Plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides produce a substance that stimulates growth of experimental hosts. We report purification of plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) to homogeneity by a process involving isolation and solubilization of plerocercoid membranes, isoelectric point selection by chromatofocusing chromatography or preparative isoelectric focusing, and anion-exchange chromatography. A radioreceptor assay (RRA) for human growth hormone (hGH) was used to detect PGF and purity of the 27.5-kDa protein was judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Proteolytic activity was detected in the 27.5-kDa protein by gelatin substrate PAGE. Characterization of PGF as a neutral cysteineproteinase was based on substrate and inhibitor specificities and dependence on pH and thiol-containing reagents. The association of hGH agonist and proteinase activities was shown by comparing RRA ...
BackgroundSerine proteinase inhibitors (Serpins) are a large superfamily of structurally related, but functionally diverse proteins that control essential proteolytic pathways in...Full Text Available
Leupeptin, a tripeptide inhibitor of some proteinases, was shown previously to maintain the stability of several enzymes (isocitrate lyase, fumarase, and catalase) in crude extracts of castor bean endosperm....Full Text Available
The three-dimensional structure of the human adenovirus-2 proteinase complexed with its 11 amino acid cofactor, pVIc, was determined at 2.6 A resolution by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The fold...Full Text Available
We report the use of cysteine-substituted mutants in conjunction with in situ oxidation to determine the physical proximity of a pair of engineered cysteines in the pore region of the voltage-gated...Full Text Available
The reaction of iodine with glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Bacillus stearothermophilus was investigated. The active-site thiol group of the cysteine residue homologous with cysteine-149...Full Text Available
1. An acid ninhydrin reagent was found to react specifically in forming a pink product (Emax. 560mμ) with cysteine. 2. The method was highly sensitive for the determination...Full Text Available
Each of the three cysteine residues in the Escherichia coli RecA protein was replaced with a number of other amino acids. To do this, each cysteine codon was first converted to a chain-terminating amber codon by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis. These amber mutants were then either assayed for function in different suppressor strains or reverted by a second round of mutagenesis with oligonucleotides that had random sequences at the amber codon. Thirty-three different amino acid substitutions were obtained. Mutants were tested for three functions of RecA: survival following UV irradiation, homologous recombination, and induction of the SOS response. It was found that although none of the cysteines is essential for activity, mutations at each of these positions can affect one or more of the activities of RecA, depending on the particular amino acid substitution. In addition, the cysteine at position ...
We have previously observed that auxin can act as a repressor of the wound-inducible activation of a chimeric potato proteinase inhibitor II-CAT chimeric gene (pin2-CAT) in transgenic...Full Text Available
The stability of catalase, fumarase, and isocitrate lyase from deliberately broken organelles in crude extracts from endosperm tissue of castor bean seedlings has been examined. These enzymes are relatively...Full Text Available
Secreted human bronchial mucins, directly collected from macroscopically healthy bronchial mucosa, were prepared in the presence of six proteinase inhibitors, and analysed by electron microscopy. These...Full Text Available
Calpains are Ca2+-dependent proteinases that mediate protein turnover in crustacean skeletal muscles. We used an antibody directed against lobster muscle-specific calpain (Ha-CalpM)...Full Text Available
BackgroundA deficiency of specific glycosylphosphatidyl inositol-anchored proteins in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria may be responsible for most of the clinical features of...Full Text Available
of a tethered dimer of HIV-1 proteinase complexed with an inhibitor. Bhat TN, Baldwin ET, Liu B, Cheng YS, Erickson JW. Nat Struct Biol. 1994 Aug;1(8):552-6. Abstract End...
The human genome encodes 11 cysteine cathepsins belonging to the papain-like family of cysteine peptidases that are known predominantly as endo-lysosomal enzymes. However, it is now understood that the functions and activities of cysteine cathepsins are not limited to endo-lysosomal compartments, as they are also active in the peri- and extracellular space. The thyroid gland is an endocrine organ where such intra- and extracellular proteolytic activities are required to solubilize the prohormone thyroglobulin from its luminal, covalently cross-linked storage forms for subsequent processing into smaller protein fragments and thyroid hormone liberation. Cathepsin K has been identified as one of the cysteine cathepsins with a crucial role in thyroglobulin processing. However, cathepsin K has ...
