No description available.

Arsenic exposure in humans has been implicated in the development of a myriad of non-cancerous and cancerous diseases. A reductionist approach to understanding this unusual phenomenon would suggest that arsenic-induced perturbation of a small number of fundamental biological processes could manifest as this diverse array of disease endpoints. Endocytosis is a fundamental cellular process involved in the internalization and transport of various extracellular molecules and membranous components. BEAS-2B, a human bronchial epithelial cell line, was used to characterize the effects of chronic arsenite exposure on endocytosis. Fluorophore-labeled bovine albumin, human transferrin, and human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were the substrates utilized to measure endocytosis in BEAS-2B cells. The uptake of albumin in unexposed BEAS-2B cells is both dose-dependent and temperature sensitive. Chronic arsenite exposure in BEAS-2B cells increased the uptake of albumin by 3.4-fold after 8 hours of uptake relative to unexposed BEAS-2B cells. Pharmacological studies utilizing endocytosis inhibitors suggested that the uptake of albumin in both unexposed and arsenite-exposed BEAS-2B cells occurs through a combination of receptor-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis. Chronic arsenite exposure in BEAS-2B cells also increased the endocytic uptake of transferrin by 2.9-fold at 30 minutes and LDL by 1.3-fold at 2 hours relative to unexposed BEAS-2B cells. Together, the data suggests that chronic arsenite exposure can increase the rate of endocytosis. This novel finding could add mechanistic insight to the conundrum of arsenic-associated human diseases.

Abstract In the search for more reliable blood markers for excessive alcohol consumption, considerable effort has been devoted to measurements of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), which increases in body fluids as a result of prolonged alcohol intake. In the present work, three CDT methods, CDTect (Pharmacia & Upjohn), %CDT radioimmunoassay (%CDT RIA) by Axis (Oslo, Norway), and Axis %CDT turbidimetric immunoassay (%CDT TIA) were examined for their diagnostic performance in cases of alcohol abuse with or without liver disease. The diagnostic performance of CDT as a marker of alcohol abuse correlates positively with alcohol consumption. As compared with g-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and mean corpuscular volume of erythrocytes (MCV), which are conventionally used as laboratory markers of excessive ethanol consumption, CDT (CDTect) has the highest sensitivity (64%) at the specificity level of 100% in heavy drinkers consuming >100 g ethanol/day, but its sensitivity decreases to 34% in cases with an alcohol intake of <100 g/day, which hampers the use of CDT as a community screening method. Patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD) have significantly higher CDT values than alcoholics with non-liver pathology. However, CDT is primarily increased in cases with an early stage of ALD, so that there is a weak negative correlation between CDT and disease severity, which may prove to be of diagnostic value. Especially in men, CDTect seems to achieve greater sensitivity than %CDT RIA or %CDT TIA for detecting recent alcohol abuse among heavy drinkers, but it does have a significant correlation with serum transferrin, especially in individuals reporting social drinking or no alcohol intake. This should be considered when interpreting the assay results in patients with increased serum transferrin. %CDT methods achieve greater specificity than CDTect when analyzing samples from patients with high serum transferrin concentrations. Acetaldehyde-protein adducts are formed in the body after excessive ethanol intake, and their formation triggers antibody production, which may contribute to some forms of tissue damage seen in alcohol abusers. To obtain more information on the association between serum antibodies against acetaldehyde adducts, ALD and alcohol consumption, assays for antibodies against albumin and haemoglobin adducts were performed. Antibodies of the immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes A, G, and M against acetaldehyde-adducts are formed in patients with prolonged heavy alcohol consumption. IgA titres in ALD patients are significantly higher than those found in patients with non-alcoholic liver disease, non-drinking controls, or heavy drinkers with no signs of liver disease. Anti-adduct IgG titres, in turn, are increased both in ALD and in heavy drinkers with no signs of liver disease as compared with non-alcoholic liver disease patients or non-drinking controls. It appears that anti-adduct IgA, IgG and IgM titres in ALD patients correlate with the severity of the liver disease. Although this association is a limitation for the usefulness of these antibodies as markers of alcohol abuse, it may serve as a basis for the differential diagnosis of alcohol-induced liver disease.

