Combination of Two Monoclonal Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies Induced Tenosynovitis, Pain, and Bone Loss in Mice in a Peptidyl Arginine Deiminase-4-Dependent Manner.

OBJECTIVE: The appearance of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) in the circulation represents a major risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patient-derived ACPAs have been shown to induce pain and bone erosion in mice, suggesting an active role in the pathogenicity of RA. We undertook this study to investigate whether ACPAs can induce tenosynovitis, an early sign of RA, in addition to pain and bone loss and whether these symptoms are dependent on peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4). METHODS: Monoclonal ACPAs generated from plasma cells of RA patients were transferred to wild-type and PAD4-deficient mice. Pain-like behavior and macroscopic inflammation were monitored for a period of 4 weeks, followed by the analyses of tenosynovitis in the ankle joints using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and bone microarchitecture in the tibia using an X-ray microscope. Microscopic changes in the tendon sheath were analyzed in decalcified ankle joint sections. RESULTS: The combination of 2 monoclonal ACPAs (1325:04C03 and 1325:01B09) induced long-lasting pain-like behavior and trabecular bone loss in mice. Although no synovitis was observed macroscopically, we detected tenosynovitis in the ACPA-injected mice by MRI. Microscopic analyses of the joints revealed a cellular hyperplasia and a consequent enlargement of the tendon sheath in the ACPA-treated group. In PAD4-/- mice, the effects of ACPAs on pain-like behavior, tenosynovitis, and bone loss were significantly reduced. CONCLUSION: Monoclonal ACPAs can induce tenosynovitis in addition to pain and bone loss via mechanisms dependent on PAD4-mediated citrullination.

Binding of 2-(Triazolylthio)acetamides to Metallo-ß-lactamase CcrA Determined with NMR.

Metallo-ß-lactamase (MBL)-producing bacteria resistant to ß-lactam antibiotics are a serious threat to human health. Despite great efforts and important progress in the discovery of MBL inhibitors (MBLIs), there is none in clinical use. Herein, inhibitor complexes of the MBL CcrA were investigated by NMR spectroscopy to provide perspectives on the further development of 2-(triazolylthio)acetamide-type MBLIs. By using the NMR-based chemical shift perturbation (CSP) and direction of CSP methodologies together with molecular docking, the spatial orientation of three compounds in the CcrA active site was investigated (4-6). Inhibitor 6 showed the best binding affinity (K d ≈ 2.3 ± 0.3 µM), followed by 4 (K d = 11 ± 11 µM) and 5 (K d = 34 ± 43 µM), as determined from the experimental NMR data. Based on the acquired knowledge, analogues of other MBLIs (1-3) were designed and evaluated in silico with the purpose of examining a strategy for promoting their interactions with the catalytic zinc ions.

Halogen Bonding: A Powerful Tool for Modulation of Peptide Conformation.

Halogen bonding is a weak chemical force that has so far mostly found applications in crystal engineering. Despite its potential for use in drug discovery, as a new molecular tool in the direction of molecular recognition events, it has rarely been assessed in biopolymers. Motivated by this fact, we have developed a peptide model system that permits the quantitative evaluation of weak forces in a biologically relevant proteinlike environment and have applied it for the assessment of a halogen bond formed between two amino acid side chains. The influence of a single weak force is measured by detection of the extent to which it modulates the conformation of a cooperatively folding system. We have optimized the amino acid sequence of the model peptide on analogues with a hydrogen bond-forming site as a model for the intramolecular halogen bond to be studied, demonstrating the ability of the technique to provide information about any type of weak secondary interaction. A combined solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic and computational investigation demonstrates that an interstrand halogen bond is capable of conformational stabilization of a ß-hairpin foldamer comparable to an analogous hydrogen bond. This is the first report of incorporation of a conformation-stabilizing halogen bond into a peptide/protein system, and the first quantification of a chlorine-centered halogen bond in a biologically relevant system in solution.

Assessing the Ability of Spectroscopic Methods to Determine the Difference in the Folding Propensities of Highly Similar ß-Hairpins.

We have evaluated the ability of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies to describe the difference in the folding propensities of two structurally highly similar cyclic ß-hairpins, comparing the outcome to that of molecular dynamics simulations. NAMFIS-type NMR ensemble analysis and CD spectroscopy were observed to accurately describe the consequence of altering a single interaction site, whereas a single-site 13C NMR chemical shift melting curve-based technique was not.

(13)C-detected NMR experiments for automatic resonance assignment of IDPs and multiple-fixing SMFT processing.

