Residue theorem and summing over Kaluza-Klein excitations

Applying the equations of motion together with corresponding boundary conditions of bulk profiles at infrared and ultraviolet branes, we verify some lemmas on the eigenvalues of Kaluze-Klein modes in framework of warped extra dimension with the custodial symmetry $SU(3)_c\times SU(2)_L\times SU(2)_R\times U(1)_X\times P_{LR}$. Using the lemmas and performing properly analytic extensions of bulk profiles, we present the sufficient condition for a convergent series of Kaluze-Klein excitations and sum over the series through the residue theorem. The method can also be applied to sum over the infinite series of Kaluze-Klein excitations in unified extra dimension. Additional, we analyze the possible connection between the propagators in five dimensional full theory and the product of bulk profiles with corresponding propagators of exciting Kaluze-Klein modes in four dimensional effective theory, and recover some relations presented in literature for warped and unified extra dimensions respectively. As an example, we demonstrate that the corrections from neutral Higgs to the Wilson coefficients of relevant operators for $B\rightarrow X_s\gamma$ contain the suppression factor $m_b^3m_s/m_{_{\rm w}}^4$ comparing with that from other sectors, thus can be neglected safely.Comment: 44 pages, no figur

Conserved Loop Cysteines of Vitamin K Epoxide Reductase Complex Subunit 1-like 1 (VKORC1L1) Are Involved in Its Active Site Regeneration

Vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) reduces vitamin K epoxide in the vitamin K cycle for post-translational modification of proteins that are involved in a variety of biological functions. However, the physiological function of VKORC1-like 1 (VKORC1L1), a paralogous enzyme sharing about 50% protein identity with VKORC1, is unknown. Here we determined the structural and functional differences of these two enzymes using fluorescence protease protection (FPP) assay and an in vivo cell-based activity assay. We show that in vivo VKORC1L1 reduces vitamin K epoxide to support vitamin K-dependent carboxylation as efficiently as does VKORC1. However, FPP assays show that unlike VKORC1, VKORC1L1 is a four-transmembrane domain protein with both its termini located in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the conserved loop cysteines, which are not required for VKORC1 activity, are essential for VKORC1L1's active site regeneration. Results from domain exchanges between VKORC1L1 and VKORC1 suggest that it is VKORC1L1's overall structure that uniquely allows for active site regeneration by the conserved loop cysteines. Intermediate disulfide trapping results confirmed an intra-molecular electron transfer pathway for VKORC1L1's active site reduction. Our results allow us to propose a concerted action of the four conserved cysteines of VKORC1L1 for active site regeneration; the second loop cysteine, Cys-58, attacks the active site disulfide, forming an intermediate disulfide with Cys-139; the first loop cysteine, Cys-50, attacks the intermediate disulfide resulting in active site reduction. The different membrane topologies and reaction mechanisms between VKORC1L1 and VKORC1 suggest that these two proteins might have different physiological functions

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Vitamin K Epoxide Reductase Homologue Supports Vitamin K–Dependent Carboxylation in Mammalian Cells

Aims: Vitamin K epoxide reductase complex, subunit 1 (VKORC1) is a critical participant in the production of active forms of reduced vitamin K and is required for modification of vitamin K–dependent proteins. Homologues of VKORC1 (VKORH) exist throughout evolution, but in bacteria they appear to function in oxidative protein folding as well as quinone reduction. In the current study we explore two questions: Do VKORHs function in the mammalian vitamin K cycle? Is the pair of loop cysteines—C43 and C51 in human VKORC1—conserved in all VKORC1s, essential for the activity of vitamin K epoxide reduction? Results: We used our recently developed cell-based assay to compare the function of VKORHs to that of human VKORC1 in mammalian cells. We identified for the first time a VKORH (from Mycobacterium tuberculosis [Mt-VKORH]) that can function in the mammalian vitamin K cycle with vitamin K epoxide or vitamin K as substrate. Consistent with our previous in vitro results, the loop cysteines of human VKORC1 are not essential for its activity in vivo. Moreover, the corresponding loop cysteines of Mt-VKORH (C57 and C65), which are essential for its activity in disulfide bond formation during protein folding in Escherichia coli, are not required in the mammalian vitamin K cycle. Innovation and Conclusions: Our results indicate that VKORC1 in eukaryotes and Mt-VKORH in bacteria, that is, in their respective native environments, employ apparently different mechanisms for electron transfer. However, when Mt-VKORH is in the mammalian cell system, it employs a mechanism similar to that of VKORC1. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 16, 329–338

