Effect of various doses of deoxynivalenol on liver xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in mice.

DON is one of the major mycotoxic contaminant of cereal grains throughout the world. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the effects of a range of environmentally relevant doses of DON in mice exposed through a subchronic toxicological assay. Animals received 3 days per week for 4 weeks, 0.014, 0.071, 0.355 or 1.774 mg of toxin/kg b.w. All doses, except 0.014 mg/kg, provoked increases in plasma immunoglobulin A whereas there was no change in plasma biochemical parameters such as alkaline phosphatase, electrolytes or other immunoglobulins. Administration of 0.071 or 0.355 mg/kg doses led to increased liver microsomal pentoxyresorufin depentylase and cytosolic glutathione transferase activities. Examining protein modulation, western blot analyses liver fractions from mice receiving these doses revealed increased levels in both P450 2b, GST alpha and pi isoenzymes without any change in P450 1a expression. A significant competitive inhibition of deoxynivalenol on CDNB conjugation in vitro suggests that the mycotoxin is a putative substrate for glutathione S-transferases. These changes in liver xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes are discussed by considering the structural nature of deoxynivalenol and previous reports on similar effects exerted by other trichothecenes. These results suggest that a subchronic exposure to low doses of deoxynivalenol causes changes in the normal liver metabolism of xenobiotics.

Obesogen effects after perinatal exposure of 4,4'-sulfonyldiphenol (Bisphenol S) in C57BL/6 mice.

Bisphenol A were removed from consumer products and replaced by chemical substitutes such as Bisphenol S (BPS). Based on their structural similarity, BPS may be obesogen like Bisphenol A in mice. Our objective was to determine the impact of BPS on lipid homeostasis in C57Bl/6 mice after perinatal and chronic exposure. Pregnant mice were exposed to BPS via the drinking water (0.2; 1.5; 50µg/kg bw/d). Treatment began at gestational day 0 and continued in offspring up to 23-weeks old. Then, offspring mice were fed with a standard or high fat diet. The body weight, food consumption, fat mass and energy expenditure were measured. A lipid load test was performed to check the postprandial triglyceridemia. Plasma parameters and mRNA gene expression in adipose tissues were also analysed. BPS induced overweight in male mice offspring fed with a HFD at the two highest doses. There was no change in food intake and energy expenditure. The overweight was correlated to the fat mass, hyperinsulinemia and hyperleptinemia. The plasma triglyceride clearance was significantly increased with BPS and tyloxapol(®) (triglyceride clearance inhibitor) reversed this phenomenon. BPS induced alteration in mRNA expression of marker genes involved in adipose tissue homeostasis: hormone sensitive lipase, PPARγ, insulin receptor, SOCS3 and adiponectin. This is the first time that BPS is described as obesogenic at low doses and after perinatal and chronic exposure in male mice. BPS potentiated the obesity induced by a HFD by inducing the lipid storage linked to faster lipid plasma clearance.

Cleavage of the Arg-Ile bond in the native polypeptide chain of human pancreatic stone protein.

The pancreatic stone protein (PSP) isolated from calculi (Mr 14,000) and the 5 protein forms (PSP S1-5) detected in pancreatic juice (Mr 14,000-19,000) derive from the same source differing seemingly in their carbohydrate contents or/and in their polypeptidic chain lengths. This kind of protein would inhibit in vivo CaCO3-crystal growth in pancreatic juice. PSP and PSP S1 N-terminal sequences are identical (NH2Ile-). This report demonstrates that: in PSP S2-5 the amino-terminal is blocked; the C-terminus is alike in every form; the single polypeptide chain of PSP S2-5 is converted into that of PSP S1 or PSP by the specific trypsin cleavage of the Arg-Ile bond.

The disulfide bridges of the immunoreactive forms of human pancreatic stone protein isolated from pancreatic juice.

Following the complete sequence elucidation of human pancreatic stone protein (immunoreactive form PSP S1 isolated from pancreatic juice) [(1987) Eur. J. Biochem. 168, 201-207], the location of the three S-S bridges of the protein was investigated. The cystine-containing peptides, detected after the separation of the peptic or chymotryptic digests on SP-Sephadex or Sephadex G-50, were submitted to Edman degradation and/or to oxidation. The cysteic peptides after separation on SP-Sephadex or Sephadex G-50 were characterized by their amino acid compositions. The pairing of the half-cystines: Cys 3-Cys 14, Cys 31-Cys 129 and Cys 104-Cys 121 was determined. The same experiments carried out with PSP S2-5 (other immunoreactive forms) gave an identical characterization.

