Nucleic Acid Plate Culture: Label-Free and Naked-Eye-Based Digital Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification in Hydrogel with Machine Learning.

Digital nucleic acid amplification enables the absolute quantification of single molecules. However, due to the ultrasmall reaction volume in the digital system (i.e., short light path), most digital systems are limited to fluorescence signals, while label-free and naked-eye readout remain challenging. In this work, we report a digital nucleic acid plate culture method for label-free, ultrasimple, and naked-eye nucleic acid analysis. As simple as the bacteria culture, the nanoconfined digital loop-mediated isothermal amplification was performed by using polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel as the amplification matrix. The nanoconfinement of PAM hydrogel with an ionic polymer chain can remarkably accelerate the amplification of target nucleic acids and the growth of inorganic byproducts, namely, magnesium pyrophosphate particles (MPPs). Compared to that in aqueous solutions, MPPs trapped in the hydrogel with enhanced light scattering characteristics are clearly visible to the naked eye, forming white "colony" spots that can be simply counted in a label-free and instrument-free manner. The MPPs can also be photographed by a smartphone and automatically counted by a machine-learning algorithm to realize the absolute quantification of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in diverse real samples.

Simple, sensitive, colorimetric detection of pyrophosphate via the analyte-triggered decomposition of metal-organic frameworks regulating their adaptive multi-color Tyndall effect.

This paper describes initially the application of the Tyndall effect (TE) of metal-organic framework (MOF) materials as a colorimetric signaling strategy for the sensitive detection of pyrophosphate ion (PPi). The used MOF NH2-MIL-101(Fe) was prepared with Fe3+ ions and fluorescent ligands of 2-amino terephthalic acid (NH2-BDC). The fluorescence of NH2-BDC in MOF is quenched due to the ligand-to-metal charge transfer effect, while the NH2-MIL-101(Fe) suspension shows a strong TE. In the presence of PPi analyte, the MOFs will undergo decomposition because of the competitive binding of Fe3+ by PPi over NH2-BDC, resulting in a significant decrease in the TE signal and fluorescence restoration from the released ligands. The results demonstrate that the new method only requires a laser pointer pen (for TE creation) and a smartphone (for portable quantitative readout) to detect PPi in a linear concentration range of 1.25-800 µM, with a detection limit of ~210 nM (3σ) which is ~38 times lower than that obtained from traditional fluorescence with a spectrophotometer (linear concentration range, 50-800 µM; detection limit, 8.15 µM). Moreover, the acceptable recovery of PPi in several real samples (i.e., pond water, black tea, and human serum and urine) ranges from 97.66 to 119.15%.

Metal-dependent enzyme symmetry guides the biosynthetic flux of terpene precursors.

Terpenoids account for more than 60% of all natural products, and their carbon skeletons originate from common isoprenoid units of different lengths such as geranyl pyrophosphate and farnesyl pyrophosphate. Here we characterize a metal-dependent, bifunctional isoprenyl diphosphate synthase from the leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae by structural and functional analyses. Inter- and intramolecular cooperative effects in the homodimer strongly depend on the provided metal ions and regulate the biosynthetic flux of terpene precursors to either biological defence or physiological development. Strikingly, a unique chain length determination domain adapts to form geranyl or farnesyl pyrophosphate by altering enzyme symmetry and ligand affinity between both subunits. In addition, we identify an allosteric geranyl-pyrophosphate-specific binding site that shares similarity with end-product inhibition in human farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase. Our combined findings elucidate a deeply intertwined reaction mechanism in the P. cochleariae isoprenyl diphosphate synthase that integrates substrate, product and metal-ion concentrations to harness its dynamic potential.

Ratiometric Fluorescence Assay for Pyrophosphate Based on Sulfur Nanodots Decorated Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Selective and sensitive detection of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) are of great significance both for clinical applications and fundamental research. In this work, a ratiometric fluorescent probe was developed by decorating a porphyrin-based metal-organic framework (PCN-224) with sulfur nanodots (S-dots). The red-fluorescence of PCN-224 was significantly promoted (more than 6-fold) by S-dots through inhibiting molecular motion of porphyrin ligand, which also provided active sites for the detection of Cu2+ and PPi. Cu2+ could selectively quench the red-fluorescence of PCN-224 through coordination with porphyrin ligand, and the competition reaction between PPi and Cu2+ resulted in the decomposing of coordination and recovery of red-fluorescence. The blue-fluorescence from S-dots was deemed as effective reference, which provided a built-in correction in complex environments. Based on these photophysical properties, a ratiometric fluorescence assay was developed for the quantitative detection of Cu2+ and PPi, with a limit of detection of 0.11 and 2.66 µM, respectively. The accuracy and practical applications of assays were also demonstrated by detection in tap water and human serum samples.

