4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), a major lipid peroxidation-derived reactive aldehyde, is a potent inhibitor of sulfhydryl enzymes, such as the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). It has been suggested that HNE exerts an inhibitory effect on the enzyme due to the modification of the cysteine residue (Cys-149) at the catalytic site generating the HNE-cysteine Michael addition-type adduct [Uchida, K., and Stadtman, E. R. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 6388-6393]. In the study presented here, to elucidate the mechanism for the inactivation of GAPDH by HNE, we attempted to identify the modification sites of the enzyme by monitoring the formation of the HNE Michael adducts by mass spectrometric methods. Incubation of GAPDH (1 mg/mL) with 1 mM HNE in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) at 37 degrees C resulted in a time-dependent loss of enzyme activity, which was associated with the covalent binding of HNE to the enzyme. To identify the site of modification of GAPDH by HNE, both the HNE-pretreated and untreated GAPDH were digested with trypsin and V8 protease, and the resulting peptides were subjected to electrospray ionization liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (ESI-LC-MS). This technique identified five peptides, which contained the HNE adducts at His-164, Cys-244, Cys-281, His-327, and Lys-331 and revealed that both His-164 and Cys-281 were very rapidly modified at 5 min, followed by Cys-244 at 15 min and His-327 and Lys-331 at 30 min. These observations and the observation that the HNE modification of the catalytic center, Cys-149, was not observed suggest that the HNE inactivation of GAPDH is not due to the modification of the catalytic center but to the selective modification of amino acids primarily located in the surface of the GAPDH molecule.

In the present study, to investigate the contribution of n-3 PUFAs in the oxidative modification of protein in vivo, we characterize the covalent binding of 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (HHE), a potent cytotoxic aldehyde originating from the peroxidation of n-3 PUFAs, to protein and describe the production of this aldehyde in oxidatively modified LDL and in human atherosclerotic lesions. Upon incubation with BSA, HHE was rapidly incorporated into the protein and generated the protein-linked carbonyl derivative, a potential marker of oxidatively modified proteins under oxidative stress. To detect the protein-bound HHE in vivo, we raised monoclonal antibody HHE53 (MAb HHE53) directed to the HHE-modified protein and identified the Michael addition-type HHE-histidine adduct as the major epitope. This antibody reacted with copper-oxidized LDL, suggesting that HHE was produced during the oxidative modification of LDL. In addition, we demonstrated that the materials immunoreactive to MAb HHE53 indeed constituted the atherosclerotic lesions, in which intense positivity was associated primarily with macrophage-derived foam cells. The results of this study suggest that the reaction between oxidized n-3 PUFAs and protein might represent a process common to the formation of degenerative proteins during aging and its related diseases. -Yamada, S., T. Funada, N. Shibata, M. Kobayashi, Y. Kawai, E. Tatsuda, A. Furuhata, and K. Uchida. Protein-bound 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal as a marker of oxidized n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. J. Lipid Res. 2004. 45: 626-634.

4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), a racemic mixture of 4R-and 4S-enantiomers, is a major product of lipid peroxidation and is believed to be largely responsible for the cytopathological effects observed during oxidative stress. HNE reacts with histidine to form a stable HNE-histidine Michael addition-type adduct possessing three chiral centers in the cyclic hemiacetal structure. We have previously raised the mAbs, anti-R mAb 310 and anti-S mAb S412, that enantioselectively recognized the R-HNE-histidine and R-HNEhistidine adducts, respectively, and demonstrated the presence of both epitopes in vivo. In the present study, to further investigate the anti-HNE immune response, we analyzed the variable genes and primary structure of these Abs and found that the sequence of R310 was highly homologous to anti-DNA autoantibodies, the hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus. An x-ray crystallographic analysis of the R310 Fab fragment showed that the R-HNEhistidine adduct binds to a hydrophobic pocket in the antigenbinding site. Despite the structural identity to the anti-DNA autoantibodies, however, R310 showed only a slight crossreactivity with the native double-stranded DNA, whereas the Ab immunoreactivity was dramatically enhanced by the treatment of the DNA with 4-oxo-2-nonenal (ONE), an analog of HNE. Moreover, the 7-(2-oxo-heptyl)-substituted 1,N 2 -etheno-type ONE-2 -deoxynucleoside adducts were identified as alternative epitopes of R310. Molecular mimicry between the R-HNE-histidine configurational isomers and the ONE-DNA base adducts is proposed for the dual crossreactivity.4-hydroxy-2-nonenal ͉ anti-DNA autoantibody ͉ lipid peroxidation ͉ oxidative stress ͉ systemic lupus erythematosus I t is estimated that most of the proteins in the human body are posttranslationally modified. Such modifications include phosphorylation, methylation, and glucosylation. They are enzymemediated and homeostatically important, either to carry out a particular structural or functional role or to allow the efficient recycling of the amino acid constituents. However, several lines of evidence indicate that the nonenzymatic oxidative modification of proteins and the subsequent accumulation of the modified proteins have been found in cells during aging and oxidative stress and in various pathological states, including premature diseases, muscular dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, and atherosclerosis (1). The important agents that give rise to the modification of proteins are represented by oxidized lipid metabolites, such as 2-alkenals, 4-hydroxy-2-alkenals, and ketoaldehydes (2, 3). These metabolites are considered important mediators of cell damage because of their ability to covalently modify biomolecules, which can disrupt important cellular functions and can cause mutations (2).4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), a racemic mixture of 4R-and 4S-enantiomers, is a major product of lipid peroxidation and is believed to be largely responsible for the cytopathological effects observed during oxidative stress (2). HNE exerts these effects because of its...

Histamine H3 receptor antagonists/inverse agonists are known to enhance the activity of histaminergic neurons in the brain, thereby promoting arousal and cognition. Here, we report the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological profiles for a newly synthesized histamine H3 receptor antagonist/inverse agonist: [1-(4-{3-[(2R)-2-methylpyrrolidin-1yl]propoxy}phenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl](morpholin-4-yl)methanone monohydrochloride (enerisant hydrochloride). In vitro assays showed that enerisant was a competitive antagonist/inverse agonist with a high affinity and selectivity for human and rat histamine H3 receptors. Enerisant showed antagonist activity in vivo, as assessed using R-αmethylhistamine (a histamine H3 receptor agonist)-induced dipsogenia, and occupied the histamine H3 receptor in the frontal cortex in a dose-dependent manner. Enerisant also enhanced the extracellular levels of histamine in the posterior hypothalamus and the levels of dopamine and acetylcholine in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats. Enerisant exerted a pro-cognitive effect or reversed scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment in a social recognition test and a novel object recognition test in rats at doses at which less than 50% of the histamine H3 receptor were occupied (0.03-0.3 mg/kg, p.o.). In contrast, higher doses (3-10 mg/kg, p.o.) at which nearly all the histamine H3 receptor were occupied were needed to exert wake-promoting effects in rats.