TY - JOUR A1 - Högger, Petra A1 - Kurlbaum, Max A1 - Mülek, Melanie T1 - Facilitated Uptake of a Bioactive Metabolite of Maritime Pine Bark Extract (Pycnogenol) into Human Erythrocytes JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Many plant secondary metabolites exhibit some degree of biological activity in humans. It is a common observation that individual plant-derived compounds in vivo are present in the nanomolar concentration range at which they usually fail to display measurable activity in vitro. While it is debatable that compounds detected in plasma are not the key effectors of bioactivity, an alternative hypothesis may take into consideration that measurable concentrations also reside in compartments other than plasma. We analysed the binding of constituents and the metabolite δ-(3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl)-γ-valerolactone (M1), that had been previously detected in plasma samples of human consumers of pine bark extract Pycnogenol, to human erythrocytes. We found that caffeic acid, taxifolin, and ferulic acid passively bind to red blood cells, but only the bioactive metabolite M1 revealed pronounced accumulation. The partitioning of M1 into erythrocytes was significantly diminished at higher concentrations of M1 and in the presence of glucose, suggesting a facilitated transport of M1 via GLUT-1 transporter. This concept was further supported by structural similarities between the natural substrate α-D-glucose and the S-isomer of M1. After cellular uptake, M1 underwent further metabolism by conjugation with glutathione. We present strong indication for a transporter-mediated accumulation of a flavonoid metabolite in human erythrocytes and subsequent formation of a novel glutathione adduct. The physiologic role of the adduct remains to be elucidated. KW - blood plasma KW - cell metabolism KW - drug metabolism KW - glucose KW - glucos metabolism KW - glutathione KW - plasma proteins KW - red blood cells Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-96656 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Benz, Roland A1 - Maier, Elke A1 - Bauer, Susanne A1 - Ludwig, Albrecht T1 - The Deletion of Several Amino Acid Stretches of Escherichia coli Alpha-Hemolysin (HlyA) Suggests That the Channel-Forming Domain Contains Beta-Strands JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Escherichia coli α-hemolysin (HlyA) is a pore-forming protein of 110 kDa belonging to the family of RTX toxins. A hydrophobic region between the amino acid residues 238 and 410 in the N-terminal half of HlyA has previously been suggested to form hydrophobic and/or amphipathic α-helices and has been shown to be important for hemolytic activity and pore formation in biological and artificial membranes. The structure of the HlyA transmembrane channel is, however, largely unknown. For further investigation of the channel structure, we deleted in HlyA different stretches of amino acids that could form amphipathic β-strands according to secondary structure predictions (residues 71–110, 158–167, 180–203, and 264–286). These deletions resulted in HlyA mutants with strongly reduced hemolytic activity. Lipid bilayer measurements demonstrated that HlyAΔ71–110 and HlyAΔ264–286 formed channels with much smaller single-channel conductance than wildtype HlyA, whereas their channel-forming activity was virtually as high as that of the wildtype toxin. HlyAΔ158–167 and HlyAΔ180–203 were unable to form defined channels in lipid bilayers. Calculations based on the single-channel data indicated that the channels generated by HlyAΔ71–110 and HlyAΔ264–286 had a smaller size (diameter about 1.4 to 1.8 nm) than wildtype HlyA channels (diameter about 2.0 to 2.6 nm), suggesting that in these mutants part of the channel-forming domain was removed. Osmotic protection experiments with erythrocytes confirmed that HlyA, HlyAΔ71–110, and HlyAΔ264–286 form defined transmembrane pores and suggested channel diameters that largely agreed with those estimated from the single-channel data. Taken together, these results suggest that the channel-forming domain of HlyA might contain β-strands, possibly in addition to α-helical structures. KW - membrane potential KW - molecular mass KW - cations KW - membrane structures KW - membrane proteins KW - lipid bilayer KW - red blood cells KW - toxins Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-118115 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 9 IS - 12 ER - TY - THES A1 - Witzinger, Linda T1 - Rolle der Pyridoxal 5´-Phosphat Phosphatase PDXP im Vitamin B6-Metabolismus muriner Erythrozyten und Hippocampi T1 - Role of the pyridoxal 5´-phosphate phosphatase PDXP in the vitamin B6 metabolism of murine red blood cells and hippocampi N2 - Die Phosphatase PDXP (auch bekannt als Chronophin) gehört zur Familie der HAD Phosphatasen, einer ubiquitär exprimierten Enzymklasse mit wichtigen physiologischen Funktionen. PDXP zeigt Phosphatase-Aktivität gegenüber seinem Substrat Pyridoxal 5´-Phosphat (PLP), der aktivierten Form von Vitamin B6. PDXP-defiziente Mäuse (Knockout-Mäuse) weisen im Vergleich zu Wildtypen verdoppelte PLP-Konzentrationen in Erythrozyten sowie im Gesamthirn auf. Vermutlich kommt PDXP daher eine wichtige Funktion in Erythrozyten und im Hirn zu. