Carbohydrate binding specificities of several poly-N-acetyllactosamine-binding lectins

The structural requirements for the interaction of the Asn-linked poly-N-acetyllactosamine-type oligosaccharide moieties of glycoproteins with variousN-acetylglucosamine-binding lectins were investigated by means of affinity chromatography on immobilized lectin-Sepharose columns.High molecular weight glycopeptides containing poly-N-acetyllactosamine-type oligosaccharides obtained by Pronase digestion of human erythrocyte ghosts were treated with 0.1 M trifluoroacetic acid at 100°C for 40 min and then several oligosaccharide fragments were purified with an amino-bonded silica column. Among these oligosaccharide fragments, trisaccharide Gal1-4GlcNAc1-6Galol bound to the wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)- and pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-Sepharose columns, and also showed affinity to theDatura stramonium agglutinin (DSA)-,Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) agglutinin-andSolanum tuberosum (potato) agglutinin-Sepharose columns. Pentasaccharide Gal1-4GlcNAc1-3(Gal1-4GlcNAc1-6)Galol showed weaker affinity to the WGA- and PWM-Sepharose columns, compared to the trisaccharide. Trisaccharide GlcNAc1-3(GlcNAc1-6)Galol showed weak affinity to the WGA-Sepharose column and did not show any affinity to the other lectin-Sepharose columns. Hexasaccharide Gal1-4GlcNAc1-3Gal1-4GlcNAc1-3Gal1-4GlcNAcol bound only to the DSA-Sepharose column, indicating that only DSA does not require a GlcNAc(1-6)-linkage for interaction.Abbreviations HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - WGA wheat germ agglutinin - PWM pokeweed mitogen - DSA Datura stramonium agglutinin - LEA Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) agglutinin - STA Solanum tuberosum (potato) agglutinin - EVA Erythrina variegata agglutinin - PBS 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.2, containing 0.15 M NaCl - Galol galactitol - GlcNAcol N-acetylglucosaminitol     

Asymmetric Hydrolysis of Prochiral Diesters with Pig Liver Esterase. Preparation of Optically Active Intermediates for the Synthesis of (+)-Biotin and (+)-α-Methyl-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine

With pig liver esterase, 1,3-dibenzyl-4,5-cis-bis(alkyloxycarbonyl)-2-oxoimidazolidine (1) was asymmetrically hydrolyzed to (4S,5R)-1,3-dibenzyl-5-alkyloxycarbonyl-2-oxoimidazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (2). This acid 2 was reduced with lithium borohydride to (4S,5R)-1,3-dibenzyl-5-hydroxymethyl-2-oxoimidazolidine-4-carboxylic acid lactone (3), which is known to be converted to (+)-biotin (4). With the same esterase, diethyl 3,4-dimethoxyphenylmethyl-(methyl)malonate (5) was asymmetrically hydrolyzed to (R)-ethyl hydrogen 3,4-dimethoxy-phenylmethyl(methyl)malonate (6), which can be converted to (S)-α-methyl-3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-alanine(l-α-methyldopa) (9).     

Two novel heat-soluble protein families abundantly expressed in an anhydrobiotic tardigrade

Tardigrades are able to tolerate almost complete dehydration by reversibly switching to an ametabolic state. This ability is called anhydrobiosis. In the anhydrobiotic state, tardigrades can withstand various extreme environments including space, but their molecular basis remains largely unknown. Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are heat-soluble proteins and can prevent protein-aggregation in dehydrated conditions in other anhydrobiotic organisms, but their relevance to tardigrade anhydrobiosis is not clarified. In this study, we focused on the heat-soluble property characteristic of LEA proteins and conducted heat-soluble proteomics using an anhydrobiotic tardigrade. Our heat-soluble proteomics identified five abundant heat-soluble proteins. All of them showed no sequence similarity with LEA proteins and formed two novel protein families with distinct subcellular localizations. We named them Cytoplasmic Abundant Heat Soluble (CAHS) and Secretory Abundant Heat Soluble (SAHS) protein families, according to their localization. Both protein families were conserved among tardigrades, but not found in other phyla. Although CAHS protein was intrinsically unstructured and SAHS protein was rich in β-structure in the hydrated condition, proteins in both families changed their conformation to an α-helical structure in water-deficient conditions as LEA proteins do. Two conserved repeats of 19-mer motifs in CAHS proteins were capable to form amphiphilic stripes in α-helices, suggesting their roles as molecular shield in water-deficient condition, though charge distribution pattern in α-helices were different between CAHS and LEA proteins. Tardigrades might have evolved novel protein families with a heat-soluble property and this study revealed a novel repertoire of major heat-soluble proteins in these anhydrobiotic animals.     

