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- Vanadium distribution, lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress markers upon decavanadate in vivo administrationPublication . S. Soares, Sandra; Martins, H.; Duarte, Rui O.; Moura, José J. G.; Coucelo, Josefina; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Aureliano, M.The contribution of decameric vanadate species to vanadate toxic effects in cardiac muscle was studied following an intravenous administration of a decavanadate solution (1 mM total vanadium) in Sparus aurata. Although decameric vanadate is unstable in the assay medium, it decomposes with a half-life time of 16 allowing studying its effects not only in vitro but also in vivo. After 1, 6 and 12 h upon decavanadate administration the increase of vanadium in blood plasma, red blood cells and in cardiac mitochondria and cytosol is not affected in comparison to the administration of a metavanadate solution containing labile oxovanadates. Cardiac tissue lipid peroxidation increases up to 20%, 1, 6 and 12 h after metavanadate administration, whilst for decavanadate no effects were observed except 1 h after treatment (+20%). Metavanadate administration clearly differs from decavanadate by enhancing, 12 h after exposure, mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (+115%) and not affecting catalase (CAT) activity whereas decavanadate increases SOD activity by 20% and decreases ( 55%) mitochondrial CAT activity. At early times of exposure, 1 and 6 h, the only effect observed upon decavanadate administration was the increase by 20% of SOD activity. In conclusion, decavanadate has a different response pattern of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress markers, in spite of the same vanadium distribution in cardiac cells observed after decavanadate and metavanadate administration. It is suggested that once formed decameric vanadate species has a different reactivity than vanadate, thus, pointing out that the differential contribution of vanadium oligomers should be taken into account to rationalize in vivo vanadate toxicity.
- Monomeric versus decameric vanadate in the elucidation of muscle contraction regulation: a kinetic, spectroscopic and structural overviewPublication . Tiago, Teresa; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Aureliano, M.Vanadium (V) was rediscovered for biology as a “muscle inhibitor factor” when it was found in commercial ATP prepared from equine muscle almost thirty years ago. Since then it has been used as a molecular probe of the mechanisms of several enzyme reactions involving hydrolysis of phosphate ester bonds. Besides acting as a phosphate analogue, vanadate has also the potential to exhibit biological activities through oligomeric vanadate species. Among the vanadate oligomers, decavanadate is one of the most potent inhibitors and has revealed an excellent kinetic and spectroscopic probe. This is particularly relevant for myosin, the major muscle ATPase which along with actin is able to convert the chemical energy of ATP hydrolysis into mechanical work. Apparently, vanadate is able to populate different conformational states of the myosin ATPase cycle depending on its oligomerization state. While monomeric vanadate (VO4 3-) mimics the transition state for the g-phosphate hydrolysis blocking myosin in a pre-power stroke state, decameric vanadate (V10O28 6-) induces the formation of the intermediate myosin·MgATP·V10 complex blocking the actomyosin cycle in a pre-hydrolysis state. These recent findings, that are now reviewed, point out to the importance of taking into account vanadate species variety in studies describing the interaction of vanadate with biological systems and incite the use of decavanadate as a biochemical tool to the elucidation of muscle contraction regulation.
- Decavanadate interactions with actin: inhibition of G-actin polymerization and stabilization of decameric vanadatePublication . Ramos, Susana; Manuel, Miguel; Tiago, Teresa; Duarte, Rui O.; Martins, Jorge; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Moura, José J. G.; Aureliano, M.Decameric vanadate species (V10) inhibit the rate and the extent of G-actin polymerization with an IC50 of 68 ± 22 lM and 17 ± 2 lM, respectively, whilst they induce F-actin depolymerization at a lower extent. On contrary, no effect on actin polymerization and depolymerization was detected for 2 mM concentration of ‘‘metavanadate’’ solution that contains ortho and metavanadate species, as observed by combining kinetic with 51V NMR spectroscopy studies. Although at 25 C, decameric vanadate (10 lM) is unstable in the assay medium, and decomposes following a first-order kinetic, in the presence of G-actin (up to 8 lM), the half-life increases 5-fold (from 5 to 27 h). However, the addition of ATP (0.2 mM) in the medium not only prevents the inhibition of G-actin polymerization by V10 but it also decreases the half-life of decomposition of decameric vanadate species from 27 to 10 h. Decameric vanadate is also stabilized by the sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, which raise the half-life time from 5 to 18 h whereas no effects were observed in the presence of phosphatidylcholine liposomes, myosin or G-actin alone. It is proposed that the ‘‘decavanadate’’ interaction with G-actin, favored by the G-actin polymerization, stabilizes decameric vanadate species and induces inhibition of G-actin polymerization. Decameric vanadate stabilization by cytoskeletal and transmembrane proteins can account, at least in part, for decavanadate toxicity reported in the evaluation of vanadium (V) effects in biological systems.