Two separate systems were developed for the expression of recombinant metalloproteins. A synthetic gene encoding the lipase-solubilized form of bovine liver microsomal cytochrome b₅ was designed and assembled for expression in E. coli. Analysis of the initial recombinant cytochrome revealed differences in several physical characteristics of the molecule compared to the authentic bovine liver species, including a reduction potential that was lower by 17 mV. Further studies showed the primary sequence of the initial recombinant differed from the authentic protein in the amidation status of three residues which, when corrected yielded a recombinant protein identical in behaviour to the authentic protein. The participation of Ser64 in the stabilization of the oxidized form of cytochrome b₅ was investigated using site-directed mutagenesis to alter this residue to Ala, which was predicted to ablate a hydrogen bond formed between the protein and heme-propionate 7. Spectroelectrochemical analysis of this variant showed that the reduction potential had been shifted downwards by 7 mV, in contrast to predictions from a structural model describing the red/ox behaviour of cytochrome b₅ (Argos and Mathews, 1975). The role of heme carboxylates in determining the reduction potential was confirmed for both the wild-type and Ala64 variants by heme replacement studies using the esterified derivative of protoporphyrin IX, suggesting that the presence of free carboxylates contributes to the stabilization of the oxidized species. In addition, constructions for the expression of the trypsin-solubilized form of bovine liver microsomal cytochrome b₅ and the erythrocytic form of human cytochrome b₅ are described. A tissue culture cell system was developed for the expression of the N-terminal half molecule of human serum transferrin. The recombinant molecule (hTF/2N) was secreted at high levels from selected eukaryotic cells, and displayed high identity with the proteolytically-derived molecule from authentic human serum transferrin as judged by sequence analysis, electrophoretic mobility and iron binding capacity. A construction for the expression of the C-terminal half molecule was assembled but failed to express recombinant protein when introduced into tissue culture cells. The production of these two heterologous expression systems allows for high-level recovery of recombinant protein and provides a convenient approach to structure-function studies employing site-directed mutagenesis techniques. / Medicine, Faculty of / Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of / Graduate

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第19607号 / 医博第4114号 / 新制||医||1015(附属図書館) / 32643 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 前川 平, 教授 中畑 龍俊, 教授 江藤 浩之 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

