Thiamin transport in Escherichia coli is a model system to establish the tolerance of derivatives for transport into the cell. Since little is known about what types of thiamin derivatives may be successfully taken into the cell through the transport system, a series of thiamin derivatives are synthesized. A thiamin amino analog is synthesized and tested to determine the use of the analog as an alternate source of thiamin for growth of an E. coli thiamin mutant. Formate, acetate, and benzoate thiamin esters are synthesized and tested as alternate sources for growth of an E. coli thiamin mutant. Thiamin esters or amides may provide a scaffold for attaching other small molecules of interest to be imported into the cell by thiamin transport system. Thiamin containing formate, acetate, and benzoate esters were synthesized and tested as alternative growth source for thiamin using an E. coli mutant strain incapable of synthesizing thiamin. All three synthesized ester thiamin forms gave a zone of growth determined by disk-assay study. Also, an amino thiamin is synthesized to determine uptake through thiamin transport system by growth study using an E. coli mutant incapable of synthesizing thiamin. The growth curves resulting show concentration-dependent growth in the absence of natural thiamin, indicating amino thiamin is taken up by thiamin transport system as an alternate source of thiamin for growth. More characterization of the thiamin transport system is desired in order to develop thiamin conjugates of interest such as a photoaffinity probe for isolating thiamin-utilizing enzymes.

No description available.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Acetolactate synthase (ALS) and acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) are two thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes that catalyze the formation of acetolactate from two molecules of pyruvate. In addition to acetolactate, AHAS can catalyze the formation of acetohydroxybutyrate from pyruvate and α-ketobutyrate. When formed by AHAS, these compounds are important precursors to the essential amino acids valine and isoleucine. Conversely, ALS forms acetolactate as a precursor to 2,3-butanediol, a product formed in an alternative pathway to mixed acid fermentation. While these enzymes catalyze the same reaction, they have been found to be quite different. Such differences include: biological function, pH optimum, cofactor requirements, reaction kinetics and quaternary structure. Importantly, AHAS has been identified as the target of the widely-used sulfonylurea and imidazolinone herbicides, which has led to many structural and kinetic studies on AHAS enzymes from plants, bacteria, and fungi. ALS, on the other hand, has only been identified in bacteria, and has largely not seen such extensive characterization. Finally, although some bacteria contain both enzymes, they have never been studied in detail from the same organism. Here, the ALS and AHAS enzymes from Klebsiella pneumoniae were studied using steady-state kinetic analyses, X-ray crystallography, site-directed and site-saturation mutagenesis, and cell growth complementation assays to i) compare the kinetic parameters of each enzyme, ii) compare the active sites to probe their differences in substrate profile and iii) test the ability of ALS to function in place of AHAS in vivo.

The purpose of this study is to show how much of the thiamin content of the noon and evening meals is contributed by meats and meat dishes which appear on the cafeteria menu, as well as the thiamin contribution of the breakfast meal to the total daily intake.

Die Motilität und Entleerung des Labmagens, aber auch der antioxidative Status scheinen im Zusammenhang mit Labmagenverlagerungen beim Rind eine entscheidende Rolle zu spielen. Häufige Komplikationen im postoperativen Zeitraum sind in Entleerungs-störungen und einer mangelhaften Motilität des Labmagens begründet. Zur medikamentellen Beeinflussung dieser Problematik existieren bis dato nur wenige Publikationen. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung sollte geprüft werden, welches der Komponente des Kombinationspräparates Neoancemin® für den positiven Einfluss des Medikamentes auf die Entleerung des Labmagens im postoperativen Zeitraum verantwortlich ist. Weiterhin wurde der Einfluss der Komponenten auf die klinische Rekonvaleszenz, den antioxidativen Status und ausgewählte klinisch-chemische Parameter in den ersten 24 Stunden nach der Reposition des Labmagens untersucht.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2008. / "May 2008." Includes bibliographical references. Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes catalyze a wide range of reactions including the oxidative and nonoxidative decarboxylation of 2-keto acids, carboligation reactions, the cleavage of C-C bonds, and the formation of C-S, C-N, and C-O bonds. Surprisingly, given this diversity, all ThDP-dependent enzyme catalyzed reactions proceed through essentially the same intermediate. This suggests that these enzymes share a common ancestry and have evolved to become the diverse group of enzymes seen today. Sequence alignments have revealed that all ThDP-dependent enzymes share two common ThDP binding domains, the PYR domain and the PP domain. In addition to these conserved domains, over time, other domains have been added creating further diversity in this superfamily. For instance, the TH3 domain, found in many ThDP-dependent enzymes, serves the function of binding additional cofactors such as FAD in enzymes like acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) but in others, like pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC), it has lost this function completely. The work presented here focuses on ThDP-dependent decarboxylases. In this thesis, several evolutionary aspects of this group of enzymes will be examined including (i) the characterization of an evolutionary forerunner in the presence of a mechanism-based inhibitor, (ii) the characterization of the minor isozymes of pyruvate decarboxylase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and (iii) the development of a selection method to increase the efficiency of the site-saturation mutagenesis used to study ThDP-dependent enzyme evolution.

