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Physiological Research Aug 2020Histidine (HIS) is an essential amino acid investigated for therapy of various diseases, used for tissue protection in transplantation and cardiac surgery, and as a... (Review)
Review
Histidine (HIS) is an essential amino acid investigated for therapy of various diseases, used for tissue protection in transplantation and cardiac surgery, and as a supplement to increase muscle performance. The data presented in the review show that HIS administration may increase ammonia and affect the level of several amino acids. The most common are increased levels of alanine, glutamine, and glutamate and decreased levels of glycine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA, valine, leucine, and isoleucine). The suggested pathogenic mechanisms include increased flux of HIS through HIS degradation pathway (increases in ammonia and glutamate), increased ammonia detoxification to glutamine and exchange of the BCAA with glutamine via L-transporter system in muscles (increase in glutamine and decrease in BCAA), and tetrahydrofolate depletion (decrease in glycine). Increased alanine concentration is explained by enhanced synthesis in extrahepatic tissues and impaired transamination in the liver. Increased ammonia and glutamine and decreased BCAA levels in HIS-treated subjects indicate that HIS supplementation is inappropriate in patients with liver injury. The studies investigating the possibilities to elevate carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) content in muscles show positive effects of beta-alanine and inconsistent effects of HIS supplementation. Several studies demonstrate HIS depletion due to enhanced availability of methionine, glutamine, or beta-alanine.
Topics: Amino Acids; Ammonia; Animals; Dietary Supplements; Histidine; Humans; Liver; Muscle, Skeletal
PubMed: 32584129
DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.934449 -
International Journal of Environmental... Mar 2022Exposure to hazardous chemicals released during hairdressing activities from hair care products puts hairdressers at risk of adverse health effects. Safety assessments... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Exposure to hazardous chemicals released during hairdressing activities from hair care products puts hairdressers at risk of adverse health effects. Safety assessments of hair products are mainly focused on consumers, but exposure for professional hairdressers might be substantially higher.
OBJECTIVE
To identify and assess available research data on inhalation exposures of professional hairdressers.
METHODS
A systematic search of studies between 1 January 2000 and 30 April 2021 was performed in Medline, Embase, Web of Science and in Cochrane registry, toxicological dossiers of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) of the European Commission as well as the German MAK Commission. Studies reporting quantitative data on airborne concentrations of chemicals in the hairdresser's workplace were considered. The outcome was an airborne concentration of chemicals in the working environment, which was compared, when possible, with current occupational exposure limits (OEL) or guidance levels.
RESULTS
In total, 23 studies performed in 14 countries were included. The average number of hairdressing salons per study was 22 (range 1-62). Chemicals most frequently measured were formaldehyde ( = 8), ammonia ( = 5), total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) ( = 5), and toluene ( = 4). More than fifty other chemicals were measured in one to three studies, including various aromatic and aliphatic organic solvents, hydrogen peroxide, persulfate, and particulate matter. Most studies reported environmental air concentrations, while personal exposure was measured only in seven studies. The measured air concentrations of formaldehyde, ammonia, and TVOC exceeded OEL or guidance values in some studies. There was large variability in measuring conditions and reported air concentrations differed strongly within and between studies.
CONCLUSION
Hairdressers are exposed to a wide spectrum of hazardous chemicals, often simultaneously. Airborne concentrations of pollutants depend on salon characteristics such as ventilation and the number of customers but also on used products that are often country- or client-specific. For exposure to formaldehyde, ammonia, and TVOC exceeding OELs or guidance values for indoor air was observed. Therefore, occupational exposure should be taken into account by safety regulations for hair care products.
Topics: Ammonia; Formaldehyde; Hair Preparations; Hazardous Substances; Humans; Occupational Exposure; Volatile Organic Compounds
PubMed: 35409860
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19074176 -
The ISME Journal Oct 2023The ecophysiology of complete ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (CMX) of the genus Nitrospira and their widespread occurrence in groundwater suggests that CMX bacteria have a...
