Concanavalin A inhibits the interaction of snake venom 5'-nucleotidase and actin

Vanillin analog--vanillyl mandelic acid, a novel specific inhibitor of snake venom 5'-nucleotidase

Snake venom 5'-nucleotidase (5'NUC) plays a very important role in envenomation strategies; however, apart from its modulation of hemostatic functions, its other pharmacological effects are not yet well characterized. Several studies have used specific inhibitors of enzyme toxins as a biochemical or pharmacological tool to characterize or establish its mechanism of action. We report here for the first time vanillin mandelic acid (VMA), an analog of vanillin, to potentially, selectively, and specifically inhibit venom 5'NUC activity among other enzymes present in venoms. VMA is much more potent in inhibiting 5'NUC activity than vanillyl acid (VA). The experimental results obtained are in good agreement with the in silico molecular docking interaction data. Both VA and VMA are competitive inhibitors as evident by the inhibition-relieving effect upon increasing the substrate concentration. VMA also dose-dependently inhibited the anticoagulant effect in Naja naja venom. In this study, we report novel non-nucleoside specific inhibitors of snake venom 5'NUC and experimentally demonstrate their involvement in the anticoagulant activity of N. naja venom. Hence, we hypothesize that VMA can be used as a molecular tool to evaluate the role of 5'NUC in snake envenomation and to develop prototypes and lead compounds with potential therapeutic applications against snake bites.

Anticoagulant effect of Naja naja venom 5′nucleotidase: Demonstration through the use of novel specific inhibitor, vanillic acid

The snake venom proteins affect hemostasis by either advancing/delaying blood coagulation. Apart from proteases and phospholipase A(2)s (PLA(2)s), 5'nucleotidase is known to affect hemostasis by inhibiting platelet aggregation. In this study, the possible involvement of Naja naja venom 5'nucleotidase in mediating anticoagulant affect is evaluated. Vanillic acid selectively and specifically inhibited 5'nucleotidase activity among other enzymes present in N. naja venom. It is a competitive inhibitor as evident of inhibition relieving upon increased substrate concentration. Vanillic acid dose dependently inhibited the anticoagulant effect of N. naja venom up to 40%. This partial involvement of 5'nucleotidase in mediating anticoagulant effect is substantiated by concanavalin-A (Con-A) inhibition studies. Con-A, competitively inhibited in vitro protease and 5'nucleotidase activity up to 100%. However, it did not exhibit inhibitory activity on PLA(2). The complete inhibition of anticoagulant effect by Con-A upon recalcification time suggests the participation of both 5'nucleotidase and protease in mediating anticoagulant effect of N. naja venom. Vanillic acid and Con-A inhibition studies together suggest that probably 5'nucleotidase interacts with one or more factors of intrinsic pathway of blood coagulation to bring about anticoagulant effect. Thus, this study for the first time demonstrates the involvement of 5'nucleotidase in mediating N. naja venom anticoagulant effect.

Difference in cell surface 5'-nucleotidase activity, protein iodination and membrane properties between mouse lymphoma and rat adenocarcinoma cell variants with low and high-metastatic potential

1. Distinct differences were found for the specific, concanavalin A-inhibitable 5'-nucleotidase activity, exhibiting 2-7 times higher values in the low-metastasizing cell variants. 2. Iodination of the cell surface proteins revealed a more heterogeneous labelling pattern of the high-malignant cell lines in the molecular weight range between 14 and about 35 kDa. 3. The low-malignant cell lines exhibited a significantly higher surface charge as deduced from their higher sialic acid content compared to the high-malignant variants. 4. They also showed a greater membrane lipid fluidity as determined both by the cholesterol to phospholipid ratio and by fluorescence depolarization measurements.

Altered 5'-nucleotidase specific activity and distribution between two plasma membrane domains of ascites tumor cells with modified lipid composition

1. The cholesterol and phospholipid content of the surface membranes of ascites tumor cells cultivated in lipid-depleted medium was reduced to about 60(70)% of the control, but the relative composition of the individual phospholipids was not altered. 2. Differences in lipid composition were also observed between the two plasma membrane domains isolated from the cells cultured in normal and lipid-depleted medium respectively. 3. The fatty acid spectrum of the lipid-depleted membranes showed a greater fraction of saturated vs unsaturated acids. 4. The membrane lipid fluidity measured by fluorescence polarization was decreased in the modified surface membranes. 5. The 5'-nucleotidase specific activity was drastically reduced (46-66%) in the lipid-deleted membranes, and in addition its distribution between the two vesicle fractions was altered.

