Your browser doesn't support javascript.
loading
Mostrar: 20 | 50 | 100
Resultados 1 - 20 de 104
Filtrar
1.
Appl Magn Reson ; 55(1-3): 317-333, 2024 Mar.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38469359

RESUMO

As new methods to interrogate glycan organization on cells develop, it is important to have a molecular level understanding of how chemical fixation can impact results and interpretations. Site-directed spin labeling technologies are well suited to study how the spin label mobility is impacted by local environmental conditions, such as those imposed by cross-linking effects of paraformaldehyde cell fixation methods. Here, we utilize three different azide-containing sugars for metabolic glycan engineering with HeLa cells to incorporate azido glycans that are modified with a DBCO-based nitroxide moiety via click reaction. Continuous wave X-band electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy is employed to characterize how the chronological sequence of chemical fixation and spin labeling impacts the local mobility and accessibility of the nitroxide-labeled glycans in the glycocalyx of HeLa cells. Results demonstrate that chemical fixation with paraformaldehyde can alter local glycan mobility and care should be taken in the analysis of data in any study where chemical fixation and cellular labeling occur.

2.
Int J Mol Sci ; 25(15)2024 Jul 26.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39125759

RESUMO

Photosystem I (PSI) serves as a model system for studying fundamental processes such as electron transfer (ET) and energy conversion, which are not only central to photosynthesis but also have broader implications for bioenergy production and biomimetic device design. In this study, we employed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to investigate key light-induced charge separation steps in PSI isolated from several green algal and cyanobacterial species. Following photoexcitation, rapid sequential ET occurs through either of two quasi-symmetric branches of donor/acceptor cofactors embedded within the protein core, termed the A and B branches. Using high-frequency (130 GHz) time-resolved EPR (TR-EPR) and deuteration techniques to enhance spectral resolution, we observed that at low temperatures prokaryotic PSI exhibits reversible ET in the A branch and irreversible ET in the B branch, while PSI from eukaryotic counterparts displays either reversible ET in both branches or exclusively in the B branch. Furthermore, we observed a notable correlation between low-temperature charge separation to the terminal [4Fe-4S] clusters of PSI, termed FA and FB, as reflected in the measured FA/FB ratio. These findings enhance our understanding of the mechanistic diversity of PSI's ET across different species and underscore the importance of experimental design in resolving these differences. Though further research is necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and the evolutionary significance of these variations in PSI charge separation, this study sets the stage for future investigations into the complex interplay between protein structure, ET pathways, and the environmental adaptations of photosynthetic organisms.


Assuntos
Luz , Complexo de Proteína do Fotossistema I , Complexo de Proteína do Fotossistema I/metabolismo , Complexo de Proteína do Fotossistema I/química , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica/métodos , Transporte de Elétrons , Cianobactérias/metabolismo , Fotossíntese , Clorófitas/metabolismo
3.
Int J Mol Sci ; 25(4)2024 Feb 18.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38397073

RESUMO

Cancer cells frequently present elevated intracellular iron levels, which are thought to facilitate an enhanced proliferative capacity. Targeting iron metabolism within cancer cells presents an avenue to enhance therapeutic responses, necessitating the use of non-invasive models to modulate iron manipulation to predict responses. Moreover, the ubiquitous nature of iron necessitates the development of unique, non-invasive markers of metabolic disruptions to develop more personalized approaches and enhance the clinical utility of these approaches. Ferritin, an iron storage enzyme that is often upregulated as a response to iron accumulation, plays a central role in iron metabolism and has been frequently associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes in cancer. Herein, we demonstrate the successful utility, validation, and functionality of a doxycycline-inducible ferritin heavy chain (FtH) overexpression model in H1299T non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Treatment with doxycycline increased the protein expression of FtH with a corresponding decrease in labile iron in vitro and in vivo, as determined by calcein-AM staining and EPR, respectively. Moreover, a subsequent increase in TfR expression was observed. Furthermore, T2* MR mapping effectively detected FtH expression in our in vivo model. These results demonstrate that T2* relaxation times can be used to monitor changes in FtH expression in tumors with bidirectional correlations depending on the model system. Overall, this study describes the development of an FtH overexpression NSCLC model and its correlation with T2* mapping for potential use in patients to interrogate iron metabolic alterations and predict clinical outcomes.


