Nitroxide malonate methanofullerene as biomimetic model of interaction of nitroxide species with antioxidants.

Bis-nitroxide malonate methanofullerene (NO)2-MF was studied as a biomimetic model of reduction-oxidation activity with natural compounds-cytochrome c (cyt c), dihydroquercetin (DHQ), ascorbic acid (AA) and synthetic drug-1-(ß-oxyethyl)-4,6-dimethyl-1,2-dihydro-2-oxopyrimidine (xymedon(®)). (NO)2-MF may be used as the component of Langmuir monolayers on an aqueous subphase and as the adsorbate on silica gel. The activity of (NO)2-MF in the reaction with cyt c was compared with the effect of nitroxide species such as gaseous nitric oxide, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO) by using UV-vis and EPR-spectra. It has been shown, that iron(III) in cyt c(3+) under action (NO)2-MF was reduced up to iron(II), similar effect was observed under the influence of gaseous NO in aqueous solution, but reduction of iron(III) in heme cyt c was reversible in the presence of TEMPO. Therefore, the state of Fe-heme in cyt c can be used as the indicator of the interaction of cyt c with nitroxide species in vitro. The interaction of cyt c, DHQ, xymedon(®) with (NO)2-MF monolayers was confirmed by the increasing of limiting area А0 from 0.88 nm(2) up to 1.70 nm(2) of (NO)2-MF on the aqueous subphase, by the paramagnetism and UV-vis spectral data changes. These results can be explained by appearance of oxoammonium ion (NO(+))2-MF adlayers and monolayers. The antioxidant and regenerating effects were shown when treating wounds by xymedon(®) in the presence of additives (0.001%) of (NO)2-MF in the experiments on the rats.

The study of the complexes of nitromedicine with cytochrome c and NO-containing aqueous dosage form in the wound treatment of rats.

The interaction of cytochrome c with nitromedicines, such as 5-nitrofural, 5-nitroxoline, metronidazole and sodium nitrite which enables the generation of nitric oxide or nitrosyl complexes in the presence of ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate in acid medium has been investigated. The pharmaceutical compositions containing cytochrome c and nitromedicine complexes as active substances were studied in the experiments by using rats. It has been shown that positive local and systemic effects were estimated when NO-containing gel was used at burn treatment. These positive effects at the local level are due to a sufficient microcirculation index which indicates intensification of the blood flow in the microvessels in the injured area. These effects at the systemic level provide maintenance of the general heart rhythm and gradual recovery of the vegetative balance which is not observed in the animals of the control group.

[The influence of tumor necrosis factor alpha on the processes of sphingomyelin cycle and lipid peroxidation in brain].

The influence of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) on the processes of sphingomyelin cycle activation and intensity of peroxidation in animal brain in vivo has been studied. Alterations in activity of sphingomyelinase, a key sphingomyelin cycle enzyme and in sphingomyelin, ceramide content as well as accumulation of the products of lipid peroxidation (diene conjugates and diene ketons) were measured in the cortex, the cerebellum and the hippocampus of rats 5, 15, 30 min, 1, 2 and 5 hours after TNF-alpha intraperitoneal injection in dosage 100 mkg per animal. It is shown that 2 hours after the injection, TNF-alpha initiated an accumulation of the products of lipid peroxidation, which intensively developed in the cerebellum and the hippocampus. Sphingomyelinase activation was found in the same brain structures. At the initial stage of TNF-alpha action, an increase of lipid peroxidation products correlated with sphingomyelinase activation in the cerebellum and the hippocampus suggesting an interaction of two cell signal systems of sphingomyelin cycle and oxidative system.

[Design of chimeric proteins based on a pentameric superhelical fragment of COMP. II. Properties of a hybrid, containing an VNTR (MUC1) antigen of human tumors]. / Konstruirovanie khimernykh belkov na osnove pentamernogo superspiral'nogo fragmenta COMP. II. Svoistva gibrida, soderzhashchego antigen VNTR (MUC1) opukholei cheloveka.

An oligomeric chimeric protein DB-2 was constructed, to design drugs with antitumor activity and to develop highly sensitive immunospecific tests for the diagnostics of a wide variety of malignant epithelial cells in humans. DB-2 contains an immunodominant site of tetanus toxin and a fragment of the locus of the human tumor-associated antigen MUC1 with a variable number of tandem repeats. A pentameric superhelical fragment of the human cartilage oligomeric matrix protein was used as an oligomerization matrix. The expression of the protein in Escherichia coli cells was studied, a method for its purification was developed, and its main biochemical properties were determined. The English version of the paper: Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry, 2004, vol. 30, no. 1; see also http://www.maik.ru.