5'-Chalcogen-Substituted Nucleoside Pyrophosphate and Phosphate Monoester Analogues: Preparation and Hydrolysis Studies.

Novel sulfur and selenium substituted 5',5'-linked dinucleoside pyrophate analogues were prepared in a vibration ball mill from the corresponding persilylated monophosphate. The chemical hydrolysis of pyrophosphorochalcogenolate-linked dimers was studied over a wide pH-range. The effect of the chalcogeno-substitution on the reactivity of dinucleoside pyrophosphates was surprisingly modest, and the chemical stability is promising considering the potential therapeutic or diagnostic applications. The chemical stability of the precursor phosphorochalcogenolate monoesters was also investigated. Hydrolytic desilylation of these materials was effected in aqueous buffer at pH 3, 7 or 11 and resulted in phosphorus-chalcogen bond scission which was monitored using 31P NMR. The rate of dephosphorylation was dependent upon both the nature of the chalcogen and the pH. The integrity of the P-S bond in the corresponding phosphorothiolate was maintained at high pH but rapidly degraded at pH 3. In contrast, P-Se bond cleavage of the phosphoroselenolate monoester was rapid and the rate increased with alkalinity. The results obtained in kinetic experiments provide insight on the reactivity of the novel pyrophosphates studied as well as of other types of thiosubstituted biological phosphates. At the same time, these results also provide evidence for possible formation of unexpectedly reactive intermediates as the chalcogen-substituted analogues are metabolised.

Heterocyclic and Alkyne Terpenoids by Terpene Synthase-Mediated Biotransformation of Non-Natural Prenyl Diphosphates: Access to New Fragrances and Probes.

Two terpene cyclases were used as biocatalytic tool, namely, limonene synthase from Cannabis sativa (CLS) and 5-epi-aristolochene synthase (TEAS) from Nicotiana tabacum. They showed significant substrate flexibility towards non-natural prenyl diphosphates to form novel terpenoids, including core oxa- and thia-heterocycles and alkyne-modified terpenoids. We elucidated the structures of five novel monoterpene-analogues and a known sesquiterpene-analogue. These results reflected the terpene synthases' ability and promiscuity to broaden the pool of terpenoids with structurally complex analogues. Docking studies highlight an on-off conversion of the unnatural substrates.

Supramolecular Host-Guest Interaction-Driven Electrochemical Recognition for Pyrophosphate and Alkaline Phosphatase Analysis.

We report an electrochemical biosensor based on the supramolecular host-guest recognition between cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) and L-phenylalanine-Cu(II) complex for pyrophosphate (PPi) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) analysis. First, L-Phe-Cu(II) complex is simply synthesized by the complexation of Cu(II) (metal node) with L-Phe (bioorganic ligand), which can be immobilized onto CB[7] modified electrode via host-guest interaction of CB[7] and L-Phe. In this process, the signal of the complex-triggered electro-catalytic reduction of H2 O2 can be captured. Next, due to the strong chelation between PPi and Cu(II), a biosensing system of the model "PPi and Cu(II) premixing, then adding L-Phe" was designed and the platform was applied to PPi analysis by hampering the formation of L-Phe-Cu(II) complex. Along with ALP introduction, PPi can be hydrolyzed to orthophosphate (Pi), where abundant Cu(II) ions are released to form L-Phe-Cu(II) complex, which gives rise to the catalytic reaction of complex to H2 O2 reduction. The quantitative analysis of H2 O2 , PPi and ALP activity was achieved successfully and the detection of limits are 0.067 µM, 0.42 µM and 0.09 mU/mL (S/N=3), respectively. With its high sensitivity and selectivity, cost-effectiveness, and simplicity, our analytical system has great potential to for use in diagnosis and treatment of ALP-related diseases.

Teixobactin kills bacteria by a two-pronged attack on the cell envelope.

