Prenylflavonoids isolated from Macaranga tanarius stimulate odontoblast differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells and tooth root formation via the mitogen-activated protein kinase and protein kinase B pathways.

AIM: To identify odontogenesis-promoting compounds and examine the molecular mechanism underlying enhanced odontoblast differentiation and tooth formation. METHODOLOGY: Five different nymphaeols, nymphaeol B (NB), isonymphaeol B (INB), nymphaeol A (NA), 3'-geranyl-naringenin (GN) and nymphaeol C (NC) were isolated from the fruit of Macaranga tanarius. The cytotoxic effect of nymphaeols on human DPSCs was observed using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The effect of nymphaeols on odontoblast differentiation was analysed with Alizarin Red S staining and odontoblast marker expression was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. The molecular mechanism was investigated with Western blot analysis. In order to examine the effect of INB on dentine formation in the developing tooth germ, INB-soaked beads were placed under the tooth bud explants in the collagen gel; thereafter, the tooth bud explant-bead complexes were implanted into the sub-renal capsules for 3 weeks. Tooth root formation was analysed using micro-computed tomography and histological analysis. Data are presented as mean ± standard error (SEM) values of three independent experiments, and results are compared using a two-tailed Student's t-test. The data were considered to have statistical significance when the P-value was less than 0.05. RESULTS: Three of the compounds, NB, INB, and GN, did not exert a cytotoxic effect on human DPSCs. However, INB was most effective in promoting the deposition of calcium minerals in vitro (P < 0.001) and induced the expression of odontogenic marker genes (P < 0.05). Moreover, this compound strongly induced the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and protein kinase B (AKT) (P < 0.05). The inhibition of p38 MAP, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and AKT substantially suppressed the INB-induced odontoblast differentiation (P < 0.001). In addition, isonymphaeol B significantly induced the formation of dentine and elongation of the tooth root in vivo (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Prenylflavonoids, including INB, exerted stimulatory effects on odontoblast differentiation and tooth root and dentine formation via the MAP kinase and AKT signalling pathways. These results suggest that nymphaeols could stimulate the repair processes for dentine defects or injuries.

Molecular analysis of two enzyme genes, HPRT1 and PRPS1, causing X-linked inborn errors of purine metabolism.

Inherited mutation of hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gives rise to Lesch-Nyhan syndrome or HPRT-related gout. On the other hand, PRPS1 mutations cause PRPP synthetase superactivity associated with hyperuricemia and gout, sometimes including neurodevelopmental abnormalities. We have identified two mutations in two Lesch-Nyhan families after our last report. One of them, a new single nucleotide substitution (130G>T) resulting in a missense mutation D44Y was detected in exon 2 of HPRT1. RT-PCR amplification showed not only a cDNA fragment with normal size, but also a small amount of shorter fragment skipping exons 2 and 3. The other missense mutation F74L (222C > A) was detected in a Japanese patient but has been reported previously in European families. In four hyperuricemic patients with mild neurological abnormality, no mutations responsible for partial HPRT deficiency were identified in HPRT1. In these four patients, we also performed molecular analysis of PRPS1, but no mutations in PRPP synthetase were found.

On the nature of a glassy state of matter in a hydrated protein: Relation to protein function.

Diverse biochemical and biophysical experiments indicate that all proteins, regardless of size or origin, undergo a dynamic transition near 200 K. The cause of this shift in dynamic behavior, termed a "glass transition," and its relation to protein function are important open questions. One explanation postulated for the transition is solidification of correlated motions in proteins below the transition. We verified this conjecture by showing that crambin's radius of gyration (Rg) remains constant below approximately 180 K. We show that both atom position and dynamics of protein and solvent are physically coupled, leading to a novel cooperative state. This glassy state is identified by negative slopes of the Debye-Waller (B) factor vs. temperature. It is composed of multisubstate side chains and solvent. Based on generalization of Adam-Gibbs' notion of a cooperatively rearranging region and decrease of the total entropy with temperature, we calculate the slope of the Debye-Waller factor. The results are in accord with experiment.

Mitochondrial gene mutations in the tRNA(Leu(UUR)) region and diabetes: prevalence and clinical phenotypes in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial gene mutations play a role in the development of diabetes mellitus. We have assessed the frequency of the A3243G and other mitochondrial mutations in Japan and in the relationship to clinical features of diabetes. METHODS: DNA was obtained from peripheral leukocytes of 240 patients with diabetes mellitus (39 with type 1; 188 with type 2; 13 with gestational diabetes) and 125 control subjects. We used PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (ApaI) for A3243G and PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis to determine the mutations in the mitochondrial gene including nucleotide position 3243. RESULTS: The A3243G mutation was found in seven patients, and an inverse relationship was observed between the degree of heteroplasmy and the age at onset of diabetes. A3156G, G3357A, C3375A, and T3394C were detected in addition. Those who shared the same mutation showed similar clinical characteristics, thus representing a putative clinical subtype. The patients with A3156G had a sudden onset of hyperglycemia and showed a rapid progression to an insulin-dependent state with positive anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody. Those with T3394C showed a mild defect in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, and hyperglycemia appeared after adding such factors as aging or obesity. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of mitochondrial gene mutations allows preclinical diagnosis of diabetes and prediction of the age at onset by evaluating the degree of heteroplasmy in cases with A3243G. Mutation detection may also be important for patient management and identification of affected family members.

