Cα-Methyl-l-valine: A Preferential Choice over α-Aminoisobutyric Acid for Designing Right-Handed α-Helical Scaffolds.

In synthetic peptides containing Gly and coded α-amino acids, one of the most common practices to enhance their helical extent is to incorporate a large number of l-Ala residues along with noncoded, strongly foldameric α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) units. Earlier studies have established that Aib-based peptides, with propensity for both the 310- and α-helices, have a tendency to form ordered three-dimensional structure that is much stronger than that exhibited by their l-Ala rich counterparts. However, the achiral nature of Aib induces an inherent, equal preference for the right- and left-handed helical conformations as found in Aib homopeptide stretches. This property poses challenges in the analysis of a model peptide helical conformation based on chirospectroscopic techniques like electronic circular dichroism (ECD), a very important tool for assigning secondary structures. To overcome such ambiguity, we have synthesized and investigated a thermally stable 14-mer peptide in which each of the Aib residues of our previously designed and reported analogue ABGY (where B stands for Aib) is replaced by Cα-methyl-l-valine (L-AMV). Analysis of the results described here from complementary ECD and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic techniques in a variety of environments firmly establishes that the L-AMV-containing peptide exhibits a significantly stronger preference compared to that of its Aib parent in terms of conferring α-helical character. Furthermore, being a chiral α-amino acid, L-AMV shows an intrinsic, extremely strong bias for a quite specific (right-handed) screw sense. These findings emphasize the relevance of L-AMV as a more appropriate unit for the design of right-handed α-helical peptide models that may be utilized as conformationally constrained scaffolds.

Electro-acupuncture regulates glucose metabolism in chronic stress model rats.

Studies have shown that acupuncture is very effective in treating chronic stress depression. However, little is known about the therapeutic mechanism of electro-acupuncture. Metabolomics, on the other hand, is a technology that determines the metabolic changes of organisms caused by various interventions as a whole and is related to the overall effect of electro-acupuncture (EA). 1HNMR, serum sample analysis, and histopathology and molecular biology analysis were used to evaluate the effects of EA. The results show that electro-acupuncture points can regulate the heat pain threshold of chronic stress model rats and change the morphology of adrenal cortex cells Structure, and regulate the contents of corticotropin-releasing hormone, Corticosterone (CORT), glucose, alanine and valine in the samples. These findings help to clarify the therapeutic mechanism of electro-acupuncture on heterologous chronic stress model rats. The effect of electro-acupuncture on improving chronic stress is likely to be achieved by regulating glucose metabolism, which can provide a reference for clinical acupuncture treatment of chronic stress depression.

The hemoglobin adduct N-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-valine as biomarker of dietary exposure to glycidyl esters: a controlled exposure study in humans.