L’érythropoïèse est un processus extrêmement prolifératif, et qui doit donc être très étroitement régulé. L’érythropoïétine (EPO) est l’un des facteurs absolument nécessaires à l’érythropoïèse. Cependant, dans la moelle osseuse, la quantité d'EPO circulante est sous-optimale et la capacité des érythroblastes à survivre dépend donc de leur sensibilité à l'EPO. Les facteurs modulant la réponse à l'EPO au cours de l'érythropoïèse sont encore largement inconnus.Nous avons donc voulu explorer plusieurs facteurs pouvant potentiellement être impliqués dans la régulation de l’érythropoïèse et plus précisément dans la réponse à l’EPO : tout d’abord, la transferrine ainsi que ses récepteurs (TfR), la transferrine et le TfR1 étant également essentiels à l’érythropoïèse, ainsi qu’un phytoestrogène provenant d’une plante nommée Curcuma comosa, les oestrogènes étant eux aussi connus pour favoriser l’érythropoïèse.Concernant la transferrine, nous avons voulu principalement explorer son rôle sur la signalisation, ayant récemment montré au laboratoire que le TfR1, essentiellement connu pour son rôle dans l’endocytose du fer, est également capable d’entraîner une signalisation.Nous avons montré que la transferrine potentialise la stimulation induite par l’EPO des voies ERK, AKT et STAT5. Cet effet est conservé même en l’absence d’endocytose du TfR1. Aucune coopération n’a été trouvée entre la transferrine et le stem cell factor (SCF).Nous avons également observé qu’en l’absence du TfR2, il existe une augmentation de l’expression de l’EPO-R et de la signalisation induite par l’EPO, sans impact de la transferrine dans ce contexte. Par ailleurs, nous avons montré que le Curcuma comosa améliore la prolifération et la différenciation des progéniteurs érythroïdes précoces, par un mécanisme de potentialisation de la signalisation induite par l’EPO impliquant le récepteur aux oestrogènes ER-α.En conclusion, la transferrine et ses récepteurs, ainsi qu’un phytoestrogène et l’ER-α, sont impliqués dans la régulation de l’érythropoïèse via leur action sur la signalisation induite par l’EPO. L’approfondissement de ces données pourrait ouvrir de nouvelles pistes thérapeutiques dans le traitement de l’anémie. / Erythropoiesis is an extremely proliferative process and must be very closely regulated. Erythropoietin (EPO) is one of the major factors necessary for erythropoiesis. However, in the bone marrow, the amount of circulating EPO is suboptimal and the ability of erythroblasts to survive therefore depends on their sensitivity to EPO. The factors modulating the response to EPO during erythropoiesis are still largely unknown. We therefore wanted to explore several factors that could potentially be involved in the regulation of erythropoiesis and more specifically in the response to EPO: first, transferrin and its receptors (TfR), transferrin and TfR1 being also essential for erythropoiesis, as well as a phytoestrogen from a plant called Curcuma comosa, as estrogens are also known to promote erythropoiesis. Regarding transferrin, we mainly wanted to explore its role on signaling, having recently shown in the laboratory that TfR1, essentially known for its role in iron endocytosis, is a signaling-competent receptor. We have shown that transferrin potentiates EPO-induced stimulation of the ERK, AKT and STAT5 pathways. This effect is maintained even in the absence of TfR1 endocytosis. No cooperation was found between transferrin and stem cell factor (SCF). We also observed that in the absence of TfR2, there is an increase in EPO-R expression and EPO-induced signaling, without any impact of transferrin in this context.In addition, we have shown that Curcuma comosa improves the proliferation and differentiation of early erythroid progenitors through a mechanism involving the ER-α estrogen receptor, able to potentiate EPO-induced signaling. In conclusion, transferrin and its receptors, as well as a phytoestrogen and ER-α, are involved in the regulation of erythropoiesis through their action on EPO-induced signaling. Further investigation of these data could provide new therapeutic strategies in the treatment of anemia.

No description available.

Background and Methods: The involvement of iron in the risk for, and complications of, type 2 diabetes has generated substantial interest over the past 15 years, initially sparked by an association with raised serum ferritin, and the observation that people with iron overload diseases frequently develop diabetes. Considerable advances have since been made in understanding the effect glucose has on molecules, cells, and tissues; and the role that oxidative stress plays in the development of the pathologies of long-term diabetes. Poorly liganded iron is potentially both a contributor to, and consequence of, these complications. In vitro experiments with glucose-incubated transferrin by earlier workers have demonstrated loss of function with increasing glycation, leading to the suggestion that the failure of this key iron-binding protein may contribute to diabetic pathology, via the presence of redox active non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI). In vitro glycated transferrin is examined here by ultrafiltration, to assess loss of function and possible oxidative fragmentation. Mass spectrometry is used to identify a range of amino acid glycation sites on in vitro glycated transferrin for the first time. Finally, several groups have previously measured NTBI in people with diabetes, finding little agreement in results. NTBI is measured here in a cohort of people with type 2 diabetes, using a new adaptation of earlier NTBI assays. NTBI is also assessed in pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages I to III for the first time. Results and Conclusions: Experiments with glycated transferrin in vitro demonstrate oxidative fragmentation, explaining the loss of function reported by earlier groups. In vitro glycated transferrin examined by mass spectrometry reveals a substantial number and range of amino acids subject to glycation. Comparison with in vivo glycated transferrin suggests that many of the in vitro glycation sites are not glycated in vivo, and that there are many oxidized methionine residues which are potential artefacts, or likely to be repaired by methionine sulphoxide reductases in vivo. A study of people with type 2 diabetes finds no direct association between NTBI and protein glycation. Unexpected correlations between NTBI and LDL, and LDL and haemoglobin with increasing protein glycation, are reported for the first time. NTBI is suggested to be iron sourced from haemoglobin or haem, from erythrocyte haemolysis prior to sample collection. In people with pre-dialysis CKD stages I to III no significant difference in NTBI level compared to controls is seen, or correlations with markers of renal function. No link between NTBI and kidney function at this stage of disease is indicated.

