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Werner Reutter

Publications and source records attributed to Werner Reutter.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Engineering the sialic acid in organs of mice using N-propanoylmannosamine.

Sialic acids play an important role during development, regeneration and pathogenesis. The precursor of most physiological sialic acids, such as N-acetylneuraminic acid is N-acetyl-D-mannosamine. Application of the novel N-propanoylmannosamine leads to the incorporation of the new sialic acid N-propanoylneuraminic acid into cell surface glycoconjugates. Here we analyzed the modified sialylation of several organs with N-propanoylneuraminic acid in mice. By using peracetylated N-propanoylmannosamine, we were able to replace in vivo between 1% (brain) and 68% (heart) of physiological sialic acids by N-propanoylneuraminic acid. The possibility to modify cell surfaces with engineered sialic acids in vivo offers the opportunity to target therapeutic agents to sites of high sialic acid concentration in a variety of tumors. Furthermore, we demonstrated that application of N-propanoylmannosamine leads to a decrease in the polysialylation of the neural cell adhesion molecule in vivo, which is a marker of poor prognosis for some tumors with high metastatic potential.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Comparative proteomics of rat liver and Morris hepatoma 7777 plasma membranes.

Plasma membranes from normal rat liver and hepatocellular carcinoma Morris hepatoma 7777 were selectively solubilized by use of different reagents. After selective solubilization, proteins were identified by nano-HPLC-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI MS/MS). Using simple software, the patterns of proteins identified in membrane solubilizates from liver and hepatoma were compared. Proteins identified in Morris hepatoma 7777 and not in the corresponding membrane solubilizate from liver, mostly members of the annexin and heat shock protein families, are discussed as potential candidate markers for hepatocellular carcinomas.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Identification of members of the annexin family in the detergent-insoluble fraction of rat Morris hepatoma plasma membranes.

For proteomic analysis, plasma membranes of rat hepatocellular carcinoma Morris hepatoma 7777 were selectively solubilized according to the previously developed method [D. Josic, K. Zeilinger, Methods Enzymol. 271 (1996) 113-134]. If the Triton X100 insoluble pellet is subsequently extracted, several proteins can be solubilized. These proteins can be classified in two groups according to their molecular size. The proteins with apparent molecular weights in SDS-PAGE between 70 and 75 kDa belong to the first group. Smaller proteins, with apparent molecular weights between 30 and 45 kDa, are members of the second group. The main protein of higher molecular weight was also found in the Triton X100 insoluble extract from normal rat liver plasma membranes. This protein was identified as Annexin A6. The proteins from the second group are practically absent in the Triton X100 insoluble extract from rat liver. These proteins are present in relatively high concentrations in plasma membranes of Morris hepatoma 7777. Both groups of detergent-insoluble proteins from Morris hepatoma 7777 were further analyzed with SELDI-TOF and LC electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. From the first group, Annexin A6, together with two other integral plasma membrane proteins, was identified. In the second group of proteins with apparent molecular weights between 30 and 45kDa, further members of the annexin family, Annexins A1, A2, A4, A5 and A7 were identified. The possible role of these low molecular size annexins as potential cancer biomarkers is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

The ether lipid inositol-C2-PAF is a potent inhibitor of cell proliferation in HaCaT cells.

The search for specific anticancer drugs that do not interfere with DNA synthesis or influence the cytoskeleton has led to the development of modified phospholipids with antiproliferative properties. These compounds cause remodeling of the structure and function of plasma membranes. Recently, we described novel compounds, the glycosidated phospholipids, that surprisingly inhibit cell proliferation. These compounds contain alpha-D-glucose in the sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and platelet-activating factor (PAF), which gives rise to 2-glucophosphatidylcholine (Glc-PC) and 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-alpha-d-glucopyranosyl-sn-2-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (Glc-PAF), respectively. Glc-PC and Glc-PAF inhibit the growth of HaCaT cells at nontoxic concentrations. Here we report the introduction of myo-inositol, in place of alpha-D-glucose, in the sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone; this leads to two diastereomeric 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-(2-(myo-inositolyl)-ethyl)-sn-glycero-3-(R/S)-phosphatidylcholines (Ino-C2-PAF). The inositol-containing PAF enhances the antiproliferative capacity (IC(50)=1.8 microM) and reduces the cytotoxicity relative to Glc-PAF (LC(50)=15 microM). Through biological assays, we showed that, in HaCaT cells, Ino-C2-PAF causes upregulation of the keratinocyte-specific differentiation marker involucrin, increases the activity of the differentiation marker transglutaminase, and induces apoptosis at nontoxic concentrations. Ino-C2-PAF therefore seems to be a promising candidate for development as an antiproliferative drug for the treatment of hyperproliferative diseases of the skin.

