Effect of Pre-treatment of α-Ketoglutarate on Cyanide-induced Toxicity and Alterations in Various Physiological Variables in Rodents

Objective To investigate the effects of pre-treatment of α-ketoglutarate （α-KG） on cyanide-induced lethality and changes in various physiological parameters in rodents. Methods The LD50 of potassium cyanide （KCN） given orally （po）, intraperitoneally （ip）, subcutaneously （sc） or intravenously （iv） was determined in male mice, in the presence or absence α-KG given po, ip or iv. α-KG was administered 10, 20 or 40 min prior to KCN at 0.50, 1.0 or 2.0 g/kg by po or ip route, and at 0.10, 0.20 or 0.40 g/kg by iv route. Protection index （PI） was calculated as the ratio of LD50 of KCN in the presence of α-KG （protected animals） and LD50 of KCN in the absence of α-KG （unprotected animals）. In a separate experiment, several physiological variables viz. mean arterial pressure （MAP）, heart rate （HR）, respiratory rate （RR）, neuromuscular transmission （NMT） and rectal temperature （RT） were measured in anesthetized female rats pre-treated （-10 rain） with po （2.0 g/kg） or iv （0.125 g/kg） α-KG and then administered sub-lethal （0.75 LD50） or lethal （2.0, 4.0 or 8.0 LD50） doses of KCN （po）. Results PI of 4.52, 6.40 and 7.60 at -10 min, 3.20, 5.40 and 6.40 at -20 min, and 1.40, 3.20 and 5.40 at -40 min of po administration with α-KG was observed for 0.50, 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg doses, respectively, against KCN given by po route. When KCN was given ip, a PI of 3.38, 4.79 and 5.70 was observed for 0.50, 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg α-KG given ip （-10 min）, respectively. A lower PI of 3.37, 2.83 and 2.38 was observed when KCN given sc was challenged by 2.0 g/kg α-KG given ip at -10, -20 or -40 min, respectively. Similarly, a PI of 3.37, 2.83 and 2.0 was noted when KCN given sc was antagonized by 2.0 g/kg α-KG given po at -10, -20 or -40 rain, respectively. No appreciable protection was observed when lower doses of α-KG （ip or po） challenged KCN given by sc route. Pre-treatment of iv or po administration of α-KG did not afford any protection against KCN given po or iv route. Oral treatment of 0.75 LD50 KCN caused significant decrease in MAP and HR after 15 min, RR after 30 min and NMT after 60 min. There was no effect on RT. No reduction in MAP, HR, RR and RT was observed when rats received 2.0 or 4.0 LD50 KCN after pre-treatment of α-KG （po; 2.0 g/kg）. However, no protection was observed on NMT. Protective efficacy of α-KG was not observed on MAP, HR, RR, and NMT decreased by 8.0 LD50 KCN. Decrease in MAP and NMT caused by 2.0 LD50 KCN （po） was resolved by iv administration of α-KG Conclusions Cyanide antagonism by α-KG is best exhibited when both α-KG and KCN are given by po route. The protective effect of α-KG on cyanide-induced changes in several physiological parameters also indicates a promising role of α-KG as an alternative cyanide antidote.

α-ketoglutarate promotes the specialization of primordial germ cell-like cells through regulating epigenetic reprogramming

There is growing evidence that cellular metabolism can directly participate in epigenetic dynamics and consequently modulate gene expression.However,the role of metabolites in activating the key gene regulatory network for specialization of germ cell lineage remains largely unknown.Here,we identified some cellular metabolites with significant changes by untargeted metabolomics between mouse epiblast-like cells(EpiLCs)and primordial germ cell-like cells(PGCLCs).More importantly,we found that inhibition of glutaminolysis by bis-2-(5-phenylacetamido-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)ethyl sulfide(BPTES)impeded PGCLC specialization,but the impediment could be rescued by addition ofα-ketoglutarate(αKG),the intermediate metabolite of oxidative phosphorylation and glutaminolysis.Moreover,adding aKG alone to the PGCLC medium accelerated the PGCLC specialization through promoting H3 K27 me3 demethylation.Thus,our study reveals the importance of metabolite aKG in the germ cell fate determination and highlights the essential role of cellular metabolism in shaping the cell identities through epigenetic events.

