Novel type of red-shifted chlorophyll a antenna complex from Chromera velia: II. Biochemistry and spectroscopy

A novel chlorophyll a containing pigment–protein complex expressed by cells of Chromera velia adapted to growth under red/far-red illumination [1]. Purification of the complex was achieved by means of anion-exchange chromatography and gel-filtration. The antenna is shown to be an aggregate of ~ 20 kDa proteins of the light–harvesting complex (LHC) family, unstable in the isolated form. The complex possesses an absorption maximum at 705 nm at room temperature in addition to the main chlorophyll a maximum at 677 nm producing the major emission band at 714 nm at room temperature. The far-red absorption is shown to be the property of the isolated aggregate in the intact form and lost upon dissociation. The purified complex was further characterized by circular dichroism spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. This work thus identified the third different class of antenna complex in C. velia after the recently described FCP-like and LHCr-like antennas. Possible candidates for red antennas are identified in other taxonomic groups, such as eustigmatophytes and the relevance of the present results to other known examples of red-shifted antenna from other organisms is discussed. This work appears to be the first successful isolation of a chlorophyll a-based far-red antenna complex absorbing above 700 nm unrelated to LHCI.     

The phosphatonins and the regulation of phosphate transport and vitamin D metabolism

Phosphate homeostasis is preserved during variations in phosphate intake by short-term intrinsic renal and intestinal adaptations in transport processes, and by more long-term hormonal mechanisms, which regulate the efficiency of phosphate transport in the kidney and intestine. Recently, several phosphaturic peptides such as fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23), secreted frizzled-related protein-4 (sFRP-4), extracellular phosphoglycoprotein (MEPE) and fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF-7) have been shown to play a pathogenic role in several hypophosphatemic disorders such as tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO), autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR), X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH), the McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) and fibrous dysplasia (FD). These proteins induce phosphaturia and hypophosphatemia in vivo, and inhibit sodium-dependent renal phosphate transport in cultured renal epithelial cells. Interestingly, despite the induction of hypophosphatemia by FGF-23 and sFRP-4 in vivo, serum 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1alpha,25(OH)(2)D) concentrations are decreased or remain inappropriately normal, suggesting an inhibitory effect of these proteins on 25-hydroxyvitamin D 1alpha-hydroxylase activity. In FGF-23 knockout mice, 25-hydroxyvitamin D 1alpha-hydroxylase expression is increased and elevated serum 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D levels cause significant hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia. MEPE, however, increases circulating 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D. Circulating or local concentrations of these peptides/proteins may regulate 25-hydroxyvitamin D 1alpha-hydroxylase activity in renal tissues under physiologic circumstances.     

Inhibition of MEPE cleavage by Phex

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) and the Hyp-mouse disease homolog are caused by inactivating mutations of Phex which results in the local accumulation of an unknown autocrine/paracrine factor in bone that inhibits mineralization of extracellular matrix. In these studies, we evaluated whether the matrix phosphoglycoprotein MEPE, which is increased in calvaria from Hyp mice, is a substrate for Phex. Using recombinant full-length Phex (rPhexWT) produced in Sf9 cells, we failed to observe Phex-dependent hydrolysis of recombinant human MEPE (rMEPE). Rather, we found that rPhex-WT inhibited cleavage of rMEPE by endogenous cathepsin-like enzyme activity present in Sf9 membrane. Sf9 membranes as well as purified cathepsin B cleaved MEPE into two major fragments of approximately 50 and approximately 42kDa. rPhexWT protein in Sf9 membrane fractions, co-incubation of rPhexWT and cathepsin B, and pre-treatment of Sf9 membranes with leupeptin prevented the hydrolysis of MEPE in vitro. The C-terminal domain of Phex was required for inhibition of MEPE cleavage, since the C-terminal deletion mutant rPhex (1-433) [rPhex3(')M] failed to inhibit Sf9-dependent metabolism of MEPE. Phex-dependent inhibition of MEPE degradation, however, did not require Phex enzymatic activity, since EDTA, an inhibitor of rPhex, failed to block rPhexWT inhibition of MEPE cleavage by Sf9 membranes. Since we were unable to identify interactions of Phex with MEPE or actions of Phex to metabolize cathepsin B, Phex may be acting to interfere with the actions of other enzymes that degrade extracellular matrix proteins. Although the molecular mechanism and biological relevance of non-enzymatic actions of Phex need to be established, these findings indicate that MEPE may be involved in the pathogenesis defective mineralization due to Phex deficiency in XLH and the Hyp-mouse.     

