Aylin Kanli

Protective Effects of Increasing Vitamin E and A Doses on Cisplatin-Induced Oxidative Damage to Kidney Tissue in Rats

Objective: Cisplatin (DDP, cis-diamminedichloroplatinium II) is one of the most potent chemotherapeutic antitumor drugs, but is able to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and it also inhibits the activity of antioxidant enzymes in renal tissue. In the present study, we investigated the preventive effect of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg b.w. doses of vitamin E (VE), and 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg b.w. doses of vitamin A (VA) combination on malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and glutathione (GSH) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in cisplatin-induced toxicity in rat kidneys. Our literature survey indicated a lack of any experimental study showing the beneficial effect of VA on cisplatin-induced MDA, NO, GSH and SOD changes. For this reason, we hoped that this study would provide a unique contribution in that respect. Materials and Methods: 59 Wistar rats (11 to replace prematurely lost animals) were used. 48 evaluable rats were divided into 8 groups (n = 6 in each group): control group, DDP alone (5 mg/kg b.w.) group, 3 VE combination treatment groups of VE100+DDP, VE200+DDP, and VE400+DDP, and 3 VA combination treatment groups of VA25+DDP, VA50+DDP, and VA100+DDP. Kidney MDA, GSH, NO levels and SOD activities were determined for the assessment of oxidant-antioxidant balance. Results: While in the DDP group the tissue levels of MDA and NO were found to be significantly higher than in the control group, GSH levels and SOD activities were significantly lower. MDA and NO levels were found to be significantly lower and GSH levels and SOD activities significantly higher in the VE200+DDP and VE400+ DDP groups when compared with the DDP alone group. MDA and NO levels were found to be significantly lower in the VA50+DDP and VA100+DDP groups when compared with the DDP alone group. However, identical comparisons with the DDP alone group showed significantly higher GSH levels and SOD activities in the VA25+DDP, VA50+DDP, and VA100+DDP groups. Among the VE100+ DDP, VE200+DDP, and VE400+DDP groups, and VA25+ DDP, VA50+DDP, and VA100+DDP groups, MDA and NO levels decreased and GSH levels and SOD activities increased steadily and significantly as the doses of VE and VA increased. Conclusion: These vitamins would be effective in protecting against cisplatin-induced tissue damage in rat kidneys. It is possible that the toxic effect of cisplatin is somehow minimized by a compensatory mechanism involving VE and VA via induction of antioxidant enzyme activities following intraperitoneal injection of DDP.

Linking a compound-heterozygous Parkin mutant (Q311R and A371T) to Parkinson's disease by using proteomic and molecular approaches

Parkin is an E3-protein ubiquitin ligase, which plays an important role as a scavenger in cell metabolism. Since the discovery of the link between Parkin and Parkinsons disease, Parkin was placed in the center of Parkinsons disease research. Previously, we isolated a mutant form of the Parkin protein (Q311R and A371T) from a Parkinsons disease patient. In this study, we aimed at characterizing this mutant Parkin protein by using biochemical and proteomic approaches. We used neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) as our model and created two inducible cell lines that expressed the wild type and the mutant Parkin proteins. We first investigated the effect of expressing both the wild type and the mutant Parkin proteins on the overall proteome by using 2D-DIGE approach. The experiments yielded the identification of 22 differentially regulated proteins, of which 13 were regulated in the mutant Parkin expressing cells. Classification of the identified proteins based on biological process and molecular function revealed that the majority of the regulated proteins belonged to protein folding and energy metabolism. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis predicted the presence of a link between the regulated proteins of the mutant Parkin expressing cells and Parkinsons disease. We also performed biochemical characterization studies on the wild type and the mutant Parkin proteins to make sense out of the differences observed at the proteome level. Both proteins displayed biological activity, had similar stabilities and localized similarly to the cytoplasm and the nucleus in SH-SY5Y cells. The mutant protein, however, was cut by a protease and subjected to a post-translational modification. The observed differences at the proteome level might be due to the differences in processing of the mutant Parkin protein. Overall, we were able to create a possible link between a pair of Parkin mutations to its pertinent disease by using 2D-DIGE in combination with biochemical and molecular approaches.