Effects of Exogenousα-Ketoglutaric Acid on 2-Acetyl-1-Pyrroline,Yield Formation and Grain Quality Characters of Aromatic Rice

The improvement of grain quality in aromatic rice is very important for farmer to increase their income.Present study was conducted with a two-year field experiment and three aromatic rice cultivars in order to study the effects of exogenousα-ketoglutaric acid on yield formation,grain quality characters and the biosynthesis of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline(2-AP,key component of aromatic rice’s fragrance)in aromatic rice.At heading stage,0.50 mmol L^(-1)(T1)and 1.00 mmol L^(-1)(T2)α-ketoglutaric acid solutions were overhead sprinkle to aromatic rice plants,respectively while the treatment which was overhead sprinkled with distilled water was set as control(CK).The results showed that 17.34%-33.04%and 21.39%-34.74%higher grain 2-AP contents were recorded in T1 and T2 treatments,respectively.Compared with CK,T1 and T2 treatments significantly reduced the transcript level of gene BADH2 which is related to the 2-AP biosynthesis in aromatic rice.3.86%-7.51%higher grain protein contents and 1.15%-3.37%higher head rice rates were also recorded inα-ketoglutaric acid treatments than CK.Moreover,T1 and T2 treatments remarkably decreased the chalky rice rate,chalkiness and grain amylose content.However,there was no remarkable difference in grain yield and related trails(effective panicle number,grain number per panicle,seed-setting rate and 1000-grain weight)among CK,T1 and T2 treatments.In conclusion,application of exogenousα-ketoglutaric acid enhanced 2-AP biosynthesis and improved grain quality of aromatic rice.

Targeting PHGDH reverses the immunosuppressive phenotype of tumor-associated macrophages throughα-ketoglutarate and mTORC1 signaling

Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase(PHGDH)has emerged as a crucial factor in macromolecule synthesis,neutralizing oxidative stress,and regulating methylation reactions in cancer cells,lymphocytes,and endothelial cells.However,the role of PHGDH in tumor-associated macrophages(TAMs)is poorly understood.Here,we found that the T helper 2(Th2)cytokine interleukin-4 and tumor-conditioned media upregulate the expression of PHGDH in macrophages and promote immunosuppressive M2 macrophage activation and proliferation.Loss of PHGDH disrupts cellular metabolism and mitochondrial respiration,which are essential for immunosuppressive macrophages.Mechanistically,PHGDH-mediated serine biosynthesis promotesα-ketoglutarate production,which activates mTORC1 signaling and contributes to the maintenance of an M2-like macrophage phenotype in the tumor microenvironment.Genetic ablation of PHGDH in macrophages from tumor-bearing mice results in attenuated tumor growth,reduced TAM infiltration,a phenotypic shift of M2-like TAMs toward an M1-like phenotype,downregulated PD-L1 expression and enhanced antitumor T-cell immunity.Our study provides a strong basis for further exploration of PHGDH as a potential target to counteract TAM-mediated immunosuppression and hinder tumor progression.

IDH1 mutation inhibits differentiation of astrocytes and glioma cells with low oxoglutarate dehydrogenase expression by disturbingα-ketoglutarate-related metabolism and epigenetic modification

Isocitrate dehydrogenase(IDH)mutations frequently occur in lower-grade gliomas and secondary glioblastomas.Mutant IDHs exhibit a gain-of-function activity,leading to the production of D-2-hydroxyglutarate(D-2HG)by reducing α-ketoglutarate(α-KG),a central player in metabolism and epigenetic modifications.However,the role ofα-KG homeostasis in IDH-mutated gliomagenesis remains elusive.In this study,we found that low expression of oxoglutarate dehydrogenase(OGDH)was a common feature in IDH-mutated gliomas,as well as inastrocytes.This low expression of OGDH resultedin the accumulation of α-KG and promoted astrocyte maturation.However,IDH1 mutation significantly reducedα-KG levels and increased glutaminolysis and DNA/histone methylation in astrocytes.These metabolic and epigenetic alterations inhibited astrocyte maturation and led to cortical dysplasia in mice.Moreover,our results also indicated that reduced OGDH expression can promote the differentiation of glioma cells,while IDH1 mutations impeded the differentiation of glioma cells with low OGDH by reducing the accumulation ofα-KG and increasing glutaminolysis.Finally,we found that l-glutamine increasedα-KG levels and augmented the differentiation-promoting effects of AGI5198,an IDH1-mutant inhibitor,in IDH1-mutant glioma cells.Collectively,this study reveals that low OGDH expression is a crucial metabolic characteristic of IDH-mutant gliomas,providing a potential strategy for the treatment of IDH-mutant gliomas by targetingα-KG homeostasis.

