Glycogen metabolism in tissues from a mouse model of Lafora disease

Laforin, encoded by the EPM2A gene, by sequence is a member of the dual specificity protein phosphatase family. Mutations in the EPM2A gene account for around half of the cases of Lafora disease, an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by progressive myoclonus epilepsy. The hallmark of the disease is the presence of Lafora bodies, which contain polyglucosan, a poorly branched form of glycogen, in neurons, muscle and other tissues. Glycogen metabolizing enzymes were analyzed in a transgenic mouse over-expressing a dominant negative form of laforin that accumulates Lafora bodies in several tissues. Skeletal muscle glycogen was increased 2-fold as was the total glycogen synthase protein. However, the -/+glucose-6-P activity of glycogen synthase was decreased from 0.29 to 0.16. Branching enzyme activity was increased by 30%. Glycogen phosphorylase activity was unchanged. In whole brain, no differences in glycogen synthase or branching enzyme activities were found. Although there were significant differences in enzyme activities in muscle, the results do not support the hypothesis that Lafora body formation is caused by a major change in the balance between glycogen elongation and branching activities.     

Mechanistic studies on the intramolecular one-electron transfer between the two flavins in the human endothelial NOS reductase domain

The object of this study was to clarify the mechanism of electron transfer in the human endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) reductase domain using recombinant eNOS reductase domains; the FAD/NADPH domain containing FAD- and NADPH-binding sites and the FAD/FMN domain containing FAD/NADPH-, FMN-, and a calmodulin-binding sites. In the presence of molecular oxygen or menadione, the reduced FAD/NADPH domain is oxidized via the neutral (blue) semiquinone (FADH(*)), which has a characteristic absorption peak at 520 nm. The FAD/NADPH and FAD/FMN domains have high activity for ferricyanide, but the FAD/FMN domain has low activity for cytochrome c. In the presence or absence of calcium/calmodulin (Ca(2+)/CaM), reduction of the oxidized flavins (FAD-FMN) and air-stable semiquinone (FAD-FMNH(*)) with NADPH occurred in at least two phases in the absorbance change at 457nm. In the presence of Ca(2+)/CaM, the reduction rate of both phases was significantly increased. In contrast, an absorbance change at 596nm gradually increased in two phases, but the rate of the fast phase was decreased by approximately 50% of that in the presence of Ca(2+)/CaM. The air-stable semiquinone form was rapidly reduced by NADPH, but a significant absorbance change at 520 nm was not observed. These findings indicate that the conversion of FADH(2)-FMNH(*) to FADH(*)-FMNH(2) is unfavorable. Reduction of the FAD moiety is activated by CaM, but the formation rate of the active intermediate, FADH(*)-FMNH(2) is extremely low. These events could cause a lowering of enzyme activity in the catalytic cycle.     

马桑内酯对粘虫体内蛋白质和消化酶的影响

用马桑内酯分别对粘虫采用注射和饲喂处理,48 h后测定粘虫不同部位消化酶活性及蛋白质含量,以探讨马桑有效成分的作用及其杀虫机理.结果显示:(1)注射羟基马桑毒素处理后粘虫组织中蛋白质含量(与丙酮处理比较)均降低,皮组织降低幅度最大为29.47%,饲喂处理后各组织中蛋白质含量均升高,其中皮组织的升高幅度最大为56.87%;但该毒素对粘虫体内蛋白酶和羧酸酯酶的影响不明显.(2)注射与饲喂马桑亭、马桑宁,粘虫体内蛋白质含量均明显比对照处理升高,蛋白酶活性增强,其中饲喂马桑亭处理的粘虫血淋巴中蛋白质含量升高最大为511.49%,蛋白酶活性增强幅度最大为4 640.26%.马桑亭和马桑宁均可使粘虫组织中羧酸酯酶活性降低,其中饲喂马桑宁处理降低幅度最大为82.94%.结果表明:羟基马桑毒素对粘虫体内蛋白质代谢的影响与用药方式有关,马桑亭和马桑宁处理后的粘虫体内蛋白质含量增高、蛋白酶活性增强及酯酶活性降低均达到显著水平.     

一品红花色素抗氧化性能的研究

从一品红红色苞片中提取花色素,并用自由基测定试剂盒测试了一品红花色素的体外抗氧化性能,并用碘量法测定了其抑制猪油氧化的效果,用TBARS法测定其对血浆脂蛋白氧化的抑制能力。结果表明:一品红花色素具有较强的清除超氧阴离子(O2.-)和羟自由基(.OH)的能力,清除效果优于同浓度的VC;其对猪油氧化的抑制效果和同浓度的VC相近,而对人血浆脂质过氧化的抑制效果显著高于VC。     

