Epidemiologic and genetic follow-up study of 544 Minnesota breast cancer families: design and methods

In 1944, a case-control family study was initiated at the Dight Institute for Human Genetics at the University of Minnesota to study the influences of childbearing breastfeeding, and hereditary susceptibility on the occurrence and age-of-onset of breast cancer. Index cases (probands) were women ascertained at the Tumor Clinic of the University of Minnesota Hospital. Medical history and life style information were obtained on probands and relatives, and all cancers were histologically verified. A total of 544 families were studied, with probands diagnosed between 1931 and 1952. All of the records and pathology slides have been maintained from the original study; for most probands this includes the original tissue blocks. We are conducting a historical cohort study of selected of selected first- and second-degree female relatives (sisters, daughters, nieces, granddaughters) of the probands and a group of control women identified as the spouses of all male first- and second-degree relatives (brothers, sons, grandsons, and nephews). The subsequent development of breast cancer is being determined to quantify the absolute risk associated with a positive family history. Current disease status is ascertained with mammography, and stromal density is measured using digital imaging. Segregation analysis will be applied to examine how non-genetic factors such as diet, exogenous hormone use, and body fat distribution influence risk in women at high risk because of family history. A subset of families are being selected for molecular analysis of the BRCA1 gene or for linkage analyses to identify putative susceptibility loci other than BRCA1. Documented cancer histories were known for at least three generations, and the current study extends the pedigrees up to four or five generations for every family, allowing a detailed description of familial risk. This cohort study of breast cancer families is likely to be important in both quantity and quality of data and will serve as a major genetic epidemiologic resource, being free of selection bias and having relevant non-genetic exposure determined in at least four generations.

Enoyl-coenzyme A hydratase-catalyzed exchange of the alpha-protons of coenzyme A thiol esters: a model for an enolized intermediate in the enzyme-catalyzed elimination?

3-Quinuclidinone catalyzes the exchange of the alpha-protons of butyryl-coenzyme A (CoA) with a second-order rate constant of 2.4 x 10(-6) M-1 s-1. In contrast, enoyl-CoA hydratase catalyzes the stereospecific exchange of the pro-2S proton of butyryl-CoA with a maximum second-order rate constant of ca. 8 x 10(2) M-1 s-1. This isotope exchange reaction is completely stereospecific within the limits of experimental detection (over 600-fold). The enzyme-catalyzed exchange is dependent on pD, decreasing above a pKa of 8.8 and below a pKa of 8.1, but independent of the buffer concentration. The stereospecificity of the exchange was unexpected because the pro-2R hydrogen is abstracted during the enzyme-catalyzed dehydration of 3(S)-hydroxybutyryl-CoA. In spite of the ability to exchange the pro-2S hydrogen, the stereospecificity of the dehydration reaction was determined to be better than 1 in 10(5) as no incorporation of 2H into the alpha-position of crotonyl-CoA or into the pro-2S position of 3(S)-hydroxybutyryl-CoA was detected during prolonged equilibrations with enoyl-CoA hydratase. Both the exchange of the alpha-proton and the dehydration activity of the enzyme are diminished by over 100-fold in a site-directed mutation of rat liver enoyl-CoA hydratase, where glutamate-164 is changed to glutamine, strongly suggesting that the same active site base is responsible for proton abstraction in both the dehydration and solvent exchange reactions. The enoyl-CoA hydratase-catalyzed exchange of the alpha-protons becomes nonstereospecific when the acidity of the alpha-protons is enhanced. While alpha-proton abstraction can be observed when no elimination reaction is possible, there is no evidence for proton abstraction without elimination in the crotonase equilibrations with 3(S)-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA, or 3-chloropropionyl-CoA. The differences in the isotope exchange and dehydration reactions emphasize the importance of the 3-hydroxyl group in promoting elimination and are consistent with a concerted elimination mechanism.

