A soy protein enzymatic digest mitigates Nrf2-related oxidative stress and attenuates depression-like behavior in a mouse model of sub-chronic restraint stress.

Continuous oxidative stress conditions have been identified as a major cause of various neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression. The present study investigated the potential antidepressant-like effects of a soy protein enzymatic digest (SPD) containing soy-deprestatin, which is a soy-derived peptide with reported antidepressant-like effects, as well as its ability to mitigate oxidative stress in the brain caused by sub-chronic restraint stress. Mice were divided into two groups: a control group and restraint stress group. The restraint stress group was further divided into two groups administered water or SPD. After repeated short-time restraints over five days, we evaluated immobility times in the tail suspension test, and antioxidant enzyme activities, glutathione levels, oxidative stress maker levels, and the gene expression levels of Nrf2 and antioxidant enzymes in the brain. The results obtained showed that the oral administration of SPD reduced immobility times in mice exposed to restraint stress. In comparisons with the water-treated restraint group, the administration of SPD restored superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activities and glutathione levels and prevented restraint stress-induced increases in malondialdehyde, carbonyl protein, and 8-OHdG levels in the restraint stress group. In addition, high expression levels of Nrf2, HO-1, NQO-1 and GCLC were observed in the SPD-treated restraint group. These results suggest that SPD attenuated repeated restraint stress-induced depression-like behaviors by mitigating oxidative stress through the activation of the Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Structure of a multicopper oxidase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum.

The crystal structure of an extremely thermostable multicopper oxidase (McoP) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum was determined at a resolution of 2.0 Å. The overall fold was comprised of three cupredoxin-like domains and the main-chain coordinates of the enzyme were similar to those of multicopper oxidases from Escherichia coli (CueO) and Bacillus subtilis (CotA). However, there were clear topological differences around domain 3 between McoP and the other two enzymes: a methionine-rich helix in CueO and a protruding helix in CotA were not present in McoP. Instead, a large loop (PL-1) covered the T1 copper centre of McoP and a short α-helix in domain 3 extended near the N-terminal end of PL-1. In addition, the sizes of several surface loops in McoP were markedly smaller than the corresponding loops in CueO and CotA. Structural comparison revealed that the presence of extensive hydrophobic interactions and a smaller cavity volume are likely to be the main factors contributing to the hyperthermostability of McoP.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of a putative glucokinase/hexokinase from Thermus thermophilus.

Glucokinase/hexokinase catalyzes the phosphorylation of glucose to glucose 6-phosphate, which is the first step of glycolysis. The open reading frame TTHA0299 of the extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus encodes a putative glucokinase/hexokinase which contains the consensus sequence for proteins from the repressors, open reading frames and sugar kinases family. In this study, the glucokinase/hexokinase from T. thermophilus was purified and crystallized using polyethylene glycol 8000 as a precipitant. Diffraction data were collected and processed to 2.02 Å resolution. The crystal belonged to space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 70.93, b = 138.14, c = 75.16 Å, ß = 95.41°.

Purification and characterization of the first archaeal glutamate decarboxylase from Pyrococcus horikoshii.

Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) from the archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii was successfully expressed and purified, with the aim of developing a hyperthermostable GAD for industrial applications. Its biochemical properties were different from those reported for other GADs. The enzyme had broad substrate specificity, and its optimum pH and temperature were pH 8.0 and > 97 degrees C.

Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase dependent on thioredoxin-like protein from Pyrococcus horikoshii.

Pyrococcus horikoshii is an obligate anaerobic hyperthermophilic archaeon. In P. horikoshii cells, a hydroperoxide reductase homologue ORF (PH1217) was found to be induced by oxygen. The recombinant protein, which was expressed in E. coli under aerobic conditions, exhibited no activity. However, the recombinant protein prepared under semi-anaerobic conditions exhibited alkyl hydroperoxide reductase activity. Furthermore, it was clarified that it was coupled with the thioredoxin-like system in P. horikoshii. Western blot analysis revealed that the protein was induced by oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. This protein seems to be sensitive to oxygen but forms a thioredoxin-dependent system to eliminate reactive oxygen species in P. horikoshii.

Characterization and crystal structure of the thermophilic ROK hexokinase from Thermus thermophilus.

