WET, a T1- and B1-insensitive water-suppression method for in vivo localized 1H NMR spectroscopy

Solution structure and antiestrogenic activity of the unique C-terminal, NR-box motif-containing region of MTA1s

Metastasis tumor-associated 1 short form (MTA1s) is a naturally occurring, alternatively spliced variant of MTA1 that functions as a repressor of estrogen receptor (ER) alpha transcriptional functions, at least in part by binding and sequestering ERalpha in the cytoplasm. A unique C-terminal 33-amino acid region containing a nuclear receptor (NR)-box motif (-LRILL-) mediates binding of MTA1s with ERalpha and is indispensable in this interaction. Here, we elucidated the solution structure of this 33-amino acid region by NMR spectroscopy. We found a predominance of the alpha-helical region toward the N-terminal region, which includes the NR-box motif. In silico docking and comparison studies showed similarities between the NR-box motif of MTA1s and a similar motif of coregulators, both in structure and mode of ERalpha binding. In MCF-7 breast cancer cells, the MTA1s peptide effectively repressed ERalpha transactivation function, as evidenced by the estrogen response element-luc assay and down-regulation of estrogen-induced genes. In mechanistic studies, we found that the antiestrogenic effects of the MTA1s peptide were due to its ability to compete with the coactivator recruitment to ERalpha. Furthermore, the peptide efficiently repressed estrogen-induced proliferation and anchorage-independent growth of MCF-7 cells. In addition, the MTA1s peptide blocked the progression of tumors formed by MCF-7 cells overexpressing an ERalpha coactivator in a xenograft-based assay. In brief, the characterization of structure and antiestrogenic activity of MTA1s peptide highlight its therapeutic potential.

Proton spectral editing for discrimination of lactate and threonine 1.31 ppm resonances in human brain in vivo

A single-voxel proton NMR J-difference editing method for discriminating between the 1.31 ppm resonances of lactate (Lac) and threonine (Thr) in human brain in vivo at 3 T is reported. One double-band and two triple-band Gaussian 180 degrees RF pulses, all with a bandwidth of 15 Hz, were employed within an adiabatic-refocused double-echo localization sequence to induce the target signals of Lac and Thr and simultaneously acquire a creatine singlet in each subscan. The optimum echo time and the editing efficiency were obtained by numerical analysis of the filtering performance. The Lac and Thr signals were extracted, without lipid contamination, from three subspectra. Using the calculated yields, the concentrations of Lac and Thr in the human occipital cortex were estimated to be 0.47+/-0.07 and 0.56+/-0.06 mM (mean+/-SD, N=7), respectively, with reference to Cr at 8 mM.

In vivo detection of brain glycine with echo-time-averaged (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 4.0 T

A single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) method is described that enables the in vivo measurement of endogenous brain glycine (Gly) levels in human subjects. At 4.0 T, TE-averaging (1)H-MRS dramatically attenuates the overlapping myo-inositol (mI) resonances at 3.52 ppm, permitting a more reliable measure of the Gly singlet peak. This methodology initially is described and tested in phantoms. The phantom data infers that the 3.55-ppm peak predominantly is Gly with a smaller contribution from mI. The composite resonance thus is differentiated from pure Gly and mI and is labeled Gly*. The mI contribution was calculated as <2% of the total Gly* signal for a 1:1 mI/Gly mixture. The technique subsequently was used to acquire TE-averaged (1)H-MRS data from the occipital cortex of healthy control subjects. The resultant spectra closely resembled experimental phantom data. LC-model analysis provided a means for quantifying TE-averaged (1)H-MRS spectra and a mean test-retest variability measure of 15% was established for brain Gly* levels in studies of six healthy subjects.

Optimization of Diffusion-Filtered NMR Experiments for Selective Suppression of Residual Nondeuterated Solvent and Water Signals from 1H NMR Spectra of Organic Compounds

Interpretation of 1H NMR spectra of organic compounds is sometimes hampered by the presence of strong peaks arising from residual nondeuterated solvent and water that obscure compound signals. Classical solvent suppression techniques such as presaturation or those based on pulsed field gradients are not effective in this regard because they also remove the compound resonances that overlap with the solvent signal being suppressed. Here, we propose an alternative scheme by using an optimized NMR diffusion filter that eliminates the nondesired peaks while retaining the signals of interest. This strategy has proved to be useful in three common deuterated solvents, namely, CDCl3, DMSO-d6, and CD3OD, resulting in clean spectra with no interference from solvent or water peaks.

(1)H relaxation times of metabolites in biological samples obtained with nondestructive ex-vivo slow-MAS NMR

Methods suitable for measuring (1)H relaxation times such as T(1), T(2) and T(1rho) of metabolites in small, intact biological objects including live cells, excised organs and tissues, oil seeds etc. are developed in this work. This was achieved by combining inversion-recovery, spin-echo, or a spin-lock segment with the phase-adjusted spinning sideband (PASS) technique, which was applied at low sample-spinning rates. Here, PASS was used to produce high-resolution (1)H spectra in a nondestructive way so that the relaxation parameters of individual metabolite could be determined. The methodologies were demonstrated by measuring (1)H T(1), T(2), and T(1rho) of metabolites in excised rat liver at a spinning rate of 40 Hz.

Detection of the myo-inositol 4.06-ppm resonance by selective J rewinding: application to human prefrontal cortex in vivo

A new proton NMR single-voxel spectral editing strategy for the rapid measurement of myo-inositol in human brain is proposed. The spectral editing detects the 4.06-ppm, weakly coupled resonance by means of selective J rewinding. An 84.6-ms-long quadruple-resonance selective 180 degrees radiofrequency pulse, implemented within an adiabatic-refocused localization sequence, induces an in-phase triplet at 4.06 ppm, while eliminating the contribution from creatine, phosphorylethanolamine, lactate, and serine in this spectral region. The myo-inositol concentration in human prefrontal cortex is estimated to be 5.7 +/- 0.9 mumol/g (mean +/- SD, n = 7), with reference to NAA at 10 micromol/g.

