Analysis of UDP-Sugars from Cultured Cells and Small Tissue Samples.

UDP-sugars are important substrates for the synthesis of various cellular glycans and glycoconjugates, many of which play essential roles in the pathobiology of diseases associated with deranged glucose metabolism, such as cancer and type 2 diabetes. Hence, their analysis from cultured cells and especially from tissue samples can give valuable information. This chapter describes a method for UDP-sugar isolation from various sources utilizing ion-pair solid-phase extraction with graphitized carbon cartridges, and their analysis using anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography.

Identification and characterization of UDP-mannose in human cell lines and mouse organs: Differential distribution across brain regions and organs.

Mannosylation in the endoplasmic reticulum is a key process for synthesizing various glycans. Guanosine diphosphate mannose (GDP-Man) and dolichol phosphate-mannose serve as donor substrates for mannosylation in mammals and are used in N-glycosylation, O-mannosylation, C-mannosylation, and the synthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor (GPI-anchor). Here, we report for the first time that low-abundant uridine diphosphate-mannose (UDP-Man), which can serve as potential donor substrate, exists in mammals. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analyses showed that mouse brain, especially hypothalamus and neocortex, contains higher concentrations of UDP-Man compared to other organs. In cultured human cell lines, addition of mannose in media increased UDP-Man concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. These findings indicate that in mammals the minor nucleotide sugar UDP-Man regulates glycosylation, especially mannosylation in specific organs or conditions.

Simultaneous determination of intracellular UDP-sugars in hyaluronic acid-producing Streptococcus zooepidemicus.

Two chromatographic methods for the quantitative analysis of uridine diphosphate (UDP) sugars involved in hyaluronan pathway of Streptococcus zooepidemicus (SEZ) were developed and compared. The sample preparation protocol using centrifugation and extraction in hot ethanol was employed prior to the analyses. Separation was achieved using an anion exchange Spherisorb SAX column or a Shodex QA-825 column connected with a photodiode array (PDA) detector. To increase the throughput of the chromatography method employing the Spherisorb SAX column, the solid phase extraction (SPE) procedure was introduced. Method validation results displayed that limits of detection (LODs) of UDP-glucose (UDP-Glc), UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) and UDP-glucuronic acid (UDP-GlcA) calculated according to QC Expert software were in the low micromolar range and the coefficient of correlation (R(2)) was above 0.997. However, the analytical technique using the Spherisorb SAX column resulted in 80-90% recoveries and low LODs (≤6.19µM), the Shodex QA-825 column showed better long-term stability and reproducible chromatographic properties (RSD≤5.60%). The Shodex QA-825 column was successfully used to monitor UDP-sugar levels during the growth rate of SEZ cells.

Ion-pairing liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based quantification of uridine diphosphate-linked intermediates in the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall biosynthesis pathway.

Bacterial cell wall biosynthesis is the target of several antibiotics and is of interest as a target for new inhibitor development. The cytoplasmic steps of this pathway involve a series of uridine diphosphate (UDP)-linked peptidoglycan intermediates. Quantification of these intermediates is essential for studies of current agents targeting this pathway and for the development of new agents targeting this pathway. In this study, a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for quantification of these intermediates in Staphylococcus aureus. To address the problem of poor retention of UDP-linked intermediates on reverse phase media, an ion-pairing (IP) approach using N,N-dimethylhexylamine was developed. MS/MS detection in negative mode was optimized for UDP-GlcNAc, UDP-MurNAc, UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala, UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-D-Glu, UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-D-Glu-L-Lys, and UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-D-Glu-L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQs) for these analytes were 1.8, 1.0, 0.8, 2.2, 0.6, and 0.5 pmol, respectively, which correspond to LLOQs of 6, 3, 3, 7, 2, and 2 nmol/g bacteria, respectively. This method was demonstrated for quantification of in vivo levels of these intermediates from S. aureus (0.3mg dry weight analyzed) treated with fosfomycin, D-boroAla, D-cycloserine, and vancomycin. Metabolite accumulation is consistent with the known targets of these antibiotics and indicates potential regulatory loops within this pathway.

Quantitative HPLC-MS analysis of nucleotide sugars in plant cells following off-line SPE sample preparation.