Acetylation of Lys-373 in porcine pancreatic lipase after reaction of the enzyme or its C-terminal fragment [corrected] with p-nitrophenyl acetate.

The reactions of lipase (449 amino acid residues) and lipase fragment (336-449) with p-nitrophenyl acetate have been studied from 2 different angles. In previous papers it has been shown that lipase and lipase fragment enzymatically hydrolyze p-nitrophenyl acetate. The amino acid residue of the catalytic site that is temporarily acetylated has not yet been characterized in lipase or lipase fragment. Besides this very fast enzymatic hydrolysis, acetylation reactions may take place on nucleophilic amino acid side-chain groups. In the present report, acetylated amino acid residues whose acetyl linkages were not cleaved after pH 7.5-8.5 incubations have been investigated. Several residues were acetylated in very low proportion, whereas lysine 373 was stoichiometrically acetylated in lipase and in lipase fragment. This specific acetylation may have been favored by the presence of a hydrophobic reversible binding site for p-nitrophenyl acetate near Lys-373. This acetylation did not greatly change the specific activity of lipase towards an emulsion of tributyrylglycerol in the presence of colipase, but under certain conditions it had an effect on the enzymatic hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate by the lipase fragment.

Electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry as a tool for characterization of glutathione S-transferase isozymes.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used for the first time to determine the molecular masses of nine rat liver cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST) subunits. The precision of the measurements was +/- 3-4 mass units which, in practice, allowed discrimination between monomers differing by more than 8 Da. Mass accuracy was improved by replicates in the measurements. Comparison of experimental values to cDNA or protein-deduced data available reveals slight differences. N-terminal sequence analyses and interstrain mass comparisons tend to show that primary structures of liver cytosolic GSTs are well conserved from Sprague-Dawley to Wistar rats. Moreover, ESI-MS analysis enabled identification of two minor additional subunits present in both strains, one of which belongs to the mu-class. In addition to rapid and accurate mass determination of GST monomers, and direct determinations achieved on heterodimeric forms, this technique provides precise information on minor structural differences or modifications of these proteins. As such, it constitutes a useful tool for rapid characterization of purified GSTs in comparative studies.

Comparative proteolysis of sorbitol and alcohol dehydrogenases.

Mammalian alcohol and sorbitol dehydrogenases, with distantly related subunits but different substrates, quaternary structures and zinc contents, were evaluated by comparison of their sensitivities to proteases. Sorbitol dehydrogenase is more sensitive to proteolysis than alcohol dehydrogenase, but both enzymes show limited cleavage with Lys-specific and Glu-specific proteases. With the former, the major cleavage in both proteins involves Lys-Lys-Pro segments, at positions 247-248 in alcohol dehydrogenase, surface-positioned after the most distal beta-strand in the coenzyme-binding domain, and at 61-62 in sorbitol dehydrogenase, at another surface in the catalytic domain. Further cleavages affect these two and a third surface. A non-surface cleavage was obtained with the Glu-specific protease and sorbitol dehydrogenase, after insufficient protease inhibition before analysis by SDS/PAGE. It probably reflects non-native conditions, and the fact that this protease is active in strong SDS, necessitating pre-analytical use of a specific inhibitor. Differences in cleavage patterns between the two proteins do not involve areas corresponding to the dimer interactions in alcohol dehydrogenase. Hence, these areas are likely to be the same in sorbitol dehydrogenase. However, major differences involve regions that flank the surface which has a 20-residue loop segment in alcohol dehydrogenase that is missing in sorbitol dehydrogenase. This segment, previously highlighted from comparisons, is therefore also emphasized by experimental results with proteolysis. The surface exposed by the missing segment is likely to correlate with the separate quaternary structures and to indicate possible sites for the additional subunit interactions in the sorbitol dehydrogenase tetramer versus the alcohol dehydrogenase dimer.

Hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate by the peptide chain fragment (336-449) of porcine pancreatic lipase.

