Kinetic studies of Haemophilus influenzae 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase

Trichloroethylene Metabolite S-(1,2-Dichlorovinyl)-l-cysteine Stimulates Changes in Energy Metabolites and Amino Acids in the BeWo Human Placental Trophoblast Model during Syncytialization

Syncytialization, the fusion of cytotrophoblasts into an epithelial barrier that constitutes the maternal-fetal interface, is a crucial event of placentation. This process is characterized by distinct changes to amino acid and energy metabolism. A metabolite of the industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE), S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-l-cysteine (DCVC), modifies energy metabolism and amino acid abundance in HTR-8/SVneo extravillous trophoblasts. In the current study, we investigated DCVC-induced changes to energy metabolism and amino acids during forskolin-stimulated syncytialization in BeWo cells, a human villous trophoblastic cell line that models syncytialization in vitro. BeWo cells were exposed to forskolin at 100 μM for 48 h to stimulate syncytialization. During syncytialization, BeWo cells were also treated with DCVC at 0 (control), 10, or 20 μM. Following treatment, the targeted metabolomics platform, "Tricarboxylic Acid Plus", was used to identify changes in energy metabolism and amino acids. DCVC treatment during syncytialization decreased oleic acid, aspartate, proline, uridine diphosphate (UDP), UDP-d-glucose, uridine monophosphate, and cytidine monophosphate relative to forskolin-only treatment controls, but did not increase any measured metabolite. Notable changes stimulated by syncytialization in the absence of DCVC included increased adenosine monophosphate and guanosine monophosphate, as well as decreased aspartate and glutamate. Pathway analysis revealed multiple pathways in amino acid and sugar metabolisms that were altered with forskolin-stimulated syncytialization alone and DCVC treatment during syncytialization. Analysis of ratios of metabolites within the pathways revealed that DCVC exposure during syncytialization changed metabolite ratios in the same or different direction compared to syncytialization alone. Building off our oleic acid findings, we found that extracellular matrix metalloproteinase-2, which is downstream in oleic acid signaling, underwent the same changes as oleic acid. Together, the metabolic changes stimulated by DCVC treatment during syncytialization suggest changes in energy metabolism and amino acid abundance as potential mechanisms by which DCVC could impact syncytialization and pregnancy.

Purification and Kinetic Properties of 6-Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenase from Rat Small Intestine

6-Phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PG) was purified from rat small intestine with 36% yield and a specific activity of 15 U/mg. On SDS/PAGE, one band with a mass of 52 kDa was found. On native PAGE three protein and two activity bands were observed. The pH optimum was 7.35. Using Arrhenius plots, Ea, DeltaH, Q10 and Tm for 6PGD were found to be 7.52 kcal/mol, 6.90 kcal/mol, 1.49 and 49.4 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme obeyed "Rapid Equilibrium Random Bi Bi" kinetic model with Km values of 595 +/- 213 microM for 6PG and 53.03+/-1.99 microM for NADP. 1/Vm versus 1/6PG and 1/NADP plots gave a Vm value of 8.91+/-1.92 U/mg protein. NADPH is the competitive inhibitor with a Ki of 31.91+/-1.31 microM. The relatively small Ki for the 6PGD:NADPH complex indicates the importance of NADPH in the regulation of the pentose phosphate pathway through G6PD and 6PGD.

PnuC and the utilization of the nicotinamide riboside analog 3-aminopyridine in Haemophilus influenzae

The utilization pathway for the uptake of NAD and nicotinamide riboside was previously characterized for Haemophilus influenzae. We now report on the cellular location, topology, and substrate specificity of PnuC. pnuC of H. influenzae is only distantly related to pnuC of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. When E. coli PnuC was expressed in an H. influenzae pnuC mutant, it was able to take up only nicotinamide riboside and not nicotinamide mononucleotide. Therefore, we postulated that PnuC transporters in general possess specificity for nicotinamide riboside. Earlier studies showed that 3-aminopyridine derivatives (e.g., 3-aminopyridine adenine dinucleotide) are inhibitory for H. influenzae growth. By testing characterized strains with mutations in the NAD utilization pathway, we show that 3-aminopyridine riboside is inhibitory to H. influenzae and is taken up by the NAD-processing and nicotinamide riboside route. 3-Aminopyridine riboside is utilized effectively in a pnuC+ background. In addition, we demonstrate that 3-aminopyridine adenine dinucleotide resynthesis is produced by NadR. 3-Aminopyridine riboside-resistant H. influenzae isolates were characterized, and mutations in nadR could be detected. We also tested other species of the family Pasteurellaceae, Pasteurella multocida and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, and found that 3-aminopyridine riboside does not act as a growth inhibitor; hence, 3-aminopyridine riboside represents an anti-infective agent with a very narrow host range.

Purification and characterization of NAD-specific 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from Leuconostoc lactis SHO-54

The 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.44) from Leuconostoc lactis SHO-54 was purified with an overall yield of 38% and a specific activity of 140.0 units/mg protein. The enzyme had a tetrameric structure and a molecular mass of 32.8 kDa. The amino acid composition of the purified enzyme was determined, and the enzyme contained no sulfhydryl amino acids. The K(m) values for 6-phosphogluconate and NAD were 0.95 mM and 0.32 mM, respectively.

Overall kinetic mechanism of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from Candida utilis

A complete initial velocity study of the 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from Candida utilis at pH 7 and 25 degrees C in both reaction directions suggests a rapid equilibrium random kinetic mechanism with dead-end E:NADP:(ribulose 5-phosphate) and E:NADPH:(6-phosphogluconate) complexes. Like substrate-product (NADP/NADPH and 6-phosphogluconate/ribulose 5-phosphate) pairs are competitive whatever the concentration of the other substrates but noncompetitive versus the other substrates, e.g., NADPH exhibits noncompetitive inhibition versus 6-phosphogluconate. This trend also holds true for all dead-end analogs, e.g., ATP-ribose is competitive versus NADP and noncompetitive versus 6-phosphogluconate. A quantitative analysis of the kinetic inhibition constants supports the assignment of kinetic mechanism. The ratio of the maximum velocities in the oxidative decarboxylation and reductive carboxylation directions is 75.

Nonpolar interactions in the maleimide inactivation of Haemophilus influenzae D-lactate dehydrogenase

A series of N-alkylmaleimides varying in chain length from N-ethyl up to and including N-heptyl, was shown to effectively inactivate Haemophilus influenzae D-lactate dehydrogenase at pH 7.0 and 25 degrees C in processes proposed to involve covalent modification of cysteine residues. The inactivation proceeded through an initial reversible binding of maleimides facilitated by nonpolar interactions with a hydrophobic region of the enzyme. Subsequent irreversible inactivation of the enzyme indicated the modification of a fast-reacting group leading to approx. 80% loss of enzyme activity followed by a second slower-reacting modification process. At saturating concentrations of maleimides, the second inactivation process exhibited a common pseudo-first-order rate constant of 0.6 min-1. The initial reversible binding of N-alkylmaleimides resulted in inhibition of the enzyme that was competitive with respect to NADH. Positive chain length effects were observed in the second-order rate constants for inactivation and in the 6-fold better binding of N-heptylmaleimide as compared to that for N-ethylmaleimide. It is suggested that the nonpolar interactions stabilizing the 1,4-dihydronicotinamide moiety of the reduced coenzyme also facilitate the initial binding of N-alkylmaleimides.