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) have recently attracted much interest, due to their role in many biological processes, including signaling and regulation mechanisms. High-dimensional (13)C direct-detected NMR experiments have proven exceptionally useful in case of IDPs, providing spectra with superior peak dispersion. Here, two such novel experiments recorded with non-uniform sampling are introduced, these are 5D HabCabCO(CA)NCO and 5D HNCO(CA)NCO. Together with the 4D (HACA)CON(CA)NCO, an extension of the previously published 3D experiments (Pantoja-Uceda and Santoro in J Biomol NMR 59:43-50, 2014. doi: 10.1007/s10858-014-9827-1), they form a set allowing for complete and reliable resonance assignment of difficult IDPs. The processing is performed with sparse multidimensional Fourier transform based on the concept of restricting (fixing) some of spectral dimensions to a priori known resonance frequencies. In our study, a multiple-fixing method was developed, that allows easy access to spectral data. The experiments were tested on a resolution-demanding alpha-synuclein sample. Due to superior peak dispersion in high-dimensional spectrum and availability of the sequential connectivities between four consecutive residues, the overwhelming majority of resonances could be assigned automatically using the TSAR program.

Vesicle and bilayer formation of diphytanoylphosphatidylcholine (DPhPC) and diphytanoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPhPE) mixtures and their bilayers' electrical stability.

Lipid bilayers are of interest in applications where a cell membrane mimicking environment is desired. The performance of the lipid bilayer is largely dependent on the physical and chemical properties of the component lipids. Lipid bilayers consisting of phytanoyl lipids have proven to be appropriate choices since they exhibit high mechanical and chemical stability. In addition, such bilayers have high electrical resistances. Two different phytanoyl lipids, 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPhPC) and 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DPhPE), and various combinations of the two have been investigated with respect to their behavior in aqueous solutions, their interactions with solid surfaces, and their electrical stability. Dynamic light scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance diffusion, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy measurements showed that pure DPhPC as well as mixtures of DPhPC and DPhPE consisting of greater than 50% (mol%) DPhPC formed unilamellar vesicles. If the total lipid concentration was greater than 0.15g/l, then the vesicles formed solid-supported bilayers on plasma-treated gold and silica surfaces by the process of spontaneous vesicle adsorption and rupture, as determined by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and atomic force microscopy. The solid-supported bilayers exhibited a high degree of viscoelasticity, probably an effect of relatively high amounts of imbibed water or incomplete vesicle fusion. Lipid compositions consisting of greater than 50% DPhPE formed small flower-like vesicular structures along with discrete liquid crystalline structures, as evidenced by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, electrophysiology measurements were performed on bilayers using the tip-dip methodology and the bilayers' capacity to retain its electrical resistance towards an applied potential across the bilayer was evaluated as a function of lipid composition. It was shown that the lipid ratio significantly affected the bilayer's electrical stability, with pure DPhPE having the highest stability followed by 3DPhPC:7DPhPE and 7DPhPC:3DPhPE in decreasing order. The bilayer consisting of 5DPhPC:5DPhPE had the lowest stability towards the applied electrical potential.

Structural evolution of oleyl betainate aggregates: in situ formation of small unilamellar vesicles.

Betaine esters prepared from long-chain alcohols are a class of hydrolyzable cationic surfactants that is interesting both because the compounds can be designed to give harmless products on degradation and that the hydrolysis products can induce potentially useful changes in the properties of systems where such surfactants are present. In this work, the evolution in structure of aggregates formed by oleyl betainate during hydrolysis of the compound has been investigated using (1)H NMR and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). With an increasing extent of hydrolysis, and thus an increasing fraction of oleyl alcohol in the aggregates, the aggregate structure changes in a sequence consistent with an increase in the average packing parameter of the surfactant-alcohol mixture, from spherical micelles, via wormlike micelles, to vesicles. An important result from this work is that it demonstrates a means of in situ production of small unilamellar vesicles with a rather narrow size distribution.

Dendrimer diffusion in kappa-carrageenan gel structures.

The effect of the kappa-carrageenan concentration on gel microstructure and self-diffusion of polyamideamine dendrimers has been determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), image analysis, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) diffusometry. Different salt conditions of KCl, NaCl, and mixtures thereof allowed for formation of significantly different microstructures. The kappa-carrageenan concentrations were varied between 0.25 and 3.0 w/w% for a salt mixture containing 20 mM KCl and 200 mM NaCl gels and between 0.5 and 4.0 w/w% for 250 mM NaCl gels. Furthermore, the effect of potassium ion concentration on the gel structure and the dendrimer diffusion rate was determined. The potassium ion concentration was varied between 20 mM KCl and 200 mM KCl. Two different dendrimer generations with significant difference in size were used: G2 and G6. Dendrimers were found to be sensitive probes for determination of the effect of the gel microstructure on molecular diffusion rate. A qualitative comparison between TEM micrographs, NMR diffusometry data and image analysis showed that the gel structure has a large impact on the dendrimers diffusion in kappa-carrageenan gels. It was found that diffusion was strongly influenced by the kappa-carrageenan concentration and the dendrimer generation. Small voids in the gel network gave strongly reduced diffusion. Image analysis revealed that the interfacial area between the gel network and the surrounding water phase correlated well with the dendrimer diffusion.

