Catherine Rougeot

A B-cell mitogen from a pathogenic trypanosome is a eukaryotic proline racemase

Lymphocyte polyclonal activation is a generalized mechanism of immune evasion among pathogens. In a mouse model of Trypanosoma cruzi infection (American trypanosomiasis), reduced levels of polyclonal lymphocyte responses correlate with resistance to infection and cardiopathy. We report here the characterization of a parasite protein with B-cell mitogenic properties in culture supernatants of infective forms, the cloning of the corresponding gene and the analysis of the biological properties of its product. We characterized the protein as a co-factor-independent proline racemase, and show that its expression as a cytoplasmic and/or membrane-associated protein is life-stage specific. Inhibition studies indicate that availability of the racemase active site is necessary for mitogenic activity. This is the first report to our knowledge of a eukaryotic amino acid racemase gene. Our findings have potential consequences for the development of new immune therapies and drug design against pathogens.

Human Opiorphin, a natural antinociceptive modulator of opioid-dependent pathways

Mammalian zinc ectopeptidases play important roles in turning off neural and hormonal peptide signals at the cell surface, notably those processing sensory information. We report here the discovery of a previously uncharacterized physiological inhibitor of enkephalin-inactivating zinc ectopeptidases in humans, which we have named Opiorphin. It is a QRFSR peptide that inhibits two enkephalin-catabolizing ectoenzymes, human neutral ecto-endopeptidase, hNEP (EC 3.4.24.11), and human ecto-aminopeptidase, hAP-N (EC 3.4.11.2). Opiorphin displays potent analgesic activity in chemical and mechanical pain models by activating endogenous opioid-dependent transmission. Its function is closely related to the rat sialorphin peptide, which is an inhibitor of pain perception and acts by potentiating endogenous μ- and δ-opioid receptor-dependent enkephalinergic pathways. Here we demonstrate the functional specificity in vivo of human Opiorphin. The pain-suppressive potency of Opiorphin is as effective as morphine in the behavioral rat model of acute mechanical pain, the pin-pain test. Thus, our discovery of Opiorphin is extremely exciting from a physiological point of view in the context of endogenous opioidergic pathways, notably in modulating mood-related states and pain sensation. Furthermore, because of its in vivo properties, Opiorphin may have therapeutic implications.

Sialorphin, a natural inhibitor of rat membrane-bound neutral endopeptidase that displays analgesic activity

Sialorphin is an exocrine and endocrine signaling mediator, which has been identified by a genomic approach. It is synthesized predominantly in the submandibular gland and prostate of adult rats in response to androgen steroids and is released locally and systemically in response to stress. We now demonstrate that the cell surface molecule to which sialorphin binds in vivo in the rat kidney is the membrane-anchored neutral endopeptidase (neprilysin; NEP, EC 3.4.24.11). NEP plays an important role in nervous and peripheral tissues, as it turns off several peptide-signaling events at the cell surface. We show that sialorphin prevents spinal and renal NEP from breaking down its two physiologically relevant substrates, substance P and Met-enkephalin in vitro. Sialorphin inhibited the breakdown of substance P with an IC50 of 0.4–1 μM and behaved as a competitive inhibitor. In vivo, i.v. sialorphin elicited potent antinociceptive responses in two behavioral rat models of injury-induced acute and tonic pain, the pin-pain test and formalin test. The analgesia induced by 100–200 μg/kg doses of sialorphin required the activation of μ- and δ-opioid receptors, consistent with the involvement of endogenous opioid receptors in enkephalinergic transmission. We conclude that sialorphin protects endogenous enkephalins released after nociceptive stimuli by inhibiting NEP in vivo. Sialorphin is a natural systemically active regulator of NEP activity. Furthermore, our study provides evidence that it is a physiological modulator of pain perception after injury and might be the progenitor of a new class of therapeutic molecules.

Adrenocortical response following acute neurogenic stimuli is mediated by CRF-41

The present study examined whether neurogenic stimuli activate the pituitary-adrenal axis via CRF-41. Adult male rats were exposed to photic, acoustic or sciatic nerve stimulation. At 4, 15, and 30 min following the onset of stress, animals were sacrificed, trunk blood collected and the median eminence removed. At 4 min following the stress onset, there was a significant decrease in CRF-41 content of the median eminence, which persisted for 30 min. Concomitant with the decrease in CRF-41 content, serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone levels increased. Thus, this study demonstrates that CRF-41 released from the median eminence plays a dynamic role in mediating the ACTH and corticosterone response to neurogenic stimuli.

