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Hillyer KE, Bose U, Broadbent JA, Bissett A, Beale DJ. Multi-omics eco-surveillance of complex legacy contamination with a locally adapted estuarine invertebrate. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 319:120993. [PMID: 36623788 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Complex legacy contamination from human use is a major issue for estuaries globally. In particular, contamination of water and sediments with bioavailable metals/metalloids, in addition to other industrial contaminants, such as hydrocarbons. Yet, understanding of complex toxicity and local adaptation in field exposed, non-model, invertebrate communities is limited. Herein, we apply multi-omics (metabolomics, lipidomics, proteomics) coupled to traditional sediment quality analyses, to better characterise molecular and cellular responses necessary for application to monitoring, as an eco-surveillance tool. Using these approaches, we characterise functional phenotypes of a sediment associated invertebrate (sipunculid), from an estuary exposed to complex legacy contamination (metals: Zn, Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, As; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs). We sampled individuals at a range of exposure sites, highly (NTB5), moderately (NTB13), and lesser-influenced reference sites. Size differences were observed in sampled individuals between sites, with smaller individuals collected from NTB13. Analysis of environmental variables that correlated with change in the metabolite data revealed that the metabolism of smaller individuals at medium exposure NTB13 was highly differentiated by sediment concentrations of Hg, despite higher concentrations at more exposed NTB5. Functional phenotypes of these smaller individuals were characterised by sulphur and aromatic amino acid metabolism, increases in oxidised intermediates, upregulation of protein responses to oxidative stress, and melanin synthesis, and saturation of membrane and storage of lipids; in addition to the metabolism of naphthalene (PAH). Such widespread change was not observed in the metabolite and lipid profiles of larger individuals at high exposure NTB5, suggesting possible differences in effects between sites may also be associated with size (developmental stage, or age) and/or PAH exposure. This study serves to further understanding of differing modes of toxicity and local adaptation to multiple contaminants, and drivers of functional change in a complex estuary environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie E Hillyer
- Land and Water, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Ecosciences Precinct, Dutton Park, QLD, Australia
| | - Utpal Bose
- Agriculture and Food, CSIRO, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - James A Broadbent
- Agriculture and Food, CSIRO, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Andrew Bissett
- Oceans and Atmosphere, CSIRO, Battery Point, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - David J Beale
- Land and Water, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Ecosciences Precinct, Dutton Park, QLD, Australia.
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Yao Y, Shi L, Xiao W, Guo S, Liu S, Li H, Zhang S. Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) plays a positive role during WSSV and Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection in Litopenaeus vannamei. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 120:515-525. [PMID: 34952194 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2021.12.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) is involved in immune defence reactions by providing the starting material, tyrosine, to synthesise catecholamines and melanin. PAH is an important metabolic enzyme of aromatic amino acids and the rate-limiting enzyme in the hydroxylation of amino acid phenylalanine to tyrosine. In the present study, a PAH gene, LvPAH, was cloned and identified from Litopenaeus vannamei. The open reading frame (ORF) of LvPAH was 1383 bp, encoding a protein of 460 amino acids comprised of an ACT domain and a Biopterin_H domain. LvPAH was constitutively expressed in healthy L. vannamei, with the highest expression levels in the eyestalk and the lowest in the hepatopancreas. Both white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection upregulated LvPAH expression in hemocytes, hepatopancreas and gills of L. vannamei. Inhibition of LvPAH resulted in a significantly lower survival rate of L. vannamei after WSSV infection than the control group, consistent with the observation that WSSV viral load was significantly higher in LvPAH-silenced L. vannamei. After a V. parahaemolyticus challenge, there was no significant difference between the survival rate of LvPAH-silenced and the control L. vannamei. However, the load of V. parahaemolyticus in LvPAH-silenced L. vannamei was significantly higher than the control population for L. vannamei. The effect of LvPAH on L. vannamei from a neuroendocrinological perspective was assessed by measuring l-DOPA, dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NE) levels in the hemocytes after the knockdown of LvPAH. The results showed that phenoloxidase (PO), l-DOPA and DA levels in the hemolymph of LvPAH-silenced L. vannamei were significantly decreased starting from 24hpi. In contrast, the NE levels in the hemolymph of shrimp decreased significantly at first and then increased. The results suggest that LvPAH may play an important role in antiviral and bacterial immunity in L. vannamei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanmao Yao
- College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Lili Shi
- College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Wei Xiao
- College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Sixin Guo
- College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Saiya Liu
- College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
| | - Haoyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuang Zhang
- College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China; Key Laboratory of Aquatic, Livestock and Poultry Feed Science and Technology in South China, Ministry of Agriculture, Zhanjiang, China; Aquatic Animals Precision Nutrition and High Efficiency Feed Engineering Research Center of Guangdong Province, Zhanjiang, China.
