Chlorpyrifos Disrupts Acetylcholine Metabolism Across Model Blood-Brain Barrier.

Despite the significant progress in both scientific understanding and regulations, the safety of agricultural pesticides continues to be called into question. The need for complementary analytics to identify dysregulation events associated with chemical exposure and leverage this information to predict biological responses remains. Here, we present a platform that combines a model organ-on-chip neurovascular unit (NVU) with targeted mass spectrometry (MS) and electrochemical analysis to assess the impact of organophosphate (OP) exposure on blood-brain barrier (BBB) function. Using the NVU to simulate exposure, an escalating dose of the organophosphate chlorpyrifos (CPF) was administered. With up to 10 µM, neither CPF nor its metabolites were detected across the BBB (limit of quantitation 0.1 µM). At 30 µM CPF and above, targeted MS detected the main urinary metabolite, trichloropyridinol (TCP), across the BBB (0.025 µM) and no other metabolites. In the vascular chamber where CPF was directly applied, two primary metabolites of CPF, TCP and diethylthiophosphate (DETP), were both detected (0.1-5.7 µM). In a second experiment, a constant dose of 10 µM CPF was administered to the NVU, and though neither CPF nor its metabolites were detected across the BBB after 24 h, electrochemical analysis detected increases in acetylcholine levels on both sides of the BBB (up to 24.8 ± 3.4 µM) and these levels remained high over the course of treatment. In the vascular chamber where CPF was directly applied, only TCP was detected (ranging from 0.06 µM at 2 h to 0.19 µM at 24 h). These results provide chemical evidence of the substantial disruption induced by this widely used commercial pesticide. This work reinforces previously observed OP metabolism and mechanisms of impact, validates the use of the NVU for OP toxicology testing, and provides a model platform for analyzing these organotypic systems.

A bistable, multiport valve enables microformulators creating microclinical analyzers that reveal aberrant glutamate metabolism in astrocytes derived from a tuberous sclerosis patient.

There is a need for valves and pumps that operate at the microscale with precision and accuracy, are versatile in their application, and are easily fabricated. To that end, we developed a new rotary planar multiport valve to faithfully select solutions (contamination = 5.22 ± 0.06 ppb) and a rotary planar peristaltic pump to precisely control fluid delivery (flow rate = 2.4 ± 1.7 to 890 ± 77 µL/min). Both the valve and pump were implemented in a planar format amenable to single-layer soft lithographic fabrication. These planar microfluidics were actuated by a rotary motor controlled remotely by custom software. Together, these two devices constitute an innovative microformulator that was used to prepare precise, high-fidelity mixtures of up to five solutions (deviation from prescribed mixture = ±|0.02 ± 0.02| %). This system weighed less than a kilogram, occupied around 500 cm3, and generated pressures of 255 ± 47 kPa. This microformulator was then combined with an electrochemical sensor creating a microclinical analyzer (µCA) for detecting glutamate in real time. Using the chamber of the µCA as an in-line bioreactor, we compared glutamate homeostasis in human astrocytes differentiated from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from a control subject (CC-3) and a Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) patient carrying a pathogenic TSC2 mutation. When challenged with glutamate, TSC astrocytes took up less glutamate than control cells. These data validate the analytical power of the µCA and the utility of the microformulator by leveraging it to assess disease-related alterations in cellular homeostasis.

A low-interference, high-resolution multianalyte electrochemical biosensor.

Electrochemical sensors are used by millions of patients and health care providers every year, yet these measurements are hindered by compounds that also exhibit inherent redox activity. Acetaminophen (APAP) is one such interferent that falls into this extensive class. In this work, an osmium-based redox polymer was used for electrochemical detection in a sensor that was operated at a decreased voltage, allowing for decreased interference. These sensors demonstrated better selectivity (40-fold for glucose and 200-fold for lactate) for their respective analyte over APAP, possessed higher sensitivity (0.350 ± 0.006 µA mM-1 for glucose and 2.00 ± 0.05 µA mM-1 for lactate) over a broad range of analyte concentrations (50 µM-10 mM for glucose and 2-324 µM for lactate), and displayed similar operational stability (26% decrease for glucose and 29% decrease for lactate) over 7 days compared to first-generation sensors. To test this platform under biologically-relevant conditions, glucose metabolism was monitored in a model liver cell line, Alpha Mouse Liver 12 (AML12) after treatment with APAP and/or insulin. This work represents a high-resolution electrochemical biosensor for microphysiological monitoring of glucose and lactate in the presence of APAP.

