3-[2-(Aminomethyl)-5-[(pyridin-4-yl)carbamoyl]phenyl] benzoates as soft ROCK inhibitors

Clinical development of ROCK inhibitors has so far been limited by systemic or local ROCK-associated side effects. A soft drug approach, which involves predictable metabolic inactivation of an active compound to a nontoxic metabolite, could represent an attractive way to obtain ROCK inhibitors with improved tolerability. We herein report the design and synthesis of a new series of soft ROCK inhibitors structurally related to the ROCK inhibitor Y-27632. These inhibitors contain carboxylic ester moieties which allow inactivation by esterases. While the parent esters display strong activity in enzymatic (ROCK2) and cellular (MLC phosphorylation) assays, their corresponding carboxylic acid metabolites have negligible functional activity. Compound 32 combined strong efficacy (ROCK2 IC₅₀ = 2.5 nM) with rapid inactivation in plasma (t_1/2 <5′). Compound 32 also demonstrated in vivo efficacy when evaluated as an IOP-lowering agent in ocular normotensive New-Zealand White rabbits, without ocular side effects.     

Lactocepin secreted by Lactobacillus exerts anti-inflammatory effects by selectively degrading proinflammatory chemokines

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Highlights? PrtP-encoded lactocepin degrades proinflammatory chemokines, notably IP-10 ? Lactocepin reduces lymphocyte infiltration in an ileitis model ? Lactocepin lowers IP-10 levels and cecal inflammation in a colitis model ? Lactocepin-based therapy may be a treatment option for chemokine-mediated diseases     

Diversity of culturable sulfidogenic bacteria in two oil–water separation tanks in the north-eastern oil fields of India

Sulfidogenic communities in the production waters of onshore oil fields in north-eastern India were examined using a culturing approach. Production water samples were inoculated into medium selective for Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) and Thiosulfate Reducing Bacteria (TRB). The total number of viable sulfidogenic microorganisms in the samples obtained from the two production water tanks was approximately 10⁵ MPN ml^?1 (most probable number per ml). Most of the isolates were thermo-tolerant and could be grown between 40 and 45 °C. Hydrogen sulfide production by TRB was significantly higher than by SRB. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolates were grouped in nine different phylotypes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that most of the SRB were affiliated with the phylum Proteobacteria, encompassing Gram-negative bacteria, belonging to the genera Desulfovibrio, Desulfomicrobium, and Desulfobulbus. However, five isolates grouped with the genus Desulfotomaculum were found to be gram-positive SRB. Most of the thiosulfate reducing isolates was affiliated with the phylum Firmicutes, including Clostridium and Fusibacter and also with the phylum Proteobacteria, including the genera Enterobacter and Citrobacter. Phylotypes related to Clostridium (69%) and Desulfovibrio (53%) dominated the community in the production water samples. This study demonstrates the diversity of the TRB and SRB that play a critical role in the souring mediated corrosion of the oil–water separation tanks in the north-eastern India oil fields.     

Isolation of endothelial cells from fresh tissues

Here, we present a protocol for the isolation of endothelial cells (ECs) from tissues. ECs make up a minor population of cells in a tissue, but play a major role in tissue homeostasis, as well as in diverse pathologies. To understand the biology of ECs, characterization of this cell population is highly desirable, but requires the availability of purified cells. For this purpose, tissues are mechanically minced and subsequently digested enzymatically with collagenase and dispase. ECs in the resulting single-cell suspension are labeled with Abs against EC surface antigens and separated from the remainder of the cells and debris by capture with magnetic beads or by high-speed cell sorting. Purified ECs are viable and suitable for characterization of diverse cellular properties. This protocol is optimized for human tissues but can also be adapted for use with other species. Depending on the tissue, the procedure can be completed in approximately 6 h.     

Galpha12/Galpha13 deficiency causes localized overmigration of neurons in the developing cerebral and cerebellar cortices

The heterotrimeric G proteins G₁₂ and G₁₃ link G-protein-coupled receptors to the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and the induction of actomyosin-based cellular contractility. Here we show that conditional ablation of the genes encoding the α-subunits of G₁₂ and G₁₃ in the nervous system results in neuronal ectopia of the cerebral and cerebellar cortices due to overmigration of cortical plate neurons and cerebellar Purkinje cells, respectively. The organization of the radial glia and the basal lamina was not disturbed, and the Cajal-Retzius cell layer had formed normally in mutant mice. Embryonic cortical neurons lacking G₁₂/G₁₃ were unable to retract their neurites in response to lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosine-1-phosphate, indicating that they had lost the ability to respond to repulsive mediators acting via G-protein-coupled receptors. Our data indicate that G₁₂/G₁₃-coupled receptors mediate stop signals and are required for the proper positioning of migrating cortical plate neurons and Purkinje cells during development.     

Synergistic antifungal activity of two chitin-binding proteins from spindle tree (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Euonymus europaeus</Emphasis> L.)