Fatty acid esters of glycidol (glycidyl esters) are heat-induced food contaminants predominantly formed during industrial deodorization of vegetable oils and fats. After consumption, the esters are digested in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to a systemic exposure to the reactive epoxide glycidol. The compound is carcinogenic, genotoxic and teratogenic in rodents, and rated as probably carcinogenic to humans (IARC group 2A). Assessment of exposure from occurrence and consumption data is difficult, as lots of different foods containing refined oils and fats may contribute to human exposure. Therefore, assessment of the internal exposure using the hemoglobin adduct of glycidol, N-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-valine (2,3-diHOPr-Val), may be promising, but a proof-of-principle study is needed to interpret adduct levels with respect to the underlying external exposure. A controlled exposure study was conducted with 11 healthy participants consuming a daily portion of about 36 g commercially available palm fat with a relatively high content of ester-bound glycidol (8.7 mg glycidol/kg) over 4 weeks (total amount 1 kg fat, individual doses between 2.7 and 5.2 µg/kg body weight per day). Frequent blood sampling was performed to monitor the 2,3-diHOPr-Val adduct levels during formation and the following removal over 15 weeks, using a modified Edman degradation and ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Results demonstrated for the first time that the relatively high exposure during the intervention period was reflected in corresponding distinct increases of 2,3-diHOPr-Val levels in all participants, following the expected slope for hemoglobin adduct formation and removal over time. The mean adduct level increased from 4.0 to 12.2 pmol 2,3-diHOPr-Val/g hemoglobin. By using a nonlinear mixed model, values for the adduct level/dose ratio (k, mean 0.082 pmol 2,3-diHOPr-Val/g hemoglobin per µg glycidol/kg body weight) and the adduct lifetime (τ, mean 104 days, likely the lifetime of the erythrocytes) were determined. Interindividual variability was generally low. 2,3-DiHOPr-Val was therefore proven to be a biomarker of the external dietary exposure to fatty acid esters of glycidol. From the background adduct levels observed in our study, a mean external glycidol exposure of 0.94 µg/kg body weight was estimated. This value is considerably higher than current estimates for adults using occurrence and consumption data of food. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed (other oral or inhalational glycidol sources, endogenous formation, exposure to other chemicals also forming the adduct 2,3-diHOPr-Val). Further research is necessary to clarify the issue.

Depsidomycins B and C: New Cyclic Peptides from a Ginseng Farm Soil-Derived Actinomycete.

LC/MS-based chemical profiling of a ginseng farm soil-derived actinomycete strain, Streptomyces sp. BYK1371, enabled the discovery of two new cyclic heptapeptides, depsidomycins B and C (1 and 2), each containing two piperazic acid units and a formyl group at their N-terminus. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by a combination of spectroscopic and chemical analyses. These new compounds were determined to possess d-leucine, d-threonine, d-valine, and S-piperazic acid based on the advanced Marfey's method and a GITC (2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-ß-d-glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate) derivatization of their hydrolysates, followed by LC/MS analysis. Depsidomycins B and C displayed significant antimetastatic activities against metastatic breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231).

Enantioseparation of the carboxamide-type synthetic cannabinoids N-(1-amino-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl)-1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide and methyl [1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indazole-3-carbonyl]-valinate in illicit herbal products.

Synthetic cannabinoids, recently used as alternatives to Cannabis sativa, are among the most frequently abused drugs. Identified in 2014, the synthetic cannabinoids N-(1-amino-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl)-1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (5F-AB-PINACA) and methyl [1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indazole-3-carbonyl]-valinate (5F-AMB) are carboxamides composed of 1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxylic acid and valine amide/methyl ester. Because of their composition, these molecules have pairs of enantiomers derived from the chiral center of their amino acid structures. Previous studies on the identification of 5F-AB-PINACA and 5F-AMB did not consider the existence of enantiomers, and there have been no reports on the enantiopurities of synthetic cannabinoids. We synthesized both enantiomers of these compounds and then separated the enantiomers by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry using a column with a chiral stationary phase consisted with amylose tris (3-chloro-4-methylphenylcarbamate). Under the optimized conditions, the enantiomer resolutions were 2.2 and 2.3 for 5F-AB-PINACA and 5F-AMB, respectively. Analysis of 10 herbal samples containing 5F-AB-PINACA and one herbal sample containing 5F-AMB showed that they all contained the (S)-enantiomer, but the (R)-enantiomer was only detected in two samples and at a ratio of less than 20%.

Clinical study in genital herpes: natural Gene-Eden-VIR/Novirin versus acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir.