Assuntos
Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas , Neoplasias Pulmonares , Humanos , Ferritinas/genética , Ferritinas/metabolismo , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/diagnóstico por imagem , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/genética , Doxiciclina/farmacologia , Neoplasias Pulmonares/diagnóstico por imagem , Ferro/metabolismo , Apoferritinas/genética , Apoferritinas/metabolismo , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética/métodos
4.
Chemistry ; 29(72): e202302541, 2023 Dec 22.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37755452

RESUMO

Pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy (PDS) in combination with site-directed spin labeling is a powerful tool in structural biology. However, the commonly used spin labels are conjugated to biomolecules via rather long and flexible linkers, which hampers the translation of distance distributions into biomolecular conformations. In contrast, the spin label copper(II)-nitrilotriacetic acid [Cu2+ (NTA)] bound to two histidines (dHis) is rigid and yields narrow distance distributions, which can be more easily translated into biomolecular conformations. Here, we use this label on the 71 kDa Yersinia outer protein O (YopO) to decipher whether a previously experimentally observed bimodal distance distribution is due to two conformations of the biomolecule or of the flexible spin labels. Two different PDS experiments, that is, pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR aka DEER) and relaxation-induced dipolar modulation enhancement (RIDME), yield unimodal distance distribution with the dHis-Cu2+ (NTA) motif; this result suggests that the α-helical backbone of YopO adopts a single conformation in frozen solution. In addition, we show that the Cu2+ (NTA) label preferentially binds to the target double histidine (dHis) sites even in the presence of 22 competing native histidine residues. Our results therefore suggest that the generation of a His-null background is not required for this spin labeling methodology. Together these results highlight the value of the dHis-Cu2+ (NTA) motif in PDS experiments.


Assuntos
Cobre , Histidina , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica/métodos , Cobre/química , Proteínas/química , Marcadores de Spin
5.
Int J Mol Sci ; 24(9)2023 May 05.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37176019

RESUMO

The melanin pigments eumelanin (EM) and pheomelanin (PM), which are dark brown to black and yellow to reddish-brown, respectively, are widely found among vertebrates. They are produced in melanocytes in the epidermis, hair follicles, the choroid, the iris, the inner ear, and other tissues. The diversity of colors in animals is mainly caused by the quantity and quality of their melanin, such as by the ratios of EM versus PM. We have developed micro-analytical methods to simultaneously measure EM and PM and used these to study the biochemical and genetic fundamentals of pigmentation. The photoreactivity of melanin has become a major focus of research because of the postulated relevance of EM and PM for the risk of UVA-induced melanoma. Our biochemical methods have found application in many clinical studies on genetic conditions associated with alterations in pigmentation. Recently, besides chemical degradative methods, other methods have been developed for the characterization of melanin, and these are also discussed here.


Assuntos
Melaninas , Melanoma , Animais , Melaninas/análise , Melanócitos , Pigmentação , Epiderme , Melanoma/química
6.
Int J Mol Sci ; 24(12)2023 Jun 17.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37373403

RESUMO

Dps proteins (DNA-binding proteins from starved cells) are multifunctional stress defense proteins from the Ferritin family expressed in Prokarya during starvation and/or acute oxidative stress. Besides shielding bacterial DNA through binding and condensation, Dps proteins protect the cell from reactive oxygen species by oxidizing and storing ferrous ions within their cavity, using either hydrogen peroxide or molecular oxygen as the co-substrate, thus reducing the toxic effects of Fenton reactions. Interestingly, the interaction between Dps and transition metals (other than iron) is a known but relatively uncharacterized phenomenon. The impact of non-iron metals on the structure and function of Dps proteins is a current topic of research. This work focuses on the interaction between the Dps from Marinobacter nauticus (a marine facultative anaerobe bacterium capable of degrading petroleum hydrocarbons) and the cupric ion (Cu2+), one of the transition metals of greater biological relevance. Results obtained using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), Mössbauer and UV/Visible spectroscopies revealed that Cu2+ ions bind to specific binding sites in Dps, exerting a rate-enhancing effect on the ferroxidation reaction in the presence of molecular oxygen and directly oxidizing ferrous ions when no other co-substrate is present, in a yet uncharacterized redox reaction. This prompts additional research on the catalytic properties of Dps proteins.


