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Sample records for oxidative pentose-phosphate pathway

  1. Consumption of NADPH for 2-HG Synthesis Increases Pentose Phosphate Pathway Flux and Sensitizes Cells to Oxidative Stress

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    Susan J. Gelman

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Summary: Gain-of-function mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1 occur in multiple types of human cancer. Here, we show that these mutations significantly disrupt NADPH homeostasis by consuming NADPH for 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG synthesis. Cells respond to 2-HG synthesis, but not exogenous administration of 2-HG, by increasing pentose phosphate pathway (PPP flux. We show that 2-HG production competes with reductive biosynthesis and the buffering of oxidative stress, processes that also require NADPH. IDH1 mutants have a decreased capacity to synthesize palmitate and an increased sensitivity to oxidative stress. Our results demonstrate that, even when NADPH is limiting, IDH1 mutants continue to synthesize 2-HG at the expense of other NADPH-requiring pathways that are essential for cell viability. Thus, rather than attempting to decrease 2-HG synthesis in the clinic, the consumption of NADPH by mutant IDH1 may be exploited as a metabolic weakness that sensitizes tumor cells to ionizing radiation, a commonly used anti-cancer therapy. : Using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS and stable isotope tracing, Gelman et al. find that 2-HG production in cells with IDH1 mutations leads to increased pentose phosphate pathway activity to generate NADPH. Production of 2-HG competes with other NADPH-dependent pathways and sensitizes cells to redox stress. Keywords: 2-hydroxyglutarate, cancer metabolism, LC/MS, metabolomcis, pentose phosphate pathway, redox regulation

  2. The return of metabolism: biochemistry and physiology of the pentose phosphate pathway

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stincone, A.; Prigione, A.; Cramer, T.; Wamelink, M.M.C.; Campbell, K.; Cheung, E.; Olin-Sandoval, V.; Gruning, N.M.; Kruger, A.; Alam, M.T.; Keller, M.A.; Breitenbach, M.; Brindle, K.M.; Rabinowitz, J.D.; Ralser, M.

    2015-01-01

    The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a fundamental component of cellular metabolism. The PPP is important to maintain carbon homoeostasis, to provide precursors for nucleotide and amino acid biosynthesis, to provide reducing molecules for anabolism, and to defeat oxidative stress. The PPP shares

  3. Boosting the pentose phosphate pathway restores cardiac progenitor cell availability in diabetes.

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    Katare, Rajesh; Oikawa, Atsuhiko; Cesselli, Daniela; Beltrami, Antonio P; Avolio, Elisa; Muthukrishnan, Deepti; Munasinghe, Pujika Emani; Angelini, Gianni; Emanueli, Costanza; Madeddu, Paolo

    2013-01-01

    Diabetes impinges upon mechanisms of cardiovascular repair. However, the biochemical adaptation of cardiac stem cells to sustained hyperglycaemia remains largely unknown. Here, we investigate the molecular targets of high glucose-induced damage in cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) from murine and human hearts and attempt safeguarding CPC viability and function through reactivation of the pentose phosphate pathway. Type-1 diabetes was induced by streptozotocin. CPC abundance was determined by flow cytometry. Proliferating CPCs were identified in situ by immunostaining for the proliferation marker Ki67. Diabetic hearts showed marked reduction in CPC abundance and proliferation when compared with controls. Moreover, Sca-1(pos) CPCs isolated from hearts of diabetic mice displayed reduced activity of key enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), and transketolase, increased levels of superoxide and advanced glucose end-products (AGE), and inhibition of the Akt/Pim-1/Bcl-2 signalling pathway. Similarly, culture of murine CPCs or human CD105(pos) progenitor cells in high glucose inhibits the pentose phosphate and pro-survival signalling pathways, leading to the activation of apoptosis. In vivo and in vitro supplementation with benfotiamine reactivates the pentose phosphate pathway and rescues CPC availability and function. This benefit is abrogated by either G6PD silencing by small interfering RNA (siRNA) or Akt inhibition by dominant-negative Akt. We provide new evidence of the negative impact of diabetes and high glucose on mechanisms controlling CPC redox state and survival. Boosting the pentose phosphate pathway might represent a novel mechanistic target for protection of CPC integrity.

  4. Pentose phosphates in nucleoside interconversion and catabolism.

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    Tozzi, Maria G; Camici, Marcella; Mascia, Laura; Sgarrella, Francesco; Ipata, Piero L

    2006-03-01

    Ribose phosphates are either synthesized through the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway, or are supplied by nucleoside phosphorylases. The two main pentose phosphates, ribose-5-phosphate and ribose-1-phosphate, are readily interconverted by the action of phosphopentomutase. Ribose-5-phosphate is the direct precursor of 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate, for both de novo and 'salvage' synthesis of nucleotides. Phosphorolysis of deoxyribonucleosides is the main source of deoxyribose phosphates, which are interconvertible, through the action of phosphopentomutase. The pentose moiety of all nucleosides can serve as a carbon and energy source. During the past decade, extensive advances have been made in elucidating the pathways by which the pentose phosphates, arising from nucleoside phosphorolysis, are either recycled, without opening of their furanosidic ring, or catabolized as a carbon and energy source. We review herein the experimental knowledge on the molecular mechanisms by which (a) ribose-1-phosphate, produced by purine nucleoside phosphorylase acting catabolically, is either anabolized for pyrimidine salvage and 5-fluorouracil activation, with uridine phosphorylase acting anabolically, or recycled for nucleoside and base interconversion; (b) the nucleosides can be regarded, both in bacteria and in eukaryotic cells, as carriers of sugars, that are made available though the action of nucleoside phosphorylases. In bacteria, catabolism of nucleosides, when suitable carbon and energy sources are not available, is accomplished by a battery of nucleoside transporters and of inducible catabolic enzymes for purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and for pentose phosphates. In eukaryotic cells, the modulation of pentose phosphate production by nucleoside catabolism seems to be affected by developmental and physiological factors on enzyme levels.

  5. The return of metabolism: biochemistry and physiology of the pentose phosphate pathway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stincone, Anna; Prigione, Alessandro; Cramer, Thorsten; Wamelink, Mirjam M. C.; Campbell, Kate; Cheung, Eric; Olin-Sandoval, Viridiana; Grüning, Nana-Maria; Krüger, Antje; Alam, Mohammad Tauqeer; Keller, Markus A.; Breitenbach, Michael; Brindle, Kevin M.; Rabinowitz, Joshua D.; Ralser, Markus

    2015-01-01

    The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a fundamental component of cellular metabolism. The PPP is important to maintain carbon homoeostasis, to provide precursors for nucleotide and amino acid biosynthesis, to provide reducing molecules for anabolism, and to defeat oxidative stress. The PPP shares reactions with the Entner–Doudoroff pathway and Calvin cycle and divides into an oxidative and non-oxidative branch. The oxidative branch is highly active in most eukaryotes and converts glucose 6-phosphate into carbon dioxide, ribulose 5-phosphate and NADPH. The latter function is critical to maintain redox balance under stress situations, when cells proliferate rapidly, in ageing, and for the ‘Warburg effect’ of cancer cells. The non-oxidative branch instead is virtually ubiquitous, and metabolizes the glycolytic intermediates fructose 6-phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate as well as sedoheptulose sugars, yielding ribose 5-phosphate for the synthesis of nucleic acids and sugar phosphate precursors for the synthesis of amino acids. Whereas the oxidative PPP is considered unidirectional, the non-oxidative branch can supply glycolysis with intermediates derived from ribose 5-phosphate and vice versa, depending on the biochemical demand. These functions require dynamic regulation of the PPP pathway that is achieved through hierarchical interactions between transcriptome, proteome and metabolome. Consequently, the biochemistry and regulation of this pathway, while still unresolved in many cases, are archetypal for the dynamics of the metabolic network of the cell. In this comprehensive article we review seminal work that led to the discovery and description of the pathway that date back now for 80 years, and address recent results about genetic and metabolic mechanisms that regulate its activity. These biochemical principles are discussed in the context of PPP deficiencies causing metabolic disease and the role of this pathway in biotechnology, bacterial and

  6. (13)C metabolic flux analysis in neurons utilizing a model that accounts for hexose phosphate recycling within the pentose phosphate pathway.

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    Gebril, Hoda M; Avula, Bharathi; Wang, Yan-Hong; Khan, Ikhlas A; Jekabsons, Mika B

    2016-02-01

    Glycolysis, mitochondrial substrate oxidation, and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) are critical for neuronal bioenergetics and oxidation-reduction homeostasis, but quantitating their fluxes remains challenging, especially when processes such as hexose phosphate (i.e., glucose/fructose-6-phosphate) recycling in the PPP are considered. A hexose phosphate recycling model was developed which exploited the rates of glucose consumption, lactate production, and mitochondrial respiration to infer fluxes through the major glucose consuming pathways of adherent cerebellar granule neurons by replicating [(13)C]lactate labeling from metabolism of [1,2-(13)C2]glucose. Flux calculations were predicated on a steady-state system with reactions having known stoichiometries and carbon atom transitions. Non-oxidative PPP activity and consequent hexose phosphate recycling, as well as pyruvate production by cytoplasmic malic enzyme, were optimized by the model and found to account for 28 ± 2% and 7.7 ± 0.2% of hexose phosphate and pyruvate labeling, respectively. From the resulting fluxes, 52 ± 6% of glucose was metabolized by glycolysis, compared to 19 ± 2% by the combined oxidative/non-oxidative pentose cycle that allows for hexose phosphate recycling, and 29 ± 8% by the combined oxidative PPP/de novo nucleotide synthesis reactions. By extension, 62 ± 6% of glucose was converted to pyruvate, the metabolism of which resulted in 16 ± 1% of glucose oxidized by mitochondria and 46 ± 6% exported as lactate. The results indicate a surprisingly high proportion of glucose utilized by the pentose cycle and the reactions synthesizing nucleotides, and exported as lactate. While the in vitro conditions to which the neurons were exposed (high glucose, no lactate or other exogenous substrates) limit extrapolating these results to the in vivo state, the approach provides a means of assessing a number of metabolic fluxes within the context of hexose phosphate recycling in the PPP from a

  7. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the regulation of the pentose phosphate pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolo, N.R.

    1991-11-01

    The goal of this work is to investigate the potential for and limitations of in vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for quantitation of glucose flux through the pentose phosphate pathway (shunt). Interest in the shunt is motivated by the possibility that its activity may be greatly increased in cancer and in the pathological states of cardiac and cerebral ischemia. The ability to dynamically monitor flux through the pentose shunt can give new knowledge about metabolism in pathological states. 13 C NMR spectroscopy was used to monitor shunt activity by determination of the ratios of [ 13 C-4] to [ 13 C-5]-glutamate, [ 13 C-3] to [ 13 C-2]-alanine or [ 13 C-3] to [ 13 C-2]-lactate produced when [ 13 C-2]-glucose is infused. These methods provide measures of the effect of oxidative stresses on shunt activity in systems ranging from cell free enzyme-substrate preparations to cell suspensions and whole animals. In anaerobic cell free preparations, the fraction of glucose flux through the shunt was monitored with a time resolution of 3 minutes. This work predicts the potential for in vivo human studies of pentose phosphate pathway activity based on the mathematical simulation of the 13 C fractional enrichments of C4 and C5-glutamate as a function of shunt activity and on the signal-to- noise ratio acquired in 13 C NMR human studies from the current literature

  8. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the regulation of the pentose phosphate pathway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bolo, N.R.

    1991-11-01

    The goal of this work is to investigate the potential for and limitations of in vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for quantitation of glucose flux through the pentose phosphate pathway (shunt). Interest in the shunt is motivated by the possibility that its activity may be greatly increased in cancer and in the pathological states of cardiac and cerebral ischemia. The ability to dynamically monitor flux through the pentose shunt can give new knowledge about metabolism in pathological states. {sup 13}C NMR spectroscopy was used to monitor shunt activity by determination of the ratios of ({sup 13}C-4) to ({sup 13}C-5)-glutamate, ({sup 13}C-3) to ({sup 13}C-2)-alanine or ({sup 13}C-3) to ({sup 13}C-2)-lactate produced when ({sup 13}C-2)-glucose is infused. These methods provide measures of the effect of oxidative stresses on shunt activity in systems ranging from cell free enzyme-substrate preparations to cell suspensions and whole animals. In anaerobic cell free preparations, the fraction of glucose flux through the shunt was monitored with a time resolution of 3 minutes. This work predicts the potential for in vivo human studies of pentose phosphate pathway activity based on the mathematical simulation of the {sup 13}C fractional enrichments of C4 and C5-glutamate as a function of shunt activity and on the signal-to- noise ratio acquired in {sup 13}C NMR human studies from the current literature.

  9. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the regulation of the pentose phosphate pathway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bolo, Nicolas Robin [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    1991-11-01

    The goal of this work is to investigate the potential for and limitations of in vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for quantitation of glucose flux through the pentose phosphate pathway (shunt). Interest in the shunt is motivated by the possibility that its activity may be greatly increased in cancer and in the pathological states of cardiac and cerebral ischemia. The ability to dynamically monitor flux through the pentose shunt can give new knowledge about metabolism in pathological states. 13C NMR spectroscopy was used to monitor shunt activity by determination of the ratios of [13C-4] to [13C-5]-glutamate, [13C-3] to [13C-2]-alanine or [13C-3] to [13C-2]-lactate produced when [13C-2]-glucose is infused. These methods provide measures of the effect of oxidative stresses on shunt activity in systems ranging from cell free enzyme-substrate preparations to cell suspensions and whole animals. In anaerobic cell free preparations, the fraction of glucose flux through the shunt was monitored with a time resolution of 3 minutes. This work predicts the potential for in vivo human studies of pentose phosphate pathway activity based on the mathematical simulation of the 13C fractional enrichments of C4 and C5-glutamate as a function of shunt activity and on the signal-to- noise ratio acquired in 13C NMR human studies from the current literature.

  10. Glyphosate-induced oxidative stress in Arabidopsis thaliana affecting peroxisomal metabolism and triggers activity in the oxidative phase of the pentose phosphate pathway (OxPPP) involved in NADPH generation.

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    de Freitas-Silva, Larisse; Rodríguez-Ruiz, Marta; Houmani, Hayet; da Silva, Luzimar Campos; Palma, José M; Corpas, Francisco J

    2017-11-01

    Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide used worldwide. In susceptible plants, glyphosate affects the shikimate pathway and reduces aromatic amino acid synthesis. Using Arabidopsis seedlings grown in the presence of 20μM glyphosate, we analyzed H 2 O 2 , ascorbate, glutathione (GSH) and protein oxidation content as well as antioxidant catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate-glutathione cycle enzyme activity. We also examined the principal NADPH-generating system components, including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH), NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME) and NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-ICDH). Glyphosate caused a drastic reduction in growth parameters and an increase in protein oxidation. The herbicide also resulted in an overall increase in GSH content, antioxidant enzyme activity (catalase and all enzymatic components of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle) in addition to the two oxidative phase enzymes, G6PDH and 6PGDH, in the pentose phosphate pathway involved in NADPH generation. In this study, we provide new evidence on the participation of G6PDH and 6PGDH in the response to oxidative stress induced by glyphosate in Arabidopsis, in which peroxisomal enzymes, such as catalase and glycolate oxidase, are positively affected. We suggest that the NADPH provided by the oxidative phase of the pentose phosphate pathway (OxPPP) should serve to maintain glutathione reductase (GR) activity, thus preserving and regenerating the intracellular GSH pool under glyphosate-induced stress. It is particularly remarkable that the 6PGDH activity was unaffected by pro-oxidant and nitrating molecules such as H 2 0 2 , nitric oxide or peroxynitrite. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  11. Modulation of low dose radiation effect on pentose phosphate pathway enzymes by B-multivitamin deficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimatkina, T.I.; Lashak, L.K.; Moiseenok, A.G.

    1997-01-01

    Blood, liver, thymus and spleen of albino rats injected subcutaneously with antivitamins (othythiamine and methotrexate) and subjected to prolonger γ-irradiation in the overall dose of 0.75 Gy were assayed for transketolase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase after 12h, 1, 2, 5 and 40 days from the last radiation dose. High transketolase sensitivity was found both to radiation (activation) and the combined effects of vitamin deficiency and radiation (potentiation of antivitamin inhibitory action) in all the tissues studied. The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was little changed under the given experimental manipulations, but the combined effect of the factors considerably inhibited the enzyme activities in the organs of the immune system. Consequently, in B-multivitamin deficiency the effect of low radiation doses was subjected to a considerable modulation resulting in profound inhibition of the oxidation and nonoxidative branches of the pentose phosphate pathway. (author). 9 refs, 2 tabs

  12. Data mining of the transcriptome of Plasmodium falciparum: the pentose phosphate pathway and ancillary processes

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    Ginsburg Hagai

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The general paradigm that emerges from the analysis of the transcriptome of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is that the expression clusters of genes that code for enzymes engaged in the same cellular function is coordinated. Here the consistency of this perception is examined by analysing specific pathways that metabolically-linked. The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP is a fundamental element of cell biochemistry since it is the major pathway for the recycling of NADP+ to NADPH and for the production of ribose-5-phosphate that is needed for the synthesis of nucleotides. The function of PPP depends on the synthesis of NADP+ and thiamine pyrophosphate, a co-enzyme of the PPP enzyme transketolase. In this essay, the transcription of gene coding for enzymes involved in the PPP, thiamine and NAD(P+ syntheses are analysed. The genes coding for two essential enzymes in these pathways, transaldolase and NAD+ kinase could not be found in the genome of P. falciparum. It is found that the transcription of the genes of each pathway is not always coordinated and there is usually a gene whose transcription sets the latest time for the full deployment of the pathway's activity. The activity of PPP seems to involve only the oxidative arm of PPP that is geared for maximal NADP+ reduction and ribose-5-phosphate production during the early stages of parasite development. The synthesis of thiamine diphosphate is predicted to occur much later than the expression of transketolase. Later in the parasite cycle, the non-oxidative arm of PPP that can use fructose-6-phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate supplied by glycolysis, becomes fully deployed allowing to maximize the production of ribose-5-phosphate. These discrepancies require direct biochemical investigations to test the activities of the various enzymes in the developing parasite. Notably, several transcripts of PPP enzyme-coding genes display biphasic pattern of transcription unlike most

  13. Silencing of the pentose phosphate pathway genes influences DNA replication in human fibroblasts.

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    Fornalewicz, Karolina; Wieczorek, Aneta; Węgrzyn, Grzegorz; Łyżeń, Robert

    2017-11-30

    Previous reports and our recently published data indicated that some enzymes of glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle can affect the genome replication process by changing either the efficiency or timing of DNA synthesis in human normal cells. Both these pathways are connected with the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP pathway). The PPP pathway supports cell growth by generating energy and precursors for nucleotides and amino acids. Therefore, we asked if silencing of genes coding for enzymes involved in the pentose phosphate pathway may also affect the control of DNA replication in human fibroblasts. Particular genes coding for PPP pathway enzymes were partially silenced with specific siRNAs. Such cells remained viable. We found that silencing of the H6PD, PRPS1, RPE genes caused less efficient enterance to the S phase and decrease in efficiency of DNA synthesis. On the other hand, in cells treated with siRNA against G6PD, RBKS and TALDO genes, the fraction of cells entering the S phase was increased. However, only in the case of G6PD and TALDO, the ratio of BrdU incorporation to DNA was significantly changed. The presented results together with our previously published studies illustrate the complexity of the influence of genes coding for central carbon metabolism on the control of DNA replication in human fibroblasts, and indicate which of them are especially important in this process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Cannabidiol attenuates OGD/R-induced damage by enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics and modulating glucose metabolism via pentose-phosphate pathway in hippocampal neurons

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    Shanshan Sun

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Deficient bioenergetics and diminished redox conservation have been implicated in the development of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. In this study, the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of cannabidiol (CBD, a nonpsychotropic compound derived from Cannabis sativa with FDA-approved antiepilepsy properties, were studied in vitro using an oxygen–glucose-deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R model in a mouse hippocampal neuronal cell line. CBD supplementation during reperfusion rescued OGD/R-induced cell death, attenuated intracellular ROS generation and lipid peroxidation, and simultaneously reversed the abnormal changes in antioxidant biomarkers. Using the Seahorse XFe24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer, we found that CBD significantly improved basal respiration, ATP-linked oxygen consumption rate, and the spare respiratory capacity, and augmented glucose consumption in OGD/R-injured neurons. The activation of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and the preservation of the NADPH/NADP+ ratio implies that the pentose-phosphate pathway is stimulated by CBD, thus protecting hippocampal neurons from OGD/R injury. This study is the first to document the neuroprotective effects of CBD against OGD/R insult, which depend in part on attenuating oxidative stress, enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics, and modulating glucose metabolism via the pentose-phosphate pathway, thus preserving both energy and the redox balance.

  15. Cannabidiol attenuates OGD/R-induced damage by enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics and modulating glucose metabolism via pentose-phosphate pathway in hippocampal neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shanshan; Hu, Fangyuan; Wu, Jihong; Zhang, Shenghai

    2017-04-01

    Deficient bioenergetics and diminished redox conservation have been implicated in the development of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. In this study, the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychotropic compound derived from Cannabis sativa with FDA-approved antiepilepsy properties, were studied in vitro using an oxygen-glucose-deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) model in a mouse hippocampal neuronal cell line. CBD supplementation during reperfusion rescued OGD/R-induced cell death, attenuated intracellular ROS generation and lipid peroxidation, and simultaneously reversed the abnormal changes in antioxidant biomarkers. Using the Seahorse XF e 24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer, we found that CBD significantly improved basal respiration, ATP-linked oxygen consumption rate, and the spare respiratory capacity, and augmented glucose consumption in OGD/R-injured neurons. The activation of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and the preservation of the NADPH/NADP + ratio implies that the pentose-phosphate pathway is stimulated by CBD, thus protecting hippocampal neurons from OGD/R injury. This study is the first to document the neuroprotective effects of CBD against OGD/R insult, which depend in part on attenuating oxidative stress, enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics, and modulating glucose metabolism via the pentose-phosphate pathway, thus preserving both energy and the redox balance. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. [Intensity of pentose phosphate metabolism of carbohydrates in various brain areas in normal and starved animals].

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    Kerimov, B F

    2002-01-01

    The activities of key enzymes of pentose phosphate pathway, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6 PD) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD), were studied in cytoplasmatic fractions of brain cortical (limbic, orbital, sensorimotor cortex) and subcortical (myelencefalon, mesencefalon, hypothalamus) structures of rats subjected to starvation for 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 days. Short-term starvation (1-3 days) caused activation of 6-GPD and 6-PGD both in cortical and subcortical structures. Long-term starvation for 5-7 days caused a decrease of activities of the pentose phosphate pathway enzymes in all studied structures. It is suggested that enzymes of pentose phosphate pathway in nervous tissues are functionally and metabolically related to glutathione system and during starvation they indirectly participate in the regulation lipid peroxidation processes.

  17. Increased metabolite levels of glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway in rabbit atherosclerotic arteries and hypoxic macrophage.

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    Atsushi Yamashita

    Full Text Available AIMS: Inflammation and possibly hypoxia largely affect glucose utilization in atherosclerotic arteries, which could alter many metabolic systems. However, metabolic changes in atherosclerotic plaques remain unknown. The present study aims to identify changes in metabolic systems relative to glucose uptake and hypoxia in rabbit atherosclerotic arteries and cultured macrophages. METHODS: Macrophage-rich or smooth muscle cell (SMC-rich neointima was created by balloon injury in the iliac-femoral arteries of rabbits fed with a 0.5% cholesterol diet or a conventional diet. THP-1 macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS and interferon-γ (INFγ were cultured under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. We evaluated comprehensive arterial and macrophage metabolism by performing metabolomic analyses using capillary electrophoresis-time of flight mass spectrometry. We evaluated glucose uptake and its relationship to vascular hypoxia using (18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18F-FDG and pimonidazole, a marker of hypoxia. RESULTS: The levels of many metabolites increased in the iliac-femoral arteries with macrophage-rich neointima, compared with those that were not injured and those with SMC-rich neointima (glycolysis, 4 of 9; pentose phosphate pathway, 4 of 6; tricarboxylic acid cycle, 4 of 6; nucleotides, 10 of 20. The uptake of (18F-FDG in arterial walls measured by autoradiography positively correlated with macrophage- and pimonidazole-immunopositive areas (r = 0.76, and r = 0.59 respectively; n = 69 for both; p<0.0001. Pimonidazole immunoreactivity was closely localized with the nuclear translocation of hypoxia inducible factor-1α and hexokinase II expression in macrophage-rich neointima. The levels of glycolytic (8 of 8 and pentose phosphate pathway (4 of 6 metabolites increased in LPS and INFγ stimulated macrophages under hypoxic but not normoxic condition. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 protein levels in the supernatant were closely

  18. Pentose pathway in human liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Magnusson, I.; Chandramouli, V.; Schumann, W.C.; Kumaran, K.; Wahren, J.; Landau, B.R.

    1988-01-01

    [1- 14 C]Ribose and [1- 14 C]glucose were given to normal subjects along with glucose loads (1 g per kg of body weight) after administration of diflunisal and acetaminophen, drugs that are excreted in urine as glucuronides. Distributions of 14 C were determined in the carbons of the excreted glucoronides and in the glucose from blood samples drawn from hepatic veins before and after glucagon administration. Eighty percent or more of the 14 C from [1- 14 C]ribose incorporated into the glucuronic acid moiety of the glucuronides was in carbons 1 and 3, with less than 8% in carbon 2. In glucuronic acid from glucuronide excreted when [2- 14 C]glucose was given, 3.5-8.1% of the 14 C was in carbon 1, 2.5-4.3% in carbon 3, and more than 70% in carbon 2. These distributions are in accord with the glucuronides sampling the glucose unit of the glucose 6-phosphate pool that is a component of the pentose pathway and is intermediate in glycogen formation. It is concluded that the glucuronic acid conjugates of the drugs can serve as a noninvasive means of sampling hepatic glucose 6-phosphate. In human liver, as in animal liver, the classical pentose pathway functions, not the L-type pathway, and only a small percentage of the glucose is metabolized via the pathway

  19. Astroglial Pentose Phosphate Pathway Rates in Response to High-Glucose Environments

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    Shinichi Takahashi

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available ROS (reactive oxygen species play an essential role in the pathophysiology of diabetes, stroke and neurodegenerative disorders. Hyperglycaemia associated with diabetes enhances ROS production and causes oxidative stress in vascular endothelial cells, but adverse effects of either acute or chronic high-glucose environments on brain parenchymal cells remain unclear. The PPP (pentose phosphate pathway and GSH participate in a major defence mechanism against ROS in brain, and we explored the role and regulation of the astroglial PPP in response to acute and chronic high-glucose environments. PPP activity was measured in cultured neurons and astroglia by determining the difference in rate of 14CO2 production from [1-14C]glucose and [6-14C]glucose. ROS production, mainly H2O2, and GSH were also assessed. Acutely elevated glucose concentrations in the culture media increased PPP activity and GSH level in astroglia, decreasing ROS production. Chronically elevated glucose environments also induced PPP activation. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that chronic high-glucose environments induced ER (endoplasmic reticulum stress (presumably through increased hexosamine biosynthetic pathway flux. Nuclear translocation of Nrf2 (nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45 subunit-related factor 2, which regulates G6PDH (glyceraldehyde-6-phosphate dehydrogenase by enhancing transcription, was also observed in association with BiP (immunoglobulin heavy-chain-binding protein expression. Acute and chronic high-glucose environments activated the PPP in astroglia, preventing ROS elevation. Therefore a rapid decrease in glucose level seems to enhance ROS toxicity, perhaps contributing to neural damage when insulin levels given to diabetic patients are not properly calibrated and plasma glucose levels are not adequately maintained. These findings may also explain the lack of evidence for clinical benefits from strict glycaemic control during the acute phase of stroke.

  20. Astroglial pentose phosphate pathway rates in response to high-glucose environments

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    Takahashi, Shinichi; Izawa, Yoshikane; Suzuki, Norihiro

    2012-01-01

    ROS (reactive oxygen species) play an essential role in the pathophysiology of diabetes, stroke and neurodegenerative disorders. Hyperglycaemia associated with diabetes enhances ROS production and causes oxidative stress in vascular endothelial cells, but adverse effects of either acute or chronic high-glucose environments on brain parenchymal cells remain unclear. The PPP (pentose phosphate pathway) and GSH participate in a major defence mechanism against ROS in brain, and we explored the role and regulation of the astroglial PPP in response to acute and chronic high-glucose environments. PPP activity was measured in cultured neurons and astroglia by determining the difference in rate of 14CO2 production from [1-14C]glucose and [6-14C]glucose. ROS production, mainly H2O2, and GSH were also assessed. Acutely elevated glucose concentrations in the culture media increased PPP activity and GSH level in astroglia, decreasing ROS production. Chronically elevated glucose environments also induced PPP activation. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that chronic high-glucose environments induced ER (endoplasmic reticulum) stress (presumably through increased hexosamine biosynthetic pathway flux). Nuclear translocation of Nrf2 (nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45 subunit-related factor 2), which regulates G6PDH (glyceraldehyde-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) by enhancing transcription, was also observed in association with BiP (immunoglobulin heavy-chain-binding protein) expression. Acute and chronic high-glucose environments activated the PPP in astroglia, preventing ROS elevation. Therefore a rapid decrease in glucose level seems to enhance ROS toxicity, perhaps contributing to neural damage when insulin levels given to diabetic patients are not properly calibrated and plasma glucose levels are not adequately maintained. These findings may also explain the lack of evidence for clinical benefits from strict glycaemic control during the acute phase of stroke. PMID:22300409

  1. Identification of the missing links in prokaryotic pentose oxidation pathways: evidence for enzyme recruitment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brouns, Stan J J; Walther, Jasper; Snijders, Ambrosius P L; van de Werken, Harmen J G; Willemen, Hanneke L D M; Worm, Petra; de Vos, Marjon G J; Andersson, Anders; Lundgren, Magnus; Mazon, Hortense F M; van den Heuvel, Robert H H; Nilsson, Peter; Salmon, Laurent; de Vos, Willem M; Wright, Phillip C; Bernander, Rolf; van der Oost, John

    2006-09-15

    The pentose metabolism of Archaea is largely unknown. Here, we have employed an integrated genomics approach including DNA microarray and proteomics analyses to elucidate the catabolic pathway for D-arabinose in Sulfolobus solfataricus. During growth on this sugar, a small set of genes appeared to be differentially expressed compared with growth on D-glucose. These genes were heterologously overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant proteins were purified and biochemically studied. This showed that D-arabinose is oxidized to 2-oxoglutarate by the consecutive action of a number of previously uncharacterized enzymes, including a D-arabinose dehydrogenase, a D-arabinonate dehydratase, a novel 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-arabinonate dehydratase, and a 2,5-dioxopentanoate dehydrogenase. Promoter analysis of these genes revealed a palindromic sequence upstream of the TATA box, which is likely to be involved in their concerted transcriptional control. Integration of the obtained biochemical data with genomic context analysis strongly suggests the occurrence of pentose oxidation pathways in both Archaea and Bacteria, and predicts the involvement of additional enzyme components. Moreover, it revealed striking genetic similarities between the catabolic pathways for pentoses, hexaric acids, and hydroxyproline degradation, which support the theory of metabolic pathway genesis by enzyme recruitment.

  2. Neuron-astrocyte interactions, pyruvate carboxylation and the pentose phosphate pathway in the neonatal rat brain

    OpenAIRE

    Morken, Tora Sund; Brekke, Eva Mari Førland; Håberg, Asta; Widerøe, Marius; Brubakk, Ann-Mari; Sonnewald, Ursula

    2014-01-01

    Glucose and acetate metabolism and the synthesis of amino acid neurotransmitters, anaplerosis, glutamate-glutamine cycling and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) have been extensively investigated in the adult, but not the neonatal rat brain. To do this, 7 day postnatal (P7) rats were injected with [1-(13)C]glucose and [1,2-(13)C]acetate and sacrificed 5, 10, 15, 30 and 45 min later. Adult rats were injected and sacrificed after 15 min. To analyse pyruvate carboxylation and PPP activity duri...

  3. The pentose phosphate pathway in Trypanosoma cruzi: a potential target for the chemotherapy of Chagas disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana Igoillo-Esteve

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Trypanosoma cruzi is highly sensitive to oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species. Trypanothione, the parasite's major protection against oxidative stress, is kept reduced by trypanothione reductase, using NADPH; the major source of the reduced coenzyme seems to be the pentose phosphate pathway. Its seven enzymes are present in the four major stages in the parasite's biological cycle; we have cloned and expressed them in Escherichia coli as active proteins. Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which controls glucose flux through the pathway by its response to the NADP/NADPH ratio, is encoded by a number of genes per haploid genome, and is induced up to 46-fold by hydrogen peroxide in metacyclic trypomastigotes. The genes encoding 6-phosphogluconolactonase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, transaldolase and transketolase are present in the CL Brener clone as a single copy per haploid genome. 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase is very unstable, but was stabilized introducing two salt bridges by site-directed mutagenesis. Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase belongs to Type B; genes encoding Type A enzymes, present in mammals, are absent. Ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase is encoded by two genes. The enzymes of the pathway have a major cytosolic component, although several of them have a secondary glycosomal localization, and also minor localizations in other organelles.Trypanosoma cruzi é altamente sensível ao estresse oxidativo causado por espécies reativas do oxigênio. Tripanotiona, o principal protetor do parasita contra o estresse oxidativo, é mantido reduzido pela tripanotiona redutase, pela presença deNADPH; a principal fonte da coenzima reduzida parece ser a via da pentose fosfato. As sete enzimas dessa via estão presentes nos quatro principais estágios do ciclo biológico do parasita; nós clonamos e expressamos as enzimas em Escherichia coli como proteínas ativas. Glucose 6-fosfato desidrogenase, que controla o fluxo da glucose da

  4. Handling uncertainty in dynamic models: the pentose phosphate pathway in Trypanosoma brucei.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduard J Kerkhoven

    Full Text Available Dynamic models of metabolism can be useful in identifying potential drug targets, especially in unicellular organisms. A model of glycolysis in the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis, Trypanosoma brucei, has already shown the utility of this approach. Here we add the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP of T. brucei to the glycolytic model. The PPP is localized to both the cytosol and the glycosome and adding it to the glycolytic model without further adjustments leads to a draining of the essential bound-phosphate moiety within the glycosome. This phosphate "leak" must be resolved for the model to be a reasonable representation of parasite physiology. Two main types of theoretical solution to the problem could be identified: (i including additional enzymatic reactions in the glycosome, or (ii adding a mechanism to transfer bound phosphates between cytosol and glycosome. One example of the first type of solution would be the presence of a glycosomal ribokinase to regenerate ATP from ribose 5-phosphate and ADP. Experimental characterization of ribokinase in T. brucei showed that very low enzyme levels are sufficient for parasite survival, indicating that other mechanisms are required in controlling the phosphate leak. Examples of the second type would involve the presence of an ATP:ADP exchanger or recently described permeability pores in the glycosomal membrane, although the current absence of identified genes encoding such molecules impedes experimental testing by genetic manipulation. Confronted with this uncertainty, we present a modeling strategy that identifies robust predictions in the context of incomplete system characterization. We illustrate this strategy by exploring the mechanism underlying the essential function of one of the PPP enzymes, and validate it by confirming the model predictions experimentally.

  5. Calculation of the pentose phosphate and Embden-Myerhoff pathways from a single incubation with [U-14C]- and [5-3H]glucose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Fallon, J.V.; Wright, R.W. Jr.

    1987-01-01

    A method that simultaneously determines Embden-Myerhoff pathway and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) activities from an incubation with [U- 14 C]- and [5- 3 H]glucose is presented. The method relies on the use of unlabeled pyruvate and lactate to dilute out radiolabel entering the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Gluconeogenesis from pyruvate is prevented by the use of an incubation chamber that maintains a CO 2 (and bicarbonate) free environment. The method, which includes the contribution by the recycling steps of the PPP, is especially useful when biological material is limited or developmental timing is critical

  6. Metabolic engineering of the pentose phosphate pathway for enhanced limonene production in the cyanobacterium Synechocysti s sp. PCC 6803.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Po-Cheng; Saha, Rajib; Zhang, Fuzhong; Pakrasi, Himadri B

    2017-12-13

    Isoprenoids are diverse natural compounds, which have various applications as pharmaceuticals, fragrances, and solvents. The low yield of isoprenoids in plants makes them difficult for cost-effective production, and chemical synthesis of complex isoprenoids is impractical. Microbial production of isoprenoids has been considered as a promising approach to increase the yield. In this study, we engineered the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 for sustainable production of a commercially valuable isoprenoid, limonene. Limonene synthases from the plants Mentha spicata and Citrus limon were expressed in cyanobacteria for limonene production. Production of limonene was two-fold higher with limonene synthase from M. spicata than that from C. limon. To enhance isoprenoid production, computational strain design was conducted by applying the OptForce strain design algorithm on Synechocystis 6803. Based on the metabolic interventions suggested by this algorithm, genes (ribose 5-phosphate isomerase and ribulose 5-phosphate 3-epimerase) in the pentose phosphate pathway were overexpressed, and a geranyl diphosphate synthase from the plant Abies grandis was expressed to optimize the limonene biosynthetic pathway. The optimized strain produced 6.7 mg/L of limonene, a 2.3-fold improvement in productivity. Thus, this study presents a feasible strategy to engineer cyanobacteria for photosynthetic production of isoprenoids.

  7. On the role of GAPDH isoenzymes during pentose fermentation in engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linck, Annabell; Vu, Xuan-Khang; Essl, Christine; Hiesl, Charlotte; Boles, Eckhard; Oreb, Mislav

    2014-05-01

    In the metabolic network of the cell, many intermediary products are shared between different pathways. d-Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, a glycolytic intermediate, is a substrate of GAPDH but is also utilized by transaldolase and transketolase in the scrambling reactions of the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway. Recent efforts to engineer baker's yeast strains capable of utilizing pentose sugars present in plant biomass rely on increasing the carbon flux through this pathway. However, the competition between transaldolase and GAPDH for d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate produced in the first transketolase reaction compromises the carbon balance of the pathway, thereby limiting the product yield. Guided by the hypothesis that reduction in GAPDH activity would increase the availability of d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate for transaldolase and thereby improve ethanol production during fermentation of pentoses, we performed a comprehensive characterization of the three GAPDH isoenzymes in baker's yeast, Tdh1, Tdh2, and Tdh3 and analyzed the effect of their deletion on xylose utilization by engineered strains. Our data suggest that overexpression of transaldolase is a more promising strategy than reduction in GAPDH activity to increase the flux through the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway. © 2014 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. 13C based proteinogenic amino acid (PAA) and metabolic flux ratio analysis of Lactococcus lactis reveals changes in pentose phosphate (PP) pathway in response to agitation and temperature related stresses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azizan, Kamalrul Azlan; Ressom, Habtom W; Mendoza, Eduardo R; Baharum, Syarul Nataqain

    2017-01-01

    Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris MG1363 is an important starter culture for dairy fermentation. During industrial fermentations, L. lactis is constantly exposed to stresses that affect the growth and performance of the bacterium. Although the response of L. lactis to several stresses has been described, the adaptation mechanisms at the level of in vivo fluxes have seldom been described. To gain insights into cellular metabolism, 13 C metabolic flux analysis and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to measure the flux ratios of active pathways in the central metabolism of L. lactis when subjected to three conditions varying in temperature (30°C, 37°C) and agitation (with and without agitation at 150 rpm). Collectively, the concentrations of proteinogenic amino acids (PAAs) and free fatty acids (FAAs) were compared, and Pearson correlation analysis ( r ) was calculated to measure the pairwise relationship between PAAs. Branched chain and aromatic amino acids, threonine, serine, lysine and histidine were correlated strongly, suggesting changes in flux regulation in glycolysis, the pentose phosphate (PP) pathway, malic enzyme and anaplerotic reaction catalysed by pyruvate carboxylase (pycA). Flux ratio analysis revealed that glucose was mainly converted by glycolysis, highlighting the stability of L. lactis' central carbon metabolism despite different conditions. Higher flux ratios through oxaloacetate (OAA) from pyruvate (PYR) reaction in all conditions suggested the activation of pyruvate carboxylate (pycA) in L. lactis , in response to acid stress during exponential phase. Subsequently, more significant flux ratio differences were seen through the oxidative and non-oxidative pentose phosphate (PP) pathways, malic enzyme, and serine and C1 metabolism, suggesting NADPH requirements in response to environmental stimuli. These reactions could play an important role in optimization strategies for metabolic engineering in L. lactis . Overall, the

  9. 13C based proteinogenic amino acid (PAA and metabolic flux ratio analysis of Lactococcus lactis reveals changes in pentose phosphate (PP pathway in response to agitation and temperature related stresses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamalrul Azlan Azizan

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris MG1363 is an important starter culture for dairy fermentation. During industrial fermentations, L. lactis is constantly exposed to stresses that affect the growth and performance of the bacterium. Although the response of L. lactis to several stresses has been described, the adaptation mechanisms at the level of in vivo fluxes have seldom been described. To gain insights into cellular metabolism, 13C metabolic flux analysis and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS were used to measure the flux ratios of active pathways in the central metabolism of L. lactis when subjected to three conditions varying in temperature (30°C, 37°C and agitation (with and without agitation at 150 rpm. Collectively, the concentrations of proteinogenic amino acids (PAAs and free fatty acids (FAAs were compared, and Pearson correlation analysis (r was calculated to measure the pairwise relationship between PAAs. Branched chain and aromatic amino acids, threonine, serine, lysine and histidine were correlated strongly, suggesting changes in flux regulation in glycolysis, the pentose phosphate (PP pathway, malic enzyme and anaplerotic reaction catalysed by pyruvate carboxylase (pycA. Flux ratio analysis revealed that glucose was mainly converted by glycolysis, highlighting the stability of L. lactis’ central carbon metabolism despite different conditions. Higher flux ratios through oxaloacetate (OAA from pyruvate (PYR reaction in all conditions suggested the activation of pyruvate carboxylate (pycA in L. lactis, in response to acid stress during exponential phase. Subsequently, more significant flux ratio differences were seen through the oxidative and non-oxidative pentose phosphate (PP pathways, malic enzyme, and serine and C1 metabolism, suggesting NADPH requirements in response to environmental stimuli. These reactions could play an important role in optimization strategies for metabolic engineering in L. lactis. Overall

  10. 13C based proteinogenic amino acid (PAA) and metabolic flux ratio analysis of Lactococcus lactis reveals changes in pentose phosphate (PP) pathway in response to agitation and temperature related stresses

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris MG1363 is an important starter culture for dairy fermentation. During industrial fermentations, L. lactis is constantly exposed to stresses that affect the growth and performance of the bacterium. Although the response of L. lactis to several stresses has been described, the adaptation mechanisms at the level of in vivo fluxes have seldom been described. To gain insights into cellular metabolism, 13C metabolic flux analysis and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to measure the flux ratios of active pathways in the central metabolism of L. lactis when subjected to three conditions varying in temperature (30°C, 37°C) and agitation (with and without agitation at 150 rpm). Collectively, the concentrations of proteinogenic amino acids (PAAs) and free fatty acids (FAAs) were compared, and Pearson correlation analysis (r) was calculated to measure the pairwise relationship between PAAs. Branched chain and aromatic amino acids, threonine, serine, lysine and histidine were correlated strongly, suggesting changes in flux regulation in glycolysis, the pentose phosphate (PP) pathway, malic enzyme and anaplerotic reaction catalysed by pyruvate carboxylase (pycA). Flux ratio analysis revealed that glucose was mainly converted by glycolysis, highlighting the stability of L. lactis’ central carbon metabolism despite different conditions. Higher flux ratios through oxaloacetate (OAA) from pyruvate (PYR) reaction in all conditions suggested the activation of pyruvate carboxylate (pycA) in L. lactis, in response to acid stress during exponential phase. Subsequently, more significant flux ratio differences were seen through the oxidative and non-oxidative pentose phosphate (PP) pathways, malic enzyme, and serine and C1 metabolism, suggesting NADPH requirements in response to environmental stimuli. These reactions could play an important role in optimization strategies for metabolic engineering in L. lactis. Overall, the

  11. Thiol Redox Sensitivity of Two Key Enzymes of Heme Biosynthesis and Pentose Phosphate Pathways: Uroporphyrinogen Decarboxylase and Transketolase

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    Brian McDonagh

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (Hem12p and transketolase (Tkl1p are key mediators of two critical processes within the cell, heme biosynthesis, and the nonoxidative part of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP. The redox properties of both Hem12p and Tkl1p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae were investigated using proteomic techniques (SRM and label-free quantification and biochemical assays in cell extracts and in vitro with recombinant proteins. The in vivo analysis revealed an increase in oxidized Cys-peptides in the absence of Grx2p, and also after treatment with H2O2 in the case of Tkl1p, without corresponding changes in total protein, demonstrating a true redox response. Out of three detectable Cys residues in Hem12p, only the conserved residue Cys52 could be modified by glutathione and efficiently deglutathionylated by Grx2p, suggesting a possible redox control mechanism for heme biosynthesis. On the other hand, Tkl1p activity was sensitive to thiol redox modification and although Cys622 could be glutathionylated to a limited extent, it was not a natural substrate of Grx2p. The human orthologues of both enzymes have been involved in certain cancers and possess Cys residues equivalent to those identified as redox sensitive in yeast. The possible implication for redox regulation in the context of tumour progression is put forward.

  12. Improved Xylitol Production from D-Arabitol by Enhancing the Coenzyme Regeneration Efficiency of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway in Gluconobacter oxydans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Sha; Zhang, Jinliang; Xu, Hong; Feng, Xiaohai

    2016-02-10

    Gluconobacter oxydans is used to produce xylitol from D-arabitol. This study aims to improve xylitol production by increasing the coenzyme regeneration efficiency of the pentose phosphate pathway in G. oxydans. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) were overexpressed in G. oxydans. Real-time PCR and enzyme activity assays revealed that G6PDH/6PGDH activity and coenzyme regeneration efficiency increased in the recombinant G. oxydans strains. Approximately 29.3 g/L xylitol was obtained, with a yield of 73.2%, from 40 g/L d-arabitol in the batch biotransformation with the G. oxydans PZ strain. Moreover, the xylitol productivity (0.62 g/L/h) was 3.26-fold of the wild type strain (0.19 g/L/h). In repetitive batch biotransformation, the G. oxydans PZ cells were used for five cycles without incurring a significant loss in productivity. These results indicate that the recombinant G. oxydans PZ strain is economically feasible for xylitol production in industrial bioconversion.

  13. Neuron-astrocyte interactions, pyruvate carboxylation and the pentose phosphate pathway in the neonatal rat brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morken, Tora Sund; Brekke, Eva; Håberg, Asta; Widerøe, Marius; Brubakk, Ann-Mari; Sonnewald, Ursula

    2014-01-01

    Glucose and acetate metabolism and the synthesis of amino acid neurotransmitters, anaplerosis, glutamate-glutamine cycling and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) have been extensively investigated in the adult, but not the neonatal rat brain. To do this, 7 day postnatal (P7) rats were injected with [1-(13)C]glucose and [1,2-(13)C]acetate and sacrificed 5, 10, 15, 30 and 45 min later. Adult rats were injected and sacrificed after 15 min. To analyse pyruvate carboxylation and PPP activity during development, P7 rats received [1,2-(13)C]glucose and were sacrificed 30 min later. Brain extracts were analysed using (1)H- and (13)C-NMR spectroscopy. Numerous differences in metabolism were found between the neonatal and adult brain. The neonatal brain contained lower levels of glutamate, aspartate and N-acetylaspartate but similar levels of GABA and glutamine per mg tissue. Metabolism of [1-(13)C]glucose at the acetyl CoA stage was reduced much more than that of [1,2-(13)C]acetate. The transfer of glutamate from neurons to astrocytes was much lower while transfer of glutamine from astrocytes to glutamatergic neurons was relatively higher. However, transport of glutamine from astrocytes to GABAergic neurons was lower. Using [1,2-(13)C]glucose it could be shown that despite much lower pyruvate carboxylation, relatively more pyruvate from glycolysis was directed towards anaplerosis than pyruvate dehydrogenation in astrocytes. Moreover, the ratio of PPP/glucose-metabolism was higher. These findings indicate that only the part of the glutamate-glutamine cycle that transfers glutamine from astrocytes to neurons is operating in the neonatal brain and that compared to adults, relatively more glucose is prioritised to PPP and pyruvate carboxylation. Our results may have implications for the capacity to protect the neonatal brain against excitotoxicity and oxidative stress.

  14. Pentose Phosphate Shunt Modulates Reactive Oxygen Species and Nitric Oxide Production Controlling Trypanosoma cruzi in Macrophages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sue-jie Koo

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Metabolism provides substrates for reactive oxygen species (ROS and nitric oxide (NO generation, which are a part of the macrophage (Mφ anti-microbial response. Mφs infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (Tc produce insufficient levels of oxidative species and lower levels of glycolysis compared to classical Mφs. How Mφs fail to elicit a potent ROS/NO response during infection and its link to glycolysis is unknown. Herein, we evaluated for ROS, NO, and cytokine production in the presence of metabolic modulators of glycolysis and the Krebs cycle. Metabolic status was analyzed by Seahorse Flux Analyzer and mass spectrometry and validated by RNAi. Tc infection of RAW264.7 or bone marrow-derived Mφs elicited a substantial increase in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR-α expression and pro-inflammatory cytokine release, and moderate levels of ROS/NO by 18 h. Interferon (IFN-γ addition enhanced the Tc-induced ROS/NO release and shut down mitochondrial respiration to the levels noted in classical Mφs. Inhibition of PPAR-α attenuated the ROS/NO response and was insufficient for complete metabolic shift. Deprivation of glucose and inhibition of pyruvate transport showed that Krebs cycle and glycolysis support ROS/NO generation in Tc + IFN-γ stimulated Mφs. Metabolic profiling and RNAi studies showed that glycolysis-pentose phosphate pathway (PPP at 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase was essential for ROS/NO response and control of parasite replication in Mφ. We conclude that IFN-γ, but not inhibition of PPAR-α, supports metabolic upregulation of glycolytic-PPP for eliciting potent ROS/NO response in Tc-infected Mφs. Chemical analogs enhancing the glucose-PPP will be beneficial in controlling Tc replication and dissemination by Mφs.

  15. Identification of the missing links in prokaryotic pentose oxidation pathways: evidence for enzyme recruitment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brouns, S.J.J.; Walther, J.; Snijders, A.P.; Werken, van de H.J.G.; Willemen, H.L.D.M.; Worm, P.; Vos, de M.G.; Andersson, A.; Lundgren, M.; Mazon, H.F.; Heuvel, van den R.H.H.; Nilsson, P.; Salmon, L.; Vos, de W.M.; Wright, P.C.; Bernander, R.; Oost, van der J.

    2006-01-01

    The pentose metabolism of Archaea is largely unknown. Here, we have employed an integrated genomics approach including DNA microarray and proteomics analyses to elucidate the catabolic pathway for D-arabinose in Sulfolobus solfataricus. During growth on this sugar, a small set of genes appeared to

  16. Biosynthesis of ribose-5-phosphate and erythrose-4-phosphate in archaea: a phylogenetic analysis of archaeal genomes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim Soderberg

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available A phylogenetic analysis of the genes encoding enzymes in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP, the ribulose monophosphate (RuMP pathway, and the chorismate pathway of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis, employing data from 13 complete archaeal genomes, provides a potential explanation for the enigmatic phylogenetic patterns of the PPP genes in archaea. Genomic and biochemical evidence suggests that three archaeal species (Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, Thermoplasma acidophilum and Thermoplasma volcanium produce ribose-5-phosphate via the nonoxidative PPP (NOPPP, whereas nine species apparently lack an NOPPP but may employ a reverse RuMP pathway for pentose synthesis. One species (Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 lacks both the NOPPP and the RuMP pathway but may possess a modified oxidative PPP (OPPP, the details of which are not yet known. The presence of transketolase in several archaeal species that are missing the other two NOPPP genes can be explained by the existence of differing requirements for erythrose-4-phosphate (E4P among archaea: six species use transketolase to make E4P as a precursor to aromatic amino acids, six species apparently have an alternate biosynthetic pathway and may not require the ability to make E4P, and one species (Pyrococcus horikoshii probably does not synthesize aromatic amino acids at all.

  17. Quantitative importance of the pentose phosphate pathway determined by incorporation of 13C from [2-13C]- and [3-13C]glucose into TCA cycle intermediates and neurotransmitter amino acids in functionally intact neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brekke, Eva M F; Walls, Anne B; Schousboe, Arne; Waagepetersen, Helle S; Sonnewald, Ursula

    2012-09-01

    The brain is highly susceptible to oxidative injury, and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) has been shown to be affected by pathological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury. While this pathway has been investigated in the intact brain and in astrocytes, little is known about the PPP in neurons. The activity of the PPP was quantified in cultured cerebral cortical and cerebellar neurons after incubation in the presence of [2-(13)C]glucose or [3-(13)C]glucose. The activity of the PPP was several fold lower than glycolysis in both types of neurons. While metabolism of (13)C-labeled glucose via the PPP does not appear to contribute to the production of releasable lactate, it contributes to labeling of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates and related amino acids. Based on glutamate isotopomers, it was calculated that PPP activity accounts for ~6% of glucose metabolism in cortical neurons and ~4% in cerebellar neurons. This is the first demonstration that pyruvate generated from glucose via the PPP contributes to the synthesis of acetyl CoA for oxidation in the TCA cycle. Moreover, the fact that (13)C labeling from glucose is incorporated into glutamate proves that both the oxidative and the nonoxidative stages of the PPP are active in neurons.

  18. Effects of glucose metabolism pathways on sperm motility and oxidative status during long-term liquid storage of goat semen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Jian-Hua; Li, You-Wei; Xie, Hong-Li; Li, Qing; Dong, Hai-Bo; Sun, Ming-Ju; Gao, Wei-Qiang; Tan, Jing-He

    2016-08-01

    Although great efforts were made to prolong the fertility of liquid-stored semen, limited improvements have been achieved in different species. Although it is expected that energy supply and the redox potential will play an essential role in sperm function, there are few reports on the impact of specific energy substrates on spermatozoa during liquid semen storage. Furthermore, although it is accepted that glucose metabolism through glycolysis provides energy, roles of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and tricarboxylic acid cycle remain to be unequivocally found in spermatozoa. We have studied the pathways by which spermatozoa metabolize glucose during long-term liquid storage of goat semen. The results indicated that among the substrates tested, glucose and pyruvate were better than lactate in maintaining goat sperm motility. Although both glycolysis and PPP were essential, PPP was more important than glycolysis to maintain sperm motility. Pentose phosphate pathway reduced oxidative stress and provided glycolysis with more intermediate products such as fructose-6-phosphate. Pyruvate entered goat spermatozoa through monocarboxylate transporters and was oxidized by the tricarboxylic acid cycle and electron transfer to sustain sperm motility. Long-term liquid semen storage can be used as a good model to study sperm glucose metabolism. The data are important for an optimal control of sperm survival during semen handling and preservation not only in the goat but also in other species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway after human traumatic brain injury: microdialysis studies using 1,2-13C2 glucose

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jalloh, Ibrahim; Carpenter, Keri L H; Grice, Peter; Howe, Duncan J; Mason, Andrew; Gallagher, Clare N; Helmy, Adel; Murphy, Michael P; Menon, David K; Carpenter, T Adrian; Pickard, John D; Hutchinson, Peter J

    2015-01-01

    Increased ‘anaerobic' glucose metabolism is observed after traumatic brain injury (TBI) attributed to increased glycolysis. An alternative route is the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), which generates putatively protective and reparative molecules. To compare pathways we employed microdialysis to perfuse 1,2-13C2 glucose into the brains of 15 TBI patients and macroscopically normal brain in six patients undergoing surgery for benign tumors, and to simultaneously collect products for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. 13C enrichment for glycolytic 2,3-13C2 lactate was the median 5.4% (interquartile range (IQR) 4.6–7.5%) in TBI brain and 4.2% (2.4–4.4%) in ‘normal' brain (Pbrain and 6.7% (6.3–8.9%) in ‘normal' brain. An inverse relationship was seen for PPP-glycolytic lactate ratio versus PbtO2 (r=−0.5, P=0.04) in TBI brain. Thus, glycolytic lactate production was significantly greater in TBI than ‘normal' brain. Several TBI patients exhibited PPP–lactate elevation above the ‘normal' range. There was proportionally greater PPP-derived lactate production with decreasing PbtO2. The study raises questions about the roles of the PPP and glycolysis after TBI, and whether they can be manipulated to achieve a better outcome. This study is the first direct comparison of glycolysis and PPP in human brain. PMID:25335801

  20. Inhibition of the pentose phosphate shunt by 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in erythrocyte pyruvate kinase deficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomoda, A; Lachant, N A; Noble, N A; Tanaka, K R

    1983-07-01

    Pentose phosphate shunt activity was studied by the release of 14CO2 from 14C-1-glucose and 14C-2-glucose in the red cells of five patients with pyruvate kinase deficiency and found to be significantly decreased after new methylene blue stimulation when compared to high reticulocyte controls. Incubated Heinz body formation was increased and the ascorbate cyanide test was positive in blood from these patients. The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) as well as that of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) was inhibited to 20% of baseline in normal red cell haemolysate by 4 mM 2,3-diphosphoglycerate at pH 7.1. 2,3-Diphosphoglycerate was a competitive inhibitor with 6-phosphogluconate (Ki=1.05 mM) and a noncompetitive inhibitor with NADP (Ki=3.3 mM) for 6PGD. Since the intracellular concentrations of glucose-6-phosphate, 6-phosphogluconate and NADP are below their Kms for G6PD and 6PGD, the kinetic data suggest that increased concentrations of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in pyruvate kinase deficient red cells are sufficiently high to suppress pentose phosphate shunt activity. This suppression may be an additional factor contributing to the haemolytic anaemia of pyruvate kinase deficiency, particularly during periods of infection or metabolic stress.

  1. Glucose metabolism via the pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis and Krebs cycle in an orthotopic mouse model of human brain tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marin-Valencia, Isaac; Cho, Steve K; Rakheja, Dinesh; Hatanpaa, Kimmo J; Kapur, Payal; Mashimo, Tomoyuki; Jindal, Ashish; Vemireddy, Vamsidhara; Good, Levi B; Raisanen, Jack; Sun, Xiankai; Mickey, Bruce; Choi, Changho; Takahashi, Masaya; Togao, Osamu; Pascual, Juan M; Deberardinis, Ralph J; Maher, Elizabeth A; Malloy, Craig R; Bachoo, Robert M

    2012-10-01

    It has been hypothesized that increased flux through the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is required to support the metabolic demands of rapid malignant cell growth. Using orthotopic mouse models of human glioblastoma (GBM) and renal cell carcinoma metastatic to brain, we estimated the activity of the PPP relative to glycolysis by infusing [1,2-(13) C(2) ]glucose. The [3-(13) C]lactate/[2,3-(13) C(2) ]lactate ratio was similar for both the GBM and brain metastasis and their respective surrounding brains (GBM, 0.197 ± 0.011 and 0.195 ± 0.033, respectively (p = 1); metastasis: 0.126 and 0.119 ± 0.033, respectively). This suggests that the rate of glycolysis is significantly greater than the PPP flux in these tumors, and that the PPP flux into the lactate pool is similar in both tumors. Remarkably, (13) C-(13) C coupling was observed in molecules derived from Krebs cycle intermediates in both tumor types, denoting glucose oxidation. In the renal cell carcinoma, in contrast with GBM, (13) C multiplets of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) differed from its precursor glutamate, suggesting that GABA did not derive from a common glutamate precursor pool. In addition, the orthotopic renal tumor, the patient's primary renal mass and brain metastasis were all strongly immunopositive for the 67-kDa isoform of glutamate decarboxylase, as were 84% of tumors on a renal cell carcinoma tissue microarray of the same histology, suggesting that GABA synthesis is cell autonomous in at least a subset of renal cell carcinomas. Taken together, these data demonstrate that (13) C-labeled glucose can be used in orthotopic mouse models to study tumor metabolism in vivo and to ascertain new metabolic targets for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase protects Escherichia coli from tellurite-mediated oxidative stress.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan M Sandoval

    Full Text Available The tellurium oxyanion tellurite induces oxidative stress in most microorganisms. In Escherichia coli, tellurite exposure results in high levels of oxidized proteins and membrane lipid peroxides, inactivation of oxidation-sensitive enzymes and reduced glutathione content. In this work, we show that tellurite-exposed E. coli exhibits transcriptional activation of the zwf gene, encoding glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH, which in turn results in augmented synthesis of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH. Increased zwf transcription under tellurite stress results mainly from reactive oxygen species (ROS generation and not from a depletion of cellular glutathione. In addition, the observed increase of G6PDH activity was paralleled by accumulation of glucose-6-phosphate (G6P, suggesting a metabolic flux shift toward the pentose phosphate shunt. Upon zwf overexpression, bacterial cells also show increased levels of antioxidant molecules (NADPH, GSH, better-protected oxidation-sensitive enzymes and decreased amounts of oxidized proteins and membrane lipids. These results suggest that by increasing NADPH content, G6PDH plays an important role in E. coli survival under tellurite stress.

  3. Genome-scale consequences of cofactor balancing in engineered pentose utilization pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amit Ghosh

    Full Text Available Biofuels derived from lignocellulosic biomass offer promising alternative renewable energy sources for transportation fuels. Significant effort has been made to engineer Saccharomyces cerevisiae to efficiently ferment pentose sugars such as D-xylose and L-arabinose into biofuels such as ethanol through heterologous expression of the fungal D-xylose and L-arabinose pathways. However, one of the major bottlenecks in these fungal pathways is that the cofactors are not balanced, which contributes to inefficient utilization of pentose sugars. We utilized a genome-scale model of S. cerevisiae to predict the maximal achievable growth rate for cofactor balanced and imbalanced D-xylose and L-arabinose utilization pathways. Dynamic flux balance analysis (DFBA was used to simulate batch fermentation of glucose, D-xylose, and L-arabinose. The dynamic models and experimental results are in good agreement for the wild type and for the engineered D-xylose utilization pathway. Cofactor balancing the engineered D-xylose and L-arabinose utilization pathways simulated an increase in ethanol batch production of 24.7% while simultaneously reducing the predicted substrate utilization time by 70%. Furthermore, the effects of cofactor balancing the engineered pentose utilization pathways were evaluated throughout the genome-scale metabolic network. This work not only provides new insights to the global network effects of cofactor balancing but also provides useful guidelines for engineering a recombinant yeast strain with cofactor balanced engineered pathways that efficiently co-utilizes pentose and hexose sugars for biofuels production. Experimental switching of cofactor usage in enzymes has been demonstrated, but is a time-consuming effort. Therefore, systems biology models that can predict the likely outcome of such strain engineering efforts are highly useful for motivating which efforts are likely to be worth the significant time investment.

  4. Further increased production of free fatty acids by overexpressing a predicted transketolase gene of the pentose phosphate pathway in Aspergillus oryzae faaA disruptant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamano, Koichi; Miura, Ai

    2016-09-01

    Free fatty acids are useful as source materials for the production of biodiesel fuel and various chemicals such as pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements. Previously, we attained a 9.2-fold increase in free fatty acid productivity by disrupting a predicted acyl-CoA synthetase gene (faaA, AO090011000642) in Aspergillus oryzae. In this study, we achieved further increase in the productivity by overexpressing a predicted transketolase gene of the pentose phosphate pathway in the faaA disruptant. The A. oryzae genome is predicted to have three transketolase genes and overexpression of AO090023000345, one of the three genes, resulted in phenotypic change and further increase (corresponding to an increased production of 0.38 mmol/g dry cell weight) in free fatty acids at 1.4-fold compared to the faaA disruptant. Additionally, the biomass of hyphae increased at 1.2-fold by the overexpression. As a result, free fatty acid production yield per liter of liquid culture increased at 1.7-fold by the overexpression.

  5. Nitric oxide induces the alternative oxidase pathway in Arabidopsis seedlings deprived of inorganic phosphate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Royo, Beatriz; Moran, Jose F; Ratcliffe, R George; Gupta, Kapuganti J

    2015-10-01

    Phosphate starvation compromises electron flow through the cytochrome pathway of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, and plants commonly respond to phosphate deprivation by increasing flow through the alternative oxidase (AOX). To test whether this response is linked to the increase in nitric oxide (NO) production that also increases under phosphate starvation, Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings were grown for 15 d on media containing either 0 or 1mM inorganic phosphate. The effects of the phosphate supply on growth, the production of NO, respiration, the AOX level and the production of superoxide were compared for wild-type (WT) seedlings and the nitrate reductase double mutant nia. Phosphate deprivation increased NO production in WT roots, and the AOX level and the capacity of the alternative pathway to consume electrons in WT seedlings; whereas the same treatment failed to stimulate NO production and AOX expression in the nia mutant, and the plants had an altered growth phenotype. The NO donor S-nitrosoglutathione rescued the growth phenotype of the nia mutants under phosphate deprivation to some extent, and it also increased the respiratory capacity of AOX. It is concluded that NO is required for the induction of the AOX pathway when seedlings are grown under phosphate-limiting conditions. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  6. Toxicological effects of thiomersal and ethylmercury: Inhibition of the thioredoxin system and NADP+-dependent dehydrogenases of the pentose phosphate pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodrigues, Juan; Branco, Vasco; Lu, Jun; Holmgren, Arne; Carvalho, Cristina

    2015-01-01

    Mercury (Hg) is a strong toxicant affecting mainly the central nervous, renal, cardiovascular and immune systems. Thiomersal (TM) is still in use in medical practice as a topical antiseptic and as a preservative in multiple dose vaccines, routinely given to young children in some developing countries, while other forms of mercury such as methylmercury represent an environmental and food hazard. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of thiomersal (TM) and its breakdown product ethylmercury (EtHg) on the thioredoxin system and NADP + -dependent dehydrogenases of the pentose phosphate pathway. Results show that TM and EtHg inhibited the thioredoxin system enzymes in purified suspensions, being EtHg comparable to methylmercury (MeHg). Also, treatment of neuroblastoma and liver cells with TM or EtHg decreased cell viability (GI 50 : 1.5 to 20 μM) and caused a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the overall activities of thioredoxin (Trx) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in cell lysates. Compared to control, the activities of Trx and TrxR in neuroblastoma cells after EtHg incubation were reduced up to 60% and 80% respectively, whereas in hepatoma cells the reduction was almost 100%. In addition, the activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were also significantly inhibited by all mercurials, with inhibition intensity of Hg 2+ > MeHg ≈ EtHg > TM (p < 0.05). Cell incubation with sodium selenite alleviated the inhibitory effects on TrxR and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Thus, the molecular mechanism of toxicity of TM and especially of its metabolite EtHg encompasses the blockage of the electrons from NADPH via the thioredoxin system. - Highlights: • TM and EtHg inhibit Trx and TrxR both in purified suspensions and cell lysates. • TM and EtHg also inhibit the activities of G6PDH and 6PGDH in cell lysates, • Co-exposure to selenite alleviates the

  7. Benfotiamine blocks three major pathways of hyperglycemic damage and prevents experimental diabetic retinopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammes, Hans-Peter; Du, Xueliang; Edelstein, Diane; Taguchi, Tetsuya; Matsumura, Takeshi; Ju, Qida; Lin, Jihong; Bierhaus, Angelika; Nawroth, Peter; Hannak, Dieter; Neumaier, Michael; Bergfeld, Regine; Giardino, Ida; Brownlee, Michael

    2003-03-01

    Three of the major biochemical pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of hyperglycemia induced vascular damage (the hexosamine pathway, the advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation pathway and the diacylglycerol (DAG)-protein kinase C (PKC) pathway) are activated by increased availability of the glycolytic metabolites glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate. We have discovered that the lipid-soluble thiamine derivative benfotiamine can inhibit these three pathways, as well as hyperglycemia-associated NF-kappaB activation, by activating the pentose phosphate pathway enzyme transketolase, which converts glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate into pentose-5-phosphates and other sugars. In retinas of diabetic animals, benfotiamine treatment inhibited these three pathways and NF-kappaB activation by activating transketolase, and also prevented experimental diabetic retinopathy. The ability of benfotiamine to inhibit three major pathways simultaneously might be clinically useful in preventing the development and progression of diabetic complications.

  8. Data mining and pathway analysis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase with natural language processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Long; Zhang, Chunhua; Wang, Yanling; Li, Yuqian; Han, Qiaoqiao; Yang, Huixin; Zhu, Yuechun

    2017-01-01

    Human glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a crucial enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway, and serves an important role in biosynthesis and the redox balance. G6PD deficiency is a major cause of neonatal jaundice and acute hemolyticanemia, and recently, G6PD has been associated with diseases including inflammation and cancer. The aim of the present study was to conduct a search of the National Center for Biotechnology Information PubMed library for articles discussing G6PD. Genes that were identified to be associated with G6PD were recorded, and the frequency at which each gene appeared was calculated. Gene ontology (GO), pathway and network analyses were then performed. A total of 98 G6PD-associated genes and 33 microRNAs (miRNAs) that potentially regulate G6PD were identified. The 98 G6PD-associated genes were then sub-classified into three functional groups by GO analysis, followed by analysis of function, pathway, network, and disease association. Out of the 47 signaling pathways identified, seven were significantly correlated with G6PD-associated genes. At least two out of four independent programs identified the 33 miRNAs that were predicted to target G6PD. miR-1207-5P, miR-1 and miR-125a-5p were predicted by all four software programs to target G6PD. The results of the present study revealed that dysregulation of G6PD was associated with cancer, autoimmune diseases, and oxidative stress-induced disorders. These results revealed the potential roles of G6PD-regulated signaling and metabolic pathways in the etiology of these diseases. PMID:28627690

  9. Toxicological effects of thiomersal and ethylmercury: Inhibition of the thioredoxin system and NADP{sup +}-dependent dehydrogenases of the pentose phosphate pathway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodrigues, Juan, E-mail: juanricardorodrigues@gmail.com [Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal); Laboratory of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Central University of Venezuela (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Branco, Vasco [Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal); Lu, Jun; Holmgren, Arne [Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet (Sweden); Carvalho, Cristina, E-mail: cristina.carvalho@ff.ulisboa.pt [Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal)

    2015-08-01

    Mercury (Hg) is a strong toxicant affecting mainly the central nervous, renal, cardiovascular and immune systems. Thiomersal (TM) is still in use in medical practice as a topical antiseptic and as a preservative in multiple dose vaccines, routinely given to young children in some developing countries, while other forms of mercury such as methylmercury represent an environmental and food hazard. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of thiomersal (TM) and its breakdown product ethylmercury (EtHg) on the thioredoxin system and NADP{sup +}-dependent dehydrogenases of the pentose phosphate pathway. Results show that TM and EtHg inhibited the thioredoxin system enzymes in purified suspensions, being EtHg comparable to methylmercury (MeHg). Also, treatment of neuroblastoma and liver cells with TM or EtHg decreased cell viability (GI{sub 50}: 1.5 to 20 μM) and caused a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the overall activities of thioredoxin (Trx) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in cell lysates. Compared to control, the activities of Trx and TrxR in neuroblastoma cells after EtHg incubation were reduced up to 60% and 80% respectively, whereas in hepatoma cells the reduction was almost 100%. In addition, the activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were also significantly inhibited by all mercurials, with inhibition intensity of Hg{sup 2+} > MeHg ≈ EtHg > TM (p < 0.05). Cell incubation with sodium selenite alleviated the inhibitory effects on TrxR and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Thus, the molecular mechanism of toxicity of TM and especially of its metabolite EtHg encompasses the blockage of the electrons from NADPH via the thioredoxin system. - Highlights: • TM and EtHg inhibit Trx and TrxR both in purified suspensions and cell lysates. • TM and EtHg also inhibit the activities of G6PDH and 6PGDH in cell lysates, • Co-exposure to selenite alleviates

  10. Benfotiamine improves functional recovery of the infarcted heart via activation of pro-survival G6PD/Akt signaling pathway and modulation of neurohormonal response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katare, Rajesh; Caporali, Andrea; Emanueli, Costanza; Madeddu, Paolo

    2010-10-01

    Benfotiamine (BFT) is a transketolase activator that directs glucose to the pentose phosphate pathway. The present study investigated whether BFT improves the recovery after myocardial infarction (MI) and explored underlying mechanisms of protection. Non-diabetic and streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic mice were supplemented with BFT (70 mg/kg/day in drinking water) for 4 weeks and then subjected to MI or sham operation. Cardiac function was monitored by echocardiography. At two weeks post-MI, intra-ventricular pressure was measured by Millar tip-catheter and hearts were collected for biochemical, immunohistochemical and expressional analyses. No treatment effect was observed in sham-operated mice. Post-MI mortality was higher in diabetic mice and hemodynamic studies confirmed the worsening effect of diabetes on functional recovery. Furthermore, diabetic mice demonstrated increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis, reduced reparative angiogenesis, larger scars, enhanced oxidative stress, and blunted activation of the pro-survival VEGF receptor-2/Akt/Pim-1 signaling pathway. BFT improved post-MI survival, functional recovery and neovascularization and reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and neurohormonal activation in diabetic as well as in non-diabetic mice. In addition, BFT stimulated the activity of pentose phosphate pathway enzymes, leading to reduction of oxidative stress, phosphorylation/activation of VEGF receptor-2 and Akt and increased Pim-1, pBad and Bcl-2 levels. These effects were contrasted on silencing glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, the key enzyme in pentose phosphate pathway, or inhibiting Akt. BFT benefits post-MI recovery through stimulation of pro-survival mechanisms and containment of neurohormonal response. These results may have implications for the treatment of myocardial ischemia. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Proteomic and biochemical basis for enhanced growth yield of Enterobacter sp. LCR1 on insoluble phosphate medium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Arvind; Rai, Lal Chand

    2015-01-01

    Proteomics and biochemical analyses were used to unravel the basis for higher growth yield of Enterobacter sp. LCR1 on insoluble phosphate medium compared to soluble. Proteomic analysis using 2-DE, MALDI-TOF/MS and LC-MS revealed the involvement of nine proteins. Down-regulation of fructose bisphosphate aldolase with decreased concentrations of glucose-6-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate indicated diminished glycolysis. However, up-regulation of phosphoglycerate mutase, increase in the activities of 6-phosphogluconate dehydratase, 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate aldolase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase suggested induction of Entner-Doudoroff and pentose phosphate pathways. These pathways generate sufficient energy from gluconic acid, which is also used for biosynthesis as indicated by up-regulation of elongation factor Tu, elongation factor G and protein disulfide isomerase. Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation resulting from organic acid oxidation leads to overexpressed manganese superoxide dismutase and increased activities of catalase and ascorbate peroxidase. Thus the organism uses gluconate instead of glucose for energy, while alleviating extra ROS formation by oxidative defense enzymes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  12. Carbohydrate metabolism of Xylella fastidiosa: Detection of glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway enzymes and cloning and expression of the enolase gene

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Facincani Agda Paula

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to assess the functionality of the glycolytic pathways in the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. To this effect, the enzymes phosphoglucose isomerase, aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase of the glycolytic pathway, and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway were studied, followed by cloning and expression studies of the enolase gene and determination of its activity. These studies showed that X. fastidiosa does not use the glycolytic pathway to metabolize carbohydrates, which explains the increased duplication time of this phytopatogen. Recombinant enolase was expressed as inclusion bodies and solubilized with urea (most efficient extractor, Triton X-100, and TCA. Enolase extracted from X. fastidiosa and from chicken muscle and liver is irreversibly inactivated by urea. The purification of enolase was partial and resulted in a low yield. No enzymatic activity was detected for either recombinant and native enolases, aldolase, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, suggesting that X. fastidiosa uses the Entner-Doudoroff pathway to produce pyruvate. Evidence is presented supporting the idea that the regulation of genes and the presence of isoforms with regulation patterns might make it difficult to understand the metabolism of carbohydrates in X. fastidiosa.

  13. Effects of anisotonicity on pentose-phosphate pathway, oxidized ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    ammonia, desiccation and alkalinity stresses etc. in dif- ferent seasons of ... chus was found to be 265 mOsmol/l (determined by the freezing ... in the bile and in perfusate was measured enzymatically ... method of Stoll and Häussinger (1989).

  14. Blocking hexose entry into glycolysis activates alternative metabolic conversion of these sugars and upregulates pentose metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khosravi, Claire; Battaglia, Evy; Kun, Roland S.; Dalhuijsen, Sacha; Visser, Jaap; Aguilar-Pontes, Maria V.; Zhou, Miamiao; Heyman, Heino M.; Kim, Young-Mo; Baker, Scott E.; de Vries, Ronald P.

    2018-03-22

    Background: Plant biomass is the most abundant carbon source for many fungal species. In the biobased industry fungi are used to produce lignocellulolytic enzymes to degrade agricultural waste biomass. Here we evaluated if it would be possible to create an Aspergillus nidulans strain that releases but does not metabolize hexoses from plant biomass. For this purpose, metabolic mutants were generated that were impaired in glycolysis, by using hexokinase (hxkA) and glucokinase (glkA) negative strains. To prevent repression of enzyme production due to the hexose accumulation, strains were generated that combined these mutations with a deletion in creA, the repressor involved in regulating preferential use of different carbon catabolic pathways. Results: Phenotypic analysis revealed reduced growth for the hxkA1 glkA4 mutant on wheat bran. However, hexoses did not accumulate during growth of the mutants on wheat bran, suggesting that glucose metabolism is re-routed towards alternative carbon catabolic pathways. The creAΔ4 mutation in combination with preventing initial phosphorylation in glycolysis resulted in better growth than the hxkA/glkA mutant and an increased expression of pentose catabolic and pentose phosphate pathway genes. This indicates that the reduced ability to use hexoses as carbon sources created a shift towards the pentose fraction of wheat bran as a major carbon source to support growth. Conclusion: Blocking the direct entry of hexoses to glycolysis activates alternative metabolic conversion of these sugars in A. nidulans during growth on plant biomass, but also upregulates conversion of other sugars, such as pentoses.

  15. Updates to a 13C metabolic flux analysis model for evaluating energy metabolism in cultured cerebellar granule neurons from neonatal rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jekabsons, Mika B; Gebril, Hoda M; Wang, Yan-Hong; Avula, Bharathi; Khan, Ikhlas A

    2017-10-01

    A hexose phosphate recycling model previously developed to infer fluxes through the major glucose consuming pathways in cultured cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) from neonatal rats metabolizing [1,2- 13 C 2 ]glucose was revised by considering reverse flux through the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and symmetrical succinate oxidation within the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The model adjusts three flux ratios to effect 13 C distribution in the hexose, pentose, and triose phosphate pools, and in TCA cycle malate to minimize the error between predicted and measured 13 C labeling in exported lactate (i.e., unlabeled, single-, double-, and triple-labeled; M, M1, M2, and M3, respectively). Inclusion of reverse non-oxidative PPP flux substantially increased the number of calculations but ultimately had relatively minor effects on the labeling of glycolytic metabolites. From the error-minimized solution in which the predicted M-M3 lactate differed by 0.49% from that measured by liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, the neurons exhibited negligible forward non-oxidative PPP flux. Thus, no glucose was used by the pentose cycle despite explicit consideration of hexose phosphate recycling. Mitochondria consumed only 16% of glucose while 45% was exported as lactate by aerobic glycolysis. The remaining 39% of glucose was shunted to pentose phosphates presumably for de novo nucleotide synthesis, but the proportion metabolized through the oxidative PPP vs. the reverse non-oxidative PPP could not be determined. The lactate exported as M1 (2.5%) and M3 (1.2%) was attributed to malic enzyme, which was responsible for 7.8% of pyruvate production (vs. 92.2% by glycolysis). The updated model is more broadly applicable to different cell types by considering bi-directional flux through the non-oxidative PPP. Its application to cultured neurons utilizing glucose as the sole exogenous substrate has demonstrated substantial oxygen-independent glucose

  16. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency does not increase the susceptibility of sperm to oxidative stress induced by H2O2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roshankhah, Shiva; Rostami-Far, Zahra; Shaveisi-Zadeh, Farhad; Movafagh, Abolfazl; Bakhtiari, Mitra; Shaveisi-Zadeh, Jila

    2016-12-01

    Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common human enzyme defect. G6PD plays a key role in the pentose phosphate pathway, which is a major source of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). NADPH provides the reducing equivalents for oxidation-reduction reductions involved in protecting against the toxicity of reactive oxygen species such as H 2 O 2 . We hypothesized that G6PD deficiency may reduce the amount of NADPH in sperms, thereby inhibiting the detoxification of H 2 O 2 , which could potentially affect their motility and viability, resulting in an increased susceptibility to infertility. Semen samples were obtained from four males with G6PD deficiency and eight healthy males as a control. In both groups, motile sperms were isolated from the seminal fluid and incubated with 0, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 120 µM concentrations of H 2 O 2 . After 1 hour incubation at 37℃, sperms were evaluated for motility and viability. Incubation of sperms with 10 and 20 µM H 2 O 2 led to very little decrease in motility and viability, but motility decreased notably in both groups in 40, 60, and 80 µM H 2 O 2 , and viability decreased in both groups in 40, 60, 80, and 120 µM H 2 O 2 . However, no statistically significant differences were found between the G6PD-deficient group and controls. G6PD deficiency does not increase the susceptibility of sperm to oxidative stress induced by H 2 O 2 , and the reducing equivalents necessary for protection against H 2 O 2 are most likely produced by other pathways. Therefore, G6PD deficiency cannot be considered as major risk factor for male infertility.

  17. Replacing Escherichia coli NAD-dependent glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) with a NADP-dependent enzyme from Clostridium acetobutylicum facilitates NADPH dependent pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez, Irene; Zhu, Jiangfeng; Lin, Henry; Bennett, George N; San, Ka-Yiu

    2008-11-01

    Reactions requiring reducing equivalents, NAD(P)H, are of enormous importance for the synthesis of industrially valuable compounds such as carotenoids, polymers, antibiotics and chiral alcohols among others. The use of whole-cell biocatalysis can reduce process cost by acting as catalyst and cofactor regenerator at the same time; however, product yields might be limited by cofactor availability within the cell. Thus, our study focussed on the genetic manipulation of a whole-cell system by modifying metabolic pathways and enzymes to improve the overall production process. In the present work, we genetically engineered an Escherichia coli strain to increase NADPH availability to improve the productivity of products that require NADPH in its biosynthesis. The approach involved an alteration of the glycolysis step where glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GAP) is oxidized to 1,3 bisphophoglycerate (1,3-BPG). This reaction is catalyzed by NAD-dependent endogenous glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) encoded by the gapA gene. We constructed a recombinant E. coli strain by replacing the native NAD-dependent gapA gene with a NADP-dependent GAPDH from Clostridium acetobutylicum, encoded by the gene gapC. The beauty of this approach is that the recombinant E. coli strain produces 2 mol of NADPH, instead of NADH, per mole of glucose consumed. Metabolic flux analysis showed that the flux through the pentose phosphate (PP) pathway, one of the main pathways that produce NADPH, was reduced significantly in the recombinant strain when compared to that of the parent strain. The effectiveness of the NADPH enhancing system was tested using the production of lycopene and epsilon-caprolactone as model systems using two different background strains. The recombinant strains, with increased NADPH availability, consistently showed significant higher productivity than the parent strains.

