Adam Jozwiak

Simvastatin treatment highlights a new role for the isoprenoid/cholesterol biosynthetic pathway in the modulation of emotional reactivity and cognitive performance in rats.

The aim of the present work was to shed light on the role played by the isoprenoid/cholesterol biosynthetic pathway in the modulation of emotional reactivity and memory consolidation in rodents through the inhibition of the key and rate-limiting enzyme 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) both in vivo and in vitro with simvastatin. Three-month-old male Wistar rats treated for 21 days with simvastatin or vehicle were tested in the social interaction, elevated plus-maze, and inhibitory avoidance tasks; after behavioral testing, the amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, dorsal, and ventral striatum were dissected out for biochemical assays. In order to delve deeper into the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed effects, primary rat hippocampal neurons were used. Our results show that HMGR inhibition by simvastatin induces anxiogenic-like effects in the social interaction but not in the elevated plus-maze test, and improves memory consolidation in the inhibitory avoidance task. These effects are accompanied by imbalances in the activity of specific prenylated proteins, Rab3 and RhoA, involved in neurotransmitter release, and synaptic plasticity, respectively. Taken together, the present findings indicate that the isoprenoid/cholesterol biosynthetic pathway is critically involved in the physiological modulation of both emotional and cognitive processes in rodents.

Effects of myosin heavy chain (MHC) plasticity induced by HMGCoA-reductase inhibition on skeletal muscle functions

The rate‐limiting step of cholesterol biosynthetic pathway is catalyzed by 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglu‐taryl coenzyme reductase (HGMR), whose inhibitors, the statins, widely used in clinical practice to treat hypercholesterolemia, often cause myopathy, and rarely rhabdomyolysis. All studies to date are limited to the definition of statin‐induced myotoxicity omitting to investigate whether and how HMGR inhibition influences muscle functions. To this end, 3‐mo‐old male rats (Rattus norvegicus) were treated for 3 wk with a daily intraperitoneal injection of simvastatin (1.5 mg/kg/d), and biochemical, morphological, mechanical, and functional analysis were performed on extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. Our results show that EDL muscles from simvastatin‐treated rats exhibited reduced HMGR activity; a 15% shift from the fastest myosin heavy‐chain (MHC) isoform IIb to the slower IIa/x; and reduced power output and unloaded shortening velocity, by 41 and 23%, respectively, without any change in isometric force and endurance. Moreover, simvastatin‐treated rats showed a decrease of maximum speed reached and the latency to fall off the rotaroad (~–30%). These results indicate that the molecular mechanism of the impaired muscle function following statin treatment could be related to the plasticity of fast MHC isoform expression.—Trapani, L., Melli, L., Segatto, M., Trezza, V., Campolongo, P., Jozwiak, A., Swiezewska, E., Pucillo, L.P., Moreno, S., Fanelli, F., Linari, M., Pallottini, V. Effects of myosin heavy chain (MHC) plasticity induced by HMGCoA‐reductase inhibition on skeletal muscle functions. FASEB J. 25, 4037–4047 (2011). www.fasebj.org

Reconstitution of functional mycobacterial arabinosyltransferase AftC proteoliposome and assessment of decaprenylphosphorylarabinose analogues as arabinofuranosyl donors.

Arabinosyltransferases are a family of membrane-bound glycosyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of the arabinan segment of two key glycoconjugates, arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan, in the mycobacterial cell wall. All arabinosyltransferases identified have been found to be essential for the growth of Mycobcterium tuberculosis and are potential targets for developing new antituberculosis drugs. Technical bottlenecks in designing enzyme assays for screening for inhibitors of these enzymes are (1) the enzymes are membrane proteins and refractory to isolation; and (2) the sole arabinose donor, decaprenylphosphoryl-d-arabinofuranose is sparingly produced and difficult to isolate, and commercial substrates are not available. In this study, we have synthesized several analogues of decaprenylphosphoryl-d-arabinofuranose by varying the chain length and investigated their arabinofuranose (Araf) donating capacity. In parallel, an essential arabinosyltransferase (AftC), an enzyme that introduces α-(1→3) branch points in the internal arabinan domain in both arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan synthesis, has been expressed, solubilized, and purified for the first time. More importantly, it has been shown that the AftC is active only when reconstituted in a proteoliposome using mycobacterial phospholipids and has a preference for diacylated phosphatidylinositoldimannoside (Ac(2)PIM(2)), a major cell wall associated glycolipid. α-(1→3) branched arabinans were generated when AftC-liposome complex was used in assays with the (Z,Z)-farnesylphosphoryl d-arabinose and linear α-d-Araf-(1→5)(3-5) oligosaccharide acceptors and not with the acceptor that had a α-(1→3) branch point preintroduced.

