Descripción: Organic solvents miscible in water (cosolvents) exerted a dual effect on the activation stage of two thioredoxin-linked enzymes of the reductive pentose phosphate cycle, phosphoribulokinase and NADP-glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase, both from spinach chloroplast; the enzyme specific activity was stimulated and inhibited by low and high concentrations of alcohols, respectively. On the contrary, cosolvents inhibited the catalytic process. In the stimulation of phosphoribulokinase activation, organic solvents reduced the requirement for thioredoxin-f and changed the thiol specificity, so that monothiols became functional. The cosolvent-mediated enhancement of NADP-glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase was obtained in the absence of modulators. With both enzymes, the concentration of the organic solvents required for activation was inversely proportional to its hydrophobicity (1-butanol < 1-propanol < 2-propanol < ethanol). The present results demonstrate the participation of a new component, the enzyme microenvironment, in the regulation of thioredoxin-linked chloroplast enzymes. © 1985.

Descripción: Fil:Torres, H.N. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: The alkylation of amino groups of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) with pyridoxal 5′-phosphate or 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulphonate (TNBS) under controlled conditions modifies only one lysyl residue, which accounts for a 70% inhibition of steroid binding capacity. The Kd of aldosterone for MR is not affected by the treatment, but the total number of binding sites is greatly decreased. The modified receptor is capable of dynamically conserving its association with the hsp90-based heterocomplex. Importantly, the binding of natural agonists protects the hormone binding capacity of the MR from the inactivating action of alkylating agents. In contrast, antagonistic steroids are totally incapable of providing such protection. Like the antagonistic ligands, and despite its potent mineralocorticoid biological effect, the sole MR specific synthetic agonist known to date, 11,19-oxidoprogesterone (11-OP), shows no protective effect upon treatment of the MR with pyridoxal 5′-phosphate or TNBS. Limited digestion of the MR with α-chymotrypsin generates a 34 kDa fragment, which becomes totally resistant to digestion upon binding of natural agonists, but not upon binding of antagonists. Interestingly, the synthetic 21-deoxypregnanesteroid 11-OP exhibits an intermediate pattern of proteolytic degradation, suggesting that the conformational change generated in the MR is not equivalent to that induced by antagonists or natural agonists. We conclude that in the first steps of activation, the MR changes its conformation upon binding of the ligand. However, the nature of this conformational change depends on the nature of the ligand. The experimental evidence shown in this work suggests that a single lysyl group can determine the hormone specificity of the MR. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Descripción: Fil:Chelala, C.A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: Xanthan is an industrially important exopolysaccharide produced by the phytopathogenic, gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. It is composed of polymerized pentasaccharide repeating malts which are assembled by the sequential addition of glucose-1-phosphate, glucose, mannose, glucuronic acid, and mannose on a polyprenol phosphate carrier (L. Ielpi, R. O. Couso, and M. A. Dankert, J. Bacteriol. 175:2490- 2500, 1993). A cluster of 12 genes in a region designated xpsI or gum has been suggested to encode proteins involved in the synthesis and polymerization of the lipid intermediate. However, no experimental evidence supporting this suggestion has been published. In this work, from the biochemical analysis of a defined set of X. campestris gum mutants, we report experimental data for assigning functions to the products of the gum genes. We also show that the first step in the assembly of the lipid-linked intermediate is severely affected by the combination of certain gum and non- gum mutations. In addition, we provide evidence that the C-terminal domain of the gumD gene product is sufficient for its glucosyl-1-phosphate transferase activity. Finally, we found that alterations in the later stages of xanthan biosynthesis reduce the aggressiveness of X. campestris against the plant.

Descripción: Phosphate prospecting in marine sedimentary rocks of the Marginal and Austral basins of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego resulted in the first discovery of phosphatic beds in the Paleogene Rio Claro Formation. Phosphatic anomalies of up to 20.1% P2U5 in concretions and up to 2% PaOs in bulk rock offer promising opportunities for systematic prospection on the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The phosphatic beds are conglomerates, coquinas and conglomeratic sandstones interbedded with thick mudstone packets. They belong to the condensed-type phosphatic beds, which are the product of erosion and reworking of concretions developed in fine sediments. Phosphate concretions containing glauconite, together with abundant glauconite in the same and closely associated beds, indicate a common syn-sedimentary to earlydiagenetic origin for both minerals, via recycling of sedimentary iron. This process occurred on a shelf with low sedimentation rates, pointing to high sea-level stands and marked interruptions in the sedimentation of the thick Paleogene sedimentary sequence of the Austral Basin . The deposit point to the existence and extension of this early Cenozoic phosphogenic episode to high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. © 1998 Asociacidn Geoldgica Argentina.

