Alternate aggregation pathways of the Alzheimer beta-amyloid peptide: Abeta association kinetics at endosomal pH

The deposition of beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) fibrils around neurons is an invariable feature of Alzheimer's disease and there is increasing evidence that fibrillar deposits and/or prefibrillar intermediates play a central role in the observed neurodegeneration. One site of Abeta generation is the endosomes, and we have investigated the kinetics of Abeta association at endosomal pH over physiologically relevant time frames. We have identified three distinct Abeta association phases that occur at rates comparable to endosomal transit times. Rapid formation of burst phase aggregates, larger than 200nm, was observed within 15 seconds. Two slower association phases were detected by fluorescence resonance energy transfer and termed phase 1 and phase 2 aggregation reactions. At 20 microM Abeta, pH 6, the half lives of the phase 1 and phase 2 aggregation phases were 3.15 minutes and 17.66 minutes, respectively. Atomic force microscopy and dynamic light scattering studies indicate that the burst phase aggregate is large and amorphous, while phase 1 and 2 aggregates are spherical with hydrodynamic radii around 30 nm. There is an apparent equilibrium, potentially mediated through a soluble Abeta intermediate, between the large burst phase aggregates and phase 1 and 2 spherical particles. The large burst phase aggregates form quickly, however, they disappear as the equilibrium shifts toward the spherical aggregates. These aggregated species do not contain alpha-helical or beta-structure as determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy. However, after two weeks beta-structure is observed and is attributable to the insoluble portion of the sample. After two months, mature amyloid fibrils appear and the spherical aggregates are significantly diminished.     

Proteomic analyses of arsenic-induced cell transformation with SELDI-TOF ProteinChip technology

In this study, we demonstrated that low levels (1.5 microM) of arsenite induces B[a]P-treated lung cell transformation. We then used a proteomic approach to identify protein expression by ProteinChips, which could potentially be important for transformation induced by this toxic metal. Most of the protein peaks in cell extracts of all samples, including the control, B[a]P-treated, and B[a]P + As-treated cells are identical. However, surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight (SELDI-TOF) analysis with Cu-ProteinChips and WCX-ProteinChips revealed several dramatically different protein peaks that appeared in lung cells after being transformed by a treatment of 1.5 microM arsenite for 12 weeks. SAX2 ProteinChip also identified a prominent protein peak that was preferentially expressed in control cells. Interestingly, by using a SAX2 chip, we were able to detect several protein peaks that increased their expression in lung epithelial cells (LEC) treated with only B[a]P. Identification and characterization of these proteins may reveal the molecular basis of As-induced cell transformation and provide insight into the mechanisms by which arsenic induces carcinogenesis.     

Acute arterial hypertension inhibits proximal tubular fluid reabsorption in normotensive rat but not in SHR

The effect of acute arterial hypertension on proximal tubular fluid reabsorption was investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) by measuring proximal tubular flow with a nonobstructive optical method. Under control conditions, spontaneous tubular flow was oscillating at 0.02-0.03 Hz in Sprague-Dawley rats. Acute hypertension induced an immediate increase of mean tubular flow (50% increase after 20 min of hypertension) and augmentation of oscillatory amplitude. Acute hypertension did not alter single-nephron blood flow as measured by laser-Doppler velocimetry (n = 12), suggesting that the increase of tubular flow was due to inhibition of reabsorption but not increase of filtration. By contrast, spontaneous tubular flow was fluctuating aperiodically in SHR. Acute hype tension did not induce a continuous increase of tubular flow or an increase in amplitude of fluctuations (n = 15). When apical Na(+)/H(+) exchange activity of proximal tubule was monitored, acute hypertension did not alter the activity in SHR (n = 8), while similar procedures had been shown to inhibit apical Na(+)/H(+) exchange activity of proximal tubules by more than 40% in Sprague-Dawley rats. These observations suggest that acute hypertension inhibits proximal tubular fluid reabsorption by inhibiting apical Na(+)/H(+) exchange activity in Sprague-Dawley rats and that this mechanism is impaired in SHR.     

Genetically modified bacterial strains and novel bacterial artificial chromosome shuttle vectors for constructing environmental libraries and detecting heterologous natural products in multiple expression hosts

The enormous diversity of uncultured microorganisms in soil and other environments provides a potentially rich source of novel natural products, which is critically important for drug discovery efforts. Our investigators reported previously on the creation and screening of an Escherichia coli library containing soil DNA cloned and expressed in a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) vector. In that initial study, our group identified novel enzyme activities and a family of antibacterial small molecules encoded by soil DNA cloned and expressed in E. coli. To continue our pilot study of the utility and feasibility of this approach to natural product drug discovery, we have expanded our technology to include Streptomyces lividans and Pseudomonas putida as additional hosts with different expression capabilities, and herein we describe the tools we developed for transferring environmental libraries into all three expression hosts and screening for novel activities. These tools include derivatives of S. lividans that contain complete and unmarked deletions of the act and red endogenous pigment gene clusters, a derivative of P. putida that can accept environmental DNA vectors and integrate the heterologous DNA into the chromosome, and new BAC shuttle vectors for transferring large fragments of environmental DNA from E. coli to both S. lividans and P. putida by high-throughput conjugation. Finally, we used these tools to confirm that the three hosts have different expression capabilities for some known gene clusters.     

