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26 records · Page 2

Identification of a dual-specificity protein phosphatase that inactivates a MAP kinase from Arabidopsis

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play a key role in plant responses to stress and pathogens. Activation and inactivation of MAPKs involve phosphorylation and dephosphorylation on both threonine and tyrosine residues in the kinase domain. Here we report the identification of an Arabidopsis gene encoding a dual-specificity protein phosphatase capable of hydrolysing both phosphoserine/threonine and phosphotyrosine in protein substrates. This enzyme, designated AtDsPTP1 (Arabidopsis thaliana dual-specificity protein tyrosine phosphatase), dephosphorylated and inactivated AtMPK4, a MAPK member from the same plant. Replacement of a highly conserved cysteine by serine abolished phosphatase activity of AtDsPTP1, indicating a conserved catalytic mechanism of dual-specificity protein phosphatases from all eukaryotes.

Non-NASA Center↗

Oligomerization of uridine phosphorimidazolides on montmorillonite: a model for the prebiotic synthesis of RNA on minerals

The 5'-phosphorimidazolide of uridine reacts on Na(+)-montmorillonite 22A in aqueous solution to give oligomers as long as 7 mers. The maximum chain length increases to 9 mers and the overall oligomer yield increases when 9:1 ImpU, A5' ppA mixtures react under the same conditions. The oligomer yield and maximum chain length decreases with the structure of the added pyrophosphate in the order A5' ppA > A5' ppU > U5' ppU. Structure analysis of individual oligomer fractions was performed by selective enzymatic hydrolyses followed by HPLC analysis of the products. The regioselectivity for 3',5'-bond formation is 80-90% in the 9:1 ImpU, A5' ppA reaction, a percentage comparable to that observed in the 9:1 ImpA, A5' ppA reaction. Oligomerization of ImpU is inhibited by addition of dA5' ppdA, and MeppA. No oligomers containing A5' ppU were products of the 9:1 ImpU,A5' ppA reaction, a finding consistent with the simple addition of the ImpU to the A5' ppA and not the rearrangement of an ImpU-A5' ppA adduct. Concentrations of lysine or arginine which were close to that of the ImpU did not inhibit oligomer formation. Treatment of Na(+)-montmorillonite with 1 M arginine yielded arginine-montmorillonite, an amino acid-mineral adduct which did not catalyze ImpU oligomerization. Neither the 4-9 mers formed in the 9:1 ImpU, A5' ppA reaction nor the 4-9 mers formed by the base hydrolysis of poly(U) served as templates for the formation of oligo(A)s.

Non-NASA Center↗

An efficient prebiotic synthesis of cytosine and uracil

In contrast to the purines, the routes that have been proposed for the prebiotic synthesis of pyrimidines from simple precursors give only low yields. Cytosine can be synthesized from cyanoacetylene and cyanate; the former precursor is produced from a spark discharge in a CH4/N2 mixture and is an abundant interstellar molecule. But this reaction requires relatively high concentrations of cyanate (> 0.1 M), which are unlikely to occur in aqueous media as cyanate is hydrolysed rapidly to CO2 and NH3. An alternative route that has been explored is the reaction of cyanoacetaldehyde (formed by hydrolysis of cyanoacetylene) with urea. But at low concentrations of urea, this reaction produces no detectable quantities of cytosine. Here we show that in concentrated urea solution--such as might have been found in an evaporating lagoon or in pools on drying beaches on the early Earth--cyanoacetaldehyde reacts to form cytosine in yields of 30-50%, from which uracil can be formed by hydrolysis. These reactions provide a plausible route to the pyrimidine bases required in the RNA world.

