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Methionine Synthase (methionine + synthase)
Terms modified by Methionine Synthase Selected Abstracts(Neocuproin)zinc Thiolates: Attempts at Modeling Cobalamin-Independent Methionine SynthaseEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2004Jan Seebacher Abstract Several new complexes [(neo)Zn(SR)2] [neo = neocuproin (2,9-dimethylphenanthroline)] have been synthesized and structurally characterised. They react in a stepwise fashion with the alkylating agents CH3I and (CH3)2SO4 to afford the thioethers CH3SR and first the mixed complexes [(neo)Zn(SR)X] (X = I, CH3SO4) and then [(neo)ZnX2]. Similar alkylations occur with benzyl iodide, but not with trimethyl phosphate in nonpolar media. Under these conditions, thiolate exchange with [PPN]SR does not occur which indicates that the alkylations take place at the zinc-bound thiolates. In polar solvents (methanol, DMSO), thiolate exchange occurs readily, and at higher temperatures (CH3)3PO4 also acts as an alkylating agent which indicates that under these conditions free thiolate is available in solution. Qualitative kinetic data support the associative alkylation mechanism in nonpolar media and the change of mechanism in polar media. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2004) [source] Protein methylation in full length Chlamydomonas flagellaCYTOSKELETON, Issue 8 2009Roger D. Sloboda Abstract Post-translational protein modification occurs extensively in eukaryotic flagella. Here we examine protein methylation, a protein modification that has only recently been reported to occur in flagella [Schneider MJ, Ulland M, Sloboda RD.2008. Mol Biol Cell 19(10):4319,4327.]. The cobalamin (vitamin B12) independent form of the enzyme methionine synthase (MetE), which catalyzes the final step in methionine production, is localized to flagella. Here we demonstrate, using immunogold scanning electron microscopy, that MetE is bound to the outer doublets of the flagellum. Methionine can be converted to S-adenosyl methionine, which then serves as the methyl donor for protein methylation reactions. Using antibodies that recognize symmetrically or asymmetrically methylated arginine residues, we identify three highly methylated proteins in intact flagella: two symmetrically methylated proteins of about 30 and 40 kDa, and one asymmetrically methylated protein of about 75 kDa. Several other relatively less methylated proteins could also be detected. Fractionation and immunoblot analysis shows that these proteins are components of the flagellar axoneme. Immunogold thin section electron microscopy indicates that the symmetrically methylated proteins are located in the central region of the axoneme, perhaps as components of the central pair complex and the radial spokes, while the asymmetrically methylated proteins are associated with the outer doublets. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Cobalamin-Dependent and Cobalamin-Independent Methionine Synthases: Are There Two Solutions to the Same Chemical Problem?HELVETICA CHIMICA ACTA, Issue 12 2003Rowena Two enzymes in Escherichia coli, cobalamin-independent methionine synthase (MetE) and cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase (MetH), catalyze the conversion of homocysteine (Hcy) to methionine using N(5)-methyltetrahydrofolate (CH3 -H4folate) as the Me donor. Despite the absence of sequence homology, these enzymes employ very similar catalytic strategies. In each case, the pKa for the SH group of Hcy is lowered by coordination to Zn2+, which increases the concentration of the reactive thiolate at neutral pH. In each case, activation of CH3 -H4folate appears to involve protonation at N(5). CH3 -H4folate remains unprotonated in binary E,CH3 -H4folate complexes, and protonation occurs only in the ternary E,CH3 -H4folate,Hcy complex in MetE, or in the ternary E,CH3 -H4folate,cob(I)alamin complex in MetH. Surprisingly, the similarities are proposed to extend to the structures of these two unrelated enzymes. The structure of a homologue of the Hcy-binding region of MetH, betainehomocysteine methyltransferase, has been determined. A search of the three-dimensional-structure data base by means of the structure-comparison program DALI indicates similarity of the BHMT structure with that of uroporphyrin decarboxylase (UroD), a homologue of the MT2-A and MT2-M proteins from Archaea, which catalyze Me transfers from methylcorrinoids to coenzyme M and share the Zn-binding scaffold of MetE. Here, we present a model for the Zn binding site of MetE, obtained by grafting the Zn ligands of MT2-A onto the structure of UroD. [source] Study of four genes belonging to the folate pathway: transcobalamin 2 is involved in the onset of non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate,,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 