  18. Metabolic impact of an NADH-producing glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in Escherichia coli

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olavarria, K.; De Ingeniis, J.; Zielinski, D. C.

    2014-01-01

    In Escherichia coli, the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway (oxPPP) is one of the major sources of NADPH when glucose is the sole carbon nutrient. However, unbalanced NADPH production causes growth impairment as observed in a strain lacking phosphoglucoisomerase (Δpgi). In this work......PDH(R46E,Q47E). Through homologous recombination, the zwf loci (encoding G6PDH) in the chromosomes of WT and Δpgi E. coli strains were replaced by DNA encoding LmG6PDH(R46E,Q47E). Contrary to some predictions performed with flux balance analysis, the replacements caused a substantial effect...

  19. Storing red blood cells with vitamin C and N-acetylcysteine prevents oxidative stress-related lesions: a metabolomics overview.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pallotta, Valeria; Gevi, Federica; D'alessandro, Angelo; Zolla, Lello

    2014-07-01

    Recent advances in red blood cell metabolomics have paved the way for further improvements of storage solutions. In the present study, we exploited a validated high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analytical workflow to determine the effects of vitamin C and N-acetylcysteine supplementation (anti-oxidants) on the metabolome of erythrocytes stored in citrate-phosphate-dextrose saline-adenine-glucose-mannitol medium under blood bank conditions. We observed decreased energy metabolism fluxes (glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway). A tentative explanation of this phenomenon could be related to the observed depression of the uptake of glucose, since glucose and ascorbate are known to compete for the same transporter. Anti-oxidant supplementation was effective in modulating the redox poise, through the promotion of glutathione homeostasis, which resulted in decreased haemolysis and less accumulation of malondialdehyde and oxidation by-products (including oxidized glutathione and prostaglandins). Anti-oxidants improved storage quality by coping with oxidative stress at the expense of glycolytic metabolism, although reservoirs of high energy phosphate compounds were preserved by reduced cyclic AMP-mediated release of ATP.

  20. The oxidized form of vitamin C, dehydroascorbic acid, regulates neuronal energy metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cisternas, Pedro; Silva-Alvarez, Carmen; Martínez, Fernando; Fernandez, Emilio; Ferrada, Luciano; Oyarce, Karina; Salazar, Katterine; Bolaños, Juan P; Nualart, Francisco

    2014-05-01

    Vitamin C is an essential factor for neuronal function and survival, existing in two redox states, ascorbic acid (AA), and its oxidized form, dehydroascorbic acid (DHA). Here, we show uptake of both AA and DHA by primary cultures of rat brain cortical neurons. Moreover, we show that most intracellular AA was rapidly oxidized to DHA. Intracellular DHA induced a rapid and dramatic decrease in reduced glutathione that was immediately followed by a spontaneous recovery. This transient decrease in glutathione oxidation was preceded by an increase in the rate of glucose oxidation through the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and a concomitant decrease in glucose oxidation through glycolysis. DHA stimulated the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, the rate-limiting enzyme of the PPP. Furthermore, we found that DHA stimulated the rate of lactate uptake by neurons in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Thus, DHA is a novel modulator of neuronal energy metabolism by facilitating the utilization of glucose through the PPP for antioxidant purposes. © 2014 International Society for Neurochemistry.

  1. Activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in cerebellum of chronic hepatic encephalopathy rats is associated with up-regulation of NADPH-producing pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Santosh; Trigun, Surendra K

    2010-09-01

    Cerebellum-associated functions get affected during mild hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with chronic liver failure (CLF). Involvement of nitrosative and antioxidant factors in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatic encephalopathy is an evolving concept and needs to be defined in a true CLF animal model. This article describes profiles of NADPH-dependent neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and those of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase (GR) vis-a-vis regulation of NADPH-producing pathway in the cerebellum of CLF rats induced by administration of thioacetamide (100 mg kg⁻¹ b.w., i.p.) up to 10 days and confirming MHE on Morris water maze tests. Significant increases in the expression of nNOS protein and nitric oxide (NOx) level coincided with a similar increment in NADPH-diaphorase activity in the cerebellum of CLF rats. Glutathione peroxidase and GR utilize NADPH to regenerate reduced glutathione (GSH) in the cells. Both these enzymes and GSH level were found to be static and thus suggested efficient turnover of GSH in the cerebellum of MHE rats. Relative levels of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) vs. phosphofructokinase 2 (PFK2) determine the rate of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) responsible to synthesize NADPH. The cerebellum of CLF rats showed overactivation of G6PD with a significant decline in the expression of PFK2 and thus suggested activation of PPP in the cerebellum during MHE. It is concluded that concordant activations of PPP and nNOS in cerebellum of MHE rats could be associated with the implication of NOx in the pathogenesis of MHE.

  2. Analysis of Metabolic Pathways and Fluxes in a Newly Discovered Thermophilic and Ethanol-Tolerant Geobacillus Strain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tang, Yinjie J.; Sapra, Rajat; Joyner, Dominique; Hazen, Terry C.; Myers, Samuel; Reichmuth, David; Blanch, Harvey; Keasling, Jay D.

    2009-01-20

    A recently discovered thermophilic bacterium, Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius M10EXG, ferments a range of C5 (e.g., xylose) and C6 sugars (e.g., glucose) and istolerant to high ethanol concentrations (10percent, v/v). We have investigated the central metabolism of this bacterium using both in vitro enzyme assays and 13C-based flux analysis to provide insights into the physiological properties of this extremophile and explore its metabolism for bio-ethanol or other bioprocess applications. Our findings show that glucose metabolism in G. thermoglucosidasius M10EXG proceeds via glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the TCA cycle; the Entner?Doudoroff pathway and transhydrogenase activity were not detected. Anaplerotic reactions (including the glyoxylate shunt, pyruvate carboxylase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) were active, but fluxes through those pathways could not be accuratelydetermined using amino acid labeling. When growth conditions were switched from aerobic to micro-aerobic conditions, fluxes (based on a normalized glucose uptake rate of 100 units (g DCW)-1 h-1) through the TCA cycle and oxidative pentose phosphate pathway were reduced from 64+-3 to 25+-2 and from 30+-2 to 19+-2, respectively. The carbon flux under micro-aerobic growth was directed formate. Under fully anerobic conditions, G. thermoglucosidasius M10EXG used a mixed acid fermentation process and exhibited a maximum ethanol yield of 0.38+-0.07 mol mol-1 glucose. In silico flux balance modeling demonstrates that lactate and acetate production from G. thermoglucosidasius M10EXG reduces the maximum ethanol yieldby approximately threefold, thus indicating that both pathways should be modified to maximize ethanol production.

  3. LuxS-independent formation of AI-2 from ribulose-5-phosphate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hardie Kim R

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In many bacteria, the signal molecule AI-2 is generated from its precursor S-ribosyl-L-homocysteine in a reaction catalysed by the enzyme LuxS. However, generation of AI-2-like activity has also been reported for organisms lacking the luxS gene and the existence of alternative pathways for AI-2 formation in Escherichia coli has recently been predicted by stochastic modelling. Here, we investigate the possibility that spontaneous conversion of ribulose-5-phosphate could be responsible for AI-2 generation in the absence of luxS. Results Buffered solutions of ribulose-5-phosphate, but not ribose-5-phosphate, were found to contain high levels of AI-2 activity following incubation at concentrations similar to those reported in vivo. To test whether this process contributes to AI-2 formation by bacterial cells in vivo, an improved Vibrio harveyi bioassay was used. In agreement with previous studies, culture supernatants of E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus luxS mutants were found not to contain detectable levels of AI-2 activity. However, low activities were detected in an E. coli pgi-eda-edd-luxS mutant, a strain which degrades glucose entirely via the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, with ribulose-5-phosphate as an obligatory intermediate. Conclusion Our results suggest that LuxS-independent formation of AI-2, via spontaneous conversion of ribulose-5-phosphate, may indeed occur in vivo. It does not contribute to AI-2 formation in wildtype E. coli and S. aureus under the conditions tested, but may be responsible for the AI-2-like activities reported for other organisms lacking the luxS gene.

  4. Angora goat

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Angora goat, tables of nutritional requirements (NRC, 1981) have been derived by ..... may fall as low as 0.38%/min in diabetic cows (Kaneko,. 1989). The diagnostic ... dependent on glucose oxidation via the pentose-phosphate pathway in ...

  5. Hawkmoths use nectar sugar to reduce oxidative damage from flight.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levin, E; Lopez-Martinez, G; Fane, B; Davidowitz, G

    2017-02-17

    Nectar-feeding animals have among the highest recorded metabolic rates. High aerobic performance is linked to oxidative damage in muscles. Antioxidants in nectar are scarce to nonexistent. We propose that nectarivores use nectar sugar to mitigate the oxidative damage caused by the muscular demands of flight. We found that sugar-fed moths had lower oxidative damage to their flight muscle membranes than unfed moths. Using respirometry coupled with δ 13 C analyses, we showed that moths generate antioxidant potential by shunting nectar glucose to the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), resulting in a reduction in oxidative damage to the flight muscles. We suggest that nectar feeding, the use of PPP, and intense exercise are causally linked and have allowed the evolution of powerful fliers that feed on nectar. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  6. Molecular Identification of G6PD Chatham (G1003A) in Khuzestan ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is the first enzyme in pentose phosphate pathway and the main intracel- lular source of NADPH. Since G6PD is the only source of. NADPH in red blood cells, defense against oxidative damage strongly depends on its activity (Mehta et al. 2000). Defi- ciency of G6PD enzyme in ...

  7. An alternative membrane transport pathway for phosphate and adenine nucleotides in mitochondria and its possible function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynafarje, Baltazar; Lehninger, Albert L.

    1978-01-01

    This paper describes the properties and a possible biological role of a transport process across the inner membrane of rat liver mitochondria resulting in the exchange of ATP4- (out) for ADP3- (in) + 0.5 phosphate2- (in). This transmembrane exchange reaction, designated as the ATP-ADP-phosphate exchange, is specific for the ligands shown, electroneutral, insensitive to N-ethylmaleimide or mersalyl, inhibited by atractyloside, and appears to occur only in the direction as written. It is thus distinct from the well-known phosphate-hydroxide and phosphate-dicarboxylate exchange systems, which are inhibited by mersalyl, and from the ATP-ADP exchanger, which does not transport phosphate. During ATP hydrolysis by mitochondria, half of the phosphate formed from ATP passes from the matrix to the medium by the mersalyl-insensitive ATP-ADP-phosphate exchange and the other half by the well-known mersalyl-sensitive phosphate-hydroxide exchange. These and other considerations have led to a hypothesis for the pathway and stoichiometry of ATP-dependent reverse electron transport, characterized by a requirement of 1.33 molecules of ATP per pair of electrons reversed and by the utilization of a different membrane transport pathway for phosphate and adenine nucleotides than is taken in forward electron flow and oxidative phosphorylation. The possible occurrence of independent pathways for ATP-forming forward electron flow and ATP-consuming reverse electron flow is consonant with the fact that the opposing degradative and synthetic pathways in the central routes of cell metabolism generally have different pathways that are independently regulated. PMID:283393

  8. Effect of aspirin and prostaglandins on the carbohydrate metabolism in albino rats.: glucose oxidation through different pathways and glycolytic enzymes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balasubramanian, A.; Ramakrishnan, S.

    1980-01-01

    The effect of chronic and acute doses of aspirin and prostaglandins F2α and E2 individually on the oxidation of glucose through Embden Meyerhof-TCA cycle and pentose phosphate pathways and some key glycolytic enzymes of liver were studied in male albino rats. Studies were extended to find the combined effect of PGF2α and E2 with an acute dose of aspirin. There was increased utilisation of both 1- 14 C glucose and 6- 14 C glucose on aspirin treatment. However, the metabolism through the EM-TCA pathway was more pronounced as shown by a reduced ratio of 14 CO 2 from 1- 14 C and 6- 14 C glucose. Two hepatic key glycolytic enzymes viz. hexokinase and pyruvate kinase were increased due to aspirin treatment. Withdrawal of aspirin corrected the above impaired carbohydrate metabolism in liver. Prostaglandin F2α also caused a reduction in the utilisation of 1- 14 C glucose, while PGE2 recorded an increase in the utilisation of both 1- 14 C and 6- 14 C glucose when compared to controls, indicating that different members of prostaglandins could affect metabolisms and differently. Administration of the PGs and aspirin together showed an increase in the utilisation of 6- 14 C glucose. (auth.)

  9. A de novo NADPH generation pathway for improving lysine production of Corynebacterium glutamicum by rational design of the coenzyme specificity of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bommareddy, Rajesh Reddy; Chen, Zhen; Rappert, Sugima; Zeng, An-Ping

    2014-09-01

    Engineering the cofactor availability is a common strategy of metabolic engineering to improve the production of many industrially important compounds. In this work, a de novo NADPH generation pathway is proposed by altering the coenzyme specificity of a native NAD-dependent glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) to NADP, which consequently has the potential to produce additional NADPH in the glycolytic pathway. Specifically, the coenzyme specificity of GAPDH of Corynebacterium glutamicum is systematically manipulated by rational protein design and the effect of the manipulation for cellular metabolism and lysine production is evaluated. By a combinatorial modification of four key residues within the coenzyme binding sites, different GAPDH mutants with varied coenzyme specificity were constructed. While increasing the catalytic efficiency of GAPDH towards NADP enhanced lysine production in all of the tested mutants, the most significant improvement of lysine production (~60%) was achieved with the mutant showing similar preference towards both NAD and NADP. Metabolic flux analysis with (13)C isotope studies confirmed that there was no significant change of flux towards the pentose phosphate pathway and the increased lysine yield was mainly attributed to the NADPH generated by the mutated GAPDH. The present study highlights the importance of protein engineering as a key strategy in de novo pathway design and overproduction of desired products. Copyright © 2014 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Kinetic and thermodynamic study of the reaction catalyzed by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin del Campo, Julia S.; Patino, Rodrigo

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → The reaction catalyzed by one enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway was studied. → A spectrophotometric method is proposed for kinetic and thermodynamic analysis. → The pH and the temperature influences are reported on physical chemical properties. → Relative concentrations of substrates are also important in the catalytic process. - Abstract: The enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD, EC 1.1.1.49) from Leuconostoc mesenteroides has a dual coenzyme specificity with oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD ox ) and oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate as electron acceptors. The G6PD coenzyme selection is determined by the metabolic cellular prevailing conditions. In this study a kinetic and thermodynamic analysis is presented for the reaction catalyzed by G6PD from L. mesenteroides with NAD ox as coenzyme in phosphate buffer. For this work, an in situ spectrophotometric technique was employed based on the detection of one product of the reaction. Substrate and coenzyme concentrations as well as temperature and pH effects were evaluated. The apparent equilibrium constant, the Michaelis constant, and the turnover number were determined as a function of each experimental condition. The standard transformed Gibbs energy of reaction was determined from equilibrium constants at different initial conditions. For the product 6-phospho-D-glucono-1,5-lactone, a value of the standard Gibbs energy of formation is proposed, Δ f G o = -1784 ± 5 kJ mol -1 .

  11. Kinetic and thermodynamic study of the reaction catalyzed by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martin del Campo, Julia S. [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados - Unidad Merida, Carretera antigua a Progreso Km. 6, A.P. 73 Cordemex, 97310, Merida, Yucatan (Mexico); Patino, Rodrigo, E-mail: rtarkus@mda.cinvestav.mx [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados - Unidad Merida, Carretera antigua a Progreso Km. 6, A.P. 73 Cordemex, 97310, Merida, Yucatan (Mexico)

    2011-04-20

    Research highlights: {yields} The reaction catalyzed by one enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway was studied. {yields} A spectrophotometric method is proposed for kinetic and thermodynamic analysis. {yields} The pH and the temperature influences are reported on physical chemical properties. {yields} Relative concentrations of substrates are also important in the catalytic process. - Abstract: The enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD, EC 1.1.1.49) from Leuconostoc mesenteroides has a dual coenzyme specificity with oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD{sub ox}) and oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate as electron acceptors. The G6PD coenzyme selection is determined by the metabolic cellular prevailing conditions. In this study a kinetic and thermodynamic analysis is presented for the reaction catalyzed by G6PD from L. mesenteroides with NAD{sub ox} as coenzyme in phosphate buffer. For this work, an in situ spectrophotometric technique was employed based on the detection of one product of the reaction. Substrate and coenzyme concentrations as well as temperature and pH effects were evaluated. The apparent equilibrium constant, the Michaelis constant, and the turnover number were determined as a function of each experimental condition. The standard transformed Gibbs energy of reaction was determined from equilibrium constants at different initial conditions. For the product 6-phospho-D-glucono-1,5-lactone, a value of the standard Gibbs energy of formation is proposed, {Delta}{sub f}G{sup o} = -1784 {+-} 5 kJ mol{sup -1}.

  12. Genome sequence of the thermophilic strain Bacillus coagulans XZL4, an efficient pentose-utilizing producer of chemicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Fei; Xu, Ke; Zhao, Bo; Tai, Cui; Tao, Fei; Tang, Hongzhi; Xu, Ping

    2011-11-01

    Bacillus coagulans XZL4 is an efficient pentose-utilizing producer of important platform compounds, such as l-lactic acid, 2,3-butanediol, and acetoin. Here we present a 2.8-Mb assembly of its genome. Simple and efficient carbohydrate metabolism systems, especially the transketolase/transaldolase pathway, make it possible to convert pentose sugars to products at high levels.

  13. Investigation on the Metabolic Regulation of pgi gene knockout Escherichia coli by Enzyme Activities and Intracellular Metabolite Concentrations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nor ‘Aini, A. R.

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available An integrated analysis of the cell growth characteristics, enzyme activities, intracellular metabolite concentrations was made to investigate the metabolic regulation of pgi gene knockout Escherichia coli based on batch culture and continuous culture which was performed at the dilution rate of 0.2h-1. The enzymatic study identified that pathways of pentose phosphate, ED pathway and glyoxylate shunt were all active in pgi mutant. The glycolysis enzymes i.e glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, fructose diphosphatase, pyruvate kinase, triose phosphate isomerase were down regulated implying that the inactivation of pgi gene reduced the carbon flux through glycolytic pathway. Meanwhile, the pentose phosphate pathway was active as a major route for intermediary carbohydrate metabolism instead of glycolysis. The pentose phosphate pathway generates most of the major reducing co-factor NADPH as shown by the increased of NADPH/NADP+ ratio in the mutant when compared with the parent strain. The fermentative enzymes such as acetate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase were down regulated in the mutant. Knockout of pgi gene results in the significant increase in the intracellular concentration of glucose-6-phosphate and decrease in the concentration of oxaloacetate. The slow growth rate of the mutant was assumed to be affected by the accumulation of glucose-6-phosphate and imbalance of NADPH reoxidation.

  14. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in rat lung alveolar epithelial cells. An ultrastructural enzyme-cytochemical study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Matsubara

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD is the key enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway in carbohydrate metabolism, and it plays an important role in cell proliferation and antioxidant regulation within cells in various organs. Although marked cell proliferation and oxidant/antioxidant metabolism occur in lung alveolar epithelial cells, definite data has been lacking as to whether cytochemically detectable G6PD is present in alveolar epithelial cells. The distribution pattern of G6PD within these cells, if it is present, is also unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the subcellular localization of G6PD in alveolar cells in the rat lung using a newly- developed enzyme-cytochemistry (copper-ferrocyanide method. Type I cells and stromal endothelia and fibroblasts showed no activities. Electron-dense precipitates indicating G6PD activity were clearly visible in the cytoplasm and on the cytosolic side of the endoplasmic reticulum of type II alveolar epithelial cells. The cytochemical controls ensured specific detection of enzyme activity. This enzyme may play a role in airway defense by delivering substances for cell proliferation and antioxidant forces, thus maintaining the airway architecture.

  15. Metabolic pathway engineering based on metabolomics confers acetic and formic acid tolerance to a recombinant xylose-fermenting strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ishii Jun

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The development of novel yeast strains with increased tolerance toward inhibitors in lignocellulosic hydrolysates is highly desirable for the production of bio-ethanol. Weak organic acids such as acetic and formic acids are necessarily released during the pretreatment (i.e. solubilization and hydrolysis of lignocelluloses, which negatively affect microbial growth and ethanol production. However, since the mode of toxicity is complicated, genetic engineering strategies addressing yeast tolerance to weak organic acids have been rare. Thus, enhanced basic research is expected to identify target genes for improved weak acid tolerance. Results In this study, the effect of acetic acid on xylose fermentation was analyzed by examining metabolite profiles in a recombinant xylose-fermenting strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Metabolome analysis revealed that metabolites involved in the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (PPP [e.g. sedoheptulose-7-phosphate, ribulose-5-phosphate, ribose-5-phosphate and erythrose-4-phosphate] were significantly accumulated by the addition of acetate, indicating the possibility that acetic acid slows down the flux of the pathway. Accordingly, a gene encoding a PPP-related enzyme, transaldolase or transketolase, was overexpressed in the xylose-fermenting yeast, which successfully conferred increased ethanol productivity in the presence of acetic and formic acid. Conclusions Our metabolomic approach revealed one of the molecular events underlying the response to acetic acid and focuses attention on the non-oxidative PPP as a target for metabolic engineering. An important challenge for metabolic engineering is identification of gene targets that have material importance. This study has demonstrated that metabolomics is a powerful tool to develop rational strategies to confer tolerance to stress through genetic engineering.

  16. Preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of the d-xylulose 5-phosphate phosphoketolase from Lactococcus lactis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrareanu, Georgiana; Balasu, Mihaela C.; Zander, Ulrich; Scheidig, Axel J.; Szedlacsek, Stefan E.

    2010-01-01

    The expression, purification, preliminary crystallization and crystallographic analysis of phosphoketolase from L. lactis ssp. lactis (strain IL 1403) are reported. Phosphoketolases are thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzymes which play a central role in the pentose-phosphate pathway of heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria. They belong to the family of aldehyde-lyases and in the presence of phosphate ion cleave the carbon–carbon bond of the specific substrate d-xylulose 5-phosphate (or d-fructose 6-phosphate) to give acetyl phosphate and d-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (or d-erythrose 4-phosphate). Structural information about phosphoketolases is particularly important in order to fully understand their mechanism as well as the steric course of phosphoketolase-catalyzed reactions. Here, the purification, preliminary crystallization and crystallographic characterization of d-xylulose 5-phosphate phosphoketolase from Lactococcus lactis are reported. The presence of thiamine diphosphate during purification was essential for the enzymatic activity of the purified protein. The crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group P2 1 . Diffraction data were obtained to a resolution of 2.2 Å

  17. A TIGAR-regulated metabolic pathway is critical for protection of brain ischemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Mei; Sun, Meiling; Cao, Lijuan; Gu, Jin-hua; Ge, Jianbin; Chen, Jieyu; Han, Rong; Qin, Yuan-Yuan; Zhou, Zhi-Peng; Ding, Yuqiang; Qin, Zheng-Hong

    2014-05-28

    TP53-induced glycolysis and apoptosis regulator (TIGAR) inhibits glycolysis and increases the flow of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), which generates NADPH and pentose. We hypothesized that TIGAR plays a neuroprotective role in brain ischemia as neurons do not rely on glycolysis but are vulnerable to oxidative stress. We found that TIGAR was highly expressed in brain neurons and was rapidly upregulated in response to ischemia/reperfusion insult in a TP53-independent manner. Overexpression of TIGAR in normal mice with lentivirus reduced ischemic neuronal injury, whereas lentivirus-mediated TIGAR knockdown aggravated it. In cultured primary neurons, increasing TIGAR expression reduced oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)/reoxygenation-induced injury, whereas decreasing its expression worsened the injury. The glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase was upregulated in mouse and cellular models of stroke, and its upregulation was further enhanced by overexpression of TIGAR. Supplementation of NADPH also reduced ischemia/reperfusion brain injury and alleviated TIGAR knockdown-induced aggravation of ischemic injury. In animal and cellular stroke models, ischemia/reperfusion increased mitochondrial localization of TIGAR. OGD/reoxygenation-induced elevation of ROS, reduction of GSH, dysfunction of mitochondria, and activation of caspase-3 were rescued by overexpression of TIGAR or supplementation of NADPH, while knockdown of TIGAR aggravated these changes. Together, our results show that TIGAR protects ischemic brain injury via enhancing PPP flux and preserving mitochondria function, and thus may be a valuable therapeutic target for ischemic brain injury. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/347458-14$15.00/0.

  18. Cyanobacterial carbon metabolism: Fluxome plasticity and oxygen dependence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wan, Ni; Delorenzo, Drew M.; He, Lian

    2017-01-01

    Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 has been widely used as a photo-biorefinery chassis. Based on its genome annotation, this species contains a complete TCA cycle, an Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway (EMPP), an oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP), and an Entner-Doudoroff pathway (EDP). To eva...... the ability to regulate their fluxes under various growth conditions (plastic), whereas its TCA cycle always maintains at low levels (rigid). This work also demonstrates how genetic profiles do not always reflect actual metabolic flux through native or heterologous pathways....

  19. Synergy between the KEAP1/NRF2 and PI3K Pathways Drives Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer with an Altered Immune Microenvironment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Best, Sarah A; De Souza, David P; Kersbergen, Ariena; Policheni, Antonia N; Dayalan, Saravanan; Tull, Dedreia; Rathi, Vivek; Gray, Daniel H; Ritchie, Matthew E; McConville, Malcolm J; Sutherland, Kate D

    2018-04-03

    The lung presents a highly oxidative environment, which is tolerated through engagement of tightly controlled stress response pathways. A critical stress response mediator is the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (NFE2L2/NRF2), which is negatively regulated by Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1). Alterations in the KEAP1/NRF2 pathway have been identified in 23% of lung adenocarcinomas, suggesting that deregulation of the pathway is a major cancer driver. We demonstrate that inactivation of Keap1 and Pten in the mouse lung promotes adenocarcinoma formation. Notably, metabolites identified in the plasma of Keap1 f/f /Pten f/f tumor-bearing mice indicate that tumorigenesis is associated with reprogramming of the pentose phosphate pathway. Furthermore, the immune milieu was dramatically changed by Keap1 and Pten deletion, and tumor regression was achieved utilizing immune checkpoint inhibition. Thus, our study highlights the ability to exploit both metabolic and immune characteristics in the detection and treatment of lung tumors harboring KEAP1/NRF2 pathway alterations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Carbon Fluxes between Primary Metabolism and Phenolic Pathway in Plant Tissues under Stress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sofia Caretto

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Higher plants synthesize an amazing diversity of phenolic secondary metabolites. Phenolics are defined secondary metabolites or natural products because, originally, they were considered not essential for plant growth and development. Plant phenolics, like other natural compounds, provide the plant with specific adaptations to changing environmental conditions and, therefore, they are essential for plant defense mechanisms. Plant defensive traits are costly for plants due to the energy drain from growth toward defensive metabolite production. Being limited with environmental resources, plants have to decide how allocate these resources to various competing functions. This decision brings about trade-offs, i.e., promoting some functions by neglecting others as an inverse relationship. Many studies have been carried out in order to link an evaluation of plant performance (in terms of growth rate with levels of defense-related metabolites. Available results suggest that environmental stresses and stress-induced phenolics could be linked by a transduction pathway that involves: (i the proline redox cycle; (ii the stimulated oxidative pentose phosphate pathway; and, in turn, (iii the reduced growth of plant tissues.

  1. Metal Phosphate-Supported Pt Catalysts for CO Oxidation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoshuang Qian

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Oxides (such as SiO2, TiO2, ZrO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CeO2 have often been used to prepare supported Pt catalysts for CO oxidation and other reactions, whereas metal phosphate-supported Pt catalysts for CO oxidation were rarely reported. Metal phosphates are a family of metal salts with high thermal stability and acid-base properties. Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO46(OH2, denoted as Ca-P-O here also has rich hydroxyls. Here we report a series of metal phosphate-supported Pt (Pt/M-P-O, M = Mg, Al, Ca, Fe, Co, Zn, La catalysts for CO oxidation. Pt/Ca-P-O shows the highest activity. Relevant characterization was conducted using N2 adsorption-desorption, inductively coupled plasma (ICP atomic emission spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, CO2 temperature-programmed desorption (CO2-TPD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, and H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR. This work furnishes a new catalyst system for CO oxidation and other possible reactions.

  2. Glucose pathways adaptation supports acquisition of activated microglia phenotype.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gimeno-Bayón, J; López-López, A; Rodríguez, M J; Mahy, N

    2014-06-01

    With its capacity to survey the environment and phagocyte debris, microglia assume a diversity of phenotypes to respond specifically through neurotrophic and toxic effects. Although these roles are well accepted, the underlying energetic mechanisms associated with microglial activation remain largely unclear. This study investigates microglia metabolic adaptation to ATP, NADPH, H(+) , and reactive oxygen species production. To this end, in vitro studies were performed with BV-2 cells before and after activation with lipopolysaccharide + interferon-γ. Nitric oxide (NO) was measured as a marker of cell activation. Our results show that microglial activation triggers a metabolic reprogramming based on an increased glucose uptake and a strengthening of anaerobic glycolysis, as well as of the pentose pathway oxidative branch, while retaining the mitochondrial activity. Based on this energy commitment, microglial defense capacity increases rapidly as well as ribose-5-phosphate and nucleic acid formation for gene transcription, essential to ensure the newly acquired functions demanded by central nervous system signaling. We also review the role of NO in this microglial energy commitment that positions cytotoxic microglia within the energetics of the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Physiological role of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in cold acclimation of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yong; Yu, Dingqun; Luo, Ya; Wang, Xiaorong; Chen, Qing; Sun, Bo; Wang, Yan; Liu, Zejing; Tang, Haoru

    2018-04-01

    In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in study of new resistance mechanism in fruit trees. All these regard the climate change and subsequent fruit production. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP), and the expression of this enzyme is related to different biotic and abiotic stresses. Under accumulation of low temperature stress, the significant increase in G6PDH activity was found to be closely correlated to the levels of antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, sugar contents as well as changes of superoxide (O2•-). It is suggested that the enhancement of cold resistance of strawberry, which induced by cold acclimation, related to the significant increase in G6PDH activity. On one hand, G6PDH activates NADPH oxidase to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS); on the other hand, it may be involved in the activation of antioxidant enzymes, and accelerates many other important NADPH-dependent enzymatic reactions. Then further result in the elevation of membrane stability and cold resistance of strawberry. Interestingly, even though the plants were placed again under a temperature of 25°C for 1 d, the higher cold resistance, enzyme activities and soluble sugar content acquired.

  4. Protective effects of a wheat germ rich diet against the toxic influence of profenofos on rat tissue lipids and oxidative pentose phosphate shunt enzymes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdel-Rahim, G. A.

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available The effects of technical and formulated forms of profenofos on the metabolic lipid fractions of the liver, brain and kidneys as well as the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD, which consider lipid related enzymes, were studied. The two forms of profenofos were given separately either orally or by dermal at doses of 1/20 LD50 for 3 months (one dose every 48 h. Total lipids and lipid fractions (cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipid contents decreased in the three studied organ tissues either in technical or formulated profenofos-induced rats compared with normal control animals. The highest effect was observed in the case of orally formulated profenofo induction, and the lowest was detected for the dermal technical one. The same trend was found in the activities of G6PD and 6PGD associated with lipid metabolism in the liver, brain and kidney tissues under the same conditions. On other hand, the treatment of profenofos-induced animals by feeding a wheat germ rich diet (as antioxidant agent produced significant improvements in both lipid fraction content and enzyme activity. In addition, the effects of the wheat germ rich diet (α-tocopherol rich source readjusted and improved the disturbed metabolic fractions of the lipid profiles in the profenofos-induced rats as well as their related enzyme activities (G6PD and 6PGD: oxidative pentose phosphate shunt.

    El efecto de formas técnicas o formuladas de profenofós en la fracción lipídica metabólica de hígado, cerebro y riñones así como la actividad de la glucosa-6-fosfato deshidrogenasa (G6PD y 6-fosfogluconato deshidrogenasa (6PGD, que son consideradas enzimas relacionadas con los lípidos, fueron estudiadas. Ambas formas de profenofós fueron suministradas separadamente tanto por vía oral como cutánea a una dosis de 1/20 LD50 durante 3 meses (una dosis cada 48 horas. Los lípidos totales y

  5. Structural Basis for Substrate Specificity in Phosphate Binding (beta/alpha)8-Barrels: D-Allulose 6-Phosphate 3-Epimerase from Escherichia coli K-12

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chan,K.; Fedorov, A.; Almo, S.; Gerlt, J.

    2008-01-01

    Enzymes that share the ({beta}/{alpha})8-barrel fold catalyze a diverse range of reactions. Many utilize phosphorylated substrates and share a conserved C-terminal ({beta}/a)2-quarter barrel subdomain that provides a binding motif for the dianionic phosphate group. We recently reported functional and structural studies of d-ribulose 5-phosphate 3-epimerase (RPE) from Streptococcus pyogenes that catalyzes the equilibration of the pentulose 5-phosphates d-ribulose 5-phosphate and d-xylulose 5-phosphate in the pentose phosphate pathway [J. Akana, A. A. Fedorov, E. Fedorov, W. R. P. Novack, P. C. Babbitt, S. C. Almo, and J. A. Gerlt (2006) Biochemistry 45, 2493-2503]. We now report functional and structural studies of d-allulose 6-phosphate 3-epimerase (ALSE) from Escherichia coli K-12 that catalyzes the equilibration of the hexulose 6-phosphates d-allulose 6-phosphate and d-fructose 6-phosphate in a catabolic pathway for d-allose. ALSE and RPE prefer their physiological substrates but are promiscuous for each other's substrate. The active sites (RPE complexed with d-xylitol 5-phosphate and ALSE complexed with d-glucitol 6-phosphate) are superimposable (as expected from their 39% sequence identity), with the exception of the phosphate binding motif. The loop following the eighth {beta}-strand in ALSE is one residue longer than the homologous loop in RPE, so the binding site for the hexulose 6-phosphate substrate/product in ALSE is elongated relative to that for the pentulose 5-phosphate substrate/product in RPE. We constructed three single-residue deletion mutants of the loop in ALSE, ?T196, ?S197 and ?G198, to investigate the structural bases for the differing substrate specificities; for each, the promiscuity is altered so that d-ribulose 5-phosphate is the preferred substrate. The changes in kcat/Km are dominated by changes in kcat, suggesting that substrate discrimination results from differential transition state stabilization. In both ALSE and RPE, the

  6. Pathway confirmation and flux analysis of central metabolic pathways in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Yinjie; Pingitore, Francesco; Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila; Phan, Richard; Hazen, Terry C.; Keasling, Jay D.

    2007-01-01

    Flux distribution in central metabolic pathways of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough was examined using 13C tracer experiments. Consistent with the current genome annotation and independent evidence from enzyme activity assays, the isotopomer results from both GC-MS and Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) indicate the lack of oxidatively functional TCA cycle and an incomplete pentose phosphate pathway. Results from this study suggest that fluxes through both pathways are limited to biosynthesis. The data also indicate that >80 percent of the lactate was converted to acetate and the reactions involved are the primary route of energy production (NAD(P)H and ATP production). Independent of the TCA cycle, direct cleavage of acetyl-CoA to CO and 5,10-methyl-THF also leads to production of NADH and ATP. Although the genome annotation implicates a ferredoxin-dependent oxoglutarate synthase, isotopic evidence does not support flux through this reaction in either the oxidative or reductive mode; therefore, the TCA cycle is incomplete. FT-ICR MS was used to locate the labeled carbon distribution in aspartate and glutamate and confirmed the presence of an atypical enzyme for citrate formation suggested in previous reports (the citrate synthesized by this enzyme is the isotopic antipode of the citrate synthesized by the (S)-citrate synthase). These findings enable a better understanding of the relation between genome annotation and actual metabolic pathways in D. vulgaris, and also demonstrate FT-ICR MS as a powerful tool for isotopomer analysis, overcoming problems in both GC-MS and NMR spectroscopy

  7. The Effects of Fenarimol and Methyl Parathion on Glucose 6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Enzyme Activity in Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ferda ARI

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Fenarimol and methyl parathion are pesticides that have been used in agriculture for several years. These pesticides have significant effects on environmental and human health. Therefore, we investigated the effects of methyl parathion and fenarimol on glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49 enzyme activity in rats. The glucose 6- phosphate dehydrogenase is the first enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway and it is important in detoxifying reactions by NADPH generated. In this study, wistar albino rats administrated with methyl parathion (7 mg kg–1 and fenarimol (200 mg kg−1 by intraperitoneally for different periods (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 72 h. The glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme activity was assayed in liver, kidney, brain, and small intestine in male and female rats. The exposure of fenarimol and methyl parathion caused increase of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme activity in rat tissues, especially at last periods. We suggest that this increment of enzyme activity may be the reason of toxic effects of fenarimol and methyl parathion.

  8. Quantitative flux analysis reveals folate-dependent NADPH production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jing; Ye, Jiangbin; Kamphorst, Jurre J.; Shlomi, Tomer; Thompson, Craig B.; Rabinowitz, Joshua D.

    2014-06-01

    ATP is the dominant energy source in animals for mechanical and electrical work (for example, muscle contraction or neuronal firing). For chemical work, there is an equally important role for NADPH, which powers redox defence and reductive biosynthesis. The most direct route to produce NADPH from glucose is the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, with malic enzyme sometimes also important. Although the relative contribution of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation to ATP production has been extensively analysed, similar analysis of NADPH metabolism has been lacking. Here we demonstrate the ability to directly track, by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, the passage of deuterium from labelled substrates into NADPH, and combine this approach with carbon labelling and mathematical modelling to measure NADPH fluxes. In proliferating cells, the largest contributor to cytosolic NADPH is the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway. Surprisingly, a nearly comparable contribution comes from serine-driven one-carbon metabolism, in which oxidation of methylene tetrahydrofolate to 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate is coupled to reduction of NADP+ to NADPH. Moreover, tracing of mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism revealed complete oxidation of 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate to make NADPH. As folate metabolism has not previously been considered an NADPH producer, confirmation of its functional significance was undertaken through knockdown of methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (MTHFD) genes. Depletion of either the cytosolic or mitochondrial MTHFD isozyme resulted in decreased cellular NADPH/NADP+ and reduced/oxidized glutathione ratios (GSH/GSSG) and increased cell sensitivity to oxidative stress. Thus, although the importance of folate metabolism for proliferating cells has been long recognized and attributed to its function of producing one-carbon units for nucleic acid synthesis, another crucial function of this pathway is generating reducing power.

  9. Competition between pentoses and glucose during uptake and catabolism in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Subtil Thorsten

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In mixed sugar fermentations with recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains able to ferment D-xylose and L-arabinose the pentose sugars are normally only utilized after depletion of D-glucose. This has been attributed to competitive inhibition of pentose uptake by D-glucose as pentose sugars are taken up into yeast cells by individual members of the yeast hexose transporter family. We wanted to investigate whether D-glucose inhibits pentose utilization only by blocking its uptake or also by interfering with its further metabolism. Results To distinguish between inhibitory effects of D-glucose on pentose uptake and pentose catabolism, maltose was used as an alternative carbon source in maltose-pentose co-consumption experiments. Maltose is taken up by a specific maltose transport system and hydrolyzed only intracellularly into two D-glucose molecules. Pentose consumption decreased by about 20 - 30% during the simultaneous utilization of maltose indicating that hexose catabolism can impede pentose utilization. To test whether intracellular D-glucose might impair pentose utilization, hexo-/glucokinase deletion mutants were constructed. Those mutants are known to accumulate intracellular D-glucose when incubated with maltose. However, pentose utilization was not effected in the presence of maltose. Addition of increasing concentrations of D-glucose to the hexo-/glucokinase mutants finally completely blocked D-xylose as well as L-arabinose consumption, indicating a pronounced inhibitory effect of D-glucose on pentose uptake. Nevertheless, constitutive overexpression of pentose-transporting hexose transporters like Hxt7 and Gal2 could improve pentose consumption in the presence of D-glucose. Conclusion Our results confirm that D-glucose impairs the simultaneous utilization of pentoses mainly due to inhibition of pentose uptake. Whereas intracellular D-glucose does not seem to have an inhibitory effect on pentose utilization

  10. Phosphoketolase pathway contributes to carbon metabolism in cyanobacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Wei; Lee, Tai-Chi; Rommelfanger, Sarah; Gjersing, Erica; Cano, Melissa; Maness, Pin-Ching; Ghirardi, Maria; Yu, Jianping

    2015-12-07

    Central carbon metabolism in cyanobacteria comprises the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle, glycolysis, the pentose phosphate (PP) pathway and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Redundancy in this complex metabolic network renders the rational engineering of cyanobacterial metabolism for the generation of biomass, biofuels and chemicals a challenge. Here we report the presence of a functional phosphoketolase pathway, which splits xylulose-5-phosphate (or fructose-6-phosphate) to acetate precursor acetyl phosphate, in an engineered strain of the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis (ΔglgC/xylAB), in which glycogen synthesis is blocked, and xylose catabolism enabled through the introduction of xylose isomerase and xylulokinase. We show that this mutant strain is able to metabolise xylose to acetate on nitrogen starvation. To see whether acetate production in the mutant is linked to the activity of phosphoketolase, we disrupted a putative phosphoketolase gene (slr0453) in the ΔglgC/xylAB strain, and monitored metabolic flux using (13)C labelling; acetate and 2-oxoglutarate production was reduced in the light. A metabolic flux analysis, based on isotopic data, suggests that the phosphoketolase pathway metabolises over 30% of the carbon consumed by ΔglgC/xylAB during photomixotrophic growth on xylose and CO2. Disruption of the putative phosphoketolase gene in wild-type Synechocystis also led to a deficiency in acetate production in the dark, indicative of a contribution of the phosphoketolase pathway to heterotrophic metabolism. We suggest that the phosphoketolase pathway, previously uncharacterized in photosynthetic organisms, confers flexibility in energy and carbon metabolism in cyanobacteria, and could be exploited to increase the efficiency of cyanobacterial carbon metabolism and photosynthetic productivity.

  11. Importance of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) for vanillin tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Trinh Thi My; Kitajima, Sakihito; Izawa, Shingo

    2014-09-01

    Vanillin is derived from lignocellulosic biomass and, as one of the major biomass conversion inhibitors, inhibits yeast growth and fermentation. Vanillin was recently shown to induce the mitochondrial fragmentation and formation of mRNP granules such as processing bodies and stress granules in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Furfural, another major biomass conversion inhibitor, also induces oxidative stress and is reduced in an NAD(P)H-dependent manner to its less toxic alcohol derivative. Therefore, the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), through which most NADPH is generated, plays a role in tolerance to furfural. Although vanillin also induces oxidative stress and is reduced to vanillyl alcohol in a NADPH-dependent manner, the relationship between vanillin and PPP has not yet been investigated. In the present study, we examined the importance of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), which catalyzes the rate-limiting NADPH-producing step in PPP, for yeast tolerance to vanillin. The growth of the null mutant of G6PDH gene (zwf1Δ) was delayed in the presence of vanillin, and vanillin was efficiently reduced in the culture of wild-type cells but not in the culture of zwf1Δ cells. Furthermore, zwf1Δ cells easily induced the activation of Yap1, an oxidative stress responsive transcription factor, mitochondrial fragmentation, and P-body formation with the vanillin treatment, which indicated that zwf1Δ cells were more susceptible to vanillin than wild type cells. These findings suggest the importance of G6PDH and PPP in the response of yeast to vanillin. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Structural and Functional Insight of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate-Mediated Pathogenic Metabolic Reprogramming in Sickle Cell Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Kaiqi; D'Alessandro, Angelo; Ahmed, Mostafa H; Zhang, Yujin; Song, Anren; Ko, Tzu-Ping; Nemkov, Travis; Reisz, Julie A; Wu, Hongyu; Adebiyi, Morayo; Peng, Zhangzhe; Gong, Jing; Liu, Hong; Huang, Aji; Wen, Yuan Edward; Wen, Alexander Q; Berka, Vladimir; Bogdanov, Mikhail V; Abdulmalik, Osheiza; Han, Leng; Tsai, Ah-Lim; Idowu, Modupe; Juneja, Harinder S; Kellems, Rodney E; Dowhan, William; Hansen, Kirk C; Safo, Martin K; Xia, Yang

    2017-11-10

    Elevated sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is detrimental in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), but the mechanistic basis remains obscure. Here, we report that increased erythrocyte S1P binds to deoxygenated sickle Hb (deoxyHbS), facilitates deoxyHbS anchoring to the membrane, induces release of membrane-bound glycolytic enzymes and in turn switches glucose flux towards glycolysis relative to the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Suppressed PPP causes compromised glutathione homeostasis and increased oxidative stress, while enhanced glycolysis induces production of 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate (2,3-BPG) and thus increases deoxyHbS polymerization, sickling, hemolysis and disease progression. Functional studies revealed that S1P and 2,3-BPG work synergistically to decrease both HbA and HbS oxygen binding affinity. The crystal structure at 1.9 Å resolution deciphered that S1P binds to the surface of 2,3-BPG-deoxyHbA and causes additional conformation changes to the T-state Hb. Phosphate moiety of the surface bound S1P engages in a highly positive region close to α1-heme while its aliphatic chain snakes along a shallow cavity making hydrophobic interactions in the "switch region", as well as with α2-heme like a molecular "sticky tape" with the last 3-4 carbon atoms sticking out into bulk solvent. Altogether, our findings provide functional and structural bases underlying S1P-mediated pathogenic metabolic reprogramming in SCD and novel therapeutic avenues.

  13. Transforming Lactococcus lactis into a microbial cell factory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Kia Vest

    the potential of Lactococcus lactis as a platform organism for production of biofuels and-chemicals with a focus on characterization and optimization of the xylose metabolism. The plant isolate L. lactis KF147 was selected as the potential platform organism due to its natural ability to utilize both the pentose....... To simplify further analysis arcA encoding the arginine deiminase was deleted, thus eliminating the arginine catabolism. We found that in L. lactis KF147 xylose is metabolized through two pathways namely the phosphoketolase pathway and the non-oxidative part of the pentose phosphate pathway. The only products......, and ethanol. Three adaptive mutations were identified in AD29. Two is by all accounts involved in regulatory mechanisms either to stress (yhfB) or more globally (ytgF), and the last facilitate improved uptake of xylose (ptnC). Based on the above findings we conclude that L. lactis KF147 possesses many...

  14. Combined inhibition of glycolysis, the pentose cycle, and thioredoxin metabolism selectively increases cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in human breast and prostate cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ling Li

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Inhibition of glycolysis using 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2DG, 20 mM, 24–48 h combined with inhibition of the pentose cycle using dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA, 300 µM, 24–48 h increased clonogenic cell killing in both human prostate (PC-3 and DU145 and human breast (MDA-MB231 cancer cells via a mechanism involving thiol-mediated oxidative stress. Surprisingly, when 2DG+DHEA treatment was combined with an inhibitor of glutathione (GSH synthesis (l-buthionine sulfoximine; BSO, 1 mM that depleted GSH>90% of control, no further increase in cell killing was observed during 48 h exposures. In contrast, when an inhibitor of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR activity (Auranofin; Au, 1 µM, was combined with 2DG+DHEA or DHEA-alone for 24 h, clonogenic cell killing was significantly increased in all three human cancer cell lines. Furthermore, enhanced clonogenic cell killing seen with the combination of DHEA+Au was nearly completely inhibited using the thiol antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC, 20 mM. Redox Western blot analysis of PC-3 cells also supported the conclusion that thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1 oxidation was enhanced by treatment DHEA+Au and inhibited by NAC. Importantly, normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC were not as sensitive to 2DG, DHEA, and Au combinations as their cancer cell counterparts (MDA-MB-231. Overall, these results support the hypothesis that inhibition of glycolysis and pentose cycle activity, combined with inhibition of Trx metabolism, may provide a promising strategy for selectively sensitizing human cancer cells to oxidative stress-induced cell killing.

  15. A reverse KREBS cycle in photosynthesis: consensus at last

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchanan, B. B.; Arnon, D. I.

    1990-01-01

    The Krebs cycle (citric acid or tricarboxylic acid cycle), the final common pathway in aerobic metabolism for the oxidation of carbohydrates, fatty acids and amino acids, is known to be irreversible. It liberates CO2 and generates NADH whose aerobic oxidation yields ATP but it does not operate in reverse as a biosynthetic pathway for CO2 assimilation. In 1966, our laboratory described a cyclic pathway for CO2 assimilation (Evans, Buchanan and Arnon 1966) that was unusual in two respects: (i) it provided the first instance of an obligate photoautotroph that assimilated CO2 by a pathway different from Calvin's reductive pentose phosphate cycle (Calvin 1962) and (ii) in its overall effect the new cycle was a reversal of the Krebs cycle. Named the 'reductive carboxylic acid cycle' (sometimes also called the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle) the new cycle appeared to be the sole CO2 assimilation pathway in Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum (Evans et al. 1966) (now known as Chlorobium limicola forma thiosulfatophilum). Chlorobium is a photosynthetic green sulfur bacterium that grows anaerobically in an inorganic medium with sulfide and thiosulfate as electron donors and CO2 as an obligatory carbon source. In the ensuing years, the new cycle was viewed with skepticism. Not only was it in conflict with the prevailing doctrine that the 'one important property ... shared by all (our emphasis) autotrophic species is the assimilation of CO2 via the Calvin cycle' (McFadden 1973) but also some of its experimental underpinnings were challenged. It is only now that in the words of one of its early skeptics (Tabita 1988) 'a long and tortuous controversy' has ended with general acceptance of the reductive carboxylic acid cycle as a photosynthetic CO2 assimilation pathway distinct from the pentose cycle. (Henceforth, to minimize repetitiveness, the reductive pentose phosphate cycle will often be referred to as the pentose cycle and the reductive carboxylic acid cycle as the carboxylic

  16. Understanding alternative fluxes/effluxes through comparative metabolic pathway analysis of phylum actinobacteria using a simplified approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Mansi; Lal, Devi; Saxena, Anjali; Anand, Shailly; Kaur, Jasvinder; Kaur, Jaspreet; Lal, Rup

    2013-12-01

    Actinobacteria are known for their diverse metabolism and physiology. Some are dreadful human pathogens whereas some constitute the natural flora for human gut. Therefore, the understanding of metabolic pathways is a key feature for targeting the pathogenic bacteria without disturbing the symbiotic ones. A big challenge faced today is multiple drug resistance by Mycobacterium and other pathogens that utilize alternative fluxes/effluxes. With the availability of genome sequence, it is now feasible to conduct the comparative in silico analysis. Here we present a simplified approach to compare metabolic pathways so that the species specific enzyme may be traced and engineered for future therapeutics. The analyses of four key carbohydrate metabolic pathways, i.e., glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism, tri carboxylic acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathway suggest the presence of alternative fluxes. It was found that the upper pathway of glycolysis was highly variable in the actinobacterial genomes whereas lower glycolytic pathway was highly conserved. Likewise, pentose phosphate pathway was well conserved in contradiction to TCA cycle, which was found to be incomplete in majority of actinobacteria. The clustering based on presence and absence of genes of these metabolic pathways clearly revealed that members of different genera shared identical pathways and, therefore, provided an easy method to identify the metabolic similarities/differences between pathogenic and symbiotic organisms. The analyses could identify isoenzymes and some key enzymes that were found to be missing in some pathogenic actinobacteria. The present work defines a simple approach to explore the effluxes in four metabolic pathways within the phylum actinobacteria. The analysis clearly reflects that actinobacteria exhibit diverse routes for metabolizing substrates. The pathway comparison can help in finding the enzymes that can be used as drug targets for pathogens without effecting symbiotic organisms

  17. Subversion of Schwann Cell Glucose Metabolism by Mycobacterium leprae*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medeiros, Rychelle Clayde Affonso; Girardi, Karina do Carmo de Vasconcelos; Cardoso, Fernanda Karlla Luz; Mietto, Bruno de Siqueira; Pinto, Thiago Gomes de Toledo; Gomez, Lilian Sales; Rodrigues, Luciana Silva; Gandini, Mariana; Amaral, Julio Jablonski; Antunes, Sérgio Luiz Gomes; Corte-Real, Suzana; Rosa, Patricia Sammarco; Pessolani, Maria Cristina Vidal; Nery, José Augusto da Costa; Sarno, Euzenir Nunes; Batista-Silva, Leonardo Ribeiro; Sola-Penna, Mauro; Oliveira, Marcus Fernandes; Moraes, Milton Ozório; Lara, Flavio Alves

    2016-01-01

    Mycobacterium leprae, the intracellular etiological agent of leprosy, infects Schwann promoting irreversible physical disabilities and deformities. These cells are responsible for myelination and maintenance of axonal energy metabolism through export of metabolites, such as lactate and pyruvate. In the present work, we observed that infected Schwann cells increase glucose uptake with a concomitant increase in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity, the key enzyme of the oxidative pentose pathway. We also observed a mitochondria shutdown in infected cells and mitochondrial swelling in pure neural leprosy nerves. The classic Warburg effect described in macrophages infected by Mycobacterium avium was not observed in our model, which presented a drastic reduction in lactate generation and release by infected Schwann cells. This effect was followed by a decrease in lactate dehydrogenase isoform M (LDH-M) activity and an increase in cellular protection against hydrogen peroxide insult in a pentose phosphate pathway and GSH-dependent manner. M. leprae infection success was also dependent of the glutathione antioxidant system and its main reducing power source, the pentose pathway, as demonstrated by a 50 and 70% drop in intracellular viability after treatment with the GSH synthesis inhibitor buthionine sulfoximine, and aminonicotinamide (6-ANAM), an inhibitor of G6PDH 6-ANAM, respectively. We concluded that M. leprae could modulate host cell glucose metabolism to increase the cellular reducing power generation, facilitating glutathione regeneration and consequently free-radical control. The impact of this regulation in leprosy neuropathy is discussed. PMID:27555322

  18. Simulation and analysis of pentose phosphate pathway in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal of Computer Science and Its Application. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 22, No 2 (2015) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  19. Understanding D-Ribose and Mitochondrial Function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diane E. Mahoney

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Mitochondria are important organelles referred to as cellular powerhouses for their unique properties of cellular energy production.  With many pathologic conditions and aging, mitochondrial function declines, and there is a reduction in the production of adenosine triphosphate. The energy carrying molecule generated by cellular respiration and by pentose phosphate pathway, an alternative pathway of glucose metabolism. D-ribose is a naturally occurring monosaccharide found in the cells and particularly in the mitochondria is essential in energy production. Without sufficient energy, cells cannot maintain integrity and function. Supplemental D-ribose has been shown to improve cellular processes when there is mitochondrial dysfunction. When individuals take supplemental D-ribose, it can bypass part of the pentose pathway to produce D-ribose-5-phosphate for the production of energy. In this article, we review how energy is produced by cellular respiration, the pentose pathway, and the use of supplemental D-ribose.

  20. Responsive eLearning exercises to enhance student interaction with metabolic pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roesler, William J; Dreaver-Charles, Kristine

    2018-05-01

    Successful learning of biochemistry requires students to engage with the material. In the past this often involved students writing out pathways by hand, and more recently directing students to online resources such as videos, songs, and animated slide presentations. However, even these latter resources do not really provide students an opportunity to engage with the material in an active fashion. As part of an online introductory metabolism course that was developed at our university, we created a series of twelve online interactive activities using Adobe Captivate 9. These activities targeted glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, the pentose phosphate pathway, glycogen metabolism, the citric acid cycle, and fatty acid oxidation. The interactive exercises consisted of two types. One involved dragging objects such as names of enzymes or allosteric modifiers to their correct drop locations such as a particular point in a metabolic pathway, a specific enzyme, and so forth. A second type involved clicking on objects, locations within a pathway, and so forth, in response to a particular question. In both types of exercises, students received feedback on their decisions in order to enhance learning. The student feedback received on these activities was very positive, and indicated that they found them to increase their confidence in the material and that they had learned the key principles of each pathway. © 2018 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(3):223-229, 2018. © 2018 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  1. Biochemical and cellular mechanisms responsible for effects of low doses of ionizing radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trebukhina, R.V.; Ovchinnikov, V.A.; Lashak, L.K.; Ledneva, I.O.; Petushok, V.G.; Petushok, N.E.; Motylevich, Zh.V.; Kazhyna, M.V.

    1997-01-01

    In experiments on white rats influence of small dozes of gamma-exposure on morphological structure of blood and activity of enzymes in blood and thimus was investigated. Short-term reduction of quantity of leucocytes and more long (1 month) reduction of erythrocytes was shown. Accumulation in blood of products of lipid peroxidation correlates with activity of oxidizing enzymes (catalase, lysozyme). Radiation-induced activation of pentose-phosphate pathway of carbohydrates metabolism was established. (author)

  2. Increasing the radiosensitivity of tumours in an hypoxic environment using inhibitors of the pentose phosphate pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahasrabudhe, M.B.; Bhonsle, S.R.; Krishnamurti, K.; Tilak, B.D.

    1977-01-01

    Rapidly growing tumours contain few blood vessels in the tumour mass. Cells in such tumours obtain nutrients and oxygen from the periphery by diffusion, resulting in a diminishing oxygen and nutrient gradient from the periphery to centre of the tumour mass. In normal tissues, oxygen is utilized via a tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle; in tumour cells oxygen is utilized via a hexose monophosphate (HMP) pathway and through the TCA cycle at a 30% reduced level. Interference with the HMP pathway selectively inhibits the utilization of oxygen by tumour cells, thus increasing the availability of oxygen to hypoxic cells situated deeper in the tumour mass. This effect has been exploited for increasing the radiosensitivity of tumour cells situated in an hypoxic environment. The influence of sixteen potential antimetabolites on the HMP pathway has been studied. Of these, six compounds, namely, (1) 2-carboxy 5-hydroxymethyl thiophene, (2) the sodium salt of 2:5 dicarbethoxy 3:4 dihydroxy thiophene, (3) the dihydrazide of 2:5 dicarboxy thiophene, (4) the dihydrazide of 3:4 dimethoxy 2:5 dicarboxy thiophene, (5) trithiocyanuric acid, and (6) cyanuric trithioglycollic acid showed an inhibiting effect on the HMP pathway without any influence on the TCA cycle. Influence of administration of compounds (1), (2) and (4) prior to radiation on the growth of transplanted fibrosarcomas in mice has been studied and is reported here. These three compounds showed marked potentiation of radiosensitivity of tumours. (author)

  3. Impact of xylose and mannose on central metabolism of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pitkaenen, J.P.

    2005-07-01

    In this study, understanding of the central metabolism was improved by quantification of metabolite concentrations, enzyme activities, protein abundances, and gene transcript concentrations. Intracellular fluxes were estimated by applying stoichiometric models of metabolism. The methods were applied in the study of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in two separate projects. A xylose project aimed at improved utilization of D- xylose as a substrate for, e.g., producing biomaterial- based fuel ethanol. A mannose project studied the production of GDP-mannose from D-mannose in a strain lacking the gene for phosphomannose isomerase (PMI40 deletion). Hexose, D-glucose is the only sugar more abundant than pentose D-xylose. D-xylose is common in hardwoods (e.g. birch) and crop residues (ca. 25% of dry weight). However, S. cerevisiae is unable to utilize D- xylose without a recombinant pathway where D-xylose is converted to Dxylulose. In this study D-xylose was converted in two steps via xylitol: by D-xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase encoded by XYL1 and XYL2 from Pichia stipitis, respectively. Additionally, endogenous xylulokinase (XKS1) was overexpressed in order to increase the consumption of D-xylose by enhancing the phosphorylation of D-xylulose. Despite of the functional recombinant pathway the utilization rates of D xylose still remained low. This study proposes a set of limitations that are responsible for the low utilization rates of D-xylose under microaerobic conditions. Cells compensated for the cofactor imbalance, caused by the conversion of D-xylose to D- xylulose, by increasing the flux through the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and by shuttling NADH redox potential to mitochondrion to be oxidized in oxidative phosphorylation. However, mitochondrial NADH inhibits citrate synthase in citric acid cycle, and consequently lower flux through citric acid cycle limits oxidative phosphorylation. Further, limitations in the uptake of D- xylose, in the

  4. Oxidatively modified glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and Alzheimer's disease: many pathways to neurodegeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butterfield, D Allan; Hardas, Sarita S; Lange, Miranda L Bader

    2010-01-01

    Recently, the oxidoreductase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), has become a subject of interest as more and more studies reveal a surfeit of diverse GAPDH functions, extending beyond traditional aerobic metabolism of glucose. As a result of multiple isoforms and cellular locales, GAPDH is able to come in contact with a variety of small molecules, proteins, membranes, etc., that play important roles in normal and pathologic cell function. Specifically, GAPDH has been shown to interact with neurodegenerative disease-associated proteins, including the amyloid-beta protein precursor (AbetaPP). Studies from our laboratory have shown significant inhibition of GAPDH dehydrogenase activity in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain due to oxidative modification. Although oxidative stress and damage is a common phenomenon in the AD brain, it would seem that inhibition of glycolytic enzyme activity is merely one avenue in which AD pathology affects neuronal cell development and survival, as oxidative modification can also impart a toxic gain-of-function to many proteins, including GAPDH. In this review, we examine the many functions of GAPDH with respect to AD brain; in particular, the apparent role(s) of GAPDH in AD-related apoptotic cell death is emphasized.

  5. 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of extracts of vascular smooth muscle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barron, J.T.; Messer, J.V.; Glonek, Thomas

    1986-01-01

    31 P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to assess phosphate metabolites in perchloric acid extracts of rabbit aorta. In addition to the high energy phosphates, several other phosphorus compounds were detected and quantified. Most notable was the presence of a prominent phosphomonoester compound appearing at a chemical shift of 3.86 delta. This compound constituted 26% of the total extractable tissue phosphorus and is tentatively identified as ribose-5-phosphate, a pentose phosphate pathway intermediate. While ATP and phosphocreatine did not change during glucose and oxygen deprivation or during prolonged muscle contraction, the 3.86delta phosphate decreased significantly. Furthermore, theophylline, an agent that increases intracellular cAMP, also decreased the level of the 3.86 delta phosphate. These results are consistent with the concept that intermediate metabolism sustains high energy phosphate pools in vascular smooth muscle in the steady state under various conditions. The pentose phosphate pathway may play an important role in vascular smooth muscle metabolism. (author)

  6. The NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin (acetovanillone) induces oxidative stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riganti, Chiara; Costamagna, Costanzo; Bosia, Amalia; Ghigo, Dario

    2006-01-01

    Apocynin (acetovanillone) is often used as a specific inhibitor of NADPH oxidase. In N11 glial cells, apocynin induced, in a dose-dependent way, a significant increase of both malonyldialdehyde level (index of lipid peroxidation) and lactate dehydrogenase release (index of a cytotoxic effect). Apocynin evoked also, in a significant way, an increase of H 2 O 2 concentration and a decrease of the intracellular glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio, accompanied by augmented efflux of glutathione and glutathione disulfide. Apocynin induced the activation of both pentose phosphate pathway and tricarboxylic acid cycle, which was blocked when the cells were incubated with glutathione together with apocynin. The cell incubation with glutathione prevented also the apocynin-induced increase of malonyldialdehyde generation and lactate dehydrogenase leakage. Apocynin exerted an oxidant effect also in a cell-free system: indeed, in aqueous solution, it evoked a faster oxidation of the thiols glutathione and dithiothreitol, and elicited the generation of reactive oxygen species, mainly superoxide anions. Our results suggest that apocynin per se can induce an oxidative stress and exert a cytotoxic effect in N11 cells and other cell types, and that some effects of apocynin in in vitro and in vivo experimental models should be interpreted with caution

  7. Development of chemically engineered porous metal oxides for phosphate removal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delaney, Paul; McManamon, Colm; Hanrahan, John P.; Copley, Mark P.; Holmes, Justin D.; Morris, Michael A.

    2011-01-01

    In this study, the application of ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) doped with various metal oxides (Zr, Ti, Fe and Al) were studied for the removal of (ortho) phosphate ions from water by adsorption. The materials were characterized by means of N 2 physisorption (BET), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The doped materials had surface areas between 600 and 700 m 2 g -1 and exhibited pore sizes of 44-64 A. Phosphate adsorption was determined by measurement of the aqueous concentration of orthophosphate using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy before and after extraction. The effects of different metal oxide loading ratios, initial concentration of phosphate solution, temperature and pH effects on the efficiency of phosphate removal were investigated. The doped mesoporous materials were effective adsorbents of orthophosphate and up to 100% removal was observed under appropriate conditions. 'Back extracting' the phosphate from the doped silica (following water treatment) was also investigated and shown to have little adverse effect on the adsorbent.

  8. Carbohydrate Metabolism in Archaea: Current Insights into Unusual Enzymes and Pathways and Their Regulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esser, Dominik; Rauch, Bernadette

    2014-01-01

    SUMMARY The metabolism of Archaea, the third domain of life, resembles in its complexity those of Bacteria and lower Eukarya. However, this metabolic complexity in Archaea is accompanied by the absence of many “classical” pathways, particularly in central carbohydrate metabolism. Instead, Archaea are characterized by the presence of unique, modified variants of classical pathways such as the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway and the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway. The pentose phosphate pathway is only partly present (if at all), and pentose degradation also significantly differs from that known for bacterial model organisms. These modifications are accompanied by the invention of “new,” unusual enzymes which cause fundamental consequences for the underlying regulatory principles, and classical allosteric regulation sites well established in Bacteria and Eukarya are lost. The aim of this review is to present the current understanding of central carbohydrate metabolic pathways and their regulation in Archaea. In order to give an overview of their complexity, pathway modifications are discussed with respect to unusual archaeal biocatalysts, their structural and mechanistic characteristics, and their regulatory properties in comparison to their classic counterparts from Bacteria and Eukarya. Furthermore, an overview focusing on hexose metabolic, i.e., glycolytic as well as gluconeogenic, pathways identified in archaeal model organisms is given. Their energy gain is discussed, and new insights into different levels of regulation that have been observed so far, including the transcript and protein levels (e.g., gene regulation, known transcription regulators, and posttranslational modification via reversible protein phosphorylation), are presented. PMID:24600042

  9. Metabolomics of Clostridial Biofuel Production

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rabinowitz, Joshua D [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States); Aristilde, Ludmilla [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States); Amador-Noguez, Daniel [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

    2015-09-08

    Members of the genus Clostridium collectively have the ideal set of the metabolic capabilities for fermentative biofuel production: cellulose degradation, hydrogen production, and solvent excretion. No single organism, however, can effectively convert cellulose into biofuels. Here we developed, using metabolomics and isotope tracers, basic science knowledge of Clostridial metabolism of utility for future efforts to engineer such an organism. In glucose fermentation carried out by the biofuel producer Clostridium acetobutylicum, we observed a remarkably ordered series of metabolite concentration changes as the fermentation progressed from acidogenesis to solventogenesis. In general, high-energy compounds decreased while low-energy species increased during solventogenesis. These changes in metabolite concentrations were accompanied by large changes in intracellular metabolic fluxes, with pyruvate directed towards acetyl-CoA and solvents instead of oxaloacetate and amino acids. Thus, the solventogenic transition involves global remodeling of metabolism to redirect resources from biomass production into solvent production. In contrast to C. acetobutylicum, which is an avid fermenter, C. cellulolyticum metabolizes glucose only slowly. We find that glycolytic intermediate concentrations are radically different from fast fermenting organisms. Associated thermodynamic and isotope tracer analysis revealed that the full glycolytic pathway in C. cellulolyticum is reversible. This arises from changes in cofactor utilization for phosphofructokinase and an alternative pathway from phosphoenolpyruvate to pyruvate. The net effect is to increase the high-energy phosphate bond yield of glycolysis by 150% (from 2 to 5) at the expense of lower net flux. Thus, C. cellulolyticum prioritizes glycolytic energy efficiency over speed. Degradation of cellulose results in other sugars in addition to glucose. Simultaneous feeding of stable isotope-labeled glucose and unlabeled pentose sugars

  10. Effect upon biocompatibility and biocorrosion properties of plasma electrolytic oxidation in trisodium phosphate electrolytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yu-Kyoung; Park, Il-Song; Lee, Kwang-Bok; Bae, Tae-Sung; Jang, Yong-Seok; Oh, Young-Min; Lee, Min-Ho

    2016-03-01

    Surface modification to improve the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of the Mg-Al-Zn-Ca alloy was conducted via plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) in an electrolyte that included phosphate. Calcium phosphate can be easily induced on the surface of a PEO coating that includes phosphate in a physiological environment because Ca(2+) ions in body fluids can be combined with PO4 (3-). Cytotoxicity of the PEO coating formed in electrolytes with various amounts of Na3PO4 was identified. In particular, the effects that PEO films have upon oxidative stress and differentiation of osteoblast activity were studied. As the concentration of Na3PO4 in the electrolyte increased, the oxide layer was found to become thicker, which increased corrosion resistance. However, the PEO coating formed in electrolytes with over 0.2 M of added Na3PO4 exhibited more microcracks and larger pores than those formed in smaller Na3PO4 concentrations owing to a large spark discharge. A nonuniform oxide film that included more phosphate caused more cytotoxicity and oxidative stress, and overabundant phosphate content in the oxide layer interrupted the differentiation of osteoblasts. The corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy and the thickness of the oxide layer were increased by the addition of Na3PO4 in the electrolyte for PEO treatment. However, excessive phosphate content in the oxide layer led to oxidative stress, which resulted in reduced cell viability and activity.

  11. Curcumin improves alcoholic fatty liver by inhibiting fatty acid biosynthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Chang; Ma, Jingfan; Zhong, Qionghong; Zhao, Mengyuan; Hu, Tianxing; Chen, Tong; Qiu, Longxin; Wen, Longping

    2017-08-01

    Alcoholic fatty liver is a threat to human health. It has been long known that abstinence from alcohol is the most effective therapy, other effective therapies are not available for the treatment in humans. Curcumin has a great potential for anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation, but the effect on metabolic reconstruction remains little known. Here we performed metabolomic analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and explored ethanol pathogenic insight as well as curcumin action pattern. We identified seventy-one metabolites in mouse liver. Carbohydrates and lipids were characteristic categories. Pathway analysis results revealed that ethanol-induced pathways including biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid biosynthesis and pentose and glucuronate interconversions were suppressed by curcumin. Additionally, ethanol enhanced galactose metabolism and pentose phosphate pathway. Glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism and pyruvate metabolism were inhibited in mice fed ethanol diet plus curcumin. Stearic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid were disease biomarkers and therapical biomarkers. These results reflect the landscape of hepatic metabolism regulation. Our findings illustrate ethanol pathological pathway and metabolic mechanism of curcumin therapy. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  12. Metabolic characterization and transformation of the non-dairy Lactococcus lactis strain KF147, for production of ethanol from xylose

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Kia Vest; Liu, Jianming; Chen, Jun

    2017-01-01

    producing ethanol as the sole fermentation product with a high yield corresponding to 83% of the theoretical maximum. The results clearly indicate the great potential of using the more metabolically diverse non-dairy L. lactis strains for bio-production based on xylose containing feedstocks.......The non-dairy lactic acid bacterium Lactococcus lactis KF147 can utilize xylose as the sole energy source. To assess whether KF147 could serve as a platform organism for converting second generation sugars into useful chemicals, we characterized growth and product formation for KF147 when grown...... the arcA gene encoding the arginine deiminase. The fermentation product profile suggested two routes for xylose degradation, the phosphoketolase pathway and the pentose phosphate pathway. Inactivation of the phosphoketolase pathway redirected the entire flux through the pentose phosphate pathway whereas...

  13. Metal Oxide Decomposition In Hydrothermal Alkaline Sodium Phosphate Solutions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    S.E. Ziemniak

    2003-09-24

    Alkaline hydrothermal solutions of sodium orthophosphate (2.15 < Na/P < 2.75) are shown to decompose transition metal oxides into two families of sodium-metal ion-(hydroxy)phosphate compounds. Equilibria for these reactions are quantified by determining phosphate concentration-temperature thresholds for decomposition of five oxides in the series: Ti(IV), Cr(III), Fe(III, II), Ni(II) and Zn(II). By application of a computational chemistry method General Utility Lattice Program (GULP), it is demonstrated that the unique non-whole-number Na/P molar ratio of sodium ferric hydroxyphosphate is a consequence of its open-cage structure in which the H{sup +} and excess Na{sup +} ions are located.

  14. TGF-β prevents phosphate-induced osteogenesis through inhibition of BMP and Wnt/β-catenin pathways.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fátima Guerrero

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β is a key cytokine during differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC into vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC. High phosphate induces a phenotypic transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC into osteogenic-like cells. This study was aimed to evaluate signaling pathways involved during VSMC differentiation of MSC in presence or not of high phosphate. RESULTS: Our results showed that TGF-β induced nuclear translocation of Smad3 as well as the expression of vascular smooth muscle markers, such as smooth muscle alpha actin, SM22α, myocardin, and smooth muscle-myosin heavy chain. The addition of high phosphate to MSC promoted nuclear translocation of Smad1/5/8 and the activation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin in addition to an increase in BMP-2 expression, calcium deposition and alkaline phosphatase activity. The administration of TGF-β to MSC treated with high phosphate abolished all these effects by inhibiting canonical Wnt, BMP and TGF-β pathways. A similar outcome was observed in high phosphate-treated cells after the inhibition of canonical Wnt signaling with Dkk-1. Conversely, addition of both Wnt/β-catenin activators CHIR98014 and lithium chloride enhanced the effect of high phosphate on BMP-2, calcium deposition and alkaline phosphatase activity. CONCLUSIONS: Full VSMC differentiation induced by TGF-β may not be achieved when extracellular phosphate levels are high. Moreover, TGF-β prevents high phosphate-induced osteogenesis by decreasing the nuclear translocation of Smad 1/5/8 and avoiding the activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

  15. Glucose-6-phosphate mediates activation of the carbohydrate responsive binding protein (ChREBP)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Ming V.; Chen, Weiqin; Harmancey, Romain N.; Nuotio-Antar, Alli M.; Imamura, Minako; Saha, Pradip; Taegtmeyer, Heinrich; Chan, Lawrence

    2010-01-01

    Carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP) is a Mondo family transcription factor that activates a number of glycolytic and lipogenic genes in response to glucose stimulation. We have previously reported that high glucose can activate the transcriptional activity of ChREBP independent of the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A)-mediated increase in nuclear entry and DNA binding. Here, we found that formation of glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P) is essential for glucose activation of ChREBP. The glucose response of GAL4-ChREBP is attenuated by D-mannoheptulose, a potent hexokinase inhibitor, as well as over-expression of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase); kinetics of activation of GAL4-ChREBP can be modified by exogenously expressed GCK. Further metabolism of G-6-P through the two major glucose metabolic pathways, glycolysis and pentose-phosphate pathway, is not required for activation of ChREBP; over-expression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) diminishes, whereas RNAi knockdown of the enzyme enhances, the glucose response of GAL4-ChREBP, respectively. Moreover, the glucose analogue 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG), which is phosphorylated by hexokinase, but not further metabolized, effectively upregulates the transcription activity of ChREBP. In addition, over-expression of phosphofructokinase (PFK) 1 and 2, synergistically diminishes the glucose response of GAL4-ChREBP. These multiple lines of evidence support the conclusion that G-6-P mediates the activation of ChREBP.

  16. Screening the yeast genome for energetic metabolism pathways involved in a phenotypic response to the anti-cancer agent 3-bromopyruvate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lis, Paweł; Jurkiewicz, Paweł; Cal-Bąkowska, Magdalena; Ko, Young H; Pedersen, Peter L; Goffeau, Andre; Ułaszewski, Stanisław

    2016-03-01

    In this study the detailed characteristic of the anti-cancer agent 3-bromopyruvate (3-BP) activity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae model is described, with the emphasis on its influence on energetic metabolism of the cell. It shows that 3-BP toxicity in yeast is strain-dependent and influenced by the glucose-repression system. Its toxic effect is mainly due to the rapid depletion of intracellular ATP. Moreover, lack of the Whi2p phosphatase results in strongly increased sensitivity of yeast cells to 3-BP, possibly due to the non-functional system of mitophagy of damaged mitochondria through the Ras-cAMP-PKA pathway. Single deletions of genes encoding glycolytic enzymes, the TCA cycle enzymes and mitochondrial carriers result in multiple effects after 3-BP treatment. However, it can be concluded that activity of the pentose phosphate pathway is necessary to prevent the toxicity of 3-BP, probably due to the fact that large amounts of NADPH are produced by this pathway, ensuring the reducing force needed for glutathione reduction, crucial to cope with the oxidative stress. Moreover, single deletions of genes encoding the TCA cycle enzymes and mitochondrial carriers generally cause sensitivity to 3-BP, while totally inactive mitochondrial respiration in the rho0 mutant resulted in increased resistance to 3-BP.

  17. Flux analysis of central metabolic pathways in Geobactermetallireducens during reduction of solubleFe(III)-NTA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tang, Yinjie J.; Chakraborty, Romy; Garcia-Martin, Hector; Chu,Jeannie; Hazen, Terry C.; Keasling, Jay D.

    2007-01-01

    We analyzed the carbon fluxes in the central metabolism ofGeobacter metallireducens strain GS-15 using 13C isotopomer modeling.Acetate labeled in the 1st or 2nd position was the sole carbon source,and Fe-NTA was the sole terminal electron acceptor. The measured labeledacetate uptake rate was 21 mmol/gdw/h in the exponential growth phase.The resulting isotope labeling pattern of amino acids allowed an accuratedetermination of the in vivo global metabolic reaction rates (fluxes)through the central metabolic pathways using a computational isotopomermodel. The tracer experiments showed that G. metallireducens containedcomplete biosynthesis pathways for essential metabolism, and this strainmight also have an unusual isoleucine biosynthesis route (usingacetyl-CoA and pyruvate as the precursors). The model indicated that over90 percent of the acetate was completely oxidized to CO2 via a completetricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle while reducing iron. Pyruvate carboxylaseand phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase were present under theseconditions, but enzymes in the glyoxylate shunt and malic enzyme wereabsent. Gluconeogenesis and the pentose phosphate pathway were mainlyemployed for biosynthesis and accounted for less than 3 percent of totalcarbon consumption. The model also indicated surprisingly highreversibility in the reaction between oxoglutarate and succinate. Thisstep operates close to the thermodynamic equilibrium possibly becausesuccinate is synthesized via a transferase reaction, and the conversionof oxoglutarate to succinate is a rate limiting step for carbonmetabolism. These findings enable a better understanding of therelationship between genome annotation and extant metabolic pathways inG. metallireducens.

  18. Oxidation of Tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate in aqueous solution by UV-activated peroxymonosulfate: Kinetics, water matrix effects, degradation products and reaction pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xinxin; Chen, Jing; Qu, Ruijuan; Wang, Zunyao

    2017-10-01

    The feasibility of UV-activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) technology for the degradation of Tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) in an aqueous solution was investigated in this study. The conditions of [PMS] 0 : [TCEP] 0  = 20:1, T = 25 ± 2 °C and pH = 5.5 ± 0.5 cause a 94.6% removal of TCEP (1 mg L -1 ) after 30 min of Hg lamp irradiation. The effects of operating parameters (the oxidant doses, pH and presence of typical cations (Fe 3+ , Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ , NH 4 + ), anions (Cl - , HCO 3 - , NO 3 - , HPO 4 2- ) and humic acid (HA)) were evaluated. It was found that an increase of the PMS dose and the presence of Fe 3+ could accelerate the reaction, while the anions and HA inhibited the reaction. Meanwhile, TCEP removal in various water matrices was compared, and the order for TCEP removal was as follows: ultrapure water > tap water > synthetic water > secondary clarifier effluent > Jiuxiang river water. Twenty-two oxidation products were identified using an electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometer, and the degradation pathways mainly involved radicals' addition and CO bond cleavage. Furthermore, ECOSAR analysis revealed that the intermediate products during the TCEP oxidation process were generally not harmful to three typical aquatic species. Hence, UV/PMS can be used as an efficient technology to treat TCEP-containing water and wastewaters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Bench-scale study of the effect of phosphate on an aerobic iron oxidation plant for mine water treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tischler, Judith S; Wiacek, Claudia; Janneck, Eberhard; Schlömann, Michael

    2014-01-01

    At the opencast pit Nochten acidic iron- and sulfate-rich mine waters are treated biotechnologically in a mine-water treatment plant by microbial iron oxidation. Due to the low phosphate concentration in such waters the treatment plant was simulated in bench-scale to investigate the influence of addition of potassium dihydrogen phosphate on chemical and biological parameters of the mine-water treatment. As a result of the phosphate addition the number of cells increased, which resulted in an increase of the iron oxidation rate in the reactor with phosphate addition by a factor of 1.7 compared to a reference approach without phosphate addition. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis during the cultivation revealed a shift of the microbial community depending on the phosphate addition. While almost exclusively iron-oxidizing bacteria related to "Ferrovum" sp. were detected with phosphate addition, the microbial community was more diverse without phosphate addition. In the latter case, iron-oxidizing bacteria ("Ferrovum" sp., Acidithiobacillus spp.) as well as non-iron-oxidizing bacteria (Acidiphilium sp.) were identified. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Engineering a functional 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirby, James; Dietzel, Kevin L.; Wichmann, Gale

    2016-01-01

    Isoprenoids are used in many commercial applications and much work has gone into engineering microbial hosts for their production. Isoprenoids are produced either from acetyl-CoA via the mevalonate pathway or from pyruvate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate via the 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP......) pathway. Saccharomyces cerevisiae exclusively utilizes the mevalonate pathway to synthesize native isoprenoids and in fact the alternative DXP pathway has never been found or successfully reconstructed in the eukaryotic cytosol. There are, however, several advantages to isoprenoid synthesis via the DXP...... time, functional expression of the DXP pathway in S. cerevisiae. Under low aeration conditions, an engineered strain relying solely on the DXP pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis achieved an endpoint biomass 80% of that of the same strain using the mevalonate pathway....

