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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

The Drosophila melanogaster-related angiotensin-I-converting enzymes Acer and Ance--distinct enzymic characteristics and alternative expression during pupal development.

Drosophila melanogaster express two distinct angiotensin-I-converting enzymes (ACEs) called Ance and Acer, which display a high level of primary structure similarity. We have expressed Acer in the yeast Pichia pastoris and purified the recombinant enzyme with a view to developing biochemical tools to distinguish between Acer and Ance. Purified Acer and Ance expressed in yeast were used to raise anti-Acer Ig and anti-Ance Ig that specifically cross-reacted with the respective enzyme on immunoblotting, but did not act as specific inhibitors. Acer cleaves the C-terminal dipeptides from benzoylglycyl-histidyl-leucine and [Leu5]enkephalin, and Acer and Ance are both able to act as endopeptidases, releasing the C-terminal dipeptideamide from [Leu5]enkephalinamide. However, Acer hydrolyses this substrate at a slightly faster rate than [Leu5]enkephalin, whereas Ance hydrolyses the peptide with a free C-terminus with a kcat 15-fold higher than [Leu5]enkephalinamide. In addition, Acer did not cleave angiotensin I. In contrast, Ance hydrolysed 25% of this substrate at an 8-fold lower enzyme concentration. Furthermore, Acer did not hydrolyse the synthetic substrates Phe-Ser-Pro-Arg-Leu-Gly-Arg-Arg and Phe-Ser-Pro-Arg-Leu-Gly-Lys-Arg, two partially processed putative locustamyotropin precursors, under conditions where Ance produced 82% substrate hydrolysis. Acer was inhibited by captopril, trandolaprilat and enalaprilat, with apparent Ki values in the nanomolar range, whereas lisinopril and fosinoprilat were less potent. We show that the two Drosophila ACEs are alternatively expressed in stages P1 (white puparium)-P15 (eclosion) of pupal development; Ance is expressed predominantly during stages P4-P7, whereas the ACE activity expressed during stages P9-P12 is mainly due to Acer suggesting different roles for the two enzymes during pupal development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Isolation, identification, and characterization of compounds from acer rubrum capable of oxidizing equine erythrocytes.

OBJECTIVE: To identify compounds in Acer rubrum that cause hemolysis or oxidation of equine erythrocytes and determine whether these toxins are found in other Acer spp. SAMPLE POPULATION: Equine erythrocytes. PROCEDURE: Washed erythrocytes were incubated with extracts and fractions of Acer spp that were separated by thin layer chromatography. Methemoglobin and hemolysis were measured spectrophotometrically. Compounds within Acer spp fractions associated with cell oxidation or hemolysis were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Erythrocytes incubated separately with either A. rubrum, A. saccharum, or A. saccharinum extracts had increased methemoglobin formation, compared with extract-free control samples. Two Acer spp fractions had toxic effects on erythrocytes in vitro. A major component of the Acer fraction that caused a significant amount of methemoglobin formation was identified as gallic acid. An amount of gallic acid equivalent to that found in A. rubrum extract significantly increased methemoglobin, compared with extract-free control erythrocytes, but caused less methemoglobin formation than A. rubrum extracts did. A potential co-oxidant, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-4H-pyran-4-one, was found in the A. rubrum extract and may have been responsible for increasing methemoglobin formation. A second A. rubrum fraction caused methemoglobin formation and significant hemolysis. A. saccharum and A. saccharinum extracts caused hemolysis but less than the A. rubrum extracts did. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Oxidants in A. rubrum are also found in A. saccharum and A. saccharinum, and the ingestion of A. saccharum and A. saccharinum poses a potential threat to horses.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Peptidyl dipeptidases (Ance and Acer) of Drosophila melanogaster: major differences in the substrate specificity of two homologs of human angiotensin I-converting enzyme.