- Decavanadate toxicity effects following in vivo administrationPublication . S. Soares, Sandra; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Aureliano, M.Very few in vivo animal studies involving vanadium consider the contribution of decavanadate (V10) to vanadium biological effects. Recently, it is been suggested that decameric vanadate may not completely fall apart into other vanadate oligomers before induces changes in cell homeostasis, namely in several stress markers. An acute exposure of different fish species (Halobactrachus didactilus, Lusitanian toadfish, and Sparus aurata, gilthead seabream) to decavanadate, but not to other vanadate oligomers, induced different effects than vanadate in catalase activity, glutathione content, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial superoxide anion production and vanadium accumulation, whereas both solutions seem to equally depress reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as well as total intracellular reducing power. Vanadium is accumulated in Sparus aurata mitochondria in particular when decavanadate is administrated. Moreover, exposure to different vanadate oligomers induced morphological changes in fish cardiac, hepatic and renal tissues causing tissues lesions in the liver and kidney, but not cardiac tissue. Nevertheless, the results highlight that different vanadate oligomers seem to follow, not only in vitro but also in vivo, different pathways, with different targets and effects. These recent findings, that are now summarized, point out the decameric vanadate species contributions to in vivo effects induced by vanadium in biological systems.
- Vanadate oligomers: in vivo effects in hepatic vanadium accumulation and stress markersPublication . Gândara, Ricardo M. C.; S. Soares, Sandra; Martins, H.; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Aureliano, M.The formation of vanadate oligomeric species is often disregarded in studies on vanadate effects in biological systems, particularly in vivo, even though they may interact with high affinity with many proteins. We report the effects in fish hepatic tissue of an acute intravenous exposure (12, 24 h and 7 days) to two vanadium(V) solutions, metavanadate and decavanadate, containing different vanadate oligomers administered at sub-lethal concentration (5 mM; 1 mg/kg). Decavanadate solution promotes a 5-fold increase (0.135 ± 0.053 lg V 1 dry tissues) in the vanadium content of the mitochondrial fraction 7 days after exposition, whereas no effects were observed after metavanadate solution administration. Reduced glutathione (GSH) levels did not change and the overall reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was decreased by 30% 24 h after decavanadate administration, while for metavanadate, GSH levels increased 35%, the overall ROS production was depressed by 40% and mitochondrial superoxide anion production decreased 45%. Decavanadate intoxication did not induce changes in the rate of lipid peroxidation till 12 h, but later increased 80%, which is similar to the increase observed for metavanadate after 24 h. Decameric vanadate administration clearly induces different effects than the other vanadate oligomeric species, pointing out the importance of taking into account the different vanadate oligomers in the evaluation of vanadium(V) effects in biological systems.
- Actomyosin modulation by peroxynitritePublication . Tiago, Teresa; Silva, D.; Santos, Ana; Aureliano, M.; Gutiérrez-Merino, CarlosIn the present work we address the oxidative modifications accounting for the structural and functional impairment of the actomyosin complex under the oxidative stress mediated by peroxynitrite (ONOO-). Experiments on purified myosin and actin have shown that submicromolar ONOO- concentrations produce strong inhibition of the F-actin stimulated myosin ATPase activity. The peroxynitrite-induced actomyosin impairment correlated with structural modifications that decrease the thermal stability of both actin and myosin leading to partially unfolded states. The results suggest a major role for the highly reactive cysteines on actin and on myosin and also for some critical methionines on G-actin. 3-nitrotyrosine does not contribute significantly to the observed functional alterations.
- The pathways of cell death in cardiomyocytes induced by vanadatePublication . Aureliano, M.; S. Soares, Sandra; Henao, Fernando; Gutiérrez-Merino, CarlosAfter 24 hours, cardiac myocytes exposure to 10 μM (LD50) vanadate (meta or decavanadate) an increased (30%) of caspase 3-activation was observed, although not significant. On contrary, a significant decrease (40%) of ATP content, characteristic of necrotic cell death was detected. Furthermore, vanadate treatment increased intracellular Ca2+ level from 60 nM to 240 nM, whereas it decreases mitochondria superoxide anion generation and induces mitochondria membrane depolarization (IC50=6.5 μM). In conclusion, micromolar vanadate exposure induces large chances in two major bioenergetic markers in cardiac myocytes: intracellular calcium concentration and superoxide anion mitochondrial production, suggesting a necrotic cell death through a mitochondrial toxic pathway.