BACKGROUND: This paper reports the results of a clinical study that tested the effect of suppressive treatment with the botanical product Gene-Eden-VIR/Novirin on the number of genital herpes outbreaks. The results in this study were compared to those published in clinical studies of acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir. METHODS: The framework was a retrospective chart review. The population included 139 participants. The treatment was one to four capsules of Gene-Eden-VIR/Novirin per day. The duration of treatment was 2-48 months. The study included three controls recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA): baseline, no treatment, and dose response. RESULTS: The treatment decreased the number of outbreaks per year in 90.8% of the participants. The treatment also decreased the mean number of outbreaks per year from 7.27 and 5.5 in the control groups to 2.39 (P<0.0001 and P<0.001, respectively). The treated participants reported no adverse experiences. Out of the 15 tests that compared Gene-Eden-VIR/Novirin to the three drugs, Gene-Eden-VIR/Novirin had superior efficacy in eight tests, inferior efficacy in three tests, and comparable efficacy in four tests. Gene-Eden-VIR/Novirin also had superior safety. CONCLUSION: The clinical study showed that the natural Gene-Eden-VIR/Novirin decreases the number of genital herpes outbreaks without any side effects. The study also showed that the clinical effects reported in this study are mostly better than those reported in the reviewed studies of acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir.

A novel multi-biofunctional protein from brown rice hydrolysed by endo/endo-exoproteases.

Brown rice, which is a less allergenic food grain and contains essential amino acids, was hydrolysed by bromelain and PROTEASE FP51® to improve its functionalities and taste for food applications. The hydrolysate prepared by bromelain (eb-RPH) had high protein solubility, surface hydrophobicity, low molecular weight peptides, hydrophobic amino acids (leucine, valine and glycine) and flavor amino acids (glutamic acid and aspartic acid). The eb-RPH exhibited higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH˙) and 2,2'-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic (ABTS˙(+)) radical-scavenging activities of 76.62% and 52.96%, respectively, and possessed a better foaming capacity (221.76%) and emulsifying capacity (32.34%) than the hydrolysate prepared by PROTEASE FP51® (ep-RPH) did. The eb-RPH gave the desired taste, which is attributed to volatile flavor compounds (benzaldehyde, benzeneacetaldehyde and 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline) and non-volatile flavor compounds, such as monosodium glutamate, 5'-guanosine monophosphate and 5'-inosine monophosphate (0.07, 0.03 and 0.05 mg mL(-1), respectively). Brown rice peptides generated by bromelain were novel bioactive peptides with multifunctional properties.

A norepinephrine coated magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer for simultaneous multiple chiral recognition.

A newly designed molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) material was developed and successfully used as recognition element for enantioselective recognition by microchip electrophoresis. In this work, molecularly imprinted polymers were facilely prepared employing Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) as the supporting substrate and norepinephrine as the functional monomer in the presence of template molecule in a weak alkaline solution. After extracting the embedded template molecules, the produced imprinted Fe3O4@polynorepinephrine (MIP-Fe3O4@PNE) NPs have cavities complementary to three dimensional shape of template molecules favoring high binding capacity and magnetism property for easy manipulation. The MIP-Fe3O4@PNE NPs prepared with l-tryptophan, l-valine, l-threonine, Gly-l-Phe, S-(-)-ofloxacin or S-(-)-binaphthol as template molecules were packed in the polydimethylsiloxane microchannel via magnetic field as novel stationary phase to successful enantioseparation of corresponding target analysts. The MIP-Fe3O4@PNE NPs-based microchip electrophoresis system exhibited strong recognition ability, excellent high-performance, admirable reproducibility and stability, which provided a powerful protocol for separation enantiomers within a short analytical time and opened up an avenue for multiplex chiral compound assay in various systems.

Synthesis and Anti-microbial Activity of Novel Phosphatidylethanolamine-N-amino Acid Derivatives.

