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Substrate Transport (substrate + transport)
Selected AbstractsTowards Preparative Scale Steroid Hydroxylation with Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase CYP106A2CHEMBIOCHEM, Issue 5 2010Daniela Zehentgruber Dr. Abstract Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases are of outstanding interest for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, due to their ability to hydroxylate CH bonds mainly in a stereo- and regioselective manner. CYP106A2 from Bacillus megaterium ATCC 13368, one of only a few known bacterial steroid hydroxylases, enables the oxidation of 3-keto-4-ene steroids mainly at position 15. We expressed this enzyme together with the electron-transfer partners bovine adrenodoxin and adrenodoxin reductase in Escherichia coli. Additionally an enzyme-coupled cofactor regeneration system was implemented by expressing alcohol dehydrogenase from Lactobacillus brevis. By studying the conversion of progesterone and testosterone, the bottlenecks of these P450-catalyzed hydroxylations were identified. Substrate transport into the cell and substrate solubility turned out to be crucial for the overall performance. Based on these investigations we developed a new concept for CYP106A2-catalyzed steroid hydroxylations by which the productivity of progesterone and testosterone conversion could be increased up to 18-fold to yield an absolute productivity up to 5.5 g,L,1,d,1. Product extraction with absorber resins allowed the recovery of quantitative amounts of 15,-OH-progesterone and 15,-OH-testosterone and also the reuse of the biocatalyst. [source] Mechanisms of substrate transport-induced clustering of a glial glutamate transporter GLT-1 in astroglial,neuronal culturesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 9 2008Takayuki Nakagawa Abstract Glutamate uptake by the Na+ -dependent glutamate transporter GLT-1, which is predominantly expressed in astrocytes, is crucial for regulating glutamate concentration at the synaptic cleft and achieving proper excitatory neurotransmission. A body of evidence suggests that GLT-1 constitutively traffics between the plasma membrane and endosomes via an endocytosis/recycling pathway, and forms a cluster. Here, we report substrate transport via GLT-1-induced formation of GLT-1 cluster accompanied by intracellular trafficking in rat astroglial,neuronal cultures. We constructed a recombinant adenovirus expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP)-tagged GLT-1. Adenoviral infection resulted in the expression of functional GLT-1,EGFP preferentially in astrocytes, partly as clusters. Treatment with glutamate, but not N -methyl-D-aspartate, dramatically increased the number of GLT-1 clusters within 1 h. The estimated EC50 value of glutamate was 240 ,m. In addition, glutamate decreased the cell surface expression and increased the intracellular expression of GLT-1. The GLT-1 clusters were found in early and recycling endosomes and partly in lysosomes, and were inhibited by blockade of endocytotic pathways. Ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists had no effect on glutamate-induced GLT-1 clustering. The non-transportable glutamate uptake inhibitors (2S,3S)-3-[3-[4-(trifluoromethyl)benzoylamino]benzyloxy]aspartate and dihydrokainate, as well as Na+ -free conditions, prevented the glutamate-induced GLT-1 clustering, whereas the competitive substrates, aspartate and L- trans -pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate, induced GLT-1 clustering. Furthermore, the Na+/K+ -ATPase inhibitor, ouabain, and the Na+ ionophores, gramicidin and monensin, produced GLT-1 clustering. Modulators of intracellular Ca2+signaling or membrane depolarization had no effect on GLT-1 clustering. Taken together, these results suggest that Na+ influx associated with GLT-1 substrate transport triggers the formation of GLT-1 clusters accompanied by intracellular trafficking via endocytotic pathways in astrocytes. [source] New insights into the P-glycoprotein-mediated effluxes of rhodaminesFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 3 2003Chatchanok Loetchutinat Multidrug resistance (MDR) in tumour cells is often caused by the overexpression of the plasma drug transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp). This protein is an active efflux pump for chemotherapeutic drugs, natural products and hydrophobic peptides. Despite the advances of recent years, we still have an unclear view of the molecular mechanism by which P-gp transports such a wide diversity of compounds across the membrane. Measurement of the kinetic characteristics of substrate transport is a powerful approach to enhancing our understanding of their function and mechanism. The aim of the present study was to further characterize the transport of several rhodamine analogues, either positively charged or zwitterionic. We took advantage of the intrinsic fluorescence of rhodamines and performed a flow-cytometric analysis of dye accumulation in the wild-type drug sensitive K562 that do not express P-gp and its MDR subline that display high levels of MDR. The measurements were made in real time using intact cells. The kinetic parameter, ka = VM/km, which is a measure of the efficiency of the P-gp-mediated efflux of a substrate was similar for almost all the rhodamine analogues tested. In addition these values were compared with those determined previously for the P-gp-mediated efflux of anthracycline. Our conclusion is that the compounds of these two classes of molecules, anthracyclines and rhodamines, are substrates of P-gp and that their pumping rates at limiting low substrate concentration are similar. The findings presented here are the first to show quantitative information about the kinetic