Structural basis of the chiral selectivity of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase

To investigate the enantioselectivity of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase, inhibition studies were performed with SC- and RC-(RP,SP)-1,2-dialkylcarbamoylglycero-3-O-p-nitrophenyl alkylphosphonates of different alkyl chain lengths. P. cepacia lipase was most rapidly inactivated by RC-(RP,SP)-1,2-dioctylcarbamoylglycero-3-O-p-nitrophenyl octylphosphonate (RC-trioctyl) with an inactivation half-time of 75 min, while that for the SC-(RP,SP)-1,2-dioctylcarbamoylglycero-3-O-p-nitrophenyl octyl-phosphonate (SC-trioctyl) compound was 530 min. X-ray structures were obtained of P. cepacia lipase after reaction with RC-trioctyl to 0.29-nm resolution at pH 4 and covalently modified with RC-(RP,SP)-1,2-dibutylcarbamoylglycero-3-O-p-nitrophenyl butyl-phosphonate (RC-tributyl) to 0.175-nm resolution at pH 8.5. The three-dimensional structures reveal that both triacylglycerol analogues had reacted with the active-site Ser87, forming a covalent complex. The bound phosphorus atom shows the same chirality (SP) in both complexes despite the use of a racemic (RP,SP) mixture at the phosphorus atom of the triacylglycerol analogues. In the structure of RC-tributyl-complexed P. cepacia lipase, the diacylglycerol moiety has been lost due to an aging reaction, and only the butyl phosphonate remains visible in the electron density. In the RC-trioctyl complex the complete inhibitor is clearly defined; it adopts a bent tuning fork conformation. Unambiguously, four binding pockets for the triacylglycerol could be detected: an oxyanion hole and three pockets which accommodate the sn-1, sn-2, and sn-3 fatty acid chains. Van der Waals’ interactions are the main forces that keep the radyl groups of the triacylglycerol analogue in position and, in addition, a hydrogen bond to the carbonyl oxygen of the sn-2 chain contributes to fixing the position of the inhibitor.

Function of the fully conserved residues Asp99, Tyr52 and Tyr73 in phospholipase A2

In the active centre of pancreatic phospholipase A2 His48 is at hydrogen-bonding distance to Asp99. This Asp-His couple is assumed to act together with a water molecule as a catalytic triad. Asp99 is also linked via an extended hydrogen bonding system to the side chains of Tyr52 and Tyr73. To probe the function of the fully conserved Asp99, Tyr52 and Tyr73 residues in phospholipase A2, the Asp99 residue was replaced by Asn, and each of the two tyrosines was separately replaced by either a Phe or a Gln. The catalytic and binding properties of the Phe52 and Phe73 mutants did not change significantly relative to the wild-type enzyme. This rules out the possibility that either one of the two Tyr residues in the wild-type enzyme can function as an acyl acceptor or proton donor in catalysis. The Gln73 mutant could not be obtained in any significant amounts probably due to incorrect folding. The Gln52 mutant was isolated in low yield. This mutant showed a large decrease in catalytic activity while its substrate binding was nearly unchanged. The results suggest a structural role rather than a catalytic function of Tyr52 and Tyr73. Substitution of asparagine for aspartate hardly affects the binding constants for both monomeric and micellar substrate analogues. Kinetic characterization revealed that the Asn99 mutant has retained no less than 65% of its enzymatic activity on the monomeric substrate rac 1,2-dihexanoyldithio-propyl-3-phosphocholine, probably due to the fact that during hydrolysis of monomeric substrate by phospholipase A2 proton transfer is not the rate-limiting step. The Asp to Asn substitution decreases the catalytic rate on micellar 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine 25-fold. To explain this remaining activity we suggest that in the mutant the Asn99 orients His48 in the same way as Asp99 orients His48 in native phospholipase A2 and that the lowered activity is caused by a reduced stabilization of the transition state

Evidence for the involvement of tyrosine-69 in the control of stereospecificity of porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2

