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Zhou W, Lv X, Zhang S, Gao Z, Li B, Wang X. A new approach towards highly sensitive detection of endogenous N-acetylaspartic acid, N-acetylglutamic acid, and N-acetylaspartylglutamic acid in brain tissues based on strong anion exchange monolith microextraction coupled with UHPLC-MS/MS. Mikrochim Acta 2024; 191:360. [PMID: 38819644 DOI: 10.1007/s00604-024-06431-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
A novel in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled with an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method has been established for simultaneous quantification of three crucial brain biomarkers N-acetylaspartic acid (NAA), N-acetylglutamic acid (NAG), and N-acetylaspartylglutamic acid (NAAG). A polymer monolith with quaternary ammonium as the functional group was designed and exhibited efficient enrichment of target analytes through strong anion exchange interaction. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method displayed wide linear ranges (0.1-80 nM for NAA and NAG, 0.2-160 nM for NAAG) with good precision (RSDs were lower than 15%) and low limits of detection (0.019-0.052 nM), which is by far the most sensitive approach for NAA, NAG, and NAAG determination. Furthermore, this approach has been applied to measure the target analytes in mouse brain samples, and endogenous NAA, NAG, and NAAG were successfully detected and quantified from only around 5 mg of cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus. Compared with existing methods, the newly developed method in the current study provides highest sensitivity and lowest sample consumption for NAA, NAG, and NAAG measurements, which would potentially be utilized in determining and tracking these meaningful brain biomarkers in diseases or treatment processes, benefiting the investigations of pathophysiology and treatment of brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxiu Zhou
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Drug Target Identification and Delivery, Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, National Key Laboratory of Innovative Immunotherapy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyuan Lv
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Drug Target Identification and Delivery, Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, National Key Laboratory of Innovative Immunotherapy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, P. R. China
| | - Shengman Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Drug Target Identification and Delivery, Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, National Key Laboratory of Innovative Immunotherapy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, P. R. China
| | - Zhenye Gao
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Drug Target Identification and Delivery, Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, National Key Laboratory of Innovative Immunotherapy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, P. R. China
| | - Bingjie Li
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Drug Target Identification and Delivery, Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, National Key Laboratory of Innovative Immunotherapy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, P. R. China
| | - Xin Wang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Drug Target Identification and Delivery, Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, National Key Laboratory of Innovative Immunotherapy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, P. R. China.
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Lotun A, Li D, Xu H, Su Q, Tuncer S, Sanmiguel J, Mooney M, Baer CE, Ulbrich R, Eyles SJ, Strittmatter L, Hayward LJ, Gessler DJ, Gao G. Renewal of Oligodendrocyte Lineage Reverses Dysmyelination and CNS Neurodegeneration Through Corrected N-acetylaspartate Metabolism. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 226:102460. [PMID: 37149081 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Myelinating oligodendrocytes are essential for neuronal communication and homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). One of the most abundant molecules in the mammalian CNS is N-acetylaspartate (NAA), which is catabolized into L-aspartate and acetate by the enzyme aspartoacylase (ASPA) in oligodendrocytes. The resulting acetate moiety is thought to contribute to myelin lipid synthesis. In addition, affected NAA metabolism has been implicated in several neurological disorders, including leukodystrophies and demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Genetic disruption of ASPA function causes Canavan disease, which is hallmarked by increased NAA levels, myelin and neuronal loss, large vacuole formation in the CNS, and early death in childhood. Although NAA's direct role in the CNS is inconclusive, in peripheral adipose tissue, NAA-derived acetate has been found to modify histones, a mechanism known to be involved in epigenetic regulation of cell differentiation. We hypothesize that a lack of cellular differentiation in the brain contributes to the disruption of myelination and neurodegeneration in diseases with altered NAA metabolism, such as Canavan disease. Our study demonstrates that loss of functional Aspa in mice disrupts myelination and shifts the transcriptional expression of neuronal and oligodendrocyte markers towards less differentiated stages in a spatiotemporal manner. Upon re-expression of ASPA, these myelination and neuronal lineage markers are either improved or normalized, suggesting that NAA breakdown by Aspa plays an essential role in the maturation of neurons and oligodendrocytes. Also, this effect of ASPA re-expression is blunted in old mice, potentially due to limited ability of neuronal, rather than oligodendrocyte, recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anoushka Lotun
