Doxazosin inhibits human vascular endothelial cell adhesion, migration, and invasion

The quinazoline-derived alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists, doxazosin and terazosin have been recently shown to induce an anoikis effect in human prostate cancer cells and to suppress prostate tumor vascularity in clinical specimens [Keledjian and Kyprianou, 2003]. This study sought to examine the ability of doxazosin to affect the growth of human vascular endothelial cells and to modulate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-mediated angiogenesis. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were used as an in vitro model to determine the effect of doxazosin on cell growth, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, and angiogenic response of endothelial cells. The effect of doxazosin on cell viability and apoptosis induction of human endothelial cells, was evaluated on the basis of trypan blue and Hoechst 33342 staining, respectively. Doxazosin antagonized the VEGF-mediated angiogenic response of HUVEC cells, by abrogating cell adhesion to fibronectin and collagen-coated surfaces and inhibiting cell migration, via a potential downregulation of VEGF expression. Furthermore there was a significant suppression of in vitro angiogenesis by doxazosin on the basis of VEGF-mediated endothelial tube formation (P < 0.01). Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) significantly enhanced HUVEC cell tube formation (P < 0.01) and this effect was suppressed by doxazosin. These findings provide new insight into the ability of doxazosin to suppress the growth and angiogenic response of human endothelial cells by interfering with VEGF and FGF-2 action. This evidence may have potential therapeutic significance in using this quinazoline-based compound as an antiangiogenic agent for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.     

Theoretical and spectroscopic evidence for coordination ability of 3,3'-benzylidenedi-4-hydroxycoumarin. New neodymium (III) complex and its cytotoxic effect

Theoretical and spectroscopic studies of 3,3'-benzylidenedi-4-hydroxycoumarin (bhc) have been performed. B3LYP/6-31G* calculations reproduced the experimental molecular structure of bhc and showed two O-H...O asymmetrical intramolecular hydrogen bonds with O...O distances 2.638 and 2.696 A. The calculated Fukui functions and Molecular Electrostatic Potential for bhc and its deprotonated form, bhc(2-), predicted that the most probable reactive sites for electrophilic attack and hydrogen bonds are the carbonyl oxygens, followed by the hydroxyl oxygens. The coordination ability of 3,3'-benzylidenedi-4-hydroxycoumarin has been proved in a complexation reaction with neodymium (III) ion. The new neodymium (III) complex of bhc was studied by elemental analyses, conductivity and other physical properties, mass spectra, (1)H, (13)C NMR, UV-Vis and IR spectroscopy. The data obtained are in agreement with the metal:ligand ratio of 1:1, and the formula Nd(bhc(2-))(OH)(H(2)O), where bhc(2-)=C(25)H(14)O(6)(2-). The vibrational analysis of the neodymium (III) complex, free bhc, and its monomeric building block, 4-hydroxycoumarin, showed that in the Nd(III) complex the ligand coordinates to the metal ion through both deprotonated hydroxyl groups. The participation of both carbonyl groups in coordination to the metal ion was confirmed by the significant shift of nu(C=O) to lower wavenumber. The evaluation of the cytotoxic activity of the new Nd(III) complex on SKW-3 and HL-60/Dox cells revealed, that it is a potent cytotoxic agent and should be subset further to more detailed pharmacological and toxicological study.     

Aberrant heteroplasmic transmission of mtDNA in cloned pigs arising from double nuclear transfer

Double nuclear transfer begins with the transfer of nuclear DNA from a donor cell into an enucleated recipient oocyte. This reconstructed oocyte is allowed to develop to the pronuclear stage, where the pronuclei are transferred into an enucleated zygote. This reconstructed zygote is then transferred to a surrogate sow. The genetic integrity of cloned offspring can be compromised by the transmission of mitochondrial DNA from the donor cell, the recipient oocyte and the recipient zygote. We have verified through the use of sequence analysis, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, allele specific PCR and primer extension polymorphism analysis that following double nuclear transfer the donor cell mtDNA is eliminated. However, it is likely that the recipient oocyte and zygote mitochondrial DNA are transmitted to the offspring, indicating bimaternal mitochondrial DNA transmission. This pattern of mtDNA inheritance is similar to that observed following cytoplasmic transfer and violates the strict unimaternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA to offspring. This form of transmission raises concerns regarding the genetic integrity of cloned offspring and their uses in studies that require metabolic analysis or a stable genetic environment where only one variable is under analysis, such as in knockout technology.     