Semiempirical calculations of the oxygen equilibrium isotope effect on binding of oxamate to lactate dehydrogenase

Semiempirical methods have been used in an attempt to predict theoretically the experimentally observed value of 0.9840 for the oxygen isotope effect on binding of oxamate to lactate dehydrogenase. The overall strategy involved vibrational analysis of oxamate in two different environments; that of the active site residues and in aqueous solution. The comparison of calculated values with the experimentally determined isotope effect proved the AM1 Hamiltonian to be superior to the PM3 Hamiltonian in this modelling. While most tested methods of accounting for solvent effects on the vibrational frequencies of the solute yielded similar results it turned out that what was crucial for the purpose of determination of the isotope effect was the model of oxamate in the active site of the enzyme. In particular, the major factor responsible for the inverse value of this isotope effect can be ascribed to the formation of an ordered, bifurcated hydrogen bond between the oxamate carboxylate and the guanidinium group of the active site histidine.

Electronic rearrangement induced by substrate analog binding to the enoyl-CoA hydratase active site: evidence for substrate activation

A series of alpha,beta unsaturated CoA thiol esters have been characterized spectroscopically when they form noncovalent complexes at the active site of enoyl-CoA hydratase. The UV spectra of all of the thiol esters display significant red shifts when the esters are bound to the crotonase active site. The red shift increases with the ability of a para substituent of substituted cinnamoyl-CoA thiol esters to donate electrons by resonance. The affinity of the substituted cinnamoyl-CoA thiol esters is enhanced by electron-donating substituents, with the slope of the log of the ratio of the inhibition constants versus sigma p+ being near unity. Affinity is also increased by either para or meta electron-withdrawing substituents, suggesting that the enzyme stabilizes a partial positive charge at C-3. Binding to crotonase was shown to decrease the shielding of [3-13C,3-2H]cinnamoyl-CoA by +3.2 ppm, consistent with an increased partial positive charge at C-3. The Raman spectra of cinnamoyl-CoA bound at the crotonase active site similarly reflect the significant electronic ground state changes in the pi electronic structure of the bound substrate. These data show that a major rearrangement of electrons occurs in the acryloyl portion of the cinnamoyl group upon binding, while only a minor perturbation occurs to the distribution of electrons in the phenyl ring.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Primary and secondary kinetic isotope effects as probes of the mechanism of yeast enolase

Enolase catalyzes the interconversion of 2-phosphoglycerate and phosphoenolpyruvate. Kinetic isotope effects have been used to determine whether abstraction of the proton from C-2 and loss of hydroxide from C-3 of 2-phosphoglycerate occur in a concerted reaction or as sequential processes and whether these steps are kinetically significant for the enolase-catalyzed reaction. Enolase exhibits a significant primary deuterium isotope effect, as well as catalyzing the relatively rapid exchange of the C-2 proton with solvent water. Secondary C-3 deuterium isotope effects are also reported, both when the C-2 carbon carries a hydrogen and when this center is deuterated. These results provide information about the kinetic significance and timing of the transition state(s) associated with the loss of H+ and OH-. Strong evidence has been presented for a stepwise mechanism where both the rate of proton abstraction and one or both of the later transition states, i.e., those associated with hydroxide loss and product release, limit the overall reaction rate. If a concerted reaction were to be invoked, the presence of a small secondary 2H isotope effect in combination with the observed rate of exchange of the C-2 proton require the intrinsic secondary 2H kinetic isotope effect to be effectively unity. For the concerted mechanism, an intrinsic effect of unity would be consistent only with an extremely asymmetric transition state that is dominated by C-H bond cleavage.