High resolution of NMR spectroscopic data of biosamples are a rich source of information on the metabolic response to physiological variation or pathological events. There are many advantages...Full Text Available
The effects of bivalent cations on cytochrome b5 reduction by NADH:cytochrome b5 reductase and NADPH:cytochrome c reductase were studied with the proteinase-solubilized enzymes. Cytochrome b5 reduction...Full Text Available
Although matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is involved in cardiomyocytes contractility dysfunction, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-4 (TIMP-4) mitigates the effect of MMP-9, and proteinase-activated...Full Text Available
The serpin ZPI is a protein Z (PZ)-dependent specific inhibitor of membrane-associated factor Xa (fXa) despite having an unfavorable P1 Tyr. PZ accelerates the inhibition reaction ∼2000-fold...Full Text Available
Atg4 cysteine proteases (autophagins) play crucial roles in autophagy by proteolytic activation of Atg8 paralogs for targeting to autophagic vesicles by lipid conjugation, as well as in subsequent deconjugation...Full Text Available
4-Hydroxynonenal (HNE), a major electrophilic product of lipid peroxidation, is regarded as both a marker of oxidative stress and a mediator of oxidative damage. At subtoxic concentrations,...Full Text Available
The cells of the endosperm of castor bean seeds (Ricinus communis) undergo programmed cell death during germination, after their oil and protein reserves have been mobilized. Nuclear...Full Text Available
Cellular cholesterol homeostasis is controlled by sterol-regulated proteolysis of membrane-bound transcription factors called sterol-regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs). CPP32, a cysteine protease,...Full Text Available
An approach to generate mimics of phosphorylated serine proteins chemically through site-specific sulfonation of cysteine is presented. This chemical modification is reversible in the presence of reducing agent and therefore is analogous to the kinase/phosphatase system used in nature. PMID:21717004
Growing evidences indicate that proteases are implicated in adipogenesis and in the onset of obesity. We previously reported that the cysteine protease cathepsin K (ctsk) is overexpressed in the white...Full Text Available
Medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma belong to a group of neoplasms designated as primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs). Secreted Protein, Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC) is a matrix-associated...Full Text Available
Sulfate activation occurs in Euglena mitochondria the authors now find that the sulfate activating enzymes are absent from Euglena chloroplasts. Cells of mutant W/sub 10/BSmL lacking plastids also lack detectable sulfolipid (SL) when grown on /sup 35/SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ indicating that SL is absent from the mitochondria and is exclusively in the plastids. Plastids alone will convert /sup 35/S-cysteine to /sup 35/SL in the presence of ATP and Mg/sup 2 +/; light is stimulatory. Under similar conditions, chloroplasts and mitochondria incubated together convert /sup 35/SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ to plastid-localized /sup 35/SL but either organelle incubated alone fails to effect this conversion. Unlabeled cysteine blocks SL labeling from sulfate in the mixed incubation; since cysteine is formed from sulfate by Euglena mitochrondria, cysteine (and other compounds) may move from the mitochondrion to the chloroplast to ...
The authors have previously identified a small-cell lung cancer cell line (NCI-H209) that expresses an aberrant, underphosphorylated form of the retinoblastoma protein RB1. Molecular analysis of RB1 mRNA from this cell line revealed a single point mutation within exon 21 that resulted in a nonconservative amino acid substitution (cysteine to phenylalanine) at codon 706. Stable expression of this mutant RB1 cDNA in a human cell line lacking endogenous RB1 demonstrated that this amino acid change was sufficient to inhibit phosphorylation. In addition, this cysteine-to-phenylalanine substitution also resulted in loss of RB1 binding to the simian virus 40 large tumor and adenovirus E1A transforming proteins. These results confirm the importance of exon 21 coding sequences and suggest that the cysteine residue at codon 706 may play a role in achieving a specific protein conformation essential for protein-protein interactions.
Abstract Hydrogen bonding interactions between amino acids and nucleic acid bases constitute the most important interactions responsible for the specificity of protein binding. In this study, complexes formed by hydrogen bonding interactions between cysteine and thymine have been studied by density functional theory. The relevant geometries, energies, and IR characteristics of hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) have been systematically investigated. The quantum theory of atoms in molecule and natural bond orbital analysis have also been applied to understand the nature of the hydrogen bonding interactions in complexes. More than 10 kinds of H-bonds including intra- and intermolecular H-bonds have been found in complexes. Most of intermolecular H-bonds involve O (or N) atom as H-acceptor, whereas the...