Cell Differentiation↗
PubMed2005

The cytoplasmic tail of the alpha3 integrin subunit promotes neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells.

Binding of integrins to proteins of the extracellular matrix (ECM) provides structural and signaling information for biological processes such as cell proliferation, migration, neurite outgrowth, and differentiation. Integrins represent a family of heterodimeric transmembrane cell surface receptors. Besides connecting the ECM with the cytoskeleton, integrins also induce various signaling pathways in response to ligand binding. Integrin ligation leads to cytoplasmic protein-protein interactions requiring both integrin cytoplasmic tails. These sequences are initiation points for focal adhesion formation and subsequent signal transduction cascades. In this study, we addressed the question of whether the short cytoplasmic tail of the alpha(3) integrin subunit of alpha(3)beta(1) integrin is required for alpha(3)beta(1) integrin-dependent processes. For this purpose, cDNA representing the extracellular and transmembrane domain of the interleukin 2 receptor (IL2R) alpha subunit and the cytoplasmic sequence of the alpha(3) integrin subunit was transfected into PC12 cells. Autonomous expression of the cytoplasmic alpha(3) tail does not affect attachment but leads to inhibition of neuronal differentiation on laminin 5. This indicates that the cytoplasmic alpha(3) sequence is not required for cell attachment but is necessary for long-term adhesion and for the reorganization of the cytoskeleton that precedes neuronal differentiation. Inhibition of neurite outgrowth by chimeric IL2R-alpha(3) can be rescued by treatment of transfected cells with the pharmacological inhibitor Y27632, which inhibits the RhoA downstream effector Rho kinase alpha.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Glucosamine-glycerophospholipids that activate cell-matrix adhesion and migration.

Two new analogues derived from the platelet activating factor (PAF), containing glucosamine instead of the acetyl group, were synthesized, and their effect on the human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT was evaluated with respect to cytotoxicity, proliferation, adhesion, and migration. Starting with (R)-1,2-isopropylideneglycerol (3), the glycosylation acceptor 1-O-octadecyl-3-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-sn-glycerol (6) was synthesized in three steps. Glycosylation of 6 with the already known O-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-dimethylmaleimido-beta-D-glycopyranosyl)trichloracetimidate gave 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-(3',4',6'-tri-O-acetyl-2'-deoxy-2'-dimethylmaleimido-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-3-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-sn-glycerol (7). After removing the (tert-butyldimethyl)silyl (TBDMS) group with FeCl3x6H2O, phosphoryl choline was introduced, yielding [1-O-octadecyl-2-O-(2'-deoxy-2'-dimethylmaleimido-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycero(3)]phosphorylcholine (2) (glucosimide-PAF). pH controlled cleavage of the amino protection group gave [1-O-octadecyl-2-O-(2'-deoxy-2'-amino-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycero(3)]phosphorylcholine hydrochloride (1) (glucosamine-PAF). 2 inhibited proliferation of HaCaT cells by 26% at nontoxic concentrations, while 1 increased the proliferation rate by 30% at low concentrations. At higher concentrations, both compounds showed cytotoxic properties with LD50 = 30 micromol/L (1) and LD50 = 5-6 micromol/L (2). Both 1 and 2 were potent promoters of cell adhesion and migration of HaCaT cells.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2005

The intracellular concentration of sialic acid regulates the polysialylation of the neural cell adhesion molecule.

Sialic acids are expressed as terminal sugars in many glycoconjugates and play an important role during development and regeneration, as they are involved as polysialic acid in a variety of cell-cell interactions mediated by the neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM. The key enzyme for the biosynthesis of sialic acid is the UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine-kinase (GNE). Mutations in the binding site of the feedback inhibitor CMP-sialic acid of the GNE leads to sialuria, a disease in which patients produce sialic acid in gram scale. Here, we report on the consequences after expression of a sialuria-mutated GNE. Expression of the sialuria-mutated GNE leads to a dramatic increase of both cellular sialic acid and polysialic acid on NCAM. This could also be achieved by application of the sialic acid precursor N-acetylmannosamine. Our data suggest that biosynthesis of sialic acid regulates and limits the synthesis of polysialic acid.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Novel cytosolic binding partners of the neural cell adhesion molecule: mapping the binding domains of PLC gamma, LANP, TOAD-64, syndapin, PP1, and PP2A.