Nonhomogeneous labeling of liver extra-mitochondrial acetyl-CoA. Implications for the probing of lipogenic acetyl-CoA via drug acetylation and for the production of acetate by the liver

The labeling of liver extra-mitochondrial acetyl-CoA was investigated in isolated rat livers perfused with [2-(13)C]acetate, [1-(13)C]octanoate, or [1,2,3,4-(13)C4]docosanoate and with drugs that undergo acetylation (phenylaminobutyrate, paraaminobenzoate, and sulfamethoxazole; singly or in combination). The 13C enrichment of mitochondrial acetyl-CoA was probed by the enrichment of R-beta-hydroxybutyrate. The latter was not enriched from [1,2,3,4-(13)C4]docosanoate, thus excluding mitochondrial beta-oxidation of docosanoate. The 13C enrichment of extra-mitochondrial acetyl-CoA was probed by the enrichments of acetylated drugs and of free acetate. In most cases, the four probes yielded different enrichments. Thus, extra-mitochondrial acetyl-CoA appears nonhomogeneous. Competition between drugs alters the labeling of individual acetyl-CoA sub-pools. The labeling pattern of acetylated drugs suggests the existence of more than the two N-acetyltransferases identified so far by others. Our data question the possibility of probing the pool of lipogenic acetyl-CoA via drug acetylation.

Assay of the concentration and 13C enrichment of acetate and acetyl-CoA by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

We present two techniques for determining the concentration and 13C enrichment of acetate in biological fluids. After the sample has been spiked with an internal standard of [2,2,2,2H3,1-13C]acetate, acetate is first enzymatically converted to acetyl-coenzyme A, which is chemically converted to acetylglycine. The latter is analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, either as a methyl ester by positive chemical ionization or as a pentafluorobenzyl ester by negative chemical ionization. The mole percentage enrichment of tissue acetyl-CoA can also be assayed after conversion to acetylglycine pentafluorobenzyl ester.

beta-Amyloid precursor protein fragments and lysosomal dense bodies are found in rat brain neurons after ventricular infusion of leupeptin

Infusion of the serine and thiol protease inhibitor, leupeptin, is known to cause a reduction of fast axoplasmic transport, and accumulation of lysosomal dense bodies in neuronal perikarya. We have found these dense bodies in hippocampal and cerebellar neurons contain ubiquitin conjugated proteins. We now demonstrate that these accumulated neuronal lysosomes are labeled by antisera to the cytoplasmic, transmembrane and extracellular domains of beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) and also that lysosomal APP is fragmented. This in vivo model confirms that neurons can process APP via a lysosomal pathway and that neuronal lysosomes in vivo contain both N-terminal and potentially amyloidogenic C-terminal fragments of APP. We also show that increased APP immunoreactivity after leupeptin treatment is seen first in neurons and later in astrocytes. On recovery from infusion, APP N-terminal immunoreactivity diminishes whilst C-terminal reactivity remains in neurons. These findings are consistent with production in whole brain of potentially amyloidogenic fragments of APP within neuronal lysosomes in perikarya and dendrites implying that neurons may play a role in forming the beta-amyloid of plaques.

Routes of excretion of neuronal lysosomal dense bodies after ventricular infusion of leupeptin in the rat: a study using ubiquitin and PGP 9.5 immunocytochemistry

To determine the rate and routes of removal of lysosomal, lipofuscin-like dense bodies from neurons, the protease inhibitor, leupeptin, was infused into the lateral ventricle of rats for up to nine days. After seven days a number of animals were then allowed to recover. The formation and later disappearance of dense bodies was followed by morphology and immunocytochemistry. After 48 h of infusion lysosomal dense bodies in large numbers appeared in cortical, hippocampal and cerebellar neurons, which also showed increased ubiquitin immunoreactivity, as well as in other cell types. By 3-4 days ubiqutin-immunoreactive dense bodies were equally distributed between neurons and astroglia. After seven to nine days of infusion ubiquitin immunoreactive dense bodies filled neuronal perikarya, dendrites and expanded initial segments of many axons and were abundant in glial processes. All dense bodies studied by electron microscopy were ubiquitin immunoreactive. After four days of recovery dense bodies were markedly fewer in neuronal perikarya, and virtually all were now within glial processes. From 7 to 28 days of recovery, when most neurons appeared normal, lipofuscin bodies remained in axon initial segments and in reduced numbers in glial processes, particularly around blood vessels and beneath the pia of hippocampus and of cerebellar cortex. Thus, neurons probably have a steady passage of short lived proteins through the lysosomal excretory pathway. The observed temporal sequence of events on recovery suggests that secondary lysosomes probably pass rapidly from neuronal perikarya and dendrites to astrocytes and thus to the vascular bed or pia-arachnoid. The mechanism of cell-to-cell transfer is not clear from this study.

