Loss of selenoprotein W in murine macrophages alters the hierarchy of selenoprotein expression, redox tone, and mitochondrial functions during inflammation.

Macrophages play a pivotal role in mediating inflammation and subsequent resolution of inflammation. The availability of selenium as a micronutrient and the subsequent biosynthesis of selenoproteins, containing the 21st amino acid selenocysteine (Sec), are important for the physiological functions of macrophages. Selenoproteins regulate the redox tone in macrophages during inflammation, the early onset of which involves oxidative burst of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. SELENOW is a highly expressed selenoprotein in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Beyond its described general role as a thiol and peroxide reductase and as an interacting partner for 14-3-3 proteins, its cellular functions, particularly in macrophages, remain largely unknown. In this study, we utilized Selenow knock-out (KO) murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) to address the role of SELENOW in inflammation following stimulation with bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RNAseq-based temporal analyses of expression of selenoproteins and the Sec incorporation machinery genes suggested no major differences in the selenium utilization pathway in the Selenow KO BMDMs compared to their wild-type counterparts. However, selective enrichment of oxidative stress-related selenoproteins and increased ROS in Selenow-/- BMDMs indicated anomalies in redox homeostasis associated with hierarchical expression of selenoproteins. Selenow-/- BMDMs also exhibited reduced expression of arginase-1, a key enzyme associated with anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype necessary to resolve inflammation, along with a significant decrease in efferocytosis of neutrophils that triggers pathways of resolution. Parallel targeted metabolomics analysis also confirmed an impairment in arginine metabolism in Selenow-/- BMDMs. Furthermore, Selenow-/- BMDMs lacked the ability to enhance characteristic glycolytic metabolism during inflammation. Instead, these macrophages atypically relied on oxidative phosphorylation for energy production when glucose was used as an energy source. These findings suggest that SELENOW expression in macrophages may have important implications on cellular redox processes and bioenergetics during inflammation and its resolution.

Semi-automated NMR Pipeline for Environmental Exposures: New Insights on the Metabolomics of Smokers versus Non-smokers.

Environmental exposure pathophysiology related to smoking can yield metabolic changes that are difficult to describe in a biologically informative fashion with manual proprietary software. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy detects compounds found in biofluids yielding a metabolic snapshot. We applied our semi-automated NMR pipeline for a secondary analysis of a smoking study (MTBLS374 from the MetaboLights repository) (n = 112). This involved quality control (in the form of data preprocessing), automated metabolite quantification, and analysis. With our approach we putatively identified 79 metabolites that were previously unreported in the dataset. Quantified metabolites were used for metabolic pathway enrichment analysis that replicated 1 enriched pathway with the original study as well as 3 previously unreported pathways. Our pipeline generated a new random forest (RF) classifier between smoking classes that revealed several combinations of compounds. This study broadens our metabolomic understanding of smoking exposure by 1) notably increasing the number of quantified metabolites with our analytic pipeline, 2) suggesting smoking exposure may lead to heterogenous metabolic responses according to random forest modeling, and 3) modeling how newly quantified individual metabolites can determine smoking status. Our approach can be applied to other NMR studies to characterize environmental risk factors, allowing for the discovery of new biomarkers of disease and exposure status.

Comparison between measured and calculated ionised concentrations in Mg2+ /ATP, Mg2+ /EDTA and Ca2+ /EGTA buffers; influence of changes in temperature, pH and pipetting errors on the ionised concentrations.

The apparent dissociation constants (Kapp) and total ligand concentrations ([Ligand]T) from extensive published and unpublished macroelectrode measurements for Mg2+/ATP, Mg2+/EDTA and Ca2+/EGTA buffers have been recalculated. These calculations were made feasible by the introduction of an Excel program which reduced the time of calculation for Kapp and [Ligand]T from over an hour to under five minutes. These estimations of Kapp and [Ligand]T allowed, not only a comparison between measured and calculated ionised magnesium and calcium concentrations ([Mg2+] and [Ca2+]) for Mg2+/ATP, Mg2+/EDTA and Ca2+/EGTA buffers but also a comparison amongst calculated values. Calculated [X2]1 values always differed from measured, and calculated values differed amongst themselves by factors of at least 2. These variations cast doubts on the published absolute values for intracellular [Mg2+] estimated by 31P-NMR and the resting values for [Ca2+] in cells. The allowable range for [X2+] in the buffers and consequently for Kapp and [Ligand]T has not been defined, which introduces uncertainties into published absolute values for [X2+]. This paper shows that an upper limit of +/- 10% deviation from the mean value for [X2+] is attainable. This requires the temperature to be maintained within +/- 0.5 degrees C, pH within +/- 0.01 units and pipetting errors of less than 0.25%. Until internationally defined buffer standards are available, the lack of correlation between measured and calculated [X2+] means that measurement of Kapp and [Ligand]T and hence [X2+] is more reliable than calculation.

Critical review of the methods used to measure the apparent dissociation constant and ligand purity in Ca2+ and Mg2+ buffer solutions.

Using simulated Ca2+ and Mg2+ buffers, methods proposed to measure both ligand purity and the apparent dissociation constant (Kapp) were investigated regarding (1) predicted accuracy of both parameters and (2) generality of the solution. The Bers' Ca2+ macroelectrode method [Bers, D. M., 1982 A simple method for the determination of free [Ca] in Ca-EGTA solutions Am. J. Physiol. 242, C404-C408] cannot be used with Mg2+ -macroelectrodes and is partly arbitrary since the linear part of the Scatchard plot is judged subjectively. Iterative methods have therefore been introduced. Iteration based on Bers' method or the lumped interference in the Nicolsky-Eisenman equation also failed with Mg2+ macroelectrodes. The Oiki et al., method [Oiki, S., Yomamoto, T., Okada, Y., 1994. Apparent stability constants and purity of Ca-chelating agents evaluated using Ca-sensitive electrodes by the double-log optimization method Cell Calcium 15, 209-46.] cannot be applied to Mg2+ macroelectrodes. The pH titration method of Moisescu and Pusch (Pflügers, Arch., 355, R122, 1975) predicted EGTA purity and Ca2+ contamination, but Kapp values for EGTA were approximate. It cannot be applied to Mg2+ binding. The partition method [Godt, R.E., 1974. Calcium-activated tension of skinned muscle fibres of the frog. Dependence on magnesium adenosine triphosphate concentration J. Gen. Physiol. 63, 722-739.] only approximately estimated the K(app). Calibration, maintaining contaminating [Ca2+]/[Mg2+] at < 1micromol l(-1), and setting standards by dilution, is the ultimate check of calculated ionised concentrations, although technically difficult. The macroelectrode method of Lüthi et al. [1997. Calibration of Mg2+ -selective macromolecules down to 1 micromol l(-1) in intracellular and Ca+ - containing extracellular solutions. Exp. Physiol. 82, 453-467] accurately predicted purity and Kapp at pKapp values > 4 and was independent of electrode characteristics. It is considered the method of choice. Macroelectrode primary calibration should be carried out in solutions varying from 0.5 to 10 mmol l(-1) combined with either Ca-EGTA or Mg-EDTA buffers; the [Ca2+] and [Mg2+] in other buffer ligands can be measured in a secondary calibration.