[Design of chimeric proteins based on pentameric superhelical fragments of COMP. I. Properties of a hybrid containing an immunodominant segment of the surface protein of Plasmodium falciparum]. / Konstruirovanie khimernykh belkov na osnove pentamernogo superspiral'nogo fragmenta COMP. I. Svoistva gibrida, soderzhashchego immunodominantnyi uchastok osnovnogo poverkhnostnogo belka plazmodiia Plasmodium falciparum.

The oligomeric recombinant protein DB-1 containing the immunodominant sites of the circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum and tetanus toxin was constructed to optimize the schemes of presentation of B-cell epitopes during vaccination with chimeric proteins without the use of adjuvants. A fragment of the pentameric coiled-coil human cartilage oligomeric matrix protein was used as an oligomerization matrix. The expression of the protein in Escherichia coli cells was studied, a method for its purification was developed, and it was biochemically characterized. The English version of the paper: Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry, 2004, vol. 30, no. 1; see also http://www.maik.ru.

[Deletion mutants of human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor]. / Deletsionnye mutanty granulotsitarno-makrofagal'nogo koloniestimuliruiushchego faktora cheloveka.

To study the structure-function relationship of the human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), genes were constructed that encode its three deletion mutants: D1, a mutant with the deletion of six amino acid residues (37-42) some of which are a part of a beta-structural region; D2, a mutant with the deletion of the unstructured six-aa sequence of a loop (45-50); and D3, a mutant with the deletion of 14 aa residues (37-50) corresponding to the A-B loop and encoded by the second exon of the gmcsf gene. The expression products of these genes in E. coli were accumulated in a fraction of insoluble proteins. The secondary structures of the mutant proteins were similar to that of the full-size GM-CSF, but the biological activity of the deletion mutants was 130 times lower than that of the GM-CSF: they stimulated the proliferation of the TF-1 cell line at 3 ng/ml concentration. The resulting proteins displayed antagonistic properties toward the full-size GM-CSF, with the inhibition degree of its colony-stimulating activity being 27%. A decrease in the mutant activity in the row D2 > D1 > D3 implies the importance of the conserved hydrophobic residues involved in the formation of the beta-structure for the formation of the GM-CSF functional conformation.

[Modified oligonucleotides containing 1-beta-D-galactopyranosylthymine: synthesis and substrate properties]. / Modifitsirovannye oligonukleotidy, soderzhashchie 1-beta-D-galaktopiranoziltimin: sintez i substraktnye svoistva.

A convenient method of regioselective introduction of 1-beta-D-galactopyranosylthymine into oligonucleotides was developed and the substrate properties of the modified oligonucleotides were investigated in the enzymic reaction of formation and hydrolysis of internucleotide bonds. The English version of the paper.

Role of tumor necrosis factor alpha and sphingomyelin cycle activation in the induction of apoptosis by ischemia/reperfusion of the liver.

The signal transduction pathways triggering apoptotic mechanisms after ischemia/reperfusion may involve TNF-alpha secretion, ceramide generation, and initiation of lipid peroxidation. In the present study involvement of the TNF-alpha, sphingomyelin cycle, and lipid peroxidation in the initiation of apoptosis induced in liver cells by ischemia and reperfusion was investigated. Wistar rats were subjected to total liver ischemia (for 15, 30 min, and 1 h) followed by subsequent reperfusion. Ischemia caused sharp decrease of neutral sphingomyelinase activity. Activity of acidic sphingomyelinase initially decreased (during 15-30 min ischemia) but then increased (after 1 h of ischemic injury). Reperfusion of the ischemic lobe of the liver caused increase in neutral sphingomyelinase activity and decrease in acidic sphingomyelinase activity. A small amount of TNF-alpha detected by immunoblotting analysis was accumulated in the ischemic area of liver rapidly and the content of this cytokine dramatically increased after the reperfusion. TNF-alpha is known to induce free radical production. We found that the accumulation of TNF and increase of sphingomyelinase activity during the development of ischemic/reperfusion injury coincided with increase in content of lipid peroxidation products (conjugated dienes) and DNA degradation detected by gel electrophoresis. Recently it was shown that superoxide radicals are used as signaling molecules within the sphingomyelin pathway. This suggests the existence of cross-talk between the oxidation system and the sphingomyelin cycle in cells, which may have important implications for the initial phase and subsequent development of post-ischemic injury.

[Chaperone Caf1M stabilizes hybrid proteins containing sequences of F1 antigen subunit from Yersinia pestis]. / Shaperon Caf1M stabiliziruet gibridnye belki, soderzhashchie posledovatel'nosti sub"edinitsy F1-antigena Yersinia pestis.