Presence of Somatostatin, Enkephalins, and Substance P‐Like Peptides in Cultured Neurons from Embryonic Chick Cerebral Hemispheres

Abstract: The presence of peptides in pure cultures of neurons from 8‐day‐old chick embryo cerebral hemispheres has been investigated by means of specific radioimmunoassays and chromatographic purification. Somatostatin, Met‐enkephalin, Leu‐enkephalin, and substance P immunoreactive substances have been detected in 8‐day‐old cultures grown in serum‐free culture medium. The peptides were present in the cellular extracts, as well as in the culture medium extracts. β‐Endorphin, thyroliberin, luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone, and ACTH could not be detected. The largest amount was accounted by somatostatin (48 ± 2 ng/mg protein). Some 60% of the somatostatin‐immunoreactive material was found in the culture medium. Met‐enkephalin, Leuenkephalin, and substance P were present at lower concentrations: 1.61 ± 0.27, 0.24 ± 0.02, and 0.14 ± 0.005 ng/mg protein, respectively. The identities of somatostatin‐ and enkephalin‐immunoreactive materials were confirmed by high pressure liquid chromatography. The findings suggest that cultured neurons that express dopaminergic and GABAergic properties contain peptides similar, if not identical, to somatostatin, Met‐enkephalin, Leu‐enkephalin, and substance P.

The endogenous androgen-regulated sialorphin modulates male rat sexual behavior.

In sexually mature male rats, sialorphin is synthesized under androgenic control and its surge endocrine secretion is evoked in response to environmental acute stress. These findings led us to suggest that this signaling mediator might play a role in physiological and behavioral integration, especially reproduction. The present study investigates the effects induced by sialorphin on the male sexual behavior pattern. Intact male rats were treated in acute mode, with sialorphin at the 0.3, 1, and 3 microg/kg doses, before being paired with receptive female for 45 min. The data obtained show that sialorphin increased, in a dose-related manner, the occurrence of intromissions across the successive ejaculatory sequences. The rats treated with the highest 3 microg/kg dose significantly ejaculated less often compared to controls; however, 80% of them achieved up to three ejaculations. Further analyses of mount bouts for rats achieving three ejaculations reveal that there were significant stimulatory effects of sialorphin, at all doses, on the frequency of intromissions before ejaculation and on the propensity of males to engage in investigatory behavior directed to the female during the post-ejaculatory interval. Thus, sialorphin has the ability to modulate, at doses related to physiological circulating levels, the male rat mating pattern, that is, exerting a dual facilitative or inhibitory dose-dependent effect on the sexual performance, while stimulating the apparent sexual arousal or motivation. These findings led us to speculate that the endogenous androgen-regulated sialorphin helps modulate the adaptative balance between excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms serving appropriate male rat sexual response, depending on the context.

Radioimmunoassay of [d-Trp6]-luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone: its application to animal pharmacokinetic studies after single injection and long-acting formulation administration

A sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) for [D-Trp6]-luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) has been developed. This assay allowed measurement of the LHRH analog in unextracted plasma with a minimum detectable concentration of 10 pg/ml. Validation of plasma assays was performed through Sep-Pak and HPLC purification. The in vivo fate of the peptide was investigated in dogs after subcutaneous or intravenous injections. In both cases, the LHRH analog showed longer plasma half-life than native LHRH with an elimination half-life superior to 80 min. Long-acting formulations were tested in dogs and rats: the day following administration, [D-Trp6]-LHRH plasma level rose to 2.9-4.6 ng/ml in dogs and 0.8-3.8 ng/ml in rats. From day 4 to day 30, [D-Trp6]-LHRH plasma level followed a plateau with concentrations of 0.3-0.8 ng/ml in dogs and 0.2-0.4 ng/ml in rats. In parallel, testosterone plasma concentration was reduced to castrate level between day 4 and day 7 in dogs and was significantly lowered in rats. This sensitive [D-Trp6]-LHRH RIA will be particularly useful for the evaluation of long-acting formulations in patients with advanced prostate cancer.

