TY - JOUR A1 - Schoen, Christoph A1 - Kischkies, Laura A1 - Elias, Johannes A1 - Ampattu, Biju Joseph T1 - Metabolism and virulence in Neisseria meningitidis N2 - A longstanding question in infection biology addresses the genetic basis for invasive behavior in commensal pathogens. A prime example for such a pathogen is Neisseria meningitidis. On the one hand it is a harmless commensal bacterium exquisitely adapted to humans, and on the other hand it sometimes behaves like a ferocious pathogen causing potentially lethal disease such as sepsis and acute bacterial meningitis. Despite the lack of a classical repertoire of virulence genes in N. meningitidis separating commensal from invasive strains, molecular epidemiology suggests that carriage and invasive strains belong to genetically distinct populations. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that metabolic adaptation enables meningococci to exploit host resources, supporting the concept of nutritional virulence as a crucial determinant of invasive capability. Here, we discuss the contribution of core metabolic pathways in the context of colonization and invasion with special emphasis on results from genome-wide surveys. The metabolism of lactate, the oxidative stress response, and, in particular, glutathione metabolism as well as the denitrification pathway provide examples of how meningococcal metabolism is intimately linked to pathogenesis. We further discuss evidence from genome-wide approaches regarding potential metabolic differences between strains from hyperinvasive and carriage lineages and present new data assessing in vitro growth differences of strains from these two populations. We hypothesize that strains from carriage and hyperinvasive lineages differ in the expression of regulatory genes involved particularly in stress responses and amino acid metabolism under infection conditions. KW - Neisseria meningitidis KW - virulence KW - pathometabolism KW - oxidative stress KW - glutathione KW - γ-glutamyl cycle KW - glutamate dehydrogenase KW - nitrite respiration Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-113118 ER - TY - THES A1 - Pfenning, Carolin T1 - Untersuchungen zum genotoxischen Wirkmechanismus des Mykotoxins Patulin: Reaktivität gegenüber DNA-Basen unter dem Einfluss von Glutathion T1 - Studies on the genotoxic mode of action of the mycotoxin patulin: Reaction with DNA bases in the presence of glutathione N2 - Als Sekundärmetabolit verschiedener Schimmelpilze gehört das Mykotoxin Patulin zu den als Kanzerogene diskutierten Lebensmittelinhaltsstoffen natürlichen Ursprungs und kommt vor allem in braunfaulen Äpfeln und daraus verarbeiteten Lebensmitteln vor. Trotz zahlreicher in vitro- und in vivo-Studien zur Genotoxizität von Patulin, ist der Wirkmechanismus für das genotoxische Potential von Patulin weitgehend unbekannt. Um die direkte DNA-Reaktivität von Patulin als mögliche genotoxische Wirkung zu betrachten, wurde im ersten Teil der Arbeit zunächst die direkte Reaktion von Patulin mit DNA-Basen untersucht. Nach Inkubation von Patulin mit der DNA-Base Adenin wurden mittels (U)HPLC-Massenspektrometrie im Vollscan-Modus insgesamt fünf Addukte von Patulin mit Adenin identifiziert. Anhand der Fragmentierungsmuster ohne und nach Methylierung freier Carboxyl- und Ketogruppen wurde für drei Patulin-Adenin-Addukte eine Ketohexansäure-Derivat-Struktur des Patulin-Rückgrates und die Bindung des Adenin-Moleküls an C6 (C5) abgeleitet. Zusätzlich wurden zwei Addukte identifiziert, welche die gleiche Patulin-Struktur aufwiesen, jedoch je ein Molekül Adenin an C5 und C6 gebunden haben. Patulin reagierte folglich mit Adenin unter Bildung von Mono- und Diaddukten. In Gegenwart von einer zu Adenin äquimolarer Konzentrationen an Glutathion im Inkubationsansatz wurden mittels (U)HPLC-Massenspektrometrie im Vollscan-Modus die gleichen Patulin-Adenin-Addukte wie in Abwesenheit von Glutathion beschrieben beobachtet. Weiterhin wurden drei bisher unbekannte Glutathion-Patulin-Addukte identifiziert. Es handelte sich, abgeleitet von deren Fragmentierungsverhalten ohne und nach Methylierung, um C6-monosubstituierte Addukte mit Ketohexansäure-Derivat-Struktur. In einem dieser Addukte lag das Glutathion-Molekül linear gebunden vor, wohingegen in den beiden anderen Addukten die α-Aminogruppe des Glutaminsäurerestes zudem an C1 oder C7 von Patulin verknüpft war und es sich somit um 6,1- bzw. 6,7-cyclische Glutathion-Patulin-Addukte handelte. Interessanterweise, wurden sieben weitere Produktpeaks nur bei gleichzeitiger Anwesenheit beider Nukleophilkomponenten im Inkubationsansatz gebildet, was folglich auf gemischte Addukte aus Patulin, Glutathion und Adenin hinwies. Das Fragmentierunsmuster bestätigte die Anwesenheit von Adenin und Glutathion in der Adduktstruktur und zeigte zudem, dass die neuartigen Addukte Regioisomere mit