The ecophysiology of complete ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (CMX) of the genus Nitrospira and their widespread occurrence in groundwater suggests that CMX bacteria have a competitive advantage over ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in these environments. However, the specific contribution of their activity to nitrification processes has remained unclear. We aimed to disentangle the contribution of CMX, AOA and AOB to nitrification and to identify the environmental drivers of their niche differentiation at different levels of ammonium and oxygen in oligotrophic carbonate rock aquifers. CMX ammonia monooxygenase sub-unit A (amoA) genes accounted on average for 16 to 75% of the total groundwater amoA genes detected. Nitrification rates were positively correlated to CMX clade A associated phylotypes and AOB affiliated with Nitrosomonas ureae. Short-term incubations amended with the nitrification inhibitors allylthiourea and chlorate suggested that AOB contributed a large fraction to overall ammonia oxidation, while metaproteomics analysis confirmed an active role of CMX in both ammonia and nitrite oxidation. Ecophysiological niche differentiation of CMX clades A and B, AOB and AOA was linked to their requirements for ammonium, oxygen tolerance, and metabolic versatility. Our results demonstrate that despite numerical predominance of CMX, the first step of nitrification in oligotrophic groundwater appears to be primarily governed by AOB. Higher growth yields at lower ammonia turnover rates and energy derived from nitrite oxidation most likely enable CMX to maintain consistently high populations.
Topics: Nitrification; Ammonia; Oxidation-Reduction; Soil Microbiology; Bacteria; Archaea; Ammonium Compounds; Groundwater; Oxygen; Phylogeny
PubMed: 37422599
DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01471-4 -
PLoS Biology Oct 2022Photoreceptors are light-sensitive proteins found in various organisms that respond to light and relay signals into the cells. Heliorhodopsin, a retinal-binding membrane...
Photoreceptors are light-sensitive proteins found in various organisms that respond to light and relay signals into the cells. Heliorhodopsin, a retinal-binding membrane protein, has been recently discovered, however its function remains unknown. Herein, we investigated the relationship between Actinobacteria bacterium IMCC26103 heliorhodopsin (AbHeR) and an adjacent glutamine synthetase (AbGS) in the same operon. We demonstrate that AbHeR binds to AbGS and regulates AbGS activity. More specifically, the dissociation constant (Kd) value of the binding between AbHeR and AbGS is 6.06 μM. Moreover, the absence of positively charged residues within the intracellular loop of AbHeR impacted Kd value as they serve as critical binding sites for AbGS. We also confirm that AbHeR up-regulates the biosynthetic enzyme activity of AbGS both in vitro and in vivo in the presence of light. GS is a key enzyme involved in nitrogen assimilation that catalyzes the conversion of glutamate and ammonia to glutamine. Hence, the interaction between AbHeR and AbGS may be critical for nitrogen assimilation in Actinobacteria bacterium IMCC26103 as it survives in low-nutrient environments. Overall, the findings of our study describe, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a novel function of heliorhodopsin as a regulatory rhodopsin with the capacity to bind and regulate enzyme activity required for nitrogen assimilation.
Topics: Ammonia; Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase; Glutamic Acid; Glutamine; Nitrogen; Rhodopsin; Rhodopsins, Microbial
PubMed: 36190943
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001817 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2020Typically, mammalian and avian models have been used to examine the effects of ammonia on skeletal muscle. Hyperammonemia causes sarcopenia or muscle wasting, in mammals... (Review)
Review
Typically, mammalian and avian models have been used to examine the effects of ammonia on skeletal muscle. Hyperammonemia causes sarcopenia or muscle wasting, in mammals and has been linked to sarcopenia in liver disease patients. Avian models of skeletal muscle have responded positively to hyperammonemia, differing from the mammalian response. Fish skeletal muscle has not been examined as extensively as mammalian and avian muscle. Fish skeletal muscle shares similarities with avian and mammalian muscle but has notable differences in growth, fiber distribution, and response to the environment. The wide array of body sizes and locomotion needs of fish also leads to greater diversity in muscle fiber distribution and growth between different fish species. The response of fish muscle to high levels of ammonia is important for aquaculture and quality food production but has not been extensively studied to date. Understanding the differences between fish, mammalian and avian species' myogenic response to hyperammonemia could lead to new therapies for muscle wasting due to a greater understanding of the mechanisms behind skeletal muscle regulation and how ammonia effects these mechanisms. This paper provides an overview of fish skeletal muscle and ammonia excretion and toxicity in fish, as well as a comparison to avian and mammalian species.
