Carl Grey

Acceleration of α-Synuclein Aggregation by Exosomes.

Background: Cell-to-cell transmission of α-syn via exosomes has been proposed to propagate Parkinson disease pathology. Results: Exosomes contain gangliosides, several other lipid classes, and proteins. Exosomes and ganglioside vesicles accelerate α-syn aggregation. Vesicles made of other membrane lipids do not. Conclusion: Exosomes provide catalytic environments for nucleation of α-syn aggregation. Significance: Revealing factors that promote α-syn aggregation may provide insight into Parkinson disease pathogenesis. Exosomes are small vesicles released from cells into extracellular space. We have isolated exosomes from neuroblastoma cells and investigated their influence on the aggregation of α-synuclein, a protein associated with Parkinson disease pathology. Using cryo-transmission electron microscopy of exosomes, we found spherical unilamellar vesicles with a significant protein content, and Western blot analysis revealed that they contain, as expected, the proteins Flotillin-1 and Alix. Using thioflavin T fluorescence to monitor aggregation kinetics, we found that exosomes catalyze the process in a similar manner as a low concentration of preformed α-synuclein fibrils. The exosomes reduce the lag time indicating that they provide catalytic environments for nucleation. The catalytic effects of exosomes derived from naive cells and cells that overexpress α-synuclein do not differ. Vesicles prepared from extracted exosome lipids accelerate aggregation, suggesting that the lipids in exosomes are sufficient for the catalytic effect to arise. Using mass spectrometry, we found several phospholipid classes in the exosomes, including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, and the gangliosides GM2 and GM3. Within each class, several species with different acyl chains were identified. We then prepared vesicles from corresponding pure lipids or defined mixtures, most of which were found to retard α-synuclein aggregation. As a striking exception, vesicles containing ganglioside lipids GM1 or GM3 accelerate the process. Understanding how α-synuclein interacts with biological membranes to promote neurological disease might lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.

Xylooligosaccharides from Hardwood and Cereal Xylans Produced by a Thermostable Xylanase as Carbon Sources for Lactobacillus brevis and Bifidobacterium adolescentis.

To compare xylans from forestry with agricultural origins, hardwood xylan (birch) and cereal arabinoxylan (rye) were hydrolyzed using two variants of the xylanase RmXyn10A, full-length enzyme and catalytic module only, from Rhodothermus marinus . Cultivations of four selected bacterial species, using the xylooligosaccharide (XOS) containing hydrolysates as carbon source, showed selective growth of Lactobacillus brevis DSMZ 1264 and Bifidobacterium adolescentis ATCC 15703. Both strains were confirmed to utilize the XOS fraction (DP 2-5), whereas putative arabinoxylooligosaccharides from the rye arabinoxylan hydrolysate were utilized by only B. adolescentis. Escherichia coli did not grow, despite its capability to grow on the monosaccharides arabinose and xylose. It was also shown that Pediococcus parvulus strain 2.6 utilized neither xylose nor XOS for growth. In summary, RmXyn10A or its catalytic module proved suitable for high-temperature hydrolysis of hardwood xylan and cereal arabinoxylan, producing XOS that could qualify as prebiotics for use in functional food products.

Ability of antioxidants to prevent oxidative mutations in Salmonella typhimurium TA102

An assay for the ability of antioxidants to prevent mutations induced by various oxidants in Salmonella typhimurium TA102 cells was developed. Protection against hydrogen-peroxide-induced mutagenicity was observed for quercetin, caffeic acid, ascorbic acid and dimethyl sulfoxide (used as a solvent for water-insoluble antioxidants). No protective effect was observed for green tea extract (weakly pro-oxidative), catechin, rutin, sinigrin, ferulic acid and alpha-tocopherol. Mutagenicity caused by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBOOH) was prevented most effectively by quercetin and ascorbic acid, whereas weaker effects were observed for green tea extract and for rutin, and no effect being observed for the other antioxidants tested. The results for hydrogen peroxide indicate iron chelation to be the most important protective mechanism. Radical scavenging appeared to be effective only with dimethyl sulfoxide and ascorbic acid, which are effective scavengers of hydroxyl radicals and were used here in high concentrations. It is proposed that the hydrogen-peroxide-induced mutations in the Salmonella cells are caused by hydroxyl radicals generated by iron ions closely associated with DNA. Protection against mutagenicity caused by tert-butyl hydroperoxide appears to occur mainly through the scavenging of alkoxyl and possibly of alkyl radicals.

Development of a high performance anion exchange chromatography analysis for mapping of oligosaccharides

In the present study a HPAEC-PAD method is described that was developed for monitoring the consistency of N-glycosylation during the production and purification of recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies. The method successfully separated 18 neutral and sialylated oligosaccharides. Results obtained were compared with MALDI-TOF MS and it was shown that both methods gave similar results. In addition, a method validation was performed showing that the HPAEC-PAD analysis was well suited for the mapping and characterization of oligosaccharides. The method was found to be robust and additionally the precision was significantly better compared to the MALDI-TOF MS method.

A mass spectrometric investigation of native and oxidatively inactivated chloroperoxidase

The enzyme chloroperoxidase (CPO) found in Caldariomyces fumago is able to catalyze several stereoselective oxidation reactions by using a clean oxidant, usually hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), without the need for expensive cofactor generation. CPO’s lack of operational stability, however, is a major limitation for its commercial use. In the present study, a capillary‐LC on‐line trypsin‐digestion system combined with reversed‐phase chromatography and mass spectrometric detection was optimized for studying the primary sequence of CPO. Samples containing native CPO, CPO treated with H2O2, and CPO oxidatively inactivated by the use of indole and H2O2 were analyzed and compared. Three oxidized peptides were found in the samples treated with H2O2. Two additional oxidized peptides were found in the CPO samples that were completely inactivated, one of which contained an oxidized cysteine residue, Cys50, which is an essential amino acid due to its function as the axial ligand to the iron in the heme—the prosthetic group in CPO. In addition, the heme group was absent in the inactivated samples but was readily detected in other samples.

