9-cis-retinoids: biosynthesis of 9-cis-retinoic acid

Human nutritional relevance and suggested nutritional guidelines for vitamin A5/X and provitamin A5/X

In the last century, vitamin A was identified that included the nutritional relevant vitamin A1 / provitamin A1, as well as the vitamin A2 pathway concept. Globally, nutritional guidelines have focused on vitamin A1 with simplified recommendations and calculations based solely on vitamin A. The vitamin A / provitamin A terminology described vitamin A with respect to acting as a precursor of 11-cis-retinal, the chromophore of the visual pigment, as well as retinoic acid(s), being ligand(s) of the nuclear hormone receptors retinoic acid receptors (RARs) α, β and γ. All-trans-retinoic acid was conclusively shown to be the endogenous RAR ligand, while the concept of its isomer 9-cis-retinoic acid, being "the" endogenous ligand of the retinoid-X receptors (RXRs), remained inconclusive. Recently, 9-cis-13,14-dihydroretinoic acid was conclusively reported as an endogenous RXR ligand, and a direct nutritional precursor was postulated in 2018 and further confirmed by Rühl, Krezel and de Lera in 2021. This was further termed vitamin A5/X / provitamin A5/X. In this review, a new vitamin A5/X / provitamin A5/X concept is conceptualized in parallel to the vitamin A(1) / provitamin A(1) concept for daily dietary intake and towards dietary guidelines, with a focus on the existing national and international regulations for the physiological and nutritional relevance of vitamin A5/X. The aim of this review is to summarize available evidence and to emphasize gaps of knowledge regarding vitamin A5/X, based on new and older studies and proposed future directions as well as to stimulate and propose adapted nutritional regulations.

Radiosynthesis, Preclinical, and Clinical Positron Emission Tomography Studies of Carbon-11 Labeled Endogenous and Natural Exogenous Compounds

The presence of positron emission tomography (PET) centers at most major hospitals worldwide, along with the improvement of PET scanner sensitivity and the introduction of total body PET systems, has increased the interest in the PET tracer development using the short-lived radionuclides carbon-11. In the last few decades, methodological improvements and fully automated modules have allowed the development of carbon-11 tracers for clinical use. Radiolabeling natural compounds with carbon-11 by substituting one of the backbone carbons with the radionuclide has provided important information on the biochemistry of the authentic compounds and increased the understanding of their in vivo behavior in healthy and diseased states. The number of endogenous and natural compounds essential for human life is staggering, ranging from simple alcohols to vitamins and peptides. This review collates all the carbon-11 radiolabeled endogenous and natural exogenous compounds synthesised to date, including essential information on their radiochemistry methodologies and preclinical and clinical studies in healthy subjects.

Current State of Metal-Based Drugs for the Efficient Therapy of Lung Cancers and Lung Metastases

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women and thus a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. New efficient treatments especially for its advanced stages and metastases are desperately needed, particularly with regard to overcoming the resistance which thwarts the efficacy of most clinically established drugs such as the platinum complexes. Glimpses of hope are new metal-based drugs that have emerged over the past decade which displayed efficacy in patients with platinum-resistant tumors and metastases. This chapter provides an overview of the latest developments of such metal-based drugs against lung cancer.

Binding of rhodopsin and rhodopsin analogues to transducin, rhodopsin kinase and arrestin-1

AIM: To investigate the interaction of reconstituted rhodopsin, 9-cis-retinal-rhodopsin and 13-cis-retinal-rhodopsin with transducin, rhodopsin kinase and arrestin-1.

METHODS: Rod outer segments (ROS) were isolated from bovine retinas. Following bleaching of ROS membranes with hydroxylamine, rhodopsin and rhodopsin analogues were generated with the different retinal isomers and the concentration of the reconstituted pigments was calculated from their UV/visible absorption spectra. Transducin and arrestin-1 were purified to homogeneity by column chromatography, and an enriched-fraction of rhodopsin kinase was obtained by extracting freshly prepared ROS in the dark. The guanine nucleotide binding activity of transducin was determined by Millipore filtration using β,γ-imido-(³H)-guanosine 5’-triphosphate. Recognition of the reconstituted pigments by rhodopsin kinase was determined by autoradiography following incubation of ROS membranes containing the various regenerated pigments with partially purified rhodopsin kinase in the presence of (γ-³²P) ATP. Binding of arrestin-1 to the various pigments in ROS membranes was determined by a sedimentation assay analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

