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Sample records for glycoprotein peptide 35-55

  1. Rational design and synthesis of altered peptide ligands based on human myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 epitope: inhibition of chronic experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tselios, Theodore; Aggelidakis, Mihalis; Tapeinou, Anthi; Tseveleki, Vivian; Kanistras, Ioannis; Gatos, Dimitrios; Matsoukas, John

    2014-11-04

    Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and is an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Although the etiology of MS remains unclear, there is evidence T-cell recognition of immunodominant epitopes of myelin proteins, such as the 35-55 epitope of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), plays a pathogenic role in the induction of chronic EAE. Cyclization of peptides is of great interest since the limited stability of linear peptides restricts their potential use as therapeutic agents. Herein, we have designed and synthesized a number of linear and cyclic peptides by mutating crucial T cell receptor (TCR) contact residues of the human MOG35-55 epitope. In particular, we have designed and synthesized cyclic altered peptide ligands (APLs) by mutating Arg41 with Ala or Arg41 and Arg46 with Ala. The peptides were synthesized in solid phase on 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin (CLTR-Cl) using the Fmoc/t-Bu methodology. The purity of final products was verified by RP-HPLC and their identification was achieved by ESI-MS. It was found that the substitutions of Arg at positions 41 and 46 with Ala results in peptide analogues that reduce the severity of MOG-induced EAE clinical symptoms in C57BL/6 mice when co-administered with mouse MOG35-55 peptide at the time of immunization.

  2. MDR1 P-glycoprotein transports endogenous opioid peptides

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oude Elferink, R. P.; Zadina, J.

    2001-01-01

    MDR1 P-glycoprotein is generally regarded as an efflux pump for amphipathic toxic compounds. The question remains, however, whether certain endogenous compounds are also substrates for this transporter. Certain peptides have been shown to interact with MDR1 Pgp as well and we have therefore

  3. Fbs1 protects the malfolded glycoproteins from the attack of peptide:N-glycanase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamaguchi, Yoshiki; Hirao, Takeshi; Sakata, Eri; Kamiya, Yukiko; Kurimoto, Eiji; Yoshida, Yukiko; Suzuki, Tadashi; Tanaka, Keiji; Kato, Koichi

    2007-01-01

    Fbs1 is a cytosolic lectin putatively operating as a chaperone as well as a substrate-recognition subunit of the SCF Fbs1 ubiquitin ligase complex. To provide structural and functional basis of preferential binding of Fbs1 to unfolded glycoproteins, we herein characterize the interaction of Fbs1 with a heptapeptide carrying Man 3 GlcNAc 2 by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and other biochemical methods. Inspection of the NMR data obtained by use of the isotopically labeled glycopeptide indicated that Fbs1 interacts with sugar-peptide junctions, which are shielded in native glycoprotein, in many cases, but become accessible to Fbs1 in unfolded glycoproteins. Furthermore, Fbs1 was shown to inhibit deglycosylation of denatured ribonuclease B by a cytosolic peptide:N-glycanase (PNGase). On the basis of these data, we suggest that Fbs1 captures malfolded glycoproteins, protecting them from the attack of PNGase, during the chaperoning or ubiquitinating operation in the cytosol

  4. Glycoprotein of the wall of sycamore tissue-culture cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heath, M F; Northcote, D H

    1971-12-01

    1. A glycoprotein containing a large amount of hydroxyproline is present in the cell walls of sycamore callus cells. This protein is insoluble and remained in the alpha-cellulose when a mild separation procedure was used to obtain the polysaccharide fractions of the wall. The glycoprotein contained a high proportion of arabinose and galactose. 2. Soluble glycopeptides were prepared from the alpha-cellulose fraction when peptide bonds were broken by hydrazinolysis. The soluble material was fractionated by gel filtration and one glycopeptide was further purified by electrophoresis; it had a composition of 10% hydroxyproline, 35% arabinose and 55% galactose, and each hydroxyproline residue carried a glycosyl radical so that the oligosaccharides on the glycopeptide had an average degree of polymerization of 9. 3. The extraction of the glycopeptides was achieved without cleavage of glycosyl bonds, so that the glycoprotein cannot act as a covalent cross-link between the major polysaccharides of the wall. 4. The wall protein approximates in conformation to polyhydroxyproline and therefore it probably has similar physicochemical properties to polyhydroxyproline. This is discussed in relation to the function of the glycoprotein and its effect on the physical and chemical nature of the wall.

  5. 46 CFR 35.01-55 - Pilot boarding operation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Pilot boarding operation. 35.01-55 Section 35.01-55... Requirements § 35.01-55 Pilot boarding operation. (a) The master shall ensure that pilot boarding equipment is... instructions. (b) The master shall ensure compliance with the following during pilot boarding operations: (1...

