Development of an ELISA system for tick-borne encephalitis virus infection in rodents

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus causes severe encephalitis with serious sequelae in humans. An epizootiological survey of wild rodents is effective to detect TBE virus-endemic areas; however, limited serological diagnostic methods are available to detect anti-TBE virus antibodies in wild rodents. In this study, ELISAs for the detection of rodent antibodies against the TBE virus were developed using two recombinant proteins, domain III of the E protein (EdIII) and subviral particles (SPs), as the antigens. As compared with the neutralization test, the ELISA using EdIII had 77.1% sensitivity and 80.0% specificity, and the ELISA using SPs had 91.4% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Furthermore, when the ELISAs were applied to the epizootiological survey in the TBE virus-endemic area, both of the ELISAs was able to detect wild rodents with TBE virus-specific antibodies. This is the first study to show that ELISAs using recombinant antigens can be safe and useful in the detection of TBE virus-infected wild rodents in epizootiological research.     

Protein phosphatase 1-dependent dephosphorylation of Akt is the prime signaling event in sphingosine-induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells

Sphingosine (SPH) is an important bioactive lipid involved in mediating a variety of cell functions including apoptosis. However, the signaling mechanism of SPH-induced apoptosis remains unclear. We have investigated whether SPH inhibits survival signaling in cells by inhibiting Akt kinase activity. This study demonstrates that treatment of Jurkat cells with SPH leads to Akt dephosphorylation as early as 15 min, and the cells undergo apoptosis after 6 h. This Akt dephosphorylation is not mediated through deactivation of upstream kinases, since SPH does not inhibit the upstream phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) phosphorylation. Rather, sensitivity to the Ser/Thr protein phosphatase inhibitors (calyculin A, phosphatidic acid, tautomycin, and okadaic acid) indicates an important role for protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) in this process. In vitro phosphatase assay, using Akt immunoprecipitate following treatment with SPH, reveals an increase in Akt-PP1 association as determined by immunoprecipitation analysis. Moreover, SPH-induced dephosphorylation of Akt at Ser(473) subsequently leads to the activation of GSK-3β, caspase 3, PARP cleavage, and ultimately apoptosis. Pre-treatment with caspase 3 inhibitor z-VAD-fmk and Ser/Thr phosphatase inhibitor abrogates the effect of SPH on facilitating apoptosis. Altogether, these results demonstrate that PP1-mediated inhibition of the key anti-apoptotic protein, Akt, plays an important role in SPH-mediated apoptosis in Jurkat cells.     

Neuropeptide profiling of the bovine hypothalamus: thermal stabilization is an effective tool in inhibiting post-mortem degradation

The hypothalamus is the central regulatory region of the brain that links the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. It synthesizes and secretes neuropeptide hormones, which in turn act to stimulate or inhibit the secretion of pituitary hormones. We have undertaken a detailed MS investigation of the peptides present in the bovine hypothalamus by adapting a novel heat stabilization methodology, which improved peptide discovery to direct our studies into the molecular mechanisms involved in bovine reproduction. The untreated samples contained large numbers of protein degradation products that interfered with the analysis of the neuropeptides. In the thermally stabilized samples, we were able to identify many more neuropeptides that are known to be expressed in the bovine hypothalamus. Furthermore, we have characterized a range of post-translational modifications that indicate the presence of processed intact mature neuropeptides in the stabilized tissue samples, whereas we detected many trimmed or truncated peptides resulting from post-mortem degradation in the untreated tissue samples. Altogether, using an optimized workflow, we were able to identify 140 candidate neuropeptides. We also nominate six new candidate neuropeptides derived from proSAAS, secretogranin-2 and proTRH.     

Effect of ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase 37 on apoptotic in A549 cells

Proteins destined for degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system are labelled with a 76-amino acid peptide, ubiquitin, through a series of conjugation steps by the E1, E2 and E3 enzymes respectively. Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase 37 (UCH37) belongs to the UCH proteases family that deubiquitinates ubiquitin-protein conjugates in the ubiquitin-proteasome system. However, it is few reports about the relationship between UCH37 and apoptosis. In order to clarify the role of UCH37 on apoptosis, the A549 cells were chosen for this study. We transfected UCH37 siRNA and pcDNA3.1-UCH37 plasmid into A549 cells, respectively. Using MTT assay, Western blot, Hoechst 33342 staining assay and flow cytometry, we found that silencing of UCH37 in A549 cells induced apoptosis. The ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 was higher in silencing of UCH37 than that in control group after silencing of UCH37 in A549 cells. Meanwhile, experiments with the A549 cell line disclose that silencing of UCH37 could induce efficiently A549 cell apoptosis through activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. On the other hand, over-expression of UCH37 led to the opposite effect. Hence, UCH37 might play an important role in apoptotic through altering Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and enzymatic activities of caspase-9 and caspase-3.     