Model-free arterial spin labeling quantification approach for perfusion MRI

In this work a model-free arterial spin labeling (ASL) quantification approach for measuring cerebral blood flow (CBF) and arterial blood volume (aBV) is proposed. The method is based on the acquisition of a train of multiple images following the labeling scheme. Perfusion is obtained using deconvolution in a manner similar to that of dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) MRI. Local arterial input functions (AIFs) can be estimated by subtracting two perfusion-weighted images acquired with and without crusher gradients, respectively. Furthermore, by knowing the duration of the bolus of tagged arterial blood, one can estimate the aBV on a voxel-by-voxel basis. The maximum of the residue function obtained from the deconvolution of the tissue curve by the AIF is a measure of CBF after scaling by the locally estimated aBV. This method provides averaged gray matter (GM) perfusion values of 38 +/- 2 ml/min/100 g and aBV of 0.93% +/- 0.06%. The average CBF value is 10% smaller than that obtained on the same data set using the standard general kinetic model (42 +/- 2 ml/min/100 g). Monte Carlo simulations were performed to compare this new methodology with parametric fitting by the conventional model.

Measurement of brain glutamate and glutamine by spectrally-selective refocusing at 3 tesla

A new single-voxel proton NMR spectrally-selective refocusing method for measuring glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) in the human brain in vivo at 3T is reported. Triple-resonance selective 180 degrees RF pulses with a bandwidth of 12 Hz were implemented within point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) for selective detection of Glu or Gln, and simultaneous acquisition of creatine singlets for use as a reference in phase correction. The carriers of the spectrally-selective 180 degrees pulses and the echo times (TEs) were optimized with both numerical and experimental analyses of the filtering performance, which enabled measurements of the target metabolites with negligible contamination from N-acetylaspartate and glutathione. The concentrations of Glu and Gln in the prefrontal cortex were estimated to be 9.7+/-0.5 and 3.0+/-0.7 mM (mean+/-SD, N=7), with reference to Cr at 8 mM.

Simultaneous water and lipid suppression for in vivo brain spectroscopy in humans

A method to achieve simultaneous water and lipid suppression is described. The key feature of the new dual suppression technique is the use of the well-known hyperbolic secant (HS) waveform as a 90 degrees saturation pulse. Two HS pulses with opposite frequency offsets are employed either sequentially or simultaneously to saturate resonance frequencies corresponding to water and lipid, while leaving the target spins untouched. The excitation bandwidth is controlled by the frequency sweep and offset of each pulse, while varying the pulse length controls the transition bandwidth. An example of the use of the dual saturation method in in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging of the human brain is presented.

Quantitative 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging determines therapeutic immunization efficacy in an animal model of Parkinson's disease

Nigrostriatal degeneration, the pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD), is mirrored by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) intoxication. MPTP-treated animals show the common behavioral, motor, and pathological features of human disease. We demonstrated previously that adoptive transfer of Copaxone (Cop-1) immune cells protected the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway in MPTP-intoxicated mice. Herein, we evaluated this protection by quantitative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (1H MRSI). 1H MRSI performed in MPTP-treated mice demonstrated that N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) was significantly diminished in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and striatum, regions most affected in human disease. When the same regions were coregistered with immunohistochemical stains for tyrosine hydroxylase, numbers of neuronal bodies and termini were similarly diminished. MPTP-intoxicated animals that received Cop-1 immune cells showed NAA levels, in the SNpc and striatum, nearly equivalent to PBS-treated animals. Moreover, adoptive transfer of immune cells from ovalbumin-immunized to MPTP-treated mice failed to alter NAA levels or protect dopaminergic neurons and their projections. These results demonstrate that 1H MRSI can evaluate dopaminergic degeneration and its protection by Cop-1 immunization strategies. Most importantly, the results provide a monitoring system to assess therapeutic outcomes for PD.

NMR methods for in situ biofilm metabolism studies

Novel procedures and instrumentation are described for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and imaging studies of live, in situ microbial films. A perfused NMR/optical microscope sample chamber containing a planar biofilm support was integrated into a recirculation/dilution flow loop growth reactor system and used to grow in situ Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 biofilms. Localized NMR techniques were developed and used to non-invasively monitor time-resolved metabolite concentrations and to image the biomass volume and distribution. As a first illustration of the feasibility of the methodology an initial 13C-labeled lactate metabolic pathway study was performed, yielding results consistent with existing genomic data for MR-1. These results represent progress toward our ultimate goal of correlating time- and depth-resolved metabolism and mass transport with gene expression in live in situ biofilms using combined NMR/optical microscopy techniques.

SWET for secure water suppression on probes with high quality factor

Water suppression by selective preirradiation is increasingly difficult to achieve on probeheads with high quality factor because of the opposing forces of radiation damping. Here we show that a simple modification to the WET scheme provides reliable water suppression in aqueous solutions of proteins and peptides with minimal saturation of the H(alpha) protons. The scheme is shown to work also with dilute peptide solutions. It is recommended to maintain the water suppression during the evolution time of COSY experiments by weak selective irradiation that causes only minimal Bloch-Siegert shifts. The new water-suppression scheme suppresses the water magnetization by spatial scrambling. Traditional water suppression by preirradiation is similarly based more on water scrambling due to the radiofrequency inhomogeneity than on relaxation effects.

