Green tea catechins can bind and modify ERp57/PDIA3 activity.

BACKGROUND: Green tea is a rich source of polyphenols, mainly catechins (flavanols), which significantly contribute to the beneficial health effects of green tea in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. In this study the effects of four green tea catechins on protein ERp57, also known as protein disulfide isomerase isoform A3 (PDIA3), have been investigated in an in vitro model. METHODS: The interaction of catechins with ERp57 was explored by fluorescence quenching and surface plasmon resonance techniques and their effect on ERp57 activities was investigated. RESULTS: A higher affinity was observed for galloylated cathechins, which bind close to the thioredoxin-like redox-sensitive active sites of the protein, with a preference for the oxidized form. The effects of these catechins on ERp57 properties were also investigated and a moderate inhibition of the reductase activity of ERp57 was observed as well as a strong inhibition of ERp57 DNA binding activity. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the high affinity of galloylated catechins for ERp57 and their capability to inhibit ERp57 binding to other macromolecular ligands, some effects of catechins interaction with this protein on eukaryotic cells may be expected. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides information to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the biological activities of catechins and to design new polyphenol-based ERp57-specific inhibitors.

Comparison of glycation of glutathione S-transferase by methylglyoxal, glucose or fructose.

Glycation is a process closely related to the aging and pathogenesis of diabetic complications. In this process, reactive α-dicarbonyl compounds (e.g., methylglyoxal) cause protein modification accompanied with potential loss of their biological activity and persistence of damaged molecules in tissues. We suppose that glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), a group of cytosolic biotransformation enzymes, may be modified by glycation in vivo, which would provide a rationale of its use as a model protein for studying glycation reactions. Glycation of GST by methylglyoxal, fructose, and glucose in vitro was studied. The course of protein glycation was evaluated using the following criteria: enzyme activity, formation of advanced glycation end-products using fluorescence and western blotting, amine content, protein conformation, cross linking and aggregation, and changes in molecular charge of GST. The ongoing glycation by methylglyoxal 2 mM resulted in pronounced decrease in the GST activity. It also led to the loss of 14 primary amino groups, which was accompanied by changes in protein mobility during native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Formation of cross links with molecular weight of 75 kDa was observed. Obtained results can contribute to understanding of changes, which proceed in metabolism of xenobiotics during diabetes mellitus and ageing.

Two-photon excitation with pico-second fluorescence lifetime imaging to detect nuclear association of flavanols.

Two-photon excitation enabled for the first time the observation and measurement of excited state fluorescence lifetimes from three flavanols in solution, which were ~1.0 ns for catechin and epicatechin, but <45 ps for epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). The shorter lifetime for EGCG is in line with a lower fluorescence quantum yield of 0.003 compared to catechin (0.015) and epicatechin (0.018). In vivo experiments with onion cells demonstrated that tryptophan and quercetin, which tend to be major contributors of background fluorescence in plant cells, have sufficiently low cross sections for two-photon excitation at 630 nm and therefore do not interfere with detection of externally added or endogenous flavanols in Allium cepa or Taxus baccata cells. Applying two-photon excitation to flavanols enabled 3-D fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and showed that added EGCG penetrated the whole nucleus of onion cells. Interestingly, EGCG and catechin showed different lifetime behaviour when bound to the nucleus: EGCG lifetime increased from <45 to 200 ps, whilst catechin lifetime decreased from 1.0 ns to 500 ps. Semi-quantitative measurements revealed that the relative ratios of EGCG concentrations in nucleoli associated vesicles: nucleus: cytoplasm were ca. 100:10:1. Solution experiments with catechin, epicatechin and histone proteins provided preliminary evidence, via the appearance of a second lifetime (τ(2)=1.9-3.1 ns), that both flavanols may be interacting with histone proteins. We conclude that there is significant nuclear absorption of flavanols. This advanced imaging using two-photon excitation and biophysical techniques described here will prove valuable for probing the intracellular trafficking and functions of flavanols, such as EGCG, which is the major flavanol of green tea.