Simultaneous analysis of phenylglycols and phenylethanols in human urine by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry

A method is described for the determination of the neutral metabolites formed from catecholamines and various other structurally related phenylethylamines by using gas chromatography—chemical ionization—mass spectrometry. These metabolites (phenylglycols and phenylethanols) were extracted from urine specimens and converted to pentafluoropropionyl derivatives which were separated on either 3% OV-1, 3% SP-2250, or 3% QF-1 packed columns. Our results demonstrate the presence in human urine of p-hydroxyphenylglycol, a metabolite of octopamine. One patient excreted 13 and 91 μg/day of free and total (free + conjugated) p-hydroxyphenylglycol, respectively. Treatment with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor reduced the excretion of total p-hydroxyphenylglycol to 30% of baseline level.     

Inhibition of Filamin-A Reduces Cancer Metastatic Potential

Filamin-A cross-links actin filaments into dynamic orthogonal networks, and interacts with an array of proteins of diverse cellular functions. Because several filamin-A interaction partners are implicated in signaling of cell mobility regulation, we tested the hypothesis that filamin-A plays a role in cancer metastasis. Using four pairs of filamin-A proficient and deficient isogenic cell lines, we found that filamin-A deficiency in cancer cells significantly reduces their migration and invasion. Using a xenograft tumor model with subcutaneous and intracardiac injections of tumor cells, we found that the filamin-A deficiency causes significant reduction of lung, splenic and systemic metastasis in nude mice. We evaluated the expression of filamin-A in breast cancer tissues by immunohistochemical staining, and found that low levels of filamin-A expression in cancer cells of the tumor tissues are associated with a better distant metastasis-free survival than those with normal levels of filamin-A. These data not only validate filamin-A as a prognostic marker for cancer metastasis, but also suggest that inhibition of filamin-A in cancer cells may reduce metastasis and that filamin-A can be used as a therapeutic target for filamin-A positive cancer.     

Delineating metabolic signatures of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Phospholipase A(2), a potential therapeutic target

A better understanding of molecular pathways involved in malignant transformation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is essential for the development of novel and efficient anti-cancer drugs. To delineate the global metabolism of HNSCC, we report (1)H NMR-based metabolic profiling of HNSCC cells from five different patients that were derived from various sites of the upper aerodigestive tract, including the floor of mouth, tongue and larynx. Primary cultures of normal human oral keratinocytes (NHOK) from three different donors were used for comparison. (1)H NMR spectra of polar and non-polar extracts of cells were used to identify more than thirty-five metabolites. Principal component analysis performed on the NMR data revealed a clear classification of NHOK and HNSCC cells. HNSCC cells exhibited significantly altered levels of various metabolites that clearly revealed dysregulation in multiple metabolic events, including Warburg effect, oxidative phosphorylation, energy metabolism, TCA cycle anaplerotic flux, glutaminolysis, hexosamine pathway, osmo-regulatory and anti-oxidant mechanism. In addition, significant alterations in the ratios of phosphatidylcholine/lysophosphatidylcholine and phosphocholine/glycerophosphocholine, and elevated arachidonic acid observed in HNSCC cells reveal an altered membrane choline phospholipid metabolism (MCPM). Furthermore, significantly increased activity of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)), particularly cytosolic PLA(2) (cPLA(2)) observed in all the HNSCC cells confirm an altered MCPM. In summary, the metabolomic findings presented here can be useful to further elucidate the biological aspects that lead to HNSCC, and also provide a rational basis for monitoring molecular mechanisms in response to chemotherapy. Moreover, cPLA(2) may serve as a potential therapeutic target for anti-cancer therapy of HNSCC.     