POLYPRENOL REDUCTASE2 Deficiency Is Lethal in Arabidopsis Due to Male Sterility

Arabidopsis PPRD1 and -2, orthologs of human SRD5A3 (steroid 5α reductase type 3), encode polyprenol reductases responsible for conversion of polyprenol to dolichol. Dolichol is a required cofactor for protein glycosylation, the most common posttranslational modification modulating the stability and biological activity of proteins in all eukaryotic cells. We have identified and characterized two genes, PPRD1 and -2, which are orthologous to human SRD5A3 (steroid 5α reductase type 3) and encode polyprenol reductases responsible for conversion of polyprenol to dolichol in Arabidopsis thaliana. PPRD1 and -2 play dedicated roles in plant metabolism. PPRD2 is essential for plant viability; its deficiency results in aberrant development of the male gametophyte and sporophyte. Impaired protein glycosylation seems to be the major factor underlying these defects although disturbances in other cellular dolichol-dependent processes could also contribute. Shortage of dolichol in PPRD2-deficient cells is partially rescued by PPRD1 overexpression or by supplementation with dolichol. The latter has been discussed as a method to compensate for deficiency in protein glycosylation. Supplementation of the human diet with dolichol-enriched plant tissues could allow new therapeutic interventions in glycosylation disorders. This identification of PPRD1 and -2 elucidates the factors mediating the key step of the dolichol cycle in plant cells which makes manipulation of dolichol content in plant tissues feasible.

Application of Supercritical CO2 for extraction of polyisoprenoid alcohols and their esters from plant tissues

In this study, a method of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with carbon dioxide of polyisoprenoids from plant photosynthetic tissues is described. SFE was an effective extraction method for short- and medium-chain compounds with even higher yield than that observed for the “classical extraction” method with organic solvents. Moreover, SFE-derived extracts contained lower amounts of impurities (e.g., chlorophylls) than those obtained by extraction of the same tissue with organic solvents. Elevated temperature and extended extraction time of SFE resulted in a higher rate of extraction of long-chain polyisoprenoids. Ethanol cofeeding did not increase the extraction efficiency of polyisoprenoids; instead, it increased the content of impurities in the lipid extract. Optimization of SFE time and temperature gives the opportunity of prefractionation of complex polyisoprenoid mixtures accumulated in plant tissues. Extracts obtained with application of SFE are very stable and free from organic solvents and can further be used directly in experimental diet supplementation or as starting material for preparation of semisynthetic polyisoprenoid derivatives, e.g., polyisoprenoid phosphates.

Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of cell wall components and prenyl lipids in the leaves of Tilia x euchlora trees growing under salt stress

The study was focused on assessing the presence of arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) and pectins within the cell walls as well as prenyl lipids, sodium and chlorine content in leaves of Tilia x euchlora trees. The leaves that were analyzed were collected from trees with and without signs of damage that were all growing in the same salt stress conditions. The reason for undertaking these investigations was the observations over many years that indicated that there are trees that present a healthy appearance and trees that have visible symptoms of decay in the same habitat. Leaf samples were collected from trees growing in the median strip between roadways that have been intensively salted during the winter season for many years. The sodium content was determined using atomic spectrophotometry, chloride using potentiometric titration and poly-isoprenoids using HPLC/UV. AGPs and pectins were determined using immunohistochemistry methods. The immunohistochemical analysis showed that rhamnogalacturonans I (RG-I) and homogalacturonans were differentially distributed in leaves from healthy trees in contrast to leaves from injured trees. In the case of AGPs, the most visible difference was the presence of the JIM16 epitope. Chemical analyses of sodium and chloride showed that in the leaves from injured trees, the level of these ions was higher than in the leaves from healthy trees. Based on chromatographic analysis, four poly-isoprenoid alcohols were identified in the leaves of T. x euchlora. The levels of these lipids were higher in the leaves from healthy trees. The results suggest that the differences that were detected in the apoplast and symplasm may be part of the defensive strategy of T. x euchlora trees to salt stress, which rely on changes in the chemical composition of the cell wall with respect to the pectic and AGP epitopes and an increased synthesis of prenyl lipids.

Modeling of Dolichol Mass Spectra Isotopic Envelopes as a Tool to Monitor Isoprenoid Biosynthesis

A new method enables quantitative analysis of the contributions of the MVA and MEP pathways to generating isoprenoids. The cooperation of the mevalonate (MVA) and methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathways, operating in parallel in plants to generate isoprenoid precursors, has been studied extensively. Elucidation of the isoprenoid metabolic pathways is indispensable for the rational design of plant and microbial systems for the production of industrially valuable terpenoids. Here, we describe a new method, based on numerical modeling of mass spectra of metabolically labeled dolichols (Dols), designed to quantitatively follow the cooperation of MVA and MEP reprogrammed upon osmotic stress (sorbitol treatment) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The contribution of the MEP pathway increased significantly (reaching 100%) exclusively for the dominating Dols, while for long-chain Dols, the relative input of the MEP and MVA pathways remained unchanged, suggesting divergent sites of synthesis for dominating and long-chain Dols. The analysis of numerically modeled Dol mass spectra is a novel method to follow modulation of the concomitant activity of isoprenoid-generating pathways in plant cells; additionally, it suggests an exchange of isoprenoid intermediates between plastids and peroxisomes.