PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

H Kühn

Publications and source records attributed to H Kühn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Structure elucidation of oxygenated lipids in human atherosclerotic lesions.

Oxidative modification of low density lipoproteins and tissue lipids has been proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We examined human atherosclerotic lesions of various stages from fifteen victims of acute heart failure and detected substantial amounts of oxygenated fatty acids in the tissue ester lipids. The degree of lipid oxygenation correlated with the stage of advancement of the lesion. More than 85% of the oxygenated fatty acids were localized in the cholesterol esters, whereas phospholipids contained only small amounts. Structure elucidation of the oxygenation products indicated a nonspecific product pattern of various isomers of keto- and hydroxy-octadecadienoic acid. The data presented suggest an involvement of lipid peroxidation in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and indicate that the majority of the oxygenation products are formed via nonspecific, non-enzymatic reactions possibly initiated by the action of a 15-lipoxygenase.

Adult

[Detection and characterization of Salmonella strains from laughing gulls (Larus ridibundus)].

25 and 17 Salmonella strains could be isolated from 429 and 423 blackheaded gulls (Larus ridibundus), respectively, during two years of examination. S. typhimurium was the most frequent serovar. All strains of S. typhimurium belonged to the biochemovar c (inosite and rhamnose negative), nearly a third of isolates caused a mannose-sensitive hemagglutination of guinea pig erythrocytes. This result is in contradiction to the literature. Furthermore the phagovars, the plasmid profiles and the resistance against chemotherapeutics were tested. The Salmonella carriage by gulls presumably reflects the contamination of the environment.

Animals

Keto fatty acids not containing doubly allylic methylenes are lipoxygenase substrates.

The soybean lipoxygenase I oxygenates the unusual substrate 12-keto-(9Z)-octadecenoic acid methyl ester as indicated by oxygen uptake and spectral changes of the incubation mixture. The main oxygenation products have been isolated by HPLC and identified as 9,12-diketo-(10E)-octadecenoic acid methyl ester and 12-keto-(10E)-dodecenoic acid methyl ester by UV and IR spectroscopy, cochromatography with an authentic standard, gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy, and 1H NMR. In the formation of both compounds the oxygenase and hydroperoxidase activities of the enzyme appear to be involved. These data and the earlier results on the oxygenation of furanoic fatty acids (Boyer et al., 1979) indicate that the lipoxygenase reaction is not restricted to substrates containing a 1,4-pentadiene structure.

Fatty Acids

The oxygenation of cholesterol esters by the reticulocyte lipoxygenase.

The arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase from rabbit reticulocytes oxygenates cholesterol esters containing polyenoic fatty acids. Cholesterol esterified with saturated fatty acids is not oxygenated. The structures of the oxygenation products formed from various cholesterol esters have been identified by high pressure liquid chromatography, UV-spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Oxygenated cholesterol esters have been detected in atherosclerotic plaques of human aortas.

Arteriosclerosis

On the mechanistic reasons for the dual positional specificity of the reticulocyte lipoxygenase.

A set of octadecadienoic acid isomers and selected eicosatrienoic acids were tested as substrates for the lipoxygenases from soybeans and reticulocytes. Among the dienoic fatty acids, 8Z,11Z-octadecadienoic acid containing a n - 9 doubly allylic methylene group turned out to be the best substrate for the reticulocyte enzyme. This substrate was converted to its corresponding n - 7 hydroperoxy derivative. The soybean lipoxygenase, in contrast, prefers the 9Z,12Z-octadecadienoic acid (linoleic acid) which is oxygenated to its n - 6 hydroperoxy derivative. In both cases a strong preference for the LS-isomer has been observed. Analysis of the oxygenation products formed from various eicosatrienoic acids indicated that 8Z,11Z,14Z-eicosatrienoic acid was converted by the reticulocyte enzyme to its 12S- and 15S-hydroperoxy derivative in a ratio of about 1:7 (dual positional specificity), whereas the 7Z,10Z,13Z-isomer was oxygenated predominantly (greater than 97%) to its 14S-hydroperoxy derivative (singular positional specificity). 9Z,12Z,15Z-eicosatrienoic acid was oxygenated with a dual positional specificity to the corresponding 13- and 16-hydroperoxy compounds in a ratio of about 7:1. The soybean lipoxygenase converts the 8Z,11Z,14Z-isomer with a singular positional specificity to the corresponding 15S-hydroperoxy derivatives. The 9Z,12Z,15Z-eicosatrienoic acid, however, was oxygenated with a dual positional specificity to its 13S-hydroperoxy and 16S-hydroperoxy derivative in a ratio of about 1:4.