Effect of resveratrol on chromosomal aberrations induced by doxorubicin in rat bone marrow cells

This study investigated the effects of resveratrol (RES) on doxorubicin (DXR) induced rat bone marrow cell chromosome aberrations. RES, a polyphenolic compound, has attracted considerable attention because of its antioxidant and antimutagenic effects. DXR, a chemotherapeutic agent, is known to cause chromosomal aberrations in healthy cells in cancer patients. In this study, Wistar albino male rats were divided into 6 groups with 6 animals each. The control group received distilled water i.p. and the DXR group received an i.p. injection of doxorubicin (90mg/kgbw). For the 2 RES dose groups (12.5 and 25mg/kgbw, respectively), RES was injected i.p. 5 times during the 24h study period to coincide with the schedule for the DXR+RES groups. The DXR-RES groups received DXR (90mg/kgbw) and RES at either 12.5 or 25mg/kgbw, i.p. 30min before, concurrently, and then every 6h after DXR administration. Bone marrow collection was timed to coincide with 24h after DXR administration in all groups. RES administration alone did not induce any significant increase in frequency of chromosome aberrations or abnormal metaphases compared with controls (p>0.05) while DXR alone did (p<0.05). In the DXR-RES 12.5mg/kgbw group, frequency of chromosome aberrations and abnormal metaphases were slightly reduced compared to DXR alone, but this was not statistically significant. However, in the DXR-RES 25mg/kgbw group, RES resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the frequency of chromosome aberrations and abnormal metaphases compared to those induced by DXR alone (p<0.05). These results indicate that RES (25mg/kgbw) significantly reduces frequency of DXR induced chromosome damage in bone marrow cells.

Proteomic studies associated with Parkinson’s disease

ABSTRACT Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an insidious disorder affecting more than 1–2% of the population over the age of 65. Understanding the etiology of PD may create opportunities for developing new treatments. Genomic and transcriptomic studies are useful, but do not provide evidence for the actual status of the disease. Conversely, proteomic studies deal with proteins, which are real time players, and can hence provide information on the dynamic nature of the affected cells. The number of publications relating to the proteomics of PD is vast. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate the current proteomics literature and establish the connections between the past and the present to foresee the future. Areas covered: PubMed and Web of Science were used to retrieve the literature associated with PD proteomics. Studies using human samples, model organisms and cell lines were selected and reviewed to highlight their contributions to PD. Expert commentary: The proteomic studies associated with PD achieved only limited success in facilitating disease diagnosis, monitoring and progression. A global system biology approach using new models is needed. Future research should integrate the findings of proteomics with other omics data to facilitate both early diagnosis and the treatment of PD.

Exogenous Expressions of FTO Wild-Type and R316Q Mutant Proteins Caused an Increase in HNRPK Levels in 3T3-L1 Cells as Demonstrated by DIGE Analysis

Fat mass and obesity-associated protein is an enzyme that oxidatively demethylates DNA. Although there are numerous studies regarding the catalytic function of FTO, the overall existence or absence of FTO on cellular proteome has not been investigated. This study investigated the changes in the soluble proteome of 3T3-L1 cells upon expression of the WT and the mutant (R316Q) FTO proteins. Protein extracts prepared from 3T3-L1 cells expressing either the WT or the mutant FTO proteins were used in DIGE experiments. Analysis of the data revealed the number of spots matched to every member and there were 350 ± 20 spots with 30.5% overall mean coefficient of variation. Eleven regulated protein spots were excised from the gels and identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF. One of the identified proteins was heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K, which displayed more than 2.6- and 3.7-fold increases in its abundance in the WT and the mutant FTO expressing cells, respectively. Western blot analysis validated these observations. This is the first study revealing the presence of a parallel increase in expressions of FTO and HNRNPK proteins. This increase may codictate the metabolic changes occurring in the cell and may attribute a significance to HNRNPK in FTO-associated transformations.

Identification of differentially regulated deceitful proteins in SH-SY5Y cells engineered with Tet-regulated protein expression system

Tetracycline regulated protein expression in mammalian cells is a powerful tool to predict the physiological function, cellular localization, and stability of a protein. In addition, to predict metabolic networks affected by the expression of wild‐type or mutant forms of proteins, researchers generally produce a single mammalian cell clone that can express the protein of interest under tetracycline control and study the changes occurring in overall proteome before and after expression of a protein of interest. One limitation of tetracycline regulated clonal cell creation, however, is that it sometimes creates clones with changed protein levels even without the expression of the protein of interest due to the nonspecific insertion of the gene encoding the protein of interest into the genome or disruption of a metabolic pathway due to insertional silencing or activation. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the limitation of tetracycline regulated gene expression by creating clonal cell lines expressing the wild‐type or the mutant forms of Fat mass and obesity‐associated protein. Comparative proteome analysis of the protein extracts by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled to MALDI‐TOF/TOF revealed the presence of eight proteins subjected to differential regulation even in the absence of induction. The identified proteins were 14‐3‐3 protein Epsilon, Vimentin, Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K, Tubulin beta‐2C chain, Heat shock protein HSP 90‐alpha, Heat shock protein HSP 90‐beta, Alpha‐enolase, TATA‐binding protein‐associated factor 2N. An ultimate care should be taken to prevent reporting of deceitful proteins generated from studies utilizing tetracycline regulated gene expression systems.