Biomedical subjects

Angelo Benedetti

Publications and source records attributed to Angelo Benedetti.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Green tea flavonols inhibit glucosidase II.

Green tea is getting into the focus of scientific interest due to its beneficial health effects, most of which are attributed to its catechin content. Polyphenolic tea catechins have antioxidant, antiproliferative, antiangiogenic and proapoptotic effects, which makes them promising anticancer compounds. Other poly-hydroxy molecules have similar antitumor potentials through the inhibition of glucosidase II, which affects the glycoprotein maturation and quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum. We investigated the effect of tea catechins on glucosidase II activity in rat liver microsomes using 4-methylumbelliferyl glucoside and 4-nitrophenyl glucoside as substrates. A concentration-dependent inhibition with non-competitive kinetics was found. The IC50 and Ki values for certain tea catechins were comparable with those of N-butyldeoxynojirimycin, the widely used glucosidase inhibitor. The possible interference of tea catechins with the glycoprotein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum should be considered as a potential mechanism of their dietary or pharmacological effects.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Translocon pores in the endoplasmic reticulum are permeable to small anions.

Contribution of translocon peptide channels to the permeation of low molecular mass anions was investigated in rat liver microsomes. Puromycin, which purges translocon pores of nascent polypeptides, creating additional empty pores, raised the microsomal uptake of radiolabeled UDP-glucuronic acid, while it did not increase the uptake of glucose-6-phosphate or glutathione. The role of translocon pores in the transport of small anions was also investigated by measuring the effect of puromycin on the activity of microsomal enzymes with intraluminal active sites. The mannose-6-phosphatase activity of glucose-6-phosphatase and the activity of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase were elevated upon addition of puromycin, but glucose-6-phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase activities were not changed. The increase in enzyme activities was due to a better access of the substrates to the luminal compartment rather than to activation of the enzymes. Antibody against Sec61 translocon component decreased the activity of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase and antagonized the effect of puromycin. Similarly, the addition of the puromycin antagonist anisomycin or treatments of microsomes, resulting in the release of attached ribosomes, prevented the puromycin-dependent increase in the activity. Mannose-6-phosphatase and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activities of smooth microsomal vesicles showed higher basal latencies that were not affected by puromycin. In conclusion, translationally inactive, ribosome-bound translocons allow small anions to cross the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. This pathway can contribute to the nonspecific substrate supply of enzymes with intraluminal active centers.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Endoplasmic reticulum: a metabolic compartment.

Several biochemical reactions and processes of cell biology are compartmentalized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The view that the ER membrane is basically a scaffold for ER proteins, which is permeable to small molecules, is inconsistent with recent findings. The luminal micro-environment is characteristically different from the cytosol; its protein and glutathione thiols are remarkably more oxidized, and it contains a separate pyridine nucleotide pool. The substrate specificity and activity of certain luminal enzymes are dependent on selective transport of possible substrates and co-factors from the cytosol. Abundant biochemical, pharmacological, clinical and genetic data indicate that the barrier function of the lipid bilayer and specific transport activities in the membrane make the ER a separate metabolic compartment.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Uncoupled redox systems in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. Pyridine nucleotides stay reduced in an oxidative environment.

The redox state of the intraluminal pyridine nucleotide pool was investigated in rat liver microsomal vesicles. The vesicles showed cortisone reductase activity in the absence of added reductants, which was dependent on the integrity of the membrane. The intraluminal pyridine nucleotide pool could be oxidized by the addition of cortisone or metyrapone but not of glutathione. On the other hand, intraluminal pyridine nucleotides were slightly reduced by cortisol or glucose 6-phosphate, although glutathione was completely ineffective. Redox state of microsomal protein thiols/disulfides was not altered either by manipulations affecting the redox state of pyridine nucleotides or by the addition of NAD(P)+ or NAD(P)H. The uncoupling of the thiol/disulfide and NAD(P)+/NAD(P)H redox couples was not because of their subcompartmentation, because enzymes responsible for the intraluminal oxidoreduction of pyridine nucleotides were distributed equally in smooth and rough microsomal subfractions. Instead, the phenomenon can be explained by the negligible representation of glutathione reductase in the endoplasmic reticulum lumen. The results demonstrated the separate existence of two redox systems in the endoplasmic reticulum lumen, which explains the contemporary functioning of oxidative folding and of powerful reductive reactions.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

PubMed2005

Cooperativity between 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase is based on a common pyridine nucleotide pool in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum.

11Beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11betaHSD1) is a NADP(H)-dependent oxidoreductase of the ER lumen, which may have an important role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. Here, the functional coupling of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PDH) was investigated in rat liver microsomal vesicles. The results demonstrate the existence of a separate intraluminal pyridine nucleotide pool in the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum and a close cooperation between 11betaHSD1 and H6PDH based on their co-localization and the mutual generation of cofactors for each other.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

PubMed2005

Characterization of sulfate transport in the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum.

The transport of sulfate ion across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane was investigated using rapid filtration and light scattering assays. We found a protein-mediated, bi-directional, low-affinity, and high-capacity, facilitative sulfate transport in rat liver microsomes, which could be inhibited by the prototypical anion transport inhibitor, 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid. It was resistant to various phosphate transport inhibitors and was not influenced by high concentration of phosphate or pyrophosphate, which is contradictory to involvement of phosphate transporters. It was sensitive to S3483 that has been reported to inhibit the glucose 6-phosphate transporter (G6PT), but the weak competition between sulfate and glucose 6-phosphate did not confirm the participation of this transporter. Moreover, the comparison of the activity and S3483 sensitivity of sulfate transport in microsomes prepared from G6PT-overexpressing or wild type COS-7 cells did not show any significant difference. Our results indicate that sulfate fluxes in the endoplasmic reticulum are mediated by a novel, S3483-sensitive transport pathway(s).

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

PubMed2005

Immunodetection of the expression of microsomal proteins encoded by the glucose 6-phosphate transporter gene.

Glucose 6-phosphate transport has been well characterized in liver microsomes. The transport is required for the functioning of the glucose-6-phosphatase enzyme that is situated in the lumen of the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum. The genetic deficiency of the glucose 6-phosphate transport activity causes a severe metabolic disease termed type 1b glycogen storage disease. The cDNA encoding a liver transporter for glucose 6-phosphate was cloned and was found to be mutated in patients suffering from glycogen storage disease 1b. While related mRNAs have been described in liver and other tissues, the encoded protein(s) has not been immunologically characterized yet. In the present study, we report (using antibodies against three different peptides of the predicted amino acid sequence) that a major protein encoded by the glucose 6-phosphate transporter gene is expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum membranes of rat and human liver. The protein has an apparent molecular mass of approx. 33 kDa using SDS/PAGE, but several lines of evidence indicate that its real molecular mass is 46 kDa, as expected. The glucose 6-phosphate transporter protein was also immunodetected in kidney microsomes, but not in microsomes derived from human fibrocytes, rat spleen and lung, and a variety of cell lines. Moreover, little or no expression of the glucose 6-phosphate transporter protein was found in liver microsomes obtained from three glycogen storage disease 1b patients, even bearing mutations that do not directly interfere with protein translation, which can be explained by a (proteasome-mediated) degradation of the mutated transporter.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Genotype/phenotype correlation in glycogen storage disease type 1b: a multicentre study and review of the literature.

UNLABELLED: We studied the genotype/phenotype correlation in a cohort of glycogen storage disease type (GSD) 1b patients. A total of 25 GSD1b patients, 13 females and 12 males, age range: 4.3-28.4 years, mean:14.6+/-6.8 years; median: 15 years, representing the entire case load of Italian GSD1b patients, were enrolled in the study. Molecular analysis of the glucose 6-phosphate translocase (G6PT1) gene was performed in all patients. We analysed the presence of a correlation among both the clinical features associated with GSD1b (neutropenia, frequency of admission to the hospital for severe infections) and the presence of systemic complications (liver adenomas, nephropathy, bone mineral density defect, polycystic ovaries, short stature, inflammatory bowel disease) and the mutations detected in each patient. Nine patients were homozygous or compound heterozygous for mutations causing stop codons. In particular, three patients were homozygous for the same mutation (400X); of these patients, one showed chronic neutropenia with severe and frequent infections and severe inflammatory bowel disease, another patient cyclic neutropenia associated with rare bacterial infections and mild bowel involvement and the last one normal neutrophil count. Two patients were homozygous for the mutation 128X; one of these patients did not show neutropenia, whereas the other one had severe neutropenia needing frequent hospital admission and was under granulocyte-colony stimulating factor treatment. In three patients no mutations were detected. CONCLUSION: No correlation was found between individual mutations and the presence of neutropenia, bacterial infections and systemic complications. These results suggest that different genes and proteins modulate neutrophil differentiation, maturation and apoptosis and thus the severity and frequency of infections. The absence of detectable mutations in three patients could suggest that a second protein plays a role in microsomal phosphate transport.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Cooperativity between 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum.