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, erste Einblicke in diese Funktion(en) von PDXP zu erlangen. Hierzu wurden HPLC-basierte Analysen der erythrozytären PLP-Konzentrationen in Wildtyp- sowie PDXP-defizienten Mäusen durchgeführt. Dabei ließen sich die rund doppelt so hohen erythrozytären PLP-Level in den KO-Mäusen bestätigen. Zudem ist es gelungen, eine Methode zur Messung der endogenen Phosphatase-Aktivität von PDXP in Erythrozytenlysaten zu etablieren. So konnte im Wildtyp anhand der Verringerung der PLP-Konzentrationen pro Zeiteinheit eine erythrozytäre PDXP-Aktivität nachgewiesen werden. Dazu waren die Inkubation mit Pyridoxin, sowie die Anwendung eines Inhibitors der PDXK notwendig. Eine bis dato vermutete Funktion der PDXP, zur Mobilisation von erythrozytärem PLP während Fastenzeiten, konnte ausgeschlossen werden. So zeigte der Vergleich der erythrozytären PLP-Konzentrationen aus gefasteten mit normal gefütterten Tieren in beiden Genotypen exakt dieselbe prozentuale PLP-Verringerung. Während Nahrungszufuhr ließ sich jedoch eine Funktion der Phosphatase PDXP als „Converter“ von Pyridoxin zu Pyridoxal erkennen. Ausgehend von PN konnte im Wildtyp (über die Zwischenprodukte PNP und PLP) eine PDXP-abhängige Dephosphorylierung von PLP zu PL erfolgen. So wies der Wildtyp eine rund vierfach höhere PL-Produktion auf, verglichen mit der PDXP-defizienten Maus. Die Phosphatase PDXP erwies sich als essenziell für die erythrozytäre Konversion von Pyridoxin zu Pyridoxal. Dadurch erreicht der Organismus eine metabolische Flexibilität, die ihn bis zu einem gewissen Grad unabhängig von der Nahrungsauswahl macht. Zudem können Zellen oder Organe, denen durch das Fehlen der PNPO, die Konversion zu PLP nicht möglich ist, mit PL versorgt werden. Aus der hohen Reaktivität von PLP mit umliegenden Nucleophilen ergibt sich eine gewisse Problematik für die Zelle im Umgang mit freiem PLP. So liegt der Großteil des erythrozytären PLPs gebunden an Proteine (vor allem Hämoglobin) vor. Anhand von Filtern (MWCO, 3000) ließ sich zwischen der hier definiert als „freien“ und der „gebundenen“ Form von PLP differenzieren. So konnten erste Erkenntnisse zur Rolle von PDXP als Determinator freier PLP-Konzentrationen in Erythrozyten und insbesondere im Hippocampus erlangt werden. Im Hippocampus ergaben sich insgesamt deutlich höhere Konzentrationen an freiem PLP als in den Erythrozyten und es bestand zudem ein Unterschied zwischen den Genotypen. So wiesen die KO-Mäuse ~1/3 höhere freie PLP-Konzentrationen im Vergleich zu den Wildtypen auf. Schließlich konnte ein Effekt des Tieralters auf den PLP-Metabolismus festgestellt werden. Sowohl in den Erythrozyten als auch im Hippocampus ergaben sich alterskorrelierte Änderungen ihrer PLP-Konzentrationen. Zudem zeigten Western Blot Analysen altersbedingte Unterschiede ihrer Vitamin B6-Enzymexpressionen. So wiesen ältere Wildtypen im Hippocampus eine fünffach erhöhte PDXP-Expression verglichen mit jüngeren Tieren auf. In den Erythrozytenlysaten hingegen zeigten ältere Tiere beider Genotypen eine rund vierfach geringere PNPO-Expression gegenüber jüngeren Tieren. Die mit dem Alter eintretende physiologische Verringerung der erythrozytären PNPO-Expression würde somit für den Organismus einen Verlust seiner metabolischen Flexibilität bedeuten, die mit der Konversion von PN zu PL einhergeht. N2 - The phosphatase PDXP, also called Chronophin, is a member of the ubiquitously expressed HAD-phosphatases, which have some important physiological functions in the organism. Its substrate pyridoxal 5´-phosphate (PLP) is the active form of vita-min B6, an important cofactor of several reactions. PDXP-deficient mice (KO-mice) have PLP-concentrations in erythrocytes and in the whole brain twice as high as wildtype mice. It is assumed that PDXP therefore has an important function in erythrocytes and in the brain. The aim of the study was to gain initial insights into these functions of PDXP. For this purpose, HPLC-based analyses of the PLP-concentrations in erythrocytes from WT- and KO-mice were carried out. The doubled PLP-levels in the RBCs of KO-mice could be confirmed. In addition, a method for measuring the endogenous phosphatase activity of PDXP in red cell lysates was established. The activity of PDXP could be measured by the reduction of its substrate PLP over time. This required