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T E Mansour

Publications and source records attributed to T E Mansour.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Some phosphonic acid analogs as inhibitors of pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase, a novel target in Toxoplasma gondii.

Pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase (PPi-PFK) was identified previously in Toxoplasma gondii as the only kinase that phosphorylates fructose-6-P to fructose-1,6-bisP. Since such an enzyme is not present in mammals, it was considered to be a good target for prospective selective inhibitors of the parasite. We have examined the effects of several phosphonic acid derivatives, analogs of pyrophosphate, on PPi-PFK activity, as well as on the replication of T. gondii in human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells. The most active compound in inhibiting PPi-PFK was tetrasodium carbonyldiphosphonate. Several bisphosphonates and related arylhydrazones showed inhibition of the enzyme, but with higher IC50 values. Although several phosphonoacetic acid derivatives also inhibited PPi-PFK, as a group they were less potent than the bisphosphonate derivatives. Comparison among the structures of various inhibitors and their effects against PPi-PFK indicates that a carbonyl (C=O) or amino (C=N) group between two phosphoryl moieties is associated with more potent enzyme inhibiton. Tetrasodium carbonyldiphosphonate did not show a significant effect against replication of T. gondii cells, probably because, as a charged molecule, it could not cross the cell membrane to reach the intracellular parasite. Tetraisopropyl carbonyldiphosphonate 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone showed some selective inhibitory effect against replication of the parasite in the HFF cells and protected the mammalian cells from damage by T. gondii. The results indicate that carbonyldiphosphonic acid is a good prototype compound that is amenable to chemical manipulation, which, in turn, may optimize selective inhibition of T. gondii PPi-PFK and increase accessibility to the intracellular parasite.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1992

Cloning and characterization of a cDNA coding for the alpha-subunit of a stimulatory G protein from Schistosoma mansoni.

Guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) mediate signals between serotonin receptors and adenylate cyclase in Schistosoma mansoni. A bovine Gs alpha cDNA probe was used to isolate a cDNA clone, SG12, encoding the entire alpha-subunit of a G protein of S. mansoni. The cDNA is 1897 base pairs long, contains an open reading frame of 1137 base pairs, and codes for a deduced protein of 379 amino acids. The putative protein encoded by the clone has an exact amino acid match with bovine Gs alpha of 65% and a 78% match when conserved amino acid substitutions are considered. In contrast, the exact and conserved matches of the schistosome alpha-subunit with bovine Gi are 41 and 61%, respectively. A comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of SG12 with a variety of different G alpha proteins indicates that all the major structural features characteristic of a Gs alpha protein are present in the S. mansoni gene. The schistosome clone contains the putative site for ADP-ribosylation by cholera toxin found in Gs alpha but does not contain the ADP-ribosylation site for pertussis toxin present in Gi alpha. The amino acids are completely conserved at the GTP-binding sites. On a Northern blot, the cDNA hybridizes to a major band of 3.1 kilobases in RNA from adult schistosomes. The message appears to be absent in miracidia and cercariae, but a faint 3.1-kilobase band is visible in the early schistosomule stage preceding adulthood. This evidence, when added to previous biochemical data, indicates that the expression of this gene is developmentally controlled.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Purification and properties of a pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase from Toxoplasma gondii.

Inorganic pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase was identified in toxoplasma gondii and purified to near homogeneity from the crude extracts. The purified enzyme displayed one major protein band which coincided with enzyme activity on nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This phosphofructokinase had a molecular weight of 100,000 determined by gel filtration and was composed of one type of subunit with the molecular weight of 45,000 estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, suggesting that the enzyme is a homodimer. Some kinetic parameters of the purified enzyme were investigated in the forward and the reverse directions. The substrate saturation curves for fructose 6-phosphate and pyrophosphate were all hyperbolic. The apparent Km values for fructose 6-phosphate and for pyrophosphate were 2.7 x 10(-4) M and 3.3 x 10(-5) M respectively. Kinetics for Fru-1,2-P2 and for Pi in the reverse reaction were also hyperbolic. The activity of this enzyme was magnesium-dependent. Nucleoside triphosphates and polyphosphates did not serve as phosphate donor and the enzyme activity was not altered in the presence of any of these nucleotides. As in the case of pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinases from other anaerobic eukaryotes the Toxoplasma enzyme was not activated by fructose 2,6-biphosphate.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Conserved classes of homeodomains in Schistosoma mansoni, an early bilateral metazoan.

