Less Is More: a Mutation in the Chemical Defense Pathway of Erysimum cheiranthoides (Brassicaceae) Reduces Total Cardenolide Abundance but Increases Resistance to Insect Herbivores.

Erysimum cheiranthoides L (Brassicaceae; wormseed wallflower) accumulates not only glucosinolates, which are characteristic of the Brassicaceae, but also abundant and diverse cardenolides. These steroid toxins, primarily glycosylated forms of digitoxigenin, cannogenol, and strophanthidin, inhibit the function of essential Na+/K+-ATPases in animal cells. We screened a population of 659 ethylmethanesulfonate-mutagenized E. cheiranthoides plants to identify isolates with altered cardenolide profiles. One mutant line exhibited 66% lower cardenolide content, resulting from greatly decreased cannogenol and strophanthidin glycosides, partially compensated for by increases in digitoxigenin glycosides. This phenotype was likely caused by a single-locus recessive mutation, as evidenced by a wildtype phenotype of F1 plants from a backcross, a 3:1 wildtype:mutant segregation in the F2 generation, and genetic mapping of the altered cardenolide phenotype to one position in the genome. The mutation created a more even cardenolide distribution, decreased the average cardenolide polarity, but did not impact most glucosinolates. Growth of generalist herbivores from two feeding guilds, Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae; green peach aphid) and Trichoplusia ni Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae; cabbage looper), was decreased on the mutant line compared to wildtype. Both herbivores accumulated cardenolides in proportion to the plant content, with T. ni accumulating higher total concentrations than M. persicae. Helveticoside, a relatively abundant cardenolide in E. cheiranthoides, was not detected in M. persicae feeding on these plants. Our results support the hypothesis that increased digitoxigenin glycosides provide improved protection against M. persicae and T. ni, despite an overall decrease in cardenolide content of the mutant line.

Lipid peroxidation as the mechanism of modification of the affinity of the Na+, K+-ATPase active sites for ATP, K+, Na+, and strophanthidin in vitro.

The effect of lipid peroxidation on the affinity of specific active sites of Na+,K+-ATPase for ATP (substrate), K+ and Na+ (activators), and strophanthidin (a specific inhibitor) was investigated. Brain cell membranes were peroxidized in vitro in the presence of 100 microM ascorbate and 25 microM FeCl2 at 37 degrees C for time intervals from 0-20 min. The level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and the activity of Na+, K+-ATPase were determined. The enzyme activity decreased by 80% in the first min. from 42.0 +/- 3.8 to 8.8 +/- 0.9 mumol Pi/mg protein/hr and remained unchanged thereafter. Lipid peroxidation products increased to a steady state level from 0.2 +/- 0.1 to 16.5 +/- 1.5 nmol malonaldehyde/mg protein by 3 min. In peroxidized membranes, the affinity for ATP and strophanthidin was increased (two and seven fold, respectively), whereas affinity for K+ and Na+ was decreased (to one tenth and one seventh of control values, respectively). Changes in the affinity of active sites will affect the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation mechanisms of Na+, K+-ATPase reaction. The increased affinity for ATP favors the phosphorylation of the enzyme at low ATP concentrations whereas, the decreased affinity for K+ will not favor the dephosphorylation of the enzyme-P complex resulting in unavailability of energy for transmembrane transport processes. The results demonstrate that lipid peroxidation alters Na+, K+-ATPase function by modification at specific active sites in a selective manner, rather than through a non-specific destructive process.

Preparation and biodistribution of 99mTc chelate of strophanthidin--a cardiac aglycone.

Cardiac glycosides are well known to exert a specific and powerful effect on myocardial tissue, and there is a possibility that this class of compound with a 99mTc radiolabel may behave as a superior myocardial imaging agent in comparison to 201Tl which is at present used clinically. Because of the extreme chemical complexity of cardiac glycosides a simpler aglycone, strophanthidin was selected as the pilot compound for preliminary labelling and in vivo distribution studies. Strophanthidin was converted to 19-thiosemicarbazone which nicely accommodated 99mTc to produce a pure radiopharmaceutical of high specific activity. The distribution pattern in animal models was studied which is in accordance with the metabolic studies performed earlier with the ligand itself.

Inhibition of electrogenic Na-pumping attributable to binding of cardiac steroids to high-affinity pump sites in human atrium.

Binding of cardiac steroids to the Na,K-pump may occur at both high- and low-affinity sites. Binding at low-affinity sites causes pump inhibition. However, the functional significance of binding at high-affinity sites is controversial. The effects of cardiac steroids presumed bound at high-affinity sites on electrogenic Na-pumping was therefore examined in human atrial tissue. Specimens were preloaded with Na+ by cooling to 2 degrees C for 60 min and then rewarmed to 30 degrees C in 20 mM K+. In nine control experiments, the resting membrane potential hyperpolarized to -69.9 +/- 0.7 mV (mean +/- S.E.) due to enhanced Na,K-pump activity upon rewarming. Maximal hyperpolarization was less negative during exposure to 10(-9) to 10(-6) M acetylstrophanthidin in a dose-dependent manner. The differences between maximal hyperpolarization during control experiments and during exposure to acetylstrophanthidin were attributed to pump inhibition. Inhibition occurred at all acetylstrophanthidin concentrations including the low range in which binding at high-affinity sites should predominate. The relationship between acetylstrophanthidin concentration and pump inhibition was bimodal with a "shoulder" around 10(-8) M. The data were well described by a model which assumes that acetylstrophanthidin binds at both low capacity-high-affinity (half-saturation, 3.9 X 10(-9)M) and high capacity-low-affinity sites (half-saturation, 4.8-6.1 X 10(-7) M). Nonlinearity in the experimental assay of pump function did not appear to explain the bimodal concentration-inhibition relationship. Thus, cardiac steroids may cause Na,K-pump inhibition in humans by binding to high-affinity pump sites.

[Biotransformations of strophanthidin D- and L-arabinosides in the body of rats]. / Bioprevrashcheniia D- i L-arabinozidov strofantidina v organizme krys.

Metabolism of two cardiac glycosides--strophanthidine-3-alpha-L- and strophanthidine-3-alpha-D-arabinozide was studied at the stage of their passage via the liver and on the way of excretion by the kidneys in tests on albino rats by using paper chromatography. It was found that in passing through the liver both glycosides undergo a process of reduction of the aldehyde group at C1O to the alcoholic one. Different time periods of passage with urine were reduced, viz. strophanthidine-3-alpha-D-arabinozide and its metabolite are excreted during 24 hours and strophanthidine-3-alpha-L-arabinozide and the product of its transormation--within the space of 12 hours.