Demonstration of the association of the cell-surface enzyme, 5'-nucleotidase, with microvillar microfilaments by phalloidin shift on velocity sedimentation gradients

The cell-surface enzyme 5'-nucleotidase in microvilli from 13762 rat mammary adenocarcinoma cells remains largely associated with microfilament-containing high-speed pellets from Triton X-100 extracts of the microvilli. The fraction remaining with the insoluble portion is higher under ionic conditions which enhance microfilament stability. To minimize trapping and cosedimentation we have analyzed the distribution of microfilaments and 5'-nucleotidase activity on velocity sedimentation sucrose gradients of the microvillar extracts. A large fraction of the total enzyme activity is found in the filament fractions in the middle of the gradient. When phalloidin is included in the extraction buffer to stabilize the microfilaments, both the microfilaments and the bulk of the nucleotidase activity are shifted further into the gradients. Both the position of the filament fraction and the percentage of the total nucleotidase activity remaining with the filament fraction varies with extraction buffer composition and conditions. Nonetheless, under all conditions tested, a large percentage of the activity was shifted, along with the microfilaments, in the presence of phalloidin. These results are consistent with a specific association of 5'-nucleotidase with microfilaments in the ascites tumor cell microvilli.

Transmembrane modulation of the concanavalin A inhibition of 5'-nucleotidase is not due to a direct association of the enzyme with the cytoskeleton

The inhibition of the cell surface enzyme 5'-nucleotidase by concanavalin A is being studied as a model for understanding transmembrane modulation of cell surface functions. Nucleotidase of 13762 MAT-C1 ascites rat mammary adenocarcinoma cells is inhibited by concanavalin A in a noncooperative process. When cells are treated with the cytoplasmic effectors cytochalasins, colchicine, energy poisons, calcium plus ionophore or hypotonic buffers, the concanavalin A inhibition of the enzyme becomes cooperative. 5'-Nucleotidase of isolated MAT-C1 microvilli is also inhibited by concanavalin A in a noncooperative process; however, treatment of the microvilli with the same cytoplasmic effectors does not induce cooperativity. Since previous studies in several systems have suggested an association of nucleotidase with actin-containing microfilaments or the cell cytoskeleton, one explanation for the cooperativity changes is that they result from a change in the association of the enzyme with the cytoskeleton. However, Triton X-100 extractability of nucleotidase is the same for MAT-C1 cells exhibiting cooperative or noncooperative concanavalin A inhibition. Moreover, enzyme from cells exhibiting cooperative inhibition can be extracted into the zwitterionic detergent Zwittergent in a cooperative form, while enzyme exhibiting noncooperative behavior can be extracted into Zwittergent in a noncooperative form. Gel filtration and rate-zonal sucrose density gradient centrifugation showed little discernible size or sedimentation difference between enzyme samples exhibiting noncooperative and cooperative inhibition. These results indicate that changes in the cooperativity of the concanavalin A inhibition of nucleotidase are not a result of changes in the association of the enzyme with the cytoskeleton. These studies emphasize the caution which must be exercised in interpreting the effects of cytoskeletal perturbants on cell surface functions.

Redistribution of membrane-bound and cytosolic action in rabbit polymorphonuclear leucocytes during phagocytosis

In the analysis of highly purified surface membrane from both resting and phagocytosing neutrophils an increase in the surface membrane associated actin has been demonstrated. This change at the cell periphery is associated with a coincident increase in the F-actin content of the cells following stimulation of the cells by exposure to opsonized Oil Red O droplets. The actin which is newly associated with the surface membrane of the phagocytosing cells was more susceptible to removal by detergent than the membrane-associated actin in resting cells and it was also noted that the F-actin associated with phagosomes was readily disrupted by detergent. A redistribution of the surface membrane glycoprotein 5'-nucleotidase was observed during phagocytosis, but no change in distribution of a 125I-labelled Lens culinaris lectin was observed during the entire phagocytic process.

Purification and characterization of bovine brain 5'-nucleotidase

The 5'-nucleotidase located in the cytoplasmic fraction of bovine brain cortex was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The molecular weight was 134,000 daltons in the presence of sodium deoxycholate, whereas the enzyme formed high molecular weight aggregates in the absence of detergent. The purified enzyme showed the same kinetic and electrophoretic behaviour as the enzyme present in the original cytoplasmic fraction, and the presence of surfactants did not change the Km and Vm values. The nucleotidase from this source was a phosphohydrolase of 5'-mononucleotides acting on the deoxyribonucleotides and ribonucleotides of purines and pyrimidines. 5'-IMP was the preferred substrate; the optimum pH was 7.5. The study of the influence of the temperature on the initial reaction rates allowed calculation of the delta Ea and delta H degrees values. The variation of Vm and Km with a change in pH suggests the existence of a sulfhydryl group and an imidazole group in the enzyme-substrate complex.

Absence of 5'-nucleotidase in porcine polymorphonuclear leucocyte membranes

A fraction enriched in plasma membranes from porcine polymorphonuclear leucocytes, isolated by sucrose density centrifugation was shown to possess considerable AMP hydrolysing activity (150 nmol/min per mg protein). However all of this activity could be inhibited using excess p-nitrophenyl phosphate in the incubation medium. Furthermore the hydrolysis of AMP by the membrane was unaffected by the 5'-nucleotidase inhibitor alpha, beta-methyleneadenosine diphosphate and by the lectin concanavalin A, another potent inhibitor of 5'-nucleotidase. An antibody against mouse liver 5'-nucleotidase also did not inhibit the activity. These results suggest that the hydrolysis of AMP by porcine polymorph membranes is not accomplished by a specific 5'-nucleotidase and the necessity for distinguishing between true 5'-nucleotidase and non-specific phosphatase activity is discussed.