The study involved synthesis of five novel amino acid derivatives of phosphatidylethanolamine isolated from egg yolk lecithin employing a three step procedure i) N-protection of L-amino acids with BOC anhydride in alkaline medium ii) condensation of - CO2H group of N-protected amino acid with free -NH2 of PE by a peptide linkage and iii) deprotection of N-protected group of amino acids to obtain phosphatidylethanolamine-N-amino acid derivatives in 60-75% yield. The five L-amino acids used were L glycine, L-valine, L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-phenylalanine. The amino acid derivatives were screened for anti-baterial activity against B. subtilis, S. aureus, P. aeroginosa and E. coli taking Streptomycin as reference compound and anti-fungal activity against C. albicans, S. cervisiae, A. niger taking AmphotericinB as reference compound. All the amino acid derivatives exhibited extraordinary anti-bacterial activities about 3 folds or comparable to Streptomycin and moderate or no anti-fungal activity against Amphotericin-B.

Metabolic discrimination of Swertia mussotii and Swertia chirayita known as "Zangyinchen" in traditional Tibetan medicine by (1)H NMR-based metabolomics.

Swertia mussotii Franch. and Swertia chirayita Buch.-Ham. have been commonly used under the same name "Zangyinchen" for the treatment of liver and gallbladder diseases in traditional Tibetan medicine. Detailed characterization and comparison of the complete set of metabolites of these two species are critical for their objective identification and quality control. In this study, a rapid, simple and comprehensive (1)H NMR-based metabolomics method was first developed to differentiate the two species. A broad range of metabolites, including iridoid glycosides, xanthones, triterpenoids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, and amino acids, were identified. Statistical analysis showed evident differences between the two species, and the major markers responsible for the differences were screened. In addition, quantitative (1)H NMR method (qHNMR) was used for the target analysis of the discriminating metabolites. The results showed that S. mussotii had significantly higher contents of gentiopicrin, isoorientin, glucose, loganic acid, and choline, whereas S. chirayita exhibited higher levels of swertiamarin, oleanolic acid, valine, and fatty acids. These findings indicate that (1)H NMR-based metabolomics is a reliable and effective method for the metabolic profiling and discrimination of the two Swertia species, and can be used to verify the genuine origin of Zangyinchen.

The discovery of potent nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) inhibitors with a unique resistance profile-Part†1.

Nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) represents a novel target for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Daclatasvir, recently reported by Bristol-Myers-Squibb, is a potent NS5A inhibitor currently under investigation in phase 3 clinical trials. While the performance of daclatasvir has been impressive, the emergence of resistance could prove problematic and as such, improved analogues are being sought. By varying the biphenyl-imidazole unit of daclatasvir, novel inhibitors of HCV NS5A were identified with an improved resistance profile against mutant strains of the virus while retaining the picomolar potency of daclatasvir. One compound in particular, methyl ((S)-1-((S)-2-(4-(4-(6-(2-((S)-1-((methoxycarbonyl)-L-valyl)pyrrolidin-2-yl)-1H-imidazol-5-yl)quinoxalin-2-yl)phenyl)-1H-imidazol-2-yl)pyrrolidin-1-yl)-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl)carbamate (17), exhibited very promising activity and showed good absorption and a long predicted human pharmacokinetic half-life. This compound represents a promising lead that warrants further evaluation.

Specific labeling and assignment strategies of valine methyl groups for NMR studies of high molecular weight proteins.

The specific protonation of valine and leucine methyl groups in proteins is typically achieved by overexpressing proteins in M9/D2O medium supplemented with either labeled α-ketoisovalerate for the labeling of the four prochiral methyl groups or with 2-acetolactate for the stereospecific labeling of the valine and leucine side chains. However, when these labeling schemes are applied to large protein assemblies, significant overlap between the correlations of the valine and leucine methyl groups occurs, hampering the analysis of 2D methyl-TROSY spectra. Analysis of the leucine and valine biosynthesis pathways revealed that the incorporation of labeled precursors in the leucine pathway can be inhibited by the addition of exogenous l-leucine-d10. We exploited this property to label stereospecifically the pro-R and pro-S methyl groups of valine with minimal scrambling to the leucine residues. This new labeling protocol was applied to the 468 kDa homododecameric peptidase TET2 to decrease the complexity of its NMR spectra. All of the pro-S valine methyl resonances of TET2 were assigned by combining mutagenesis with this innovative labeling approach. The assignments were transferred to the pro-R groups using an optimally labeled sample and a set of triple resonance experiments. This improved labeling scheme enables us to overcome the main limitation of overcrowding in the NMR spectra of prochiral methyl groups, which is a prerequisite for the site-specific measurement of the structural and dynamic parameters or for the study of interactions in very large protein assemblies.