Non-NASA Center↗

EDTA-insoluble, calcium-binding proteoglycan in bovine bone

A calcium ion precipitable, trypsin-generated proteoglycan fragment has been isolated from the demineralized, EDTA-insoluble matrices of bone. The demineralized matrix was completely digested with trypsin, increasing concentrations of CaCl2 were added to the supernatant, and the resulting precipitates were analyzed. The amount of precipitate gradually increased with higher concentrations of calcium and was reversibly solubilized by EDTA. After molecular sieve and anion exchange chromatography, a proteoglycan-containing peak was obtained. Immunochemical analysis showed that this peak contained chondroitin 4-sulfate and possibly keratan sulfate. Amino acid analysis showed that this proteoglycan contained high amounts of aspartic acid/asparagine (Asx), serine (Ser), glutamic acid/glutamine (Glx), proline (Pro), and glycine (Gly); however, it contained little leucine (Leu) which suggests that it is not a member of the leucine-rich small proteoglycan family. In addition, significant amounts of phosphoserine (P-Ser) and hydroxyproline (Hyp) were identified in hydrolysates of this fraction. A single band (M(r) 59 kDa) was obtained on SDS-PAGE that stained with Stains-all but not with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250. If bone powder was trypsinized prior to demineralization, this proteoglycan-containing fraction was not liberated. Collectively, these results indicate that a proteoglycan occurs in the demineralized matrix that is precipitated with CaCl2 and is closely associated with both mineral and collagen matrices. Such a molecule might facilitate the structural network for the induction of mineralization in bone.

NASA Program Space Physiology and Countermeasures↗

Fungal Peptaibiotics: Assessing Potential Meteoritic Amino Acid Contamination

The presence of non-protein alpha-dialkyl-amino acids such as alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (alpha-A1B) and isovaline (Iva), which are relatively rare in the terrestrial biosphere, has long been used as an indication of the indigeneity of meteoritic amino acids, however, the discovery of alpha-AIB in peptides producers by a widespread group of filamentous fungi indicates the possibility of a terrestrial biotic source for the alpha-AIB observed in some meteorites. The alpha-AIB-containing peptides produced by these fungi are dubbed peptaibiotics. We measured the molecular distribution and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios for amino acids found in the total hydrolysates of four biologically synthesized peptaibiotics. We compared these aneasurenetts with those from the CM2 carbonaceous chondrite Murchison and from three Antarctic CR2 carbonaceous chondrites in order to understand the peptaibiotics as a potential source of meteoritic contamination.

Elsila, J. E.↗

Extraterrestrial Hydroxy Amino Acids in CM and CR Carbonaceous Chondrites

7 The abundances, distributions, and enantiomeric ratios of a family of three- and four- 8 9 10 carbon hydroxy amino acids (HAAs) were investigated in extracts of five CM and four 11 12 13 CR carbonaceous chondrites by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) 14 15 16 analyses. Hydroxy amino acids were detected in both the acid hydrolysates of the hot 17 18 19 water extracts and the 6 M HCl extracts of all the CM and CR chondrites analyzed 20 21 22 here with total hot water and HCl extractable HAA concentrations ranging from 6.94 23 24 25 to 315 nmol per gram. The HAA analyses performed in this study revealed: 1) the 26 27 28 combined (hot water + HCl) extracts of CR2 chondrites contained greater abundances 29 30 31 of -HAAs than that of CM2 chondrites and 2) the combined extracts of CM and CR 32 33 34 chondrites contained roughly similar abundances of β- and γ-HAAs. Application of the 35 36 37 new GC-MS method developed here resulted in the first successful chromatographic 38 39 40 resolution of the enantiomers of an -dialkyl HAA, D,L--methylserine, in 41 42 43 carbonaceous chondrite extracts. Meteoritic -methylserine was found to be mostly 44 45 46 racemic within error and did not show L-enantiomeric excesses correlating with the 47 48 49 degree of aqueous alteration, a phenomenon observed in meteoritic isovaline, another 50 51 52 -dialkyl amino acid. The HAAs identified in CM and CR chondrite extracts could have 53 54 55 been produced during parent body alteration from the Strecker cyanohydrin reaction 56 57 58 (for -HAAs) and an ammonia-involved formose-like reaction (for β-, and γ-HAAs).