Mitochondrial malic enzyme 2 promotes breast cancer metastasis via stabilizing HIF-1α under hypoxia

Objective: α-ketoglutarate(α-KG) is the substrate to hydroxylate collagen and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α), which are important for cancer metastasis. Previous studies have shown that the upregulation of collagen prolyl 4-hydroxylase in breast cancer cells stabilizes the expression of HIF-1α by depleting α-KG levels. We hypothesized that mitochondrial malic enzyme 2(ME2) might also affect HIF-1α expression via modulating α-KG levels in breast cancer cells.Methods: We evaluated ME2 protein expression in 100 breast cancer patients using immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological indicators. The effect of ME2 knockout on cancer metastasis was evaluated using an orthotopic breast cancer model. The effect of ME2 knockout or knockdown on the levels of α-KG and HIF-1α proteins in breast cancer cell lines was determined both in vitro and in vivo.Results: ME2 was found to be upregulated in the human breast cancerous tissues compared with the matched precancerous tissues(P<0.001). The elevated expression of ME2 was associated with a poor prognosis(P=0.019).ME2 upregulation was also related to lymph node metastasis(P=0.016), pathological staging(P=0.033), and vascular cancer embolus(P=0.014). Also, ME2 knockout significantly inhibited lung metastasis in vivo. In the tumors formed by ME2 knockout cells, the levels of α-KG were significantly increased and collagen hydroxylation level did not change significantly but HIF-1α protein expression was significantly decreased, compared to the control samples. In cell culture, cells with ME2 knockout or knockdown demonstrated significantly higher α-KG levels but significantly lower HIF-1α protein expression than control cells under hypoxia. Exogenous malate and α-KG exerted similar effect on HIF-1α in breast cancer cells to ME2 knockout or knockdown. Additionally,treatment with malate significantly decreased 4 T1 breast cancer lung metastasis. ME2 expression was associated with HIF-1α levels in human breast cancer samples(P=0.008).Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that upregulation of ME2 is associated with a poor prognosis of breast cancer patients and propose a mechanistic understanding of a link between ME2 and breast cancer metastasis.

Advances in Fe(II)/2-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase-mediated C-H bond oxidation for regioselective and stereoselective hydroxyl amino acid synthesis:from structural insights into practical applications

The asymmetric hydroxylation of inactive carbon atoms in organic compounds remains an important reaction in the industrial synthesis of valuable chiral compounds.Fe(II)and 2-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases(Fe/2-kg DOs)are the largest known subgroups of mononuclear nonheme-Fe(II)-dependent oxygenases,catalyzing various oxidation reactions of C-H bonds.Recent developments in Fe/2-kg DO-related researches have coupled concepts from bioinformatics,synthetic biology,and computational biology to establish effective biotransformation systems.The most well-studied and characterized activ-ity of the Fe/2-kg DOs is substrate hydroxylation,with regard to which mechanistic studies involving the Fe center assist in engineering the protein frameworks of these enzymes to obtain the desired catalytic enhancements.Amino acids are typical substrates of Fe/2-kg DOs and are usually converted into hydroxyl amino acids,which are widely used as intermediates in pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries.Herein,we have reviewed prior structural and mechanistic studies on Fe/2-kg DOs,as well as studies on the Fe/2-kg DO-mediated selective C-H oxidation process for selective hydroxyl amino acid synthesis,which will further our journey along the promising path of building complexity via C-H bond oxidation.Further,new bioinformatics techniques should be adopted with structure-based protein rational design to mine sequence databases and shrink mutant libraries to produce a diverse panel of functional Fe/2-kg DOs capable of catalyzing targeted reactions.

Equilibrium and kinetics of adsorption of Ca(Ⅱ) ions onto KCTS and HKCTS

The adsorption of Ca（ II ） ions from aqueous solution by ehitosan a-ketoglutaric acid （KCTS） and hydroxamated chitosan a-ketoglutaric acid （HKCTS） was studied in a batch adsorption system. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were applied to describing the equilibrium isotherms, and isotherm constants were determined. The kinetics of the adsorption with respect to the initial Ca（II） ions concentration, temperature and pH was investigated. The pseudo-first-order and second-order kinetic models were used to describe the kinetic data and the rate constants were evaluated. The results show that the experimental data fit well to the Langmuir isotherms with a high correlation coefficient （R2）. The pseudo-second-order rate expression provides the best fitting kinetic model. The pseudo second-order kinetic model is indicated with the activation energy of 26.22 kJ/mol and 6.16 kJ/mol for KCTS and HKCTS, respectively. It is suggested that the overall rate of adsorption of Ca（ II ） ions is likely to be controlled by the chemical process.