Seizure characteristics in chromosome 20 benign familial neonatal convulsions

We studied a kindred of 69 affected individuals with the autosomal dominant epileptic syndrome of benign familial neonatal convulsions, linked to chromosome 20. Forty-two percent had their seizure onset on day 3, while remission took place in 68% during the first 6 weeks. Seizures were brief and the phenotype was of a mixed seizure type, starting with tonic posture, ocular symptoms, apnea, and other autonomic features. The seizure often progressed to clonic movements and motor automatisms. The postictal state was brief, and interictally the neonates looked well. The ictal EEG pattern with generalized suppression of amplitude on onset may be relatively unique. Neurocognitive outcome was usually normal, but the risk for subsequent epilepsy was 16%. Most of the later epilepsy was generalized tonic or tonic-clonic, and some seizures were provoked, raising the possibility of an unusual form of reflex epilepsy.

'Footprinting' proteins on DNA with peroxonitrous acid

The peroxonitrite anion (ONOO-) is a stable species in alkaline solution that quickly generates a strong oxidant at neutral pH. A convenient procedure for the preparation of ONOOK has been developed based on the procedure of Keith & Powell [(1969) J. Chem. Soc. A, 90], which when added to a sample of duplex DNA buffered at neutral pH rapidly generates a strong oxidant capable of nonspecifically cleaving the DNA present. We show that this solution containing ONOOK can be used to hydroxyl radical footprint the binding the cl-repressor (cl) of phage lambda with the right operator, OR. In addition, we show that the individual-site binding isotherms determined by quantitative DNase I, Fe-EDTA and ONOOK footprinting are identical within experimental error. The identical isotherms obtained with the three different reagents with greatly differing sampling times indicates that the sampling time of the footprinting probe need not be short relative to the kinetic dissociation constants that govern protein-DNA interactions.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryldithio-CoA: utility of an alternative substrate in elucidation of a role for HMG-CoA lyase's cation activator

(S)-(3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-1-thionoglutaryl)-Coenzyme A (HMG[= S]CoA), a dithioester analog of (S)-(3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl)-CoA (HMG-CoA), acts as an efficient alternative substrate for avian HMG-CoA lyase. Detection of product formation by HPLC, UV absorbance and coupled enzyme assays indicates that HMG[= S]CoA cleavage yields acetyl[= S]CoA and acetoacetate. HMG[= S]CoA binds to the lyase with a Km of 13 microM and undergoes the cleavage reaction at a maximal rate which is 20% of that observed with HMG-CoA. The enzyme-catalyzed cleavage of both HMG-CoA and HMG[= S]CoA is stimulated by the divalent cations Mg2+ and Mn2+. Mg2+ produces a 2-fold higher stimulation of HMG-CoA cleavage than that observed with Mn2+. In contrast, stimulation of HMG[= S]CoA cleavage is nearly seven times higher with Mn2+ than with Mg2+. Not only is the stimulation of enzymatic activity dependent on the cation, but also the Km values for Mg2+ and Mn2+ are dependent upon the substrate used. In contrast, the Km values for HMG-CoA and HMG[= S]CoA are not markedly dependent on the identity of the divalent cation. These results are compatible with the initial formation of a binary enzyme-substrate complex prior to binding of the divalent cation to produce a catalytically active enzyme-substrate-metal ternary complex.