Drosophila melanogaster angiotensin converting enzyme (Ance) and angiotensin converting enzyme related (Acer) are single domain homologs of mammalian peptidyl dipeptidase A (angiotensin I-converting enzyme) whose physiological substrates have not as yet been identified. We have investigated the in vitro substrate specificities of the two peptidases towards a variety of insect and mammalian peptides. Ance was generally much better than Acer at hydrolyzing peptides of 5-13 amino acids in length. Only two of the peptides, [Leu(5)]enkephalinamide and leucokinin-I were cleaved faster by Acer. Increasing NaCl concentration had opposite affects on the cleavage of [Leu(5)]enkephalin and [Leu(5)]enkephalinamide by Acer, decreasing the activity towards [Leu(5)]enkephalin but increasing the activity towards [Leu(5)]enkephalinamide. Of the insect peptides tested, the tachykinin-related peptide, Lom TK-1, proved to be the best substrate for Ance with a k(cat)/K(m) ratio of 0.122s(-1) microM(-1). However, in comparison, the D. melanogaster tachykinins, DTK-1, DTK-2, DTK-3 and DTK-4 were poor Ance substrates. DTK-5 was the best substrate of this family, but the apparent high K(m) for hydrolysis by Ance suggested that this peptide would not be a natural Ance substrate. This low affinity for DTK-5 is the likely reason why the peptide was not rapidly degraded in D. melanogaster hemolymph, where Ance was shown to be a major peptide-degrading activity.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Transbilayer distribution of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine in the vacuolar membrane of Acer pseudoplatanus cells.

The distribution of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) among the outer and inner monolayers of the vacuolar membrane of Acer pseudoplatanus was investigated using isolated vacuoles, chemical labelling agents (trinitrobenzene-sulfonate and fluorescamine), phospholipase A2 from bee venom, phospholipase C and phospholipase D. Treatments were performed with intact or sonicated vacuoles. Analysis of the transbilayer distribution of PC and PE in the vacuolar membrane of Acer was limited by phospholipid fractions which were inaccessible to the probes. Lipid-protein interactions and modification of the surface charge and surface pressure in the membrane layers during treatments may obviously exert a strong influence on labelling or hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids. However, simultaneous treatments carried out with phospholipase A2 and phospholipase C show that PE is approximately 20% more abundant in the outer monolayer than in the inner monolayer and PC is equally distributed between both leaflets of tonoplast. Compared to the phospholipids asymmetrical distribution observed in plasma membrane of erythrocyte, the vacuolar membrane of Acer is not characterized by a marked asymmetrical distribution of its major phospholipids.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed2001

Influence of nutrient availability and tree wildling density on nutrient uptake by Oxalis acetosella and Acer saccharum.

Loss of nutrients following pulses of nutrient input in northern hardwood forests and the general effects of atmospheric deposition on forest communities are of concern. Uptake of nutrients by ground layer vegetation, including herbs and tree wildlings, may be important in both of these processes. We brought plants from the field (Catskill Mts, New York) and grew them under controlled environment conditions at two nutrient input levels to determine responses of Oxalis acetosella and Acer saccharum to increased nutrient input and tree wildling density. Oxalis nutrient concentration increased for many nutrients compared to field plants. Both species doubled their P concentration when P input doubled. Biomass of Oxalis was unaffected by both nutrient input level and Acer wildling density. Acer showed a similar response to increased nutrient input and its density did not affect the response of Oxalis to increased nutrient input. Results indicate that both species may be important to nutrient retention in northern hardwood forests.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Enhancement of cytotoxic activity of ascorbate by Acer nikoense Maxim. Extracts.

Millimolar concentrations of ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate induced cytotoxicity against human glioblastoma T98G cells. Addition of hot water and sodium hydroxide extracts of the bark of Acer nikoense Maxim. synergistically enhanced the cytotoxic activity of ascorbate. Human peripheral blood lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear cells were relatively resistant to ascorbate, the Acer nikoense Maxim. extract, or a combination of them. The extracts stimulated the degradation of ascorbates via ascorbyl radical production, in parallel with their ability to stimulate the cytotoxic activity of ascorbate. The results suggest the medicinal efficacy of the Acer nikoense Maxim. extracts.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed2025

Comparative genomic analysis of Acer tsinglingense and A. davidii provides insights into nervonic acid biosynthesis, population evolution and genome vulnerability of endangered A. tsinglingense.