Topics: Ammonia; Animals; Birds; Fishes; Hyperammonemia; Liver Cirrhosis; Mammals; Muscle Development; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal; Muscle, Skeletal; Muscular Atrophy; Sarcopenia
PubMed: 32629824
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21134641 -
The ISME Journal Apr 2022The advance of metagenomics in combination with intricate cultivation approaches has facilitated the discovery of novel ammonia-, methane-, and other short-chain...
The advance of metagenomics in combination with intricate cultivation approaches has facilitated the discovery of novel ammonia-, methane-, and other short-chain alkane-oxidizing microorganisms, indicating that our understanding of the microbial biodiversity within the biogeochemical nitrogen and carbon cycles still is incomplete. The in situ detection and phylogenetic identification of novel ammonia- and alkane-oxidizing bacteria remain challenging due to their naturally low abundances and difficulties in obtaining new isolates from complex samples. Here, we describe an activity-based protein profiling protocol allowing cultivation-independent unveiling of ammonia- and alkane-oxidizing bacteria. In this protocol, 1,7-octadiyne is used as a bifunctional enzyme probe that, in combination with a highly specific alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction, enables the fluorescent or biotin labeling of cells harboring active ammonia and alkane monooxygenases. Biotinylation of these enzymes in combination with immunogold labeling revealed the subcellular localization of the tagged proteins, which corroborated expected enzyme targets in model strains. In addition, fluorescent labeling of cells harboring active ammonia or alkane monooxygenases provided a direct link of these functional lifestyles to phylogenetic identification when combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization. Furthermore, we show that this activity-based labeling protocol can be successfully coupled with fluorescence-activated cell sorting for the enrichment of nitrifiers and alkane-oxidizing bacteria from complex environmental samples, enabling the recovery of high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a novel, functional tagging technique for the reliable detection, identification, and enrichment of ammonia- and alkane-oxidizing bacteria present in complex microbial communities.
Topics: Alkanes; Ammonia; Archaea; Bacteria; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Mixed Function Oxygenases; Oxidation-Reduction; Phylogeny
PubMed: 34743174
DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01144-0 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Apr 2020Ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) is a key nitrogen-transforming enzyme belonging to the same copper-dependent membrane monooxygenase family (CuMMO) as the particulate methane...
Ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) is a key nitrogen-transforming enzyme belonging to the same copper-dependent membrane monooxygenase family (CuMMO) as the particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO). The AMO from ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) is very divergent from both the AMO of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and the pMMO from methanotrophs, and little is known about the structure or substrate range of the archaeal AMO. This study compares inhibition by C to C linear 1-alkynes of AMO from two phylogenetically distinct strains of AOA, " Nitrosocosmicus franklandus" C13 and " Nitrosotalea sinensis" Nd2, with AMO from and pMMO from (Bath). An increased sensitivity of the archaeal AMO to short-chain-length alkynes (≤C) appeared to be conserved across AOA lineages. Similarities in C to C alkyne inhibition profiles between AMO from AOA and pMMO from suggested that the archaeal AMO has a narrower substrate range than AMO. Inhibition of AMO from " Nitrosocosmicus franklandus" and by the aromatic alkyne phenylacetylene was also investigated. Kinetic data revealed that the mechanisms by which phenylacetylene inhibits " Nitrosocosmicus franklandus" and are different, indicating differences in the AMO active site between AOA and AOB. Phenylacetylene was found to be a specific and irreversible inhibitor of AMO from " Nitrosocosmicus franklandus," and it does not compete with NH for binding at the active site. Archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidizers (AOA and AOB, respectively) initiate nitrification by oxidizing ammonia to hydroxylamine, a reaction catalyzed by ammonia monooxygenase (AMO). AMO enzyme is difficult to purify in its active form, and its structure and biochemistry remain largely unexplored. The bacterial AMO and the closely related particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) have a broad range of hydrocarbon cooxidation substrates. This study provides insights into the AMO of previously unstudied archaeal genera, by comparing the response of the archaeal AMO, a bacterial AMO, and pMMO to inhibition by linear 1-alkynes and the aromatic alkyne, phenylacetylene. Reduced sensitivity to inhibition by larger alkynes suggests that the archaeal AMO has a narrower hydrocarbon substrate range than the bacterial AMO, as previously reported for other genera of AOA. Phenylacetylene inhibited the archaeal and bacterial AMOs at different thresholds and by different mechanisms of inhibition, highlighting structural differences between the two forms of monooxygenase.