Genes containing a homeobox can be divided into classes based on the distinctive peptide sequences of their diverged homeodomains. Many of these classes, including Antennapedia, engrailed and paired, are strongly conserved in higher multicellular animals, but have not previously been found in platyhelminths, the flatworms which represent the most primitive bilateral metazoans. We have screened cDNA libraries of the platyhelminth Schistosoma mansoni using a degenerate oligonucleotide derived from the third helix of the homeodomain, and have identified numerous schistosome homeobox-containing sequences, including members of the Antennapedia, engrailed and paired classes. The schistosome homeodomain sequences are more similar to the higher animals sequences in their respective classes than they are to each other, indicating that the establishment of these three distinctive classes is at least as ancient as the flatworms. Our data suggest that the ancestral functions of the Antennapedia, engrailed and paired classes involve fundamental features of all bilateral metazoan development. The putative full-length coding sequence of the S. mansoni en homologue is presented.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Phosphofructokinase from Fasciola hepatica: sequence of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation site.

We have reported previously that phosphofructokinase from the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica is activated by phosphorylation with cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and that this event appears to be important in vivo for regulation of PFK (E. S. Kamemoto, L. Lan, and T. E. Mansour (1989) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 271, 553-559). Here, we report the amino acid sequence of the single tryptic phosphopeptide generated after phosphorylation of the purified enzyme with cAMP-dependent protein kinase and [gamma 32P]ATP. Through a combination of Edman microsequence analysis, fast atom bombardment mass spectroscopy, and phosphoamino acid analysis, the sequence of the phosphorylated peptide was determined to be: R-S-T(P)-M-M-I-P-G-M-E-G-K. This sequence is not homologous to any previously determined phosphofructokinase phosphopeptides. Regulatory differences between the mammalian and parasite enzymes are discussed with particular emphasis on regulation by protein phosphorylation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Phosphorylation of heart phosphofructokinase by Ca2+/calmodulin protein kinase.

Phosphofructokinase (PFK) from sheep heart was shown to be phosphorylated by Ca2+/calmodulin protein kinase (CaM-kinase) as well as by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). HPLC analysis of phosphorylated PFK indicated that phosphorylation by CaM-kinase occurs at least at two sites that are distinct from those recognized by PKA. Phosphorylation by either CaM-kinase of PKA resulted in an increase in sensitivity to ATP inhibition and a small but consistent decrease in Ki for ATP. Phosphorylation by either protein kinase caused a slight increase in the Km of PFK for fructose-6-P. Protein kinase C failed to phosphorylate PFK. Combinations of PKA, CaM-kinase and protein kinase C did not alter the stoichiometry of phosphorylation and did not change the effect on enzyme activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Changes in phosphofructokinase isozymes during development of myoblasts to myotubes.