Phosphoproteomic analysis of thrombin- and p38 MAPK-regulated signaling networks in endothelial cells

Endothelial dysfunction is a hallmark of inflammation and is mediated by inflammatory factors that signal through G protein–coupled receptors including protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR1). PAR1, a receptor for thrombin, signals via the small GTPase RhoA and myosin light chain intermediates to facilitate endothelial barrier permeability. PAR1 also induces endothelial barrier disruption through a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase–dependent pathway, which does not integrate into the RhoA/MLC pathway; however, the PAR1-p38 signaling pathways that promote endothelial dysfunction remain poorly defined. To identify effectors of this pathway, we performed a global phosphoproteome analysis of thrombin signaling regulated by p38 in human cultured endothelial cells using multiplexed quantitative mass spectrometry. We identified 5491 unique phosphopeptides and 2317 phosphoproteins, four distinct dynamic phosphoproteome profiles of thrombin-p38 signaling, and an enrichment of biological functions associated with endothelial dysfunction, including modulators of endothelial barrier disruption and a subset of kinases predicted to regulate p38-dependent thrombin signaling. Using available antibodies to detect identified phosphosites of key p38-regulated proteins, we discovered that inhibition of p38 activity and siRNA-targeted depletion of the p38α isoform increased basal phosphorylation of extracellular signal–regulated protein kinase 1/2, resulting in amplified thrombin-stimulated extracellular signal–regulated protein kinase 1/2 phosphorylation that was dependent on PAR1. We also discovered a role for p38 in the phosphorylation of α-catenin, a component of adherens junctions, suggesting that this phosphorylation may function as an important regulatory process. Taken together, these studies define a rich array of thrombin- and p38-regulated candidate proteins that may serve important roles in endothelial dysfunction.     

A 3-Mb map of a large Segmental duplication overlapping the alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene (CHRNA7) at human 15q13-q14

Several neuropsychiatric disorders map to human 15q13-q14, which contains a strong candidate in the alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene (CHRNA7) and is partly duplicated, complicating further genetic analysis. We have shown that the partial duplication is in a hybrid (CHRFAM7A)between CHRNA7 and one of many copies of a novel gene (FAM7A). We have constructed a 3-Mb map of 15q13-q14 showing that CHRFAM7A is part of a large segmental duplication in the opposite orientation to CHRNA7 and revealing several other duplications. The data support a model of recent evolutionary events including duplications, at least one large deletion, and an inversion. We have identified two individuals with a structure that lacks CHRFAM7A and therefore predates many steps in this model, suggesting an unstable region with other intermediates possibly still in existence. This instability may be relevant to the many neuropsychiatric disorders that map in this region.     

Raman optical activity and circular dichroism reveal dramatic differences in the influence of divalent copper and manganese ions on prion protein folding

The binding of divalent copper ions to the full-length recombinant murine prion protein PrP23-231 at neutral pH was studied using vibrational Raman optical activity (ROA) and ultraviolet circular dichroism (UV CD). The effect of the Cu2+ ions on PrP structure depends on whether they are added after refolding of the protein in water or are present during the refolding process. In the first case ROA reveals that the hydrated alpha-helix is lost, with UV CD revealing a drop from approximately 25% to approximately 18% in the total alpha-helix content. The lost alpha-helix could be that comprising residues 145-156, located within the region associated with scrapie PrP formation. In the second case, ROA reveals the protein's structure to be almost completely disordered/irregular, with UV CD revealing a drop in total alpha-helix content to approximately 5%. Hence, although Cu2+ binding takes place exclusively within the unfolded/disordered N-terminal region, it can profoundly affect the structure of the folded/alpha-helical C-terminal region. This is supported by the finding that refolding in the presence of Cu2+ of a mutant in which the first six histidines associated with copper binding to the N-terminal region are replaced by alanine has a similar alpha-helix content to the metal-free protein. In contrast, when the protein is refolded in the presence of divalent manganese ions, ROA indicates the alpha-helix is reinforced, with UV CD revealing an increase in total alpha-helix content to approximately 30%. The very different influence of Cu2+ and Mn2+ ions on prion protein structure may originate in the different stability constants and geometries of their complexes.