An analytical workflow was developed for the absolute quantification of uridine diphosphate (UDP)-sugars in plant material in order to compare their metabolism both in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana and mutated plants (ugd2,3) possessing genetic alterations within the UDP-glucose dehydrogenase genes involved in UDP-sugar metabolism. UDP-sugars were extracted from fresh plant material by chloroform-methanol-water extraction and further purified by solid-phase extraction with a porous graphitic carbon adsorbent with extraction efficiencies between 80 ± 5 % and 90 ± 5 %. Quantitative determination of the UDP-sugars was accomplished through HPLC separation with a porous graphitic carbon column (Hypercarb(TM)) which was interfaced to electrospray ionization Orbitrap mass spectrometry. The problem of instable retention times due to redox processes on the stationary phase were circumvented by grounding of the column effluent and incorporation of a column regeneration procedure using acetonitrile-water containing 0.10 % trifluoroacetic acid. The method was calibrated using external calibration and UDP as internal standard. Calibration functions were approximated by first- or second-order regression analysis for concentrations spanning three orders of magnitude. Upon injecting sample volumes of 2.65 µL, the limits of detection for the UDP-sugars were in the 70 nmol L(-1) range. Six different UDP-sugars, including UDP-glucose, UDP-galactose, UDP-arabinose, UDP-xylose, UDP-glucuronic acid, and UDP-galacturonic acid were found in concentrations of 0.4 to 38 µg/g plant material. Data evaluation by analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed statistically significant differences in UDP-sugar concentrations between wild-type and mutant plants, which were found to conclusively mirror the impaired metabolic pathways in the mutant plants.

Borate-aided anion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography of uridine diphosphate-sugars in brain, heart, adipose and liver tissues.

In this paper we describe a method optimized for the purification of uridine diphosphate (UDP)-sugars from liver, adipose tissue, brain, and heart, with highly reproducible up to 85% recoveries. Rapid tissue homogenization in cold ethanol, lipid removal by butanol extraction, and purification with a graphitized carbon column resulted in isolation of picomolar quantities of the UDP-sugars from 10 to 30mg of tissue. The UDP-sugars were baseline separated from each other, and from all major nucleotides using a CarboPac PA1 anion exchange column eluted with a gradient of acetate and borate buffers. The extraction and purification protocol produced samples with few unidentified peaks. UDP-N-acetylglucosamine was a dominant UDP-sugar in all the rat tissues studied. However, brain and adipose tissue showed high UDP-glucose levels, equal to that of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine. The UDP-N-acetylglucosamine showed 2.3-2.7 times higher levels than UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine in all tissues, and about the same ratio was found between UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose in adipose tissue and brain (2.6 and 2.8, respectively). Interestingly, the UDP-glucose/UDP-galactose ratio was markedly lower in liver (1.1) and heart (1.7). The UDP-N-acetylglucosamine/UDP-glucuronic acid ratio was also constant, between 9.7 and 7.7, except in liver with the ratio as low as 1.8. The distinct UDP-glucose/galactose ratio, and the abundance of UDP-glucuronic acid may reflect the specific role of liver in glycogen synthesis, and metabolism of hormones and xenobiotics, respectively, using these UDP-sugars as substrates.

Decoding complex chemical mixtures with a physical model of a sensor array.

Combinatorial sensor arrays, such as the olfactory system, can detect a large number of analytes using a relatively small number of receptors. However, the complex pattern of receptor responses to even a single analyte, coupled with the non-linearity of responses to mixtures of analytes, makes quantitative prediction of compound concentrations in a mixture a challenging task. Here we develop a physical model that explicitly takes receptor-ligand interactions into account, and apply it to infer concentrations of highly related sugar nucleotides from the output of four engineered G-protein-coupled receptors. We also derive design principles that enable accurate mixture discrimination with cross-specific sensor arrays. The optimal sensor parameters exhibit relatively weak dependence on component concentrations, making a single designed array useful for analyzing a sizable range of mixtures. The maximum number of mixture components that can be successfully discriminated is twice the number of sensors in the array. Finally, antagonistic receptor responses, well-known to play an important role in natural olfactory systems, prove to be essential for the accurate prediction of component concentrations.

Quantitative analysis of intracellular sugar phosphates and sugar nucleotides in encapsulated streptococci using HPAEC-PAD.

Metabolomics is a powerful tool for the study of biological systems. Besides analytical techniques, cell harvest and extraction are critical steps, especially when studying encapsulated streptococci. We have compared four different harvesting techniques for biomass from liquid culture of the hyaluronic acid (HA)-producing bacterium Streptococcus zooepidemicus. The best method for cell separation was quick (2 min) centrifugation, which allowed efficient medium removal and enabled quantification of the broadest range of sugar metabolites. Unlike observations for other microbes, changes in metabolite pools due to a delay of extraction by the centrifugation were not observed, so metabolite levels accurately reflected the metabolome at the point of cell harvest. A hypothesis is that the capsule itself isolates the cells from the surroundings and still supports it with nutrients during the harvest. Quantification of sugar phosphates and nucleotide sugars was performed using high-performance anion exchange chromatography combined with pulsed amperometric detection, achieving limits of quantification of 2.5 pmol for sugar phosphates and 5 pmol on column for nucleotide sugars. Intracellular pool sizes for intermediates of the HA pathway under production conditions ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 micromol/g cell dry weight.