Human Vitamin K Epoxide Reductase and Its Bacterial Homologue Have Different Membrane Topologies and Reaction Mechanisms

Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR) is essential for the production of reduced vitamin K that is required for modification of vitamin K-dependent proteins. Three- and four-transmembrane domain (TMD) topology models have been proposed for VKOR. They are based on in vitro glycosylation mapping of the human enzyme and the crystal structure of a bacterial (Synechococcus) homologue, respectively. These two models place the functionally disputed conserved loop cysteines, Cys-43 and Cys-51, on different sides of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. In this study, we fused green fluorescent protein to the N or C terminus of human VKOR, expressed these fusions in HEK293 cells, and examined their topologies by fluorescence protease protection assays. Our results show that the N terminus of VKOR resides in the ER lumen, whereas its C terminus is in the cytoplasm. Selective modification of cysteines by polyethylene glycol maleimide confirms the cytoplasmic location of the conserved loop cysteines. Both results support a three-TMD model of VKOR. Interestingly, human VKOR can be changed to a four-TMD molecule by mutating the charged residues flanking the first TMD. Cell-based activity assays show that this four-TMD molecule is fully active. Furthermore, the conserved loop cysteines, which are essential for intramolecular electron transfer in the bacterial VKOR homologue, are not required for human VKOR whether they are located in the cytoplasm (three-TMD molecule) or the ER lumen (four-TMD molecule). Our results confirm that human VKOR is a three-TMD protein. Moreover, the conserved loop cysteines apparently play different roles in human VKOR and in its bacterial homologues

Membrane Topology Mapping of Vitamin K Epoxide Reductase by in Vitro Translation/Cotranslocation

Membrane topology mapping of vitamin K epoxide reductase by in vitro translation/cotranslocation

Identification of the N-Linked Glycosylation Sites of Vitamin K-Dependent Carboxylase and Effect of Glycosylation on Carboxylase Function †

The vitamin K-dependent carboxylase is an integral membrane protein which is required for the post-translational modification of a variety of vitamin K-dependent proteins. Previous studies have suggested carboxylase is a glycoprotein with N-linked glycosylation sites. In the present study, we identified the N-glycosylation sites of carboxylase by mass spectrometric peptide mapping analyses combined with site-directed mutagenesis. Our mass spectrometric results show that the N-linked glycosylation in carboxylase occurs at positions N459, N550, N605, and N627. Eliminating these glycosylation sites by changing asparagine to glutamine caused the mutant carboxylase to migrate faster in SDS-PAGE gel analyses, adding further evidence that these sites are glycosylated. In addition, the mutation studies identified N525, a site not recoverable by mass spectroscopy analysis, as a glycosylation site. Furthermore, the potential glycosylation site at N570 is glycosylated only if all the five natural glycosylation sites are simultaneously mutated. Removal of the oligosaccharides by glycosidase from wild-type carboxylase or by eliminating the functional glycosylation sites by site-directed mutagenesis did not affect either the carboxylation or epoxidation activity when the small pentapeptide FLEEL was used as substrate, suggesting that N-linked glycosylation is not required for the enzymatic function of carboxylase. In contrast, when site N570 and the five natural glycosylation sites were mutated simultaneously, the resulting carboxylase protein was degraded. Our results suggest that N-linked glycosylation is not essential for carboxylase enzymatic activity but it is important for protein folding and stability

Surgical management of 142 cases of split cord malformations associated with osseous divide

Objectives To investigate the key surgical points in treating split cord malformations associated with osseous divide and scoliosis (SCM-OD-S). Materials and methods The surgical options and methods of a total of 142 SCM-OD-S cases were retrospectively analyzed, and the surgical precautions and imaging diagnosis were also discussed. Results The 142 patients were performed osseous divide resection plus dural sac molding, which achieved good results and no serious complication such as spinal cord and nerve injury occurred; certain symptoms such as urination-defecation disorders, muscle strength subsidence, Pes Cavus, and toe movement disorder in partial patients achieved various degrees of relief, and it also created good conditions for next-step treatment against scoliosis. Conclusions The diagnosis of SCM-OD mainly depended on imaging inspection, routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with computed tomography (CT) 3D reconstruction, which can comprehensively evaluate the types and features of diastematomyelia as well as other concomitant diseases. SCM alone needed no treatment, but surgery will be the only means of treating SCM-OD. Intraoperatively removing osseous divide step-by-step, as well as carefully freeing the spinal cord and remodeling the dural sac, can lay good foundations for relieving tethered cord, improving neurological symptoms, and further scoliosis orthomorphia, thus particularly exhibiting importance for the growth and development of adolescents