Structures and reactions of compounds involved in pink discolouration of onion.

In "pinking" of onion, E-(+)-S-(1-propenyl)-L-cysteine sulfoxide is first cleaved by alliinase to yield colour developers (CDs), which react with amino acids, such as valine, to form pigment precursors (PPs). The PPs react with naturally occurring carbonyls (NOCs) to form pigments. By inducing a PP from previously isolated cepathiolanes and L-valine, it was confirmed that cepathiolanes constitute at least a part of the CDs. From the PP and formaldehyde as a NOC, two colourless and two pink compounds were derived. The structure of one of the colourless compounds was established as 2-(2-(1-(1-carboxy-2-methylpropyl)-3,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methyl-3,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-3-methylbutanoic acid. The structures of the other colourless compound and the pink pigments were predicted based on their molecular formula and the MS(n) spectral data. A trimeric pigment structure was predicted for one of the pink pigments, which was believed to be the first to be reported in the literature. With these, a new reaction scheme for "pinking" of onion is proposed.

Mutation of Val90 to His in the pseudoperoxidase from Leishmania major enhances peroxidase activity.

Pseudoperoxidase from Leishmania major (LmPP) catalyzes the breakdown of peroxynitrite though it can hardly react with H(2)O(2). Our modeling structure predicts that a conserved His to Val switch near the distal heme pocket of LmPP may determine the profile of its H(2)O(2) activity. To test this hypothesis, we have generated complementary mutations in the LmPP (V90H) and studied the formation of Compounds I and II. The rate of transition from high spin ferric state of V90H to Compound I by H(2)O(2) is increased by approximately three orders relative to wild-type LmPP, which is consistent with electron donor oxidation data where the V90H mutant enzyme is ~30 fold more active than wild type. Thus, our data indicate that a lower rate for heterolytic cleavage of the OO bond of H(2)O(2) in wild type LmPP is caused by the His/Val switch in heme distal site. In the catalysis of peroxynitrite scavenging, V90H LmPP has lower catalytic activity compared to the wild type enzyme. In contrast to peroxynitrite scavenging, the second order rate constant of peroxynitrite binding step in mutant enzyme does not change significantly compared to the wild-type. Spectral data suggest that the distal Val90 residue in LmPP prevents the ferryl species formation in the presence of peroxynitrite. The lower peroxynitrite scavenging activity of the mutant reflects increased peroxidase activity rather than isomerase activity.

Estimation of the standardized ileal digestible valine-to-lysine ratio in 13- to 32-kilogram pigs.