  1. Hydrogen Bonding in Phosphine Oxide/Phosphate-Phenol Complexes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cuypers, R.; Sudhölter, E.J.R.; Zuilhof, H.

    2010-01-01

    To develop a new solvent-impregnated resin (SIR) system for the removal of phenols and thiophenols from water, complex formation by hydrogen bonding of phosphine oxides and phosphates is studied using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and quantum chemical modeling. Six different computational

  2. Synthesis and characterization of nanocomposite powders of calcium phosphate/titanium oxide for biomedical applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Delima, S.A.; Camargo, N.H.A.; Souza, J.C.P.; Gemelli, E., E-mail: sarahamindelima@hotmail.com, E-mail: dem2nhac@joinville.udesc.br, E-mail: souzajulio@joinville.udesc.br, E-mail: gemelli@joinville.udesc.br [Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Joinville, SC (Brazil). Centro de Ciencias Tecnologicas

    2009-07-01

    The nanostructured bioceramics of calcium phosphate are current themes of research and they are becoming important as bone matrix in regeneration of tissues in orthopedic and dental applications. Nanocomposite powders of calcium phosphate, reinforced with nanometric particles of titanium oxide, silica oxide and alumina oxid ealpha, are being widely studied because they offer new microstructures, nanostructures and interconnected microporosity with high superficial area of micropores that contribute to osteointegration and osteoinduction processes. This study is about the synthesis of nanocomposites powders of calcium phosphate reinforced with 1%, 2%, 3% and 5% in volume of titanium oxide and its characterization through the techniques of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), Thermogravimetry (TG) and Dilatometry. (author)

  3. Synthesis and characterization of nanocomposite powders of calcium phosphate/titanium oxide for biomedical applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delima, S.A.; Camargo, N.H.A.; Souza, J.C.P.; Gemelli, E.

    2009-01-01

    The nanostructured bioceramics of calcium phosphate are current themes of research and they are becoming important as bone matrix in regeneration of tissues in orthopedic and dental applications. Nanocomposite powders of calcium phosphate, reinforced with nanometric particles of titanium oxide, silica oxide and alumina oxid ealpha, are being widely studied because they offer new microstructures, nanostructures and interconnected microporosity with high superficial area of micropores that contribute to osteointegration and osteoinduction processes. This study is about the synthesis of nanocomposites powders of calcium phosphate reinforced with 1%, 2%, 3% and 5% in volume of titanium oxide and its characterization through the techniques of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), Thermogravimetry (TG) and Dilatometry. (author)

  4. Towards integrated biorefinery from dried distillers grains: Selective extraction of pentoses using dilute acid hydrolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fonseca, Dania A.; Lupitskyy, Robert; Timmons, David; Gupta, Mayank; Satyavolu, Jagannadh

    2014-01-01

    The abundant availability and high level of hemicellulose content make dried distillers grains (DDG) an attractive feedstock for production of pentoses (C5) and conversion of C5 to bioproducts. One target of this work was to produce a C5 extract (hydrolyzate) with high yield and purity with a low concentration of C5 degradation products. A high selectivity towards pentoses was achieved using dilute acid hydrolysis of DDG in a percolation reactor with liquid recirculation. Pretreatment of starting material using screening and ultrasonication resulted in fractional increase of the pentose yield by 42%. A 94% yield of pentoses on the DDG (280.9 g kg −1 ) was obtained. Selective extraction of individual pentoses has been achieved by using a 2-stage hydrolysis process, resulting in arabinose-rich (arabinose 81.5%) and xylose-rich (xylose 85.2%) streams. A broader impact of this work is towards an Integrated Bio-Refinery based on DDG – for production of biofuels, biochemical intermediates, and other bioproducts. - Highlights: • A process for selective extraction of pentoses from DDG was presented as a part of integrated biorefinery approach. • The selectivity for pentoses was high using dilute acid hydrolysis in a percolation reactor with liquid recirculation. • Pretreatment of DDG using screening and ultrasonication resulted in fractional increase of the pentose yield by 42 %. • A 94% yield in pentoses (280.9 g kg −1 of DDG) was obtained. • A 2-stage hydrolysis process, developed to extract individual pentoses, resulted in arabinose and xylose rich streams

  5. Comparison of the xylose reductase-xylitol dehydrogenase and the xylose isomerase pathways for xylose fermentation by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hahn-Hägerdal Bärbel

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Two heterologous pathways have been used to construct recombinant xylose-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains: i the xylose reductase (XR and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH pathway and ii the xylose isomerase (XI pathway. In the present study, the Pichia stipitis XR-XDH pathway and the Piromyces XI pathway were compared in an isogenic strain background, using a laboratory host strain with genetic modifications known to improve xylose fermentation (overexpressed xylulokinase, overexpressed non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and deletion of the aldose reductase gene GRE3. The two isogenic strains and the industrial xylose-fermenting strain TMB 3400 were studied regarding their xylose fermentation capacity in defined mineral medium and in undetoxified lignocellulosic hydrolysate. Results In defined mineral medium, the xylose consumption rate, the specific ethanol productivity, and the final ethanol concentration were significantly higher in the XR- and XDH-carrying strain, whereas the highest ethanol yield was achieved with the strain carrying XI. While the laboratory strains only fermented a minor fraction of glucose in the undetoxified lignocellulose hydrolysate, the industrial strain TMB 3400 fermented nearly all the sugar available. Xylitol was formed by the XR-XDH-carrying strains only in mineral medium, whereas in lignocellulose hydrolysate no xylitol formation was detected. Conclusion Despite by-product formation, the XR-XDH xylose utilization pathway resulted in faster ethanol production than using the best presently reported XI pathway in the strain background investigated. The need for robust industrial yeast strains for fermentation of undetoxified spruce hydrolysates was also confirmed.

  6. Serum metabolomic profiling in acute alcoholic hepatitis identifies multiple dysregulated pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rachakonda, Vikrant; Gabbert, Charles; Raina, Amit; Bell, Lauren N; Cooper, Sara; Malik, Shahid; Behari, Jaideep

    2014-01-01

    While animal studies have implicated derangements of global energy homeostasis in the pathogenesis of acute alcoholic hepatitis (AAH), the relevance of these findings to the development of human AAH remains unclear. Using global, unbiased serum metabolomics analysis, we sought to characterize alterations in metabolic pathways associated with severe AAH and identify potential biomarkers for disease prognosis. This prospective, case-control study design included 25 patients with severe AAH and 25 ambulatory patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. Serum samples were collected within 24 hours of the index clinical encounter. Global, unbiased metabolomics profiling was performed. Patients were followed for 180 days after enrollment to determine survival. Levels of 234 biochemicals were altered in subjects with severe AAH. Random-forest analysis, principal component analysis, and integrated hierarchical clustering methods demonstrated that metabolomics profiles separated the two cohorts with 100% accuracy. Severe AAH was associated with enhanced triglyceride lipolysis, impaired mitochondrial fatty acid beta oxidation, and upregulated omega oxidation. Low levels of multiple lysolipids and related metabolites suggested decreased plasma membrane remodeling in severe AAH. While most measured bile acids were increased in severe AAH, low deoxycholate and glycodeoxycholate levels indicated intestinal dysbiosis. Several changes in substrate utilization for energy homeostasis were identified in severe AAH, including increased glucose consumption by the pentose phosphate pathway, altered tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity, and enhanced peptide catabolism. Finally, altered levels of small molecules related to glutathione metabolism and antioxidant vitamin depletion were observed in patients with severe AAH. Univariable logistic regression revealed 15 metabolites associated with 180-day survival in severe AAH. Severe AAH is characterized by a distinct metabolic phenotype spanning

  7. Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase: Update and Analysis of New Mutations around the World

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez-Manzo, Saúl; Marcial-Quino, Jaime; Vanoye-Carlo, America; Serrano-Posada, Hugo; Ortega-Cuellar, Daniel; González-Valdez, Abigail; Castillo-Rodríguez, Rosa Angélica; Hernández-Ochoa, Beatriz; Sierra-Palacios, Edgar; Rodríguez-Bustamante, Eduardo; Arreguin-Espinosa, Roberto

    2016-01-01

    Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a key regulatory enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway which produces nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) to maintain an adequate reducing environment in the cells and is especially important in red blood cells (RBC). Given its central role in the regulation of redox state, it is understandable that mutations in the gene encoding G6PD can cause deficiency of the protein activity leading to clinical manifestations such as neonatal jaundice and acute hemolytic anemia. Recently, an extensive review has been published about variants in the g6pd gene; recognizing 186 mutations. In this work, we review the state of the art in G6PD deficiency, describing 217 mutations in the g6pd gene; we also compile information about 31 new mutations, 16 that were not recognized and 15 more that have recently been reported. In order to get a better picture of the effects of new described mutations in g6pd gene, we locate the point mutations in the solved three-dimensional structure of the human G6PD protein. We found that class I mutations have the most deleterious effects on the structure and stability of the protein. PMID:27941691

  8. Elucidation of new condition-dependent roles for fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase linked to cofactor balances.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Du Toit W P Schabort

    Full Text Available The cofactor balances in metabolism is of paramount importance in the design of a metabolic engineering strategy and understanding the regulation of metabolism in general. ATP, NAD+ and NADP+ balances are central players linking the various fluxes in central metabolism as well as biomass formation. NADP+ is especially important in the metabolic engineering of yeasts for xylose fermentation, since NADPH is required by most yeasts in the initial step of xylose utilisation, including the fast-growing Kluyveromyces marxianus. In this simulation study of yeast metabolism, the complex interplay between these cofactors was investigated; in particular, how they may affect the possible roles of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, the pentose phosphate pathway, glycerol production and the pyruvate dehydrogenase bypass. Using flux balance analysis, it was found that the potential role of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase was highly dependent on the cofactor specificity of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and on the carbon source. Additionally, the excessive production of ATP under certain conditions might be involved in some of the phenomena observed, which may have been overlooked to date. Based on these findings, a strategy is proposed for the metabolic engineering of a future xylose-fermenting yeast for biofuel production.

  9. Iron oxidation kinetics and phosphate immobilization along the flow-path from groundwater into surface water

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Grift, B.; Rozemeijer, J. C.; Griffioen, J.; van der Velde, Y.

    2014-11-01

    The retention of phosphorus in surface waters through co-precipitation of phosphate with Fe-oxyhydroxides during exfiltration of anaerobic Fe(II) rich groundwater is not well understood. We developed an experimental field set-up to study Fe(II) oxidation and P immobilization along the flow-path from groundwater into surface water in an agricultural experimental catchment of a small lowland river. We physically separated tube drain effluent from groundwater discharge before it entered a ditch in an agricultural field. Through continuous discharge measurements and weekly water quality sampling of groundwater, tube drain water, exfiltrated groundwater, and surface water, we investigated Fe(II) oxidation kinetics and P immobilization processes. The oxidation rate inferred from our field measurements closely agreed with the general rate law for abiotic oxidation of Fe(II) by O2. Seasonal changes in climatic conditions affected the Fe(II) oxidation process. Lower pH and lower temperatures in winter (compared to summer) resulted in low Fe oxidation rates. After exfiltration to the surface water, it took a couple of days to more than a week before complete oxidation of Fe(II) is reached. In summer time, Fe oxidation rates were much higher. The Fe concentrations in the exfiltrated groundwater were low, indicating that dissolved Fe(II) is completely oxidized prior to inflow into a ditch. While the Fe oxidation rates reduce drastically from summer to winter, P concentrations remained high in the groundwater and an order of magnitude lower in the surface water throughout the year. This study shows very fast immobilization of dissolved P during the initial stage of the Fe(II) oxidation process which results in P-depleted water before Fe(II) is completely depleted. This cannot be explained by surface complexation of phosphate to freshly formed Fe-oxyhydroxides but indicates the formation of Fe(III)-phosphate precipitates. The formation of Fe(III)-phosphates at redox gradients

  10. 3-Bromopyruvate treatment induces alterations of metabolic and stress-related pathways in glioblastoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiasserini, Davide; Davidescu, Magdalena; Orvietani, Pier Luigi; Susta, Federica; Macchioni, Lara; Petricciuolo, Maya; Castigli, Emilia; Roberti, Rita; Binaglia, Luciano; Corazzi, Lanfranco

    2017-01-30

    Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain tumour of adults. The metabolic phenotype of GBM cells is highly dependent on glycolysis; therefore, therapeutic strategies aimed at interfering with glycolytic pathways are under consideration. 3-Bromopyruvate (3BP) is a potent antiglycolytic agent, with a variety of targets and possible effects on global cell metabolism. Here we analyzed the changes in protein expression on a GBM cell line (GL15 cells) caused by 3BP treatment using a global proteomic approach. Validation of differential protein expression was performed with immunoblotting and enzyme activity assays in GL15 and U251 cell lines. The results show that treatment of GL15 cells with 3BP leads to extensive changes in the expression of glycolytic enzymes and stress related proteins. Importantly, other metabolisms were also affected, including pentose phosphate pathway, aminoacid synthesis, and glucose derivatives production. 3BP elicited the activation of stress response proteins, as shown by the phosphorylation of HSPB1 at serine 82, caused by the concomitant activation of the p38 pathway. Our results show that inhibition of glycolysis in GL15 cells by 3BP influences different but interconnected pathways. Proteome analysis may help in the molecular characterization of the glioblastoma response induced by pharmacological treatment with antiglycolytic agents. Alteration of the glycolytic pathway characterizes glioblastoma (GBM), one of the most common brain tumours. Metabolic reprogramming with agents able to inhibit carbohydrate metabolism might be a viable strategy to complement the treatment of these tumours. The antiglycolytic agent 3-bromopyruvate (3BP) is able to strongly inhibit glycolysis but it may affect also other cellular pathways and its precise cellular targets are currently unknown. To understand the protein expression changes induced by 3BP, we performed a global proteomic analysis of a GBM cell line (GL15) treated with 3BP. We

  11. Engineering a functional 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirby, James [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). California Institute of Quantitative Biosciences (QB3); Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Dietzel, Kevin L. [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Wichmann, Gale [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Chan, Rossana [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). California Institute of Quantitative Biosciences (QB3); Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Antipov, Eugene [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Moss, Nathan [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Baidoo, Edward E. K. [Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Jackson, Peter [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Gaucher, Sara P. [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Gottlieb, Shayin [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); LaBarge, Jeremy [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Mahatdejkul, Tina [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Hawkins, Kristy M. [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Muley, Sheela [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Newman, Jack D. [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States); Liu, Pinghua [Boston Univ., MA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Keasling, Jay D. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). California Institute of Quantitative Biosciences (QB3); Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Depts. of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Bioengineering; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Biological Systems & Engineering Div.; Technical Univ. of Denmark, Hoesholm (Denmark). Novo Nodisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability; Zhao, Lishan [Amyris, inc., Emeryville, CA (United States)

    2016-10-27

    Isoprenoids are made by all free-living organisms and range from essential metabolites like sterols and quinones to more complex compounds like pinene and rubber. They are used in many commercial applications and much work has gone into engineering microbial hosts for their production. Isoprenoids are produced either from acetyl-CoA via the mevalonate pathway or from pyruvate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate via the 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) pathway. Saccharomyces cerevisiae exclusively utilizes the mevalonate pathway to synthesize native isoprenoids and in fact the alternative DXP pathway has never been found or successfully reconstructed in the eukaryotic cytosol. There are, however, several advantages to isoprenoid synthesis via the DXP pathway, such as a higher theoretical yield, and it has long been a goal to transplant the pathway into yeast. In this work, we investigate and address barriers to DXP pathway functionality in S. cerevisiae using a combination of synthetic biology, biochemistry and metabolomics. We report, for the first time, functional expression of the DXP pathway in S. cerevisiae. Under low aeration conditions, an engineered strain relying solely on the DXP pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis achieved an endpoint biomass 80% of that of the same strain using the mevalonate pathway.

  12. Discovery of a novel glucose metabolism in cancer: The role of endoplasmic reticulum beyond glycolysis and pentose phosphate shunt

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marini, Cecilia; Ravera, Silvia; Buschiazzo, Ambra; Bianchi, Giovanna; Orengo, Anna Maria; Bruno, Silvia; Bottoni, Gianluca; Emionite, Laura; Pastorino, Fabio; Monteverde, Elena; Garaboldi, Lucia; Martella, Roberto; Salani, Barbara; Maggi, Davide; Ponzoni, Mirco; Fais, Franco; Raffaghello, Lizzia; Sambuceti, Gianmario

    2016-01-01

    Cancer metabolism is characterized by an accelerated glycolytic rate facing reduced activity of oxidative phosphorylation. This “Warburg effect” represents a standard to diagnose and monitor tumor aggressiveness with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose whose uptake is currently regarded as an accurate index of total glucose consumption. Studying cancer metabolic response to respiratory chain inhibition by metformin, we repeatedly observed a reduction of tracer uptake facing a marked increase in glucose consumption. This puzzling discordance brought us to discover that 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose preferentially accumulates within endoplasmic reticulum by exploiting the catalytic function of hexose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase. Silencing enzyme expression and activity decreased both tracer uptake and glucose consumption, caused severe energy depletion and decreased NADPH content without altering mitochondrial function. These data document the existence of an unknown glucose metabolism triggered by hexose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase within endoplasmic reticulum of cancer cells. Besides its basic relevance, this finding can improve clinical cancer diagnosis and might represent potential target for therapy. PMID:27121192

  13. Bioprospecting and evolving alternative xylose and arabinose pathway enzymes for use in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sun-Mi; Jellison, Taylor; Alper, Hal S

    2016-03-01

    Bioprospecting is an effective way to find novel enzymes from strains with desirable phenotypes. Such bioprospecting has enabled organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae to utilize nonnative pentose sugars. Yet, the efficiency of this pentose catabolism (especially for the case of arabinose) remains suboptimal. Thus, further pathway optimization or identification of novel, optimal pathways is needed. Previously, we identified a novel set of xylan catabolic pathway enzymes from a superior pentose-utilizing strain of Ustilago bevomyces. These enzymes were used to successfully engineer a xylan-utilizing S. cerevisiae through a blended approach of bioprospecting and evolutionary engineering. Here, we expanded this approach to xylose and arabinose catabolic pathway engineering and demonstrated that bioprospected xylose and arabinose catabolic pathways from U. bevomyces offer alternative choices for enabling efficient pentose catabolism in S. cerevisiae. By introducing a novel set of xylose catabolic genes from U. bevomyces, growth rates were improved up to 85 % over a set of traditional Scheffersomyces stipitis pathway genes. In addition, we suggested an alternative arabinose catabolic pathway which, after directed evolution and pathway engineering, enabled S. cerevisiae to grow on arabinose as a sole carbon source in minimal medium with growth rates upwards of 0.05 h(-1). This pathway represents the most efficient growth of yeast on pure arabinose minimal medium. These pathways provide great starting points for further strain development and demonstrate the utility of bioprospecting from U. bevomyces.

  14. Synergy between methylerythritol phosphate pathway and mevalonate pathway for isoprene production in Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Chen; Gao, Xiang; Jiang, Yu; Sun, Bingbing; Gao, Fang; Yang, Sheng

    2016-09-01

    Isoprene, a key building block of synthetic rubber, is currently produced entirely from petrochemical sources. In this work, we engineered both the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway and the mevalonate (MVA) pathway for isoprene production in E. coli. The synergy between the MEP pathway and the MVA pathway was demonstrated by the production experiment, in which overexpression of both pathways improved the isoprene yield about 20-fold and 3-fold, respectively, compared to overexpression of the MEP pathway or the MVA pathway alone. The (13)C metabolic flux analysis revealed that simultaneous utilization of the two pathways resulted in a 4.8-fold increase in the MEP pathway flux and a 1.5-fold increase in the MVA pathway flux. The synergy of the dual pathway was further verified by quantifying intracellular flux responses of the MEP pathway and the MVA pathway to fosmidomycin treatment and mevalonate supplementation. Our results strongly suggest that coupling of the complementary reducing equivalent demand and ATP requirement plays an important role in the synergy of the dual pathway. Fed-batch cultivation of the engineered strain overexpressing the dual pathway resulted in production of 24.0g/L isoprene with a yield of 0.267g/g of glucose. The synergy of the MEP pathway and the MVA pathway also successfully increased the lycopene productivity in E. coli, which demonstrates that it can be used to improve the production of a broad range of terpenoids in microorganisms. Copyright © 2016 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Hydrous iron oxide modified diatomite as an active filtration medium for phosphate capture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhe; Lin, Yan; Wu, Deyi; Kong, Hainan

    2016-02-01

    A simple method to functionalize diatomite with hydrous iron oxide was attempted and its performance as a new active filtration material to remove and recover phosphate from water was investigated under varying solution conditions. The Langmuir phosphate adsorption capacity increased from 0.6 mgP/g for raw diatomite to 4.89, 14.71, 25.02 mgP/g for hydrous iron oxide modified diatomite (HIOMD), depending on the amount of iron loaded. Loading of hydrous iron oxide caused the increase in true and bulk density and a decline in filtration rate, but to a lesser extent. It was shown that the HIOMD product with suitable iron content could retain a good filtration performance with a greatly increased adsorption capacity for phosphate. The phosphate adsorption increased by decreasing pH and by increasing ionic strength at high pH levels. The adsorption process was interpreted by ligand exchange. Coexisting oxyanions of sulfate, nitrate, citrate, carbonate, silicate and humic acid showed different effects on phosphate fixation but it was presumed that their influence at their concentrations and pH levels commonly encountered in effluent or natural waters was limited, i.e., HIOMD had a reasonably good selectivity. Results in repeated adsorption, desorption and regeneration experiment showed that the adsorbed phosphate could be recovered and the material could be reused after regeneration. The column test showed that HIOMD could be potentially utilized as an adsorption filtration medium for phosphate removal and recovery from water. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Deletion of the Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Gene KlZWF1 Affects both Fermentative and Respiratory Metabolism in Kluyveromyces lactis▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saliola, Michele; Scappucci, Gina; De Maria, Ilaria; Lodi, Tiziana; Mancini, Patrizia; Falcone, Claudio

    2007-01-01

    In Kluyveromyces lactis, the pentose phosphate pathway is an alternative route for the dissimilation of glucose. The first enzyme of the pathway is the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), encoded by KlZWF1. We isolated this gene and examined its role. Like ZWF1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, KlZWF1 was constitutively expressed, and its deletion led to increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide on glucose, but unlike the case for S. cerevisiae, the Klzwf1Δ strain had a reduced biomass yield on fermentative carbon sources as well as on lactate and glycerol. In addition, the reduced yield on glucose was associated with low ethanol production and decreased oxygen consumption, indicating that this gene is required for both fermentation and respiration. On ethanol, however, the mutant showed an increased biomass yield. Moreover, on this substrate, wild-type cells showed an additional band of activity that might correspond to a dimeric form of G6PDH. The partial dimerization of the G6PDH tetramer on ethanol suggested the production of an NADPH excess that was negative for biomass yield. PMID:17085636

  17. Glucose metabolism and astrocyte-neuron interactions in the neonatal brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brekke, Eva; Morken, Tora Sund; Sonnewald, Ursula

    2015-03-01

    Glucose is essentially the sole fuel for the adult brain and the mapping of its metabolism has been extensive in the adult but not in the neonatal brain, which is believed to rely mainly on ketone bodies for energy supply. However, glucose is absolutely indispensable for normal development and recent studies have shed light on glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway and metabolic interactions between astrocytes and neurons in the 7-day-old rat brain. Appropriately (13)C labeled glucose was used to distinguish between glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway during development. Experiments using (13)C labeled acetate provided insight into the GABA-glutamate-glutamine cycle between astrocytes and neurons. It could be shown that in the neonatal brain the part of this cycle that transfers glutamine from astrocytes to neurons is operating efficiently while, in contrast, little glutamate is shuttled from neurons to astrocytes. This lack of glutamate for glutamine synthesis is compensated for by anaplerosis via increased pyruvate carboxylation relative to that in the adult brain. Furthermore, compared to adults, relatively more glucose is prioritized to the pentose phosphate pathway than glycolysis and pyruvate dehydrogenase activity. The reported developmental differences in glucose metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis may determine the ability of the brain at various ages to resist excitotoxic insults such as hypoxia-ischemia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Light-regulation of enzyme activity in anacystis nidulans (Richt.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duggan, J X; Anderson, L E

    1975-01-01

    The effect of light on the levels of activity of six enzymes which are light-modulated in higher plants was examined in the photosynthetic procaryot Anacystis nidulans. Ribulose-5-phosphate kinase (EC 2.7.1.19) was found to be light-activated in vivo and dithiothreitol-activated in vitro while glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49) was light-inactivated and dithiothreitol-inactivated. The enzymes fructose-1,6-diphosphate phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.11), sedoheptulose-1,7-diphosphate phosphatase, NAD- and NADP-linked glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.12; EC 1.2.1.13) were not affected by light treatment of the intact algae, but sedoheptulose-diphosphate phosphatase and the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases were dithiothreitol-activated in crude extracts. Light apparently controls the activity of the reductive and oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in this photosynthetic procaryot as in higher plants, through a process which probably involves reductive modulation of enzyme activity.

  19. Ferric oxide quantum dots in stable phosphate glass system and their magneto-optical study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garaje, Sunil N.; Apte, Sanjay K. [Nanocomposite Group, Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Government of India, Panchawati, Off Pashan Road, Pune 411008 (India); Kumar, Ganpathy [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tennessee Technological University, 1 William L. Jones Drive, Cookeville, TN 38505 (United States); Panmand, Rajendra P.; Naik, Sonali D. [Nanocomposite Group, Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Government of India, Panchawati, Off Pashan Road, Pune 411008 (India); Mahajan, Satish M., E-mail: smahajan@tntech.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tennessee Technological University, 1 William L. Jones Drive, Cookeville, TN 38505 (United States); Chand, Ramesh [Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Electronics Niketan, 6, CGO Complex, New Delhi 110003 (India); Kale, Bharat B., E-mail: bbkale@cmet.gov.in [Nanocomposite Group, Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Government of India, Panchawati, Off Pashan Road, Pune 411008 (India)

    2013-02-15

    Graphical abstract: We report synthesis of ferric oxide embedded low melting phosphate glass nanocomposite and also the effect of ferric oxide nanoparticles (NCs) content on the optical and magneto-optical properties of the glasses. Faraday rotation of the glass nanocomposites was measured and showed variation in Verdet constant with concentration of ferric oxide. Interestingly, the host glass itself showed fairly good Verdet constant (11.5°/T cm) and there is a threefold enhancement in the Verdet constant of ferric oxide quantum dot-glass nanocomposite. Highlights: ► We synthesize ferric oxide embedded low melting stable phosphate glass nanocomposite. ► Glasses doped with 0.25 and 2% ferric oxide show particle size in the range of 4–12 nm. ► The host phosphate glass itself shows fairly good Verdet constant (11.5°/T cm). ► Glasses doped with 0.25% ferric oxide show high Verdet constant (30.525°/T cm). ► The as synthesis glasses may have potential application in magneto optical devices. -- Abstract: Herein, we report the synthesis of ferric oxide embedded low melting phosphate glass nanocomposite and also the effect of ferric oxide nanoparticles content on the optical and magneto-optical properties of the glasses. The optical study clearly showed red shift in optical cut off with increasing ferric oxide concentration. The band gap of the host glass was observed to be 3.48 eV and it shifted to 3.14 eV after doping with ferric oxide. The glasses doped with 0.25 and 2% ferric oxide showed particle size of 4–6 nm and 8–12 nm, respectively. Faraday rotation of the glass nanocomposites was measured and showed variation in the Verdet constant as per increasing concentration of ferric oxide. Interestingly, the host glass itself showed fairly good Verdet constant (11.5°/T cm) and threefold enhancement was observed in the Verdet constant of ferric oxide quantum dot-glass nanocomposite.

  20. It takes two to tango: defining an essential second active site in pyridoxal 5'-phosphate synthase.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cyril Moccand

    Full Text Available The prevalent de novo biosynthetic pathway of vitamin B6 involves only two enzymes (Pdx1 and Pdx2 that form an ornate multisubunit complex functioning as a glutamine amidotransferase. The synthase subunit, Pdx1, utilizes ribose 5-phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, as well as ammonia derived from the glutaminase activity of Pdx2 to directly form the cofactor vitamer, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. Given the fact that a single enzyme performs the majority of the chemistry behind this reaction, a complicated mechanism is anticipated. Recently, the individual steps along the reaction co-ordinate are beginning to be unraveled. In particular, the binding of the pentose substrate and the first steps of the reaction have been elucidated but it is not known if the latter part of the chemistry, involving the triose sugar, takes place in the same or a disparate site. Here, we demonstrate through the use of enzyme assays, enzyme kinetics, and mutagenesis studies that indeed a second site is involved in binding the triose sugar and moreover, is the location of the final vitamin product, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. Furthermore, we show that product release is triggered by the presence of a PLP-dependent enzyme. Finally, we provide evidence that a single arginine residue of the C terminus of Pdx1 is responsible for coordinating co-operativity in this elaborate protein machinery.

  1. Electrical properties of phosphate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mogus-Milankovic, A; Santic, A; Reis, S T; Day, D E

    2009-01-01

    Investigation of the electrical properties of phosphate glasses where transition metal oxide such as iron oxide is the network former and network modifier is presented. Phosphate glasses containing iron are electronically conducting glasses where the polaronic conduction is due to the electron hopping from low to high iron valence state. The identification of structural defects caused by ion/polaron migration, the analysis of dipolar states and electrical conductivity in iron phosphate glasses containing various alkali and mixed alkali ions was performed on the basis of the impedance spectroscopy (IS). The changes in electrical conductivity from as-quenched phosphate glass to fully crystallized glass (glass-ceramics) by IS are analyzed. A change in the characteristic features of IS follows the changes in glass and crystallized glass network. Using IS, the contribution of glass matrix, crystallized grains and grain boundary to the total electrical conductivity for iron phosphate glasses was analyzed. It was shown that decrease in conductivity is caused by discontinuities in the conduction pathways as a result of the disruption of crystalline network where two or more crystalline phases are formed. Also, phosphate-based glasses offer a unique range of biomaterials, as they form direct chemical bonding with hard/soft tissue. The surface charges of bioactive glasses are recognized to be the most important factors in determining biological responses. The improved bioactivity of the bioactive glasses as a result of the effects of the surface charges generated by electrical polarization is discussed.

  2. Mechanisms of Bond Cleavage during Manganese Oxide and UV Degradation of Glyphosate: Results from Phosphate Oxygen Isotopes and Molecular Simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaisi, Deb P; Li, Hui; Wallace, Adam F; Paudel, Prajwal; Sun, Mingjing; Balakrishna, Avula; Lerch, Robert N

    2016-11-16

    Degradation of glyphosate in the presence of manganese oxide and UV light was analyzed using phosphate oxygen isotope ratios and density function theory (DFT). The preference of C-P or C-N bond cleavage was found to vary with changing glyphosate/manganese oxide ratios, indicating the potential role of sorption-induced conformational changes on the composition of intermediate degradation products. Isotope data confirmed that one oxygen atom derived solely from water was incorporated into the released phosphate during glyphosate degradation, and this might suggest similar nucleophilic substitution at P centers and C-P bond cleavage both in manganese oxide- and UV light-mediated degradation. The DFT results reveal that the C-P bond could be cleaved by water, OH - or • OH, with the energy barrier opposing bond dissociation being lowest in the presence of the radical species, and that C-N bond cleavage is favored by the formation of both nitrogen- and carbon-centered radicals. Overall, these results highlight the factors controlling the dominance of C-P or C-N bond cleavage that determines the composition of intermediate/final products and ultimately the degradation pathway.

  3. Transaldolase of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim Soderberg

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The Methanocaldococcus jannaschii genome contains putative genes for all four nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway enzymes. Open reading frame (ORF MJ0960 is a member of the mipB/talC family of ‘transaldolase-like’ genes, so named because of their similarity to the well-characterized transaldolase B gene family. However, recently, it has been reported that both the mipB and the talC genes from Escherichia coli encode novel enzymes with fructose-6-phosphate aldolase activity, not transaldolase activity (Schürmann and Sprenger 2001. The same study reports that other members of the mipB/talC family appear to encode transaldolases. To confirm the function of MJ0960 and to clarify the presence of a nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway in M. jannaschii, we have cloned ORF MJ0960 from M. jannaschii genomic DNA and purified the recombinant protein. MJ0960 encodes a transaldolase and displays no fructose-6-phosphate aldolase activity. It retained full activity for 4 h at 80 °C, and for 3 weeks at 25 °C. Methanocaldococcus jannaschii transaldolase has a maximal velocity (Vmax of 1.0 ± 0.2 µmol min–1 mg–1 at 25 °C, whereas Vmax = 12.0 ± 0.5 µmol min–1 mg–1 at 50 °C. Apparent Michaelis constants at 50 °C were Km = 0.65 ± 0.09 mM for fructose-6-phosphate and Km = 27.8 ± 4.3 µM for erythrose-4-phosphate. When ribose-5-phosphate replaced erythrose-4-phosphate as an aldose acceptor, Vmax decreased twofold, whereas the Km was 150-fold higher. The molecular mass of the active enzyme is 271 ± 27 kDa as estimated by gel filtration, whereas the predicted monomer size is 23.96 kDa, suggesting that the native form of the protein is probably a decamer. A readily available source of thermophilic pentose phosphate pathway enzymes including transaldolase may have direct application in enzymatic biohydrogen production.

  4. Metabolic Regulation of Methionine Restriction in Diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Jie; Ren, Wenkai; Chen, Shuai; Li, Yuying; Han, Hui; Gao, Jing; Liu, Gang; Wu, Xin; Li, Tiejun; Kim, Sung Woo; Yin, Yulong

    2018-03-30

    Although the effects of dietary methionine restriction have been investigated in the physiology of aging and diseases related to oxidative stress, the relationship between methionine restriction and the development of metabolic disorders has not been explored extensively. This review summarizes studies of the possible involvement of dietary methionine restriction in improving insulin resistance, glucose homeostasis, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, and inflammation, with an emphasis on the fibroblast growth factor 21 and protein phosphatase 2A signals and autophagy in diabetes. Diets deficient in methionine may be a useful nutritional strategy in patients with diabetes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  5. Engineering Escherichia coli to grow constitutively on D-xylose using the carbon-efficient Weimberg pathway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossoni, Luca; Carr, Reuben; Baxter, Scott; Cortis, Roxann; Thorpe, Thomas; Eastham, Graham; Stephens, Gill

    2018-01-01

    Bio-production of fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic C5 sugars usually requires the use of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) to produce pyruvate. Unfortunately, the oxidation of pyruvate to acetyl-coenzyme A results in the loss of 33 % of the carbon as CO2, to the detriment of sustainability and process economics. To improve atom efficiency, we engineered Escherichia coli to utilize d-xylose constitutively using the Weimberg pathway, to allow direct production of 2-oxoglutarate without CO2 loss. After confirming enzyme expression in vitro, the pathway expression was optimized in vivo using a combinatorial approach, by screening a range of constitutive promoters whilst systematically varying the gene order. A PPP-deficient (ΔxylAB), 2-oxoglutarate auxotroph (Δicd) was used as the host strain, so that growth on d-xylose depended on the expression of the Weimberg pathway, and variants expressing Caulobacter crescentus xylXAB could be selected on minimal agar plates. The strains were isolated and high-throughput measurement of the growth rates on d-xylose was used to identify the fastest growing variant. This strain contained the pL promoter, with C. crescentus xylA at the first position in the synthetic operon, and grew at 42 % of the rate on d-xylose compared to wild-type E. coli using the PPP. Remarkably, the biomass yield was improved by 53.5 % compared with the wild-type upon restoration of icd activity. Therefore, the strain grows efficiently and constitutively on d-xylose, and offers great potential for use as a new host strain to engineer carbon-efficient production of fuels and chemicals via the Weimberg pathway. PMID:29458683

  6. Nutrient starvation leading to triglyceride accumulation activates the Entner Doudoroff pathway in Rhodococcus jostii RHA1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juarez, Antonio; Villa, Juan A; Lanza, Val F; Lázaro, Beatriz; de la Cruz, Fernando; Alvarez, Héctor M; Moncalián, Gabriel

    2017-02-27

    Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 and other actinobacteria accumulate triglycerides (TAG) under nutrient starvation. This property has an important biotechnological potential in the production of sustainable oils. To gain insight into the metabolic pathways involved in TAG accumulation, we analysed the transcriptome of R jostii RHA1 under nutrient-limiting conditions. We correlate these physiological conditions with significant changes in cell physiology. The main consequence was a global switch from catabolic to anabolic pathways. Interestingly, the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway was upregulated in detriment of the glycolysis or pentose phosphate pathways. ED induction was independent of the carbon source (either gluconate or glucose). Some of the diacylglycerol acyltransferase genes involved in the last step of the Kennedy pathway were also upregulated. A common feature of the promoter region of most upregulated genes was the presence of a consensus binding sequence for the cAMP-dependent CRP regulator. This is the first experimental observation of an ED shift under nutrient starvation conditions. Knowledge of this switch could help in the design of metabolomic approaches to optimize carbon derivation for single cell oil production.

  7. Plasmid linkage of the D-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway in Streptococcus lactis: effect on lactose and galactose metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crow, V L; Davey, G P; Pearce, L E; Thomas, T D

    1983-01-01

    The three enzymes of the D-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway (galactose 6-phosphate isomerase, D-tagatose 6-phosphate kinase, and tagatose 1,6-diphosphate aldolase) were absent in lactose-negative (Lac-) derivatives of Streptococcus lactis C10, H1, and 133 grown on galactose. The lactose phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system and phospho-beta-galactosidase activities were also absent in Lac- derivatives of strains H1 and 133 and were low (possibly absent) in C10 Lac-. In all three Lac- derivatives, low galactose phosphotransferase system activity was found. On galactose, Lac- derivatives grew more slowly (presumably using the Leloir pathway) than the wild-type strains and accumulated high intracellular concentrations of galactose 6-phosphate (up to 49 mM); no intracellular tagatose 1,6-diphosphate was detected. The data suggest that the Lac phenotype is plasmid linked in the three strains studied, with the evidence being more substantial for strain H1. A Lac- derivative of H1 contained a single plasmid (33 megadaltons) which was absent from the Lac- mutant. We suggest that the genes linked to the lactose plasmid in S. lactis are more numerous than previously envisaged, coding for all of the enzymes involved in lactose metabolism from initial transport to the formation of triose phosphates via the D-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway. Images PMID:6294064

  8. Novel Insights into the Diversity of Catabolic Metabolism from Ten Haloarchaeal Genomes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anderson, Iain; Scheuner, Carmen; Goker, Markus; Mavromatis, Kostas; Hooper, Sean D.; Porat, Iris; Klenk, Hans-Peter; Ivanova, Natalia; Kyrpides, Nikos

    2011-05-03

    The extremely halophilic archaea are present worldwide in saline environments and have important biotechnological applications. Ten complete genomes of haloarchaea are now available, providing an opportunity for comparative analysis. We report here the comparative analysis of five newly sequenced haloarchaeal genomes with five previously published ones. Whole genome trees based on protein sequences provide strong support for deep relationships between the ten organisms. Using a soft clustering approach, we identified 887 protein clusters present in all halophiles. Of these core clusters, 112 are not found in any other archaea and therefore constitute the haloarchaeal signature. Four of the halophiles were isolated from water, and four were isolated from soil or sediment. Although there are few habitat-specific clusters, the soil/sediment halophiles tend to have greater capacity for polysaccharide degradation, siderophore synthesis, and cell wall modification. Halorhabdus utahensis and Haloterrigena turkmenica encode over forty glycosyl hydrolases each, and may be capable of breaking down naturally occurring complex carbohydrates. H. utahensis is specialized for growth on carbohydrates and has few amino acid degradation pathways. It uses the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway instead of the oxidative pathway, giving it more flexibility in the metabolism of pentoses. These new genomes expand our understanding of haloarchaeal catabolic pathways, providing a basis for further experimental analysis, especially with regard to carbohydrate metabolism. Halophilic glycosyl hydrolases for use in biofuel production are more likely to be found in halophiles isolated from soil or sediment.

  9. Melatonin Decreases Glucose Metabolism in Prostate Cancer Cells: A 13C Stable Isotope-Resolved Metabolomic Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hevia, David; Gonzalez-Menendez, Pedro; Fernandez-Fernandez, Mario; Cueto, Sergio; Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Pablo; Garcia-Alonso, Jose I; Mayo, Juan C; Sainz, Rosa M

    2017-07-26

    The pineal neuroindole melatonin exerts an exceptional variety of systemic functions. Some of them are exerted through its specific membrane receptors type 1 and type 2 (MT1 and MT2) while others are mediated by receptor-independent mechanisms. A potential transport of melatonin through facilitative glucose transporters (GLUT/ SLC2A ) was proposed in prostate cancer cells. The prostate cells have a particular metabolism that changes during tumor progression. During the first steps of carcinogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation is reactivated while the switch to the "Warburg effect" only occurs in advanced tumors and in the metastatic stage. Here, we investigated whether melatonin might change prostate cancer cell metabolism. To do so, 13 C stable isotope-resolved metabolomics in androgen sensitive LNCaP and insensitive PC-3 prostate cancer cells were employed. In addition to metabolite 13 C-labeling, ATP/AMP levels, and lactate dehydrogenase or pentose phosphate pathway activity were measured. Melatonin reduces lactate labeling in androgen-sensitive cells and it also lowers 13 C-labeling of tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites and ATP production. In addition, melatonin reduces lactate 13 C-labeling in androgen insensitive prostate cancer cells. Results demonstrated that melatonin limits glycolysis as well as the tricarboxylic acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathway in prostate cancer cells, suggesting that the reduction of glucose uptake is a major target of the indole in this tumor type.

  10. Melatonin Decreases Glucose Metabolism in Prostate Cancer Cells: A 13C Stable Isotope-Resolved Metabolomic Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hevia, David; Gonzalez-Menendez, Pedro; Fernandez-Fernandez, Mario; Cueto, Sergio; Mayo, Juan C.

    2017-01-01

    The pineal neuroindole melatonin exerts an exceptional variety of systemic functions. Some of them are exerted through its specific membrane receptors type 1 and type 2 (MT1 and MT2) while others are mediated by receptor-independent mechanisms. A potential transport of melatonin through facilitative glucose transporters (GLUT/SLC2A) was proposed in prostate cancer cells. The prostate cells have a particular metabolism that changes during tumor progression. During the first steps of carcinogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation is reactivated while the switch to the “Warburg effect” only occurs in advanced tumors and in the metastatic stage. Here, we investigated whether melatonin might change prostate cancer cell metabolism. To do so, 13C stable isotope-resolved metabolomics in androgen sensitive LNCaP and insensitive PC-3 prostate cancer cells were employed. In addition to metabolite 13C-labeling, ATP/AMP levels, and lactate dehydrogenase or pentose phosphate pathway activity were measured. Melatonin reduces lactate labeling in androgen-sensitive cells and it also lowers 13C-labeling of tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites and ATP production. In addition, melatonin reduces lactate 13C-labeling in androgen insensitive prostate cancer cells. Results demonstrated that melatonin limits glycolysis as well as the tricarboxylic acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathway in prostate cancer cells, suggesting that the reduction of glucose uptake is a major target of the indole in this tumor type. PMID:28933733

  11. Crystal Structure and Substrate Specificity of D-Galactose-6-Phosphate Isomerase Complexed with Substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jung-Kul; Pan, Cheol-Ho

    2013-01-01

    D-Galactose-6-phosphate isomerase from Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LacAB; EC 5.3.1.26), which is encoded by the tagatose-6-phosphate pathway gene cluster (lacABCD), catalyzes the isomerization of D-galactose-6-phosphate to D-tagatose-6-phosphate during lactose catabolism and is used to produce rare sugars as low-calorie natural sweeteners. The crystal structures of LacAB and its complex with D-tagatose-6-phosphate revealed that LacAB is a homotetramer of LacA and LacB subunits, with a structure similar to that of ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (Rpi). Structurally, LacAB belongs to the RpiB/LacAB superfamily, having a Rossmann-like αβα sandwich fold as has been identified in pentose phosphate isomerase and hexose phosphate isomerase. In contrast to other family members, the LacB subunit also has a unique α7 helix in its C-terminus. One active site is distinctly located at the interface between LacA and LacB, whereas two active sites are present in RpiB. In the structure of the product complex, the phosphate group of D-tagatose-6-phosphate is bound to three arginine residues, including Arg-39, producing a different substrate orientation than that in RpiB, where the substrate binds at Asp-43. Due to the proximity of the Arg-134 residue and backbone Cα of the α6 helix in LacA to the last Asp-172 residue of LacB with a hydrogen bond, a six-carbon sugar-phosphate can bind in the larger pocket of LacAB, compared with RpiB. His-96 in the active site is important for ring opening and substrate orientation, and Cys-65 is essential for the isomerization activity of the enzyme. Two rare sugar substrates, D-psicose and D-ribulose, show optimal binding in the LacAB-substrate complex. These findings were supported by the results of LacA activity assays. PMID:24015281

  12. Crystal structure and substrate specificity of D-galactose-6-phosphate isomerase complexed with substrates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Woo-Suk Jung

    Full Text Available D-Galactose-6-phosphate isomerase from Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LacAB; EC 5.3.1.26, which is encoded by the tagatose-6-phosphate pathway gene cluster (lacABCD, catalyzes the isomerization of D-galactose-6-phosphate to D-tagatose-6-phosphate during lactose catabolism and is used to produce rare sugars as low-calorie natural sweeteners. The crystal structures of LacAB and its complex with D-tagatose-6-phosphate revealed that LacAB is a homotetramer of LacA and LacB subunits, with a structure similar to that of ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (Rpi. Structurally, LacAB belongs to the RpiB/LacAB superfamily, having a Rossmann-like αβα sandwich fold as has been identified in pentose phosphate isomerase and hexose phosphate isomerase. In contrast to other family members, the LacB subunit also has a unique α7 helix in its C-terminus. One active site is distinctly located at the interface between LacA and LacB, whereas two active sites are present in RpiB. In the structure of the product complex, the phosphate group of D-tagatose-6-phosphate is bound to three arginine residues, including Arg-39, producing a different substrate orientation than that in RpiB, where the substrate binds at Asp-43. Due to the proximity of the Arg-134 residue and backbone Cα of the α6 helix in LacA to the last Asp-172 residue of LacB with a hydrogen bond, a six-carbon sugar-phosphate can bind in the larger pocket of LacAB, compared with RpiB. His-96 in the active site is important for ring opening and substrate orientation, and Cys-65 is essential for the isomerization activity of the enzyme. Two rare sugar substrates, D-psicose and D-ribulose, show optimal binding in the LacAB-substrate complex. These findings were supported by the results of LacA activity assays.

  13. Distribution and phylogenies of enzymes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway from archaea and hyperthermophilic bacteria support a gluconeogenic origin of metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ron S. Ronimus

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Enzymes of the gluconeogenic/glycolytic pathway (the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP pathway, the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle, the reductive pentose phosphate cycle and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway are widely distributed and are often considered to be central to the origins of metabolism. In particular, several enzymes of the lower portion of the EMP pathway (the so-called trunk pathway, including triosephosphate isomerase (TPI; EC 5.3.1.1, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH; EC 1.2.1.12/13, phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK; EC 2.7.2.3 and enolase (EC 4.2.1.11, are extremely well conserved and universally distributed among the three domains of life. In this paper, the distribution of enzymes of gluconeogenesis/glycolysis in hyperthermophiles—microorganisms that many believe represent the least evolved organisms on the planet—is reviewed. In addition, the phylogenies of the trunk pathway enzymes (TPIs, GAPDHs, PGKs and enolases are examined. The enzymes catalyzing each of the six-carbon transformations in the upper portion of the EMP pathway, with the possible exception of aldolase, are all derived from multiple gene sequence families. In contrast, single sequence families can account for the archaeal and hyperthermophilic bacterial enzyme activities of the lower portion of the EMP pathway. The universal distribution of the trunk pathway enzymes, in combination with their phylogenies, supports the notion that the EMP pathway evolved in the direction of gluconeogenesis, i.e., from the bottom up.

  14. Phosphate dynamics in an acidic mountain stream: Interactions involving algal uptake, sorption by iron oxide, and photoreduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tate, Cathy M.; Broshears, Robert E.; McKnight, Diane M.

    1995-01-01

    Acid mine drainage streams in the Rocky Mountains typically have few algal species and abundant iron oxide deposits which can sorb phosphate. An instream injection of radiolabeled phosphate (32P0,) into St. Kevin Gulch, an acid mine drainage stream, was used to test the ability of a dominant algal species, Ulothrix sp., to rapidly assimilate phosphate. Approximately 90% of the injected phosphate was removed from the water column in the 175-m stream reach. When shaded stream reaches were exposed to full sunlight after the injection ended, photoreductive dissolution of iron oxide released sorbed 32P, which was then also removed downstream. The removal from the stream was modeled as a first-order process by using a reactive solute transport transient storage model. Concentrations of 32P mass-’ of algae were typically lo-fold greater than concentrations in hydrous iron oxides. During the injection, concentrations of 32P increased in the cellular P pool containing soluble, low-molecular-weight compounds and confirmed direct algal uptake of 32P0, from water. Mass balance calculations indicated that algal uptake and sorption on iron oxides were significant in removing phosphate. We conclude that in stream ecosystems, PO, sorbed by iron oxides can act as a dynamic nutrient reservoir regulated by photoreduction.

  15. Process for the production of furfural from pentoses and/or water soluble pentosans

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Jong, W.; Marcotullio, G.

    2012-01-01

    The invention is directed to a process for the production of furfural from pentoses and/or water soluble pentosans, said process comprising converting the said pentoses and/or water soluble pentosans in aqueous solution in a first step to furfural and in a second step feeding the aqueous solution

  16. The effect of serum from obese and normal weight men on glucose metabolism in leucocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myking, O.; Kjoesen, B.; Bassoee, H.H.

    1980-01-01

    The influence of pooled serum from either obese or normal weight males on glucose metabolism in human leucocytes has been studied. Leucocytes from normal weight males were incubated with 10-90% pooled serum and either [U- 14 C], or [1- 14 C]glucose. Compared to serum from the normal weight males, serum from the obese group had a more stimulating effect on the 14 CO 2 and [ 14 C]lactate production from [U- 14 C]glucose and on the 14 CO 2 production from [1- 14 C]glucose. The two serum pools had the same stimulating effect on the Embden-Meyerhof pathway as indicated by the formation of [ 14 C]lactate from [l- 14 C]glucose. Calculations revealed that the activity in the pentose phosphate pathway was stimulated more by serum from obese, than from normal weight males. It is a possibility that increased stimulation of the pentose phosphate pathway may contribute to the development of overweight. (author)

  17. Antibiotic Overproduction in Steptomyces coelicolor A3(2) Mediated by Phosphofructokinase Deletion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borodina, Irina; Siebring, Jeroen; Zhang, Jie

    2008-01-01

    the primary metabolism. High level production of antibiotics in streptomycetes therefore requires engineering of the primary metabolism. Here we demonstrate this by targeting a key enzyme in glycolysis, phosphofructokinase, leading to improved antibiotic production in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). Deletion...... of pfkA2 (SCO5426), one of three annotated pfkA homologues in S. coelicolor A3(2), resulted in a higher production of the pigmented antibiotics actinorhodin and undecylprodigiosin. The pfkA2 deletion strain had an increased carbon flux through the pentose phosphate pathway, as measured by C-13 metabolic....... Through genome-scale metabolic model simulations, we predicted that decreased phosphofructokinase activity leads to an increase in pentose phosphate pathway flux and in flux to pigmented antibiotics and pyruvate. Integrated analysis of gene expression data using a genome-scale metabolic model further...

  18. The genome-wide early temporal response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to oxidative stress induced by cumene hydroperoxide.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Sha

    Full Text Available Oxidative stress is a well-known biological process that occurs in all respiring cells and is involved in pathophysiological processes such as aging and apoptosis. Oxidative stress agents include peroxides such as hydrogen peroxide, cumene hydroperoxide, and linoleic acid hydroperoxide, the thiol oxidant diamide, and menadione, a generator of superoxide, amongst others. The present study analyzed the early temporal genome-wide transcriptional response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to oxidative stress induced by the aromatic peroxide cumene hydroperoxide. The accurate dataset obtained, supported by the use of temporal controls, biological replicates and well controlled growth conditions, provided a detailed picture of the early dynamics of the process. We identified a set of genes previously not implicated in the oxidative stress response, including several transcriptional regulators showing a fast transient response, suggesting a coordinated process in the transcriptional reprogramming. We discuss the role of the glutathione, thioredoxin and reactive oxygen species-removing systems, the proteasome and the pentose phosphate pathway. A data-driven clustering of the expression patterns identified one specific cluster that mostly consisted of genes known to be regulated by the Yap1p and Skn7p transcription factors, emphasizing their mediator role in the transcriptional response to oxidants. Comparison of our results with data reported for hydrogen peroxide identified 664 genes that specifically respond to cumene hydroperoxide, suggesting distinct transcriptional responses to these two peroxides. Genes up-regulated only by cumene hydroperoxide are mainly related to the cell membrane and cell wall, and proteolysis process, while those down-regulated only by this aromatic peroxide are involved in mitochondrial function.

  19. Formation of cellular films consisting of wurtzite-type zinc oxide nanosheets by mediation of phosphate anions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamabi, Satoshi; Yahiro, Junko; Iwai, Satoko; Imai, Hiroaki

    2005-01-01

    We successfully prepared a wide variety of wurtzite-type zinc oxide films exhibiting columnar, cellular and densely packed morphologies in a simple aqueous solution system containing phosphate anions. As the phosphate concentration increased, the shape of crystalline units composing the films varied from hexagonal needles into seaweed-like sheets. A novel type of open cellular structures was obtained by assembly of nanoscale zinc oxide sheets covered with phosphate. Specific adsorption of phosphate anions on (001) of the wurtzite-type crystal flattened the crystal grains, and then induced the structural evolution into a cellular form. A blue shift of the absorption edge suggested that the quantum size effect occurred in the nanoscale platy crystals composing the cellular films

  20. Preparation and bioactivity of micro-arc oxidized calcium phosphate coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, Y.K.; Chen, C.Z.; Wang, D.G.; Lin, Z.Q.

    2013-01-01

    Calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings were prepared on ZK60 magnesium alloy by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) in electrolyte containing calcium acetate monohydrate (CH 3 COO) 2 Ca·H 2 O) and disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate (Na 2 HPO 4 ·12H 2 O). Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) were employed to characterize the microstructure, elemental distribution and phase composition of the CaP coatings respectively. Simulated body fluid (SBF) immersion test was used to evaluate the coating degradability and bioactivity. After 30 days of SBF immersion, the CaP coatings effectively reduce the degradation rate. The surfaces of CaP coatings are covered by a new layer formed of numerous needle-like, spherical and columned calcium phosphates. SEM, EDX and XRD results suggest that these calcium phosphates are bioactive calcium phosphate phases such as hydroxyapatite (Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 , HA) and calcium pyrophosphates (Ca 2 P 2 O 7 , CPP). The formation of these calcium phosphates indicates that the CaP coatings have bioactivity. - Highlights: • Bioactive CaP coatings are successfully formed on ZK60 magnesium alloy. • CaP coatings consist of MgO, MgF 2 , CaO, CaF 2 and Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 . • Needle-like, spherical and columned calcium phosphates formed in SBF. • CaP coatings exhibit bioactivity and low corrosion rate

  1. Glucose 6 phosphatase dehydrogenase (G6PD) and neurodegenerative disorders: Mapping diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities

    OpenAIRE

    Manju Tiwari

    2017-01-01

    Glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a key and rate limiting enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). The physiological significance of enzyme is providing reduced energy to specific cells like erythrocyte by maintaining co-enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). There are preponderance research findings that demonstrate the enzyme (G6PD) role in the energy balance, and it is associated with blood-related diseases and disorders, primarily the anemia resulted f...

  2. Preferable adsorption of phosphate using lanthanum-incorporated porous zeolite: Characteristics and mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Yinhai; Lin, Hai; Dong, Yingbo; Wang, Liang

    2017-12-01

    The adsorbent, where lanthanum oxide was incorporated onto porous zeolite (La-Z), of preferable adsorption towards phosphate was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. Based on pH effect results, La-Z would effectively sequestrate phosphate over wider pH range of 3.0-7.0, alkaline conditions were unfavorable for phosphate. The adsorption of phosphate was not significantly influenced by ionic strength and by coexisting anions of chloride, nitrate and sulfate but bicarbonate showed slightly greater negative effects, indicating La-Z possessed highly selectivity to phosphate. Adsorption of phosphate could be well fitted by pseudo-second-order model and the process was mainly controlled by intra-particle diffusion. Equilibrium adsorption demonstrated that Langmuir model was more suitable than Freundlich model for description phosphate adsorption and the adsorption capacity was 17.2 mg P g-1, which exhibited 95% utilization of incorporated La. Over 95% phosphate was eliminated in real effluent treatment when the dose was 2 g L-1. The underlying mechanism for phosphate capture was probed with Zeta potential and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope analysis, and the formation of La-P inner-sphere complexation was testified to be the dominant pathway. All the results suggested that the porous zeolite-supported lanthanum oxide can serve as a promising adsorbent for phosphate removal in realistic application.

  3. Signaling Pathways Regulating Redox Balance in Cancer Metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Santis, Maria Chiara; Porporato, Paolo Ettore; Martini, Miriam; Morandi, Andrea

    2018-01-01

    The interplay between rewiring tumor metabolism and oncogenic driver mutations is only beginning to be appreciated. Metabolic deregulation has been described for decades as a bystander effect of genomic aberrations. However, for the biology of malignant cells, metabolic reprogramming is essential to tackle a harsh environment, including nutrient deprivation, reactive oxygen species production, and oxygen withdrawal. Besides the well-investigated glycolytic metabolism, it is emerging that several other metabolic fluxes are relevant for tumorigenesis in supporting redox balance, most notably pentose phosphate pathway, folate, and mitochondrial metabolism. The relationship between metabolic rewiring and mutant genes is still unclear and, therefore, we will discuss how metabolic needs and oncogene mutations influence each other to satisfy cancer cells' demands. Mutations in oncogenes, i.e., PI3K/AKT/mTOR, RAS pathway, and MYC, and tumor suppressors, i.e., p53 and liver kinase B1, result in metabolic flexibility and may influence response to therapy. Since metabolic rewiring is shaped by oncogenic driver mutations, understanding how specific alterations in signaling pathways affect different metabolic fluxes will be instrumental for the development of novel targeted therapies. In the era of personalized medicine, the combination of driver mutations, metabolite levels, and tissue of origins will pave the way to innovative therapeutic interventions.

  4. Metabolic-flux analysis of hydrogen production pathway in Citrobacter amalonaticus Y19

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oh, You-Kwan; Kim, Mi-Sun [Bioenergy Research Center, Korea Institute of Energy Research, Daejeon 305-343 (Korea); Kim, Heung-Joo; Park, Sunghoon [Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and Institute for Environmental Technology and Industry, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735 (Korea); Ryu, Dewey D.Y. [Biochemical Engineering Program, Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States)

    2008-03-15

    For the newly isolated chemoheterotrophic bacterium Citrobacter amalonaticus Y19, anaerobic glucose metabolism and hydrogen (H{sub 2}) production pathway were studied using batch cultivation and an in silico metabolic-flux analysis. Batch cultivation was conducted under varying initial glucose concentration between 1.5 and 9.5 g/L with quantitative measurement of major metabolites to obtain accurate carbon material balance. The metabolic flux of Y19 was analyzed using a metabolic-pathway model which was constructed from 81 biochemical reactions. The linear optimization program MetaFluxNet was employed for the analysis. When the specific growth rate of cells was chosen as an objective function, the model described the batch culture characteristics of Ci. amalonaticus Y19 reasonably well. When the specific H{sub 2} production rate was selected as an objective function, on the other hand, the achievable maximal H{sub 2} production yield (8.7molH{sub 2}/mol glucose) and the metabolic pathway enabling the high H{sub 2} yield were identified. The pathway involved non-native NAD(P)-linked hydrogenase and H{sub 2} production from NAD(P)H which were supplied at a high rate from glucose degradation through the pentose phosphate pathway. (author)

  5. Preparation and bioactivity of micro-arc oxidized calcium phosphate coatings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pan, Y.K. [Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Ji' nan, Shandong 250061 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Ji' nan, Shandong 250061 (China); Chen, C.Z., E-mail: czchen@sdu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Ji' nan, Shandong 250061 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Ji' nan, Shandong 250061 (China); Wang, D.G.; Lin, Z.Q. [Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Ji' nan, Shandong 250061 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Ji' nan, Shandong 250061 (China)

    2013-09-16

    Calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings were prepared on ZK60 magnesium alloy by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) in electrolyte containing calcium acetate monohydrate (CH{sub 3}COO){sub 2}Ca·H{sub 2}O) and disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate (Na{sub 2}HPO{sub 4}·12H{sub 2}O). Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) were employed to characterize the microstructure, elemental distribution and phase composition of the CaP coatings respectively. Simulated body fluid (SBF) immersion test was used to evaluate the coating degradability and bioactivity. After 30 days of SBF immersion, the CaP coatings effectively reduce the degradation rate. The surfaces of CaP coatings are covered by a new layer formed of numerous needle-like, spherical and columned calcium phosphates. SEM, EDX and XRD results suggest that these calcium phosphates are bioactive calcium phosphate phases such as hydroxyapatite (Ca{sub 10}(PO{sub 4}){sub 6}(OH){sub 2}, HA) and calcium pyrophosphates (Ca{sub 2}P{sub 2}O{sub 7}, CPP). The formation of these calcium phosphates indicates that the CaP coatings have bioactivity. - Highlights: • Bioactive CaP coatings are successfully formed on ZK60 magnesium alloy. • CaP coatings consist of MgO, MgF{sub 2}, CaO, CaF{sub 2} and Ca{sub 3}(PO{sub 4}){sub 2}. • Needle-like, spherical and columned calcium phosphates formed in SBF. • CaP coatings exhibit bioactivity and low corrosion rate.

  6. Injectable TEMPO-oxidized nanofibrillated cellulose/biphasic calcium phosphate hydrogel for bone regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safwat, Engie; Hassan, Mohammad L; Saniour, Sayed; Zaki, Dalia Yehia; Eldeftar, Mervat; Saba, Dalia; Zazou, Mohamed

    2018-05-01

    Nanofibrillated cellulose, obtained from rice straw agricultural wastes was used as a substrate for the preparation of a new injectable and mineralized hydrogel for bone regeneration. Tetramethyl pyridine oxyl (TEMPO) oxidized nanofibrillated cellulose, was mineralized through the incorporation of a prepared and characterized biphasic calcium phosphate at a fixed ratio of 50 wt%. The TEMPO-oxidized rice straw nanofibrillated cellulose was characterized using transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and carboxylic content determination. The injectability and viscosity of the prepared hydrogel were evaluated using universal testing machine and rheometer testing, respectively. Cytotoxicity and alkaline phosphatase level tests on osteoblast like-cells for in vitro assessment of the biocompatibility were investigated. Results revealed that the isolated rice straw nanofibrillated cellulose is a nanocomposite of the cellulose nanofibers and silica nanoparticles. Rheological properties of the tested materials are suitable for use as injectable material and of nontoxic effect on osteoblast-like cells, as revealed by the positive alkaline phosphate assay. However, nanofibrillated cellulose/ biphasic calcium phosphate hydrogel showed higher cytotoxicity and lower bioactivity test results when compared to that of nanofibrillated cellulose.

  7. The role of NF-κB signaling pathway in polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate induced inflammatory response in mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Ha Ryong; Shin, Da Young; Chung, Kyu Hyuck

    2015-03-04

    Polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) phosphate is a competitive disinfectant with strong antibacterial activity. However, epidemiologists revealed that inhaled PHMG-phosphate may increase the risk of pulmonary fibrosis associated with inflammation, resulting in the deaths of many people, including infants and pregnant women. In addition, in vitro and in vivo studies reported the inflammatory effects of PHMG-phosphate. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to clarify the inflammatory effects and its mechanism induced by PHMG-phosphate in murine RAW264.7 macrophages. Cell viability, inflammatory cytokine secretion, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were investigated in macrophages exposed to PHMG-phosphate. PHMG-phosphate induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity, with LC50 values of 11.15-0.99mg/ml at 6 and 24h, respectively. PHMG-phosphate induced pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8. In particular, IL-8 expression was completely inhibited by the NF-κB inhibitor BAY11-7082. In addition, PHMG-phosphate decreased IκB-α protein expression and increased NF-κB-mediated luciferase activity, which was diminished by N-acetyl-l-cystein. However, abundant amounts of ROS were generated in the presence of PHMG-phosphate at high concentrations with a cytotoxic effect. Our results demonstrated that PHMG-phosphate triggered the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway by modulating the degradation of IκB-α. Furthermore, the NF-κB signaling pathway plays a critical role in the inflammatory responses induced by PHMG-phosphate. We assumed that ROS generated by PHMG-phosphate were associated with inflammatory responses as secondary mechanism. In conclusion, we suggest that PHMG-phosphate induces inflammatory responses via NF-κB signaling pathway. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Effects of visceral adiposity on glycerol pathways in gluconeogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neeland, Ian J; Hughes, Connor; Ayers, Colby R; Malloy, Craig R; Jin, Eunsook S

    2017-02-01

    To determine the feasibility of using oral 13 C labeled glycerol to assess effects of visceral adiposity on gluconeogenic pathways in obese humans. Obese (BMI ≥30kg/m 2 ) participants without type 2 diabetes underwent visceral adipose tissue (VAT) assessment and stratification by median VAT into high VAT-fasting (n=3), low VAT-fasting (n=4), and high VAT-refed (n=2) groups. Participants ingested [U- 13 C 3 ] glycerol and blood samples were subsequently analyzed at multiple time points over 3h by NMR spectroscopy. The fractions of plasma glucose (enrichment) derived from [U- 13 C 3 ] glycerol via hepatic gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle were assessed using 13 C NMR analysis of glucose. Mixed linear models were used to compare 13 C enrichment in glucose between groups. Mean age, BMI, and baseline glucose were 49years, 40.1kg/m 2 , and 98mg/dl, respectively. Up to 20% of glycerol was metabolized in the TCA cycle prior to gluconeogenesis and PPP activity was minor (gluconeogenesis from glycerol in obese humans. Our findings provide preliminary evidence that excess visceral fat disrupts multiple pathways in hepatic gluconeogenesis from glycerol. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Transaldolase deficiency in a two-year-old boy with cirrhosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wamelink, M.M.; Struijs, E.A.; Salomons, G.S.; Fowler, D.; Jakobs, C.A.J.M.; Clayton, P.T.

    2008-01-01

    Transaldolase (TALDO) deficiency is a rare inborn error of the pentose phosphate pathway. We report the clinical presentation and laboratory findings of a new patient with TALDO deficiency. The two-year-old Arabic boy presented with neonatal onset of anemia and thrombocytopenia, tubulopathy, and

  10. Plastidic Phosphoglucose Isomerase Is an Important Determinant of Starch Accumulation in Mesophyll Cells, Growth, Photosynthetic Capacity, and Biosynthesis of Plastidic Cytokinins in Arabidopsis

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bahaji, A.; Sanchez-Lopez, A.M.; De Diego, N.; Munoz, F.J.; Humplík, J.F.; Novák, Ondřej; Spíchal, L.; Doležal, K.; Pozueta-Romero, J.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 10, č. 3 (2015) E-ISSN 1932-6203 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1204 Institutional support: RVO:61389030 Keywords : ADP-GLUCOSE PYROPHOSPHORYLASE * PENTOSE-PHOSPHATE PATHWAY * POSTTRANSLATIONAL REDOX-MODIFICATION Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.057, year: 2015

  11. Phosphate-enhanced cytotoxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles and agglomerates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Everett, W Neil; Chern, Christina; Sun, Dazhi; McMahon, Rebecca E; Zhang, Xi; Chen, Wei-Jung A; Hahn, Mariah S; Sue, H-J

    2014-02-10

    Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) have been found to readily react with phosphate ions to form zinc phosphate (Zn3(PO4)2) crystallites. Because phosphates are ubiquitous in physiological fluids as well as waste water streams, it is important to examine the potential effects that the formation of Zn3(PO4)2 crystallites may have on cell viability. Thus, the cytotoxic response of NIH/3T3 fibroblast cells was assessed following 24h of exposure to ZnO NPs suspended in media with and without the standard phosphate salt supplement. Both particle dosage and size have been shown to impact the cytotoxic effects of ZnO NPs, so doses ranging from 5 to 50 μg/mL were examined and agglomerate size effects were investigated by using the bioinert amphiphilic polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to generate water-soluble ZnO ranging from individually dispersed 4 nm NPs up to micron-sized agglomerates. Cell metabolic activity measures indicated that the presence of phosphate in the suspension media can led to significantly reduced cell viability at all agglomerate sizes and at lower ZnO dosages. In addition, a reduction in cell viability was observed when agglomerate size was decreased, but only in the phosphate-containing media. These metabolic activity results were reflected in separate measures of cell death via the lactate dehydrogenase assay. Our results suggest that, while higher doses of water-soluble ZnO NPs are cytotoxic, the presence of phosphates in the surrounding fluid can lead to significantly elevated levels of cell death at lower ZnO NP doses. Moreover, the extent of this death can potentially be modulated or offset by tuning the agglomerate size. These findings underscore the importance of understanding how nanoscale materials can interact with the components of surrounding fluids so that potential adverse effects of such interactions can be controlled. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Salinity stress effects on [14C-1]- and [14C-6]-glucose metabolism of a salt-tolerant and salt-susceptible variety of wheat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krishnaraj, S.; Thorpe, T.A.

    1996-01-01

    The effect of salt (sodium sulfate) on carbohydrate metabolism was studied in a salt-tolerant (Kharchia-65) variety and a salt-susceptible (Fielder) variety of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by comparing their responses under control and stress conditions. Leaf segments of Kharchia-65 showed increased activity through both the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and the glycolytic pathway of glucose oxidation, with the former being comparatively more active in response to salt. In Fielder, there was an increase in PPP activity at the expense of glycolytic pathway activity. Label from glucose was found in the lipid, neutral sugar, amino acid, organic acid, and phosphate ester fractions in all treatments. On the basis of the label distribution patterns, it appears that Fielder leaves incubated with [ 14 C-6]-glucose were not able to utilize glucose efficiently under saline conditions. This finding was further supported by decreased label incorporation into all the fractions, especially the amino acid and organic acid fractions. Adenosine phosphate and reduced pyridine nucleotide concentrations were consistent with these observations. We conclude therefore that the salt-tolerant variety had an enhanced metabolic activity compared with the salt-susceptible variety, which contributed to its ability to overcome the adverse effects of salt. (author)

  13. Oxidative stress, metabolomics profiling, and mechanism of local anesthetic induced cell death in yeast

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cory H.T. Boone

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The World Health Organization designates lidocaine as an essential medicine in healthcare, greatly increasing the probability of human exposure. Its use has been associated with ROS generation and neurotoxicity. Physiological and metabolomic alterations, and genetics leading to the clinically observed adverse effects have not been temporally characterized. To study alterations that may lead to these undesirable effects, Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown on aerobic carbon sources to stationary phase was assessed over 6 h. Exposure of an LC50 dose of lidocaine, increased mitochondrial depolarization and ROS/RNS generation assessed using JC-1, ROS/RNS specific probes, and FACS. Intracellular calcium also increased, assessed by ICP-MS. Measurement of the relative ATP and ADP concentrations indicates an initial 3-fold depletion of ATP suggesting an alteration in the ATP:ADP ratio. At the 6 h time point the lidocaine exposed population contained ATP concentrations roughly 85% that of the negative control suggesting the surviving population adapted its metabolic pathways to, at least partially restore cellular bioenergetics. Metabolite analysis indicates an increase of intermediates in the pentose phosphate pathway, the preparatory phase of glycolysis, and NADPH. Oxidative stress produced by lidocaine exposure targets aconitase decreasing its activity with an observed decrease in isocitrate and an increase citrate. Similarly, increases in α-ketoglutarate, malate, and oxaloacetate imply activation of anaplerotic reactions. Antioxidant molecule glutathione and its precursor amino acids, cysteine and glutamate were greatly increased at later time points. Phosphatidylserine externalization suggestive of early phase apoptosis was also observed. Genetic studies using metacaspase null strains showed resistance to lidocaine induced cell death. These data suggest lidocaine induces perpetual mitochondrial depolarization, ROS/RNS generation along with increased

  14. p73 regulates basal and starvation-induced liver metabolism in vivo

    OpenAIRE

    He, Zhaoyue; Agostini, Massimiliano; Liu, He; Melino, Gerry; Simon, Hans-Uwe

    2015-01-01

    As a member of the p53 gene family, p73 regulates cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, neurogenesis, immunity and inflammation. Recently, p73 has been shown to transcriptionally regulate selective metabolic enzymes, such as cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV isoform 1, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutaminase-2, resulting in significant effects on metabolism, including hepatocellular lipid metabolism, glutathione homeostasis and the pentose phosphate pathway. In order to further investigate th...

  15. Graph-representation of oxidative folding pathways

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaján László

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The process of oxidative folding combines the formation of native disulfide bond with conformational folding resulting in the native three-dimensional fold. Oxidative folding pathways can be described in terms of disulfide intermediate species (DIS which can also be isolated and characterized. Each DIS corresponds to a family of folding states (conformations that the given DIS can adopt in three dimensions. Results The oxidative folding space can be represented as a network of DIS states interconnected by disulfide interchange reactions that can either create/abolish or rearrange disulfide bridges. We propose a simple 3D representation wherein the states having the same number of disulfide bridges are placed on separate planes. In this representation, the shuffling transitions are within the planes, and the redox edges connect adjacent planes. In a number of experimentally studied cases (bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, insulin-like growth factor and epidermal growth factor, the observed intermediates appear as part of contiguous oxidative folding pathways. Conclusions Such networks can be used to visualize folding pathways in terms of the experimentally observed intermediates. A simple visualization template written for the Tulip package http://www.tulip-software.org/ can be obtained from V.A.

  16. Vitamin B1 analog benfotiamine prevents diabetes-induced diastolic dysfunction and heart failure through Akt/Pim-1-mediated survival pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katare, Rajesh G; Caporali, Andrea; Oikawa, Atsuhiko; Meloni, Marco; Emanueli, Costanza; Madeddu, Paolo

    2010-03-01

    The increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus will result in a new epidemic of heart failure unless novel treatments able to halt diabetic cardiomyopathy early in its course are introduced. This study aimed to determine whether the activity of the Akt/Pim-1 signaling pathway is altered at critical stages of diabetic cardiomyopathy and whether supplementation with vitamin B1 analog benfotiamine (BFT) helps to sustain the above prosurvival mechanism, thereby preserving cardiomyocyte viability and function. Untreated streptozotocin-induced type 1 or leptin-receptor mutant type 2 diabetic mice showed diastolic dysfunction evolving to contractile impairment and cardiac dilatation and failure. BFT (70 mg/kg(-1)/d(-1)) improved diastolic and systolic function and prevented left ventricular end-diastolic pressure increase and chamber dilatation in both diabetic models. Moreover, BFT improved cardiac perfusion and reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and interstitial fibrosis. In hearts of untreated diabetic mice, the expression and activity of Akt/Pim-1 signaling declined along with O-N-acetylglucosamine modification of Akt, inhibition of pentose phosphate pathway, activation of oxidative stress, and accumulation of glycation end products. Furthermore, diabetes reduced pSTAT3 independently of Akt. BFT inhibited these effects of diabetes mellitus, thereby conferring cardiomyocytes with improved resistance to high glucose-induced damage. The phosphoinositide-3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 and dominant-negative Akt inhibited antiapoptotic action of BFT-induced and Pim-1 upregulation in high glucose-challenged cardiomyocytes. These results show that BFT protects from diabetes mellitus-induced cardiac dysfunction through pleiotropic mechanisms, culminating in the activation of prosurvival signaling pathway. Thus, BFT merits attention for application in clinical practice.

  17.  Oxidative stress modulates the organization of erythrocyte membrane cytoskeleton

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Olszewska

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available  Background:Apart from their main role in transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide, erythrocytes play also an important role in organism antioxidative defence. Direct exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS results in shortening of their half-life, even by 50�20The presence of glucose, being the substrate in pentose phosphate pathway (PPP cycle, is one of the factors that can have influence on the level of oxidative stress. The activity of PPP increases during oxidative stress. Glucose guarantees normal PPP functioning with the production of reductive equivalents in the amounts necessary to reproduction of glutathione – nonenzymatic free radical scavenger. In available literature there are no reports regarding the changes in protein contents of erythrocyte cytoskeleton exposed to t-butyl hydroperoxide in relation to glucose presence in incubation medium.Material/methods:Erythrocytes taken from 10 healthy subjects were used to assess the influence of generated free radicals on erythrocyte proteins and chosen parameters of oxidative stress. Erythrocytes were incubated in the solutions containing deferent concentrations of t-butyl hydroperoxide and glucose. Electrophoresis was performed on polyacrylamide gel in denaturating conditions. The contents of tryptophan in membranes was evaluated spectrofluorometrically.Results/conclusions:In vitro conditions oxidative stress leads to protein damage in erythrocyte cytoskeleton, both in proteins inside the cell as well as having contact with extracellular environment. In consequence, the amount of low-molecular proteins – mainly globin, which bind to cytoskeleton, increases. This process takes place independently of glucose presence in incubation medium. One of the element of protein cytoskeleton, tryptophan, also undergoes degradation. The decrease of its contents is higher during erythrocyte exposure to t-BOOH in environment containing glucose, what can suggest prooxidative influence of glucose in

  18. Analysis of l-glutamic acid fermentation by using a dynamic metabolic simulation model of Escherichia coli

    OpenAIRE

    Nishio, Yousuke; Ogishima, Soichi; Ichikawa, Masao; Yamada, Yohei; Usuda, Yoshihiro; Masuda, Tadashi; Tanaka, Hiroshi

    2013-01-01

    Background Understanding the process of amino acid fermentation as a comprehensive system is a challenging task. Previously, we developed a literature-based dynamic simulation model, which included transcriptional regulation, transcription, translation, and enzymatic reactions related to glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the anaplerotic pathway of Escherichia coli. During simulation, cell growth was defined such as to reproduce the experimental...

  19. Kinetics and mechanism of thermal degradation of pentose- and hexose-based carbohydrate polymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akbar, Jamshed; Iqbal, Mohammad S; Massey, Shazma; Masih, Rashid

    2012-10-15

    This work aims at study of thermal degradation kinetics and mechanism of pentose- and hexose-based carbohydrate polymers isolated from Plantago ovata (PO), Salvia aegyptiaca (SA) and Ocimum basilicum (OB). The analysis was performed by isoconversional method. The materials exhibited mainly two-stage degradation. The weight loss at ambient-115°C characterized by low activation energy corresponds to loss of moisture. The kinetic triplets consisting of E, A and g(α) model of the materials were determined. The major degradation stage represents a loss of high boiling volatile components. This stage is exothermic in nature. Above 340°C complete degradation takes place leaving a residue of 10-15%. The master plots of g(α) function clearly differentiated the degradation mechanism of hexose-based OB and SA polymers and pentose-based PO polymer. The pentose-based carbohydrate polymer showed D(4) type and the hexose-based polymers showed A(4) type degradation mechanism. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Formation of xylitol and xylitol-5-phosphate and its impact on growth of d-xylose-utilizing Corynebacterium glutamicum strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radek, Andreas; Müller, Moritz-Fabian; Gätgens, Jochem; Eggeling, Lothar; Krumbach, Karin; Marienhagen, Jan; Noack, Stephan

    2016-08-10

    Wild-type Corynebacterium glutamicum has no endogenous metabolic activity for utilizing the lignocellulosic pentose d-xylose for cell growth. Therefore, two different engineering approaches have been pursued resulting in platform strains harbouring a functional version of either the Isomerase (ISO) or the Weimberg (WMB) pathway for d-xylose assimilation. In a previous study we found for C. glutamicum WMB by-product formation of xylitol during growth on d-xylose and speculated that the observed lower growth rates are due to the growth inhibiting effect of this compound. Based on a detailed phenotyping of the ISO, WMB and the wild-type strain of C. glutamicum, we here show that this organism has a natural capability to synthesize xylitol from d-xylose under aerobic cultivation conditions. We furthermore observed the intracellular accumulation of xylitol-5-phosphate as a result of the intracellular phosphorylation of xylitol, which was particularly pronounced in the C. glutamicum ISO strain. Interestingly, low amounts of supplemented xylitol strongly inhibit growth of this strain on d-xylose, d-glucose and d-arabitol. These findings demonstrate that xylitol is a suitable substrate of the endogenous xylulokinase (XK, encoded by xylB) and its overexpression in the ISO strain leads to a significant phosphorylation of xylitol in C. glutamicum. Therefore, in order to circumvent cytotoxicity by xylitol-5-phosphate, the WMB pathway represents an interesting alternative route for engineering C. glutamicum towards efficient d-xylose utilization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Probing the metabolic network in bloodstream-form Trypanosoma brucei using untargeted metabolomics with stable isotope labelled glucose.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darren J Creek

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Metabolomics coupled with heavy-atom isotope-labelled glucose has been used to probe the metabolic pathways active in cultured bloodstream form trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma brucei, a parasite responsible for human African trypanosomiasis. Glucose enters many branches of metabolism beyond glycolysis, which has been widely held to be the sole route of glucose metabolism. Whilst pyruvate is the major end-product of glucose catabolism, its transamination product, alanine, is also produced in significant quantities. The oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway is operative, although the non-oxidative branch is not. Ribose 5-phosphate generated through this pathway distributes widely into nucleotide synthesis and other branches of metabolism. Acetate, derived from glucose, is found associated with a range of acetylated amino acids and, to a lesser extent, fatty acids; while labelled glycerol is found in many glycerophospholipids. Glucose also enters inositol and several sugar nucleotides that serve as precursors to macromolecule biosynthesis. Although a Krebs cycle is not operative, malate, fumarate and succinate, primarily labelled in three carbons, were present, indicating an origin from phosphoenolpyruvate via oxaloacetate. Interestingly, the enzyme responsible for conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate to oxaloacetate, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, was shown to be essential to the bloodstream form trypanosomes, as demonstrated by the lethal phenotype induced by RNAi-mediated downregulation of its expression. In addition, glucose derivatives enter pyrimidine biosynthesis via oxaloacetate as a precursor to aspartate and orotate.