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Kalinski JCJ, Waterworth SC, Noundou XS, Jiwaji M, Parker-Nance S, Krause RWM, McPhail KL, Dorrington RA. Molecular Networking Reveals Two Distinct Chemotypes in Pyrroloiminoquinone-Producing Tsitsikamma favus Sponges. Mar Drugs 2019; 17:E60. [PMID: 30654589 PMCID: PMC6356464 DOI: 10.3390/md17010060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The temperate marine sponge, Tsitsikamma favus, produces pyrroloiminoquinone alkaloids with potential as anticancer drug leads. We profiled the secondary metabolite reservoir of T. favus sponges using HR-ESI-LC-MS/MS-based molecular networking analysis followed by preparative purification efforts to map the diversity of new and known pyrroloiminoquinones and related compounds in extracts of seven specimens. Molecular taxonomic identification confirmed all sponges as T. favus and five specimens (chemotype I) were found to produce mainly discorhabdins and tsitsikammamines. Remarkably, however, two specimens (chemotype II) exhibited distinct morphological and chemical characteristics: the absence of discorhabdins, only trace levels of tsitsikammamines and, instead, an abundance of unbranched and halogenated makaluvamines. Targeted chromatographic isolation provided the new makaluvamine Q, the known makaluvamines A and I, tsitsikammamine B, 14-bromo-7,8-dehydro-3-dihydro-discorhabdin C, and the related pyrrolo-ortho-quinones makaluvamine O and makaluvone. Purified compounds displayed different activity profiles in assays for topoisomerase I inhibition, DNA intercalation and antimetabolic activity against human cell lines. This is the first report of makaluvamines from a Tsitsikamma sponge species, and the first description of distinct chemotypes within a species of the Latrunculiidae family. This study sheds new light on the putative pyrroloiminoquinone biosynthetic pathway of latrunculid sponges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarmo-Charles J Kalinski
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
| | - Samantha C Waterworth
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Xavier Siwe Noundou
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
| | - Meesbah Jiwaji
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
| | - Shirley Parker-Nance
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
- South African Environmental Observation Network, Elwandle Node, Nelson Mandela University Ocean Sciences Campus, Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth 6001, South Africa.
| | - Rui W M Krause
- Department of Chemistry, Rhodes University PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
| | - Kerry L McPhail
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis 97331, OR, USA.