<p>Acetolactate synthase (ALS) and acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) are two thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes that catalyze the formation of acetolactate from two molecules of pyruvate. In addition to acetolactate, AHAS can catalyze the formation of acetohydroxybutyrate from pyruvate and α-ketobutyrate. When formed by AHAS, these compounds are important precursors to the essential amino acids valine and isoleucine. Conversely, ALS forms acetolactate as a precursor to 2,3‑butanediol, a product formed in an alternative pathway to mixed acid fermentation.</p> <p>While these enzymes catalyze the same reaction, they have been found to be quite different. Such differences include: biological function, pH optimum, cofactor requirements, reaction kinetics and quaternary structure. Importantly, AHAS has been identified as the target of the widely-used sulfonylurea and imidazolinone herbicides, which has led to many structural and kinetic studies on AHAS enzymes from plants, bacteria, and fungi. ALS, on the other hand, has only been identified in bacteria, and has largely not seen such extensive characterization. Finally, although some bacteria contain both enzymes, they have never been studied in detail from the same organism. </p> <p>Here, the ALS and AHAS enzymes from <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> were studied using steady-state kinetic analyses, X-ray crystallography, site-directed and site‑saturation mutagenesis, and cell growth complementation assays to i) compare the kinetic parameters of each enzyme, ii) compare the active sites to probe their differences in substrate profile and iii) test the ability of ALS to function in place of AHAS <i>in vivo</i>.</p>

No description available.