Topics: Alkynes; Ammonia; Archaea; Oxidoreductases
PubMed: 32086308
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02388-19 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jul 2021Ammonia is a well-known example of a two-state system and must be described in quantum-mechanical terms. In this article, we will explain the tunneling phenomenon that... (Review)
Review
Ammonia is a well-known example of a two-state system and must be described in quantum-mechanical terms. In this article, we will explain the tunneling phenomenon that occurs in ammonia molecules from the perspective of trajectory-based quantum dynamics, rather than the usual quantum probability perspective. The tunneling of the nitrogen atom through the potential barrier in ammonia is not merely a probability problem; there are underlying reasons and mechanisms explaining why and how the tunneling in ammonia can happen. Under the framework of quantum Hamilton mechanics, the tunneling motion of the nitrogen atom in ammonia can be described deterministically in terms of the quantum trajectories of the nitrogen atom and the quantum forces applied. The vibrations of the nitrogen atom about its two equilibrium positions are analyzed in terms of its quantum trajectories, which are solved from the Hamilton equations of motion. The vibration periods are then computed by the quantum trajectories and compared with the experimental measurements.
Topics: Ammonia; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Quantum Theory
PubMed: 34361046
DOI: 10.3390/ijms22158282 -
Poultry Science Apr 2023Particulate matter (PM) is one of the essential environmental stressors for the poultry industry in the world. Given its large specific surface area, PM can adsorb and... (Review)
Review
Particulate matter (PM) is one of the essential environmental stressors for the poultry industry in the world. Given its large specific surface area, PM can adsorb and carry a variety of pollutants, including heavy metal ions, ammonia, and persistent organic pollutants such as pathogenic microorganisms. High concentrations of PM induce poultry respiratory inflammation and trigger various diseases. However, the pathogenic mechanism of PM in poultry houses on respiratory diseases has not been clarified due to its complexity and lack of accurate assays. In terms of pathogenesis, there are 3 ways to explain this phenomenon: Inhaled PM irritates the respiratory tract, decreases immune resistance, and causes a respiratory disease; respiratory tract irritation by compounds presents in PM; infections with pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms attached to PM. The latter 2 modes of influence are more harmful. Specifically, PM can induce the respiratory disease through several toxic mechanisms, including ammonia ingestion and bioaccumulation, lung flora dysbiosis, oxidative stress, and metabolic disorders. Therefore, this review summarizes the characteristics of PM in the poultry house and the impact of poultry PM on respiratory disease and proposes potential pathogenic mechanisms.
Topics: Animals; Particulate Matter; Poultry; Air Pollutants; Ammonia; Chickens; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Inflammation
PubMed: 36848758
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2023.102556 -
Journal of Environmental Sciences... Apr 2023Ammonia, a common toxic gas, is not only one of the main causes of haze, but also can enter respiratory tract and directly affect the health of humans and animals. Pig...
Ammonia, a common toxic gas, is not only one of the main causes of haze, but also can enter respiratory tract and directly affect the health of humans and animals. Pig was used as an animal model for exploring the molecular mechanism and dose effect of ammonia toxicity to lung. In this study, the apoptosis of type II alveolar epithelial cells was observed in high ammonia exposure group using transmission electron microscopy. Gene and protein expression analysis using transcriptome sequencing and western blot showed that low ammonia exposure induced T-cell-involved proinflammatory response, but high ammonia exposure repressed the expression of DNA repair-related genes and affected ion transport. Moreover, high ammonia exposure significantly increased 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) level, meaning DNA oxidative damage occurred. In addition, both low and high ammonia exposure caused oxidative stress in pig lungs. Integrated analysis of transcriptome and metabolome revealed that the up-regulation of LDHB and ND2 took part in high ammonia exposure-affected pyruvate metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation progress, respectively. Inclusion, oxidative stress mediated ammonia-induced proinflammatory response and apoptosis of porcine lungs. These findings may provide new insights for understanding the ammonia toxicity to workers in livestock farms and chemical fertilizer plants.
Topics: Humans; Swine; Animals; Ammonia; Oxidative Stress; Apoptosis; 8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; Lung
PubMed: 36503793
DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2022.05.005