scholarly journals Proteogenic Dipeptides Are Characterized by Diel Fluctuations and Target of Rapamycin Complex-Signaling Dependency in the Model Plant Arabidopsis thaliana

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Juliana Calderan-Rodrigues ◽  
Marcin Luzarowski ◽  
Carolina Cassano Monte-Bello ◽  
Romina I. Minen ◽  
Boris M. Zühlke ◽  
...  

As autotrophic organisms, plants capture light energy to convert carbon dioxide into ATP, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and sugars, which are essential for the biosynthesis of building blocks, storage, and growth. At night, metabolism and growth can be sustained by mobilizing carbon (C) reserves. In response to changing environmental conditions, such as light-dark cycles, the small-molecule regulation of enzymatic activities is critical for reprogramming cellular metabolism. We have recently demonstrated that proteogenic dipeptides, protein degradation products, act as metabolic switches at the interface of proteostasis and central metabolism in both plants and yeast. Dipeptides accumulate in response to the environmental changes and act via direct binding and regulation of critical enzymatic activities, enabling C flux distribution. Here, we provide evidence pointing to the involvement of dipeptides in the metabolic rewiring characteristics for the day-night cycle in plants. Specifically, we measured the abundance of 13 amino acids and 179 dipeptides over short- (SD) and long-day (LD) diel cycles, each with different light intensities. Of the measured dipeptides, 38 and eight were characterized by day-night oscillation in SD and LD, respectively, reaching maximum accumulation at the end of the day and then gradually falling in the night. Not only the number of dipeptides, but also the amplitude of the oscillation was higher in SD compared with LD conditions. Notably, rhythmic dipeptides were enriched in the glucogenic amino acids that can be converted into glucose. Considering the known role of Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signaling in regulating both autophagy and metabolism, we subsequently investigated whether diurnal fluctuations of dipeptides levels are dependent on the TOR Complex (TORC). The Raptor1b mutant (raptor1b), known for the substantial reduction of TOR kinase activity, was characterized by the augmented accumulation of dipeptides, which is especially pronounced under LD conditions. We were particularly intrigued by the group of 16 dipeptides, which, based on their oscillation under SD conditions and accumulation in raptor1b, can be associated with limited C availability or photoperiod. By mining existing protein-metabolite interaction data, we delineated putative protein interactors for a representative dipeptide Pro-Gln. The obtained list included enzymes of C and amino acid metabolism, which are also linked to the TORC-mediated metabolic network. Based on the obtained results, we speculate that the diurnal accumulation of dipeptides contributes to its metabolic adaptation in response to changes in C availability. We hypothesize that dipeptides would act as alternative respiratory substrates and by directly modulating the activity of the focal enzymes.

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Scappini ◽  
F. Casadei ◽  
R. Zamboni ◽  
S. Monti ◽  
P. Giorgianni ◽  
...  

AbstractThe effects of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on water solutions of tyrosine (HO—C6H4—CH2—CHNH2—COOH) have been investigated using a Xe lamp in the region 200–800 nm. This is a step in laboratory simulation towards reproducing the action of the Solar radiation on the building blocks of life, specifically α-amino acids, in the primitive Earth anoxic conditions. Results are presented showing the photostability of tyrosine against different UV doses. Degradation products partly maintain life building capability and partly do not. A tendency towards structure complexification was observed. The analysis of the irradiated tyrosine solutions was conducted using various spectroscopic and analytic techniques. The laboratory results are discussed in the light of a primordial life-emerging scenario.


2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Scappini ◽  
M.L. Capobianco ◽  
F. Casadei ◽  
R. Zamboni ◽  
P. Giorgianni

AbstractThe effects of near ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on water solutions of phenylalanine and tryptophan have been investigated using a broad-band xenon lamp in the region 200–800 nm. This is a step in the laboratory simulation of the effects of Solar radiation on the building blocks of life, specifically α-amino acids, with regards to the origin of life. Results are presented showing the photodegradation of phenylalanine and tryptophan against different UV doses. Some of the degradation products are still protein amino acids. An analysis of the irradiated solutions is carried out by spectroscopic and analytic techniques. The laboratory simulations are discussed in the wake of a life emerging scenario on the primitive Earth.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiuliang Xu ◽  
Liangquan Wu ◽  
Bingxin Tong ◽  
Jiaxu Yin ◽  
Zican Huang ◽  
...  

Oolong tea, one of the most famous tea beverages in China, contains specialized metabolites contributing to rich flavors and human health. Accumulation patterns of such metabolites and underlying regulatory mechanisms significantly vary under different growth conditions. To optimize quality and yield while minimizing environmental effects, three treatments were designed in this study: Conventional fertilization, optimized fertilization, and optimized fertilization supplemented with magnesium (Mg). We investigated the yield, taste quality, primary and secondary metabolites of oolong tea, and found that a substantial reduction in chemical fertilizers (nutrient optimization by reducing 43% N, 58% P2O5 and 55% K2O) did not affect the tea yield in this study. Interestingly, Mg fertilization is an important factor influencing amino acid and sugar accumulation in oolong tea, resulting in higher concentrations of total free amino acids and a lower ratio of tea polyphenols (TP) to free amino acids (FAA). Gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) combined multivariate analyses revealed distinct features of metabolite accumulation in leaves of three different treatments, as indicated by 34 differentially accumulated characteristic compounds. The levels of serine, aspartic acid, isoleucine, phenylalanine, theanine, and proline were reduced by fertilizer optimization and increased by Mg supplementation. Mg particularly promoted theanine accumulation favoring a stronger umami taste of oolong tea, while decreasing astringency and bitter metabolites. Thus, Mg application paves a new path for tea quality improvement in Southern China where Mg deficiency in the soil is a frequent limiting factor for crop production.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Bocková ◽  
Nykola C. Jones ◽  
Uwe J. Meierhenrich ◽  
Søren V. Hoffmann ◽  
Cornelia Meinert

