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Tan EX, Leong SX, Liew WA, Phang IY, Ng JY, Tan NS, Lee YH, Ling XY. Forward-predictive SERS-based chemical taxonomy for untargeted structural elucidation of epimeric cerebrosides. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2582. [PMID: 38519477 PMCID: PMC10960001 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46838-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: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Achieving untargeted chemical identification, isomeric differentiation, and quantification is critical to most scientific and technological problems but remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate an integrated SERS-based chemical taxonomy machine learning framework for untargeted structural elucidation of 11 epimeric cerebrosides, attaining >90% accuracy and robust single epimer and multiplex quantification with <10% errors. First, we utilize 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid to selectively capture the epimers at molecular sites of isomerism to form epimer-specific SERS fingerprints. Corroborating with in-silico experiments, we establish five spectral features, each corresponding to a structural characteristic: (1) presence/absence of epimers, (2) monosaccharide/cerebroside, (3) saturated/unsaturated cerebroside, (4) glucosyl/galactosyl, and (5) GlcCer or GalCer's carbon chain lengths. Leveraging these insights, we create a fully generalizable framework to identify and quantify cerebrosides at concentrations between 10-4 to 10-10 M and achieve multiplex quantification of binary mixtures containing biomarkers GlcCer24:1, and GalCer24:1 using their untrained spectra in the models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Xi Tan
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Nanyang, 637371, Singapore
| | - Shi Xuan Leong
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Nanyang, 637371, Singapore
| | - Wei An Liew
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Nanyang, 637371, Singapore
| | - In Yee Phang
- School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Ying Ng
- KK Research Centre, KKH, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
| | - Nguan Soon Tan
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 59 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Yie Hou Lee
- KK Research Centre, KKH, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore, 229899, Singapore.
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, 169857, Singapore.
- Critical Analytics in Manufacturing Personalized Medicine, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 1 CREATE Way, #04-13/14 Enterprise Wing, Singapore, 138602, Singapore.
| | - Xing Yi Ling
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Nanyang, 637371, Singapore.
- School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, People's Republic of China.
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 59 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 636921, Singapore.
- Institute for Digital Molecular Analytics and Science (IDMxS), Nanyang Technological University, 59 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 636921, Singapore.
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Tajima T, Miyazawa M, Hayashi M, Asai S, Ikeda M, Shida M, Hirasawa T, Iwamori M, Mikami M. Enhanced expression of hydroxylated ceramide in well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma. Oncol Lett 2016; 13:45-50. [PMID: 28123520 PMCID: PMC5245056 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2016.5410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2015] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on our previous analysis of neutral glycolipids in the human endometrium, the present authors already reported that the concentrations of glucosylceramide, lactosylceramide and globotriaosylceramide (Gb3Cer), in which both fatty acids and sphingosines in the ceramides are hydroxylated, exhibit a marked increase during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. It is also well known that poorly differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma exhibits a more rapid progression and a worse response to therapy than well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma. To examine the molecular background of well-differentiated and poorly differentiated cancers, the levels of neutral glycolipids in tumor tissues from endometrial carcinoma displaying different degrees of differentiation were measured. The composition of neutral glycolipids in tumor tissues was determined, and ceramide structures that were specifically expressed in well-differentiated endometrial carcinomas were investigated using biochemical analytical methods, including lipid extraction, enzyme digestion, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Well-differentiated adenocarcinoma contained numerous structurally unknown glycolipids that exhibited slower migration than globotetraosylceramide (Gb4Cer). In the case of Gb3Cer, three bands appeared on TLC in well-differentiated cancer, but only two bands appeared in the poorly-differentiated cancer. This difference was associated with the fatty acid composition of ceramide, since non-hydroxy fatty acids with ≥20 carbon atoms were increased in well-differentiated cancer, while α-hydroxy fatty acids were increased in poorly differentiated cancer. Similarly, there were two bands on TLC of Gb4Cer from well-differentiated cancer, but only one band in poorly differentiated cancer, and the long-chain base of ceramide was observed to contain phytosphingosine in well-differentiated cancer. It was demonstrated in endometrial cancer that the structure of ceramide molecules changes with the extent of tumor differentiation. These findings suggest that hydroxylated ceramides contribute to the well-differentiated phenotype of endometrial adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiki Tajima