Structure and dynamics of a sponge phase in the methyl delta-aminolevulinate/monoolein/water/propylene glycol system.

The structural effect caused by the addition of up to 16% (w/w) of the hydrochloride salt of delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA, HOOC-CH2-CH2-CO-CH2-NH2HCl) or its methyl ester (m-ALA) to the sponge phase formed of monoolein/water/propylene glycol was investigated by means of crossed polarizers, small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXD) and nuclear magnetic resonance diffusometry (NMRD). Inspection with crossed polarizers revealed that additions of 4-16% (w/w) m-ALA transformed the isotropic bicontinuous sponge phase partly (4-10%) or completely (13 and 16%) into an anisotropic lamellar phase, indicating that m-ALA has a flattening effect on the bilayer curvature. The addition of 16% (w/w) ALA did not show any effect on the sponge phase. By addition of water to the anisotropic m-ALA samples, isotropic liquids were re-formed. The SAXD data for the isotropic liquids showed a diffuse Bragg peak and the NMRD self-diffusion coefficients for the drug (m-ALA) and the components of the original sponge phase (monoolein, water and propylene glycol) were shown to be essentially constant for 0-16% (w/w) added m-ALA. These results confirmed the hypothesis that the re-formed isotropic phases were indeed sponge phases. Water, for example, showed a diffusion coefficient of 3.1-3.9x10(-10)m(2)s(-1) in the sponge phase, compared to 5.3-5.7 x 10(-10)m2s(-1) in relevant water/propylene glycol solutions or 2.3 x 10(-9)m2s(-1) in pure water. The reduction can be explained as a consequence of the microstructure (congruent monoolein bilayer) of the sponge phase and of the viscosity effect caused by propylene glycol and m-ALA.

Micellar induced regioselectivity in the two-step consecutive reaction of SO3(2-) with Br-(CH2CH2)n-Br (n=2-5).

High field (800 MHz) (1)H NMR was used to monitor the two-step consecutive reaction of excess SO(3)(2-) with symmetrical bifunctional alpha,omega-dibromoalkanes with butane (DBB), hexane (DBH), octane (DBO), and decane (DBD) chains in CTAB micelles at 25 degrees C. The first-order rate constant for the first substitution step for DBB and DBH is about 5 times faster than for the second, but the kinetics for DBO and DBD were not cleanly first-order. After 40 min, the solution contained about 80% of the intermediate bromoalkanesulfonate from DBB and DBH and the remainder is alkanedisulfonate and unreacted starting material. The same reactions were carried out in homogeneous MeOH/D(2)O solutions at 50 degrees C. The rate constants for all four alpha,omega-dibromoalkanes were first-order throughout the time course of the reaction and the same within +/-10%. However, because micellar solutions are organized on the nanoscale and bring together lipophilic and hydrophilic reactants into a small reaction volume at the micellar interface, they speed this substitution reaction considerably compared to reaction in MeOH/D(2)O. The CTAB micelles also induce a significant regioselectivity in product formation by speeding the first step of the consecutive reaction more than the second. The results are consistent with the bromoalkanesulfonate intermediates having a radial orientation within the micelles with the -CH(2)SO(3)(-) group in the interfacial region and the -CH(2)Br group directed into the micellar core such that the concentration of -CH(2)Br groups in the reactive zone, i.e., the micellar interface, is significantly reduced. These results provide the first example of self-assembled surfactant system altering the relative rates of the reaction steps of a consecutive reaction and, in doing so, enhancing monosubstitution of a symmetrically disubstituted species.

Three-way decomposition of a complete 3D 15N-NOESY-HSQC.

Three-way decomposition is applied for the structural analysis of a complete three-dimensional (15)N-NOESY-HSQC of the 128 residues long protein azurin. The procedure presented includes decomposition using the software MUNIN, providing an initial characterization of the complete spectrum by 355 components. This is followed by post-processing yielding a final list of 149 components, 123 of which characterize 1859 NOE peaks from backbone N-H groups. Components from three-way decomposition are defined as direct products of one-dimensional shapes along the three dimensions. Thus, a complete set of distance constraints from this spectrum is obtained by one-dimensional peak picking of the shapes along the NOE dimension. Correctness and completeness of this set of NOEs are tested for all backbone amide groups against both an independent peak picking algorithm and the three-dimensional crystal structure of azurin, and a coincidence of about 95% is observed. Automated 'demixing' of components that are 'mixed' in a complex manner due to overlap of the HN and/or (15)N frequencies is illustrated.