Full text: HMPAO, a butane monoxime derivative of propylene amine and ECD, ethyl cysteinate dimer, are currently being used as brain imaging agents. In an effort to develop new radiopharmaceuticals for imaging brain, we have synthesized amine and imine derivatives of ethyl cysteinate with butane monoxime, optimized labelling procedure with "9"9"mTc and studied the in vivo behaviour of their "9"9"mTc complexes. Imine derivative of ethyl cysteinate with butane monoxime was synthesized by refluxing equimolar amounts of butane monoxime and ethyl cystinate in dry benzene for 3 hours. The product was purified over silica with 10% ethyl acetate in chloroform as eluent. Amine derivative was prepared by reducing the imine derivative with sodium borohydride. The ligands were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and were found to be pure. The ligands were labelled with "9"9"mTc using stannous chloride as reducing agent. The complexes ...
We have isolated a 4.785 Da protein from the nacreous layer of the sea snail Haliotis laevigata (greenlip abalone) shell after demineralization with acetic acid. The sequence of 41...Full Text Available
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) (PEPCK) specifically utilizes a guanosine or inosine nucleotide as a substrate, yet it does not share extended sequence homology with other GTP-binding proteins, and the molecular basis for its nucleotide specificity is not understood. In an effort to locate the enzyme's nucleotide-binding site, the authors have studied the interaction of cytosolic PEPCK from rat liver with the photoprobe 8-azidoGTP, which fulfills the criteria of a specific photoaffinity label for PEPCK. The photoprobe binds reversibly to the enzyme prior to modification and at low concentrations causes greater than 60% inactivation-GTP provides nearly complete protection against inactivation by 8-azidoGTP, whereas phosphoenolpyruvate and metal ions provide partial protection. In addition, the photoprobe is a substrate for the enzyme and has a K_m similar to that for GTP. However, the extent of covalent modification by ["3"2P]8-azido-GTP as measured by three independent ...
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) (PEPCK) specifically utilizes a guanosine or inosine nucleotide as a substrate, yet it does not share extended sequence homology with other GTP-binding proteins, and the molecular basis for its nucleotide specificity is not understood. In an effort to locate the enzyme's nucleotide-binding site, the authors have studied the interaction of cytosolic PEPCK from rat liver with the photoprobe 8-azidoGTP, which fulfills the criteria of a specific photoaffinity label for PEPCK. The photoprobe binds reversibly to the enzyme prior to modification and at low concentrations causes greater than 60% inactivation-GTP provides nearly complete protection against inactivation by 8-azidoGTP, whereas phosphoenolpyruvate and metal ions provide partial protection. In addition, the photoprobe is a substrate for the enzyme and has a K{sub m} similar to that for GTP. However, the extent of covalent modification by ({sup 32}P)8-azido-GTP as measured by three ...
This document consist of brief reports prepared by postdoctoral students supported by the project, each describing his accomplishments under the grant. Topics include (1) Malignant Transformation of MSU-1. 1 Cells by Gamma Radiation, (2) Correlation between Levels of ras Expression and Presence of Transformed Phenotypes Including Tumorigenicity, Using a Modulatable Promoter, (3) Relation between Specific rad Oncogene Expression, (4) Correlation of Genetic Changes in Fibroblastic Tumors with Malignancies, (5)Transformation of MSU-1.1 Cells by sis Oncogene, (6) Malignant Transformation of MSU-1.0 Cells, (7) Correlation of Urokinase Plasminogen Activation (mu-PA) with Malignant Phenotype, (8)Two Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis Studies of the Proteins of the Major Cell Strains of the MSU-1 Family of Cells, and (9) Correlation between Proteinase Activity Levels and Malignancy.
The photoelectron resonance capture ionization (PERCI) of cysteine (Cys) and small gas-phase neutral peptides that contain the Cys residue (Cys-Gly, g-Glu-Cys, and glutathione (g-Glu-Cys-Gly)) is reported. At an ionization energy less than 1eV two types of dissociative electron attachment ionization were observed for Cys: hydrogen atom loss, resulting in formation of the ion [Cys-H]-, and dissociation of the CH2-SH bond, resulting in formation of the ion [SH]-. The presence of these ions suggests that both the p*(-CO2H) and *(C-S) orbitals can act as low energy electrophores on Cys. This ionization trend was observed for the dipeptides Cys-Gly and g-Glu-Cys as well as glutathione, with evidence that dissociation of the CH2-SH bond in these peptides can also result in ions of the form [M-SH...
