Project description:Exposure to environmental toxicants can increase the risk of developing age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Exposure to the widely used organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) is associated with increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, but the cellular mechanisms underlying CPF toxicity in neurons are not completely understood. We evaluated CPF toxicity in mouse primary cortical neuronal cultures, using RNA-sequencing to identify cellular pathways modulated by CPF. CPF exposure altered the expression of genes associated with intrinsic apoptosis, significantly elevating expression of the pro-apoptotic mediator Bbc3/Puma. Bbc3 loss attenuated CPF driven neurotoxicity, induction of other intrinsic apoptosis regulatory genes including Trp53 and Pmaip1 (encoding the NOXA protein), and cleavage of apoptosis executors caspase 3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). CPF exposure was associated with enhanced expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related genes and proteins and the accumulation of high molecular weight protein species in primary neuronal cultures. No evidence of alterations in the ubiquitin-proteosome system were observed, however, autophagy-related proteins were upregulated in CPF-treated Bbc3-/- neuronal cultures compared with identically exposed WT cultures. Elevated autophagy-related protein expression in Bbc3-/- neuronal cultures was associated with a reduction in CPF-induced high molecular weight alpha-synuclein and tau immunoreactive protein aggregates. Studies indicate that Bbc3-/- neuronal cultures enhance the endoplasmic reticulum stress response and upregulate protein clearance mechanisms as a component of resistance to CPF-mediated toxicity.
Project description:A Gram-positive bacterial strain capable of aerobic biodegradation of 4-fluorophenol (4-FP) as the sole source of carbon and energy was isolated by selective enrichment from soil samples collected near an industrial site. The organism, designated strain IF1, was identified as a member of the genus Arthrobacter on the basis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence analysis. Arthrobacter strain IF1 was able to mineralize 4-FP up to concentrations of 5 mM in batch culture. Stoichiometric release of fluoride ions was observed, suggesting that there is no formation of halogenated dead-end products during 4-FP metabolism. The degradative pathway of 4-FP was investigated using enzyme assays and identification of intermediates by gas chromatography (GC), GC-mass spectrometry (MS), high-performance liquid chromatography, and liquid chromatography-MS. Cell-free extracts of 4-FP-grown cells contained no activity for catechol 1,2-dioxygenase or catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, which indicates that the pathway does not proceed through a catechol intermediate. Cells grown on 4-FP oxidized 4-FP, hydroquinone, and hydroxyquinol but not 4-fluorocatechol. During 4-FP metabolism, hydroquinone accumulated as a product. Hydroquinone could be converted to hydroxyquinol, which was further transformed into maleylacetic acid and beta-ketoadipic acid. These results indicate that the biodegradation of 4-FP starts with a 4-FP monooxygenase reaction that yields benzoquinone, which is reduced to hydroquinone and further metabolized via the beta-ketoadipic acid pathway.
Project description:The organophosphate (OP) pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF), used in agricultural settings, induces developmental and neurological impairments. Recent studies using in vitro cell culture models have reported CPF exposure to have a positive association with mitochondria-mediated oxidative stress response and dopaminergic cell death; however, the mechanism by which mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to dopaminergic cell death remains unclear. Therefore, we hypothesized that STAT1, a transcription factor, causes apoptotic dopaminergic cell death via mitochondria-mediated oxidative stress mechanisms. Here we show that exposure of dopaminergic neuronal cells such as N27 cells (immortalized murine mesencephalic dopaminergic cells) to CPF resulted in a dose-dependent increase in apoptotic cell death as measured by MTS assay and DNA fragmentation. Similar effects were observed in CPF-treated human dopaminergic neuronal cells (LUHMES cells), with an associated increase in mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, CPF (10 μM) induced time-dependent increase in STAT1 activation coincided with the collapse of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, increase in ROS generation, proteolytic cleavage of protein kinase C delta (PKCδ), inhibition of the mitochondrial basal oxygen consumption rate (OCR), with a concomitant reduction in ATP-linked OCR and reserve capacity, increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and enhancement of autophagy. Additionally, by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), we demonstrated that STAT1 bound to a putative regulatory sequence in the NOX1 and Bax promoter regions in response to CPF in N27 cells. Interestingly, overexpression of non-phosphorylatable STAT1 mutants (STAT1Y701F and STAT1S727A) but not STAT1 WT construct attenuated the cleavage of PKCδ and ultimately cell death in CPF-treated cells. Furthermore, small interfering RNA knockdown demonstrated STAT1 to be a critical regulator of autophagy and mitochondria-mediated proapoptotic cell signaling events after CPF treatment in N27 cells. Finally, oral administration of CPF (5 mg/kg) in postnatal rats (PNDs 27-61) induced motor deficits, and nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration with a concomitant induction of STAT1-dependent proapoptotic cell signaling events. Conversely, co-treatment with mitoapocynin (a mitochondrially-targeted antioxidant) and CPF rescued motor deficits, and restored dopaminergic neuronal survival via abrogation of STAT1-dependent proapoptotic cell signaling events. Taken together, our study identifies a novel mechanism by which STAT1 regulates mitochondria-mediated oxidative stress response, PKCδ activation and autophagy. In this context, the phosphorylation of Tyrosine 701 and Serine 727 in STAT1 was found to be essential for PKCδ cleavage. By attenuating mitochondrial-derived ROS, mitoapocynin may have therapeutic applications for reversing CPF-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity and associated neurobehavioral deficits as well as neurodegenerative diseases.