Bioorganic synthesis, characterization and antioxidant activity of esters of natural phenolics and α-lipoic acid

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of six esters of natural phenolics and α-lipoic acid was carried to produce novel compounds with potential bioactivity. The synthetic route was mild, simple, and efficient with satisfactory yields. The synthesized compounds were screened for antioxidant activities. The prepared derivatives exhibited very good antioxidant activities as determined by DPPH radical scavenging assay and inhibition of lipid oxidation in fish oil emulsion system. Among the prepared derivatives, three compounds exhibited radical scavenging activity similar to the reference antioxidants, BHT and alpha-tocopherol in the DPPH radical scavenging assay, where as in fish oil emulsion system, two derivatives showed activity, which was similar to the reference antioxidants.

Supported liquid membrane as a novel tool for driving the equilibrium of ω-transaminase catalyzed asymmetric synthesis.

An attractive option to produce chiral amines of industrial importance is through asymmetric synthesis using ω-transaminase. However, reaching high yields often requires a strategy for shifting the equilibrium position. This paper describes a novel strategy for handling this problem. It involves the use of a supported liquid membrane (SLM) together with a packed bed reactor. The reactor contains Escherichia coli cells with ω-transaminase from Arthrobacter citreus, immobilized by flocculation with chitosan. The SLM consists of a hollow fibre membrane contactor in which the pores contain undecane. The system enables continuous extraction of the amine product and was used to successfully shift the equilibrium in asymmetric synthesis of (S)-α-methylbenzylamine (MBA). A conversion of 98% was reached, compared to 50% without product extraction. Moreover, a selective extraction of the produced MBA was realized. A high product concentration of 55g/l was reached after 80h, and the system showed promising potential for continuous operation.

Improved operational stability of chloroperoxidase through use of antioxidants.

Chloroperoxidase (CPO) from Caldariomyces fumago is a potentially very useful enzyme due to its ability to catalyze a large variety of stereoselective oxidation reactions, but poor operational stability is a main limitation for commercial use. In the present study, the possibility of increasing the operational stability by use of antioxidants was investigated using the oxidation of indole as model reaction. Caffeic acid was the antioxidant showing the strongest positive effects, reaching a total turnover number (TTN) of 135,000 at pH 4 and 4 mM hydrogen peroxide, compared to 28,700 in the absence of antioxidant. Portion-wise addition of hydrogen peroxide in the presence of caffeic acid caused a further increase in TTN to 171,000. An alternative way to reach high TTN was to use tert-butyl hydroperoxide as oxidant instead of hydrogen peroxide: a TTN of 600,000 was achieved although the reaction was quite slow. In this case, antioxidants did not have any positive effect. Possible mechanisms for the observed inactivation of CPO are discussed.

Production of arabinoxylan-oligosaccharide mixtures of varying composition from rye bran by combination of process conditions and type of xylanase.

The aim was to study arabinoxylan-oligosaccharide production from rye bran using heat pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. Due to the potential application in foods, the purity of arabinoxylan was also assessed. Rye bran was heat pretreated to improve xylanase-catalyzed hydrolysis of arabinoxylan into arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides. Enzymatic removal of starch and proteins before or after heat pretreatment increased the purity, although at lower yield. The most attractive process resulted in 62% (w/w) arabinoxylan content after ethanol precipitation. Using xylanases from two glycoside hydrolase families (RmXyn10A from GH10 and Pentopan Mono BG from GH11), different mixtures of unsubstituted and arabinose-substituted xylooligosaccharides were produced. GH10 gave a higher yield of short oligosaccharides (60%w/w) with xylobiose as the main product; xylobiose and xylotriose were the main products with GH11 (40%w/w). Thus, heat pretreatment combined with enzymatic hydrolysis can be used to produce arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides from rye bran that are potentially useful in functional foods.

Cereal byproducts have prebiotic potential in mice fed a high-fat diet.

Barley husks, rye bran, and a fiber residue from oat milk production were processed by heat pretreatment, various separation steps, and treatment with an endoxylanase in order to improve the prebiotic potential of these cereal byproducts. Metabolic functions were intended to improve along with improved microbial activity. The products obtained were included in a high-fat mouse diet so that all diets contained 5% dietary fiber. In addition, high-fat and low-fat controls as well as partially hydrolyzed guar gum were included in the study. The soluble fiber product obtained from rye bran caused a significant increase in the bifidobacteria (log copies of 16S rRNA genes; median (25-75 percentile): 6.38 (6.04-6.66) and 7.47 (7.30-7.74), respectively; p < 0.001) in parallel with a tendency of increased production of propionic acid and indications of improved metabolic function compared with high-fat fed control mice. The oat-derived product caused an increase in the pool of cecal propionic (from 0.62 ± 0.12 to 0.94 ± 0.08) and butyric acid (from 0.38 ± 0.04 to 0.60 ± 0.04) compared with the high-fat control, and it caused a significant increase in lactobacilli (log copies of 16S rRNA genes; median (25-75 percentile): 6.83 (6.65-7.53) and 8.04 (7.86-8.33), respectively; p < 0.01) in the cecal mucosa. However, no changes in measured metabolic parameters were observed by either oat or barley products.