The role of strand 1 of the C β-sheet in the structure and function of α1-antitrypsin

Serpins inhibit cognate serine proteases involved in a number of important processes including blood coagulation and inflammation. Consequently, loss of serpin function or stability results in a number of disease states. Many of the naturally occurring mutations leading to disease are located within strand 1 of the C beta-sheet of the serpin. To ascertain the structural and functional importance of each residue in this strand, which constitutes the so-called distal hinge of the reactive center loop of the serpin, an alanine scanning study was carried out on recombinant alpha(1)-antitrypsin Pittsburgh mutant (P1 = Arg). Mutation of the P10' position had no effect on its inhibitory properties towards thrombin. Mutations to residues P7' and P9' caused these serpins to have an increased tendency to act as substrates rather than inhibitors, while mutations at P6' and P8' positions caused the serpin to behave almost entirely as a substrate. Mutations at the P6' and P8' residues of the C beta-sheet, which are buried in the hydrophobic core in the native structure, caused the serpin to become highly unstable and polymerize much more readily. Thus, P6' and P8' mutants of alpha(1)-antitrypsin had melting temperatures 14 degrees lower than wild-type alpha(1)-antitrypsin. These results indicate the importance of maintaining the anchoring of the distal hinge to both the inhibitory mechanism and stability of serpins, the inhibitory mechanism being particularly sensitive to any perturbations in this region. The results of this study allow more informed analysis of the effects of mutations found at these positions in disease-associated serpin variants.     

萌发绿豆中水解大豆胰蛋白酶抑制子蛋白酶的纯化及固定化

大豆是豆类植物中最早发现存在蛋白酶抑制子的 ,由于其存在影响了豆类的利用价值 ,因此研究人员一直在寻找着解决办法。采用加热处理方法不能彻底钝化豆类蛋白的蛋白酶抑制子活性 ,且豆类蛋白的含硫氨基酸主要存在于各类蛋白酶抑制子中 ,从豆类蛋白中除去抑制子蛋白将大大降低其营养效价。本研究的目的是试图寻找一种可在常温下降解豆类胰蛋白酶抑制子的蛋白酶 ,从而钝化豆类的胰蛋白酶抑制活性。在前期工作中 ,我们发现枯草杆菌蛋白酶 (Ｓｕｂ ｔｉｌｉｓｉｎ)可在在常温下降解花生及大豆胰蛋白酶抑制剂[1] ,近期我们的研究表明 ,Ａｌｃａ…     

应用定点突变与分子模建方法研究蛋白酶抑制剂eglin C突变体对蛋白酶furin和kexin的抑制活力

蛋白质前体加工酶参与许多重要蛋白质闪体的加工成熟过程,哺乳动物来源的furin和酵母中的kexin是该家族的重要成员。首先人工合成了编码枯草杆菌蛋白酶抑制剂eglin C的基因片段,组装后在大肠杆菌中得到表达。以定点突变方法在野生型eglin C抑制活性中心的P1、P2和P4位引入碱性氨基酸残基可以将其改造为很强的furin抑制剂（Ki约10^-9mol/L）,和kexin抑制剂（Ki约10^-11mol/L）。同时根据枯草杆菌蛋白酶和eglin C复合物的晶体结构,计算机同源模建了前体加工酶与eglin C突变体结构之间的相互作用,并结合实验数据得到以下结果：（1）P1位引入的碱性残基是该抑制剂活力的前提;（2）P4位碱性残基的引入可以极大地提高抑制剂活力约两个数量级;（3）P2 的碱性残基将有效提高抑制剂的活力。然而同时可以破坏抑制剂本身的稳定性。（4）野生型P3位的疏水性残基参与抑制剂活性环附近疏水核心的构成。     

Activity of salivary glands in secreting honey‐elaborating enzymes in two subspecies of honeybee (Apis mellifera L)