The regulation of phosphofructokinase during development of C2C12 myoblasts to myotubes was investigated. Enzyme activity was markedly increased during myogenic development. The increase was observed when enzyme activity was measured under optimal conditions and was not due to changes in the allosteric kinetic properties of the enzyme. Immunoprecipitation of phosphofructokinase from [35S]methionine-labeled myogenic cells revealed that equal amounts of liver and muscle isozymes are present in myoblasts, while in myotubes there was a much higher level of the muscle isozyme. These results were confirmed using an immunoblotting technique. The increase in the level of muscle isozyme in myotubes is due to an increase in the rate of synthesis of the muscle isozyme and occurs in spite of a measurably small increase in its degradation rate. Northern blot analysis using a synthetic oligonucleotide probe showed a 25-fold increase in the level of muscle phosphofructokinase mRNA in myotubes. The conclusion is drawn that the increase in muscle isozyme in myotubes during myogenesis is due to an increase in its mRNA level.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Serotonin receptor-mediated activation of adenylate cyclase in the neuroblastoma NCB.20: a novel 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) and its analogs activate adenylate cyclase in membrane particles from neuroblastoma NCB.20 cells. Low concentrations of GTP (EC50 = 60 nM) were required for activation by serotonin. Guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) inhibited serotonin-activated cyclase in these cells. The nonhydrolyzable GTP analogs guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (EC50 = 3 nM) and guanylyl-imidodiphosphate (EC50 = 100 nM) substituted for GTP in potentiating serotonin activation. Pretreatment of the cells with cholera toxin potentiated enzyme activation by serotonin, whereas pertussis toxin was found to have little effect, indicating the involvement of the alpha subunit of a stimulatory GTP-binding protein in enzyme activation. Homologous desensitization of the serotonin-stimulated adenylate cyclase was demonstrated in membranes prepared from intact cells pretreated with serotonin. Cell membrane particles that were desensitized to serotonin were still responsive to beta-adrenergic agonists and to prostaglandin E1. Evidence is presented indicating that serotonin stimulation of adenylate cyclase is mediated by receptors that are distinct from other positively coupled receptors (beta-adrenergic, histamine, and prostacyclin). Equilibrium binding analysis with [3H]serotonin, [3H]lysergic acid diethylamide, and [3H]dihydroergotamine suggested that the site density was below the level of detection of binding of these radioligands. The pharmacological characteristics of the serotonin-activated cyclases were analyzed in order to compare these serotonin receptors with the family of different receptor subtypes. Correlation analysis between the potencies of different agonists and antagonists at the cyclase in these cells and their reported relative potencies for different serotonin receptor subtypes showed no correlation with the 5-HT1A, 5HT1B, 5HT1D, 5-HT2, and 5-HT3 receptors. On the other hand, the analysis showed that the NCB.20 serotonin receptors are similar but not identical to the rat and pig brain 5-HT1C receptors and to the serotonin receptors coupled to adenylate cyclase in the trematodes Schistosoma mansoni and Fasciola hepatica. The results point to a novel serotonin receptor which has a low density in these cells.

Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose↗
PubMed1989

In vivo regulation of phosphorylation level and activity of phosphofructokinase by serotonin in Fasciola hepatica.

The level of phosphorylation and activation of phosphofructokinase by serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) was studied in intact liver flukes Fasciola hepatica. The enzyme was immunoprecipitated with antiserum prepared against pure enzyme from the liver flukes. The resuspended immunoprecipitated enzyme retained most of its original activity and its kinetic properties. The level of phosphorylation was determined by a "back phosphorylation" technique. According to this technique, the immunoprecipitated phosphofructokinase was phosphorylated with the catalytic subunit of pure cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Incubation of intact liver flukes with serotonin caused an increase in the level of enzyme phosphorylation which was concomitant with an increase in enzyme activity. The level of phosphorylation was increased by 0.08 mol per protomer as a result of maximal activation by serotonin. It is proposed that phosphorylation plays, at least in part, a functional role in the regulation of phosphofructokinase from the liver fluke F. hepatica under in vivo conditions.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1989

Identification, expression and in situ hybridization of an eggshell protein gene from Fasciola hepatica.

The molecular basis of egg formation in the parasitic liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica, was investigated by isolating and characterizing an abundant cDNA from a female genital complex cDNA library. It was expressed in Escherichia coli as a beta-galactosidase fusion protein, which was purified and used to produce polyclonal antibodies. Using immunoblots, the antiserum recognized two soluble constituents of isolated egg shells, both significantly larger than predicted from cDNA sequencing. Using in situ hybridization, the message was detected in cells in the adult vitelline follicles. Eggshell protein mRNA expressed in E. coli will provide a source of precursor protein for further studies of parasite eggshell formation.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Isolation of a female-specific, highly repeated Schistosoma mansoni DNA probe and its use in an assay of cercarial sex.

A 476 bp fragment of female-specific Schistosoma mansoni genomic DNA, clone W1, represents a degenerative repeat present in more than 500 copies per female genome, and may be part of the constitutive heterochromatin of the W chromosome. The cloning method described can be used as a general approach for isolating sex-specific, repeated DNA fragments. Using W1 as a probe, we have developed a rapid and accurate dot-blot assay for determining the sex of S. mansoni cercariae.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Identification of GTP-binding proteins in Fasciola hepatica and Schistosoma mansoni by immunoblotting.

