Valproate uncompetitively inhibits arachidonic acid acylation by rat acyl-CoA synthetase 4: Relevance to valproate's efficacy against bipolar disorder

Background—The ability of chronic valproate (VPA) to reduce arachidonic acid (AA) turnover in brain phospholipids of unanesthetized rats has been ascribed to its inhibition of acyl-CoA synthetase (Acsl)-mediated activation of AA to AA-CoA. Our aim was to identify a rat Acsl isoenzyme that could be inhibited by VPA in vitro. Methods—Rat Acsl3-, Acsl6v1- and Acsl6v2-, and Acsl4-flag proteins were expressed in E. coli, and the ability of VPA to inhibit their activation of long-chain fatty acids to acyl-CoA was estimated using Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Results—VPA uncompetitively inhibited Acsl4-mediated conversion of AA and of docosahexaenoic (DHA) but not of palmitic acid to acyl-CoA, but did not affect AA conversion by Acsl3, Acsl6v1 or Acsl6v2. Acsl4-mediated conversion of AA to AA-CoA showed substrate inhibition and had a 10-times higher catalytic efficiency than did conversion of DHA to DHACoA. Butyrate, octanoate, or lithium did not inhibit AA activation by Acsl4. Conclusions—VPA’s ability to inhibit Acsl4 activation of AA and of DHA to their respective acyl-CoAs, related to the higher catalytic efficiency of AA than DHA conversion, may account for VPA’s selective reduction of AA turnover in rat brain phospholipids, and contribute to VPA’s efficacy against bipolar disorder

Increased neuroinflammatory and arachidonic acid cascade markers, and reduced synaptic proteins, in brain of HIV-1 transgenic rats

Correction to Rao J S, Kim H W, Kellom M, Greenstein D, Chen M, Kraft A D, Harry G J, Rapoport S I, Basselin M. Increased neuroinflammatory and arachidonic acid cascade markers, and reduced synaptic proteins, in brain of HIV-1 transgenic rats. Journal of Neuroinflammation 8:101

Propylisopropylacetic acid (PIA), a constitutional isomer of valproic acid, uncompetitively inhibits arachidonic acid acylation by rat acyl-CoA synthetase 4: A potential drug for bipolar disorder

Mood stabilizers used for treating bipolar disorder (BD) selectively downregulate arachidonic acid (AA) turnover (deacylation-reacylation) in brain phospholipids, when given chronically to rats. In vitro studies suggest that one of these, valproic acid (VPA), which is teratogenic, reduces AA turnover by inhibiting the brain acyl-CoA synthetase (Acsl)-4 mediated acylation of AA to AA-CoA. We tested whether non-teratogenic VPA analogues might also inhibit Acsl-4 catalyzed acylation, and thus have potential anti-BD action

Imaging plasma docosahexaenoic acid (dha) incorporation into the brain

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is critical for normal brain structure and function, and its brain concentration depends on dietary DHA content and hepatic conversion from its dietary derived n-3 precursor, a-linolenic acid (α-LNA). We developed an in vivo method in rats using quantitative autoradiography to image incorporation into brain of unesterified plasma DHA, and showed that the incorporation rate equals the rate of brain metabolic DHA consumption. Thus, quantitative imaging of DHA incorporation from plasma into brain can be used as a biomarker of brain DHA metabolism and neurotransmission. The method has been extended to humans with the use of positron emission tomography (PET). Furthermore, imaging in unanesthetized rats using DHA incorporation as a biomarker in response to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) administration confirms that regional DHA signaling is independent of extracellular calcium, and likely mediated by a calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2). Studies in mice in which iPLA2-VIA (β) was knocked out confirmed that this enzyme is critical for baseline and muscarinic cholinergic signaling involving DHA

Imaging plasma docosahexaenoic acid (dha) incorporation into the brain in vivo, as a biomarker of brain DHA: Metabolism and neurotransmission