  6. Active induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by MOG35-55 peptide immunization is associated with differential responses in separate compartments of the choroid plexus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murugesan Nivetha

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background There is increasing awareness that, aside from producing cerebrospinal fluid, the choroid plexus (CP might be a key regulator of immune activity in the central nervous system (CNS during neuroinflammation. Specifically, the CP has recently been posited to control entry of sentinel T cells into the uninflamed CNS during the early stages of neuroinflammatory diseases, like multiple sclerosis (MS and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE. As the CP is compartmentalized into a stromal core containing fenestrated capillaries devoid of typical blood–brain barrier properties, surrounded by a tight junction-expressing choroidal epithelium, each of these compartments might mount unique responses that instigate the neuroinflammatory process. Methods To discern responses of the respective CP stromal capillary and choroidal epithelial tissues during evolving neuroinflammation, we investigated morphology and in situ expression of 93 immune-related genes during early stages of EAE induced by immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (MOG35-55. Specifically, 3-D immunofluorescent imaging was employed to gauge morphological changes, and laser capture microdissection was coupled to an Immune Panel TaqMan Low Density Array to detail alterations in gene expression patterns at these separate CP sites on days 9 and 15 post-immunization (p.i.. To resolve CP effects due to autoimmunity against MOG peptide, from those due to complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA and pertussis toxin (PTX included in the immunization, analysis was performed on MOG-CFA/PTX-treated, CFA/PTX-treated, and naïve cohorts. Results The CP became swollen and displayed significant molecular changes in response to MOG-CFA/PTX immunization. Both stromal capillary and choroidal epithelial tissues mounted vigorous, yet different, changes in expression of numerous genes over the time course analyzed - including those encoding adhesion

  7. Development of glycoprotein capture-based label-free method for the high-throughput screening of differential glycoproteins in hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Rui; Tan, Yexiong; Wang, Min; Wang, Fangjun; Yao, Zhenzhen; Dong, Liwei; Ye, Mingliang; Wang, Hongyang; Zou, Hanfa

    2011-07-01

    A robust, reproducible, and high throughput method was developed for the relative quantitative analysis of glycoprotein abundances in human serum. Instead of quantifying glycoproteins by glycopeptides in conventional quantitative glycoproteomics, glycoproteins were quantified by nonglycosylated peptides derived from the glycoprotein digest, which consists of the capture of glycoproteins in serum samples and the release of nonglycopeptides by trypsin digestion of captured glycoproteins followed by two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem MS analysis of released peptides. Protein quantification was achieved by comparing the spectrum counts of identified nonglycosylated peptides of glycoproteins between different samples. This method was demonstrated to have almost the same specificity and sensitivity in glycoproteins quantification as capture at glycopeptides level. The differential abundance of proteins present at as low as nanogram per milliliter levels was quantified with high confidence. The established method was applied to the analysis of human serum samples from healthy people and patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to screen differential glycoproteins in HCC. Thirty eight glycoproteins were found with substantial concentration changes between normal and HCC serum samples, including α-fetoprotein, the only clinically used marker for HCC diagnosis. The abundance changes of three glycoproteins, i.e. galectin-3 binding protein, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3, and thrombospondin 1, which were associated with the development of HCC, were further confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In conclusion, the developed method was an effective approach to quantitatively analyze glycoproteins in human serum and could be further applied in the biomarker discovery for HCC and other cancers.

  8. T-CELL RESPONSES TO SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES OF HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE-1 GLYCOPROTEIN-D IN NATURALLY INFECTED INDIVIDUALS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    DAMHOF, RA; DRIJFHOUT, JW; SCHEFFER, AJ; WILTERDINK, JB; WELLING, GW; WELLINGWESTER, S

    1993-01-01

    To locate T cell determinants of glycoprotein D (gD) of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), proliferation assays of lymphocytes obtained from 10 healthy HSV-seropositive individuals were performed using 34 overlapping gD peptides as antigens. Despite large differences between individual responses

  9. The antibacterial activity of peptides derived from human beta-2 glycoprotein I is inhibited by protein H and M1 protein from Streptococcus pyogenes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nilsson, Maria; Wasylik, Sylwia; Mörgelin, Matthias; Olin, Anders I.; Meijers, Joost C. M.; Derksen, Ronald H. W. M.; de Groot, Philip G.; Herwald, Heiko

    2008-01-01

    During the last years, the importance of antibacterial peptides has attracted considerable attention. We report here that peptides derived from the fifth domain of beta-2 glycoprotein I (beta(2)GPI), a human heparin binding plasma protein, have antibacterial activities against Gram-positive and

  10. Identification of continuous human B-cell epitopes in the VP35, VP40, nucleoprotein and glycoprotein of Ebola virus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pierre Becquart

    Full Text Available Ebola virus (EBOV is a highly virulent human pathogen. Recovery of infected patients is associated with efficient EBOV-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG responses, whereas fatal outcome is associated with defective humoral immunity. As B-cell epitopes on EBOV are poorly defined, we sought to identify specific epitopes in four EBOV proteins (Glycoprotein (GP, Nucleoprotein (NP, and matrix Viral Protein (VP40 and VP35. For the first time, we tested EBOV IgG+ sera from asymptomatic individuals and symptomatic Gabonese survivors, collected during the early humoral response (seven days after the end of symptoms and the late memory phase (7-12 years post-infection. We also tested sera from EBOV-seropositive patients who had never had clinical signs of hemorrhagic fever or who lived in non-epidemic areas (asymptomatic subjects. We found that serum from asymptomatic individuals was more strongly reactive to VP40 peptides than to GP, NP or VP35. Interestingly, anti-EBOV IgG from asymptomatic patients targeted three immunodominant regions of VP40 reported to play a crucial role in virus assembly and budding. In contrast, serum from most survivors of the three outbreaks, collected a few days after the end of symptoms, reacted mainly with GP peptides. However, in asymptomatic subjects the longest immunodominant domains were identified in GP, and analysis of the GP crystal structure revealed that these domains covered a larger surface area of the chalice bowl formed by three GP1 subunits. The B-cell epitopes we identified in the EBOV VP35, VP40, NP and GP proteins may represent important tools for understanding the humoral response to this virus and for developing new antibody-based therapeutics or detection methods.