Amino acid(s), CM carbonaceous chondrite < Meteori↗

Extraterrestrial hydroxy amino acids in CM and CR carbonaceous chondrites

The abundances, distributions, and enantiomeric ratios of a family of three- and four-carbon hydroxy amino acids (HAAs) were investigated in extracts of five CM and four CR carbonaceous chondrites by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses. HAAs were detected in both the acid hydrolysates of the hot water extracts and the 6 M HCl extracts of all the CM and CR chondrites analyzed here with total hot water and HCl extractable HAA concentrations ranging from 6.94 to 315 nmol/g. The HAA analyses performed in this study revealed: (1) the combined (hot water + HCl) extracts of CR2 chondrites contained greater abundances of α-HAAs than that of CM2 chondrites and (2) the combined extracts of CM and CR chondrites contained roughly similar abundances of β- and γ-HAAs. Application of the new GC-MS method developed here resulted in the first successful chromatographic resolution of the enantiomers of an α-dialkyl HAA, d,l-α-methylserine, in carbonaceous chondrite extracts. Meteoritic α-methylserine was found to be mostly racemic within error and did not show l-enantiomeric excesses correlating with the degree of aqueous alteration, a phenomenon observed in meteoritic isovaline, another α-dialkyl amino acid. The HAAs identified in CM and CR chondrite extracts could have been produced during parent body alteration from the Strecker cyanohydrin reaction (for α-HAAs) and an ammonia-involved formose-like reaction (for β-, and γ-HAAs).

Amino acid(s)↗

Organic Matter in Itokawa Particles

The first Hayabusa mission returned samples from the near-Earth S-type asteroid 25143 Itokawa to Earth in 2010[1]. Although Itokawa has a lithology related to ordinary chondrites(OCs) that typically have low organic contents, several Itokawa particles were found to contain organic matter (OM)[2-5]. However, there was not an explicit conclusion to the origin of the observed OMin these early studies. We have extended our search for OM into other Itokawa grains. Here, we report extraterrestrial OM (macromolecular carbon and amino acids) observed in six Itokawa particles(including a category1 particle: RA-QD02-0162[#62; also nicknamed “Amazon”],and five category3 carbon-rich particles:RA-QD02-0012[#12], RA-QD02-0078[#78], RB-CV-0029[#29], RB-CV-0080 [#80] and RB-QD04-0052[#52]).All allocated Itokawa samples were initially analysed by spot and point-by-point mapping Raman spectroscopic analysis at the Open University, UK. Amazon was then transferred and mounted into indium on an aluminium stub, which was studied with a NanoSIMS 50L ion microprobe for its H,C,N isotopic compositions. The rest of the samples were mounted in sterile gold foils, and the amino acid contents of their acid hydrolysed hot water extracts were obtained with a liquid chromatography with tandem fluorescence and accurate mass detection at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA. Based on the observation of the Raman parameters(e.g. the peak locations and widths of the defect (D) and graphite (G) bands)[6], a significant variety of carbonaceous materials has been observed in Amazon. The carbonaceous materials include primitive and unaltered OM that shares similarity with the IOM in primitive (CI,CM,CR) carbonaceous chondrites, as well as OM that has been heavily graphitised. The organic structure of the heated material is best represented by nanocrystalline graphite, comparable to that observed for metamorphosed meteorites (e.g., L3–6 Inman, Tieschitz and New Concord,CV3 Allende, and EH4 Indarch),suggesting peak metamorphic temperatures (PMT) of >~600°C. The thermal history recorded in the graphitic OM agrees with PMT estimates for returned Itokawa regolith grains (600–800°C)[7].We have obtained the H,C,N isotopic compositions for the primitive OM in Amazon, which exhibits unambiguously extraterrestrial isotopic signatures (δD = +4868±2288‰; δ13C = −24±5‰; δ15N = +344±20‰), contrasting to the typically negative isotopic values obtained for terrestrial organic matter[8]. The δD and δ13C values of the organic material in Amazon are comparable to OCs, however, the δ15N value is higher than that typically observed for OCs (δ15N = −47 to +36‰), and is similar to that of CRs (δ15N = +153 to +309‰)[9].Our data suggest a genetic link between the primitive organic material observed in Itokawa to CRs and IDPs for they share similar D, 13C and 15N enrichments[10].The high carbon contents of the five category 3 Itokawa particles suggest potentially higher OM abundances, hence we extracted and analysed amino acids in these samples. Although terrestrial contamination was observed primarily as L-protein amino acids, several terrestrially uncommon non-protein amino acids were also observed at low abundances, such as β-aminoisobutyric acid (β-AIB),β-amino-n-butyric acid (β-ABA), and β-alanine. Itokawa amino acid content observed here was dissimilar to thermally altered OCs, but preliminarily analogous to more aqueously altered CR2s.Continued evolution of Itokawa is evident by the in fall of primitive organic material derived from CRs/IDPs, accounting for a complex interplay between the remnant Itokawa silicates with exogenous organics. The results reported here are the first evidence of extraterrestrial OM in asteroid material from a sample-return mission, showcasing a working protocol for analysing samples returned by the Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx missions

Q. H. S. Chan↗