Global biodiversity is facing threats from climate change, habitat fragmentation, and anthropogenic activities-pressures that particularly endanger endemic and narrowly distributed species. In this study, the high-quality chromosome-level genomes of two ecologically divergent maples were assembled: the endangered and range-restricted Acer tsinglingense (791.40 Mb) and its widespread congener Acer davidii (1291.99 Mb). Phylogenomic analysis indicates that the two species diverged ~16.3 million years ago, with A. tsinglingense showing notable gene family expansions in secondary metabolite pathways. Notably, the 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase gene family, which is involved in nervonic acid biosynthesis, underwent significant expansion and tandem duplication in A. tsinglingense, exhibiting high expression in buds. Population genomic analysis revealed that, compared with the widely distributed A. davidii, A. tsinglingense possesses lower genetic diversity, higher harmful mutation load, and signatures of a severe population bottleneck during the Late Pleistocene. Genome-environment association analysis further identified climate-adaptive genomic variations linked to five key environmental factors and projected potential genomic offsets under future climate scenarios. The southern lineage of A. tsinglingense exhibited greater climate sensitivity and genomic vulnerability under strong selective pressures, underscoring its importance as a conservation priority. Our research reveals that metabolic specializations in A. tsinglingense (such as the synthesis of nervonic acid) may confer competitive advantages in specific habitats. However, factors including its restricted distribution, historical population bottlenecks, and accumulated genetic load severely constrain its evolutionary potential to cope with rapid climate change. These findings emphasize the importance of elucidating the genomic basis and mechanisms of endangerment in metabolically specialized and threatened plant species to inform effective conservation strategies.

Genome, Plant↗

PubMed1995

Phospholipase activities associated with the tonoplast from Acer pseudoplatanus cells: identification of a phospholipase A1 activity.

The study of phospholipase activities associated with the tonoplast of Acer pseudoplatanus was performed in vitro with sn-2-[14C]acylphosphatidylcholine (PC) as a substrate. The hydrolysis of radiolabelled PC into [14C]phosphatidic acid and [14C]lyso-PC demonstrated the presence of phospholipase D and A1 activities, respectively, associated with the tonoplast of Acer pseudoplatanus. The vacuolar sap did not show any significant phospholipase activity. In a second step, the properties of the phospholipase A1 activity was studied using tonoplast endogenous PC labelled in vivo with [14C]choline as a substrate. The phospholipase A1 showed an optimal activity at pH about 6-6.5, did not necessarily require divalent cations, but was stimulated by Mg2+ and particularly by Ca2+. This work presents the first evidence for the presence of phospholipases A1 in plant cells.

Calcium↗

PubMed1996

The Acer gene of Drosophila codes for an angiotensin-converting enzyme homologue.

Mammalian angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) exists as two forms, somatic (sACE), controlling blood pressure via angiotensin II, and testicular (tACE), whose function is unknown. The former has two highly homologous N- and C-terminal Zn2+ metallopeptidase active sites, whereas the latter only has one, which is identical to the C-terminal domain of sACE. We have sequenced 2452 bases of a 3.1-kb mRNA whose predicted translation product shows 40% identity with mammalian testicular ACE, and 48% identity with an already identified Drosophila homologue of ACE (Ance). We have termed this gene Acer (Angiotensin converting enzyme-related). Acer mRNA is found in the developing dorsal vessel (heart) during embryogenesis. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that duplication of an ancestral ACE gene occurred in the lineage leading to the arthropods, independently of the duplication which gave rise to the two domain somatic ACE of mammals.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1974

The labeling of cultured cells of Acer with (14C)proline and its significance.

The distribution of the radioactivity from [(14)C]proline that is bound in cultured cells of Acer has been determined by electron microscope autoradiography. In this way proline may be related to the cell wall as a morphological entity rather than as a fraction in a biochemical separation of a heterogeneous crop of cells. The cells in culture may vary greatly. Some are active growing, turgid cells, with thin protoplasts tightly pressed against their walls; in others the protoplasts may spontaneously withdraw from the wall; in still others the protoplasts disorganize, and walls thicken and become sculptured as the cells differentiate and even senesce. Different culturing practices may affect the status of the cells, and this, in turn, affects the distribution of radioactivity from proline in the cells. Cells which are actively growing, turgid, and nucleated have the highest grain density in their protoplasts and nuclei; as the protoplasts of such cells withdraw from their walls, they retain the bulk of the radioactivity. On the other hand, in cells which have thickened walls and sparse protoplast contents, the radioactivity is accumulated in their walls. A high content of proline and hydroxyproline-rich protein is, therefore, not a necessary or invariable feature of the cell walls of cultured Acer cells but depends on the state of development of these cells.