Antibiotics that use novel mechanisms are needed to combat antimicrobial resistance1-3. Teixobactin4 represents a new class of antibiotics with a unique chemical scaffold and lack of detectable resistance. Teixobactin targets lipid II, a precursor of peptidoglycan5. Here we unravel the mechanism of teixobactin at the atomic level using a combination of solid-state NMR, microscopy, in vivo assays and molecular dynamics simulations. The unique enduracididine C-terminal headgroup of teixobactin specifically binds to the pyrophosphate-sugar moiety of lipid II, whereas the N terminus coordinates the pyrophosphate of another lipid II molecule. This configuration favours the formation of a ß-sheet of teixobactins bound to the target, creating a supramolecular fibrillar structure. Specific binding to the conserved pyrophosphate-sugar moiety accounts for the lack of resistance to teixobactin4. The supramolecular structure compromises membrane integrity. Atomic force microscopy and molecular dynamics simulations show that the supramolecular structure displaces phospholipids, thinning the membrane. The long hydrophobic tails of lipid II concentrated within the supramolecular structure apparently contribute to membrane disruption. Teixobactin hijacks lipid II to help destroy the membrane. Known membrane-acting antibiotics also damage human cells, producing undesirable side effects. Teixobactin damages only membranes that contain lipid II, which is absent in eukaryotes, elegantly resolving the toxicity problem. The two-pronged action against cell wall synthesis and cytoplasmic membrane produces a highly effective compound targeting the bacterial cell envelope. Structural knowledge of the mechanism of teixobactin will enable the rational design of improved drug candidates.

Molybdenum Diphosphide Nanorods with Laser-Potentiated Peroxidase Catalytic/Mild-Photothermal Therapy of Oral Cancer.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is an emerging treatment that usually employs chemical agents to decompose hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into hydroxyl radical (•OH) via Fenton or Fenton-like reactions, inducing cell apoptosis or necrosis by damaging biomacromolecules such as, lipids, proteins, and DNA. Generally, CDT shows high tumor-specificity and minimal-invasiveness in patients, thus it has attracted extensive research interests. However, the catalytic reaction efficiency of CDT is largely limited by the relatively high pH at the tumor sites. Herein, a 808 nm laser-potentiated peroxidase catalytic/mild-photothermal therapy of molybdenum diphosphide nanorods (MoP2 NRs) is developed to improve CDT performance, and simultaneously achieve effective tumor eradication and anti-infection. In this system, MoP2 NRs exhibit a favorable cytocompatibility due to their inherent excellent elemental biocompatibility. Upon irradiation with an 808 nm laser, MoP2 NRs act as photosensitizers to efficiently capture the photo-excited band electrons and valance band holes, exhibiting enhanced peroxidase-like catalytic activity to sustainedly decompose tumor endogenous H2O2 to •OH, which subsequently destroy the cellular biomacromolecules both in tumor cells and bacteria. As demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo, this system exhibits a superior therapeutic efficiency with inappreciable toxicity. Hence, the work may provide a promising therapeutic technique for further clinical applications.

The Electrostatic Basis of Diacylglycerol Pyrophosphate-Protein Interaction.

Diacylglycerol pyrophosphate (DGPP) is an anionic phospholipid formed in plants, yeast, and parasites under multiple stress stimuli. It is synthesized by the phosphorylation action of phosphatidic acid (PA) kinase on phosphatidic acid, a signaling lipid with multifunctional properties. PA functions in the membrane through the interaction of its negatively charged phosphomonoester headgroup with positively charged proteins and ions. DGPP, like PA, can interact electrostatically via the electrostatic-hydrogen bond switch mechanism but differs from PA in its overall charge and shape. The formation of DGPP from PA alters the physicochemical properties as well as the structural dynamics of the membrane. This potentially impacts the molecular and ionic binding of cationic proteins and ions with the DGPP enriched membrane. However, the results of these important interactions in the stress response and in DGPP's overall intracellular function is unknown. Here, using 31P MAS NMR, we analyze the effect of the interaction of low DGPP concentrations in model membranes with the peptides KALP23 and WALP23, which are flanked by positively charged Lysine and neutral Tryptophan residues, respectively. Our results show a significant effect of KALP23 on the charge of DGPP as compared to WALP23. There was, however, no significant effect on the charge of the phosphomonoester of DGPP due to the interaction with positively charged lipids, dioleoyl trimethylammonium propane (DOTAP) and dioleoyl ethyl-phosphatidylcholine (EtPC). Divalent calcium and magnesium cations induce deprotonation of the DGPP headgroup but showed no noticeable differences on DGPP's charge. Our results lead to a novel model for DGPP-protein interaction.

