The Application of Engineered Glucose Dehydrogenase to a Direct Electron–Transfer‐Type Continuous Glucose Monitoring System and a Compartmentless Biofuel Cell

Abstract

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is expected to become an ideal way to monitor glycemic levels in diabetic patients. On the other hand, biofuel cells can be used as an alternative energy source in future implantable devices, such as implantable glucose sensors in the artificial pancreas. Glucose dehydrogenase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, which harbors pyrroloquinoline quinone as the prosthetic group (PQQGDH), is one of the enzymes most attractive as a glucose sensor constituent and as the anode enzyme in biofuel cells, due to its high catalytic activity and insensitivity to oxygen. However, the application of PQQGDH for these purposes is inherently limited because an electron mediator is required for the electron transfer to the electrode.

We have recently reported on the development of an engineered enzyme, quinohemoprotein glucose dehydrogenase (QH‐GDH), in which the cytochrome c domain of the quinohemoprotein ethanol dehydrogenase (QH‐EDH) was fused with PQQGDH, to enable electron transfer to the electrode in the absence of an artificial mediator. In this study, we constructed a direct electron‐transfer‐type CGM system employing QH‐GDH. This CGM system showed sufficient current response and high operational stability. Furthermore, we successfully constructed a compartmentless biofuel cell employing QH‐GDH.     

Active Site Titration of Horse Liver Alcohol Dehydro-Genase by Dual Wavelength Specthophotomethy

Abstract

A simple dual wavelength spectrophotometric method for determining the active site concentration of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase is described. The method is rapid, sensitive, accurate and requires minute amounts of enzyme. A comparison between this new application of the dual wavelength technique and the conventional methods, ordinary photometry and spectrofluorometry is furthermore discussed.     

The Mitochondria-Independent Cytotoxic Effect of Leflunomide on RPMI-8226 Multiple Myeloma Cell Line

Leflunomide, an anti-inflammatory agent, has been shown to be effective in multiple myeloma (MM) treatment; however, the mechanism of this phenomenon has not been fully elucidated. The aim of the study was to assess the role of mitochondria and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibition in the cytotoxicity of leflunomide in relation to the MM cell line RPMI 8226. The cytotoxic effect of teriflunomide—an active metabolite of leflunomide—was determined using MTT assay, apoptosis detection, and cell cycle analysis. To evaluate DHODH-dependent toxicity, the cultures treated with teriflunomide were supplemented with uridine. Additionally, the level of cellular thiols as oxidative stress symptom was measured as well as mitochondrial membrane potential and protein tyrosine kinases (PTK) activity. The localization of the compound in cell compartments was examined using HPLC method. Teriflunomide cytotoxicity was not abolished in uridine presence. Observed apoptosis occurred in a mitochondria-independent manner, there was also no decrease in cellular thiols level. Teriflunomide arrested cell cycle in the G2/M phase which is not typical for DHODH deficiency. PTK activity was decreased only at the highest drug concentration. Interestingly, teriflunomide was not detected in the mitochondria. The aforementioned results indicate DHODH- and mitochondria-independent mechanism of leflunomide toxicity against RPMI 8226 cell line.     

Identification of Human Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Inhibitor by a Pharmacophore-Based Virtual Screening Study

Human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (hDHODH) is an enzyme belonging to a flavin mononucleotide (FMN)-dependent family involved in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis, a key biological pathway for highly proliferating cancer cells and pathogens. In fact, hDHODH proved to be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia, multiple myeloma, and viral and bacterial infections; therefore, the identification of novel hDHODH ligands represents a hot topic in medicinal chemistry. In this work, we reported a virtual screening study for the identification of new promising hDHODH inhibitors. A pharmacophore-based approach combined with a consensus docking analysis and molecular dynamics simulations was applied to screen a large database of commercial compounds. The whole virtual screening protocol allowed for the identification of a novel compound that is endowed with promising inhibitory activity against hDHODH and is structurally different from known ligands. These results validated the reliability of the in silico workflow and provided a valuable starting point for hit-to-lead and future lead optimization studies aimed at the development of new potent hDHODH inhibitors.     

Regioselective Synthesis of 5- and 3-Hydroxy-N-Aryl-1H-Pyrazole-4-Carboxylates and Their Evaluation as Inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase

In silico evaluation of various regioisomeric 5- and 3-hydroxy-substituted alkyl 1-aryl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates and their acyclic precursors yielded promising results with respect to their binding in the active site of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase of Plasmodium falciparum (PfDHODH). Consequently, four ethyl 1-aryl-5-hydroxy-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates and their 3-hydroxy regioisomers were prepared by two-step syntheses via enaminone-type reagents or key intermediates. The synthesis of 5-hydroxy-1H-pyrazoles was carried out using the literature protocol comprising acid-catalyzed transamination of diethyl [(dimethylamino)methylene]malonate with arylhydrazines followed by base-catalyzed cyclization of the intermediate hydrazones. For the synthesis of isomeric methyl 1-aryl-3-hydroxy-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates, a novel two-step synthesis was developed. It comprises acylation of hydrazines with methyl malonyl chloride followed by cyclization of the hydrazines with tert-butoxy-bis(dimethylamino)methane. Testing the pyrazole derivatives for the inhibition of PfDHODH showed that 1-(naphthalene-2-yl)-5-hydroxy-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate and 1-(naphthalene-2-yl)-, 1-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)-, and 1-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-3-hydroxy-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates (~30% inhibition) were slightly more potent than a known inhibitor, diethyl α-{[(1H-indazol-5-yl)amino]methylidene}malonate (19% inhibition).     