  11. Identification of continuous human B-cell epitopes in the VP35, VP40, nucleoprotein and glycoprotein of Ebola virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becquart, Pierre; Mahlakõiv, Tanel; Nkoghe, Dieudonné; Leroy, Eric M

    2014-01-01

    Ebola virus (EBOV) is a highly virulent human pathogen. Recovery of infected patients is associated with efficient EBOV-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses, whereas fatal outcome is associated with defective humoral immunity. As B-cell epitopes on EBOV are poorly defined, we sought to identify specific epitopes in four EBOV proteins (Glycoprotein (GP), Nucleoprotein (NP), and matrix Viral Protein (VP)40 and VP35). For the first time, we tested EBOV IgG+ sera from asymptomatic individuals and symptomatic Gabonese survivors, collected during the early humoral response (seven days after the end of symptoms) and the late memory phase (7-12 years post-infection). We also tested sera from EBOV-seropositive patients who had never had clinical signs of hemorrhagic fever or who lived in non-epidemic areas (asymptomatic subjects). We found that serum from asymptomatic individuals was more strongly reactive to VP40 peptides than to GP, NP or VP35. Interestingly, anti-EBOV IgG from asymptomatic patients targeted three immunodominant regions of VP40 reported to play a crucial role in virus assembly and budding. In contrast, serum from most survivors of the three outbreaks, collected a few days after the end of symptoms, reacted mainly with GP peptides. However, in asymptomatic subjects the longest immunodominant domains were identified in GP, and analysis of the GP crystal structure revealed that these domains covered a larger surface area of the chalice bowl formed by three GP1 subunits. The B-cell epitopes we identified in the EBOV VP35, VP40, NP and GP proteins may represent important tools for understanding the humoral response to this virus and for developing new antibody-based therapeutics or detection methods.

  12. Inhibition of the Hantavirus Fusion Process by Predicted Domain III and Stem Peptides from Glycoprotein Gc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barriga, Gonzalo P; Villalón-Letelier, Fernando; Márquez, Chantal L; Bignon, Eduardo A; Acuña, Rodrigo; Ross, Breyan H; Monasterio, Octavio; Mardones, Gonzalo A; Vidal, Simon E; Tischler, Nicole D

    2016-07-01

    Hantaviruses can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome or hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in humans. To enter cells, hantaviruses fuse their envelope membrane with host cell membranes. Previously, we have shown that the Gc envelope glycoprotein is the viral fusion protein sharing characteristics with class II fusion proteins. The ectodomain of class II fusion proteins is composed of three domains connected by a stem region to a transmembrane anchor in the viral envelope. These fusion proteins can be inhibited through exogenous fusion protein fragments spanning domain III (DIII) and the stem region. Such fragments are thought to interact with the core of the fusion protein trimer during the transition from its pre-fusion to its post-fusion conformation. Based on our previous homology model structure for Gc from Andes hantavirus (ANDV), here we predicted and generated recombinant DIII and stem peptides to test whether these fragments inhibit hantavirus membrane fusion and cell entry. Recombinant ANDV DIII was soluble, presented disulfide bridges and beta-sheet secondary structure, supporting the in silico model. Using DIII and the C-terminal part of the stem region, the infection of cells by ANDV was blocked up to 60% when fusion of ANDV occurred within the endosomal route, and up to 95% when fusion occurred with the plasma membrane. Furthermore, the fragments impaired ANDV glycoprotein-mediated cell-cell fusion, and cross-inhibited the fusion mediated by the glycoproteins from Puumala virus (PUUV). The Gc fragments interfered in ANDV cell entry by preventing membrane hemifusion and pore formation, retaining Gc in a non-resistant homotrimer stage, as described for DIII and stem peptide inhibitors of class II fusion proteins. Collectively, our results demonstrate that hantavirus Gc shares not only structural, but also mechanistic similarity with class II viral fusion proteins, and will hopefully help in developing novel therapeutic strategies against hantaviruses.

  13. Characterisation and evaluation of antiviral recombinant peptides based on the heptad repeat regions of NDV and IBV fusion glycoproteins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Xiaojia; Li Chuangen; Chi Xiaojing; Wang Ming

    2011-01-01

    Mixed virus infections can cause livestock losses that are more devastating than those caused by single virus infections. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), serious threats to the poultry industry, can give rise to complex mixed infections that hinder diagnosis and prevention. In this study, we show that newly designed peptides, which are based on the heptad repeat (HR) region of the fusion glycoproteins from NDV and IBV, have more potent antiviral activity than the mother HR peptides. Plaque formation and chicken embryo infectivity assays confirmed these results. The novel peptides completely inhibited single virus infections and mixed infections caused by NDV and IBV. Furthermore, we assessed cell toxicity and possible targets for the peptides, thereby strengthening the notion that HR2 is an attractive site for therapeutic intervention. These results suggest the possibility of designing a relatively broad-spectrum class of antiviral peptides that can reduce the effects of mixed-infections.

  14. Rötning av avloppsslam vid 35, 55 och 60 °C

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjerstadius, Hamse; la Cour Jansen, Jes; Stålhandske, Liselotte

    The study evaluated effect of anaerobic digestion (35, 55 and 60 °C ) at different minimum exposure times as well as from pasteurization on hygienization of pathogens, biogas production and removal of pharmaceutical substances and PAH.......The study evaluated effect of anaerobic digestion (35, 55 and 60 °C ) at different minimum exposure times as well as from pasteurization on hygienization of pathogens, biogas production and removal of pharmaceutical substances and PAH....