We have studied the role of Tyr-69 of porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 in catalysis and substrate binding, using site-directed mutagenesis. A mutant was constructed containing Phe at position 69. Kinetic characterization revealed that the Phe-69 mutant has retained enzymatic activity on monomeric and micellar substrates, and that the mutation has only minor effects on kcat and Km. This shows that Tyr-69 plays no role in the true catalytic events during substrate hydrolysis. In contrast, the mutation has a profound influence on the stereospecificity of the enzyme. Whereas the wild-type phospholipase A2 is only able to catalyse the degradation of sn-3 phospholipids, the Phe-69 mutant hydrolyses both the sn-3 isomers and, at a low (1-2%) rate, the sn-1 isomers. Despite the fact that the stereospecificity of the mutant phospholipase has been altered, Phe-69 phospholipase still requires Ca2+ ions as a cofactor and also retains its specificity for the sn-2 ester bond. Our data suggest that in porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 the hydroxyl group of Tyr-69 serves to fix and orient the phosphate group of phospholipid monomers by hydrogen bonding. Because no such interaction can occur between the Phe-69 side-chain and the phosphate moiety of the substrate monomer, the mutant enzyme loses part of its stereospecificity but not its positional specificity

Enhanced Activity and Altered Specificity of Phospholipase A2 by Deletion of a Surface Loop

Protein engineering and x-ray crystallography have been used to study the role of a surface loop that is present in pancreatic phospholipases but is absent in snake venom phospholipases. Removal of residues 62 to 66 from porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2 does not change the binding constant for micelles significantly, but it improves catalytic activity up to 16 times on micellar (zwitterionic) lecithin substrates. In contrast, the decrease in activity on negatively charged substrates is greater than fourfold. A crystallographic study of the mutant enzyme shows that the region of the deletion has a well-defined structure that differs from the structure of the wild-type enzyme. No structural changes in the active site of the enzyme were detected

Simulations of the galaxy population constrained by observations from z=3 to the present day: implications for galactic winds and the fate of their ejecta

We apply Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) methods to large-scale simulations of galaxy formation in a LambdaCDM cosmology in order to explore how star formation and feedback are constrained by the observed luminosity and stellar mass functions of galaxies. We build models jointly on the Millennium and Millennium-II simulations, applying fast sampling techniques which allow observed galaxy abundances over the ranges 7<log(M*/Msun)<12 and z=0 to z=3 to be used simultaneously as constraints in the MCMC analysis. When z=0 constraints alone are imposed, we reproduce the results of previous modelling by Guo et al. (2012), but no single set of parameters can reproduce observed galaxy abundances at all redshifts simultaneously, reflecting the fact that low-mass galaxies form too early and thus are overabundant at high redshift in this model. The data require the efficiency with which galactic wind ejecta are reaccreted to vary with redshift and halo mass quite differently than previously assumed, but in a similar way as in some recent hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy formation. We propose a specific model in which reincorporation timescales vary inversely with halo mass and are independent of redshift. This produces an evolving galaxy population which fits observed abundances as a function of stellar mass, B- and K-band luminosity at all redshifts simultaneously. It also produces a significant improvement in two other areas where previous models were deficient. It leads to present day dwarf galaxy populations which are younger, bluer, more strongly star-forming and more weakly clustered on small scales than before, although the passive fraction of faint dwarfs remains too high

Flexible large-area ultrasound arrays for medical applications made using embossed polymer structures

With the huge progress in micro-electronics and artificial intelligence, the ultrasound probe has become the bottleneck in further adoption of ultrasound beyond the clinical setting (e.g. home and monitoring applications). Today, ultrasound transducers have a small aperture, are bulky, contain lead and are expensive to fabricate. Furthermore, they are rigid, which limits their integration into flexible skin patches. New ways to fabricate flexible ultrasound patches have therefore attracted much attention recently. First prototypes typically use the same lead-containing piezo-electric materials, and are made using micro-assembly of rigid active components on plastic or rubber-like substrates. We present an ultrasound transducer-on-foil technology based on thermal embossing of a piezoelectric polymer. High-quality two-dimensional ultrasound images of a tissue mimicking phantom are obtained. Mechanical flexibility and effective area scalability of the transducer are demonstrated by functional integration into an endoscope probe with a small radius of 3 mm and a large area (91.2×14 mm2) non-invasive blood pressure sensor.</p

Human monoclonal antibodies against Staphylococcus aureus surface antigens recognize in vitro and in vivo biofilm