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Danning Li
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hongxia Xu
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA; University of Science and Technology of Kunming, People's Republic of China
| | - Qin Su
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Julio Sanmiguel
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Morgan Mooney
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christina E Baer
- Sanderson Center for Optical Experimentation, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Russell Ulbrich
- ScientiaLux LLC, Tissue-Gnostics USA-East, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Lara Strittmatter
- Electron Microscopy Core, University of Massachusetts Medical School
| | | | - Dominic J Gessler
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Guangping Gao
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA; Li Weibo Institute for Rare Diseases Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA; Department of Microbiology & Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
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A Metabolic Signature of Mitochondrial Dysfunction Revealed through a Monogenic Form of Leigh Syndrome. Cell Rep 2015; 13:981-9. [PMID: 26565911 PMCID: PMC4644511 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.09.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Revised: 07/13/2015] [Accepted: 09/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A decline in mitochondrial respiration represents the root cause of a large number of inborn errors of metabolism. It is also associated with common age-associated diseases and the aging process. To gain insight into the systemic, biochemical consequences of respiratory chain dysfunction, we performed a case-control, prospective metabolic profiling study in a genetically homogenous cohort of patients with Leigh syndrome French Canadian variant, a mitochondrial respiratory chain disease due to loss-of-function mutations in LRPPRC. We discovered 45 plasma and urinary analytes discriminating patients from controls, including classic markers of mitochondrial metabolic dysfunction (lactate and acylcarnitines), as well as unexpected markers of cardiometabolic risk (insulin and adiponectin), amino acid catabolism linked to NADH status (α-hydroxybutyrate), and NAD+ biosynthesis (kynurenine and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid). Our study identifies systemic, metabolic pathway derangements that can lie downstream of primary mitochondrial lesions, with implications for understanding how the organelle contributes to rare and common diseases.
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Shah AJ, de la Flor R, Atkins A, Slone-Murphy J, Dawson LA. Development and application of a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric assay for measurement of N-acetylaspartate, N-acetylaspartylglutamate and glutamate in brain slice superfusates and tissue extracts. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2008; 876:153-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2008.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2008] [Revised: 09/09/2008] [Accepted: 10/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Hession AO, Esrey EG, Croes RA, Maxwell CA. N-acetylglutamate and N-acetylaspartate in soybeans (Glycine max L.), maize (Zea mays L.), [corrected] and other foodstuffs. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2008; 56:9121-6. [PMID: 18781757 DOI: 10.1021/jf801523c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
N-Acetylglutamate (NAG) and N-acetylaspartate (NAA) are amino acid derivatives with reported activities in a number of biological processes. However, there is no published information on the presence of either substance in foodstuffs. We developed a method for extracting and quantifying NAG and NAA from soybean seeds and maize grain using ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The lower limit of quantification for both NAG and NAA was 1 ng/mL. The method was then utilized to quantify NAG and NAA in other foodstuffs (fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, milk, coffee, tea, cocoa, and others). Both NAG and NAA were present in all of the materials analyzed. The highest concentration of NAG was found in cocoa powder. The highest concentration of NAA was found in roasted coffee beans. Both NAG and NAA were found at quantifiable concentrations in all foods tested indicating that these two acetylated amino acids are common components of the human diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aideen O Hession
- Crop Genetics Research and Development, DuPont Agriculture and Nutrition, P.O. Box 80353, Wilmington, Delaware 19880-0353, USA
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