Intermolecular nitrogen transfer in the enzymic conversion of glutamate to delta-aminolevulinic acid by extracts of Chlorella vulgaris

delta-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA), the universal biosynthetic precursor of tetrapyrrole pigments, is synthesized from glutamate in plants, algae, and many bacteria via a three-step process that begins with activation by ligation of glutamate to tRNA(Glu), followed by reduction to glutamate-1-semialdehyde (GSA) and conversion of GSA to ALA. The GSA aminotransferase step requires no substrate other than GSA. A previous study examined whether the aminotransferase reaction proceeds via intramolecular or intermolecular N transfer and concluded that the reaction catalyzed by Chlamydomonas extracts occurs via intermolecular N transfer (Y.-H.L. Mau and W.-Y. Wang [1988] Plant Physiol 86: 793-797). However, in that study the possibility was not excluded that the result was a consequence of N exchange among product ALA molecules during the incubation, rather than intermolecular N transfer during the conversion of GSA to ALA. Therefore, this question was reexamined in another species and with additional controls. A gel-filtered extract of Chlorella vulgaris cells was incubated with ATP, Mg2+, NADPH, tRNA, and a mixture of L-glutamate molecules, one-half of which were labeled with 15N and the other half with 13C at C-1. The ALA product was purified, derivatized, and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A significant fraction of the ALA molecules was heavy by two mass units, indicating incorporation of both 15N and 13C. These results show that the N and C atoms of each ALA molecule were derived from different glutamate molecules. Control experiments indicated that the results could not be attributed to exchange of N atoms between glutamate or ALA molecules during the incubation. These results confirm the earlier conclusion that GSA is converted to ALA via intermolecular N transfer and extend the results to another species. The labeling results, combined with the results of kinetic and inhibitor studies, support a model for the GSA aminotransferase reaction in which a single molecule of GSA is converted to ALA via an enzyme-bound 4,5-diaminovaleric acid intermediate.

Ubiquitin, PGP 9.5 and dense body formation in trimethyltin intoxication: differential neuronal responses to chemically induced cell damage

Ubiquitin in normal cells may be important in degrading or transferring short-lived or aberrant proteins to lysosomal dense bodies. To examine its role in degrading proteins produced by a chemical insult, changes in the distribution of ubiquitin and the carboxy-terminal hydrolase, PGP 9.5, have been studied in rat hippocampal neurons and cerebellar Purkinje cells in trimethyltin intoxication. Here tubulovesicular dense bodies (TVBs) form from 12h onwards associated with vacuolation of the Golgi apparatus. Striking accumulations of lysosomal dense bodies follow in hippocampal pyramidal cells but not in cerebellar Purkinje cells; many of the hippocampal neurons later die, while the Purkinje cells generally survive. Ubiquitin immunoreactivity was diffusely increased in hippocampal pyramidal and Purkinje cells 6 h after dosing. By 12 h both diffuse and granular ubiquitin immunoreactivity was present that intensified over 24 and 48 h. Both by light and electron microscopy TVBs showed ubiquitin immunoreactivity, but dense bodies in hippocampal perikarya did not stain with an anti-ubiquitin antibody. PGP 9.5 immunoreactivity was not altered in hippocampal cells at any time, while Purkinje and Golgi cell dendrites and perikarya showed intensified labelling at 3 h that reached a peak of 12 h. At 48 h Western blot analysis of hippocampal homogenates showed significant increases in high molecular weight (HMW) ubiquitin conjugates, while cerebellar homogenates showed an increase in ubiquitin-histone conjugates. Northern blot analyses showed no change in ubiquitin or PGP9.5 gene expression in hippocampus or cerebellum. These findings suggest that the material in the TVBs in hippocampal cells is not being degraded by the ubiquitin system but passes ubiquitinated into the lysosomal system, while material in Purkinje cell TVBs is degraded by the ubiquitin system, suggesting it may have a different composition in each type of neuron.

Hippocampal and neocortical ubiquitin-immunoreactive inclusions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with dementia

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with dementia were found to have ubiquitin-immunoreactive (IR) inclusions in the dentate granule cells of the hippocampus. These inclusions were also present in some patients with minor cognitive changes but otherwise typical ALS. Ubiquitin-IR inclusions were also found in neurons of superficial layers of the frontal and temporal cortex and in the entorhinal cortex in patients with ALS and dementia. These ubiquitin-IR inclusions were non-argyrophilic, and were not labelled by antibodies which identify Alzheimer's neurofibrillary tangles and Pick bodies, nor were they typical of cortical Lewy bodies. Our findings indicate that ubiquitin-IR inclusions in small neurons of the hippocampus, entorhinal area and neocortex are a characteristic feature of degeneration of non-motor cortex in ALS, and are particularly associated with cognitive impairment and dementia of frontal lobe type.