Glutathione (GSH) depletion sensitizes human lung carcinoma (A549-T27) cells to the cytotoxic effects of Cd++. The effects of GSH depletion on Cd++ accumulation and Cd++-induced metallothionein (MT) content were investigated to determine the possible role of these Cd++ responses in the sensitization process. Cellular GSH was depleted to 20% to 25% of control levels with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), or diethyl maleate (DEM), respectively. Neither treatment significantly affected Cd++-induced accumulation of exogenous 35s-cysteine into intracellular MT in a dose-dependent fashion. The results indicate that neither enhanced Cd++ accumulation nor reduced MT synthesis plays a primary role in affecting enhanced Cd++ cytotoxicity in A549 cells with reduced GSH levels. Although BSO inhibition of GSH synthesis enhanced MT synthesis, it sensitized the cells to Cd++, which suggests an additive effect of GSH and MT in cadmium cytoprotection. This observation also raises the ...
The term "homology" or "homologous" means an amino acid similarity measured by the program, BLAST (Altschul et al (1997), "Gapped BLAST and PSI-BLAST: a new generation of protein database search programs", Nucleic Acids Res. 25:33 89 3402), and expressed as --(% identity n/n). In measuring homology between a peptide and a protein of greater size, homology is measured only in the corresponding region; that is, the protein is regarded as only having the same general length as the peptide, allowing for gaps and insertions.
Two methods were used to label pig kidney microvillar membrane proteins from the luminal and cytoplasmic surfaces of closed membrane vesicles. The first method was lactoperoxidase-catalysed radioiodination. Lactoperoxidase and glucose oxidase were positioned inside or outside the vesicles, iodination being initiated by adding glucose and "1"2"5I. After electrophoresis of the proteins, asymmetric labelling patterns on radioautographs were observed. However the major disadvantage of this method was the high degree of intramembrane labelling of the fatty acid chains of membrane lipids. The second method overcame this disadvantage. A new hydophilic photoreagent, 3,5-di("1"2"5I)iodo-4-azidobenzenesulphonate, was transported by a Na"+-dependent system into microvillar vesicles, thus permitting labelling from either side of the membrane when the vesicles were photolysed. The activity of several microvillar peptidases survived the labelling reaction and they could be identified in the ...
The T cell receptor is a fundamental mediator of the adaptive immune responses, since TR ab on T cells recognize foreign structures (peptides derived from processed antigens) bound to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on APC cells. In the present study, we report the cloning of six TRB chains cDNA sequences from gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), a fish of high economical impact in South Mediterranean aquaculture. The V-BETA domains have the canonical features of known teleost and mammalian TR V-BETA domains and have been divided in four different subgroups. A multiple alignment of the six sea bream TRB chains with other known TRB sequences was assembled and showed the conservation of the four cysteine residues involved in disulphide bonds and of some amino acids with an importan...
A {lambda}gt11 cDNA library was constructed from poly(U)-Spharose-selected Entamoeba histolytica trophozoite RNA in order to clone and identify surface antigens. The library was screened with rabbit polyclonal anti-E. histolytica serum. A 700-base-pair cDNA insert was isolated and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA revealed a cysteine-rich protein. DNA hybridizations showed that the gene was specific to E. histolytica since the cDNA probe reacted with DNA from four axenic strains of E. histolytica but did not react with DNA from Entamoeba invadens, Acanthamoeba castellanii, or Trichomonas vaginalis. The insert was subcloned into the expression vector pGEX-1 and the protein was expressed as a fusion with the C terminus of glutathione S-transferase. Purified fusion protein was used to generate 22 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and a mouse polyclonal antiserum specific for the E. histolytica portion of the fusion protein. ...
A #lambda#gt11 cDNA library was constructed from poly(U)-Spharose-selected Entamoeba histolytica trophozoite RNA in order to clone and identify surface antigens. The library was screened with rabbit polyclonal anti-E. histolytica serum. A 700-base-pair cDNA insert was isolated and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA revealed a cysteine-rich protein. DNA hybridizations showed that the gene was specific to E. histolytica since the cDNA probe reacted with DNA from four axenic strains of E. histolytica but did not react with DNA from Entamoeba invadens, Acanthamoeba castellanii, or Trichomonas vaginalis. The insert was subcloned into the expression vector pGEX-1 and the protein was expressed as a fusion with the C terminus of glutathione S-transferase. Purified fusion protein was used to generate 22 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and a mouse polyclonal antiserum specific for the E. histolytica portion of the fusion protein. ...