Three experiments were conducted to determine the optimum standardized ileal digestible Val-to-Lys (SID Val:Lys) ratio for 13- to 32-kg pigs. In Exp. 1, 162 pigs weaned at 17 d of age (8 pens/treatment) were used, and a Val-deficient basal diet containing 0.60% l-Lys·HCl, 1.21% SID Lys, and 0.68% SID Val was developed (0.56 SID Val:Lys). Performance of pigs fed the basal diet was inferior to a corn-soybean meal control containing only 0.06% l-Lys·HCl, but was fully restored with the addition of 0.146% l-Val to the basal diet (68% SID Val:Lys). In Exp. 2, 54 individually housed barrows (21.4 kg) were utilized in a 14-d growth assay. Pigs were offered a similar basal diet (1.10% SID Lys), ensuring Lys was marginally limiting with no supplemental l-Val (55% SID Val:Lys). The basal diet was fortified with 4 graded levels of l-Val (0.055% increments) up to a ratio of 75% SID Val:Lys. In Exp. 3, 147 barrows (13.5 kg) were fed identical diets, only with 1 additional level at a SID Val:Lys of 80% and fed for 21 d. In Exp. 2 and 3, a high protein, control diet was formulated to contain 1.10% SID Lys and 0.20% l-Lys·HCl. In Exp. 2, linear effects on ADG (713, 750, 800, 796, and 785 g/d; P = 0.05) and G:F (P = 0.07) were observed with increasing SID Val:Lys, characterized by improvements to a ratio of 65% and a plateau thereafter. In Exp. 3, quadratic improvements in ADG (600, 629, 652, 641, 630, and 642 g/d; P = 0.08) and G:F (P = 0.07) were observed with increasing SID Val:Lys, as performance increased to a ratio of 65% but no further improvement to a ratio of 80%. Pigs fed the control diet did not differ from those fed a ratio of 65% SID Val:Lys in Exp. 2, but did have improved G:F in Exp. 3 (P = 0.03). To provide a more accurate estimate of the optimum SID Val:Lys, data from Exp. 2 and 3 were combined. With single-slope broken-line methodology, the minimum ratio estimate was 64 and 65% SID Val:Lys for ADG and G:F, respectively. With combined requirement estimates, the data indicate that a SID Val:Lys of 65% seems adequate in maintaining performance for pigs from 13 to 32 kg.

Interaction of the human prostacyclin receptor with Rab11: characterization of a novel Rab11 binding domain within alpha-helix 8 that is regulated by palmitoylation.

The human prostacyclin receptor (hIP) undergoes agonist-induced internalization and subsequent recyclization in slowly recycling endosomes involving its direct physical interaction with Rab11a. Moreover, interaction with Rab11a localizes to a 22-residue putative Rab11 binding domain (RBD) within the carboxyl-terminal tail of the hIP, proximal to the transmembrane 7 (TM7) domain. Because the proposed RBD contains Cys(308) and Cys(311), in addition to Cys(309), that are known to undergo palmitoylation, we sought to identify the structure/function determinants of the RBD, including the influence of palmitoylation, on agonist-induced trafficking of the hIP. Through complementary approaches in yeast and mammalian cells along with computational structural studies, the RBD was localized to a 14-residue domain, between Val(299) and Leu(312), and proposed to be organized into an eighth alpha-helical domain (alpha-helix 8), comprising Val(299)-Val(307), adjacent to the palmitoylated residues at Cys(308)-Cys(311). From mutational and [(3)H]palmitate metabolic labeling studies, it is proposed that palmitoylation at Cys(311) in addition to agonist-regulated deacylation at Cys(309) > Cys(308) may dynamically position alpha-helix 8 in proximity to Rab11a, to regulate agonist-induced intracellular trafficking of the hIP. Moreover, Ala-scanning mutagenesis identified several hydrophobic residues within alpha-helix 8 as necessary for the interaction with Rab11a. Given the diverse membership of the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily, of which many members are also predicted to contain an alpha-helical 8 domain proximal to TM7 and, often, adjacent to palmitoylable cysteine(s), the identification of a functional role for alpha-helix 8, as exemplified as an RBD for the hIP, is likely to have broader significance for certain members of the superfamily.

Statistical optimization for improved production of cyclosporin a in solid-state fermentation.

This work evaluates the effect of different amino acids on production of CyA production in solid-state fermentation that was previously optimized for different fermentation parameters by one-factor-at-a-time for the maximum production of CyA by Tolypocladium inflatum MTCC 557. Based on the Plackett-Burman design, glycerol, ammonium sulfate, FeCl3, and inoculum size were selected for further optimization by response surface methodology (RSM). After identifying effective nutrients, RSM was used to develop mathematical model equations, study responses, and establish the optimum concentrations of the key nutrients for higher CyA production. It was observed that supplementation of medium containing (% w/w) glycerol, 1.53; ammonium sulfate, 0.95; FeCl3, 0.18; and inoculum size 6.4 ml/5g yielded a maximum of 7,106 mg/kg as compared with 6,480 mg CyA/kg substrate using one factor at a time. In the second step, the effect of amino acids on the production of CyA was studied. Addition of L-valine and L-leucine in combination after 20 h of fermentation resulted in maximum production of 8,166 mg/kg.