An inquiry into the source of stereospecificity of lactate dehydrogenase using substrate analogues and molecular modeling

Lactate dehydrogenase catalyzes the stereospecific hydride transfer to and from the re face of the nicotinamide coenzyme. The demonstrated probability of transfer to the si face of less than 2 x 10(-8) indicates that the free energy of any diastereotopic transition state leading to a si transfer must be over 10 kcal/mol greater than the free energy for transfer to or from the re face. The general notion of closed, desolvated active sites suggests the a priori hypothesis that steric hindrance prevents the nicotinamide ring from assuming a conformation that would lead to transfer of the pro-S hydrogen. In this paper we report that the probability of transfer of the pro-S proton is less than 9 x 10(-7) with 3-pyridinealdehyde adenine dinucleotide as coenzyme and less than 4 x 10(-7) during the lactate dehydrogenase catalyzed disproportionation of glyoxylate. Examination of the crystal structure of lactate dehydrogenase further suggests that steric exclusion does not enforce the extreme stereospecificity of the reaction. An electrostatic interaction with the macrodipole associated with the alpha 2F helix is suggested as a potential molecular source of the stereospecificity.

Detection of acyl-coenzyme A thioester intermediates of fatty acid beta-oxidation as the N-acylglycines by negative-ion chemical ionization gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

An analytical method for the separation and quantitation of acyl-CoA thioesters by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is described. The method utilizes glycine aminolysis of the acyl-CoA thiolesters, esterification with pentafluorobenzyl bromide followed by gas chromatographic separation, and detection by negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry of the N-acylpentafluorobenzyl glycinates. The glycine aminolysis provides over 100-fold discrimination against oxygen esters and obviates the difficulty of removing trace contaminants of free fatty acids. The limit of detection of the described methodology for palmitoyl-CoA has been found to be 300 fmol, which improves at shorter chain lengths. Baseline separation was obtained for a standard mixture of seven acyl-CoAs (60 pmol injected) containing butyryl-CoA, hexanoyl-CoA, octanoyl-CoA, decanoyl-CoA, lauroyl-CoA, myristoyl-CoA, and palmitoyl-CoA. The above procedure is also applicable to the alpha-beta unsaturated and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA derivatives, making it possible to quantify all of the intermediates in fatty acid oxidation, except the 3-ketoacyl-CoAs, in a single procedure.

Highly stable, monochromatic and tunable optical radiation source and its application to high accuracy spectrophotometry

An optical radiation source has been developed by coupling a dye laser to a small integrating sphere with an optical fiber. The radiant power from this source, which is monochromatic and spectrally tunable, has been stabilized to +/-0.02%. Nonuniformities in the emitted optical radiation field caused by speckle have been overcome by vibrating the fiber at ultrasonic frequencies. The source has been successfully used in a spectrophotometer to measure the transmittance of a large lens with an uncertainty of +/-0.01%, and the spectral responsivity of a filter radiometer with an uncertainty of +/-0.04%.