Catalytic Asymmetry in Homodimeric H+-Pumping Membrane Pyrophosphatase Demonstrated by Non-Hydrolyzable Pyrophosphate Analogs.

Membrane-bound inorganic pyrophosphatase (mPPase) resembles the F-ATPase in catalyzing polyphosphate-energized H+ and Na+ transport across lipid membranes, but differs structurally and mechanistically. Homodimeric mPPase likely uses a "direct coupling" mechanism, in which the proton generated from the water nucleophile at the entrance to the ion conductance channel is transported across the membrane or triggers Na+ transport. The structural aspects of this mechanism, including subunit cooperation, are still poorly understood. Using a refined enzyme assay, we examined the inhibition of K+-dependent H+-transporting mPPase from Desulfitobacterium hafniensee by three non-hydrolyzable PPi analogs (imidodiphosphate and C-substituted bisphosphonates). The kinetic data demonstrated negative cooperativity in inhibitor binding to two active sites, and reduced active site performance when the inhibitor or substrate occupied the other active site. The nonequivalence of active sites in PPi hydrolysis in terms of the Michaelis constant vanished at a low (0.1 mM) concentration of Mg2+ (essential cofactor). The replacement of K+, the second metal cofactor, by Na+ increased the substrate and inhibitor binding cooperativity. The detergent-solubilized form of mPPase exhibited similar active site nonequivalence in PPi hydrolysis. Our findings support the notion that the mPPase mechanism combines Mitchell's direct coupling with conformational coupling to catalyze cation transport across the membrane.

The Effect of Betulin Diphosphate in Wound Dressings of Bacterial Cellulose-ZnO NPs on Platelet Aggregation and the Activity of Oxidoreductases Regulated by NAD(P)+/NAD(P)H-Balance in Burns on Rats.

The inhibition of platelet aggregation, and the activity of oxidoreductases and microhemocirculation in a burn wound on the treatment of burns with wound dressings based on bacterial nanocellulose (BC)-zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs)-betulin diphosphate (BDP) were studied. The control of the treatment by BC-ZnO NPs-BDP on burned rats by the noninvasive DLF method showed an increase in perfusion and the respiratory component in wavelet spectra, characterizing an improvement in oxygen saturation in the wound. The study on the volunteers' blood found the inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation by 30-90%. Disaggregation depends on the dose under the action of the ionized form of BDP and ZnO NPs-BDP in a phosphate buffer; it was reversible and had two waves. It was shown on rats that the specific activity of LDHreverse and LDHdirect (control-intact animals) on day 21 of treatment increased by 11-38% and 23%, respectively. The LDHreverse/LDHdirect ratio increased at BC-ZnO NPs-BDP treatment, which characterizes efficient NAD+ regeneration. AlDH activity increased significantly in the first 10 days by 70-170%, reflecting the effectiveness of the enzyme and NAD+ in utilizing toxic aldehydes at this stage of burn disease. The activities of GR and G6PDH using NADP(H) were increased with BC-ZnO NPs-BDP treatment.

Tissue-Nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase (TNAP) as the Enzyme Involved in the Degradation of Nucleotide Analogues in the Ligand Docking and Molecular Dynamics Approaches.

Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) is known to be involved in the degradation of extracellular ATP via the hydrolysis of pyrophosphate (PPi). We investigated, using three different computational methods, namely molecular docking, thermodynamic integration (TI) and conventional molecular dynamics (MD), whether TNAP may also be involved in the utilization of ß,γ-modified ATP analogues. For that, we analyzed the interaction of bisphosphonates with this enzyme and evaluated the obtained structures using in silico studies. Complexes formed between pyrophosphate, hypophosphate, imidodiphosphate, methylenediphosphonic acid monothiopyrophosphate, alendronate, pamidronate and zoledronate with TNAP were generated and analyzed based on ligand docking, molecular dynamics and thermodynamic integration. The obtained results indicate that all selected ligands show high affinity toward this enzyme. The forming complexes are stabilized through hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions and van der Waals forces. Short- and middle-term molecular dynamics simulations yielded very similar affinity results and confirmed the stability of the protein and its complexes. The results suggest that certain effectors may have a significant impact on the enzyme, changing its properties.