Ketohexansäure-Derivat-Struktur waren, die ein 6,7-cyclisch gebundenes Glutathion-Molekül aufwiesen. Durch Methylierung der freien Carboxylgruppen innerhalb der Adduktstruktur und Analyse der Molekül- und Fragmentionen wurde die Bindung des Adenin-Moleküls lokalisiert. In zwei diastereomeren Adduktpaaren war das Adenin-Molekül an C1 über eine Amidbindung gebunden. In geringerer Intensität wurden auch zwei diastereomere gemischte Glutathion-Patulin-Adenin-Addukte mit linearem Glutathion-Molekül und C1-gebundenem Adenin-Molekül identifiziert. Die Summenformeln aller postulierten Strukturen wurden mittels hochauflösender Massenspektrometrie bestätigt. Zudem wurde ein Reaktionsmechanismus für die Bildung der neuen (Glutathion-)Patulin(-Adenin)-Addukte hergeleitet. Die Bildung gemischter Glutathion-DNA-Basen-Addukte wurde bisher weder für Patulin noch für andere α,β-ungesättigte Carbonyle beschrieben. Die Reaktion der Mischadduktbildung unterscheidet sich zudem mechanistisch von den Reaktionen, welche zur Bildung bereits bekannter Glutathion-DNA-Basen-Addukte von 1,2-Dihaloalkanen, sowie 1,2,3,4-Diepoxybutan führen. ... N2 - As a secondary metabolite of various widespread fungi, the mycotoxin patulin belongs to the diet derived mutagens of natural origin and is mainly found in moldy apples and products derived thereof. Despite numerous studies investigating the in vitro- and in vivo-genotoxicity of patulin, the mode of action of the genotoxic potential of patulin is not yet completely clarified. To consider the direct reaction with DNA as a possible cause of patulin-induced genotoxicity, the reactivity of patulin against DNA bases was investigated in the first part of this thesis. Incubation of patulin with the DNA base adenine followed by HPLC-mass spectrometry analysis in full scan mode revealed a total of five adducts of patulin with adenine. Based on their fragmentation patterns without and after methylation of free carboxyl- and keto groups, a ketohexanoic acid derivative-type structure of the patulin backbone and the linkage of adenine to C6 (C5) were suggested for three patulin-adenine adducts. In addition, two adducts were identified exhibiting the same patulin structure, but possessing two molecules of adenine at C5 and C6 of patulin. Consequently, patulin reacted with adenine forming mono- and diadducts. The influence of glutathione on the reactivity of patulin towards adenine was investigated by adding glutathione in a concentration equimolar to adenine, revealing the same patulin-adenine adducts as in the absence of glutathione. Furthermore, three hitherto unknown glutathione-patulin adducts were identified. Based on their collision-induced fragmentation pattern without and after methylation, they were suggested to be C6-monosubstituted ketohexanoic acid derivative adducts, with one adduct exhibiting a linearly bound glutathione moiety, whereas in both other adducts the α-amino group of the glutamic acid residue was additionally linked to C1 or C7 of patulin, presenting a 6,1 or 6,7-cyclic glutathione moiety. Interestingly, seven additional product peaks were formed only by simultaneous incubation of patulin with adenine and glutathione together, indicating to be mixed adducts of patulin, glutathione and adenine, which was finally confirmed by means of their fragmentation patterns. The novel adducts were identified to be regioisomers with ketohexanoic acid derivative structure, exhibiting a 6,7-cyclic glutathione moiety. The position of adenine within the adduct structure was assigned by determining the number of carboxyl groups via methylation and subsequent mass spectrometry analysis of the resulting molecular and fragment ions. In two diastereomeric pairs of adducts the adenine molecule was linked at C1 of patulin via an amide bond. In addition, two diastereomeric mixed glutathione-patulin-adenine adducts were detected at lower intensities, possessing a linear glutathione moiety and a C1-bound adenine molecule. The molecular formulas of all proposed structures were confirmed by high resolution mass spectrometry. In addition, a reaction scheme for the formation of (glutathione-)patulin(-adenine) adducts was postulated. The formation of mixed glutathione-DNA base adducts has neither been described for patulin nor for any other α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound. Furthermore, the chemical reaction leading to the formation of mixed glutathione-patulin-DNA base adducts differs mechanistically from the one leading to mixed glutathione-DNA base adducts of 1,2-dihaloalkanes as well as of 1,2,3,4-diepoxybutane. ... KW - Patulin KW - Glutathion KW - glutathione KW - DNA-Basen KW - nucleobases KW - adduct KW - Nucleinbasen KW - Addukt KW - Glutathion Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-109599 ER - 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 -