The incubation of porcine pancreatic lipase (449 amino acids) with chymotrypsin led to the preferential cleavage of the Phe-335-Ala-336 bond [Bousset-Risso et al. (1985) FEBS Lett. 182, 323-326]. Up to now it has not been possible to isolate the fragment (1-335) whereas fragment (336-449) was purified. This fragment does not display any activity towards the specific substrates of lipase, triacylglycerols, either in the aggregate form or monomeric solution, but like lipase it hydrolyzes p-nitrophenyl acetate. The biphasic kinetics of the release of p-nitrophenol by the fragment with different concentrations of p-nitrophenyl acetate ([S] greater than [E]) are very similar to those of lipase and other esterases. The initial burst is equal to 1 mol p-nitrophenol/mol fragment (when [S] = infinity). Ethoxyformic anhydride only reacts with 1 mol histidine out of the 2 mol that the fragment contained. The activity of the fragment towards p-nitrophenyl acetate hydrolysis is inhibited after ethoxyformic anhydride reaction as in the case of lipase. The results presented led to the hypothesis that in the area (336-449) a part of the active-site structure of the lipase molecule is included. It would seem that fragment (336-449) is a functional domain of lipase.

Characterization of pig liver glutathione S-transferases using HPLC-electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry.

We have characterized 11 porcine liver cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST) subunits from their precise molecular mass, immunoreactivity and partial amino acid sequence. Four Alpha-, six Mu- and one unexpected Pi-class GST subunits were found with average molecular masses of 24.984-25.228 kDa, 25.039-25.657 kDa and 23.510 kDa respectively. Molecular masses were established using electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry, with a precision of +/- 3-4 mass units. Glutathione (GSH) and S-hexylglutathione (ShGSH) were tested as affinity ligands in the purification procedure. The binding selectivity of GSH was better than that of ShGSH, although non-GST proteins were retained on both matrices. As already described in other studies, a number of non-GST proteins bound to the affinity resins. Two of them were tentatively identified as mevalonate kinase and carbonyl reductase. The characterization of pig liver cytosolic GST subunits pattern achieved in this work should constitute a useful tool for rapid evaluation of these enzymes' expression in modulation studies.

Purification and characterization of a glutathione S-transferase Omega in pig: evidence for two distinct organ-specific transcripts.

A cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST, EC 2.5.1.18) from the recently characterized Omega class [GSTO; Board et al. 2000, J. Biol. Chem. 275, 24798-24806] has been identified in pig organs. It was found widely distributed in the different tissues investigated and especially abundant in liver and muscle. The hepatic enzyme has been purified to homogeneity by using its selective affinity for S-hexylglutathione over GSH, thus providing a simple method to isolate mammalian GSTO. The dimeric protein has a subunit molecular mass of 27328 Da as measured by electrospray ionization MS. Internal peptide sequencing and complete cDNA sequencing revealed strong similarities with its human recombinant orthologue and two rodent GST-like proteins with the ability to catalyse the GSH-dependent reduction of dehydroascorbate. Additional similarities, including the presence of a specific N-terminal extension and of immunological cross-reactivity, support the results. Moreover, this gene encoding GSTO generates two organ-specific transcripts, suggesting transcriptional mechanisms with a significance that is as yet uncharacterized.

Complete amino acid sequence of an immunoreactive form of human pancreatic stone protein isolated from pancreatic juice.

The primary structure of a pancreatic stone protein form has been elucidated for the first time. The protein studied was the lowest-Mr form prepared from human pancreatic juice (PSP S1). The N-terminal sequence up to residue 65 had already been determined. The five peptides obtained after staphylococcal protease digestion of the carboxymethylated reduced and succinylated PSP S1 enabled the deduction of the entire sequence. The tryptic peptides arising from the digest of cyclohexanedione--treated PSP S1 and the amino acids released by carboxypeptidase P digestion of PSP S1 confirmed the data of the sequence. The peptides were purified by Sephadex filtration and, if required, by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose or thin-layer cellulose. The amino acid sequences of the peptides were determined with a sequencer. From the sequence data it was deduced that the PSP S1 polypeptide chain contains 133 amino acid residues and has a Mr of 15,000.