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Transport specificity for neutral and basic amino acids at maternal and fetal interfaces of the guinea-pig placenta.

1. The unidirectional influx of amino acids into the guinea-pig syncytiotrophoblast was measured using a single circulation paired-tracer dilution technique which allows separate characterization of both fetal and maternal interfaces. An in situ preparation perfused through the fetal circulation was used to examine the fetal side, while an isolated preparation perfused through both the fetal and maternal circulations was used to study both interfaces simultaneously.2. On the fetal side the maximal uptake (U(max)) determined at tracer concentrations was high for the short-chain neutral amino acid alanine (76%) and the long-chain neutrals, leucine (75%), phenylalanine (90%) and tyrosine (82%) and for the basic amino acid lysine (65%). In contrast, U(max) was negligible for alpha-methylaminoisobutyric acid and taurine, a beta-amino acid.3. The uptake of alanine and phenylalanine on the fetal side was inhibited by both short-chain (alanine, serine, cysteine) and long-chain (phenylalanine, methionine, leucine) neutral amino acids. d-alanine had no effect on l-alanine uptake whereas d-phenylalanine significantly inhibited that of l-phenylalanine. Diaminobutyric acid, lysine and arginine were effective inhibitors of alanine uptake but had no effect on phenylalanine uptake.4. On the maternal side uptake of alanine, phenylalanine and lysine was measured. Over a wide range of concentrations self-inhibition of alanine influx was similar to the cross-inhibition observed with phenylalanine. In contrast, the influx of phenylalanine, which was strongly self-inhibited, was only partially cross-inhibited by alanine.5. Influx of alanine and phenylalanine was measured at various perfusate concentrations and was found to be saturable on both maternal and fetal sides. The data were fitted to a single hyperbola and, on the maternal side, the K(m) for alanine (10.3+/-2.7 mm, mean+/-s.e., n = 3) was three-fold higher than the value measured for phenylalanine (3.1+/-0.8 mm). On the fetal side the K(m) values for alanine (8.4+/-1.4 mm, n = 4) and phenylalanine (11.9+/-1.9 mm, n = 3) were similar.6. The uptake of alanine, phenylalanine and lysine appeared to be highly sodium-dependent accounting for 40-70% of the total influx. However, the inhibited fractions were found to be different on the two sides of the placenta.7. The results of uptake, cross-inhibition and Na(+)-dependency experiments suggest the presence of an alanine-serine-cysteine (ASC) type system and a leucine (L) type system with markedly overlapping specificities at both the fetal and maternal interfaces. Separate kinetic characterization of a two carrier system was not possible under the conditions of these experiments. However, kinetic parameters for the over-all transport of alanine and phenylalanine were measured.

Alanine↗

Basic amino acid accumulation in potassium-depleted rat muscle.

In rat muscle, a depletion of potassium is partially compensated for by a gain of sodium. In addition cationic (free basic) amino acids accumulate in the muscle of the potassium-deficient rat. A 31% muscle potassium depletion was induced by dietary restriction of potassium in two groups of rats which differed in the test diet content of lysine and arginine (adequate and excessive). The excess lysine and arginine accumulation in the muscle of the rats fed excess levels of lysine and arginine was accompanied by an equimolar reduction in the gain of sodium. The results demonstrate that lysine and arginine accumulation consists of a transfer of positive charges in compensation to the charges lost with potassium, and that cationic amino acids may spare the role of sodium under these conditions.

Amino Acids↗

Role of naturally occurring basic amino acid substitutions in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtype E envelope V3 loop on viral coreceptor usage and cell tropism.

