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Published on: October 15, 2018
Complex changes in ecto-nucleoside 5'-triphosphate diphosphohydrolase expression in hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl
Veronika Lorenz1, Cibele S Pinto, Roland Seifert
1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Regensburg, Germany.
Lesch-Nyhan disease, caused by hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) deficiency, affects ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (NTPDase) expression. These complex changes in NTPDase levels may represent cellular compensation for altered nucleotide metabolism.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
Background:
- Lesch-Nyhan disease results from a deficiency in the purine salvage enzyme hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT).
- The precise mechanism linking HPRT deficiency to the disease's characteristic neuropsychiatric symptoms remains unclear.
- Altered nucleoside 5'-triphosphatase (NTPase) activity has been observed in cellular models of HPRT deficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression patterns of ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (NTPDases) in cellular models of HPRT deficiency.
- To determine if changes in NTPDase expression correlate with altered NTPase activity observed in Lesch-Nyhan disease.
- To explore potential compensatory mechanisms in nucleotide metabolism.
Main Methods:
- Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was employed to analyze NTPDase gene expression.
- Restriction enzyme digestion of amplified cDNA fragments was used to differentiate between NTPDase isoforms.
- Studies were conducted on rat B103 neuroblastoma cells, mouse Neuro2a neuroblastoma cells, and fibroblasts from HPRT knock-out mice.
Main Results:
- HPRT deficiency led to decreased expression of NTPDases 1, 3, and 6, and increased expression of NTPDases 4 and 5 in B103 cells.
- In Neuro2a cells, HPRT deficiency resulted in increased expression of NTPDases 3, 4, 5, and 6.
- Fibroblasts from HPRT knock-out mice showed decreased NTPDase 3 expression and increased expression of NTPDases 4, 5, and 6.
Conclusions:
- HPRT deficiency causes complex, cell-type and species-specific alterations in NTPDase isoform expression.
- These observed changes in NTPDase expression may indicate an cellular attempt to adapt to the metabolic disturbances caused by HPRT deficiency.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the functional consequences of these NTPDase expression changes in the context of Lesch-Nyhan disease pathophysiology.
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Translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA). Following transcription, it constitutes the final step in the expression of genes. This process is carried out by ribosomes, complexes of protein and specialized RNA molecules. Ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA), and other proteins produce a chain of amino acids—the polypeptide—as the end product of translation.
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Translation
Translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA). Following transcription, it constitutes the final step in the expression of genes. This process is carried out by ribosomes, complexes of protein and specialized RNA molecules. Ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA), and other proteins produce a chain of amino acids—the polypeptide—as the end product of translation.
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