RESULTS: Reconstituted rhodopsin and rhodopsin analogues containing 9-cis-retinal and 13-cis-retinal rendered an absorption spectrum showing a maximum peak at 498 nm, 486 nm and about 467 nm, respectively, in the dark; which was shifted to 380 nm, 404 nm and about 425 nm, respectively, after illumination. The percentage of reconstitution of rhodopsin and the rhodopsin analogues containing 9-cis-retinal and 13-cis-retinal was estimated to be 88%, 81% and 24%, respectively. Although only residual activation of transducin was observed in the dark when reconstituted rhodopsin and 9-cis-retinal-rhodopsin was used, the rhodopsin analogue containing the 13-cis isomer of retinal was capable of activating transducin independently of light. Moreover, only a basal amount of the reconstituted rhodopsin and 9-cis-retinal-rhodopsin was phosphorylated by rhodopsin kinase in the dark, whereas the pigment containing the 13-cis-retinal was highly phosphorylated by rhodopsin kinase even in the dark. In addition, arrestin-1 was incubated with rhodopsin, 9-cis-retinal-rhodopsin or 13-cis-retinal-rhodopsin. Experiments were performed using both phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated regenerated pigments. Basal amounts of arrestin-1 interacted with rhodopsin, 9-cis-retinal-rhodopsin and 13-cis-retinal-rhodopsin under dark and light conditions. Residual arrestin-1 was also recognized by the phosphorylated rhodopsin and phosphorylated 9-cis-retinal-rhodopsin in the dark. However, arrestin-1 was recognized by phosphorylated 13-cis-retinal-rhodopsin in the dark. As expected, all reformed pigments were capable of activating transducin and being phosphorylated by rhodopsin kinase in a light-dependent manner. Additionally, all reconstituted photolyzed and phosphorylated pigments were capable of interacting with arrestin-1.

CONCLUSION: In the dark, the rhodopsin analogue containing the 13-cis isomer of retinal appears to fold in a pseudo-active conformation that mimics the active photointermediate of rhodopsin.

Inhibition of retinoic acid biosynthesis by the bisdichloroacetyldiamine WIN 18,446 markedly suppresses spermatogenesis and alters retinoid metabolism in mice

Knowledge of the regulation of testicular retinoic acid synthesis is crucial for understanding its role in spermatogenesis. Bisdichloroacetyldiamines strongly inhibit spermatogenesis. We reported previously that one of these compounds, WIN 18,446, potently inhibited spermatogenesis in rabbits by inhibiting retinoic acid synthesis. To understand how WIN 18,446 inhibits retinoic acid synthesis, we characterized its effects on human retinal dehydrogenase ALDH1A2 in vitro as well as its effects on retinoid metabolism in vivo using mice. WIN 18,446 strongly and irreversibly inhibited ALDH1A2 in vitro. In vivo, WIN 18,446 treatment completely abolished spermatogenesis after 4 weeks of treatment and modestly reduced adiposity in mice fed a chow diet. Effects of WIN 18,446 on retinoid concentrations were tissue-dependent. Although lung and liver retinyl ester concentrations were lower in WIN 18,446-treated animals, adipose retinyl ester levels were increased following the treatment. Interestingly, animals treated with WIN 18,446 had significantly higher circulating retinol concentrations compared with control mice. The effect on spermatogenesis by WIN 18,446 was not prevented by simultaneous treatment with retinoic acid, whereas effects on other tissues were partially or completely reversed. Cessation of WIN 18,446 treatment for 4 weeks reversed most retinoid-related phenotypes except for inhibition of spermatogenesis. Our data suggest that WIN 18,446 may be a useful model of systemic acquired retinoic acid deficiency. Given the effects observed in our study, inhibition of retinoic acid biosynthesis may have relevance for the treatment of obesity and in the development of novel male contraceptives.

Analysis, occurrence, and function of 9-cis-retinoic acid

Metabolic conversion of vitamin A (retinol) into retinoic acid (RA) controls numerous physiological processes. 9-cis-retinoic acid (9cRA), an active metabolite of vitamin A, is a high affinity ligand for retinoid X receptor (RXR) and also activates retinoic acid receptor (RAR). Despite the identification of candidate enzymes that produce 9cRA and the importance of RXRs as established by knockout experiments, in vivo detection of 9cRA in tissue was elusive until recently when 9cRA was identified as an endogenous pancreas retinoid by validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methodology. This review will discuss the current status of the analysis, occurrence, and function of 9cRA. Understanding both the nuclear receptor-mediated and non-genomic mechanisms of 9cRA will aid in the elucidation of disease physiology and possibly lead to the development of new retinoid-based therapeutics. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Retinoid and Lipid Metabolism.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of retinol, retinyl esters, tocopherols and selected carotenoids out of various internal organs form different species by HPLC