Binding Sites

Do 15-lipoxygenases have a common biological role?

In contrast to the well-studied role of 5-lipoxygenase in the arachidonic acid cascade that occurs in inflammatory cells, the biological role of the related 15-lipoxygenases in the metabolism of free polyenoic fatty acids is far from clear. However, the activity of 15-lipoxygenases with more complex substrates may play a crucial role in the differentiation and maturation of certain cell types and in the oxidative modification of lipoproteins in the early stages of atherosclerosis.

Animals

Inactivation of 15-lipoxygenases by acetylenic fatty acids.

The inactivation of soybean lipoxygenase-1 and of rabbit reticulocyte lipoxygenase by five selected acetylenic fatty acids was studied. In all cases the inactivation was time-consuming and depended on the concentration of the inactivator. The inactivation kinetics was measured and the data were fitted to a kinetic model based on the assumption of catalytic self-inactivation. The kinetic constants (Km-value and inactivation rate k2) calculated indicated that 7,10,13-eicosatrienoic acid was the most powerful inactivator for the soybean enzyme followed by 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid. The occurrence of an additional triple bond between C-4 and C-5 or between C-5 and C-6 strongly reduced the suicidal rate. With the reticulocyte enzyme, only small differences in the reactivities towards various acetylenic fatty acids have been observed.

5,8,11,14-Eicosatetraynoic Acid

Formation of ketodienoic fatty acids by the pure pea lipoxygenase-1.

A pure lipoxygenase from dried green pea seeds (isoenzyme 1) oxygenates linoleic acid to 9(S/R)-hydroperoxy-10E,12Z-octadecadienoic acid (9-HPODE) and 13(S/R)-hydroperoxy-9Z,11E-octadecadienoic acid (13-HPODE). Furthermore (10E,12Z)-9-keto-10,12-octadecadienoic acid (9-KODE) and (9Z,11E)-13-keto-9,11-octadecadienoic acid (13-KODE) in a ratio of 1:1 were formed. Uv-spectroscopic measurements and HPLC data indicated a hydroperoxy fatty acid: keto fatty acid ratio of about 2:1. The product mixture formed from arachidonic acid was even more complex. 15-, 11-, 9- and 5-H(P)ETE1 and their corresponding keto derivatives have been detected. The chemical structures of the compounds have been identified by HPLC analysis, by uv- and ir-spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of the native compounds and their hydrogenated derivatives. The data presented indicate that a pure lipoxygenase catalyzes the formation of both hydroperoxypolyenoic fatty acids and ketopolyenoic fatty acids from linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. The possible mechanism of the formation of the keto compounds is discussed.

Arachidonic Acids

On the reaction of wheat lipoxygenase with arachidonic acid and its oxygenated derivatives.

Lipoxygenase was purified from wheat kernels by means of ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel chromatography on Sephadex G-200 and anion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50. Arachidonic acid was mainly converted by the wheat lipoxygenase to 5D-hydroperoxy-6E,8Z,11Z,14Z-eicosatetraenoic acid (5D8-HPETE) with other HPETE isomers including 8-HPETE being minor products. At higher concentrations of lipoxygenase, multiple oxygenation products such as 5,15-dihydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5,15-diHETE) and, to a lower extent, 8,15-diHETE and lipoxin isomers were detected after reduction of the hydroperoxy derivatives primarily formed. Similar results were obtained with 5D8- or 15L8-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid as substrate. Moreover, evidence was obtained for leukotriene A4 synthase activity of the wheat lipoxygenase.

