Biomedical subjects

Mei Hong

Publications and source records attributed to Mei Hong.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Measurements of carbon to amide-proton distances by C-H dipolar recoupling with 15N NMR detection.

A new magic-angle spinning NMR method for measuring internuclear distances between a 13C-labeled site and amide protons is described. The magnetization of the protons evolves under homonuclear decoupling and the recoupled 13C-1H dipolar interaction, which provides simple spin-pair REDOR curves if only one 13C-labeled site is present. The modulation of the amide proton HN is detected via short 1H-15N cross polarization followed by 15N detection. The method is demonstrated on two specifically 13C- and 15N-labeled peptides, with 13C-HN distances from 2.2 to ca. 6 A. This technique promises to be particularly useful for measuring distances between 13C=O and H-15N groups, to identify hydrogen bonds in peptides and proteins.

Amides↗

PubMed2003

Immunogenicity of an HIV-1 gag DNA vaccine carried by attenuated Shigella.

The use of live attenuated invasive bacteria as a carrier for DNA-based vaccines has been reported recently. In this study, we used a Shigella flexneri serotype 2a rfbF mutant for immunization of a DNA vaccine coding for HIV-1 SF2 Gag. The recombinant bacterial vector delivered gag DNA to mammalian cells in vitro resulting in Gag protein expression, and was found to have a low level of pathogenicity among a number of Shigella cell spread defective mutants tested. Intranasal immunization of mice with live recombinant bacterial cells induced a gag-specific cellular immune response similar to that seen with i.m. injection of naked DNA. Importantly, a strong boosting effect was observed in mice primed with DNA, suggesting utility of bacterial vectors in prime-boost vaccination regimens.

AIDS Vaccines↗

PubMed2003

Association of fibrin monomer polymerization function, cerebrovascular risk factors and ischemic cerebrovascular disease in old people.

In order to investigate the association of fibrin monomer polymerization function (FMPF) with traditional cerebrovascular risk factors and ischemic cerebrovascular disease in old people, 1:1 paired case-control comparative study was performed for FMPF and traditional cerebrovascular risk factors on 110 cases of old ischemic cerebrovascular disease and 110 controls matched on age, sex and living condition. The results showed that cerebrovascular risk factors were more prevalent in case group than in control group. In the case group, FMPF was significantly higher than in control group. There was a significant positive correlation between hypertension and fibrin monomer polymerization velocity (FMPV), hypertension and fibrinogen (Fbg), alcohol consumption and Fbg, but no significant correlation between diabetic mellitus, smoking and FMPF was found. Among the parameters of blood lipids, there were significant positive correlations between total cholesterol (TC) and parameters of FMPF to varying degrees, triglycerides (TG) and FMPV, TG and Fbg. Our results also showed there were significant linear trends between TC and FMPV (P < 0.001), TC and Fbg (P = 0.0087), TG and FMPV/Amax (maximum absorbance) (P = 0.0143) respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that FMPF in case group remained significantly higher than control group after adjustment of all risk factors that were significant in univariate analysis. It was concluded that there is a possible pathophysiological link between FMPF and cerebrovascular risk factors. An elevated FMPF is associated with ischemic cerebrovascular disease and an independent risk factor of this disease. In old people, detection of FMPF might be a useful screening to identify individuals at increased cerebrothrombotic risk.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Solid-state NMR investigation of the depth of insertion of protegrin-1 in lipid bilayers using paramagnetic Mn2+.