Assuntos
Proteínas de Bactérias , Marinobacter , Proteínas de Bactérias/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Marinobacter/metabolismo , Oxirredução , Íons , Oxigênio
7.
Molecules ; 28(4)2023 Feb 17.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36838909

RESUMO

A personal perspective is provided regarding the work in several laboratories, including the author's, that has established the reaction mechanism of xanthine oxidase and related enzymes.


Assuntos
Molibdênio , Xantina Oxidase , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Xantina Desidrogenase
8.
Photosynth Res ; 152(3): 283-288, 2022 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34817779

RESUMO

The Mn4Ca oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) in Photosystem II (PSII) is assembled in situ from free Mn2+, Ca2+, and water. In an early light-driven step, Mn2+ in a protein high-affinity site is oxidized to Mn3+. Using dual-mode electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we observed that Mn3+ accumulation increases as chloride concentration increases in spinach PSII membranes depleted of all extrinsic subunits. At physiologically relevant pH values, this effect requires the presence of calcium. When combined with pH studies, we conclude that the first Mn2+ oxidation event in OEC assembly requires a deprotonation that is facilitated by chloride.


Assuntos
Cloretos , Complexo de Proteína do Fotossistema II , Cálcio/metabolismo , Cloretos/metabolismo , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Manganês/metabolismo , Oxirredução , Oxigênio/metabolismo , Complexo de Proteína do Fotossistema II/metabolismo , Spinacia oleracea/metabolismo
9.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf ; 247: 114258, 2022 Dec 01.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36343452

RESUMO

Health problems associated with the amount of air pollutants are increasing worldwide. Pollution damages not only the lungs; it also has an impact on skin health and is co-responsible for the development of skin diseases. Anti-pollution products are on the rise in the cosmetic market but so far, there is no established method to directly assess the impact of pollution on the skin and to test the efficacy of anti-pollution products. To address this problem, two different chambers were developed for the reproducible exposure to realistic air pollutant concentrations. One chamber for the exclusive use of excised skin and hair samples, the second chamber for ex vivo and in vivo measurements. Measurements of nicotine next to the investigated skin area allow conclusions to be drawn on the particle concentration to which the skin is exposed. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, which enables the detection of free radicals in different systems, was applied to assess the hazard potential of pollution in the skin. A direct proof of the formation of free radicals in the skin by the model pollutant cigarette smoke could be demonstrated. An additional application of UV irradiation even increased the formation of free radicals in the skin seven-fold (sum parameter). Depending on the question of interest, the use of different spin probes allows various assessments of the radical formation in skin: the amount of radicals but also the antioxidant status of the microenvironment can be estimated. Using two exposure chambers, the direct formation of oxidative stress by cigarette smoke on ex vivo skin, with and without additional UV exposure, could be reproducibly examined. This measurement method is promising for the assessment of anti-pollution products and could allow a direct causal connection between pollutant, effect on the skin and the protective function of skin care products.


Assuntos
Poluentes Atmosféricos , Poluentes Ambientais , Suínos , Animais , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Poluição Ambiental , Pele , Raios Ultravioleta
10.
Int J Mol Sci ; 23(20)2022 Oct 20.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36293434

RESUMO

The reduction of O2 in respiratory cytochrome c oxidases (CcO) is associated with the generation of the transmembrane proton gradient by two mechanisms. In one of them, the proton pumping, two different types of the ferryl intermediates of the catalytic heme a3-CuB center P and F forms, participate. Equivalent ferryl states can be also formed by the reaction of the oxidized CcO (O) with H2O2. Interestingly, in acidic solutions a single molecule of H2O2 can generate from the O an additional F-type ferryl form (F•) that should contain, in contrast to the catalytic F intermediate, a free radical at the heme a3-CuB center. In this work, the formation and the endogenous decay of both the ferryl iron of heme a3 and the radical in F• intermediate were examined by the combination of four experimental approaches, isothermal titration calorimetry, electron paramagnetic resonance, and electronic absorption spectroscopy together with the reduction of this form by the defined number of electrons. The results are consistent with the generation of radicals in F• form. However, the radical at the catalytic center is more rapidly quenched than the accompanying ferryl state of heme a3, very likely by the intrinsic oxidation of the enzyme itself.