3 2006Marcella Martinelli Abstract Cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) is the most common inborn craniofacial anomaly. Affected individuals require extensive medical and psychosocial support. Although CL/P has a complex and poorly understood etiology, increasing evidence of folate pathway involvement has been collected. So far, only the MTHFR gene has been extensively investigated as a risk factor for CL/P, while little has been done to test genetic variations in the folate biosynthetic pathways that may influence the infant's susceptibility to these birth defects. To date, this paper presents the first attempt to verify the involvement of four genes belonging to the folate pathway in nonsyndromic cleft onset. We used a case-parent triad design to test for linkage disequilibrium in the case of seven SNPs mapping on four different genes: transcobalamin 1 and 2 (TCN1 and TCN2), methionine synthase (MTR), and MTR reductase (MTRR). Our finding suggests that TCN2 is involved in causing CL/P. Indeed, significant overtransmission of the C allele was observed at the polymorphism c.776C>G (p.Pro259Arg) to the affected offspring (P=0.01). Results obtained with additional TCN2 polymorphisms suggest that c.776C>G may be functionally related to CL/P. However, because conflicting data exist with regard to the effect of the polymorphism in transcobalamin 2 function or in perturbing plasma levels of key molecules in the folate pathway, further investigation is warranted to confirm our data. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Methotrexate induced differentiation in colon cancer cells is primarily due to purine deprivationJOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2006R. Singh Abstract The folate antagonist methotrexate (MTX) inhibits synthesis of tetrahydrofolate (THF), pyrimidines and purines, and induces differentiation in several cell types. At 1 µM, MTX reduced proliferation and induced differentiation in HT29 colon cancer cells; the latter effect was augmented (P,<,0.001) by thymidine (100 µM) but was reversed (P,<,0.001) by the purines, hypoxanthine (Hx; 100 µM) and adenosine (100 µM). In contrast 5-fluoro-uracil (5-FU), a specific thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitor, had no effect on differentiation, suggesting that MTX-induced differentiation is not due to a reduction in thymidine but to the inhibition of purine biosynthesis. Inhibition of cyclic AMP (cAMP) by RpcAMP (25 µM) further enhanced (P,<,0.001) MTX induced differentiation, whereas the cAMP activator forskolin (10 µM) reversed (P,<,0.001) MTX induced differentiation. These observations implicate a central role of adenosine and cAMP in MTX induced differentiation. By combining Western blot analysis with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)and HPLC analyses we also reveal both the expression and activity of key enzymes (i.e. methionine synthase (MS), s-adenosylhomocysteinase, cystathionine ,-synthase and ornithine decarboxylase) regulating methyl cycle, transsulfuration and polyamine pathways in HT29 colon cancer cells. At 1 µM, MTX induced differentiation was associated with a marked reduction in the intracellular concentrations of adenosine and, consequently, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), S-adenosylhomocysteine, polyamines and glutathione (GSH). Importantly, the marked reduction in methionine that accompanied MS inhibition following MTX treatment was non-limiting with respect to SAM synthesis. Collectively, these findings indicate that the effects of MTX on cellular differentiation and single carbon metabolism are primarily due to the intracellular depletion of purines. J. Cell. Biochem. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Molecular analysis of resistance mechanisms to Orobanche cumana in sunflowerPLANT PATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2007P. Letousey Resistance to the dicotyledenous parasite Orobanche cumana in sunflower is characterized by a low number of parasitic attachments and a confinement of the parasite in host tissues leading to its necrosis. To help understand what determines such resistance mechanisms, molecular, biochemical and histological approaches were employed before (early response) and after (late response) attachment of the broomrape parasite to susceptible (2603) and resistant (LR1) sunflower genotypes. The expression patterns of 11 defence-related genes known to be involved in different metabolic pathways (phenylpropanoids, jasmonate, ethylene) and/or in resistance mechanisms against microorganisms were investigated. RT-PCR and cDNA blot experiments revealed that the resistant genotype exhibited a stronger overall defence response against O. cumana than the susceptible one, involving marker genes of the jasmonate (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) pathways. Among