| | - Rosemary A Dorrington
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
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Simonet P, Gaget K, Parisot N, Duport G, Rey M, Febvay G, Charles H, Callaerts P, Colella S, Calevro F. Disruption of phenylalanine hydroxylase reduces adult lifespan and fecundity, and impairs embryonic development in parthenogenetic pea aphids. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34321. [PMID: 27694983 PMCID: PMC5046115 DOI: 10.1038/srep34321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) is a key tyrosine-biosynthetic enzyme involved in neurological and melanin-associated physiological processes. Despite extensive investigations in holometabolous insects, a PAH contribution to insect embryonic development has never been demonstrated. Here, we have characterized, for the first time, the PAH gene in a hemimetabolous insect, the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. Phylogenetic and sequence analyses confirmed that ApPAH is closely related to metazoan PAH, exhibiting the typical ACT regulatory and catalytic domains. Temporal expression patterns suggest that ApPAH has an important role in aphid developmental physiology, its mRNA levels peaking at the end of embryonic development. We used parental dsApPAH treatment to generate successful knockdown in aphid embryos and to study its developmental role. ApPAH inactivation shortens the adult aphid lifespan and considerably affects fecundity by diminishing the number of nymphs laid and impairing embryonic development, with newborn nymphs exhibiting severe morphological defects. Using single nymph HPLC analyses, we demonstrated a significant tyrosine deficiency and a consistent accumulation of the upstream tyrosine precursor, phenylalanine, in defective nymphs, thus confirming the RNAi-mediated disruption of PAH activity. This study provides first insights into the role of PAH in hemimetabolous insects and demonstrates that this metabolic gene is essential for insect embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Simonet
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Karen Gaget
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Nicolas Parisot
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Gabrielle Duport
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Marjolaine Rey
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Gérard Febvay
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Hubert Charles
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Patrick Callaerts
- KU Leuven, University of Leuven, Department of Human Genetics, Laboratory of Behavioral and Developmental Genetics, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
- VIB Center for the Biology of Disease, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stefano Colella
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Federica Calevro
- Univ Lyon, INSA-Lyon, INRA, BF2I, UMR0203, F-69621, Villeurbanne, France
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Immunomodulatory effects of temperature and pH of water in an Indian freshwater sponge. J Therm Biol 2016; 59:1-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2016.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Revised: 04/16/2016] [Accepted: 04/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Mukherjee S, Ray M, Ray S. Immunotoxicity of washing soda in a freshwater sponge of India. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2015; 113:112-123. [PMID: 25497767 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2014.11.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2014] [Revised: 11/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/28/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The natural habitat of sponge, Eunapius carteri faces an ecotoxicological threat of contamination by washing soda, a common household cleaning agent of India. Washing soda is chemically known as sodium carbonate and is reported to be toxic to aquatic organisms. Domestic effluent, drain water and various human activities in ponds and lakes have been identified as the major routes of washing soda contamination of water. Phagocytosis and generation of cytotoxic molecules are important immunological responses offered by the cells of sponges against environmental toxins and pathogens. Present study involves estimation of phagocytic response and generation of cytotoxic molecules like superoxide anion, nitric oxide and phenoloxidase in E. carteri under the environmentally realistic concentrations of washing soda. Sodium carbonate exposure resulted in a significant decrease in the phagocytic response of sponge cells under 4, 8, 16 mg/l of the toxin for 96h and all experimental concentrations of the toxin for 192h. Washing soda exposure yielded an initial increase in the generation of the superoxide anion and nitric oxide followed by a significant decrease in generation of these cytotoxic agents. Sponge cell generated a high degree of phenoloxidase activity under the experimental exposure of 2, 4, 8, 16 mg/l of sodium carbonate for 96 and 192 h. Washing soda induced alteration of phagocytic and cytotoxic responses of E. carteri was indicative to an undesirable shift in their immune status leading to the possible crises of survival and propagation of sponges in their natural habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumalya Mukherjee
- Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700019, West Bengal, India.
| | - Mitali Ray
- Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700019, West Bengal, India.
| | - Sajal Ray
- Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700019, West Bengal, India.