Carbon Radioisotopes↗

PubMed1993

Suspected red maple (Acer rubrum) toxicosis with abortion in two Percheron mares.

Horses develop severe and often fatal hemolytic anemia after ingesting dried leaves from red maple (Acer rubrum) trees. Toxicosis appears related to an unknown oxidant present in the dried or wilted leaves. This case report describes 2 horses that aborted and developed fatal hemolytic anemia after consuming wilted leaves from red maple (Acer rubrum). While an absolute diagnosis was not confirmed due to lack of proper antemortem and postmortem examinations, red maple toxicosis appeared a reasonable diagnosis based on clinical signs and laboratory findings. Other differentials include equine infectious anemia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, piroplasmosis, leptospirosis, ehrlichiosis, and other plant or chemical sources of oxidants (onion, garlic, kale, phenothiazines).

Abortion, Veterinary↗

PubMed1993

Occurrence of heterogeneity of N-linked oligosaccharides attached to sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) laccase after excretion.

The N-linked oligosaccharide moieties of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) laccase are known to be highly heterogeneous. We confirmed that this oligosaccharide heterogeneity was caused not only during the oligosaccharide biosynthesis in Golgi apparatus, but also after the excretion of laccase protein into a culture medium. The culture medium for the sycamore cells (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) contained beta-galactosidase, alpha-L-fucosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, alpha-mannosidase and beta-xylosidase activities. We showed that the largest sugar chain in laccase, oligosaccharide F, [formula: see text] was degraded to [formula: see text] by a crude exoglycosidase mixture in the culture medium.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Radical scavenging activity of Acer nikoense Maxim. extract.

The effect of hot water and alkaline extracts of Acer nikoense Maxim. on the radical intensity of sodium ascorbate, superoxide anion (O2-)(produced by hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase reaction) and hydroxyl radical (-OH)(generated by Fenton reaction) was investigated using ESR spectroscopy. All these extracts produced radical(s) under alkaline conditions and enhanced the radical intensity of sodium ascorbate. Among these fractions, Fr. I showed the highest stimulation effect, which coincided with its higher degradation rate and capacity to enhance the cytotoxic activity of ascorbate. These fractions also dose-dependently reduced the radical intensity of O2- and -OH. The present study demonstrates that Acer nikoense Maxim. extracts potentiate both radical intensity and apoptosis-inducing activity of ascorbate.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug↗

PubMed2003

Regeneration of Acer caudatifolium Hayata plantlets from juvenile explants.

Juvenile and fully mature Acer caudatifolium Hayata explants were assayed for their organogenic capacity. A protocol for multiple shoot culture formation and in vitro plant regeneration was developed for juvenile axillary bud cultures. Mature explants failed in shoot regeneration. Shoot multiplication was achieved by releasing apical dominance of the single elongated shoot on woody plant medium (WPM) supplemented with 0.7 mg l(-1) 6-benzylaminopurine and 0.05 mg l(-1) alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid. The highest rooting percentage was recorded on half-strength WPM containing 1.0 mg l(-1) indole-3-butyric acid. Regenerated plantlets were successfully hardened to ex vitro conditions and continued to grow after transfer to soil. No morphological aberrations were observed in the regenerates.

Acer↗

PubMed2003

Physiological and foliar injury responses of Prunus serotina, Fraxinus americana, and Acer rubrum seedlings to varying soil moisture and ozone.