Descripción: 1. 1. PBG-Deaminase obtained from Rp. palustris exhibited classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics in the absence or presence of different ions. 2. 2. Detailed kinetic studies were carried out in the presence of ammonium, phosphate and magnesium ions. 3. 3. It has been found that the different effects observed are dependent on both the substrate and the ion concentration. © 1987.

Descripción: The scope of the present review focuses on the interfacial properties of cell membranes that may establish a link between the membrane and the cytosolic components. We present evidences that the current view of the membrane as a barrier of permeability that contains an aqueous solution of macromolecules may be replaced by one in which the membrane plays a structural and functional role. Although this idea has been previously suggested, the present is the first systematic work that puts into relevance the relation water-membrane in terms of thermodynamic and structural properties of the interphases that cannot be ignored in the understanding of cell function. To pursue this aim, we introduce a new definition of interphase, in which the water is organized in different levels on the surface with different binding energies. Altogether determines the surface free energy necessary for the structural response to changes in the surrounding media. The physical chemical properties of this region are interpreted in terms of hydration water and confined water, which explain the interaction with proteins and could affect the modulation of enzyme activity. Information provided by several methodologies indicates that the organization of the hydration states is not restricted to the membrane plane albeit to a region extending into the cytoplasm, in which polar head groups play a relevant role. In addition, dynamic properties studied by cyclic voltammetry allow one to deduce the energetics of the conformational changes of the lipid head group in relation to the head-head interactions due to the presence of carbonyls and phosphates at the interphase. These groups are, apparently, surrounded by more than one layer of water molecules: a tightly bound shell, that mostly contributes to the dipole potential, and a second one that may be displaced by proteins and osmotic stress. Hydration water around carbonyl and phosphate groups may change by the presence of polyhydroxylated compounds or by changing the chemical groups esterified to the phosphates, mainly choline, ethanolamine or glycerol. Thus, surface membrane properties, such as the dipole potential and the surface pressure, are modulated by the water at the interphase region by changing the structure of the membrane components. An understanding of the properties of the structural water located at the hydration sites and the functional water confined around the polar head groups modulated by the hydrocarbon chains is helpful to interpret and analyze the consequences of water loss at the membranes of dehydrated cells. In this regard, a correlation between the effects of water activity on cell growth and the lipid composition is discussed in terms of the recovery of the cell volume and their viability. Critical analyses of the properties of water at the interface of lipid membranes merging from these results and others from the literature suggest that the interface links the membrane with the aqueous soluble proteins in a functional unit in which the cell may be considered as a complex structure stabilized by water rather than a water solution of macromolecules surrounded by a semi permeable barrier. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Descripción: 1. 1. The incubation of the pegion breast muscle homogenate at 37° resulted in a time-dependent decrease in phosphatase activity. This effect was stimulated by ATP, ADP, AMP, GTP, UTP, CTP or pyrophosphate. 2. 2. Reactivation of an inactive phosphorylase a phosphatase preparation was obtained by incubation with ATP-Mg2+. Phosphocreatine-Mg2+ or Mg2+ were also found to be effective in bringing about the reactivation of the enzyme. 3. 3. 3′,5′-Cyclic AMP decreased the yield of the active enzyme when it was added either at the beginning or during the activation reaction. © 1970.

Descripción: Puffs are localized Ca2+ signals that arise in oocytes in response to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). They are analogous to the sparks of myocytes and are believed to be the result of the liberation of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum through the coordinated opening of IP3 receptor/channels clustered at a functional release site. In this article, we analyze sequences of puffs that occur at the same site to help elucidate the mechanisms underlying puff dynamics. In particular, we show a dependence of the interpuff time on the amplitude of the preceding puff, and of the amplitude of the following puff on the preceding interval. These relationships can be accounted for by an inhibitory role of the Ca2+ that is liberated during puffs. We construct a stochastic model for a cluster of IP3 receptor/channels that quantitatively replicates the observed behavior, and we determine that the characteristic time for a channel to escape from the inhibitory state is of the order of seconds. © 2006 by the Biophysical Society.