反义trxs基因导入对小麦籽粒脱支酶活性的影响

以转反义硫氧还蛋白基因株系01TY34-73-9及其对照品种‘豫麦34’为材料,运用PCR检测和酶活性测定的方法,对转基因株系遗传稳定性以及转基因与对照种子中脱支酶活性进行测定。结果显示:(1)外源基因已经稳定遗传至后代;(2)转基因种子在不同成熟时期和不同萌发过程中的脱支酶活性与对照相比均有不同程度的降低平均降低10.3%,但仅花后25 d到收获后5 d脱支酶活性显著低于对照,其中最低值出现在花后30 d,平均比对照下降了12.0%;(3)在花后30 d和后熟5 d萌发过程中,转基因种子脱支酶活性始终低于对照,平均下降6.2%和22.2%。表明反义trxs基因的导入干扰了小麦trxh基因的表达,使trxh转录量减少,小麦籽粒中脱支酶的活性受抑。     

酶水解日粮在动物营养中的应用前景

近代饲料工业的发展使动物对饲料的消化率得到了很大提高,但已快接近动物消化能力的极限。酶水解日粮技术可望成为突破这一极限的可行途径之一。本文对动物的消化吸收能力极限、传统酶制剂添加技术的局限性、酶水解日粮技术的优势和存在问题作了分析,以期为进一步提高动物对饲料的利用效率提供新的思路。     

富硒食用菌多糖的体外抗氧化研究

分别采用还原力、羟自由基、超氧阴离子自由基、[DPPH.]体系和卵磷脂脂质过氧化体系等几种不同的体外抗氧化模型,对超声波法提取得到的富硒食用菌多糖的抗氧化能力进行了研究。结果表明,在各种体系中,富硒食用菌多糖均表现出较高的抗氧化性,且其浓度与抗氧化活性呈一定的量效关系,在相同的多糖浓度下,体系的抗氧化活性与硒含量有关。     

Crystal structure of AGR_C_4470p from Agrobacterium tumefaciens

We report here the crystal structure at 2.0 A resolution of the AGR_C_4470p protein from the Gram-negative bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The protein is a tightly associated dimer, each subunit of which bears strong structural homology with the two domains of the heme utilization protein ChuS from Escherichia coli and HemS from Yersinia enterocolitica. Remarkably, the organization of the AGR_C_4470p dimer is the same as that of the two domains in ChuS and HemS, providing structural evidence that these two proteins evolved by gene duplication. However, the binding site for heme, while conserved in HemS and ChuS, is not conserved in AGR_C_4470p, suggesting that it probably has a different function. This is supported by the presence of two homologs of AGR_C_4470p in E. coli, in addition to the ChuS protein.     

Combining substrate dynamics, binding statistics, and energy barriers to rationalize regioselective hydroxylation of octane and lauric acid by CYP102A1 and mutants

Hydroxylations of octane and lauric acid by Cytochrome P450-BM3 (CYP102A1) wild-type and three active site mutants--F87A, L188Q/A74G, and F87V/L188Q/A74G--were rationalized using a combination of substrate orientation from docking, substrate binding statistics from molecular dynamics simulations, and barrier energies for hydrogen atom abstraction from quantum mechanical calculations. Wild-type BM3 typically hydroxylates medium- to long-chain fatty acids on subterminal (omega-1, omega-2, omega-3) but not the terminal (omega) positions. The known carboxylic anchoring site Y51/R47 for lauric acid, and hydrophobic interactions and steric exclusion, mainly by F87, for octane as well as lauric acid, play a role in the binding modes of the substrates. Electrostatic interactions between the protein and the substrate strongly modulate the substrate's regiodependent activation barriers. A combination of the binding statistics and the activation barriers of hydrogen-atom abstraction in the substrates is proposed to determine the product formation. Trends observed in experimental product formation for octane and lauric acid by wild-type BM3 and the three active site mutants were qualitatively explained. It is concluded that the combination of substrate binding statistics and hydrogen-atom abstraction barrier energies is a valuable tool to rationalize substrate binding and product formation and constitutes an important step toward prediction of product ratios.     

Crystal Structure of human pyridoxal kinase: structural basis of M(+) and M(2+) activation

Pyridoxal kinase catalyzes the transfer of a phosphate group from ATP to the 5' alcohol of pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxal. In this work, kinetic studies were conducted to examine monovalent cation dependence of human pyridoxal kinase kinetic parameters. The results show that hPLK affinity for ATP and PL is increased manyfold in the presence of K(+) when compared to Na(+); however, the maximal activity of the Na(+) form of the enzyme is more than double the activity in the presence of K(+). Other monovalent cations, Li(+), Cs(+), and Rb(+) do not show significant activity. We have determined the crystal structure of hPLK in the unliganded form, and in complex with MgATP to 2.0 and 2.2 A resolution, respectively. Overall, the two structures show similar open conformation, and likely represent the catalytically idle state. The crystal structure of the MgATP complex also reveals Mg(2+) and Na(+) acting in tandem to anchor the ATP at the active site. Interestingly, the active site of hPLK acts as a sink to bind several molecules of MPD. The features of monovalent and divalent metal cation binding, active site structure, and vitamin B6 specificity are discussed in terms of the kinetic and structural studies, and are compared with those of the sheep and Escherichia coli enzymes.