We report the validation of a reversed-phase gradient HPLC method allowing simultaneous quantification of retinol, retinyl esters, tocopherols and selected carotenoids in lung, liver and plasma of mouse, rat and guinea pig (gp) using a diode array detector. A significant species difference was observed regarding the distribution of retinol and retinyl esters. The levels of total retinol in lung, liver and plasma were in the following order: mouse >> rat > gp; rat >mouse > gp; and gp >> rat > mouse, respectively. Furthermore, comparison studies revealed similarities between the vitamin A profiles of human and gp lung samples.

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro antiproliferative activities of new 13-cis-retinoyl ferrocene derivatives

In order to improve biological behavior of the retinoyl derivatives, monoarylferrocenyl alcohols 9a and 9b were synthesized by an improved Suzuki cross-coupling method and their 13-cis-retinoic acid analogues were prepared in moderate to good yields via the Mitsunobu reaction. Their structures were confirmed by IR, (1)H NMR, (13)CNMR, MS spectra and element analysis and their antiproliferative activities were determined in vitro using human cancer cell lines. The results of bioassay showed that these organometallic analogues exhibited higher antiproliferative activities than parent 13-cis-retinoic acid and other retinoyl derivatives.

The search for non-chordate retinoic acid signaling: lessons from chordates

Signaling by retinoic acid (RA) is an important pathway in the development and homeostasis of vertebrate and invertebrate chordates, with a critical role in mesoderm patterning. Classical studies on the distribution of nuclear receptors of animals suggested that the family of RA receptors (RARs/NR1B) was restricted to chordates, while the family of RA X receptors (RXR/NR2B) was distributed from cnidarians to chordates. However, the accumulation of data from genome projects and studies in non-model species is questioning this traditional view. Here we discuss the evidence for non-chordate RA signaling systems in the light of recent advances in our understanding of carotene (pro-Vitamin A) metabolism and of the identification of potential RARs and members of the NR1 family in echinoderms and lophotrochozoan trematodes, respectively. We conclude, as have others before (Bertrand et al., 2004. Mol Biol Evol 21(10):1923-1937), that signaling by RA is more likely an ancestral feature of bilaterians than a chordate innovation.

In vitro and in vivo characterization of retinoid synthesis from beta-carotene

Retinoids are indispensable for the health of mammals, which cannot synthesize retinoids de novo. Retinoids are derived from dietary provitamin A carotenoids, like beta-carotene, through the actions of beta-carotene-15,15'-monooxygenase (BCMO1). As the substrates for retinoid-metabolizing enzymes are water insoluble, they must be transported intracellularly bound to cellular retinol-binding proteins. Our studies suggest that cellular retinol-binding protein, type I (RBP1) acts as an intracellular sensor of retinoid status that, when present as apo-RBP1, stimulates BCMO1 activity and the conversion of carotenoids to retinoids. Cellular retinol-binding protein, type II (RBP2), which is 56% identical to RBP1 does not influence BCMO1 activity. Studies of mice lacking BCMO1 demonstrate that BCMO1 is responsible for metabolically limiting the amount of intact beta-carotene that can be absorbed by mice from their diet. Our studies provide new insights into the regulation of BCMO1 activity and the physiological role of BCMO1 in living organisms.

Proteomic and transcriptomic analyses of macrophages with an increased resistance to oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-induced cytotoxicity generated by chronic exposure to oxLDL

The uptake of oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) by macrophages leads to foam cell formation and fatty streaks, which represent early sites of potential atheroma development. We developed a cell culture model of chronic oxLDL exposure to determine whether hallmark parameters of oxLDL uptake and cytotoxicity are altered during foam cell formation and to determine changes in protein and mRNA expression that distinguish acute and chronic oxLDL exposure. Although the extent of oxLDL uptake did not change, a resistance to oxLDL-induced cytotoxicity was observed in the chronically exposed cells. Macrophages that have been chronically exposed to oxLDL required a 40% higher concentration of oxLDL to achieve 50% survival in a 48-h treatment relative to macrophages subjected to a single oxLDL exposure. A main feature of the differentially expressed proteome was a series of significantly overexpressed antioxidant and antioxidant-related proteins in the oxLDL-exposed cells. A large proportion of these proteins (45%) was overexpressed in the chronically exposed cells prior to the oxLDL treatment, indicative of the unique phenotype produced by the chronic treatment. Analysis of the transcriptome also revealed a broad increase in the expression of antioxidant and antioxidant-related proteins. In addition, the transcriptome experiments found an increased inflammatory response under conditions of both acute and chronic oxLDL exposure. Overall the combined functional, proteomic, and transcriptomic experiments show that macrophages respond to oxLDL by developing an oxidative stress resistance that increases and stabilizes with chronic exposure. Furthermore this protective response and the increased foam cell survival that it supports amplifies their proatherogenic role by promoting a continued inflammatory state.