An invasion of cheats; the evolution of worthless nuptial gifts

Nuptial gifts are food items or inedible tokens that are transferred to females during courtship or copulation . Tokens are of no direct value to females, and it is unknown why females require such worthless gifts as a precondition of mating. One hypothesis is that token giving arose in species that gave nutritious gifts and males exploited female preferences for nutritional gifts by substituting more easily obtainable but worthless items. An invasion of such behavior would require that females accept the substitute gift and copulate for a period of time similar to that with genuine gifts. We show that both these prerequisites are met in the dance fly Rhamphomyia sulcata, in which females normally accept a nutritious gift. We removed the gift from copulating pairs and replaced it with either a large or small prey item or inedible token. We found that although pairs copulated longest with a large genuine gift, the tokens resulted in copula durations equivalent to those with a small genuine gift. We also observed that males that returned to the lek with tokens re-paired successfully. These findings suggest that female behavior in genuine gift-giving species is susceptible to the invasion of male cheating on reproductive investment.     

Investigation of the methanogen population structure and activity in a brackish lake sediment

The methanogen community in sediment from the edge of a small brackish lake connected to the Beaulieu Estuary (Hampshire, UK) was investigated by analysis of 16S rRNA gene diversity using new methanogen-specific primers plus Archaea-specific primers. 16S rRNA gene primers previously used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of methanogenic Archaea from a variety of environments were evaluated by in silico testing. The primers displayed variable coverage of the four main orders of methanogens, highlighting the importance of this type of primer evaluation. Three PCR primer sets were designed using novel reverse primers to facilitate specific amplification of the orders Methanomicrobiales/Methanosarcinales, Methanobacteriales and Methanococcales. Diversity of the methanogen functional gene, methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA), was also studied. All gene libraries constructed from this sediment indicated that Methanomicrobiales and Methanosarcinales were the only methanogens detected. There was good agreement between the relative sequence abundances in the methanogen-specific 16S rRNA gene library and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) profiling, suggesting that the population was dominated by putative H2 CO2 utilizing Methanomicrobiales, although acetate-utilizing methanogens were also present. The methanogen population analyses were in agreement with methanogenic activity measurements, which indicated that bicarbonate methanogenesis was higher than acetate methanogenesis at all depths measured and overall there was a significant difference (P = 0.001) between the rates of the two pathways. This study demonstrates the utility of new 16S rRNA gene PCR primers targeting specific methanogenic orders, and the combined results suggest that the CO2 reduction pathway dominates methanogenesis in the brackish sediment investigated.     

Construction of carbon chains on ruthenium and osmium carbonyl clusters

We have used the elimination of AuX(PR₃) (X = halide, R = Ph, tol) that occurs in reactions of alkynylgold(I)-phosphine complexes with M₃(μ-H)₃ (μ₃-CBr) (CO)₉ (M = Ru, Os) to prepare the complexes M₃(μ-H)₃(μ₃-CCCR)(CO)₉ [M = Ru, R = Ph 2, CCSiMe₃3, Fc 4, CCFc 6-Ru, CC[Ru(PPh₃)₂Cp] 8; M = Os, R = CCFc 6-Os, CCCCFc 7], Fc′{(μ₃-CCC)Ru₃(μ-H)₃(CO)₉}₂5, and bis-cluster-capped carbon chain complexes {M₃(μ-H)₃(CO)₉}₂{μ₃:μ₃-C(CC)_nC} (M = Ru, n = 2 9, 3 10-Ru; M = Os, n = 3 10-Os) and {(L)(OC)₈(μ-H)₃M₃}C(CC)_nC{Co₃(μ-dppm)(CO)₇} (n = 1, M = Ru, L = CO 11, PPh₃12-Ru/P; n = 2, L = CO 12-Ru, PPh₃13; M = Os, L = CO 12-Os) in good to excellent yields. X-ray structural determinations of 2-5, 6-Ru, 6-Os, 7, 9, 11, 12-Ru, 12-Os and 12-Ru/P are reported.     