- Early disruption of the actin cytoskeleton in cultured cerebellar granule neurons exposed to 3-morpholinosydnonimine-oxidative stress is linked to alterations of the cytosolic calcium concentrationPublication . Tiago, Teresa; Marques-da-Silva, Dorinda; Samhan-Arias, A. K.; Aureliano, M.; Gutiérrez-Merino, CarlosCytoskeleton damage is a frequent feature in neuronal cell death and one of the early events in oxidantinduced cell injury. This work addresses whether actin cytoskeleton reorganization is an early event of SIN-1-induced extracellular nitrosative/oxidative stress in cultured cerebellar granule neurons (CGN). The actin polymerization state, i.e. the relative levels of G-/F-actin, was quantitatively assessed by the ratio of the fluorescence intensities of microscopy images obtained from CGN double-labelled with Alexa594- DNase-I (for actin monomers) and Bodipy-FL-phallacidin (for actin filaments). Exposure ofCGNto a flux of peroxynitrite as low as 0.5–1 M/min during 30 min (achieved with 0.1mMSIN-1) was found to promote alterations of the actin cytoskeleton dynamics as it increases the G-actin/F-actin ratio. Because L-type voltage-operated Ca2+ channels (L-VOCC) are primary targets in CGN exposed to SIN-1, the possible role of Ca2+ dynamics on the perturbation of the actin cytoskeleton was also assessed from the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration response to the L-VOCC’s agonist FPL-64176 and to the L-VOCC’s blocker nifedipine. The results showed that SIN-1 induced changes in the actin polymerization state correlated with its ability to decrease Ca2+ influx through L-VOCC. Combined analysis of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and G-actin/Factin ratio alterations by SIN-1, cytochalasin D, latrunculin B and jasplakinolide support that disruption of the actin cytoskeleton is linked to cytosolic calcium concentration changes.
- Peroxynitrite induces F-actin depolymerization and blockade of myosin ATPase stimulationPublication . Tiago, Teresa; Ramos, Susana; Aureliano, M.; Gutiérrez-Merino, CarlosTreatment of F-actin with the peroxynitrite-releasing agent 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) produced a dose-dependent F-actin depolymerization. This is due to released peroxynitrite because it is not produced by ‘decomposed SIN-1’, and it is prevented by superoxide dismutase concentrations efficiently preventing peroxynitrite formation. F-actin depolymerization has been found to be very sensitive to peroxynitrite, as exposure to fluxes as low as 50–100 nM peroxynitrite leads to nearly 50% depolymerization in about 1 h. G-actin polymerization is also impaired by peroxynitrite although with nearly 2-fold lower sensitivity. Exposure of F-actin to submicromolar fluxes of peroxynitrite produced cysteine oxidation and also a blockade of the ability of actin to stimulate myosin ATPase activity. Our results suggest that an imbalance of the F-actin/G-actin equilibrium can account for the observed structural and functional impairment of myofibrils under the peroxynitrite-mediated oxidative stress reported for some pathophysiological conditions.
- Binding modes of decavanadate to myosin and inhibition of the actomyosin ATPase activityPublication . Tiago, Teresa; Martel, Paulo; Gutiérrez-Merino, Carlos; Aureliano, M.Decavanadate, a vanadate oligomer, is known to interact with myosin and to inhibit the ATPase activity, but the putative binding sites and the mechanism of inhibition are still to be clarified. We have previously proposed that the decavanadate (V10O28 6−) inhibition of the actin-stimulated myosin ATPase activity is non-competitive towards both actin and ATP. A likely explanation for these results is that V10 binds to the so-called back-door at the end of the Pi-tube opposite to the nucleotide-binding site. In order to further investigate this possibility, we have carried out molecular docking simulations of the V10 oligomer on three different structures of the myosin motor domain of Dictyostelium discoideum, representing distinct states of the ATPase cycle. The results indicate a clear preference of V10 to bind at the back-door, but only on the “open” structures where there is access to the phosphate binding-loop. It is suggested that V10 acts as a “back-door stop” blocking the closure of the 50- kDa cleft necessary to carry out ATP-γ-phosphate hydrolysis. This provides a simple explanation to the non-competitive behavior of V10 and spurs the use of the oligomer as a tool to elucidate myosin back-door conformational changes in the process of muscle contraction.