A single U/C nucleotide substitution changing alanine to valine in the beet necrotic yellow vein virus P25 protein promotes increased virus accumulation in roots of mechanically inoculated, partially resistant sugar beet seedlings.

Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) A type isolates E12 and S8, originating from areas where resistance-breaking had or had not been observed, respectively, served as starting material for studying the influence of sequence variations in BNYVV RNA 3 on virus accumulation in partially resistant sugar beet varieties. Sub-isolates containing only RNAs 1 and 2 were obtained by serial local lesion passages; biologically active cDNA clones were prepared for RNAs 3 which differed in their coding sequences for P25 aa 67, 68 and 129. Sugar beet seedlings were mechanically inoculated with RNA 1+2/RNA 3 pseudorecombinants. The origin of RNAs 1+2 had little influence on virus accumulation in rootlets. E12 RNA 3 coding for V(67)C(68)Y(129) P25, however, enabled a much higher virus accumulation than S8 RNA 3 coding for A(67)H(68)H(129) P25. Mutants revealed that this was due only to the V(67) 'GUU' codon as opposed to the A(67) 'GCU' codon.

The manganese superoxide dismutase Ala16Val dimorphism modulates iron accumulation in human hepatoma cells.

The Ala/16Val dimorphism incorporates alanine (Ala) or valine (Val) in the mitochondrial targeting sequence of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), modifying MnSOD mitochondrial import and activity. In alcoholic cirrhotic patients, the Ala-MnSOD allele is associated with hepatic iron accumulation and an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. The Ala-MnSOD variant could modulate the expression of proteins involved in iron storage (cytosolic ferritin), uptake (transferrin receptors, TfR-1 and-2), extrusion (hepcidin), and intracellular distribution (frataxin) to trigger hepatic iron accumulation. We therefore assessed the Ala/Val-MnSOD genotype and the hepatic iron score in 162 alcoholic cirrhotic patients. In our cohort, this hepatic iron score increased with the number of Ala-MnSOD alleles. We also transfected Huh7 cells with Ala-MnSOD-or Val-MnSOD-encoding plasmids and assessed cellular iron, MnSOD activity, and diverse mRNAs and proteins. In Huh7 cells, MnSOD activity was higher after Ala-MnSOD transfection than after Val-MnSOD transfection. Additionally, iron supplementation decreased transfected MnSOD proteins and activities. Ala-MnSOD transfection increased the mRNAs and proteins of ferritin, hepcidin, and TfR2, decreased the expression of frataxin, and caused cellular iron accumulation. In contrast, Val-MnSOD transfection had limited effects. In conclusion, the Ala-MnSOD variant favors hepatic iron accumulation by modulating the expression of proteins involved in iron homeostasis.

Novel pH-responsive nanoparticles.

In this work we report a new type of pH-responsive micelle-like nanoparticle. Reversible nanoscale structures are formed in solutions of a pH-sensitive hydrophobic polyelectrolyte, poly( N-methacryloyl- l-valine) or poly( N-methacryloyl- l-phenylalanine), and nonionic surfactant (Brij 98) in the presence of hydrochloric acid. The influence of composition and pH on particles size and shape was investigated by a variety of methods. An entity's size and polydispersity could be varied in a broad range making them a perspective candidate as a drug carrier. Unlike the case of typical micelles, our results indicate the presence of cavities in the formed particles. A hypothetical model of a nanoparticle and mechanism of formation are proposed.