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is critical for normal brain structure and function, and its brain concentration depends on dietary DHA content and hepatic conversion from its dietary derived n-3 precursor, a-linolenic acid (α-LNA). We developed an in vivo method in rats using quantitative autoradiography to image incorporation into brain of unesterified plasma DHA, and showed that the incorporation rate equals the rate of brain metabolic DHA consumption. Thus, quantitative imaging of DHA incorporation from plasma into brain can be used as a biomarker of brain DHA metabolism and neurotransmission. The method has been extended to humans with the use of positron emission tomography (PET). Furthermore, imaging in unanesthetized rats using DHA incorporation as a biomarker in response to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) administration confirms that regional DHA signaling is independent of extracellular calcium, and likely mediated by a calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2). Studies in mice in which iPLA2-VIA (β) was knocked out confirmed that this enzyme is critical for baseline and muscarinic cholinergic signaling involving DHA

Ubiquinone Synthesis and its Regulation in Pneumocystis carinii

The opportunistic pathogen Pneumocystis causes a type of pneumonia in individuals with defective immune systems such as AIDS patients. Atovaquone, an analog of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q [CoQ]), is effective in clearing mild to moderate cases of the infection. Rat-derived Pneumocystis carinii was the first organism in which CoQ synthesis was clearly demonstrated to occur in both mitochondrial and microsomal subcellular fractions. Atovaquone inhibits microsomal CoQ synthesis with no effect on mitochondrial CoQ synthesis. We here report on additional studies evaluating CoQ synthesis and its regulation in the organism. Buparvaquone also inhibited CoQ synthesis and it reduced the synthesis of all four CoQ homologs in the microsomal but not the mitochondrial fraction. Glyphosate, which inhibits a reaction in the de novo synthesis of the benzoquinone moiety of CoQ reduced cellular ATP levels. Bacterial and plant quinones, and several chemically synthesized phenolics, flavanoids, and naphthoquinones that inhibit electron transport in other organisms were shown to reduce CoQ synthesis in P. carinii. The inhibitory action of naphthoquinone compounds appeared to depend on their molecular size and structural flexibility rather than redox potential. Results of experiments examining the synthesis of the polyprenyl chain of CoQ were consistent with negative feedback control of CoQ synthesis. These studies on P. carinii suggest that cellular sites and the control of CoQ synthesis in different organisms and cell types might be more diverse than previously thought

Modification of kinetoplast DNA minicircle composition in pentamidine-resistant Leishmania1Nucleotide sequence data for L. donovani reported in this paper have been submitted to EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database with the accession numbers: Y11397 (B), Y11398 (C), Y11399 (E), Y11400 (G), Y11401 (I), Y11402 (N).1

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Resistance to Pentamidine in Leishmania mexicana Involves Exclusion of the Drug from the Mitochondrion

The uptake of [(3)H]pentamidine into wild-type and drug-resistant strains of Leishmania mexicana was compared. Uptake was carrier mediated. Pentamidine-resistant parasites showed cross-resistance to other toxic diamidine derivatives. A substantial decrease in accumulation of the drug accompanied the resistance phenotype, although the apparent affinity for pentamidine by its carrier was not altered when initial uptake velocity was measured. The apparent V(max), however, was reduced. An efflux of pentamidine could be measured in both wild-type and resistant cells. Only a relatively small proportion of the total accumulated pentamidine was available for efflux in wild-type cells, while in resistant cells the majority of loaded pentamidine was available for release. Pharmacological reagents which diminish the mitochondrial membrane potential reduced pentamidine uptake in wild-type parasites, and the mitochondrial membrane potential was shown to be reduced in resistant cells. A fluorescent analogue of pentamidine, 4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole, accumulated in the kinetoplast of wild-type but not resistant parasites. These data together indicate that diamidine drugs accumulate in the Leishmania mitochondrion and that the development of the resistance phenotype is accompanied by lack of mitochondrial accumulation of the drug and its exclusion from the parasites