The functional coupling of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was investigated in rat liver microsomal vesicles. The activity of both enzymes was latent in intact vesicles, indicating the intraluminal localization of their active sites. Glucose-6-phosphate, a substrate for hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, stimulated the cortisone reductase activity of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1. Inhibition of glucose-6-phosphate uptake by S3483, a specific inhibitor of the microsomal glucose-6-phosphate transporter, decreased this effect. Similarly, cortisone increased the intravesicular accumulation of radioactivity upon the addition of radiolabeled glucose-6-phosphate, indicating the stimulation of hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. A correlation was shown between glucose-6-phosphate-dependent cortisone reduction and cortisone-dependent glucose-6-phosphate oxidation. The results demonstrate a close cooperation of the enzymes based on co-localization and the mutual generation of cofactors for each other.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

PubMed2004

Progesterone inhibits capacitative Ca2+ entry in Jurkat T lymphocytes by a membrane delimited mechanism, independently of plasma membrane depolarization.

The non-genomic inhibitory effect of progesterone on capacitative calcium entry was studied in Jurkat T lymphocytes. Capacitative calcium entry was induced by depleting intracellular calcium stores with thapsigargin and evaluated by a calcium free/calcium readmission protocol, in Fura-2 loaded cells. Progesterone (10-40 microg/ml) inhibited calcium entry and concomitantly depolarized cells, as revealed by measuring the plasma membrane potential with the fluorescent probe bis-oxonol. However, experiments run under depolarizing conditions (i.e. by substituting for Na+ with K+ ions in the medium) revealed that progesterone (10-40 microg/ml) could inhibit capacitative calcium entry independently of plasma membrane depolarization. The direct inhibition of calcium entry by progesterone was: (i) reverted by a treatment suitable to remove progesterone bound to cell surface, (ii) apparently related to the extent of membrane bound progesterone (measured radioisotopically), and (iii) specific, in that other related steroid compounds did not inhibit calcium entry.

Calcium↗

PubMed2003

Evidence for the transport of glutathione through ryanodine receptor channel type 1.

In the present study, we have investigated the role of RyR1 (ryanodine receptor calcium channel type 1) in glutathione (GSH) transport through the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membrane of skeletal muscles. Lanthanum chloride, a prototypic blocker of cation channels, inhibited the influx and efflux of GSH in SR vesicles. Using a rapid-filtration-based assay and lanthanum chloride as a transport blocker, an uptake of radiolabelled GSH into SR vesicles was observed. Pretreatment of SR vesicles with the RyR1 antagonists Ruthenium Red and ryanodine as well as with lanthanum chloride blocked the GSH uptake. An SR-like GSH uptake appeared in microsomes obtained from an HEK-293 (human embryonic kidney 293) cell line after transfection of RyR1. These observations strongly suggest that RyR1 mediates GSH transport through the SR membranes of skeletal muscles.

Biological Transport↗

PubMed2003

FAD transport and FAD-dependent protein thiol oxidation in rat liver microsomes.

The transport of FAD and its effect on disulfide bond formation was investigated in rat liver microsomal vesicles. By measuring the intravesicular FAD-accessible space, we observed that FAD permeates across the microsomal membrane and accumulates in the lumen. Rapid filtration experiments also demonstrated the uptake and efflux of the compound, which could be inhibited by atractyloside and 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid. FAD entering the lumen promoted the oxidation of protein thiols and increased the intraluminal oxidation of glucose-6-phosphate. These findings support the notion that, similar to yeast, free FAD may have a decisive role in the mechanism of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum lumen of mammalian cells.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

PubMed2003

Glutathione transport in the endo/sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Glutathione transport through the endo/sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR) membrane might play a role in the maintenance of the thiol redox potential difference between the lumen and the cytosol. The transport of glutathione (both GSH and glutathione disulfide, GSSG) is entirely different in the ER and SR membranes. The transport measurements based on either rapid filtration or light scattering techniques revealed that the SR membrane transports glutathione much faster than the hepatic ER membrane or microsomal membranes prepared from heart or brain. The fastest transport has been measured in the membrane of muscle terminal cisternae, which is enriched in ryanodine receptor type 1 (RyR1). All the studied membranes have been found to be equally impermeable to various hydrophilic substances of similar size to glutathione, thus the glutathione transport in muscle microsomes and terminal cysternae as well as the correlation between the rate of glutathione transport and the abundance of RyR1 are specific. In both muscle microsomes and terminal cysternae, glutathione influx can be either inhibited or activated by antagonists and agonists of the ryanodine receptor, respectively, while these agents do not influence the transport of other small permeant molecules. These findings strongly suggest that the ryanodine receptor channel activity is directly associated with glutathione transport activity in the skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Role of ascorbate in oxidative protein folding.