Crotonase-catalyzed beta-elimination is concerted: a double isotope effect study

Determining the sequence of bond cleavages, and consequently the nature of intermediates, in enzyme-catalyzed reactions is a major goal of mechanistic enzymology. When significant primary isotope effects on V/K are observed for two different bond cleavages, both bonds may be broken in the same transition state or they can reflect two different transition states that are of nearly identical energy and consequently both are partially rate limiting. For the crotonase-catalyzed dehydration of 3-hydroxybutyrylpantetheine, the primary D(V/K) and 18(V/K) are 1.60 and 1.053 [Bahnson, B. J., & Anderson, V. E. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 4173-4181], respectively. In this case, double isotope effects can discriminate between the two possibilities [Hermes, J. D., Roeske, C. A., O'Leary, M. H., & Cleland, W. W. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 5106-5114; Belasco, J. G., Albery, W. J., & Knowles, J. R. (1983) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 105, 2475-2477]. The ratio of the alpha-secondary D(V/K) for the hydration of crotonylpantetheine catalyzed by crotonase in H2O and D2O has been determined to be 1.003 +/- 0.006. The invariance of the alpha-secondary effect where the chemical reaction is completely rate determining requires that both bond cleavages be concerted or that the substitution of 2H at the primary position not significantly alter the partitioning of a hypothetical carbanion. The observation of a solvent discrimination isotope effect determined from the relative incorporation of 2H from 50% D2O of 1.60 +/- 0.03, identical with the primary D(V/K), and the determination that the rate of exchange of the abstracted proton with solvent proceeds at less than 3% of the overall reaction rate also fail to provide evidence for a carbanion intermediate and are consistent with a concerted reaction. Identical primary D(V/K)s determined in H2O and D2O indicate that there is not a significant solvent isotope effect on C-O bond cleavage. The isotope ratios determined in these studies were performed by negative ion chemical ionization whole molecule mass spectrometry of the pentafluorobenzyl esters, a new method whose validity is established by comparison with previously determined kinetic and equilibrium isotope effects.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryldithio-coenzyme A: a potent inhibitor of Pseudomonas mevalonii HMG-CoA reductase

3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-1-thionoglutaryl-coenzyme A, a dithioester analog of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA, has been enzymatically synthesized using the HMG-CoA synthase catalyzed condensation of acetyl-CoA with 3-oxo-1-thionobutyryl-CoA. HMGdithio-CoA is a potent inhibitor of Pseudomonas mevalonii HMG-CoA reductase. Inhibition was mainly competitive with respect to HMG-CoA with a Kis of 0.086 +/- .01 microM and noncompetitive with respect to NADH with a Kis of 3.7 +/- 1.5 microM and a Kii of 0.65 +/- .05 microM in the presence of 110 microM (R.S)-HMG-CoA.

An acyl-coenzyme A chain length dependent assay for 3-oxoacyl-coenzyme A thiolases employing acetyldithio-coenzyme A

An assay for 3-oxoacyl-coenzyme A (3-oxoacyl-CoA) thiolases is described. The reaction utilizes acetyldithio-CoA as the nucleophile and variable chain length saturated acyl-CoA's as the electrophiles. The properties of the 3-oxoacyl-CoA dithioester product, notably a pKa of 6.6 +/- 0.1 and an extinction coefficient of 21,600 cm-1 M-1 for the enethiolate at 357 nm, make it possible to spectrophotometrically follow the reaction in the thermodynamically unfavorable carbon-carbon bond-forming direction. These properties eliminate both the background decomposition and the dependence on Mg2+, chain length, and pH that complicate assays with 3-oxoacyl-CoA substrates. Purified thiolase I from pig liver was 140-fold more active with butyryl-CoA as the electrophile than with acetyl-CoA and 38-fold more reactive with hexanoyl-CoA than with myristoyl-CoA. Beef liver homogenate showed a much greater relative activity with myristoyl-CoA as the electrophile than either purified pig heart thiolase I or pig heart homogenate. The analysis of the separation of thiolases by anion-exchange chromatography is simplified and further suggests the existence of isozymes with varying chain length specificities.

Phosphonate analogue substrates for enolase

Phosphonate analogues in which the bridge between C-2 and phosphorus is a CH2 group are slow substrates for yeast enolase. The pH variation of the kinetic parameters for the methylene analogue of 2-phosphoglycerate suggests that the substrate binds as a dianion and that Mg2+ can bind subsequently only if a metal ligand and the catalytic base are unprotonated. Primary deuterium isotope effects of 4-8 on V/KMg, but ones of only 1.15-1.32 on V for dehydration, show that proton removal to give the carbanion intermediate largely limits V/KMg and that a slow step follows which largely limits V (presumably carbanion breakdown). Since there is a D2O solvent isotope effect on V for the reverse reaction of 5, but not an appreciable one on the forward reaction, it appears that the slow rates with phosphonate analogues result from the fact that the carbanion intermediate is more stable than that formed from the normal substrates, and its reaction in both directions limits V. Increased stability as a result of replacement of oxygen by carbon at C-2 of the carbanion is the expected chemical behavior.