The Yersinia pestis (causative agent of plague) capsule antigen is a homopolymer of Caf1 protein. Export of the subunits is mediated by the periplasmic chaperone Caf1M. To study the mechanism of Caf1M activity, two hybrid genes including coding sequences for the Caf1 signal peptide, human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) or interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist, and mature Caf1 were constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. We have shown that in the absence of Caf1M the majority of Caf1 moieties within the hybrid proteins undergo proteolysis in the periplasmic space, presumably by the DegP protease. The coexpression of a gene for chaperone Caf1M significantly increased the amount of full-size hybrid proteins in the periplasm, probably as a result of stabilization of the subunits spatial structure within the hybrid. This effect was not observed in JCB571 cells, which lack periplasmic disulfide isomerase DsbA, essential for Caf1M activity.

[Efficacy and perspective of application of preparation based on hydrogel and xerogel of methyl-silicic acid in patients with the intestinal malignancy]. / Efektivnist' ta perspektyvy zastosuvannia preparativ na osnovi hidroheliu ta kseroheliu metylkremniievoï kysloty u khvorykh iz zloiakisnym novoutvorenniam travnoho kanalu.

There was studied the influence of medicinal preparations, created on the base of methylsiliconorganic matrix, on immediate and late follow-up result of treatment of more than 2000 patients with the digestive channel malignancy. High efficacy of application in complex of preoperative preparation of immobilized antibiotics and cytostatics, enterosorpent enterosgel for the purulent-inflammatory complications prophylaxis, lowering of bilirubin level in tumoral obturative jaundice, and in intraoperative usage for the tumor and metastases recurrences prophylaxis.

Secretion of recombinant proteins via the chaperone/usher pathway in Escherichia coli.

F1 antigen (Caf1) of Yersinia pestis is assembled via the Caf1M chaperone/Caf1A usher pathway. We investigated the ability of this assembly system to facilitate secretion of full-length heterologous proteins fused to the Caf1 subunit in Escherichia coli. Despite correct processing of a chimeric protein composed of a modified Caf1 signal peptide, mature human interleukin-1beta (hIL-1beta), and mature Caf1, the processed product (hIL-1beta:Caf1) remained insoluble. Coexpression of this chimera with a functional Caf1M chaperone led to the accumulation of soluble hIL-1beta:Caf1 in the periplasm. Soluble hIL-1beta:Caf1 reacted with monoclonal antibodies directed against structural epitopes of hIL-1beta. The results indicate that Caf1M-induced release of hIL-1beta:Caf1 from the inner membrane promotes folding of the hIL-1beta domain. Similar results were obtained with the fusion of Caf1 to hIL-1beta receptor antagonist or to human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Following coexpression of the hIL-1beta:Caf1 precursor with both the Caf1M chaperone and Caf1A outer membrane protein, hIL-1beta:Caf1 could be detected on the cell surface of E. coli. These results demonstrate for the first time the potential application of the chaperone/usher secretion pathway in the transport of subunits with large heterogeneous N-terminal fusions. This represents a novel means for the delivery of correctly folded heterologous proteins to the periplasm and cell surface as either polymers or cleavable monomeric domains.

Recombinant human insulin. VIII. Isolation of fusion protein--S-sulfonate, biotechnological precursor of human insulin, from the biomass of transformed Escherichia coli cells.

Various methods have been investigated for the isolation and purification of fusion proteins of precursors of human insulin in the form of S-sulfonates, from the biomass of transformed Escherichia coli cells. Fusion proteins were prepared with different sizes and structures of the leader peptide and the poly-His position (inserted for purification by metal chelate affinity chromatography). The fusion proteins contained an IgG-binding B domain of protein A from Staphylococcus aureus at the N-terminus and an Arg residue between the leader peptide of the molecule and the proinsulin sequence, for trypsin cleavage of the leader peptide. Six residues of Cys in proinsulin allow the chemical modification of the protein as a (Cys-S-SO(-)(3))(6) derivative (S-sulfonate), which increases its polyelectrolytic properties and improves the efficiency of its isolation. Various methods of oxidative sulfitolysis were compared with catalysis by sodium tetrathionate or cystine and Cu2+ or Ni2+ ions. An optimum scheme for the isolation and purification of S-sulfonated fusion proteins was developed by the combination of metal-chelating affinity and ion-exchange chromatography. Highly purified (95%) S-sulfonated fusion protein was recovered which was 85% of the fusion protein contained in the biomass of E. coli cells. Folding of fusion protein S-sulfonate occurred with high yield (up to 90-95%). We found that the fusion protein-S-sulfonate has proinsulin-like secondary structure. This structure causes highly efficient fusion protein folding.

[The ways of the efficacy raising in surgical treatment of patients with colonic cancer]. / Shliakhy pidvyshchennia efektyvnosti khirurhichnoho likuvannia khvorykh na rak obodovoï kyshky.

The indications extension for the radical surgical intervention conduction in elderly and senile patients and with locally spreading colonic cancer had promoted the result of their treatment improvement.