The sequence segment 181-200 of the Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) #alpha#subunit forms a binding site for #alpha#-bungarotoxin (#alpha#-BTX). Synthetic peptides corresponding to the homologous sequences of human, calf, mouse, chicken, frog, and cobra muscle nAChR #alpha#1 subunits were tested for their ability to bind "1"2"5I-#alpha#-BTX, and differences in #alpha#-BTX affinity were determined by using solution (IC_5_0s) and solid-phase (K_ds) assays. Panels of overlapping peptides corresponding to the complete #alpha#1 subunit of mouse and human were also tested for #alpha#-BTX binding, but other sequence segments forming the #alpha#-BTX site were not consistently detectable. The role of a putative vicinal disulfide bound between Cys-192 and -193, relative to the Torpedo sequence, was determined by modifying the peptides with sulfhydryl reagents. Reduction and alkylation of the peptides decreased #alpha#-BTX binding, whereas oxidation of the peptides had little ...
The elucidation on the metabolic products of the {sup 99}mTc-antibody conjugates may provide insights and approaches that would reduce the undesirable deposition of radioactive species in normal tissue. In this investigation, the radiolabeled species in blood, urine, bile and extracts of liver and kidney obtained at different times after the injection of a model antibody, {sup 99}mTc, into mice were analyzed with various chromatographic methods. Ninety-nine to 100% of the radioactivity in serum was associated with intact Mab 170. The radioactivity in liver homogenate extract was strictly protein-bound to either intact Mab or low molecular weight species (LMW). In kidney extracts, the majority of the radioactivity was protein bound {sup 99}mTc, with less than 8% of the activity being non- protein bound . Multiple {sup 99}mTc -containing protein and non-protein species were found in urine and bile. Evidence supporting the presence of {sup 99}mTc-cysteine and {sup ...
Although the subtrate binding properties of adenylate kinase (AK) have been studied extensively by various biochemical and biophysical techniques, it remains controversial whether uncomplexed adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) binds to the adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) site of AK. The authors present two sets of experiments which argue against binding of ATP to the AMP site. (a) /sup 31/P nuclear magnetic resonance titration of ATP with AK indicated a 1:1 stoichiometry on the basis of changes in coupling constants and line widths. This ruled out binding of ATP to both sites. (b) ATP and MgATP were found to behave similarly by protecting AK from spontaneous inactivation while AMP showed only a small degree of protection. Such inactivation could also be protected or reversed by dithioerythritol and is most likely due to oxidation of sulfhydryl groups, one of which (cysteine-25) is located near the MgATP site. The results support binding of ATP to ...
Acanthamoeba castellanii is a free-living amoeba found in soil, freshwater, and marine environments and an important predator of bacteria. Acanthamoeba castellanii is also an opportunistic pathogen of clinical interest, responsible for several distinct diseases in humans. In order to provide a genomic platform for the study of this ubiquitous and important protist, we generated a sequence survey of approximately 0.5 x coverage of the genome. The data predict that A. castellanii exhibits a greater biosynthetic capacity than the free-living Dictyostelium discoideum and the parasite Entamoeba histolytica, providing an explanation for the ability of A. castellanii to inhabit adversity of environments. Alginate lyase may provide access to bacteria within biofilms by breaking down the biofilm matrix, and polyhydroxybutyrate depolymerase may facilitate utilization of the bacterial storage compound polyhydroxybutyrate as a food source. Enzymes for the synthesis and breakdown of cellulose were ...
The GntR-like protein NorG has been shown to affect Staphylococcus aureus genes involved in the resistance to quinolones and ?-lactams, such as those encoding the NorB and AbcA transporters. To identify the target genes regulated by NorG, we carried out transcriptional profiling assays using S. aureus RN6390 and its isogenic norG::cat mutant. Our data showed that NorG positively affected the transcription of global regulators mgrA, arlS, and sarZ. The three putative drug efflux pump genes most positively affected by NorG were the NorB efflux pump (5.1-fold), the MmpL-like protein SACOL2566 (5.2-fold), and the BcrA-like drug transporter SACOL2525 (5.7-fold). The S. aureus predicted MmpL protein showed 53% homology with the MmpL lipid transporter of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the putative SACOL2525 protein showed 87% homology with the bacitracin drug transporter BcrA of Staphylococcus hominis. Two pump genes most negatively affected by NorG were NorC (4-fold) ...