Arachidonate 5-Lipoxygenase

Subspecies of arrestin from bovine retina. Equal functional binding to photoexcited rhodopsin but various isoelectric focusing phenotypes in individuals.

Arrestin (also named 48-kDa protein or S-antigen) binds to photoexcited and phosphorylated rhodopsin and thereby prevents activation of cGMP phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.35) by transducin in retinal rods. We report here that retinal arrestin consists of several subspecies (isoelectric points between pH 5.5-6.2), which can be separated by FPLC anion-exchange chromatography and by FPLC chromatofocusing resulting in highly enriched individual subspecies. The entire heterogeneity pattern of arrestin is present in rod outer segments, independently of whether arrestin orginated from the outer or mostly from the inner segment of rod cells. The different subspecies show a similar binding behavior to photoexcited rhodopsin phosphorylated to various degrees and they quench the cGMP phosphodiesterase activity equally well. In the presence of rod outer segment membranes, arrestin is phosphorylated light-dependently by protein kinase C (0.2 mol phosphate/mol arrestin). This implies that the heterogeneity of arrestin is not primarily due to phosphorylation. Arrestin from different individuals exists as four isoelectric focusing patterns which occur with remarkably different frequencies in calf and cattle. The complexity of the IEF pattern does not increase with aging. Distinct subspecies of arrestin may reflect differences in their primary structure, or may result from differentially regulated post-translational modifications in individuals.

Animals

On singular or dual positional specificity of lipoxygenases. The number of chiral products varies with alignment of methylene groups at the active site of the enzyme.

We tested a simple model which explains the singular or dual specificity of lipoxygenases. The dual specificity considered here is typified by the oxygenation of arachidonic acid by the reticulocyte lipoxygenase: two chiral products are formed (12S- and 15S-hydroperoxides, ratio approximately 1:9) via hydrogen abstraction from two separate methylene groups (C-10 and C-13). The rate-limiting step is known to involve this hydrogen abstraction, and we assumed that alignment of the methylenes with the hydrogen acceptor on the enzyme is critical in terms of reaction rate and positional specificity. Optimal alignment will be associated with a fast rate of reaction and formation of a single chiral product. A shift in position of the double bonds (and hence of the methylene groups) should be associated with a slower rate of reaction and formation of two chiral products; two methylenes are now able to react, although neither has perfect alignment. We tested this idea using two lipoxygenases and polyenoic fatty acids differing in the number and position of the double bonds. Optimal substrates for the soybean lipoxygenase had a doubly allylic methylene in the n-8 position, while the reticulocyte enzyme preferred substrates with a n-9 methylene. These substrates were converted to a single chiral product. With both enzymes, the other series of substrates reacted more slowly and were converted to two chiral products. We conclude that alignment of methylene groups of the substrate at the active site is a major determinant of the reaction rate and the singular or dual specificity of lipoxygenases.

Animals

Subcellular distribution of lipoxygenase products in rabbit reticulocyte membranes.