To assess the role of naturally occurring basic amino acid substitutions in the V3 loop of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype E on viral coreceptor usage and cell tropism, we have constructed a panel of chimeric viruses with mutant V3 loops of HIV-1 subtype E in the genetic background of HIV-1LAI. The arginine substitutions naturally occurring at positions 8, 11, and 18 of the V3 loop in an HIV-1 subtype E X4 strain were systematically introduced into that of an R5 strain to generate a series of V3 loop mutant chimera. These chimeric viruses were employed in virus infectivity assays using HOS-CD4 cells expressing either CCR5 or CXCR4, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, T-cell lines, or macrophages. The arginine substitution at position 11 of the V3 loop uniformly caused the loss of infectivity in HOS-CD4-CCR5 cells, indicating that position 11 is critical for utilization of CCR5. CXCR4 usage was conferred by a minimum of two arginine substitutions, regardless of combination, whereas arginine substitutions at position 8 and 11 were required for T-cell line tropism. Nonetheless, macrophage tropism was not conferred by the V3 loop of subtype E R5 strain per se. We found that the specific combinations of amino acid changes in HIV-1 subtype E env V3 loop are critical for determining viral coreceptor usage and cell tropism. However, the ability to infect HOS-CD4 cells through either CXCR4 or CCR5 is not necessarily correlated with T-cell or macrophage tropism, suggesting that cellular tropism is not dictated solely by viral coreceptor utilization.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mutations of the basic amino acid transporter gene associated with cystinuria.

To investigate the function of a basic and neutral amino acid transporter-like protein (rBAT) which is a candidate gene for cystinuria, we analysed the rBAT gene in cystinuric patients. Patient 1 is a compound heterozygote with mutations in the rBAT gene causing a glutamine-to-lysine transition at amino acid 268, and a threonine-to-alanine transition at amino acid 341, who inherited these alleles from his mother (E268K) and father (T341A), respectively. Injection of T341A and E268K mutant cRNAs into oocytes decreased transport activity to 53.9% and 62.5% of control (L-cystine transport activity in oocytes injected with wild-type rBAT cRNA), respectively. Co-injection of E268K and T341A into oocytes strongly decreased amino acid transport activity to 28% of control. On the other hand, co-injection of wild-type and mutant rBAT did not decrease transport activity. Furthermore, immunological studies have demonstrated that the reduction of amino acid transport is not due to a decrease in the amount of rBAT protein expressed in oocyte membranes. These results indicate that mutations in the rBAT gene are crucial disease-causing lesions in cystinuria. In addition, co-injection experiments suggest that rBAT may function as a transport activator or regulatory subunit by homo- or hetero-multimer complex formation.

Adolescent↗

Synthesis and hydrolysis by cathepsin B of fluorogenic substrates with the general structure benzoyl-X-ARG-MCA containing non-natural basic amino acids at position X.

We synthesized one series of fluorogenic substrates for cathepsin B derived from the peptide Bz-F-R-MCA (Bz=benzoyl, MCA=7-methyl-coumarin amide) substituting Phe at the P(2) position by non-natural basic amino acids that combine a positively charged group with aromatic or aliphatic radicals at the same side chain, namely, 4-aminomethyl-phenylalanine, 4-guanidine-phenylalanine, 4-aminomethyl-N-isopropyl-phenylalanine, 3-pyridyl-alanine, 4-piperidinyl-alanine, 4-aminomethyl-cyclohexyl-alanine, 4-aminocyclohexyl-alanine, and N(im)-dimethyl-histidine. Bz-F-R-MCA was the best substrate for cathepsin B but also hydrolyzed Bz-R-R-MCA with lower efficiency, since the protease accepts Arg at S(2) due to the presence of Glu(245) at the bottom of this subsite. The presence of the basic non-natural amino acids at the P(2) position of the substrate partially restored the catalytic efficiency of cathepsin B. All the kinetic parameters for hydrolysis of the peptides described in this paper are in accordance with the structures of the S(2) pocket previously described. In addition, the substrate with 4-aminocyclohexyl-alanine presented the highest affinity to cathepsin B although the peptide was obtained from a mixture of cis/trans isomers of the amino acid and we were not able to separate them. For comparison all the obtained substrates were assayed with cathepsin L and papain.

Amino Acids, Diamino↗

Identification of N-methylated basic amino acids from human adult teeth.

NE-monomethyl-lysine, NG-NG'-dimethyl-arginine, and NG-NG-dimethyl-arginine from tooth protein fractions were identified utilizing thin-layer chromatography, amino acid analysis, and gas chromatography. It is suggested that a relationship exists between the presence of these N-methylated basic amino acids and the resting stage of tooth tissue.