Application of an enzyme‐labeled antigen method for visualizing plasma cells producing antibodies against Strep A,a carbohydrate antigen of Streptococcus pyogenes,in recurrent tonsillitis

Streptococcus pyogenes is the main causative pathogen of recurrent tonsillitis. Histologically, lesions of recurrent tonsillitis contain numerous plasma cells. Strep A is an antigenic carbohydrate molecule on the cell wall of S. pyogenes. As expected, plasma cells in subjects with recurrent tonsillitis secrete antibodies against Strep A. The enzyme‐labeled antigen method is a novel histochemical technique that visualizes specific antibody‐producing cells in tissue sections by employing a biotin‐labeled antigen as a probe. The purpose of the present study was to visualize plasma cells producing antibodies reactive with Strep A in recurrent tonsillitis. Firstly, the lymph nodes of rats immunized with boiled S. pyogenes were paraformaldehyde‐fixed and specific plasma cells localized in frozen sections with biotinylated Strep A. Secondly, an enzyme‐labeled antigen method was used on human tonsil surgically removed from 12 patients with recurrent tonsillitis. S. pyogenes genomes were PCR‐detected in all 12 specimens. The emm genotypes belonged to emm12 in nine specimens and emm1 in three. Plasma cells producing anti‐Strep A antibodies were demonstrated in prefixed frozen sections of rat lymph nodes, 8/12 human specimens from patients with recurrent tonsillitis but not in two control tonsils. In human tonsils, Strep A‐reactive plasma cells were observed within the reticular squamous mucosa and just below the mucosa, and the specific antibodies belonged to either IgA or IgG classes. Our technique is effective in visualizing immunocytes producing specific antibodies against the bacterial carbohydrate antigen, and is thus a novel histochemical tool for analyzing immune reactions in infectious disorders.     

Recognition of human activated CD44 by tumor vasculature-targeted antibody

TES-23 monoclonal antibody (MAb), which targets rat CD44H on tumor vascular endothelial cells (TEC), dominantly reacted to human activated CD44 rather than human inactive CD44. TES-23 MAb reacted to HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells almost comparably to anti-human CD44 MAb and moderately to HUVEC; however, it hardly reacted to PBMC. The binding of soluble hyaluronate to HT-1080 cells and HUVEC was clearly noted, but not to PBMC. In addition, stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate induced soluble hyaluronate binding of MOLT-4 human T lymphoma cells and relatively increased the reactivity of TES-23 MAb. Our results suggest that TES-23 MAb can potentially recognize human activated CD44 and hence might be potentially useful for the treatment of human solid tumors containing TEC that express activated CD44.     

MMP‐13 deletion decreases profibrogenic molecules and attenuates N‐nitrosodimethylamine‐induced liver injury and fibrosis in mice

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is involved in inflammation, pathogenesis and progression of liver fibrosis. Matrix metalloproteinase‐13 (MMP‐13) cleaves CTGF and releases several fragments, which are more potent than the parent molecule to induce fibrosis. The current study was aimed to elucidate the significance of MMP‐13 and CTGF and their downstream effects in liver injury and fibrosis. Hepatic fibrosis was induced using intraperitoneal injections of N‐nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in doses of 10 μg/g body weight on three consecutive days of each week over a period of 4 weeks in both wild‐type (WT) and MMP‐13 knockout mice. Administration of NDMA resulted in marked elevation of AST, ALT, TGF‐β1 and hyaluronic acid in the serum and activation of stellate cells, massive necrosis, deposition of collagen fibres and increase in total collagen in the liver of WT mice with a significant decrease in MMP‐13 knockout mice. Protein and mRNA levels of CTGF, TGF‐β1, α‐SMA and type I collagen and the levels of MMP‐2, MMP‐9 and cleaved products of CTGF were markedly increased in NDMA‐treated WT mice compared to the MMP‐13 knockout mice. Blocking of MMP‐13 with CL‐82198 in hepatic stellate cell cultures resulted in marked decrease of the staining intensity of CTGF as well as protein levels of full‐length CTGF and its C‐terminal fragments and active TGF‐β1. The data demonstrate that MMP‐13 and CTGF play a crucial role in modulation of fibrogenic mediators and promote hepatic fibrogenesis. Furthermore, the study suggests that blocking of MMP‐13 and CTGF has potential therapeutic implications to arrest liver fibrosis.     