Sixteen black cherry (Prunus serotina, Ehrh.), 10 white ash (Fraxinus americana, L.) and 10 red maple (Acer rubrum, L.) 1-year old seedlings were planted per plot in 1997 on a former nursery bed within 12 open-top chambers and six open plots. Seedlings were exposed to three different ozone scenarios (ambient air: 100% O3; non-filtered air: 98% ambient O3; charcoal-filtered air: 50% ambient O3) within each of two different water regimes (nine plots irrigated, nine plots non-irrigated) during three growing seasons. During the 1998 and 1999 growing season, leaf gas exchange, plant water relations, and foliar injury were measured. Climatic data,ambient- and chamber-ozone-concentrations were monitored. We found that seedlings grown under irrigated conditions had similar (in 1998) but significantly higher gas exchange rates (in 1999) than seedlings grown within non-irrigated plots among similar ozone exposures. Cherry and ash had similar ozone uptake but cherry developed more ozone-induced injury (< 34% affected leaf area, LAA) than ash (<5% LAA), while maple rarely showed foliar injury, indicating the species differed in ozone sensitivity. Significantly more severe injury on seedlings grown under irrigated conditions than seedlings grown under non-irrigated conditions demonstrated that soil moisture altered seedling responses to ambient ozone exposures.

Acer↗

PubMed2003

Structures of new cyclic diarylheptanoids and inhibitors of nitric oxide production from Japanese folk medicine Acer nikoense.

Three new cyclic diarylheptanoids, acerosides B1 and B2 and aceroketoside, were isolated together with 20 known compounds from a Japanese folk medicine, the stem bark of Acer nikoense. The absolute stereostructures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. In addition, the principal diarylheptanoid constituents were found to exhibit inhibitory activity on nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages.

Acer↗

PubMed2002

Structural differences and functional similarities between two sugar maple (Acer saccharum) stands.

The spatially inexplicit or functional multilayer models used to predict canopy transpiration or photosynthesis are based on the assumption that closed stands show less functional variability than structural variability, because foliage tends to arrange itself in space to optimize the capture of light. To validate this assumption, we compared the structural and functional properties, and the measured and modeled transpiration fluxes of two sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) stands of comparable leaf mass but differing in height and diameter distributions. One stand was characterized by a well-developed single-layer canopy, whereas the other stand had a multilayered canopy and a stem diameter distribution of the classical inverse-J shape. Stand differences in height and diameter distribution, and canopy gap fraction, were highly significant. There were minor but significant differences in leaf mass and leaf mass per unit leaf area (LMA) distributions. We found no differences in tree-level relationships between basal area and either transpiration flux or sapwood area. We compared measurements of stand transpiration with transpiration estimates obtained from a multilayer gas exchange model, in which only the nonspatial inputs, leaf area index and LMA frequency distribution described stand structure. For both stands, modeled values of daily transpiration closely followed measured values (r(2) = 0.94). These results support use of the nonspatially explicit approach to estimating canopy gas exchange, especially if the intent is to scale-up to larger portions of the landscape.

Acer↗

PubMed2002

Photosynthetic acclimation of overstory Populus tremuloides and understory Acer saccharum to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration: interactions with shade and soil nitrogen.

We exposed Populus tremuloides Michx. and Acer saccharum Marsh. to a factorial combination of ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]) and high-nitrogen (N) and low-N soil treatments in open-top chambers for 3 years. Our objective was to compare photosynthetic acclimation to elevated [CO2] between species of contrasting shade tolerance, and to determine if soil N or shading modify the acclimation response. Sun and shade leaf responses to elevated [CO2] and soil N were compared between upper and lower canopy leaves of P. tremuloides and between A. saccharum seedlings grown with and without shading by P. tremuloides. Both species had higher leaf N concentrations and photosynthetic rates in high-N soil than in low-N soil, and these characteristics were higher for P. tremuloides than for A. saccharum. Electron transport capacity (Jmax) and carboxylation capacity (Vcmax) generally decreased with atmospheric CO2 enrichment in all 3 years of the experiment, but there was no evidence that elevated [CO2] altered the relationship between them. On a leaf area basis, both Jmax and Vcmax acclimated to elevated [CO2] more strongly in shade leaves than in sun leaves of P. tremuloides. However, the apparent [CO2] x shade interaction was largely driven by differences in specific leaf area (m2 g-1) between sun and shade leaves. In A. saccharum, photosynthesis acclimated more strongly to elevated [CO2] in sun leaves than in shade leaves on both leaf area and mass bases. We conclude that trees rooted freely in the ground can exhibit photosynthetic acclimation to elevated [CO2], and the response may be modified by light environment. The hypothesis that photosynthesis acclimates more completely to elevated [CO2] in shade-tolerant species than in shade-intolerant species was not supported.

Acclimatization↗