Adult↗

Enhancement of immunoglobulin productivity of human-human hybridoma HB4C5 cells by basic proteins and poly-basic amino acids.

Immunoglobulin M productivity of a human-human hybridoma line, HB4C5, was enhanced by the addition of histones H1, H2A, and H2B in serum-free medium, which are lysine-rich histones. On the contrary arginine-rich histones, histone H3 and H4, did not stimulate immunoglobulin production at all. Another arginine-rich protein, protamine also did not significantly stimulate immunoglobulin production. These results suggested that there is a correlation between amino acid residues of basic proteins and stimulation of immunoglobulin production. In this connection, immunoglobulin production stimulating activities of poly-lysine and poly-arginine were investigated. Both poly-L-lysine and poly-D-lysine stimulated IgM productivity of the human-human hybridomas. These results show that the enhancing effect of lysine residues was derived from its physiochemical features. On the other hand, poly-L-arginine did not enhance the productivity.

Amino Acids↗

Degradation of double-stranded RNA by human pancreatic ribonuclease: crucial role of noncatalytic basic amino acid residues.

Under physiological salt conditions double-stranded (ds) RNA is resistant to the action of most mammalian extracellular ribonucleases (RNases). However, some pancreatic-type RNases are able to degrade dsRNA under conditions in which the activity of bovine RNase A, the prototype of the RNase superfamily, is essentially undetectable. Human pancreatic ribonuclease (HP-RNase) is the most powerful enzyme to degrade dsRNA within the tetrapod RNase superfamily, being 500-fold more active than the orthologous bovine enzyme on this substrate. HP-RNase has basic amino acids at positions where RNase A shows instead neutral residues. We found by modeling that some of these basic charges are located on the periphery of the substrate binding site. To verify the role of these residues in the cleavage of dsRNA, we prepared four variants of HP-RNase: R4A, G38D, K102A, and the triple mutant R4A/G38D/K102A. The overall structure and active site conformation of the variants were not significantly affected by the amino acid substitutions, as deduced from CD spectra and activity on single-stranded RNA substrates. The kinetic parameters of the mutants with double-helical poly(A).poly(U) as a substrate were determined, as well as their helix-destabilizing action on a synthetic DNA substrate. The results obtained indicate that the potent activity of HP-RNase on dsRNA is related to the presence of noncatalytic basic residues which cooperatively contribute to the binding and destabilization of the double-helical RNA molecule. These data and the wide distribution of the enzyme in different organs and body fluids suggest that HP-RNase has evolved to perform both digestive and nondigestive physiological functions.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Neutral and basic amino acid concentrations in plasma during the day in subjects fed with two model rural and two model urban Mexican diets.

The purpose of the study was to measure the variation in concentrations of plasma neutral and basic amino acids during the day in subjects fed two Mexican model rural diets, one containing 55% (R55) and the other 70% (R70) of energy as carbohydrates, and two model urban diets with the same two proportions of carbohydrates (U55 and U70). The R55 and R70 diets contained 1.35- and 1.69-fold more fiber than the U55 and U70 diets, respectively. Eight female volunteers were adapted to each of the four diets for 3 d before the day of blood sampling. Protein and energy intakes were adjusted to each subject for a consumption of 1 g protein/kg body wt and 150.7 kJ/kg body wt. Blood samples were withdrawn at 0700, 0930, 1100, 1500, 1900, 2300, and 0300. Only plasma concentrations of alanine changed during the day, dropping significantly (P<0.05) at 2300 and 0300 with the U70 diet. Urban diets produced significantly higher plasma isoleucine and valine values than did the rural diets at some sampling times. Plasma phenylalanine was significantly higher with the U70 diet at 2300 than with the other three diets. Alanine plasma concentrations were significantly higher with the U55 diet at 1900 and significantly lower with the R55 diet at 0930 with respect to the other diets. Lysine was significantly higher at 0700 with the U70 diet than with the other three diets. No other significant changes were observed. These results show the stability of the plasma amino acid profile despite the consumption of different diets in physiologic proportions. Possibly, some of the changes observed in the plasma amino acids can be explained by the high proportion of dietary fiber in the Mexican rural diets.