Administration of [ring-U-14C]propanil (3,4-dichloropropionanilide) to male Sprague-Dawley rats (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg, ip) increased the formation of methemoglobin at the two highest doses. Following a propanil dose of 100 mg/kg, methemoglobin formation attained a maximum level of 5% by 1.5 hr and declined to normal levels (approximately 2.5%) by 12 hr. Hemoglobin binding attained a maximum level of 50 pmol/mg protein by 12 hr, and remained constant for 24 hr. Following a propanil dose of 300 mg/kg, methemoglobin formation attained a maximum level of 24% by 4.5 hr, and declined to a level of 5% by 24 hr. Hemoglobin binding attained a maximum level of 425 pmol/mg protein by 12 hr, and remained constant for 24 hr. Hemoglobin binding was also detected at the lowest propanil dose (10 pmol/mg protein) even though methemoglobin formation was not observed. HPLC analysis of alkaline-treated hemoglobin from propanil-treated rats indicated the presence of one radiolabeled compound with the ...
The use of platinum(II) complexes as tags and probes for biomolecules is indeed advantageous for their reactivities can be selective for certain purposes through an interplay of mild reaction conditions and of the ligands bound to the platinum. The use of {sup 195}Pt NMR as a method of detecting platinum and its interactions with biomolecules was carried out with the simplest model of platinum(II) tagging to proteins. Variable-temperature {sup 195}Pt NMR spectroscopy proved useful in studying the stereodynamics of complex thioethers like methionine. The complex, Pt(trpy)Cl{sup +}, with its chromophore has a greater potential for probing proteins. It is a noninvasive and selective tag for histidine and cysteine residues on the surface of cytochrome c at pH 5. The protein derivatives obtained are separable, and the tags are easily quantitated and differentiated through the metal-to-ligand charge transfer bands which are sensitive to the environment of the tag. ...
The authors have shown previously that the domain recognizing receptors on activated human platelets is located on the human fibrinogen {gamma} chain between residues 400 and 411. To study the correlation between the structure of this segment of the {gamma} chain and its reactivity toward receptors on ADP-activated human platelets, they designed a series of analogues containing replacements at 9 out of 12 positions. A double substitution of the normal His{sup 400}-His{sup 401} sequence by Ala-Ala reduced the inhibitory potency of the dodecapeptide 3-fold. When Lys{sup 406} was replaced by Arg, the inhibitory potency of the dodecapeptide decreased 15 times. On the other hand, substitution of Ala{sup 408} with Arg increased the inhibitory potency of the dodecapeptide 6-fold. A drastic decrease in the reactivity of the dodecapeptide toward platelet receptors was observed when Val{sup 411} was replaced by leucine or cysteine or tyrosine. A 3-fold decrease in reactivity ...
The modification of polymers by radiation grafting has been utilized for several decades. The penetrability of gamma rays allows to modify the internal surfaces of porous materials retaining its mechanical properties. In recent years applications of these materials to obtain chromatographic supports and biocatalysts have been reported. In this work, we described the grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto a macroporous polysulfone polymer. Reproducible amount of grafting, from 10% to 60% was obtained by choosing favourable monomer concentration and gamma radiation doses from 6 kGy up. Afterwards, iminodiacetic acid (IDA) and amino phenyl arsine oxide (PAO) were covalently attached to the grafted polyGMA, in correspondence with the grafting degree. Later on, a recombinant histidin-patch thioredoxin protein (HP-rTrx) was immobilized onto this surface by two different ways, involving specific protein orientations. The first one involves an IDA-Ni{sup 2+} complex and three ...
A cDNA library was constructed using RNA isolated from the livers of chickens which had been treated with zinc. This library was screened with a RNA probe complementary to mouse metallothionein-I (MT), and eight chicken MT cDNA clones were obtained. All of the cDNA clones contained nucleotide sequences homologous to regions of the longest (375 bp) cDNA clone. The latter contained an open reading frame of 189 bp, and the deduced amino acid sequence indicates a protein of 63 amino acids of which 20 are cysteine residues. Amino acid composition and partial amino acid sequence analyses of purified chicken MT protein agreed with the amino acid composition and sequence deduced from the cloned cDNA. Amino acid sequence comparison establish that chicken MT shares extensive homology with mammalian MTs. Southern blot analysis of chicken DNA indicates that the chicken MT gene is not a part of a large family of related sequences, but rather is likely to be a unique gene ...