the incubation with pyridoxine and the inhibition of PDXK by ginkgotoxine. An assumed function of PDXP in mobilization of PL(P) from the erythrocytes in fasting conditions could be ruled out. Therefore, a comparison between the PLP-concentrations in RBCs of fasted mice with normal fed ones was done. Surprisingly the fasted KO-mice showed the same percentaged decrease of cellular PLP-level as the fasted WT-mice. During vitamin B6 intake however, a function of PDXP as being a “converter” of pyridoxine to pyridoxal was found. Starting with PN, a PDXP-mediated dephosphorylation from PLP to PL could take place in the wildtype mice (via the intermediate steps PNP and PLP). Consequently, the WT´s production of PL quadrupled compared to the KO´s. PDXP turned out to be essential for the conversion of pyridoxine to pyridoxal in erythrocytes. This conversion confers some metabolic flexibility to the organism and to a certain extent makes it independent of the choice of food. Moreover, cells and organs, that due to the absence of PNPO cannot produce PL(P) themselves, can be provided via erythrocytes. The high reactivity of PLP with surrounding nucleophiles poses a certain problem for the cell in dealing with free PLP. The majority of the PLP in RBCs is bound to proteins (primarily hemoglobin). It was distinguished between the here termed “free” PLP and the bound PLP by using filter devices with a MWCO at 3 kDa. First insights could be gained about PDXP as a determinant of free PLP-levels in erythrocytes and hippocampus. The amount of free PLP in the hippocampus was significantly higher than in the RBCs. Additionally, the hippocampus showed some differences in the con¬centration of free PLP between WT- and KO-mice. The level of free PLP in PDXP deficient mice was one third higher than in wildtype mice. Finally, some correlation between the age of the mice and their PLP-metabolism was found. The results revealed changes of the PLP-concentrations with age in the RBCs and the hippocampus. Moreover, western blot analyses showed some age-related differences in the expression of vitamin B6 enzymes. In the hippocampus older wildtype mice showed a quintupled expression of PDXP compared to younger ones. However, western blot analyses of red blood cell lysates from older animals revealed a lower expression of PNPO by a factor of four. For the organism this physiological reduction of its PNPO expression with age would mean a loss of metabolic flexibility, that is accompanied by the conversion from PN to PL. KW - Vitamin B6 KW - Vitamin-B6-Stoffwechsel KW - Pyridoxalphosphat KW - Erythrozyt KW - Phosphatasen KW - PDXP KW - PLP KW - HAD-Phosphatasen KW - Vitamin B6 Metabolismus KW - pyridoxal phosphate KW - red blood cells Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-216546 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fischer, Dania A1 - Thies, Fabian A1 - Awad, Omar A1 - Brat, Camilla A1 - Meybohm, Patrick A1 - Baer, Patrick C. A1 - Müller, Markus M. A1 - Urbschat, Anja A1 - Maier, Thorsten J. A1 - Zacharowski, Kai A1 - Roos, Jessica T1 - Red blood cell-derived microparticles exert no cancer promoting effects on colorectal cancer cells in vitro JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - The biomedical consequences of allogeneic blood transfusions and the possible pathomechanisms of transfusion-related morbidity and mortality are still not entirely understood. In retrospective studies, allogeneic transfusion was associated with increased rates of cancer recurrence, metastasis and death in patients with colorectal cancer. However, correlation does not imply causation. The purpose of this study was to elucidate this empirical observation further in order to address insecurity among patients and clinicians. We focused on the in vitro effect of microparticles derived from red blood cell units (RMPs). We incubated different colon carcinoma cells with RMPs and analyzed their effects on growth, invasion, migration and tumor marker expression. Furthermore, effects on Wnt, Akt and ERK signaling were explored. Our results show RMPs do not seem to affect functional and phenotypic characteristics of different colon carcinoma cells and did not induce or inhibit Wnt, Akt or ERK signaling, albeit in cell culture models lacking tumor microenvironment. Allogeneic blood transfusions are associated with poor prognosis, but RMPs do not seem to convey tumor-enhancing effects. Most likely, the circumstances that necessitate the transfusion, such as preoperative anemia, tumor stage, perioperative blood loss and extension of surgery, take center stage. KW - transfusion KW - red blood cells KW - microparticles KW - colorectal carcinoma Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-286018 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 23 IS - 16 ER -