LDH参与的机械-光信号转换体系的吸收光谱研究

用紫外-可见分光光度法研究了乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)参与的,以NADH与DPIP.,O₂为主体的机械-光信号振荡转换体系。LDH的酶催化作用使此振荡体系的信号转换效率大大提高,在无乳酸情况下,当DPIP.和NADH的摩尔比为1∶4.5时的平均循环周期由108 min缩短为34 min;在乳酸存在下,此体系的平均循环周期由108 min缩短为29 min。推测LDH的促进作用主要是通过对NADH的活化实现的,其次是通过酶促乳酸脱氢作用补充体系中的NADH获得的。结果说明,酶的催化作用在某些双底物之一存在的反应情况下,也会明显表现出来。     

CTAB-己醇-辛烷体系分离纯化醇脱氢酶的反萃研究

本文报道了用反胶束体系萃取醇脱氢酶(ADH)的研究结果。在此萃取体系中,以十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)作为表面活性剂,辛烷和己醇作为溶剂和助溶剂。考察了表面活性剂及助溶剂浓度,水相pH值对ADH萃取的影响。详细讨论了离子强度、异丙醇浓度和振荡时间对ADH反萃的影响。确定了最佳反向萃取条件。     

Chemoenzymatic Hydrogen Production from Methanol through the Interplay of Metal Complexes and Biocatalysts

Microbial methylotrophic organisms can serve as great inspiration in the development of biomimetic strategies for the dehydrogenative conversion of C₁ molecules under ambient conditions. In this Concept article, a concise personal perspective on the recent advancements in the field of biomimetic catalytic models for methanol and formaldehyde conversion, in the presence and absence of enzymes and co-factors, towards the formation of hydrogen under ambient conditions is given. In particular, formaldehyde dehydrogenase mimics have been introduced in stand-alone C₁-interconversion networks. Recently, coupled systems with alcohol oxidase and dehydrogenase enzymes have been also developed for in situ formation and decomposition of formaldehyde and/or reduced/oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH/ NAD⁺). Although C₁ molecules are already used in many industries for hydrogen production, these conceptual bioinspired low-temperature energy conversion processes may lead one day to more efficient energy storage systems enabling renewable and sustainable hydrogen generation for hydrogen fuel cells under ambient conditions using C₁ molecules as fuels for mobile and miniaturized energy storage solutions in which harsh conditions like those in industrial plants are not applicable.     

2-Ketogluconic acid production by acetobacter pasteurianus

Production of 2-ketogluconic acid in batch fermentation was investigated.Acetobacter pasteurianus ATCC 6438, which produces selectively 2-ketogluconic acid only, was used. The optimal pH for glucose dehydrogenation to gluconate by resting cells was 5.0 and for gluconate dehydrogenation to 2-ketogluconate 4.25. When glucose medium was used, the 89% yield was achieved after 90 h. For the optimal productivity, medium containing glucose and gluconate with the molar glucose:gluconate ratio 7.4 was proposed, and the yield of 92% after 56 h was achieved. This composition of medium led to the elevation of dissolved oxygen concentration during fermentation. It consequently resulted in elevated gluconate dehydrogenase activity being discussed as the rate-limiting activity of the batch production.     

Effect of Ionic Liquids on Catalytic Characteristics of Horse Liver Alcohol Dehydrogenase

The catalytic characteristics of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase （HLADH） in the systems involving ionic liquids （ILs） （BMIm·Cl, BMIm·Br, BMIm·PF6, BMIm·BF4 BMIm·OTf and EMIm·Cl） were examined. HLADH displayed higher oxidation activity towards ethanol in the systems containing BMIm·Cl, BMIm·Br, EMIm·Cl or BMIm·PF6 with proper content than that in the IL-free buffer. An excessive amount of these ILs in the reaction systems resulted in an obvious decline in enzymatic activity. BMIm·BF4 and BMIm·OTf of any content investigated could considerably inhibit the enzyme. The anions of ILs showed significant effect on the activity, kinetic parameters and activation energy of HLADH-mediated ethanol oxidation. Additionally, BMIm·Cl, BMIm·Br, EMIm·Cl and BMIm·PF6 boosted markedly the thermostability of HLADH, while the enzyme was less thermostable in BMIm·BF4 or BMIm·OTf-containing systems. The associated conformational changes in HLADH caused by ILs were examined by UV technique.