Chisako Fujita

Involvement of cyclophilin D in mitochondrial permeability transition induction in intact cells.

The mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) is involved in both Ca(2+) signaling and cell death. The present study aimed to clarify the involvement of cyclophilin D, a peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase), in MPT induction in intact cells. To achieve this, we used C6 cells overexpressing wild-type or PPIase-deficient cyclophilin D, and measured the inner mitochondrial membrane permeability to calcein, a 623-Da hydrophilic fluorescent molecule, to evaluate MPT induction. In vector control cells, the percentage of MPT induction by ionomycin increased as the Ca(2+) concentration in the extracellular medium increased. This result indicates that the present method is valid for numerical evaluation of MPT induction. In C6 cells expressing the PPIase-deficient mutant, the percentage of MPT induction was significantly decreased compared with wild-type CypD-overexpressing cells or vector control cells. These results suggest that cyclophilin D is involved in MPT induction by Ca(2+) in intact cells.

Partial contribution of mitochondrial permeability transition to t-butyl hydroperoxide-induced cell death

Mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) is thought to determine cell death under oxidative stress. However, MPT inhibitors only partially suppress oxidative stress-induced cell death. Here, we demonstrate that cells in which MPT is inhibited undergo cell death under oxidative stress. When C6 cells were exposed to 250 μM t-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH), the loss of a membrane potential-sensitive dye (tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester, TMRE) from mitochondria was observed, indicating mitochondrial depolarization leading to cell death. The fluorescence of calcein entrapped in mitochondria prior to addition of t-BuOOH was significantly decreased to 70% after mitochondrial depolarization. Cyclosporin A suppressed the decrease in mitochondrial calcein fluorescence, but not mitochondrial depolarization. These results show that t-BuOOH induced cell death even when it did not induce MPT. Prior to MPT, lactate production and respiration were hampered. Taken together, these data indicate that the decreased turnover rate of glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration may be as vital as MPT for cell death induced under moderate oxidative stress.

Biochemical and Biophysical Characterization of an Unexpected Bacteriolytic Activity of VanX, a Member of the Vancomycin-resistance vanA Gene Cluster

Background: VanX belongs to the vanA gene cluster, which confers vancomycin resistance by protecting the bacterial cell wall. Results: Bacteriolysis occurred when isolated VanX was expressed in E. coli, which originated from the dipeptidase activity of VanX. Conclusion: This is the first direct characterization of VanX-mediated bacteriolysis. Significance: This finding suggests a new class of therapeutic agents taking advantage of VanX-mediated bacteriolysis. VanX is a d-alanyl-d-alanine (d-Ala–d-Ala) dipeptidase encoded in the vancomycin-resistance vanA gene cluster. Here we report that strong bacteriolysis occurred when isolated VanX was expressed in Escherichia coli at temperatures lower than 30 °C, which was unexpected because the vanA operon confers vancomycin resistance by protecting the cell wall. Therefore, we monitored cell lysis by measuring sample turbidity with absorbance at 590 nm and VanX expression using SDS-PAGE. No cell lysis was observed when VanX was expressed, even in large quantities, in the cell inclusion bodies at 37 °C, suggesting that a natively folded VanX is required for lysis. In addition, VanX mutants with suppressed dipeptidase activity did not lyse E. coli cells, confirming that bacteriolysis originated from the dipeptidase activity of VanX. We also observed shape changes in E. coli cells undergoing VanX-mediated lysis with optical microscopy and classified these changes into three classes: bursting, deformation, and leaking fluid. Optical microscopic image analysis fully corroborated our interpretation of the turbidity changes in the samples. From a practical perspective, the finding that VanX expressed in isolation induces cell lysis suggests that inhibitors of VanA and VanH that act downstream from VanX could provide a new class of therapeutic chemicals against bacteria expressing the vancomycin-resistance gene cluster.