  15. Antigenicity of peptides comprising the immunosuppressive domain of the retroviral envelope glycoprotein [version 1; referees: 2 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bryony Jenkins

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available To achieve persistent infection of the host, viruses often subvert or suppress host immunity through mechanisms that are not entirely understood. The envelope glycoprotein of several retroviruses is thought to possess potent immunosuppressive activity, mapped to a 17-amino acid residue conserved domain. Synthetic peptides corresponding to this immunosuppressive domain can inhibit lymphocyte activation, whereas mutation of key domain residues can increase the lymphocyte response to linked antigenic epitopes. Using three T cell receptors (TCRs of defined specificity, we examine the effect of the immunosuppressive domain on the T cell response to their respective antigenic peptides. We find that fusion of a T cell epitope to the immunosuppressive domain can greatly modulate its potency. However, the effects heavily depend on the particular combination of TCR and peptide-major histocompatibility complex class II (pMHC II, and are mimicked by sequence-scrambled peptides of similar length, suggesting they operate at the level of TCR-pMHC interaction. These results offer an alternative explanation for the immunogenicity of T cell epitopes comprising the putative immunosuppressive domain, which is more consistent with an effect on peptide antigenicity than true immunosuppressive activity.

  16. Antigenicity of peptides comprising the immunosuppressive domain of the retroviral envelope glycoprotein [version 2; referees: 2 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bryony Jenkins

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available To achieve persistent infection of the host, viruses often subvert or suppress host immunity through mechanisms that are not entirely understood. The envelope glycoprotein of several retroviruses is thought to possess potent immunosuppressive activity, mapped to a 17-amino acid residue conserved domain. Synthetic peptides corresponding to this immunosuppressive domain can inhibit lymphocyte activation, whereas mutation of key domain residues can increase the lymphocyte response to linked antigenic epitopes. Using three T cell receptors (TCRs of defined specificity, we examine the effect of the immunosuppressive domain on the T cell response to their respective antigenic peptides. We find that fusion of a T cell epitope to the immunosuppressive domain can greatly modulate its potency. However, the effects heavily depend on the particular combination of TCR and peptide-major histocompatibility complex class II (pMHC II, and are mimicked by sequence-scrambled peptides of similar length, suggesting they operate at the level of pMHC formation or TCR-pMHC interaction. These results offer an alternative explanation for the immunogenicity of T cell epitopes comprising the putative immunosuppressive domain, which is more consistent with an effect on peptide antigenicity than true immunosuppressive activity.

  17. Synthetic glycopeptides and glycoproteins with applications in biological research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulrika Westerlind

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Over the past few years, synthetic methods for the preparation of complex glycopeptides have been drastically improved. The need for homogenous glycopeptides and glycoproteins with defined chemical structures to study diverse biological phenomena further enhances the development of methodologies. Selected recent advances in synthesis and applications, in which glycopeptides or glycoproteins serve as tools for biological studies, are reviewed. The importance of specific antibodies directed to the glycan part, as well as the peptide backbone has been realized during the development of synthetic glycopeptide-based anti-tumor vaccines. The fine-tuning of native chemical ligation (NCL, expressed protein ligation (EPL, and chemoenzymatic glycosylation techniques have all together enabled the synthesis of functional glycoproteins. The synthesis of structurally defined, complex glycopeptides or glyco-clusters presented on natural peptide backbones, or mimics thereof, offer further possibilities to study protein-binding events.

  18. Reversibly Switchable, pH-Dependent Peptide Ligand Binding via 3,5-Diiodotyrosine Substitutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngambenjawong, Chayanon; Sylvestre, Meilyn; Gustafson, Heather H; Pineda, Julio Marco B; Pun, Suzie H

    2018-04-20

    Cell type-specific targeting ligands utilized in drug delivery applications typically recognize receptors that are overexpressed on the cells of interest. Nonetheless, these receptors may also be expressed, to varying extents, on off-target cells, contributing to unintended side effects. For the selectivity profile of targeting ligands in cancer therapy to be improved, stimuli-responsive masking of these ligands with acid-, redox-, or enzyme-cleavable molecules has been reported, whereby the targeting ligands are exposed in specific environments, e.g., acidic tumor hypoxia. One possible drawback of these systems lies in their one-time, permanent trigger, which enables the "demasked" ligands to bind off-target cells if released back into the systemic circulation. A promising strategy to address the aforementioned problem is to design ligands that show selective binding based on ionization state, which may be microenvironment-dependent. In this study, we report a systematic strategy to engineer low pH-selective targeting peptides using an M2 macrophage-targeting peptide (M2pep) as an example. 3,5-Diiodotyrosine mutagenesis into native tyrosine residues of M2pep confers pH-dependent binding behavior specific to acidic environment (pH 6) when the amino acid is protonated into the native tyrosine-like state. At physiological pH of 7.4, the hydroxyl group of 3,5-diiodotyrosine on the peptide is deprotonated leading to interruption of the peptide native binding property. Our engineered pH-responsive M2pep (Ac-Y-Î-Î) binds target M2 macrophages more selectively at pH 6 than at pH 7.4. In addition, 3,5-diiodotyrosine substitutions also improve serum stability of the peptide. Finally, we demonstrate pH-dependent reversibility in target binding via a postbinding peptide elution study. The strategy presented here should be applicable for engineering pH-dependent functionality of other targeting peptides with potential applications in physiology-dependent in vivo targeting