  2. Atomistic structure of cobalt-phosphate nanoparticles for catalytic water oxidation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Xiao Liang; Piccinin, Simone; Laio, Alessandro; Fabris, Stefano

    2012-12-21

    Solar-driven water splitting is a key photochemical reaction that underpins the feasible and sustainable production of solar fuels. An amorphous cobalt-phosphate catalyst (Co-Pi) based on earth-abundant elements has been recently reported to efficiently promote water oxidation to protons and dioxygen, a main bottleneck for the overall process. The structure of this material remains largely unknown. We here exploit ab initio and classical atomistic simulations combined with metadynamics to build a realistic and statistically meaningful model of Co-Pi nanoparticles. We demonstrate the emergence and stability of molecular-size ordered crystallites in nanoparticles initially formed by a disordered Co-O network and phosphate groups. The stable crystallites consist of bis-oxo-bridged Co centers that assemble into layered structures (edge-sharing CoO(6) octahedra) as well as in corner- and face-sharing cubane units. These layered and cubane motifs coexist in the crystallites, which always incorporate disordered phosphate groups at the edges. Our computational nanoparticles, although limited in size to ~1 nm, can contain more than one crystallite and incorporate up to 18 Co centers in the cubane/layered structures. The crystallites are structurally stable up to high temperatures. We simulate the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) of our nanoparticles. Those containing several complete and incomplete cubane motifs-which are believed to be essential for the catalytic activity-display a very good agreement with the experimental EXAFS spectra of Co-Pi grains. We propose that the crystallites in our nanoparticles are reliable structural models of the Co-Pi catalyst surface. They will be useful to reveal the origin of the catalytic efficiency of these novel water-oxidation catalysts.

  3. Optimization of a model of red blood cells for the study of anti-oxidant drugs, in terms of concentration of oxidant and phosphate buffer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bureau, A; Lahet, J-J; Lenfant, F; Bouyer, F; Petitjean, M; Chaillot, B; Freysz, M

    2005-08-01

    The aggression of erythrocytes by an oxidative stress induces hemolysis. This paper aims to valid a model of erythrocytes in terms of composition of the phosphate buffer solution and of concentration of a well-known oxidant, AAPH. Three compositions of phosphate buffer solution are mixed with three concentrations of oxidant. The influence of these two parameters on hemolysis is independently studied by a variance analysis and a Kruskal-Wallis test when ANOVA is not available. The hemolysis rate increases with time at fixed oxidant concentration, but is not influenced by the composition of the buffer solution. The highest hemolysis rate, 90%, was only measured within 2 h with the highest oxidant concentration. If we retain this concentration of oxidant, the lower concentration of the buffer can by eliminated by a significant less hemolysis and the highest concentration of the buffer can by chosen in regard of the better precision for a similar hemolysis compared to the mean buffer. We hope to study the effect of anti-oxidant agent with such a model of erythrocytes.

  4. Nitrifier-induced denitrification is an important source of soil nitrous oxide and can be inhibited by a nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Xiuzhen; Hu, Hang-Wei; Zhu-Barker, Xia; Hayden, Helen; Wang, Juntao; Suter, Helen; Chen, Deli; He, Ji-Zheng

    2017-12-01

    Soil ecosystem represents the largest contributor to global nitrous oxide (N 2 O) production, which is regulated by a wide variety of microbial communities in multiple biological pathways. A mechanistic understanding of these N 2 O production biological pathways in complex soil environment is essential for improving model performance and developing innovative mitigation strategies. Here, combined approaches of the 15 N- 18 O labelling technique, transcriptome analysis, and Illumina MiSeq sequencing were used to identify the relative contributions of four N 2 O pathways including nitrification, nitrifier-induced denitrification (nitrifier denitrification and nitrification-coupled denitrification) and heterotrophic denitrification in six soils (alkaline vs. acid soils). In alkaline soils, nitrification and nitrifier-induced denitrification were the dominant pathways of N 2 O production, and application of the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) significantly reduced the N 2 O production from these pathways; this is probably due to the observed reduction in the expression of the amoA gene in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in the DMPP-amended treatments. In acid soils, however, heterotrophic denitrification was the main source for N 2 O production, and was not impacted by the application of DMPP. Our results provide robust evidence that the nitrification inhibitor DMPP can inhibit the N 2 O production from nitrifier-induced denitrification, a potential significant source of N 2 O production in agricultural soils. © 2017 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Wet-Oxidation of Spent Organic Waste Tri-butyl Phosphate/Diluents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Dessouky, M.I.; Abed El-Aziz, M.M.; El-Mossalamy, E.H.; Aly, H.F.

    1999-01-01

    Tri-Butyl Phosphate was used in reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel in the purex process. The amount of uranium retained in the organic phase depends on the type of TBP/Diluent. Destruction of spent TBP is of high interest in waste management. In the present work, oxidative degradation of TBP diluted with kerosene, carbon tetrachloride, benzene and toluene using potassium permanganate as oxidant was carried out to produce stable inorganic dry particle residue which is then immobilized in different matrices. The different factors affecting the destruction of spent waste was investigated. The up take and decontamination factor for both 152 and 154 Eu and 181 Hf and the analysis of the final product have been studied

  6. Pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals partially rate-limiting product release by parallel pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Juan; Murkin, Andrew S

    2012-07-03

    As part of the non-mevalonate pathway for the biosynthesis of the isoprenoid precursor isopentenyl pyrophosphate, 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate (DXP) reductoisomerase (DXR) catalyzes the conversion of DXP into 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) by consecutive isomerization and NADPH-dependent reduction reactions. Because this pathway is essential to many infectious organisms but is absent in humans, DXR is a target for drug discovery. In an attempt to characterize its kinetic mechanism and identify rate-limiting steps, we present the first complete transient kinetic investigation of DXR. Stopped-flow fluorescence measurements with Mycobacterium tuberculosis DXR (MtDXR) revealed that NADPH and MEP bind to the free enzyme and that the two bind together to generate a nonproductive ternary complex. Unlike the Escherichia coli orthologue, MtDXR exhibited a burst in the oxidation of NADPH during pre-steady-state reactions, indicating a partially rate-limiting step follows chemistry. By monitoring NADPH fluorescence during these experiments, the transient generation of MtDXR·NADPH·MEP was observed. Global kinetic analysis supports a model involving random substrate binding and ordered release of NADP(+) followed by MEP. The partially rate-limiting release of MEP occurs via two pathways--directly from the binary complex and indirectly via the MtDXR·NADPH·MEP complex--the partitioning being dependent on NADPH concentration. Previous mechanistic studies, including kinetic isotope effects and product inhibition, are discussed in light of this kinetic mechanism.

  7. Quantitative estimation of the pathways followed in the conversion to glycogen of glucose administered to the fasted rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scofield, R.F.; Kosugi, K.; Schumann, W.C.; Kumaran, K.; Landau, B.R.

    1985-01-01

    When [6- 3 H,6- 14 C]glucose was given in glucose loads to fasted rats, the average 3 H/ 14 C ratios in the glycogens deposited in their livers, relative to that in the glucoses administered, were 0.85 and 0.88. When [3- 3 H,3- 14 C]lactate was given in trace quantity along with unlabeled glucose loads, the average 3 H/ 14 C ratio in the glycogens deposited was 0.08. This indicates that a major fraction of the carbons of the glucose loads was converted to liver glycogen without first being converted to lactate. When [3- 3 H,6- 14 C]glucose was given in glucose loads, the 3 H/ 14 C ratios in the glycogens deposited averaged 0.44. This indicates that a significant amount of H bound to C-3, but not C-6, of glucose is removed within liver in the conversion of the carbons of the glucose to glycogen. This can occur in the pentose cycle and by cycling of glucose-6-P via triose phosphates. The contributions of these pathways were estimated by giving glucose loads labeled with [1- 14 C]glucose, [2- 14 C]glucose, [5- 14 C]glucose, and [6- 14 C]glucose and degrading the glucoses obtained by hydrolyzing the glycogens that deposited. Between 4 and 9% of the glucose utilized by the liver was utilized in the pentose cycle. While these are relatively small percentages a major portion of the difference between the ratios obtained with [3- 3 H]glucose and with [6- 3 H]glucose is attributable to metabolism in the pentose cycle

  8. Arabidopsis chlorophyll biosynthesis: an essential balance between the methylerythritol phosphate and tetrapyrrole pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Se; Schlicke, Hagen; Van Ree, Kalie; Karvonen, Kristine; Subramaniam, Anant; Richter, Andreas; Grimm, Bernhard; Braam, Janet

    2013-12-01

    Chlorophyll, essential for photosynthesis, is composed of a chlorin ring and a geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP)-derived isoprenoid, which are generated by the tetrapyrrole and methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) biosynthesis pathways, respectively. Although a functional MEP pathway is essential for plant viability, the underlying basis of the requirement has been unclear. We hypothesized that MEP pathway inhibition is lethal because a reduction in GGPP availability results in a stoichiometric imbalance in tetrapyrrolic chlorophyll precursors, which can cause deadly photooxidative stress. Consistent with this hypothesis, lethality of MEP pathway inhibition in Arabidopsis thaliana by fosmidomycin (FSM) is light dependent, and toxicity of MEP pathway inhibition is reduced by genetic and chemical impairment of the tetrapyrrole pathway. In addition, FSM treatment causes a transient accumulation of chlorophyllide and transcripts associated with singlet oxygen-induced stress. Furthermore, exogenous provision of the phytol molecule reduces FSM toxicity when the phytol can be modified for chlorophyll incorporation. These data provide an explanation for FSM toxicity and thereby provide enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of FSM resistance. This insight into MEP pathway inhibition consequences underlines the risk plants undertake to synthesize chlorophyll and suggests the existence of regulation, possibly involving chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signaling, that may monitor and maintain balance of chlorophyll precursor synthesis.

  9. Characterization of glucose‐related metabolic pathways in differentiated rat oligodendrocyte lineage cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amaral, Ana I.; Hadera, Mussie G.; Tavares, Joana M.

    2015-01-01

    Although oligodendrocytes constitute a significant proportion of cells in the central nervous system (CNS), little is known about their intermediary metabolism. We have, therefore, characterized metabolic functions of primary oligodendrocyte precursor cell cultures at late stages of differentiation using isotope‐labelled metabolites. We report that differentiated oligodendrocyte lineage cells avidly metabolize glucose in the cytosol and pyruvate derived from glucose in the mitochondria. The labelling patterns of metabolites obtained after incubation with [1,2‐13C]glucose demonstrated that the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is highly active in oligodendrocytes (approximately 10% of glucose is metabolized via the PPP as indicated by labelling patterns in phosphoenolpyruvate). Mass spectrometry and magnetic resonance spectroscopy analyses of metabolites after incubation of cells with [1‐13C]lactate or [1,2‐13C]glucose, respectively, demonstrated that anaplerotic pyruvate carboxylation, which was thought to be exclusive to astrocytes, is also active in oligodendrocytes. Using [1,2‐13C]acetate, we show that oligodendrocytes convert acetate into acetyl CoA which is metabolized in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Analysis of labelling patterns of alanine after incubation of cells with [1,2‐13C]acetate and [1,2‐13C]glucose showed catabolic oxidation of malate or oxaloacetate. In conclusion, we report that oligodendrocyte lineage cells at late differentiation stages are metabolically highly active cells that are likely to contribute considerably to the metabolic activity of the CNS. GLIA 2016;64:21–34 PMID:26352325

  10. Role of phosphate on stability and catalase mimetic activity of cerium oxide nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Ragini; Singh, Sanjay

    2015-08-01

    Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeNPs) have been recently shown to scavenge reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) in different experimental model systems. CeNPs (3+) and CeNPs (4+) have been shown to exhibit superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase mimetic activity, respectively. Due to their nanoscale dimension, CeNPs are expected to interact with the components of biologically relevant buffers and medium, which could alter their catalytic properties. We have demonstrated earlier that CeNPs (3+) interact with phosphate and lose the SOD activity. However, very little is known about the interaction of CeNPs (4+) with the phosphate and other anions, predominantly present in biological buffers and their effects on the catalase mimetic-activity of these nanoparticles. In this study, we report that catalase mimetic-activity of CeNPs (4+) is resistant to the phosphate anions, pH changes and composition of cell culture media. Given the abundance of phosphate anions in the biological system, it is likely that internalized CeNPs would be influenced by cytoplasmic and nucleoplasmic concentration of phosphate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. The effect of adding magnesium oxide on the mechanical properties of the tricalcium phosphate-zirconia composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sallemi, Imen, E-mail: imen.sallemi@hotmail.com; Bouaziz, Jamel; Ben Ayed, Foued

    2015-02-01

    The effect of magnesium oxide on the mechanical properties of the tricalcium phosphate – 50 wt.% zirconia composites was investigated during a sintering process between 1300 °C and 1400 °C. The characteristics of the samples before and after the sintering process were realized by using the differential thermal analysis, dilatometry, X-ray diffraction, the {sup 31}P magic angle scanning nuclear magnetic resonance, the scanning electron microscope and by considering such mechanical properties as the rupture strength and Vickers hardness. The mechanical performances of the tricalcium phosphate-50 wt.% zirconia composites increased with both the percentage of magnesium oxide and the sintering temperature. At 1400 °C, the mechanical properties of the composites sintered with 10 wt.% magnesium oxide reached their maximum value. Thus, Vickers hardness increased from 554 to 6350 MPa and the rupture strength of the corresponding composites varied from 5.2 to 25 MPa. The increase of the mechanical properties of the samples is due to the formation of both the tetragonal zirconia phase and the liquid phase which helps to fill the pores. The microstructure of needle form is most probably phosphate precipitates which are formed from this liquid phase. Furthermore, the presence of magnesium oxide in the composites prevented the inverse allotropic transformation of zirconia. - Highlights: • We measure the rupture strength and Vickers hardness of bioceramics. • We characterize the effect of MgO on the mechanical properties of the tricalcium phosphate – 50 wt% zirconia composites. • MgO increase the mechanical properties of the composites.

  12. Kinetic and reaction pathways of methanol oxidation on platinum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCabe, R.W.; McCready, D.F.

    1986-01-01

    Methanol oxidation kinetics were measured on Pt wires in a flow reactor at pressures between 30 and 130 Pa. The kinetics were measured as a function of oxygen-to-methanol equivalence ratio phi and wire temperature. In methanol-lean feeds (phi 2 CO, CO 2 , and H 2 O were the only products; in methanol-rich feeds (phi > 1), CO, H 2 , H 2 CO, CO 2 , and H 2 O were observed. Experiments with 18 O 2 showed that the principal methanol oxidation pathway does not involve C-O bond dissociation. However, the 18 O 2 experiments, together with other features of the methanol oxidation data, also provided evidence for a minor oxidation pathway (accounting for less than 1% of the product CO 2 ) which proceeds through a carbon intermediate. A mathematical model is presented which describes the principal CH 3 OH oxidation pathway as a series reaction involving adsorbed H 2 CO and CO intermediates. Consistent with experimental results, the model predicts that inhibition by adsorbed CO should be weaker for CH 3 OH and H 2 CO oxidation than for CO oxidation. 34 references, 10 figures, 2 tables

  13. Genetic Evidence for the Physiological Significance of the d-Tagatose 6-Phosphate Pathway of Lactose and d-Galactose Degradation in Staphylococcus aureus1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bissett, Donald L.; Anderson, Richard L.

    1974-01-01

    Mutants of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated which were unable to utilize d-galactose or lactose, but which were able to utilize all other carbohydrates tested. Growth of the mutants on a peptone-containing medium was inhibited by d-galactose. Of those mutants selected for further study, one (tagI2) was missing d-galactose 6-phosphate isomerase, one (tagK3) was missing d-tagatose 6-phosphate kinase, and one (tagA4) was missing d-tagatose 1, 6-diphosphate aldolase. Each of these mutants accumulated the substrate of the missing enzyme intracellularly. Spontaneous revertants of each of the mutants simultaneously regained their ability to utilize d-galactose and lactose, lost their sensitivity to d-galactose, regained the missing enzymatic activities, and no longer accumulated intermediates of the d-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway. These data support our previous contention that the physiologically significant route for the metabolism of d-galactose and the d-galactosyl moiety of lactose in S. aureus is the d-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway. Furthermore, a mutant constitutive for all three enzymes of this pathway was isolated, indicating that the products of the tagI, tagK, and tagA genes are under common genetic control. This conclusion was supported by the demonstration that d-galactose 6-phosphate isomerase, d-tagatose 6-phosphate kinase, and d-tagatose 1, 6-diphosphate aldolase are coordinately induced in the parental strain. PMID:4277494

  14. Transcriptional profiling of extracellular amino acid sensing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the role of Stp1p and Stp2p

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eckert-Boulet, Nadine; Nielsen, P.S.; Friis, Carsten

    2004-01-01

    Tdh1p and glucokinase (Glk1p), shows increased transcription levels in either or both of the mutants. Also, most of the structural genes involved in trehalose and glycogen synthesis and a few genes in the glyoxylate cycle and the pentose phosphate pathway are derepressed in the ssy1 and stp1 stp2...

  15. Production of 2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate from fructose to demonstrate a potential of artificial bio-synthetic pathway using thermophilic enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Honda, Kohsuke; Maya, Shohei; Omasa, Takeshi; Hirota, Ryuichi; Kuroda, Akio; Ohtake, Hisao

    2010-08-02

    Six thermophilic enzymes from Thermus thermophilus were used to construct an 'artificial bio-synthetic pathway' for the production of 2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate from fructose. By a simple operation using six recombinant Escherichia coli strains producing the thermophilic enzymes, respectively, fructose was converted to 2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate with a molar yield of 55%. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Removal of phosphate from water by activated carbon fiber loaded with lanthanum oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Ling; Wan Lihua; Chang Ning; Liu Jianyong; Duan Chao; Zhou Qi; Li Xiangling; Wang Xinze

    2011-01-01

    Phosphate removal from wastewater is very important for the prevention of eutrophication. Adsorption of phosphate from water was investigated using activated carbon fiber loaded with lanthanum oxide (ACF-La) as a novel adsorbent. The effects of variables (La/ACF mass ratio, impregnation time, activation time, and activation temperature) have been studied by the single-factor method. Response surface methodology (RSM), based on three-variable-three-level Box-Behnken design (BBD), was employed to assess the individual and collective effects of the main independent parameters on the phosphate removal. The optimal conditions within the range studied for preparing ACF-La were found as follows: La/ACF mass ratio of 11.78%, activation time of 2.5 h and activation temperature at 650 ° C , respectively. The phosphate removal using the ACF-La prepared under the optimal conditions was up to 97.6% even when the phosphate concentration in water was 30 mg P/L, indicating that ACF-La may be an effective adsorbent. The results from Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and change of pH values associated with the adsorption process revealed that the probable mechanism of phosphate ions onto ACF-La was not only ion exchange and coulomb interaction, but also a result of Lewis acid-base interaction due to La-O coordination bonding.

  17. Setting time and sealing ability of alpha-tricalcium phosphate cement containing titanic oxide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshikawa, M; Terada, Y; Toda, T

    1998-10-01

    We developed a new type of calcium phosphate cement for clinical use in endodontics as a root canal sealer or pulp cupping agent. The solid phase of the sealer is composed of 70% of alpha-tricalcium phosphate (alpha-TCP) and 30% of titanic oxide (TiO2), and the liquid phase is 37% citric acid, 5% tannic acid and 58% distilled water. TiO2 was added to control setting time and handling of the cement. We used commercially available calcium phosphate root canal sealer as a control. ISO standards specify that new endodontic products should be examined thoroughly before clinical use. It is important to carry out in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo histocompatibility tests. We first did in vitro test of setting time and root canal sealing ability of the cement. We found that this developed calcium phosphate cement had an appropriate setting time and excellent sealing ability as a root canal sealer, and concluded that it was suitable for clinical use as a root canal sealer.

  18. Reaction pathways for catalytic gas-phase oxidation of glycerol over mixed metal oxides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suprun, W.; Glaeser, R.; Papp, H. [Leipzig Univ. (Germany). Inst. of Chemical Technology

    2011-07-01

    Glycerol as a main by-product from bio-diesel manufacture is a cheap raw material with large potential for chemical or biochemical transformations to value-added C3-chemicals. One possible way of glycerol utilization involves its catalytic oxidation to acrylic acid as an alternative to petrochemical routes. However, this catalytic conversion exhibits various problems such as harsh reaction conditions, severe catalyst coking and large amounts of undesired by-products. In this study, the reaction pathways for gas-phase conversion of glycerol over transition metal oxides (Mo, V und W) supported on TiO{sub 2} and SiO{sub 2} were investigated by two methods: (i) steady state experiments of glycerol oxidation and possible reactions intermediates, i.e., acrolein, 3-hydroxy propionaldehyde and acetaldehyde, and (ii) temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR) studies of glycerol conversion in the presence and in the absence of gas-phase oxygen. It is shown that the supported W-, V and Mo-oxides possess an ability to catalyze the oxidation of glycerol to acrylic acid. These investigations allowed us to gain a deeper insight into the reaction mechanism. Thus, based on the obtained results, three possible reactions pathways for the selective oxidation of glycerol to acrylic acid on the transition metal-containing catalysts are proposed. The major pathways in presence of molecular oxygen are a fast successive destructive oxidation of glycerol to CO{sub x} and the dehydration of glycerol to acrolein which is a rate-limiting step. (orig.)

  19. Vitamin B1 Analog Benfotiamine Prevents Diabetes-Induced Diastolic Dysfunction and Heart Failure Through Akt/Pim-1–Mediated Survival Pathway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katare, Rajesh G.; Caporali, Andrea; Oikawa, Atsuhiko; Meloni, Marco; Emanueli, Costanza; Madeddu, Paolo

    2010-01-01

    Background The increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus will result in a new epidemic of heart failure unless novel treatments able to halt diabetic cardiomyopathy early in its course are introduced. This study aimed to determine whether the activity of the Akt/Pim-1 signaling pathway is altered at critical stages of diabetic cardiomyopathy and whether supplementation with vitamin B1 analog benfotiamine (BFT) helps to sustain the above prosurvival mechanism, thereby preserving cardiomyocyte viability and function. Methods and Results Untreated streptozotocin-induced type 1 or leptin-receptor mutant type 2 diabetic mice showed diastolic dysfunction evolving to contractile impairment and cardiac dilatation and failure. BFT (70 mg/kg−1/d−1) improved diastolic and systolic function and prevented left ventricular end-diastolic pressure increase and chamber dilatation in both diabetic models. Moreover, BFT improved cardiac perfusion and reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and interstitial fibrosis. In hearts of untreated diabetic mice, the expression and activity of Akt/Pim-1 signaling declined along with O-N-acetylglucosamine modification of Akt, inhibition of pentose phosphate pathway, activation of oxidative stress, and accumulation of glycation end products. Furthermore, diabetes reduced signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 phosphorylation independently of Akt. BFT inhibited these effects of diabetes mellitus, thereby conferring cardiomyocytes with improved resistance to high glucose-induced damage. The phosphoinositide-3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 and dominant-negative Akt inhibited antiapoptotic action of BFT and Pim-1 upregulation in high glucose-challenged cardiomyocytes. Conclusions These results show that BFT protects from diabetes mellitus-induced cardiac dysfunction through pleiotropic mechanisms, culminating in the activation of prosurvival signaling pathway. Thus, BFT merits attention for application in clinical practice. PMID:20107192

  20. Gaseous environment of plants and activity of enzymes of carbohydrate catabolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ivanov, B.F.; Zemlyanukhin, A.A.; Igamberdiev, A.U.; Salam, A.M.M.

    1989-01-01

    The authors investigated the action of hypoxia and high CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere on activity of phosphofructokinase, aldolase, glucose phosphate isomerase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and isocitrate lyase in pea seedlings (Pisum sativum L.), corn scutella (Zea mays L.), and hemp cotyledons (Cannabis sativa L.). The first 4-12h of hypoxia witnessed suppression of enzymes of the initial stages of glycolysis (glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, phosphofructokinase)and activation of enzymes of its final stages (alcohol dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase) and enzymes linking glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway (aldolase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase). An excess of CO 2 in the environment accelerated and amplified this effect. At the end of a 24-h period of anaerobic incubation, deviations of enzyme activity from the control were leveled in both gaseous environments. An exception was observed in the case of phosphofructokinase, whose activity increased markedly at this time in plants exposed to CO 2 . Changes in activity of the enzymes were coupled with changes in their kinetic parameters (apparent K m and V max values). The activity of isocitrate lyase was suppressed in both variants of hypoxic gaseous environments, a finding that does not agree with the hypothesis as to participation of the glyoxylate cycle in the metabolic response of plants to oxygen stress. Thus, temporary inhibition of the system of glycolysis and activation of the pentose phosphate pathway constituted the initial response of the plants to O 2 stress, and CO 2 intensified this metabolic response

  1. Effects of Different End-Point Cooking Temperatures on the Efficiency of Encapsulated Phosphates on Lipid Oxidation Inhibition in Ground Meat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kılıç, B; Şimşek, A; Claus, J R; Atılgan, E; Aktaş, N

    2015-10-01

    Effects of 0.5% encapsulated (e) phosphates (sodium tripolyphosphate, STP; sodium hexametaphosphate, HMP; sodium pyrophosphate, SPP) on lipid oxidation during storage (0, 1, and 7 d) of ground meat (chicken, beef) after being cooked to 3 end-point cooking temperatures (EPCT; 71, 74, and 77 °C) were evaluated. The use of STP or eSTP resulted in lower (P cooking loss (CL) compared to encapsulated or unencapsulated forms of HMP and SPP. Increasing EPCT led to a significant increase in CL (P chicken compared to 74 and 71 °C (P chicken samples (P < 0.05). Findings suggest that encapsulated phosphates can be a strategy to inhibit lipid oxidation for meat industry and the efficiency of encapsulated phosphates on lipid oxidation inhibition can be enhanced by lowering EPCT. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

  2. Bcl-xL knockout attenuates mitochondrial respiration and causes oxidative stress that is compensated by pentose phosphate pathway activity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pfeiffer, Annika; Schneider, Julia; Bueno, Diones; Dolga, Amalia; Voss, Timo-Daniel; Lewerenz, Jan; Wüllner, Verena; Methner, Axel

    2017-01-01

    Bcl-xL is an anti-apoptotic protein that localizes to the outer mitochondrial membrane and influences mitochondrial bioenergetics by controlling Ca2+ influx into mitochondria. Here, we analyzed the effect of mitochondrial Bcl-xL on mitochondrial shape and function in knockout (KO), wild type and

  3. Performance of magnetic zirconium-iron oxide nanoparticle in the removal of phosphate from aqueous solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Chang; Li, Yongqiu; Wang, Fenghua; Yu, Zhigang; Wei, Jingjing; Yang, Zhongzhu; Ma, Chi; Li, Zihao; Xu, ZiYi; Zeng, Guangming

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Magnetic zirconium-iron oxide nanoparticle (MZION) was successfully synthesized. • The removal of phosphate could be effectively fulfilled using MZION. • MZION could be conveniently separated by magnet after adsorption. • The Fe/Zr molar ratios played a key role in adsorption capacity and magnetic separation. - Abstract: In this study, magnetic zirconium-iron oxide nanoparticles (MZION) of different Fe/Zr molar ratios were successfully prepared using the co-precipitation method, and their performance for phosphate removal was systematically evaluated. The as-obtained adsorbents were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Zeta potential analyzer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) specific surface area analysis. The effects of pH, ionic strength, and co-existing ions (including Cl − , SO 4 2− , NO 3 − and HCO 3 − ) were measured to evaluate the adsorption performance in batch experiments. The results showed that decreasing the Fe/Zr molar ratios increased the specific surface area that was propitious to adsorption process, but the adsorption capacity enhanced with the decrease of Fe/Zr molar ratios. Phosphate adsorption on MZION could be well described by the Freundlich equilibrium model and pseudo-second-order kinetics. The adsorption of phosphate was highly pH dependent and decreased with increasing pH from 1.5 to 10.0. The adsorption was slightly affected by ionic strength. With the exception of HCO 3 − , co-existing anions showed minimum or no effect on their adsorption performance. After adsorption, phosphate on these MZION could be easily desorbed by 0.1 M NaOH solution. The phosphate adsorption mechanism of MZION followed the inner-sphere complexing mechanism, and the surface −OH groups played a significant role in the phosphate adsorption. Additionally, the main advantages of MZION consisted in its

  4. Performance of magnetic zirconium-iron oxide nanoparticle in the removal of phosphate from aqueous solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Chang, E-mail: zhangchang@hnu.edu.cn [College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082 (China); Li, Yongqiu [College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082 (China); Wang, Fenghua, E-mail: 952157786@qq.com [Institute of Physical Education, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054 (China); Yu, Zhigang; Wei, Jingjing; Yang, Zhongzhu; Ma, Chi; Li, Zihao; Xu, ZiYi; Zeng, Guangming [College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082 (China)

    2017-02-28

    Highlights: • Magnetic zirconium-iron oxide nanoparticle (MZION) was successfully synthesized. • The removal of phosphate could be effectively fulfilled using MZION. • MZION could be conveniently separated by magnet after adsorption. • The Fe/Zr molar ratios played a key role in adsorption capacity and magnetic separation. - Abstract: In this study, magnetic zirconium-iron oxide nanoparticles (MZION) of different Fe/Zr molar ratios were successfully prepared using the co-precipitation method, and their performance for phosphate removal was systematically evaluated. The as-obtained adsorbents were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Zeta potential analyzer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) specific surface area analysis. The effects of pH, ionic strength, and co-existing ions (including Cl{sup −}, SO{sub 4}{sup 2−}, NO{sub 3}{sup −} and HCO{sub 3}{sup −}) were measured to evaluate the adsorption performance in batch experiments. The results showed that decreasing the Fe/Zr molar ratios increased the specific surface area that was propitious to adsorption process, but the adsorption capacity enhanced with the decrease of Fe/Zr molar ratios. Phosphate adsorption on MZION could be well described by the Freundlich equilibrium model and pseudo-second-order kinetics. The adsorption of phosphate was highly pH dependent and decreased with increasing pH from 1.5 to 10.0. The adsorption was slightly affected by ionic strength. With the exception of HCO{sub 3}{sup −}, co-existing anions showed minimum or no effect on their adsorption performance. After adsorption, phosphate on these MZION could be easily desorbed by 0.1 M NaOH solution. The phosphate adsorption mechanism of MZION followed the inner-sphere complexing mechanism, and the surface −OH groups played a significant role in the phosphate adsorption. Additionally, the main

  5. Inhibition of Anaerobic Phosphate Release by Nitric Oxide in Activated Sludge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Niel, E. W. J.; Appeldoorn, K. J.; Zehnder, A. J. B.; Kortstee, G. J. J.

    1998-01-01

    Activated sludge not containing significant numbers of denitrifying, polyphosphate [poly(P)]-accumulating bacteria was grown in a fill-and-draw system and exposed to alternating anaerobic and aerobic periods. During the aerobic period, poly(P) accumulated up to 100 mg of P · g of (dry) weight. When portions of the sludge were incubated anaerobically in the presence of acetate, 80 to 90% of the intracellular poly(P) was degraded and released as orthophosphate. Degradation of poly(P) was mainly catalyzed by the concerted action of polyphosphate:AMP phosphotransferase and adenylate kinase, resulting in ATP formation. In the presence of 0.3 mM nitric oxide (NO) in the liquid-phase release of phosphate, uptake of acetate, formation of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate, utilization of glycogen, and formation of ATP were severely inhibited or completely abolished. In cell extracts of the sludge, adenylate kinase activity was completely inhibited by 0.15 mM NO. The nature of this inhibition was probably noncompetitive, similar to that with hog adenylate kinase. Activated sludge polyphosphate glucokinase was also completely inhibited by 0.15 mM NO. It is concluded that the inhibitory effect of NO on acetate-mediated phosphate release by the sludge used in this study is due to the inhibition of adenylate kinase in the phosphate-releasing organisms. The inhibitory effect of nitrate and nitrite on phosphate release is probably due to their conversion to NO. The lack of any inhibitory effect of NO on adenylate kinase of the poly(P)-accumulating Acinetobacter johnsonii 210A suggests that this type of organism is not involved in the enhanced biological phosphate removal by the sludges used. PMID:9687452

  6. Electrochemical Reduction of Zinc Phosphate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Chang Hwan; Lee, Jung Hyun; Shin, Woon Sup

    2010-01-01

    We demonstrated first that the electrochemical reduction of zinc phosphate in neutral phosphate buffer is possible and potentially applicable to bio-compatible rechargeable battery. The actual redox component is Zn(s)/Zn phosphate(s) and the future research about the control of crystal formation for the better cyclability is required. In lead-acid battery, the electrochemical redox reaction of Pb (s) /PbSO 4(s) is used by reducing Pb(II) and oxidizing Pb(0) in sulfate rich solution. Since both reduced form and oxidized form are insoluble, they cannot diffuse to the opposite electrodes and react. It is a very common strategy to make a stable battery electrode that a metal element is reduced and oxidized in solution containing an abundance of anion readily precipitating with the metal ion. For the application of this strategy to construction of rechargeable battery using bio-compatible electrode materials and electrolytes, the use of phosphate ion can be considered as anion readily precipitating with metal ions. If phosphate buffer with neutral pH is used as electrolyte, the better bio-compatibility will be achieved than most of rechargeable battery using strong acid, strong base or organic solvent as electrolyte solution. There are many metal ions readily precipitating with phos-phate ion, and zinc is one of them

  7. Hydrogen sulfide oxidation without oxygen - oxidation products and pathways

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fossing, H.

    1992-01-01

    Hydrogen sulfide oxidation was studied in anoxic marine sediments-both in undisturbed sediment cores and in sediment slurries. The turn over of hydrogen sulfide was followed using 35 S-radiolabeled hydrogen sulfide which was injected into the sediment. However, isotope exchange reactions between the reduced sulfur compounds, in particular between elemental sulfur and hydrogen sulfide, influenced on the specific radioactivity of these pools. It was, therefore, not possible to measure the turn over rates of the reduced sulfur pools by the radiotracer technique but merely to use the radioisotope to demonstrate some of the oxidation products. Thiosulfate was one important intermediate in the anoxic oxidation of hydrogen sulfide and was continuously turned over by reduction, oxidation and disproportionation. The author discusses the importance of isotope exchange and also presents the results from experiments in which both 35 S-radiolabeled elemental sulfur, radiolabeled hydrogen sulfide and radiolabeled thiosulfate were used to study the intermediates in the oxidative pathways of the sulfur cycle

  8. Hi-Jack: a novel computational framework for pathway-based inference of host–pathogen interactions

    KAUST Repository

    Kleftogiannis, Dimitrios A.

    2015-03-09

    Motivation: Pathogens infect their host and hijack the host machinery to produce more progeny pathogens. Obligate intracellular pathogens, in particular, require resources of the host to replicate. Therefore, infections by these pathogens lead to alterations in the metabolism of the host, shifting in favor of pathogen protein production. Some computational identification of mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions have been proposed, but it seems the problem has yet to be approached from the metabolite-hijacking angle. Results: We propose a novel computational framework, Hi-Jack, for inferring pathway-based interactions between a host and a pathogen that relies on the idea of metabolite hijacking. Hi-Jack searches metabolic network data from hosts and pathogens, and identifies candidate reactions where hijacking occurs. A novel scoring function ranks candidate hijacked reactions and identifies pathways in the host that interact with pathways in the pathogen, as well as the associated frequent hijacked metabolites. We also describe host-pathogen interaction principles that can be used in the future for subsequent studies. Our case study on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) revealed pathways in human-e.g. carbohydrate metabolism, lipids metabolism and pathways related to amino acids metabolism-that are likely to be hijacked by the pathogen. In addition, we report interesting potential pathway interconnections between human and Mtb such as linkage of human fatty acid biosynthesis with Mtb biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, or linkage of human pentose phosphate pathway with lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis in Mtb. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

  9. Chemical stabilisation of lead in shooting range soils with phosphate and magnesium oxide: Synchrotron investigation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanderson, Peter; Naidu, Ravi; Bolan, Nanthi; Lim, Jung Eun; Ok, Yong Sik

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Quantitative speciation of Pb by XAS as a result of Phosphate and MgO treatment revealed Pb converted to pyromorphite was limited. • Subsequent MgO addition increased pyromorphite formation. • Pb was precipitated on the surface of MgO as PbO. • Bioaccessibility of Pb decreased with P treatments, but not with MgO only. - Abstract: Three Australian shooting range soils were treated with phosphate and magnesium oxide, or a combination of both to chemically stabilize Pb. Lead speciation was determined after 1 month ageing by X-ray absorption spectroscopy combined with linear combination fitting in control and treated soils. The predominant Pb species in untreated soils were iron oxide bound Pb, humic acid bound Pb and the mineral litharge. Treatment with phosphate resulted in substantial pyromorphite formation in two of the soils (TV and PE), accounting for up to 38% of Pb species present, despite the addition of excess phosphate. In MgO treated soils only, up to 43% of Pb was associated with MgO. Litharge and Pb hydroxide also formed as a result of MgO addition in the soils. Application of MgO after P treatment increased hydroxypyromorphite/pyromorphite formation relative to soils teated with phosphate only. X-ray diffraction and Scanning electron microscopy revealed PbO precipitate on the surface of MgO. Soil pH, (5.3–9.3) was an important parameter, as was the solubility of existing Pb species. The use of direct means of determination of the stabilisation of metals such as by X-ray absorption spectroscopy is desirable, particularly in relation to understanding long term stability of the immobilised contaminants.

  10. Chemical stabilisation of lead in shooting range soils with phosphate and magnesium oxide: Synchrotron investigation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanderson, Peter [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation and CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), University of South Australia, University Parade, 5095 Mawson Lakes (Australia); Naidu, Ravi, E-mail: ravi.naidu@crccare.com [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation and CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), University of South Australia, University Parade, 5095 Mawson Lakes (Australia); Bolan, Nanthi [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation and CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), University of South Australia, University Parade, 5095 Mawson Lakes (Australia); Lim, Jung Eun; Ok, Yong Sik [Korea Biochar Research Center & Department of Biological Environment, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-12-15

    Highlights: • Quantitative speciation of Pb by XAS as a result of Phosphate and MgO treatment revealed Pb converted to pyromorphite was limited. • Subsequent MgO addition increased pyromorphite formation. • Pb was precipitated on the surface of MgO as PbO. • Bioaccessibility of Pb decreased with P treatments, but not with MgO only. - Abstract: Three Australian shooting range soils were treated with phosphate and magnesium oxide, or a combination of both to chemically stabilize Pb. Lead speciation was determined after 1 month ageing by X-ray absorption spectroscopy combined with linear combination fitting in control and treated soils. The predominant Pb species in untreated soils were iron oxide bound Pb, humic acid bound Pb and the mineral litharge. Treatment with phosphate resulted in substantial pyromorphite formation in two of the soils (TV and PE), accounting for up to 38% of Pb species present, despite the addition of excess phosphate. In MgO treated soils only, up to 43% of Pb was associated with MgO. Litharge and Pb hydroxide also formed as a result of MgO addition in the soils. Application of MgO after P treatment increased hydroxypyromorphite/pyromorphite formation relative to soils teated with phosphate only. X-ray diffraction and Scanning electron microscopy revealed PbO precipitate on the surface of MgO. Soil pH, (5.3–9.3) was an important parameter, as was the solubility of existing Pb species. The use of direct means of determination of the stabilisation of metals such as by X-ray absorption spectroscopy is desirable, particularly in relation to understanding long term stability of the immobilised contaminants.

  11. Modeling of nitrous oxide production by autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria with multiple production pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ni, Bing-Jie; Peng, Lai; Law, Yingyu; Guo, Jianhua; Yuan, Zhiguo

    2014-04-01

    Autotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) have been recognized as a major contributor to N2O production in wastewater treatment systems. However, so far N2O models have been proposed based on a single N2O production pathway by AOB, and there is still a lack of effective approach for the integration of these models. In this work, an integrated mathematical model that considers multiple production pathways is developed to describe N2O production by AOB. The pathways considered include the nitrifier denitrification pathway (N2O as the final product of AOB denitrification with NO2(-) as the terminal electron acceptor) and the hydroxylamine (NH2OH) pathway (N2O as a byproduct of incomplete oxidation of NH2OH to NO2(-)). In this model, the oxidation and reduction processes are modeled separately, with intracellular electron carriers introduced to link the two types of processes. The model is calibrated and validated using experimental data obtained with two independent nitrifying cultures. The model satisfactorily describes the N2O data from both systems. The model also predicts shifts of the dominating pathway at various dissolved oxygen (DO) and nitrite levels, consistent with previous hypotheses. This unified model is expected to enhance our ability to predict N2O production by AOB in wastewater treatment systems under varying operational conditions.

  12. Analysis of Chlorogenic Acid Oxidation Pathway in Simulated ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Keywords: Honeysuckle, Chlorogenic acid, Enzymatic browning, Mimic system, Oxidation pathway, ... enzymatic oxidation of CA is the major cause of ..... to the concentration of catechol, o-quinone and current at PPO-modified microcylinder biosensor for diffusion- kinetic model. J Electroanal Chem 2011; 660: 200-208.

  13. Effect of sodium phosphate salts on the thermodynamic properties of aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene oxide) 6000 at different temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sadeghi, Rahmat; Hosseini, Rahim; Jamehbozorg, Bahman

    2008-01-01

    Precise density, sound velocity, water activity, and phase diagram measurements have been carried out on polyethylene oxide (PEO) in aqueous solutions of sodium di-hydrogen phosphate, di-sodium hydrogen phosphate, and tri-sodium phosphate over a range of temperatures at atmospheric pressure. The experimental density and sound velocity data are used to calculate the apparent specific volume and isentropic compressibility as a function of temperature and concentration. It was found that both of the apparent specific volume and isentropic compressibility of PEO in aqueous solutions increase by increasing temperature and charge on the anion of electrolytes. The results show that the slope of constant water activity lines increased with increasing the temperature and charge on the anion of electrolytes and the vapour pressure depression for an aqueous (PEO + sodium phosphate) system is more than the sum of those for the corresponding binary solutions. Furthermore, the effect of temperature and type of anion of salt on the salting-out effect of polyethylene oxide by sodium phosphate salts has been studied

  14. Effect of sodium phosphate salts on the thermodynamic properties of aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene oxide) 6000 at different temperatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sadeghi, Rahmat [Department of Chemistry, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of)], E-mail: rahsadeghi@yahoo.com; Hosseini, Rahim; Jamehbozorg, Bahman [Department of Chemistry, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2008-09-15

    Precise density, sound velocity, water activity, and phase diagram measurements have been carried out on polyethylene oxide (PEO) in aqueous solutions of sodium di-hydrogen phosphate, di-sodium hydrogen phosphate, and tri-sodium phosphate over a range of temperatures at atmospheric pressure. The experimental density and sound velocity data are used to calculate the apparent specific volume and isentropic compressibility as a function of temperature and concentration. It was found that both of the apparent specific volume and isentropic compressibility of PEO in aqueous solutions increase by increasing temperature and charge on the anion of electrolytes. The results show that the slope of constant water activity lines increased with increasing the temperature and charge on the anion of electrolytes and the vapour pressure depression for an aqueous (PEO + sodium phosphate) system is more than the sum of those for the corresponding binary solutions. Furthermore, the effect of temperature and type of anion of salt on the salting-out effect of polyethylene oxide by sodium phosphate salts has been studied.

  15. Analysis of Chlorogenic Acid Oxidation Pathway in Simulated ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To investigate the pathways involved in the oxidation of chlorogenic acid (CA) and phenol metabolism in honeysuckle buds. Methods: A model that mimics CA oxidation by honeysuckle polyphenol oxidase (PPO) by controlling the reaction temperature or reaction duration was employed, and the resulting products ...

  16. Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterization of D-Tagatose-1-Phosphate: The Substrate of the Tagatose-1-Phosphate Kinase in the Phosphotransferase System-Mediated D-Tagatose Catabolic Pathway of Bacillus licheniformis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Heiden, Edwige; Delmarcelle, Michaël; Simon, Patricia; Counson, Melody; Galleni, Moreno; Freedberg, Darón I; Thompson, John; Joris, Bernard; Battistel, Marcos D

    2015-01-01

    We report the first enzymatic synthesis of D-tagatose-1-phosphate (Tag-1P) by the multicomponent phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PEP-PTS) present in tagatose-grown cells of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Physicochemical characterization by (31)P and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals that, in solution, this derivative is primarily in the pyranose form. Tag-1P was used to characterize the putative tagatose-1-phosphate kinase (TagK) of the Bacillus licheniformis PTS-mediated D-tagatose catabolic pathway (Bli-TagP). For this purpose, a soluble protein fusion was obtained with the 6 His-tagged trigger factor (TF(His6)) of Escherichia coli. The active fusion enzyme was named TagK-TF(His6). Tag-1P and D-fructose-1-phosphate are substrates for the TagK-TF(His6) enzyme, whereas the isomeric derivatives D-tagatose-6-phosphate and D-fructose-6-phosphate are inhibitors. Studies of catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) reveal that the enzyme specificity is markedly in favor of Tag-1P as the substrate. Importantly, we show in vivo that the transfer of the phosphate moiety from PEP to the B. licheniformis tagatose-specific Enzyme II in E. coli is inefficient. The capability of the PTS general cytoplasmic components of B. subtilis, HPr and Enzyme I to restore the phosphate transfer is demonstrated. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  17. Metabolic response to MMS-mediated DNA damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is dependent on the glucose concentration in the medium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitanovic, Ana; Walther, Thomas; Loret, Marie Odile; Holzwarth, Jinda; Kitanovic, Igor; Bonowski, Felix; Van Bui, Ngoc; Francois, Jean Marie; Wölfl, Stefan

    2009-06-01

    Maintenance and adaptation of energy metabolism could play an important role in the cellular ability to respond to DNA damage. A large number of studies suggest that the sensitivity of cells to oxidants and oxidative stress depends on the activity of cellular metabolism and is dependent on the glucose concentration. In fact, yeast cells that utilize fermentative carbon sources and hence rely mainly on glycolysis for energy appear to be more sensitive to oxidative stress. Here we show that treatment of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae growing on a glucose-rich medium with the DNA alkylating agent methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) triggers a rapid inhibition of respiration and enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which is accompanied by a strong suppression of glycolysis. Further, diminished activity of pyruvate kinase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase upon MMS treatment leads to a diversion of glucose carbon to glycerol, trehalose and glycogen accumulation and an increased flux through the pentose-phosphate pathway. Such conditions finally result in a significant decline in the ATP level and energy charge. These effects are dependent on the glucose concentration in the medium. Our results clearly demonstrate that calorie restriction reduces MMS toxicity through increased respiration and reduced ROS accumulation, enhancing the survival and recovery of cells.

  18. Robust Regression Analysis of GCMS Data Reveals Differential Rewiring of Metabolic Networks in Hepatitis B and C Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cedric Simillion

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available About one in 15 of the world’s population is chronically infected with either hepatitis virus B (HBV or C (HCV, with enormous public health consequences. The metabolic alterations caused by these infections have never been directly compared and contrasted. We investigated groups of HBV-positive, HCV-positive, and uninfected healthy controls using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of their plasma and urine. A robust regression analysis of the metabolite data was conducted to reveal correlations between metabolite pairs. Ten metabolite correlations appeared for HBV plasma and urine, with 18 for HCV plasma and urine, none of which were present in the controls. Metabolic perturbation networks were constructed, which permitted a differential view of the HBV- and HCV-infected liver. HBV hepatitis was consistent with enhanced glucose uptake, glycolysis, and pentose phosphate pathway metabolism, the latter using xylitol and producing threonic acid, which may also be imported by glucose transporters. HCV hepatitis was consistent with impaired glucose uptake, glycolysis, and pentose phosphate pathway metabolism, with the tricarboxylic acid pathway fueled by branched-chain amino acids feeding gluconeogenesis and the hepatocellular loss of glucose, which most probably contributed to hyperglycemia. It is concluded that robust regression analyses can uncover metabolic rewiring in disease states.

  19. Bioconversion of lignocellulose-derived sugars to ethanol by engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madhavan, Anjali; Srivastava, Aradhana; Kondo, Akihiko; Bisaria, Virendra S

    2012-03-01

    Lignocellulosic biomass from agricultural and agro-industrial residues represents one of the most important renewable resources that can be utilized for the biological production of ethanol. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used for the commercial production of bioethanol from sucrose or starch-derived glucose. While glucose and other hexose sugars like galactose and mannose can be fermented to ethanol by S. cerevisiae, the major pentose sugars D-xylose and L-arabinose remain unutilized. Nevertheless, D-xylulose, the keto isomer of xylose, can be fermented slowly by the yeast and thus, the incorporation of functional routes for the conversion of xylose and arabinose to xylulose or xylulose-5-phosphate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can help to improve the ethanol productivity and make the fermentation process more cost-effective. Other crucial bottlenecks in pentose fermentation include low activity of the pentose phosphate pathway enzymes and competitive inhibition of xylose and arabinose transport into the cell cytoplasm by glucose and other hexose sugars. Along with a brief introduction of the pretreatment of lignocellulose and detoxification of the hydrolysate, this review provides an updated overview of (a) the key steps involved in the uptake and metabolism of the hexose sugars: glucose, galactose, and mannose, together with the pentose sugars: xylose and arabinose, (b) various factors that play a major role in the efficient fermentation of pentose sugars along with hexose sugars, and (c) the approaches used to overcome the metabolic constraints in the production of bioethanol from lignocellulose-derived sugars by developing recombinant S. cerevisiae strains.

  20. Pentose sugars inhibit metabolism and increase expression of an AgrD-type cyclic pentapeptide in Clostridium thermocellum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verbeke, Tobin J; Giannone, Richard J; Klingeman, Dawn M; Engle, Nancy L; Rydzak, Thomas; Guss, Adam M; Tschaplinski, Timothy J; Brown, Steven D; Hettich, Robert L; Elkins, James G

    2017-02-23

    Clostridium thermocellum could potentially be used as a microbial biocatalyst to produce renewable fuels directly from lignocellulosic biomass due to its ability to rapidly solubilize plant cell walls. While the organism readily ferments sugars derived from cellulose, pentose sugars from xylan are not metabolized. Here, we show that non-fermentable pentoses inhibit growth and end-product formation during fermentation of cellulose-derived sugars. Metabolomic experiments confirmed that xylose is transported intracellularly and reduced to the dead-end metabolite xylitol. Comparative RNA-seq analysis of xylose-inhibited cultures revealed several up-regulated genes potentially involved in pentose transport and metabolism, which were targeted for disruption. Deletion of the ATP-dependent transporter, CbpD partially alleviated xylose inhibition. A putative xylitol dehydrogenase, encoded by Clo1313_0076, was also deleted resulting in decreased total xylitol production and yield by 41% and 46%, respectively. Finally, xylose-induced inhibition corresponds with the up-regulation and biogenesis of a cyclical AgrD-type, pentapeptide. Medium supplementation with the mature cyclical pentapeptide also inhibits bacterial growth. Together, these findings provide new foundational insights needed for engineering improved pentose utilizing strains of C. thermocellum and reveal the first functional Agr-type cyclic peptide to be produced by a thermophilic member of the Firmicutes.

  1. High salt diet induces metabolic alterations in multiple biological processes of Dahl salt-sensitive rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yanjun; Liu, Xiangyang; Zhang, Chen; Wang, Zhengjun

    2018-06-01

    High salt induced renal disease is a condition resulting from the interactions of genetic and dietary factors causing multiple complications. To understand the metabolic alterations associated with renal disease, we comprehensively analyzed the metabonomic changes induced by high salt intake in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats using GC-MS technology and biochemical analyses. Physiological features, serum chemistry, and histopathological data were obtained as complementary information. Our results showed that high salt (HS) intake for 16 weeks caused significant metabolic alterations in both the renal medulla and cortex involving a variety pathways involved in the metabolism of organic acids, amino acids, fatty acids, and purines. In addition, HS enhanced glycolysis (hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase) and amino acid metabolism and suppressed the TCA (citrate synthase and aconitase) cycle. Finally, HS intake caused up-regulation of the pentose phosphate pathway (glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase), the ratio of NADPH/NADP + , NADPH oxidase activity and ROS production, suggesting that increased oxidative stress was associated with an altered PPP pathway. The metabolic pathways identified may serve as potential targets for the treatment of renal damage. Our findings provide comprehensive biochemical details about the metabolic responses to a high salt diet, which may contribute to the understanding of renal disease and salt-induced hypertension in SS rats. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  2. Continuous production of ethanol from hexoses and pentoses using immobilized mixed cultures of Escherichia coli strains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unrean, Pornkamol; Srienc, Friedrich

    2010-01-01

    We have developed highly efficient ethanologenic E. coli strains that selectively consume pentoses and/or hexoses. Mixed cultures of these strains can be used to selectively adjust the sugar utilization kinetics in ethanol fermentations. Based on the kinetics of sugar utilization, we have designed and implemented an immobilized cell system for the optimized continuous conversion of sugars into ethanol. The results confirm that immobilized mixed cultures support a simultaneous conversion of hexoses and pentoses into ethanol at high yield and at a faster rate than immobilized homogenous cells. Continuous ethanol production has been maintained for several weeks at high productivity with near complete sugar utilization. The control of sugar utilization using immobilized mixed cultures can be adapted to any composition of hexoses and pentoses by adjusting the strain distribution of immobilized cells. The approach, therefore, holds promise for ethanol fermentation from lignocellulosic hydrolysates where the feedstock varies in sugar composition. PMID:20699108

  3. Fitness of Escherichia coli during urinary tract infection requires gluconeogenesis and the TCA cycle.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher J Alteri

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Microbial pathogenesis studies traditionally encompass dissection of virulence properties such as the bacterium's ability to elaborate toxins, adhere to and invade host cells, cause tissue damage, or otherwise disrupt normal host immune and cellular functions. In contrast, bacterial metabolism during infection has only been recently appreciated to contribute to persistence as much as their virulence properties. In this study, we used comparative proteomics to investigate the expression of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC cytoplasmic proteins during growth in the urinary tract environment and systematic disruption of central metabolic pathways to better understand bacterial metabolism during infection. Using two-dimensional fluorescence difference in gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE and tandem mass spectrometry, it was found that UPEC differentially expresses 84 cytoplasmic proteins between growth in LB medium and growth in human urine (P<0.005. Proteins induced during growth in urine included those involved in the import of short peptides and enzymes required for the transport and catabolism of sialic acid, gluconate, and the pentose sugars xylose and arabinose. Proteins required for the biosynthesis of arginine and serine along with the enzyme agmatinase that is used to produce the polyamine putrescine were also up-regulated in urine. To complement these data, we constructed mutants in these genes and created mutants defective in each central metabolic pathway and tested the relative fitness of these UPEC mutants in vivo in an infection model. Import of peptides, gluconeogenesis, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle are required for E. coli fitness during urinary tract infection while glycolysis, both the non-oxidative and oxidative branches of the pentose phosphate pathway, and the Entner-Doudoroff pathway were dispensable in vivo. These findings suggest that peptides and amino acids are the primary carbon source for E. coli during infection of

  4. The plastidial 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway provides the isoprenyl moiety for protein geranylgeranylation in tobacco BY-2 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerber, Esther; Hemmerlin, Andréa; Hartmann, Michael; Heintz, Dimitri; Hartmann, Marie-Andrée; Mutterer, Jérôme; Rodríguez-Concepción, Manuel; Boronat, Albert; Van Dorsselaer, Alain; Rohmer, Michel; Crowell, Dring N; Bach, Thomas J

    2009-01-01

    Protein farnesylation and geranylgeranylation are important posttranslational modifications in eukaryotic cells. We visualized in transformed Nicotiana tabacum Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) cells the geranylgeranylation and plasma membrane localization of GFP-BD-CVIL, which consists of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to the C-terminal polybasic domain (BD) and CVIL isoprenylation motif from the Oryza sativa calmodulin, CaM61. Treatment with fosmidomycin (Fos) or oxoclomazone (OC), inhibitors of the plastidial 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, caused mislocalization of the protein to the nucleus, whereas treatment with mevinolin, an inhibitor of the cytosolic mevalonate pathway, did not. The nuclear localization of GFP-BD-CVIL in the presence of MEP pathway inhibitors was completely reversed by all-trans-geranylgeraniol (GGol). Furthermore, 1-deoxy-d-xylulose (DX) reversed the effects of OC, but not Fos, consistent with the hypothesis that OC blocks 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthesis, whereas Fos inhibits its conversion to 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate. By contrast, GGol and DX did not rescue the nuclear mislocalization of GFP-BD-CVIL in the presence of a protein geranylgeranyltransferase type 1 inhibitor. Thus, the MEP pathway has an essential role in geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) biosynthesis and protein geranylgeranylation in BY-2 cells. GFP-BD-CVIL is a versatile tool for identifying pharmaceuticals and herbicides that interfere either with GGPP biosynthesis or with protein geranylgeranylation.

  5. Fermentation of Xylose Causes Inefficient Metabolic State Due to Carbon/Energy Starvation and Reduced Glycolytic Flux in Recombinant Industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsushika, Akinori; Nagashima, Atsushi; Goshima, Tetsuya; Hoshino, Tamotsu

    2013-01-01

    In the present study, comprehensive, quantitative metabolome analysis was carried out on the recombinant glucose/xylose-cofermenting S. cerevisiae strain MA-R4 during fermentation with different carbon sources, including glucose, xylose, or glucose/xylose mixtures. Capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to determine the intracellular pools of metabolites from the central carbon pathways, energy metabolism pathways, and the levels of twenty amino acids. When xylose instead of glucose was metabolized by MA-R4, glycolytic metabolites including 3- phosphoglycerate, 2- phosphoglycerate, phosphoenolpyruvate, and pyruvate were dramatically reduced, while conversely, most pentose phosphate pathway metabolites such as sedoheptulose 7- phosphate and ribulose 5-phosphate were greatly increased. These results suggest that the low metabolic activity of glycolysis and the pool of pentose phosphate pathway intermediates are potential limiting factors in xylose utilization. It was further demonstrated that during xylose fermentation, about half of the twenty amino acids declined, and the adenylate/guanylate energy charge was impacted due to markedly decreased adenosine triphosphate/adenosine monophosphate and guanosine triphosphate/guanosine monophosphate ratios, implying that the fermentation of xylose leads to an inefficient metabolic state where the biosynthetic capabilities and energy balance are severely impaired. In addition, fermentation with xylose alone drastically increased the level of citrate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and increased the aromatic amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine, strongly supporting the view that carbon starvation was induced. Interestingly, fermentation with xylose alone also increased the synthesis of the polyamine spermidine and its precursor S-adenosylmethionine. Thus, differences in carbon substrates, including glucose and xylose in the fermentation medium, strongly influenced the dynamic metabolism of MA-R4

  6. [Pathomechanism of diabetic neuropathy: background of the pathogenesis-oriented therapy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winkler, Gábor; Kempler, Péter

    2010-06-13

    The pathomechanism of diabetic neuropathy remains still poorly understood, however, a broad spectrum of novel findings associated with therapeutic consequences emerged during the last decades. Both disturbed function of primary hemostasis and increased activity of coagulation system contribute to the reduced endoneurial blood flow. Increased superoxide anion production induced by hyperglycemia leads to decreased activity of glycerinaldehid-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and to consequential increased activity of alternative pathways, including the polyol-, hexosamine-, diacilglycerol protein kinase-C- and advanced glycation pathways. Advanced glycation endproducts increase the activity of the nuclear-factor kappa-B, as well as the production of vasoactive factors and cytokines (interleukin-1, -6, tumor necrosis factor alpha). The aim of pathogenetic oriented treatment is to slow down, stop or reverse the progression of neuropathy. Components of pathogenetic oriented treatment are glycaemic control, management of risk factors, benfotiamine and alpha-lipoic acid. On one hand, transketolase-activator benfotiamine inhibits alternative pathways induced by hyperglycemia (the polyol-, hexosamine-, diacilglycerol protein kinase-C-, and advanced glycation pathways), while, on the other hand, it increases the activity of the pentose-phosphate-shunt. The clinical effectiveness of benfotiamine has been shown in many international and Hungarian trials. Alpha-lipoic acid as a powerful antioxidant decreases oxidative stress and this way increases the activity of glycerinaldehid-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Alpha-lipoic acid administered in infusion or oral treatment decreases both symptoms of neuropathy and neuropathic deficit. In conclusion, the case of diabetic neuropathy illustrates well, how widening of our knowledge on pathogenesis might contribute to successful therapy.

  7. Fructose Alters Intermediary Metabolism of Glucose in Human Adipocytes and Diverts Glucose to Serine Oxidation in the One–Carbon Cycle Energy Producing Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vijayalakshmi Varma

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Increased consumption of sugar and fructose as sweeteners has resulted in the utilization of fructose as an alternative metabolic fuel that may compete with glucose and alter its metabolism. To explore this, human Simpson-Golabi-Behmel Syndrome (SGBS preadipocytes were differentiated to adipocytes in the presence of 0, 1, 2.5, 5 or 10 mM of fructose added to a medium containing 5 mM of glucose representing the normal blood glucose concentration. Targeted tracer [1,2-13C2]-d-glucose fate association approach was employed to examine the influence of fructose on the intermediary metabolism of glucose. Increasing concentrations of fructose robustly increased the oxidation of [1,2-13C2]-d-glucose to 13CO2 (p < 0.000001. However, glucose-derived 13CO2 negatively correlated with 13C labeled glutamate, 13C palmitate, and M+1 labeled lactate. These are strong markers of limited tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle, fatty acid synthesis, pentose cycle fluxes, substrate turnover and NAD+/NADP+ or ATP production from glucose via complete oxidation, indicating diminished mitochondrial energy metabolism. Contrarily, a positive correlation was observed between glucose-derived 13CO2 formed and 13C oleate and doses of fructose which indicate the elongation and desaturation of palmitate to oleate for storage. Collectively, these results suggest that fructose preferentially drives glucose through serine oxidation glycine cleavage (SOGC pathway one-carbon cycle for NAD+/NADP+ production that is utilized in fructose-induced lipogenesis and storage in adipocytes.

  8. Electrochemical oxidation of acid black 210 dye on the boron-doped diamond electrode in the presence of phosphate ions: Effect of current density, pH, and chloride ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Costa, Carla Regina; Montilla, Francisco; Morallon, Emilia; Olivi, Paulo

    2009-01-01

    The electrochemical oxidation of acid black 210 dye (AB-210) on the boron-doped diamond (BDD) was investigated under different pH conditions. The best performance for the AB-210 oxidation occurred in alkaline phosphate solution. This is probably due to oxidizing agents such as phosphate radicals and peroxodiphosphate ions, which can be electrochemically produced with good yields on the BDD anode, mainly in alkaline solution. Under this condition, the COD (chemical oxygen demand) removal was higher than that obtained from the model proposed by Comninellis. Electrolyses performed in phosphate buffer and in the presence of chloride ions resulted in faster COD and color removals in acid and neutral solutions, but in alkaline phosphate solution, a better performance in terms of TOC removal was obtained in the absence of chloride. Moreover, organochloride compounds were detected in all electrolyses performed in the presence of chloride. The AB-210 electrooxidation on BDD using phosphate as supporting electrolyte proved to be interesting since oxidizing species generated from phosphate ions were able to completely degrade the dye without producing organochloride compounds.

  9. Novel metabolic pathways in Archaea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Takaaki; Atomi, Haruyuki

    2011-06-01

    The Archaea harbor many metabolic pathways that differ to previously recognized classical pathways. Glycolysis is carried out by modified versions of the Embden-Meyerhof and Entner-Doudoroff pathways. Thermophilic archaea have recently been found to harbor a bi-functional fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase/phosphatase for gluconeogenesis. A number of novel pentose-degrading pathways have also been recently identified. In terms of anabolic metabolism, a pathway for acetate assimilation, the methylaspartate cycle, and two CO2-fixing pathways, the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle and the dicarboxylate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle, have been elucidated. As for biosynthetic pathways, recent studies have clarified the enzymes responsible for several steps involved in the biosynthesis of inositol phospholipids, polyamine, coenzyme A, flavin adeninedinucleotide and heme. By examining the presence/absence of homologs of these enzymes on genome sequences, we have found that the majority of these enzymes and pathways are specific to the Archaea. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Chemical degradation of trimethyl phosphate as surrogate for organo-phosporus pesticides on nanostructured metal oxides

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Štengl, Václav; Henych, Jiří; Matys Grygar, Tomáš; Pérez, Raul

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 61, JAN (2015), s. 259-269 ISSN 0025-5408 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP106/12/1116 Institutional support: RVO:61388980 Keywords : Nanostructured oxides * Stoichiometric degradation * Trimethyl phosphate Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 2.435, year: 2015

  11. Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterization of D-Tagatose-1-phosphate: The Substrate of the Tagatose-1-Phosphate Kinase TagK in the PTS-mediated D-Tagatose Catabolic Pathway of Bacillus licheniformis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Heiden, Edwige; Delmarcelle, Michaël; Simon, Patricia; Counson, Melody; Galleni, Moreno; Freedberg, Darón I.; Thompson, John; Joris, Bernard; Battistel, Marcos D.

    2015-01-01

    We report the first enzymatic synthesis of D-tagatose-1-phosphate (Tag-1P) by the multi-component PEP-dependent:tag-PTS present in tagatose-grown cells of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Physicochemical characterization by 31P and 1H NMR spectroscopy reveals that, in solution, this derivative is primarily in the pyranose form. Tag-1P was used to characterize the putative tagatose-1-phosphate kinase (TagK) of the Bacillus licheniformis PTS-mediated D-Tagatose catabolic Pathway (Bli-TagP). For this purpose, a soluble protein fusion was obtained with the 6 His-tagged trigger factor (TFHis6) of Escherichia coli. The active fusion enzyme was named TagK-TFHis6. Tag-1P and D-fructose-1-phosphate (Fru-1P) are substrates for the TagK-TFHis6 enzyme, whereas the isomeric derivatives D-tagatose-6-phosphate (Tag-6P) and D-fructose-6-phosphate (Fru-6P) are inhibitors. Studies of catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) reveal that the enzyme specificity is markedly in favor of Tag-1P as substrate. Importantly, we show in vivo that the transfer of the phosphate moiety from PEP to the B. licheniformis tagatose-specific enzyme II (EIITag) in E.coli is inefficient. The capability of the PTS general cytoplasmic components of B. subtilis, HPr and EI, to restore the phosphate transfer is demonstrated. PMID:26159072

  12. Role of acetyl-phosphate in activation of the Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS pathway in Borrelia burgdorferi.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haijun Xu

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease spirochete, dramatically alters its transcriptome and proteome as it cycles between the arthropod vector and mammalian host. During this enzootic cycle, a novel regulatory network, the Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS pathway (also known as the σ(54-σ(S sigma factor cascade, plays a central role in modulating the differential expression of more than 10% of all B. burgdorferi genes, including the major virulence genes ospA and ospC. However, the mechanism(s by which the upstream activator and response regulator Rrp2 is activated remains unclear. Here, we show that none of the histidine kinases present in the B. burgdorferi genome are required for the activation of Rrp2. Instead, we present biochemical and genetic evidence that supports the hypothesis that activation of the Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS pathway occurs via the small, high-energy, phosphoryl-donor acetyl phosphate (acetyl∼P, the intermediate of the Ack-Pta (acetate kinase-phosphate acetyltransferase pathway that converts acetate to acetyl-CoA. Supplementation of the growth medium with acetate induced activation of the Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS pathway in a dose-dependent manner. Conversely, the overexpression of Pta virtually abolished acetate-induced activation of this pathway, suggesting that acetate works through acetyl∼P. Overexpression of Pta also greatly inhibited temperature and cell density-induced activation of RpoS and OspC, suggesting that these environmental cues affect the Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS pathway by influencing acetyl∼P. Finally, overexpression of Pta partially reduced infectivity of B. burgdorferi in mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that acetyl∼P is one of the key activating molecule for the activation of the Rrp2-RpoN-RpoS pathway and support the emerging concept that acetyl∼P can serve as a global signal in bacterial pathogenesis.

  13. Intracerebroventricular tempol administration in older rats reduces oxidative stress in the hypothalamus but does not change STAT3 signalling or SIRT1/AMPK pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toklu, Hale Z; Scarpace, Philip J; Sakarya, Yasemin; Kirichenko, Nataliya; Matheny, Michael; Bruce, Erin B; Carter, Christy S; Morgan, Drake; Tümer, Nihal

    2017-01-01

    Hypothalamic inflammation and increased oxidative stress are believed to be mechanisms that contribute to obesity. 4-Hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (tempol), a free radical scavenger, has been shown to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. We hypothesized that brain infusion of tempol would reduce oxidative stress, and thus would reduce food intake and body weight and improve body composition in rats with age-related obesity and known elevated oxidative stress. Furthermore, we predicted an associated increase in markers of leptin signalling, including the silent mating type information regulator 2 homolog 1 (SIRT1)/5'AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway and the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway. For this purpose, osmotic minipumps were placed in the intracerebroventricular region of young (3 months) and aged (23 months) male Fischer 344 x Brown Norway rats for the continuous infusion of tempol or vehicle for 2 weeks. Tempol significantly decreased (p < 0.01) nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity in the hypothalamus but failed to reduce food intake or weight gain and did not alter body composition. SIRT1 activity and Acetyl p53 were decreased and phosphorylation of AMPK was increased with age, but they were unchanged with tempol. Basal phosphorylation of STAT3 was unchanged with age or tempol. These results indicate that tempol decreases oxidative stress but fails to alter feeding behaviour, body weight, or body composition. Moreover, tempol does not modulate the SIRT1/AMPK/p53 pathway and does not change leptin signalling. Thus, a reduction in hypothalamic oxidative stress is not sufficient to reverse age-related obesity.

  14. Mitochondrial dysfunction associated with nitric oxide pathways in glutamate neurotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manucha, Walter

    Multiple mechanisms underlying glutamate-induced neurotoxicity have recently been discussed. Likewise, a clear deregulation of the mitochondrial respiratory mechanism has been described in patients with neurodegeneration, oxidative stress, and inflammation. This article highlights nitric oxide, an atypical neurotransmitter synthesized and released on demand by the post-synaptic neurons, and has many important implications for nerve cell survival and differentiation. Consequently, synaptogenesis, synapse elimination, and neurotransmitter release, are nitric oxide-modulated. Interesting, an emergent role of nitric oxide pathways has been discussed as regards neurotoxicity from glutamate-induced apoptosis. These findings suggest that nitric oxide pathways modulation could prevent oxidative damage to neurons through apoptosis inhibition. This review aims to highlight the emergent aspects of nitric oxide-mediated signaling in the brain, and how they can be related to neurotoxicity, as well as the development of neurodegenerative diseases development. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Arteriosclerosis. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  15. Plasmid-encoded biosynthetic genes alleviate metabolic disadvantages while increasing glucose conversion to shikimate in an engineered Escherichia coli strain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, Alberto; Martínez, Juan A; Millard, Pierre; Gosset, Guillermo; Portais, Jean-Charles; Létisse, Fabien; Bolivar, Francisco

    2017-06-01

    Metabolic engineering strategies applied over the last two decades to produce shikimate (SA) in Escherichia coli have resulted in a battery of strains bearing many expression systems. However, the effects that these systems have on the host physiology and how they impact the production of SA are still not well understood. In this work we utilized an engineered E. coli strain to determine the consequences of carrying a vector that promotes SA production from glucose with a high-yield but that is also expected to impose a significant cellular burden. Kinetic comparisons in fermentors showed that instead of exerting a negative effect, the sole presence of the plasmid increased glucose consumption without diminishing the growth rate. By constitutively expressing a biosynthetic operon from this vector, the more active glycolytic metabolism was exploited to redirect intermediates toward the production of SA, which further increased the glucose consumption rate and avoided excess acetate production. Fluxomics and metabolomics experiments revealed a global remodeling of the carbon and energy metabolism in the production strain, where the increased SA production reduced the carbon available for oxidative and fermentative pathways. Moreover, the results showed that the production of SA relies on a specific setup of the pentose phosphate pathway, where both its oxidative and non-oxidative branches are strongly activated to supply erythrose-4-phosphate and balance the NADPH requirements. This work improves our understanding of the metabolic reorganization observed in E. coli in response to the plasmid-based expression of the SA biosynthetic pathway. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1319-1330. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Iron oxidation kinetics and phosphate immobilization along the flow-path from groundwater into surface water

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Der Grift, B.; Rozemeijer, J. C.; Griffioen, J.; Van Der Velde, Y.

    2014-01-01

    The retention of phosphorus in surface waters through co-precipitation of phosphate with Fe-oxyhydroxides during exfiltration of anaerobic Fe(II) rich groundwater is not well understood. We developed an experimental field set-up to study Fe(II) oxidation and P immobilization along the flow-path from

  17. Iron oxidation kinetics and phosphate immobilization along the flow-path from groundwater into surface water.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Grift, van der B.; Rozemeijer, J.C.; Griffioen, J.; Velde, van der Y.

    2014-01-01

    The retention of phosphorus in surface waters though co-precipitation of phosphate with Fe-oxyhydroxides during exfiltration of anaerobic Fe(II) rich groundwater is not well understood. We developed an experimental field set-up to study Fe(II) oxidation and 5 P immobilization along the flow-path

  18. Iron oxidation kinetics and phosphate immobilization along the flow-path from groundwater into surface water

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Grift, B.; Rozemeijer, J. C.; Griffioen, J.; van der Velde, Y.

    2014-01-01

    The retention of phosphorus in surface waters though co-precipitation of phosphate with Fe-oxyhydroxides during exfiltration of anaerobic Fe(II) rich groundwater is not well understood. We developed an experimental field set-up to study Fe(II) oxidation and P immobilization along the flow-path from

  19. Binding and uptake of {sup 125}iodine-labelled, oxidized low density lipoprotein by macrophages: Comparison of the effects of {alpha}-tocopherol, probucol, pyridoxal-5`-phosphate and magnesium-pyridoxal-5`-phosphate-glutamate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Selmer, D. [Technische Univ. Muenchen, Freising-Weihenstephan (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Phytopathologie; Senekowitsch-Schmidtke, R. [Technische Univ. Muenchen (Germany). Nuklearmedizinische Klinik; Schneider, W. [Steigerwald Arzneimittel, Darmstadt (Germany); Elstner, E.F. [Technische Univ. Muenchen, Freising-Weihenstephan (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Phytopathologie

    1997-01-01

    Specific and unspecific binding and uptake (internalization) by macrophages of {sup 125}iodine-labelled, copper-oxidized human low density lipoprotein is differently influenced by the anti-oxidants {alpha}-tocopherol ({alpha}-Toc), probucol (Prob), pyridoxal-5`-phosphate (PP) and the magnesium-pyridoxal-5`-phosphate glutamate complex (MPPG). Binding as well as internalization, mediated by the so-called `scavenger receptor` is lower in the presence of MPPG whereas both specific binding and internalization are enhanced. The comparison of the effects in vitro allows a rating of the potentially anti-atherogenic and thus protective effects of the tested substances as follows: MPPG>PP>{alpha}-Toc>Prob. (orig.)

  20. A phosphate-dependent shift in redox state of cerium oxide nanoparticles and its effects on catalytic properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Sanjay; Dosani, Talib; Karakoti, Ajay S.; Kumar, Amit; Seal, Sudipta; Self, William

    2011-10-01

    Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeNPs) have shown promise as catalytic antioxidants in cell culture and animal models as both superoxide dismutase and catalase mimetics. The reactivity of the cerium (Ce) atoms at the surface of its oxide particle is critical to such therapeutic properties, yet little is known about the potential for a protein or small molecule corona to form on these materials in vivo. Moreover Ce atoms in these active sites have the potential to interact with small molecule anions, peptides, or sugars when administered in culture or animal models. Several nanomaterials have been shown to alter or aggregate under these conditions, rendering them less useful for biomedical applications. In this work we have studied the change in catalytic properties of CeNPs when exposed to various biologically relevant conditions in vitro. We have found that CeNPs are resistant to broad changes in pH and also not altered by incubation in cell culture medium. However to our surprise phosphate anions significantly altered the characteristics of these nanomaterials and shifted the catalytic behavior due to the binding of phosphate anions to cerium. Given the abundance of phosphate in biological systems in an inorganic form, it is likely that the action of CeNPs as a catalyst may be strongly influenced by the local concentration of phosphate in the cells and/or tissues in which it has been introduced.

  1. Nuclear waste immobilization in iron phosphate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia, D.A.; Rodriguez, Diego A.; Menghini, Jorge E.; Bevilacqua, Arturo

    2007-01-01

    Iron-phosphate glasses have become important in the nuclear waste immobilization area because they have some advantages over silicate-based glasses, such as a lower processing temperature and a higher nuclear waste load without losing chemical and mechanical properties. Structure and chemical properties of iron-phosphate glasses are determined in terms of the main components, in this case, phosphate oxide along with the other oxides that are added to improve some of the characteristics of the glasses. For example, Iron oxide improves chemical durability, lead oxide lowers fusion temperature and sodium oxide reduces viscosity at high temperature. In this work a study based on the composition-property relations was made. We used different techniques to characterize a series of iron-lead-phosphate glasses with uranium and aluminium oxide as simulated nuclear waste. We used the Arquimedes method to determine the bulk density, differential temperature analysis (DTA) to determine both glass transition temperature and crystallization temperature, dilatometric analysis to calculate the linear thermal expansion coefficient, chemical durability (MCC-1 test) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). We also applied some theoretic models to calculate activation energies associated with the glass transition temperature and crystallization processes. (author)

  2. NRF2 Orchestrates the Metabolic Shift during Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Reprogramming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kate E. Hawkins

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The potential of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs in disease modeling and regenerative medicine is vast, but current methodologies remain inefficient. Understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying iPSC reprogramming, such as the metabolic shift from oxidative to glycolytic energy production, is key to improving its efficiency. We have developed a lentiviral reporter system to assay longitudinal changes in cell signaling and transcription factor activity in living cells throughout iPSC reprogramming of human dermal fibroblasts. We reveal early NF-κB, AP-1, and NRF2 transcription factor activation prior to a temporal peak in hypoxia inducible factor α (HIFα activity. Mechanistically, we show that an early burst in oxidative phosphorylation and elevated reactive oxygen species generation mediates increased NRF2 activity, which in turn initiates the HIFα-mediated glycolytic shift and may modulate glucose redistribution to the pentose phosphate pathway. Critically, inhibition of NRF2 by KEAP1 overexpression compromises metabolic reprogramming and results in reduced efficiency of iPSC colony formation.

  3. Quantitative comparison of pathways of hepatic glycogen repletion in fed and fasted humans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shulman, G.I.; Cline, G.; Schumann, W.C.; Chandramouli, V.; Kumaran, K.; Landau, B.R.

    1990-01-01

    The effect of fasting vs. refeeding on hepatic glycogen repletion by the direct pathway, i.e., glucose----glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P)----glycogen, was determined. Acetaminophen was administered during an infusion of glucose labeled with [1-13C]- and [6-14C]glucose into four healthy volunteers after an overnight fast and into the same subjects 4 h after breakfast. 13C enrichments in C-1 and C-6 of glucose formed from urinary acetaminophen glucuronide compared with enrichments in C-1 and C-6 of plasma glucose provided an estimate of glycogen formation by the direct pathway. The specific activity of glucose from the glucuronide compared with the specific activity of the plasma glucose, along with the percentages of 14C in C-1 and C-6 of the glucose from the glucuronide, also provided an estimate of the amount of glycogen formed by the direct pathway. The estimates were similar. Those from [6-14C]glucose would have been higher than from [1-13C]glucose if the pentose cycle contribution to overall glucose utilization had been significant. After an overnight fast, during the last hour of infusion, 49 +/- 3% of the glycogen formed was formed via the direct pathway. After breakfast, at similar plasma glucose and insulin concentrations, the percentage increased to 69 +/- 7% (P less than 0.02). Thus the contributions of the pathways to hepatic glycogen formation depend on the dietary state of the individual. For a dietary regimen in which individuals consume multiple meals per day containing at least a moderate amount of carbohydrates most glycogen synthesis occurs by the direct pathway

  4. Fabrication of a Biomass-Based Hydrous Zirconium Oxide Nanocomposite for Preferable Phosphate Removal and Recovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Hui; Liang, Chen; Zhang, Xiaolin; Chen, Mindong; Zhao, Yunxia; Tao, Tao; Xu, Zhengwen; Liu, Gang

    2015-09-23

    Advanced removal of phosphate by low-cost adsorbents from municipal wastewater or industrial effluents is an effective and economic way to prevent the occurrence of eutrophication. Here, we proposed a novel method to immobilize hydrous zirconium oxide nanoparticle within quaternary-aminated wheat straw, and obtained an inexpensive, eco-friendly nanocomposite Ws-N-Zr. The biomass-based Ws-N-Zr exhibited higher preference toward phosphate than commercial anion exchanger IRA-900 when competing sulfate ions coexisted at relatively high levels. Such excellent performance of Ws-N-Zr resulted from its specific hybrid structure, the quaternary ammonium groups bonded on the host favor the preconcentration of phosphate ions inside the wheat straw based on Donnan effect, and the encapsulated HZO nanoparticle exhibits preferable sequestration of phosphate ions through specific interaction, as further demonstrated by FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Cycle adsorption and regeneration experiments demonstrated that Ws-N-Zr could be employed for repeated use without significant capacity loss, when the binary NaOH-NaCl solution was employed as the regenerant. The influence of solution pH and contact time was also examined. The results suggested that Ws-N-Zr has a great potential in efficient removal of phosphate in contaminated waters.

  5. Method of decomposing treatment for radioactive organic phosphate wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uki, Kazuo; Ichihashi, Toshio; Hasegawa, Akira; Sato, Tatsuaki

    1985-01-01

    Purpose: To decompose the organic phosphoric-acid ester wastes containing radioactive material, which is produced from spent fuel reprocessing facilities, into inorganic materials using a simple device, under moderate conditions and at high decomposing ratio. Method: Radioactive organic phosphate wates are oxidatively decomposed by H 2 O 2 in an aqueous phosphoric-acid solution of metal phosphate salts. Copper phosphates are used as the metal phosphate salts and the decomposed solution of the radioactive organic phosphate wastes is used as the aqueous solution of the copper phosphate. The temperature used for the oxidizing decomposition ranges from 80 to 100 0 C. (Ikeda, J.)