Adult↗

Decreased cerebrospinal fluid levels of neutral and basic amino acids in patients with Parkinson's disease.

We measured the CSF levels of 21, and the plasma levels of 26, amino acids in 31 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and in 45 matched controls. We used an ion-exchange chromatography method. When compared to controls, PD patients had lower CSF levels of taurine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, ethanolamine, citrulline, ornithine, lysine, histidine, arginine, and alpha-aminobutyric acid. PD patients not treated with levodopa or with dopamine agonists had higher CSF tyrosine and phenylalanine levels than those not treated with these drugs and also than controls. PD patients had higher plasma levels of phosphoserine, threonine, methionine, tyrosine, sarcosine and alpha-aminoadipic acid, and lower plasma levels of valine, leucine, and tryptophan, than controls. The CSF/plasma ratio of many of these amino acids was significantly lower in PD patients than those of controls, suggesting that PD patients might have a dysfunction in the transport of neutral and basic amino acids across the blood-brain barrier.

Adult↗

Partial purification and functional properties of an endoprotease from bovine neurosecretory granules cleaving proocytocin/neurophysin peptides at the basic amino acid doublet.

An enriched preparation of neurosecretory granules from bovine pituitary neural lobes was used as a source of processing enzymes possibly involved in the cleavage of the proocytocin/neurophysin precursor. A synthetic eicosapeptide reproducing the entire (1-20) sequence of the NH2-terminal domain of the bovine ocytocin/neurophysin precursor was used as a substrate to monitor an endoprotease activity cleaving at the Lys11-Arg12 doublet. The 58-kDa endoprotease detected in the lysate of neurohypophyseal granules produced a single cleavage, after the doublet, at the Arg12-Ala13 peptide bond. This endoprotease with pHi 6.9 and 7.2 exhibits maximal activity at pH around neutrality (7.0) and was strongly inhibited by divalent cation chelating agents [ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',-N'-tetraacetic acid] and to some extent by p-(chloromercuri)benzoate and p-(chloromercuri)benzenesulfonic acid, while phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride and pepstatin were not active. This endoprotease action was sensitive to any modification of the substrate at either basic amino acid of the doublet since replacement of either L-Lys11 or L-Arg12 by D-Lys or D-Arg and by L-Nle abolished the cleavage reaction. In contrast, reversal of the polarity of the doublet in [Arg11,Lys12]proocytocin/neurophysin(1-20) had no effect on the mode of endoproteolytic cleavage as well as modifications of Gly10 (replaced by Ala10). It is concluded that the selectivity of this endoprotease, which may be involved in the primary event occurring in proocytocin/neurophysin processing, is strictly dependent upon the integrity of the basic doublet but that other parameters determined by the amino acid sequence around this doublet may play an important role.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Effect of the position of a basic amino acid on C-terminal rearrangement of protonated peptides upon collision-induced dissociation.

Internal rearrangement involving the loss of the C-terminal amino acid residue upon collision-induced dissociation (CID) or metastable decomposition was studied for protonated peptides. To investigate the structural characteristics of peptides responsible for this rearrangement, a series of synthetic peptides were prepared and subjected to B/E-linked scan or tandem mass spectrometric analyses using a four-sector instrument. The results showed that the position of a basic amino acid in the peptide sequence and its basicity have a significant influence on the rearrangement. Arginine (Arg) located at the n-1 position facilitates the rearrangement with about twice as many rearrangement ions as is observed for the other Arg-containing peptides. This can be attributed to the interaction of a positively charged guanidino group of Arg with its own carbonyl group via a salt bridge which is tightly formed in vacuo between a guanidino and carboxylate groups, the mechanism of which is analogous to that previously proposed for the formation of similar rearrangement ions observed in the spectra of metal-cationized peptides. This association would result in the facile attack of the C-terminal hydroxyl group on the penultimate carbonyl group, leading to the rearrangement. In addition, the rearrangement ion was observed both in metastable decomposition and high-energy CID spectra obtained by B/E-linked scan analyses without or with gas, respectively, but in a sequence dependent manner.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Improved antitumor activity of basic amino acid and dipeptide derivatives of daunorubicin on EL4 leukemia cells in mice.