Multianalyte Physiological Microanalytical Devices.

Advances in scientific instrumentation have allowed experimentalists to evaluate well-known systems in new ways and to gain insight into previously unexplored or poorly understood phenomena. Within the growing field of multianalyte physiometry (MAP), microphysiometers are being developed that are capable of electrochemically measuring changes in the concentration of various metabolites in real time. By simultaneously quantifying multiple analytes, these devices have begun to unravel the complex pathways that govern biological responses to ischemia and oxidative stress while contributing to basic scientific discoveries in bioenergetics and neurology. Patients and clinicians have also benefited from the highly translational nature of MAP, and the continued expansion of the repertoire of analytes that can be measured with multianalyte microphysiometers will undoubtedly play a role in the automation and personalization of medicine. This is perhaps most evident with the recent advent of fully integrated noninvasive sensor arrays that can continuously monitor changes in analytes linked to specific disease states and deliver a therapeutic agent as required without the need for patient action.

ABI5-binding proteins (AFPs) alter transcription of ABA-induced genes via a variety of interactions with chromatin modifiers.

KEY MESSAGE: Overexpression of ABI5/ABF binding proteins (AFPs) results in extreme ABA resistance of seeds via multiple mechanisms repressing ABA response, including interactions with histone deacetylases and the co-repressor TOPLESS. Several ABI5/ABF binding proteins (AFPs) inhibit ABA response, resulting in extreme ABA resistance in transgenic Arabidopsis overexpression lines, but their mechanism of action has remained obscure. By analogy to the related Novel Interactor of JAZ (NINJA) protein, it was suggested that the AFPs interact with the co-repressor TOPLESS to inhibit ABA-regulated gene expression. This study shows that the AFPs that inhibit ABA response have intrinsic repressor activity in a heterologous system, which does not depend on the domain involved in the interaction with TOPLESS. This domain is also not essential for repressing ABA response in transgenic plants, but does contribute to stronger ABA resistance. Additional interactions between some AFPs and histone deacetylase subunits were observed in yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence assays, consistent with a more direct mechanism of AFP-mediated repression of gene expression. Chemical inhibition of histone deacetylase activity by trichostatin A suppressed AFP effects on a small fraction of the ABI5-regulated genes tested. Collectively, these results suggest that the AFPs participate in multiple mechanisms modulating ABA response, including both TOPLESS-dependent and -independent chromatin modification.

The staying power of adhesion-associated antioxidant activity in Mytilus californianus.

The California mussel, Mytilus californianus, adheres in the highly oxidizing intertidal zone with a fibrous holdfast called the byssus using 3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl-l-alanine (DOPA)-containing adhesive proteins. DOPA is susceptible to oxidation in seawater and, upon oxidation, loses adhesion. Successful mussel adhesion thus depends critically on controlling oxidation and reduction. To explore how mussels regulate redox during their functional adhesive lifetime, we tracked extractable protein concentration, DOPA content and antioxidant activity in byssal plaques over time. In seawater, DOPA content and antioxidant activity in the byssus persisted much longer than expected-50% of extractable DOPA and 30% of extractable antioxidant activity remained after 20 days. Antioxidant activity was located at the plaque-substrate interface, demonstrating that antioxidant activity keeps DOPA reduced for durable and dynamic adhesion. We also correlated antioxidant activity to cysteine and DOPA side chains of mussel foot proteins (mfps), suggesting that mussels use both cysteine and DOPA redox reservoirs for controlling interfacial chemistry. These data are discussed in the context of the biomaterial structure and properties of the marine mussel byssus.

Tough coating proteins: subtle sequence variation modulates cohesion.

Mussel foot protein-1 (mfp-1) is an essential constituent of the protective cuticle covering all exposed portions of the byssus (plaque and the thread) that marine mussels use to attach to intertidal rocks. The reversible complexation of Fe(3+) by the 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) side chains in mfp-1 in Mytilus californianus cuticle is responsible for its high extensibility (120%) as well as its stiffness (2 GPa) due to the formation of sacrificial bonds that help to dissipate energy and avoid accumulation of stresses in the material. We have investigated the interactions between Fe(3+) and mfp-1 from two mussel species, M. californianus (Mc) and M. edulis (Me), using both surface sensitive and solution phase techniques. Our results show that although mfp-1 homologues from both species bind Fe(3+), mfp-1 (Mc) contains Dopa with two distinct Fe(3+)-binding tendencies and prefers to form intramolecular complexes with Fe(3+). In contrast, mfp-1 (Me) is better adapted to intermolecular Fe(3+) binding by Dopa. Addition of Fe(3+) did not significantly increase the cohesion energy between the mfp-1 (Mc) films at pH 5.5. However, iron appears to stabilize the cohesive bridging of mfp-1 (Mc) films at the physiologically relevant pH of 7.5, where most other mfps lose their ability to adhere reversibly. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning the capacity of M. californianus cuticle to withstand twice the strain of M. edulis cuticle is important for engineering of tunable strain tolerant composite coatings for biomedical applications.