  6. Development of inhibitors of the 2C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway enzymes as potential anti-infective agents

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Masini, Tiziana; Hirsch, Anna K H

    2014-01-01

    Important pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agents of tuberculosis and malaria, respectively, and plants, utilize the 2C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP, 5) pathway for the biosynthesis of isopentenyl diphosphate (1) and dimethylallyl

  7. From Oxidative Stress Damage to Pathways, Networks, and Autophagy via MicroRNAs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikolai Engedal

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Oxidative stress can alter the expression level of many microRNAs (miRNAs, but how these changes are integrated and related to oxidative stress responses is poorly understood. In this article, we addressed this question by using in silico tools. We reviewed the literature for miRNAs whose expression is altered upon oxidative stress damage and used them in combination with various databases and software to predict common gene targets of oxidative stress-modulated miRNAs and affected pathways. Furthermore, we identified miRNAs that simultaneously target the predicted oxidative stress-modulated miRNA gene targets. This generated a list of novel candidate miRNAs potentially involved in oxidative stress responses. By literature search and grouping of pathways and cellular responses, we could classify these candidate miRNAs and their targets into a larger scheme related to oxidative stress responses. To further exemplify the potential of our approach in free radical research, we used our explorative tools in combination with ingenuity pathway analysis to successfully identify new candidate miRNAs involved in the ubiquitination process, a master regulator of cellular responses to oxidative stress and proteostasis. Lastly, we demonstrate that our approach may also be useful to identify novel candidate connections between oxidative stress-related miRNAs and autophagy. In summary, our results indicate novel and important aspects with regard to the integrated biological roles of oxidative stress-modulated miRNAs and demonstrate how this type of in silico approach can be useful as a starting point to generate hypotheses and guide further research on the interrelation between miRNA-based gene regulation, oxidative stress signaling pathways, and autophagy.

  8. Glutamine-dependent carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase and other enzyme activities related to the pyrimidine pathway in spleen of Squalus acanthias (spiny dogfish).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, P M

    1989-01-01

    The first two steps of urea synthesis in liver of marine elasmobranchs involve formation of glutamine from ammonia and of carbamoyl phosphate from glutamine, catalysed by glutamine synthetase and carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase, respectively [Anderson & Casey (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 456-462]; both of these enzymes are localized exclusively in the mitochondrial matrix. The objective of this study was to establish the enzymology of carbamoyl phosphate formation and utilization for pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis in Squalus acanthias (spiny dogfish), a representative elasmobranch. Aspartate carbamoyltransferase could not be detected in liver of dogfish. Spleen extracts, however, had glutamine-dependent carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase, aspartate carbamoyltransferase, dihydro-orotase, and glutamine synthetase activities, all localized in the cytosol; dihydro-orotate dehydrogenase, orotate phosphoribosyltransferase, and orotidine-5'-decarboxylase activities were also present. Except for glutamine synthetase, the levels of all activities were very low. The carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase activity is inhibited by UTP and is activated by 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate. The first three enzyme activities of the pyrimidine pathway were eluted in distinctly different positions during gel filtration chromatography under a number of different conditions; although complete proteolysis of inter-domain regions of a multifunctional complex during extraction cannot be excluded, the evidence suggests that in dogfish, in contrast to mammalian species, these three enzymes of the pyrimidine pathway exist as individual polypeptide chains. These results: (1) establish that dogfish express two different glutamine-dependent carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase activities, (2) confirm the report [Smith, Ritter & Campbell (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 198-202] that dogfish express two different glutamine synthetases, and (3) provide indirect evidence that glutamine may not be available in liver for

  9. Oxidation of the odorous compound 2,4,6-trichloroanisole by UV activated persulfate: Kinetics, products, and pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Congwei; Jiang, Jin; Ma, Jun; Pang, Suyan; Liu, Yongze; Song, Yang; Guan, Chaoting; Li, Juan; Jin, Yixin; Wu, Daoji

    2016-06-01

    The transformation efficiency and products of an odorous compound 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) at the wavelength of 254 nm in the presence of persulfate were investigated for the first time. The effects of water matrix (i.e., natural organic matter (NOM), pH, carbonate/bicarbonate (HCO3(-)/CO3(2-)), and chloride ions (Cl(-))) were evaluated. The second order rate constant of TCA reacting with sulfate radical (SO4(-)) was determined to be (3.72 ± 0.10) × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1). Increasing dosage of persulfate increased the observed pseudo-first-order rate constant for TCA degradation (kobs), and the contribution of SO4(-) to TCA degradation was much higher than that of HO at each experimental condition. Degradation rate of TCA decreased with pH increasing from 4.0 to 9.0, which could be explained by the lower radical scavenging effect of dihydrogen phosphate than hydrogen phosphate in acidic condition (pH kinetic results could be described by a steady-state kinetic model. Furthermore, liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry at powerful precursor ion scan approach was used to selectively detect oxidation products of TCA. It was found that 2,4,6-trichorophenol (TCP) was the major oxidation product (i.e., the initial yield of TCP was above 90%). The second order rate constant between TCP and SO4(-) was estimated to be (4.16 ± 0.20) × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1). In addition, three products (i.e., 2,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone and two aromatic ring-opening products) were detected in the reaction of TCP with SO4(-), which also appeared in the oxidation of TCA in the UV/persulfate process. A tentative pathway was proposed, where the initial one-electron oxidation of TCA by SO4(-) and further reactions (e.g., ipso-hydroxylation and aromatic ring-cleavage) of the formed cation intermediate TCA were involved. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Cyanobacterial carbon metabolism: Fluxome plasticity and oxygen dependence: Cyanobacterial Carbon Metabolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wan, Ni [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); DeLorenzo, Drew M. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); He, Lian [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); You, Le [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); Immethun, Cheryl M. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); Wang, George [Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Baidoo, Edward E. K. [Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Hollinshead, Whitney [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); Keasling, Jay D. [Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Technical Univ. of Denmark, Lyngby (Denmark); Moon, Tae Seok [Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis Missouri 63130; Tang, Yinjie J. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States)

    2017-03-30

    Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 has been widely used as a photo-biorefinery chassis. Based on its genome annotation, this species contains a complete TCA cycle, an Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway (EMPP), an oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP), and an Entner–Doudoroff pathway (EDP). To evaluate how Synechocystis 6803 catabolizes glucose under heterotrophic conditions, we performed 13C metabolic flux analysis, metabolite pool size analysis, gene knockouts, and heterologous expressions. The results revealed a cyclic mode of flux through the OPPP. Small, but non-zero, fluxes were observed through the TCA cycle and the malic shunt. Independent knockouts of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (gnd) and malic enzyme (me) corroborated these results, as neither mutant could grow under dark heterotrophic conditions. Our data also indicate that Synechocystis 6803 metabolism relies upon oxidative phosphorylation to generate ATP from NADPH under dark or insufficient light conditions. The pool sizes of intermediates in the TCA cycle, particularly acetyl-CoA, were found to be several fold lower in Synechocystis 6803 (compared to E. coli metabolite pool sizes), while its sugar phosphate intermediates were several-fold higher. Moreover, negligible flux was detected through the native, or heterologous, EDP in the wild type or Δgnd strains under heterotrophic conditions. Comparing photoautotrophic, photomixotrophic, and heterotrophic conditions, the Calvin cycle, OPPP, and EMPP in Synechocystis 6803 possess the ability to regulate their fluxes under various growth conditions (plastic), whereas its TCA cycle always maintains at low levels (rigid). This work also demonstrates how genetic profiles do not always reflect actual metabolic flux through native or heterologous pathways. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1593–1602. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Preferable removal of phosphate from water using hydrous zirconium oxide-based nanocomposite of high stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Liang; Zhao, Xin; Pan, Bingcai; Zhang, Weixian; Hua, Ming; Lv, Lu; Zhang, Weiming

    2015-03-02

    In this study, we employed a new nanocomposite adsorbent HZO-201, which featured high stability under varying solution chemistry, for preferable removal of phosphate from synthetic solution and a real effluent. An anion exchange resin (D-201) was employed as the host of HZO-201, where nano-hydrous zirconium oxide (HZO) was encapsulated as the active species. D-201 binds phosphate through nonspecific electrostatic affinity, whereas the loaded HZO nanoparticles capture phosphate through formation of the inner-sphere complexes. Quantitative contribution of both species to phosphate adsorption was predicted based on the double-Langmuir model. Preferable removal of phosphate by HZO-201 was observed in the presence of the competing anions at higher levels (Cl(-), NO3(-), SO4(2-), HCO3(-)). Fixed-bed adsorption indicated that the effective volume capacity of a synthetic water (2.0 mg P-PO4(3-)/L) by using HZO-201 was ∼1600 BV in the first run (<0.5mg P-PO4(3-)/L), comparable to Fe(III)-based nanocomposite HFO-201 (∼1500 BV) and much larger than D-201 (<250 BV). The exhausted HZO-201 can be in situ regenerated by using a binary NaOH-NaCl solution for cyclic runs, whether fed with the synthetic solution or real effluent. In general, HZO-201 is a promising alternative to Fe(III)-based adsorbents for trace phosphate removal from effluent particularly at acidic pH. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Halobenzoquinone-Induced Alteration of Gene Expression Associated with Oxidative Stress Signaling Pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jinhua; Moe, Birget; Liu, Yanming; Li, Xing-Fang

    2018-06-05

    Halobenzoquinones (HBQs) are emerging disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that effectively induce reactive oxygen species and oxidative damage in vitro. However, the impacts of HBQs on oxidative-stress-related gene expression have not been investigated. In this study, we examined alterations in the expression of 44 genes related to oxidative-stress-induced signaling pathways in human uroepithelial cells (SV-HUC-1) upon exposure to six HBQs. The results show the structure-dependent effects of HBQs on the studied gene expression. After 2 h of exposure, the expression levels of 9 to 28 genes were altered, while after 8 h of exposure, the expression levels of 29 to 31 genes were altered. Four genes ( HMOX1, NQO1, PTGS2, and TXNRD1) were significantly upregulated by all six HBQs at both exposure time points. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed that the Nrf2 pathway was significantly responsive to HBQ exposure. Other canonical pathways responsive to HBQ exposure included GSH redox reductions, superoxide radical degradation, and xenobiotic metabolism signaling. This study has demonstrated that HBQs significantly alter the gene expression of oxidative-stress-related signaling pathways and contributes to the understanding of HBQ-DBP-associated toxicity.

  13. Hydrothermal pentose to furfural conversion and simultaneous extraction with SC-CO2--kinetics and application to biomass hydrolysates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gairola, Krishan; Smirnova, Irina

    2012-11-01

    This work explores hydrothermal d-xylose and hemicellulose to furfural conversion coupled with simultaneous furfural extraction by SC-CO(2) and the underlying reaction pathway. A maximum furfural yield of 68% was attained from d-xylose at 230°C and 12MPa. Additionally missing kinetic data for l-arabinose to furfural conversion was provided, showing close similarity to d-xylose. Furfural yields from straw and brewery waste hydrolysates were significantly lower than those obtained from model compounds, indicating side reactions with other hydrolysate components. Simultaneous furfural extraction by SC-CO(2) significantly increased extraction yield in all cases. The results indicate that furfural reacts with intermediates of pentose dehydration. The proposed processing route can be well integrated into existing lignocellulose biorefinery concepts. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Peculiarities of glucose and glycerol metabolism in Nocardia vaccinii IMB B-7405

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. P. Pirog

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available It has been established that in cells of Nocardia vaccinii IMB B-7405 (surfactant producer glucose catabolism is performed through pentose phosphate cycle as well as through gluconate (activi­ty of NAD+-dependent glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase and FAD+-dependent glucose dehydrogenase 835 ± 41 and 698 ± 35 nmol∙min-1∙mg-1 of protein respectively. 6-Phosphogluconate formed in the gluconokinase reaction is involved in the pentose phosphate cycle (activity of constitutive NADP+-dependent 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase 357 ± 17 nmol∙min-1∙mg-1 of protein. Glyce­rol catabolism to dihydroxyacetonephosphate (the intermediate of glycolysis may be performed in two ways: through glycerol-3-phosphate (glycerol kinase activity 244 ± 12 nmol∙min-1∙mg-1 of protein and through dihydroxyacetone. Replenishment of the C4-dicarboxylic acids pool in N. vaccinii IMV B-7405 grown on glucose and glycerol occurs in the phosphoenolpyruvate(PEPcarboxylase reaction (714–803 nmol∙min-1∙mg-1 of protein. 2-Oxoglutara­te was involved in tricarboxylic acid cycle by alternate pathway with the participation of 2-oxoglutarate synthase. The observed activity of both key enzymes of gluconeogenesis (PEP- carboxykinase and PEP-synthase, trehalose phosphate synthase and NADP+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase confirmed the ability of IMV B-7405 strain to the synthesis of surface active glyco- and aminolipids, respectively.

  15. High concentrations of H2O2 make aerobic glycolysis energetically more favourable than cellular respiration.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamid R Molavian

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Since the original observation of the Warburg Effect in cancer cells, over eight decades ago, the major question of why aerobic glycolysis is favored over oxidative phosphorylation has remained unresolved. An understanding of this phenomenon may well be the key to the development of more effective cancer therapies. In this paper, we use a semi-empirical method to throw light on this puzzle. We show that aerobic glycolysis is in fact energetically more favorable than oxidative phosphorylation for concentrations of peroxide (H2O2 above some critical threshold value. The fundamental reason for this is the activation and high engagement of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP in response to the production of reactive oxygen species H2O2 by mitochondria and the high concentration of H2O2 (produced by mitochondria and other sources. This makes oxidative phosphorylation an inefficient source of energy since it leads (despite high levels of ATP production to a concomitant high energy consumption in order to respond to the hazardous waste products resulting from cellular processes associated with this metabolic pathway. We also demonstrate that the high concentration of H2O2 results in an increased glucose consumption, and also increases the lactate production in the case of glycolysis.

  16. Detection of transketolase in bone marrow-derived insulin-producing cells: benfotiamine enhances insulin synthesis and glucose metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Seh-Hoon; Witek, Rafal P; Bae, Si-Hyun; Darwiche, Houda; Jung, Youngmi; Pi, Liya; Brown, Alicia; Petersen, Bryon E

    2009-01-01

    Adult bone marrow (BM)-derived insulin-producing cells (IPCs) are capable of regulating blood glucose levels in chemically induced hyperglycemic mice. Using cell transplantation therapy, fully functional BM-derived IPCs help to mediate treatment of diabetes mellitus. Here, we demonstrate the detection of the pentose phosphate pathway enzyme, transketolase (TK), in BM-derived IPCs cultured under high-glucose conditions. Benfotiamine, a known activator of TK, was not shown to affect the proliferation of insulinoma cell line, INS-1; however, when INS-1 cells were cultured with oxythiamine, an inhibitor of TK, cell proliferation was suppressed. Treatment with benfotiamine activated glucose metabolism in INS-1 cells in high-glucose culture conditions, and appeared to maximize the BM-derived IPCs ability to synthesize insulin. Benfotiamine was not shown to induce the glucose receptor Glut-2, however it was shown to activate glucokinase, the enzyme responsible for conversion of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate. Furthermore, benfotiamine-treated groups showed upregulation of the downstream glycolytic enzyme, glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). However, in cells where the pentose phosphate pathway was blocked by oxythiamine treatment, there was a clear downregulation of Glut-2, glucokinase, insulin, and GAPDH. When benfotiamine was used to treat mice transplanted with BM-derived IPCs transplanted, their glucose level was brought to a normal range. The glucose challenge of normal mice treated with benfotiamine lead to rapidly normalized blood glucose levels. These results indicate that benfotiamine activates glucose metabolism and insulin synthesis to prevent glucose toxicity caused by high concentrations of blood glucose in diabetes mellitus.

  17. Detection of Transketolase in Bone Marrow—Derived Insulin-Producing Cells: Benfotiamine Enhances Insulin Synthesis and Glucose Metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witek, Rafal P.; Bae, Si-Hyun; Darwiche, Houda; Jung, Youngmi; Pi, Liya; Brown, Alicia; Petersen, Bryon E.

    2009-01-01

    Adult bone marrow (BM)-derived insulin-producing cells (IPCs) are capable of regulating blood glucose levels in chemically induced hyperglycemic mice. Using cell transplantation therapy, fully functional BM-derived IPCs help to mediate treatment of diabetes mellitus. Here, we demonstrate the detection of the pentose phosphate pathway enzyme, transketolase (TK), in BM-derived IPCs cultured under high-glucose conditions. Benfotiamine, a known activator of TK, was not shown to affect the proliferation of insulinoma cell line, INS-1; however, when INS-1 cells were cultured with oxythiamine, an inhibitor of TK, cell proliferation was suppressed. Treatment with benfotiamine activated glucose metabolism in INS-1 cells in high-glucose culture conditions, and appeared to maximize the BM-derived IPCs ability to synthesize insulin. Benfotiamine was not shown to induce the glucose receptor Glut-2, however it was shown to activate glucokinase, the enzyme responsible for conversion of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate. Furthermore, benfotiamine-treated groups showed upregulation of the downstream glycolytic enzyme, glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). However, in cells where the pentose phosphate pathway was blocked by oxythiamine treatment, there was a clear downregulation of Glut-2, glucokinase, insulin, and GAPDH. When benfotiamine was used to treat mice transplanted with BM-derived IPCs transplanted, their glucose level was brought to a normal range. The glucose challenge of normal mice treated with benfotiamine lead to rapidly normalized blood glucose levels. These results indicate that benfotiamine activates glucose metabolism and insulin synthesis to prevent glucose toxicity caused by high concentrations of blood glucose in diabetes mellitus. PMID:18393672

  18. Control of morphology and surface wettability of anodic niobium oxide microcones formed in hot phosphate-glycerol electrolytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Shu; Habazaki, Hiroki; Fujii, Takashi; Aoki, Yoshitaka; Skeldon, Peter; Thompson, George E.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Anodic niobium oxide microcones with nanofiber morphology are formed simply by anodizing. → The cone size and its tip angle are controlled by anodizing condition. → The surface shows extremely high contact angle for water after coating with a fluoroalkyl layer. - Abstract: We report the fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces with a hierarchical morphology by self-organized anodizing process. Simply by anodizing of niobium metal in hot phosphate-glycerol electrolyte, niobium oxide microcones, consisting of highly branched oxide nanofibers, develop on the surface. The size of the microcones and their tip angles are controlled by changing the applied potential difference in anodizing and the water content in the electrolyte. Reduction of the water content increases the size of the microcones, with the nanofibers changing to nanoparticles. The size of microcones is also reduced by increasing the applied potential difference, without influencing the tip angle. The hierarchical oxide surfaces are superhydrophilic, with static contact angles close to 0 o . Coating of the anodic oxide films with a monolayer of fluoroalkyl phosphate makes the surfaces superhydrophobic with a contact angle for water as high as 175 o and a very small contact angle hysteresis of only 2 o . The present results indicate that the larger microcones with smaller tip angles show the higher contact angle for water.

  19. Biotechnology to harness the benefits of dietary phenolics; focus on Lamiaceae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shetty, K

    1997-09-01

    Phytochemicals from herbs and fermented legumes are excellent dietary sources of phenolic metabolites. These phenolics have importance not only as food preservatives but increasingly have therapeutic and pharmaceutical applications. The long-term research objecitves of the food biotechnology program at the University of Massachusetts are to elucidate the molecular and physiological mechanisms associated with synthesis of important health-related, therapeutic phenolic metabolites in food-related plants and fermented plant foods. Current efforts focus on elucidation of the role of the proline-linked pentose phosphate pathway in regulating the synthesis of anti-inflammatory compound, rosmarinic acid (RA). Specific aims of the current research efforts are: (i) To develop novel tissue culture-based selection techniques to isolate high RA-producing, shoot-based clonal lines from genetically heterogeneous, cross-pollinating species in the family Lamiaceae; (ii) To target genetically uniform, regenerated shoot-based clonal lines for: (a) preliminary characterization of key enzymes associated with the pentose phosphate pathway and linked to RA synthesis; (b) development of genetic transformation techniques for subsequent engineering of metabolic pathways associated with RA synthesis. These research objectives have substantial implications for harnessing the genetic and biochemical potential of genetically heterogeneous, food-related medicinal plant species. The success of this research also provides novel methods and strategies to gain access to metabolic pathways of pharmaceutically important metabolites from ginger, curcuma, chili peppers, melon or other food-related species with novel phenolics.

  20. Synthesis of biphasic calcium phosphate containing nanostructured films by micro arc oxidation on magnesium alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seyfoori, A., E-mail: klm.1985@yahoo.com [School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, 16846-13114 Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); National Cell Bank, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 13164 Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mirdamadi, Sh.; Seyedraoufi, Z.S.; Khavandi, A. [School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, 16846-13114 Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Aliofkhazraei, M. [Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, 14115-143 Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2013-10-01

    The present research reports the synthesis of an innovative nanostructured composite film containing biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) by the micro arc oxidation (MAO) method on AZ31 magnesium alloy. Nanometric structure of the used hydroxyapatite powder and the coatings were characterized by means of transmission and field-emission scanning electron microscope, respectively. Electrochemical behaviors of the pure MAO and nanocomposite films were also evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization tests in simulated body fluid (SBF) environment. The results showed higher corrosion resistance of nanocomposite film compared to pure MAO coating, which was related to the blocking feature of the nanoparticles from the diffusing of the corrosive medium through the substrate. In addition, by immersing the specimens in simulated body fluid, greater apatite forming ability of the nanocomposite coating was proved. - Highlights: • Synthesis of innovative biphasic calcium phosphate containing nanostructured films via micro arc oxidation. • Nanocomposite film has lower degradation rate than pure MAO film. • Greater apatite forming ability for nanocomposite coating compared with pure MAO film is obtained.

  1. Synthesis of biphasic calcium phosphate containing nanostructured films by micro arc oxidation on magnesium alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seyfoori, A.; Mirdamadi, Sh.; Seyedraoufi, Z.S.; Khavandi, A.; Aliofkhazraei, M.

    2013-01-01

    The present research reports the synthesis of an innovative nanostructured composite film containing biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) by the micro arc oxidation (MAO) method on AZ31 magnesium alloy. Nanometric structure of the used hydroxyapatite powder and the coatings were characterized by means of transmission and field-emission scanning electron microscope, respectively. Electrochemical behaviors of the pure MAO and nanocomposite films were also evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization tests in simulated body fluid (SBF) environment. The results showed higher corrosion resistance of nanocomposite film compared to pure MAO coating, which was related to the blocking feature of the nanoparticles from the diffusing of the corrosive medium through the substrate. In addition, by immersing the specimens in simulated body fluid, greater apatite forming ability of the nanocomposite coating was proved. - Highlights: • Synthesis of innovative biphasic calcium phosphate containing nanostructured films via micro arc oxidation. • Nanocomposite film has lower degradation rate than pure MAO film. • Greater apatite forming ability for nanocomposite coating compared with pure MAO film is obtained

  2. Impacts of Four SO2 Oxidation Pathways on Wintertime Sulfate Concentrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarwar, G.; Fahey, K.; Zhang, Y.; Kang, D.; Mathur, R.; Xing, J.; Wei, C.; Cheng, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Air quality models tend to under-estimate winter-time sulfate concentrations compared to observed data. Such under-estimations are particularly acute in China where very high concentrations of sulfate have been measured. Sulfate is produced by oxidation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in gas-phase by hydroxyl radical and in aqueous-phase by hydrogen peroxide, ozone, etc. and most air quality models employ such typical reactions. Several additional SO2 oxidation pathways have recently been proposed. Heterogeneous reaction on dust has been suggested to be an important sink for SO2. Oxidation of SO2 on fine particles in presence of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ammonia (NH3) at high relative humidity has been implicated for sulfate formation in Chinese haze and London fog. Reactive nitrogen chemistry in aerosol water has also been suggested to produce winter-time sulfate in China. Specifically, high aerosol water can trap SO2 which can be subsequently oxidized by NO2 to form sulfate. Aqueous-phase (in-cloud) oxidation of SO2 by NO2 can also produce sulfate. Here, we use the hemispheric Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system to examine the potential impacts of these SO2 oxidation pathways on sulfate formation. We use anthropogenic emissions from the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research and biogenic emissions from Global Emissions InitiAtive. We performed simulations without and with these SO2 oxidation pathways for October-December of 2014 using meteorological fields obtained from the Weather Research and Forecasting model. The standard CMAQ model contains one gas-phase chemical reaction and five aqueous-phase chemical reactions for SO2 oxidation. We implement four additional SO2 oxidation pathways into the CMAQ model. Our preliminary results suggest that the dust chemistry enhances mean sulfate over parts of China and Middle-East, the in-cloud SO2 oxidation by NO2 enhances sulfate over parts of western Europe, oxidation of SO2 by NO2 and NH3 on

  3. Identification of metabolic pathways expressed by Pichia anomala Kh6 in the presence of the pathogen Botrytis cinerea on apple: new possible targets for biocontrol improvement.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthony Kwasiborski

    Full Text Available Yeast Pichia anomala strain Kh6 Kurtzman (Saccharomycetales: Endomycetaceae exhibits biological control properties that provide an alternative to the chemical fungicides currently used by fruit or vegetable producers against main post-harvest pathogens, such as Botrytis cinerea (Helotiales: Sclerotiniaceae. Using an in situ model that takes into account interactions between organisms and a proteomic approach, we aimed to identify P. anomala metabolic pathways influenced by the presence of B. cinerea. A total of 105 and 60 P. anomala proteins were differentially represented in the exponential and stationary growth phases, respectively. In the exponential phase and in the presence of B. cinerea, the pentose phosphate pathway seems to be enhanced and would provide P. anomala with the needed nucleic acids and energy for the wound colonisation. In the stationary phase, P. anomala would use alcoholic fermentation both in the absence and presence of the pathogen. These results would suggest that the competitive colonisation of apple wounds could be implicated in the mode of action of P. anomala against B. cinerea.

  4. Metabolic Regulation of CaMKII Protein and Caspases in Xenopus laevis Egg Extracts*

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCoy, Francis; Darbandi, Rashid; Chen, Si-Ing; Eckard, Laura; Dodd, Keela; Jones, Kelly; Baucum, Anthony J.; Gibbons, Jennifer A.; Lin, Sue-Hwa; Colbran, Roger J.; Nutt, Leta K.

    2013-01-01

    The metabolism of the Xenopus laevis egg provides a cell survival signal. We found previously that increased carbon flux from glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) through the pentose phosphate pathway in egg extracts maintains NADPH levels and calcium/calmodulin regulated protein kinase II (CaMKII) activity to phosphorylate caspase 2 and suppress cell death pathways. Here we show that the addition of G6P to oocyte extracts inhibits the dephosphorylation/inactivation of CaMKII bound to caspase 2 by protein phosphatase 1. Thus, G6P sustains the phosphorylation of caspase 2 by CaMKII at Ser-135, preventing the induction of caspase 2-mediated apoptotic pathways. These findings expand our understanding of oocyte biology and clarify mechanisms underlying the metabolic regulation of CaMKII and apoptosis. Furthermore, these findings suggest novel approaches to disrupt the suppressive effects of the abnormal metabolism on cell death pathways. PMID:23400775

  5. Preliminary observations on high energy phosphates and metabolic pathway and transporter potentials in extensor carpi radialis brevis and trapezius muscles of women with work-related myalgia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Howard J; Ranney, Don; Burnett, Margaret; Galvin, Patti; Kyle, Natasha; Lounsbury, David; Ouyang, Jing; Smith, Ian C; Stewart, Riley; Tick, Heather; Tupling, A Russell

    2014-11-01

    This study compared both the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) and the trapezius (TRAP) muscles of women with work-related myalgia (WRM) with healthy controls (CON) to determine whether abnormalities existed in cellular energy status and the potentials of the various metabolic pathways and segments involved in energy production and substrate transport. For both the ECRB (CON, n = 6-9; WRM, n = 13) and the TRAP (CON, n = 6-7; WRM, n = 10), no differences (P > 0.05) were found for the concentrations (in millimoles per kilogram of dry mass) of ATP, PCr, lactate, and glycogen. Similarly, with one exception, the maximal activities (in moles per milligram of protein per hour) of mitochondrial enzymes representative of the citric acid cycle (CAC), the electron transport chain (ETC), and β-oxidation, as well as the cytosolic enzymes involved in high energy phosphate transfer, glycogenolysis, glycolysis, lactate oxidation, and glucose phosphorylation were not different (P > 0.05). The glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT4, and the monocarboxylate transporters MCT1 and MCT4, were also normal in WRM. It is concluded that, in general, abnormalities in the resting energy and substrate state, the potential of the different metabolic pathways and segments, as well as the glucose and monocarboxylate transporters do not appear to be involved in the cellular pathophysiology of WRM.

  6. Improving ethanol yield in acetate-reducing Saccharomyces cerevisiae by cofactor engineering of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and deletion of ALD6.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papapetridis, Ioannis; van Dijk, Marlous; Dobbe, Arthur P A; Metz, Benjamin; Pronk, Jack T; van Maris, Antonius J A

    2016-04-26

    specificity of the oxidative branch of the pentose-phosphate pathway in S. cerevisiae can also be used to increase glycerol production in wine fermentation and to improve NADH generation and/or generation of precursors derived from the pentose-phosphate pathway in other industrial applications of this yeast.

  7. Nonenzymatic gluconeogenesis-like formation of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate in ice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Messner, Christoph B; Driscoll, Paul C; Piedrafita, Gabriel; De Volder, Michael F L; Ralser, Markus

    2017-07-11

    The evolutionary origins of metabolism, in particular the emergence of the sugar phosphates that constitute glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the RNA and DNA backbone, are largely unknown. In cells, a major source of glucose and the large sugar phosphates is gluconeogenesis. This ancient anabolic pathway (re-)builds carbon bonds as cleaved in glycolysis in an aldol condensation of the unstable catabolites glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate, forming the much more stable fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. We here report the discovery of a nonenzymatic counterpart to this reaction. The in-ice nonenzymatic aldol addition leads to the continuous accumulation of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate in a permanently frozen solution as followed over months. Moreover, the in-ice reaction is accelerated by simple amino acids, in particular glycine and lysine. Revealing that gluconeogenesis may be of nonenzymatic origin, our results shed light on how glucose anabolism could have emerged in early life forms. Furthermore, the amino acid acceleration of a key cellular anabolic reaction may indicate a link between prebiotic chemistry and the nature of the first metabolic enzymes.

  8. Preferable removal of phosphate from water using hydrous zirconium oxide-based nanocomposite of high stability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Liang; Zhao, Xin; Pan, Bingcai; Zhang, Weixian; Hua, Ming; Lv, Lu; Zhang, Weiming

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The nanocomposite HZO-201 was stable under varying solution chemistry. • HZO-201 exhibited preferable phosphate removal over other ubiquitous anions. • Selective sorption mechanism was probed and discussed. • HZO-201 could be regenerated for cyclic use with constant efficiency. - Abstract: In this study, we employed a new nanocomposite adsorbent HZO-201, which featured high stability under varying solution chemistry, for preferable removal of phosphate from synthetic solution and a real effluent. An anion exchange resin (D-201) was employed as the host of HZO-201, where nano-hydrous zirconium oxide (HZO) was encapsulated as the active species. D-201 binds phosphate through nonspecific electrostatic affinity, whereas the loaded HZO nanoparticles capture phosphate through formation of the inner-sphere complexes. Quantitative contribution of both species to phosphate adsorption was predicted based on the double-Langmuir model. Preferable removal of phosphate by HZO-201 was observed in the presence of the competing anions at higher levels (Cl − , NO 3 − , SO 4 2− , HCO 3 − ). Fixed-bed adsorption indicated that the effective volume capacity of a synthetic water (2.0 mg P-PO 4 3− /L) by using HZO-201 was ∼1600 BV in the first run (<0.5 mg P-PO 4 3− /L), comparable to Fe(III)-based nanocomposite HFO-201 (∼1500 BV) and much larger than D-201 (<250 BV). The exhausted HZO-201 can be in situ regenerated by using a binary NaOH–NaCl solution for cyclic runs, whether fed with the synthetic solution or real effluent. In general, HZO-201 is a promising alternative to Fe(III)-based adsorbents for trace phosphate removal from effluent particularly at acidic pH

  9. Deletion or Inhibition of the Oxygen Sensor PHD1 Protects against Ischemic Stroke via Reprogramming of Neuronal Metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quaegebeur, Annelies; Segura, Inmaculada; Schmieder, Roberta; Verdegem, Dries; Decimo, Ilaria; Bifari, Francesco; Dresselaers, Tom; Eelen, Guy; Ghosh, Debapriva; Davidson, Shawn M; Schoors, Sandra; Broekaert, Dorien; Cruys, Bert; Govaerts, Kristof; De Legher, Carla; Bouché, Ann; Schoonjans, Luc; Ramer, Matt S; Hung, Gene; Bossaert, Goele; Cleveland, Don W; Himmelreich, Uwe; Voets, Thomas; Lemmens, Robin; Bennett, C Frank; Robberecht, Wim; De Bock, Katrien; Dewerchin, Mieke; Ghesquière, Bart; Fendt, Sarah-Maria; Carmeliet, Peter

    2016-02-09

    The oxygen-sensing prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins (PHDs) regulate cellular metabolism, but their role in neuronal metabolism during stroke is unknown. Here we report that PHD1 deficiency provides neuroprotection in a murine model of permanent brain ischemia. This was not due to an increased collateral vessel network. Instead, PHD1(-/-) neurons were protected against oxygen-nutrient deprivation by reprogramming glucose metabolism. Indeed, PHD1(-/-) neurons enhanced glucose flux through the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway by diverting glucose away from glycolysis. As a result, PHD1(-/-) neurons increased their redox buffering capacity to scavenge oxygen radicals in ischemia. Intracerebroventricular injection of PHD1-antisense oligonucleotides reduced the cerebral infarct size and neurological deficits following stroke. These data identify PHD1 as a regulator of neuronal metabolism and a potential therapeutic target in ischemic stroke. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. The Plastidial 2-C-Methyl-d-Erythritol 4-Phosphate Pathway Provides the Isoprenyl Moiety for Protein Geranylgeranylation in Tobacco BY-2 Cells[C][W

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerber, Esther; Hemmerlin, Andréa; Hartmann, Michael; Heintz, Dimitri; Hartmann, Marie-Andrée; Mutterer, Jérôme; Rodríguez-Concepción, Manuel; Boronat, Albert; Van Dorsselaer, Alain; Rohmer, Michel; Crowell, Dring N.; Bach, Thomas J.

    2009-01-01

    Protein farnesylation and geranylgeranylation are important posttranslational modifications in eukaryotic cells. We visualized in transformed Nicotiana tabacum Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) cells the geranylgeranylation and plasma membrane localization of GFP-BD-CVIL, which consists of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to the C-terminal polybasic domain (BD) and CVIL isoprenylation motif from the Oryza sativa calmodulin, CaM61. Treatment with fosmidomycin (Fos) or oxoclomazone (OC), inhibitors of the plastidial 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, caused mislocalization of the protein to the nucleus, whereas treatment with mevinolin, an inhibitor of the cytosolic mevalonate pathway, did not. The nuclear localization of GFP-BD-CVIL in the presence of MEP pathway inhibitors was completely reversed by all-trans-geranylgeraniol (GGol). Furthermore, 1-deoxy-d-xylulose (DX) reversed the effects of OC, but not Fos, consistent with the hypothesis that OC blocks 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthesis, whereas Fos inhibits its conversion to 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate. By contrast, GGol and DX did not rescue the nuclear mislocalization of GFP-BD-CVIL in the presence of a protein geranylgeranyltransferase type 1 inhibitor. Thus, the MEP pathway has an essential role in geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) biosynthesis and protein geranylgeranylation in BY-2 cells. GFP-BD-CVIL is a versatile tool for identifying pharmaceuticals and herbicides that interfere either with GGPP biosynthesis or with protein geranylgeranylation. PMID:19136647

  11. Different arsenate and phosphate incorporation effects on the nucleation and growth of iron(III) (Hydr)oxides on quartz.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neil, Chelsea W; Lee, Byeongdu; Jun, Young-Shin

    2014-10-21

    Iron(III) (hydr)oxides play an important role in the geochemical cycling of contaminants in natural and engineered aquatic systems. The ability of iron(III) (hydr)oxides to immobilize contaminants can be related to whether the precipitates form heterogeneously (e.g., at mineral surfaces) or homogeneously in solution. Utilizing grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), we studied heterogeneous iron(III) (hydr)oxide nucleation and growth on quartz substrates for systems containing arsenate and phosphate anions. For the iron(III) only system, the radius of gyration (Rg) of heterogeneously formed precipitates grew from 1.5 to 2.5 (± 1.0) nm within 1 h. For the system containing 10(-5) M arsenate, Rg grew from 3.6 to 6.1 (± 0.5) nm, and for the system containing 10(-5) M phosphate, Rg grew from 2.0 to 4.0 (± 0.2) nm. While the systems containing these oxyanions had more growth, the system containing only iron(III) had the most nucleation events on substrates. Ex situ analyses of homogeneously and heterogeneously formed precipitates indicated that precipitates in the arsenate system had the highest water content and that oxyanions may bridge iron(III) hydroxide polymeric embryos to form a structure similar to ferric arsenate or ferric phosphate. These new findings are important because differences in nucleation and growth rates and particle sizes will impact the number of available reactive sites and the reactivity of newly formed particles toward aqueous contaminants.

  12. The roles of phosphate and tungstate species in surface acidities of TiO2-ZrO2 binary oxides - A comparison study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhary, Manchal; Shen, Po-fan; Chang, Sue-min

    2018-05-01

    Porous tungstated and phosphated TiO2-ZrO2 (TZ) binary oxides with high and strong acidity were successfully prepared by means of sol-gel or impregnation approaches. In addition, the influences of the two types of modifiers on the microstructures and acidity were systematically examined, compared, and clarified. The TZ oxide derived from a surfactant-templating method exhibited a high surface area of 195 m2/g with a pore size of 6.3 nm. Moreover, it had a high acidity of 859 μmol/g with a density of 4.4 μmol/nm2 because of defective surface. Phosphation significantly increased the acidity to 1547 μmol/g and showed the highest acid density of 6.7 μmol/nm2 at a surface P density of 22.7P/nm2. On the other hand, tungstated compounds just showed the highest acidity of 972 μmol/g and the highest acid density of 4.8 μmol/nm2 at 4.7 W/nm2. Compared to tungstate species, phosphate anions are more capable of promoting the acidity because they are able to distort the host network and inhibit elemental rearrangement. While Lewis acidity prevailed in the tungstated compounds, Brønsted acidity was dominant in the phosphated oxides. The Wdbnd O and Psbnd OH groups were responsible for strong acidity in the modified compounds. Phosphated compounds formed strong Brønsted acid sites on the Psbnd OH groups with a particular strength, and tungstation produced Lewis acid sites with a continuous strength on the metal ions adjacent to the tungstate moieties. Cyclic NH3 adsorption-desorption processes revealed that the active sites for NH3 adsorption were stable in both the tungstate and phosphate modified compounds, revealing that these solid acids are promising as the adsorbents for removal of base gases.

  13. Anoxic nitrate reduction coupled with iron oxidation and attenuation of dissolved arsenic and phosphate in a sand and gravel aquifer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Richard L.; Kent, Douglas B.; Repert, Deborah A.; Böhlke, J.K.

    2017-01-01

    Nitrate has become an increasingly abundant potential electron acceptor for Fe(II) oxidation in groundwater, but this redox couple has not been well characterized within aquifer settings. To investigate this reaction and some of its implications for redox-sensitive groundwater contaminants, we conducted an in situ field study in a wastewater-contaminated aquifer on Cape Cod. Long-term (15 year) geochemical monitoring within the contaminant plume indicated interacting zones with variable nitrate-, Fe(II)-, phosphate-, As(V)-, and As(III)-containing groundwater. Nitrate and phosphate were derived predominantly from wastewater disposal, whereas Fe(II), As(III), and As(V) were mobilized from the aquifer sediments. Multiple natural gradient, anoxic tracer tests were conducted in which nitrate and bromide were injected into nitrate-free, Fe(II)-containing groundwater. Prior to injection, aqueous Fe(II) concentrations were approximately 175 μM, but sorbed Fe(II) accounted for greater than 90% of the total reactive Fe(II) in the aquifer. Nitrate reduction was stimulated within 1 m of transport for 100 μM and 1000 μM nitrate additions, initially producing stoichiometric quantities of nitrous oxide (>300 μM N). In subsequent injections at the same site, nitrate was reduced even more rapidly and produced less nitrous oxide, especially over longer transport distances. Fe(II) and nitrate concentrations decreased together and were accompanied by Fe(III) oxyhydroxide precipitation and decreases in dissolved phosphate, As(III), and As(V) concentrations. Nitrate N and O isotope fractionation effects during nitrate reduction were approximately equal (ε15N/ε18O = 1.11) and were similar to those reported for laboratory studies of biological nitrate reduction, including denitrification, but unlike some reported effects on nitrate by denitrification in aquifers. All constituents affected by the in situ tracer experiments returned to pre-injection levels after several

  14. Improving L-arabinose utilization of pentose fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells by heterologous expression of L-arabinose transporting sugar transporters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boles Eckhard

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Hydrolysates of plant biomass used for the production of lignocellulosic biofuels typically contain sugar mixtures consisting mainly of D-glucose and D-xylose, and minor amounts of L-arabinose. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the preferred microorganism for the fermentative production of ethanol but is not able to ferment pentose sugars. Although D-xylose and L-arabinose fermenting S. cerevisiae strains have been constructed recently, pentose uptake is still a limiting step in mixed sugar fermentations. Results Here we described the cloning and characterization of two sugar transporters, AraT from the yeast Scheffersomyces stipitis and Stp2 from the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which mediate the uptake of L-arabinose but not of D-glucose into S. cerevisiae cells. A yeast strain lacking all of its endogenous hexose transporter genes and expressing a bacterial L-arabinose utilization pathway could no longer take up and grow with L-arabinose as the only carbon source. Expression of the heterologous transporters supported uptake and utilization of L-arabinose especially at low L-arabinose concentrations but did not, or only very weakly, support D-glucose uptake and utilization. In contrast, the S. cerevisiae D-galactose transporter, Gal2, mediated uptake of both L-arabinose and D-glucose, especially at high concentrations. Conclusions Using a newly developed screening system we have identified two heterologous sugar transporters from a yeast and a plant which can support uptake and utilization of L-arabinose in L-arabinose fermenting S. cerevisiae cells, especially at low L-arabinose concentrations.

  15. OXIDATIVE DEHYDROGENATION OF PROPANE BY RARE EARTH PHOSPHATES SUPPORTED ON AL-PILC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina De Los Santos

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Catalytic activity in propane oxidative dehydrogenation of rare earth phosphates LnPO4 (where Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm and of the same supported by an aluminum pillared clay, of high specific surface area, is presented. The solids were characterized by TGA, XRD, nitrogen adsorption and immediate analysis after reaction in order to determine eventual carbon formation. Catalytic assays were performed at temperatures in the range 400oC-600oC, the reaction mixture was C3H8/O2/Ar = 10/10/80. All the catalysts were active. The reaction products were H2, CO, CO2, CH4, C2H4 and C3H6 and there were no organic oxygenated compounds detected. Although all the investigated systems were active, the Al-PILC supported catalysts presented a higher activity than the bulk materials. In this context, the samarium supported catalyst showed a propene yield increase from 4% to 10% compared with bulk samarium phosphate at 600°C. This effect was attributed to the increase in the specific surface area.

  16. Detection of Transketolase in Bone Marrow—Derived Insulin-Producing Cells: Benfotiamine Enhances Insulin Synthesis and Glucose Metabolism

    OpenAIRE

    Oh, Seh-Hoon; Witek, Rafal P.; Bae, Si-Hyun; Darwiche, Houda; Jung, Youngmi; Pi, Liya; Brown, Alicia; Petersen, Bryon E.

    2009-01-01

    Adult bone marrow (BM)-derived insulin-producing cells (IPCs) are capable of regulating blood glucose levels in chemically induced hyperglycemic mice. Using cell transplantation therapy, fully functional BM-derived IPCs help to mediate treatment of diabetes mellitus. Here, we demonstrate the detection of the pentose phosphate pathway enzyme, transketolase (TK), in BM-derived IPCs cultured under high-glucose conditions. Benfotiamine, a known activator of TK, was not shown to affect the prolife...

  17. Fe-Ca-phosphate, Fe-silicate, and Mn-oxide minerals in concretions from the Monterey Formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medrano, M.D.; Piper, D.Z.

    1997-01-01

    Concentrically zoned phosphatic-enriched concretions were collected at three sites from the Monterey Formation. The following minerals were identified: vivianite, lipscombite, rockbridgeite, leucophosphite, mitridatite, carbonate fluorapatite, nontronite, todorokite, and barite. The mineralogy of the concretions was slightly different at each of the three collection sites. None of the concretions contains all of the minerals, but the spatial distribution of minerals in individual concretions, overlapping mineralogies between different concretions, and the geochemical properties of the separate minerals suggest a paragenesis represented by the above order. Eh increased from the precipitation of vivianite to that of rockbridgeite/lipscombite. The precipitation of leucophosphite, then mitridatite, carbonate fluorapatite and todorokite/Fe-oxide indicates increasing pH. Concretion growth culminated with the precipitation of todorokite, a Mn oxide, and minor amounts of barite along microfractures. Conspicuously absent are Fe-sulfide and Mn-phosphate minerals. The concretions are hosted by finely laminated diatomite. The laminations exhibit little to no deformation around the concretions, requiring that the concretions formed after compaction. We interpret this sediment feature and the paragenesis as recording the evolving pore-water chemistry as the formation was uplifted into the fresh-ground-water zone.

  18. Saccharomyces cerevisiae engineered for xylose metabolism requires gluconeogenesis and the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway for aerobic xylose assimilation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saccharomyces strains engineered to ferment xylose using Scheffersomyces stipitis xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) genes appear to be limited by metabolic imbalances due to differing cofactor specificities of XR and XDH. The S. stipitis XR, which uses nicotinamide adenine dinucl...

  19. Copper(II) oxide solubility behavior in aqueous sodium phosphate solutions at elevated temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ziemniak, S.E.; Jones, M.E.; Combs, K.E.S.

    1990-02-01

    A platinum-lined, flowing autoclave facility is used to investigate the solubility behavior of copper(II) oxide (CuO) in aqueous sodium phosphate solutions at temperatures between 292 and 535 K. Copper solubilities are observed to increase continuously with temperature and phosphate concentration. The measured solubility is examined via a Cu(II) ion hydrolysis/complexing model and thermodynamic functions for the hydrolysis/complexing reactions are obtained from a least- squares analysis of the data. Altogether, thermochemical properties are established for five anionic complexes: Cu(OH) 3 - , Cu(OH) 4 = , Cu(OH) 2 (HPO 4 ) = , Cu(OH) 3 (H 2 PO 4 ) = , and Cu(OH) 2 (PO 4 ) ≡ . Precise thermochemical parameters are also derived for the Cu(OH) + hydroxocomplex based on CuO solubility behavior previously observed in pure water (*) at elevated temperatures. The relative ease of Cu(II) ion hydrolysis is such that Cu(OH) 3 - species become the preferred hydroxocomplex for pH ≥ 9.4. 20 refs., 8 figs., 6 tabs

  20. Surface complexation modeling of the effects of phosphate on uranium(VI) adsorption

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Romero-Gonzalez, M.R.; Cheng, T.; Barnett, M.O. [Auburn Univ., AL (United States). Dept. of Civil Engeneering; Roden, E.E. [Wisconsin Univ., Madison, WI (United States). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics

    2007-07-01

    Previous published data for the adsorption of U(VI) and/or phosphate onto amorphous Fe(III) oxides (hydrous ferric oxide, HFO) and crystalline Fe(III) oxides (goethite) was examined. These data were then used to test the ability of a commonly-used surface complexation model (SCM) to describe the adsorption of U(VI) and phosphate onto pure amorphous and crystalline Fe(III) oxides and synthetic goethite-coated sand, a surrogate for a natural Fe(III)-coated material, using the component additivity (CA) approach. Our modeling results show that this model was able to describe U(VI) adsorption onto both amorphous and crystalline Fe(III) oxides and also goethite-coated sand quite well in the absence of phosphate. However, because phosphate adsorption exhibits a stronger dependence on Fe(III) oxide type than U(VI) adsorption, we could not use this model to consistently describe phosphate adsorption onto both amorphous and crystalline Fe(III) oxides and goethite-coated sand. However, the effects of phosphate on U(VI) adsorption could be incorporated into the model to describe U(VI) adsorption to both amorphous and crystalline Fe(III) oxides and goethite-coated sand, at least for an initial approximation. These results illustrate both the potential and limitations of using surface complexation models developed from pure systems to describe metal/radionuclide adsorption under more complex conditions. (orig.)

  1. Surface complexation modeling of the effects of phosphate on uranium(VI) adsorption

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romero-Gonzalez, M.R.; Cheng, T.; Barnett, M.O.; Roden, E.E.

    2007-01-01

    Previous published data for the adsorption of U(VI) and/or phosphate onto amorphous Fe(III) oxides (hydrous ferric oxide, HFO) and crystalline Fe(III) oxides (goethite) was examined. These data were then used to test the ability of a commonly-used surface complexation model (SCM) to describe the adsorption of U(VI) and phosphate onto pure amorphous and crystalline Fe(III) oxides and synthetic goethite-coated sand, a surrogate for a natural Fe(III)-coated material, using the component additivity (CA) approach. Our modeling results show that this model was able to describe U(VI) adsorption onto both amorphous and crystalline Fe(III) oxides and also goethite-coated sand quite well in the absence of phosphate. However, because phosphate adsorption exhibits a stronger dependence on Fe(III) oxide type than U(VI) adsorption, we could not use this model to consistently describe phosphate adsorption onto both amorphous and crystalline Fe(III) oxides and goethite-coated sand. However, the effects of phosphate on U(VI) adsorption could be incorporated into the model to describe U(VI) adsorption to both amorphous and crystalline Fe(III) oxides and goethite-coated sand, at least for an initial approximation. These results illustrate both the potential and limitations of using surface complexation models developed from pure systems to describe metal/radionuclide adsorption under more complex conditions. (orig.)

  2. Inhibition of the adrenomedullin/nitric oxide signaling pathway in early diabetic retinopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blom, Jan J; Giove, Thomas J; Favazza, Tara L; Akula, James D; Eldred, William D

    2011-06-01

    The nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathway is integrally involved in visual processing and changes in the NO pathway are measurable in eyes of diabetic patients. The small peptide adrenomedullin (ADM) can activate a signaling pathway to increase the enzyme activity of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). ADM levels are elevated in eyes of diabetic patients and therefore, ADM may play a role in the pathology of diabetic retinopathy. The goal of this research was to test the effects of inhibiting the ADM/NO signaling pathway in early diabetic retinopathy. Inhibition of this pathway decreased NO production in high-glucose retinal cultures. Treating diabetic mice with the PKC β inhibitor ruboxistaurin for 5 weeks lowered ADM mRNA levels and ADM-like immunoreactivity and preserved retinal function as assessed by electroretinography. The results of this study indicate that inhibiting the ADM/NO signaling pathway prevents neuronal pathology and functional losses in early diabetic retinopathy.

  3. Pathogenesis of Chronic Hyperglycemia: From Reductive Stress to Oxidative Stress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liang-Jun Yan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Chronic overnutrition creates chronic hyperglycemia that can gradually induce insulin resistance and insulin secretion impairment. These disorders, if not intervened, will eventually be followed by appearance of frank diabetes. The mechanisms of this chronic pathogenic process are complex but have been suggested to involve production of reactive oxygen species (ROS and oxidative stress. In this review, I highlight evidence that reductive stress imposed by overflux of NADH through the mitochondrial electron transport chain is the source of oxidative stress, which is based on establishments that more NADH recycling by mitochondrial complex I leads to more electron leakage and thus more ROS production. The elevated levels of both NADH and ROS can inhibit and inactivate glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, respectively, resulting in blockage of the glycolytic pathway and accumulation of glycerol 3-phospate and its prior metabolites along the pathway. This accumulation then initiates all those alternative glucose metabolic pathways such as the polyol pathway and the advanced glycation pathways that otherwise are minor and insignificant under euglycemic conditions. Importantly, all these alternative pathways lead to ROS production, thus aggravating cellular oxidative stress. Therefore, reductive stress followed by oxidative stress comprises a major mechanism of hyperglycemia-induced metabolic syndrome.

  4. Metabolomic Analysis of the Skeletal Muscle of Mice Overexpressing PGC-1α.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yukino Hatazawa

    Full Text Available Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α is a coactivator of various nuclear receptors and other transcription factors whose expression increases in the skeletal muscle during exercise. We have previously made transgenic mice overexpressing PGC-1α in the skeletal muscle (PGC-1α-Tg mice. PGC-1α upregulates the expression of genes associated with red fibers, mitochondrial function, fatty acid oxidation, and branched chain amino acid (BCAA degradation. However, global analyses of the actual metabolic products have not been investigated. In this study, we conducted metabolomic analysis of the skeletal muscle in PGC-1α-Tg mice by capillary electrophoresis with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis showed clearly distinguishable changes in the metabolites between PGC-1α-Tg and wild-type control mice. Changes were observed in metabolite levels of various metabolic pathways such as the TCA cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, nucleotide synthesis, purine nucleotide cycle, and amino acid metabolism, including BCAA and β-alanine. Namely, metabolic products of the TCA cycle increased in PGC-1α-Tg mice, with increased levels of citrate (2.3-fold, succinate (2.2-fold, fumarate (2.8-fold, and malate (2.3-fold observed. Metabolic products associated with the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide biosynthesis also increased in PGC-1α-Tg mice. Meanwhile, BCAA levels decreased (Val, 0.7-fold; Leu, 0.8-fold; and Ile, 0.7-fold, and Glu (3.1-fold and Asp (2.2-fold levels increased. Levels of β-alanine and related metabolites were markedly decreased in PGC-1α-Tg mice. Coordinated regulation of the TCA cycle and amino acid metabolism, including BCAA, suggests that PGC-1α plays important roles in energy metabolism. Moreover, our metabolomics data showing the activation of the purine nucleotide pathway, malate-aspartate shuttle, as well as

  5. Phosphate adsorption using modified iron oxide-based sorbents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phosphate RemovalThis dataset is associated with the following publication:Lalley , J., C. Han , G. RamMohan , T. Speth , J. Garland , M. Nadagouda , and D. Dionysiou. Phosphate Removal using Modified Bayoxide®E33 Adsorption Media. WATER RESEARCH. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, USA, issue}: 96-107, (2015).

  6. Carbon-flux distribution within Streptomyces coelicolor metabolism: a comparison between the actinorhodin-producing strain M145 and its non-producing derivative M1146.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabien Coze

    Full Text Available Metabolic Flux Analysis is now viewed as essential to elucidate the metabolic pattern of cells and to design appropriate genetic engineering strategies to improve strain performance and production processes. Here, we investigated carbon flux distribution in two Streptomyces coelicolor A3 (2 strains: the wild type M145 and its derivative mutant M1146, in which gene clusters encoding the four main antibiotic biosynthetic pathways were deleted. Metabolic Flux Analysis and (13C-labeling allowed us to reconstruct a flux map under steady-state conditions for both strains. The mutant strain M1146 showed a higher growth rate, a higher flux through the pentose phosphate pathway and a higher flux through the anaplerotic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase. In that strain, glucose uptake and the flux through the Krebs cycle were lower than in M145. The enhanced flux through the pentose phosphate pathway in M1146 is thought to generate NADPH enough to face higher needs for biomass biosynthesis and other processes. In both strains, the production of NADPH was higher than NADPH needs, suggesting a key role for nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase for redox homeostasis. ATP production is also likely to exceed metabolic ATP needs, indicating that ATP consumption for maintenance is substantial.Our results further suggest a possible competition between actinorhodin and triacylglycerol biosynthetic pathways for their common precursor, acetyl-CoA. These findings may be instrumental in developing new strategies exploiting S. coelicolor as a platform for the production of bio-based products of industrial interest.

  7. Encapsulated phosphates reduce lipid oxidation in both ground chicken and ground beef during raw and cooked meat storage with some influence on color, pH, and cooking loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kılıç, B; Simşek, A; Claus, J R; Atılgan, E

    2014-05-01

    Effects of encapsulated sodium tripolyphosphate (STP), sodium hexametaphosphate (HMP) and sodium pyrophosphate (SPP) on lipid oxidation in uncooked (0, 2, 24h) and cooked (0, 1, 7 d) ground chicken and beef during storage were determined. Ten phosphate treatments included a control (no phosphate), three unencapsulated (u) at 0.5% and three encapsulated (e) phosphates (0.5%) each at a low (e-low) and high (e-high) coating level. Two heating rates (slow, fast) were investigated. Cooking loss (CL), pH, color, orthophosphate (OP), TBARS and lipid hydroperoxides (LPO) were determined. A fast heating and uSTP resulted in lower CL (pcooked samples. Not increased coating level but encapsulated phosphates decreased lipid oxidation in cooked samples (p<0.05). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Possible Association of Ferrous Phosphates and Ferric Sulfates in S-rich Soil on Mars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, J.; Schroeder, C.; Haderlein, S.

    2012-12-01

    NASA Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit explored Gusev Crater to look for signs of ancient aqueous activity, assess past environmental conditions and suitability for life. Spirit excavated light-toned, S-rich soils at several locations. These are likely of hydrothermal, possibly fumarolic origin. At a location dubbed Paso Robles the light-toned soil was also rich in P - a signature from surrounding rock. While S is mainly bound in ferric hydrated sulfates [1], the mineralogy of P is ill-constrained [2]. P is a key element for life and its mineralogy constrains its availability. Ferrous phases observed in Paso Robles Mössbauer spectra may represent olivine and pyroxene from surrounding basaltic soil [1] or ferrous phosphate minerals [3]. Phosphate is well-known to complex and stabilize Fe 2+ against oxidation to Fe 3+ . Schröder et al. [3] proposed a formation pathway of ferrous phosphate/ferric sulfate associations: sulfuric acid reacts with basalt containing apatite, forming CaSO4 and phosphoric acid. The phosphoric and/or excess sulfuric acid reacts with olivine, forming Fe2+-phosphate and sulfate. The phosphate is less soluble and precipitates. Ferrous sulfate remains in solution and is oxidized as pH increases. To verify this pathway, we dissolved Fe2+-chloride and Na-phosphate salts in sulfuric acid inside an anoxic glovebox. The solution was titrated to pH 6 by adding NaOH when a first precipitate formed, which was ferrous phosphate according to Mössbauer spectroscopy (MB). At that point the solution was removed from the glovebox and allowed to evaporate in the presence of atmospheric oxygen, leading to the oxidation of Fe2+. The evaporation rate was controlled by keeping the suspensions at different temperatures; pH was monitored during the evaporation process. The final precipitates were analyzed by MB and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), comparable to MER MB and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer instrument datasets, and complementary techniques such as X

  9. Genetics Home Reference: glucose phosphate isomerase deficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... glycolytic pathway; in this step, a molecule called glucose-6-phosphate is converted to another molecule called fructose-6-phosphate. When GPI remains a single molecule (a monomer) it is involved in the development and maintenance of nerve cells ( neurons ). In this context, it is often known as ...

  10. Transaldolase inhibition impairs mitochondrial respiration and induces a starvation-like longevity response in Caenorhabditis elegans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher F Bennett

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Mitochondrial dysfunction can increase oxidative stress and extend lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans. Homeostatic mechanisms exist to cope with disruptions to mitochondrial function that promote cellular health and organismal longevity. Previously, we determined that decreased expression of the cytosolic pentose phosphate pathway (PPP enzyme transaldolase activates the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt and extends lifespan. Here we report that transaldolase (tald-1 deficiency impairs mitochondrial function in vivo, as evidenced by altered mitochondrial morphology, decreased respiration, and increased cellular H2O2 levels. Lifespan extension from knockdown of tald-1 is associated with an oxidative stress response involving p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK MAPKs and a starvation-like response regulated by the transcription factor EB (TFEB homolog HLH-30. The latter response promotes autophagy and increases expression of the flavin-containing monooxygenase 2 (fmo-2. We conclude that cytosolic redox established through the PPP is a key regulator of mitochondrial function and defines a new mechanism for mitochondrial regulation of longevity.

  11. Plasma electrolytic oxidation of titanium in a phosphate/silicate electrolyte and tribological performance of the coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aliasghari, S.; Skeldon, P.; Thompson, G.E.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Plasma electrolytic oxidation performed of titanium in silicate/phosphate electrolyte. • Range of duty cycle, current density, positive-to-negative current ratio studied. • Coatings contain anatase, rutile, Ti 3 O 5 , and amorphous silica. • Ptfe incorporated into coatings by addition of ptfe emulsion to the electrolyte. • Fiction reduced but wear life relatively short due to porosity of coatings. - Abstract: Plasma electrolytic oxidation of titanium has been investigated using a phosphate/silicate electrolyte with a square waveform and a frequency of 50 Hz. A range of constant rms current densities, duty cycles and negative-to-positive current ratios was employed. The resultant coatings were examined by analytical scanning and transmission electron microscopies and X-ray diffraction. The coatings, which were limited in thickness to ∼40 to 50 μm, contained anatase, rutile, Ti 2 O 5 and silicon-rich, amorphous material. The tribological behaviour was investigated using a ball-on-disc test, revealing a coefficient of friction against steel of ∼0.8, which reduced to ∼0.4 by incorporation of ptfe particles from the electrolyte. However, due to the composition and morphology of the coatings, their wear life was relatively short

  12. An Overview of Plant Phenolic Compounds and Their Importance in Human Nutrition and Management of Type 2 Diabetes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Derong Lin

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the biosynthesis process of phenolic compounds in plants is summarized, which includes the shikimate, pentose phosphate and phenylpropanoid pathways. Plant phenolic compounds can act as antioxidants, structural polymers (lignin, attractants (flavonoids and carotenoids, UV screens (flavonoids, signal compounds (salicylic acid and flavonoids and defense response chemicals (tannins and phytoalexins. From a human physiological standpoint, phenolic compounds are vital in defense responses, such as anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities. Therefore, it is beneficial to eat such plant foods that have a high antioxidant compound content, which will cut down the incidence of certain chronic diseases, for instance diabetes, cancers and cardiovascular diseases, through the management of oxidative stress. Furthermore, berries and other fruits with low-amylase and high-glucosidase inhibitory activities could be regarded as candidate food items in the control of the early stages of hyperglycemia associated with type 2 diabetes.

  13. DELETION OR INHIBITION OF THE OXYGEN SENSOR PHD1 PROTECTS AGAINST ISCHEMIC STROKE VIA REPROGRAMMING OF NEURONAL METABOLISM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quaegebeur, Annelies; Segura, Inmaculada; Schmieder, Roberta; Verdegem, Dries; Decimo, Ilaria; Bifari, Francesco; Dresselaers, Tom; Eelen, Guy; Ghosh, Debapriva; Schoors, Sandra; Janaki Raman, Sudha Rani; Cruys, Bert; Govaerts, Kristof; De Legher, Carla; Bouché, Ann; Schoonjans, Luc; Ramer, Matt S.; Hung, Gene; Bossaert, Goele; Cleveland, Don W.; Himmelreich, Uwe; Voets, Thomas; Lemmens, Robin; Bennett, C. Frank; Robberecht, Wim; De Bock, Katrien; Dewerchin, Mieke; Fendt, Sarah-Maria; Ghesquière, Bart; Carmeliet, Peter

    2016-01-01

    Summary The oxygen-sensing prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins (PHDs) regulate cellular metabolism, but their role in neuronal metabolism during stroke is unknown. Here we report that PHD1 deficiency provides neuroprotection in a murine model of permanent brain ischemia. This was not due to an increased collateral vessel network, nor to enhanced neurotrophin expression. Instead, PHD1−/− neurons were protected against oxygen-nutrient deprivation by reprogramming glucose metabolism. Indeed, PHD1−/− neurons enhanced glucose flux through the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway by diverting glucose from glycolysis. As a result, PHD1−/− neurons increased their redox buffering capacity to scavenge oxygen radicals in ischemia. Intracerebroventricular injection of PHD1-antisense oligonucleotides reduced the cerebral infarct size and neurological deficits following stroke. These data identify PHD1 as a novel regulator of neuronal metabolism and a potential therapeutic target in ischemic stroke. PMID:26774962

  14. Increasing anaerobic acetate consumption and ethanol yields in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with NADPH-specific alcohol dehydrogenase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henningsen, Brooks M; Hon, Shuen; Covalla, Sean F; Sonu, Carolina; Argyros, D Aaron; Barrett, Trisha F; Wiswall, Erin; Froehlich, Allan C; Zelle, Rintze M

    2015-12-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae has recently been engineered to use acetate, a primary inhibitor in lignocellulosic hydrolysates, as a cosubstrate during anaerobic ethanolic fermentation. However, the original metabolic pathway devised to convert acetate to ethanol uses NADH-specific acetylating acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase and quickly becomes constrained by limited NADH availability, even when glycerol formation is abolished. We present alcohol dehydrogenase as a novel target for anaerobic redox engineering of S. cerevisiae. Introduction of an NADPH-specific alcohol dehydrogenase (NADPH-ADH) not only reduces the NADH demand of the acetate-to-ethanol pathway but also allows the cell to effectively exchange NADPH for NADH during sugar fermentation. Unlike NADH, NADPH can be freely generated under anoxic conditions, via the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway. We show that an industrial bioethanol strain engineered with the original pathway (expressing acetylating acetaldehyde dehydrogenase from Bifidobacterium adolescentis and with deletions of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase genes GPD1 and GPD2) consumed 1.9 g liter(-1) acetate during fermentation of 114 g liter(-1) glucose. Combined with a decrease in glycerol production from 4.0 to 0.1 g liter(-1), this increased the ethanol yield by 4% over that for the wild type. We provide evidence that acetate consumption in this strain is indeed limited by NADH availability. By introducing an NADPH-ADH from Entamoeba histolytica and with overexpression of ACS2 and ZWF1, we increased acetate consumption to 5.3 g liter(-1) and raised the ethanol yield to 7% above the wild-type level. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  15. A meta-analysis of biomarkers related to oxidative stress and nitric oxide pathway in migraine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neri, Monica; Frustaci, Alessandra; Milic, Mirta; Valdiglesias, Vanessa; Fini, Massimo; Bonassi, Stefano; Barbanti, Piero

    2015-09-01

    Oxidative and nitrosative stress are considered key events in the still unclear pathophysiology of migraine. Studies comparing the level of biomarkers related to nitric oxide (NO) pathway/oxidative stress in the blood/urine of migraineurs vs. unaffected controls were extracted from the PubMed database. Summary estimates of mean ratios (MR) were carried out whenever a minimum of three papers were available. Nineteen studies were included in the meta-analyses, accounting for more than 1000 patients and controls, and compared with existing literature. Most studies measuring superoxide dismutase (SOD) showed lower activity in cases, although the meta-analysis in erythrocytes gave null results. On the contrary, plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), an aspecific biomarker of oxidative damage, showed a meta-MR of 2.20 (95% CI: 1.65-2.93). As for NOs, no significant results were found in plasma, serum and urine. However, higher levels were shown during attacks, in patients with aura, and an effect of diet was found. The analysis of glutathione precursor homocysteine and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an NO synthase inhibitor, gave inconclusive results. The role of the oxidative pathway in migraine is still uncertain. Interesting evidence emerged for TBARS and SOD, and concerning the possible role of diet in the control of NOx levels. © International Headache Society 2015.

  16. Polypyrrole electrodeposited on copper from an aqueous phosphate solution: Corrosion protection properties

    OpenAIRE

    Redondo, Clara; Breslin, Carmel B.

    2007-01-01

    Highly adherent and homogenous polypyrrole films were electrodeposited at copper from a dihydrogen phosphate solution. The polypyrrole films were electrosynthesized in the overoxidized state by cycling the copper electrode from –0.4 to 1.8 V (SCE) in a pyrrole-containing phosphate solution. The growth of the polypyrrole films was facilitated by the initial oxidation of the copper electrode in the phosphate solution to generate a mixed copper–phosphate, copper oxide or hydroxide layer. This la...

  17. Proteomics analysis of high lipid-producing strain Mucor circinelloides WJ11: an explanation for the mechanism of lipid accumulation at the proteomic level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Xin; Zan, Xinyi; Zhao, Lina; Chen, Haiqin; Chen, Yong Q; Chen, Wei; Song, Yuanda; Ratledge, Colin

    2016-02-11

    The oleaginous fungus, Mucor circinelloides, is attracting considerable interest as it produces oil rich in γ-linolenic acid. Nitrogen (N) deficiency is a common strategy to trigger the lipid accumulation in oleaginous microorganisms. Although a simple pathway from N depletion in the medium to lipid accumulation has been elucidated at the enzymatic level, global changes at protein levels upon N depletion have not been investigated. In this study, we have systematically analyzed the changes at the levels of protein expression in M. circinelloides WJ11, a high lipid-producing strain (36 %, lipid/cell dry weight), during lipid accumulation. Proteomic analysis demonstrated that N depletion increased the expression of glutamine synthetase, involved in ammonia assimilation, for the supply of cellular nitrogen but decreased the metabolism of amino acids. Upon N deficiency, many proteins (e.g., fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, enolase, pyruvate kinase) involved in glycolytic pathway were up-regulated while proteins involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (e.g., isocitrate dehydrogenase, succinyl-CoA ligase, succinate dehydrogenase, fumarate hydratase) were down-regulated, indicating this activity was retarded thereby leading to a greater flux of carbon into fatty acid biosynthesis. Moreover, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, transaldolase and transketolase, which participate in the pentose phosphate pathway, were up-regulated, leading to the increased production of NADPH, the reducing power for fatty acid biosynthesis. Furthermore, protein and nucleic acid metabolism were down-regulated and some proteins involved in energy metabolism, signal transduction, molecular chaperone and redox homeostasis were up-regulated upon N depletion, which may be the cellular response to the stress produced by the onset of N deficiency. N limitation increased those expressions of the proteins involved in ammonia assimilation but decreased that

  18. Mechanistic and kinetic aspects of pentose dehydration towards furfural in aqueous media employing homogeneous catalysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Danon, B.; Marcotullio, G.; De Jong, W.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper both the mechanistic and kinetic aspects of furfural formation from pentoses in aqueous acidic media have been reviewed. Based on the reviewed literature, a comprehensive reaction mechanism has been proposed consisting of more than one route, all starting from acyclic xylose, and

  19. [Phosphate-solubilizing activity of aerobic methylobacteria].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agafonova, N V; Kaparullina, E N; Doronina, N V; Trotsenko, Iu A

    2014-01-01

    Phosphate-solubilizing activity was found in 14 strains of plant-associated aerobic methylobacteria belonging to the genera Methylophilus, Methylobacillus, Methylovorus, Methylopila, Methylobacterium, Delftia, and Ancyclobacter. The growth of methylobacteria on medium with methanol as the carbon and energy source and insoluble tricalcium phosphate as the phosphorus source was accompanied by a decrease in pH due to the accumulation of up to 7 mM formic acid as a methanol oxidation intermediate and by release of 120-280 μM phosphate ions, which can be used by both bacteria and plants. Phosphate-solubilizing activity is a newly revealed role of methylobacteria in phytosymbiosis.

  20. Conservation of PHO pathway in ascomycetes and the role of Pho84

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    In budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the phosphate signalling and response pathway, known as PHO pathway, monitors phosphate cytoplasmic levels by controlling genes involved in scavenging, uptake and utilization of phosphate. Recent attempts to understand the phosphate starvation response in other ...

  1. Transformation of oil palm fronds into pentose sugars using copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate with the assistance of chemical additive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loow, Yu-Loong; Wu, Ta Yeong

    2018-06-15

    Among the chemical pretreatments available for pretreating biomass, the inorganic salt is considered to be a relatively new but simple reagent that offers comparable pentose (C5) sugar recoveries as the conventional dilute acid hydrolysis. This study investigated the effects of different concentrations (1.5-6.0% (v/v)) of H 2 O 2 or Na 2 S 2 O 8 in facilitating CuSO 4 ·5H 2 O pretreatment for improving pentose sugar recovery from oil palm fronds. The best result was observed when 0.2 mol/L of CuSO 4 ·5H 2 O was integrated with 4.5% (v/v) of Na 2 S 2 O 8 to recover 8.2 and 0.9 g/L of monomeric xylose and arabinose, respectively in the liquid fraction. On the other hand, an addition of 1.5% (v/v) of H 2 O 2 yielded approximately 74% lesser total pentose sugars as compared to using 4.5% (v/v) Na 2 S 2 O 8 . By using CuSO 4 ·5H 2 O alone (control), only 0.8 and 1.0 g/L xylose and arabinose, respectively could be achieved. The results mirrored the importance of using chemical additives together with the inorganic salt pretreatment of oil palm fronds. Thus, an addition of 4.5% (v/v) of Na 2 S 2 O 8 during CuSO 4 ·5H 2 O pretreatment of oil palm fronds at 120 °C and 30 min was able to attain a total pentose sugar yield up to ∼40%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Structural modeling and docking studies of ribose 5-phosphate isomerase from Leishmania major and Homo sapiens: a comparative analysis for Leishmaniasis treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capriles, Priscila V S Z; Baptista, Luiz Phillippe R; Guedes, Isabella A; Guimarães, Ana Carolina R; Custódio, Fabio L; Alves-Ferreira, Marcelo; Dardenne, Laurent E

    2015-02-01

    Leishmaniases are caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania and are considered the second-highest cause of death worldwide by parasitic infection. The drugs available for treatment in humans are becoming ineffective mainly due to parasite resistance; therefore, it is extremely important to develop a new chemotherapy against these parasites. A crucial aspect of drug design development is the identification and characterization of novel molecular targets. In this work, through an in silico comparative analysis between the genomes of Leishmania major and Homo sapiens, the enzyme ribose 5-phosphate isomerase (R5PI) was indicated as a promising molecular target. R5PI is an important enzyme that acts in the pentose phosphate pathway and catalyzes the interconversion of d-ribose-5-phosphate (R5P) and d-ribulose-5-phosphate (5RP). R5PI activity is found in two analogous groups of enzymes called RpiA (found in H. sapiens) and RpiB (found in L. major). Here, we present the first report of the three-dimensional (3D) structures and active sites of RpiB from L. major (LmRpiB) and RpiA from H. sapiens (HsRpiA). Three-dimensional models were constructed by applying a hybrid methodology that combines comparative and ab initio modeling techniques, and the active site was characterized based on docking studies of the substrates R5P (furanose and ring-opened forms) and 5RP. Our comparative analyses show that these proteins are structural analogs and that distinct residues participate in the interconversion of R5P and 5RP. We propose two distinct reaction mechanisms for the reversible isomerization of R5P to 5RP, which is catalyzed by LmRpiB and HsRpiA. We expect that the present results will be important in guiding future molecular modeling studies to develop new drugs that are specially designed to inhibit the parasitic form of the enzyme without significant effects on the human analog. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Yeast signaling pathways in the oxidative stress response

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ikner, Aminah [Section of Microbiology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Shiozaki, Kazuhiro [Section of Microbiology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States)]. E-mail: kshiozaki@ucdavis.edu

    2005-01-06

    Oxidative stress that generates the reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the major causes of DNA damage and mutations. The 'DNA damage checkpoint' that arrests cell cycle and repairs damaged DNA has been a focus of recent studies, and the genetically amenable model systems provided by yeasts have been playing a leading role in the eukaryotic checkpoint research. However, means to eliminate ROS are likely to be as important as the DNA repair mechanisms in order to suppress mutations in the chromosomal DNA, and yeasts also serve as excellent models to understand how eukaryotes combat oxidative stress. In this article, we present an overview of the signaling pathways that sense oxidative stress and induce expression of various anti-oxidant genes in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. Three conserved signaling modules have been identified in the oxidative stress response of these diverse yeast species: the stress-responsive MAP kinase cascade, the multistep phosphorelay and the AP-1-like transcription factor. The structure and function of these signaling modules are discussed.

  4. Yeast signaling pathways in the oxidative stress response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikner, Aminah; Shiozaki, Kazuhiro

    2005-01-01

    Oxidative stress that generates the reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the major causes of DNA damage and mutations. The 'DNA damage checkpoint' that arrests cell cycle and repairs damaged DNA has been a focus of recent studies, and the genetically amenable model systems provided by yeasts have been playing a leading role in the eukaryotic checkpoint research. However, means to eliminate ROS are likely to be as important as the DNA repair mechanisms in order to suppress mutations in the chromosomal DNA, and yeasts also serve as excellent models to understand how eukaryotes combat oxidative stress. In this article, we present an overview of the signaling pathways that sense oxidative stress and induce expression of various anti-oxidant genes in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. Three conserved signaling modules have been identified in the oxidative stress response of these diverse yeast species: the stress-responsive MAP kinase cascade, the multistep phosphorelay and the AP-1-like transcription factor. The structure and function of these signaling modules are discussed

  5. L: (+)-Lactic acid production from non-food carbohydrates by thermotolerant Bacillus coagulans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ou, Mark S; Ingram, Lonnie O; Shanmugam, K T

    2011-05-01

    Lactic acid is used as an additive in foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, and is also an industrial chemical. Optically pure lactic acid is increasingly used as a renewable bio-based product to replace petroleum-based plastics. However, current production of lactic acid depends on carbohydrate feedstocks that have alternate uses as foods. The use of non-food feedstocks by current commercial biocatalysts is limited by inefficient pathways for pentose utilization. B. coagulans strain 36D1 is a thermotolerant bacterium that can grow and efficiently ferment pentoses using the pentose-phosphate pathway and all other sugar constituents of lignocellulosic biomass at 50°C and pH 5.0, conditions that also favor simultaneous enzymatic saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of cellulose. Using this bacterial biocatalyst, high levels (150-180 g l(-1)) of lactic acid were produced from xylose and glucose with minimal by-products in mineral salts medium. In a fed-batch SSF of crystalline cellulose with fungal enzymes and B. coagulans, lactic acid titer was 80 g l(-1) and the yield was close to 80%. These results demonstrate that B. coagulans can effectively ferment non-food carbohydrates from lignocellulose to L: (+)-lactic acid at sufficient concentrations for commercial application. The high temperature fermentation of pentoses and hexoses to lactic acid by B. coagulans has these additional advantages: reduction in cellulase loading in SSF of cellulose with a decrease in enzyme cost in the process and a reduction in contamination of large-scale fermentations.

  6. Fe hydroxyphosphate precipitation and Fe(II) oxidation kinetics upon aeration of Fe(II) and phosphate-containing synthetic and natural solutions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Grift, B. van der; Behrends, T.; Osté, L.A.; Schot, P.P.; Wassen, M.J.; Griffioen, J.

    2016-01-01

    Exfiltration of anoxic Fe-rich groundwater into surface water and the concomitant oxidative precipitation of Fe are important processes controlling the transport of phosphate (PO4) from agricultural areas to aquatic systems. Here, we explored the relationship between solution composition, reaction

  7. Fe hydroxyphosphate precipitation and Fe(II) oxidation kinetics upon aeration of Fe(II) and phosphate-containing synthetic and natural solutions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Grift, B.; Behrends, T.; Osté, L.A.; Schot, P.P.; Wassen, M.J.; Griffioen, J.

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Exfiltration of anoxic Fe-rich groundwater into surface water and the concomitant oxidative precipitation of Fe are important processes controlling the transport of phosphate (PO4) from agricultural areas to aquatic systems. Here, we explored the relationship between solution composition,

  8. Pengaruh Variasi Penambahan Sari Buah Terung Belanda (Solanum Betaceum) Hasil Sambung Pucuk Dengan Lancing (Solanum Mauritianum) Pada Pembuatan Nata De Coco Dengan Menggunakan Acetobacter Xylinum

    OpenAIRE

    Lubis, Adilah Wirdhani

    2015-01-01

    One of the benefit from coconut water is making nata de coco through phosphate pentose pathway by using Acetobacter xylinum bacteria. Making its became nata de coco by variation of Tamarillo (Solanum betaceum) bud grafting yield with Lancing (Solanum mauritianum) produced red colour of nata de coco that it fermented for 14 days and had good nutrient value. The yield of this product was analyzed with qualitative and quantitative analysis. The variation volume of it used 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 ...

  9. Phosphate-Doped Carbon Black as Pt Catalyst Support: Co-catalytic Functionality for Dimethyl Ether and Methanol Electro-oxidation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yin, Min; Huang, Yunjie; Li, Qingfeng

    2014-01-01

    ). The supported Pt catalysts show significant improvement in catalytic activity towards the direct oxidation of methanol and DME, attributable to the enhanced adsorption and dehydrogenation of methanol and DME, as well as the presence of activated OH species in the catalysts. The latter is demonstrated......Niobium-phosphate-doped (NbP-doped) carbon blacks were prepared as the composite catalyst support for Pt nanoparticles. Functionalities of the composite include intrinsic proton conductivity, surface acidity, and interfacial synergistic interactions with methanol and dimethyl ether (DME...... to facilitate the removal of CO intermediates formed during the oxidation reactions....

  10. Phosphate-mediated electrochemical adsorption of cisplatin on gold electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolodziej, Adam; Figueiredo, Marta C.; Koper, Marc T.M.; Fernandez-Trillo, Francisco; Rodriguez, Paramaconi

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: •The potential-dependent adsorption and deposition of cisplatin on polycrystalline gold electrode is mediated by the adsorption of phosphate anions on gold electrode. •Quantitative analysis suggests that the stoichiometry of the phosphate species and the cisplatin adsorbed was 1:1. •Upon reduction of the phosphate-mediated cisplatin adsorption, the platinum deposits are formed by 3D nanoclusters -- Abstract: This manuscript reports the potential-dependent adsorption and deposition of cisplatin on polycrystalline gold electrode. It was found that this process is mediated by the adsorption of phosphate anions on the gold electrode and that the maximum coverage of Pt adsorbed is given by the maximum coverage of phosphate adsorbed at a given potential. The interaction of cisplatin with the phosphate groups was confirmed by in situ FTIR spectroscopy under external reflexion configuration. Quantitative analysis suggests that the stoichiometry of the phosphate species and the cisplatin adsorbed was 1:1. Moreover, the relationship between the charge of the Pt deposited and the charge of the electrochemical surface area of the Pt deposited on the gold electrodes indicates that 3D nanoclusters of a few atoms of Pt were formed over the gold electrode upon the electrochemical reduction of the adsorbed cisplatin. The Pt nanoclusters formed under these conditions were later evaluated for the oxidation of a monolayer of carbon monoxide. The Pt nanoclusters showed a high overpotential for the oxidation of the carbon monoxide monolayer and the high oxidation overpotential was attributed to the absence of adsorption sites for OH species on the Pt clusters: only at potentials where the OH species are adsorbed at the edge between the Pt nanocluster and the gold support, the oxidation of the carbon monoxide on the Pt nanoparticles takes place.