Altering the Phosphorylation Position of Pyrophosphate-Dependent myo-Inositol-1-Kinase Based on Its Crystal Structure.

Most kinases utilize ATP as a phosphate donor and phosphorylate a wide range of phosphate acceptors. An alternative phosphate donor is inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), which costs only 1/1000 of ATP. To develop a method to engineer PPi-dependent kinases, we herein aimed to alter the product of PPi-dependent myo-inositol kinase from d-myo-inositol 1-phosphate to d-myo-inositol 3-phosphate. For this purpose, we introduced the myo-inositol recognition residues of the ATP-dependent myo-inositol-3-kinase into the PPi-dependent myo-inositol-1-kinase. This replacement was expected to change the 3D arrangements of myo-inositol in the active site and bring the hydroxyl group at the 3C position close to the catalytic residue. LC-MS and NMR analyses proved that the engineered enzyme successfully produced myo-inositol 3-phosphate from PPi and myo-inositol.

Novel bisubstrate uridine-peptide analogues bearing a pyrophosphate bioisostere as inhibitors of human O-GlcNAc transferase.

Protein O-linked ß-D-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification (O-GlcNAcylation), an essential post-translational as well as cotranslational modification, is the attachment of ß-D-N-acetylglucosamine to serine and threonine residues of nucleocytoplasmic proteins. An aberrant O-GlcNAc profile on certain proteins has been implicated in metabolic diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Inhibitors of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) are valuable tools to study the cell biology of protein O-GlcNAc modification. In this study we report novel uridine-peptide conjugate molecules composed of an acceptor peptide covalently linked to a catalytically inactive donor substrate analogue that bears a pyrophosphate bioisostere and explore their inhibitory activities against OGT by a radioactive hOGT assay. Further, we investigate the structural basis of their activities via molecular modelling, explaining their lack of potency towards OGT inhibition.

Volumetric properties of disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate aqueous solution from 283.15 to 363.15 K at 101.325 kPa.

The purpose of this exploration was to determine the density and volumetric properties of the aqueous solution of Na2H2P2O7 with the molality varied from 0.08706 to 0.88402 mol·kg-1 measured at temperature intervals of 5 K from 283.15 to 363.15 K at 101.325 kPa using Anton Paar Digital vibrating-tube densimeter. The thermal expansion coefficient (α), apparent molar volume (VΦ), expansibility (ϕE), and partial molar volume (VB) of Na2H2P2O7 (aq) against temperature and molality have been evaluated from density data. On the basis of Pitzer ion-interaction apparent molar volume theory, the Pitzer single-salt parameters (ßM,X0v, ßM,X1v, ßM,X2v and CM,Xv, MX = Na2H2P2O7), and their correlation coefficients ai of the temperature-dependence formula f (i, p, T) = a1 + a2ln(T/298.15) + a3(T - 298.15) + a4/(620 - T) + a5/(T - 227) for Na2H2P2O7 were obtained for the first time. It was revealed that predicted apparent molar volumes agreed well with the experimental values indicating the single salt parameters and the temperature-dependent formula are reliable.

Crystallographic and modeling study of the human inorganic pyrophosphatase 1: A potential anti-cancer drug target.

Inorganic pyrophosphatases (PPases) catalyze the hydrolysis of pyrophosphate to phosphates. PPases play essential roles in growth and development, and are found in all kingdoms of life. Human possess two PPases, PPA1 and PPA2. PPA1 is present in all tissues, acting largely as a housekeeping enzyme. Besides pyrophosphate hydrolysis, PPA1 can also directly dephosphorylate phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinases 1 (JNK1). Upregulated expression of PPA1 has been linked to many human malignant tumors. PPA1 knockdown induces apoptosis and decreases proliferation. PPA1 is emerging as a potential prognostic biomarker and target for anti-cancer drug development. In spite of the biological and physiopathological importance of PPA1, there is no detailed study on the structure and catalytic mechanisms of mammalian origin PPases. Here we report the crystal structure of human PPA1 at a resolution of 2.4 Å. We also carried out modeling studies of PPA1 in complex with JNK1 derived phosphor-peptides. The monomeric protein fold of PPA1 is similar to those found in other family I PPases. PPA1 forms a dimeric structure that should be conserved in animal and fungal PPases. Analysis of the PPA1 structure and comparison with available structures of PPases from lower organisms suggest that PPA1 has a largely pre-organized and relatively rigid active site for pyrophosphate hydrolysis. Results from the modeling study indicate the active site of PPA1 has the potential to accommodate double-phosphorylated peptides from JNK1. In short, results from the study provides new insights into the mechanisms of human PPA1 and basis for structure-based anti-cancer drug developments using PPA1 as the target.