Measles virus infection of SLAM (CD150) knockin mice reproduces tropism and immunosuppression in human infection

The human signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM, also called CD150), a regulator of antigen-driven T-cell responses and macrophage functions, acts as a cellular receptor for measles virus (MV), and its V domain is necessary and sufficient for receptor function. We report here the generation of SLAM knockin mice in which the V domain of mouse SLAM was replaced by that of human SLAM. The chimeric SLAM had an expected distribution and normal function in the knockin mice. Splenocytes from the SLAM knockin mice permitted the in vitro growth of a virulent MV strain but not that of the Edmonston vaccine strain. Unlike in vitro infection, MV could grow only in SLAM knockin mice that also lacked the type I interferon receptor (IFNAR). After intraperitoneal or intranasal inoculation, MV was detected in the spleen and lymph nodes throughout the body but not in the thymus. Notably, the virus appeared first in the mediastinal lymph node after intranasal inoculation. Splenocytes from MV-infected IFNAR(-/-) SLAM knockin mice showed suppression of proliferative responses to concanavalin A. Thus, MV infection of SLAM knockin mice reproduces lymphotropism and immunosuppression in human infection, serving as a useful small animal model for measles.     

Wobble inosine tRNA modification is essential to cell cycle progression in G(1)/S and G(2)/M transitions in fission yeast

Inosine (I) at position 34 (wobble position) of tRNA is formed by the hydrolytic deamination of a genomically encoded adenosine (A). The enzyme catalyzing this reaction, termed tRNA A:34 deaminase, is the heterodimeric Tad2p/ADAT2.Tad3p/ADAT3 complex in eukaryotes. In budding yeast, deletion of each subunit is lethal, indicating that the wobble inosine tRNA modification is essential for viability; however, most of its physiological roles remain unknown. To identify novel cell cycle mutants in fission yeast, we isolated the tad3-1 mutant that is allelic to the tad3(+) gene encoding a homolog of budding yeast Tad3p. Interestingly, the tad3-1 mutant cells principally exhibited cell cycle-specific phenotype, namely temperature-sensitive and irreversible cell cycle arrest both in G(1) and G(2). Further analyses revealed that in the tad3-1 mutant cells, the S257N mutation that occurred in the catalytically inactive Tad3 subunit affected its association with catalytically active Tad2 subunit, leading to an impairment in the A to I conversion at position 34 of tRNA. In tad3-1 mutant cells, the overexpression of the tad3(+) gene completely suppressed the decreased tRNA inosine content. Notably, the overexpression of the tad2(+) gene partially suppressed the temperature-sensitive phenotype and the decreased tRNA inosine content, indicating that the tad3-1 mutant phenotype is because of the insufficient I(34) formation of tRNA. These results suggest that the wobble inosine tRNA modification is essential for cell cycle progression in the G(1)/S and G(2)/M transitions in fission yeast.     

A new type sandwich immunoassay for microcystin: production of monoclonal antibodies specific to the immune complex formed by microcystin and an anti-microcystin monoclonal antibody.

To develop an ultrasensitive immunoassay for microcystins (MCs), a group of heptapeptide hepatotoxins produced by cyanobacteria, we produced monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) which specifically recognize the immune complex (IC) formed by an anti-MC MAb (MC MAb) and MCs. The use of the anti-IC MAb (IC MAb) as the secondary antibody made it possible to develop a sandwich type immunoassay, which is theoretically superior to the widely used competitive immunoassay in sensitivity as well as accuracy. A MC MAb mixed with microcystin-LR (MCLR) to form the IC was immunized to mice. Three IC MAbs were obtained, all of which specifically reacted with the IC, but almost never reacted to MC MAb or MCLR in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Binding kinetics study of one of the IC MAbs, 3F7, by a BIAcore biosensor technique revealed that 3F7 IC MAb could associate with free MC MAb as well as the IC, but the binding to free MC MAb was much more easily dissociated than that to the IC, thus resulting in about 300-fold higher affinity of 3F7 for the IC than for MC MAb alone (1.8 x 10(9) M(-1) and 4.6 x 10(6) M(-1) for the IC and MC MAb, respectively). Finally, 3F7 IC MAb was shown to react with the IC formed by the addition of MCLR to MC MAb-coated plates in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, a new type sandwich immunoassay, anti-immune complex ELISA (IC ELISA) for MCs, was indeed established. The detection limit of the IC ELISA was 2 pg of MCLR ml(-1) (50 fg per assay), making it the most sensitive of all the methods for detecting MCs reported to date.