  19. Improvement of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for equine herpesvirus type 4 by using a synthetic-peptide 24-mer repeat sequence of glycoprotein G as an antigen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bannai, Hiroshi; Nemoto, Manabu; Tsujimura, Koji; Yamanaka, Takashi; Maeda, Ken; Kondo, Takashi

    2016-02-01

    To increase the sensitivity of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) that uses a 12-mer peptide of glycoprotein G (gG4-12-mer: MKNNPIYSEGSL) [4], we used a longer peptide consisting of a 24-mer repeat sequence (gG4-24-mer: MKNNPIYSEGSLMLNVQHDDSIHT) as an antigen. Sera of horses experimentally infected with EHV-4 reacted much more strongly to the gG4-24-mer peptide than to the gG4-12-mer peptide. We used peptide ELISAs to test paired sera from horses naturally infected with EHV-4 (n=40). gG4-24-mer ELISA detected 37 positive samples (92.5%), whereas gG4-12-mer ELISA detected only 28 (70.0%). gG4-24-mer ELISA was much more sensitive than gG4-12-mer ELISA.

  20. Improvement of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for equine herpesvirus type 4 by using a synthetic-peptide 24-mer repeat sequence of glycoprotein G as an antigen

    Science.gov (United States)

    BANNAI, Hiroshi; NEMOTO, Manabu; TSUJIMURA, Koji; YAMANAKA, Takashi; MAEDA, Ken; KONDO, Takashi

    2015-01-01

    To increase the sensitivity of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for equine herpesvirus type 4 (EHV-4) that uses a 12-mer peptide of glycoprotein G (gG4-12-mer: MKNNPIYSEGSL) [4], we used a longer peptide consisting of a 24-mer repeat sequence (gG4-24-mer: MKNNPIYSEGSLMLNVQHDDSIHT) as an antigen. Sera of horses experimentally infected with EHV-4 reacted much more strongly to the gG4-24-mer peptide than to the gG4-12-mer peptide. We used peptide ELISAs to test paired sera from horses naturally infected with EHV-4 (n=40). gG4-24-mer ELISA detected 37 positive samples (92.5%), whereas gG4-12-mer ELISA detected only 28 (70.0%). gG4-24-mer ELISA was much more sensitive than gG4-12-mer ELISA. PMID:26424485

  1. Short-term effects of beta-amyloid25-35 peptide aggregates on transmitter release in neuromuscular synapses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Neus; Santafé, Manel M; Tomàs, Marta; Lanuza, Maria A; Tomàs, Josep

    2008-03-01

    The beta-amyloid (AB) peptide25-35 contains the functional domain of the AB precursor protein that is both required for neurotrophic effects in normal neural tissues and is involved in the neurotoxic effects in Alzheimer disease. We demonstrated the presence of the amyloid precursor protein/AB peptide in intramuscular axons, presynaptic motor nerve terminals, terminal and myelinating Schwann cells, and the postsynaptic and subsarcolemmal region in the Levator auris longus muscle of adult rats by immunocytochemistry. Using intracellular recording, we investigated possible short-term functional effects of the AB fragment (0.1-10 micromol/L) on acetylcholine release in adult and newborn motor end plates. We found no change in evoked, spontaneous transmitter release or resting membrane potential of the muscle cells. A previous block of the presynaptic muscarinic receptor subtypes and a previous block or stimulation of protein kinase C revealed no masked effect of the peptide on the regulation of transmitter release. The aggregated form of AB peptide25-35, however, interfered acutely with acetylcholine release (quantal content reduction) when synaptic activity was maintained by electric stimulation. The possible relevance of this inhibition of neurotransmission by AB peptide25-35 to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer remains to be determined.

  2. THE USE OF DEDICATED PEPTIDE LIBRARIES PERMITS THE DISCOVERY OF HIGH-AFFINITY BINDING PEPTIDES

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    DEKOSTER, HS; AMONS, R; BENCKHUIJSEN, WE; FEIJLBRIEF, M; SCHELLEKENS, GA; DRIJFHOUT, JW

    1995-01-01

    The motif for peptide binding to monoclonal antibody mAb A16, which is known to be directed against glycoprotein D of Herpes simplex virus type 1, was determined using two dedicated peptide libraries. As a starting point for this study we used an A-16 binding lead sequence, which had previously been

  3. Integrated proteomic and N-glycoproteomic analyses of doxorubicin sensitive and resistant ovarian cancer cells reveal glycoprotein alteration in protein abundance and glycosylation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, Junjie; Zhang, Chengqian; Xue, Peng; Wang, Jifeng; Chen, Xiulan; Guo, Xiaojing; Yang, Fuquan