On the Terminal Homologation of Physiologically Active Peptides as a Means of Increasing Stability in Human Serum – Neurotensin, Opiorphin, B27‐KK10 Epitope, NPY

The terminal homologation by CH2 insertion into the peptides mentioned in the title is described. This involves replacement of the N‐terminal amino acid residue by a β2‐ and of the C‐terminal amino acid residue by a β3‐homo‐amino acid moiety (β2hXaa and β3hXaa, resp.; Fig. 1). In this way, the structure of the peptide chain from the N‐terminal to the C‐terminal stereogenic center is identical, and the modified peptide is protected against cleavage by exopeptidases (Figs. 2 and 3). Neurotensin (NT; 1) and its C‐terminal fragment NT(8–13) are ligands of the G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCR) NT1, NT2, NT3, and NT analogs are promising tools to be used in cancer diagnostics and therapy. The affinities of homologated NT analogs, 2b–2e, for NT1 and NT2 receptors were determined by using cell homogenates and tumor tissues (Table 1); in the latter experiments, the affinities for the NT1 receptor are more or less the same as those of NT (0.5–1.3 vs. 0.6 nM). At the same time, one of the homologated NT analogs, 2c, survives in human plasma for 7 days at 37° (Fig. 6). An NMR analysis of NT(8–13) (Tables 2 and 4, and Fig. 8) reveals that this N‐terminal NT fragment folds to a turn in CD3OH. – In the case of the human analgesic opiorphin (3a), a pentapeptide, and of the HIV‐derived B27‐KK10 (4a), a decapeptide, terminal homologation (→3b and 4b, resp.) led to a 7‐ and 70‐fold half‐life increase in plasma (Fig. 9). With N‐terminally homologated NPY, 5c, we were not able to determine serum stability; the peptide consisting of 36 amino acid residues is subject to cleavage by endopetidases. Three of the homologated compounds, 2b, 2c, and 5c, were shown to be agonists (Fig. 7 and 11). A comparison of terminal homologation with other stability‐increasing terminal modifications of peptides is performed (Fig. 5), and possible applications of the neurotensin analogs, described herein, are discussed.

The anti-HIV pentameric pseudopeptide HB-19 is preferentially taken up in vivo by lymphoid organs where it forms a complex with nucleolin

The HB-19 pseudopeptide 5[Kψ(CH2N)PR]-TASP, ψ(CH2N) for reduced peptide bond, is a specific inhibitor of HIV infection in different CD4+ cell lines and in primary T-lymphocytes and macrophages. It blocks virus-particle attachment to permissive cells by binding and forming a stable complex with nucleolin expressed on the cell surface. Here, we have investigated the tissue distribution of the tritiated HB-19 by using β-radio imager whole-body mapping in rats. A rapid, selective, and stable distribution and accumulation of the systematically administered HB-19 was demonstrated within the spleen, liver, bone, and kidney as soon as 5 min following its administration. No apparent uptake of HB-19 occurred in the brain and the muscle tissue. Interestingly and despite its rapid clearance from the blood, at 24 h postexposure a significant proportion of HB-19 was still recovered from target organs, of which 16–37% could be acounted for intact pseudopeptide. The elimination of HB-19 mainly occurred by renal glomerular filtration and most of the excreted radioactivity appeared to be HB-19 metabolites. Finally, injection of the biotin-labeled HB-19 pseudopeptide but not its control counterpart allowed the recovery of the HB-19–nucleolin complex from the liver, spleen, thymus, and bone marrow, thus indicating that the in vivo molecular target of HB-19 is surface nucleolin. Our results demonstrate the preferential uptake and stability of HB-19 in lymphoid organs that are the site of HIV propagation.

Intracerebroventricular Injection of Platelet-Activating Factor Induces Secretion of Adrenocorticotropin, Beta-Endorphin and Corticosterone in Conscious Rats: A Possible Link between the Immune and Nervous Systems

To investigate whether platelet-activating factor (PAF) exerts an indirect action on immune cells by altering the secretion of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis products, the effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) PAF on adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), beta-endorphin and corticosterone blood levels were examined in adult male rats. Hormones were radioimmunoassayed on blood samples from conscious or ether-anesthetized rats after i.c.v. injection of PAF or vehicle into the left lateral ventricle. PAF induced significant increases in these stress-related hormones under both, basal and ether-induced stress conditions. The analysis of the time course response to PAF of hormone release into the blood of unrestrained rats revealed that: i.c.v. injection of 5.4 nmol PAF resulted in rapid increases in ACTH and beta-endorphin, at the latest within 15 min after the onset of injection. The maximal response of both hormones was reached within 45 min after the onset of injection and was followed by an elevation of plasma corticosterone. Hormone release is related to the PAF dose infused, the lowest effective PAF concentration was 1 nmol. The stimulatory effect of PAF on ACTH and beta-endorphin secretion was strongly decreased in rats previously treated with purified anti-rat corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) antibody. These results, associated with the in vitro demonstration that PAF increases CRF release from incubated rat median eminence, strongly support the hypothesis that the stimulatory action of PAF on the secretion of HPA axis products is mediated at least partly, by stimulating hypothalamic CRF release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)