Crystal structure of Ser-22/Ile-25 form crambin confirms solvent, side chain substate correlations.

It is not agreed that correlated positions of disordered protein side chains (substate correlations) can be deduced from diffraction data. The pure Ser-22/Ile-25 (SI form) crambin crystal structure confirms correlations deduced for the natural, mixed sequence form of crambin crystals. Physical separation of the mixed form into pure SI form and Pro-22/Leu-25 (PL form) crambin and the PL form crystal structure determination (Yamano, A., and Teeter, M. M. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 13956-13965) support the proposed (Teeter, M. M., Roe, S. M., and Heo, N. H. (1993) J. Mol. Biol. 230, 292-311) correlation model. Electron density of mixed form crambin crystals shows four possible pairs of side chain conformations for heterogeneous residue 22 and nearby Tyr-29 (2(2) = 4, two conformations for each of two side chains). One combination can be eliminated because of short van der Waals' contacts. However, only two alternates have been postulated to exist in mixed form crambin: Pro-22/Tyr-29A and Ser-22/Tyr-29B. In crystals of the PL form, Pro-22 and Tyr-29A are found to be in direct van der Waals' contact (Yamano, A., and Teeter, M. M. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 13956-13965). Comparison of the SI form structure with the mixed form electron density confirms that the fourth combination of side chains does not occur and that side chain correlations are mediated by water networks.

Structure of human plasminogen kringle 4 at 1.68 a and 277 K. A possible structural role of disordered residues.

Despite considerable effort to elucidate the functional role of the kringle domains, relatively little is known about interactions with other protein domains. Most of the crystal structures describe the interactions at the kringle active site. This study suggests a novel way to interpret structural results such as disorder located away from an active site. The crystal structure of human plasminogen kringle 4 (PGK4) has been refined against 10-1.68 A resolution X-ray data (R(merge) = 3.7%) to the standard crystallographic R = 14.7% using the program X-PLOR. The crystals of PGK4 showed significant instability in cell dimensions (changes more than 1.5 A) even at 277 K. The refinement revealed structural details not observed before [Mulichak, Tulinsky & Ravichandran (1991). Biochemistry, 30, 10576-10588], such as clear density for additional side chains and more extensive disorder. Discrete disorder was detected for residues S73, S78, T80, S89, S91, S92, Ml12, S132, C138 and K142. Most of the disordered residues form two patches on the surface of the protein. This localized disorder suggests that these residues may play a role in quaternary interactions and possibly form an interface with the other domains of proteins that contain kringles, such as plasminogen. Although, an additional residue D65 was refined at the beginning of the sequence, still more residues near the peptide cleavage site must be disordered in the crystal.

Expression, purification and characterization of recombinant crambin.

Crambin, a small hydrophobic protein (4.7 kDa and 46 residues), has been successfully expressed in Escherichia coli from an artificial, synthetic gene. Several expression systems were investigated. Ultimately, crambin was successfully expressed as a fusion protein with the maltose binding protein, which was purified by affinity chromatography. Crambin expressed as a C-terminal domain was then cleaved from the fusion protein with Factor Xa protease and purified. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and amino acid analysis suggested that the purified material was identical to crambin isolated from seed. For positive identification the protein was crystallized from an ethanol-water solution, by a novel method involving the inclusion of phospholipids in the crystallization buffer, and then subjected to crystallographic analysis. Diffraction data were collected at the Brookhaven synchrotron (beamline-X12C) to a resolution of 1.32 A at 150 K. The structure, refined to an R value of 9.6%, confirmed that the cloned protein was crambin. The availability of cloned crambin will allow site-specific mutagenesis studies to be performed on the protein known to the highest resolution.

Correlated disorder of the pure Pro22/Leu25 form of crambin at 150 K refined to 1.05-A resolution.

The high resolution crystal structure of crambin has been based on the crystals containing two sequence forms (the mixed form). Here, we report the crystal structure of the sequence isomer having Pro and Leu at residues 22 and 25 (the PL form). This elimination of the sequence heterogeneity resulted in a simpler structure which permits a more accurate modeling of protein disorder. In the observed disorder, the PL form structure and the mixed form structure have significant differences: 1) the disorder caused by the sequence heterogeneity (Pro2/Ser22, Leu/Ile25, Tyr29) is absent in the PL form; 2) Phe13 and Glu23 disordered in the mixed form have only one conformation in the PL form; and 3) Asn12 has multiple conformations in the PL form. During the study of disorder in the PL form structure, we found that conformational correlation can be inferred from a structure determined with Bragg's reflections by introducing fundamental stereochemical information, van der Waals contact (Gursky, O., Badger, J., Li, Y., and Caspar, D. L. D. (1992) Biophys. J. 63, 1210-1220), although an x-ray structure is an image averaged over a large number of copies and the period of data collection and does not carry direct evidence about correlations. The correlations among Thr2,Arg10, and Ile34 present the clearest example. The dimension of this correlation is comparable with the short-range (4-8 A) correlations in the atomic displacements concluded from the x-ray diffuse scattering experiments (Caspar, D. L. D., Clarage, J. B., Salunke, D. M., and Clarage, M. S. (1988) Nature 322, 659-662; Clarage, J. B., Clarage, M. S., Phillips, W. C., Sweet, R. M., and Caspar, D. L. D. (1992) Proteins 12, 145-157).