Detection of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in macrophages by magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Macrophages are key components of the inflammatory response to tissue injury, but their activities can exacerbate neuropathology. High-resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to identify metabolite levels in perchloric acid extracts of cultured cells of the RAW 264.7 murine macrophage line under resting and lipopolysaccharide-activated conditions. Over 25 metabolites were identified including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter not previously reported to be present in macrophages. The presence of GABA was also demonstrated in extracts of human peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages. This finding suggests that there may be communication between damaged central nervous system (CNS) tissue and recruited macrophages and resident microglia, which could help orchestrate the immune response. On activation, lactate, glutamine, glutamate, and taurine levels were elevated significantly, and GABA and alanine were reduced significantly. Strong resonances from glutathione, evident in the macrophage two-dimensional 1H spectrum, suggest that this may have potential as a noninvasive marker of macrophages recruited to the CNS, as it is only present at low levels in normal brain. Alternatively, a specific combination of spectroscopic changes, such as lactate, alanine, glutathione, and polyamines, may prove to be the most accurate means of detecting macrophage recruitment to the CNS.

Use of phased array coils for a determination of absolute metabolite concentrations

This work describes the use of phased array coils for a quantification of absolute metabolite concentrations. The method is demonstrated for single-voxel localized proton MRS of human brain with an eight-element receive-only head coil. It is based on the transmitter reference amplitude of the body coil used for RF transmission. A relative sensitivity of every element of the phased array coil is derived from a combination of two reference scans without water suppression that correspond to either the body coil in transmit-receive mode or the phased array coil in conjunction with body coil excitation. Experimental results were obtained at 2.9 T for both phantoms and 12 human subjects in different locations of gray and white matter. The data demonstrate that the procedure is technically robust and without a penalty in measuring time. Moreover, it takes full advantage of the signal-to-noise gain for quantitative proton MRS and may be extended to other phased array coils without the need for a recalibration.

Localized in vivo human 1H MRS at very short echo times

A new point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) sequence was developed that allows localized human proton MR spectra to be acquired at echo times (TEs) of 10 ms or less. The method was implemented on a 4 Tesla Varian research console and a clinical 3 Tesla Siemens Trio scanner. Human brain spectra acquired in vivo from the prefrontal cortex at TE=8 ms showed improved signals from coupled resonances (such as glutamate, glutamine, and myo-inositol) compared to spectra acquired at TE=30 ms. These improvements should result in more accurate quantitation of these metabolites.

Localized in vivo isotropic-anisotropic correlation1H NMR spectroscopy using ultraslow magic angle spinning

In a previous work (1), the susceptibility broadening in the (1)H NMR metabolite spectrum obtained in a live mouse was separated from the isotropic information, which significantly increased the spectral resolution. This was achieved using ultraslow magic angle spinning (MAS) of the animal combined with a modified phase-corrected magic angle turning (PHORMAT) pulse sequence. However, PHORMAT cannot be used for spatially selective spectroscopy. This article introduces a modified sequence called localized magic angle turning (LOCMAT) that makes this possible. Proton LOCMAT spectra were obtained from the liver and heart of a live mouse while the animal was spun at a speed of 4 Hz in a 2 Tesla field. It was found that even in this relatively low field, LOCMAT provided isotropic line widths that were a factor of 4-10 times smaller than those obtained in a stationary animal. Furthermore, the susceptibility broadening of the heart metabolites showed unusual features that are not observed in dead animals. The limitations of LOCMAT and possible ways to improve the technique are discussed. It is concluded that in vivo LOCMAT can significantly enhance the utility of NMR spectroscopy for biomedical research.

Implementation and evaluation of CSI-localizedJ cross-polarization for detection of31P magnetic resonance spectra in vivo

Double resonance techniques such as INEPT (insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarization transfer) and JCP (J cross-polarization) have previously been applied in vitro to enhance the SNR of low-sensitivity nuclei and detect altered metabolism, for example, with 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), where the 1H-13C scalar couplings are of the order of 130 Hz. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential advantage of using JCP for the detection of phosphomonoesters (PME) and phosphodiesters (PDE) with 31P MRS in vivo. These metabolites are involved in membrane metabolism and their concentration is altered in tumors and other pathologies. JCP has been implemented and compared with INEPT and pulse-and-acquire in vivo both in unlocalized and in localized spectra in order to select the optimum method for in vivo applications for PME and PDE detection. The results suggest that JCP can give up to 20% more signal in the PME region and up to 70% more signal in the PDE region, with 20 to 70% lower power deposition than INEPT. Such enhancement could be used to reduce the measurement times for equivalent signal-to-noise ratios. The JCP sequence is, however, slightly more sensitive than INEPT to RF field inhomogeneities, as predicted from theory.

Optimal timing for in vivo1H-MR spectroscopic imaging of the human prostate at 3T

Proton MR spectroscopic imaging ((1)H-MRSI) of the human prostate, which has an interesting clinical potential, may be improved by increasing the magnetic field strength from 1.5T to 3T. Both theoretical and practical considerations are necessary to optimize the pulse timing for spectroscopic imaging of the human prostate at 3T. For in vivo detection of the strongly coupled spin system of citrate, not only should the spectral shape of the signal be easy to identify, but the timing used should produce MR signals at reasonably short echo times (TEs). In this study the spectral shape of the methylene protons of citrate was simulated with density matrix calculations and checked with phantom measurements. Different calculated optimal spectral shapes were measured in patients with prostate cancer with a 2D spectroscopic imaging sequence. T(1) and T(2) relaxation times were calculated for citrate and choline, the two major metabolites of interest in the prostate. We conclude that the optimum timing for in vivo point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) imaging at 3T is an interpulse timing sequence of 90 degrees-25 ms-180 degrees- 37.5 ms-180 degrees-12.5 ms-echo. A short repetition time (TR) of 750 ms partially saturates choline signals, but increases the SNR per unit time for citrate, and accommodates a maximum number of weighted averages of an elliptically sampled k-space for accurate localization and minimal contamination of the individual spectra. This is illustrated by means of a 3D spectroscopic imaging experiment in a complete prostate in vivo.

