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Heart transplantation is often the only therapeutic option for patients with end stage heart disease. Allograft organs are in short supply. Thus, preserving the life of a grafted organ is extremely important. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is an expression of chronic rejection that accounts for the greatest loss of graft function in transplanted hearts. Peri-transplant ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-injury occurs during transplantation when blood flow is stopped to remove the heart from the donor and then is reinstated upon implantation of the donor heart into the recipient. This oxidative injury contributes to vascular dysfunction and CAV. In this dissertation, I hypothesize that prevention and/or reduction of I/R during transplantation reduces post-transplant vascular dysfunction and CAV. In this regard, myself and my colleagues examined the roles of apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain (ARC) and cytochrome p450 (CYP) 2C enzymes in UR-induced vascular dysfunction and CAV. ARC expression was detected in endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs); however, increased levels of ARC do not protect against oxidant injury. ARC overexpression did protect against oxidant-induced cell death in H9c2 rat embryonic myoblasts. We observed that ARC-overexpression prevented H9c2 differentiation into muscle cells. With our focus on vascular injury, we turned our attention to the CYP 2C enzymes. Both endothelium-dependent and independent vascular function was impaired following I/R. Pre-treatment with the CYP 2C inhibitor sulfaphenazole (SP) restored endothelial sensitivity to acetylcholine, but did not restore sensitivity to endothelium-independent vasodilators. Rat heterotopic heart transplants were performed with rats being treated with SP or vector control prior to surgery. Rats treated with SP showed significantly reduced luminal narrowing and had decreased SMC proliferation, oxidant and interferon-y levels. No differences were detected in immune infiltration or apoptosis. Complementary studies in cultured vascular cells revealed that CYP 2C9 expression decreased viability and increased ROS production following hypoxia and re-oxygenation in ECs but not in SMCs. In summary, we did not detect protection of vascular cells by ARC, but did discover a novel role for ARC in differentiation. CYP 2C contributes to post-ischemic vascular dysfunction and CAV through increased oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. / Medicine, Faculty of / Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of / Graduate

Interest has remained very intense during the last two decades on the heme-containing monooxygenase system, cytochrome P-450. The P-450 hemoproteins are widely distributed in nature and engage in oxygenation of a wide variety of substrates according to the reaction, R-H + 0₂ + 2H⁺+ 2e⁻ → R-OH + H₂0 where R-H represents an unactivated carbon-hydrogen bond. Investigations on binding of small gas molecules such as CO and 0₂ to the P-450 enzymes are important not only in understanding various aspects of monooxygenation but also in developing protein-free model systems that can mimic the catalytic properties of P-450. This thesis describes gas binding studies carried out on cytochrome P-450cam. A procedure is given for growing the bacterium Pseudomonas putida strain 786 from which soluble, camphor hydroxylating P-450 enzyme is isolated and purified. The binding of CO to the stoichiometrically reduced substrate-free enzyme at different temperatures was studied using a standard spectrophotometric procedure. From these experimental data, the thermodynamic parameters ΔH⁰ and ΔS⁰ were calculated for the reaction, (P-450)Fe(II) + CO ⇌ (P-450)Fe(11)-C0 . Attempts to determine such thermodynamic parameters for the binding of dioxygen to the substrate-bound P-450 enzyme were not successful. On comparison of the determined thermodynamic parameters for the substrate-free system with the literature values for substrate-bound enzyme, hemoglobin, myoglobin and P-450 model systems, it is concluded that the substrate molecule was bonded in the immediate vicinity of the active-site thereby lowering the CO affinity to the substrate-bound system. / Science, Faculty of / Chemistry, Department of / Graduate

Heme proteins, also termed cytochromes, are a widespread class of metalloproteins containing an Fe-protoporphyrin IX cofactor. They perform numerous functions in nature such as oxygen-transport by hemoglobin, monooxygenation reactions catalyzed by Cytochrome P-450, and electron transfer reactions during photosynthesis. The differences between proteincofactor binding characteristics and the cofactor environment greatly influence the extensive range of functions. In this dissertation, proteins from the Mtr pathway of Shewanella oneidensis are characterized. These c-type cytochromes contain multiple heme cofactors per protein molecule that covalently attach to the protein amino acid sequence and are involved in electron transfer to extracellular metal oxides during anaerobic conditions. Successful recombinant expression of pathway components MtrC and MtrA is achieved in Escherichia coli. Heme-dependent gel staining and UV/Vis spectroscopy show characteristic c-type cytochrome characteristics. Mass spectrometry confirms that the correct extensive post-translational modifications were performed and the ten heme groups were incorporated per protein of MtrC and MtrA and the correct lipid-anchor was attached to extracellular MtrC. Raman spectroscopy measurements of MtrA provide intriguing structural information and highlight the strong influence of the heme cofactors within the protein structure. Next, an Arabidopsis thaliana protein is analyzed. It was previously identified via a motif search of the plant genome, based on conserved residues in the H4 NOX pocket. Here, the incorporation of a heme b cofactor is confirmed. UV/Vis spectroscopy under anaerobic conditions demonstrates reversible binding of nitric oxide to the heme iron and depicts the previously published characteristic absorption maxima for other H-NOX proteins.

Phorate (O,O-diethyl S-ethylthiomethyl phosphorodithioate) is a toxic organophosphate anticholinesterase insecticide. Organophosphate insecticides can cause respiratory depression and seizures due to acetylcholinesterase inhibition. Inhibited acetylcholinesterase cannot break down the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine; thus, causing an overload of acetylcholine in synapses and neuromuscular junctions. Oxidative desulfuration, from metabolism by cytochrome P450 enzymes, converts the P=S phosphorothionate group on phorate to the P=O oxon group. Electrophilic oxon groups attack the active site on acetylcholinesterase, inducing the toxicity associated with organophosphate insecticides. Possible further bioactivation to phorate-oxon-sulfoxide and phorate-oxon-sulfone near the site of acetylcholinesterase in the brain may increase acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potency. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rat brain and liver microsomes were used to determine the proportions of the phorate metabolites formed through bioactivation. Phorate-sulfoxide was produced in much greater proportion than any other metabolite, which may contribute to the delay observed in phorate toxicity as it takes longer to produce phorate-oxon, phorate-oxon-sulfoxide, or phorate-oxon-sulfone metabolites.

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