pH-dependent cross-linking of catechols through oxidation via Fe3+ and potential implications for mussel adhesion.

The mussel byssus is a remarkable attachment structure that is formed by injection molding and rapid in-situ hardening of concentrated solutions of proteins enriched in the catecholic amino acid 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (DOPA). Fe3+, found in high concentrations in the byssus, has been speculated to participate in redox reactions with DOPA that lead to protein polymerization, however direct evidence to support this hypothesis has been lacking. Using small molecule catechols, DOPA-containing peptides, and native mussel foot proteins, we report the first direct observation of catechol oxidation and polymerization accompanied by reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+. In the case of the small molecule catechol, we identified two dominant dimer species and characterized their connectivities by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), with the C6-C6 and C5-C6 linked species as the major and minor products, respectively. For the DOPA-containing peptide, we studied the pH dependence of the reaction and demonstrated that catechol polymerization occurs readily at low pH, but is increasingly diminished in favor of metal-catechol coordination interactions at higher pH. Finally, we demonstrate that Fe3+ can induce cross-links in native byssal mussel proteins mefp-1 and mcfp-1 at acidic pH. Based on these findings, we discuss the potential implications to the chemistry of mussel adhesion.

Intrinsic surface-drying properties of bioadhesive proteins.

Sessile marine mussels must "dry" underwater surfaces before adhering to them. Synthetic adhesives have yet to overcome this fundamental challenge. Previous studies of bioinspired adhesion have largely been performed under applied compressive forces, but such studies are poor predictors of the ability of an adhesive to spontaneously penetrate surface hydration layers. In a force-free approach to measuring molecular-level interaction through surface-water diffusivity, different mussel foot proteins were found to have different abilities to evict hydration layers from surfaces-a necessary step for adsorption and adhesion. It was anticipated that DOPA would mediate dehydration owing to its efficacy in bioinspired wet adhesion. Instead, hydrophobic side chains were found to be a critical component for protein-surface intimacy. This direct measurement of interfacial water dynamics during force-free adsorptive interactions at solid surfaces offers guidance for the engineering of wet adhesives and coatings.

Adaptive hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions of mussel foot proteins with organic thin films.

The adhesion of mussel foot proteins (Mfps) to a variety of specially engineered mineral and metal oxide surfaces has previously been investigated extensively, but the relevance of these studies to adhesion in biological environments remains unknown. Most solid surfaces exposed to seawater or physiological fluids become fouled by organic conditioning films and biofilms within minutes. Understanding the binding mechanisms of Mfps to organic films with known chemical and physical properties therefore is of considerable theoretical and practical interest. Using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on atomically smooth gold substrates and the surface forces apparatus, we explored the force-distance profiles and adhesion energies of three different Mfps, Mfp-1, Mfp-3, and Mfp-5, on (i) hydrophobic methyl (CH3)- and (ii) hydrophilic alcohol (OH)-terminated SAM surfaces between pH 3 and pH 7.5. At acidic pH, all three Mfps adhered strongly to the CH3-terminated SAM surfaces via hydrophobic interactions (range of adhesive interaction energy = -4 to -9 mJ/m(2)) but only weakly to the OH-terminated SAM surfaces through H- bonding (adhesive interaction energy ≤ -0.5 mJ/m(2)). 3, 4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) residues in Mfps mediate binding to both SAM surface types but do so through different interactions: typical bidentate H-bonding by Dopa is frustrated by the longer spacing of OH-SAMs; in contrast, on CH3-SAMs, Dopa in synergy with other nonpolar residues partitions to the hydrophobic surface. Asymmetry in the distribution of hydrophobic residues in intrinsically unstructured proteins, the distortion of bond geometry between H-bonding surfaces, and the manipulation of physisorbed binding lifetimes represent important concepts for the design of adhesive and nonfouling surfaces.