Seizure recurrence after a 1st unprovoked seizure: an extended follow-up

We followed 208 patients identified on the day of their 1st unprovoked seizure for a mean duration of 4 years. Seizures recurred in 64. Recurrence risks were estimated to be 14%, 29%, and 34% at 1, 3, and 5 years following the 1st episode. A history of previous neurologic insult (remote symptomatic) was associated with a 2.5-fold increased risk of recurrence. Among idiopathic cases, a sibling with epilepsy, a generalized spike and wave EEG, or a history of acute symptomatic seizure increased risk for recurrence. Among remote symptomatic cases, status epilepticus, a prior acute symptomatic seizure, or Todd's paresis increased risk. Depending upon clinical features, recurrence risk at 5 years following a 1st seizure ranged from 23% to 80%. Treatment with anticonvulsant medication was not associated with a decrease in recurrence risks.

Incidence of thin membrane nephropathy: morphometric investigation of a population sample

To explore the incidence of thin membrane nephropathy (thin basement membrane syndrome, benign familial haematuria), glomerular basement membrane thickness was assessed by light and electron microscopy and by morphometry in a series of newly transplanted allograft kidneys, in lieu of normal kidney specimens. Five of the 76 donors possessed an abnormally thin basement membrane, similar to that observed in thin membrane nephropathy, while in two others the measurements fell in the overlap range between thin and normal. Seven donors therefore had a definite or possible basement membrane lesion. After taking account of an additional series of controls, unrelated to transplantation, it is suggested that the incidence of this abnormality in the general population lies between 5.2% and 9.2%. Circumstances did not allow any association between a thin basement membrane and haematuria or other clinical manifestations to be detected.

The reaction of acetyldithio-CoA, a readily enolized analog of acetyl-CoA with thiolase from Zoogloea ramigera

Acetyldithio-CoA has been shown to be a competent nucleophilic substrate but not an electrophilic substrate for the Claisen condensation catalyzed by thiolase, which normally dimerizes acetyl (Ac)-CoA to acetoacetyl-CoA. Acting as the nucleophile, the kcat/Km for dithioacetyl-CoA is comparable to that of Ac-CoA, the normal substrate. With acetoacetyl-pantetheine acetylating the thiolase to provide the electrophile, the kcat and kcat/Km for the Claisen condensation are 2.1 s-1 and 8.3 X 10(4) M-1 s-1, respectively. The product of the reaction is 3-ketobutyryldithio-CoA. The 3-ketobutyryldithio-CoA has a spectrally determined pKa of 6.55 and the enolate has a lambda max of 357 nm, epsilon 357 = 21,000 cm-1 M-1. Product analysis indicates that acetyldithio-CoA does not serve as the electrophilic partner in the enzymic condensation. This failure is attributed to the inability demonstrated in this study of acetyldithio-CoA to thioacetylate the active site Cys89 of the Zoogloea ramigera thiolase. 1H NMR studies in D2O indicate that thiolase catalyzes the exchange of the alpha-hydrogens, without Cys89 being acetylated, with a rate of 0.63 +/- 0.25 s-1. In the presence of a large excess of acetoacetyl-pantetheine, present to acetylate Cys89 and prevent the thiolytic back reaction, solvent exchange of the alpha-hydrogens can still be detected by observing the isotope-shifted 13C NMR spectrum of [2-13C]acetyldithio-CoA. The exchange of the acetyldithio-CoA alpha-hydrogens with solvent promoted by the acetylated enzyme, must proceed at a rate comparable to that of the condensation reaction.