NMR structure of the C-terminal domain of SecA in the free state

SecA is an integral component of the prokaryotic Sec preprotein secretory translocase system. We report here the solution NMR structure of a fragment corresponding to the C-terminal domain of Escherichia coli SecA. In the presence of Zn2+, the fragment adopts a shortened version of the classic betabetaalpha zinc finger fold. The isolated C-terminal domain shows substantial differences from the X-ray structure of a homologous SecA domain bound to the chaperone-like cofactor SecB. The differences between the structures of the free and bound forms suggest that binding to SecB causes a perturbation of the C-terminal domain's intrinsically favored betabetaalpha fold.

Oral Absorption Enhancement of Cromolyn Sodium Through Noncovalent Complexation

PURPOSE

To determine the effect of Sodium N-[8-(2-hydroxybenzoyl)amino]caprylate (SNAC) on the permeation of cromolyn across Caco-2 cell monolayers and explore the molecular basis for the enhanced absorption.

METHODS

Transport studies of cromolyn across Caco-2 cell monolayers were conducted in the presence of various SNAC concentrations. Permeation of cellular transport markers and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release were measured to evaluate cell integrity. Molecular interactions betweent the two compounds were investigated using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Fourier-transfrom infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies and molecular dynamics simulations.

RESULTS

The absorption of cromolyn across Caco-2 monolayers was enhanced markedly by SNAC. SNAC did not cause significant LDH leakage and changes in the permeation of transport markers. ITC, spectroscopies, and molecular dynamic simulations indicated the existence of intermolecular interactions between cromolyn and SNAC that involve the 2-hydroxybenzamide moiety on SNAC and weaken the hydrogen bonding between cromolyn and surrounding water molecules.

CONCLUSIONS

SNAC increases the permeability of Caco-2 monolayers to cromolyn without measurable cell damage. SNAC interacts with cromolyn mainly via ring stacking. One major mode of interaction appears to involve the insertion of the aromatic ring of SNAC between cromolyn's rings. Such interaction appears to reduce the hydration of cromolyn and thus optimize its hydrophobicity for oral absorption.

Water suppression without signal loss in HR-MAS 1H NMR of cells and tissues

In cell and tissue samples, water is normally three orders of magnitude more abundant than other metabolites. Thus, water suppression is required in the acquisition of NMR spectra to overcome the dynamic range problem and to recover metabolites that overlap with the broad baseline of the strong water resonance. However, the heterogeneous cellular environment often complicates water suppression and the strong coupling of water to membrane lipids interferes with the NMR detection of membrane associated lipid components. The widely used water suppression techniques including presaturation and double pulsed field gradient selective echo result in more than a 70% reduction in membrane associated lipid components in proton spectra of cells and tissues compared to proton spectra acquired in the absence of water suppression. A water suppression technique based on the combination of selective excitation pulses and pulsed field gradients is proposed to use in the acquisition of high resolution MAS NMR spectra of tissue specimens and cell samples. This pulse sequence methodology enables efficient water suppression for intact cells and tissue samples and eliminates signal loss from cellular metabolites.

A PFG NMR experiment for translational diffusion measurements in low-viscosity solvents containing multiple resonances

Pulsed gradient simulated-echo (PGSE) NMR diffusion measurements provide a facile and accurate means for determining the self-diffusion coefficients for molecules over a wide range of sizes and conditions. The measurement of diffusion in solvents of low intrinsic viscosity is particularly challenging, due to the persistent presence of convection. Although convection can occur in most solvent systems at elevated temperatures, in lower viscosity solvents (e.g., short chain alkanes), convection may manifest itself even at ambient laboratory temperatures. In most circumstances, solvent suppression will also be required, and for solvents that have multiple resonances, effective suppression can likewise represent a substantial challenge. In this article, we report an NMR experiment that combines a double-stimulated echo PFG approach with a WET-based solvent suppression scheme that effectively and simultaneously address the issues of dynamic range and the deleterious effects of convection. The experiment described will be of general benefit to studies aimed at the characterization of diffusion of single molecules directly dissolved in low-viscosity solvents, and should also be of substantial utility in studies of supramolecular assemblies such as reverse-micelles dissolved in apolar solvents.

L358P Mutation on Cytochrome P450cam Simulates Structural Changes upon Putidaredoxin Binding

To investigate the functional and structural characterization of a crucial cytochrome P450cam (P450cam)-putidaredoxin (Pdx) complex, we utilized a mutant whose spectroscopic property corresponds to the properties of the wild type P450cam in the presence of Pdx. The 1H NMR spectrum of the carbonmonoxy adduct of the mutant, the Leu-358 --> Pro mutant (L358P), in the absence of Pdx showed that the ring current-shifted signals arising from d-camphor were upfield-shifted and observed as resolved signals, which are typical for the wild type enzyme in the presence of Pdx. Signals from the beta-proton of the axial cysteine and the gamma-methyl group of Thr-252 were also shifted upfield and down-field, respectively, in the L358P mutant as observed for Pdx-bound wild type P450cam. The close similarity in the NMR spectra suggests that the heme environment of the L358P mutant mimics that of the Pdx-bound enzyme. The functional analysis of the L358P mutant has revealed that the oxygen adduct of the L358P mutant can promote the oxygenation reaction for d-camphor with nonphysiological electron donors such as dithionite and ascorbic acid, showing that oxygenated L358P is "activated" to receive electron from the donor. Based on the structural and functional characterization of the L358P mutant, we conclude that the Pdx-induced structural changes in P450cam would facilitate the electron transfer from the electron donor, and the Pdx binding to P450cam would be a trigger for the electron transfer to oxygenated P450cam.