<p>Transferrin receptor 1 (Tfr1) serves as a receptor for transferrin, an iron-binding protein in the blood, in its canonical role of iron assimilation. Tfr1 is expressed ubiquitously in many tissues and is believed to be required for iron uptake by most cells. </p><p>The Tfr1 global knockout mouse highlights the requirement for Tfr1 in erythrocyte precursors. The erythron is the tissue with the highest iron requirement, to enable hemoglobin production. Tfr1-null embryos die by embryonic day 12.5 with anemia, which has been assumed to cause lethality of the knockout mice. Due to the embryonic lethality of the mice, the role of Tfr1 has not been well characterized in other tissues in vivo. This thesis examines the role of Tfr1 in other tissues through the generation and characterization of conditional knockout mouse models of Tfr1 deletion in the intestinal epithelium, pancreas, and skin.</p><p>Tfr1 is expressed on the basolateral surface of proliferating cells in the intestinal epithelium. Deletion of Tfr1 specifically in the intestinal epithelium resulted in the loss of intestinal epithelial homeostasis, loss of proliferation, lipid accumulation, gene expression indicating epithelial to mesenchymal transition of intestinal epithelial cells, and early neonatal lethality. These phenotypes were mostly alleviated by forced expression of a mutant Tfr1 allele which is unable to bind to iron-loaded transferrin, suggesting that Tfr1 has a novel role independent of its canonical iron-assimilatory ability.</p><p>Deletion of Tfr1 in the pancreas resulted in juvenile death due to perturbed homeostasis of both endocrine and exocrine tissues, resulting in symptoms associated with pancreatitis and diabetes. No diabetic phenotype was detected in the conditional knockout mouse model of Tfr1 deletion specifically in &#946;-cells, suggesting that the primary effect of the loss of Tfr1 was limited to the exocrine tissue.</p><p>Deletion of Tfr1 in the epidermis of the skin caused neonatal lethality with abnormal hair follicle morphology and a significant reduction in dermal adipocytes.</p><p>These results indicate that the loss of Tfr1 has pleiotropic effects, depending on the cell type affected. Furthermore, Tfr1 appears to have non-canonical functions in the intestinal epithelium, a novel discovery.</p> / Dissertation

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an obligate human pathogen that requires iron for its survival within the host. N. gonorrhoeae expresses high-affinity iron acquisition systems to acquire iron from host iron binding proteins. The gonococcal transferrin-iron uptake system is composed of two transferrin binding proteins, TbpA and TbpB. TbpA is a TonB-dependent, outer membrane transporter, while TbpB is a surface-exposed lipoprotein. Unlike TbpA, TbpB is not required for transferrin utilization, but makes the process more efficient. The precise mechanism by which TbpA and TbpB function to mediate transferrin-iron uptake has not been fully characterized. However, the mechanism of iron acquisition from transferrin is distinct from characterized TonB-dependent ferric-siderophore uptake systems. The transferrin-iron uptake system is unique in two ways: the involvement of the TbpB lipoprotein component and the process of iron acquisition and internalization. Unlike siderophore transporters, the transferrin-iron uptake system requires the removal of iron from transferrin for its subsequent internalization. Based on analogy with characterized TonB-dependent transporters, TbpA is proposed to consist of two distinct domains: a b-barrel and plug domain. Previous studies suggest that the plug domain has a specific role in iron internalization and this study addresses the role of the plug domain in transferrin-iron acquisition. It is thought that the TbpA plug domain facilitates iron removal from transferrin and subsequent iron binding and transport. To analyze this, iron binding by the TbpA plug domain was performed and site-directed substitution mutagenesis of putative iron-coordinating residues was carried out. From these analyses, it can be concluded that the plug domain binds iron and likely plays an active role in the process of iron internalization. Mutagenesis revealed specific residues of the plug domain critical for transferrin-iron uptake, but defects imparted by these mutations were compensated for by TbpB. Thus, this study also attempts to characterize the compensatory function provided by TbpB. Through mutagenesis, critical domains involved in the efficiency of transferrin-iron acquisition were identified. One additional study describes and characterizes a novel mechanism of TonB-independent transferrin-iron acquisition. Overall, these studies further elucidate mechanisms utilized by Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the process of iron acquisition from human transferrin.