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is implicated in important functions during development and maintenance of the nervous system. Two of the three major isoforms, NCAM 140 and NCAM 180, are transmembrane glycoproteins with large cytoplasmic domains of different length. The purpose of this study was to identify novel intracellular binding partners of NCAM 140 and NCAM 180. We expressed both cytoplasmic domains, as well as cytoplasmic fragments of NCAM, as fusion proteins in Escherichia coli and used them for ligand affinity chromatography or glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down assays. By peptide mass fingerprinting Western blot analysis, or both, we identified PLCgamma, LANP, syndapin, PP1, and PP2A as binding partners for both NCAM 140 and NCAM 180, whereas TOAD-64 was identified as a NCAM 180-specific interacting protein. Furthermore, we were able to show that binding of these novel binding proteins, as well as the previously described interaction partners ROK alpha (rho A binding kinase alpha) and alpha- and beta-tubulin, bind to specific cytosolic sequences of NCAM. For this purpose, we performed GST pull-down experiments using cytosolic fragments of NCAM as GST-fusion proteins and cytosolic- or cytoskeleton-enriched protein fractions of rat brain.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

No overall hyposialylation in hereditary inclusion body myopathy myoblasts carrying the homozygous M712T GNE mutation.

Hereditary inclusion body myopathy (HIBM) is a unique group of neuromuscular disorders characterized by adult-onset, slowly progressive distal and proximal muscle weakness, which is caused by mutations in UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase (GNE), the key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of sialic acid. In order to investigate the consequences of the mutated GNE enzyme in muscle cells, we have established cell cultures from muscle biopsies carrying either kinase or epimerase mutations. While all myoblasts carrying a mutated GNE gene show a reduction in their epimerase activity, only the cells derived from the patient carrying a homozygous epimerase mutation present also a significant reduction in the overall membrane bound sialic acid. These results indicate that although mutations in each of the two GNE domains result in an impaired enzymatic activity and the same HIBM phenotype, they do not equally affect the overall sialylation of muscle cells. This lack of correlation suggests that the pathological mechanism of the disease may not be linked solely to the well-characterized sialic acid pathway.

Cell Membrane↗
PubMed2005

Crystal structures of HIV-1 Tat-derived nonapeptides Tat-(1-9) and Trp2-Tat-(1-9) bound to the active site of dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (CD26).

CD26 or dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (DPPIV) is engaged in immune functions by co-stimulatory effects on activation and proliferation of T lymphocytes, binding to adenosine deaminase, and regulation of various chemokines and cytokines. DPPIV peptidase activity is inhibited by both Tat protein from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and its N-terminal nonapeptide Tat-(1-9) with amino acid sequence MDPVDPNIE, suggesting that DPPIV mediates immunosuppressive effects of Tat protein. The 2.0- and 3.15-A resolution crystal structures of the binary complex between human DPPIV and nonapeptide Tat-(1-9) and the ternary complex between the variant MWPVDPNIE, called Trp(2)-Tat-(1-9), and DPPIV bound to adenosine deaminase show that Tat-(1-9) and Trp(2)-Tat-(1-9) are located in the active site of DPPIV. The interaction pattern of DPPIV with Trp(2)-Tat-(1-9) is tighter than that with Tat-(1-9), in agreement with inhibition constants (K(i)) of 2 x 10(-6) and 250 x 10(-6) m, respectively. Both peptides cannot be cleaved by DPPIV because the binding pockets of the N-terminal 2 residues are interchanged compared with natural substrates: the N-terminal methionine occupies the hydrophobic S1 pocket of DPPIV that normally accounts for substrate specificity by binding the penultimate residue. Because the N-terminal sequence of the thromboxane A2 receptor resembles the Trp(2)-Tat-(1-9) peptide, a possible interaction with DPPIV is postulated.

Adenosine Deaminase↗
PubMed2005

CEACAM1 (CD66a) mediates delay of spontaneous and Fas ligand-induced apoptosis in granulocytes.