AGEs, Advanced Glycation End Products, are heterogeneous compounds with pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory properties. These compounds are formed in the body (particularly under conditions of hyperglycemia and oxidative stress) and in environment, being the diet their main source exogenous. Neutral or alkaline food, subjected heat-treated at temperatures above 100°C with low humidity, for prolonged periods had increased formation of AGEs, conditions frequently encountered in the typical Western diet, which is a source of high levels of AGEs. The heat treatment of food, in addition to form AGEs, contributes to reducing labile vitamin with anti-glycation action and essential for humans, thiamin. The chronic consumption of diet rich in AGEs and deficient in thiamin are conditions that promote oxidative stress, carbonyl stress and persisted inflammation, contributing to the aging process with the development of several chronic diseases. When absorbed, dietary AGEs are added to those produced in the body increasing your body pool, through the kidney and liver, undergo catabolism and degradation to be eliminated. In particular, the liver is the main organ of clearance and catabolism of AGEs, becoming an easy target for the damaging effects of AGEs. In cases of thiamin deficiency, the hepatocyte is more susceptible to glyoxal, a carbonyl highly reactive precursor of AGEs, and AGEs themselves, with consequent loss of glyoxal metabolism in the liver. Supplementation of thiamin results in cytoprotection, restoration of the glyoxal detoxification, reduction of lipid peroxidation and the formation of reactive oxygen species. These elements led to the investigation of the effects of chronic consumption of thermolyzed diet, experimental model of high intake of AGEs, associated with different levels of thiamin in morpho-functional aspects of liver tissue in adult rats. For this purpose, male Wistar rats, five months old, were divided into four experimental groups according to the offered diets: standard commercial diet, control (C); thermolyzed (T), standard diet autoclaved at 121.5°C for 30 min; thermolyzed with level 1 thiamin (TT1), thiamin 6 mg/kg of diet; and thermolyzed with level 2 thiamin (TT2), 120 mg thiamin/kg of diet. After 23 weeks of treatment, animals were anesthetized and proceeded to collect samples of liver and blood, to histological analysis of hepatic tissue and tests serum biochemical of hepatic function and injury. The chronic consumption of thermolyzed diet did not promote the appearance of morphological and functional alterations in adult rat blood and liver. It is possible to consider the composition of base diet used in the experiment may have contributed to the results obtained. This study draws attention to the importance of studies to clarify the involvement of different components food for the formation of AGEs in food, which contribute to the establishment of recommendations for promoting a healthy diet, contributing to the prevention chronic diseases, including those affecting the hepatic tissue. / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / AGEs, do inglês Advanced Glycation End Products, são compostos heterogêneos com propriedades pró-oxidantes e pró-inflamatórias. Estes compostos são formados no organismo (especialmente em condições de hiperglicemia e estresse oxidativo) e no ambiente, sendo a dieta sua principal fonte exógena. Alimentos neutros ou alcalinos, submetidos a tratamento térmico com temperaturas superiores a 100ºC com baixa umidade, por tempo prolongado, apresentam formação aumentada de AGEs, condições encontradas com freqüência na dieta típica do ocidente, que constitui fonte de alto teor de AGEs. O tratamento térmico dos alimentos, além de formar AGEs, contribui para a redução da vitamina termolábil com ação antiglicante e essencial para seres humanos, tiamina. O consumo crônico de dieta rica em AGEs e deficiente em tiamina são condições que favorecem o estresse oxidativo, o estresse carbonílico e a inflamação persistentes, contribuindo para o processo de envelhecimento junto ao desenvolvimento de diversas doenças crônicas. Quando absorvidos, os AGEs dietéticos somam-se aos produzidos no organismo aumentando seu pool corporal, passando pelos rins e pelo fígado, sofrem catabolismo e degradação para serem eliminados. Particularmente, o fígado é o principal órgão de clearance e catabolismo de AGEs, tornando-se um alvo fácil para os efeitos prejudiciais dos AGEs. Em situações de deficiência de tiamina, o hepatócito fica mais susceptível ao glioxal, uma carbonila altamente reativa, precursora dos AGEs, e aos próprios AGEs, com conseqüente prejuízo do metabolismo do glioxal no fígado. A suplementação de tiamina resulta em citoproteção, restauração da detoxificação do glioxal, redução da peroxidação lipídica e da formação de espécies reativas de oxigênio. Esses elementos motivaram a investigação dos efeitos do consumo crônico de dieta termolizada, modelo de experimental de elevada ingestão de AGEs, associado a diferentes níveis de tiamina, em aspectos morfo-funcionais do tecido hepático em ratos adultos. Para tanto, ratos machos Wistar, de cinco meses de idade, foram subdivididos em quatro grupos experimentais, segundo as dietas oferecidas: dieta comercial padrão, controle (C); termolizada (T), dieta padrão autoclavada a 121,5ºC, por 30 min; termolizada com tiamina nível 1 (TT1), 6 mg de tiamina/Kg de dieta; e termolizada com tiamina nível 2 (TT2), 120 mg de tiamina/Kg de dieta. Após 23 semanas de tratamento, os animais foram anestesiados e se procedeu à coleta de amostras de fígado e de sangue, para análise histológica do tecido hepático e determinações bioquímicas séricas de função e lesão hepática. O consumo crônico de dieta termolizada não promoveu o aparecimento de alterações morfo-funcionais sanguíneas e hepáticas em ratos adultos. É possível considerar que a composição da dieta de base utilizada no experimento pode ter contribuído para os resultados obtidos. O presente estudo chama a atenção para a importância da realização de estudos que esclareçam a participação dos diferentes componentes alimentares para a formação de AGEs em alimentos, o que contribuiria para o estabelecimento de recomendações dirigidas para a promoção de uma alimentação saudável, concorrendo para a prevenção de doenças crônicas, incluindo as que acometem o tecido hepático.