Isorhodopsin rather than rhodopsin mediates rod function in RPE65 knock-out mice

The chromophore of visual pigments is 11-cis-retinal and, thus, in its absence, opsin is not photosensitive and no visual function exists. However, in the RPE65 knockout (Rpe65-/-) mouse, where synthesis of 11-cis-retinal does not occur, a minimal visual response from rod photoreceptors is obtained. We have examined if an alternative pathway exists for cis-retinoid generation in the absence of RPE65. Cyclic-light-reared, 2-month-old Rpe65-/- mice were placed in complete darkness. No exogenous retinoids were administered. After 4 weeks, enhanced a- and b-wave amplitudes were obtained, increasing >10-fold for the a-wave and >3-fold for the b-wave as compared with cyclic-light-reared Rpe65-/- mice. Visual-pigment levels increased to approximately 10 pmol per retina, compared with no measurable pigment for cyclic-light-reared Rpe65-/- mice. The lambdamax of the isolated pigment was 487 nm, characteristic for isorhodopsin. Retinoid extractions confirmed the presence of 9-cis-retinal and the absence of 11-cis-retinal. Once the Rpe65-/- mice were returned to cyclic light, within 48 h the electroretinogram function returned to levels found in Rpe65-/- mice maintained in cyclic light. This dark-mediated pathway is also operational in older animals, because 13-month-old Rpe65-/- mice kept in prolonged darkness (12 weeks) had increased isorhodopsin levels and electroretinogram a- and b-wave amplitudes. These studies demonstrate that a pathway exists in the eye for the generation of 9-cis-retinal that is independent of RPE65 and light.

Cloning of monkey RALDH1 and characterization of retinoid metabolism in monkey kidney proximal tubule cells

All-trans and 9-cis retinoic acids function as ligands for retinoic acid receptors (RARs and RXRs), which are ligand-dependent transcription factors and play important roles in development and cellular differentiation. Several retinal dehydrogenases are likely to contribute to the production of all-trans and 9-cis RAs in vivo, but their respective roles in different tissues are still poorly characterized. We have previously characterized and cloned from kidney tissues the rat retinal dehydrogenase type 1 (RALDH1), which oxidizes all-trans and 9-cis retinal with high efficiency but is inactive with 13-cis retinal. Here we have characterized the retinal-oxidizing activity in monkey JTC12 cells, which are derived from kidney proximal tubules. In vitro assay of cell lysates revealed the presence of a NAD+-dependent dehydrogenase that catalyzed the oxidation of all-trans, 9-cis, and 13-cis retinal. Northern blot analysis of JTC12 RNAs and cloning by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction demonstrated expression of a monkey homolog of RALDH1. Bacterially expressed JTC12 RALDH1 catalyzed conversion of all three retinal isomers, with a higher catalytic efficiency for 9-cis retinal than for all-trans and 13-cis retinal. Accordingly, live JTC12 produced 9-cis retinoic acid more efficiently than all-trans retinoic acid from their respective retinal precursors. Only metabolites corresponding to the same steric conformation were formed from 9-cis or all-trans retinal, indicating a lack of detectable isomerizing activity in JTC12 cells.

Dual-substrate specificity short chain retinol dehydrogenases from the vertebrate retina

Retinoids are chromophores involved in vision, transcriptional regulation, and cellular differentiation. Members of the short chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily catalyze the transformation of retinol to retinal. Here, we describe the identification and properties of three enzymes from a novel subfamily of four retinol dehydrogenases (RDH11-14) that display dual-substrate specificity, uniquely metabolizing all-trans- and cis-retinols with C(15) pro-R specificity. RDH11-14 could be involved in the first step of all-trans- and 9-cis-retinoic acid production in many tissues. RDH11-14 fill the gap in our understanding of 11-cis-retinal and all-trans-retinal transformations in photoreceptor (RDH12) and retinal pigment epithelial cells (RDH11). The dual-substrate specificity of RDH11 explains the minor phenotype associated with mutations in 11-cis-retinol dehydrogenase (RDH5) causing fundus albipunctatus in humans and engineered mice lacking RDH5. Furthermore, photoreceptor RDH12 could be involved in the production of 11-cis-retinal from 11-cis-retinol during regeneration of the cone visual pigments. These newly identified enzymes add new elements to important retinoid metabolic pathways that have not been explained by previous genetic and biochemical studies.