Assuntos
Complexo IV da Cadeia de Transporte de Elétrons , Peróxidos , Bovinos , Animais , Complexo IV da Cadeia de Transporte de Elétrons/metabolismo , Peróxidos/química , Prótons , Peróxido de Hidrogênio/química , Citocromos c , Oxirredução , Heme/metabolismo
11.
Molecules ; 27(22)2022 Nov 16.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36432022

RESUMO

Nitric oxide (NO) is implicated in numerous physiological processes, including vascular homeostasis. Reduced NO bioavailability is a hallmark of endothelial dysfunction, a prequel to many cardiovascular diseases. Biomarkers of an early NO-dependent endothelial dysfunction obtained from routine venous blood sampling would be of great interest but are currently lacking. The direct measurement of circulating NO remains a challenge due by its high reactivity and short half-life. The current techniques measure stable products from the NO signaling pathway or metabolic end products of NO that do not accurately represent its bioavailability and, therefore, endothelial function per se. In this review, we will concentrate on an original technique of low temperature electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy capable to directly measure the 5-α-coordinated heme nitrosyl-hemoglobin in the T (tense) state (5-α-nitrosyl-hemoglobin or HbNO) obtained from fresh venous human erythrocytes. In humans, HbNO reflects the bioavailability of NO formed in the vasculature from vascular endothelial NOS or exogenous NO donors with minor contribution from erythrocyte NOS. The HbNO signal is directly correlated with the vascular endothelial function and inversely correlated with vascular oxidative stress. Pilot studies support the validity of HbNO measurements both for the detection of endothelial dysfunction in asymptomatic subjects and for the monitoring of such dysfunction in patients with known cardiovascular disease. The impact of therapies or the severity of diseases such as COVID-19 infection involving the endothelium could also be monitored and their incumbent risk of complications better predicted through serial measurements of HbNO.


Assuntos
COVID-19 , Óxido Nítrico , Humanos , Óxido Nítrico/metabolismo , Hemoglobinas/metabolismo , Endotélio Vascular/metabolismo
12.
Chembiochem ; 22(8): 1480-1486, 2021 04 16.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33319405

RESUMO

The selenol group of selenocysteine is much more nucleophilic than the thiol group of cysteine. Selenocysteine residues in proteins thus offer reactive points for rapid post-translational modification. Herein, we show that selenoproteins can be expressed in high yield and purity by cell-free protein synthesis by global substitution of cysteine by selenocysteine. Complete alkylation of solvent-exposed selenocysteine residues was achieved in 10 minutes with 4-chloromethylene dipicolinic acid (4Cl-MDPA) under conditions that left cysteine residues unchanged even after overnight incubation. GdIII -GdIII distances measured by double electron-electron resonance (DEER) experiments of maltose binding protein (MBP) containing two selenocysteine residues tagged with 4Cl-MDPA-GdIII were indistinguishable from GdIII -GdIII distances measured of MBP containing cysteine reacted with 4Br-MDPA tags.


Assuntos
Proteínas Ligantes de Maltose/análise , Ácidos Picolínicos/química , Selenoproteínas/química , Estrutura Molecular , Selenoproteínas/síntese química
13.
Chemistry ; 27(68): 16889-16895, 2021 Dec 06.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34423878

RESUMO

The shift from fossil carbon sources to renewable ones is vital for developing sustainable chemical processes to produce valuable chemicals. In this work, value-added formamides were synthesized in good yields by the reaction of amines with C2 and C3 biomass-based platform molecules such as glycolic acid, 1,3-dihydroxyacetone and glyceraldehyde. These feedstocks were selectively converted by catalysts based on Cu-containing zeolite 5A through the in situ formation of carbonyl-containing intermediates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example in which all the carbon atoms in biomass-based feedstocks could be amidated to produce formamide. Combined catalyst characterization results revealed preferably single CuII sites on the surface of Cu/5A, some of which form small clusters, but without direct linking via oxygen bridges. By combining the results of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin-trapping, operando attenuated total reflection (ATR) IR spectroscopy and control experiments, it was found that the formation of formamides might involve a HCOOH-like intermediate and . NHPh radicals, in which the selective formation of . OOH radicals might play a key role.