The depth of insertion of an antimicrobial peptide, protegrin-1 (PG-1), in lipid bilayers is investigated using solid-state NMR. Paramagnetic Mn(2+) ions bind to the surface of lipid bilayers and induce distance-dependent dipolar relaxation of nuclear spins. By comparing the signal dephasing of the peptide with that of the lipids, whose segmental depths of insertion are known, we determined the depths of several residues of PG-1 in 1,2 dilauryl-sn-glycero-3-phosphotidylcholine (DLPC) bilayers. We found that residues G2 at the N-terminus and F12 at the beta-turn of the peptide reside near the membrane surface, whereas L5 and V16 are embedded in the acyl chain region. The depths increase in the order of G2 < F12 < L5 < V16. These intensity-dephasing results are confirmed by direct measurement of the paramagnetically enhanced (13)C transverse relaxation rates. The relative depths indicate that PG-1 is tilted from the bilayer normal, which is consistent with independent solid-state NMR measurements of PG-1 orientation in the same lipids (Yamaguchi et al., 2001). They also indicate that PG-1 is fully immersed in the lipid bilayer. However, a quantitative mismatch between the bilayer thickness and PG-1 length suggests a local thinning of the DLPC bilayer by 8-10 A. The depth sensitivity of this Mn(2+) dephasing technique is tunable with the Mn(2+) concentration to focus on different regions of the lipid bilayer.

Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides↗

PubMed2003

Backbone and side chain assignment strategies for multiply labeled membrane peptides and proteins in the solid state.

We demonstrate that the SPECIFIC CP technique can be used to obtain heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) spectra of peptide backbones with greater efficiency than conventional HETCOR methods. We show that similar design principles can be employed to achieve selective homonuclear polarization transfer mediated through dipolar or scalar couplings. Both approaches are demonstrated in a tripeptide with uniform 15N and 13C labeling, and with uniform 15N labeling and natural abundance 13C. In other applications, the high efficiency of the heteronuclear SPECIFIC CP transfer allows discrimination of single amide signals in the 248-residue membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR). In particular, variations are detected in the ordering of the Ala81-Arg82 peptide bond among the photocycle intermediates of bR and SPECIFIC CP is used to correlate 15N and 13C signals from the three Val-Pro peptide bonds.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗

PubMed2003

Homonuclear decoupled 13C chemical shift anisotropy in 13C doubly labeled peptides by selective-pulse solid-state NMR.

We describe a new experiment for measuring homonuclear-decoupled anisotropic chemical shift patterns in doubly 13C-labeled compounds under magic-angle spinning. The experiment combines a pair of selective and non-selective 180 degrees pulses to suppress the 13C-13C scalar and dipolar interactions. This is combined with the recently developed SUPER technique to recouple the chemical shift anisotropy. Demonstrations on 13Calpha and 13CO-labeled amino acids and peptides show that accurate chemical shift powder patterns can be obtained. This permits the use of chemical shift anisotropy for conformational studies of suitably extensively 13C-labeled peptides and proteins.

Anisotropy↗

PubMed2002

Solid-state NMR investigations of peptide-lipid interaction and orientation of a beta-sheet antimicrobial peptide, protegrin.

Protegrin-1 (PG-1) is a broad-spectrum beta-sheet antimicrobial peptide found in porcine leukocytes. The mechanism of action and the orientation of PG-1 in lipid bilayers are here investigated using (2)H, (31)P, (13)C, and (15)N solid-state NMR spectroscopy. (2)H spectra of mechanically aligned and chain-perdeuterated 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) bilayers indicate that PG-1 at high concentrations destroys the orientational order of the aligned lamellar bilayer. The conformation of the lipid headgroups in the unoriented region is significantly altered, as seen from the (31)P spectra of POPC and the (2)H spectra of headgroup-deuterated 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine. These observations indicate that PG-1 disrupts microbial membranes by breaking the extended bilayer into smaller disks, where a significant fraction of lipids is located in the edges of the disks with a distribution of orientations. These edges allow the lipid bilayer to bend back on itself as in toroidal pores. Interestingly, this loss of bilayer orientation occurs only in long-chain lipids such as POPC and not in shorter chain lipids such as 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DLPC). To understand the mode of binding of PG-1 to the lipid bilayer, we determined the orientation of PG-1 in DLPC bilayers. The (13)CO and (15)N chemical shifts of Val-16 labeled PG-1 indicate that the beta-strand axis is tilted by 55 degrees +/- 5 degrees from the bilayer normal while the normal of the beta-sheet plane is 48 degrees +/- 5 degrees from the bilayer normal. This orientation favors interaction of the hydrophobic backbone of the peptide with the hydrophobic core of the bilayer and positions the cationic Arg side chains to interact with the anionic phosphate groups. This is the first time that the orientation of a disulfide-stabilized beta-sheet membrane peptide has been determined by solid-state NMR.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Conformational changes of colicin Ia channel-forming domain upon membrane binding: a solid-state NMR study.