The Solution Structure of the N-terminal Domain of Human Vitronectin

The three-dimensional structure of an N-terminal fragment comprising the first 51 amino acids from human plasma vitronectin, the somatomedin B (SMB) domain, has been determined by two-dimensional NMR approaches. An average structure was calculated, representing the overall fold from a set of 20 minimized structures. The core residues (18-41) overlay with a root mean square deviation of 2.29 +/- 0.62 A. The N- and C-terminal segments exhibit higher root mean square deviations, reflecting more flexibility in solution and/or fewer long-range NOEs for these regions. Residues 26-30 form a unique single-turn alpha-helix, the locus where plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) is bound. This structure of this helix is highly homologous with that of a recombinant SMB domain solved in a co-crystal with PAI-1 (Zhou, A., Huntington, J. A., Pannu, N. S., Carrell, R. W., and Read, R. J. (2003) Nat. Struct. Biol. 10, 541-544), although the remainder of the structure differs. Significantly, the pattern of disulfide cross-links observed in this material isolated from human plasma is altogether different from the disulfides proposed for recombinant forms. The NMR structure reveals the relative orientation of binding sites for cell surface receptors, including an integrin-binding site at residues 45-47, which was disordered and did not diffract in the co-crystal, and a site for the urokinase receptor, which overlaps with the PAI-1-binding site.

Fast acquisition-weighted three-dimensional proton MR spectroscopic imaging of the human prostate

The clinical application of 3D proton spectroscopic imaging (3D SI) of the human prostate requires a robust suppression of periprostatic lipid signal contamination, minimal intervoxel signal contamination, and the shortest possible measurement time. In this work, a weighted elliptical sampling of k-space, combined with k-space filtering and pulse repetition time (TR) reduction minimized lipid signals, intervoxel contamination, and measurement time. At 1.5 T, the MR-visible prostate metabolites citrate, creatine, and choline can now be mapped over the entire human prostate with uncontaminated spherical voxels, with a volume down to 0.37 cm3, in measurement times of 7-15 min.

Assignment of the four disulfides in the N-terminal somatomedin B domain of native vitronectin isolated from human plasma

The primary sequence of the N-terminal somatomedin B (SMB) domain of native vitronectin contains 44 amino acids, including a framework of four disulfide bonds formed by 8 closely spaced cysteines in sequence patterns similar to those found in the cystine knot family of proteins. The SMB domain of vitronectin was isolated by digesting the protein with endoproteinase Glu-C and purifying the N-terminal 1-55 peptide by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Through a combination of techniques, including stepwise reduction and alkylation at acidic pH, peptide mapping with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry and NMR, the disulfide bonds contained in the SMB domain have been determined to be Cys(5):Cys(9), Cys(19):Cys(31), Cys(21):Cys(32), and Cys(25):Cys(39). This pattern of disulfides differs from two other connectivities that have been reported previously for recombinant forms of the SMB domain expressed in Escherichia coli. This arrangement of disulfide bonds in the SMB domain from native vitronectin forms a rigid core around the Cys(19): Cys(31) and Cys(21):Cys(32) disulfides. A small positively charged loop is created at the N terminus by the Cys(5): Cys(9) cystine. The most prominent feature of this disulfide-bonding pattern is a loop between Cys(25) and Cys(39) similar to cystine-stabilized alpha-helical structures commonly observed in cystine knots. This alpha-helix has been confirmed in the solution structure determined for this domain using NMR (Mayasundari, A., Whittemore, N. A., Serpersu, E. H., and Peterson, C. B. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 29359-29366). It confers function on the SMB domain, comprising the site for binding to plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 and the urokinase receptor.

Transmit/receive headcoil for optimal 1H MR spectroscopy of the brain in paediatric patients at 3 T

(1)H magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy is a useful tool to obtain metabolic information from the brain in paediatric patients. To detect signals of metabolites at low concentrations or from small volumes, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) has to be optimized. The SNR can be increased by going to higher field strengths. However, this leads to higher spectral bandwidths, which increases the chemical shift artefact. Here we present a transmit/receive headcoil which is adapted to the dimensions of the paediatric head and enables PRESS localization with high radio-frequency (RF) bandwidths that minimize the chemical shift displacement to only 5%. In addition, since the pulse lengths are shorter with higher RF bandwidths, the echo time can be reduced to 10 ms improving SNR as well.

Self-association of cromolyn sodium in aqueous solution characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The major objective of this study was to investigate and characterize the solution properties of cromolyn sodium (in D(2)O or D(2)O/H(2)O phosphate buffer at pH 7.5) using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The self-association of cromolyn molecules was examined primarily via one-dimensional (1)H and (13)C, and two-dimensional homonuclear NOESY NMR. Significant spectral shifts were observed for a majority of cromolyn (1)H and (13)C resonances, and are attributed to inter-molecular ring-stacking association accompanied by intra-molecular conformational changes. The critical self-association concentration was determined to be 10 mg/mL at pH 7.5 and 25 degrees C by measuring the chemical shift of a specific cromolyn (1)H resonance. The observed magnitude and sign changes of NOESY correlations indicate the formation of cromolyn aggregates with restricted molecular mobility. Mesomorphic liquid crystal formation is suggested by uniformly pronounced line broadening in concentrated cromolyn solutions; the transition concentration was approximately 60 mg/mL at 25 degrees C, which is consistent with literature findings based on other techniques. A stronger tendency toward association was observed at lower temperature but aggregation appeared to be independent of pH. Lastly, it was concluded that self-association of cromolyn is promoted by the presence of monovalent cations as a result of reduced electrostatic repulsive forces.