Project description:Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are environmental toxicants known to inhibit the catalytic activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) resulting in hypercholinergic toxicity symptoms. In developing embryos, OPs have been hypothesized to affect both cholinergic and non-cholinergic pathways. In order to understand the neurological pathways affected by OP exposure during embryogenesis, we developed a subacute model of OP developmental exposure in zebrafish by exposing embryos to a dose of the OP metabolite chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPO) that is non-lethal and significantly inhibited AChE enzymatic activity compared to control embryos (43% at 1 day post-fertilization (dpf) and 11% at 2dpf). Phenotypic analysis of CPO-exposed embryos demonstrated that embryonic growth, as analyzed by gross morphology, was normal in 85% of treated embryos. Muscle fiber formation was similar to control embryos as analyzed by birefringence, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) cluster formation was quantitatively similar to control embryos as analyzed by α-bungarotoxin staining. These results indicate that partial AChE activity during the early days of zebrafish development is sufficient for general development, muscle fiber, and nAChR development. Rohon-Beard (RB) sensory neurons exhibited aberrant peripheral axon extension and gene expression profiling suggests that several genes responsible for RB neurogenesis are down-regulated. Stability of CPO in egg water at 28.5 °C was determined by HPLC-UV-MS analysis which revealed that the CPO concentration used in our studies hydrolyzes in egg water with a half-life of 1 day. The result that developmental CPO exposure affected RB neurogenesis without affecting muscle fiber or nAChR cluster formation demonstrates that zebrafish are a strong model system for characterizing subtle neurological pathologies resulting from environmental toxicants.
Project description:Five Arthrobacter isolates from clinical specimens were studied by phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and genetic characterization. Two strains had characteristics consistent with those of Arthrobacter oxydans. One strain was related to A. citreus; however, DNA-DNA hybridization and phenotypic characteristics indicated that this strain belongs to a new species, for which the name Arthrobacter luteolus sp. nov. is proposed. Two strains were closely related to A. cumminsii by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, but DNA-DNA hybridization, peptidoglycan type, and some phenotypic features indicated that they should be assigned to a new species, for which the name Arthrobacter albus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of A. luteolus is CF25 (DSM 13067). The type strain of A. albus is CF43 (DSM 13068).
Project description:The present study explored the immobilization of laccase onto iron magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to enhance its enzymatic properties and applications. The immobilization process was optimized using Box-Behnken design (BBD). BBD showed significance towards the quadratic model with experimental data. Maximum laccase activity recovery (99%) of the predicted model was observed at 0.75 mg/mL of laccase concentration, 200 mg/mL of MNPs, 0.3% cross linking with carbodiimide, and 3 h of cross-linking time. The magnetization activity of MNPs (8 emu/g) and the immobilized laccase with MNPs (4 emu/g) was analyzed using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Maximum activity of immobilized laccase was observed at pH 7.0 and 55 °C. The immobilized laccase has greater stability (100 h) and significant chlorpyrifos (pesticide) degradation activity. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results confirmed the degraded metabolic products of chlorpyrifos. In all, the immobilized laccase was superior to free laccase, showing promising structural and application characteristics.