Over thirty amino acid and peptide derivatives of the antitumor drug daunorubicin (DM) were tested for their potency to inhibit EL4 leukemia cell growth in mice. The therapeutic effect of the basic amino acids lysine, arginine, ornithine, and 2,4-diaminobutyric acid coupled to the amino group of the DM moiety proved superior to that of the parent drug. The derivatized amino acids and their di- or tripeptides are significantly less toxic than DM, which enabled their administration at much higher doses. Seventy percent to 80% of tumor-bearing C57BL/6 mice were cured by multidose treatment with diaminobutyryl-DM, which was found to be the most efficient derivative.

Amino Acids↗

The role of a basic amino acid cluster in target site selection and non-specific binding of bZIP peptides to DNA.

The ability of a transcription factor to locate and bind its cognate DNA site in the presence of closely related sites and a vast array of non-specific DNA is crucial for cell survival. The CREB/ATF family of transcription factors is an important group of basic region leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins that display high affinity for the CRE site and low affinity for the closely related AP-1 site. Members of the CREB/ATF family share in common a cluster of basic amino acids at the N-terminus of their bZIP element. This basic cluster is necessary and sufficient to cause the CRE site to bend upon binding of a CREB/ATF protein. The possibility that DNA bending and CRE/AP-1 specificity were linked in CREB/ATF proteins was investigated using chimeric peptides derived from human CRE-BP1 (a member of the CREB/ATF family) and yeast GCN4, which lacks both a basic cluster and CRE/AP-1 specificity. Gain of function and loss of function experiments demonstrated that the basic cluster was not responsible for the CRE/AP-1 specificity displayed by all characterized CREB/ATF proteins. The basic cluster was, however, responsible for inducing very high affinity for non- specific DNA. It was further shown that basic cluster-containing peptides bind non-specific DNA in a random coil conformation. We postulate that the high non- specific DNA affinities of basic cluster-containing peptides result from cooperative electrostatic interactions with the phosphate backbone that do not require peptide organization.

Activating Transcription Factor 2↗

Basic amino acid residues in the V3 loop of simian immunodeficiency virus envelope alter viral coreceptor tropism and infectivity but do not allow efficient utilization of CXCR4 as entry cofactor.

In contrast to human immunodeficiency viruses type 1 and type 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2, respectively), simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVmac) rarely uses CXCR4 (X4) for efficient entry into target cells. Basic amino acid residues in the V3 loop of HIV Env allow efficient coreceptor utilization of X4. Therefore, we investigated if similar changes in the SIVmac Env protein also mediate a coreceptor switch from CCR5 (R5) to X4. Functional analysis revealed that none of eight SIVmac variants, containing V3 regions with an overall charge between +4 and +10, efficiently utilized X4 as entry cofactor. Nonetheless, these alterations had differential effects on SIV coreceptor tropism and on Env expression levels. A single amino acid substitution of L328R, located near the tip of the V3 loop, resulted in grossly reduced Env expression levels and impaired viral infectivity. Notably, additional basic residues restored efficient Env expression and virion incorporation but not infectivity. In comparison to the L328R mutation, changes of P334K and D337K had little disruptive effects on SIVmac entry and replication. Interestingly, mutation of L320K and P321R disrupted coreceptor usage of GPR15 but not R5. These changes also impaired SIVmac replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) derived from a Delta32/Delta32 donor but not in R5-expressing human or simian PBMC. Our results show that positively charged amino acid residues in the V3 loop affect SIVmac coreceptor tropism and infectivity but do not allow efficient utilization of X4.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The association between paired basic amino acid cleaving enzyme 4 gene haplotype and diastolic blood pressure.