  11. Plasma electrolytic oxidation of titanium in a phosphate/silicate electrolyte and tribological performance of the coatings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aliasghari, S.; Skeldon, P., E-mail: p.skeldon@manchester.ac.uk; Thompson, G.E.

    2014-10-15

    Highlights: • Plasma electrolytic oxidation performed of titanium in silicate/phosphate electrolyte. • Range of duty cycle, current density, positive-to-negative current ratio studied. • Coatings contain anatase, rutile, Ti{sub 3}O{sub 5}, and amorphous silica. • Ptfe incorporated into coatings by addition of ptfe emulsion to the electrolyte. • Fiction reduced but wear life relatively short due to porosity of coatings. - Abstract: Plasma electrolytic oxidation of titanium has been investigated using a phosphate/silicate electrolyte with a square waveform and a frequency of 50 Hz. A range of constant rms current densities, duty cycles and negative-to-positive current ratios was employed. The resultant coatings were examined by analytical scanning and transmission electron microscopies and X-ray diffraction. The coatings, which were limited in thickness to ∼40 to 50 μm, contained anatase, rutile, Ti{sub 2}O{sub 5} and silicon-rich, amorphous material. The tribological behaviour was investigated using a ball-on-disc test, revealing a coefficient of friction against steel of ∼0.8, which reduced to ∼0.4 by incorporation of ptfe particles from the electrolyte. However, due to the composition and morphology of the coatings, their wear life was relatively short.

  12. Oxidation of nonylphenol and octylphenol by manganese dioxide: Kinetics and pathways

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Zhijiang; Gan, Jay

    2013-01-01

    Due to their potent estrogenicity and ubiquitous occurrence, non-ionic surfactant metabolites nonylphenol (NP) and octylphenol (OP) are of significant concern. Abiotic chemical oxidation by naturally abundant metal oxides may be an important route of their environmental attenuation, but is poorly understood. We investigated the reaction kinetics and pathways of NP and OP with MnO 2 . At pH 5.5 and 100 mg/L δ-MnO 2 , 92, 84 and 76% of 4-n-NP, 4-tert-OP and technical nonylphenol (tNP) was transformed in 90 min, respectively. A further experiment using a Mn-containing soil and Mn-removed soil confirmed that soil MnO 2 caused NP removal. Multiple reaction products, including hydroquinone, hydroxylated products, dimers and trimers were identified through fragmentation analysis by GC–MS/MS and UPLC–MS/MS, allowing the construction of tentative pathways. This study suggested that abiotic oxidation by MnO 2 may contribute to the dissipation of tNP, 4-n-NP, 4-tert-OP and their analogues in the natural environment. Highlights: •The oxidation of nonylphenol and octylphenol by manganese dioxide was efficient and pH dependent. •The importance of soil MnO 2 was further confirmed by experiment using Mn-containing soil. •The reaction in environment is substantially slower than with synthetic MnO 2 . •The oxidation was inhibited by metal ions and enhanced by humic acids. •Reaction pathway is proposed based on reaction intermediates identified. -- Naturally occurring MnO 2 may contribute significantly to the attenuation of nonylphenol and octylphenol in soil, water and sediment

  13. Effect of CoO nanoparticles on the carbohydrate metabolism of the brain of

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shamshad M. Shaikh

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The effect of CoO nanoparticles (NPs on the brain of mice administered through gastrointestinal tract for a period of 30 days was studied. AAS analysis revealed that NPs administered orally were retained by cerebellum, cerebral cortex, medulla oblongata and olfactory bulb. This retention of nanoparticles by the brain promoted a significant increase in glucose, pyruvate, lactate and glycogen levels along with the concomitant increase in hexokinase, glucose 6 phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogense activities. However, a decrease in glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase activity was observed in the brain regions indicating a deterioration of the pentose phosphate pathway. Thus, the present study suggests that the CoO NPs affect the carbohydrate metabolism of the brain.

  14. AMPK-independent pathways regulate skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dzamko, Nicolas; Schertzer, Jonathan D.; Ryall, James G.

    2008-01-01

    The activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and phosphorylation/inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 2 (ACC2) is believed to be the principal pathway regulating fatty acid oxidation. However, during exercise AMPK activity and ACC Ser-221 phosphorylation does not always correlate...... with rates of fatty acid oxidation. To address this issue we have investigated the requirement for skeletal muscle AMPK in controlling aminoimidazole-4-carboxymide-1-beta-d-ribofuranoside (AICAR) and contraction-stimulated fatty acid oxidation utilizing transgenic mice expressing a muscle-specific kinase...... dead (KD) AMPK alpha2. In wild-type (WT) mice, AICAR and contraction increased AMPK alpha2 and alpha1 activities, the phosphorylation of ACC2 and rates of fatty acid oxidation while tending to reduce malonyl-CoA levels. Despite no activation of AMPK in KD mice, ACC2 phosphorylation was maintained...

  15. Hypoxia-induced glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase overexpression and -activation in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells: implication in pulmonary hypertension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chettimada, Sukrutha; Gupte, Rakhee; Rawat, Dhwajbahadur; Gebb, Sarah A.; McMurtry, Ivan F.

    2014-01-01

    Severe pulmonary hypertension is a debilitating disease with an alarmingly low 5-yr life expectancy. Hypoxia, one of the causes of pulmonary hypertension, elicits constriction and remodeling of the pulmonary arteries. We now know that pulmonary arterial remodeling is a consequence of hyperplasia and hypertrophy of pulmonary artery smooth muscle (PASM), endothelial, myofibroblast, and stem cells. However, our knowledge about the mechanisms that cause these cells to proliferate and hypertrophy in response to hypoxic stimuli is still incomplete, and, hence, the treatment for severe pulmonary arterial hypertension is inadequate. Here we demonstrate that the activity and expression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), the rate-limiting enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway, are increased in hypoxic PASM cells and in lungs of chronic hypoxic rats. G6PD overexpression and -activation is stimulated by H2O2. Increased G6PD activity contributes to PASM cell proliferation by increasing Sp1 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), which directs the cells to synthesize less contractile (myocardin and SM22α) and more proliferative (cyclin A and phospho-histone H3) proteins. G6PD inhibition with dehydroepiandrosterone increased myocardin expression in remodeled pulmonary arteries of moderate and severe pulmonary hypertensive rats. These observations suggest that altered glucose metabolism and G6PD overactivation play a key role in switching the PASM cells from the contractile to synthetic phenotype by increasing Sp1 and HIF-1α, which suppresses myocardin, a key cofactor that maintains smooth muscle cell in contractile state, and increasing hypoxia-induced PASM cell growth, and hence contribute to pulmonary arterial remodeling and pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension. PMID:25480333

  16. Utilization of Glyphosate as Phosphate Source: Biochemistry and Genetics of Bacterial Carbon-Phosphorus Lyase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zechel, David L.; Jochimsen, Bjarne

    2014-01-01

    SUMMARY After several decades of use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in weed killers such as Roundup, in fields, forests, and gardens, the biochemical pathway of transformation of glyphosate phosphorus to a useful phosphorus source for microorganisms has been disclosed. Glyphosate is a member of a large group of chemicals, phosphonic acids or phosphonates, which are characterized by a carbon-phosphorus bond. This is in contrast to the general phosphorus compounds utilized and metabolized by microorganisms. Here phosphorus is found as phosphoric acid or phosphate ion, phosphoric acid esters, or phosphoric acid anhydrides. The latter compounds contain phosphorus that is bound only to oxygen. Hydrolytic, oxidative, and radical-based mechanisms for carbon-phosphorus bond cleavage have been described. This review deals with the radical-based mechanism employed by the carbon-phosphorus lyase of the carbon-phosphorus lyase pathway, which involves reactions for activation of phosphonate, carbon-phosphorus bond cleavage, and further chemical transformation before a useful phosphate ion is generated in a series of seven or eight enzyme-catalyzed reactions. The phn genes, encoding the enzymes for this pathway, are widespread among bacterial species. The processes are described with emphasis on glyphosate as a substrate. Additionally, the catabolism of glyphosate is intimately connected with that of aminomethylphosphonate, which is also treated in this review. Results of physiological and genetic analyses are combined with those of bioinformatics analyses. PMID:24600043

  17. Beta-hydroxybutyrate increases reactive oxygen species in late but not in early postimplantation embryonic cells in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forsberg, H; Eriksson, U J; Melefors, O; Welsh, N

    1998-02-01

    Embryonic dysmorphogenesis has been blocked by antioxidant treatment in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that embryonic excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has a role in the teratogenic process of diabetic pregnancy. We report that the basal levels of ROS in dispersed rat embryonic cells in vitro, as determined by fluorescence of dichlorofluorescein (DCF), were not different in cells from control and diabetic pregnancy at day 10 or 12. Beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-HB) and succinic acid monomethyl ester both augmented DCF fluorescence in cells from day 12 embryos of normal and diabetic rats but not from day 10 embryos. Cells of day 10 and day 12 embryos from normal and diabetic rats responded to increasing glucose concentrations with a dosage-dependent alleviation of DCF fluorescence. Day 10 embryonic cells exhibited high glucose utilization rates and high pentose phosphate shunt rates, but low mitochondrial oxidation rates. Moreover, in vitro culture of embryos between gestational days 9 and 10 in the presence of 20% oxygen induced an increased and glucose-sensitive oxidation of glucose compared with embryos not cultured in vitro. At gestation day 12, however, pentose phosphate shunt rates showed a decrease, whereas the mitochondrial beta-HB oxidation rates were increased compared with those at gestation day 10. This was paralleled by a lower expression of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase- and phosphofructokinase-mRNA levels at day 12 than at day 10. On the other hand, H-ferritin mRNA expression at day 12 was high compared with day 10. None of the mRNA species investigated were affected by the diabetic state of the mother. It was concluded that beta-HB-induced stimulation of mitochondrial oxidative events may lead to the generation of ROS at gestational day 12, but probably not at day 10, when only a minute amount of mitochondrial activity occurs. Thus our results do not support the notion of diabetes-induced mitochondrial oxidative stress before the development of

  18. Metabolic and Molecular Events Occurring during Chromoplast Biogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wanping Bian

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Chromoplasts are nonphotosynthetic plastids that accumulate carotenoids. They derive from other plastid forms, mostly chloroplasts. The biochemical events responsible for the interconversion of one plastid form into another are poorly documented. However, thanks to transcriptomics and proteomics approaches, novel information is now available. Data of proteomic and biochemical analysis revealed the importance of lipid metabolism and carotenoids biosynthetic activities. The loss of photosynthetic activity was associated with the absence of the chlorophyll biosynthesis branch and the presence of proteins involved in chlorophyll degradation. Surprisingly, the entire set of Calvin cycle and of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway persisted after the transition from chloroplast to chromoplast. The role of plastoglobules in the formation and organisation of carotenoid-containing structures and that of the Or gene in the control of chromoplastogenesis are reviewed. Finally, using transcriptomic data, an overview is given the expression pattern of a number of genes encoding plastid-located proteins during tomato fruit ripening.

  19. Metabolic reprogramming for producing energy and reducing power in fumarate hydratase null cells from hereditary leiomyomatosis renal cell carcinoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Youfeng Yang

    Full Text Available Fumarate hydratase (FH-deficient kidney cancer undergoes metabolic remodeling, with changes in mitochondrial respiration, glucose, and glutamine metabolism. These changes represent multiple biochemical adaptations in glucose and fatty acid metabolism that supports malignant proliferation. However, the metabolic linkages between altered mitochondrial function, nucleotide biosynthesis and NADPH production required for proliferation and survival have not been elucidated. To characterize the alterations in glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the pentose phosphate pathways (PPP that either generate NADPH (oxidative or do not (non-oxidative, we utilized [U-(13C]-glucose, [U-(13C,(15N]-glutamine, and [1,2- (13C2]-glucose tracers with mass spectrometry and NMR detection to track these pathways, and measured the oxygen consumption rate (OCR and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR of growing cell lines. This metabolic reprogramming in the FH null cells was compared to cells in which FH has been restored. The FH null cells showed a substantial metabolic reorganization of their intracellular metabolic fluxes to fulfill their high ATP demand, as observed by a high rate of glucose uptake, increased glucose turnover via glycolysis, high production of glucose-derived lactate, and low entry of glucose carbon into the Krebs cycle. Despite the truncation of the Krebs cycle associated with inactivation of fumarate hydratase, there was a small but persistent level of mitochondrial respiration, which was coupled to ATP production from oxidation of glutamine-derived α-ketoglutarate through to fumarate. [1,2- (13C2]-glucose tracer experiments demonstrated that the oxidative branch of PPP initiated by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity is preferentially utilized for ribose production (56-66% that produces increased amounts of ribose necessary for growth and NADPH. Increased NADPH is required to drive reductive carboxylation of α-ketoglutarate and fatty acid

  20. Electrode Reaction Pathway in Oxide Anode for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wenyuan

    Oxide anodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) with the advantage of fuel flexibility, resistance to coarsening, small chemical expansion and etc. have been attracting increasing interest. Good performance has been reported with a few of perovskite structure anodes, such as (LaSr)(CrMn)O3. However, more improvements need to be made before meeting the application requirement. Understanding the oxidation mechanism is crucial for a directed optimization, but it is still on the early stage of investigation. In this study, reaction mechanism of oxide anodes is investigated on doped YCrO 3 with H2 fuel, in terms of the origin of electrochemical activity, rate-determining steps (RDS), extension of reactive zone, and the impact from overpotential under service condition to those properties. H2 oxidation on the YCs anodes is found to be limited by charge transfer and H surface diffusion. A model is presented to describe the elementary steps in H2 oxidation. From the reaction order results, it is suggested that any models without taking H into the charge transfer step are invalid. The nature of B site element determines the H2 oxidation kinetics primarily. Ni displays better adsorption ability than Co. However, H adsorption ability of such oxide anode is inferior to that of Ni metal anode. In addition, the charge transfer step is directly associated with the activity of electrons in the anode; therefore it can be significantly promoted by enhancement of the electron activity. It is found that A site Ca doping improves the polarization resistance about 10 times, by increasing the activity of electrons to promote the charge transfer process. For the active area in the oxide anode, besides the traditional three-phase boundary (3PB), the internal anode surface as two-phase boundary (2PB) is proven to be capable of catalytically oxidizing the H2 fuel also when the bulk lattice is activated depending on the B site elements. The contribution from each part is estimated by switching

  1. Catalytic CO Oxidation over Au Nanoparticles Loaded Nanoporous Nickel Phosphate Composite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaonan Leng

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Au/nickel phosphate-5 (Au/VSB-5 composite with the noble metal loading amount of 1.43 wt.% is prepared by using microporous VSB-5 nanocrystals as the support. Carbon monoxide (CO oxidation reaction is carried out over the sample with several catalytic cycles. Complete conversion of CO is achieved at 238°C over the catalyst at the first catalytic cycle. The catalytic activity improved greatly at the second cycle with the complete conversion fulfilled at 198°C and preserved for the other cycles. A series of experiments such as X-ray diffraction (XRD, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS are carried out to characterize the catalysts before and after the reaction to study the factors influencing this promotion at the second cycle.

  2. Regulation of intracellular glucose and polyol pathway by thiamine and benfotiamine in vascular cells cultured in high glucose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berrone, Elena; Beltramo, Elena; Solimine, Carmela; Ape, Alessandro Ubertalli; Porta, Massimo

    2006-04-07

    Hyperglycemia is a causal factor in the development of the vascular complications of diabetes. One of the biochemical mechanisms activated by excess glucose is the polyol pathway, the key enzyme of which, aldose reductase, transforms d-glucose into d-sorbitol, leading to imbalances of intracellular homeostasis. We aimed at verifying the effects of thiamine and benfotiamine on the polyol pathway, transketolase activity, and intracellular glucose in endothelial cells and pericytes under high ambient glucose. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells and bovine retinal pericytes were cultured in normal (5.6 mmol/liter) or high (28 mmol/liter) glucose, with or without thiamine or benfotiamine 50 or 100 mumol/liter. Transketolase and aldose reductase mRNA expression was determined by reverse transcription-PCR, and their activity was measured spectrophotometrically; sorbitol concentrations were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and intracellular glucose concentrations by fluorescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Thiamine and benfotiamine reduce aldose reductase mRNA expression, activity, sorbitol concentrations, and intracellular glucose while increasing the expression and activity of transketolase, for which it is a coenzyme, in human endothelial cells and bovine retinal pericytes cultured in high glucose. Thiamine and benfotiamine correct polyol pathway activation induced by high glucose in vascular cells. Activation of transketolase may shift excess glycolytic metabolites into the pentose phosphate cycle, accelerate the glycolytic flux, and reduce intracellular free glucose, thereby preventing its conversion to sorbitol. This effect on the polyol pathway, together with other beneficial effects reported for thiamine in high glucose, could justify testing thiamine as a potential approach to the prevention and/or treatment of diabetic complications.

  3. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase aggregation inhibitor peptide: A potential therapeutic strategy against oxidative stress-induced cell death.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Itakura, Masanori; Nakajima, Hidemitsu; Semi, Yuko; Higashida, Shusaku; Azuma, Yasu-Taka; Takeuchi, Tadayoshi

    2015-11-13

    The glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) has multiple functions, including mediating oxidative stress-induced neuronal cell death. This process is associated with disulfide-bonded GAPDH aggregation. Some reports suggest a link between GAPDH and the pathogenesis of several oxidative stress-related diseases. However, the pathological significance of GAPDH aggregation in disease pathogenesis remains unclear due to the lack of an effective GAPDH aggregation inhibitor. In this study, we identified a GAPDH aggregation inhibitor (GAI) peptide and evaluated its biological profile. The decapeptide GAI specifically inhibited GAPDH aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, the GAI peptide did not affect GAPDH glycolytic activity or cell viability. The GAI peptide also exerted a protective effect against oxidative stress-induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells. This peptide could potentially serve as a tool to investigate GAPDH aggregation-related neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders and as a possible therapy for diseases associated with oxidative stress-induced cell death. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. White spot syndrome virus induces metabolic changes resembling the warburg effect in shrimp hemocytes in the early stage of infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, I-Tung; Aoki, Takashi; Huang, Yun-Tzu; Hirono, Ikuo; Chen, Tsan-Chi; Huang, Jiun-Yan; Chang, Geen-Dong; Lo, Chu-Fang; Wang, Han-Ching

    2011-12-01

    The Warburg effect is an abnormal glycolysis response that is associated with cancer cells. Here we present evidence that metabolic changes resembling the Warburg effect are induced by a nonmammalian virus. When shrimp were infected with white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), changes were induced in several metabolic pathways related to the mitochondria. At the viral genome replication stage (12 h postinfection [hpi]), glucose consumption and plasma lactate concentration were both increased in WSSV-infected shrimp, and the key enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), showed increased activity. We also found that at 12 hpi there was no alteration in the ADP/ATP ratio and that oxidative stress was lower than that in uninfected controls. All of these results are characteristic of the Warburg effect as it is present in mammals. There was also a significant decrease in triglyceride concentration starting at 12 hpi. At the late stage of the infection cycle (24 hpi), hemocytes of WSSV-infected shrimp showed several changes associated with cell death. These included the induction of mitochondrial membrane permeabilization (MMP), increased oxidative stress, decreased glucose consumption, and disrupted energy production. A previous study showed that WSSV infection led to upregulation of the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), which is known to be involved in both the Warburg effect and MMP. Here we show that double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) silencing of the VDAC reduces WSSV-induced mortality and virion copy number. For these results, we hypothesize a model depicting the metabolic changes in host cells at the early and late stages of WSSV infection.

  5. Interactions of benzoic acid and phosphates with iron oxide colloids using chemical force titration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Jana; Horton, J Hugh

    2005-11-08

    Colloidal iron oxides are an important component in soil systems and in water treatment processes. Humic-based organic compounds, containing both phenol and benzoate functional groups, are often present in these systems and compete strongly with phosphate species for binding sites on the iron oxide surfaces. Here, we examine the interaction of benzoate and phenolic groups with various iron oxide colloids using atomic force microscopy (AFM) chemical force titration measurements. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 4-(12-mercaptododecyloxy)benzoic acid and 4-(12-mercaptododecyloxy)phenol were used to prepare chemically modified Au-coated AFM tips, and these were used to probe the surface chemistry of a series of iron oxide colloids. The SAMs formed were also characterized using scanning tunneling microscopy, reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface pK(a) of 4-(12- mercaptododecyloxy)benzoic acid has been determined to be 4.0 +/- 0.5, and the interaction between the tip and the sample coated with a SAM of this species is dominated by hydrogen bonding. The chemical force titraton profile for an AFM probe coated with 4-(12- mercaptododecyloxy)benzoic acid and a bare iron oxide colloid demonstrates that the benzoic acid function group interacts with all three types of iron oxide sites present on the colloid surface over a wide pH range. Similar experiments were carried out on colloids precipitated in the presence of phosphoric, gallic, and tannic acids. The results are discussed in the context of the competitive binding interactions of solution species present in soils or in water treatment processes.

  6. Nitric oxide, human diseases and the herbal products that affect the nitric oxide signalling pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Achike, Francis I; Kwan, Chiu-Yin

    2003-09-01

    1. Nitric oxide (NO) is formed enzymatically from l-arginine in the presence of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Nitric oxide is generated constitutively in endothelial cells via sheer stress and blood-borne substances. Nitric oxide is also generated constitutively in neuronal cells and serves as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator in non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic nerve endings. Furthermore, NO can also be formed via enzyme induction in many tissues in the presence of cytokines. 2. The ubiquitous presence of NO in the living body suggests that NO plays an important role in the maintenance of health. Being a free radical with vasodilatory properties, NO exerts dual effects on tissues and cells in various biological systems. At low concentrations, NO can dilate the blood vessels and improve the circulation, but at high concentrations it can cause circulatory shock and induce cell death. Thus, diseases can arise in the presence of the extreme ends of the physiological concentrations of NO. 3. The NO signalling pathway has, in recent years, become a target for new drug development. The high level of flavonoids, catechins, tannins and other polyphenolic compounds present in vegetables, fruits, soy, tea and even red wine (from grapes) is believed to contribute to their beneficial health effects. Some of these compounds induce NO formation from the endothelial cells to improve circulation and some suppress the induction of inducible NOS in inflammation and infection. 4. Many botanical medicinal herbs and drugs derived from these herbs have been shown to have effects on the NO signalling pathway. For example, the saponins from ginseng, ginsenosides, have been shown to relax blood vessels (probably contributing to the antifatigue and blood pressure-lowering effects of ginseng) and corpus cavernosum (thus, for the treatment of men suffering from erectile dysfunction; however, the legendary aphrodisiac effect of ginseng may be an overstatement). Many plant extracts or

  7. My Sweetheart Is Broken: Role of Glucose in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manoja K. Brahma

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Despite overall reductions in heart disease prevalence, the risk of developing heart failure has remained 2-fold greater among people with diabetes. Growing evidence has supported that fluctuations in glucose level and uptake contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD by modifying proteins, DNA, and gene expression. In the case of glucose, clinical studies have shown that increased dietary sugars for healthy individuals or poor glycemic control in diabetic patients further increased CVD risk. Furthermore, even after decades of maintaining tight glycemic control, susceptibility to disease progression can persist following a period of poor glycemic control through a process termed "glycemic memory." In response to chronically elevated glucose levels, a number of studies have identified molecular targets of the glucose-mediated protein posttranslational modification by the addition of an O-linked N-acetylglucosamine to impair contractility, calcium sensitivity, and mitochondrial protein function. Additionally, elevated glucose contributes to dysfunction in coupling glycolysis to glucose oxidation, pentose phosphate pathway, and polyol pathway. Therefore, in the "sweetened" environment associated with hyperglycemia, there are a number of pathways contributing to increased susceptibly to "breaking" the heart of diabetics. In this review we will discuss the unique contribution of glucose to heart disease and recent advances in defining mechanisms of action.

  8. Radioactivity in groundwater associated with uranium and phosphate mining and processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaufmann, R.F.

    1981-01-01

    From 1975 to 1980 USEPA investigations of the uranium and phosphate mining and milling industries addressed associated changes in the radionuclide content of nearby water resources. Available data for 226 Ra in central Florida aquifers show no significant difference in phosphate mineralized vs. nonmineralized areas. Apparently neither mineralization nor the industry cause significant increase in the Ra content of groundwater. Uranium mining and milling in a number of Western States (e.g. New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington) cause locally increased levels of U, Ra and Th in shallow groundwater, but potable water supplies have not been adversely affected. Contamination of deep aquifers does not appear to occur, although elevated levels of Ra and U are present in many mine water discharges as a result of ore body oxidation and leaching. Model underground and surface U mines were used to evaluate chemical loading of 238 U, 226 Ra, 210 Pb and 210 Po to local and regional hydrographic units. Infiltration of mine water to potable groundwater and suspension/solution of contaminants in flood water constitute the principal elements of the aqueous pathway

  9. Two oxidation pathways of bioactive flavonol rhamnazin under ambient conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramešová, Šárka; Degano, Ilaria; Sokolová, Romana

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The oxidation mechanism of rhamnazin has not been solved yet. • Rhamnazin decomposes in solution during minutes handled in the presence of air. • The main oxidation product of rhamnazin was identified even if it is not stable. • Two parallel oxidation mechanisms of rhamnazin in air were determined. - Abstract: Two pathways of the oxidation mechanism of rhamnazin under ambient conditions are proposed. The redox potential of rhamnazin strongly depends on the presence of dissociation forms in solution. In situ spectroelectrochemistry and identification of degradation products by HPLC-DAD and HPLC–ESI-MS/MS confirmed the presence of fast subsequent chemical reactions following the electron transfer. As demonstrated, strict anaerobic conditions have to be preserved in studies of antioxidant properties and of its pharmacological efficiency. In the absence of oxygen, 2,4-dihydroxy-2-(4′-hydroxy-3′-methoxybenzoyl) -6-methoxy-benzofuran-3(2H)-one was identified as the only oxidation product

  10. Towards an Understanding of Energy Impairment in Huntington’s Disease Brain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubinsky, Janet M.

    2017-01-01

    This review systematically examines the evidence for shifts in flux through energy generating biochemical pathways in Huntington’s disease (HD) brains from humans and model systems. Compromise of the electron transport chain (ETC) appears not to be the primary or earliest metabolic change in HD pathogenesis. Rather, compromise of glucose uptake facilitates glucose flux through glycolysis and may possibly decrease flux through the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), limiting subsequent NADPH and GSH production needed for antioxidant protection. As a result, oxidative damage to key glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes further restricts energy production so that while basal needs may be met through oxidative phosphorylation, those of excessive stimulation cannot. Energy production may also be compromised by deficits in mitochondrial biogenesis, dynamics or trafficking. Restrictions on energy production may be compensated for by glutamate oxidation and/or stimulation of fatty acid oxidation. Transcriptional dysregulation generated by mutant huntingtin also contributes to energetic disruption at specific enzymatic steps. Many of the alterations in metabolic substrates and enzymes may derive from normal regulatory feedback mechanisms and appear oscillatory. Fine temporal sequencing of the shifts in metabolic flux and transcriptional and expression changes associated with mutant huntingtin expression remain largely unexplored and may be model dependent. Differences in disease progression among HD model systems at the time of experimentation and their varying states of metabolic compensation may explain conflicting reports in the literature. Progressive shifts in metabolic flux represent homeostatic compensatory mechanisms that maintain the model organism through presymptomatic and symptomatic stages. PMID:29125492

  11. Data on metabolic-dependent antioxidant response in the cardiovascular tissues of living zebrafish under stress conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emiliano Panieri

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In this article we used transgenic zebrafish lines that express compartment-specific isoforms of the roGFP2-Orp1 and Grx1-roGFP2 biosensors, described in Panieri et al (2017 [1], to test the contribute of the pentose phosphate pathway and of the glutathione biosynthesis in the antioxidant capacity of myocardial and endothelial cells in vivo. The transgenic zebrafish embryos were subdued to metabolic inhibition and subsequently challenged with H2O2 or the redox-cycling agent menadione to respectively mimic acute or chronic oxidative stress. Confocal time-lapse recordings were performed to follow the compartmentalized H2O2 and EGSH changes in the cardiovascular tissues of zebrafish embryos at 48 h post fertilization. After sequential excitation at 405 nm and 488 nm the emission was collected between 500–520 nm every 2 min for an overall duration of 60 min. The 405/488 nm ratio was normalized to the initial value obtained before oxidants addition and plotted over time. The analysis and the interpretation of the data can be found in the associated article [1].

  12. Transcriptome profiling of brown adipose tissue during cold exposure reveals extensive regulation of glucose metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hao, Qin; Yadav, Rachita; Basse, Astrid L.

    2015-01-01

    We applied digital gene expression profiling to determine the transcriptome of brown and white adipose tissues (BAT and WAT, respectively) during cold exposure. Male C57BL/6J mice were exposed to cold for 2 or 4 days. A notable induction of genes related to glucose uptake, glycolysis, glycogen...... exposure, we propose a model for the intermediary glucose metabolism in activated BAT: 1) fluxes through glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway are induced, the latter providing reducing equivalents for de novo fatty acid synthesis; 2) glycerol synthesis from glucose is increased, facilitating...

  13. Diabetes mellitus induces bone marrow microangiopathy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oikawa, Atsuhiko; Siragusa, Mauro; Quaini, Federico; Mangialardi, Giuseppe; Katare, Rajesh G.; Caporali, Andrea; van Buul, Jaap D.; van Alphen, Floris P.J.; Graiani, Gallia; Spinetti, Gaia; Kraenkel, Nicolle; Prezioso, Lucia; Emanueli, Costanza; Madeddu, Paolo

    2010-01-01

    Objective The impact of diabetes on the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment was not adequately explored. We investigated whether diabetes induces microvascular remodeling with negative consequence for BM homeostasis. Methods and results We found profound structural alterations in BM from type-1 diabetic mice, with depletion of the hematopoietic component and fatty degeneration. Blood flow (fluorescent microspheres) and microvascular density (immunohistochemistry) were remarkably reduced. Flow cytometry verified the depletion of MECA-32pos endothelial cells (ECs). Cultured ECs from BM of diabetic mice showed higher levels of oxidative stress, increased activity of the senescence marker β-galactosidase, reduced migratory and network-formation capacities and increased permeability and adhesiveness to BM mononuclear cells. Flow cytometry analysis of lineageneg c-Kitpos Sca-1pos (LSK) cell distribution along an in vivo Hoechst-33342 dye perfusion gradient documented that diabetes depletes LSK cells predominantly in the low-perfused part of the marrow. Cell depletion was associated to increased oxidative stress, DNA damage and activation of apoptosis. Boosting the anti-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway by benfotiamine supplementation prevented microangiopathy, hypoperfusion and LSK cell depletion. Conclusions We provide novel evidence for the presence of microangiopathy impinging on the integrity of diabetic BM. These discoveries offer the framework for mechanistic solutions of BM dysfunction in diabetes. PMID:20042708

  14. Pathways of carbon oxidation in continental margin sediments off central Chile

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thamdrup, B; Canfield, Donald Eugene

    1996-01-01

    Rates and oxidative pathways of organic carbon mineralization were determined in sediments at six stations on the shelf and slope off Concepcion Bay at 36.5 degrees S. The depth distribution of C oxidation rates was determined to 10 cm from accumulation of dissolved inorganic C in 1-5-d incubations...... the shelf was rich in NO3- and depleted of O2. Sediments at the four shelf stations were covered by mats of filamentous bacteria of the genera Thioploca and Beggiatoa. Carbon oxidation rates at these sites were extremely high near the sediment surface (>3 micromol cm-3 d-1) and decreased exponentially...... C oxidation between 0 and 10 cm. Carbon oxidation through Fe reduction contributed a further 12-29% of the depth-integrated rate, while the remainder of C oxidation was through SO4(2-) reduction. The depth distribution of Fe reduction agreed well with the distribution of poorly crystalline Fe oxides...

  15. The cultural divide: exponential growth in classical 2D and metabolic equilibrium in 3D environments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carvalho, Vasco Botelho

    Cellular metabolism can be considered to have two extremes: one is characterized by exponential growth (in 2D cultures) and the other by a dynamic equilibrium (in 3D cultures). We have analysed the proteome and cellular architecture at these two extremes and found that they are dramatically...... different. Ultrastructurally, actin organization is changed, microtubules are increased and keratins 8 and 18 decreased. Metabolically, glycolysis, fatty acid metabolism and the pentose phosphate cycle are increased while Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation is unchanged. Enzymes involved...

  16. Nitric Oxide Synthase and Cyclooxygenase Pathways: A Complex Interplay in Cellular Signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorokin, Andrey

    2016-01-01

    The cellular reaction to external challenges is a tightly regulated process consisting of integrated processes mediated by a variety of signaling molecules, generated as a result of modulation of corresponding biosynthetic systems. Both, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX) systems, consist of constitutive forms (NOS1, NOS3 and COX-1), which are mostly involved in housekeeping tasks, and inducible forms (NOS2 and COX-2), which shape the cellular response to stress and variety of bioactive agents. The complex interplay between NOS and COX pathways can be observed at least at three levels. Firstly, products of NOS and Cox systems can mediate the regulation and the expression of inducible forms (NOS2 and COX-2) in response of similar and dissimilar stimulus. Secondly, the reciprocal modulation of cyclooxygenase activity by nitric oxide and NOS activity by prostaglandins at the posttranslational level has been shown to occur. Mechanisms by which nitric oxide can modulate prostaglandin synthesis include direct S-nitrosylation of COX and inactivation of prostaglandin I synthase by peroxynitrite, product of superoxide reaction with nitric oxide. Prostaglandins, conversely, can promote an increased association of dynein light chain (DLC) (also known as protein inhibitor of neuronal nitric oxide synthase) with NOS1, thereby reducing its activity. The third level of interplay is provided by intracellular crosstalk of signaling pathways stimulated by products of NOS and COX which contributes significantly to the complexity of cellular signaling. Since modulation of COX and NOS pathways was shown to be principally involved in a variety of pathological conditions, the dissection of their complex relationship is needed for better understanding of possible therapeutic strategies. This review focuses on implications of interplay between NOS and COX for cellular function and signal integration.

  17. Metabolic changes during development of Walker-256 carcinosarcoma resistance to doxorubicin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todor, I N; Lukyanova, N Yu; Shvets, Yu V; Lozovska, Yu V; Chekhun, V F

    2015-03-01

    To study indices of energy metabolism, content of K(+) and Mg(++) both in peripheral blood and in Walker-256 carcinosarcoma during development of resistance to doxorubicin. Resistance of Walker-256 carcinosarcoma to doxorubicin has been developed through 12 subsequent transplantations of tumor after the chemotherapy. Parental strain was inhibited by drug by 65%, while transitional resistant substrains - by 30% and 2%, respectively. Determination of biochemical indices in blood serum and homogenates of tumor tissue, level of potassium, magnesium, lactate, glucose, activities of lactate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was performed with the help of biochemical and immune-enzyme analyzer GBG ChemWell 2990 (USA) using standard kits. Polarography was used to determine indices of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Study of mitochondrial membrane potential was carried out on flow cytometer Beckman Coulter Epics XL using dye JC-1. It has been determined that development of drug resistance causes the decrease of K(+), Mg(++), glucose content in blood serum and increase of these indices in tumor tissue. At the same time, gradual tumor's loss of sensitivity is characterized by decrease of glycolysis activity in it and activation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and pentose phosphate pathway of glucose degradation, which causes more intensive formation of NADPH. Development of drug resistance of tumor causes certain metabolic changes in organism and tumor. Further study of such changes will make possible to determine tumor and extratumor markers of resistance.

  18. The chemistry of tributyl phosphate at elevated temperatures in the Plutonium Finishing Plant Process Vessels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barney, G.S.; Cooper, T.D.

    1994-01-01

    Potentially violent chemical reactions of the tributyl phosphate solvent used by the Plutonium Finishing Plant at the Hanford Site were investigated. There is a small probability that a significant quantity of this solvent could be accidental transferred to heated process vessels and react there with nitric acid or plutonium nitrate also present in the solvent extraction process. The results of laboratory studies of the reactions show that exothermic oxidation of tributyl phosphate by either nitric acid or actinide nitrates is slow at temperatures expected in the heated vessels. Less than four percent of the tributyl phosphate will be oxidized in these vented vessels at temperatures between 125 degrees C and 250 degrees C because the oxidant will be lost from the vessels by vaporization or decomposition before the tributyl phosphate can be extensively oxidized. The net amounts of heat generated by oxidation with concentrated nitric acid and with thorium nitrate (a stand-in for plutonium nitrate) were determined to be about -150 and -220 joules per gram of tributyl phosphate initially present, respectively. This is not enough heat to cause violent reactions in the vessels. Pyrolysis of the tributyl phosphate occurred in these mixtures at temperatures of 110 degrees C to 270 degrees C and produced mainly 1-butene gas, water, and pyrophosphoric acid. Butene gas generation is slow at expected process vessel temperatures, but the rate is faster at higher temperatures. At 252 degrees C the rate of butene gas generated was 0.33 g butene/min/g of tributyl phosphate present. The measured heat absorbed by the pyrolysis reaction was 228 J/g of tributyl phosphate initially present (or 14.5 kcal/mole of tributyl phosphate). Release of flammable butene gas into process areas where it could ignite appears to be the most serious safety consideration for the Plutonium Finishing Plant

  19. The chemistry of tributyl phosphate at elevated temperatures in the Plutonium Finishing Plant Process Vessels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barney, G.S.; Cooper, T.D.

    1994-06-01

    Potentially violent chemical reactions of the tributyl phosphate solvent used by the Plutonium Finishing Plant at the Hanford Site were investigated. There is a small probability that a significant quantity of this solvent could be accidental transferred to heated process vessels and react there with nitric acid or plutonium nitrate also present in the solvent extraction process. The results of laboratory studies of the reactions show that exothermic oxidation of tributyl phosphate by either nitric acid or actinide nitrates is slow at temperatures expected in the heated vessels. Less than four percent of the tributyl phosphate will be oxidized in these vented vessels at temperatures between 125{degrees}C and 250{degrees}C because the oxidant will be lost from the vessels by vaporization or decomposition before the tributyl phosphate can be extensively oxidized. The net amounts of heat generated by oxidation with concentrated nitric acid and with thorium nitrate (a stand-in for plutonium nitrate) were determined to be about -150 and -220 joules per gram of tributyl phosphate initially present, respectively. This is not enough heat to cause violent reactions in the vessels. Pyrolysis of the tributyl phosphate occurred in these mixtures at temperatures of 110{degrees}C to 270{degrees}C and produced mainly 1-butene gas, water, and pyrophosphoric acid. Butene gas generation is slow at expected process vessel temperatures, but the rate is faster at higher temperatures. At 252{degrees}C the rate of butene gas generated was 0.33 g butene/min/g of tributyl phosphate present. The measured heat absorbed by the pyrolysis reaction was 228 J/g of tributyl phosphate initially present (or 14.5 kcal/mole of tributyl phosphate). Release of flammable butene gas into process areas where it could ignite appears to be the most serious safety consideration for the Plutonium Finishing Plant.

  20. Pathways of organic carbon oxidation in three continental margin sediments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Canfield, Donald Eugene; Jørgensen, Bo Barker; Fossing, Henrik

    1993-01-01

    We have combined several different methodologies to quantify rates of organic carbon mineralization by the various electron acceptors in sediments from the coast of Denmark and Norway. Rates of NH4+ and Sigma CO2 liberation sediment incubations were used with O2 penetration depths to conclude...... that O2 respiration accounted for only between 3.6-17.4% of the total organic carbon oxidation. Dentrification was limited to a narrow zone just below the depth of O2 penetration, and was not a major carbon oxidation pathway. The processes of Fe reduction, Mn reduction and sulfate reduction dominated...... organic carbon mineralization, but their relative significance varied depending on the sediment. Where high concentrations of Mn-oxide were found (3-4 wt% Mn), only Mn reduction occurred. With lower Mn oxide concentrations more typical of coastal sediments, Fe reduction and sulfate reduction were most...

  1. Titrimetric determination of uranium in tributyl phosphate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sobkowska, A.

    1978-01-01

    The titrimetric method involving the reduction of U(VI) to uranium(IV) by iron(II) in phosphoric acid, selective oxidation of the excess of iron(II) and potentiometric titration with dichromate was directly used for the determination of uranium in tributyl phosphate mixtures. The procedure was applied to solutions containing more than 2 mg of uranium in the sample but the highest precision and accuracy were obtained in the range from 20 to 200 mg of uranium. Dibutyl phosphate and monobutyl phosphate as well as the other radiolysis products of TBP had no influence on the results of determinations. (author)

  2. The source of phosphate in the oxidation zone of ore deposits: Evidence from oxygen isotope compositions of pyromorphite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burmann, Fabian; Keim, Maximilian F.; Oelmann, Yvonne; Teiber, Holger; Marks, Michael A. W.; Markl, Gregor

    2013-12-01

    Pyromorphite (Pb5[PO4]3Cl) is an abundant mineral in oxidized zones of lead-bearing ore deposits and due to its very low solubility product effectively binds Pb during supergene alteration of galena (PbS). The capacity of a soil or near-surface fluid to immobilize dissolved Pb depends critically on the availability of phosphate in this soil or fluid. Potential phosphorus sources in soil include (i) release during biological processes, i.e. leaching from litter/lysis of microbial cells (after intracellular enzyme activity) in soil and hydrolysis from soil organic matter by extracellular enzymes and (ii) inorganic phosphate from the dissolution of apatite in the adjacent basement rocks. Intracellular enzyme activity in plants/microorganisms associated with kinetic fractionation produces an oxygen isotope composition distinctly different from inorganic processes in soil. This study presents the first oxygen isotope data for phosphate (δ18OP) in pyromorphite and a comprehensive data set for apatite from crystalline rocks. We investigated 38 pyromorphites from 26 localities in the Schwarzwald (Southwest Germany) and five samples from localities outside the Schwarzwald in addition to 12 apatite separates from gneissic and granitic host rocks. Pyromorphites had δ18OP values between +10‰ and +19‰, comparable to literature data on δ18OP in the readily available P fraction in soil (resin-extractable P) from which minerals potentially precipitate in soils. δ18OP values below the range of equilibrium isotope fractionation can be attributed either to apatites that formed geochemically (δ18OP of apatites:+6‰ to +9‰) or less likely to biological processes (extracellular enzyme activity). However, for most of our samples isotopic equilibrium with ambient water was indicated, which suggests biological activity. Therefore, we conclude that the majority of pyromorphites in oxidized zones of ore bodies formed from biologically cycled phosphate. This study highlights that

  3. A preliminary X-ray study of transketolase from Burkholderia pseudomallei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Mi-Sun; Lim, Areum; Yang, Seung Won; Lee, Daeun; Park, Jimin; Shin, Dong Hae

    2012-01-01

    The transketolase TktA from B. pseudomallei has been cloned, expressed, purified and crystallized. Synchrotron X-ray data were collected to 2.0 Å resolution. TktA is the most critical enzyme in the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway. It catalyzes the conversion of xylulose 5-phosphate and ribose 5-phosphate into sedoheptulose 7-phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, and its products are used in the biosynthesis of acetyl-CoA, aromatic amino acids, nucleic acids and ADP-l-glycero-β-d-manno-heptose. TktA also has an unexpected role in chromosome structure that is independent of its metabolic responsibilities. Therefore, it is a new potent antibiotic target. In this study, TktA from Burkholderia pseudomallei has been cloned, expressed, purified and crystallized. Synchrotron X-ray data were also collected to 2.0 Å resolution. The crystal belonged to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 146.2, b = 74.6, c = 61.6 Å, β = 113.0°. A full structural determination is under way in order to provide insight into the structure–function relationship of this protein

  4. Quantitative proteomics links metabolic pathways to specific developmental stages of the plant-pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora capsici.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pang, Zhili; Srivastava, Vaibhav; Liu, Xili; Bulone, Vincent

    2017-04-01

    The oomycete Phytophthora capsici is a plant pathogen responsible for important losses to vegetable production worldwide. Its asexual reproduction plays an important role in the rapid propagation and spread of the disease in the field. A global proteomics study was conducted to compare two key asexual life stages of P. capsici, i.e. the mycelium and cysts, to identify stage-specific biochemical processes. A total of 1200 proteins was identified using qualitative and quantitative proteomics. The transcript abundance of some of the enriched proteins was also analysed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Seventy-three proteins exhibited different levels of abundance between the mycelium and cysts. The proteins enriched in the mycelium are mainly associated with glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (or citric acid) cycle and the pentose phosphate pathway, providing the energy required for the biosynthesis of cellular building blocks and hyphal growth. In contrast, the proteins that are predominant in cysts are essentially involved in fatty acid degradation, suggesting that the early infection stage of the pathogen relies primarily on fatty acid degradation for energy production. The data provide a better understanding of P. capsici biology and suggest potential metabolic targets at the two different developmental stages for disease control. © 2016 BSPP AND JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.

  5. Embryotoxicity Caused by DON-Induced Oxidative Stress Mediated by Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miao Yu

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Deoxynivalenol (DON belongs to the type B group of trichothecenes family, which is composed of sesquiterpenoid metabolites produced by Fusarium and other fungi in grain. DON may cause various toxicities, such as cytotoxicity, immunotoxicity, genotoxicity as well as teratogenicity and carcinogenicity. In the present study, we focus on a hypothesis that DON alters the expressions of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway by inducing embryotoxicity in C57BL/6 mouse (5.0, 2.5, 1.0, and 0 mg/kg/day and BeWo cell lines (0 and 50 nM; 3 h, 12 h and 24 h. Our results indicate that DON treatment in mice during pregnancy leads to ROS accumulation in the placenta, which results in embryotoxicity. At the same time Nrf2/HO-1 pathway is up-regulated by ROS to protect placenta cells from oxidative damage. In DON-treated BeWo cells, the level of ROS has time–effect and dose–effect relationships with HO-1 expression. Moderate increase in HO-1 protects the cell from oxidative damage, while excessive increase in HO-1 aggravates the oxidative damage, which is called in some studies the “threshold effect”. Therefore, oxidative stress may be the critical molecular mechanism for DON-induced embryotoxicity. Besides, Nrf2/HO-1 pathway accompanied by the “threshold effect” also plays an important role against DON-induced oxidative damage in this process.

  6. Co-precipitation of phosphate and iron limits mitochondrial phosphate availability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking the yeast frataxin homologue (YFH1).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seguin, Alexandra; Santos, Renata; Pain, Debkumar; Dancis, Andrew; Camadro, Jean-Michel; Lesuisse, Emmanuel

    2011-02-25

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells lacking the yeast frataxin homologue (Δyfh1) accumulate iron in the mitochondria in the form of nanoparticles of ferric phosphate. The phosphate content of Δyfh1 mitochondria was higher than that of wild-type mitochondria, but the proportion of mitochondrial phosphate that was soluble was much lower in Δyfh1 cells. The rates of phosphate and iron uptake in vitro by isolated mitochondria were higher for Δyfh1 than wild-type mitochondria, and a significant proportion of the phosphate and iron rapidly became insoluble in the mitochondrial matrix, suggesting co-precipitation of these species after oxidation of iron by oxygen. Increasing the amount of phosphate in the medium decreased the amount of iron accumulated by Δyfh1 cells and improved their growth in an iron-dependent manner, and this effect was mostly transcriptional. Overexpressing the major mitochondrial phosphate carrier, MIR1, slightly increased the concentration of soluble mitochondrial phosphate and significantly improved various mitochondrial functions (cytochromes, [Fe-S] clusters, and respiration) in Δyfh1 cells. We conclude that in Δyfh1 cells, soluble phosphate is limiting, due to its co-precipitation with iron.

  7. Pretreatment of Raw Biochar and Phosphate Removal Performance of Modified Granular Iron/Biochar

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jing Ren; Nan Li; Lin Zhao; Lei Li

    2017-01-01

    Biochar is a potential carrier for nutrients due to its porous nature and abundant functional groups. However, raw biochar has a limited or even negative capacity to adsorb phosphate. To enhance phosphate removal and reduce phos-phate releases, acidic, alkaline, and surfactant pretreatments, followed by granulation and ferric oxide loading, were applied to raw biochar powder (Bp). The alkaline pretreatment proved to be the most effective method and exhibited significant pore expansion and surface oxidation. Bg-OH-FO showed the highest phosphate removal efficiency at 99.2%(initial phos-phate concentration of 20 mg/L) after granulation and ferric oxide loading. Static adsorption results indicated that a pH value of 4 was the most suitable for phosphate adsorption because of the surface properties of Bg-OH-FO and the dis-tribution of P (V) in water. Higher temperatures and a larger initial phosphate concentration led to better adsorption;the adsorption capacity of Bg-OH-FO was 1.91 mg/g at 313 K with an initial phosphate concentration of 50 mg/L. The Bg-OH-FO adsorption process was endothermic in nature. The Freundlich model seemed to be the optimum isotherm model for Bg-OH-FO. Under continuous adsorption, the flow rate and bed depth were changed to optimize the operation con-ditions. The results indicate that a slow flow rate and high bed depth helped increase the removal efficiency (η) of the fixed bed. The breakthrough curves fitted well with the Yoon–Nelson model.

  8. Red blood cell aging markers during storage in citrate-phosphate-dextrose-saline-adenine-glucose-mannitol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antonelou, Marianna H; Kriebardis, Anastasios G; Stamoulis, Konstantinos E; Economou-Petersen, Effrosini; Margaritis, Lukas H; Papassideri, Issidora S

    2010-02-01

    It has been suggested that red blood cell (RBC) senescence is accelerated under blood bank conditions, although neither protein profile of RBC aging nor the impact of additive solutions on it have been studied in detail. RBCs and vesicles derived from RBCs in both citrate-phosphate-dextrose (CPD)-saline-adenine-glucose-mannitol (SAGM) and citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine (CPDA) were evaluated for the expression of cell senescence markers (vesiculation, protein aggregation, degradation, activation, oxidation, and topology) through immunoblotting technique and immunofluorescence or immunoelectron microscopy study. A group of cellular stress proteins exhibited storage time- and storage medium-related changes in their membrane association and exocytosis. The extent, the rate, and the expression of protein oxidation, Fas oligomerization, caspase activation, and protein modifications in Band 3, hemoglobin, and immunoglobulin G were less conspicuous and/or exhibited significant time retardation under storage in CPD-SAGM, compared to the CPDA storage. There was evidence for the localization of activated caspases near to the membrane of both cells and vesicles. We provide circumstantial evidence for a lower protein oxidative damage in CPD-SAGM-stored RBCs compared to the CPDA-stored cells. The different expression patterns of the senescence markers in the RBCs seem to be accordingly related to the oxidative stress management of the cells. We suggest that the storage of RBCs in CPD-SAGM might be more alike the in vivo RBC aging process, compared to storage in CPDA, since it is characterized by a slower stimulation of the recognition signaling pathways that are already known to trigger the erythrophagocytosis of senescent RBCs.

  9. Phosphate adsorption using modified iron oxide-based sorbents

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Phosphate Removal. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Lalley , J., C. Han , G. RamMohan , T. Speth , J. Garland , M. Nadagouda , and D....

  10. Dissolution of synthetic uranium dibutyl phosphate deposits in oxidizing and reducing chemical formulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rufus, A.L.; Sathyaseelan, V.S.; Narasimhan, S.V.; Velmurugan, S.

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: SEM of the U-DBP coated stainless steel coupon before and after exposure to chemical formulation containing acid permanganate at 80 °C. -- Highlights: •Combination of oxidation and reduction processes efficiently dissolves U-DBP deposits. •NP and NAC formulations are compatible with SS-304. •Dissolved uranium and added chemicals are effectively removed via ion exchangers. -- Abstract: Permanganate and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) based dilute chemical formulations were evaluated for the dissolution of uranium dibutyl phosphate (U-DBP), a compound that deposits over the surfaces of nuclear reprocessing plants and waste storage tanks. A combination of an acidic, oxidizing treatment (nitric acid with permanganate) followed by reducing treatment (NTA based formulation) efficiently dissolved the U-DBP deposits. The dissolution isotherm of U-DBP in its as precipitated form followed a logarithmic fit. The same chemical treatment was also effective in dissolving U-DBP coated on the surface of 304-stainless steel, while resulting in minimal corrosion of the stainless steel substrate material. Investigation of uranium recovery from the resulting decontamination solutions by ion exchange with a bed of mixed anion and cation resins showed quantitative removal of uranium

  11. Dissolution of synthetic uranium dibutyl phosphate deposits in oxidizing and reducing chemical formulations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rufus, A.L.; Sathyaseelan, V.S.; Narasimhan, S.V.; Velmurugan, S., E-mail: svelu@igcar.gov.in

    2013-06-15

    Graphical abstract: SEM of the U-DBP coated stainless steel coupon before and after exposure to chemical formulation containing acid permanganate at 80 °C. -- Highlights: •Combination of oxidation and reduction processes efficiently dissolves U-DBP deposits. •NP and NAC formulations are compatible with SS-304. •Dissolved uranium and added chemicals are effectively removed via ion exchangers. -- Abstract: Permanganate and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) based dilute chemical formulations were evaluated for the dissolution of uranium dibutyl phosphate (U-DBP), a compound that deposits over the surfaces of nuclear reprocessing plants and waste storage tanks. A combination of an acidic, oxidizing treatment (nitric acid with permanganate) followed by reducing treatment (NTA based formulation) efficiently dissolved the U-DBP deposits. The dissolution isotherm of U-DBP in its as precipitated form followed a logarithmic fit. The same chemical treatment was also effective in dissolving U-DBP coated on the surface of 304-stainless steel, while resulting in minimal corrosion of the stainless steel substrate material. Investigation of uranium recovery from the resulting decontamination solutions by ion exchange with a bed of mixed anion and cation resins showed quantitative removal of uranium.

  12. Nitric oxide and nitrous oxide turnover in natural and engineered microbial communities: biological pathways, chemical reactions and novel technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frank eSchreiber

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Nitrous oxide (N2O is an environmentally important atmospheric trace gas because it is an effective greenhouse gas and it leads to ozone depletion through photo-chemical nitric oxide (NO production in the stratosphere. Mitigating its steady increase in atmospheric concentration requires an understanding of the mechanisms that lead to its formation in natural and engineered microbial communities. N2O is formed biologically from the oxidation of hydroxylamine (NH2OH or the reduction of nitrite (NO2- to NO and further to N2O. Our review of the biological pathways for N2O production shows that apparently all organisms and pathways known to be involved in the catabolic branch of microbial N-cycle have the potential to catalyze the reduction of NO2- to NO and the further reduction of NO to N2O, while N2O formation from NH2OH is only performed by ammonia oxidizing bacteria. In addition to biological pathways, we review important chemical reactions that can lead to NO and N2O formation due to the reactivity of NO2-, NH2OH and nitroxyl (HNO. Moreover, biological N2O formation is highly dynamic in response to N-imbalance imposed on a system. Thus, understanding NO formation and capturing the dynamics of NO and N2O build-up are key to understand mechanisms of N2O release. Here, we discuss novel technologies that allow experiments on NO and N2O formation at high temporal resolution, namely NO and N2O microelectrodes and the dynamic analysis of the isotopic signature of N2O with quantum cascade laser based absorption spectroscopy. In addition, we introduce other techniques that use the isotopic composition of N2O to distinguish production pathways and findings that were made with emerging molecular techniques in complex environments. Finally, we discuss how a combination of the presented tools might help to address important open questions on pathways and controls of nitrogen flow through complex microbial communities that eventually lead to N2O build-up.

  13. Nitric oxide and nitrous oxide turnover in natural and engineered microbial communities: biological pathways, chemical reactions, and novel technologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schreiber, Frank; Wunderlin, Pascal; Udert, Kai M.; Wells, George F.

    2012-01-01

    Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an environmentally important atmospheric trace gas because it is an effective greenhouse gas and it leads to ozone depletion through photo-chemical nitric oxide (NO) production in the stratosphere. Mitigating its steady increase in atmospheric concentration requires an understanding of the mechanisms that lead to its formation in natural and engineered microbial communities. N2O is formed biologically from the oxidation of hydroxylamine (NH2OH) or the reduction of nitrite (NO−2) to NO and further to N2O. Our review of the biological pathways for N2O production shows that apparently all organisms and pathways known to be involved in the catabolic branch of microbial N-cycle have the potential to catalyze the reduction of NO−2 to NO and the further reduction of NO to N2O, while N2O formation from NH2OH is only performed by ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB). In addition to biological pathways, we review important chemical reactions that can lead to NO and N2O formation due to the reactivity of NO−2, NH2OH, and nitroxyl (HNO). Moreover, biological N2O formation is highly dynamic in response to N-imbalance imposed on a system. Thus, understanding NO formation and capturing the dynamics of NO and N2O build-up are key to understand mechanisms of N2O release. Here, we discuss novel technologies that allow experiments on NO and N2O formation at high temporal resolution, namely NO and N2O microelectrodes and the dynamic analysis of the isotopic signature of N2O with quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS). In addition, we introduce other techniques that use the isotopic composition of N2O to distinguish production pathways and findings that were made with emerging molecular techniques in complex environments. Finally, we discuss how a combination of the presented tools might help to address important open questions on pathways and controls of nitrogen flow through complex microbial communities that eventually lead to N2O build

  14. Investigation of glycerol assimilation and cofactor metabolism in Lactococcus lactis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holm, Anders Koefoed

    of glycerol kinase from L. lactis, introduction of a heterologous glycerol assimilation pathway and construction of a library of NADH oxidase activity. Based on a preliminary analysis of transcription level data, an attempt was made to stimulate glycerol assimilation by overexpressing the glycerol kinase...... already present in L. lactis. The construction and verification of a strain with increased glycerol kinase activity was not fully completed and is still ongoing. Similarly the construction of mutants expressing a heterologous pathway for glycerol dissimilation is also an ongoing task. An artificial...... effects and improve the growth rate, though not completely to the level of the reference strain. The fact that this effect was predominantly observed while utilizing xylose implicates the involvement of the pentose phosphate pathway. A possible mechanism underlying the observed growth characteristics...

  15. Research and engineering assessment of biological solubilization of phosphate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rogers, R.D.; McIlwain, M.E.; Losinski, S.J.; Taylor, D.D.

    1993-03-01

    This research and engineering assessment examined a microbial phosphate solubilization process as a method of recovering phosphate from phosphorus containing ore compared to the existing wet acid and electric arc methods. A total of 860 microbial isolates, collected from a range of natural environments were tested for their ability to solubilize phosphate from rock phosphate. A bacterium (Pseudomonas cepacia) was selected for extensive characterization and evaluation of the mechanism of phosphate solubilization and of process engineering parameters necessary to recover phosphate from rock phosphate. These studies found that concentration of hydrogen ion and production of organic acids arising from oxidation of the carbon source facilitated microbial solubilization of both pure chemical insoluble phosphate compounds and phosphate rock. Genetic studies found that phosphate solubilization was linked to an enzyme system (glucose dehydrogenase). Process-related studies found that a critical solids density of 1% by weight (ore to liquid) was necessary for optimal solubilization. An engineering analysis evaluated the cost and energy requirements for a 2 million ton per year sized plant, whose size was selected to be comparable to existing wet acid plants.

  16. Iron-phosphate-based chemically bonded phosphate ceramics for mixed waste stabilization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagh, A.S.; Jeong, S.Y.; Singh, D.

    1997-01-01

    In an effort to develop chemically bonded phosphate ceramics for mixed waste stabilization, a collaborative project to develop iron-phosphate based ceramics has been initiated between Argonne National Laboratory and the V. G. Khlopin Radium Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. The starter powders are oxides of iron that are generated as inexpensive byproduct materials in the iron and steel industry. They contain iron oxides as a mixture of magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) and haematite (Fe 2 O 3 ). In this initial phase of this project, both of these compounds were investigated independently. Each was reacted with phosphoric acid solution to form iron phosphate ceramics. In the case of magnetite, the reaction was rapid. Adding ash as the waste component containing hazardous contaminants resulted in a dense and hard ceramic rich in glassy phase. On the other hand, the reaction of phosphoric acid solution with a mixture of haematite and ash waste contaminated with cesium and americium was too slow. Samples had to be molded under pressure. They were cured for 2-3 weeks and then hardened by heating at 350 degrees C for 3 h. The resulting ceramics in both cases were subjected to physical tests for measurement of density, open porosity, compression strength, phase analyses using X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis, and leaching tests using toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and ANS 16.1 with 7 days of leaching. Using the preliminary information obtained from these tests, we evaluated these materials for stabilization of Department of Energy's mixed waste streams

  17. Radiological impacts of uranium recovery in the phosphate industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryan, M.T.

    1981-01-01

    This article characterizes the occupational and public radiological health impacts associated with phosphate mining and milling. These impacts are related to the phosphate industry's uranium production potential and are compared with those associated with conventional uranium mining and milling. The radiological impacts resulting from occupational and nonoccupational exposures are assessed. Occupational exposures in phosphate facilities are compared to background exposures and radiological population dose assessments, which characterize important radionuclides and exposure pathways. The following conclusions were reached: (1) public consequences of phosphate mining will occur whether or not uranium is recovered as a by-product, (2) radiological consequences of phosphate mining may be comparable to those associated with uranium mining and milling per unit uranium production, (3) radiological impacts via surface waterways and crops fertilized with uranium-bearing phosphates are of minor consequence, and (4) major radiological public health problems associated with phosphate mining are related to radon and radon progeny exposures in structures built on reclaimed lands or with phosphate mining residues, although the magnitudes of these impacts are difficult to evaluate with current data

  18. Phosphate application to firing range soils for Pb immobilization: The unclear role of phosphate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chrysochoou, Maria; Dermatas, Dimitris; Grubb, Dennis G.

    2007-01-01

    Phosphate treatment has emerged as a widely accepted approach to immobilize Pb in contaminated soils and waste media, relying on the formation of the highly insoluble mineral pyromorphite as solubility-controlling phase for Pb. As such, phosphate treatment has been proposed as a Best Management Practice (BMP) for firing ranges where Pb occurs in its metallic forms and several other phases (carbonates, oxides). While pyromorphite thermodynamically has the potential to control Pb solubility at low levels, its formation is kinetically controlled by pH, the solubility of the phosphate source, and the solubility of Pb species. Treatability studies have shown that excess quantities of soluble and acidic phosphate sources, such as phosphoric acid, are necessary for successful in situ treatment. Even under these conditions, Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS), the only reliable method to identify and quantify Pb speciation, showed that Pb conversion to pyromorphite in in situ treated soils was less than 45% after 32 months. Furthermore, the use of lime (CaO) to restore soil pH in acidified soil treatments inhibited further conversion. Additionally, phosphate treatment is known to reduce bioavailability through pyromorphite formation in the intestinal tract, and the phytoaccumulation of Pb; both desirable effects for Pb-impacted areas. Given the costs of phosphate treatment, the use of biogenic phosphate sources, such as bone meal, may be a more environmentally sustainable approach toward this end. In the many studies focusing on phosphate treatment, the attendant P leaching and eutrophication have been largely overlooked, along with other issues such as the enhanced leaching of oxyanionic contaminants, such as Se, As and W. The success and sustainability of applying phosphate as a BMP in firing range soils therefore remain questionable

  19. An Alternative Reaction Pathway for Iridium Catalyzed Water Oxidation Driven by CAN

    KAUST Repository

    Bucci, Alberto; Menendez Rodriguez, Gabriel; Bellachioma, Gianfranco; Zuccaccia, Cristiano; Poater, Albert; Cavallo, Luigi; Macchioni, Alceo

    2016-01-01

    The generation of solar fuels by means of a photosynthetic apparatus strongly relies on the development of an efficient water oxidation catalyst (WOC). Cerium ammonium nitrate (CAN) is the most commonly used sacrificial oxidant to explore the potentiality of WOCs. It is usually assumed that CAN has the unique role to oxidatively energize WOCs, making them capable to offer a low energy reaction pathway to transform H2O to O2. Herein we show that CAN might have a much more relevant and direct role in WO, mainly related to the capture and liberation of O–O containing molecular moieties.

  20. An Alternative Reaction Pathway for Iridium Catalyzed Water Oxidation Driven by CAN

    KAUST Repository

    Bucci, Alberto

    2016-06-10

    The generation of solar fuels by means of a photosynthetic apparatus strongly relies on the development of an efficient water oxidation catalyst (WOC). Cerium ammonium nitrate (CAN) is the most commonly used sacrificial oxidant to explore the potentiality of WOCs. It is usually assumed that CAN has the unique role to oxidatively energize WOCs, making them capable to offer a low energy reaction pathway to transform H2O to O2. Herein we show that CAN might have a much more relevant and direct role in WO, mainly related to the capture and liberation of O–O containing molecular moieties.

  1. Glucose 6 phosphatase dehydrogenase (G6PD and neurodegenerative disorders: Mapping diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manju Tiwari

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD is a key and rate limiting enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP. The physiological significance of enzyme is providing reduced energy to specific cells like erythrocyte by maintaining co-enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH. There are preponderance research findings that demonstrate the enzyme (G6PD role in the energy balance, and it is associated with blood-related diseases and disorders, primarily the anemia resulted from G6PD deficiency. The X-linked genetic deficiency of G6PD and associated non-immune hemolytic anemia have been studied widely across the globe. Recent advancement in biology, more precisely neuroscience has revealed that G6PD is centrally involved in many neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. The neuroprotective role of the enzyme (G6PD has also been established, as well as the potential of G6PD in oxidative damage and the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS produced in cerebral ischemia. Though G6PD deficiency remains a global health issue, however, a paradigm shift in research focusing the potential of the enzyme in neurological and neurodegenerative disorders will surely open a new avenue in diagnostics and enzyme therapeutics. Here, in this study, more emphasis was made on exploring the role of G6PD in neurological and inflammatory disorders as well as non-immune hemolytic anemia, thus providing diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities.

  2. Rewiring the Glucose Transportation and Central Metabolic Pathways for Overproduction of N-Acetylglucosamine in Bacillus subtilis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Yang; Deng, Jieying; Liu, Yanfeng; Li, Jianghua; Shin, Hyun-Dong; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian; Liu, Long

    2017-10-01

    N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is an important amino sugar extensively used in the healthcare field. In a previous study, the recombinant Bacillus subtilis strain BSGN6-P xylA -glmS-pP43NMK-GNA1 (BN0-GNA1) had been constructed for microbial production of GlcNAc by pathway design and modular optimization. Here, the production of GlcNAc is further improved by rewiring both the glucose transportation and central metabolic pathways. First, the phosphotransferase system (PTS) is blocked by deletion of three genes, yyzE (encoding the PTS system transporter subunit IIA YyzE), ypqE (encoding the PTS system transporter subunit IIA YpqE), and ptsG (encoding the PTS system glucose-specific EIICBA component), resulting in 47.6% increase in the GlcNAc titer (from 6.5 ± 0.25 to 9.6 ± 0.16 g L -1 ) in shake flasks. Then, reinforcement of the expression of the glcP and glcK genes and optimization of glucose facilitator proteins are performed to promote glucose import and phosphorylation. Next, the competitive pathways for GlcNAc synthesis, namely glycolysis, peptidoglycan synthesis pathway, pentose phosphate pathway, and tricarboxylic acid cycle, are repressed by initiation codon-optimization strategies, and the GlcNAc titer in shake flasks is improved from 10.8 ± 0.25 to 13.2 ± 0.31 g L -1 . Finally, the GlcNAc titer is further increased to 42.1 ± 1.1 g L -1 in a 3-L fed-batch bioreactor, which is 1.72-fold that of the original strain, BN0-GNA1. This study shows considerably enhanced GlcNAc production, and the metabolic engineering strategy described here will be useful for engineering other prokaryotic microorganisms for the production of GlcNAc and related molecules. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Structure of short-range-ordered iron(III)-precipitates formed by iron(II) oxidation in water containing phosphate, silicate, and calcium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voegelin, A.; Frommer, J.; Vantelon, D.; Kaegi, R.; Hug, S. J.

    2009-04-01

    The oxidation of Fe(II) in water leads to the formation of Fe(III)-precipitates that strongly affect the fate of nutrients and contaminants in natural and engineered systems. Examples include the cycling of As in rice fields irrigated with As-rich groundwater or the treatment of drinking water for As removal. Knowledge of the types of Fe(III)-precipitates forming in such systems is essential for the quantitative modeling of nutrient and contaminant dynamics and for the optimization of water purification techniques on the basis of a mechanistic understanding of the relevant biogeochemical processes. In this study, we investigated the local coordination of Fe, P, and Ca in Fe(III)-precipitates formed by aeration of synthetic Fe(II)-containing groundwater with variable composition (pH 7, 2-30 mg/L Fe(II), 2-20 mg/L phosphate-P, 2-20 mg/L silicate-Si, 8 mM Na-bicarbonate or 2.5 mM Ca-&1.5 mM Mg-bicarbonate). After 4 hours of oxidation, Fe(III)-precipitates were collected on 0.2 µm nylon filters and dried. The precipitates were analyzed by Fe K-edge EXAFS (XAS beamline, ANKA, Germany) and by P and Ca K-edge XANES spectroscopy (LUCIA beamline, SLS, Switzerland). The Fe K-edge EXAFS spectra indicated that local Fe coordination in the precipitates systematically shifted with water composition. As long as water contained P, mainly short-range-ordered Fe(III)-phosphate formed (with molar P/Fe ~0.5). In the absence of P, Fe(III) precipitated as hydrous ferric oxide at high Si/Fe>0.5, as ferrihydrite at intermediate Si/Fe, and mainly as lepidocrocite at Si/Fe<0.2. Analysis of the EXAFS by shell-fitting indicated that Fe(III)-phosphates mainly contained mono- or oligomeric (edge- or corner-sharing) Fe and that the linkage between neighboring Fe(III)-octahedra changed from predominantly edge-sharing in Si-rich hydrous ferric oxide to edge- and corner-sharing in ferrihydrite. Electron microscopic data showed that changes in local precipitate structure were systematically

  4. Oxidative and Non-Oxidative Metabolomics of Ethanol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dinis-Oliveira, Ricardo Jorge

    2016-01-01

    It is well known that ethanol can cause significant morbidity and mortality, and much of the related toxic effects can be explained by its metabolic profile. This work performs a complete review of the metabolism of ethanol focusing on both major and minor metabolites. An exhaustive literature search was carried out using textual and structural queries for ethanol and related known metabolizing enzymes and metabolites. The main pathway of metabolism is catalyzed by cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenase, which exhibits multiple isoenzymes and genetic polymorphisms with clinical and forensic implications. Another two oxidative routes, the highly inducible CYP2E1 system and peroxisomal catalase may acquire relevance under specific circumstances. In addition to oxidative metabolism, ethanol also originates minor metabolites such as ethyl glucuronide, ethyl sulfate, ethyl phosphate, ethyl nitrite, phosphatidylethanol and fatty acid ethyl esters. These metabolites represent alternative biomarkers since they can be detected several hours or days after ethanol exposure. It is expected that knowing the metabolomics of ethanol may provide additional insights to better understand the toxicological effects and the variability of dose response.

  5. α-Syntrophin is involved in the survival signaling pathway in myoblasts under menadione-induced oxidative stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Jeong-A; Choi, Su Jin; Moon, Jae Yun; Kim, Hye Sun

    2016-05-15

    Dystrophin-deficient muscle is known to be more vulnerable to oxidative stress, but not much is known about the signaling pathway(s) responsible for this phenomenon. α-Syntrophin, a component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex, can function as a scaffold protein because of its multiple protein interaction domains. In this study, we investigated the role of α-syntrophin in C2 myoblasts under menadione-induced oxidative stress. We found that the protein level of α-syntrophin was elevated when cells were exposed to menadione. To investigate the function of α-syntrophin during oxidative stress, we established α-syntrophin-overexpressing and knockdown cell lines. The α-syntrophin-overexpressing cells were resistant to the menadione-induced oxidative stress. In addition, survival signalings such as protein kinase B (Akt) phosphorylation and the Bcl-2/BAX ratio were increased in these cells. On the other hand, apoptotic signals such as cleavage of caspase-3 and poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) were increased in the α-syntrophin knockdown cells. Furthermore, Ca(2+)influx, which is known to increase when cells are exposed to oxidative stress, decreased in the α-syntrophin-overexpressing cells, but increased in the knockdown cells. These results suggest that α-syntrophin plays a pivotal role in the survival pathway triggered by menadione-induced oxidative stress in cultured myoblasts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Zeolite and zeotype-catalysed transformations of biofuranic compounds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Hu; Yang, Song; Riisager, Anders

    2016-01-01

    ,5-furandicarboxylic acid can be obtained from hexoses and pentoses via selective dehydration and subsequent etherification, hydrogenation, oxidation reactions, which show great potential for industrial applications to replace petroleum-based chemicals and fuels. Zeolite and zeotype micro- and mesoporous materials...... with tuneable acidity, good thermal stability and shape-selectivity have recently emerged as promising solid catalysts, exhibiting superior catalytic performance to other heterogeneous catalysts. This review focuses on the synthesis of biomass-derived furanic compounds catalysed by zeolitic materials, firstly...... introducing zeolite-catalysed hydrolysis of di-, oligo- and polysaccharides and isomerization reactions of monomeric sugars. Subsequently, the catalytic dehydration reactions of hexoses and pentoses to obtain HMF and furfural are reported. Particularly, a variety of reaction pathways towards upgrading...

  7. Can activated sludge treatments and advanced oxidation processes remove organophosphorus flame retardants?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cristale, Joyce [Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-2, 08034 Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain); Ramos, Dayana D. [Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, 1555, CP 549, CEP 79074-460 Campo Grande, MS (Brazil); Dantas, Renato F. [Department of Chemical Engineering, University de Barcelona, Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain); School of Technology, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Paschoal Marmo 1888, 13484-332 Limeira, SP (Brazil); Machulek Junior, Amilcar [Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, 1555, CP 549, CEP 79074-460 Campo Grande, MS (Brazil); Lacorte, Silvia [Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-2, 08034 Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain); Sans, Carme; Esplugas, Santiago [Department of Chemical Engineering, University de Barcelona, Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain)

    2016-01-15

    This study aims to determine the occurrence of 10 OPFRs (including chlorinated, nonchlorinated alkyl and aryl compounds) in influent, effluent wastewaters and partitioning into sludge of 5 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in Catalonia (Spain). All target OPFRs were detected in the WWTPs influents, and the total concentration ranged from 3.67 µg L{sup −1} to 150 µg L{sup −1}. During activated sludge treatment, most OPFRs were accumulated in the sludge at concentrations from 35.3 to 9980 ng g{sup −1} dw. Chlorinated compounds tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) and tris(2,3-dichloropropyl) phosphate (TDCPP) were not removed by the conventional activated sludge treatment and they were released by the effluents at approximately the same inlet concentration. On the contrary, aryl compounds tris(methylphenyl) phosphate (TMPP) and 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDP) together with alkyl tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) were not detected in any of the effluents. Advanced oxidation processes (UV/H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and O{sub 3}) were applied to investigate the degradability of recalcitrant OPFRs in WWTP effluents. Those detected in the effluent sample (TCEP, TCIPP, TDCPP, tributyl phosphate (TNBP), tri-iso-butyl phosphate (TIBP) and tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP)) had very low direct UV-C photolysis rates. TBOEP, TNBP and TIBP were degraded by UV/H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and O{sub 3}. Chlorinated compounds TCEP, TDCPP and TCIPP were the most recalcitrant OPFR to the advanced oxidation processes applied. The study provides information on the partitioning and degradability pathways of OPFR within conventional activated sludge WWTPs. - Highlights: • OPFRs were detected in wastewater and sludge of all studied WWTPs. • Alkyl and chloroalkyl phosphates were present in secondary treatment effluents. • TBOEP, TNBP and TIBP were degraded by UV/H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and O{sub 3} treatment. • TCEP, TCIPP and TDCPP were

  8. Identification of key nitrous oxide production pathways in aerobic partial nitrifying granules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishii, Satoshi; Song, Yanjun; Rathnayake, Lashitha; Tumendelger, Azzaya; Satoh, Hisashi; Toyoda, Sakae; Yoshida, Naohiro; Okabe, Satoshi

    2014-10-01

    The identification of the key nitrous oxide (N2O) production pathways is important to establish a strategy to mitigate N2O emission. In this study, we combined real-time gas-monitoring analysis, (15)N stable isotope analysis, denitrification functional gene transcriptome analysis and microscale N2O concentration measurements to identify the main N2O producers in a partial nitrification (PN) aerobic granule reactor, which was fed with ammonium and acetate. Our results suggest that heterotrophic denitrification was the main contributor to N2O production in our PN aerobic granule reactor. The heterotrophic denitrifiers were probably related to Rhodocyclales bacteria, although different types of bacteria were active in the initial and latter stages of the PN reaction cycles, most likely in response to the presence of acetate. Hydroxylamine oxidation and nitrifier denitrification occurred, but their contribution to N2O emission was relatively small (20-30%) compared with heterotrophic denitrification. Our approach can be useful to quantitatively examine the relative contributions of the three pathways (hydroxylamine oxidation, nitrifier denitrification and heterotrophic denitrification) to N2O emission in mixed microbial populations. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Effects of Metal Ions, Temperature, and a Denaturant on the Oxidative Folding Pathways of Bovine α-Lactalbumin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reina Shinozaki

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Bovine α-lactalbumin (αLA has four disulfide (SS bonds in the native form (N. On the oxidative folding pathways of this protein, two specific SS folding intermediates, i.e., (61–77, 73–91 and des[6–120], which have two and three native SS bonds, respectively, accumulate predominantly in the presence of Ca2+. In this study, we reinvestigated the pathways using a water-soluble cyclic selenoxide reagent, trans-3,4-dihydroxyselenolane oxide (DHSox, as a strong and quantitative oxidant to oxidize the fully reduced form (R. In the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA (under a metal-free condition, SS formation randomly proceeded, and N did not regenerate. On the other hand, two specific SS intermediates transiently generated in the presence of Ca2+. These intermediates could be assigned to (61–77, 73–91 and des[6–120] having two common SS bonds, i.e., Cys61-Cys77 and Cys73-Cys91, near the calcium binding pocket of the β-sheet domain. Much faster folding to N was observed in the presence of Mn2+, whereas Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Zn2+ did not affect the pathways. The two key intermediates were susceptible to temperature and a denaturant. The oxidative folding pathways revealed were significantly different from those of hen egg white lysozyme, which has the same SS-bonding pattern as αLA, suggesting that the folding pathways of SS-containing proteins can alter depending on the amino acid sequence and other factors, even when the SS-bond topologies are similar to each other.

  10. Synergetic effect of alkaline earth metal oxides and iron oxides on the degradation of hexachlorobenzene and its degradation pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Guijin; Liu, Yexuan; Huang, Linyan; Shi, Yali; Zhang, Aiqian; Zhang, Lixia; Liu, Wenbin; Gao, Lirong; Zheng, Minghui

    2013-01-01

    The degradation of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) was carried out over physical mixtures of a series of alkaline earth metal oxides (MO: M=Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) and iron oxides with different crystal types (Fe(x)O(y):Fe(2)O(3) or Fe(3)O(4)) at 300°C. These physical mixtures all showed a synergetic effect toward the degradation of HCB. A range of degradation products were identified by various methods, including tri- to penta-chlorobenzenes by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS), tri- to penta-chlorophenols, tetrachlorocatechol (TCC) and tetrachlorohydroquinone (TCHQ) by GC-MS after derivatization, and formic and acetic acids by ion chromatography. Two degradation pathways, hydrodechlorination and oxidative degradation, appear to occur competitively. However, more sequential chlorinated benzene and phenol congeners were formed over mixed MO/Fe(3)O(4) than over mixed MO/Fe(2)O(3) under the same conditions. The oxidative reaction dominated over mixed MO/Fe(2)O(3) and was promoted as the major reaction by the synergetic effect, while both the oxidative and hydrodechlorination reactions were important over mixed MO/Fe(3)O(4), and both pathways are remarkably promoted by the synergetic effect. The enhanced hydrodechlorination may be attributed to free electrons generated by the transformation of Fe(3)O(4) into Fe(2)O(3), and hydrogen provided by water adsorbed on the MO. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Metabolome analysis-based design and engineering of a metabolic pathway in Corynebacterium glutamicum to match rates of simultaneous utilization of D-glucose and L-arabinose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawaguchi, Hideo; Yoshihara, Kumiko; Hara, Kiyotaka Y; Hasunuma, Tomohisa; Ogino, Chiaki; Kondo, Akihiko

    2018-05-17

    L-Arabinose is the second most abundant component of hemicellulose in lignocellulosic biomass, next to D-xylose. However, few microorganisms are capable of utilizing pentoses, and catabolic genes and operons enabling bacterial utilization of pentoses are typically subject to carbon catabolite repression by more-preferred carbon sources, such as D-glucose, leading to a preferential utilization of D-glucose over pentoses. In order to simultaneously utilize both D-glucose and L-arabinose at the same rate, a modified metabolic pathway was rationally designed based on metabolome analysis. Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 31831 utilized D-glucose and L-arabinose simultaneously at a low concentration (3.6 g/L each) but preferentially utilized D-glucose over L-arabinose at a high concentration (15 g/L each), although L-arabinose and D-glucose were consumed at comparable rates in the absence of the second carbon source. Metabolome analysis revealed that phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase were major bottlenecks for D-glucose and L-arabinose metabolism, respectively. Based on the results of metabolome analysis, a metabolic pathway was engineered by overexpressing pyruvate kinase in combination with deletion of araR, which encodes a repressor of L-arabinose uptake and catabolism. The recombinant strain utilized high concentrations of D-glucose and L-arabinose (15 g/L each) at the same consumption rate. During simultaneous utilization of both carbon sources at high concentrations, intracellular levels of phosphoenolpyruvate declined and acetyl-CoA levels increased significantly as compared with the wild-type strain that preferentially utilized D-glucose. These results suggest that overexpression of pyruvate kinase in the araR deletion strain increased the specific consumption rate of L-arabinose and that citrate synthase activity becomes a new bottleneck in the engineered pathway during the simultaneous utilization of D-glucose and L-arabinose. Metabolome analysis

  12. Integrating nitric oxide into salicylic acid and jasmonic acid/ethylene plant defense pathways

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mur, Luis A J; Prats, Elena; Pierre, Sandra

    2013-01-01

    to be tailored to particular biotic stresses. Nitric oxide (NO) has emerged as a major signal influencing resistance mediated by both signalling pathways but no attempt has been made to integrate NO into established SA/JA/ET interactions. NO has been shown to act as an inducer or suppressor of signalling along......Plant defence against pests and pathogens is known to be conferred by either salicylic acid (SA) or jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET) pathways, depending on infection or herbivore-grazing strategy. It is well attested that SA and JA/ET pathways are mutually antagonistic allowing defence responses...