Project description:The genus Arthrobacter is ubiquitously distributed in different natural environments. Many xenobiotic-degrading Arthrobacter strains have been isolated and described; however, few have been systematically characterized with regard to multiple interrelated metabolic pathways and the genes that encode them. In this study, the biodegradability of seven aromatic compounds by Arthrobacter sp. YC-RL1 was investigated. Strain YC-RL1 could efficiently degrade p-xylene (PX), naphthalene, phenanthrene, biphenyl, p-nitrophenol (PNP), and bisphenol A (BPA) under both separated and mixed conditions. Based on the detected metabolic intermediates, metabolic pathways of naphthalene, biphenyl, PNP, and BPA were proposed, which indicated that strain YC-RL1 harbors systematic metabolic pathways toward aromatic compounds. Further, genomic analysis uncovered part of genes involved in the proposed pathways. Both intradiol and extradiol ring-cleavage dioxygenase genes were identified in the genome of strain YC-RL1. Meanwhile, gene clusters predicted to encode the degradation of biphenyl (bph), para-substituted phenols (npd) and protocatechuate (pca) were identified, and bphA1A2BCD was proposed to be a novel biphenyl-degrading gene cluster. The complete metabolic pathway of biphenyl was deduced via intermediates and functional gene analysis (bph and pca gene clusters). One of the these genes encoding ring-cleavage dioxygenase in bph gene cluster, a predicted 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase (BphC) gene, was cloned and its activity was confirmed by heterologous expression. This work systematically illuminated the metabolic versatility of aromatic compounds in strain YC-RL1 via the combination of metabolites identification, genomics analysis and laboratory experiments. These results suggested that strain YC-RL1 might be a promising candidate for the bioremediation of aromatic compounds pollution sites.
Project description:A bacterium capable of utilizing carbaryl (1-naphthyl N-methylcarbamate) as the sole carbon source was isolated from carbaryl-treated soil. This bacterium was characterized taxonomically as Arthrobacter and was designated strain RC100. RC100 hydrolyzes the N-methylcarbamate linkage to 1-naphthol, which was further metabolized via salicylate and gentisate. Strain RC100 harbored three plasmids (designated pRC1, pRC2, and pRC3). Mutants unable to degrade carbaryl arose at a high frequency after treating the culture with mitomycin C. All carbaryl-hydrolysis-deficient mutants (Cah-) lacked pRC1, and all 1-naphthol-utilization-deficient mutants (Nat-) lacked pRC2. The plasmid-free strain RC107 grew on gentisate as a carbon source. These two plasmids could be transferred to Cah- mutants or Nat- mutants by conjugation, resulting in the restoration of the Cah and Nah phenotypes.
Project description:Swainsonine is an indolizidine alkaloid that has been found in locoweeds and some fungi. Our previous study demonstrated that Arthrobacter sp. HW08 or its crude enzyme extract could degrade swainsonie efficiently. However, the mechanism of swainsonine degradation in bacteria remains unclear. In this study, we used label-free quantitative proteomics method based on liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry to dissect the mechanism of swainsonine biodegradation by Arthrobacter sp. HW08. The results showed that 129 differentially expressed proteins were relevant to swainsonine degradation. These differentially expressed proteins were mostly related to the biological process of metabolism and the molecular function of catalytic activity. Among the 129 differentially expressed proteins, putative sugar phosphate isomerase/epimerase A1R5X7, Acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase A0JZ95, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase A1R6C3 were found to contribute to the swainsonine degradation. Notably, NADP-dependent alcohol dehyrodgenase A1R6C3 appeared to play a major role in degrading swainsonine, but not as much as Arthrobacter sp. HW08 did. Collectively, our findings here provide insights to understand the mechanism of swainsonine degradation in bacteria.
Project description:Arthrobacter sp. HPC1223 (Genebank Accession No. AY948280) isolated from activated biomass of effluent treatment plant was capable of utilizing 2,4,6 trinitrophenol (TNP) under aerobic condition at 30 °C and pH 7 as nitrogen source. It was observed that the isolated bacteria utilized TNP up to 70 % (1 mM) in R2A media with nitrite release. The culture growth media changed into orange-red color hydride-meisenheimer complex at 24 h as detected by HPLC. Oxygen uptake of Arthrobacter HPC1223 towards various nitro/amino substituted phenols such as dinitrophenol (1.2 nmol/min/mg cells), paranitrophenol (0.9 nmol/min/mg cells), 2-aminophenol (0.75 nmol/min/mg cells), p-aminophenol (0.4 nmol/min/mg cells), phenol (0.56 nmol/min/mg cells) and TNP (2.42 nmol/min/mg cell) was analysed, which showed its additional characteristic of broad substrate catabolic capacity. The present study thus report a novel indigenous bacteria isolated from activated sludge utilized TNP and has broad catabolic potential towards substituted phenols.