    2017-01-01

    Ovarian cancer is one of the most common cancer among women in the world, and chemotherapy remains the principal treatment for patients. However, drug resistance is a major obstacle to the effective treatment of ovarian cancers and the underlying mechanism is not clear. An increased understanding of the mechanisms that underline the pathogenesis of drug resistance is therefore needed to develop novel therapeutics and diagnostic. Herein, we report the comparative analysis of the doxorubicin sensitive OVCAR8 cells and its doxorubicin-resistant variant NCI/ADR-RES cells using integrated global proteomics and N-glycoproteomics. A total of 1525 unique N-glycosite-containing peptides from 740 N-glycoproteins were identified and quantified, of which 253 N-glycosite-containing peptides showed significant change in the NCI/ADR-RES cells. Meanwhile, stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) based comparative proteomic analysis of the two ovarian cancer cells led to the quantification of 5509 proteins. As about 50% of the identified N-glycoproteins are low-abundance membrane proteins, only 44% of quantified unique N-glycosite-containing peptides had corresponding protein expression ratios. The comparison and calibration of the N-glycoproteome versus the proteome classified 14 change patterns of N-glycosite-containing peptides, including 8 up-regulated N-glycosite-containing peptides with the increased glycosylation sites occupancy, 35 up-regulated N-glycosite-containing peptides with the unchanged glycosylation sites occupancy, 2 down-regulated N-glycosite-containing peptides with the decreased glycosylation sites occupancy, 46 down-regulated N-glycosite-containing peptides with the unchanged glycosylation sites occupancy. Integrated proteomic and N-glycoproteomic analyses provide new insights, which can help to unravel the relationship of N-glycosylation and multidrug resistance (MDR), understand the mechanism of MDR, and discover the new diagnostic and

  4. The host antimicrobial peptide Bac71-35 binds to bacterial ribosomal proteins and inhibits protein synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mardirossian, Mario; Grzela, Renata; Giglione, Carmela; Meinnel, Thierry; Gennaro, Renato; Mergaert, Peter; Scocchi, Marco

    2014-12-18

    Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are molecules from innate immunity with high potential as novel anti-infective agents. Most of them inactivate bacteria through pore formation or membrane barrier disruption, but others cross the membrane without damages and act inside the cells, affecting vital processes. However, little is known about their intracellular bacterial targets. Here we report that Bac71-35, a proline-rich AMP belonging to the cathelicidin family, can reach high concentrations (up to 340 μM) inside the E. coli cytoplasm. The peptide specifically and completely inhibits in vitro translation in the micromolar concentration range. Experiments of incorporation of radioactive precursors in macromolecules with E. coli cells confirmed that Bac71-35 affects specifically protein synthesis. Ribosome coprecipitation and crosslinking assays showed that the peptide interacts with ribosomes, binding to a limited subset of ribosomal proteins. Overall, these results indicate that the killing mechanism of Bac71-35 is based on a specific block of protein synthesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Effect of electrostatics on aggregation of prion protein Sup35 peptide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Portillo, Alexander M; Krasnoslobodtsev, Alexey V; Lyubchenko, Yuri L

    2012-01-01

    Self-assembly of misfolded proteins into ordered fibrillar structures is a fundamental property of a wide range of proteins and peptides. This property is also linked with the development of various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Environmental conditions modulate the misfolding and aggregation processes. We used a peptide, CGNNQQNY, from yeast prion protein Sup35, as a model system to address effects of environmental conditions on aggregate formation. The GNNQQNY peptide self-assembles in fibrils with structural features that are similar to amyloidogenic proteins. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assay were employed to follow the aggregation process at various pHs and ionic strengths. We also used single molecule AFM force spectroscopy to probe interactions between the peptides under various conditions. The ThT fluorescence data showed that the peptide aggregates fast at pH values approaching the peptide isoelectric point (pI = 5.3) and the kinetics is 10 times slower at acidic pH (pH 2.0), suggesting that electrostatic interactions contribute to the peptide self-assembly into aggregates. This hypothesis was tested by experiments performed at low (11 mM) and high (150 mM) ionic strengths. Indeed, the aggregation lag time measured at pH 2 at low ionic strength (11 mM) is 195 h, whereas the lag time decreases ∼5 times when the ionic strength is increased to 150 mM. At conditions close to the pI value, pH 5.6, the aggregation lag time is 12 ± 6 h under low ionic strength, and there is minimal change to the lag time at 150 mM NaCl. The ionic strength also influences the morphology of aggregates visualized with AFM. In pH 2.0 and at high ionic strength, the aggregates are twofold taller than those formed at low ionic strength. In parallel, AFM force spectroscopy studies revealed minimal contribution of electrostatics to dissociation of transient peptide dimers. (paper)

  6. Efeito do bicarbonato de sódio no tratamento de vinhaça em AnSBBR operado a 55 e 35ºC Effect of the sodium bicarbonate in the treatment of vinasse in AnSBBR operated at 55 and 35ºC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Magdalena Ribas Döll

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Avaliou-se a influência do bicarbonato de sódio (NaHCO3 no desempenho do reator anaeróbio batelada sequencial com biomassa imobilizada tratando vinhaça a 55 e a 35ºC. O reator foi preenchido com espuma de poliuretano e agitado a 300 rpm. A adaptação a 55ºC estendeu-se por 50 dias, tendo o reator sido alimentado com vinhaça (DQO de 0,3 a 1,0 g/L. Para a operação a 35ºC, procedeu-se inicialmente ao enriquecimento da população metanogênica, durante 21 dias, com substrato à base de etanol (2,5 gDQO/L. Posteriormente, cargas orgânicas volumétricas (COV de 0,85 a 5,70 gDQO/L.d foram aplicadas no reator a 55ºC, com suplementação de 1,2 a 0,4 gHCO3-/gDQO. A 35ºC, o reator foi submetido a COV de 2,85 a 36,0 gDQO/L.d com 0,4 a 0,2 gHCO3-/gDQO. A remoção de DQO variou de 43 a 78% a 55ºC e de 75 a 85% a 35ºC. A suplementação de alcalinidade mostrou-se essencial para a estabilidade do processo, sendo requerida em menor quantidade a 35ºC.The influence of the sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3 on the performance of an anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor treating vinasse at 55 and 35ºC was evaluated. The reactor was filled with polyurethane foam and agitated at 300 rpm. The acclimatization period at 55ºC lasted 50 days, and the reactor was fed with vinasse (COD from 0.3 to 1.0 g/L. A previous enrichment of methanogenic population was provided for the reactor operated at 35ºC, feeding it with an ethanol based substrate (2.5 gCOD/L during 21 days. Further on, organic loading rates (OLR ranging from 0.85 to 5.70 gCOD/L.d were applied to the reactor at 55ºC, supplemented with 1.2 to 0.4 gHCO3-/gCOD. At 35ºC the reactor was subjected to OLR ranging from 2.85 to 36.0 gCOD/L.d with 0.4 to 0.2 gHCO3-/gCOD. COD removal ranged from 43 to 78% at 55ºC and from 75 to 85% at 35ºC. Alkalinity supplementation was found to be essential for process stability, but the amount required was lower at 35ºC.