  13. Novel bioassay for the discovery of inhibitors of the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP and terpenoid pathways leading to carotenoid biosynthesis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natália Corniani

    Full Text Available The 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP pathway leads to the synthesis of isopentenyl diphosphate in plastids. It is a major branch point providing precursors for the synthesis of carotenoids, tocopherols, plastoquinone and the phytyl chain of chlorophylls, as well as the hormones abscisic acid and gibberellins. Consequently, disruption of this pathway is harmful to plants. We developed an in vivo bioassay that can measure the carbon flow through the carotenoid pathway. Leaf cuttings are incubated in the presence of a phytoene desaturase inhibitor to induce phytoene accumulation. Any compound reducing the level of phytoene accumulation is likely to interfere with either one of the steps in the MEP pathway or the synthesis of geranylgeranyl diphosphate. This concept was tested with known inhibitors of steps of the MEP pathway. The specificity of this in vivo bioassay was also verified by testing representative herbicides known to target processes outside of the MEP and carotenoid pathways. This assay enables the rapid screen of new inhibitors of enzymes preceding the synthesis of phytoene, though there are some limitations related to the non-specific effect of some inhibitors on this assay.

  14. Zearalenone altered the cytoskeletal structure via ER stress- autophagy- oxidative stress pathway in mouse TM4 Sertoli cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Wanglong; Wang, Bingjie; Si, Mengxue; Zou, Hui; Song, Ruilong; Gu, Jianhong; Yuan, Yan; Liu, Xuezhong; Zhu, Guoqiang; Bai, Jianfa; Bian, Jianchun; Liu, ZongPing

    2018-02-20

    The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of the destruction of cytoskeletal structure by Zearalenone (ZEA) in mouse-derived TM4 cells. In order to investigate the role of autophagy, oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum(ER) stress in the process of destruction of cytoskeletal structure, the effects of ZEA on the cell viability, cytoskeletal structure, autophagy, oxidative stress, ER stress, MAPK and PI3K- AKT- mTOR signaling pathways were studied. The data demonstrated that ZEA damaged the cytoskeletal structure through the induction of autophagy that leads to the alteration of cytoskeletal structure via elevated oxidative stress. Our results further showed that the autophagy was stimulated by ZEA through PI3K-AKT-mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways in TM4 cells. In addition, ZEA also induced the ER stress which was involved in the induction of the autophagy through inhibiting the ERK signal pathway to suppress the phosphorylation of mTOR. ER stress was involved in the damage of cytoskeletal structure through induction of autophagy by producing ROS. Taken together, this study revealed that ZEA altered the cytoskeletal structure via oxidative stress - autophagy- ER stress pathway in mouse TM4 Sertoli cells.

  15. Effects of Qingshen Granules on the Oxidative Stress-NF/kB Signal Pathway in Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction Rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Hua; Wang, Yiping; Wang, Dong; Zhang, Lei

    2018-01-01

    Background . The activation of NF-kappa B (NF/kB) signaling pathway plays an important role in the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) in renal tubules. The process of oxidative stress reaction in kidney is via excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production to activate NF/kB signaling pathway. Qingshen Granule (QSG) is an effective Chinese formula utilized to treat chronic renal failure. Previous studies confirmed that QSG could inhibit RIF in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) rats. In this study, we used UUO rats to investigate the effects of QSG on oxidative stress and the activation of NF/kB signaling. Seventy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a sham group, UUO model group, Qingshen Granules (QSG) high-dose, medium-dose, and low-dose groups, PDTC group, and candesartan group (10 rats in each group). Our study demonstrated that oxidative stress-NF/kB signal pathway contributed to the formation of UUO renal interstitial fibrosis. QSG may protect against RIF by inhibiting the oxidative stress-NF/kB signal pathway, reducing inflammation, and improving renal tubular EMT.

  16. LC–MS Proteomics Analysis of the Insulin/IGF-1-Deficient Caenorhabditis elegans daf-2(e1370) Mutant Reveals Extensive Restructuring of Intermediary Metabolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Depuydt, Geert; Xie, Fang; Petyuk, Vladislav A.; Smolders, Arne; Brewer, Heather M.; Camp, David G.; Smith, Richard D.; Braeckman, Bart P.

    2014-04-04

    The insulin/IGF-1 receptor is a major known determinant of dauer formation, stress resistance, longevity, and metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans. In the past, whole-genome transcript profiling was used extensively to study differential gene expression in response to reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling, including the expression levels of metabolism-associated genes. Taking advantage of the recent developments in quantitative liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC–MS)-based proteomics, we profiled the proteomic changes that occur in response to activation of the DAF-16 transcription factor in the germline-less glp-4(bn2);daf-2(e1370) receptor mutant. Strikingly, the daf-2 profile suggests extensive reorganization of intermediary metabolism, characterized by the upregulation of many core intermediary metabolic pathways. These include glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, glycogenesis, pentose phosphate cycle, citric acid cycle, glyoxylate shunt, fatty acid β-oxidation, one-carbon metabolism, propionate and tyrosine catabolism, and complexes I, II, III, and V of the electron transport chain. Interestingly, we found simultaneous activation of reciprocally regulated metabolic pathways, which is indicative of spatiotemporal coordination of energy metabolism and/or extensive post-translational regulation of these enzymes. Finally, this restructuring of daf-2 metabolism is reminiscent to that of hypometabolic dauers, allowing the efficient and economical utilization of internal nutrient reserves and possibly also shunting metabolites through alternative energy-generating pathways to sustain longevity.

  17. LC-MS Proteomics Analysis of the Insulin/IGF-1 Deficient Caenorhabditis elegans daf-2(e1370) Mutant Reveals Extensive Restructuring of Intermediary Metabolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Depuydt, Geert G.; Xie, Fang; Petyuk, Vladislav A.; Smolders, Arne; Brewer, Heather M.; Camp, David G.; Smith, Richard D.; Braeckman, Bart P.

    2014-02-20

    The insulin/IGF-1 receptor is a major known determinant of dauer formation, stress resistance, longevity and metabolism in C. elegans. In the past, whole-genome transcript profiling was used extensively to study differential gene expression in response to reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling, including expression levels of metabolism-associated genes. Taking advantage of the recent developments in quantitative liquid chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS) based proteomics, we profiled the proteomic changes that occur in response to activation of the DAF-16 transcription factor in the germline-less glp-4(bn2); daf-2(e1370) receptor mutant. Strikingly, the daf-2 profile suggests extensive reorganization of intermediary metabolism, characterized by the up-regulation of many core intermediary metabolic pathways. These include, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, glycogenesis, pentose phosphate cycle, citric acid cycle, glyoxylate shunt, fatty acid β-oxidation, one-carbon metabolism, propionate and tyrosine catabolism, and complex I, II, III and V of the electron transport chain. Interestingly, we found simultaneous activation of reciprocally regulated metabolic pathways, which is indicative for spatio-temporal coordination of energy metabolism and/or extensive post-translational regulation of these enzymes. This restructuring of daf-2 metabolism is reminiscent to that of hypometabolic dauers, allowing the efficient and economical utilization of internal nutrient reserves, possibly also shunting metabolites through alternative energy-generating pathways, in order to sustain longevity.

  18. The Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 Fluxome under Various OxygenConditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tang, Yinjie J.; Hwang, Judy S.; Wemmer, David E.; Keasling, Jay D.

    2006-03-17

    The central metabolic fluxes of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1were examined under carbon-limited (aerobic) and oxygen-limited(micro-aerobic) chemostat conditions using 13C labeled lactate as thesole carbon source. The carbon labeling patterns of key amino acids inbiomass were probed using both GC-MS and 13C-NMR. Based on the genomeannotation, a metabolic pathway model was constructed to quantify thecentral metabolic flux distributions. The model showed that thetricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is the major carbon metabolism route underboth conditions. The Entner-Doudoroff and pentose phosphate pathways weremainly utilized for biomass synthesis (flux below 5 percent of thelactate uptake rate). The anapleurotic reactions (pyruvate to malate andoxaloacetate to phosphoenolpyruvate) and the glyoxylate shunt wereactive. Under carbon-limited conditions, a substantial amount of carbonwas oxidized via the highly reversible serine metabolic pathway. Fluxesthrough the TCA cycle were less whereas acetate production was more underoxygen limitation than under carbon limitation. Although fluxdistributions under aerobic, micro-aerobic, and shake-flask cultureconditions were dramatically different, the relative flux ratios of thecentral metabolic reactions did not vary significantly. Hence, S.oneidensis metabolism appears to be quite robust to environmentalchanges. Our study also demonstrates the merit of coupling GC-MS with 13CNMR for metabolic flux analysis to reduce the use of 13C labeledsubstrates and to obtain more accurate flux values.

  19. LC–MS Proteomics Analysis of the Insulin/IGF-1-Deficient Caenorhabditis elegans daf-2(e1370) Mutant Reveals Extensive Restructuring of Intermediary Metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    The insulin/IGF-1 receptor is a major known determinant of dauer formation, stress resistance, longevity, and metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans. In the past, whole-genome transcript profiling was used extensively to study differential gene expression in response to reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling, including the expression levels of metabolism-associated genes. Taking advantage of the recent developments in quantitative liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC–MS)-based proteomics, we profiled the proteomic changes that occur in response to activation of the DAF-16 transcription factor in the germline-less glp-4(bn2);daf-2(e1370) receptor mutant. Strikingly, the daf-2 profile suggests extensive reorganization of intermediary metabolism, characterized by the upregulation of many core intermediary metabolic pathways. These include glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, glycogenesis, pentose phosphate cycle, citric acid cycle, glyoxylate shunt, fatty acid β-oxidation, one-carbon metabolism, propionate and tyrosine catabolism, and complexes I, II, III, and V of the electron transport chain. Interestingly, we found simultaneous activation of reciprocally regulated metabolic pathways, which is indicative of spatiotemporal coordination of energy metabolism and/or extensive post-translational regulation of these enzymes. This restructuring of daf-2 metabolism is reminiscent to that of hypometabolic dauers, allowing the efficient and economical utilization of internal nutrient reserves and possibly also shunting metabolites through alternative energy-generating pathways to sustain longevity. PMID:24555535

  20. Magnesium-phosphate-glass cements with ceramic-type properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugama, T.; Kukacka, L.E.

    1982-09-23

    Rapid setting magnesium phosphate (Mg glass) cementitious materials consisting of magnesium phosphate cement paste, polyborax and water-saturated aggregate, exhibits rapid setting and high early strength characteristics. The magnesium glass cement is prepared from a cation-leachable powder and a bivalent metallic ion-accepting liquid such as an aqueous solution of diammonium phosphate and ammonium polyphosphate. The cation-leachable powder includes a mixture of two different magnesium oxide powders processed and sized differently which when mixed with the bivalent metallic ion-accepting liquid provides the magnesium glass cement consisting primarily of magnesium ortho phosphate tetrahydrate, with magnesium hydroxide and magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate also present. The polyborax serves as a set-retarder. The resulting magnesium mono- and polyphosphate cements are particularly suitable for use as a cementing matrix in rapid repair systems for deteriorated concrete structures as well as construction materials and surface coatings for fireproof structures.

  1. Magnesium phosphate glass cements with ceramic-type properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugama, Toshifumi; Kukacka, Lawrence E.

    1984-03-13

    Rapid setting magnesium phosphate (Mg glass) cementitious materials consisting of magnesium phosphate cement paste, polyborax and water-saturated aggregate exhibiting rapid setting and high early strength characteristics. The magnesium glass cement is prepared from a cation-leachable powder and a bivalent metallic ion-accepting liquid such as an aqueous solution of diammonium phosphate and ammonium polyphosphate. The cation-leachable powder includes a mixture of two different magnesium oxide powders processed and sized differently which when mixed with the bivalent metallic ion-accepting liquid provides the magnesium glass cement consisting primarily of magnesium ortho phosphate tetrahydrate, with magnesium hydroxide and magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate also present. The polyborax serves as a set-retarder. The resulting magnesium mono- and polyphosphate cements are particularly suitable for use as a cementing matrix in rapid repair systems for deteriorated concrete structures as well as construction materials and surface coatings for fireproof structures.

  2. Comparative proteomic and metabolomic analyses reveal mechanisms of improved cold stress tolerance in bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) by exogenous calcium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Haitao; Ye, Tiantian; Zhong, Bao; Liu, Xun; Chan, Zhulong

    2014-11-01

    As an important second messenger, calcium is involved in plant cold stress response, including chilling (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.). Physiological analyses showed that CaCl2 treatment alleviated the reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst and cell damage triggered by chilling stress, via activating antioxidant enzymes, non-enzymatic glutathione antioxidant pool, while EGTA treatment had the opposite effects. Additionally, comparative proteomic analysis identified 51 differentially expressed proteins that were enriched in redox, tricarboxylicacid cycle, glycolysis, photosynthesis, oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and amino acid metabolisms. Consistently, 42 metabolites including amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and sugar alcohols were regulated by CaCl2 treatment under control and cold stress conditions, further confirming the common modulation of CaCl2 treatment in carbon metabolites and amino acid metabolism. Taken together, this study reported first evidence of the essential and protective roles of endogenous and exogenous calcium in bermudagrass response to cold stress, partially via activation of the antioxidants and modulation of several differentially expressed proteins and metabolic homeostasis in the process of cold acclimation. © 2014 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  3. Structure, kinetic characterization and subcellular localization of the two ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase isoenzymes from Trypanosoma cruzi.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soledad Natalia Gonzalez

    Full Text Available The enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP ribulose-5-phosphate-epimerase (RPE is encoded by two genes present in the genome of Trypanosoma cruzi CL Brener clone: TcRPE1 and TcRPE2. Despite high sequence similarity at the amino acid residue level, the recombinant isoenzymes show a strikingly different kinetics. Whereas TcRPE2 follows a typical michaelian behavior, TcRPE1 shows a complex kinetic pattern, displaying a biphasic curve, suggesting the coexistence of -at least- two kinetically different molecular forms. Regarding the subcellular localization in epimastigotes, whereas TcRPE1 is a cytosolic enzyme, TcRPE2 is localized in glycosomes. To our knowledge, TcRPE2 is the first PPP isoenzyme that is exclusively localized in glycosomes. Over-expression of TcRPE1, but not of TcRPE2, significantly reduces the parasite doubling time in vitro, as compared with wild type epimastigotes. Both TcRPEs represent single domain proteins exhibiting the classical α/β TIM-barrel fold, as expected for enzymes with this activity. With regard to the architecture of the active site, all the important amino acid residues for catalysis -with the exception of M58- are also present in both TcRPEs models. The superimposition of the binding pocket of both isoenzyme models shows that they adopt essentially identical positions in the active site with a residue specific RMSD < 2Å, with the sole exception of S12, which displays a large deviation (residue specific RMSD: 11.07 Å. Studies on the quaternary arrangement of these isoenzymes reveal that both are present in a mixture of various oligomeric species made up of an even number of molecules, probably pointing to the dimer as their minimal functional unit. This multiplicity of oligomeric species has not been reported for any of the other RPEs studied so far and it might bear implications for the regulation of TcRPEs activity, although further investigation will be necessary to unravel the physiological

  4. Metabolic flux analysis of Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 under mixotrophic conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alagesan, Swathi; Gaudana, Sandeep B; Sinha, Avinash; Wangikar, Pramod P

    2013-11-01

    Cyanobacteria are a group of photosynthetic prokaryotes capable of utilizing solar energy to fix atmospheric carbon dioxide to biomass. Despite several "proof of principle" studies, low product yield is an impediment in commercialization of cyanobacteria-derived biofuels. Estimation of intracellular reaction rates by (13)C metabolic flux analysis ((13)C-MFA) would be a step toward enhancing biofuel yield via metabolic engineering. We report (13)C-MFA for Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142, a unicellular nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium, known for enhanced hydrogen yield under mixotrophic conditions. Rates of reactions in the central carbon metabolism under nitrogen-fixing and -non-fixing conditions were estimated by monitoring the competitive incorporation of (12)C and (13)C from unlabeled CO2 and uniformly labeled glycerol, respectively, into terminal metabolites such as amino acids. The observed labeling patterns suggest mixotrophic growth under both the conditions, with a larger fraction of unlabeled carbon in nitrate-sufficient cultures asserting a greater contribution of carbon fixation by photosynthesis and an anaplerotic pathway. Indeed, flux analysis complements the higher growth observed under nitrate-sufficient conditions. On the other hand, the flux through the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and tricarboxylic acid cycle was greater in nitrate-deficient conditions, possibly to supply the precursors and reducing equivalents needed for nitrogen fixation. In addition, an enhanced flux through fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase possibly suggests the organism's preferred mode under nitrogen-fixing conditions. The (13)C-MFA results complement the reported predictions by flux balance analysis and provide quantitative insight into the organism's distinct metabolic features under nitrogen-fixing and -non-fixing conditions.

  5. Structure of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, an essential monotopic membrane enzyme involved in respiration and metabolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeh, Joanne I.; Chinte, Unmesh; Du, Shoucheng

    2008-01-01

    Sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GlpD) is an essential membrane enzyme, functioning at the central junction of respiration, glycolysis, and phospholipid biosynthesis. Its critical role is indicated by the multitiered regulatory mechanisms that stringently controls its expression and function. Once expressed, GlpD activity is regulated through lipid-enzyme interactions in Escherichia coli. Here, we report seven previously undescribed structures of the fully active E. coli GlpD, up to 1.75 (angstrom) resolution. In addition to elucidating the structure of the native enzyme, we have determined the structures of GlpD complexed with substrate analogues phosphoenolpyruvate, glyceric acid 2-phosphate, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, and product, dihydroxyacetone phosphate. These structural results reveal conformational states of the enzyme, delineating the residues involved in substrate binding and catalysis at the glycerol-3-phosphate site. Two probable mechanisms for catalyzing the dehydrogenation of glycerol-3-phosphate are envisioned, based on the conformational states of the complexes. To further correlate catalytic dehydrogenation to respiration, we have additionally determined the structures of GlpD bound with ubiquinone analogues menadione and 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide, identifying a hydrophobic plateau that is likely the ubiquinone-binding site. These structures illuminate probable mechanisms of catalysis and suggest how GlpD shuttles electrons into the respiratory pathway. Glycerol metabolism has been implicated in insulin signaling and perturbations in glycerol uptake and catabolism are linked to obesity in humans. Homologs of GlpD are found in practically all organisms, from prokaryotes to humans, with >45% consensus protein sequences, signifying that these structural results on the prokaryotic enzyme may be readily applied to the eukaryotic GlpD enzymes.

  6. Oral cancer cells may rewire alternative metabolic pathways to survive from siRNA silencing of metabolic enzymes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Min; Chai, Yang D; Brumbaugh, Jeffrey; Liu, Xiaojun; Rabii, Ramin; Feng, Sizhe; Misuno, Kaori; Messadi, Diana; Hu, Shen

    2014-01-01

    Cancer cells may undergo metabolic adaptations that support their growth as well as drug resistance properties. The purpose of this study is to test if oral cancer cells can overcome the metabolic defects introduced by using small interfering RNA (siRNA) to knock down their expression of important metabolic enzymes. UM1 and UM2 oral cancer cells were transfected with siRNA to transketolase (TKT) or siRNA to adenylate kinase (AK2), and Western blotting was used to confirm the knockdown. Cellular uptake of glucose and glutamine and production of lactate were compared between the cancer cells with either TKT or AK2 knockdown and those transfected with control siRNA. Statistical analysis was performed with student T-test. Despite the defect in the pentose phosphate pathway caused by siRNA knockdown of TKT, the survived UM1 or UM2 cells utilized more glucose and glutamine and secreted a significantly higher amount of lactate than the cells transferred with control siRNA. We also demonstrated that siRNA knockdown of AK2 constrained the proliferation of UM1 and UM2 cells but similarly led to an increased uptake of glucose/glutamine and production of lactate by the UM1 or UM2 cells survived from siRNA silencing of AK2. Our results indicate that the metabolic defects introduced by siRNA silencing of metabolic enzymes TKT or AK2 may be compensated by alternative feedback metabolic mechanisms, suggesting that cancer cells may overcome single defective pathways through secondary metabolic network adaptations. The highly robust nature of oral cancer cell metabolism implies that a systematic medical approach targeting multiple metabolic pathways may be needed to accomplish the continued improvement of cancer treatment

  7. GC-MS Metabolomic Analysis to Reveal the Metabolites and Biological Pathways Involved in the Developmental Stages and Tissue Response of Panax ginseng

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jia Liu

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Ginsenosides, the major compounds present in ginseng, are known to have numerous physiological and pharmacological effects. The physiological processes, enzymes and genes involved in ginsenoside synthesis in P. ginseng have been well characterized. However, relatively little information is known about the dynamic metabolic changes that occur during ginsenoside accumulation in ginseng. To explore this topic, we isolated metabolites from different tissues at different growth stages, and identified and characterized them by using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS. The results showed that a total of 30, 16, 20, 36 and 31 metabolites were identified and involved in different developmental stages in leaf, stem, petiole, lateral root and main root, respectively. To investigate the contribution of tissue to the biosynthesis of ginsenosides, we examined the metabolic changes of leaf, stem, petiole, lateral root and main root during five development stages: 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-years. The score plots of partial least squares-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA showed clear discrimination between growth stages and tissue samples. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG pathway analysis in the same tissue at different growth stages indicated profound biochemical changes in several pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism and pentose phosphate metabolism, in addition, the tissues displayed significant variations in amino acid metabolism, sugar metabolism and energy metabolism. These results should facilitate further dissection of the metabolic flux regulation of ginsenoside accumulation in different developmental stages or different tissues of ginseng.

  8. Interfacial Precipitation of Phosphate on Hematite and Goethite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lijun Wang

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Adsorption and subsequent precipitation of dissolved phosphates on iron oxides, such as hematite and goethite, is of considerable importance in predicting the bioavailability of phosphates. We used in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM to image the kinetic processes of phosphate-bearing solutions interacting with hematite or goethite surfaces. The nucleation of nanoparticles (1.0–4.0 nm in height of iron phosphate (Fe(III-P phases, possibly an amorphous phase at the initial stages, was observed during the dissolution of both hematite and goethite at the earliest crystallization stages. This was followed by a subsequent aggregation stage where larger particles and layered precipitates are formed under different pH values, ionic strengths, and organic additives. Kinetic analysis of the surface nucleation of Fe-P phases in 50 mM NH4H2PO4 at pH 4.5 showed the nucleation rate was greater on goethite than hematite. Enhanced goethite and hematite dissolution in the presence of 10 mM AlCl3 resulted in a rapid increase in Fe-P nucleation rates. A low concentration of citrate promoted the nucleation, whereas nucleation was inhibited at higher concentrations of citrate. By modeling using PHREEQC, calculated saturation indices (SI showed that the three Fe(III-P phases of cacoxenite, tinticite, and strengite may be supersaturated in the reacted solutions. Cacoxenite is predicted to be more thermodynamically favorable in all the phosphate solutions if equilibrium is reached with respect to hematite or goethite, although possibly only amorphous precipitates were observed at the earliest stages. These direct observations at the nanoscale may improve our understanding of phosphate immobilization in iron oxide-rich acid soils.

  9. Procedure for the separation of cerium from rare earth phosphate mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richter, H.; Grauss, H.; Schmitt, A.; Schade, H.; Lindeholz, M.; Lorenz, E.; Weickart, J.

    1986-01-01

    The invention is concerned with a procedure for the separation of cerium from rare earth concentrates originating from the partial neutralization of nitric crude phosphate decomposition solutions without preceding elimination of impurities from the raw material. The rare earth phosphates are treated with an excess of concentrated nitric acid through which the Ce 3+ , contained in the solution, is oxidized to Ce 4+ and precipitated as cerium(IV) phosphate by neutralization with alkalis

  10. Procedure for the separation of cerium from crude phosphates and rare earth concentrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richter, H.; Koenig, O.; Schmitt, A.; Grauss, H.; Freitag, S.

    1986-01-01

    The invention has to do with a procedure for the separation of cerium from crude phosphates and rare earth phosphate concentrates originating from the partial neutralization of nitric crude phosphate decomposition solutions. It is aimed at the cerium separation from the raw material at an early stage of reprocessing without preceding elimination of other components and impurities. The rare earth phosphate concentrates or crude phosphates are dissolved in nitric acid, the Ce 3+ is oxidized with potassium permanganate or magnanese(IV) hydroxide, and cerium(IV) phosphate is precipitated as pure substance by decreasing the acidity of the solution

  11. A model for phosphate glass topology considering the modifying ion sub-network

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hermansen, Christian; Mauro, J.C.; Yue, Yuanzheng

    2014-01-01

    In the present paper we establish a temperature dependent constraint model of alkali phosphate glasses considering the structural and topological role of the modifying ion sub-network constituted by alkali ions and their non-bonding oxygen coordination spheres. The model is consistent with availa......In the present paper we establish a temperature dependent constraint model of alkali phosphate glasses considering the structural and topological role of the modifying ion sub-network constituted by alkali ions and their non-bonding oxygen coordination spheres. The model is consistent...... with available structural data by NMR and molecular dynamics simulation and dynamic data such glass transition temperature (Tg) and liquid fragility (m). Alkali phosphate glasses are exemplary systems for developing constraint model since the modifying cation network plays an important role besides the primary...... phosphate network. The proposed topological model predicts the changing trend of the Tg and m with increasing alkali oxide content for alkali phosphate glasses, including an anomalous minimum at around 20 mol% alkali oxide content. We find that the minimum in Tg and m is caused by increased connectivity...

  12. Identification of Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Data Normalization in Cannabis sativa Stem Tissues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lauralie Mangeot-Peter

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Gene expression profiling via quantitative real-time PCR is a robust technique widely used in the life sciences to compare gene expression patterns in, e.g., different tissues, growth conditions, or after specific treatments. In the field of plant science, real-time PCR is the gold standard to study the dynamics of gene expression and is used to validate the results generated with high throughput techniques, e.g., RNA-Seq. An accurate relative quantification of gene expression relies on the identification of appropriate reference genes, that need to be determined for each experimental set-up used and plant tissue studied. Here, we identify suitable reference genes for expression profiling in stems of textile hemp (Cannabis sativa L., whose tissues (isolated bast fibres and core are characterized by remarkable differences in cell wall composition. We additionally validate the reference genes by analysing the expression of putative candidates involved in the non-oxidative phase of the pentose phosphate pathway and in the first step of the shikimate pathway. The goal is to describe the possible regulation pattern of some genes involved in the provision of the precursors needed for lignin biosynthesis in the different hemp stem tissues. The results here shown are useful to design future studies focused on gene expression analyses in hemp.

  13. Identification of Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Data Normalization in Cannabis sativa Stem Tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangeot-Peter, Lauralie; Legay, Sylvain; Hausman, Jean-Francois; Esposito, Sergio; Guerriero, Gea

    2016-09-15

    Gene expression profiling via quantitative real-time PCR is a robust technique widely used in the life sciences to compare gene expression patterns in, e.g., different tissues, growth conditions, or after specific treatments. In the field of plant science, real-time PCR is the gold standard to study the dynamics of gene expression and is used to validate the results generated with high throughput techniques, e.g., RNA-Seq. An accurate relative quantification of gene expression relies on the identification of appropriate reference genes, that need to be determined for each experimental set-up used and plant tissue studied. Here, we identify suitable reference genes for expression profiling in stems of textile hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), whose tissues (isolated bast fibres and core) are characterized by remarkable differences in cell wall composition. We additionally validate the reference genes by analysing the expression of putative candidates involved in the non-oxidative phase of the pentose phosphate pathway and in the first step of the shikimate pathway. The goal is to describe the possible regulation pattern of some genes involved in the provision of the precursors needed for lignin biosynthesis in the different hemp stem tissues. The results here shown are useful to design future studies focused on gene expression analyses in hemp.

  14. Respiration and nitrogen assimilation: targeting mitochondria-associated metabolism as a means to enhance nitrogen use efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foyer, Christine H; Noctor, Graham; Hodges, Michael

    2011-02-01

    Considerable advances in our understanding of the control of mitochondrial metabolism and its interactions with nitrogen metabolism and associated carbon/nitrogen interactions have occurred in recent years, particularly highlighting important roles in cellular redox homeostasis. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is a central metabolic hub for the interacting pathways of respiration, nitrogen assimilation, and photorespiration, with components that show considerable flexibility in relation to adaptations to the different functions of mitochondria in photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic cells. By comparison, the operation of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway appears to represent a significant limitation to nitrogen assimilation in non-photosynthetic tissues. Valuable new insights have been gained concerning the roles of the different enzymes involved in the production of 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) for ammonia assimilation, yielding an improved understanding of the crucial role of cellular energy balance as a broker of co-ordinate regulation. Taken together with new information on the mechanisms that co-ordinate the expression of genes involved in organellar functions, including energy metabolism, and the potential for exploiting the existing flexibility for NAD(P)H utilization in the respiratory electron transport chain to drive nitrogen assimilation, the evidence that mitochondrial metabolism and machinery are potential novel targets for the enhancement of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is explored.

  15. Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings on AM50 magnesium alloy formed in silicate and phosphate based electrolytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, J.; Srinivasan, P. Bala; Blawert, C.; Stoermer, M.; Dietzel, W.

    2009-01-01

    PEO coatings were produced on AM50 magnesium alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation process in silicate and phosphate based electrolytes using a pulsed DC power source. The microstructure and composition of the PEO coatings were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The corrosion resistance of the PEO coatings was evaluated using open circuit potential (OCP) measurements, potentiodynamic polarisation tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 0.1 M NaCl solution. It was found that the electrolyte composition has a significant effect on the coating evolution and on the resulting coating characteristics, such as microstructure, composition, coating thickness, roughness and thus on the corrosion behaviour. The corrosion resistance of the PEO coating formed in silicate electrolyte was found to be superior to that formed in phosphate electrolyte in both the short-term and long-term electrochemical corrosion tests.

  16. The electrical properties of semiconducting vanadium phosphate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moridi, G.R.; Hogarth, C.A.; Hekmat Shooar, N.H.

    1984-01-01

    Vanadium phosphate glasses are a group of oxide glasses which show the semiconducting behaviour. In contrast to the conventional glasses, the conduction mechanism in these glasses is electronic, rather than being ionic. Since 1954, when the first paper appeared on the semiconducting properties of these glasses, much work has been carried out on transition-metal-oxide glasses in general, and vanadium phosphate glasses in particular. The mechanism of conduction is basicaly due to the transport of electrons between the transition-metal ions in different valency states. In the present paper, we have reviewed the previous works on the electrical characteristics of P 2 O 5 -V 2 O 5 glasses and also discussed the current theoretical ideas relevant for the interpretation of the experimental data

  17. Activity of Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger, and Rye Phytase toward Partially Phosphorylated myo-Inositol Phosphates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greiner, Ralf

    2017-11-08

    Kinetic parameters for the dephosphorylation of sodium phytate and a series of partially phosphorylated myo-inositol phosphates were determined at pH 3.0 and pH 5.0 for three phytase preparations (Aspergillus niger, Escherichia coli, rye). The enzymes showed lower affinity and turnover numbers at pH 3 compared to pH 5 toward all myo-inositol phosphates included in the study. The number and distribution of phosphate groups on the myo-inositol ring affected the kinetic parameters. Representatives of the individual phytate dephosphorylation pathways were identified as the best substrates of the phytases. Within the individual phytate dephosphorylation pathways, the pentakisphosphates were better substrates compared to the tetrakisphosphates or phytate itself. E. coli and rye phytase showed comparable activities at both pH values toward the tetrakis- and trisphosphate, whereas A. niger phytase exhibited a higher activity toward the tetrakisphosphate. A myo-inositol phosphate with alternate phosphate groups was shown to be not significantly dephosphorylated by the phytases.

  18. Impact of High-Level Expression of Heterologous Protein on Lactococcus lactis Host.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Mina; Jin, Yerin; An, Hyun-Joo; Kim, Jaehan

    2017-07-28

    The impact of overproduction of a heterologous protein on the metabolic system of host Lactococcus lactis was investigated. The protein expression profiles of L. lactis IL1403 containing two near-identical plasmids that expressed high- and low-level of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) were examined via shotgun proteomics. Analysis of the two strains via high-throughput LC-MS/MS proteomics identified the expression of 294 proteins. The relative amount of each protein in the proteome of both strains was determined by label-free quantification using the spectral counting method. Although expression level of most proteins were similar, several significant alterations in metabolic network were identified in the high GFP-producing strain. These changes include alterations in the pyruvate fermentation pathway, oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and de novo synthesis pathway for pyrimidine RNA. Expression of enzymes for the synthesis of dTDP-rhamnose and N -acetylglucosamine from glucose was suppressed in the high GFP strain. In addition, enzymes involved in the amino acid synthesis or interconversion pathway were downregulated. The most noticeable changes in the high GFP-producing strain were a 3.4-fold increase in the expression of stress response and chaperone proteins and increase of caseinolytic peptidase family proteins. Characterization of these host expression changes witnessed during overexpression of GFP was might suggested the metabolic requirements and networks that may limit protein expression, and will aid in the future development of lactococcal hosts to produce more heterologous protein.

  19. Enhanced performance of the methylerythritol phosphate pathway by manipulation of redox reactions relevant to IspC, IspG, and IspH.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jia; Yang, Liyang; Wang, Chonglong; Choi, Eui-Sung; Kim, Seon-Won

    2017-04-20

    The 2C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway is a carbon-efficient route for synthesis of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), the building blocks of isoprenoids. However, practical application of a native or recombinant MEP pathway for the mass production of isoprenoids in Escherichia coli has been unsatisfactory. In this study, the entire recombinant MEP pathway was established with plasmids and used for the production of an isoprenoid, protoilludene. E. coli harboring the recombinant MEP pathway plasmid (ME) and a protoilludene synthesis pathway plasmid (AO) produced 10.4mg/L of protoilludene after 48h of culture. To determine the rate-limiting gene on plasmid ME, each constituent gene of the MEP pathway was additionally overexpressed on the plasmid AO. The additional overexpression of IPP isomerase (IDI) enhanced protoilludene production to 67.4mg/L. Overexpression of the Fpr and FldA protein complex, which could mediate electron transfer from NADPH to Fe-S cluster proteins such as IspG and IspH of the MEP pathway, increased protoilludene production to 318.8mg/L. Given that it is required for IspC as well as IspG/H, the MEP pathway has high demand for NADPH. To increase the supply of NADPH, a NADH kinase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (tPos5p) that converts NADH to NADPH was introduced along with the deletion of a promiscuous NADPH-dependent aldehyde reductase (YjgB) that consumes NADPH. This resulted in a protoilludene production of 512.7mg/L. The results indicate that IDI, Fpr-FldA redox proteins, and NADPH regenerators are key engineering points for boosting the metabolic flux toward a recombinant MEP pathway. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Curcumin ameliorates dopaminergic neuronal oxidative damage via activation of the Akt/Nrf2 pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Qunli; Li, Xin; Zhu, Hongcan

    2016-02-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related complex neurodegenerative disease that affects ≤ 80% of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). It has previously been suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and oxidative damage underlie the pathogenesis of PD. Curcumin, which is a major active polyphenol component extracted from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae), has been reported to exert neuroprotective effects on an experimental model of PD. The present study conducted a series of in vivo experiments, in order to investigate the effects of curcumin on behavioral deficits, oxidative damage and related mechanisms. The results demonstrated that curcumin was able to significantly alleviate motor dysfunction and increase suppressed tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in the SNpc of rotenone (ROT)-injured rats. Biochemical measurements indicated that rats pretreated with curcumin exhibited increased glutathione (GSH) levels, and reduced reactive oxygen species activity and malondialdehyde content. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that curcumin significantly restored the expression levels of heme oxygenase-1 and quinone oxidoreductase 1, thus ameliorating ROT-induced damage in vivo, via the phosphorylation of Akt and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Further studies indicated that the Akt/Nrf2 signaling pathway was associated with the protective role of curcumin in ROT-treated rats. Inhibiting the Akt/Nrf2 pathway using a lentiviral vector containing Nrf2-specific short hairpin RNA, or the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002, markedly reduced the expression levels of TH and GSH, ultimately attenuating the neuroprotective effects of curcumin against oxidative damage. These results indicated that curcumin was able to significantly ameliorate ROT-induced dopaminergic neuronal oxidative damage in the SNpc of rats via activation of the Akt/Nrf2 signaling pathway.

  1. Laboratory and pilot-scale field experiments for application of iron oxide nanoparticle-loaded chitosan composites to phosphate removal from natural water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jae-Hyun; Kim, Song-Bae; Lee, Sang-Hyup; Choi, Jae-Woo

    2018-03-01

    The aim of this study was to apply iron oxide nanoparticle-chitosan (ION-chitosan) composites to phosphate removal from natural water collected from the Seoho Stream in Suwon, Republic of Korea. Laboratory batch experiments showed that phosphate removal by the ION-chitosan composites was not sensitive to pH changes between pH values of 5.0 and 9.0. During six cycles of adsorption-desorption, the composites could be successfully regenerated with 5 mM NaOH solution and reused for phosphate removal. Laboratory fixed-bed column experiments (column height = 10 and 20 cm, inner diameter = 2.5 cm, flow rate = 8.18 and 16.36 mL/min) demonstrated that the composites could be successfully applied for phosphate removal under dynamic flow conditions. A pilot-scale field experiment was performed in a pilot plant, which was mainly composed of chemical reactor/dissolved air flotation and an adsorption tower, built nearby the Seoho Stream. The natural water was pumped from the Seoho Stream into the pilot plant, passed through the chemical reactor/dissolved air flotation process, and then introduced into the adsorption tower (height = 100 cm, inner diameter = 45 cm, flow rate = 7.05 ± 0.18 L/min) for phosphate removal via the composites (composite volume = 80 L, composite weight = 85.74 kg). During monitoring of the adsorption tower (33 days), the influent total phosphorus (T-P) concentration was in the range of 0.020-0.046 mgP/L, whereas the effluent T-P concentration was in the range of 0.010-0.028 mgP/L. The percent removal of T-P in the adsorption tower was 52.3% with a phosphate removal capacity of 0.059 mgP/g.

  2. Effect of nitrogen and phosphate limitation on utilization of bitumen ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The degradation of bitumen was found to be associated with the production of carbon (IV) oxide, natural gas and oil. As a result of using nitrogen limited and phosphate limited media, 1750 and 1250 cm3 of gas and 0.95 and 0.85 g/l of oil were obtained respectively. Nitrogen and phosphate limitation have profound effect on ...

  3. Hyperpolarized [U-(2) H, U-(13) C]Glucose reports on glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway activity in EL4 tumors and glycolytic activity in yeast cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timm, Kerstin N; Hartl, Johannes; Keller, Markus A; Hu, De-En; Kettunen, Mikko I; Rodrigues, Tiago B; Ralser, Markus; Brindle, Kevin M

    2015-12-01

    A resonance at ∼181 ppm in the (13) C spectra of tumors injected with hyperpolarized [U-(2) H, U-(13) C]glucose was assigned to 6-phosphogluconate (6PG), as in previous studies in yeast, whereas in breast cancer cells in vitro this resonance was assigned to 3-phosphoglycerate (3PG). These peak assignments were investigated here using measurements of 6PG and 3PG (13) C-labeling using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) METHODS: Tumor-bearing mice were injected with (13) C6 glucose and the (13) C-labeled and total 6PG and 3PG concentrations measured. (13) C MR spectra of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient (zwf1Δ) and wild-type yeast were acquired following addition of hyperpolarized [U-(2) H, U-(13) C]glucose and again (13) C-labeled and total 6PG and 3PG were measured by LC-MS/MS RESULTS: Tumor (13) C-6PG was more abundant than (13) C-2PG/3PG and the resonance at ∼181 ppm matched more closely that of 6PG. (13) C MR spectra of wild-type and zwf1Δ yeast cells showed a resonance at ∼181 ppm after labeling with hyperpolarized [U-(2) H, U-(13) C]glucose, however, there was no 6PG in zwf1Δ cells. In the wild-type cells 3PG was approximately four-fold more abundant than 6PG CONCLUSION: The resonance at ∼181 ppm in (13) C MR spectra following injection of hyperpolarized [U-(2) H, U-(13) C]glucose originates predominantly from 6PG in EL4 tumors and 3PG in yeast cells. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. High prevalence of Dapsone-induced oxidant hemolysis in North American SCT recipients without glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olteanu, H; Harrington, A M; George, B; Hari, P N; Bredeson, C; Kroft, S H

    2012-03-01

    Dapsone (4-4'-diaminodiphenylsulfone) is commonly used for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis in immunocompromised patients. Oxidant hemolysis is a known complication of dapsone, but its frequency in adult patients who have undergone a SCT for hematological malignancies is not well established. We studied the presence of oxidant hemolysis, by combining examination of RBC morphology and laboratory data, in 30 patients who underwent a SCT and received dapsone for PCP prophylaxis, and compared this group with 26 patients who underwent a SCT and received trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for PCP prophylaxis. All patients had normal glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) enzymatic activity. In SCT patients, dapsone compared with TMP-SMX for PCP prophylaxis was associated with a high incidence of oxidant hemolysis (87 vs 0%, PSCT patients is 20-fold higher than the reported rate in the population of HIV-infected patients, and thus much higher than the prevalence of G6PDH variants in the general population. In our patients, it manifested clinically as a lower Hb that was not significant enough to result in increased packed RBC transfusions.

  5. Silica intercalated crystalline zirconium phosphate-type materials

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    1988-01-01

    The present invention relates to intercalated crystalline zirconium phosphate-types compositions wherein the interlayers of said composition have been intercalated with three-dimensional silicon oxide pillars whereby the pillars comprise at least two silicon atom layers parallel to the clay

  6. Oxidative Damage, Inflammation, and Toll-Like Receptor 4 Pathway Are Increased in Preeclamptic Patients: A Case-Control Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabiana C. B. Bernardi

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Problem. There was no direct correlation between plasma and placental oxidative damage parameters and inflammation and evidence of TLR4 pathway activation in the placenta in preeclamptic (PE patients. Method of Study. 33 PE patients and 33 normotensive pregnant women were included. The maternal section of the placenta and blood were collected to the determination of oxidative damage markers (thiobarbituric acid reactive species and protein carbonyls, inflammatory response (interleukin-6 and myeloperoxidase activity, and activation of the TLR-4-NF-kB pathway. Results. An increase of IL-6 levels in both plasma and placenta was observed, but myeloperoxidase activity was not significantly different comparing the groups. Oxidative damage parameters were increased in plasma and placenta in PE patients. A significant increase of the protein levels of TLR-4 and NF-kB was observed in the placenta. Conclusion. The TLR4-NF-kB pathway is upregulated in PE, probably generating local and systemic inflammatory response that is followed by local and systemic oxidative damage.

  7. Potentiality of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans in Microbial Solubilization of Phosphate Mine Tailings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Dhakar

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with the solubilization behavior of the tailings produced by the floatation of a complex low grade phosphate ore. The composition of the tailings was essentially dolomite (52.04% with minor amounts of phosphate, iron and aluminium oxides (10.4 and 0.5% respectively. The presence of these products created uncontrolled land pollution and severely affected groundwater. An initiative has been taken up for utilization of this waste to generate an eco-friendly product. First step towards this panorama is incorporation of suitable microorganisms for the biodegradation of this effluent. Sulphur oxidizing bacteria Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans produces sulphuric acid which neutralizes the dolomitic tailings and convert it into plant available forms. The solubilization activity was tested in sulphur medium with 5, 10, 15 and 20% concentration of tailings. The solubilization is graded on the basis of pH, Electrical conductivity (EC, soluble calcium and magnesium and soluble phosphate. The results from ex-situ experiments showed that the treatment with 15% tailings ended with highest solubilization. The values of pH, EC, soluble calcium and magnesium and soluble phosphate for this treatment were 4.92, 31.6 dS/m, 10.8 mL EDTA and 17.24 µg/mL respectively. Also, the results proved that sulphur oxidizing bacteria Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans is capable of solubilizing dolomitic tailings from the Jhamarkotra mines. Finally, an important factor taken into account was solubilization of residual phosphate along with dolomite in the tailings. This combined action affects the solubilization behaviour of the residue, which was also showed successfully with the assayed laboratory studies.

  8. Source identification of nitrous oxide emission pathways from a single-stage nitritation-anammox granular reactor

    KAUST Repository

    Ali, Muhammad; Rathnayake, Rathnayake M.L.D.; Zhang, Lei; Ishii, Satoshi; Kindaichi, Tomonori; Satoh, Hisashi; Toyoda, Sakae; Yoshida, Naohiro; Okabe, Satoshi

    2016-01-01

    Nitrous oxide (N2O) production pathway in a signal-stage nitritation-anammox sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was investigated based on a multilateral approach including real-time N2O monitoring, N2O isotopic composition analysis, and in-situ analyses of spatial distribution of N2O production rate and microbial populations in granular biomass. N2O emission rate was high in the initial phase of the operation cycle and gradually decreased with decreasing NH4+ concentration. The average emission of N2O was 0.98 ± 0.42% and 1.35 ± 0.72% of the incoming nitrogen load and removed nitrogen, respectively. The N2O isotopic composition analysis revealed that N2O was produced via NH2OH oxidation and NO2− reduction pathways equally, although there is an unknown influence from N2O reduction and/or anammox N2O production. However, the N2O isotopomer analysis could not discriminate the relative contribution of nitrifier denitrification and heterotrophic denitrification in the NO2− reduction pathway. Various in-situ techniques (e.g. microsensor measurements and FISH (fluorescent in-situ hybridization) analysis) were therefore applied to further identify N2O producers. Microsensor measurements revealed that approximately 70% of N2O was produced in the oxic surface zone, where nitrifiers were predominantly localized. Thus, NH2OH oxidation and NO2 reduction by nitrifiers (nitrifier-denitrification) could be responsible for the N2O production in the oxic zone. The rest of N2O (ca. 30%) was produced in the anammox bacteria-dominated anoxic zone, probably suggesting that NO2− reduction by coexisting putative heterotrophic denitrifiers and some other unknown pathway(s) including the possibility of anammox process account for the anaerobic N2O production. Further study is required to identify the anaerobic N2O production pathways. Our multilateral approach can be useful to quantitatively examine the relative contributions of N2O production pathways. Good understanding of the key N2O

  9. Source identification of nitrous oxide emission pathways from a single-stage nitritation-anammox granular reactor

    KAUST Repository

    Ali, Muhammad

    2016-06-16

    Nitrous oxide (N2O) production pathway in a signal-stage nitritation-anammox sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was investigated based on a multilateral approach including real-time N2O monitoring, N2O isotopic composition analysis, and in-situ analyses of spatial distribution of N2O production rate and microbial populations in granular biomass. N2O emission rate was high in the initial phase of the operation cycle and gradually decreased with decreasing NH4+ concentration. The average emission of N2O was 0.98 ± 0.42% and 1.35 ± 0.72% of the incoming nitrogen load and removed nitrogen, respectively. The N2O isotopic composition analysis revealed that N2O was produced via NH2OH oxidation and NO2− reduction pathways equally, although there is an unknown influence from N2O reduction and/or anammox N2O production. However, the N2O isotopomer analysis could not discriminate the relative contribution of nitrifier denitrification and heterotrophic denitrification in the NO2− reduction pathway. Various in-situ techniques (e.g. microsensor measurements and FISH (fluorescent in-situ hybridization) analysis) were therefore applied to further identify N2O producers. Microsensor measurements revealed that approximately 70% of N2O was produced in the oxic surface zone, where nitrifiers were predominantly localized. Thus, NH2OH oxidation and NO2 reduction by nitrifiers (nitrifier-denitrification) could be responsible for the N2O production in the oxic zone. The rest of N2O (ca. 30%) was produced in the anammox bacteria-dominated anoxic zone, probably suggesting that NO2− reduction by coexisting putative heterotrophic denitrifiers and some other unknown pathway(s) including the possibility of anammox process account for the anaerobic N2O production. Further study is required to identify the anaerobic N2O production pathways. Our multilateral approach can be useful to quantitatively examine the relative contributions of N2O production pathways. Good understanding of the key N2O

  10. Removal of arsenic, phosphates and ammonia from well water using electrochemical/chemical methods and advanced oxidation: a pilot plant approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orescanin, Visnja; Kollar, Robert; Nad, Karlo; Halkijevic, Ivan; Kuspilic, Marin; Findri Gustek, Stefica

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this work was to develop a pilot plant purification system and apply it to groundwater used for human consumption, containing high concentrations of arsenic and increased levels of phosphates, ammonia, mercury and color. The groundwater used was obtained from the production well in the Vinkovci County (Eastern Croatia). Due to a complex composition of the treated water, the purification system involved a combined electrochemical treatment, using iron and aluminum electrode plates with simultaneous ozonation, followed by a post-treatment with UV, ozone and hydrogen peroxide. The removal of the contaminant with the waste sludge collected during the electrochemical treatment was also tested. The combined electrochemical and advanced oxidation treatment resulted in the complete removal of arsenic, phosphates, color, turbidity, suspended solids and ammonia, while the removal of other contaminants of interest was up to 96.7%. Comparable removal efficiencies were obtained by using waste sludge as a coagulant.

  11. Tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphate as electrolyte additive for self-discharge suppression of layered nickel cobalt manganese oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liao, Xiaolin; Zheng, Xiongwen; Chen, Jiawei; Huang, Ziyu; Xu, Mengqing; Xing, Lidan; Liao, Youhao; Lu, Qilun; Li, Xiangfeng; Li, Weishan

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • TMSP is effective for self-discharge suppression of the charged NCM under 4.5 V. • TMSP oxidizes preferentially forming protective cathode interface film on NCM. • The film suppresses electrolyte decomposition and prevents NCM destruction. - Abstract: Application of layered nickel cobalt manganese oxide as cathode under higher potential than conventional 4.2 V yields a significant improvement in energy density of lithium ion battery. However, the cathode fully charged under high potential suffers serious self-discharge, in which the interaction between the cathode and electrolyte proceeds without potential limitation. In this work, we use tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphate (TMSP) as an electrolyte additive to solve this problem. A representative layered nickel cobalt manganese oxide, LiNi 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 , is considered. The effect of TMSP on self-discharge behavior of LiNi 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 is evaluated by physical and electrochemical methods. It is found that the self-discharge of charged LiNi 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 can be suppressed significantly by using TMSP. TMSP is oxidized preferentially in comparison with the standard electrolyte during initial charging process forming a protective cathode interface film, which avoids the interaction between cathode and electrolyte at any potential and thus prevents electrolyte decomposition and protects LiNi 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 from structure destruction.

  12. The effects of uranium oxide high-level waste on the structure of iron phosphate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Badyal, Y.

    1998-01-01

    Because of their unusually good chemical durability, iron phosphate glasses are a natural candidate for a nuclear waste disposal glass. We have studied the effects of UO 2 high-level waste on the structure of iron phosphate glasses with both neutron and high-energy x-ray diffraction using the GLAD instrument of the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source and the 1-BM bending magnet beamline of the Advanced Photon Source, respectively. The results of neutron scattering, which is mostly sensitive to correlations involving light atoms i.e. O-O, Fe-O and P-O, suggest the main structural features of the base glass are largely unaffected by the addition of UO 2 . The nearest-neighbor P-O, Fe-O and O-O peaks remain at the same position in real space and their intensities scale approximately with concentration. These findings are consistent with the earlier results of Raman scattering and EXAFS on the Fe-K edge wherein both cases the spectra remain similar to the base glass. High-energy x-ray scattering which is sensitive to correlations involving the heavier atoms and thus complements the neutron measurements, is also consistent with uranium occupying interstitial sites in the relatively undisturbed base glass structure. However, important questions remain as to the precise local structure and oxidation state of uranium in these glasses

  13. MAPK pathway activation by chronic lead-exposure increases vascular reactivity through oxidative stress/cyclooxygenase-2-dependent pathways

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simões, Maylla Ronacher, E-mail: yllars@hotmail.com [Dept. of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória, ES CEP 29040-091 (Brazil); Department of Pharmacology, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ), Madrid (Spain); Aguado, Andrea [Department of Pharmacology, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ), Madrid (Spain); Fiorim, Jonaína; Silveira, Edna Aparecida; Azevedo, Bruna Fernandes; Toscano, Cindy Medice [Dept. of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória, ES CEP 29040-091 (Brazil); Zhenyukh, Olha; Briones, Ana María [Department of Pharmacology, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ), Madrid (Spain); Alonso, María Jesús [Dept. of Biochemistry, Physiology and Molecular Genetics, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Alcorcón (Spain); Vassallo, Dalton Valentim [Dept. of Physiological Sciences, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória, ES CEP 29040-091 (Brazil); Health Science Center of Vitória-EMESCAM, Vitória, ES CEP 29045-402 (Brazil); Salaices, Mercedes, E-mail: mercedes.salaices@uam.es [Department of Pharmacology, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Instituto de Investigación Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ), Madrid (Spain)

    2015-03-01

    Chronic exposure to low lead concentration produces hypertension; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We analyzed the role of oxidative stress, cyclooxygenase-2-dependent pathways and MAPK in the vascular alterations induced by chronic lead exposure. Aortas from lead-treated Wistar rats (1st dose: 10 μg/100 g; subsequent doses: 0.125 μg/100 g, intramuscular, 30 days) and cultured aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from Sprague Dawley rats stimulated with lead (20 μg/dL) were used. Lead blood levels of treated rats attained 21.7 ± 2.38 μg/dL. Lead exposure increased systolic blood pressure and aortic ring contractile response to phenylephrine, reduced acetylcholine-induced relaxation and did not affect sodium nitroprusside relaxation. Endothelium removal and L-NAME left-shifted the response to phenylephrine more in untreated than in lead-treated rats. Apocynin and indomethacin decreased more the response to phenylephrine in treated than in untreated rats. Aortic protein expression of gp91(phox), Cu/Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD and COX-2 increased after lead exposure. In cultured VSMCs lead 1) increased superoxide anion production, NADPH oxidase activity and gene and/or protein levels of NOX-1, NOX-4, Mn-SOD, EC-SOD and COX-2 and 2) activated ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK. Both antioxidants and COX-2 inhibitors normalized superoxide anion production, NADPH oxidase activity and mRNA levels of NOX-1, NOX-4 and COX-2. Blockade of the ERK1/2 and p38 signaling pathways abolished lead-induced NOX-1, NOX-4 and COX-2 expression. Results show that lead activation of the MAPK signaling pathways activates inflammatory proteins such as NADPH oxidase and COX-2, suggesting a reciprocal interplay and contribution to vascular dysfunction as an underlying mechanisms for lead-induced hypertension. - Highlights: • Lead-exposure increases oxidative stress, COX-2 expression and vascular reactivity. • Lead exposure activates MAPK signaling pathway. • ROS and COX-2 activation by

  14. GATA4-mediated cardiac hypertrophy induced by D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Zhiming; Zhu Shanjun; Liu Daoyan; Yu Zengping; Yang Yongjian; Giet, Markus van der; Tepel, Martin

    2005-01-01

    We evaluated the effects of D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate on cardiac hypertrophy. D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate augmented cardiac hypertrophy as evidenced by its effects on DNA synthesis, protein synthesis, and expression of immediate-early genes c-myc and c-fos, β-myosin heavy chain, and α-actin. The administration of D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate increased the expression of nuclear factor of activated T-cells and cardiac-restricted zinc finger transcription factor (GATA4). Real-time quantitative RT-PCR showed that D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate-induced GATA4 mRNA was significantly enhanced even in the presence of the calcineurin inhibitor, cyclosporine A. The effect of D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate was blocked after inhibition of inositol-trisphosphate receptors but not after inhibition of c-Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK) or p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. The study shows that D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate-induced cardiac hypertrophy is mediated by GATA4 but independent from the calcineurin pathway

  15. Comparison of different two-pathway models for describing the combined effect of DO and nitrite on the nitrous oxide production by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lang, Longqi; Pocquet, Mathieu; Ni, Bing-Jie; Yuan, Zhiguo; Spérandio, Mathieu

    2017-02-01

    The aim of this work is to compare the capability of two recently proposed two-pathway models for predicting nitrous oxide (N 2 O) production by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) for varying ranges of dissolved oxygen (DO) and nitrite. The first model includes the electron carriers whereas the second model is based on direct coupling of electron donors and acceptors. Simulations are confronted to extensive sets of experiments (43 batches) from different studies with three different microbial systems. Despite their different mathematical structures, both models could well and similarly describe the combined effect of DO and nitrite on N 2 O production rate and emission factor. The model-predicted contributions for nitrifier denitrification pathway and hydroxylamine pathway also matched well with the available isotopic measurements. Based on sensitivity analysis, calibration procedures are described and discussed for facilitating the future use of those models.

  16. Bacterial formation of phosphatic laminites off Peru.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arning, E T; Birgel, D; Brunner, B; Peckmann, J

    2009-06-01

    Authigenic phosphatic laminites enclosed in phosphorite crusts from the shelf off Peru (10 degrees 01' S and 10 degrees 24' S) consist of carbonate fluorapatite layers, which contain abundant sulfide minerals including pyrite (FeS(2)) and sphalerite (ZnS). Low delta(34)S(pyrite) values (average -28.8 per thousand) agree with bacterial sulfate reduction and subsequent pyrite formation. Stable sulfur isotopic compositions of sulfate bound in carbonate fluorapatite are lower than that of sulfate from ambient sea water, suggesting bacterial reoxidation of sulfide by sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. The release of phosphorus and subsequent formation of the autochthonous phosphatic laminites are apparently caused by the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria and associated sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. Following an extraction-phosphorite dissolution-extraction procedure, molecular fossils of sulfate-reducing bacteria (mono-O-alkyl glycerol ethers, di-O-alkyl glycerol ethers, as well as the short-chain branched fatty acids i/ai-C(15:0), i/ai-C(17:0) and 10MeC(16:0)) are found to be among the most abundant compounds. The fact that these molecular fossils of sulfate-reducing bacteria are distinctly more abundant after dissolution of the phosphatic laminite reveals that the lipids are tightly bound to the mineral lattice of carbonate fluorapatite. Moreover, compared with the autochthonous laminite, molecular fossils of sulfate-reducing bacteria are: (1) significantly less abundant and (2) not as tightly bound to the mineral lattice in the other, allochthonous facies of the Peruvian crusts consisting of phosphatic coated grains. These observations confirm the importance of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the formation of the phosphatic laminite. Model calculations highlight that organic matter degradation by sulfate-reducing bacteria has the potential to liberate sufficient phosphorus for phosphogenesis.

  17. Protective Effects of Maillard Reaction Products of Whey Protein Concentrate against Oxidative Stress through an Nrf2-Dependent Pathway in HepG2 Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pyo, Min Cheol; Yang, Sung-Yong; Chun, Su-Hyun; Oh, Nam Su; Lee, Kwang-Won

    2016-09-01

    Whey protein concentrate (WPC), which contains α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin, is utilized widely in the food industry. The Maillard reaction is a complex reaction that produces Maillard reaction products (MRPs), which are associated with the formation of antioxidant compounds. In this study, the hepatoprotection activity of MRPs of WPC against oxidative stress through the nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-dependent antioxidant pathway in HepG2 cells was examined. Glucose-whey protein concentrate conjugate (Glc-WPC) was obtained from Maillard reaction between WPC and glucose. The fluorescence intensity of Glc-WPC increased after 7 d compared to native WPC, and resulted in loss of 48% of the free amino groups of WPC. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) patterns of Glc-WPC showed the presence of a high-molecular-weight portion. Treatment of HepG2 cells with Glc-WPC increased cell viability in the presence of oxidative stress, inhibited the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP), and increased the glutathione level. Nrf2 translocation and Nrf2, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H)-quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NOQ1), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), glutamate-L-cysteine ligase (GCL)M and GCLC mRNA levels were increased by Glc-WPC. Also, Glc-WPC increased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). The results of this study demonstrate that Glc-WPC activates the Nrf2-dependent pathway through the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and JNK in HepG2 cells, and induces production of antioxidant enzymes and phase II enzymes.

  18. Oxidative stress damage-associated molecular signaling pathways differentiate spontaneous preterm birth and preterm premature rupture of the membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutta, Eryn H; Behnia, Faranak; Boldogh, Istvan; Saade, George R; Taylor, Brandie D; Kacerovský, Marian; Menon, Ramkumar

    2016-02-01

    In women with preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM), increased oxidative stress may accelerate premature cellular senescence, senescence-associated inflammation and proteolysis, which may predispose them to rupture. We demonstrate mechanistic differences between preterm birth (PTB) and PPROM by revealing differences in fetal membrane redox status, oxidative stress-induced damage, distinct signaling pathways and senescence activation. Oxidative stress-associated fetal membrane damage and cell cycle arrest determine adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as spontaneous PTB and PPROM. Fetal membranes and amniotic fluid samples were collected from women with PTB and PPROM. Molecular, biochemical and histologic markers were used to document differences in oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme status, DNA damage, secondary signaling activation by Ras-GTPase and mitogen-activated protein kinases, and activation of senescence between membranes from the two groups. Oxidative stress was higher and antioxidant enzymes were lower in PPROM compared with PTB. PTB membranes had minimal DNA damage and showed activation of Ras-GTPase and ERK/JNK signaling pathway with minimal signs of senescence. PPROM had higher numbers of cells with DNA damage, prosenescence stress kinase (p38 MAPK) activation and signs of senescence. Samples were obtained retrospectively after delivery. The markers of senescence that we tested are specific but are not sufficient to confirm senescence as the pathology in PPROM. Oxidative stress-induced DNA damage and senescence are characteristics of fetal membranes from PPROM, compared with PTB with intact membranes. PTB and PPROM arise from distinct pathophysiologic pathways. Oxidative stress and oxidative stress-induced cellular damages are likely determinants of the mechanistic signaling pathways and phenotypic outcome. This study is supported by developmental funds to Dr R. Menon from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of

  19. General metabolism of Laribacter hongkongensis: a genome-wide analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Curreem Shirly O

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Laribacter hongkongensis is associated with community-acquired gastroenteritis and traveler's diarrhea. In this study, we performed an in-depth annotation of the genes and pathways of the general metabolism of L. hongkongensis and correlated them with its phenotypic characteristics. Results The L. hongkongensis genome possesses the pentose phosphate and gluconeogenesis pathways and tricarboxylic acid and glyoxylate cycles, but incomplete Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas and Entner-Doudoroff pathways, in agreement with its asaccharolytic phenotype. It contains enzymes for biosynthesis and β-oxidation of saturated fatty acids, biosynthesis of all 20 universal amino acids and selenocysteine, the latter not observed in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis and Chromobacterium violaceum. The genome contains a variety of dehydrogenases, enabling it to utilize different substrates as electron donors. It encodes three terminal cytochrome oxidases for respiration using oxygen as the electron acceptor under aerobic and microaerophilic conditions and four reductases for respiration with alternative electron acceptors under anaerobic conditions. The presence of complete tetrathionate reductase operon may confer survival advantage in mammalian host in association with diarrhea. The genome contains CDSs for incorporating sulfur and nitrogen by sulfate assimilation, ammonia assimilation and nitrate reduction. The existence of both glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase pathways suggests an importance of ammonia metabolism in the living environments that it may encounter. Conclusions The L. hongkongensis genome possesses a variety of genes and pathways for carbohydrate, amino acid and lipid metabolism, respiratory chain and sulfur and nitrogen metabolism. These allow the bacterium to utilize various substrates for energy production and survive in different environmental niches.

  20. Metabolic effect of TAp63α : enhanced glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway, resulting in increased antioxidant defense

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D'Alessandro, Angelo; Amelio, Ivano; Berkers, Celia R; Antonov, Alexey; Vousden, Karen H; Melino, Gerry; Zolla, Lello

    2014-01-01

    TAp63α is a member of the p53 family, which plays a central role in epithelial cancers. Recently, a role has emerged for p53 family members in cancer metabolic modulation. In order to assess whether TAp63α plays a role in cancer metabolism, we exploited p53-null osteosarcoma Tet-On Saos-2 cells, in

  1. Application of phosphating techniques to aluminium and carbon steel surfaces using nitro guanidine as oxidizing agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Briseno M, S.A.

    1995-01-01

    Phosphate coatings are inorganic crystalline deposits laid down uniformly on properly prepared surfaces by a chemical reaction with the treated base metal. The reaction consists in dissolving some surface metal by acid attack and then causing surface neutralization of the phosphate solution with consequent precipitation of the phosphate coating. Phosphate coatings do not provide appreciable corrosion protection in themselves. They are useful mainly as a base for paints, ensuring good adherence of paint to steel and decreasing the tendency for corrosion to under cut the paint film at scratches or other defects. In this work firstly were realized phosphate on standard carbon steel, employing technical of cold phosphate (at 40 Centigrade degrees and with a treatment time of 30 minutes) and hot phosphate (at 88 Centigrade degrees and with a treatment time of 15 minutes), where with this last were obtained the best results. Both methods used phosphate solutions of Zn/Mn and using as catalyst Nitro guanidine. Aluminium surfaces were phosphate used solutions of Cr and as catalyst Sodium bi fluoride. The phosphating on this surface were realized at temperature of 50 Centigrade degrees and with a treatment time of 10 minutes. In this work were obtained a new phosphate coatings on steel surfaces, these coatings were realized with a phosphate solution manufactured with the precipitates gathered during the hot phosphating on carbon steel. These coatings show excellent physical characteristics and of corrosion resistance. Were determined the physical testings of the coatings phosphate obtained on carbon steel and aluminium surfaces. These testing were: roughness, thickness, microhardness and adhesion. The best results were showed in carbon steel phosphate with precipitated solutions. The technical of analysis for activation with thermic neutrons was used to determine the phosphate coatings composition. Finally, corrosion testings were realized by means of two methods

  2. Characterization and corrosion resistance of anodic electrodeposited titanium oxide/phosphate films on Ti-20Nb-10Zr-5Ta bioalloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Popa, Monica; Vasilescu, Cora; Drob, Silviu I.; Osiceanu, Petre; Anastasescu, Mihai; Calderon-Moreno, Jose M., E-mail: josecalderonmoreno@yahoo.com [Institute of Physical Chemistry ' Ilie Murgulescu' of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest (Romania)

    2013-07-15

    In this work, the anodic galvanostatic electrodeposition of an oxidation film containing phosphates on Ti-20Nb-10Zr-5Ta alloy from orthophosphoric acid solution is presented. Its composition was determined by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman micro-spectroscopy, and its topography by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The corrosion resistance of the coated alloy in simulated human fluid (by linear polarization method and monitoring of open circuit potentials, corresponding open circuit potential gradients) as well as the characterization of the coating (by Raman spectroscopy and depth profile X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)) deposited in a period of 300 h soaking in simulated human body fluid were studied. The electrodeposited film was composed of amorphous titanium dioxide and contained phosphate groups. The corrosion resistance of the coated Ti-20Nb-10Zr-5Ta alloy in neutral and alkaline Ringer's solutions was higher than that of the bare alloy due to the protective properties of the electrodeposited film. The corrosion parameters improved over time as result of the thickening of the surface film by the deposition from the physiological solution. The deposited coating presented a variable composition in depth: at the deeper layer nucleated nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite and at the outer layer amorphous calcium phosphate. (author)

  3. Characterization and corrosion resistance of anodic electrodeposited titanium oxide/phosphate films on Ti-20Nb-10Zr-5Ta bioalloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Popa, Monica; Vasilescu, Cora; Drob, Silviu I.; Osiceanu, Petre; Anastasescu, Mihai; Calderon-Moreno, Jose M.

    2013-01-01

    In this work, the anodic galvanostatic electrodeposition of an oxidation film containing phosphates on Ti-20Nb-10Zr-5Ta alloy from orthophosphoric acid solution is presented. Its composition was determined by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman micro-spectroscopy, and its topography by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The corrosion resistance of the coated alloy in simulated human fluid (by linear polarization method and monitoring of open circuit potentials, corresponding open circuit potential gradients) as well as the characterization of the coating (by Raman spectroscopy and depth profile X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)) deposited in a period of 300 h soaking in simulated human body fluid were studied. The electrodeposited film was composed of amorphous titanium dioxide and contained phosphate groups. The corrosion resistance of the coated Ti-20Nb-10Zr-5Ta alloy in neutral and alkaline Ringer's solutions was higher than that of the bare alloy due to the protective properties of the electrodeposited film. The corrosion parameters improved over time as result of the thickening of the surface film by the deposition from the physiological solution. The deposited coating presented a variable composition in depth: at the deeper layer nucleated nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite and at the outer layer amorphous calcium phosphate. (author)

  4. Prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a house keeping enzyme which catalyzes the first step in the hexose monophosphate pathway of glucose metabolism. G6PD deficiency is the commonest hemolytic X-linked genetic disease, which affects approximately 400 million people worldwide.

  5. Immobilization of fission products in phosphate ceramic waste forms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, D.; Wagh, A. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)

    1997-10-01

    Chemically bonded phosphate ceramics (CBPCs) have several advantages that make them ideal candidates for containing radioactive and hazardous wastes. In general, phosphates have high solid-solution capacities for incorporating radionuclides, as evidenced by several phosphates (e.g., monazites and apatites) that are natural analogs of radioactive and rare-earth elements. The phosphates have high radiation stability, are refractory, and will not degrade in the presence of internal heating by fission products. Dense and hard CBPCs can be fabricated inexpensively and at low temperature by acid-base reactions between an inorganic oxide/hydroxide powder and either phosphoric acid or an acid-phosphate solution. The resulting phosphates are extremely insoluble in aqueous media and have excellent long-term durability. CBPCs offer the dual stabilization mechanisms of chemical fixation and physical encapsulation, resulting in superior waste forms. The goal of this task is develop and demonstrate the feasibility of CBPCs for S/S of wastes containing fission products. The focus of this work is to develop a low-temperature CBPC immobilization system for eluted {sup 99}Tc wastes from sorption processes.

  6. Phosphate limitation induces sporulation in the chytridiomycete Blastocladiella emersonii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bongiorno, Vagner Alexandre; Ferreira da Cruz, Angela; Nunis da Silva, Antonio; Corrêa, Luiz Carlos

    2012-09-01

    The cell cycle is controlled by numerous mechanisms that ensure correct cell division. If growth is not possible, cells may eventually promote autophagy, differentiation, or apoptosis. Microorganisms interrupt their growth and differentiate under general nutrient limitation. We analyzed the effects of phosphate limitation on growth and sporulation in the chytridiomycete Blastocladiella emersonii using kinetic data, phase-contrast, and laser confocal microscopy. Under phosphate limitation, zoospores germinated and subsequently formed 2-4 spores, regardless of the nutritional content of the medium. The removal of phosphate at any time during growth induced sporulation of vegetative cells. If phosphate was later added to the same cultures, growth was restored if the cells were not yet committed to sporulation. The cycles of addition and withdrawal of phosphate from growth medium resulted in cycles of germination-growth, germination-sporulation, or germination-growth-sporulation. These results show that phosphate limitation is sufficient to interrupt cell growth and to induce complete sporulation in B. emersonii. We concluded that the determination of growth or sporulation in this microorganism is linked to phosphate availability when other nutrients are not limiting. This result provides a new tool for the dissection of nutrient-energy and signal pathways in cell growth and differentiation.

  7. Hybrid calcium phosphate coatings for implants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malchikhina, Alena I.; Shesterikov, Evgeny V.; Bolbasov, Evgeny N.; Ignatov, Viktor P.; Tverdokhlebov, Sergei I.

    2016-08-01

    Monophasic biomaterials cannot provide all the necessary functions of bones or other calcined tissues. It is necessary to create for cancer patients the multiphase materials with the structure and composition simulating the natural bone. Such materials are classified as hybrid, obtained by a combination of chemically different components. The paper presents the physical, chemical and biological studies of coatings produced by hybrid technologies (HT), which combine primer layer and calcium phosphate (CaP) coating. The first HT type combines the method of vacuum arc titanium primer layer deposition on a stainless steel substrate with the following micro-arc oxidation (MAO) in phosphoric acid solution with addition of calcium compounds to achieve high supersaturated state. MAO CaP coatings feature high porosity (2-8%, pore size 5-7 µm) and surface morphology with the thickness greater than 5 µm. The thickness of Ti primer layer is 5-40 µm. Amorphous MAO CaP coating micro-hardness was measured at maximum normal load Fmax = 300 mN. It was 3.1 ± 0.8 GPa, surface layer elasticity modulus E = 110 ± 20 GPa, roughness Ra = 0.9 ± 0.1 µm, Rz = 7.5 ± 0.2 µm, which is less than the titanium primer layer roughness. Hybrid MAO CaP coating is biocompatible, able to form calcium phosphates from supersaturated body fluid (SBF) solution and also stimulates osteoinduction processes. The second HT type includes the oxide layer formation by thermal oxidation and then CaP target radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS). Oxide-RFMS CaP coating is a thin dense coating with good adhesion to the substrate material, which can be used for metal implants. The RFMS CaP coating has thickness 1.6 ± 0.1 µm and consists of main target elements calcium and phosphorus and Ca/P ratio 2.4. The second HT type can form calcium phosphates from SBF solution. In vivo study shows that hybrid RFMS CaP coating is biocompatible and produces fibrointegration processes.

  8. F-19 MR imaging of glucose metabolism in the rat and rabbit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakada, T.; Kwee, I.L.; Card, P.J.; Matwiyoff, N.A.; Griffey, B.V.; Griffey, R.H.

    1987-01-01

    MR imaging reflecting regional pathway specific glucose metabolism was performed utilizing F-19 as the MR signal probe and two fluorinated glucose analogues, 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-FDG) and 3-fluoro-3-deoxy-D-glucose (3-FDG) as the metabolic probe. 2-FDG-6-phosphate images provides regional quantitative information regarding glycolytic activities, while 2-FDG-6-phosphoglyconate images provide information on the pentose monophosphate shunt activities. 3-FDG-sorbitol and 3-FDG-fructose indicate regional aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activities of the aldose reductase sorbitol pathway, respectively. The potential toxicity of 2-FDG in high doses precludes the immediate application of the 2-FDG MR imaging method to humans. The extremely low toxicity of 3-FDG, however, indicates promise for clinical application of 3-FDG MR imaging

  9. Oxidation of caffeine by phosphate radical anion in aqueous ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    reactions in our body generate reactive oxygen species mainly comprising free radicals .... caffeine might be acting as a sensitizer to transfer energy to PDP to produce phosphate ... The lifetime of the excited singlet 21 state of caffeine is of the.

  10. Taenia crassiceps: fatty acids oxidation and alternative energy source in in vitro cysticerci exposed to anthelminthic drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinaud, Marina Clare; Ferreira, Cirlane Silva; Lino Junior, Ruy de Souza; Bezerra, José Clecildo Barreto

    2009-07-01

    Cysticerci metabolic studies demonstrate alternative pathways responsible for its survival, such as energy sources, fatty acids oxidation and excretion of beta-hydroxybutyrate, which indicates the capability of energy production from proteins. The aim of this study was to detect alternative metabolic pathways for energy production and its end products in Taenia crassiceps cysticerci in vitro exposed to praziquantel and albendazole, in sub-lethal doses. Spectrophotometer and chromatographic analysis were performed to detect: propionate, acetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, total proteins, urea and creatinine, SE by cysticerci in vitro exposed to praziquantel and albendazole. The drugs influenced the metabolism by inducing the creatinine phosphate phosphorylation as an alternative energy source, inhibiting the use of proteins and amino acids in the acid nucleic synthesis; and preventing the budding and replication of the cysticerci. This study also highlights the description of urea excretion, which is an important metabolic pathway to excrete toxic products such as ammonia, and the fatty acid oxidation as an alternative energy source in cysticerci exposed to anthelmintic drugs.

  11. Removal mechanism of phosphate from aqueous solution by fly ash.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, S G; Bai, S Q; Zhu, L; Shan, H D

    2009-01-15

    This work studied the effectiveness of fly ash in removing phosphate from aqueous solution and its related removal mechanism. The adsorption and precipitation of phosphate by fly ash were investigated separately in order to evaluate their role in the removal of phosphate. Results showed that the removal of phosphate by fly ash was rapid. The removal percentage of phosphate in the first 5min reached 68-96% of the maximum removal of phosphate by fly ash. The removal processes of phosphate by fly ash included a fast and large removal representing precipitation, then a slower and longer removal due to adsorption. The adsorption of phosphate on fly ash could be described well by Freundlich isotherm equation. The pH and Ca2+ concentration of fly ash suspension were decreased with the addition of phosphate, which suggests that calcium phosphate precipitation is a major mechanism of the phosphate removal. Comparison of the relative contribution of the adsorption and precipitation to the total removal of phosphate by fly ash showed that the adsorption accounted for 30-34% of the total removal of phosphate, depending on the content of CaO in fly ash. XRD patterns of the fly ash before and after phosphate adsorption revealed that phosphate salt (CaHPO4 x 2H2O) was formed in the adsorption process. Therefore, the removal of phosphate by fly ash can be attributed to the formation of phosphate precipitation as a brushite and the adsorption on hydroxylated oxides. The results suggested that the use of fly ash could be a promising solution to the removal of phosphate in the wastewater treatment and pollution control.

  12. Phosphate functionalized graphene oxide for selective preconcentration of Pu(IV)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chappa, Shankararao; Pandey, Ashok K.

    2015-01-01

    Selective preconcentration of the target ions is a subject of continuous research due to the fact that functional groups are selective to a group of ions/species, and not to a specific ion. Various strategies being explored to make functional group selective to a target ion are based on chemical architecture of functional groups, co-assembly of ligand molecules, synergistic combination of two ligands, formation of size selective cavity, and imprinting using ions as template. Graphene oxide (GO) can be used for removal of radionuclides from aqueous solution having acidity in pH range. As such, GO cannot be used as a sorbent for metal ions from solution having high acidity. GO has epoxy and carboxylic groups that can be used for anchoring functional groups. In the present work, ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate (EGMP) has been anchored on GO that act as chemical platform. Typically, GO was dispersed in ethanol by sonication for 15 min. In this solution, the EGMP was added and equilibrated for overnight in a shaker at room temp. After equilibrated, GO at the rate EGMP was separated by centrifuge and washed 4-5 times with methanol, EGMP was anchored via C-O-P bonds as confirmed by XPS studies. The sorption studies were carried out using 233 U and 238,239,240 Pu at 3 M HNO 3 using 15 mg of GO at the rate EGMP

  13. Salidroside Suppresses HUVECs Cell Injury Induced by Oxidative Stress through Activating the Nrf2 Signaling Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yao Zhu

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Salidroside (SAL, one of the main effective constituents of Rhodiola rosea, has been reported to suppress oxidative stress-induced cardiomyocyte injury and necrosis by promoting transcription of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2-regulated genes such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1 and NAD(PH dehydrogenase (quinone1 (NQO1. However, it has not been indicated whether SAL might ameliorate endothelial injury induced by oxidative stress. Here, our study demonstrated that SAL might suppress HUVEC cell injury induced by oxidative stress through activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway. The results of our study indicated that SAL decreased the levels of intercellular reactive oxygen species (ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA, and improved the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD and catalase (CAT, resulting in protective effects against oxidative stress-induced cell damage in HUVECs. It suppressed oxidative stress damage by inducing Nrf2 nuclear translocation and activating the expression of Nrf2-regulated antioxidant enzyme genes such as HO-1 and NQO1 in HUVECs. Knockdown of Nrf2 with siRNA abolished the cytoprotective effects against oxidative stress, decreased the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1, and inhibited the nucleus translocation of Nrf2 in HUVECs. This study is the first to demonstrate that SAL suppresses HUVECs cell injury induced by oxidative stress through activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway.

  14. Ethanol production from xylose in engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Current state and perspectives

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsushika, Akinori; Inoue, Hiroyuki; Sawayama, Shigeki [National Inst. of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Hiroshima (JP). Biomass Technology Research Center (BTRC); Kodaki, Tsutomu [Kyoto Univ. (Japan). Inst. of Advanced Energy

    2009-08-15

    Bioethanol production from xylose is important for utilization of lignocellulosic biomass as raw materials. The research on yeast conversion of xylose to ethanol has been intensively studied especially for genetically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the last 20 years. S. cerevisiae, which is a very safe microorganism that plays a traditional and major role in industrial bioethanol production, has several advantages due to its high ethanol productivity, as well as its high ethanol and inhibitor tolerance. However, this yeast cannot ferment xylose, which is the dominant pentose sugar in hydrolysates of lignocellulosic biomass. A number of different strategies have been applied to engineer yeasts capable of efficiently producing ethanol from xylose, including the introduction of initial xylose metabolism and xylose transport, changing the intracellular redox balance, and overexpression of xylulokinase and pentose phosphate pathways. In this review, recent progress with regard to these studies is discussed, focusing particularly on xylose-fermenting strains of S. cerevisiae. Recent studies using several promising approaches such as host strain selection and adaptation to obtain further improved xylose-utilizing S. cerevisiae are also addressed. (orig.)