parameters for P-gp-mediated efflux of rhodamine analogues in intact cells. [source] A cocaine insensitive chimeric insect serotonin transporter reveals domains critical for cocaine interactionFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 16 2002Sumandeep K. Sandhu Serotonin transporters are key target sites for clinical drugs and psychostimulants, such as fluoxetine and cocaine. Molecular cloning of a serotonin transporter from the central nervous system of the insect Manduca sexta enabled us to define domains that affect antagonist action, particularly cocaine. This insect serotonin transporter transiently expressed in CV-1 monkey kidney cells exhibits saturable, high affinity Na+ and Cl, dependent serotonin uptake, with estimated Km and Vmax values of 436 ± 19 nm and 3.8 ± 0.6 × 10,18 mol·cell·min,1, respectively. The Manduca high affinity Na+/Cl, dependent transporter shares 53% and 74% amino acid identity with the human and fruit fly serotonin transporters, respectively. However, in contrast to serotonin transporters from these two latter species, the Manduca transporter is inhibited poorly by fluoxetine (IC50 = 1.23 µm) and cocaine (IC50 = 12.89 µm). To delineate domains and residues that could play a role in cocaine interaction, the human serotonin transporter was mutated to incorporate unique amino acid substitutions, detected in the Manduca homologue. We identified a domain in extracellular loop 2 (amino acids 148,152), which, when inserted into the human transporter, results in decreased cocaine sensitivity of the latter (IC50 = 1.54 µm). We also constructed a number of chimeras between the human and Manduca serotonin transporters (hSERT and MasSERT, respectively). The chimera, hSERT1,146/MasSERT106,587, which involved N-terminal swaps including transmembrane domains (TMDs) 1 and 2, was remarkably insensitive to cocaine (IC50 = 180 µm) compared to the human (IC50 = 0.431 µm) and Manduca serotonin transporters. The chimera MasSERT1,67/hSERT109,630, which involved only the TMD1 swap, showed greater sensitivity to cocaine (IC50 = 0.225 µm) than the human transporter. Both chimeras showed twofold higher serotonin transport affinity compared to human and Manduca serotonin transporters. Our results show TMD1 and TMD2 affect the apparent substrate transport and antagonist sensitivity by possibly providing unique conformations to the transporter. The availability of these chimeras facilitates elucidation of specific amino acids involved in interactions with cocaine. [source] Comparison of protein expression in human deltoideus and vastus lateralis muscles using two-dimensional gel electrophoresisPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 10 2005Daniele Capitanio Abstract We have used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry (MS) to study the expression of contractile and regulatory proteins in human vastus lateralis and deltoideus muscles, in order to understand protein turnover and isoform switching in muscles with the same fiber-type composition but different functional properties. We demonstrate a two- to six-fold overexpression of enzymes associated with glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and substrate transport in vastus lateralis compared to deltoideus. Expression levels of contractile protein isoforms correlated to the proportion of slow-twitch fibers in deltoideus compared to vastus lateralis are consistent with the different contractile properties of the two muscles. Two proteins involved in free radical homeostasis were differentially expressed, suggesting a direct relationship between radical scavenging and the muscle function. The application of 2-DE and MS to studies of muscle physiology thus offers a more comprehensive assessment of the molecular determinants of muscle function than traditional approaches. [source] Understanding and Improving NADPH-Dependent Reactions by Nongrowing Escherichia coli CellsBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2004Adam Z. Walton We have shown that whole Escherichia coli cells overexpressing NADPH-dependent cyclohexanone monooxygenase carry out a model Baeyer-Villiger oxidation with high volumetric productivity (0.79 g ,-caprolactone/L·h ) under nongrowing conditions (Walton, A. Z.; Stewart, J. D. Biotechnol. Prog.2002, 18, 262,268). This is approximately 20-fold higher than the space-time yield for reactions that used growing cells of the same strain. Here, we show that the intracellular stability of cyclohexanone monooxygenase and the rate of substrate transport across the cell membrane were the key limitations on the overall reaction duration and rate, respectively. Directly measuring the levels of intracellular nicotinamide cofactors under bioprocess conditions suggested that E. coli cells could support even more efficient NADPH-dependent bioconversions if a more suitable enzyme-substrate pair were identified. This was demonstrated by reducing ethyl acetoacetate with whole cells of an E. coli strain that overexpressed an NADPH-dependent, short-chain dehydrogenase from bakerapos;s yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Under glucose-fed, nongrowing conditions, this reduction proceeded with a space-time yield of 2.0 g/L·h and a final product titer of 15.8 g/L using a biocatalyst:substrate ratio (g/g) of only 0.37. These values are significantly higher than those obtained previously. Moreover, the stoichiometry linking ketone reduction and glucose consumption (2.3 ± 0.1) suggested that the citric acid cycle supplied the bulk of the intracellular NADPH under our process conditions. This information can be used to improve the efficiency of glucose utilization even further by metabolic engineering strategies that increase carbon flux through the pentose phosphate pathway. [source] | |||||||||||||