The mechanism of cobalt uptake was investigated using cells of the giant alga Chara corallina in which it is possible to resolve separately uptake by the cell wall and actual influx across the cell membrane. The absorption of {sup 60}Co by Chara cells appeared to saturate within 2 h. but this was mainly due to rapid uptake into the cell wall which accounted for 87-92% of the total activity. Even after prolonged desorption most of the cell-associated {sup 60}Co was found on the cell wall. The intracellular distribution of absorbed {sup 60}Co was investigated by fractionating the cell into cytoplasm and vacuole. It was shown that {sup 60}Co influx to the vacuole occurs simultaneously with influx to the cytoplasm. The transported species appears to be Co{sup 2+} rather than the less charged Co(OH){sup +} or Co(O){sub 2}. {sup 60}Co influx is pH dependent (optimum pH 7-9), and is sensitive to some other divalent metals. Influx from solutions containing 1 {mu}M {sup 60}Co was inhibited by 5 ...
The mechanism of cobalt uptake was investigated using cells of the giant alga Chara corallina in which it is possible to resolve separately uptake by the cell wall and actual influx across the cell membrane. The absorption of "6"0Co by Chara cells appeared to saturate within 2 h. but this was mainly due to rapid uptake into the cell wall which accounted for 87-92% of the total activity. Even after prolonged desorption most of the cell-associated "6"0Co was found on the cell wall. The intracellular distribution of absorbed "6"0Co was investigated by fractionating the cell into cytoplasm and vacuole. It was shown that "6"0Co influx to the vacuole occurs simultaneously with influx to the cytoplasm. The transported species appears to be Co"2"+ rather than the less charged Co(OH)"+ or Co(O)_2. "6"0Co influx is pH dependent (optimum pH 7-9), and is sensitive to some other divalent metals. Influx from solutions containing 1 #mu#M "6"0Co was inhibited by 5 #mu#M Cd"2"+, Cu"2"+, and Zn"2"+, but ...
The purified integral membrane protein, band 3, from human erythrocytes was inserted into egg lecithin liposomes. The insertion of band 3 was determined from thermal transition data from the analysis of the C-H stretching region bands recorded at temperatures from 25 to -22[sup o]C. Raman spectra show that band 3 considerably broadens and lowers the thermal transition of egg lecithin liposomes, suggesting the insertion of band 3. The band 3-inserted liposomes were irradiated with gamma-rays (40 Gy) and the radiation target groups were determined by the analysis of the structural sensitive Raman bands in the 1600-1700 cm[sup -1] (amide I), 1200-1300 cm[sup -1] (amide III) and 550-1030 cm[sup -1] (side chain amino groups) regions. The radiation-sensitive groups as identified from Raman spectra in the region 550-1030 cm[sup -1] are tyrosines and cysteines. The radiation-induced changes in the secondary structure were determined from amide I and III bands. Quantitative ...
The purified integral membrane protein, band 3, from human erythrocytes was inserted into egg lecithin liposomes. The insertion of band 3 was determined from thermal transition data from the analysis of the C-H stretching region bands recorded at temperatures from 25 to -22"oC. Raman spectra show that band 3 considerably broadens and lowers the thermal transition of egg lecithin liposomes, suggesting the insertion of band 3. The band 3-inserted liposomes were irradiated with gamma-rays (40 Gy) and the radiation target groups were determined by the analysis of the structural sensitive Raman bands in the 1600-1700 cm"-"1 (amide I), 1200-1300 cm"-"1 (amide III) and 550-1030 cm"-"1 (side chain amino groups) regions. The radiation-sensitive groups as identified from Raman spectra in the region 550-1030 cm"-"1 are tyrosines and cysteines. The radiation-induced changes in the secondary structure were determined from amide I and III bands. Quantitative estimation using the ...
Designer natriuretic peptides (NPs) represent an active area of drug development. In canine and human studies, the designer natriuretic peptide CD-NP demonstrated more desirable therapeutic potential than recombinant B-type NP (BNP), which is known as nesiritide and is approved for treatment of acute decompensated heart failure. However, why CD-NP is more effective than BNP is not known. We previously reported that CD-NP is a poorer activator of human guanylyl cyclase-A (GC-A) and a better activator of human guanylyl cyclase-B than BNP. Here, guanylyl cyclase bioassays were used to compare the susceptibility of CD-NP verses ANP, BNP, CNP and DNP to inactivation by human kidney membranes. The half time (t(1/2)) for CD-NP inactivation was increased by factors of 13, 3 and 4 compared to ANP, BNP and CNP, respectively, when measured in the same assay. Surprisingly, DNP failed to undergo complete inactivation and was the most degradation resistant of the peptides tested. The neutral ...