Kbus/Idr,a mutant mouse strain with skeletal abnormalities and hypophosphatemia: Identification as an allele of 'Hyp'

Background  

The endopeptidase encoded by Phex (phosphate-regulating gene with homologies to endopeptidases linked to the X chromosome) is critical for regulation of bone matrix mineralization and phosphate homeostasis. PHEX has been identified from analyses of human X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets and Hyp mutant mouse models. We here demonstrated a newly established dwarfism-like Kbus/Idr mouse line to be a novel Hyp model.     

Highly efficient energy transfer from a carbonyl carotenoid to chlorophyll a in the main light harvesting complex of Chromera velia

We report on energy transfer pathways in the main light-harvesting complex of photosynthetic relative of apicomplexan parasites, Chromera velia. This complex, denoted CLH, belongs to the family of FCP proteins and contains chlorophyll (Chl) a, violaxanthin, and the so far unidentified carbonyl carotenoid related to isofucoxanthin. The overall carotenoid-to-Chl-a energy transfer exhibits efficiency over 90% which is the largest among the FCP-like proteins studied so far. Three spectroscopically different isofucoxanthin-like molecules were identified in CLH, each having slightly different energy transfer efficiency that increases from isofucoxanthin-like molecules absorbing in the blue part of the spectrum to those absorbing in the reddest part of spectrum. Part of the energy transfer from carotenoids proceeds via the ultrafast S₂ channel of both the violaxanthin and isofucoxanthin-like carotenoid, but major energy transfer pathway proceeds via the S₁/ICT state of the isofucoxanthin-like carotenoid. Two S₁/ICT-mediated channels characterized by time constants of ~ 0.5 and ~ 4 ps were found. For the isofucoxanthin-like carotenoid excited at 480 nm the slower channel dominates, while those excited at 540 nm employs predominantly the fast 0.5 ps channel. Comparing these data with the excited-state properties of the isofucoxanthin-like carotenoid in solution we conclude that, contrary to other members of the FCP family employing carbonyl carotenoids, CLH complex suppresses the charge transfer character of the S₁/ICT state of the isofucoxanthin-like carotenoid to achieve the high carotenoid-to-Chl-a energy transfer efficiency.     

Intact Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 Concentrations in Hypophosphatemic Disorders

ObjectiveEvaluation of circulating fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) concentrations plays a key role in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with hypophosphatemia. FGF23 concentrations obtained by different immunoassays are not comparable and subsequently, differences in the clinical performance of the assays might arise. In this study, we evaluated the clinical performance of the Medfrontier FGF23 Intact immunoassay (MedFrontier, Minaris Medical Co, Ltd, Tokyo, Japan) in clinically relevant hypophosphatemic conditions.MethodsIntact FGF23 (iFGF23) was measured in serum samples from 61 patients with FGF23-dependent hypophosphatemia (42-tumor induced osteomalacia [TIO] and 19-X-linked hypophosphatemia [XLH]); 8 patients with FGF23-independent hypophosphatemia (6-Fanconi Syndrome and 2-Vitamin D dependent rickets); 10 normophosphatemic patients; 15 chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage-2/3 and 20 CKD stage-4/5 patients; and a healthy control population. Disease-specific differences in measured iFGF23 concentrations and FGF23 concentration association with phosphate concentrations were reported.ResultsiFGF23 concentrations were significantly elevated in 90% and 84% of TIO and XLH hypophosphatemia patients as compared to healthy controls (both TIO and XLH, P = .0001). There was no significant correlation between iFGF23 and phosphate concentrations (P = .74 and P = .86) for TIO and XLH, respectively. Patients with CKD showed a significant increase in serum iFGF23 as the estimated glomerular filtration rate decreased (ρ = -0.79, P ≤ 0.0001).ConclusionsThis study evaluated the clinical performance of the MedFrontier iFGF23 assay in a large cohort of XLH and TIO Caucasian and Asian patients. The clinical sensitivity of this iFGF23 assay is appropriate for clinical use.