Conjugate Beta-lyase Research Articles

Thermal stability, pH dependence and inhibition of four murine kynurenine aminotransferases

BackgroundKynurenine aminotransferase (KAT) catalyzes the transamination of kynunrenine to kynurenic acid (KYNA). KYNA is a neuroactive compound and functions as an antagonist of alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and is the only known endogenous antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. Four KAT enzymes, KAT I/glutamine transaminase K/cysteine conjugate beta-lyase 1, KAT II/aminoadipate aminotransferase, KAT III/cysteine conjugate beta-lyase 2, and KAT IV/glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 2/mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase, have been reported in mammalian brains. Because of the substrate overlap of the four KAT enzymes, it is difficult to assay the specific activity of each KAT in animal brains.ResultsThis study concerns the functional expression and comparative characterization of KAT I, II, III, and IV from mice. At the applied test conditions, equimolar tryptophan with kynurenine significantly inhibited only mouse KAT I and IV, equimolar methionine inhibited only mouse KAT III and equimolar aspartate inhibited only mouse KAT IV. The activity of mouse KAT II was not significantly inhibited by any proteinogenic amino acids at equimolar concentrations. pH optima, temperature preferences of four KATs were also tested in this study. Midpoint temperatures of the protein melting, half life values at 65°C, and pKa values of mouse KAT I, II, III, and IV were 69.8, 65.9, 64.8 and 66.5°C; 69.7, 27.4, 3.9 and 6.5 min; pH 7.6, 5.7, 8.7 and 6.9, respectively.ConclusionThe characteristics reported here could be used to develop specific assay methods for each of the four murine KATs. These specific assays could be used to identify which KAT is affected in mouse models for research and to develop small molecule drugs for prevention and treatment of KAT-involved human diseases.

Structure, expression, and function of kynurenine aminotransferases in human and rodent brains.

Kynurenine aminotransferases (KATs) catalyze the synthesis of kynurenic acid (KYNA), an endogenous antagonist of N-methyl-D: -aspartate and alpha 7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Abnormal KYNA levels in human brains are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurological disorders. Four KATs have been reported in mammalian brains, KAT I/glutamine transaminase K/cysteine conjugate beta-lyase 1, KAT II/aminoadipate aminotransferase, KAT III/cysteine conjugate beta-lyase 2, and KAT IV/glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 2/mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase. KAT II has a striking tertiary structure in N-terminal part and forms a new subgroup in fold type I aminotransferases, which has been classified as subgroup Iepsilon. Knowledge regarding KATs is vast and complex; therefore, this review is focused on recent important progress of their gene characterization, physiological and biochemical function, and structural properties. The biochemical differences of four KATs, specific enzyme activity assays, and the structural insights into the mechanism of catalysis and inhibition of these enzymes are discussed.

Metabolism of trichloroethylene.

A major focus in the study of metabolism and disposition of trichloroethylene (TCE) is to identify metabolites that can be used reliably to assess flux through the various pathways of TCE metabolism and to identify those metabolites that are causally associated with toxic responses. Another important issue involves delineation of sex- and species-dependent differences in biotransformation pathways. Defining these differences can play an important role in the utility of laboratory animal data for understanding the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of TCE in humans. Sex-, species-, and strain-dependent differences in absorption and distribution of TCE may play some role in explaining differences in metabolism and susceptibility to toxicity from TCE exposure. The majority of differences in susceptibility, however, are likely due to sex-, species-, and strain-dependent differences in activities of the various enzymes that can metabolize TCE and its subsequent metabolites. An additional factor that plays a role in human health risk assessment for TCE is the high degree of variability in the activity of certain enzymes. TCE undergoes metabolism by two major pathways, cytochrome P450 (P450)-dependent oxidation and conjugation with glutathione (GSH). Key P450-derived metabolites of TCE that have been associated with specific target organs, such as the liver and lungs, include chloral hydrate, trichloroacetate, and dichloroacetate. Metabolites derived from the GSH conjugate of TCE, in contrast, have been associated with the kidney as a target organ. Specifically, metabolism of the cysteine conjugate of TCE by the cysteine conjugate ss-lyase generates a reactive metabolite that is nephrotoxic and may be nephrocarcinogenic. Although the P450 pathway is a higher activity and higher affinity pathway than the GSH conjugation pathway, one should not automatically conclude that the latter pathway is only important at very high doses. A synthesis of this information is then presented to assess how experimental data, from either animals or from (italic)in vitro (/italic)studies, can be extrapolated to humans for risk assessment. (italic)Key words(/italic): conjugate beta-lyase, cysteine glutathione, cytochrome P450, glutathione (italic)S(/italic)-transferases, metabolism, sex dependence, species dependence, tissue dependence, trichloroethylene.