Granulocytes form the first and fastest line of defense against pathogenic infections. Their survival is limited by apoptosis, a process that is critical for the resolution of inflammation. Pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as several receptors, can alter the lifespan of granulocytes. Here we report that the carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1, CD66a) is involved in the regulation of granulocyte survival. Until now CEACAM1 is described to control cell proliferation, cell migration, tumor growth, angiogenesis and diverse leukocyte functions. However, very little is known about its role in granulocytes. We found that CEACAM1 expression in resting rat granulocytes is significantly higher than in other leukocyte subtypes. Stimulation led to a strongly increased CEACAM1 cell surface expression and to release of soluble CEACAM1. DNA fragmentation assays and annexin V staining revealed that binding of CEACAM1-specific antibodies, Fab fragments and soluble CEACAM1-Fc constructs to cell surface-expressed CEACAM1 causes a delay of spontaneous and Fas ligand (CD95L)-induced apoptosis. Tyrosine phosphorylation of CEACAM1-L, its association with SHP-1, the activation of Erk1/2 and caspase-3 appeared to be crucial for the CEACAM1-mediated anti-apoptotic effect. These findings provide evidence that CEACAM1 influences the resolution of inflammation by prolonging the survival of rat granulocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

The role of N-glycosylation in the stability, trafficking and GABA-uptake of GABA-transporter 1. Terminal N-glycans facilitate efficient GABA-uptake activity of the GABA transporter.

Neurotransmitter transporters play a major role in achieving low concentrations of their respective transmitter in the synaptic cleft. The GABA transporter GAT1 belongs to the family of Na(+)- and Cl(-)-coupled transport proteins which possess 12 putative transmembrane domains and three N-glycosylation sites in the extracellular loop between transmembrane domain 3 and 4. To study the significance of N-glycosylation, green fluorescence protein (GFP)-tagged wild type GAT1 (NNN) and N-glycosylation defective mutants (DDQ, DGN, DDN and DDG) were expressed in CHO cells. Compared with the wild type, all N-glycosylation mutants showed strongly reduced protein stability and trafficking to the plasma membrane, which however were not affected by 1-deoxymannojirimycin (dMM). This indicates that N-glycosylation, but not terminal trimming of the N-glycans is involved in the attainment of a correctly folded and stable conformation of GAT1. All N-glycosylation mutants were expressed on the plasma membrane, but they displayed markedly reduced GABA-uptake activity. Also, inhibition of oligosaccharide processing by dMM led to reduction of this activity. Further experiments showed that both N-glycosylation mutations and dMM reduced the V(max) value, while not increasing the K(m) value for GABA uptake. Electrical measurements revealed that the reduced transport activity can be partially attributed to a reduced apparent affinity for extracellular Na+ and slowed kinetics of the transport cycle. This indicates that N-glycans, in particular their terminal trimming, are important for the GABA-uptake activity of GAT1. They play a regulatory role in the GABA translocation by affecting the affinity and the reaction steps associated with the sodium ion binding.

1-Deoxynojirimycin↗
PubMed2004

Domain-specific characteristics of the bifunctional key enzyme of sialic acid biosynthesis, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase.

UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase is a bifunctional enzyme, which initiates and regulates sialic acid biosynthesis. Sialic acids are important compounds of mammalian glycoconjugates, mediating several biological processes, such as cell-cell or cell-matrix interactions. In order to characterize the function of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase, a number of deletion mutants were generated, lacking either parts of the N-terminal epimerase or the C-terminal kinase domain. N-terminal deletion of only 39 amino acids results in a complete loss of epimerase activity. Deletions in the C-terminal part result in a reduction or complete loss of kinase activity, depending on the size of the deletion. Deletions at either the N- or the C-terminus also result in a reduction of the other enzyme activity. These results indicate that a separate expression of both domains is possible, but that a strong intramolecular dependency of the two domains has arisen during evolution of the enzyme. N-terminal, as well as C-terminal, mutants tend to form trimers, in addition to the hexameric structure of the native enzyme. These results and yeast two-hybrid experiments show that structures required for dimerization are localized within the kinase domain, and a potential trimerization site is possibly located in a region between the two domains. In conclusion, our results reveal that the activities, as well as the oligomeric structure, of this bifunctional enzyme seem to be organized and regulated in a complex manner.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Characterization of ligand binding to the bifunctional key enzyme in the sialic acid biosynthesis by NMR: I. Investigation of the UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase functionality.