Descripción: β-Lapachone, an o-naphthoquinone, induces a novel caspase- and p53-independent apoptotic pathway dependent on NAD (P) H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). NQO1 reduces β-lapachone to an unstable hydroquinone that rapidly undergoes a two-step oxidation back to the parent compound, perpetuating a futile redox cycle. A deficiency or inhibition of NQO1 rendered cells resistant to beta;-lapachone. Thus, β-lapachone has great potential for the treatment of specific cancers with elevated NQO1 levels (e.g., breast, non - small cell lung, pancreatic, colon, and prostate cancers). We report the development of mono(arylimino) derivatives of β-lapachone as potential prodrugs. These derivatives are relatively nontoxic and not substrates for NQO1 when initially diluted in water. In solution, however, they undergo hydrolytic conversion to β-lapachone at rates dependent on the electron-withdrawing strength of their substituent groups and pH of the diluent. NQO1 enzyme assays, UV-visible spectrophotometry, high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses confirmed and monitored conversion of each derivative to β-lapachone. Once converted, β-lapachone derivatives caused NQO1-dependent, μ-calpain-mediated cell death in human cancer cells identical to that caused by β-lapachone. Interestingly, coadministration of N-acetyt-L-cysteine prevented derivative-induced cytotoxicity but did not affect β-lapachone lethality. Nuclear magnetic resonance analyses indicated that prevention of β-lapachone derivative cytotoxicity was the result of direct modification of these derivatives by N-acetyl-L-cysteine, preventing their conversion to β-lapachone. The use of β-lapachone mono(arylimino) prodrug derivatives, or more specifically a derivative converted in a tumor-specific manner (i.e., in the acidic local environment of the tumor tissue), should reduce normal tissue toxicity while eliciting tumor-selective cell killing by NQO1 bioactivation. © 2005 American Association for Cancer Research.

Descripción: 1. 1. The effect of several metals and reagents on the decarboxylation rate of uroporphyrinogen I by using a 16-fold purified preparation of Uroporphyrinogen Decarboxylase from Rhodopseudomonas palustris, was studied. 2. 2. 1 mM Hg2+ and Cu2+ were strong inhibitors, 1 mM Zn2+ and Fe2+ under certain conditions and 1 mM Fe3+ and Cr3+ also inactivated the enzyme, but Pb2+, Cd2+, and Al3+ did not. Metals inhibition was reversed by 1 mM GSH or CvSH. 3. 3. 0.1 mM DTNB and PCMB, 1 mM pyridoxal phosphate and 100 mM chloral hydrate, as well as 1 mM 2-methoxy-5-nitrotropone and 0.2 mM diethylpyrocarbonate inhibited Uroporphyrinogen Decarboxylase; while GSH, CySH, N-ethylmaleimide, sodium thioglycolate, 1,4-dithioerythritol, EDTA and O-phenantroline did not modify activity. 4. 4. Data obtained would indicate that one cysteine, one or two histidine residues and probably a lysine group are required for enzyme activity. © 1987.

Descripción: The effect of eliminating D-lactate synthesis in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)-accumulating recombinant Escherichia coli (K24K) was analyzed using glycerol as a substrate. K24KL, an ldhA derivative, produced more biomass and had altered carbon partitioning among the metabolic products, probably due to the increased availability of carbon precursors and reducing power. This resulted in a significant increase of PHB and ethanol synthesis and a decrease in acetate production. Cofactor measurements revealed that cultures of K24K and K24KL had a high intracellular NADPH content and that the NADPH/NADP+ ratio was higher than the NADH/NAD+ ratio. The ldhA mutation affected cofactor distribution, resulting in a more reduced intracellular state, mainly due to a further increase in NADPH/NADP+. In 60-h fed-batch cultures, K24KL reached 41.9 g · liter-1 biomass and accumulated PHB up to 63% ± 1% (wt/wt), with a PHB yield on glycerol of 0.41 ± 0.03 g · g-1, the highest reported using this substrate. © 2010, American Society for Microbiology.