Advantages in the analysis of UDP-sugars by capillary electrophoresis-comparison of the conventional HPLC method with two new capillary electrophoretic micro-procedures.

Two different capillary electrophoretic separation modes for the analysis of UDP-sugars have been tested. In comparison to the traditionally used HPLC method the micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) as well as the capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) results in an improvement of the separation profile and the speed of the analysis.

[Uridine diphosphate sugar in meningiomas of the brain]. / Uridindifosfatsakhara v meningiomakh golovnogo mozga.

The content of uridine-diphosphate (UDP)-saccharides, such as UDP-glucose (UDPG) and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDPAG) was examined in the meningiomas obtained at surgery. Typical, atypical, and anaplastic meningiomas were used. Biochemical data were compared with histological findings. The total level of UDP-saccharides (UDPG + UDPAG) in the meningiomas was demonstrated not to depend on the grade of anaplasia. A positive correlation was found between the UDPG/UDPAG ratio was from 1.73 in typical (benign) neoplasms to 6 or even higher in meningiomas with severe sings of malignancy (anaplastic meningiomas). The UDPG/UDPAG ratio seems to reflect the nature and rate of tumor growth.

Isolation and characterization of sugar nucleotides from Mycobacterium smegmatis.

The cell walls of Mycobacterium smegmatis contained a number of serologically active polysaccharides such as arabinomannan, mannan, and glucan in addition to arabinogalactan. The biosynthetic pathways of these polysaccharides are not well understood. Characterization of the sugar nucleotide pool of M. smegmatis showed the presence of (uridine diphosphate-) UDP-glucose, UDP-galactose, UDP-mannose, UDP-arabinose and UDP-hexuronic acid(s). It is suggested that these compounds may be intermediates in the biosynthesis of a number of mycobacterial polysaccharides.

Identification of tms-26 as an allele of the gcaD gene, which encodes N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate uridyltransferase in Bacillus subtilis.

The temperature-sensitive Bacillus subtilis tms-26 mutant strain was characterized biochemically and shown to be defective in N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate uridyltransferase activity. At the permissive temperature (34 degrees C), the mutant strain contained about 15% of the wild-type activity of this enzyme, whereas at the nonpermissive temperature (48 degrees C), the mutant enzyme was barely detectable. Furthermore, the N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate uridyltransferase activity of the tms-26 mutant strain was much more heat labile in vitro than that of the wild-type strain. The level of N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate, the substrate of the uridyltransferase activity, was elevated more than 40-fold in the mutant strain at the permissive temperature compared with the level in the wild-type strain. During a temperature shift, the level of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, the product of the uridyltransferase activity, decreased much more in the mutant strain than in the wild-type strain. An Escherichia coli strain harboring the wild-type version of the tms-26 allele on a plasmid contained increased N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate uridyltransferase activity compared with that in the haploid strain. It is suggested that the gene for N-acetylglucosamine 1-phosphate uridyltransferase in B. subtilis be designated gcaD.

Isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of the concentration and specific radioactivity of phosphoenolpyruvate and uridine diphosphate glucose in tissue extracts.

A rapid and efficient isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic method for studying the metabolism of phosphoenolpyruvate and uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) has been developed. For each compound this method can measure tissue concentrations in the range 0.1-1000 nmol/g of tissue and determine specific radioactivity. All measurements can be performed in 200 mg of tissue. The recoveries of uridine diphosphate [6-3H]glucose and phosphoenol[1-14C]pyruvate from liver tissue homogenates were 97 and 99%, respectively. Following intra-arterial infusion of [6-3H]glucose and [U-14C]lactate in conscious rat, the concentration and specific radioactivity of phosphoenolpyruvate and UDPG were determined in rat liver. The method may be applied to experimentation in small animals using radiolabelled precursors in order to quantitate in vivo the glycogenic and gluconeogenic fluxes.

A radioassay of enzymes catalyzing the glucosylation and sulfation steps of glucosinolate biosynthesis in Brassica species.