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Masaki Miyazawa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Masaru Hayashi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Satoshi Asai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Masae Ikeda
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Masako Shida
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Takeshi Hirasawa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Masao Iwamori
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Kinki University, Higashiosaka, Osaka 577-8502, Japan
| | - Mikio Mikami
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
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Hama H. Fatty acid 2-Hydroxylation in mammalian sphingolipid biology. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2009; 1801:405-14. [PMID: 20026285 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2009.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2009] [Revised: 12/09/2009] [Accepted: 12/14/2009] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
2-Hydroxy fatty acids (hFA) are important components of a subset of mammalian sphingolipids. The presence of hFA in sphingolipids is best described in the nervous system, epidermis, and kidney. However, the literature also indicates that various hFA-sphingolipids are present in additional tissues and cell types, as well as in tumors. Biosynthesis of hFA-sphingolipids requires fatty acid 2-hydroyxlase, and degradation of hFA-sphingolipids depends, at least in part, on lysosomal acid ceramidase and the peroxisomal fatty acid alpha-oxidation pathway. Mutations in the fatty acid 2-hydroxylase gene, FA2H, have been associated with leukodystrophy and spastic paraparesis in humans, underscoring the importance of hFA-sphingolipids in the nervous system. In the epidermis, hFA-ceramides are essential for the permeability barrier function. Physiological function of hFA-sphingolipids in other organs remains largely unknown. Recent evidence indicates that hFA-sphingolipids have specific roles in cell signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroko Hama
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
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Designer enzymes for glycosphingolipid synthesis by directed evolution. Nat Chem Biol 2009; 5:508-14. [PMID: 19525967 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2008] [Accepted: 05/15/2009] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Though glycosphingolipids have great potential as therapeutics for cancer, HIV, neurodegenerative diseases and auto-immune diseases, both extensive study of their biological roles and development as pharmaceuticals are limited by difficulties in their synthesis, especially on large scales. Here we addressed this restriction by expanding the synthetic scope of a glycosphingolipid-synthesizing enzyme through a combination of rational mutagenesis and directed evolution with an ELISA-based screening strategy. We targeted both a low-level promiscuous substrate activity and the overall catalytic efficiency of the catalyst, and we identified several mutants with enhanced activities. These new catalysts, which are capable of producing a broad range of homogeneous samples, represent a significant advance toward the facile, large-scale synthesis of glycosphingolipids and demonstrate the general utility of this approach toward the creation of designer glycosphingolipid-synthesizing enzymes.
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Mao C, Xu R, Szulc ZM, Bielawska A, Galadari SH, Obeid LM. Cloning and characterization of a novel human alkaline ceramidase. A mammalian enzyme that hydrolyzes phytoceramide. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:26577-88. [PMID: 11356846 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m102818200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Ceramidases are enzymes involved in regulating cellular levels of ceramides, sphingoid bases, and their phosphates. Based on sequence homology to the yeast alkaline ceramidases YPC1p (Mao, C., Xu, R., Bielawska, A., and Obeid, L. M. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 6876--6884) and YDC1p (Mao, C., Xu, R., Bielawska, A., Szulc, Z. M., and Obeid, L. M. (2000) J. Biol Chem. 275, 31369--31378), we report the identification and cloning of a cDNA encoding for a novel human alkaline ceramidase (aPHC) that hydrolyzes phytoceramide selectively. Northern blot analysis showed that aPHC was ubiquitously expressed, with the highest expression in placenta. Green fluorescent protein tagging showed that it was localized in both the Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum. Overexpression of aPHC in mammalian cells elevated in vitro ceramidase activity toward N-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole-C(12)-phytoceramide. Its expression in a yeast mutant strain devoid of any ceramidase activity restored the ceramidase activity and caused an increase in the hydrolysis of phytoceramide in yeast cells, thus leading to the decreased biosynthesis of sphingolipids. These data collectively suggest that, similar to the yeast phytoceramidase YPC1p, aPHC has phytoceramidase activity both in vitro and in cells; hence, it is a functional homolog of the yeast phytoceramidase YPC1p. However, in contrast to YPC1p, aPHC exhibited no reverse activity of ceramidase either in vitro or in cells. Biochemical characterization showed that aPHC had a pH optimum of 9.5, was activated by Ca(2+), but was inhibited by Zn(2+) and sphingosine. Substrate specificity showed that aPHC hydrolyzed phytoceramide preferentially. Together, these data demonstrate that aPHC is a novel human alkaline phytoceramidase, the first mammalian alkaline ceramidase to be identified as being specific for the hydrolysis of phytoceramide.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Mao
- Department of Medicine, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Hospital, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA.