Descripción: A psychrotolerant marine bacterial strain, designated JUB59 T, was isolated from Antarctic surface seawater and classified as a new species of the genus Bizionia. Here, we present the first draft genome sequence for this genus, which suggests interesting features such as UV resistance, hydrolytic exoenzymes, and nitrogen metabolism. © 2011, American Society for Microbiology.

Descripción: A soluble Ca2+-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) was purified to homogeneity in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants. Potato CDPK was strictly dependent on Ca2+ (one-half maximal activation 0.6 μM) and phosphorylated a wide diversity of substrates, in which Syntide 2 was the best phosphate acceptor (Michaelis constant = 30 μM). The kinase was inhibited by Ca2+- chelating agents, phenotiazine derivatives, and N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1- naphthalenesulfonamide (one-half maximal inhibition = 0.25 mM). Polyclonal antibodies directed against the regulatory region of the soybean CDPK recognized a 53-kD polypeptide. In an autophosphorylation assay, this same band was strongly labeled with [γ-32P]ATP in the presence of Ca2+. CDPK activity was high in nontuberized plants, but increased 2.5-fold at the onset of tuber development and was reduced to one-half of its original activity when the tuber had completed formation. In the early stages of tuberization, Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation of endogenous targets (specific bands of 68, 51, and 46 kD) was observed. These polypeptides were not labeled in nontuberizing plants or in completely formed tubers, indicating that this phosphorylation is a stage-specific event. In addition, dephosphorylation of specific polypeptides was detected in tuberizing plants, suggesting the involvement of a phosphatase. Preincubation of crude extracts with phosphatase inhibitors rendered a 100% increase in CDPK activity.

Descripción: Accurate characterization of the molecular mechanisms of the action of ligands is an extremely important issue for their appropriate research, pharmacological, and therapeutic uses. In view of this fact, the aim of the present work was to investigate the mechanisms involved in the actions of mepyramine at the guinea pig H1 receptor stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. We found that mepyramine is able to decrease the basal constitutive activity of the guinea pig H1 receptor, to bind with high affinity to a Gq/11 protein-coupled form of the receptor and to promote a G protein-coupled inactive state of the H1 receptor that interferes with the Gq/11-mediated signaling of the endogenously expressed ATP receptor, as predicted by the Cubic Ternary Complex Model of receptor occupancy. The effect of mepyramine on ATP-induced signaling was specifically neutralized by Gα11 overexpression, indicating that mepyramine is able to reduce G protein availability for other non-related receptors associated with the same signaling pathway. Finally, we found a loss of mepyramine efficacy in decreasing basal levels of intracellular calcium at high Gα11 expression levels, which can be theoretically explained in terms of high H1 receptor constitutive activity. The whole of the present work sheds new light on H1 receptor pharmacology and the mechanisms H1 receptor inverse agonists could use to exert their observed negative efficacy.

Descripción: DNA damage triggers a phosphorylation-based signaling cascade known as the DNA damage response. p19INK4d, a member of the INK4 family of CDK4/6 inhibitors, has been reported to participate in the DNA damage response promoting DNA repair and cell survival. Here, we provide mechanistic insight into the activation mechanism of p19INK4d linked to the response to DNA damage. Results showed that p19INK4d becomes phosphorylated following UV radiation, b-amyloid peptide and cisplatin treatments. ATM-Chk2/ATR-Chk1 signaling pathways were found to be differentially involved in p19INK4d phosphorylation depending on the type of DNA damage. Two sequential phosphorylation events at serine 76 and threonine 141 were identified using p19INK4d single-point mutants in metabolic labeling assays with 32P-orthophosphate. CDK2 and PKA were found to participate in p19INK4d phosphorylation process and that they would mediate serine 76 and threonine 141 modifications respectively. Nuclear translocation of p19INK4d induced by DNA damage was shown to be dependent on serine 76 phosphorylation. Most importantly, both phosphorylation sites were found to be crucial for p19INK4d function in DNA repair and cell survival. In contrast, serine 76 and threonine 141 were dispensable for CDK4/6 inhibition highlighting the independence of p19INK4d functions, in agreement with our previous findings. These results constitute the first description of the activation mechanism of p19INK4d in response to genotoxic stress and demonstrate the functional relevance of this activation following DNA damage. © 2012 Marazita et al.