Channel-forming colicins are bactericidal proteins that spontaneously insert into hydrophobic lipid bilayers. We have used magic-angle spinning solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to examine the conformational differences between the water-soluble and the membrane-bound states of colicin Ia channel domain, and to study the effect of bound colicin on lipid bilayer structure and dynamics. We detected (13)C and (15)N isotropic chemical shift differences between the two forms of the protein, which indicate structural changes of the protein due to membrane binding. The Val C(alpha) signal, unambiguously assigned by double-quantum experiments, gave a 0.6 ppm downfield shift in the isotropic position and a 4 ppm reduction in the anisotropic chemical shift span after membrane binding. These suggest that the alpha-helices in the membrane-bound colicin adopt more ideal helical torsion angles as they spread onto the membrane. Colicin binding significantly reduced the lipid chain order, as manifested by (2)H quadrupolar couplings. These results are consistent with the model that colicin Ia channel domain forms an extended helical array at the membrane-water interface upon membrane binding.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Determination of calpha chemical shift tensor orientation in peptides by dipolar-modulated chemical shift recoupling NMR spectroscopy.

We present a new method for determining the orientation of chemical shift tensors in polycrystalline solids with site resolution and demonstrate its application to the determination of the Calpha chemical shift tensor orientation in a model peptide with beta-sheet torsion angles. The tensor orientation is obtained under magic angle spinning by modulating a recoupled chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) pattern with various dipolar couplings. These dipolar-modulated chemical shift patterns constitute the indirect dimension of a 2D spectrum and are resolved according to the isotropic chemical shifts of different sites in the direct dimension. These dipolar-modulated CSA spectra are equivalent to the projection of a 2D static separated-local-field spectrum onto its chemical shift dimension, except that its dipolar dimension is multiplied with a modulation function. Both (13)C-(1)H and (13)C-(15)N dipolar couplings can modulate the CSA spectra of the Calpha site in an amino acid and yield the relative orientations of the chemical shift principal axes to the C-H and C-N bonds. We demonstrate the C-H and C-N modulated CSA experiments on methylmalonic acid and N-tBoc-glycine, respectively. The MAS results agree well with the results of the 2D separated-local-field spectra, thus confirming the validity of this MAS dipolar-modulation approach. Using this technique, we measured the Val Calpha tensor orientation in N-acetylvaline, which has beta-sheet torsion angles. The sigma(11) axis is oriented at 158 degrees (or 22 degrees) from the C-H bond, while the sigma(22) axis is tilted by 144 degrees (or 36 degrees) from the C-N bond. Both the orientations and the magnitude of this chemical shift tensor are in excellent agreement with quantum chemical calculations.

Anisotropy↗

PubMed2002

Membrane protein topology probed by (1)H spin diffusion from lipids using solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

We describe a two-dimensional solid-state NMR technique to investigate membrane protein topology under magic-angle spinning conditions. The experiment detects the rate of (1)H spin diffusion from the mobile lipids to the rigid protein. While spin diffusion within the rigid protein is fast, magnetization transfer in the mobile lipids is an inefficient and slow process. Qualitative analysis of (1)H spin-diffusion build-up curves from the lipid chain-end methyl groups to the protein allows the identification of membrane-embedded domains in the protein. Numerical simulations of spin-diffusion build-up curves yield the approximate insertion depth of protein segments in the membrane. The experiment is demonstrated on the selectively (13)C labeled colicin Ia channel domain, known to have a membrane-embedded domain, and on DNA/cationic lipid complexes where the DNA rods are bound to the membrane surface. The experiment is designed for X-nucleus detection, which could be (13)C or (15)N in the protein and (31)P for the DNA. Finally, we show that a qualitative distinction between membrane proteins with and without a membrane-embedded domain can be made even by using an unlabeled protein, by detection of lipid signals. This spin-diffusion experiment is simple to perform and requires no oriented bilayer preparations and only standard NMR hardware.