Transmembrane Domain Interactions and Residue Proline 378 Are Essential for Proper Structure, Especially Disulfide Bond Formation, in the Human Vitamin K-Dependent γ-Glutamyl Carboxylase †

We used recombinant techniques to create a two-chain form (residues 1–345 and residues 346–758) of the vitamin K-dependent γ-glutamyl carboxylase, a glycoprotein located in the endoplasmic reticulum containing five transmembrane domains. The two-chain carboxylase had carboxylase and epoxidase activities similar to those of one-chain carboxylase. In addition, it had normal affinity for the propeptide of factor IX. We employed this molecule to investigate formation of the one disulfide bond in carboxylase, the transmembrane structure of carboxylase, and the potential interactions among the carboxylase’s transmembrane domains. Our results indicate that the two peptides of the two-chain carboxylase are joined by a disulfide bond. Proline 378 is important for the structure necessary for disulfide formation. Results with the P378L carboxylase indicate that noncovalent bonds maintain the two-chain structure even when the disulfide bond is disrupted. As we had previously proposed, the fifth transmembrane domain of carboxylase is the last and only transmembrane domain in the C-terminal peptide of the two-chain carboxylase. We show that the noncovalent association between the two chains of carboxylase involves an interaction between the fifth transmembrane domain and the second transmembrane domain. Results of a homology model of transmembrane domains 2 and 5 suggest that not only do these two domains associate but that transmembrane domain 2 may interact with another transmembrane domain. This latter interaction may be mediated at least in part by a motif of glycine residues in the second transmembrane domain

The Putative Vitamin K-dependent γ-Glutamyl Carboxylase Internal Propeptide Appears to Be the Propeptide Binding Site

The vitamin K-dependent gamma-glutamyl carboxylase binds an 18-amino acid sequence usually attached as a propeptide to its substrates. Price and Williamson (Protein Sci. (1993) 2, 1997-1998) noticed that residues 495-513 of the carboxylase shares similarity with the propeptide. They suggested that this internal propeptide could bind intramolecularly to the propeptide binding site of carboxylase, thereby preventing carboxylation of substrates lacking a propeptide recognition sequence. To test Price's hypothesis, we created nine mutant enzyme species that have single or double mutations within this putative internal propeptide. The apparent K(d) values of these mutant enzymes for human factor IX propeptide varied from 0.5- to 287-fold when compared with that of wild type enzyme. These results are consistent with the internal propeptide hypothesis but could also be explained by these residues participating in propeptide binding site per se. To distinguish between the two alternative hypotheses, we measured the dissociation rates of propeptides from each of the mutant enzymes. Changes in an internal propeptide should not affect the dissociation rates, but changes to a propeptide binding site may affect the dissociation rate. We found that dissociation rates varied in a manner consistent with the apparent K(d) values measured above. Furthermore, kinetic studies using propeptide-containing substrates demonstrated a correlation between the affinity for propeptide and V(max). Taken together, our results indicated that these mutations affected the propeptide binding site rather than a competitive inhibitory internal propeptide sequence. These results agree with our previous observations, indicating that residues in this region are involved in propeptide binding

Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with decreased serum levels of high density lipoprotein, but not with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>The objective of this survey was to study the association between <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>infection and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study population consisted of 961 consecutive patients (711 males and 250 females) who underwent coronary angiography for suspected or known coronary atherosclerosis. The patients' body mass index, blood pressure, the blood lipid, blood glucose, leukocyte count (10⁹/L), neutrophil count (10⁹/L), and Helicobacter <it>pylori</it>-specific IgG antibodies were performed. Coronary angiograms were scored according to vessel score and Gensini's score.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A significant association between <it>H. pylori </it>infection and coronary atherosclerosis as well as its severity was not find in this cross section study (<it>p </it>= 0.858). And, the level distribution of vessel score (<it>p </it>= 0.906) and Gensini's score (<it>p </it>= 0.905) were similar in the seropositivity group and seronegativity group of Helicobacter <it>pylori </it>infection. However, the level of fasting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mmol/L) (<it>p </it>= 0.013) was significantly lower in the seropositivity group than that in the seronegativity group of Helicobacter <it>pylori </it>infection.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In conclusion, in the present study, a significantly correlation between Helicobacter <it>pylori </it>seropositivity and angiographically evaluated severity of atherosclerosis was not find. And, the present study showed a good correlation between Helicobacter <it>pylori </it>infection and decreased HDL cholesterol. However, the exact mechanisms need further study.</p