BACKGROUND: In a previously identified locus linked to hypertension on chromosome 15q, we identified three blood pressure candidate genes: insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor gene (IGF1R), myocyte specific enhancer factor 2A gene (MEF2A), and paired basic amino acid cleaving enzyme 4 gene (PACE4). In this study, we tested their associations with hypertension using haplotype analysis. METHODS: A total of 288 unrelated individuals, including 163 high diastolic blood pressure (DBP) subjects and 125 normal DBP subjects were enrolled in this case-control study. Twenty single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the three genes were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction enzyme digestion. Haplotype analysis was accomplished in the following stages: (1) pair-wise linkage disequilibrium test among SNPs on the same gene was performed to explore blocks in which recombination is very unlikely to happen; (2) Estimation-Maximization algorithm was applied to estimate haplotype frequencies in each block; (3) the chi-square test was used to examine the specific haplotype difference, and a permutation test was used to examine the overall haplotype profile difference between cases and controls in each block. RESULTS: An estimated haplotype "CCCCG" frequency in the haplotype block on the PACE4 gene was significantly higher in high DBP cases than in controls (P < 0.01). The overall estimated haplotype profile in this block was also significantly different between the cases and the controls (P < 0.001). This association indicates. CONCLUSIONS: This study for the first time demonstrated that PACE4 gene may play an important role in the regulation of DBP. This association indicates that variations influencing DBP resides in or near this genomic region.

Adult↗

Human tissue kallikrein S1 subsite recognition of non-natural basic amino acids.

We explored the unique substrate specificity of the primary S(1) subsite of human urinary kallikrein (hK1), which accepts both Phe and Arg, using internally quenched fluorescent peptides Abz-F-X-S-R-Q-EDDnp and Abz-G-F-S-P-F-X-S-S-R-P-Q-EDDnp [Abz is o-aminobenzoic acid; EDDnp is N-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)ethylenediamine], which were based on the human kininogen sequence at the C-terminal region of bradykinin. Position X, which in natural sequence stands for Arg, received the following synthetic basic non-natural amino acids: 4-(aminomethyl)phenylalanine (Amf), 4-guanidine phenylalanine (Gnf), 4-(aminomethyl)-N-isopropylphenylalanine (Iaf), N(im)-(dimethyl)histidine [H(2Me)], 3-pyridylalanine (Pya), 4-piperidinylalanine (Ppa), 4-(aminomethyl)cyclohexylalanine (Ama), and 4-(aminocyclohexyl)alanine (Aca). Only Abz-F-Amf-S-R-Q-EDDnp and Abz-F-H(2Me)]-S-R-Q-EDDnp were efficiently hydrolyzed, and all others were resistant to hydrolysis. However, Abz-F-Ama-S-R-Q-EDDnp inhibited hK1 with a K(i) of 50 nM with high specificity compared to human plasma kallikrein, thrombin, plasmin, and trypsin. The Abz-G-F-S-P-F-X-S-S-R-P-Q-EDDnp series were more susceptible to hK1, although the peptides with Gnf, Pya, and Ama were resistant to it. Unexpectedly, the peptides in which X is His, Lys, H(2Me), Amf, Iaf, Ppa, and Aca were cleaved at amino or at carboxyl sites of these amino acids, indicating that the S(1)' subsite has significant preference for basic residues. Human plasma kallikrein did not hydrolyze any peptide of this series except the natural sequence where X is Arg. In conclusion, the S(1) subsite of hK1 accepts amino acids with combined basic and aromatic side chain, although for the S(1)-P(1) interaction the preference is for aliphatic and basic side chains.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

CAN1, a gene encoding a permease for basic amino acids in Candida albicans.

The first gene coding for an amino-acid permease of Candida albicans was sequenced. The DNA fragment complementing the lysine-permease deficiency was 3385 bp long. An open reading frame of 1713 nucleotides was found encoding a protein of 571 amino acids, with a calculated molecular weight of 63,343. Analysis of the deduced primary structure revealed ten membrane spanning regions and three potential N-glycosylation sites. The protein sequence is strongly homologous to both permeases for basic amino acids (Can1 and Lyp1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. C-terminal part of another ORF (105 aa), highly homologous to the gene HAL2 of S. cerevisiae, was found 133 bp downstream, and in tail-to-tail orientation to the permease gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