Pulsed star labeling of arterial regions (PULSAR): A robust regional perfusion technique for high field imaging

Regional perfusion imaging (RPI) has recently been introduced as a potentially powerful technique to map the perfusion territories of patients with vascular diseases in a fully noninvasive manner. However, this technique suffers from the problems of the transfer insensitive labeling technique upon which it is based. In particular, RPI is very sensitive to magnetic field inhomogeneities, and therefore the definition of the labeled bolus can deteriorate at field strength higher than 1.5 T. Furthermore, the slab-selective triple-pulse postsaturation sequence used originally will also be impaired due to the same problem, rendering RPI unusable at higher field. In this work, an adiabatic-based signal targeting with alternating radiofrequency pulses sequence is proposed as a labeling scheme to solve the problems related to variations in local magnetic field, together with an improved four-pulse water suppression enhanced through T(1) effects technique as a presaturation scheme.

NMR study on the structural changes of cytochrome P450cam upon the complex formation with putidaredoxin. Functional significance of the putidaredoxin-induced structural changes

We investigated putidaredoxin-induced structural changes in carbonmonoxy P450cam by using NMR spectroscopy. The resonance from the beta-proton of the axial cysteine was upfield shifted by 0.12 ppm upon the putidaredoxin binding, indicating that the axial cysteine approaches to the heme-iron by about 0.1 A. The approach of the axial cysteine to the heme-iron would enhance the electronic donation from the axial thiolate to the heme-iron, resulting in the enhanced heterolysis of the dioxygen bond. In addition to the structural perturbation on the axial ligand, the structural changes in the substrate and ligand binding site were observed. The resonances from the 5-exo- and 9-methyl-protons of d-camphor, which were newly identified in this study, were upfield shifted by 1.28 and 0.20 ppm, respectively, implying that d-camphor moves to the heme-iron by 0.15-0.7 A. Based on the radical rebound mechanism, the approach of d-camphor to the heme-iron could promote the oxygen transfer reaction. On the other hand, the downfield shift of the resonance from the gamma-methyl group of Thr-252 reflects the movement of the side chain away from the heme-iron by approximately 0.25 A. Because Thr-252 regulates the heterolysis of the dioxygen bond, the positional rearrangement of Thr-252 might assist the scission of the dioxygen bond. We, therefore, conclude that putidaredoxin induces the specific heme environmental changes of P450cam, which would facilitate the oxygen activation and the oxygen transfer reaction.

Design of small volume HX and triple-resonance probes for improved limits of detection in protein NMR experiments

Three- and four-frequency nuclear magnetic-resonance probes have been designed for the study of small amounts of protein. Both "HX" (1H, X, and 2H channels) and "triple-resonance" (1H, 15N, 13C, and 2H) probes were implemented using a single transmit/receive coil and multiple-frequency impedance matching circuits. The coil used was a six-turn solenoid with an observe volume of 15 microl. A variable pitch design was used to improve the B1 homogeneity of the coil. Two-dimensional HSQC spectra of approximately 1mM single labeled 15N- and double labeled 15N/13C-proteins were acquired in experimental times of approximately 2h. Triple-resonance capability of the small-volume triple-resonance probe was demonstrated by acquiring three-dimensional HNCO spectra from the same protein samples. In addition to enabling very small quantities of protein to be used, the extremely short pulse widths (1H = 4, 15N = 4, and 13C = 2 micros) of this particular design result in low power decoupling and wide-bandwidth coverage, an important factor for the ever-higher operating frequencies used for protein NMR studies.

In vivo NMR studies of neurodegenerative diseases in transgenic and rodent models

In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide unique quality to attain neurochemical, physiological, anatomical, and functional information non-invasively. These techniques have been increasingly applied to biomedical research and clinical usage in diagnosis and prognosis of diseases. The ability of MRS to detect early yet subtle changes of neurochemicals in vivo permits the use of this technology for the study of cerebral metabolism in physiological and pathological conditions. Recent advances in MR technology have further extended its use to assess the etiology and progression of neurodegeneration. This review focuses on the current technical advances and the applications of MRS and MRI in the study of neurodegenerative disease animal models including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases. Enhanced MR measurable neurochemical parameters in vivo are described in regard to their importance in neurodegenerative disorders and their investigation into the metabolic alterations accompanying the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration.

Evariquinone, isoemericellin, and stromemycin from a sponge derived strain of the fungus Emericella variecolor

From a strain of the fungus Emericella variecolor derived from the marine sponge Haliclona valliculata, two new natural products, evariquinone and isoemericellin, were isolated after HPLC-UV, -MS, and -NMR studies of the extract and their structures were elucidated by mass spectrometry and NMR experiments. Evariquinone showed antiproliferative activity towards KB and NCI-H460 cells at a concentration of 3.16 microg/ml. Furthermore, the fungus was found to produce the known metabolites stromemycin, shamixanthone, and 7-hydroxyemodin. Chemical degradation, NMR decoupling experiments, and spin-system simulation provided evidence for the double bonds in stromemycin to be all E-configured. ROESY experiments established the monosaccharide moiety to be glucose.