Tailoring Pyro-and Orthophosphate Species to Enhance Stem Cell Adhesion to Phosphate Glasses.

Phosphate-based glasses (PBGs) offer significant therapeutic potential due to their bioactivity, controllable compositions, and degradation rates. Several PBGs have already demonstrated their ability to support direct cell growth and in vivo cytocompatibility for bone repair applications. This study investigated development of PBG formulations with pyro- and orthophosphate species within the glass system (40 - x)P2O5·(16 + x)CaO·20Na2O·24MgO (x = 0, 5, 10 mol%) and their effect on stem cell adhesion properties. Substitution of phosphate for calcium revealed a gradual transition within the glass structure from Q2 to Q0 phosphate species. Human mesenchymal stem cells were cultured directly onto discs made from three PBG compositions. Analysis of cells seeded onto the discs revealed that PBG with higher concentration of pyro- and orthophosphate content (61% Q1 and 39% Q0) supported a 4.3-fold increase in adhered cells compared to glasses with metaphosphate connectivity (49% Q2 and 51% Q1). This study highlights that tuning the composition of PBGs to possess pyro- and orthophosphate species only, enables the possibility to control cell adhesion performance. PBGs with superior cell adhesion profiles represent ideal candidates for biomedical applications, where cell recruitment and support for tissue ingrowth are of critical importance for orthopaedic interventions.

Mechanism of Deoxyguanosine Diphosphate Insertion by Human DNA Polymerase ß.

DNA polymerases play vital roles in the maintenance and replication of genomic DNA by synthesizing new nucleotide polymers using nucleoside triphosphates as substrates. Deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) are the canonical substrates for DNA polymerases; however, some bacterial polymerases have been demonstrated to insert deoxynucleoside diphosphates (dNDPs), which lack a third phosphate group, the γ-phosphate. Whether eukaryotic polymerases can efficiently incorporate dNDPs has not been investigated, and much about the chemical or structural role played by the γ-phosphate of dNTPs remains unknown. Using the model mammalian polymerase (Pol) ß, we examine how Pol ß incorporates a substrate lacking a γ-phosphate [deoxyguanosine diphosphate (dGDP)] utilizing kinetic and crystallographic approaches. Using single-turnover kinetics, we determined dGDP insertion across a templating dC by Pol ß to be drastically impaired when compared to dGTP insertion. We found the most significant impairment in the apparent insertion rate (kpol), which was reduced 32000-fold compared to that of dGTP insertion. X-ray crystal structures revealed similar enzyme-substrate contacts for both dGDP and dGTP. These findings suggest the insertion efficiency of dGDP is greatly decreased due to impairments in polymerase chemistry. This work is the first instance of a mammalian polymerase inserting a diphosphate nucleotide and provides insight into the nature of polymerase mechanisms by highlighting how these enzymes have evolved to use triphosphate nucleotide substrates.

Tetrasodium pyrophosphate promotes light meromyosin crosslinking by microbial transglutaminase.

Phosphates are commonly included in meat processing, where oxidation is inevitable, to improve water binding. This present study attempted to reveal the interactive roles of protein oxidation and tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP) on the crosslinking pattern of myosin mediated by transglutaminase (TGase). Mild oxidation at 1 mM H2O2 facilitated the TGase-initiated crosslinking, with the dominate crosslinking site shifted from S1 (in nonoxidized myosin) to Rod. The introduction of TSPP alleviated the oxidation stress on proteins, and was conductive to the crosslinking reaction notably at the LMM domain. The crosslinking sites in untreated myosin were identified as Gln-613 (S1) and Gln-1498 (LMM) by amino-acid sequence analysis, while strongly oxidation resulted in the loss of Gln-1498. Contrastively, four new reactive crosslinking sites were generated by TSPP, one (Gln-558/Gln-567) located on S1 and three (Gln-1362, Gln-1374, and Gln-1423/Gln-1426) on LMM. Yet, Gln-1362 was eliminated under strong oxidation at 50 mM H2O2.