc within a polylactosamine chain. Furthermore, the rate of fucosylation of the internal GlcNAc residues is reduced once fucose has been added to the distal GlcNAc. These results indicate that FucT-VII is capable of generating complex selectin ligands, in vitro , however the order of fucose addition to the lactosamine chain affects the rate of selectin ligand synthesis.      

Analysis of functional divergence within two structurally related glycoside hydrolase families

Two glycoside hydrolase (GH) families were analyzed to detect the presence of functional divergence using the program DIVERGE. These two families, GH7 and GH16, each contain members related by amino acid sequence similarity, retaining hydrolytic mechanisms, and catalytic residue identity. GH7 and GH16 comprise GH Clan B, with a shared β‐jelly roll topology and mechanism. GH7 contains fungal cellobiohydrolases and endoglucanases and is divided into five main subfamilies, four of the former and one of the latter. Cluster comparisons between three of the cellobiohydrolase subfamilies and the endoglucanase subfamily identified specific amino acid residues that play a role in the functional divergence between the two enzyme types. GH16 contains subfamilies of bacterial agarases, xyloglucosyl transferases, 1,3‐β‐D ‐glucanases, lichenases, and other enzymes with various substrate specificities and product profiles. Four cluster comparisons between these four main subfamilies again have identified amino acid residues involved in functional divergence between the subfamilies. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 91: 478–495, 2009. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com     

Bacterial siderophores: structures of pyoverdins Pt, siderophores of Pseudomonas tolaasii NCPPB 2192, and pyoverdins Pf, siderophores of Pseudomonas fluorescens CCM 2798. Identification of an unusual natural amino acid

Pyoverdins were isolated and characterized respectively from the cultures of Pseudomonas tolaasii NCPPB 2192 (pyoverdins Pt, Pt A, and Pt B) and Pseudomonas fluorescens CCM 2798 (Pyoverdins Pf/1, Pf/2, Pf, Pf/3/1, and Pf/3/2) each grown in iron-deficient conditions. Their structures were established by using FAB-MS, NMR, and CD techniques. These siderophores are chromopeptides, and all but one (pyoverdin Pf/3/3) possess at the N-terminal end of their peptide chain the same chromophore that has been reported in pyoverdin Pa from Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15692 [Wendenbaum, S., Demange, P., Dell, A., Meyer, J. M., & Abdallah, M. A. (1983) Tetrahedron Lett. 24, 4877-4880] and pseudobactin B 10 from Pseudomonas B10 [Teintze, M., Hossain, M. B., Barnes, C. L., Leong, J., & Van der Helm, D. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 6446-6457] which is derived from 2,3-diamino-6,7-dihydroxyquinoline. In pyoverdins Pt this chromophore is bound to a linear peptide chain D-Ser-L-Lys-L-Ser-D-Ser-L-Thr-D-Ser-L-OHOrn-L-Thr-D-Ser-D-OHOrn (cyclic) which has its C-terminal end blocked by cyclic D-N delta-hydroxyornithine. In pyoverdins Pf, the peptide chain is also linear, SerCTHPMD-Gly-L-Ser-D-threo-OHAsp-L-Ala-Gly-D-Ala-Gly-L-O HOrn(cyclic), and contains an unusual natural amino acid which is the result of the condensation of 1 mol of serine and 1 mol of 2,4-diaminobutyric acid, forming a cyclic amidine. The pyoverdins Pt differ only in substituent bound to the nitrogen on C-3 of the chromophore, which is succinic acid in pyoverdin Pt A, succinamide in pyoverdin Pt, and alpha-ketoglutaric acid bound to the chromophore by its C-5 carbon atom in pyoverdin Pt B. Similarly, pyoverdin Pf/1, pyoverdin Pf/2, pyoverdin Pf (the major compound), and pyoverdin Pf/3/2 are substituted respectively by L-malic acid, succinic acid, L-malic amide, and succinamide. Pyoverdin Pf/3/3 has the same chromophore as azotobactin, the peptidic siderophore of Azotobacter vinelandii. These pyoverdins are very similar to pseudobactin B 10, the siderophore of Pseudomonas B10: they are linear peptides containing three bidentate groups strongly chelating Fe(III) and blocked at their N-terminal end by the catecholic chromophore and at their C-terminal end by cyclic N delta-hydroxyornithine. They differ therefore from other pyoverdins such as those from P. aeruginosa ATCC 15692 which contain a partly cyclic peptide [Briskot, G., Taraz, K., & Budzikiewicz, H. (1989) Liebigs Ann. Chem., 375-384].     

Apoptosis and differentiation commitment: novel insights revealed by gene profiling studies in mouse embryonic stem cells

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells remain pluripotent in vitro when grown in the presence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). LIF starvation leads to apoptosis of some of the ES-derived differentiated cells, together with p38alpha mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation. Apoptosis, but not morphological cell differentiation, is blocked by a p38 inhibitor, PD169316. To further understand the mechanism of action of this compound, we have identified its specific targets by microarray studies. We report on the global expression profiles of genes expressed at 3 days upon LIF withdrawal (d3) compared to pluripotent cells and of genes whose expression is modulated at d3 under anti-apoptotic conditions. We showed that at d3 without LIF cells express, earlier than anticipated, specialized cell markers and that when the apoptotic process was impaired, expression of differentiation markers was altered. In addition, functional tests revealed properties of anti-apoptotic proteins not to alter cell pluripotency and a novel role for metallothionein 1 gene, which prevents apoptosis of early differentiated cells.