Proton echo-planar spectroscopic imaging with highly effective outer volume suppression using combined presaturation and spatially selective echo dephasing

A highly effective outer volume suppression (OVS) technique, termed spatially selective echo dephasing (SSED), which employs gradient dephasing of spatially selective spin echoes, is introduced. SSED, which is relatively insensitive to T(1) dispersion among lipid signals and B(1) inhomogeneity, was integrated with very high spatial resolution 2D proton echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (PEPSI) to assess residual lipid bleeding into cortical regions in the human brain. The method was optimized to minimize signal refocusing of secondary spin-echoes in areas of overlapping suppression slices. A comparison of spatial presaturation with single or double SSED, and with combined presaturation and SSED shows that the latter method has superior performance with spatially uniform lipid suppression factors in excess of 70. Metabolite mapping (choline, creatine, and NAA) with a 64 x 64 spatial matrix and 0.3 cm(3) voxels in close proximity to peripheral lipid regions was demonstrated at 1.5 T with a scan time of 32 min using the standard head coil.

Reinvestigation of the proposed folding and self-association of the Neuropeptide Head Activator

The Neuropeptide Head Activator (HA), pGlu-Pro-Pro-Gly-Gly-Ser-Lys-Val-Ile-Leu-Phe (pGlu is pyroglutamic acid), is involved in head-specific growth and differentiation processes in the freshwater coelenterate Hydra attenuata. Peptides of identical sequence have also been isolated from higher-organism tissues such as human and bovine hypothalamus. Early studies by molecular sieve chromatography suggested that HA dimerizes with high affinity (K(d) approximately 1 nM). This dimerization was proposed to occur via antiparallel beta-sheet formation between the Lys(7)-Phe(11) segments in each HA molecule. We conducted biophysical studies on synthetic HA in order to gain insight into its structure and aggregation tendencies. We found by analytical ultracentrifugation that HA is monomeric at low millimolar concentrations. Studies by (1)H-NMR revealed that HA did not adopt any significant secondary structure in solution. We found no NOEs that would support the proposed dimer structure. We probed the propensity of the Lys(7)-Phe(11) fragment to form antiparallel beta-sheet by designing peptides in which two such fragments are joined by a two-residue linker. These peptides were intended to form stable beta-hairpin structures with cross-strand interactions that mimic those of the proposed HA dimer interface. We found that the HA-derived fragments may be induced to form intramolecular beta-sheet, albeit only weakly, when linked by the highly beta-hairpin-promoting D-Pro-Gly turn, but not when linked by the more flexible Gly-Gly unit. These findings suggest that the postulated mode of HA dimerization and the proposed propensity of the molecule to form discrete aggregates with high affinity are incorrect.

The depletion of protein signals in metabonomics analysis with the WET-CPMG pulse sequence

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful analytical tool capable of providing a comprehensive metabolic profile of biofluids such as urine, plasma, and serum. Unfortunately, when measuring serum and plasma, the high protein concentration can obscure the signals originating from low molecular weight metabolites. We evaluated the use of different parameters within the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) pulse train of fast spin-echoes to remove the macromolecular signal contribution in one-dimensional proton (1H) NMR spectra. Experimental parameters such as the refocusing delay in the CPMG pulse train, pulse miscalibration, and recycle time were examined to assess the ability to remove the protein signals from the spectrum without causing a deleterious effect on the signals originating from free, low molecular weight metabolites. The 1H-NMR spectra of a variety of serum samples spiked with 2'-deoxyadenosine were acquired using various acquisition parameters. Our results show that the delay used in the CPMG spin-echo and the combination of the acquisition pulse flip angle and recycle time are the two major factors affecting the observed metabolite signal amplitudes in the resulting 1H-NMR spectrum.

In vivo monitoring of rat brain metabolites during vigabatrin treatment using localized 2D-COSY

A two-dimensional COSY-based localization sequence was designed to allow the in vivo monitoring of proton metabolites in rat brain [particularly gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamine, taurine and myo-inositol]. The sequence incorporated OSIRIS signal localization, B1-insensitive water suppression and phase-sensitive COSY acquisition. The method was used to study the effects of the GABA-transaminase inhibitor vigabatrin on rat brain metabolite concentrations. Wistar rats were treated daily for 3 days with an oral dose of vigabatrin (200 mg/kg, n = 4). Localized COSY spectra were obtained during a 120 min acquisition from a 270 microl central brain voxel and compared with nine untreated control animals. Significant elevations were observed in GABA (267% of control, p < 0.005, Mann-Witney test), glutamine (130% of control, p < 0.005) and taurine (113% of control, p < 0.05). Changes in GABA and taurine were consistent with previous data on the action of Vigabatrin, and support a previously hypothesized link between these compounds. The increase in glutamine was more surprising and may reflect the balance between the level and/or site of GABA-transaminase inhibition and downregulation of GABA synthesis.

Proton-coupled electron transfer in Fe-superoxide dismutase and Mn-superoxide dismutase

Fe-containing superoxide dismutase (FeSOD) and MnSOD are widely assumed to employ the same catalytic mechanism. However this has not been completely tested. In 1985, Bull and Fee showed that FeSOD took up a proton upon reduction [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 107 (1985) 3295]. We now demonstrate that MnSOD incorporates the same crucial coupling between electron transfer and proton transfer. The redox-coupled H(+) acceptor has been presumed to be the coordinated solvent molecule, in both FeSOD and MnSOD, however this is very difficult to test experimentally. We have now examined the most plausible alternative: that Tyr34 accepts a proton upon SOD reduction. We report specific incorporation of 13C in the C(zeta) positions of Tyr residues, assignment of the C(zeta) signal of Tyr34 in each of oxidized FeSOD and MnSOD, and direct NMR observations showing that in both cases, Tyr34 is in the neutral protonated state. Thus Tyr34 cannot accept a proton upon SOD reduction, and coordinated solvent is concluded to be the redox-coupled H(+) acceptor instead, in both FeSOD and MnSOD. We have also confirmed by direct 13C observation that the pK of 8.5 of reduced FeSOD corresponds to deprotonation of Tyr34. This work thus provides experimental proof of important commonalities between the detailed mechanisms of FeSOD and MnSOD.

