Crystal structure and sequential dehydration transitions of disodium guanosine 5'-monophosphate tetrahydrate.

Disodium guanosine 5'-monophosphate was reported previously to crystallize as both the tetrahydrate and the heptahydrate. We herein report a determination of the molecular and crystal structures of the title tetrahydrated salt, 2Na+·C10H12N5O8P2-·4H2O. It was found that the structure differs markedly from that of the heptahydrate, but greatly resembles that of disodium deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate tetrahydrate. The C2'-O2'H moiety of ribose is surrounded by hydrophilic moieties and is disordered over two sites. The sugar puckering mode is O4'-endo-C1'-exo at both sites and the conformation around the C4'-C5' bond is gauche-trans. Powder X-ray diffraction and thermal analyses revealed that the temperature-controlled transition from the tetrahydrate to the anhydride proceeded through three intermediate phases between 40 and 60 °C at 0% relative humidity. Large induction periods were observed.

Functional characterization of the neuron-restrictive silencer element in the human tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene expression.

Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) is the key enzyme in the synthesis of neuronal serotonin. Although previous studies suggest that TPH2 neuron-restrictive silencer element (NRSE) functions as a negative regulator dependent on neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF) activity, the underlying mechanisms are yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we show a detailed analysis of the NRSE-mediated repression of the human TPH2 (hTPH2) promoter activity in RN46A cells, a cell line derived from rat raphe neurons. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed the expression of serotonergic marker genes (Mash1, Nkx2.2, Gata2, Gata3, Lmx1b, Pet-1, 5-Htt, and Vmat2) and Nrsf gene in RN46A cells. Tph1 mRNA is the prevalent form expressed in RN46A cells; Tph2 mRNA is also expressed but at a lower level. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and reporter assays showed that hTPH2 NRSE is necessary for the efficient DNA binding of NRSF and for the NRSF-dependent repression of the hTPH2 promoter activity. The hTPH2 promoter activity was increased by knockdown of NRSF, or over-expression of the engineered NRSF (a dominant-negative mutant or a DNA-binding domain and activation domain fusion protein). MS-275, a class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, was found to be more potent than MC-1568, a class II HDAC inhibitor, in enhancing the hTPH2 promoter activity. Furthermore, treatment with the ubiquitin-specific protease 7 deubiquitinase inhibitors, P-22077 or HBX 41108, increased the hTPH2 promoter activity. Collectively, our data demonstrate that the hTPH2 NRSE-mediated promoter repression via NRSF involves class I HDACs and is modulated by the ubiquitin-specific protease 7-mediated deubiquitination and stabilization of NRSF.