Inflammatory markers associated with osteoarthritis after destabilization surgery in young mice with and without Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE).

HtrA1, Ddr-2, and Mmp-13 are reliable biomarkers for osteoarthritis (OA), yet the exact mechanism for the upregulation of HtrA-1 is unknown. Some have shown that chondrocyte hypertrophy is associated with early indicators of inflammation including TGF-ß and the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE). To examine the correlation of inflammation with the expression of biomarkers in OA, we performed right knee destabilization surgery on 4-week-old-wild type and RAGE knock-out (KO) mice. We assayed for HtrA-1, TGF-ß1, Mmp-13, and Ddr-2 in articular cartilage at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days post-surgery by immunohistochemistry on left and right knee joints. RAGE KO and wild type mice both showed staining for key OA biomarkers. However, RAGE KO mice were significantly protected against OA compared to controls. We observed a difference in the total number of chondrocytes and percentage of chondrocytes staining positive for OA biomarkers between RAGE KO and control mice. The percentage of cells staining for OA biomarkers correlated with severity of cartilage degradation. Our results indicate that the absence of RAGE did protect against the development of advanced OA. We conclude that HtrA-1 plays a role in lowering TGF-ß1 expression in the process of making articular cartilage vulnerable to damage associated with OA progression.

Potential of an antibacterial ultraviolet-irradiated nylon film.

The antibacterial effectiveness of an ultraviolet-irradiated nylon 6, 6 film was investigated for potential use as a food-packaging material to reduce the surface microbial contamination of foods. The film-surface analyses showed that UV irradiation induced conversion of surface amide groups to amines. Irradiation also increased the dimensional scale of the film surface topography (depth of valleys) approximately 5-fold on the scale of nanometers. The irradiated nylon demonstrated antagonistic activity against Staphylococcus aureus 25923 and Escherichia coli TV1058 with 4.5 and 6 log reductions, respectively, of an initial population of 10(6) cfu mL(-1). The irradiated nylon was ineffective against Pseudomonas fluorescens 13525 and Enterococcus faecalis 19433 under similar conditions. The film demonstrated increased antimicrobial activity against S. aureus 25923 with increasing temperatures up to 45 degrees C, the highest temperature tested. Protein and salt inhibited the antibacterial nature of the irradiated film. Amines in solution (4.31 x 10(-8) M; the calculated equivalent of amines on the film) killed at least 1 x 10(4) cfu mL(-1) E. coli TV1058, and 4. 31 x 10(-7) M amines killed up to 1 x 10(7) cfu mL(-1) E. coli TV1058. The amines in solution required similar exposure time to the bacteria for population reduction as was observed with the irradiated film.

Antimicrobial activities of amphiphilic peptides covalently bonded to a water-insoluble resin.

A series of polymer-bound antimicrobial peptides was prepared, and the peptides were tested for their antimicrobial activities. The immobilized peptides were prepared by a strategy that used solid-phase peptide synthesis that linked the carboxy-terminal amino acid with an ethylenediamine-modified polyamide resin (PepsynK). The acid-stable, permanent amide bond between the support and the nascent peptide renders the peptide resistant to cleavage from the support during the final acid-catalyzed deprotection step in the synthesis. Select immobilized peptides containing amino acid sequences that ranged from the naturally occurring magainin to simpler synthetic sequences with idealized secondary structures were excellent antimicrobial agents against several organisms. The immobilized peptides typically reduced the number of viable cells by > or = 5 log units. We show that the reduction in cell numbers cannot be explained by the action of a soluble component. We observed no leached or hydrolyzed peptide from the resin, nor did we observe any antimicrobial activity in soluble extracts from the immobilized peptide. The immobilized peptides were washed and reused for repeated microbial contact and killing. These results suggest that the surface actions by magainins and structurally related antimicrobial peptides are sufficient for their lethal activities.

Peptide, protein, and cellular interactions with self-assembled monolayer model surfaces.

Model biomaterial surfaces with well defined chemistry were prepared from close-packed alkyltrichlorosilane monolayers on polished silicon and glass. The outermost molecular groups which come in direct contact with the biological environment were varied across a wide range of oxidation states by employing -CF3, -CH3, -CO2CH3, and -CH2OH terminal functionalities. Characterization by contact angles, surface spectroscopy, and ellipsometry verified that these model surfaces could be repeatedly prepared with good consistency for routine use to study biomolecule adsorption onto model surfaces. Adhesion of canine endothelial cells and the adsorption of proteins (human serum albumin and human fibrinogen) as well as series of synthetic defined oligopeptides to these model surfaces have been studied. Endothelial cells attachment and growth were in the rank order of: -CH2OH > -CO2Me > -CH3 > -CF3. The peptides were comprised of different alternating sequences of lysine, leucine, and tryptophan residues. These structural differences imparted different amphiphilic characters that led to measurable differences in the adsorption of these peptides to liquid-vapor interfaces. The adsorption to model surfaces was studied using ESCA, radiometry, and concentration-dependent contact angles. ESCA and radiometry measured irreversible biomolecules adsorption whereas the contact angle method measured steady-state adsorption. Radiometric results were inconsistent with ESCA, possibly due to artifacts associated with protein radiolabeling.

Preparation of a mixture of nucleoside triphosphates suitable for use in synthesis of nucleotide phosphate sugars from ribonucleic acid using nuclease P1, a mixture of nucleoside monophosphokinases and acetate kinase.

This paper (1) describes the enzymatic synthesis of a mixture of adenosine, guanosine, cytidine, and uridine triphosphates (ATP, GTP, CTP, and UTP) from ribonucleic acid (RNA). RNA was hydrolyzed by nuclease P1 to a mixture of 5'-nucleoside monophosphates. This mixture was converted to the nucleoside triphosphates using a mixture of nucleoside monophosphate kinases and acetate kinase, with acetyl phosphate as the ultimate phosphoryl donor. The nucleoside monophosphokinases were extracted from brewer's yeast in a four-step procedure. The specific activity of the yeast enzyme preparation after gel permeation chromatography was sufficiently high that the yeast kinases could be immobilized in volumes that were practical for laboratory scale syntheses. Conversions from NMP to NTP in a mixture containing 0.34 mol of total nucleoside phosphates were: ATP, 90%; GTP, 90%; CTP, 60%; and UTP, 40%.

Enzyme-catalyzed organic synthesis of sucrose and trehalose with in situ regeneration of UDP-glucose.

This paper describes cell-free enzymatic syntheses of sucrose and trehalose using partially-purified preparations of sucrose and trehalose synthetase. The coupling of the regeneration of uridine-5'-diphosphoglucose (UDP-Glc) with synthesis of the disaccharide offers a practical route to millimol quantities of these carbohydrates. The syntheses used pyruvate kinase, UDP-Glc pyrophosphorylase, and inorganic pyrophosphatase, and the regenerated UDP-Glc was cycled approximately 10 times.