Two structurally different chitin-binding proteins were isolated from bark and leaves of the spindle tree (Euonymus europaeus L.). Both the small hevein-like chitin-binding protein (Ee-CBP) and the classical class-I chitinase (Ee-chitinase) possess antifungal properties, Ee-CBP being far more potent than Ee-chitinase. In addition, Ee-CBP and Ee-chitinase display a pronounced synergistic effect when added together in the test medium. Determination of the biological activities indicates that the synergism between Ee-CBP and Ee-chitinase relies on a different mode of action. Cloning and sequencing of the corresponding genes further revealed that Ee-CBP and Ee-chitinase are simultaneously expressed in bark and leaf tissues, and hence can act synergistically in planta. Moreover, analysis of the deduced sequences allowed the exact relationship between the structurally different Ee-CBP and Ee-chitinase to be corroborated. Both proteins are synthesized as similar chimeric precursors consisting of an N-terminal hevein domain linked to a C-terminal chitinase-like domain by a hinge region. However, whereas in the case of Ee-chitinase the C-terminal chitinase domain remains linked to the N-terminal hevein domain, the corresponding domain is cleaved from the Ee-CBP-precursor resulting in the formation of the hevein-type Ee-CBP. Since both precursors are—apart from the hinge region between the hevein and chitinase domains—very similar, the Ee-CBP/Ee-chitinase system offers a unique opportunity to study the importance of sequence and/or structural information comprised in the hinge region for the posttranslational processing of the respective precursor proteins.Abbreviations AMP Antimicrobial protein - CBP Chitin-binding protein - GlcNAc N-Acetylglucosamine - HCA Hydrophobic cluster analysis - MeJA Methyl jasmonate - PDB Potato dextrose broth - RACE Rapid amplification of cDNA ends - SPR Surface plasmon resonance - UDA Urtica dioica agglutinin - WGA Wheat (Triticum aestivum) germ agglutinin     

Endoxylanase substrate selectivity determines degradation of wheat water-extractable and water-unextractable arabinoxylan

The relative activity of an endoxylanase towards water-unextractable (WU-AX) and water-extractable arabinoxylan (WE-AX) substrates, referred to as endoxylanase substrate selectivity, impacts the enzyme functionality in cereal-based biotechnological processes such as bread-making and gluten starch separation. A set of six endoxylanases representing a range of substrate selectivities as determined by a screening method using chromophoric substrates [Anal. Biochem.2003, 319, 73-77] was used to examine the impact of such selectivity on changes in structural characteristics of wheat WU-AX and WE-AX upon enzymic hydrolysis. While WE-AX degradation by the selected endoxylanases was very comparable with respect to apparent molecular mass (MM) profiles and arabinose to xylose ratio of the hydrolysates formed, WU-AX solubilisation and subsequent degradation of solubilised fragments gave rise to widely varying MM profiles, depending on the substrate selectivity of the enzymes. Enzymes with high selectivity towards WU-AX de facto generated higher MM fragments from WU-AX than enzymes with low selectivity. The arabinose to xylose ratios of solubilised fragments were independent of the degree of solubilisation.     

Loss of Gq/11 family G proteins in the nervous system causes pituitary somatotroph hypoplasia and dwarfism in mice

Heterotrimeric G proteins of the Gq/11 family transduce signals from a variety of neurotransmitter and hormone receptors and have therefore been implicated in various functions of the nervous system. Using the Cre/loxP system, we generated mice which lack the genes coding for the alpha subunits of the two main members of the Gq/11 family, gnaq and gna11, selectively in neuronal and glial precursor cells. Mice with defective gnaq and gna11 genes were morphologically normal, but they died shortly after birth. Mice carrying a single gna11 allele survived the early postnatal period but died within 3 to 6 weeks as anorectic dwarfs. In these mice, postnatal proliferation of pituitary somatotroph cells was strongly impaired, and plasma growth hormone (GH) levels were reduced to 15%. Hypothalamic levels of GH-releasing hormone (GHRH), an important stimulator of somatotroph proliferation, were strongly decreased, and exogenous administration of GHRH restored normal proliferation. The hypothalamic effects of ghrelin, a regulator of GHRH production and food intake, were reduced in these mice, suggesting that an impairment of ghrelin receptor signaling might contribute to GHRH deficiency and abnormal eating behavior. Taken together, our findings show that Gq/11 signaling is required for normal hypothalamic function and that impairment of this signaling pathway causes somatotroph hypoplasia, dwarfism, and anorexia.     

The oxidase DsbA folds a protein with a nonconsecutive disulfide

One of the last unsolved problems of molecular biology is how the sequential amino acid information leads to a functional protein. Correct disulfide formation within a protein is hereby essential. We present periplasmic ribonuclease I (RNase I) from Escherichia coli as a new endogenous substrate for the study of oxidative protein folding. One of its four disulfides is between nonconsecutive cysteines. In general view, the folding of proteins with nonconsecutive disulfides requires the protein disulfide isomerase DsbC. In contrast, our study with RNase I shows that DsbA is a sufficient catalyst for correct disulfide formation in vivo and in vitro. DsbA is therefore more specific than generally assumed. Further, we show that the redox potential of the periplasm depends on the presence of glutathione and the Dsb proteins to maintain it at-165 mV. We determined the influence of this redox potential on the folding of RNase I. Under the more oxidizing conditions of dsb(-) strains, DsbC becomes necessary to correct non-native disulfides, but it cannot substitute for DsbA. Altogether, DsbA folds a protein with a nonconsecutive disulfide as long as no incorrect disulfides are formed.