14.
Environ Sci Technol ; 55(24): 16716-16722, 2021 12 21.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34890179

RESUMO

Rare earth elements (REYs) are in increasing global demand, but their mining is costly and environmentally destructive. Coal fly ash (CFA) is a promising alternative source of REYs, but it is necessary to identify CFA with sufficiently high REY concentrations. This study proposes the use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy as part of a simple method to identify CFAs with adequate REY concentrations. The EPR spectra of CFA samples taken from 186 Chinese commercial coal-fired power plants were analyzed. The results suggest that CFAs without evident 6-fold resonances are worth recycling (REY concentrations of 416 ± 108 mg/kg), while those with conspicuous 6-fold resonances are not worth recycling (REY concentrations of 55 ± 26 mg/kg). This is probably due to isomorphic substitution of Ca(II) for Mn(II) and REY(III), resulting in low concentrations of Mn(II) and REY(III) in Ca-rich CFAs. This EPR evaluation method does not require specialized sample preparation, professional skills, or secondary data analysis and has potential global significance in the fast screening of CFAs with REY-recycling potential.


Assuntos
Cinza de Carvão , Metais Terras Raras , Carvão Mineral , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Centrais Elétricas
15.
Skin Pharmacol Physiol ; 34(6): 337-350, 2021.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34404045

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: The chronicity of psoriasis often requires continuous topical treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Here, the radical protection of a cream containing various herbal oils was evaluated in vivo by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and its skin penetration by Raman microscopy in intact and barrier-disturbed skin. Changes in skin barrier properties were evaluated after 4 weeks of daily topical application using in vivo laser scanning microscopy (LSM) and transepidermal water loss in 26 healthy volunteers. A randomized, controlled, double-blind, three-arm parallel clinical study evaluated the efficacy of the herbal oil cream compared to a 0.05% calcipotriol-containing cream and to a vehicle cream, in 135 patients with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis with the change in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) from baseline to week 12 as the primary endpoint. RESULTS: EPR spectroscopy disclosed a significantly higher radical formation in untreated than skin treated with the herbal oil cream (p ≤ 0.05). LSM measurements indicated a protective skin barrier effect in treated compared to untreated skin. In the clinical trial, the topical application of herbal oils showed a significant reduction of the PASI score compared to topical calcipotriol at week 12 (p = 0.016). The mean reduction in PASI was 49% for the herbal oil cream, 38% for calcipotriol, and 55% for the vehicle cream. The percentage of patients, who reached PASI 50 and 75 at any time point, was 55.9% and 29.4% for the herbal oil cream, 47.4% and 15.8% for calcipotriol, and 23 (60.5%) and 13 (34.2%) for the vehicle, respectively (p > 0.05). The vehicle, originally designed as a placebo, contained a main ingredient of the herbal oil cream and therefore showed corresponding results. CONCLUSION: The herbal oil cream demonstrated effectiveness in the treatment of mild to moderate plaque psoriasis.


Assuntos
Fármacos Dermatológicos , Psoríase , Calcitriol/análogos & derivados , Fármacos Dermatológicos/uso terapêutico , Método Duplo-Cego , Humanos , Óleos , Psoríase/tratamento farmacológico , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Resultado do Tratamento
16.
Int J Mol Sci ; 22(5)2021 Mar 04.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33806280