Implant-associated Staphylococcus aureus infections are difficult to treat because of biofilm formation. Bacteria in a biofilm are often insensitive to antibiotics and host immunity. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) could provide an alternative approach to improve the diagnosis and potential treatment of biofilm-related infections. Here, we show that mAbs targeting common surface components of S. aureus can recognize clinically relevant biofilm types. The mAbs were also shown to bind a collection of clinical isolates derived from different biofilm-associated infections (endocarditis, prosthetic joint, catheter). We identify two groups of antibodies: one group that uniquely binds S. aureus in biofilm state and one that recognizes S. aureus in both biofilm and planktonic state. Furthermore, we show that a mAb recognizing wall teichoic acid (clone 4497) specifically localizes to a subcutaneously implanted pre-colonized catheter in mice. In conclusion, we demonstrate the capacity of several human mAbs to detect S. aureus biofilms in vitro and in vivo

Lessons learned from implementation of a demonstration program to reduce the burden of anemia and hookworm in women in Yen Bai Province, Viet Nam

Background Iron deficiency, anemia and hookworm disease are important public health problems for women of reproductive age living in developing countries and affect the health of newborns and infants. Iron supplementation and deworming treatment are effective in addressing these problems in both pregnant and non-pregnant women. Daily iron supplementation and deworming after the first trimester is recommended for pregnant women although these programs usually do not operate efficiently or effectively. Weekly iron-folic acid supplementation and regular deworming for non-pregnant women may be a viable approach for improving iron status and preventing anemia during the reproductive years. Addressing these diseases at a population level before women become pregnant could significantly improve women's health before and during pregnancy, as well as their infants' growth and development. Methods and Results This paper describes the major processes undertaken in a demonstration intervention of preventive weekly iron-folic acid supplementation with regular deworming for all 52,000 women aged 15–45 years in two districts of Yen Bai province, in northern Viet Nam. The intervention strategy included extensive consultation with community leaders and village, commune, district and provincial health staff, and training for village health workers. Distribution of the drugs was integrated with the existing health service infrastructure and the village health workers were the direct point of contact with women. Iron-folic acid tablets and deworming treatment were provided free of charge from May 2006. An independent Vietnamese NGO was commissioned to evaluate compliance and identify potential problems. The program resulted in effective distribution of iron-folic acid tablets and deworming treatment to all villages in the target districts, with full or partial compliance of 85%. Conclusion Training for health staff, the strong commitment of all partners and the use of appropriate educational materials led to broad support for weekly iron-folic acid supplementation and high participation in the regular deworming days. In March 2008 the program was expanded to all districts in the province, a target population of approximately 250,000 WRA, and management was handed over to provincial authorities

Mouse Protocadherin-1 gene expression is regulated by cigarette smoke exposure in vivo

Protocadherin-1 (PCDH1) is a novel susceptibility gene for airway hyperresponsiveness, first identified in families exposed to cigarette smoke and is expressed in bronchial epithelial cells. Here, we asked how mouse Pcdh1 expression is regulated in lung structural cells in vivo under physiological conditions, and in both short-term cigarette smoke exposure models characterized by airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness and chronic cigarette smoke exposure models. Pcdh1 gene-structure was investigated by Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends. Pcdh1 mRNA and protein expression was investigated by qRT-PCR, western blotting using isoform-specific antibodies. We observed 87% conservation of the Pcdh1 nucleotide sequence, and 96% conservation of the Pcdh1 protein sequence between men and mice. We identified a novel Pcdh1 isoform encoding only the intracellular signalling motifs. Cigarette smoke exposure for 4 consecutive days markedly reduced Pcdh1 mRNA expression in lung tissue (3 to 4-fold), while neutrophilia and airway hyperresponsiveness was induced. Moreover, Pcdh1 mRNA expression in lung tissue was reduced already 6 hours after an acute cigarette-smoke exposure in mice. Chronic exposure to cigarette smoke induced loss of Pcdh1 protein in lung tissue after 2 months, while Pcdh1 protein levels were no longer reduced after 9 months of cigarette smoke exposure. We conclude that Pcdh1 is highly homologous to human PCDH1, encodes two transmembrane proteins and one intracellular protein, and is regulated by cigarette smoke exposure in vivo