AbstractCircularly polarised light (CPL) interacting with interstellar organic molecules might have imparted chiral bias and hence preluded prebiotic evolution of biomolecular homochirality. The l-enrichment of extra-terrestrial amino acids in meteorites, as opposed to no detectable excess in monocarboxylic acids and amines, has previously been attributed to their intrinsic interaction with stellar CPL revealed by substantial differences in their chiroptical signals. Recent analyses of meteoritic hydroxycarboxylic acids (HCAs) – potential co-building blocks of ancestral proto-peptides – indicated a chiral bias toward the l-enantiomer of lactic acid. Here we report on novel anisotropy spectra of several HCAs using a synchrotron radiation electronic circular dichroism spectrophotometer to support the re-evaluation of chiral biomarkers of extra-terrestrial origin in the context of absolute photochirogenesis. We found that irradiation by CPL which would yield l-excess in amino acids would also yield l-excess in aliphatic chain HCAs, including lactic acid and mandelic acid, in the examined conditions. Only tartaric acid would show “unnatural” d-enrichment, which makes it a suitable target compound for further assessing the relevance of the CPL scenario.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 4587
Author(s):  
Fanny d’Orlyé ◽  
Laura Trapiella-Alfonso ◽  
Camille Lescot ◽  
Marie Pinvidic ◽  
Bich-Thuy Doan ◽  
...  

There is a challenging need for the development of new alternative nanostructures that can allow the coupling and/or encapsulation of therapeutic/diagnostic molecules while reducing their toxicity and improving their circulation and in-vivo targeting. Among the new materials using natural building blocks, peptides have attracted significant interest because of their simple structure, relative chemical and physical stability, diversity of sequences and forms, their easy functionalization with (bio)molecules and the possibility of synthesizing them in large quantities. A number of them have the ability to self-assemble into nanotubes, -spheres, -vesicles or -rods under mild conditions, which opens up new applications in biology and nanomedicine due to their intrinsic biocompatibility and biodegradability as well as their surface chemical reactivity via amino- and carboxyl groups. In order to obtain nanostructures suitable for biomedical applications, the structure, size, shape and surface chemistry of these nanoplatforms must be optimized. These properties depend directly on the nature and sequence of the amino acids that constitute them. It is therefore essential to control the order in which the amino acids are introduced during the synthesis of short peptide chains and to evaluate their in-vitro and in-vivo physico-chemical properties before testing them for biomedical applications. This review therefore focuses on the synthesis, functionalization and characterization of peptide sequences that can self-assemble to form nanostructures. The synthesis in batch or with new continuous flow and microflow techniques will be described and compared in terms of amino acids sequence, purification processes, functionalization or encapsulation of targeting ligands, imaging probes as well as therapeutic molecules. Their chemical and biological characterization will be presented to evaluate their purity, toxicity, biocompatibility and biodistribution, and some therapeutic properties in vitro and in vivo. Finally, their main applications in the biomedical field will be presented so as to highlight their importance and advantages over classical nanostructures.


1993 ◽  
Vol 264 (6) ◽  
pp. G1057-G1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Moundras ◽  
C. Remesy ◽  
C. Demigne

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of changes in dietary protein level on overall availability of amino acids for tissues. For this purpose, rats were adapted to diets containing various concentrations of casein (7.5, 15, 30, and 60%) and were sampled either during the postprandial or postabsorptive period. In rats fed the protein-deficient diet, glucogenic amino acids (except threonine) tended to accumulate in plasma, liver, and muscles. In rats fed high-protein diets, the hepatic balance of glucogenic amino acids was markedly enhanced and their liver concentrations were consistently depressed. This response was the result of a marked induction of amino acid catabolism (a 45-fold increase of liver threonine-serine dehydratase activity was observed with the 60% casein diet). The muscle concentrations of threonine, serine, and glycine underwent changes parallel to plasma and liver concentrations, and a significant reduction of glutamine was observed. During the postabsorptive period, adaptation to high-protein diets resulted in a sustained catabolism of most glucogenic amino acids, which accentuated the drop in their concentrations (especially threonine) in all the compartments studied. The time course of metabolic adaptation from a 60 to a 15% casein diet has also been investigated. Adaptation of alanine and glutamine metabolism was rapid, whereas that of threonine, serine, and glycine was delayed and required 7-11 days. This was paralleled by a relatively slow decay of liver threonine-serine dehydratase (T-SDH) activity in contrast to the rapid adaptation of pyruvate kinase activity after refeeding a high-carbohydrate diet.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1996 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimír Pouzar ◽  
Ivan Černý

New approach to the preparation of steroids with connecting bridge, based on an O-carboxymethyloxime (CMO) structure, and with terminal hydroxy group, is presented. 17-CMO derivatives of 3β-acetoxy- and 3β-methoxymethoxyandrost-5-en-17-one were condensed with α,ω-amino alcohols to give derivatives with a chain of seven to nine atoms. After THP-protection, these compounds were converted to 3-keto-4-ene derivatives. An alternative synthesis consisted in transformation of 17-CMO derivatives with bonded amino acids by reduction of the terminal carboxyl. The resulting compounds were designed as building blocks for the preparation of bis-haptens for sandwich immunoassays.


RSC Advances ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 14132-14139
Author(s):  
M. J. Umerani ◽  
H. Yang ◽  
P. Pratakshya ◽  
J. S. Nowick ◽  
A. A. Gorodetsky

The synthesis of quinoline-based unnatural amino acids and the subsequent preparation of polypeptide surrogates from these building blocks on solid support.


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