RESUMO

Amphiphilic diisobutylene/maleic acid (DIBMA) copolymers extract lipid-encased membrane proteins from lipid bilayers in a detergent-free manner, yielding nanosized, discoidal DIBMA lipid particles (DIBMALPs). Depending on the DIBMA/lipid ratio, the size of DIBMALPs can be broadly varied which makes them suitable for the incorporation of proteins of different sizes. Here, we examine the influence of the DIBMALP sizes and the presence of protein on the dynamics of encased lipids. As shown by a set of biophysical methods, the stability of DIBMALPs remains unaffected at different DIBMA/lipid ratios. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations confirm the formation of viable DIBMALPs with an overall size of up to 35 nm. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of nitroxides located at the 5th, 12th or 16th carbon atom positions in phosphatidylcholine-based spin labels reveals that the dynamics of enclosed lipids are not altered by the DIBMALP size. The presence of the membrane protein sensory rhodopsin II from Natronomonas pharaonis (NpSRII) results in a slight increase in the lipid dynamics compared to empty DIBMALPs. The light-induced photocycle shows full functionality of DIBMALPs-embedded NpSRII and a significant effect of the protein-to-lipid ratio during preparation on the NpSRII dynamics. This study indicates a possible expansion of the applicability of the DIBMALP technology on studies of membrane protein-protein interaction and oligomerization in a constraining environment.


Assuntos
Halorrodopsinas/química , Bicamadas Lipídicas/química , Rodopsinas Sensoriais/química , Alcenos/química , Fenômenos Biofísicos , Dimiristoilfosfatidilcolina/química , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Halobacteriaceae/química , Halobacteriaceae/efeitos da radiação , Halorrodopsinas/efeitos da radiação , Maleatos/química , Microscopia de Força Atômica , Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão , Simulação de Dinâmica Molecular , Nanopartículas/química , Nanopartículas/ultraestrutura , Tamanho da Partícula , Processos Fotoquímicos , Rodopsinas Sensoriais/efeitos da radiação , Marcadores de Spin
17.
J Cell Biochem ; 120(2): 2483-2492, 2019 Feb.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30277600

RESUMO

The influence of concentration of simvastatin (SIM) on free radicals in A-2058 human melanoma malignum cells was studied. The proliferation assay for melanoma A-2058 cells with SIM in concentration range from 0.1 to 20 µM was performed. SIM in the concentrations of 0.1, 0.3, and 1 µM only slightly changed the growth of A-2058 cells, but the growth of the cells considerably decreased for higher concentrations of SIM. Free radicals in the cells were examined by an X-band (9.3 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. o-Semiquinone free radicals with g-factors in the range of 2.0060 to 2.0065 were found in A-2058 cells. The asymmetric broad EPR spectra with linewidths (ΔBpp ) from 0.87 to 1.25 mT were measured. The fast spin-lattice relaxation processes characterized all the tested cells. The free radical concentrations in the all A-2058 cells cultured with SIM were lower than in the control cells. The quenching of free radicals in A-2058 cells depended on concentration of SIM. This effect was the weakest for concentration of SIM of 3 µM. The strongest decrease of free radical concentration caused SIM in concentration of 1 µM.

18.
J Biol Inorg Chem ; 24(6): 793-807, 2019 09.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31486952

RESUMO

The synthesis and characterization of short peptide-based maquettes of metalloprotein active sites facilitate an inquiry into their structure/function relationships and evolution. The [4Fe-4S]-maquettes of bacterial ferredoxin metalloproteins (Fd) have been used in the past to engineer redox active centers into artificial metalloenzymes. The novelty of our study is the application of maquettes to the superfamily of [4Fe-4S] cluster and S-adenosylmethionine-dependent radical metalloenzymes (radical SAM). The radical SAM superfamily enzymes contain site-differentiated, redox active [4Fe-4S] clusters coordinated to Cx3Cx2C or related motifs, which is in contrast to the Cx2Cx2C motif found in bacterial ferredoxins (Fd). Under an optimized set of experimental conditions, a high degree of reconstitution (80-100%) was achieved for both radical SAM- and Fd-maquettes. Negligible chemical speciation was observed for all sequences, with predominantly [4Fe-4S]2+ for the 'as-reconstituted' state. However, the reduction of [4Fe-4S]2+-maquettes provides low conversion (7-17%) to the paramagnetic [4Fe-4S]+ state, independent of either the spacing of the cysteine residues (Cx3Cx2C vs. Cx2Cx2C), the nature of intervening amino acids, or the length of the cluster binding motif. In the absence of the stabilizing protein environment, the reduction process is proposed to proceed via [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster disassembly and reassembly in a more reduced state. UV-Vis and EPR spectroscopic techniques are employed as analytical tools to quantitate the as-reconstituted (or oxidized) and one-electron reduced states of the [4Fe-4S] clusters, respectively. We demonstrate that short Fd and radical SAM derived 7- to 9-mer peptides containing appropriate cysteine motifs function equally well in coordinating redox active [4Fe-4S] clusters.