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for the production of 1,2-propanediol from glycerol

Due to its availability, low‐price, and high degree of reduction, glycerol has become an attractive carbon source for the production of fuels and reduced chemicals. Using the platform we have established from the identification of key pathways mediating fermentative metabolism of glycerol, this work reports the engineering of Escherichia coli for the conversion of glycerol into 1,2‐propanediol (1,2‐PDO). A functional 1,2‐PDO pathway was engineered through a combination of overexpression of genes involved in its synthesis from the key intermediate dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and the manipulation of the fermentative glycerol utilization pathway. The former included the overexpression of methylglyoxal synthase (mgsA), glycerol dehydrogenase (gldA), and aldehyde oxidoreductase (yqhD). Manipulation of the glycerol utilization pathway through the replacement of the native E. coli PEP‐dependent dihydroxyacetone kinase (DHAK) with an ATP‐dependent DHAK from C. freundii increased the availability of DHAP allowing for higher 1,2‐PDO production. Analysis of the major fermentative pathways indentified ethanol as a required co‐product while increases in 1,2‐PDO titer and yield were achieved through the disruption of the pathways for acetate and lactate production. Combination of these key metabolic manipulations resulted in an engineered E. coli strain capable of producing 5.6 g/L 1,2‐PDO, at a yield of 21.3% (w/w). This strain also performed well when crude glycerol, a by‐product of biodiesel production, was used as the substrate. The titer and yield achieved in this study were favorable to those obtained with the use of E. coli for the production of 1,2‐PDO from common sugars. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:867–879. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Duplex real-time PCR detection of type III effector tccP and tccP2 genes in pathogenic Escherichia coli and prevalence in raw milk cheeses

Aims: To develop a duplex real‐time PCR assay targeting enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) type III effector TccP/TccP2‐encoding genes which are pivotal to EHEC‐mediated actin cytoskeleton reorganization in human intestinal epithelial cells. Methods and Results: The specificity of the assay was demonstrated with DNA from EHEC reference strains and non‐E. coli bacterial species. The detection limit was determined as five tccP or tccP2 copies per reaction. The assay was then evaluated on a large collection of 526 E. coli strains of human, animal, food and environmental origins. The results showed that tccP was restricted to a limited number of serotypes (i.e. O5:H^?, O55:H7, O125:H6 and O157:H7). The tccP2 gene was present in a higher number of serotypes including the five most frequent EHEC serotypes (i.e. O26:H11, O103:H2, O111:H8, O145:H28 and O157:H7), and a few other serotypes that caused human infections (i.e. O4:H^?, O45:H2 and O55:H7). A minority of O26:H11 and O103:H2 strains however tested negative for tccP2, though it is not known whether the lack of tccP2 affected their pathogenic potential. Real‐time PCR analysis of 400 raw milk cheeses revealed the presence of tccP and/or tccP2 genes in 19·75% of the cheese enrichment suspensions. Conclusions: A highly specific and sensitive duplex real‐time PCR method was developed for rapid and simultaneous detection of tccP and tccP2. Unpasteurized dairy products may be contaminated with E. coli strains carrying tccP and/or tccP2. Significance and Impact of the Study: The developed real‐time PCR assay represents a valuable alternative to conventional PCR tests and should be useful for characterization of the virulome of pathogenic E. coli strains.     

Crystal structure of the carbon monoxide complex of human cytoglobin

Cytoglobin (Cgb) is a vertebrate heme‐containing globin‐protein expressed in a broad range of mammalian tissues. Unlike myoglobin, Cgb displays a hexa‐coordinated (bis‐hystidyl) heme iron atom, having the heme distal His81(E7) residue as the endogenous sixth ligand. In the present study, we crystallized human Cgb in the presence of a reductant Na₂S₂O₄ under a carbon monoxide (CO) atmosphere, and determined the crystal structure at 2.6 Å resolution. The CO ligand occupies the sixth axial position of the heme ferrous iron. Eventually, the imidazole group of His81(E7) is expelled from the sixth position and swings out of the distal heme pocket. The flipping motion of the His81 imidazole group accompanies structural readjustments of some residues (Gln62, Phe63, Gln72, and Ser75) in both the CD‐corner and D‐helix regions of Cgb. On the other hand, no significant structural changes were observed in other Cgb regions, for example, on the proximal side. These structural alterations that occurred as a result of exogenous ligand (CO) binding are clearly different from those observed in other vertebrate hexa‐coordinated globins (mouse neuroglobin, Drosophila melanogaster hemoglobin) and penta‐coordinated sperm whale myoglobin. The present study provides the structural basis for further discussion of the unique ligand‐binding properties of Cgb. Proteins 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Conformational analysis of potent sweet taste ligands by NMR and computer simulations

We report the conformational analysis by ¹H‐nmr and computer simulations of five potent sweet molecules, N‐(3,3‐dimethylbutyl)‐L ‐aspartyl‐S‐(α‐methyl)phenylalanine methylester (1; 5000 times more potent than sucrose), L ‐aspartyl‐D ‐valine (S)‐α‐methoxycarbonylmethylbenzylamide (2; 1400 times more potent than sucrose), L ‐aspartyl‐D ‐valine α‐phenylcyclopentylamide (3; 1200 times more potent than sucrose), L ‐aspartyl‐D ‐α‐aminobutyric acid (S)‐α‐cyclohexylpropylamide (4; 2300 times more potent than sucrose), and L ‐aspartyl‐D ‐valine (R)‐α‐methylthiomethylbenzylamide (5; 3000 times more potent than sucrose). The “L‐shaped” structure, which we believe to be responsible for sweet taste, is accessible to all five sweet compounds in solution. This structure is characterized by a zwitterionic ring formed by the A‐H and B containing moieties located in the +y axis and by the hydrophobic group X pointing into the +x axis. Other accessible conformations of these flexible molecules are extended conformations with the A‐H and B containing moieties in the +y axis and the hydrophobic group X pointing in the −y axis and reversed L‐shaped structures with the hydrophobic group X projecting along the −x axis. The remarkable potency of the N‐alkylated compound 1 supports our recent hypothesis that a second hydrophobic binding domain in addition to interactions arising from the L‐shaped structure leads to an enhancement of sweetness potency. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 49: 525–539, 1999