The multifunctional polydnavirus TnBVANK1 protein: impact on host apoptotic pathway

Toxoneuron nigriceps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) is an endophagous parasitoid of the larval stages of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). The bracovirus associated with this wasp (TnBV) is currently being studied. Several genes expressed in parasitised host larvae have been isolated and their possible roles partly elucidated. TnBVank1 encodes an ankyrin motif protein similar to insect and mammalian IκB, an inhibitor of the transcription nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). Here we show that, when TnBVank1 was stably expressed in polyclonal Drosophila S2 cells, apoptosis is induced. Furthermore, we observed the same effects in haemocytes of H. virescens larvae, after TnBVank1 in vivo transient transfection, and in haemocytes of parasitised larvae. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments showed that TnBVANK1 binds to ALG-2 interacting protein X (Alix/AIP1), an interactor of apoptosis-linked gene protein 2 (ALG-2). Using double-immunofluorescence labeling, we observed the potential colocalization of TnBVANK1 and Alix proteins in the cytoplasm of polyclonal S2 cells. When Alix was silenced by RNA interference, TnBVANK1 was no longer able to cause apoptosis in both S2 cells and H. virescens haemocytes. Collectively, these results indicate that TnBVANK1 induces apoptosis by interacting with Alix, suggesting a role of TnBVANK1 in the suppression of host immune response observed after parasitisation by T. nigricep

Collision-Induced Dissociation of the A+2 Isotope Ion Facilitates Glucosinolates Structure Elucidation by ESI-Tandem Mass Spectrometry with a Linear Quadrupole Ion Trap

An approach is presented that can be of general applicability for structural elucidation of naturally occurring glucosinolates (GLSs) in crude plant extracts based on the fragmentation of isotopic A and A + 2 peaks. The most important fragmentation pathways were studied by tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n), n = 2, 3) using a linear quadrupole ion trap (LTQ) upon GLSs separation by optimized reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) and electrospray ionization (ESI) in negative ion mode. As the LTQ MS analyzer ensures high sensitivity and linearity, the fragmentation behavior under collision induced dissociation (CID) of the isotopic peaks A and A + 2 as precursor ions was carefully examined. All GLSs (R-C(7)H(11)O(9)NS(2)(-)) share a common structure with at least two sulfur atoms and significant isotopic abundance of (34)S. Thus, dissociation of the +2 Da isotopomeric ions results in several fragment ion doublets containing a combination of (32)S and (34)S. Accordingly, their relative abundances allow one to speed up the structural recognition of GLSs with great confidence, as it produces more structurally informative ions than conventional tandem MS performed on A ions. This approach has been validated on known GLSs bearing two, three, four, and six sulfur atoms by comparing expected and measured isotopic peak abundance ratios (I(A)/I(A+2)). Both group- and compound-specific fragments were observed; the predominant pathway of fragmentation of GLSs gives rise to species having the following m/z values, [M - SO(3) - H](-), [M - 196 - H](-), [M - 178 H](-), and [M - 162 - H](-) after H rearrangement from the R side chain. The present strategy was successfully applied to extracts of rocket salad leaves (Eruca sativa L.), which was sufficient for the chemical identification of a not already known 6-methylsulfonyl-3-oxohexyl-GLS, a long-chain-length aliphatic glucosinolate, which contains three sulfurs and exhibits a deprotonated molecular ion at m/z 494.1

Optimizing Separation Conditions for Riboflavin, Flavin Mononucleotide and Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide in Capillary Zone Electrophoresis with Laser-Induced Fluorescence Detection

A method was developed for the quantitative determination of riboflavin, flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), using free solution capillary zone electrophoresis in uncoated fused-silica capillaries with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. Various factors influencing the separation and detection of flavin vitamers were investigated, including pH (5.5-10.5), concentration and nature of the run buffer (phosphate, borate and carbonate), applied voltage (15-30 kV), temperature (15-30degreesC) and injection time. Optimal resolution and detection were obtained with a pH 9.8, 30 mM aqueous phosphate buffer at 15degreesC and 30 kV of applied voltage. LIF detection was obtained with a He-Cd laser source using an excitation wavelength at 442 nm and lambda(cm)greater than or equal to515 nm. Riboflavin could be determined in the concentration ranges 0.5-350 mug/l with a rather low detection limit (LOD) down to 50 amol. The LODs of FAD and FMN were slightly higher, 300 and 350 amol, respectively. Combined with a simple clean-up procedure, the practical utility of this method is illustrated by the measurements of flavin derivates in foods and beverages, such as wines, milk, yoghurt and raw eggs. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V