A new method for assaying the enzymes uridine diphosphoglucose (UDPglucose):thiohydroximate glucosyltransferase and 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate:desulfoglucosinolate sulfotransferase has been designed. The assay system is based on the separation of nonionic [14C]desulfobenzylglucosinolate from anionic [14C]UDPglucose and anionic [14C]benzylglucosinolate, respectively, by differential adsorption to DEAE-ion-exchange disks. The procedure eliminates elaborate chromatographic techniques. The method was used to measure both enzymes in several Brassica spp. In addition, sulfotransferase activity was monitored during partial purification from seedlings of Brassica napus (cv Westar).

Removal of contaminating nucleoside diphosphates from commercial preparations of uridine diphosphoglucose.

Nucleoside diphosphate contamination in commercial preparations of UDP-Glc poses potential problems in activity assays for enzymes that use this substrate. For removing these contaminants, we report a simple, inexpensive, and rapid method that obviates the need for uncertain corrections in assay calculations.

Aberrant ribonucleotide pattern in lymphoid cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The intracellular purine and pyrimidine ribonucleotide concentrations were determined in lymphoid cells from peripheral blood of 16 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and from peripheral blood and/or lymphoid tissue of 18 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Compared to normal peripheral lymphocytes, the lymphoid cells from CLL patients contained lower, and those from NHL patients higher amounts of nucleotides. The lymphoid cells of NHL patients showed an imbalance in the nucleotide pool compared to either normal resting peripheral or proliferating tonsillar lymphocytes. The lymphoid cells of patients with CLL showed an imbalance only when compared to normal, resting peripheral lymphocytes. The abnormalities in the nucleotide pools involved decreased ratios of purine:pyrimidine, adenine:guanine and uracil:cytosine nucleotides. Lymphocytes from CLL and NHL patients contained increased amounts (relative and/or absolute) of UDP sugars, and NHL lymphocytes also showed a changed composition of the UDP sugars. Analysis of the ribonucleotides in the lymphoid cells provides useful information for the differential diagnosis of patients suspected of having CLL or NHL, and may be valuable for the design of new chemotherapeutic regimens.

The effect of D-(+)-glucosamine on levels of free N-acetylneuraminic acid and UDP-N-acetylhexosamines in infantile sialic acid storage disease (ISSD) fibroblasts.

An impairment in the regulation of N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) biosynthesis might potentially contribute to accumulation of free NANA in fibroblasts of patients with sialic acid storage disease (ISSD). By the use of a glucosamine loading test an increase in uridine-diphosphate-N-acetyl-hexosamines (UDP-HexNAc) but not in free NANA was found. NANA biosynthesis therefore appears to be under normal regulatory control in ISSD.

Liquid chromatographic assay for the measurement of glucuronidation of arylcarboxylic acids using uridine diphospho-[U-14C] glucuronic acid.

A general method for the assay of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity towards arylcarboxylic acids (clofibric acid, 1- and 2-naphthylacetic acid) using UDP-[U-14C] glucuronic acid in liver microsomes is described. The 14C-labelled glucuronide was separated by high-performance liquid chromatography, identified by hydrolysis by beta-glucuronidase, characterized by laser desorption mass spectrometry and quantified by scintillation counting. The coefficient of variation of the enzyme activity for the inter-assay repeatability was below 4.5%. As little as 2.5 nmol of the arylcarboxylic acid glucuronides could be detected and precisely quantified. The method was applied to the determination of the apparent kinetic constants for glucuronidation of the acids. Clofibric acid was the best substrate for UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (Vmax/KM, the ratio of the maximum initial velocity and the Michaelis-Menten constant, is 12.3). The two isomers, 1- and 2-naphthylacetic acids, were transformed at a similar rate. However, they exhibited different enzymatic affinities, as the KM values were 1.0 mM and 5.6 mM for 1- and 2-naphthylacetic acid, respectively. This indicates that the spatial organization of the substrates played a critical role in this acyl glucuronoconjugation.

Biosynthesis of a galactose-and galacturonic acid-containing polysaccharide in Rhizobium meliloti.

Previous work showed that two different strains derived from a culture of Rhizobium meliloti 102F51 differed with respect to phage specificity, agglutinability by alfalfa seed lectin, and synthesis of a galactose-containing polysaccharide (R. A. Ugalde, H. Handelsman, and W. J. Brill, J. Bacteriol. 166:148-154, 1986). Inner membranes from the more competitive strain incorporated galactose from UDP-galactose when a thermostable factor was present. This factor has now been identified as UDP-galacturonic acid. UDP-glucuronic acid was also active as a donor; however, this activity may be due to the presence of a 4-epimerase. Galacturonic acid, together with galactose, is incorporated into the reaction product, which appears to be a polysaccharide formed by several repeating units of these two monosaccharides. Partial acid hydrolysis liberates the disaccharide with galactose at the reducing end.