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7
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Chen P, Li L, Wang J, Li H, Li Y, Lv Y, Lu C. BmPAH catalyzes the initial melanin biosynthetic step in Bombyx mori. PLoS One 2013; 8:e71984. [PMID: 23991017 PMCID: PMC3753331 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2013] [Accepted: 07/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Pigmentation during insect development is a primal adaptive requirement. In the silkworm, melanin is the primary component of larval pigments. The rate limiting substrate in melanin synthesis is tyrosine, which is converted from phenylalanine by the rate-limiting enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). While the role of tyrosine, derived from phenylalanine, in the synthesis of fiber proteins has long been known, the role of PAH in melanin synthesis is still unknown in silkworm. To define the importance of PAH, we cloned the cDNA sequence of BmPAH and expressed its complete coding sequence using the Bac-to-Bac baculovirus expression system. Purified recombinant protein had high PAH activity, some tryptophan hydroxylase activity, but no tyrosine hydroxylase activity, which are typical properties of PAH in invertebrates. Because melanin synthesis is most robust during the embryonic stage and larval integument recoloring stage, we injected BmPAH dsRNA into silkworm eggs and observed that decreasing BmPAH mRNA reduced neonatal larval tyrosine and caused insect coloration to fail. In vitro cultures and injection of 4th instar larval integuments with PAH inhibitor revealed that PAH activity was essential for larval marking coloration. These data show that BmPAH is necessary for melanin synthesis and we propose that conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine by PAH is the first step in the melanin biosynthetic pathway in the silkworm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology and College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China ; College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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8
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Flydal MI, Martinez A. Phenylalanine hydroxylase: function, structure, and regulation. IUBMB Life 2013; 65:341-9. [PMID: 23457044 DOI: 10.1002/iub.1150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Accepted: 01/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the phenylalanine catabolism, consuming about 75% of the phenylalanine input from the diet and protein catabolism under physiological conditions. In humans, mutations in the PAH gene lead to phenylketonuria (PKU), and most mutations are mainly associated with PAH misfolding and instability. The established treatment for PKU is a phenylalanine-restricted diet and, recently, supplementation with preparations of the natural tetrahydrobiopterin cofactor also shows effectiveness for some patients. Since 1997 there has been a significant increase in the understanding of the structure, catalytic mechanism, and regulation of PAH by its substrate and cofactor, in addition to improved correlations between genotype and phenotype in PKU. Importantly, there has also been an increased number of studies on the structure and function of PAH from bacteria and lower eukaryote organisms, revealing an additional anabolic role of the enzyme in the synthesis of melanin-like pigments. In this review, we discuss these recent studies, which contribute to define the evolutionary adaptation of the PAH structure and function leading to sophisticated regulation for effective catabolic processing of phenylalanine in mammalian organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marte I Flydal
- Department of Biomedicine and K.G. Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009-Bergen, Norway
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Nocturnin in the demosponge Suberites domuncula: a potential circadian clock protein controlling glycogenin synthesis in sponges. Biochem J 2013; 448:233-42. [PMID: 22928820 DOI: 10.1042/bj20120357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Sponges are filter feeders that consume a large amount of energy to allow a controlled filtration of water through their aquiferous canal systems. It has been shown that primmorphs, three-dimensional cell aggregates prepared from the demosponge Suberites domuncula and cultured in vitro, change their morphology depending on the light supply. Upon exposure to light, primmorphs show a faster and stronger increase in DNA, protein and glycogen content compared with primmorphs that remain in the dark. The sponge genome contains nocturnin, a light/dark-controlled clock gene, the protein of which shares a high sequence similarity with the related molecule of higher metazoans. The sponge nocturnin protein was found showing a poly(A)-specific 3'-exoribonuclease activity. In addition, the cDNA of the glycogenin gene was identified for subsequent expression studies. Antibodies against nocturnin were raised and used in parallel with the cDNA to determine the regional expression of nocturnin in intact sponge specimens; the highest expression of nocturnin was seen in the epithelial layer around the aquiferous canals. Quantitative PCR analyses revealed that primmorphs after transfer from light to dark show a 10-fold increased expression in the nocturnin gene. In contrast, the expression level of glycogenin decreases in the dark by 3-4-fold. Exposure of primmorphs to light causes a decrease in nocturnin transcripts and a concurrent increase in glycogenin transcripts. It was concluded that sponges are provided with the molecular circadian clock protein nocturnin that is highly expressed in the dark where it controls the stability of a key metabolic enzyme, glycogenin.