Full absolute stereostructures of natural products directly from crude extracts: The HPLC-MS/ MS-NMR-CD 'triad'

This chapter deals with an efficient methodology available in our Center of Excellence, BIOTECmarin: the novel analytical 'triad' HPLC-MS/MS-NMR-CD. By this method, which was, in this complemented form, first introduced into phytochemical research by our group, we can not only rapidly identify known structures, but can also investigate new metabolites and establish their full absolute stereostructures online, directly from crude extracts, without the necessity of first isolating the compounds. The LC-CD option, which we have been using for the first time in natural products analysis, becomes even more valuable by the possibility of interpreting the online CD spectra by their simulation or prediction through quantum chemical calculation, thus avoiding the usual, often risky, empirical comparison with the CD spectra of (sometimes not so related) compounds of known absolute stereostructure or the application of (sometimes not really applicable) likewise empirical CD rules. The hyphenated analytical methods are additionally complemented by our synthetic expertise, again involving new concepts and strategies developed in our group. The methods and their application will first be explained and exemplified for plant-derived ('terrestrial') natural products, for which they were initially developed, and will then be applied to the online structural elucidation of novel natural products from marine organisms.

Comparison and contrasts between the active site PKs of Mn-superoxide dismutase and those of Fe-superoxide dismutase

The Fe- and Mn-containing superoxide dismutases catalize the same reaction and have almost superimposable active sites. Therefore, the details of their mechanisms have been assumed to be similar. However, we now show that the pH dependence of Escherichia coli MnSOD activity reflects a different active site proton equilibrium in (oxidized) Mn(3+)SOD than the event that affects the active site pK of oxidized FeSOD. We find that the universally conserved Tyr34 that has a pK above 11.5 in Fe(3+)SOD is responsible for the pK near 9.5 of Mn(3+)SOD and, thus, that the oxidized state pK of Mn(3+)SOD corresponds to an outer-sphere event whereas that of Fe(3+)SOD corresponds to an inner sphere event [Bull, C.; Fee, J. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1985, 107, 3295-3304]. We also present the first description of a reduced-state pK for MnSOD. Mn(2+)SOD's pK involves deprotonation of Tyr34, as does Fe(2+)SOD's pK [Sorkin, D. L.; Miller A.-F. Biochemistry 1997, 36, 4916-4924]. However, the values of the pKs, 10.5 and 8.5 respectively, are quite different and Mn(2+)SOD's pK affects the coordination geometry of Mn(2+), most likely via polarization of the conserved Gln146 that hydrogen bonds to axially coordinated H(2)O. Our findings are consistent with the different electronic configurations of Mn(2+/3+) vs Fe(2+/3+), such as the stronger hydrogen bonding between Gln146 and coordinated solvent in MnSOD than that between the analogous Gln69 and coordinated solvent in FeSOD, and the existence of weakly localized H(2)O near the sixth coordination site of Mn(2+) in Mn(2+)SOD [Borgstahl et al. J. Mol. Biol. 2000, 296, 951-959].

Truncation artifact reduction in spectroscopic imaging using a dual-density spiral k-space trajectory

Truncation artifacts arise in magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) of the human brain due to limited coverage of k-space necessitated by low SNR of metabolite signal and limited scanning time. In proton MRSI of the head, intense extra-cranial lipid signals "bleed" into brain regions, thereby contaminating signals of metabolites therein. This work presents a data acquisition strategy for reducing truncation artifact based on extended k-space coverage achieved with a dual-SNR strategy. Using the fact that the SNR in k-space increases monotonically with sampling density, dual-SNR is achieved in an efficient manner with a dual-density spiral k-space trajectory that permits a smooth transition from high density to low density. The technique is demonstrated to be effective in reducing "bleeding" of extra-cranial lipid signals while preserving the SNR of metabolites in the brain.

Quantitative and structural determination of pseudoephedrine sulfate and its related compounds in pharmaceutical preparations using high-performance liquid chromatography

A simple isocratic reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatograghic method for the separation of pseudoephedrine and its related compounds in pharmaceutical formulations is described. The separation is achieved in less than 35 min on a C-18 column (4.6 mm I.D. x 25 cm length, 5-micrometer particle size) using a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of ammonium acetate and methanol. The results described in this report demonstrate that the method is sensitive and selective. Structural elucidation of two new pseudoephedrine degradation products is described. On the basis of structural analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (LC-NMR), the two newly elucidated degradation products were identified to be 2-(carboxyamino)propiophenone (molecular ion of m/z=194) and 2-formyl-2-(methylamino)-acetophenone (molecular ion of m/z=178).

Thalamic neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is still regarded primarily as a disease of the white matter. However, recent evidence suggests that there may be significant involvement of gray matter. Here, we have used magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy in vivo and histopathology postmortem to estimate thalamic neuronal loss in patients with multiple sclerosis. Our results show that neuronal loss in multiple sclerosis can be substantial (30-35% reduction). We conclude that a neurodegenerative pathology may make a major contribution to the genesis of symptoms in multiple sclerosis.

NMR difference probe: a dual-coil probe for NMR difference spectroscopy

A unique probe designed to acquire nuclear magnetic resonance difference spectra of two samples is presented. The NMR Difference Probe contains two sample coils in a resonant circuit that switches between parallel excitation and serial acquisition to cancel common signals such as solvent peaks and impurities. Two samples containing a common analyte, acetonitrile, were used to demonstrate signal cancellation in a difference spectrum collected with a single pulse experiment. The cancellation was over 96% effective. The approach described has applications in the areas of solvent subtraction and spectral simplification.