Wide tolerance to amino acids substitutions in the OCTN1 ergothioneine transporter.

BACKGROUND: Organic cation transporters transfer solutes with a positive charge across the plasma membrane. The novel organic cation transporter 1 (OCTN1) and 2 (OCTN2) transport ergothioneine and carnitine, respectively. Mutations in the SLC22A5 gene encoding OCTN2 cause primary carnitine deficiency, a recessive disorders resulting in low carnitine levels and defective fatty acid oxidation. Variations in the SLC22A4 gene encoding OCTN1 are associated with rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn disease. METHODS: Here we evaluate the functional properties of the OCTN1 transporter using chimeric transporters constructed by fusing different portion of the OCTN1 and OCTN2 cDNAs. Their relative abundance and subcellular distribution was evaluated through western blot analysis and confocal microscopy. RESULTS: Substitutions of the C-terminal portion of OCTN1 with the correspondent residues of OCTN2 generated chimeric OCTN transporters more active than wild-type OCTN1 in transporting ergothioneine. Additional single amino acid substitutions introduced in chimeric OCTN transporters further increased ergothioneine transport activity. Kinetic analysis indicated that increased transport activity was due to an increased V(max), with modest changes in K(m) toward ergothioneine. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the OCTN1 transporter is tolerant to extensive amino acid substitutions. This is in sharp contrast to the OCTN2 carnitine transporter that has been selected for high functional activity through evolution, with almost all substitutions reducing carnitine transport activity. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The widespread tolerance of OCTN1 to amino acid substitutions suggests that the corresponding SLC22A4 gene may have derived from a recent duplication of the SLC22A5 gene and might not yet have a defined physiological role.

The effect of valinomycin in fibroblasts from patients with fatty acid oxidation disorders.

Disorders of the carnitine cycle and of the beta oxidation spiral impair the ability to obtain energy from fats at time of fasting and stress. This can result in hypoketotic hypoglycemia, cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmia and other chronic medical problems. The in vitro study of fibroblasts from patients with these conditions is impaired by their limited oxidative capacity. Here we evaluate the capacity of valinomycin, a potassium ionophore that increases mitochondrial respiration, to increase the oxidation of fatty acids in cells from patients with inherited fatty acid oxidation defects. The addition of valinomycin to fibroblasts decreased the accumulation of the lipophilic cation tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP(+)) at low concentrations due to the dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential. At higher doses, valinomycin increased TPP(+) accumulation due to the increased potassium permeability of the plasma membrane and subsequent cellular hyperpolarization. The incubation of normal fibroblasts with valinomycin increased [(14)C]-palmitate oxidation (measured as [(14)C]O2 release) in a dose-dependent manner. By contrast, valinomycin failed to increase palmitate oxidation in fibroblasts from patients with very long chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency. This was not observed in fibroblasts from patients heterozygous for this condition. These results indicate that valinomycin can increase fatty acid oxidation in normal fibroblasts and could be useful to differentiate heterozygotes from patients affected with VLCAD deficiency.

The PI3K/Akt pathway is required for LPS activation of microglial cells.

Upregulation of inflammatory responses in the brain is associated with a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Microglia are activated in neurodegenerative diseases, producing pro-inflammatory mediators. Critically, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced microglial activation causes dopaminergic neurodegeneration in vitro and in vivo. The signaling mechanisms triggered by LPS to stimulate the release of pro-inflammatory mediators in microglial cells are still incompletely understood. To further explore the mechanisms of LPS-mediated inflammatory response of microglial cells, we studied the role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signal transduction pathways known to be activated by toll-like receptor-4 signaling through LPS. In the current study, we report that the activation profile of LPS-induced pAkt activation preceded those of LPS-induced NF-κB activation, suggesting a role for PI3K/Akt in the pathway activation of NF-κB-dependent inflammatory responses of activated microglia. These results, providing the first evidence that PI3K dependent signaling is involved in the inflammatory responses of microglial cells following LPS stimulation, may be useful in preventing inflammatory based neurodegenerative processes.

Identification of a novel Sp1 splice variant as a strong transcriptional activator.

The transcription factor Sp1 regulates expression of numerous genes involved in many cellular processes. Different post-transcriptional modifications can influence the transcriptional control activity and stability of Sp1. In addition to these modifications, alternative splicing isoforms may also be the basis of its distinct functional activities. In this study, we identified a novel alternative splice isoform of Sp1 named Sp1c. This variant is generated by exclusion of a short domain, which we designate α, through alternative splice acceptor site usage in the exon 3. The existence of this new isoform was confirmed in vivo by Western blotting analysis. Although at very low levels, Sp1c is ubiquitously expressed, as seen in its full-length Sp1. A preliminary characterization of Sp1c shows that: (a) Sp1c works as stronger activator of transcription than full-length Sp1; (b) percentage of HEK293 Sp1c-overexpressing cells is higher in G1 phase and lower in S phase than percentage of HEK293 Sp1-overexpressing cells.

Impairment of methyl cycle affects mitochondrial methyl availability and glutathione level in Down's syndrome.

In Down's syndrome there is evidence that increased gene expression coding for specific cystathionine beta-synthase translates directly into biochemical aberrations, which result in a biochemical and metabolic imbalance of the methyl status. This event is destined to impact mitochondrial function since methylation is a necessary event in mitochondria and relies on the availability and uptake of the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine. Indeed mitochondrial dysfunctions have been widely described in Down's syndrome, but they have never been correlated to a possible mitochondrial methyl unbalance. In the present study we find that the mitochondrial levels of S-adenosylmethionine are reduced in Down's syndrome compared to control cells demonstrating the effect of the methyl unbalance on mitochondria. The possible role of methylation in mitochondria is discussed and some preliminary results on a possible methylation target are presented.

Modulation of mitochondrial capacity and angiogenesis by red wine polyphenols via estrogen receptor, NADPH oxidase and nitric oxide synthase pathways.

Red wine polyphenolic compounds (RWPC) are reported to exert vasculoprotective properties on endothelial cells, involving nitric oxide (NO) release via a redox-sensitive pathway. This NO release involves the activation of the estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα). Paradoxical effects of a RWPC treatment occur in a rat model of post-ischemic neovascularization, where a low-dose is pro-angiogenic while a higher dose is anti-angiogenic. NO and ERα are key regulators of mitochondrial capacity, and angiogenesis is a highly energetic process associated with mitochondrial biogenesis. However, whether RWPC induces changes in mitochondrial capacity has never been addressed. We investigated the effects of RWPC at low (10(-4)g/l, LCP) and high concentration (10(-2)g/l, HCP) in human endothelial cells. Mitochondrial respiration, expression of mitochondrial biogenesis factors and mitochondrial DNA content were assessed using oxygraphy and quantitative PCR respectively. In vitro capillary formation using ECM gel(®) was also performed. Treatment with LCP increased mitochondrial respiration, with a maximal effect achieved at 48h. LCP also increased expression of several mitochondrial biogenesis factors and mitochondrial DNA content. In contrast, HCP did not affect these parameters. Furthermore, LCP modulated both mitochondrial capacity and angiogenesis through mechanisms sensitive to ER, NADPH oxidase and NO-synthase inhibitors. Finally, the inhibition of mitochondrial protein synthesis abolished the pro-angiogenic capacity of LCP. These results suggest a possible association between the modulation of mitochondrial capacity by LCP and its pro-angiogenic activity. These data provide evidence for a role of mitochondria in the regulation of angiogenesis by RWPC.