Both the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica and the blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni have GTP-binding proteins which are part of the trans-membrane signalling system. These proteins require GTP in order to interact with the catalytic subunit of adenylate cyclase. The technique of immunoblotting was used in order to distinguish the GTP-binding proteins Gs, Gi, and Go. Immunoblotting was carried out using antisera prepared against peptides deduced from bovine cDNA clones specific for alpha or beta subunits of known G proteins. A 41-kDa Gs alpha has been identified in S. mansoni and a 42.5-kDa Gs alpha in F. hepatica. A 41-kDa Go alpha was found in both parasites. A 36-kDa G beta was identified in both parasites using antiserum made against bovine transducin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

cDNA cloning and gene characterization of the mitochondrial large subunit (LSU) rRNA from the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica. Evidence of heterogeneity in the fluke mitochondrial genome.

A cDNA clone that encodes the large subunit of mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (LSU rRNA) from the liver fluke F. hepatica was isolated and characterized. This RNA molecule is polyadenylated at the 3' end and represents 10% of the poly A+RNA in adult F. hepatica. Fluke LSU rRNA has significant sequence homology to mosquito mitochondria LSU rRNA and is more closely related to the mitochondrial rRNA of hermaphroditic than dioecious trematodes. Mitochondrial DNA constitutes approximately 10% of the total cellular DNA of adult flukes. This percentage is lower in non-embryonated eggs as are the levels of LSU rRNA indicating eggs have lower metabolic activity. Analysis of transcription and the number of mitochondrial genomes in S. mansoni shows that the LSU rRNA is more abundant in females than in males. Restriction endonuclease analysis of the fluke mitochondrial LSU rRNA genes suggests the presence of heterogeneous repeated copies in the mitochondrial genome or heterogeneity among individual genomes of mitochondria.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

GTP binding regulatory proteins of adenylate cyclase in Schistosoma mansoni at different stages of development.

Serotonin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni increases 40-50-fold during its development from newly transformed schistosomulum to adult. The role of GTP in activation of the enzyme at different stages of development was investigated. Adenylate cyclase can be activated by the non-hydrolyzable GTP analogs 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate (GppNHp) and guanosine-5'-(3-O-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S), as well as by sodium fluoride. Activation by GTP gamma S is competitively antagonized by GTP. Cholera toxin catalyzes the ADP-ribosylation of several proteins in both early schistosomula and adults. Proteins of 93 and 53 kDa are labeled in both stages, but the other proteins labeled appear to be different in the two stages. Adult schistosomes exhibit autoribosylation by cholera toxin in a broad band at 41 kDa, and this is not seen in schistosomula. The effect of cholera toxin on cyclase activity was to reduce activation by serotonin, GTP gamma S, and fluoride, all agents which act through the GTP binding protein. Cholera toxin treatment also inhibits activation by optimal levels of forskolin, a diterpene that acts at the catalytic subunit. Pertussis toxin had little effect on cyclase activity, although it catalyzed the ADP-ribosylation of a single protein band at 45 kDa in both stages. The results suggest that the GTP binding protein that mediates adenylate cyclase activation by serotonin is somewhat different from Gs in the adrenergic adenylate cyclase system. The pertussis toxin substrate in S. mansoni does not appear to function as Gi.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose↗
PubMed1987

Phosphofructokinase from Fasciola hepatica: activation by phosphorylation and other regulatory properties distinct from the mammalian enzyme.