The activity of invertase, glucose oxidase and amylase in the cephalic (post‐cerebral) and thoracic salivary glands is determined in Egyptian and Carniolan honeybees (Apis mellifera L). For this purpose, three ages of worker bees are selected for enzyme assays. The results show that the three target enzymes are detected in the two glands during the three worker ages, except invertase, which cannot be detected in the cephalic gland of newly emerged bees of both subspecies. In both glands, the secretion of invertase is highest, followed by amylase and then glucose oxidase. In Carniolan bees, invertase secretion of the cephalic and thoracic glands increases gradually with age. In Egyptian bees, invertase increases with age only in the cephalic gland, whereas, in the thoracic gland, the highest secretion activity is detected in 10–15‐day‐old bees. The highest amounts of glucose oxidase and amylase in the cephalic gland are detected in newly emerged individuals of both Egyptian and Carniolan bees. In the thoracic gland, however, the highest activity of both enzymes is recorded only in newly emerged Egyptian bees. The results are discussed in the light of bee management and biological aspects of the two subspecies.     

Resistance to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor axitinib is associated with increased glucose metabolism in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Alterations in energy (glucose) metabolism are key events in the development and progression of cancer. In pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells, we investigated changes in glucose metabolism induced by resistance to the receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (RTKI) axitinib. Here, we show that human cell lines and mouse PDAC cell lines obtained from the spontaneous pancreatic cancer mouse model (Kras^G12DPdx1-cre) were sensitive to axitinib. The anti-proliferative effect was due to a G2/M block resulting in loss of 70–75% cell viability in the most sensitive PDAC cell line. However, a surviving sub-population showed a 2- to 3-fold increase in [C-14]deoxyglucose ([C-14]DG) uptake. This was sustained in axitinib-resistant cell lines, which were derived from parental PDAC. In addition to the axitinib-induced increase in [C-14]DG uptake, we observed a translocation of glucose transporter-1 (Glut-1) transporters from cytosolic pools to the cell surface membrane and a 2-fold increase in glycolysis rates measured by the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). We demonstrated an axitinib-induced increase in phosphorylated Protein Kinase B (pAkt) and by blocking pAkt with a phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor we reversed the Glut-1 translocation and restored sensitivity to axitinib treatment. Combination treatment with both axitinib and Akt inhibitor in parental pancreatic cell line resulted in a decrease in cell viability beyond that conferred by single therapy alone. Our study shows that PDAC resistance to axitinib results in increased glucose metabolism mediated by activated Akt. Combining axitinib and an Akt inhibitor may improve treatment in PDAC.     

Enzymatic Synthesis of Dehydro Cyclo(His–Phe)s,Analogs of the Potent Cell Cycle Inhibitor,Dehydrophenylahistin, and Their Inhibitory Activities toward Cell Division

Cyclo(His–Phe) was effectively converted to its dehydro derivatives by the enzyme of Streptomyces albulus KO-23, an albonoursin-producing actinomycete. Two types of dehydro derivatives were isolated from the reaction mixture and identified as cyclo(ΔHis–ΔPhe) and cyclo(His–ΔPhe). This is the first report on cyclo(His–ΔPhe) and the enzymatic preparation of both compounds. Cyclo(ΔHis–ΔPhe), a tetradehydro cyclic dipeptide, exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.78 μmol/ml inhibitory activity toward the first cleavage of sea urchin embryos, in contrast to cyclo(His–ΔPhe) that had no activity. The finding that the isoprenylated derivative of cyclo(ΔHis–ΔPhe), dehydrophyenylahistin, had 2,000 times higher activity than cyclo(ΔHis–ΔPhe) indicates that an isoprenyl group attached to an imidazole ring of the compound was essential for the inhibitory activity.     

Inhibition of Proteasome Activity by Tyropeptin A in PC12 Cells

Tyropeptin A, a potent proteasome inhibitor not reported before, was produced by Kitasatospora sp. MK993-dF2. In this study, we investigated the effects of tyropeptin A on proteasome activity in PC12 cells. Tyropeptin A inhibited the intracellular proteasome activity in a dose-dependent way and seemed to cause neurite outgrowth. As expected, ubiquitinated proteins that should be substrates for the proteasome accumulated in cells treated with tyropeptin A. Hence, it appears that tyropeptin A can permeate into cells and there inhibit the intracellular proteasome activity.