We characterized and determined the crystal structure of a putative glucokinase/hexokinase from Thermus thermophilus that belongs to the ROK (bacterial repressors, uncharacterized open reading frames, and sugar kinases) family. The protein possessed significant enzymatic activity against glucose and mannose, with V(max) values of 260 and 68 µmol·min(-1)·mg(-1) protein, respectively. Therefore, we concluded that the enzyme is a hexokinase. However, the hexokinase showed little catalytic capacity for galactose and fructose. Circular dichroism measurements indicated that the enzyme was structurally stable at 90°C. The crystal structure of the enzyme was determined at a resolution of 2.02 Å, with R(cryst) and R(free) values of 18.1% and 22.6%, respectively. The polypeptide structure was divided into large and small domains. The ROK consensus sequences 1 and 2 were included in the large domain. The cysteine-rich consensus sequence 2 folded into a zinc finger, and the bound zinc was confirmed by both electron density and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectrum. The overall structure was a homotetramer that consisted of a dimer of dimers. The accessible surface area buried by the association of the dimers into the tetrameric structures was significantly higher in the T. thermophilus enzyme than in a homologous tetrameric ROK sugar kinase.

Analysis of the function of a hyperthermophilic endoglucanase from Pyrococcus horikoshii that hydrolyzes crystalline cellulose.

A hyperthermophilic beta-1,4 endoglucanase was identified in Pyrococcus horikoshii, a hyperthermophilic archaeon. In order to clarify the function of the protein in detail, structural and catalytic site studies were performed using protein engineering. By removing some of the C-terminal sequence of the ORF of the endoglucanase (PH1171), two types of recombinant proteins were expressed from one ORF, using Escherichia coli. One exhibited endoglucanase activity, and the other did not. An SD-like sequence was identified in the ORF of the endoglucanase. By removing the SD-like sequence without changing the amino acid sequence of the endoglucanase, one recombinant endoglucanase was prepared effectively from E. coli. From the analysis of the N- and C-terminal regions of the ORF, this endoglucanase appears to be a secreted and membrane-binding enzyme of P. horikoshii. A mutation analysis of the endoglucanase, using the synthetic substrate, indicated that Glu342 is a candidate for the active center and plays a critical role in the activity of the enzyme. Additional catalytic amino acid residues were not found. These results indicate that the catalytic residue of the enzyme is different from that of typical family 5 endoglucanase, even though it has a high homology to the endoglucanase from Acidothermus celluloliticus. The activity of the enzyme, using carboxy methylcellulose and crystalline cellulose as the substrates, was increased, but not for a synthetic low-molecular substrate when a carbohydrate-binding module of chitinase from P. furiosus was added to the C-terminal region.

High-level production of hyperthermophilic cellulase in the Bacillus brevis expression and secretion system.

A hyperthermophilic cellulase derived from Pyrococcus horikoshii was successfully produced with the Bacillus brevis host-vector system. The production of the recombinant enzyme was increased about 20-fold (to a level of 100 mg per liter) by the insertion of certain amino acid such as alanine and peptides like AEEAADP between the carboxyl end of signal peptide and the N-terminus of the mature cellulase. These recombinant cellulases had the same characteristics as that of the cellulase expressed in Escherichia coli.

A hyperthermostable novel protein-disulfide oxidoreductase is reduced by thioredoxin reductase from hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii.

A redox protein gene (PH0178) with high sequence homology to a glutaredoxin from Pyrococcus furiosus and a thioredoxin reductase homologue gene (PH1426) were found in the genome sequence of Pyrococcus horikoshii. These two genes were cloned and the corresponding expressed proteins were characterized. The redox protein from PH0178 had strong thioredoxin-like activity, but no glutaredoxin activity. The protein from PH1426 had some reductase activity against thioredoxin from Escherichia coli as well as the redox protein (PH0178). The protein from PH1426 was a typical, homodimeric flavoprotein. These results indicate that the redox protein (PH0178) is not a glutaredoxin but, rather, a new protein-disulfide oxidoreductase that is involved in a thioredoxin-like system with thioredoxin reductase (PH1426) in P. horikoshii. The redox protein and thioredoxin reductase retained their full activities for over 1h at 100 degrees C. The redox potential of the redox protein was similar to that of thioredoxin from E. coli and lower than that of glutathione. Site-directed mutagenesis studies revealed that the active site of the redox protein corresponds to a CPYC sequence, located in the middle of the sequence.