The introduction of a phytase gene from Bacillus subtilis improved the growth performance of transgenic tobacco

Phytate, the main form of phosphorus storage in plant seeds, is well known to be an anti-nutrient and a major source of phosphorus pollution in animal manure. To improve phosphorus bio-availability, we introduced a recently characterized phytase from Bacillus subtilis into the cytoplasm of tobacco cells. Although the introduction of acid fungal phytase from Aspergillus niger in previous studies did not result in any phenotypic changes in tobacco, here we show that a tobacco line transformed with a neutral phytase exhibited phenotypic changes in flowering, seed development, and response to phosphate deficiency. The transgenic line showed an increase in flower and fruit numbers, small seed syndrome, lower seed IP6/IP5 ratio, and enhanced growth under phosphate-starvation conditions compared with the wildtype. The results suggest that the over-expression of Bacillus phytase in the cytoplasm of tobacco cells shifts the equilibrium of the inositol phosphate biosynthesis pathway, thereby making more phosphate available for primary metabolism. The approach presented here can be applied as a strategy for boosting productivity in agriculture and horticulture.     

Single molecule imaging of supported planar lipid bilayer--reconstituted human insulin receptors by in situ scanning probe microscopy

A 480-kDa disulfide-linked heterodimer single-pass transmembrane protein, the insulin receptor, is autophosphorylated upon insulin binding to its extracellular domain. Remarkably, the structural basis for this activation process remained largely unknown until the recent cryoelectron microscopy studies of the insulin-insulin receptor complex by Luo et al. [Science 285 (1999) 1077]. We report here the results of an in situ study by high-resolution scanning probe microscopy of the full-length insulin receptor reconstituted within supported planar lipid bilayers. Our preliminary studies confirm that (1) the intact receptor can be reconstituted constitutively within a lipid vesicle and (2) fusion of the receptor-containing vesicles to mica resulted in the formation of molecular flat 5.5-nm-thick supported planar bilayers populated by two populations of protrusions, the shape and size of which are consistent with those of the insulin receptor's intra- and extracellular domains as modeled by the cryo-EM data of Ottensmeyer et al. [Biochemistry 39 (2000) 12103]. These results establish a framework for real-time studies of insulin-insulin receptor binding by in situ SPM and single molecule force spectroscopy.     

Abeta42-peptide assembly on lipid bilayers

One of the major pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the presence of extracellular amyloid plaques that are composed predominantly of the amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta). Diffuse plaques associated with AD are composed predominantly of Abeta42, whereas senile plaques contain both Abeta40 and Abeta42. Recently, it has been suggested that diffuse plaque formation is initiated as a plasma membrane-bound Abeta species and that Abeta42 is the critical component. In order to investigate this hypothesis, we have examined Abeta42-membrane interactions using in situ atomic force microscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Our studies demonstrate the association of Abeta42 with planar bilayers composed of total brain lipids, which results initially in peptide aggregation and then fibre formation. Modulation of the cholesterol content is correlated with the extent of Abeta42-assembly on the bilayer surface. Although Abeta42 was not visualized directly on cholesterol-depleted bilayers, fluorescence anisotropy and fluorimetry demonstrate Abeta42-induced membrane changes. Our results demonstrate that the composition of the lipid bilayer governs the outcome of Abeta interactions.     

Induction of mitochondrial alternative oxidase in response to a cell signal pathway down-regulating the cytochrome pathway prevents programmed cell death

Treatment of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Petit Havana SR1) cells with cysteine (Cys) triggers a signal pathway culminating in a large loss of mitochondrial cytochrome (cyt) pathway capacity. This down-regulation of the cyt path likely requires events outside the mitochondrion and is effectively blocked by cantharidin or endothall, indicating that protein dephosphorylation is one critical process involved. Generation of reactive oxygen species, cytosolic protein synthesis, and Ca(2+) flux from organelles also appear to be involved. Accompanying the loss of cyt path is a large induction of alternative oxidase (AOX) protein and capacity. Induction of AOX allows the cells to maintain high rates of respiration, indicating that the lesion triggered by Cys is in the cyt path downstream of ubiquinone. Consistent with this, transgenic (AS8) cells unable to induce AOX (due to the presence of an antisense transgene) lose all respiratory capacity upon Cys treatment. This initiates in AS8 a programmed cell death pathway, as evidenced by the accumulation of oligonucleosomal fragments of DNA as the culture dies. Alternatively, wild-type cells remain viable and eventually recover their cyt path. Induction of AOX in response to a chemical inhibition of the cyt path (by antimycin A) is also dependent upon protein dephosphorylation and the generation of reactive oxygen species. Common events required for both down-regulation of the cyt path and induction of AOX may represent a mechanism to coordinate the biogenesis of these two electron transport paths. Such coordinate regulation may be necessary, not only to satisfy metabolic demands, but also to modulate the initiation of a programmed cell death pathway responsive to mitochondrial respiratory status.     

Sequential estimation in line transect surveys

This article considers using sequential procedures to determine the amount of survey effort required in a line transect survey in order to achieve a certain precision level in estimating the abundance of a biological population. Sequential procedures are constructed for both parametric and nonparametric animal abundance estimators. The criterion used to derive the stopping rules is the width of confidence intervals for the animal abundance. For each estimator considered, we develop stopping rules based on the asymptotic distributions and the bootstrap. A sequential analysis on an aerial survey of the southern bluefin tuna indicates substantial saving of survey effort can be made by employment of the proposed sequential procedures. This savings of survey effort is also observed in a simulation study designed to evaluate the empirical performance of the proposed sequential procedures.