Relationship between blood, liver and brain pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine phosphate concentrations in mice

Vitamin B6 deficiency disrupts serotonin signaling in pancreatic islets and induces gestational diabetes in mice

In pancreatic islets, catabolism of tryptophan into serotonin and serotonin receptor 2B (HTR2B) activation is crucial for β-cell proliferation and maternal glucose regulation during pregnancy. Factors that reduce serotonin synthesis and perturb HTR2B signaling are associated with decreased β-cell number, impaired insulin secretion, and gestational glucose intolerance in mice. Albeit the tryptophan-serotonin pathway is dependent on vitamin B6 bioavailability, how vitamin B6 deficiency impacts β-cell proliferation during pregnancy has not been investigated. In this study, we created a vitamin B6 deficient mouse model and investigated how gestational deficiency influences maternal glucose tolerance. Our studies show that gestational vitamin B6 deficiency decreases serotonin levels in maternal pancreatic islets and reduces β-cell proliferation in an HTR2B-dependent manner. These changes were associated with glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, however insulin secretion remained intact. Our findings suggest that vitamin B6 deficiency-induced gestational glucose intolerance involves additional mechanisms that are complex and insulin independent.

Fields et al. investigate the impact of vitamin B6 deficiency on islet β-cell proliferation during pregnancy, using vitamin B6-deficient mice. They find that gestational vitamin B6 deficiency decreases serotonin levels in pancreatic islets and reduces β-cell proliferation, showing that vitamin B6 deficiency regulates maternal glucose tolerance in a serotonin-dependent manner.

Role of low native state kinetic stability and interaction of partially unfolded states with molecular chaperones in the mitochondrial protein mistargeting associated with primary hyperoxaluria

The G170R variant of the alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT) is the most common pathogenic allele associated to primary hyperoxaluria type I (PH1), leading to mitochondrial mistargeting when combined with the P11L and I340M polymorphisms (minor allele; AGT(LM)). In this work, we have performed a comparative analysis on the conformation, unfolding energetics and interaction with molecular chaperones between AGT(wt), AGT(LM) and AGT(LRM) (G170R in the minor allele) proteins. Our results show that these three variants share similar conformational and functional properties as folded dimers. However, kinetic stability analyses showed a ≈1,000-fold increased unfolding rate for apo-AGT(LRM) compared to apo-AGT(wt), as well as a reduced folding efficiency upon expression in Escherichia coli. Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-binding provided a 4-5 orders of magnitude enhancement of the kinetic stability for all variants, suggesting a role for kinetic stabilization in pyridoxine-responsive PH1. Conformational studies at mild acidic pH and moderate guanidium concentrations showed the formation of a molten-globule-like unfolding intermediate in all three variants, which do not reactivate to the native state and strongly interact with Hsc70 and Hsp90 chaperones. Additional expression analyses in a mammalian cell-free system at neutral pH showed enhanced interaction of AGT(LRM) with Hsc70 and Hsp90 proteins compared to AGT(wt), suggesting kinetic trapping of the mutant by chaperones along the folding process. Overall, our results suggest that mitochondrial mistargeting of AGT(LRM) may involve the presentation of AGT partially folded states to the mitochondrial import machinery by molecular chaperones, which would be facilitated by the low native state kinetic stability (partially corrected by PLP binding) and kinetic trapping during folding of the AGT(LRM) variant with molecular chaperones.

Relationships between Pregnancy and Vitamin B-6 Nutriture on Brain 3-Hydroxykynurenine Concentrations in Mice

The kynurenine (KYN) pathway of tryptophan metabolism produces several neuroactive metabolites, including 3-hydroxykynurenine (3HK). The pathway is subject to regulation by a number of effectors including pregnancy and availability of vitamin B-6. Vitamin B-6 depleted humans and animals excrete abnormally high concentrations of KYN metabolites in urine. In pregnancy, vitamin B-6 deficiency is commonly seen, and tryptophan metabolism is often found to be altered. We measured concentrations of 3HK in brains of DBA/2Ibg and A/Ibg mice as functions of pregnancy and dietary level of vitamin B-6. Pregnant DBA mice are more susceptible to flurothyl-induced seizures than controls, pregnant A mice are not. Significant elevations of 3HK were found in brains of pregnant mice, and the increases were greater in the pregnancy-associated seizure prone DBA, than in the A mice. In the A mice, brain 3HK concentrations were negatively correlated with dietary vitamin B-6 levels, as expected; however, in the DBA mice these correlations were positive, indicating an unusual response to vitamin B-6 restriction. The accumulation of a cytotoxic, excitatory metabolite, 3HK, in brain may contribute to the increased seizure susceptibility of susceptible pregnant mice, perhaps though its effects as an endogenous modulator of excitatory amino acid receptor systems.