Myosin V attachment to cargo requires the tight association of two functional subdomains

The myosin V carboxyl-terminal globular tail domain is essential for the attachment of myosin V to all known cargoes. Previously, the globular tail was viewed as a single, functional entity. Here, we show that the globular tail of the yeast myosin Va homologue, Myo2p, contains two structural subdomains that have distinct functions, namely, vacuole-specific and secretory vesicle-specific movement. Biochemical and genetic analyses demonstrate that subdomain I tightly associates with subdomain II, and that the interaction does not require additional proteins. Importantly, although neither subdomain alone is functional, simultaneous expression of the separate subdomains produces a functional complex in vivo. Our results suggest a model whereby intramolecular interactions between the globular tail subdomains help to coordinate the transport of multiple distinct cargoes by myosin V.     

Lipoyl synthase requires two equivalents of S-adenosyl-L-methionine to synthesize one equivalent of lipoic acid

Lipoyl synthase (LipA) catalyzes the formation of the lipoyl cofactor, which is employed by several multienzyme complexes for the oxidative decarboxylation of various alpha-keto acids, as well as the cleavage of glycine into CO(2) and NH(3), with concomitant transfer of its alpha-carbon to tetrahydrofolate, generating N(5),N(10)-methylenetetrahydrofolate. In each case, the lipoyl cofactor is tethered covalently in an amide linkage to a conserved lysine residue located on a designated lipoyl-bearing subunit of the complex. Genetic and biochemical studies suggest that lipoyl synthase is a member of a newly established class of metalloenzymes that use S-adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet) as a source of a 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical (5'-dA(*)), which is an obligate intermediate in each reaction. These enzymes contain iron-sulfur clusters, which provide an electron during the cleavage of AdoMet, forming l-methionine in addition to the primary radical. Recently, one substrate for lipoyl synthase has been shown to be the octanoylated derivative of the lipoyl-bearing subunit (E(2)) of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex [Zhao, S., Miller, J. R., Jian, Y., Marletta, M. A., and Cronan, J. E., Jr. (2003) Chem. Biol. 10, 1293-1302]. Herein, we show that the octanoylated derivative of the lipoyl-bearing subunit of the glycine cleavage system (H-protein) is also a substrate for LipA, providing further evidence that the cofactor is synthesized on its target protein. Moreover, we show that the 5'-dA(*) acts directly on the octanoyl substrate, as evidenced by deuterium transfer from [octanoyl-d(15)]H-protein to 5'-deoxyadenosine. Last, our data indicate that 2 equiv of AdoMet are cleaved irreversibly in forming 1 equiv of [lipoyl]H-protein and are consistent with a model in which two LipA proteins are required to synthesize one lipoyl group.     

O-GlcNAc a sensor of cellular state: the role of nucleocytoplasmic glycosylation in modulating cellular function in response to nutrition and stress

Myriad nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins in metazoans are modified on Ser and Thr residues by the monosaccharide O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc). The rapid and dynamic change in O-GlcNAc levels in response to extracellular stimuli, morphogens, the cell cycle and development suggests a key role for O-GlcNAc in signal transduction pathways. Modulation of O-GlcNAc levels has profound effects on the functioning of cells, in part mediated through a complex interplay between O-GlcNAc and O-phosphate. In many well-studied proteins, the O-GlcNAc modification and phosphorylation are reciprocal. That is, they occur on different subsets of the protein population, as the site of attachment occurs on the same or adjacent Ser/Thr residues. Recently, O-GlcNAc has been implicated in the etiology of type II diabetes, the regulation of stress response pathways, and in the regulation of the proteasome.