Carbon Isotopes↗

PubMed2002

Determination of membrane Peptide orientation by 1H-detected 2H NMR spectroscopy.

We demonstrate the application of the proton inverse detected deuteron (PRIDE) NMR technique to the measurement of the orientation of membrane-bound peptides with enhanced sensitivity. Gramicidin D, a transmembrane peptide, and ovispirin, a surface-bound peptide, were used as model systems. The peptides were 2H-labeled by 1H/2H exchange and oriented uniaxially on glass plates. The directly detected 2H spectra of both peptides showed only a strong D(2)O signal and no large quadrupolar splittings. In contrast, the PRIDE spectrum of gramicidin exhibited quadrupolar splittings as large as 281 kHz, consistent with its transmembrane orientation. Moreover, the large D(2)O signal in the directly detected 2H spectra was cleanly suppressed in the PRIDE spectrum. For ovispirin, the 1H indirectly detected 2H spectrum revealed a 104 kHz splitting and a zero-frequency peak. The former reflects the in-plane orientation of most of the helix axis, while the latter results from residues with a magic-angle orientation of the N-D bonds. These are consistent with previous 15N NMR results on ovispirin. The combination of PRIDE and exchange labeling provides an economical and sensitive method of studying membrane peptide orientations in lipid bilayers without the influence of D(2)O and with the ability to detect N-D bonds at the magic angle from the bilayer normal.

Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides↗

PubMed2002

Measurement of conformational constraints in an elastin-mimetic protein by residue-pair selected solid-state NMR.

We introduce a solid-state NMR technique for selective detection of a residue pair in multiply labeled proteins to obtain site-specific structural constraints. The method exploits the frequency-offset dependence of cross polarization to achieve 13COi-->15Ni-->13Calphai transfer between two residues. A 13C, 15N-labeled elastin mimetic protein (VPGVG)n, is used to demonstrate the method. The technique selected the Gly3 Calpha signal while suppressing the Gly5 Calpha signal, and allowed the measurement of the Gly3 Calpha chemical shift anisotropy to derive information on the protein conformation. This residue-pair selection technique should simplify the study of protein structure at specific residues.

Anisotropy↗

PubMed2002

C(alpha) chemical shift tensors in helical peptides by dipolar-modulated chemical shift recoupling NMR.

The C(alpha) chemical shift tensors of proteins contain information on the backbone conformation. We have determined the magnitude and orientation of the C(alpha) chemical shift tensors of two peptides with a-helical torsion angles: the Ala residue in G*AL (phi = -65.7 degrees, psi = -40 degrees), and the Val residue in GG*V (phi = -81.5 degrees, psi = -50.7 degrees). The magnitude of the tensors was determined from quasi-static powder patterns recoupled under magic-angle spinning, while the orientation of the tensors was extracted from C(alpha)-H(alpha) and C(alpha)-N dipolar modulated powder patterns. The helical Ala C(alpha) chemical shift tensor has a span of 36 ppm and an asymmetry parameter of 0.89. Its sigma11 axis is 116 degrees +/- 5 degrees from the C(alpha)-H(alpha) bond while the sigma22 axis is 40 degrees +/- 5 degrees from the C(alpha)-N bond. The Val tensor has an anisotropic span of 25 ppm and an asymmetry parameter of 0.33, both much smaller than the values for beta-sheet Val found recently (Yao and Hong, 2002). The Val sigma33 axis is tilted by 115 degrees +/- 50 from the Ca-Halpha bond and 98 degrees +/- 5 degrees from the C(alpha)-N bond. These represent the first completely experimentally determined C(alpha) chemical shift tensors of helical peptides. Using an icosahedral representation, we compared the experimental chemical shift tensors with quantum chemical calculations and found overall good agreement. These solid-state chemical shift tensors confirm the observation from cross-correlated relaxation experiments that the projection of the C(alpha) chemical shift tensor onto the C(alpha)-H(alpha) bond is much smaller in alpha-helices than in beta-sheets.