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Wuhrer M, Dennis RD, Doenhoff MJ, Geyer R. Stage-associated expression of ceramide structures in glycosphingolipids from the human trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2000; 1524:155-61. [PMID: 11113562 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-4165(00)00152-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Glycosphingolipids of Schistosoma mansoni adults, cercariae and eggs comprise ceramide monohexosides (CMH) with glucose or galactose and ceramide dihexosides (CDH) with the schistosome-specific structure GalNAc(beta1-4)Glc(1-1)ceramide. Ceramide analysis revealed C18- and C20-phytosphingosines in egg CMH, C18-sphinganine as well as C18-, C19- and C20-phytosphingosines in cercarial CMH, and C18- and C20-phytosphingosines as well as C18-sphingosine and C18-sphinganine in adult CMH. For all three life cycle stages, the predominant fatty acid was C16h:0. As a characteristic feature, a range of saturated, unsaturated and hydroxylated long-chain fatty acids with 24-28 carbon atoms were additionally found in minor cercarial CMH species. The corresponding ceramides represented major constituents in cercarial CDH, while adult and egg CDH were dominated by ceramides with short fatty acid chains. The resultant ceramide patterns could be correlated with the differential expression of carbohydrate antigens on schistosomal glycolipids at various stages. A possible impact of ceramide structure on the biosynthesis of the carbohydrate moieties is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Wuhrer
- Biochemisches Institut am Klinikum der Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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Sharma C, Smith T, Li S, Schroepfer GJ, Needleman DH. Inhibition of Ca2+ release channel (ryanodine receptor) activity by sphingolipid bases: mechanism of action. Chem Phys Lipids 2000; 104:1-11. [PMID: 10660207 DOI: 10.1016/s0009-3084(99)00106-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sphingosine inhibits the activity of the skeletal muscle Ca2+ release channel (ryanodine receptor) and is a noncompetitive inhibitor of [3H]ryanodine binding (Needleman et al., Am. J. Physiol. 272, C1465-1474, 1997). To determine the contribution of other sphingolipids to the regulation of ryanodine receptor activity, several sphingolipid bases were assessed for their ability to alter [3H]ryanodine binding to sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes and to modulate the activity of the Ca2+ release channel. Three lipids, N,N-dimethylsphingosine, dihydrosphingosine, and phytosphingosine, inhibited [3H]ryanodine binding to both skeletal and cardiac SR membranes. However, the potency of these three lipids and sphingosine was lower in rabbit cardiac membranes when compared to rabbit skeletal muscle membranes and when compared to sphingosine. Like sphingosine, the lipids inhibited [3H]ryanodine binding by greatly increasing the rate of dissociation of bound [3H]ryanodine from SR membranes, indicating that these three sphingolipid bases were noncompetitive inhibitors of [3H]ryanodine binding. These bases also decreased the activity of the Ca2+ release channel incorporated into planar lipid bilayers by stabilizing a long closed state. Sphingosine-1-PO4 and C6 to C18 ceramides of sphingosine had no significant effect on [3H]ryanodine binding to cardiac or skeletal muscle SR membranes. Saturation of the double bond at positions 4-5 decreased the ability of the sphingolipid bases to inhibit [3H]ryanodine binding 2-3 fold compared to sphingosine. In summary, our data indicate that other endogenous sphingolipid bases are capable of modulating the activity of the Ca2+ release channel and as a class possess a common mechanism of inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Sharma
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Li S, Wilson WK, Schroepfer GJ. Chemical synthesis of d-ribo-phytosphingosine-1-phosphate, a potential modulator of cellular processes. J Lipid Res 1999. [DOI: 10.1016/s0022-2275(20)33346-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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Vitaioli L, Baldoni E, Ricci R, Indraccolo SR. Expression of acidic glycosphingolipids and arylsulphatase A activity in human pathological endometrium. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 1994; 54:31-5. [PMID: 7913898 DOI: 10.1016/0028-2243(94)90078-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Endometrium biopsic samples from women with cystic hyperplasia or adenocarcinoma were analysed by biochemical procedures to verify fluctuations in the acidic glycosphingolipid (sulphatide) concentration and arylsulphatase A (ASA) activity. Comparing the values of the considered parameters with those obtained in normal subjects, it was observed that ASA activity significantly increased in both pathologies; in contrast, sulphatide concentration underwent a non-significant decrease in hyperplasia and a statistically significant increase in neoplasia. The thin-layer chromatography (TLC) images revealed not only quantitative, but also qualitative differences in the lipid fractions. In fact, compared with controls, the sulphatides showed one more marked fraction in the neoplastic endometrium, and two fractions with different Rf values in the hyperplastic one. Moreover, two new unknown fractions also appeared in some subjects with cystic hyperplasia. The findings suggest the lipid metabolism undergoes considerable changes under the pathological conditions examined. The fluctuations observed, in particular, in the sulphatide concentration are believed to be related to changes in the biosynthetic and catabolic activities of the key enzymes directly involved in their metabolism, i.e. arylsulphatase A and sulphotransferase, which are regulated by sex hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Vitaioli
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Animal Biology, University of Camerino, Italy
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Birk R, Jung KH, Schmidt RR. Synthesis of sphingosines, 9. Synthesis of phytosphingosine derivatives. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1994. [DOI: 10.1002/jlac.199419940115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Structural characteristics of the ceramides of neutral glycosphingolipids in the human female genital tract —their menstrual cycle-associated change in the cervical epithelium and uterine endometrium, and their dissociation in the mucosa of the fallopian tube with the menstrual cycle. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1992. [DOI: 10.1016/0005-2760(92)90184-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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