Both in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, disulfide bond formation (oxidation and isomerization steps) are catalyzed exclusively in extracytoplasmic compartments. In eukaryotes, protein folding and disulfide bond formation are coupled processes that occur both co- and posttranslationally in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is the main site of the synthesis and posttranslational modification of secretory and membrane proteins. The formation of a disulfide bond from the thiol groups of two cysteine residues requires the removal of two electrons, consequently, these bonds cannot form spontaneously; an oxidant is needed to accept the electrons. In aerobic conditions the ultimate electron acceptor is usually oxygen; however, oxygen itself is not effective in protein thiol oxidation. Therefore, a small molecular weight membrane permeable compound should be supposed for the transfer of electrons from the ER lumen. The aim of the present study was the investigation of the role of ascorbate/dehydroascorbate redox couple in oxidative folding of proteins. We demonstrated that ascorbate addition or its in situ synthesis from gulonolactone results in protein thiol (and/or glutathione; GSH) oxidation in rat liver microsomes. Since microsomal membrane is hardly permeable to ascorbate, the existence of a transport metabolon was hypothesized. Three components of the system have been described and partially characterized: (i) A microsomal metalloenzyme is responsible for ascorbate oxidation on the outer surface of the ER. Ascorbate oxidation results in ascorbate free radical and dehydroascorbate production. (ii) Facilitated diffusion of dehydroascorbate is present in microsomal vesicles. The transport is presumably mediated by a GLUT-type transporter. On the contrary, the previously hypothesized glutathione disulfide (GSSG) transport is practically absent, while GSH is transported with a moderate velocity. (iii) Protein disulfide isomerase catalyzes the reduction of dehydroascorbate in the ER lumen. Both GSH and protein thiols can be electron donors in the process. Intraluminal dehydroascorbate reduction and the consequent ascorbate accumulation strictly correlate with protein disulfide isomerase activity and protein thiol concentration. The concerted action of the three components of the system results in the intraluminal accumulation of ascorbate, protein disulfide and GSSG. In fact, intraluminal ascorbate and GSSG accumulation could be observed upon dehydroascorbate and GSH uptake. In conclusion, ascorbate is able to promote protein disulfide formation in an in vitro system. Further work is needed to justify its role in intact cellular and in vivo systems, as well as to explore the participation of other antioxidants (e.g. tocopherol, ubiquinone, and vitamin K) in the electron transfer chain responsible for oxidative protein folding in the ER.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

T cell receptor can be recruited to a subset of plasma membrane rafts, independently of cell signaling and attendantly to raft clustering.

The constitutive/inducible association of the T cell receptor (TCR) with isolated detergent-resistant, lipid raft-derived membranes has been studied in Jurkat T lymphocytes. Membranes resistant to 1% Triton X-100 contained virtually no CD3epsilon, part of the TCR complex, irrespective of cell stimulation. On the other hand, membranes resistant either to a lower Triton X-100 concentration (i.e. 0.2%) or to the less hydrophobic detergent Brij 58 (1%) contained (i) a low CD3epsilon amount (approximate 2.7% of total) in resting cells and (ii) a several times higher amount of the TCR component, after T cell stimulation with either antigen-presenting cells or with phytohemagglutinin. It appeared that CD3/TCR was constitutively associated with and recruited to a raft-derived membrane subset because (i) all three membrane preparations contained a similar amount of the raft marker tyrosine kinase Lck but no detectable amounts of the conventional membrane markers, CD45 phosphatase and transferrin receptor; (ii) a larger amount of particulate membranes were resistant to solubilization with 0.2% Triton X-100 and Brij 58 than to solubilization with 1% Triton X-100; and (iii) higher cholesterol levels were present in membranes resistant to either the lower Triton X-100 concentration or to Brij 58, as compared with those resistant to 1% Triton X-100. The recruitment of CD3 to the raft-derived membrane subset appeared (i) to occur independently of cell signaling events, such as protein-tyrosine phosphorylation and Ca(2+) mobilization/influx, and (ii) to be associated with clustering of plasma membrane rafts induced by multiple cross-linking of either TCR or the raft component, ganglioside GM(1). We suggest that during T cell stimulation a lateral reorganization of rafts into polarized larger domains can determine the recruitment of TCR into these domains, which favors a polarization of the signaling cascade.

Blotting, Western↗

PubMed2002

Inhibition of microsomal glucose-6-phosphate transport in human neutrophils results in apoptosis: a potential explanation for neutrophil dysfunction in glycogen storage disease type 1b.