[Primary multiple malignant tumors of the stomach and colon]. / Pervichno-mnozhestvennye zlokachestvennye opukholi zheludka i tolstoi kishki.

Experience of diagnosis and treatment of primarily-multiple gastric cancer, combined with malignant colonic tumors in 27 patients was summarized. One-stage combined radical treatment of the patients is the most effective one.

[Heterologous expression of murine lymphotoxins in Escherichia coli and preparation of antibodies]. / Geterologicheskaia ékspressiia limfotoksinov myshi v kletkakh Escherichia coli i poluchenie antitel k nim.

Genes encoding fragments of polypeptide chains of murine lymphotoxins (LT), namely, LT-alpha truncated from the N-terminus and the LT-beta extracellular domain, containing N-terminal hepta- and hexahistidine epitopes, respectively, were expressed in E. coli cells. The recombinant proteins purified by metallochelate chromatography were used to obtain polyclonal antibodies that specifically recognize murine LT.

TNF-induced haptoglobin release from human neutrophils: pivotal role of the TNF p55 receptor.

Haptoglobin (Hp), TNF-alpha, and neutrophils are parts of a highly interactive ensemble participating in inflammatory processes. Hp is taken up by neutrophils, stored within a cytoplasmic granular compartment, and is secreted during phagocytosis by those cells. In the present study, the effects of TNF-alpha on the release of Hp from human neutrophils were investigated. Incubation of neutrophils with TNF-alpha induced the release of Hp from cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner as revealed by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence. The release of Hp induced by TNF-alpha was not due to nonspecific lysis of the cells. TNF-alpha is a highly pleiotropic cytokine that mediates its effects by binding to two distinct receptors (p55 and p75). Administration of TNF-alpha mutants binding specifically either to the p55 or to the p75 TNF receptors showed that there is a preference of TNF-alpha for the p55 receptor in the mediation of Hp release by neutrophils. A stimulated release of Hp was also induced by the chemotactic tripeptide fMLP. The TNF-alpha-induced release of Hp from neutrophils was inhibited by erbstatin, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. These findings suggest that TNF-alpha may promptly increase the level of Hp at sites of infection or injury, leading to the modulation of the acute inflammatory response.

Tumor necrosis factor mutants with selective cytotoxic activity.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) has a cytotoxic or cytostatic effect when tested with various malignant cell lines. Clinical trials in cancer patients, however, revealed high systemic toxicity of TNF-alpha. The existence of two types of receptor may partially explain the pleiotropic activity of TNF-alpha. The purpose of this study was to characterize the relative cytotoxic activity of TNF-alpha and TNF mutants on the mouse fibrosarcoma L929 cells in a standard cytotoxicity test, on human larynx carcinoma HEp-2 cells, and on human monoblastoid leukemic cells U937. TNF mutants were obtained by site-directed mutagenesis. The purity of TNF-alpha was established by capillary electrophoresis. TNF-alpha and TNF mutants were analysed by Western blot analysis using monoclonal antibodies against TNF-alpha. The results show that TNF mutants can recognize the different TNF-receptors (TNF-R) selectivity. It is generally believed that activation of TNF-R75 is responsible for the systemic toxicity of TNF-alpha. Hence, the development of TNF mutants, binding selectively to TNF-R55, could lead to new option for an anticancer treatment that would be devoid of the deleterious effect of TNF-alpha.

[Immunoenzyme determination of human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor using monoclonal antibodies]. / Immunofermentnoe opredelenie granulotsitarno-makrofagal'nogo koloniestimuliruiushchego faktora cheloveka s pomoshchiu monoklonal'nykh antitel.

A set of seven hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the human recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was obtained. The properties of the monoclonal antibodies were characterized, and pairs of MAbs specific to different non-overlapping epitopes of GM-CSF were identified. A sensitive and simple method of two-site ELISA for GM-CSF was developed on the basis of two MAbs. According to this method, one MAb is absorbed onto a microtiter plate and another is labeled with biotin and used for the detection of GM-CSF bound to the first MAb. MAb labeled with biotin, in its turn, was visualized with the streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase conjugate. The sensitivity of this test was no less than 0.5 ng/ml, and a linear dose-response relationship was observed within a concentration interval from 0.5 to 32 ng/ml. No cross-reactivity was found with human tumor necrosis factor-alpha, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interleukin-2, or interleukin-3 in this test system.

Methods of preparation of recombinant cytokine proteins.

Two schemes for efficient and productive isolation for mutant human recombinant tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha R32H) from Escherichia coli cells were developed. The methods include membrane filtration, ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration, and centrifugation with subsequent free-flow electrophoresis as an alternative procedure. The target product was obtained as active trimer with total yield more than 50% and greater than 98% purity according to PAGE, size-exclusion chromatography, HPLC, and HPCE.