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Araujo M, Xavier JR, Nunes CD, Vaz PD, Humanes M. Marine sponge melanin: a new source of an old biopolymer. Struct Chem 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s11224-011-9843-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Flydal MI, Mohn TC, Pey AL, Siltberg-Liberles J, Teigen K, Martinez A. Superstoichiometric binding of L-Phe to phenylalanine hydroxylase from Caenorhabditis elegans: evolutionary implications. Amino Acids 2010; 39:1463-75. [DOI: 10.1007/s00726-010-0611-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2010] [Accepted: 04/27/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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12
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Siltberg-Liberles J, Steen IH, Svebak RM, Martinez A. The phylogeny of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases revisited by characterizing phenylalanine hydroxylase from Dictyostelium discoideum. Gene 2008; 427:86-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2008.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2008] [Revised: 08/28/2008] [Accepted: 09/01/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Calvo AC, Pey AL, Ying M, Loer CM, Martinez A. Anabolic function of phenylalanine hydroxylase in Caenorhabditis elegans. FASEB J 2008; 22:3046-58. [PMID: 18460651 DOI: 10.1096/fj.08-108522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
In humans, liver phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) has an established catabolic function, and mutations in PAH cause phenylketonuria, a genetic disease characterized by neurological damage, if not treated. To obtain novel evolutionary insights and information on molecular mechanisms operating in phenylketonuria, we investigated PAH in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (cePAH), where the enzyme is coded by the pah-1 gene, expressed in the hypodermis. CePAH presents similar molecular and kinetic properties to human PAH [S(0.5)(L-Phe) approximately 150 microM; K(m) for tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)) approximately 35 microM and comparable V(max)], but cePAH is devoid of positive cooperativity for L-Phe, an important regulatory mechanism of mammalian PAH that protects the nervous system from excess L-Phe. Pah-1 knockout worms show no obvious neurological defects, but in combination with a second cuticle synthesis mutation, they display serious cuticle abnormalities. We found that pah-1 knockouts lack a yellow-orange pigment in the cuticle, identified as melanin by spectroscopic techniques, and which is detected in C. elegans for the first time. Pah-1 mutants show stimulation of superoxide dismutase activity, suggesting that cuticle melanin functions as oxygen radical scavenger. Our results uncover both an important anabolic function of PAH and the change in regulation of the enzyme along evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana C Calvo
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway
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15
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Azmitia EC. Serotonin and Brain: Evolution, Neuroplasticity, and Homeostasis. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2007; 77:31-56. [PMID: 17178471 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(06)77002-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Efrain C Azmitia
- Department of Biology and Psychiatry, Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York 10003, USA
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Burkhart CG, Burkhart CN. The mole theory: primary function of melanocytes and melanin may be antimicrobial defense and immunomodulation (not solar protection). Int J Dermatol 2006; 44:340-2. [PMID: 15811092 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2004.02556.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Craig G Burkhart
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
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17
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Müller WEG, Grebenjuk VA, Thakur NL, Thakur AN, Batel R, Krasko A, Müller IM, Breter HJ. Oxygen-controlled bacterial growth in the sponge Suberites domuncula: toward a molecular understanding of the symbiotic relationships between sponge and bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2004; 70:2332-41. [PMID: 15066829 PMCID: PMC383090 DOI: 10.1128/aem.70.4.2332-2341.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sponges (phylum Porifera), known to be the richest producers among the metazoans of bioactive secondary metabolites, are assumed to live in a symbiotic relationship with microorganisms, especially bacteria. Until now, the molecular basis of the mutual symbiosis, the exchange of metabolites for the benefit of the other partner, has not been understood. We show with the demosponge Suberites domuncula as a model that the sponge expresses under optimal aeration conditions the enzyme tyrosinase, which synthesizes diphenols from monophenolic compounds. The cDNA isolated was used as a probe to determine the steady-state level of gene expression. The gene expression level parallels the level of specific activity in sponge tissue, indicating that without aeration the tyrosinase level drops drastically; this effect is reversible. The SB2 bacterium isolated from the sponge surface grew well in M9 minimal salt medium supplemented with the dihydroxylated aromatic compound protocatechuate; this carbon source supported growth more than did glucose. From the SB2 bacterium the protocatechuate gene cluster was cloned and sequenced. This cluster comprises all genes coding for enzymes involved in the conversion of protocatechuate to acetyl coenzyme A. Expression is strongly induced if the bacteria are cultivated on M9-protocatechuate medium; the genes pcaQ (encoding the putative transcriptional activator of the pca operon) and pcaDC were used for quantitative PCR analyses. We conclude that metabolites, in this case diphenols, which might be produced by the sponge S. domuncula are utilized by the sponge surface-associated bacterium for energy generation. This rationale will help to further uncover the symbiotic pathways between sponges and their associated "nonculturable" microorganisms; our approach is flanked by the establishment of an EST (expressed sequence tags) database in our laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner E G Müller
- Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung Angewandte Molekularbiologie, Universität Mainz, D-55099 Mainz, Germany.
