ADP-ribosylation is an important post-translational protein modification (PTM) that regulates diverse biological processes. ADP-ribosyltransferase diphtheria toxin-like 10 (ARTD10, also known as PARP10) mono-ADP-ribosylates acidic side chains and is one of eighteen ADP-ribosyltransferases that catalyze mono- or poly-ADP-ribosylation of target proteins. Currently, no enzyme is known that reverses ARTD10-catalyzed mono-ADP-ribosylation. Here we report that ARTD10-modified targets are substrates for the macrodomain proteins MacroD1, MacroD2 and C6orf130 from Homo sapiens as well as for the macrodomain protein Af1521 from archaebacteria. Structural modeling and mutagenesis of MacroD1 and MacroD2 revealed a common core structure with Asp102 and His106 of MacroD2 implicated in the hydrolytic reaction. Notably, MacroD2 reversed the ARTD10-catalyzed, mono-ADP-ribose-mediated inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) in vitro and in cells, thus underlining the physiological and regulatory importance of mono-ADP-ribosylhydrolase activity. Our results establish macrodomain-containing proteins as mono-ADP-ribosylhydrolases and define a class of enzymes that renders mono-ADP-ribosylation a reversible modification.

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Dihydrochalcones are plant secondary metabolites comprising molecules of significant commercial interest as antioxidants, antidiabetics, or sweeteners. To date, their heterologous biosynthesis in microorganisms has been achieved only by precursor feeding or as minor by-products in strains engineered for flavonoid production. Here, the native ScTSC13 was overexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to increase its side activity in reducing p-coumaroyl-CoA to p-dihydrocoumaroyl-CoA. De novo production of phloretin, the first committed dihydrochalcone, was achieved by co-expression of additional relevant pathway enzymes. Naringenin, a major by-product of the initial pathway, was practically eliminated by using a chalcone synthase from barley with unexpected substrate specificity. By further extension of the pathway from phloretin with decorating enzymes with known specificities for dihydrochalcones, and by exploiting substrate flexibility of enzymes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, de novo production of the antioxidant molecule nothofagin, the antidiabetic molecule phlorizin, the sweet molecule naringin dihydrochalcone, and 3-hydroxyphloretin was achieved.

A B S T R A C T We recently presented data showing that mannose-6-phosphate was a potent competitive inhibitor of pinocytosis of human platelet f8-glucuronidase, and that treatment of "high-uptake" forms of the enzyme with alkaline phosphatase destroyed the high-uptake property of the enzyme without diminishing its catalytic activity. These data indicate that phosphate is a necessary component of the recognition marker on the enzyme for pinocytosis by human fibroblasts, and suggest that the phosphate on highuptake forms of the enzyme is present as a phosphohexosyl moiety. Results presented here show that mannose-6-phosphate is also a potent inhibitor of pinocytosis of the following enzyme preparations: (a)

Recent studies suggest that sepsis stimulates ubiquitin-dependent protein breakdown in skeletal muscle. In this proteolytic pathway, ubiquitinated proteins are recognized, unfolded, and degraded by the multicatalytic 26S protease complex. The 20S proteasome is the catalytic core of the 26S protease complex. The role of the 20S proteasome in the regulation of sepsis-induced muscle proteolysis is not known. We tested the hypothesis that sepsis increases 20S proteasome activity and the expression of mRNA for various subunits of this complex. Proteolytic activity of isolated 20S proteasomes, assessed as activity against fluorogenic peptide substrates, was increased in extensor digitorum longus muscles from septic rats. The proteolytic activity was inhibited by specific proteasome blockers. Northern blot analysis revealed an approximately twofold increase in the relative abundance of mRNA for the 20S α-subunits RC3 and RC9 and the β-subunit RC7. However, Western blot analysis did not show any difference in RC9 protein content between sham-operated and septic rats. The increased activity and expression of the 20S proteasome in muscles from septic rats lend further support for a role of the ubiquitin-proteasome-pathway in the regulation of sepsis-induced muscle proteolysis.

We examined the influence of sepsis, induced by cecal ligation and puncture in rats, on the protein and gene expression and hormone binding activity of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in skeletal muscle. Sepsis resulted in increased GR mRNA and protein levels and upregulated hormone binding activity in extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles. Scatchard analysis suggested that the increased GR hormone binding activity reflected an increased number of hormone binding sites, whereas receptor affinity for glucocorticoids was unchanged. The GR antagonist RU-38486 blocked the sepsis-induced increase in GR expression and hormone binding activity, implicating a positive regulatory effect of glucocorticoids on GR expression and binding activity under the present experimental conditions. The results suggest that glucocorticoid-dependent metabolic changes in skeletal muscle during sepsis may reflect not only high circulating glucocorticoid levels but increased amounts and hormone binding activity of the GR as well.

A B S T R A C T The occurrence of a deficiency of adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in some patients with severe combined immunodeficiency suggests a possible relationship between the activity of ADA and the aberration of the immune system. To help delineate the function of ADA in the immune response we have examined its role in monocyte maturation.When incubated in vitro, peripheral blood monocytes transformed, within 3 days, to macrophages as assessed by phase-contrast microscopy and an increase in the specific activity of the lysosomal enzyme acid phosphatase. The specific activity of ADA increased as much as ninefold, reaching a peak after the 1st day in culture, while the activities of other enzymes involved in the purine salvage pathway were not altered. Sucrose density ultracentrifugation of extracts prepared immediately after the isolation of monocytes revealed the presence of two forms of ADA with molecular weights of approximately 30,000 and 110,000. The increase in ADA specific activity during monocyte cultivation correlated with an increase in the activity of the smaller molecular species. A specific inhibitor of ADA, erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine, prevented the increase in acid phosphatase activity, as well as the morphological changes associated with the monocyte maturation.These data suggest a role for ADA in monocyte toThis work was presented in part at

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