Phosphofructokinase from the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica, was phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase isolated from this organism. Phosphorylated fluke phosphofructokinase had a sevenfold lower apparent Km for its substrate, Fru-6-P, and an eightfold higher 0.5 Vopt for ATP, the enzyme's primary inhibitor, than native phosphofructokinase. Activation of fluke phosphofructokinase following phorphorylation by a mammalian protein kinase catalytic subunit was previously reported (E. S. Kamemoto and T. E. Mansour (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 4346-4351). The catalytic subunit of protein kinase isolated from the liver fluke phosphorylated sites on fluke phosphofructokinase similar to those phosphorylated by the mammalian enzyme. Maximal phosphate incorporation was 0.3 mol P/mol of protomer. The native enzyme was found to contain 1.3 mol P/mol of protomer. In contrast to fluke phosphofructokinase, activity of the mammalian heart enzyme was slightly decreased following phosphorylation. The dependence of allosteric interaction on an acidic pH observed with the mammalian phosphofructokinase was not observed with the fluke enzyme. Unlike mammalian phosphofructokinase, allosteric kinetics of the fluke enzyme was observed at alkaline pH (8.0). Fluke phosphofructokinase was found to be relatively insensitive to inhibition by citrate, a known potent inhibitor of the mammalian enzyme. Fru-2,6-P2, a potent modifier of phosphofructokinase from a variety of sources, was found to activate both native and phosphorylated fluke phosphofructokinase. The most potent activators of fluke phosphofructokinase were found to be Fru-2,6-P2, AMP, and phosphorylation. The endogenous level of Fru-2,6-P2 in the flukes was determined to be 29 +/- 1.3 nmol/g wet wt, a level that may well modulate enzyme activity. Fru-6-P,2-kinase, the enzyme responsible for synthesis of Fru-2,6-P2, was found to be present in the flukes. Our results suggest physiological roles for phosphorylation and Fru-2,6-P2 in regulation of fluke phosphofructokinase.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1987

Schistosoma mansoni: protein composition and synthesis during early development; evidence for early synthesis of heat shock proteins.

There are alterations in the proteins synthesized during different stages of development of Schistosoma mansoni. The protein profiles at different stages were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. When stained by Coomassie blue, no significant differences were seen in protein profiles derived from cultured schistosomula from Days 0 to 6 and from adults. Newly synthesized proteins were detected by [35S]methionine incorporation. There were only a few differences in the protein profiles of schistosomula from Days 1 to 6 and from adults. Profiles derived from Day 0 schistosomula showed striking differences. Only a few proteins appear to be synthesized on Day 0 under these conditions. Schistosomula on Day 0 synthesized several minor proteins as well as a major protein of approximately 69,000 Da. This protein was immunoprecipitated by rabbit antiserum against bovine uncoating adenosine triphosphatase which recognizes the constitutive and induced 70,000 Da heat shock proteins in a wide variety of eukaryotic cells. More significant differences were observed when the newly synthesized proteins were analyzed by two dimensional gel electrophoresis. The profiles of newly synthesized proteins showed a specific repertoire of expression during the early stages of development in the parasite. A shift in temperature and medium during transformation from aquarium water to isotonic medium may initiate the synthesis of heat shock protein in these parasites.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Partial purification and characterization of cAMP-dependent protein kinase from Fasciola hepatica.

Three cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinases, designated A1, A2, and B, were isolated from the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica using Phenyl-Sepharose and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. These enzymes differed with respect to activation by cAMP and their molecular weights. The half-maximal activation constant for cAMP-dependent protein kinases A1 and B was 20 nM, while that of A2 was about five-fold higher (110 nM). The estimated molecular weights for cAMP-dependent protein kinases A1 and A2 (both 98,000) suggest a dimeric form for these enzymes; whereas, the higher molecular weight for cAMP-dependent protein kinase B (187,000) indicates that this enzyme is a tetramer. The physical and kinetic properties of the catalytic subunit of fluke cAMP-dependent protein kinase were similar to those reported for the mammalian enzyme. The molecular weight of the catalytic subunit was estimated to be 41,000. The pH optimum for the enzyme was 6.0, 6.5, or 7.0 when casein, histone, or protamine were used as substrates. The protein substrate specificity was in the order histone greater than arginine-rich histone greater than casein greater than protamine greater than lysine-rich histone. Free Mg2+ 'stimulated' enzyme activity at low concentrations (0.5 to 5 mM), whereas at higher concentrations (greater than 5 mM) it became inhibitory. Of the divalent cations tested, only Co2+ and Mn2+ could substitute for Mg2+. Kinetic studies indicated that the reaction mechanism of this enzyme is sequential and that MgATP and MgADP are competitive ligands. Reconstitution experiments using the subunits of fluke and bovine heart cAMP-dependent protein kinase showed that there is sufficient structural homology between these enzymes such that the catalytic subunit from one species can combine with the regulatory subunit of the other species to form inactive holoenzyme. Thus, the present results indicate that cAMP-dependent protein kinase from F. hepatica is similar but not identical to the mammalian enzyme.

Animals↗