[The effect of different vitamin B6 supplies on the vitamin B6 status (pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine) of the liver and the body of lactating rats]

Eighty female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a semisynthetic diet during gravidity which was supplemented with 5 mg vitamin B6 per kg diet. The daily food intake was 14 g. During the following lactation the rats were assigned to one of 10 vitamin B6 treatment groups (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 36, 360 and 3,600 mg per kg diet). The feed was given ad libitum. At day 14 of lactation the rats were decapitated. Parameters for determination of the vitamin B6 status were concentration of pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine in liver and body analyzed by using HPLC. Body was defined without the gastroenteral tract that was divided into carcass (extrahepatic compartments without liver) and total body (extrahepatic compartments plus liver). The mean weight of liver was 13 g with a dry mass of 33%; there was no difference between the treatment groups. The vitamin B6 concentration was lowest in rats fed 0 mg vitamin B6/kg diet (5 micrograms/g fresh matter, FM) and highest in the rats fed 3600 mg vitamin B6/kg diet (10.9 micrograms/g FM). The total vitamin B6 consisted on the average of 38% pyridoxal and 62% pyridoxamine. This was only changed significantly at the highest supplementation level, where 20% pyridoxine were detected instead of pyridoxamine. The mean weight of carcass averaged 212 g at a dry matter content of 31%. The vitamin B6 concentration ranged in the treatment groups from 0 mg to 360 mg vitamin B6/kg diet between 2.1 micrograms/g FM and 2.8 micrograms/g FM. It was highest in the 3600 mg vitamin B6 treatment group at 7.5 micrograms/g FM. The total vitamin B6 consisted of 63% pyridoxal and 37% pyridoxamine. It was only significantly affected in the 3600 mg vitamin B6 treatment group, where also pyridoxine could be found in the amount of 56%. The results indicate that alimentary vitamin B6 supply had more influence on liver vitamin B6 concentration than on carcass concentration. Total body concentration is very similar carcass concentration, as 95% of vitamin B6 is located there. The suitability of the parameters by the evaluation of the vitamin B6 requirement was confirmed the comparison of two statistical methods. It is concluded that a vitamin B6 supply of 5 to 6 mg/kg diet is necessary to meet the requirements during lactation.

Response of kynurenine pathway enzymes to pregnancy and dietary level of vitamin B-6

The kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism produces several neuroactive metabolites including 3-hydroxykynurenine, kynurenic acid, and quinolinic acid. This pathway is sensitive to reductions in vitamin B-6 availability because two key enzymes, kynurenine aminotransferase (KAT) and kynureninase (KYNase), require pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. During pregnancy abnormal concentrations of kynurenine metabolites are also found. We measured the effects of pregnancy and vitamin B-6 availability on KAT and KYNase in liver. DBA/2Ibg and A/Ibg mice were fed diets containing 0.25, 0.5, 2.0, 3.6, or 7.0 mg/kg pyridoxine-HCl (PN-HCl) for 4 weeks. Mitochondrial KAT and cytosolic KYNase were measured in control mice and pregnant mice on gestational days 16-18. The response of the two inbred strains was similar throughout. There were no marked alterations in KAT activity as a function of diet or pregnancy. In contrast, KYNase activities were significantly reduced by dietary restriction of vitamin B-6, and pregnant mice had significantly lower activity than nonpregnant controls for all but the highest dietary level of PN-HCl. These data show that pregnancy has a more pronounced effect on KYNase activity than vitamin B-6 restriction, and that the effects of pregnancy and diet are additive. The alteration in the kynurenine pathway in pregnancy is due to a reduction in KYNase activity, which is resistant to alleviation by vitamin B-6 supplementation.

Aminotransferase activities in mouse, Mus domesticus, erythrocytes separated according to age

Erythrocyte aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities are often used as indices of vitamin B-6 nutritional status; however, results using a mixed population of erythrocytes can be quite variable. Erythrocytes from two strains of mice (Mus domesticus), A/Ibg and DBA/Ibg, were separated according to age by centrifugation through discontinuous Percoll density gradients into three fractions: top (least dense, youngest), middle and bottom (most dense, oldest). A sufficient yield of age-fractionated erythrocytes was obtained from a single mouse for all of the enzyme measurements. The activities of AST, ALT and three age-marker enzymes, pyruvate kinase, acetylcholinesterase and hexokinase, were found to be significantly higher in the youngest cell fractions, and declined in the older, more dense fractions. A mice had significantly lower AST and ALT activities in the age separated fractions than did DBA mice. The measurement of enzyme activities in low density, young cells may be especially useful in studies involving conditions in which the proportion of young erythrocytes may be elevated with respect to the entire erythrocyte mass.