  7. Paradoxical effect of pertussis toxin on the delayed hypersensitivity response to autoantigens in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajwahrdhan Yadav

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Pertussis toxin (PTX, an exotoxin of Bordetella pertussis, enhances the development of experimental autoimmune diseases such as experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE in rodent models. The mechanisms of the promotion of experimental autoimmune diseases by PTX may be based upon PTX-induced disruption of the blood eye/brain barriers facilitating the infiltration of inflammatory cells, the modulation of inflammatory cell migration and the enhancement of the activation of inflammatory cells. We hypothesized that the facilitation of experimental autoimmunity by PTX suggests that its influence on the in vivo immune response to auto-antigen may differ from its influence on non-self antigens.We have evaluated the effect of PTX on the simultaneous generation of delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH responses and autoimmune responses to uveitogenic interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein peptide (IRBP161-180, encephalitogenic myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (MOG35-55 or ovalbumin (OVA. PTX injection of mice immunized to IRBP peptide161-180 led to (i the development of EAU as shown by histopathology of the retina, (ii pro-inflammatory cytokine production by splenocytes in response to IRBP peptide161-180, and (iii symptomatic EAE in mice immunized with encephalitogenic MOG peptide35-55. However, mice that received PTX had a reduced DTH response to IRBP161-180 peptide or MOG peptide35-55 when challenged distal to the site affected by autoreactive T cells. Moreover, footpad challenge with MOG35-55 peptide reduced EAE in mice immunized with MOG peptide. In contrast, the use of PTX when immunizing with OVA protein or an OVA immunogenic peptide did not affect the DTH response to OVA.The results suggest that that the reduced DTH response in mice receiving PTX may be specific for autoantigens and autoantigen-reactive T cells are diverted away from ectopic sites that received the autoantigen and towards

  8. Effect of specific amino acid substitutions in the putative fusion peptide of structural glycoprotein E2 on Classical Swine Fever Virus replication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernández-Sainz, I.J.; Largo, E.; Gladue, D.P.; Fletcher, P.; O’Donnell, V.; Holinka, L.G.; Carey, L.B.; Lu, X.; Nieva, J.L.; Borca, M.V.

    2014-01-01

    E2, along with E rns and E1, is an envelope glycoprotein of Classical Swine Fever Virus (CSFV). E2 is involved in several virus functions: cell attachment, host range susceptibility and virulence in natural hosts. Here we evaluate the role of a specific E2 region, 818 CPIGWTGVIEC 828 , containing a putative fusion peptide (FP) sequence. Reverse genetics utilizing a full-length infectious clone of the highly virulent CSFV strain Brescia (BICv) was used to evaluate how individual amino acid substitutions within this region of E2 may affect replication of BICv. A synthetic peptide representing the complete E2 FP amino acid sequence adopted a β-type extended conformation in membrane mimetics, penetrated into model membranes, and perturbed lipid bilayer integrity in vitro. Similar peptides harboring amino acid substitutions adopted comparable conformations but exhibited different membrane activities. Therefore, a preliminary characterization of the putative FP 818 CPIGWTGVIEC 828 indicates a membrane fusion activity and a critical role in virus replication. - Highlights: • A putative fusion peptide (FP) region in CSFV E2 protein was shown to be critical for virus growth. • Synthetic FPs were shown to efficiently penetrate into lipid membranes using an in vitro model. • Individual residues in the FP affecting virus replication were identified by reverse genetics. • The same FP residues are also responsible for mediating membrane fusion

  9. Effect of specific amino acid substitutions in the putative fusion peptide of structural glycoprotein E2 on Classical Swine Fever Virus replication

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fernández-Sainz, I.J. [Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA (United States); Largo, E. [Biophysics Unit (CSIC-UPV/EHU), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao (Spain); Gladue, D.P.; Fletcher, P. [Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA (United States); O’Donnell, V. [Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA (United States); Plum Island Animal Disease Center, DHS, Greenport, NY 11944 (United States); Holinka, L.G. [Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA (United States); Carey, L.B. [Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), E-08003 Barcelona (Spain); Lu, X. [Plum Island Animal Disease Center, DHS, Greenport, NY 11944 (United States); Nieva, J.L. [Biophysics Unit (CSIC-UPV/EHU), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao (Spain); Borca, M.V., E-mail: manuel.borca@ars.usda.gov [Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA (United States)