them, the SA-responsive gene, def. (defensin), appeared to be characteristic of LR1 sunflower resistance. However, no JA accumulation and similar SA contents (250,300 ng g,1 FW) were measured by GC/MS in both genotypes, parasitized or not. In addition, three cDNAs, isolated by a suppression-subtractive hybridization, were shown to be strongly induced only in the resistant genotype 8 days post-inoculation, when the first O. cumana attachments occurred. These genes, putatively encoding a methionine synthase, a glutathione S-transferase and a quinone oxidoreductase, might be involved in detoxification of reactive oxygen species, suggesting the occurrence of an oxidative burst during the incompatible interaction. Finally, host cell-wall modifications leading to parasite-confinement were correlated with more intense callose depositions in the resistant genotype, concomitant with over-expression of the callose synthase cDNA HaGSL1. [source] Polymorphisms in genes related to folate and cobalamin metabolism and the associations with complex birth defectsPRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 6 2008R. Brouns Abstract Objective To investigate the associations between biomarkers and genetic variants involved in homocysteine metabolism and the risk of complex birth defects. Methods Total homocysteine (tHcy), folate, cobalamin, apo-transcobalamin (apo-TC) and apo-haptocorrin (apo-HC) were measured in the amniotic fluid of 82 women who were pregnant with a child having a complex birth defect, such as neural tube defect, cleft lip and/or palate, heart defect or omphalocele, and in 110 women pregnant with a non-malformed child. The determined genotypes of the child comprised of 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR 677C > T, 1298A > C), methionine synthase (MTR 2756A > G), methionine synthase reductase (MTRR 66A > G) and transcobalamin (TCN2 776C > G). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results Significantly lower cobalamin and higher apo-TC, apo-HC, tHcy and folate concentrations were determined in amniotic fluids of cases compared with controls (p,0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjustment for maternal age, children carrying the MTHFR 677T allele showed a four-fold increased risk of having a complex birth defect, OR (95% CI) = 4.0 (1.1,15.4). Other genotypes did not show significant associations. Conclusion The MTHFR 677C > T polymorphism in conjunction with reduced folate- and/or cobalamin status may increase the risk of complex birth defects. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Genetic and lifestyle variables associated with homocysteine concentrations and the distribution of folate derivatives in healthy premenopausal womenBIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue 8 2010Carolyn M. Summers Abstract BACKGROUND Low folate and high homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations are associated with pregnancy-related pathologies such as spina bifida. Polymorphisms in folate/Hcy metabolic enzymes may contribute to this potentially pathogenic biochemical phenotype. METHODS The study comprised 26 Caucasian and 23 African-American premenopausal women. Subjects gave fasting blood samples for biochemical phenotyping and genotyping. Total Hcy (tHcy) and both plasma and red blood cell (RBC) folate derivatives (i.e. tetrahydrofolate [THF], 5-methylTHF [5-MTHF], and 5,10-methenylTHF [5,10-MTHF]) were measured using stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography, multiple reaction monitoring, and mass spectrometry. Eleven polymorphisms from nine folate/Hcy pathway genes were genotyped. Tests of association between genetic, lifestyle, and biochemical variables were applied. RESULTS In African American women, tHcy concentrations were associated (p < 0.05) with total RBC folate, RBC 5-MTHF, B12, and polymorphisms in methionine synthase (MTR) and thymidylate synthase (TYMS). In Caucasian women, tHcy concentrations were not associated with total folate levels, but were associated (p < 0.05) with RBC THF, ratios of RBC 5-MTHF:THF, and polymorphisms in 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and MTR. In African Americans, folate derivative levels were associated with smoking, B12, and polymorphisms in MTR, TYMS, methionine synthase reductase (MTRR), and reduced folate carrier1 (RFC1). In Caucasians, folate derivative levels were associated with vitamin use, B12, and polymorphisms in MTHFR, TYMS, and RFC1. CONCLUSIONS Polymorphisms in the folate/Hcy pathway are associated with tHcy and folate derivative levels. In African American and Caucasian women, different factors are associated with folate/Hcy phenotypes and may contribute to race-specific differences in the risks of a range of pregnancy-related pathologies. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||