Changes in cytosolic Ca2+ levels regulate Bcl-xS and Bcl-xL expression in spermatogenic cells during apoptotic death

Bcl-x exists in two isoforms, the anti-apoptotic form Bcl-xL and the proapoptotic form Bcl-xS. The critical balance between the two forms appears to be important for cell survival; however, it is still not clear exactly how the vital balance is maintained. Using an in vitro spermatogenic cell apoptosis model, this study provides a new insight into the possible role of Ca2+ in regulating the Bcl-xS and Bcl-xL expression. 2,5-Hexanedione, a metabolite of the common industrial solvent n-hexane, caused a significant increase in reactive oxygen species followed by an enhancement of intracellular Ca2+ through the T-type Ca2+ channels. Consequent to the above changes, expression of Bcl-xS increased with a concomitant drop in Bcl-xL expression, thus altering the ratio of the two proteins. Impediment of Ca2+ influx by using a T-type Ca2+ channel blocker pimozide resulted in a decrease in Bcl-xS and an increase in Bcl-xL expression. This caused prevention of mitochondrial potential loss, reduction of caspase-3 activity, inhibition of DNA fragmentation, and increase in cell survival. Alternatively, Ca2+ ionophores caused an increase of Bcl-xS encoding isoform over the Bcl-xL-encoding isoform. Therefore, this study proposes a role for Ca2+ in regulation of Bcl-xS and Bcl-xL expression and ultimately cell fate.     

T cell exhaustion in protozoan disease

Protozoan parasites cause severe morbidity and mortality in humans worldwide, especially in developing countries where access to chemotherapeutic agents is limited. Although parasites initially evoke a robust immune response, subsequent immunity fails to clear infection, ultimately leading to the chronic stage. This enigmatic situation was initially addressed in chronic viral models, where T cells lose their function, a phenomenon referred to as 'exhaustion'. However, recent studies demonstrate that this paradigm can be extended to protozoan diseases as well, although with notable differences. These studies have revealed that T cell responses generated against Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium sp., and Leishmania sp. can become dysfunctional. This review discusses T cell exhaustion in parasitic infection, mechanisms of development, and a possible role in disease outcome.     

Delineation of an in vivo inhibitor for Aspergillus glutamate dehydrogenase

NADP-glutamate dehydrogenase (NADP-GDH) along with glutamine synthetase plays a pivotal role in ammonium assimilation. Specific inhibitors were valuable in defining the importance of glutamine synthetase in nitrogen metabolism. Selective in vivo inhibition of NADP-GDH has so far been an elusive desideratum. Isophthalate, a potent in vitro inhibitor of Aspergillus niger NADP-GDH [Noor S, Punekar NS. Allosteric NADP-glutamate dehydrogenase from aspergilli: purification, characterization and implications for metabolic regulation at the carbon-nitrogen interface. Microbiology 2005;151:1409-19], was evaluated for its efficacy in vivo. Dimethyl ester of isophthalate (DMIP), but not isophthalate, inhibited A. niger growth on agar as well as in liquid culture. This was ascribed to the inability of isophthalate to enter fungal mycelia. Subsequent to DMIP addition however, intracellular isophthalate could be demonstrated. Apart from NAD-GDH, no other enzyme including NAD-glutamate synthase was inhibited by isophthalate. A cross-over at NADP-GDH step of metabolism was observed as a direct consequence of isophthalate (formed in vivo from DMIP) inhibiting this enzyme. Addition of ammonium to DMIP-treated A. niger mycelia resulted in intensive vacuolation, retraction of cytoplasm and autolysis. Taken together, these results implicate glutamate dehydrogenase and NADP-GDH in particular, as a key target of in vivo isophthalate inhibition during ammonium assimilation.     

Competitive inhibition of glutamate dehydrogenase reaction

Irrespective of their pyridine nucleotide specificity, all glutamate dehydrogenases share a common chemical mechanism that involves an enzyme bound 'iminoglutarate' intermediate. Three compounds, structurally related to this intermediate, were tested for the inhibition of purified NADP-glutamate dehydrogenases from two Aspergilli, as also the bovine liver NAD(P)-glutamate dehydrogenase. 2-Methyleneglutarate, closely resembling iminoglutarate, was a potent competitive inhibitor of the glutamate dehydrogenase reaction. This is the first report of a non-aromatic structure with a better glutamate dehydrogenase inhibitory potency than aryl carboxylic acids such as isophthalate. A suitably located 2-methylene group to mimic the iminium ion could be exploited to design inhibitors of other amino acid dehydrogenases.     

High-throughput Synthesis of Carbohydrates and Functionalization of Polyanhydride Nanoparticles

Transdisciplinary approaches involving areas such as material design, nanotechnology, chemistry, and immunology have to be utilized to rationally design efficacious vaccines carriers. Nanoparticle-based platforms can prolong the persistence of vaccine antigens, which could improve vaccine immunogenicity¹. Several biodegradable polymers have been studied as vaccine delivery vehicles¹; in particular, polyanhydride particles have demonstrated the ability to provide sustained release of stable protein antigens and to activate antigen presenting cells and modulate immune responses^2-12.The molecular design of these vaccine carriers needs to integrate the rational selection of polymer properties as well as the incorporation of appropriate targeting agents. High throughput automated fabrication of targeting ligands and functionalized particles is a powerful tool that will enhance the ability to study a wide range of properties and will lead to the design of reproducible vaccine delivery devices.The addition of targeting ligands capable of being recognized by specific receptors on immune cells has been shown to modulate and tailor immune responses^10,11,13 C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) are pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that recognize carbohydrates present on the surface of pathogens. The stimulation of immune cells via CLRs allows for enhanced internalization of antigen and subsequent presentation for further T cell activation^14,15. Therefore, carbohydrate molecules play an important role in the study of immune responses; however, the use of these biomolecules often suffers from the lack of availability of structurally well-defined and pure carbohydrates. An automation platform based on iterative solution-phase reactions can enable rapid and controlled synthesis of these synthetically challenging molecules using significantly lower building block quantities than traditional solid-phase methods^16,17.Herein we report a protocol for the automated solution-phase synthesis of oligosaccharides such as mannose-based targeting ligands with fluorous solid-phase extraction for intermediate purification. After development of automated methods to make the carbohydrate-based targeting agent, we describe methods for their attachment on the surface of polyanhydride nanoparticles employing an automated robotic set up operated by LabVIEW as previously described¹⁰. Surface functionalization with carbohydrates has shown efficacy in targeting CLRs^10,11 and increasing the throughput of the fabrication method to unearth the complexities associated with a multi-parametric system will be of great value (Figure 1a).