Assuntos
Peptídeo C/química , S-Adenosilmetionina/química , Cisteína/química , Ferredoxinas/química , Proteínas Ferro-Enxofre/química
19.
Anal Biochem ; 567: 14-20, 2019 02 15.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30528914

RESUMO

The mechanism for the lysis pathway of double-stranded DNA bacteriophages involves a small hole-forming class of membrane proteins, the holins. This study focuses on a poorly characterized class of holins, the pinholin, of which the S21 protein of phage ϕ21 is the prototype. Here we report the first in vitro synthesis of the wildtype form of the S21 pinholin, S2168, and negative-dominant mutant form, S21IRS, both prepared using solid phase peptide synthesis and studied using biophysical techniques. Both forms of the pinholin were labeled with a nitroxide spin label and successfully incorporated into both bicelles and multilamellar vesicles which are membrane mimetic systems. Circular dichroism revealed the two forms were both >80% alpha helical, in agreement with the predictions based on the literature. The molar ellipticity ratio [θ]222/[θ]208 for both forms of the pinholin was 1.4, suggesting a coiled-coil tertiary structure in the bilayer consistent with the proposed oligomerization step in models for the mechanism of hole formation. 31P solid-state NMR spectroscopic data on pinholin indicate a strong interaction of both forms of the pinholin with the membrane headgroups. The 31P NMR data has an axially symmetric line shape which is consistent with lamellar phase proteoliposomes lipid mimetics.


Assuntos
Bacteriófagos/metabolismo , Proteínas Virais/síntese química , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Dicroísmo Circular , Bicamadas Lipídicas/química , Bicamadas Lipídicas/metabolismo , Ressonância Magnética Nuclear Biomolecular , Técnicas de Síntese em Fase Sólida , Marcadores de Spin , Proteínas Virais/química , Proteínas Virais/metabolismo
20.
J Pineal Res ; 67(4): e12610, 2019 Nov.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31532834

RESUMO

Melanogenesis is a key parameter of differentiation in melanocytes and melanoma cells; therefore, search for factors regulating this pathway are strongly desired. Herein, we investigated the effects of melatonin, a ubiquitous physiological mediator that is found throughout animals and plants. In mammals, the pineal gland secretes this indoleamine into the blood circulation to exert an extensive repertoire of biological activities. Our in vitro assessment indicates an oncostatic capacity of melatonin in time-dependent manner (24, 48, 72 hours) in highly pigmented MNT-1 melanoma cells. The similar pattern of regulation regarding cell viability was observed in amelanotic Sk-Mel-28 cells. Subsequently, MNT-1 cells were tested for the first time for evaluation of melanin/melatonin interaction. Thus primary, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy demonstrated that melatonin reduced melanin content. Artificially induced disturbances of melanogenesis by selected inhibitors (N-phenylthiourea or kojic acid) were slightly antagonized by melatonin. Additionally, analysis using transmission electron microscopy has shown that melatonin, particularly at higher dose of 10-3  mol/L, triggered the appearance of premelanosomes (stage I-II of melanosome) and MNT-1 cells synthesize de novo endogenous melatonin shown by LC-MS. In conclusion, these studies show a melanogenic-like function of melatonin suggesting it as an advantageous agent for treatment of pigmentary disorders.


Assuntos
Melaninas/biossíntese , Melanoma/metabolismo , Melatonina/farmacologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Melanoma/tratamento farmacológico , Melanoma/patologia , Transtornos da Pigmentação/tratamento farmacológico , Transtornos da Pigmentação/metabolismo , Transtornos da Pigmentação/patologia
SELEÇÃO DE REFERÊNCIAS
DETALHE DA PESQUISA