The affinity label 8-((4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)thio)adenosine 5{prime}-triphosphate (8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP) reacts covalently with rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase, incorporating 2 mol of reagent/mol of enzyme subunit upon complete inactivation. Protection against inactivation is provided by phosphoenolpyruvate, K{sup +}, and Mn{sup 2+} and only 1 mol of reagent/mol of subunit is incorporated. The authors have now identified the resultant modified residues. After reaction with 8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP at pH 7.0, modified enzyme was incubated with ({sup 3}H)NaBH{sub 4} to reduce the carbonyl groups of enzyme-bound 8-BDB-TA-5{prime}-TP and to introduce a radioactive tracer into the modified residues. Following carboxymethylation and digestion with trypsin, the radioactive peptides were separated on a phenylboronate agarose column followed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid with an acetonitrile gradient. Gas-phase sequencing gave the ...
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and has very limited therapeutic options. Recently, it has been found that hyaluronic acid (HA) shows selective binding to CD44 receptors expressed in most cancer histotypes. Since the trend in cancer treatment is the use of targeted radionuclide therapy, the aim of this research was to label HA with rhenium-188 and to evaluate its potential use as a hepatocarcinoma therapeutic radiopharmaceutical. Methods: {sup 188}Re-HA was prepared by a direct labelling method to produce a ReO(O-COO){sub 2}-type coordination complex. {sup 188}Re-HA protein binding and its stability in saline, phosphate buffer, human serum and cysteine solutions were determined. Biokinetic and dosimetric data were estimated in healthy mice (n=60) using the Medical Internal Radiation Dose methodology and mouse model beta-absorbed fractions. To evaluate liver toxicity, alanine aminotranferase (AST) and aspartate aminotranferase ...
Antisense- or RNAi-mediated suppression of the biosynthesis of nutritionally inferior storage proteins is a promising strategy for improving the amino acid profile of seeds. However, the potential pleiotropic effects of this on interconnected pathways and the agronomic quality traits need to be addressed. In the current study, a transcriptomic analysis of an antisense C-hordein line of barley was performed, using a grain-specific cDNA array. The C-hordein antisense line is characterized by marked changes in storage protein and amino acid profiles, while the seed weight is within the normal range and no external morphological irregularities were observed. The results of the transcriptome analysis showed excellent correlation with data on changes in the relative proportions of storage proteins and amino acid composition. The antisense line had a lower C-hordein level and down-regulated transcript encoding C-hordein. The production of the S-rich B/gamma- and D-hordeins was increased and ...
Antisense- or RNAi-mediated suppression of the biosynthesis of nutritionally inferior storage proteins is a promising strategy for improving the amino acid profile of seeds. However, the potential pleiotropic effects of this on interconnected pathways and the agronomic quality traits need to be addressed. In the current study, a transcriptomic analysis of an antisense C-hordein line of barley was performed, using a grain-specific cDNA array. The C-hordein antisense line is characterized by marked changes in storage protein and amino acid profiles, while the seed weight is within the normal range and no external morphological irregularities were observed. The results of the transcriptome analysis showed excellent correlation with data on changes in the relative proportions of storage proteins and amino acid composition. The antisense line had a lower C-hordein level and down-regulated transcript encoding C-hordein. The production of the S-rich B/ - and D-hordeins was increased and ...
ATR-X (alpha-thalassemia/mental retardation, X-linked) syndrome is a human congenital disorder that causes severe intellectual disabilities. Mutations in the ATRX gene, which encodes an ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeler, are responsible for the syndrome. Approximately 50% of the missense mutations in affected persons are clustered in a cysteine-rich domain termed ADD (ATRX-DNMT3-DNMT3L, ADD{sub ATRX}), whose function has remained elusive. Here we identify ADD{sub ATRX} as a previously unknown histone H3-binding module, whose binding is promoted by lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) but inhibited by lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3). The cocrystal structure of ADD{sub ATRX} bound to H3{sub 1-15}K9me3 peptide reveals an atypical composite H3K9me3-binding pocket, which is distinct from the conventional trimethyllysine-binding aromatic cage. Notably, H3K9me3-pocket mutants and ATR-X syndrome mutants are defective in both H3K9me3 binding and localization at ...