Alanine↗

PubMed2002

Modulation of melanogenesis by aloesin: a competitive inhibitor of tyrosinase.

Aloesin, [2-acetonyl-8-beta-d-glucopyranosyl-7-hydroxy-5-methylchromone], a compound isolated from the Aloe plant, is shown in these studies to modulate melanogenesis via competitive inhibition of tyrosinase. Aloesin inhibits purified tyrosinase enzyme and specifically inhibits melanin production in vitro. Enzyme kinetics studies using normal human melanocyte cell lysates and cell-based melanin production demonstrated that aloesin is a competitive inhibitor of tyrosinase from mushroom, human and murine sources. Tyrosine hydroxylase and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) oxidase activities of tyrosinase from normal human melanocyte cell lysates were inhibited by aloesin in a dose dependent manner. In a percutaneous absorption study a finite dose of aloesin penetrated the skin slowly and was recovered primarily in the surface wash. Aloesin shows promise as a pigmentation-altering agent for cosmetic or therapeutic applications.

Absorption↗

PubMed2002

Shigella flexneri DegP facilitates IcsA surface expression and is required for efficient intercellular spread.

A degP mutant of Shigella flexneri was identified in a screen for insertion mutants that invaded cultured cells but did not form wild-type plaques in monolayers. The degP mutant SM1100 invaded Henle cells at wild-type levels and induced apoptosis in macrophages but formed smaller plaques than those formed by wild-type S. flexneri in confluent monolayers of Henle and Caco-2 cells. The proportion of SM1100 bacteria with IcsA localized to the bacterial pole, a process required for actin polymerization into actin "tails," was reduced compared to results with wild-type bacteria. The reduction in proper IcsA localization may account for the reduced plaque size of the degP mutant. Although DegP is a protease, the protease activity of S. flexneri DegP was not required for IcsA localization or the formation of plaques in Henle cell monolayers. DegP was also required for efficient polar IcsA localization in E. coli expressing icsA. In addition, the growth or survival of SM1100 was compromised compared to that of the wild type at elevated temperatures and in acidic conditions.

Actins↗

PubMed2002

High-level expression of foreign genes via multiple joined operons and a new concept regarding the restricted constant of total amount of plasmid DNA per Escherichia coli cell.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility of linking operons in tandem to enhance expression of heterologous genes in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and clarify the potential control mechanism of the total plasmid DNA amount in each host cell. METHODS: Two series of expression plasmids, CW11 and CW12, containing 1 to 4 and 1 to 3 heterologous gene operon(s) respectively, were constructed. The molecular size of the CW11 series varied from 5.47 kb to 12.26 kb in 2.25 kb increments. The CW12 series varied from 5.40 kb to 9.72 kb in 2.16 kb increments. The expression level of desired protein was assayed by SDS-PAGE and laser density scanning. Plasmid copy number was determined by incorporation with (3)H-thymidine ((3)H-TdR). RESULTS: No influence of the tandem-joined operons on host growth and plasmid stability was observed. Upon induction, the desired protein accumulations in the CW11 series were 44.9% +/- 3.9%, 51.3% +/- 4.1%, 54.8% +/- 3.3% and 58.2% +/- 3.4% of total cell protein. In the CW12 series, the yields were 32.2% +/- 5.0%, 42.8% +/- 4.1% and 46.9% +/- 4.0% of total cell protein. As size increased, the plasmid copy number decreased, but target gene dosage increased significantly (P < 0.01). Further calculation showed that the total amount of plasmid DNA per cell was not significantly different in each series (P > 0.05) and restricted to some extent. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the target gene dosage by tandem linking of operons may enhance the expression level of a desired protein. Although the size (kb) and the copy number of each plasmid are negatively interrelated, for certain plasmids in each series, their total DNA amount per cell seems to be a restricted constant for specific E. coli strains under identical incubation condition.

DNA↗