The bifunctional enzyme UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase is the key enzyme for the biosynthesis of sialic acids. As terminal components of glycoconjugates, sialic acids are associated with a variety of pathological processes such as inflammation and cancer. For the first time, this study reveals characteristics of the interaction of the epimerase site of the enzyme with its natural substrate, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) and derivatives thereof at atomic resolution. Saturation transfer difference NMR experiments were crucial in obtaining ligand binding epitopes and to rank ligands according to their binding affinities. Employing a fragment based approach, it was possible to assign the major component of substrate recognition to the UDP moiety. In particular, the binding epitopes of the uridine moieties of UMP, UDP, UDP-GalNAc, and UDP-GlcNAc are rather similar, suggesting that the binding mode of the UDP moiety is the same in all cases. In contrast, the hexopyranose units of UDP-GlcNAc and UDP-GalNAc display small differences reflecting the inability of the enzyme to process UDP-GalNAc. Surprisingly, saturation transfer difference NMR titrations show that UDP has the largest binding affinity to the epimerase site and that at least one phosphate group is required for binding. Consequently, this study provides important new data for rational drug design.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Characterization of ligand binding to the bifunctional key enzyme in the sialic acid biosynthesis by NMR: II. Investigation of the ManNAc kinase functionality.

N-Acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) is the physiological precursors to all sialic acids that occur in nature. As variations in the sialic acid decoration of cell surfaces can profoundly affect cell-cell, pathogen-cell, or drug-cell interactions, the enzymes that convert ManNAc into sialic acid are attractive targets for the development of drugs that specifically interrupt sialic acid biosynthesis or lead to modified sialic acids on the surface of cells. The first step in the enzymatic conversion of ManNAc into sialic acid is phosphorylation, yielding N-acetylmannosamine-6-phosphate. The enzyme that catalyzes this conversion is the N-acetylmannosamine kinase (ManNAc kinase) as part of the bifunctional enzyme UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase. Here, we employed saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR experiments to study the binding of ManNAc and related ligands to the ManNAc kinase. It is shown that the configuration of C1 and C4 of ManNAc is crucial for binding to the enzyme, whereas the C2 position not only accepts variations in the attached N-acyl side chain but also tolerates inversion of configuration. Our experiments also show that ManNAc kinase maintains its functionality, even in the absence of Mg(2+). From the analysis of the STD NMR-derived binding epitopes, it is concluded that the binding mode of the N-acylmannosamines critically depends on the N-acyl side chain. In conjunction with the relative binding affinities of the ligands obtained from STD NMR titrations, it is possible to derive a structure-binding affinity relationship. This provides a cornerstone for the rational design of drugs for novel therapeutic applications by altering the sialic acid decorations of cell walls.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2004

Selective inhibition of polysialyltransferase ST8SiaII by unnatural sialic acids.

Polysialic acid (polySia) is a unique and highly regulated posttranslational modification of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). The presence of polySia affects NCAM-dependent cell adhesion and plays an important role during brain development, neural regeneration and plastic processes including learning and memory. Polysialylated NCAM is expressed on several neuroendocrine tumors of high malignancy and correlates with poor prognosis. Two closely related enzymes, the polysialyltransferases ST8SiaII and ST8SiaIV, catalyze the biosynthesis of polySia. However, the impact of each enzyme in NCAM polysialylation is not understood. Here, we describe the selective cell-based in vitro inhibition of ST8SiaII using synthetic sialic acid precursors. We provide evidence for different substrate affinities of ST8SiaII and ST8SiaIV. These data open the possibility to study the individual role of the two enzymes during various aspects of brain development and function and in tumorigenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Biochemical engineering of the N-acyl side chain of sialic acid leads to increased calcium influx from intracellular compartments and promotes differentiation of HL60 cells.

Sialylation of glycoconjugates is essential for mammalian cells. Sialic acid is synthesized in the cytosol from N-acetylmannosamine by several consecutive steps. Using N-propanoylmannosamine, a novel precursor of sialic acid, we are able to incorporate unnatural sialic acids with a prolonged N-acyl side chain (e.g., N-propanoylneuraminic acid) into glycoconjugates taking advance of the cellular sialylation machinery. Here, we report that unnatural sialylation of HL60-cells leads to an increased release of intracellular calcium after application of thapsigargin, an inhibitor of SERCA Ca2+-ATPases. Furthermore, this increased intracellular calcium concentration leads to an increased adhesion to fibronectin. Finally, we observed an increase of the lectin galectin-3, a marker of monocytic differentiation of HL60-cells.

Acylation↗