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Mackintosh JA. The antimicrobial properties of melanocytes, melanosomes and melanin and the evolution of black skin. J Theor Biol 2001; 211:101-13. [PMID: 11419954 DOI: 10.1006/jtbi.2001.2331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A biological issue that has not been satisfactorily resolved is the role of melanin in skin and other animal tissues. A hypothesis is outlined here to account for the evolution of black skin and the ubiquity of melanin in vertebrate tissues. Evidence is presented that melanization of skin and other tissues forms an important component of the innate immune defense system. A major function of melanocytes, melanosomes and melanin in skin is to inhibit the proliferation of bacterial, fungal and other parasitic infections of the dermis and epidermis. This function can potentially explain (a) the latitudinal gradient in melanization of human skin; (b) the fact that melanocyte and melanization patterns among different parts of the vertebrate body do not reflect exposure to radiation; (c) provide a theoretical framework for recent empirical findings concerning the antimicrobial activity of melanocytes and melanosomes and their regulation by known mediators of inflammatory responses.
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Müller WE, Blumbach B, Müller IM. Evolution of the innate and adaptive immune systems: relationships between potential immune molecules in the lowest metazoan phylum (Porifera) and those in vertebrates. Transplantation 1999; 68:1215-27. [PMID: 10573054 DOI: 10.1097/00007890-199911150-00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Porifera (sponge) form the lowest metazoan phylum and share a common ancestor with other metazoan phyla. In the present study, it is reported that sponges possess molecules that are similar in structure to those molecules involved in the immune system in mammals. Experiments with the marine sponges Geodia cydonium and Suberites domuncula have been performed on tissue (auto- and allografting) as well as on a cellular level. The studies revealed that sponges are provided with elements of the mammalian innate immune system, such as molecules containing scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domains. Furthermore, macrophage-derived cytokine-like molecules have been identified that are up-regulated during the grafting process. In addition, the (2'-5')oligoadenylate synthetase system exists in sponges. "Precursors" of the second type of immune response in mammals, the adaptive immune system, have been traced in sponges. It is shown that the expression of a lymphocyte-derived cytokine from mammals is up-regulated during non-self-recognition in S. domuncula. Finally, in G. cydonium, two classes of receptors that comprise Ig-like domains have been identified: the receptor tyrosine kinases and the non-enzymic sponge adhesion molecules. They contain two polymorphic Ig-like domains that are grouped to the variable set of immunoglobulins. The expression of these molecules is also up-regulated during the grafting process. It is concluded that sponges are already provided with a series of elements used in higher vertebrates for both the innate and the adaptive immune recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- W E Müller
- Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung Angewandte Molekularbiologie, Universität, Mainz, Germany.
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Loer CM, Davidson B, Mckerrow J. A phenylalanine hydroxylase gene from the nematode C. elegans is expressed in the hypodermis. J Neurogenet 1999; 13:157-80. [PMID: 10928216 DOI: 10.3109/01677069909083472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
We have identified an aromatic amino acid hydroxylase gene from the nematode C. elegans that likely encodes the worm phenylalanine hydroxylase (PheH). The predicted amino acid sequence is most similar to that of other PheH and TrpH proteins. Reporter gene fusions and staining with an antibody to mammalian PheH indicate the gene is expressed in hypodermal cells. A fusion protein expressed in bacteria can convert phenylalanine to tyrosine, and, to a lesser extent, tryptophan to 5-hydroxytryptophan. We hypothesize that the protein is necessary to produce additional tyrosine for protein cross-linking in the nematode cuticle.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Loer
- Department of Biology, University of San Diego, CA 92110, USA.
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