  15. Alterations of hippocampal glucose metabolism by even versus uneven medium chain triglycerides

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Tanya S; Tan, Kah Ni; Hodson, Mark P; Borges, Karin

    2014-01-01

    Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) are used to treat neurologic disorders with metabolic impairments, including childhood epilepsy and early Alzheimer's disease. However, the metabolic effects of MCTs in the brain are still unclear. Here, we studied the effects of feeding even and uneven MCTs on brain glucose metabolism in the mouse. Adult mice were fed 35% (calories) of trioctanoin or triheptanoin (the triglycerides of octanoate or heptanoate, respectively) or a matching control diet for 3 weeks. Enzymatic assays and targeted metabolomics by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry were used to quantify metabolites in extracts from the hippocampal formations (HFs). Both oils increased the levels of β-hydroxybutyrate, but no other significant metabolic alterations were observed after triheptanoin feeding. The levels of glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate were increased in the HF of mice fed trioctanoin, whereas levels of metabolites further downstream in the glycolytic pathway and the pentose phosphate pathway were reduced. This indicates that trioctanoin reduces glucose utilization because of a decrease in phosphofructokinase activity. Trioctanoin and triheptanoin showed similar anticonvulsant effects in the 6 Hz seizure model, but it remains unknown to what extent the anticonvulsant mechanism(s) are shared. In conclusion, triheptanoin unlike trioctanoin appears to not alter glucose metabolism in the healthy brain. PMID:24169853

  16. Oxidative stress suppresses the cellular bioenergetic effect of the 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase/hydrogen sulfide pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Módis, Katalin; Asimakopoulou, Antonia; Coletta, Ciro; Papapetropoulos, Andreas; Szabo, Csaba

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Oxidative stress impairs 3-MST-derived H 2 S production in isolated enzyme and in isolated mitochondria. •This impairs the stimulatory bioenergetic effects of H 2 S in hepatocytes. •This has implications for the pathophysiology of diseases with oxidative stress. -- Abstract: Recent data show that lower concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), as well as endogenous, intramitochondrial production of H 2 S by the 3-mercaptopyruvate (3-MP)/3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3-MST) pathway serves as an electron donor and inorganic source of energy to support mitochondrial electron transport and ATP generation in mammalian cells by donating electrons to Complex II. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of oxidative stress on the activity of the 3-MP/3-MST/H 2 S pathway in vitro. Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 , 100–500 μM) caused a concentration-dependent decrease in the activity of recombinant mouse 3-MST enzyme. In mitochondria isolated from murine hepatoma cells, H 2 O 2 (50–500 μM) caused a concentration-dependent decrease in production of H 2 S from 3-MP. In cultured murine hepatoma cells H 2 O 2 , (3–100 μM), did not result in overall cytotoxicity, but caused a partial decrease in basal oxygen consumption and respiratory reserve rapacity. The positive bioenergetic effect of 3-MP (100–300 nM) was completely abolished by pre-treatment of the cells with H 2 O 2 (50 μM). The current findings demonstrate that oxidative stress inhibits 3-MST activity and interferes with the positive bioenergetic role of the 3-MP/3-MST/H 2 S pathway. These findings may have implications for the pathophysiology of various conditions associated with increased oxidative stress, such as various forms of critical illness, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes or physiological aging

  17. Glucose metabolism in gamma-irradiated rice seeds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, M.; Hasegawa, H.; Hori, S.

    1980-01-01

    Gamma-irradiation of 30 kR in rice seeds caused marked inhibition in seedling growth, and prevented the release of reduced sugar during the period of 25 to 76hr after soaking. The C 6 /C 1 ratio following irradiation continued to decrease up to the 76th hour of soaking; the control's ratio tended to increase with comparable soaking time. The percentage recovery of 14 C in carbon dioxide from glucose -1- 14 C was lower in irradiated than in control seeds. These results indicate that gamma-irradiation reduces the participation of the pentose phosphate pathway in glucose catabolism during an early period of germination. (author)

  18. Phosphate Remediation and Recovery using Iron Oxide-based Adsorbents

    Science.gov (United States)

    E33-modified sorbents for the removal of phosphate from lake water was investigated in this study. E33-modified sorbents were synthesized by coating with manganese and nanoparticles. Characterization was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-...

  19. Correlation between root respiration and the levels of biomass and glycyrrhizic acid in Glycyrrhiza uralensis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wenlan; Sun, Zhirong; Qu, Jixu; Yang, Chunning; Zhang, Xiaomin; Wei, Xinxin

    2017-09-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between root respiration and the levels of biomass and glycyrrhizic acid in Glycyrrhiza uralensis . Root respiration was determined using a biological oxygen analyzer. Respiration-related enzymes including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase plus 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, phosphohexose isomerase and succinate dehydrogenase, and respiratory pathways were evaluated. Biomass was determined by a drying-weighing method. In addition, the percentage of glycyrrhizic acid was detected using high-performance liquid chromatography. The association between root respiration and the levels of biomass and glycyrrhizic acid was investigated. The glycolysis pathway (EMP), tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and pentose phosphate (PPP) pathway acted concurrently in the roots of G. uralensis . Grey correlation analysis showed that TCA had the strongest correlation (correlation coefficient, 0.8003) with biomass. Starch and acetyl coenzyme A had the closest association with above-ground biomass, while soluble sugar correlated less strongly with above-ground biomass. Grey correlation analysis between biochemical pathways and the intermediates showed that pyruvic acid had the strongest correlation with EMP, while acetyl coenzyme A correlated most strongly with TCA. Among the intermediates and pathways, pyruvic acid and EMP exhibited the greatest correlation with glycyrrhizic acid, while acetyl coenzyme A and TCA correlated with glycyrrhizic acid less closely. The results of this study may aid the cultivation of G. uralensis . However, these results require verification in further studies.

  20. Samarium-modified vanadium phosphate catalyst for the selective oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Hua-Yi; Wang, Hai-Bo; Liu, Xin-Hua; Li, Jian-Hui; Yang, Mei-Hua; Huang, Chuan-Jing; Weng, Wei-Zheng; Wan, Hui-Lin

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: The addition of a small amount of Sm into VPO catalyst brought about great changes in its physicochemical properties such as surface area, surface morphology, phase composition and redox property, thus leading to a higher catalytic performance in the selective oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride, as compared to the undoped VPO catalyst. - Highlights: • The addition of Sm leads to great changes in the structure of VPO catalyst. • Sm improves performance of VPO for oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride. • Catalytic performance is closely related to structure of VPO catalyst. - Abstract: A series of samarium-modified vanadium phosphate catalysts were prepared and studied in selective oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride. The catalytic evaluation showed that Sm modification significantly increased the overall n-butane conversion and intrinsic activity. N 2 -adsorption, XRD, SEM, Raman, XPS, EPR and H 2 -TPR techniques were used to investigate the intrinsic difference among these catalysts. The results revealed that the addition of Sm to VPO catalyst can increase the surface area of the catalyst, lead to a significant change in catalyst morphology from plate-like structure into rosette-shape clusters, and largely promote the formation of (VO) 2 P 2 O 7 . All of these were related to the different catalytic performance of Sm-doped and undoped VPO catalysts. The roles of the different VOPO 4 phases and the influence of Sm were also described and discussed

  1. A pathway closely related to the (D)-tagatose pathway of gram-negative enterobacteria identified in the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus licheniformis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Heiden, Edwige; Delmarcelle, Michaël; Lebrun, Sarah; Freichels, Régine; Brans, Alain; Vastenavond, Christian M; Galleni, Moreno; Joris, Bernard

    2013-06-01

    We report the first identification of a gene cluster involved in d-tagatose catabolism in Bacillus licheniformis. The pathway is closely related to the d-tagatose pathway of the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca, in contrast to the d-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway described in the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.

  2. A Pathway Closely Related to the d-Tagatose Pathway of Gram-Negative Enterobacteria Identified in the Gram-Positive Bacterium Bacillus licheniformis

    OpenAIRE

    Van der Heiden, Edwige; Delmarcelle, Michaël; Lebrun, Sarah; Freichels, Régine; Brans, Alain; Vastenavond, Christian M.; Galleni, Moreno; Joris, Bernard

    2013-01-01

    We report the first identification of a gene cluster involved in d-tagatose catabolism in Bacillus licheniformis. The pathway is closely related to the d-tagatose pathway of the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca, in contrast to the d-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway described in the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.

  3. The influence of different cultivation conditions on the metabolome of Fusarium oxysporum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panagiotou, Gianni; Christakopoulos, Paul; Olsson, Lisbeth

    2005-08-22

    The two most widespread pentose sugars found in the biosphere are d-xylose and l-arabinose. They are both potential substrates for ethanol production. The purpose of this study was to better understand the redox constraints imposed to Fusarium oxysporum during utilization of pentoses. In order to increase ethanol yield and decrease by-product formation, nitrate was used as nitrogen source. The use of NADH, the cofactor in denitrification process when using nitrate as a nitrogen source, improved the ethanol yield on xylose to 0.89 mol mol(-1) compared to the ethanol yield achieved using ammonium as nitrogen source 0.44 mol mol(-1). The improved ethanol yield was followed by a 28% decrease in yield of the by-product xylitol. In order to investigate the metabolic pathway of arabinose and the metabolic limitations for the efficient ethanol production from this sugar, the extracellular and intracellular metabolite profiles were determined under aerobic and anaerobic cultivation conditions. The results of this study clearly show difficulties in channelling of glucose-1-P (G1P) to pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and reduced NADPH regeneration, suggesting that NADPH becomes a limiting factor for arabinose conversion, resulting in excessive acetate production. Variations of the fungus intracellular amino and non-amino acid pool, under different culture conditions, were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). PCA projection of the metabolome data collected from F. oxysporum subjected to environmental perturbations succeeded to visualize different physiological states and the conclusions of this study were that the metabolite profile is unique according to: (1) the carbon source and (2) the oxygen supply, and to a lesser extent to the cultivation phase.

  4. Organ-Protective Effects of Red Wine Extract, Resveratrol, in Oxidative Stress-Mediated Reperfusion Injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fu-Chao Liu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Resveratrol, a polyphenol extracted from red wine, possesses potential antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, including the reduction of free radicals and proinflammatory mediators overproduction, the alteration of the expression of adhesion molecules, and the inhibition of neutrophil function. A growing body of evidence indicates that resveratrol plays an important role in reducing organ damage following ischemia- and hemorrhage-induced reperfusion injury. Such protective phenomenon is reported to be implicated in decreasing the formation and reaction of reactive oxygen species and pro-nflammatory cytokines, as well as the mediation of a variety of intracellular signaling pathways, including the nitric oxide synthase, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase, deacetylase sirtuin 1, mitogen-activated protein kinase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1 alpha, hemeoxygenase-1, and estrogen receptor-related pathways. Reperfusion injury is a complex pathophysiological process that involves multiple factors and pathways. The resveratrol is an effective reactive oxygen species scavenger that exhibits an antioxidative property. In this review, the organ-protective effects of resveratrol in oxidative stress-related reperfusion injury will be discussed.

  5. Reactions of the melatonin metabolite N(1)-acetyl-5-methoxykynuramine with carbamoyl phosphate and related compounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuesel, Jana T; Hardeland, Rüdiger; Pfoertner, Henrike; Aeckerle, Nelia

    2010-01-01

    N-[2-(6-methoxyquinazolin-4-yl)-ethyl] acetamide (MQA) is a compound formed from the melatonin metabolite N(1)-acetyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AMK). We followed MQA production in reaction systems containing various putative reaction partners, in the absence and presence of hydrogen peroxide and/or copper(II). Although MQA may be formally described as a condensation product of either N(1)-acetyl-N(2)-formyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AFMK) with ammonia, or AMK with formamide, none of these combinations led to substantial quantities of MQA. However, MQA formation was observed in mixtures containing AMK, hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen carbonate and ammonia, or AMK, hydrogen peroxide, copper(II) and potentially carbamoylating agents, such as potassium cyanate or, more efficiently, carbamoyl phosphate. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, copper(II) and carbamoyl phosphate, MQA was the major product obtained from AMK, but the omission of copper(II) mainly led to another metabolite, 3-acetamidomethyl-6-methoxycinnolinone (AMMC). This was caused by nitric oxide (NO) generated under oxidative conditions from carbamoyl phosphate, as shown by an NO spin trap. MQA formation with carbamoyl phosphate was not due to the possible decomposition product, formamide. The reaction of AMK with carbamoyl phosphate under oxidative conditions, in which inorganic phosphate and water are released and which differs from the typical process of carbamoylation via isocyanate, may be considered as a new physiological route of MQA formation.

  6. Thrombin has biphasic effects on the nitric oxide-cGMP pathway in endothelial cells and contributes to experimental pulmonary hypertension.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katrin F Nickel

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: A potential role for coagulation factors in pulmonary arterial hypertension has been recently described, but the mechanism of action is currently not known. Here, we investigated the interactions between thrombin and the nitric oxide-cGMP pathway in pulmonary endothelial cells and experimental pulmonary hypertension. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Chronic treatment with the selective thrombin inhibitor melagatran (0.9 mg/kg daily via implanted minipumps reduced right ventricular hypertrophy in the rat monocrotaline model of experimental pulmonary hypertension. In vitro, thrombin was found to have biphasic effects on key regulators of the nitric oxide-cGMP pathway in endothelial cells (HUVECs. Acute thrombin stimulation led to increased expression of the cGMP-elevating factors endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS and soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC subunits, leading to increased cGMP levels. By contrast, prolonged exposition of pulmonary endothelial cells to thrombin revealed a characteristic pattern of differential expression of the key regulators of the nitric oxide-cGMP pathway, in which specifically the factors contributing to cGMP elevation (eNOS and sGC were reduced and the cGMP-hydrolyzing PDE5 was elevated (qPCR and Western blot. In line with the differential expression of key regulators of the nitric oxide-cGMP pathway, a reduction of cGMP by prolonged thrombin stimulation was found. The effects of prolonged thrombin exposure were confirmed in endothelial cells of pulmonary origin (HPAECs and HPMECs. Similar effects could be induced by activation of protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a link between thrombin generation and cGMP depletion in lung endothelial cells through negative regulation of the nitric oxide-cGMP pathway, possibly mediated via PAR-1, which could be of relevance in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

  7. Water quality assessment using the AREc32 reporter gene assay indicative of the oxidative stress response pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Escher, Beate I; Dutt, Mriga; Maylin, Erin; Tang, Janet Y M; Toze, Simon; Wolf, C Roland; Lang, Matti

    2012-11-01

    The reporter gene assay AREc32 is based on the induction of the Nrf2 mediated oxidative stress response pathway in the human breast cancer cell line MCF7, where eight copies of the antioxidant response element (ARE) are linked to a reporter gene encoding for luciferase. The Nrf2-ARE pathway is responsive to many chemicals that cause oxidative stress, among them a large number of pesticides and skin irritants. We adopted and validated the AREc32 bioassay for water quality testing. tert-Butylhydroquinone served as the positive control, phenol as the negative control and other reactive chemicals were assessed for their specificity. An environmentally relevant reference chemical, benzo(a)pyrene was the most potent inducer of all tested chemicals. The concentration causing an induction ratio (IR) of 1.5 (EC(IR1.5)) was chosen as the effect benchmark value. The assay was applied to 21 water samples ranging from sewage to drinking water, including secondary treatment and various tertiary treatment options (ozonation, biologically activated carbon filtration, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, advanced oxidation, chlorination, chloramination). The samples were enriched by solid phase extraction. In most samples the oxidative stress response was far more sensitive than cytotoxicity. The primary and secondary treated effluent exceeded the effect threshold IR 1.5 at a relative enrichment factor (REF) of 1, i.e., the native samples were active. All tertiary treated samples were less potent and their EC(IR1.5) lay between REF 1 and 10. The Nrf2 pathway was induced at a REF of approximately 10 for surface waters and drinking water, and above this enrichment cytotoxicity took over in most samples and quenched the induction. The blank (ultrapure water run through the sample enrichment process) was cytotoxic at an REF of 100, which is the limit of concentrations range that can be evaluated. Treatment typically decreased both the cytotoxicity and oxidative stress response apart

  8. Potential Impacts of two SO2 oxidation pathways on regional sulfate concentrations: acqueous-hase oxidation by NO2 and gas-phase oxidation by Stabilized Criegee Intermediates

    Science.gov (United States)

    We examine the potential impacts of two additional sulfate production pathways using the Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system. First we evaluate the impact of the aqueous-phase oxidation of S(IV) by nitrogen dioxide using two published rate constants, differing by 1-2...

  9. Thermochemical investigations on uranyl phosphates and arsenates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barten, H.

    1986-01-01

    Results are described of a study of the thermochemical stability of anhydrous phosphates and arsenates. The results of phase studies deal with compound formation and characterization, coexisting phases and limiting physical or chemical properties. The uranyl phosphates evolve oxygen at higher temperatures and the arsenates lose arsenic oxide vapour. These phenomena give the possibility to describe their thermodynamic stabilities. Thus oxygen pressures of uranyl phosphates have been measured using a static, non-isothermal method. Having made available the pure anhydrous compounds in the course of this investigation, molar thermodynamic quantities have been measured as well. These include standard enthalpies of formation from solution calorimetry and high-temperature heat-capacity functions derived from enthalpy increments measured. Some attention is given to compounds with uranium in valencies lower than six which have been met during the investigation. An evaluation is made of the thermodynamics of the compounds studied, to result in tabulized high-temperature thermodynamic functions. Relative stabilities within the systems are discussed and comparisons of the uranyl phosphates and the arsenates are made. (Auth.)

  10. Genome-scale model guided design of Propionibacterium for enhanced propionic acid production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Navone

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Production of propionic acid by fermentation of propionibacteria has gained increasing attention in the past few years. However, biomanufacturing of propionic acid cannot compete with the current oxo-petrochemical synthesis process due to its well-established infrastructure, low oil prices and the high downstream purification costs of microbial production. Strain improvement to increase propionic acid yield is the best alternative to reduce downstream purification costs. The recent generation of genome-scale models for a number of Propionibacterium species facilitates the rational design of metabolic engineering strategies and provides a new opportunity to explore the metabolic potential of the Wood-Werkman cycle. Previous strategies for strain improvement have individually targeted acid tolerance, rate of propionate production or minimisation of by-products. Here we used the P. freudenreichii subsp. shermanii and the pan-Propionibacterium genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs to simultaneously target these combined issues. This was achieved by focussing on strategies which yield higher energies and directly suppress acetate formation. Using P. freudenreichii subsp. shermanii, two strategies were assessed. The first tested the ability to manipulate the redox balance to favour propionate production by over-expressing the first two enzymes of the pentose-phosphate pathway (PPP, Zwf (glucose-6-phosphate 1-dehydrogenase and Pgl (6-phosphogluconolactonase. Results showed a 4-fold increase in propionate to acetate ratio during the exponential growth phase. Secondly, the ability to enhance the energy yield from propionate production by over-expressing an ATP-dependent phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK and sodium-pumping methylmalonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MMD was tested, which extended the exponential growth phase. Together, these strategies demonstrate that in silico design strategies are predictive and can be used to reduce by-product formation in

  11. A Pathway Closely Related to the d-Tagatose Pathway of Gram-Negative Enterobacteria Identified in the Gram-Positive Bacterium Bacillus licheniformis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Heiden, Edwige; Lebrun, Sarah; Freichels, Régine; Brans, Alain; Vastenavond, Christian M.; Galleni, Moreno; Joris, Bernard

    2013-01-01

    We report the first identification of a gene cluster involved in d-tagatose catabolism in Bacillus licheniformis. The pathway is closely related to the d-tagatose pathway of the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca, in contrast to the d-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway described in the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. PMID:23524682

  12. Mtr Extracellular Electron Transfer Pathways in Fe(III)-reducing or Fe(II)-oxidizing Bacteria: A Genomic Perspective

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shi, Liang; Rosso, Kevin M.; Zachara, John M.; Fredrickson, Jim K.

    2012-12-01

    Originally discovered in the dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (MR-1), the Mtr (i.e., metal-reducing) pathway exists in all characterized strains of metal-reducing Shewanella. The protein components identified to date for the Mtr pathway of MR-1 include four multi-heme c-type cytochromes (c-Cyts), CymA, MtrA, MtrC and OmcA, and a porin-like, outer membrane protein MtrB. They are strategically positioned along the width of the MR-1 cell envelope to mediate electron transfer from the quinone/quinol pool in the inner-membrane to the Fe(III)-containing minerals external to the bacterial cells. A survey of microbial genomes revealed homologues of the Mtr pathway in other dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacteria, including Aeromonas hydrophila, Ferrimonas balearica and Rhodoferax ferrireducens, and in the Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria Dechloromonas aromatica RCB, Gallionella capsiferriformans ES-2 and Sideroxydans lithotrophicus ES-1. The widespread distribution of Mtr pathways in Fe(III)-reducing or Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria emphasizes the importance of this type of extracellular electron transfer pathway in microbial redox transformation of Fe. Their distribution in these two different functional groups of bacteria also emphasizes the bi-directional nature of electron transfer reactions carried out by the Mtr pathways. The characteristics of the Mtr pathways may be shared by other pathways used by microorganisms for exchanging electrons with their extracellular environments.

  13. Novel regeneration method for phosphate loaded granular ferric (hydr)oxide--a contribution to phosphorus recycling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunaschk, Marco; Schmalz, Viktor; Dietrich, Norman; Dittmar, Thomas; Worch, Eckhard

    2015-03-15

    At a progressive rate, small wastewater treatment plants in rural areas need to be equipped with an additional phosphorus removal stage in order to achieve a good chemical status in the receiving natural water bodies. A conventional regeneration method for ferric (hydr)oxides such as phosphate specific adsorbents, which can be applied to remove and recover phosphorus in fixed bed filters, was investigated and improved. It was shown that a loss of up to 85% of the initial capacity can be observed when regeneration with 1 M NaOH is implemented. The losses are caused by surface blocking with different calcium-containing compounds as revealed by an EDX analysis. These blocking compounds could be removed completely with an additional acidic regeneration step at pH = 2.5. During the alkaline desorption that followed, complete phosphorus removal and a full recovery of the adsorption capacity were achieved for goethite-rich Bayoxide(®) E 33 HC (E33HC) and akaganéite-rich GEH(®) 104 (GEH). The regeneration procedure was repeated up to eight times without any signs of further decline in the phosphate adsorption capacity or any changes in the specific surface area or pore size distribution of the adsorbent. In contrast to GEH and E33HC, ferric hydroxide- and calcite-rich FerroSorp(®) Plus (FSP) was partly dissolved during acid treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Denitrification: an important pathway for nitrous oxide production in tropical mangrove sediments (Goa, India).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandes, Sheryl Oliveira; Bharathi, P A Loka; Bonin, Patricia C; Michotey, Valérie D

    2010-01-01

    Net nitrous oxide production and denitrification activity were measured in two mangrove ecosystems of Goa, India. The relatively pristine site Tuvem was compared to Divar, which is prone to high nutrient input. Stratified sampling at 2-cm intervals within the 0- to 10-cm depth range showed that N2O production at both the locations decreased with depth. Elevated denitrification activity at Divar resulted in maximum production of up to 1.95 nmol N2O-N g(-1) h(-1) at 2 to 4 cm, which was three times higher than at Tuvem. Detailed investigations to understand the major pathway contributing to N2O production performed at Tuvem showed that incomplete denitrification was responsible for up to 43 to 93% of N2O production. Nitrous oxide production rates closely correlated to nitrite concentration (n = 15; r = -0.47; p production. Nitrous oxide production through nitrification was below detection, affirming that denitrification is the major pathway responsible for production of the greenhouse gas. Net N2O production in these mangrove systems are comparatively higher than those reported from other natural estuarine sediments and therefore warrant mitigation measures.

  15. Synthesis of Calcium Phosphate Composite Organogels by Using Emulsion Method for Dentine Occlusion Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nopteeranupharp, C.; Akkarachaneeyakorn, K.; Songsasaen, A.

    2018-03-01

    Dentinal hypersensitivity (DH) is one of the most human’s problems caused by the erosion of enamel. There are many methods and materials to solve this problem. Calcium phosphate is an excellent alternative for curing this symptom because of its osteoconductivity, and biocompatibility properties. The low-cost and low-toxicity calcium phosphate nanogel was fabricated by using emulsion method and characterized by using TEM, EDX, and DLS techniques. The results showed that P123 (poly (ethylene oxide)19-block-Poly (propylene oxide)69-block-poly (ethylene oxide)19) has played a major role as template and gel formation, SDS was used as a surfactant to form water-in-oil emulsion nanodroplets with circle-like shape. Moreover, the ability of synthesised organogel to occlude the exposed dentine tubules was tested on the model of human’s dentine slices. The results showed that calcium phosphate composite organogel can be efficiently occluded on dentine slice, characterized by SEM technique, after 1 day.

  16. The Genetic Requirements for Pentose Fermentation in Budding Yeast

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karin Mittelman

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Cells grow on a wide range of carbon sources by regulating substrate flow through the metabolic network. Incoming sugar, for example, can be fermented or respired, depending on the carbon identity, cell type, or growth conditions. Despite this genetically-encoded flexibility of carbon metabolism, attempts to exogenously manipulate central carbon flux by rational design have proven difficult, suggesting a robust network structure. To examine this robustness, we characterized the ethanol yield of 411 regulatory and metabolic mutants in budding yeast. The mutants showed little variation in ethanol productivity when grown on glucose or galactose, yet diversity was revealed during growth on xylulose, a rare pentose not widely available in nature. While producing ethanol at high yield, cells grown on xylulose produced ethanol at high yields, yet induced expression of respiratory genes, and were dependent on them. Analysis of mutants that affected ethanol productivity suggested that xylulose fermentation results from metabolic overflow, whereby the flux through glycolysis is higher than the maximal flux that can enter respiration. We suggest that this overflow results from a suboptimal regulatory adjustment of the cells to this unfamiliar carbon source.

  17. Exploring the potential of lactic acid production from lignocellulosic hydrolysates with various ratios of hexose versus pentose by Bacillus coagulans IPE22.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yujue; Cao, Weifeng; Luo, Jianquan; Wan, Yinhua

    2018-08-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of utilizing different lignocellulosic hydrolysates with various hexose versus pentose (H:P) ratios to produce lactic acid (LA) from Bacillus coagulans IPE22 by fermentations with single and mixed sugar. In single sugar utilization, glucose tended to promote LA production, and xylose preferred to enhance cell growth. In mixed sugar utilization, glucose and pentose were consumed simultaneously when glucose concentration was lower than 20 g/L, and almost the same concentration of LA (50 g/L) was obtained regardless of the differences of H:P values. Finally, LA production from corn cob hydrolysates (CCH) contained 60 g/L mixed sugar verified the mechanisms found in the fermentations with simulated sugar mixture. Comparing with single glucose utilization, CCH utilization was faster and the yield of LA was not significantly affected. Therefore, the great potential of producing LA with lignocellulosic materials by B. coagulans was proved. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  18. Enhanced tolerance against early and late apoptotic oxidative stress in mammalian neurons through nicotinamidase and sirtuin mediated pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chong, Zhao Zhong; Maiese, Kenneth

    2008-08-01

    Focus upon therapeutic strategies that intersect between pathways that govern cellular metabolism and cellular survival may offer the greatest impact for the treatment of a number of neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders, such as diabetes mellitus. In this regard, we investigated the role of a Drosophila nicotinamidase (DN) in mammalian SH-SY5Y neuronal cells during oxidative stress. We demonstrate that during free radical exposure to nitric oxide generators DN neuronal expression significantly increased cell survival and blocked cellular membrane injury. Furthermore, DN neuronal expression prevented both apoptotic late DNA degradation and early phosphatidylserine exposure that may serve to modulate inflammatory cell activation in vivo. Nicotinamidase activity that limited nicotinamide cellular concentrations appeared to be necessary for DN neuroprotection, since application of progressive nicotinamide concentrations could abrogate the benefits of DN expression during oxidative stress. Pathways that involved sirtuin activation and SIRT1 were suggested to be vital, at least in part, for DN to confer protection through a series of studies. First, application of resveratrol increased cell survival during oxidative stress either alone or in conjunction with the expression of DN to a similar degree, suggesting that DN may rely upon SIRT1 activation to foster neuronal protection. Second, the overexpression of either SIRT1 or DN in neurons prevented apoptotic injury specifically in neurons expressing these proteins during oxidative stress, advancing the premise that DN and SIRT1 may employ similar pathways for neuronal protection. Third, inhibition of sirtuin activity with sirtinol was detrimental to neuronal survival during oxidative stress and prevented neuronal protection during overexpression of DN or SIRT1, further supporting that SIRT1 activity may be necessary for DN neuroprotection during oxidative stress. Implementation of further work to elucidate the

  19. In vitro biotransformation of tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) in human liver and serum

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van den Eede, Nele, E-mail: nele.vandeneede@uantwerpen.be [Toxicological Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp (Belgium); Erratico, Claudio [Toxicological Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp (Belgium); Exarchou, Vassiliki [Natural Products & Food Research and Analysis (NatuRA), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp (Belgium); Maho, Walid; Neels, Hugo [Toxicological Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp (Belgium); Covaci, Adrian, E-mail: adrian.covaci@uantwerpen.be [Toxicological Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp (Belgium)

    2015-04-15

    Tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) is a plasticizer present in indoor dust, reaching levels of several micrograms per gram. Such levels could lead to significant daily exposure of adults and children. Currently, no toxicokinetic data are available to estimate TBOEP clearance in humans after uptake and therefore, one objective of this study was to investigate intrinsic clearance of TBOEP by human liver microsome (HLM) and serum enzymes. Another objective was to generate information to identify and prioritize several metabolites of TBOEP for investigation of human exposure by biomonitoring. 1D and 2D-NMR methodologies were successfully applied on a mixture of the metabolites to confirm the structure of 3-HO-TBOEP (bis(2-butoxyethyl) 3-hydroxyl-2-butoxyethyl phosphate) and to tentatively assign structures to 1-HO-TBOEP and 2-HO-TBOEP. HO-TBOEP isomers and bis(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (BBOEP), bis(2-butoxyethyl) hydroxyethyl phosphate (BBOEHEP) were further monitored by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Rates of formation of BBOEHEP and HO-TBOEP metabolites by liver enzymes were best described by the Michaelis–Menten model. Apparent K{sub m} values for BBOEHEP, 3-HO-TBOEP, and sum of 1- and 2-HO-TBOEP isomer formation were 152, 197 and 148 μM, respectively. Apparent V{sub max} values for the formation of BBOEHEP, 3-HO-TBOEP, and the sum of 1- and 2-HO-TBOEP isomers were 2560, 643, and 254 pmol/min/mg protein, respectively. No detectable formation of BBOEP occurred with liver or serum enzymes. Our findings indicate that intrinsic clearance of TBOEP is mainly catalyzed by oxidative enzymes in the liver and that its major in vitro metabolite is BBOEHEP. These findings can be applied in human biomonitoring studies and risk assessment. - Highlights: • First steps in the elucidation of TBOEP toxicokinetics • Quantification of TBOEP metabolites in human serum and liver microsomes • No detectable formation of BBOEP occurred with liver or serum

  20. Reaction pathway and oxidation mechanisms of dibutyl phthalate by persulfate activated with zero-valent iron

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Huanxuan [School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China); The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Wan, Jinquan, E-mail: ppjqwan@scut.edu.cn [School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China); The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China, Guangzhou 510640 (China); State Key Lab Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Ma, Yongwen [School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China); The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China, Guangzhou 510640 (China); State Key Lab Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Wang, Yan [School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China); The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China, Guangzhou 510640 (China)

    2016-08-15

    This study investigated reaction pathway and oxidation mechanisms of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) by persulfate (PS) activated with zero-valent iron (ZVI). The DBP degradation was studied at three pH values (acidic, neutral and basic) in the presence of different organic scavengers. Using a chemical probe method, both sulfate radical (SO{sub 4}·{sup −}) and hydroxyl radical (·OH) were found to be primary oxidants at pH 3.0 and pH 7.0, respectively while ·OH was the major specie to oxidize DBP at pH 11.0. A similar result was found in an experiment of Electron Spin Resonance spin-trapping where in addition to ·OH, superoxide radical (O{sub 2}·{sup −}) was detected at pH 11.0. The transformation of degradation products including dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), phthalic anhydride, and acetophenone exhibited diverse variation during the reaction processes. The phthalic anhydride concentration appeared to be maximum at all pHs. Another eleven intermediate products were also found at pH 3.0 by GC–MS and HPLC analysis, and their degradation mechanisms and pathways were proposed. It was suggested that dealkylation, hydroxylation, decarboxylation and hydrogen extraction were the dominant degradation mechanisms of DBP at pH 3.0. - Highlights: • Both SO{sub 4}{sup −}· and ·OH were found to be the major active species at pH 3.0 and pH 7.0. • ·OH and ·O2– were the primary oxidants pH 11.0. • The intermediate products were investigated as well as the degradation pathway. • Dealkylation, hydroxylation, decarboxylation, H-extraction were the major mechanisms.

  1. Contrasting Changes Caused by Drought and Submergence Stresses in Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Tiantian; Shi, Haitao; Wang, Yanping; Chan, Zhulong

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we investigated the mechanisms by which bermudagrass withstands the drought and submergence stresses through physiological, proteomic and metabolomic approaches. The results showed that significant physiological changes were observed after drought treatment, while only slight changes after submergence treatment, including compatible solute contents, ROS levels and antioxidant enzyme activities. Proteomics results showed that 81 proteins regulated by drought or submergence treatment were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS. Among them, 76 proteins were modulated by drought stress with 46 increased abundance and 30 decreased abundance. Forty-five showed abundance changes after submergence treatment with 10 increased and 35 decreased. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that pathways of amino acid metabolism and mitochondrial electron transport/ATP synthesis were only enriched by drought treatment, while other pathways including photosynthesis, biodegradation of xenobiotics, oxidative pentose phosphate, glycolysis and redox were commonly over-represented after both drought and submergence treatments. Metabolomic analysis indicated that most of the metabolites were up-regulated by drought stress, while 34 of 40 metabolites contents exhibited down-regulation or no significant changes when exposed to submergence stress, including sugars and sugar alcohols. These data indicated that drought stress extensively promoted photosynthesis and redox metabolisms while submergence stress caused declined metabolisms and dormancy in Cynodon dactylon. Taken together, the quiescence strategy with retarded growth might allow bermudagrass to be adaptive to long-term submerged environment, while activation of photosynthesis and redox, and accumulation of compatible solutes and molecular chaperones increased bermudagrass tolerance to drought stress. PMID:26617615

  2. ORF Alignment: NC_000117 [GENIUS II[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available sphate 3-epimerase (Pentose-5-phosphate ... 3-epimerase) (PPE) (R5P3E) ... Length = 216 ... Query: 1 ... MREEAMKKQGVLVAPSIM...GADLACIGREARNIEESGADLIHIDVMDGHFVPNITFGPGVV 60 ... MREEAMKKQGVLVAPSIMGADLACIGR...EARNIEESGADLIHIDVMDGHFVPNITFGPGVV Sbjct: 1 ... MREEAMKKQGVLVAPSIMGADLACIGREARNIEESG

  3. ORF Alignment: NC_002620 [GENIUS II[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available hosphate 3-epimerase (Pentose-5-phosphate ... 3-epimerase) (PPE) (R5P3E) ... Length = 205 ... Query: 7 ... LIAPSIM...GADLACLGDAARNIEESGANLIHIDVMDGHFVPNITFGPGIIAAINRSTDLFL 66 ... LIAPSIMGADLACLGDAARNIEESG...ANLIHIDVMDGHFVPNITFGPGIIAAINRSTDLFL Sbjct: 1 ... LIAPSIMGADLACLGDAARNIEESGANLIHIDVM

  4. VISCOSITY DICTATES METABOLIC ACTIVITY of Vibrio ruber

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maja eBoric

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Little is known about metabolic activity of bacteria, when viscosity of their environment changes. In this work, bacterial metabolic activity in media with viscosity ranging from 0.8 to 29.4 mPas was studied. Viscosities up to 2.4 mPas did not affect metabolic activity of Vibrio ruber. On the other hand, at 29.4 mPas respiration rate and total dehydrogenase activity increased 8 and 4-fold, respectively. The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase increased up to 13-fold at higher viscosities. However, intensified metabolic activity did not result in faster growth rate. Increased viscosity delayed the onset as well as the duration of biosynthesis of prodigiosin. As an adaptation to viscous environment V. ruber increased metabolic flux through the pentose phosphate pathway and reduced synthesis of a secondary metabolite. In addition, V. ruber was able to modify the viscosity of its environment.

  5. D-glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Entner-Doudoroff enzyme) from Pseudomonas fluorescens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lessmann, D.; Schimz, K.L.; Kurz, G.

    1975-01-01

    The existence of two different D-glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenases in Pseudomonas fluorescens has been demonstrated. Based on their different specificity and their different metabolic regulation one enzyme is appointed to the Entner-Doudoroff pathway and the other to the hexose monophosphate pathway. A procedure is described for the isolation of that D-glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase which forms part of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway (Entner-Doudoroff enzyme). A 950-fold purification was achieved with an overall yield of 44%. The final preparation, having a specific activity of about 300μmol NADH formed per min per mg protein, was shown to be homogeneous. The molecular weight of the Entner-Doudoroff enzyme has been determined to be 220,000 by gel permeation chromatography, and that of the other enzyme (Zwischenferment) has been shown to be 265,000. The pI of the Entner-Doudoroff enzyme has been shown to be 5.24 and that of the Zwischenferment 4.27. The Entner-Doudoroff enzyme is stable in the range of pH 6 to 10.5 and shows its maximal acivity at pH 8.9. The Entner-Doudoroff enzyme showed specificity for NAD + as well as for NADP + and exhibited homotropic effects for D-glucose 6-phosphate. It is inhibited by ATP which acts as a negative allosteric effector. Other nucleoside triphosphates as well as ADP are also inhibitory. The enzyme catalyzes the transfer of the axial hydrogen at carbon-1 of β-D-glucopyranose 6-phosphate to the si face of carbon-4 of the nicotinamide ring and must be classified as B-side stereospecific dehydrogenase. (orig.) [de

  6. Equilibriums of sorption of impurities of 3 d - cations by inorganic sorbents from phosphate and arsenate solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filatova, L.N.; Kurdyumova, T.N.; Bagrov, V.M.; Blyum, G.Z.

    1986-01-01

    Present article is devoted to equilibriums of sorption of impurities of 3 d - cations by inorganic sorbents from phosphate and arsenate solutions. Equilibriums of sorption of microquantities of iron, scandium, zink, copper, cobalt and manganese by inorganic sorbents on the basis of titanium and aluminium oxides from phosphate and arsenate solutions are studied. The influence of structural and chemical properties of matrix on sorption properties of oxides in phosphate and arsenate solutions is studied as well. It is defined that in concentrated solutions the sorption value of trace contaminant depends on a character of cation of alkaline metal.

  7. Molecular adaptations to phosphorus deprivation and comparison with nitrogen deprivation responses in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alipanah, Leila; Winge, Per; Rohloff, Jens; Najafi, Javad; Brembu, Tore; Bones, Atle M

    2018-01-01

    Phosphorus, an essential element for all living organisms, is a limiting nutrient in many regions of the ocean due to its fast recycling. Changes in phosphate (Pi) availability in aquatic systems affect diatom growth and productivity. We investigated the early adaptive mechanisms in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to P deprivation using a combination of transcriptomics, metabolomics, physiological and biochemical experiments. Our analysis revealed strong induction of gene expression for proteins involved in phosphate acquisition and scavenging, and down-regulation of processes such as photosynthesis, nitrogen assimilation and nucleic acid and ribosome biosynthesis. P deprivation resulted in alterations of carbon allocation through the induction of the pentose phosphate pathway and cytosolic gluconeogenesis, along with repression of the Calvin cycle. Reorganization of cellular lipids was indicated by coordinated induced expression of phospholipases, sulfolipid biosynthesis enzymes and a putative betaine lipid biosynthesis enzyme. A comparative analysis of nitrogen- and phosphorus-deprived P. tricornutum revealed both common and distinct regulation patterns in response to phosphate and nitrate stress. Regulation of central carbon metabolism and amino acid metabolism was similar, whereas unique responses were found in nitrogen assimilation and phosphorus scavenging in nitrogen-deprived and phosphorus-deprived cells, respectively.

  8. Evaluation of phosphate fertilizers for the immobilization of Cd in contaminated soils.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yin Yan

    Full Text Available A laboratory investigation was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of four phosphate fertilizers, including diammonium phosphate (DAP, potassium phosphate monobasic (MPP, calcium superphosphateon (SSP, and calcium phosphate tribasic (TCP, in terms of the toxicity and bioavailability of Cd in contaminated soils. The efficiency of immobilization was evaluated on the basis of two criteria: (a the reduction of extractable Cd concentration below the TCLP regulatory level and (b the Cd changes associated with specific operational soil fractions on the basis of sequential extraction data. Results showed that after 50 d immobilization, the extractable concentrations of Cd in DAP, MPP, SSP, and TCP treated soils decreased from 42.64 mg/kg (in the control to 23.86, 21.86, 33.89, and 35.59 mg/kg, respectively, with immobilization efficiency in the order of MPP > DAP > SSP > TCP. Results from the assessment of Cd speciation via the sequential extraction procedure revealed that the soluble exchangeable fraction of Cd in soils treated with phosphate fertilizers, especially TCP, was considerably reduced. In addition, the reduction was correspondingly related to the increase in the more stable forms of Cd, that is, the metal bound to manganese oxides and the metal bound to crystalline iron oxides. Treatment efficiency increased as the phosphate dose (according to the molar ratio of PO4/Cd increased. Immobilization was the most effective under the molar ratio of PO4/Cd at 4:1.

  9. Additional chain-branching pathways in the low-temperature oxidation of branched alkanes

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Zhandong

    2015-12-31

    Chain-branching reactions represent a general motif in chemistry, encountered in atmospheric chemistry, combustion, polymerization, and photochemistry; the nature and amount of radicals generated by chain-branching are decisive for the reaction progress, its energy signature, and the time towards its completion. In this study, experimental evidence for two new types of chain-branching reactions is presented, based upon detection of highly oxidized multifunctional molecules (HOM) formed during the gas-phase low-temperature oxidation of a branched alkane under conditions relevant to combustion. The oxidation of 2,5-dimethylhexane (DMH) in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) was studied using synchrotron vacuum ultra-violet photoionization molecular beam mass spectrometry (SVUV-PI-MBMS). Specifically, species with four and five oxygen atoms were probed, having molecular formulas of C8H14O4 (e.g., diketo-hydroperoxide/keto-hydroperoxy cyclic ether) and C8H16O5 (e.g., keto-dihydroperoxide/dihydroperoxy cyclic ether), respectively. The formation of C8H16O5 species involves alternative isomerization of OOQOOH radicals via intramolecular H-atom migration, followed by third O2 addition, intramolecular isomerization, and OH release; C8H14O4 species are proposed to result from subsequent reactions of C8H16O5 species. The mechanistic pathways involving these species are related to those proposed as a source of low-volatility highly oxygenated species in Earth\\'s troposphere. At the higher temperatures relevant to auto-ignition, they can result in a net increase of hydroxyl radical production, so these are additional radical chain-branching pathways for ignition. The results presented herein extend the conceptual basis of reaction mechanisms used to predict the reaction behavior of ignition, and have implications on atmospheric gas-phase chemistry and the oxidative stability of organic substances. © 2015 The Combustion Institute.

  10. Nano zinc phosphate coatings for enhanced corrosion resistance of mild steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamilselvi, M.; Kamaraj, P.; Arthanareeswari, M.; Devikala, S.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Nano zinc phosphate coating on mild steel was developed. • Nano zinc phosphate coatings on mild steel showed enhanced corrosion resistance. • The nano ZnO increases the number of nucleating sites for phosphating. • Faster attainment of steady state during nano zinc phosphating. - Abstract: Nano crystalline zinc phosphate coatings were developed on mild steel surface using nano zinc oxide particles. The chemical composition and morphology of the coatings were analyzed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The particles size of the nano zinc phosphate coating developed was also characterized by TEM analysis. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance studies were carried out in 3.5% NaCl solution. Significant variations in the coating weight, morphology and corrosion resistance were observed as nano ZnO concentrations were varied from 0.25 to 2 g/L in the phosphating baths. The results showed that nano ZnO particles in the phosphating solution yielded phosphate coatings of higher coating weight, greater surface coverage and enhanced corrosion resistance than the normal zinc phosphate coatings (developed using normal ZnO particles in the phosphating baths). Better corrosion resistance was observed for coatings derived from phosphating bath containing 1.5 g/L nano ZnO. The activation effect brought about by the nano ZnO reduces the amount of accelerator (NaNO 2 ) required for phosphating

  11. Combined crystallographic and spectroscopic analysis of Trematomus bernacchii hemoglobin highlights analogies and differences in the peculiar oxidation pathway of Antarctic fish hemoglobins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merlino, Antonello; Vitagliano, Luigi; Howes, Barry D; Verde, Cinzia; di Prisco, Guido; Smulevich, Giulietta; Sica, Filomena; Vergara, Alessandro

    2009-12-01

    Recent studies have demonstrated that hemoglobins isolated from Antarctic fish undergo peculiar oxidation processes. Here we show, by combining crystallographic and spectroscopic data, that the oxidation pathway of Trematomus bernacchii hemoglobin (HbTb) is distinct from that observed for the major component of Trematomus newnesi (Hb1Tn), despite the high sequence identity of the two proteins and structural similarity of their ferrous and fully oxidized states. Resonance Raman analysis of HbTb autoxidation upon air-exposure reveals the absence of the oxidized pentacoordinated state that was observed for Hb1Tn. The HbTb oxidation pathway is characterized by two ferric species: an aquo hexacoordinated high spin state and a bis-histidyl hexacoordinated low spin form, which appear in the early stages of the oxidation process. The high resolution structure of an intermediate along the oxidation pathway has been determined at 1.4 A resolution. The analysis of the electron density of the heme pocket shows, for both the alpha and the beta iron, the coexistence of multiple binding states. In this partially oxidized form, HbTb exhibits significant deviations from the canonical R state both at the local and global level. The analysis of these modifications highlights the structural correlation between key functional regions of the protein.

  12. An engineered non-oxidative glycolysis pathway for acetone production in Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xiaoyan; Yuan, Qianqian; Zheng, Yangyang; Ma, Hongwu; Chen, Tao; Zhao, Xueming

    2016-08-01

    To find new metabolic engineering strategies to improve the yield of acetone in Escherichia coli. Results of flux balance analysis from a modified Escherichia coli genome-scale metabolic network suggested that the introduction of a non-oxidative glycolysis (NOG) pathway would improve the theoretical acetone yield from 1 to 1.5 mol acetone/mol glucose. By inserting the fxpk gene encoding phosphoketolase from Bifidobacterium adolescentis into the genome, we constructed a NOG pathway in E.coli. The resulting strain produced 47 mM acetone from glucose under aerobic conditions in shake-flasks. The yield of acetone was improved from 0.38 to 0.47 mol acetone/mol glucose which is a significant over the parent strain. Guided by computational analysis of metabolic networks, we introduced a NOG pathway into E. coli and increased the yield of acetone, which demonstrates the importance of modeling analysis for the novel metabolic engineering strategies.

  13. Mesoporous titanium phosphates and related molecular sieves ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    phosphate using a dilute H2O2 oxidant supports the tetrahedral coordination of Ti in ... production of H2 by photo-reduction of water under UV light irradiation. ... have been extensively studied and used as acid catalysts, adsorbents and ion ... mesoporous silica materials is also of outstanding interest because of their ...

  14. Oxidative stress suppresses the cellular bioenergetic effect of the 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase/hydrogen sulfide pathway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Módis, Katalin [Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Burns Hospital for Children, Galveston, TX (United States); Asimakopoulou, Antonia [Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patras (Greece); Coletta, Ciro [Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Burns Hospital for Children, Galveston, TX (United States); Papapetropoulos, Andreas [Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Burns Hospital for Children, Galveston, TX (United States); Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patras (Greece); Szabo, Csaba, E-mail: szabocsaba@aol.com [Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Burns Hospital for Children, Galveston, TX (United States)

    2013-04-19

    Highlights: •Oxidative stress impairs 3-MST-derived H{sub 2}S production in isolated enzyme and in isolated mitochondria. •This impairs the stimulatory bioenergetic effects of H{sub 2}S in hepatocytes. •This has implications for the pathophysiology of diseases with oxidative stress. -- Abstract: Recent data show that lower concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S), as well as endogenous, intramitochondrial production of H{sub 2}S by the 3-mercaptopyruvate (3-MP)/3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3-MST) pathway serves as an electron donor and inorganic source of energy to support mitochondrial electron transport and ATP generation in mammalian cells by donating electrons to Complex II. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of oxidative stress on the activity of the 3-MP/3-MST/H{sub 2}S pathway in vitro. Hydrogen peroxide (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, 100–500 μM) caused a concentration-dependent decrease in the activity of recombinant mouse 3-MST enzyme. In mitochondria isolated from murine hepatoma cells, H{sub 2}O{sub 2} (50–500 μM) caused a concentration-dependent decrease in production of H{sub 2}S from 3-MP. In cultured murine hepatoma cells H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, (3–100 μM), did not result in overall cytotoxicity, but caused a partial decrease in basal oxygen consumption and respiratory reserve rapacity. The positive bioenergetic effect of 3-MP (100–300 nM) was completely abolished by pre-treatment of the cells with H{sub 2}O{sub 2} (50 μM). The current findings demonstrate that oxidative stress inhibits 3-MST activity and interferes with the positive bioenergetic role of the 3-MP/3-MST/H{sub 2}S pathway. These findings may have implications for the pathophysiology of various conditions associated with increased oxidative stress, such as various forms of critical illness, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes or physiological aging.

  15. Glucose and Intermediary Metabolism and Astrocyte-Neuron Interactions Following Neonatal Hypoxia-Ischemia in Rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brekke, Eva; Berger, Hester Rijkje; Widerøe, Marius; Sonnewald, Ursula; Morken, Tora Sund

    2017-01-01

    Neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) and the delayed injury cascade that follows involve excitotoxicity, oxidative stress and mitochondrial failure. The susceptibility to excitotoxicity of the neonatal brain may be related to the capacity of astrocytes for glutamate uptake. Furthermore, the neonatal brain is vulnerable to oxidative stress, and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) may be of particular importance for limiting this kind of injury. Also, in the neonatal brain, neurons depend upon de novo synthesis of neurotransmitters via pyruvate carboxylase in astrocytes to increase neurotransmitter pools during normal brain development. Several recent publications describing intermediary brain metabolism following neonatal HI have yielded interesting results: (1) Following HI there is a prolonged depression of mitochondrial metabolism in agreement with emerging evidence of mitochondria as vulnerable targets in the delayed injury cascade. (2) Astrocytes, like neurons, are metabolically impaired following HI, and the degree of astrocytic malfunction may be an indicator of the outcome following hypoxic and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. (3) Glutamate transfer from neurons to astrocytes is not increased following neonatal HI, which may imply that astrocytes fail to upregulate glutamate uptake in response to the massive glutamate release during HI, thus contributing to excitotoxicity. (4) In the neonatal brain, the activity of the PPP is reduced following HI, which may add to the susceptibility of the neonatal brain to oxidative stress. The present review aims to discuss the metabolic temporal alterations observed in the neonatal brain following HI.

  16. Aluminum phosphate ceramics for waste storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagh, Arun; Maloney, Martin D

    2014-06-03

    The present disclosure describes solid waste forms and methods of processing waste. In one particular implementation, the invention provides a method of processing waste that may be particularly suitable for processing hazardous waste. In this method, a waste component is combined with an aluminum oxide and an acidic phosphate component in a slurry. A molar ratio of aluminum to phosphorus in the slurry is greater than one. Water in the slurry may be evaporated while mixing the slurry at a temperature of about 140-200.degree. C. The mixed slurry may be allowed to cure into a solid waste form. This solid waste form includes an anhydrous aluminum phosphate with at least a residual portion of the waste component bound therein.

  17. Xylose Fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Challenges and Prospects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danuza Nogueira Moysés

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Many years have passed since the first genetically modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains capable of fermenting xylose were obtained with the promise of an environmentally sustainable solution for the conversion of the abundant lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol. Several challenges emerged from these first experiences, most of them related to solving redox imbalances, discovering new pathways for xylose utilization, modulation of the expression of genes of the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and reduction of xylitol formation. Strategies on evolutionary engineering were used to improve fermentation kinetics, but the resulting strains were still far from industrial application. Lignocellulosic hydrolysates proved to have different inhibitors derived from lignin and sugar degradation, along with significant amounts of acetic acid, intrinsically related with biomass deconstruction. This, associated with pH, temperature, high ethanol, and other stress fluctuations presented on large scale fermentations led the search for yeasts with more robust backgrounds, like industrial strains, as engineering targets. Some promising yeasts were obtained both from studies of stress tolerance genes and adaptation on hydrolysates. Since fermentation times on mixed-substrate hydrolysates were still not cost-effective, the more selective search for new or engineered sugar transporters for xylose are still the focus of many recent studies. These challenges, as well as under-appreciated process strategies, will be discussed in this review.

  18. Aspirin acetylates multiple cellular proteins in HCT-116 colon cancer cells: Identification of novel targets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marimuthu, Srinivasan; Chivukula, Raghavender S V; Alfonso, Lloyd F; Moridani, Majid; Hagen, Fred K; Bhat, G Jayarama

    2011-11-01

    Epidemiological and clinical observations provide consistent evidence that regular intake of aspirin may effectively inhibit the occurrence of epithelial tumors; however, the molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. In the present study, we determined the ability of aspirin to acetylate and post-translationally modify cellular proteins in HCT-116 human colon cancer cells to understand the potential mechanisms by which it may exerts anti-cancer effects. Using anti-acetyl lysine antibodies, here we demonstrate that aspirin causes the acetylation of multiple proteins whose molecular weight ranged from 20 to 200 kDa. The identity of these proteins was determined, using immuno-affinity purification, mass spectrometry and immuno-blotting. A total of 33 cellular proteins were potential targets of aspirin-mediated acetylation, while 16 were identified as common to both the control and aspirin-treated samples. These include enzymes of glycolytic pathway, cytoskeleton proteins, histones, ribosomal and mitochondrial proteins. The glycolytic enzymes which were identified include aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, enolase, pyruvate kinase M2, and lactate dehydrogenase A and B chains. Immunoblotting experiment showed that aspirin also acetylated glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and transketolase, both enzymes of pentose phosphate pathway involved in ribonucleotide biosynthesis. In vitro assays of these enzymes revealed that aspirin did not affect pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activity; however, it decreased glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase activity. Similar results were also observed in HT-29 human colon cancer cells. Selective inhibition of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase may represent an important mechanism by which aspirin may exert its anti-cancer effects through inhibition of ribonucleotide synthesis.

  19. Extraction of intracellular protein from Glaciozyma antarctica for proteomics analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faizura, S. Nor; Farahayu, K.; Faizal, A. B. Mohd; Asmahani, A. A. S.; Amir, R.; Nazalan, N.; Diba, A. B. Farah; Muhammad, M. Nor; Munir, A. M. Abdul

    2013-11-01

    Two preparation methods of crude extracts of psychrophilic yeast Glaciozyma antarctica were compared in order to obtain a good recovery of intracellular proteins. Extraction with mechanical procedures using sonication was found to be more effective for obtaining good yield compare to alkaline treatment method. The procedure is simple, rapid, and produce better yield. A total of 52 proteins were identified by combining both extraction methods. Most of the proteins identified in this study involves in the metabolic process including glycolysis pathway, pentose phosphate pathway, pyruyate decarboxylation and also urea cyle. Several chaperons were identified including probable cpr1-cyclophilin (peptidylprolyl isomerase), macrolide-binding protein fkbp12 and heat shock proteins which were postulate to accelerate proper protein folding. Characteristic of the fundamental cellular processes inferred from the expressed-proteome highlight the evolutionary and functional complexity existing in this domain of life.

  20. Signal transduction in artichoke [Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus (L.) Hayek] callus and cell suspension cultures under nutritional stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lattanzio, Vincenzo; Caretto, Sofia; Linsalata, Vito; Colella, Giovanni; Mita, Giovanni

    2018-06-01

    Stimulated production of secondary phenolic metabolites and proline was studied by using cell cultures of artichoke [Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus (L.) Hayek] submitted to nutritional stress. Artichoke cell cultures accumulated phenolic secondary metabolites in a pattern similar to that seen in artichoke leaves and heads (capitula). This paper shows that both callus and cell suspension cultures under nutritional stress accumulated phenolic compounds and proline, at the same time their biomass production was negatively affected by nutrient deficiency. The results obtained strongly suggest that plant tissues respond to nutrient deprivation by a defensive costly mechanism, which determines the establishment of a mechanism of trade-off between growth and adaptive response. Furthermore, the results of this research suggest that perception of abiotic stress and increased phenolic metabolites are linked by a sequence of biochemical processes that also involves the intracellular free proline and the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway. The main conclusion of this paper is that, once calli and cell suspension cultures respond to nutrient deficiency, in acclimated cells the establishment of a negative correlation between primary metabolism (growth) and secondary metabolism (defence compounds) is observed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  1. The Variations of Glycolysis and TCA Cycle Intermediate Levels Grown in Iron and Copper Mediums of Trichoderma harzianum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavsan, Zehra; Ayar Kayali, Hulya

    2015-05-01

    The efficiency of optimal metabolic function by microorganism depends on various parameters, especially essential metal supplementation. In the present study, the effects of iron and copper metals on metabolism were investigated by determination of glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites' levels with respect to the metal concentrations and incubation period in Trichoderma harzianum. The pyruvate and citrate levels of T. harzianum increased up to 15 mg/L of copper via redirection of carbon flux though glycolysis by suppression of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). However, the α-ketoglutarate levels decreased at concentration higher than 5 mg/L of copper to overcome damage of oxidative stress. The fumarate levels correlated with the α-ketoglutarate levels because of substrate limitation. Besides, in T. harzianum cells grown in various concentrations of iron-containing medium, the intracellular pyruvate, citrate, and α-ketoglutarate levels showed positive correlation with iron concentration due to modifying of expression of glycolysis and TCA cycle enzymes via a mechanism involving cofactor or allosteric regulation. However, as a result of consuming of prior substrates required for fumarate production, its levels rose up to 10 mg/L.

  2. The space of enzyme regulation in HeLa cells can be inferred from its intracellular metabolome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diener, Christian; Muñoz-Gonzalez, Felipe; Encarnación, Sergio; Resendis-Antonio, Osbaldo

    2016-01-01

    During the transition from a healthy state to a cancerous one, cells alter their metabolism to increase proliferation. The underlying metabolic alterations may be caused by a variety of different regulatory events on the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level whose identification contributes to the rational design of therapeutic targets. We present a mechanistic strategy capable of inferring enzymatic regulation from intracellular metabolome measurements that is independent of the actual mechanism of regulation. Here, enzyme activities are expressed by the space of all feasible kinetic constants (k-cone) such that the alteration between two phenotypes is given by their corresponding kinetic spaces. Deriving an expression for the transformation of the healthy to the cancer k-cone we identified putative regulated enzymes between the HeLa and HaCaT cell lines. We show that only a few enzymatic activities change between those two cell lines and that this regulation does not depend on gene transcription but is instead post-transcriptional. Here, we identify phosphofructokinase as the major driver of proliferation in HeLa cells and suggest an optional regulatory program, associated with oxidative stress, that affects the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway. PMID:27335086

  3. B-Cell-Specific Diversion of Glucose Carbon Utilization Reveals a Unique Vulnerability in B Cell Malignancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Gang; Chan, Lai N; Klemm, Lars; Braas, Daniel; Chen, Zhengshan; Geng, Huimin; Zhang, Qiuyi Chen; Aghajanirefah, Ali; Cosgun, Kadriye Nehir; Sadras, Teresa; Lee, Jaewoong; Mirzapoiazova, Tamara; Salgia, Ravi; Ernst, Thomas; Hochhaus, Andreas; Jumaa, Hassan; Jiang, Xiaoyan; Weinstock, David M; Graeber, Thomas G; Müschen, Markus

    2018-04-05

    B cell activation during normal immune responses and oncogenic transformation impose increased metabolic demands on B cells and their ability to retain redox homeostasis. While the serine/threonine-protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) was identified as a tumor suppressor in multiple types of cancer, our genetic studies revealed an essential role of PP2A in B cell tumors. Thereby, PP2A redirects glucose carbon utilization from glycolysis to the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) to salvage oxidative stress. This unique vulnerability reflects constitutively low PPP activity in B cells and transcriptional repression of G6PD and other key PPP enzymes by the B cell transcription factors PAX5 and IKZF1. Reflecting B-cell-specific transcriptional PPP-repression, glucose carbon utilization in B cells is heavily skewed in favor of glycolysis resulting in lack of PPP-dependent antioxidant protection. These findings reveal a gatekeeper function of the PPP in a broad range of B cell malignancies that can be efficiently targeted by small molecule inhibition of PP2A and G6PD. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Combined metabonomic and quantitative real-time PCR analyses reveal systems metabolic changes in Jurkat T-cells treated with HIV-1 Tat protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Wenting; Tan, Guangguo; Zhu, Zhenyu; Chen, Qiuli; Lou, Ziyang; Dong, Xin; Zhang, Wei; Pan, Wei; Chai, Yifeng

    2012-11-02

    HIV-1 Tat protein is released by infected cells and can affect bystander uninfected T cells and induce numerous biological responses which contribute to its pathogenesis. To elucidate the complex pathogenic mechanism, we conducted a comprehensive investigation on Tat protein-related extracellular and intracellular metabolic changes in Jurkat T-cells using combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS) and a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS)-based metabonomics approach. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses were further employed to measure expressions of several relevant enzymes together with perturbed metabolic pathways. Combined metabonomic and qRT-PCR analyses revealed that HIV-1 Tat caused significant and comprehensive metabolic changes, as represented by significant changes of 37 metabolites and 10 relevant enzymes in HIV-1 Tat-treated cells. Using MetaboAnalyst 2.0, it was found that 11 pathways (Impact-value >0.10) among the regulated pathways were acutely perturbed, including sphingolipid metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, inositol phosphate metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, citrate cycle, phenylalanine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, glycerophospholipid metabolism, glycolysis or gluconeogenesis. These results provide metabolic evidence of the complex pathogenic mechanism of HIV-1 Tat protein as a "viral toxin", and would help obligate Tat protein as "an important target" for therapeutic intervention and vaccine development.

  5. Triple phase boundary specific pathway analysis for quantitative characterization of solid oxide cell electrode microstructure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Peter Stanley; Ebbehøj, Søren Lyng; Hauch, Anne

    2015-01-01

    of the pathways through which they can be reached. New methods for performing TPB specific pathway analysis on 3D image data are introduced, analyzing the pathway properties of each TPB site in the electrode structure. The methods seek to provide additional information beyond whether the TPB sites are percolating......The density and percolation of Triple phase boundary sites are important quantities in analyzing microstructures of solid oxide fuel cell electrodes from tomography data. However, these measures do not provide descriptions of the quality of the TPB sites in terms of the length and radius...... or not by also analyzing the pathway length to the TPB sites and the bottleneck radius of the pathway. We show how these methods can be utilized in quantifying and relating the TPB specific results to cell test data of an electrode reduction protocol study for Ni/Scandia-and-Yttria-doped-Zirconia (Ni...

  6. Effects of Nano-Aluminum Nitride on the Performance of an Ultrahigh-Temperature Inorganic Phosphate Adhesive Cured at Room Temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Chengkun; Chen, Hailong; Wang, Chao; Zhang, Jifeng; Qi, Hui; Zhou, Limin

    2017-11-03

    Based on the optimal proportion of resin and curing agent, an ultrahigh-temperature inorganic phosphate adhesive was prepared with aluminum dihydric phosphate, aluminium oxide ( α -Al₂O₃), etc. and cured at room temperature (RT). Then, nano-aluminum nitride (nano-AlN), nano-Cupric oxide (nano-CuO), and nano-titanium oxide (nano-TiO₂) were added into the adhesive. Differential scanning calorimetry was conducted using the inorganic phosphate adhesive to analyze the phosphate reactions during heat treatment, and it was found that 15 wt % nano-AlN could clearly decrease the curing temperature. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the microphenomenon of the modified adhesive at ultrahigh-temperature. The differential thermal analysis of the inorganic phosphate adhesive showed that the weight loss was approximately 6.5 wt % when the mass ratio of resin to curing agent was 1:1.5. An X-ray diffraction analysis of the adhesive with 10% nano-AlN showed that the phase structure changed from AlPO₄(11-0500) to the more stable AlPO₄(10-0423) structure after heat treatment. The shear strength of the adhesive containing 10% nano-AlN reached 7.3 MPa at RT due to the addition of nano-AlN, which promoted the formation of phosphate and increased the Al 3+ .

  7. Phosphate-rich sedimentary rocks: significance for organic facies and petroleum exploration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Waples, D W

    1982-03-01

    Phosphorus-bearing rocks and sediments can be divided into two genetically distinct classes: phosphatic shales or limestones and phosphorites. Phosphatic shales are primary sediments in which phosphate nodules or micronodules have formed diagenetically by precipitation of calcium phosphates derived mainly from organic phosphorus. The nodules form in reducing environments at shallow depths within the sediments, where loss of phosphate by diffusion to the overlying water column is minimized. Highly biogenic sediments containing large amounts of organic matter and some fine clastic debris provide ideal environments for the formation of phosphate nodules. Phosphorites, in contrast, represent concentrated accumulations of reworked phosphate nodules which originated in phosphatic shales or limestones. Currents, wave action, recrystallization, and erosion and resedimentation are important mechanisms in the concentration process. Phosphatic shales and limestones may become excellent oil source rocks if thermal maturity is achieved. They are useful facies indicators for anoxic or nearly anoxic depositional environments, and are often associated with restricted basins, or, during certain geologic periods, with broad shelves developed during transgressions. Phosphorites, in contrast, are often correlated with sea-level regressions or uplifts. They are modest source rocks because of their low organic carbon contents and the fact that they were reworked under oxidizing conditions. Nevertheless, because phosphorites are derived from, and often grade into, phosphatic shales, they also are of potential utility in the search for oil source beds.

  8. Genesis of apatite in the phosphatized limestones of the western continental shelf of India

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Rao, V.P.; Lamboy, M.

    ) and this siliciclastic flux appear to have transported episodically to the shelf for short duration at about 8300 yr B.P. This flux at places is enriched with iron (Table 1). Iron oxides have strong adsorption capacity for phosphate ions (Nriagu, 1976....C. Burnett and S.R. Riggs (Editors), Neogene to Modern Phosphorites. Phosphate Deposits of the World, 3. Cam- bridge University Press, Cambridge. Cayeux, L., 1939. Existence de nombreuses batteries dans les phosphates sedimentaires de tout age...

  9. Enhanced neuronal glucose transporter expression reveals metabolic choice in a HD Drosophila model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besson, Marie Thérèse; Alegría, Karin; Garrido-Gerter, Pamela; Barros, Luis Felipe; Liévens, Jean-Charles

    2015-01-01

    Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by toxic insertions of polyglutamine residues in the Huntingtin protein and characterized by progressive deterioration of cognitive and motor functions. Altered brain glucose metabolism has long been suggested and a possible link has been proposed in HD. However, the precise function of glucose transporters was not yet determined. Here, we report the effects of the specifically-neuronal human glucose transporter expression in neurons of a Drosophila model carrying the exon 1 of the human huntingtin gene with 93 glutamine repeats (HQ93). We demonstrated that overexpression of the human glucose transporter in neurons ameliorated significantly the status of HD flies by increasing their lifespan, reducing their locomotor deficits and rescuing eye neurodegeneration. Then, we investigated whether increasing the major pathways of glucose catabolism, glycolysis and pentose-phosphate pathway (PPP) impacts HD. To mimic increased glycolytic flux, we overexpressed phosphofructokinase (PFK) which catalyzes an irreversible step in glycolysis. Overexpression of PFK did not affect HQ93 fly survival, but protected from photoreceptor loss. Overexpression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), the key enzyme of the PPP, extended significantly the lifespan of HD flies and rescued eye neurodegeneration. Since G6PD is able to synthesize NADPH involved in cell survival by maintenance of the redox state, we showed that tolerance to experimental oxidative stress was enhanced in flies co-expressing HQ93 and G6PD. Additionally overexpressions of hGluT3, G6PD or PFK were able to circumvent mitochondrial deficits induced by specific silencing of genes necessary for mitochondrial homeostasis. Our study confirms the involvement of bioenergetic deficits in HD course; they can be rescued by specific expression of a glucose transporter in neurons. Finally, the PPP and, to a lesser extent, the glycolysis seem to mediate the hGluT3

  10. Enhanced neuronal glucose transporter expression reveals metabolic choice in a HD Drosophila model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie Thérèse Besson

    Full Text Available Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by toxic insertions of polyglutamine residues in the Huntingtin protein and characterized by progressive deterioration of cognitive and motor functions. Altered brain glucose metabolism has long been suggested and a possible link has been proposed in HD. However, the precise function of glucose transporters was not yet determined. Here, we report the effects of the specifically-neuronal human glucose transporter expression in neurons of a Drosophila model carrying the exon 1 of the human huntingtin gene with 93 glutamine repeats (HQ93. We demonstrated that overexpression of the human glucose transporter in neurons ameliorated significantly the status of HD flies by increasing their lifespan, reducing their locomotor deficits and rescuing eye neurodegeneration. Then, we investigated whether increasing the major pathways of glucose catabolism, glycolysis and pentose-phosphate pathway (PPP impacts HD. To mimic increased glycolytic flux, we overexpressed phosphofructokinase (PFK which catalyzes an irreversible step in glycolysis. Overexpression of PFK did not affect HQ93 fly survival, but protected from photoreceptor loss. Overexpression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD, the key enzyme of the PPP, extended significantly the lifespan of HD flies and rescued eye neurodegeneration. Since G6PD is able to synthesize NADPH involved in cell survival by maintenance of the redox state, we showed that tolerance to experimental oxidative stress was enhanced in flies co-expressing HQ93 and G6PD. Additionally overexpressions of hGluT3, G6PD or PFK were able to circumvent mitochondrial deficits induced by specific silencing of genes necessary for mitochondrial homeostasis. Our study confirms the involvement of bioenergetic deficits in HD course; they can be rescued by specific expression of a glucose transporter in neurons. Finally, the PPP and, to a lesser extent, the glycolysis seem to

  11. Thymoquinone Attenuates Brain Injury via an Anti-oxidative Pathway in a Status Epilepticus Rat Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shao, Yi-Ye; Li, Bing; Huang, Yong-Mei; Luo, Qiong; Xie, Yang-Mei; Chen, Ying-Hui

    2017-01-01

    Status epilepticus (SE) results in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which contribute to seizure-induced brain injury. It is well known that oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in status epilepticus (SE). Thymoquinone (TQ) is a bioactive monomer extracted from black cumin (Nigella sativa) seed oil that has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant activity in various diseases. This study evaluated the protective effects of TQ on brain injury in a lithium-pilocarpine rat model of SE and investigated the underlying mechanism related to antioxidative pathway. Electroencephalogram and Racine scale were used to value seizure severity. Passive-avoidance test was used to determine learning and memory function. Moreover, anti-oxidative activity of TQ was observed using Western blot and super oxide dismutase (SOD) activity assay. Latency to SE increased in the TQ-pretreated group compared with rats in the model group, while the total power was significantly lower. Seizure severity measured on the Racine scale was significantly lower in the TQ group compared with the model group. Results of behavioral experiments suggest that TQ may also have a protective effect on learning and memory function. Investigation of the protective mechanism of TQ showed that TQ-pretreatment significantly increased the expression of Nrf2, HO-1 proteins and SOD in the hippocampus. These findings showed that TQ attenuated brain injury induced by SE via an anti-oxidative pathway.

  12. Metal Phosphides and Phosphates-based Electrodes for Electrochemical Supercapacitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xin; Elshahawy, Abdelnaby M; Guan, Cao; Wang, John

    2017-10-01

    Phosphorus compounds, such as metal phosphides and phosphates have shown excellent performances and great potential in electrochemical energy storage, which are demonstrated by research works published in recent years. Some of these metal phosphides and phosphates and their hybrids compare favorably with transition metal oxides/hydroxides, which have been studied extensively as a class of electrode materials for supercapacitor applications, where they have limitations in terms of electrical and ion conductivity and device stability. To be specific, metal phosphides have both metalloid characteristics and good electric conductivity. For metal phosphates, the open-framework structures with large channels and cavities endow them with good ion conductivity and charge storage capacity. In this review, we present the recent progress on metal phosphides and phosphates, by focusing on their advantages/disadvantages and potential applications as a new class of electrode materials in supercapacitors. The synthesis methods to prepare these metal phosphides/phosphates are looked into, together with the scientific insights involved, as they strongly affect the electrochemical energy storage performance. Particular attentions are paid to those hybrid-type materials, where strong synergistic effects exist. In the summary, the future perspectives and challenges for the metal phosphides, phosphates and hybrid-types are proposed and discussed. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. A method for accounting for maintenance costs in flux balance analysis improves the prediction of plant cell metabolic phenotypes under stress conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, C Y Maurice; Williams, Thomas C R; Poolman, Mark G; Fell, David A; Ratcliffe, R George; Sweetlove, Lee J

    2013-09-01

    Flux balance models of metabolism generally utilize synthesis of biomass as the main determinant of intracellular fluxes. However, the biomass constraint alone is not sufficient to predict realistic fluxes in central heterotrophic metabolism of plant cells because of the major demand on the energy budget due to transport costs and cell maintenance. This major limitation can be addressed by incorporating transport steps into the metabolic model and by implementing a procedure that uses Pareto optimality analysis to explore the trade-off between ATP and NADPH production for maintenance. This leads to a method for predicting cell maintenance costs on the basis of the measured flux ratio between the oxidative steps of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis. We show that accounting for transport and maintenance costs substantially improves the accuracy of fluxes predicted from a flux balance model of heterotrophic Arabidopsis cells in culture, irrespective of the objective function used in the analysis. Moreover, when the new method was applied to cells under control, elevated temperature and hyper-osmotic conditions, only elevated temperature led to a substantial increase in cell maintenance costs. It is concluded that the hyper-osmotic conditions tested did not impose a metabolic stress, in as much as the metabolic network is not forced to devote more resources to cell maintenance. © 2013 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Reducing properties, energy efficiency and carbohydrate metabolism in hyperhydric and normal carnation shoots cultured in vitro: a hypoxia stress?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saher, Shady; Fernández-García, Nieves; Piqueras, Abel; Hellín, Eladio; Olmos, Enrique

    2005-06-01

    Hyperhydricity is considered as a physiological disorder that can be induced by different stressing conditions. In the present work we have studied the metabolic and energetic states of hyperhydric carnation shoots. We have evaluated the hypothesis that hypoxia stress is the main factor affecting the metabolism of hyperhydric leaves. Our results indicate a low level of ATP in hyperhydric tissues, but only slight modifications in pyridine nucleotide contents. Concurrently, the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH; EC 1.1.1.49) activity in hyperhydric leaves was increased but glucokinase (GK; EC 2.7.1.2) activity was unchanged. We have observed that the metabolism of pyruvate was altered in hyperhydric tissues by the induction of pyruvate synthesis via NADP-dependent malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40). The enzymes of the fermentative metabolism pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC; EC 4.1.1.1) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH; EC 1.1.1.1) were highly increased in hyperhydric leaves. Sucrose metabolism was modified in hyperhydric leaves with a high increase in the activity of both synthesis and catabolic enzymes. The analysis of the sucrose, glucose and fructose contents indicated that all of these sugars were accumulated in hyperhydric leaves. However, the pinitol content was drastically decreased in hyperhydric leaves. We consider that these results suggest that hyperhydric leaves of carnation have adapted to hypoxia stress conditions by the induction of the oxidative pentose phosphate and fermentative pathways.

  15. Oxidation of benzoic acid by heat-activated persulfate: Effect of temperature on transformation pathway and product distribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zrinyi, Nick; Pham, Anh Le-Tuan

    2017-09-01

    Heat activates persulfate (S 2 O 8 2- ) into sulfate radical (SO 4 - ), a powerful oxidant capable of transforming a wide variety of contaminants. Previous studies have shown that an increase in temperature accelerates the rates of persulfate activation and contaminant transformation. However, few studies have considered the effect of temperature on contaminant transformation pathway. The objective of this study was to determine how temperature (T = 22-70 °C) influences the activation of persulfate, the transformation of benzoic acid (i.e., a model compound), and the distribution of benzoic acid oxidation products. The time-concentration profiles of the products suggest that benzoic acid was transformed via decarboxylation and hydroxylation mechanisms, with the former becoming increasingly important at elevated temperatures. The pathway through which the products were further oxidized was also influenced by the temperature of persulfate activation. Our findings suggest that the role of temperature in the persulfate-based treatment systems is not limited only to controlling the rates of sulfate and hydroxyl radical generation. The ability of sulfate radical to initiate decarboxylation reactions and, more broadly, fragmentation reactions, as well as the effect of temperature on these transformation pathways could be important to the transformation of a number of organic contaminants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Coutilization of D-Glucose, D-Xylose, and L-Arabinose in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by Coexpressing the Metabolic Pathways and Evolutionary Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chengqiang Wang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Efficient and cost-effective fuel ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials requires simultaneous cofermentation of all hydrolyzed sugars, mainly including D-glucose, D-xylose, and L-arabinose. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a traditional D-glucose fermenting strain and could utilize D-xylose and L-arabinose after introducing the initial metabolic pathways. The efficiency and simultaneous coutilization of the two pentoses and D-glucose for ethanol production in S. cerevisiae still need to be optimized. Previously, we constructed an L-arabinose-utilizing S. cerevisiae BSW3AP. In this study, we further introduced the XI and XR-XDH metabolic pathways of D-xylose into BSW3AP to obtain D-glucose, D-xylose, and L-arabinose cofermenting strain. Benefits of evolutionary engineering: the resulting strain BSW4XA3 displayed a simultaneous coutilization of D-xylose and L-arabinose with similar consumption rates, and the D-glucose metabolic capacity was not decreased. After 120 h of fermentation on mixed D-glucose, D-xylose, and L-arabinose, BSW4XA3 consumed 24% more amounts of pentoses and the ethanol yield of mixed sugars was increased by 30% than that of BSW3AP. The resulting strain BSW4XA3 was a useful chassis for further enhancing the coutilization efficiency of mixed sugars for bioethanol production.

  17. Decoding how a soil bacterium extracts building blocks and metabolic energy from ligninolysis provides road map for lignin valorization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varman, Arul M.; He, Lian; Follenfant, Rhiannon; Wu, Weihua; Wemmer, Sarah; Wrobel, Steven A.; Tang, Yinjie J.; Singh, Seema

    2016-01-01

    Sphingobium sp. SYK-6 is a soil bacterium boasting a well-studied ligninolytic pathway and the potential for development into a microbial chassis for lignin valorization. An improved understanding of its metabolism will help researchers in the engineering of SYK-6 for the production of value-added chemicals through lignin valorization. We used 13C-fingerprinting, 13C metabolic flux analysis (13C-MFA), and RNA-sequencing differential expression analysis to uncover the following metabolic traits: (i) SYK-6 prefers alkaline conditions, making it an efficient host for the consolidated bioprocessing of lignin, and it also lacks the ability to metabolize sugars or organic acids; (ii) the CO2 release (i.e., carbon loss) from the ligninolysis-based metabolism of SYK-6 is significantly greater than the CO2 release from the sugar-based metabolism of Escherichia coli; (iii) the vanillin catabolic pathway (which is the converging point of majority of the lignin catabolic pathways) is coupled with the tetrahydrofolate-dependent C1 pathway that is essential for the biosynthesis of serine, histidine, and methionine; (iv) catabolic end products of lignin (pyruvate and oxaloacetate) must enter the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle first and then use phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase to initiate gluconeogenesis; and (v) 13C-MFA together with RNA-sequencing differential expression analysis establishes the vanillin catabolic pathway as the major contributor of NAD(P)H synthesis. Therefore, the vanillin catabolic pathway is essential for SYK-6 to obtain sufficient reducing equivalents for its healthy growth; cosubstrate experiments support this finding. This unique energy feature of SYK-6 is particularly interesting because most heterotrophs rely on the transhydrogenase, the TCA cycle, and the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway to obtain NADPH. PMID:27634497

  18. Identification of a Post-translational Modification with Ribitol-Phosphate and Its Defect in Muscular Dystrophy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Motoi Kanagawa

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Glycosylation is an essential post-translational modification that underlies many biological processes and diseases. α-dystroglycan (α-DG is a receptor for matrix and synaptic proteins that causes muscular dystrophy and lissencephaly upon its abnormal glycosylation (α-dystroglycanopathies. Here we identify the glycan unit ribitol 5-phosphate (Rbo5P, a phosphoric ester of pentose alcohol, in α-DG. Rbo5P forms a tandem repeat and functions as a scaffold for the formation of the ligand-binding moiety. We show that enzyme activities of three major α-dystroglycanopathy-causing proteins are involved in the synthesis of tandem Rbo5P. Isoprenoid synthase domain-containing (ISPD is cytidine diphosphate ribitol (CDP-Rbo synthase. Fukutin and fukutin-related protein are sequentially acting Rbo5P transferases that use CDP-Rbo. Consequently, Rbo5P glycosylation is defective in α-dystroglycanopathy models. Supplementation of CDP-Rbo to ISPD-deficient cells restored α-DG glycosylation. These findings establish the molecular basis of mammalian Rbo5P glycosylation and provide insight into pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies in α-DG-associated diseases.

  19. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutathione reductase activity in methemoglobin reduction by methylene blue and cyst amine: study on glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient individuals, on normal subjects and on riboflavin-treated subjects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benedito Barraviera

    1988-10-01

    female were also studied. The G6PD and glutathione reductase were partially activated, the change being more intense in males. On the basis of race and of the laboratory characteristics observed, it is possible to suggest that the G6PD deficiency of these individuals is of the African type and that the female is heterozygous for this deficiency. Analysis of the results as a whole permitted us to conclude that the methods proposed here were efficient for evaluating the activity of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and of glutathione reductase. The latter is dependent on the pentose pathway, which generates NADPH, and on riboflavin, a FAD precursor vitamin.

  20. C1 Metabolism in Corynebacterium glutamicum: an Endogenous Pathway for Oxidation of Methanol to Carbon Dioxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witthoff, Sabrina; Mühlroth, Alice

    2013-01-01

    Methanol is considered an interesting carbon source in “bio-based” microbial production processes. Since Corynebacterium glutamicum is an important host in industrial biotechnology, in particular for amino acid production, we performed studies of the response of this organism to methanol. The C. glutamicum wild type was able to convert 13C-labeled methanol to 13CO2. Analysis of global gene expression in the presence of methanol revealed several genes of ethanol catabolism to be upregulated, indicating that some of the corresponding enzymes are involved in methanol oxidation. Indeed, a mutant lacking the alcohol dehydrogenase gene adhA showed a 62% reduced methanol consumption rate, indicating that AdhA is mainly responsible for methanol oxidation to formaldehyde. Further studies revealed that oxidation of formaldehyde to formate is catalyzed predominantly by two enzymes, the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase Ald and the mycothiol-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase AdhE. The Δald ΔadhE and Δald ΔmshC deletion mutants were severely impaired in their ability to oxidize formaldehyde, but residual methanol oxidation to CO2 was still possible. The oxidation of formate to CO2 is catalyzed by the formate dehydrogenase FdhF, recently identified by us. Similar to the case with ethanol, methanol catabolism is subject to carbon catabolite repression in the presence of glucose and is dependent on the transcriptional regulator RamA, which was previously shown to be essential for expression of adhA and ald. In conclusion, we were able to show that C. glutamicum possesses an endogenous pathway for methanol oxidation to CO2 and to identify the enzymes and a transcriptional regulator involved in this pathway. PMID:24014532