Detection of 1,N2-propanodeoxyguanosine adducts of 2-hexenal in organs of Fischer 344 rats by a 32P-post-labeling technique. (41/5786)

2-Hexenal is an alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compound which is mutagenic, genotoxic and forms cyclic 1,N2-propanodeoxyguanosine adducts like similar propenals for which carcinogenicity was shown, e.g. acrolein or crotonaldehyde. Since humans have a permanent intake of 2-hexenal via vegetarian food this genotoxic compound is considered to play a role in human carcinogenicity. The data base is, however, presently not sufficient for a cancer risk assessment. To date no long term carcinogenicity study on 2-hexenal has been published. Detection of respective DNA adducts of this substance in animals or humans could allow cancer risk assessment. Therefore, we have developed a 32P-post-labeling technique based on nuclease P1 enrichment and TLC separation of the labeled adducts. The respective adducts are stable over a wide pH range from pH 4 to pH 11 and relatively stable against nuclease P1. The detection limit was 0.03 adducts per 10(6) nucleotides and the recovery was 10%. With this method we have shown in vivo formation of 1,N 2-propanodeoxyguanosine adducts of 2-hexenal for the first time and found the respective DNA adducts in different organs of Fischer 344 rats after gavage of 500, 200 and 50 mg 2-hexenal/kg body wt. No adducts could be detected in the organs of untreated rats. There is a clear dependence of the adduct level and the CBI (covalent binding index) on the dose. The CBI of 2-hexenal calculated on the basis of our adduct levels is extremely low (0.06). Since intake of 2-hexenal via fruit and vegetables is very low the cancer risk from 2-hexenal intake via food must also be considered as very low according to a first raw estimation on the basis of CBI and intake. The situation deserves, however, a more precise risk assessment in the future.  (+info)

Lichenysins G, a novel family of lipopeptide biosurfactants from Bacillus licheniformis IM 1307: production, isolation and structural evaluation by NMR and mass spectrometry. (42/5786)

A series of 9 lactonic lipopeptide biosurfactants was isolated from Bacillus licheniformis IM 1307 as representatives of the lichenysin group and we propose to name them lichenysins G. They were recovered from the culture medium as complex mixtures of molecules having different peptide sequences and different structures of beta-hydroxy fatty acids. Their separation was achieved by a reversed-phase HPLC method leading to eight well-separated compounds. The complete structure of individual isoforms was proposed following the results of amino acid and fatty acid analysis, LSI-MS and 2D NMR spectroscopies. Compared to surfactin, lichenysins G are at least 10 fold more efficient biosurfactants.  (+info)

Structure elucidation of Sch 20562, a glucosidic cyclic dehydropeptide lactone--the major component of W-10 antifungal antibiotic. (43/5786)

A novel bacterium designated as Aeromonas sp. W-10 produces the antibiotic W-10 complex which comprises of two major and several minor components. The two major components from this complex, Sch 20562 (1) and Sch 20561 (1a), are of biological interest in view of their potent antifungal activity. The chemical degradation studies utilized for the assignment of structure 1 for Sch 20562 are described here. Some of the noteworthy diversity of structural features in this glucosidic cyclic dehydrononapeptide lactone 1 are: an N-terminal (D)-beta-hydroxymyristyl unit, three D-amino acid units, two (E)-alpha-aminocrotonyl units, and an O-alpha-D-glucosyl-N-methyl-L-allo-threonine unit. The structure determination of 1 utilized the selective cleavage of the dehydropeptide units by ozonolysis to form fragments that were sequenced by mass spectrometry. The stereochemistry of the amino acid units were assigned by isolation of the free amino acids from the hydrolysates of the fragments. The stereochemistry of the alpha-aminocrotonyl units and the glucosidic linkage were assigned by nmr spectroscopy and molecular rotation data.  (+info)

Structure elucidation of Sch 20561, a cyclic dehydropeptide lactone--a major component of W-10 antifungal antibiotic. (44/5786)

Antibiotic W-10 is a fermentation complex produced by the bacterium Aeromonas sp. W-10. The cyclic dehydropeptide lactones Sch 20562 (1) and Sch 20561 (2) are the major components of this fermentation complex and are of biological interest in view of their unique structural features and potent antifungal activity. The chemical degradation studies that were utilized in the assignment of structure 2 for Sch 20561 are described here. The structure determination of 2 made use of the ozonolytic cleavage of the dehydropeptide units to form fragments that were sequenced by mass spectrometry. The cyclic dehydropeptide lactone Sch 20561 (2) was found to be the aglycone of Sch 20562 (1) and these two natural products were correlated by a chemical transformation involving the deglucosidation of 1 to form 2.  (+info)

Dolichyl sulphate and H-phosphonate: enzymatic reactions with activated sugars. (45/5786)

Two phosphate-modified analogues of dolichyl phosphate were evaluated as substrates or inhibitors of the reactions catalyzed by mammalian microsomal enzymes. Dolichyl H-phosphonate could serve as an efficient acceptor for mannosyl and glucosyl transfer. The reaction products were chromatographically different from those formed from dolichyl phosphate. Lower activity of the H-phosphonate was observed for the reaction of N-acetylglucosaminyl phosphate transfer from UDP-GlcNAc. Dolichyl sulphate was shown not to serve as a substrate for the transfer of mannosyl (from GDP-Man), glucosyl (from UDP-Glc) or N-acetylglucosaminyl phosphate (from UDP-GlcNAc) residues in the presence of rat liver microsomes. Weak inhibitory properties of this analogue were demonstrated.  (+info)