Characterization of a dehydrogenase activity responsible for oxidation of 11-cis-retinol in the retinal pigment epithelium of mice with a disrupted RDH5 gene. A model for the human hereditary disease fundus albipunctatus

In the vertebrate retina, the final step of visual chromophore production is the oxidation of 11-cis-retinol to 11-cis-retinal. This reaction is catalyzed by 11-cis-retinol dehydrogenases (11-cis-RDHs), prior to the chromophore rejoining with the visual pigment apo-proteins. The RDH5 gene encodes a dehydrogenase that is responsible for the majority of RDH activity. In humans, mutations in this gene are associated with fundus albipunctatus, a disease expressed by delayed dark adaptation of both cones and rods. In this report, an animal model for this disease, 11-cis-rdh-/- mice, was used to investigate the flow of retinoids after a bleach, and microsomal membranes from the retinal pigment epithelium of these mice were employed to characterize remaining enzymatic activities oxidizing 11-cis-retinol. Lack of 11-cis-RDH leads to an accumulation of cis-retinoids, particularly 13-cis-isomers. The analysis of 11-cis-rdh-/- mice showed that the RDH(s) responsible for the production of 11-cis-retinal displays NADP-dependent specificity toward 9-cis- and 11-cis-retinal but not 13-cis-retinal. The lack of 13-cis-RDH activity could be a reason why 13-cis-isomers accumulate in the retinal pigment epithelium of 11-cis-rdh-/- mice. Furthermore, our results provide detailed characterization of a mouse model for the human disease fundus albipunctatus and emphasize the importance of 11-cis-RDH in keeping the balance between different components of the retinoid cycle.

Vitamin A: recent advances in the biotransformation, transport, and metabolism of retinoids

Advances in vitamin A research in 1999 and 2000 have improved the understanding the molecular processes through which beta-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids are converted to vitamin A, the roles of cellular retinoid-binding proteins that serve as retinoid chaperones during metabolism, the regulation of retinoid transport, and the nature and regulation of several enzymes required for the absorption, storage, activation, and inactivation or degradation of retinoids. Not only has a clearer picture emerged of specific molecular processes, but it is also becoming evident that whole-body retinoid homeostasis is facilitated by close communication among organs due to the rapid interorgan recirculation of retinoids, and by the "autoregulation" by retinoic acid of several enzymes and retinoid-binding proteins that mediate retinoid homeostasis.

cDNA cloning and expression of a human aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) active with 9-cis-retinal and identification of a rat ortholog, ALDH12

This report describes the isolation of a heretofore uncharacterized aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) with retinal dehydrogenase activity from rat kidney and the cloning and expression of a cDNA that encodes its human ortholog, the previously unknown ALDH12. The human ALDH12 cDNA predicts a 487-residue protein with the 23 invariant amino acids, four conserved regions, cofactor binding motif (G(209)XGX(3)G), and active site cysteine residue (Cys(287)) that typify members of the ALDH superfamily. ALDH12 seems at least as efficient (V(m)/K(m)) in converting 9-cis-retinal into the retinoid X receptor ligand 9-cis-retinoic acid as two previously identified ALDHs with 9-cis-retinal dehydrogenase activity, rat retinal dehydrogenase (RALDH) 1 and RALDH2. ALDH12, however, has approximately 40-fold higher activity with 9-cis- retinal than with all-trans-retinal, whereas RALDH1 and RALDH2 have equivalent and approximately 4-fold less efficiencies for 9-cis-retinal versus all-trans-retinal, respectively. Therefore, ALDH12 is the first known ALDH to show a preference for 9-cis-retinal relative to all-trans-retinal. Evidence consistent with the possibility that ALDH12 could function in a pathway of 9-cis-retinoic acid biosynthesis in vivo includes biosynthesis of 9-cis-retinoic acid from 9-cis-retinol in cells co-transfected with cDNAs encoding ALDH12 and the 9-cis-retinol/androgen dehydrogenase, cis-retinoid/androgen dehydrogenase type 1. Intense ALDH12 mRNA expression in adult and fetal liver and kidney, two organs that reportedly have relatively high concentrations of 9-cis-retinol, reinforces this notion.