Mitochondrial membranes and plasma membranes of rabbit reticulocytes contain oxygenated polyenoic fatty acids such as (9Z,11E)-(13S)-13-hydroxy-9,11-octadecadienoic acid, 9S and 9R isomers of (10E,12Z)-9-hydroxy-10,12-octadecadienoic acid and their all-E isomers. Furthermore (5Z,8Z,11Z,13E)-(15S)-15-hydroxy-5,8,11,13-icosa tetraenoic acid, 9- and 13-oxooctadecadienoic acid were detected as minor products. The chemical structure of these products has been identified by co-chromatography with authentic standards, by ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy, and by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of the native compounds and their hydrogenated derivatives. The oxygenated fatty acids originate most probably from the intracellular action of the erythroid arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase. In membranes of the mature erythrocyte only small amounts of hydroxy fatty acids were detected. Young peripheral reticulocytes contain more oxygenated polyenoic fatty acids in their membranes than older cells. In mixed cell populations, about 85% of the lipoxygenase products were found esterified to the membrane ester lipids, whereas 15% were associated as free hydroxy fatty acids with the membranes. The hydroxy fatty acid content of the mitochondrial membranes is more than threefold higher than that of the plasma membranes. The pattern of the products isolated from plasma membranes shows a high specificity with (9Z,11E)-(13S)-13-hydroxy-9,11-octadecadienoic acid as the main product. In contrast, the pattern found in the mitochondrial membranes was much more unspecific: a complex mixture of all positional and optical isomers was detected. The data presented indicate that the reticulocyte lipoxygenase in vivo acts on both plasma membranes and mitochondrial membranes. The results are discussed in the light of the involvement of the lipoxygenase in the breakdown of mitochondria and other organelles in reticulocytes during maturation.

Animals

Occurrence of lipoxygenase products in membranes of rabbit reticulocytes. Evidence for a role of the reticulocyte lipoxygenase in the maturation of red cells.

A lipoxygenase has been found in the reticulocytes of all mammalian species tested so far (rabbit, rat, mouse, monkey, and humans); evidence from in vitro studies suggests that the lipid-peroxidizing effects of this enzyme could render the mitochondrion and other intracellular organelles prone to the proteolytic degradation which is a natural step in development of the reticulocyte to the mature red cell. In this study we sought evidence of an active lipoxygenase in vivo. A bleeding anemia was induced in rabbits, and in the course of the subsequent reticulocytosis the red cell membranes were examined for the presence of the characteristic lipoxygenase products of linoleic and arachidonic acids. Erythrocyte membranes from control collections contained only small amounts of hydroxy fatty acids (0.03-0.08% of the polyenoic fatty acids). In contrast, reticulocyte-enriched red cells contained up to 3.3% of the polyenoic acids as hydroxylated derivatives. The main hydroxy fatty acid in reticulocyte membranes was identified as 13-L(S)-hydroxy-9Z,11E-octadecadienoic acid. Small amounts of other hydroxy derivatives including 15-hydroxy-5,8,11,13-(Z,Z,Z,E)eicosatetraenoic acid were also detected. These products appeared about 3 days after development of reticulocytosis. The precise structures of the hydroxylated polyenoic fatty acids and the time course of their appearance strongly suggest that their formation is due to the intracellular action of the cell-specific reticulocyte lipoxygenase. These findings are the first evidence for an activity of this enzyme in vivo, and the results support the hypothesis that enzymic peroxidation of reticulocyte intracellular membranes is a step in preparation of the intracellular organelles for proteolytic degradation.

Animals

Temporal relationship between force, ATPase activity, and myosin phosphorylation during a contraction/relaxation cycle in a skinned smooth muscle.

The temporal relationship between myosin phosphorylation, contractile force and ATPase activity was studied in skinned preparations from the guinea-pig Taenia coli. When free Calcium concentration [( Ca2+]) was increased from pCa (-log[Ca2+]) 9 to pCa 4.5 at low calmodulin concentration (0.05 microM), ATPase activity and myosin light-chain phosphorylation rose quickly, while the increase in force and stiffness was delayed. The time-course of tension increase was faster at higher calmodulin concentrations (5 microM), although the maximal level of phosphorylation was unchanged. Lowering the calcium concentration from pCa 4.5 to pCa 9 at the plateau of contraction caused a rapid decrease in ATPase activity and in myosin phosphorylation, while force and stiffness decayed more slowly. The force decay could be accelerated by inorganic phosphate. These results suggest that, during contraction, force may be produced actively by phosphorylated and ATP-splitting crossbridges, but may be maintained by dephosphorylated crossbridges which cycle slowly. However, force could also be modulated by calmodulin and inorganic phosphate in a manner not involving an alteration in the extent of myosin phosphorylation.

Adenosine Triphosphatases