The chemotactic response of Vibrio anguillarum to fish intestinal mucus is mediated by a combination of multiple mucus components. (46/5786)

Chemotactic motility has previously been shown to be essential for the virulence of Vibrio anguillarum in waterborne infections of fish. To investigate the mechanisms by which chemotaxis may function during infection, mucus was isolated from the intestinal and skin epithelial surfaces of rainbow trout. Chemotaxis assays revealed that V. anguillarum swims towards both types of mucus, with a higher chemotactic response being observed for intestinal mucus. Work was performed to examine the basis, in terms of mucus composition, of this chemotactic response. Intestinal mucus was analyzed by using chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques, and the compounds identified were tested in a chemotaxis assay to determine the attractants present. A number of mucus-associated components, in particular, amino acids and carbohydrates, acted as chemoattractants for V. anguillarum. Importantly, only upon combination of these attractants into a single mixture were levels of chemotactic activity similar to those of intestinal mucus generated. A comparative analysis of skin mucus revealed its free amino acid and carbohydrate content to be considerably lower than that of the more chemotactically active intestinal mucus. To study whether host specificity exists in relation to vibrio chemotaxis towards mucus, comparisons with a human Vibrio pathogen were made. A cheR mutant of a Vibrio cholerae El Tor strain was constructed, and it was found that V. cholerae and V. anguillarum exhibit a chemotactic response to mucus from several animal sources in addition to that from the human jejunum and fish epithelium, respectively.  (+info)

A convenient oxidation of natural glycosphingolipids to their "ceramide acids" for neoglycoconjugation. Bovine serum albumin-glycosylceramide acid conjugates as investigative probes for HIV gp120 coat protein-glycosphingolipid interactions. (47/5786)

A new method to cleave the double bond of sphingolipids has been developed. Using limited concentrations of KMnO4 and an excess of NaIO4, in a neutral aqueous tert-butanol solvent system gave nearly quantitative yields of the oxidized product. A variety of natural glycosphingolipids (GSLs): GlcC, GalC, SGC, LC, Gb3C, Gb4C, Gg4C, Gb5C, and GM1C, gave the corresponding acids: 2-hydroxy-3-(N-acyl)-4-(O-glycosyl)-oxybutyric acids, i.e. "glycosyl ceramide acids" (GSL.CCOOH) in excellent yields (80-90%). Deacyl GSLs (dGSLs) were oxidized to acids containing the oligosaccharides devoid of hydrocarbon chains, i.e. "ceramide oligosaccharides" (dGSL. NRR1CCOOH, where R = R1 = H; R = H, R1 = CH3CO; or R = R1 = Me). The efficacy of this method was demonstrated by transforming natural GSLs: GlcC, GalC, GalS, SGC, LC, Gb3C, and Gb4C into neoglycoproteins via coupling glycosyl ceramide acids (except GalS, which was coupled directly) to bovine serum albumin (BSA). Mass spectroscopic analysis of GalC-BSA conjugates, (GalC.CONH)nBSA and (GalS.NHCO)nBSA gave a value of 9 +/- 1 and 16 +/- 2 for n. Neoglycoconjugates derived from GlcC, GalC (type I and II and the behenic analog), SGC, LC, and Gb3C were recognized by the recombinant human immunodeficiency virus coat protein gp120 (rgp120). The GalS conjugate showed significantly reduced binding, and the Gb4C conjugate showed no binding. Thus, rgp120/GSL-BSA interaction requires a terminal galactose and/or glucose residue. Terminal N-acetylgalactosamine containing GSLs are not bound. The ceramide acid conjugates provide a more effective scaffold for presentation of glycone for rgp120 binding than those derived from dGSLs. The retention of receptor specificity of the glycoconjugates was validated by retention of the expected binding specificity of VT1 and VT2e for Gb3C and Gb4C conjugates, respectively. These studies open a new vista in the generation of glycoconjugates from GSLs and further emphasize the role of aglycone in glycolipid recognition.  (+info)

Polar lipids of four Listeria species containing L-lysylcardiolipin, a novel lipid structure, and other unique phospholipids. (48/5786)

The membrane lipids of Listeria innocua, Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria seeligeri and Listeria welshimeri were fractionated on DEAE-cellulose and purified by chromatography on silica gel and/or preparative TLC. The lipid structures were elucidated by chemical and chromatographic means. The polar lipid composition of the four listeria species was similar. Phospholipids predominated. They consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, L-lysylphosphatidylglycerol, cardiolipin [bis(phosphatidyl)glycerol] and L-lysylcardiolipin. A phospholipid more polar than cardiolipin, possibly two L-lysyl derivatives of it, sn-glycero-1-phosphoglycolipid, its D-alanyl derivative, and polyprenol phosphate were also detected. Towards the end of exponential growth, the relative amounts of cardiolipin and L-lysylcardiolipin increased, approaching 47-78% lipid phosphorus with a ratio of L-lysylcardiolipin to cardiolipin of 0.25-1.6. As shown by fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry, cardiolipin and L-lysylcardiolipin consisted of five molecular species due to various fatty acid combinations. L-lysylcardiolipin has so far not been found in nature. It belongs to the recently discovered class of substituted cardiolipins. Its occurrence in the four listeria species tested shows that it is a characteristic lipid component of the L. monocytogenes line of descent. Further studies on the lipid pattern of members of the other descent line are required to decide whether lysylcardiolipin can serve as a genus-specific chemotaxonomic marker for listeriae.  (+info)