Mutations in the gene of the hepatic glucose-6-phosphate transporter cause glycogen storage disease type 1b. In this disease, the altered glucose homeostasis and liver functions are accompanied by an impairment of neutrophils/monocytes. However, neither the existence of a microsomal glucose-6-phosphate transport, nor the connection between its defect and cell dysfunction has been demonstrated in neutrophils/monocytes. In this study we have characterized the microsomal glucose-6-phosphate transport of human neutrophils and differentiated HL-60 cells. The transport of glucose-6-phosphate was sensitive to the chlorogenic acid derivative S3483, N-ethylmaleimide, and 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid, known inhibitors of the hepatic microsomal glucose-6-phosphate transporter. A glucose-6-phosphate uptake was also present in microsomes from undifferentiated HL-60 and Jurkat cells, but it was insensitive to S3483. The treatment with S3484 of intact human neutrophils and differentiated HL-60 cells mimicked some leukocyte defects of glycogen storage disease type 1b patients (ie, the drug inhibited phorbol myristate acetate-induced superoxide anion production and reduced the size of endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) stores). Importantly, the treatment with S3484 also resulted in apoptosis of human neutrophils and differentiated HL-60 cells, while undifferentiated HL-60 and Jurkat cells were unaffected by the drug. The proapoptotic effect of S3483 was prevented by the inhibition of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase or by antioxidant treatment. These results suggest that microsomal glucose-6-phosphate transport has a role in the antioxidant protection of neutrophils, and that the genetic defect of the transporter leads to the impairment of cellular functions and apoptosis.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

PubMed2002

Histone 2A stimulates glucose-6-phosphatase activity by permeabilization of liver microsomes.

Histone 2A increases glucose-6-phosphatase activity in liver microsomes. The effect has been attributed either to the conformational change of the enzyme, or to the permeabilization of microsomal membrane that allows the free access of substrate to the intraluminal glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic site. The aim of the present study was the critical reinvestigation of the mechanism of action of histone 2A. It has been found that the dose-effect curve of histone 2A is different from that of detergents and resembles that of the pore-forming alamethicin. Inhibitory effects of EGTA on glucose-6-phosphatase activity previously reported in histone 2A-treated microsomes have been also found in alamethicin-permeabilized vesicles. The effect of EGTA cannot therefore simply be an antagonization of the effect of histone 2A. Histone 2A stimulates the activity of another latent microsomal enzyme, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, which has an intraluminal catalytic site. Finally, histone 2A renders microsomal vesicles permeable to non-permeant compounds. Taken together, the results demonstrate that histone 2A stimulates glucose-6-phosphatase activity by permeabilizing the microsomal membrane.

Alamethicin↗

PubMed2002

Diacylglycerol activates the influx of extracellular cations in T-lymphocytes independently of intracellular calcium-store depletion and possibly involving endogenous TRP6 gene products.

In Jurkat and human peripheral blood T-lymphocytes, 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol (OAG), a membrane-permeant analogue of diacylglycerol, activated the influx of Ca(2+), Ba(2+) and Sr(2+). OAG also caused plasma-membrane depolarization in Ca(2+)-free media that was recovered by the addition of bivalent cation, indicating the activation of Na(+) influx. OAG-induced cation influx was (i) mimicked by the natural dacylglycerol 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonyl-sn-glycerol, (ii) not blocked by inhibiting protein kinase C or in the absence of phospholipase C activity and (iii) blocked by La(3+) and Gd(3+). Differently from OAG, both thapsigargin and phytohaemagglutinin activated a potent influx of Ca(2+), but little influx of Ba(2+) and Sr(2+). Moreover, the influx of Ca(2+) activated by thapsigargin and that activated by OAG were additive. Furthermore, several drugs (i.e. econazole, SKF96365, carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone, 2-aminoethoxy diphenylborate and calyculin-A), while inhibiting the influx of Ca(2+) induced by both thapsigargin and phytohaemagglutinin, did not affect OAG-stimulated cation influx. Transient receptor potential (TRP) 3 and TRP6 proteins have been shown previously to be activated by diacylglycerol when expressed heterologously in animal cells [Hofmann, Obukhov, Schaefer, Harteneck, Gudermann and Schultz (1999) Nature (London) 397, 259-263]. In both Jurkat and peripheral blood T-lymphocytes, mRNA encoding TRP proteins 1, 3, 4 and 6 was detected by reverse transcriptase PCR, and the TRP6 protein was detected by Western blotting in a purified plasma-membrane fraction. We conclude that T-cells express a diacylglycerol-activated cation channel, unrelated to the channel involved in capacitative Ca(2+) entry, and associated with the expression of TRP6 protein.

Barium↗