    2014-05-15

    E2, along with E{sup rns} and E1, is an envelope glycoprotein of Classical Swine Fever Virus (CSFV). E2 is involved in several virus functions: cell attachment, host range susceptibility and virulence in natural hosts. Here we evaluate the role of a specific E2 region, {sup 818}CPIGWTGVIEC{sup 828}, containing a putative fusion peptide (FP) sequence. Reverse genetics utilizing a full-length infectious clone of the highly virulent CSFV strain Brescia (BICv) was used to evaluate how individual amino acid substitutions within this region of E2 may affect replication of BICv. A synthetic peptide representing the complete E2 FP amino acid sequence adopted a β-type extended conformation in membrane mimetics, penetrated into model membranes, and perturbed lipid bilayer integrity in vitro. Similar peptides harboring amino acid substitutions adopted comparable conformations but exhibited different membrane activities. Therefore, a preliminary characterization of the putative FP {sup 818}CPIGWTGVIEC{sup 828} indicates a membrane fusion activity and a critical role in virus replication. - Highlights: • A putative fusion peptide (FP) region in CSFV E2 protein was shown to be critical for virus growth. • Synthetic FPs were shown to efficiently penetrate into lipid membranes using an in vitro model. • Individual residues in the FP affecting virus replication were identified by reverse genetics. • The same FP residues are also responsible for mediating membrane fusion.

  10. De novo design of peptide immunogens that mimic the coiled coil region of human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 glycoprotein 21 transmembrane subunit for induction of native protein reactive neutralizing antibodies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundaram, Roshni; Lynch, Marcus P; Rawale, Sharad V; Sun, Yiping; Kazanji, Mirdad; Kaumaya, Pravin T P

    2004-06-04

    Peptide vaccines able to induce high affinity and protective neutralizing antibodies must rely in part on the design of antigenic epitopes that mimic the three-dimensional structure of the corresponding region in the native protein. We describe the design, structural characterization, immunogenicity, and neutralizing potential of antibodies elicited by conformational peptides derived from the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) gp21 envelope glycoprotein spanning residues 347-374. We used a novel template design and a unique synthetic approach to construct two peptides (WCCR2T and CCR2T) that would each assemble into a triple helical coiled coil conformation mimicking the gp21 crystal structure. The peptide B-cell epitopes were grafted onto the epsilon side chains of three lysyl residues on a template backbone construct consisting of the sequence acetyl-XGKGKGKGCONH2 (where X represents the tetanus toxoid promiscuous T cell epitope (TT) sequence 580-599). Leucine substitutions were introduced at the a and d positions of the CCR2T sequence to maximize helical character and stability as shown by circular dichroism and guanidinium hydrochloride studies. Serum from an HTLV-1-infected patient was able to recognize the selected epitopes by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Mice immunized with the wild-type sequence (WCCR2T) and the mutant sequence (CCR2T) elicited high antibody titers that were capable of recognizing the native protein as shown by flow cytometry and whole virus ELISA. Sera and purified antibodies from immunized mice were able to reduce the formation of syncytia induced by the envelope glycoprotein of HTLV-1, suggesting that antibodies directed against the coiled coil region of gp21 are capable of disrupting cell-cell fusion. Our results indicate that these peptides represent potential candidates for use in a peptide vaccine against HTLV-1.

  11. Prediction and identification of potential immunodominant epitopes in glycoproteins B, C, E, G, and I of herpes simplex virus type 2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Mingjie; Wang, Xingsheng; Liao, Jianmin; Yin, Dengke; Li, Suqin; Pan, Ying; Wang, Yao; Xie, Guangyan; Zhang, Shumin; Li, Yuexi

    2012-01-01

    Twenty B candidate epitopes of glycoproteins B (gB2), C (gC2), E (gE2), G (gG2), and I (gI2) of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) were predicted using DNAstar, Biosun, and Antheprot methods combined with the polynomial method. Subsequently, the biological functions of the peptides were tested via experiments in vitro. Among the 20 epitope peptides, 17 could react with the antisera to the corresponding parent proteins in the EIA tests. In particular, five peptides, namely, gB2(466-473) (EQDRKPRN), gC2(216-223) (GRTDRPSA), gE2(483-491) (DPPERPDSP), gG2(572-579) (EPPDDDDS), and gI2(286-295) (CRRRYRRPRG) had strong reaction with the antisera. All conjugates of the five peptides with the carrier protein BSA could stimulate mice into producing antibodies. The antisera to these peptides reacted strongly with the corresponding parent glycoproteins during the Western Blot tests, and the peptides reacted strongly with the antibodies against the parent glycoproteins during the EIA tests. The antisera against the five peptides could neutralize HSV-2 infection in vitro, which has not been reported until now. These results suggest that the immunodominant epitopes screened using software algorithms may be used for virus diagnosis and vaccine design against HSV-2.

  12. Prediction and Identification of Potential Immunodominant Epitopes in Glycoproteins B, C, E, G, and I of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingjie Pan

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Twenty B candidate epitopes of glycoproteins B (gB2, C (gC2, E (gE2, G (gG2, and I (gI2 of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2 were predicted using DNAstar, Biosun, and Antheprot methods combined with the polynomial method. Subsequently, the biological functions of the peptides were tested via experiments in vitro. Among the 20 epitope peptides, 17 could react with the antisera to the corresponding parent proteins in the EIA tests. In particular, five peptides, namely, gB2466–473 (EQDRKPRN, gC2216–223 (GRTDRPSA, gE2483–491 (DPPERPDSP, gG2572–579 (EPPDDDDS, and gI2286-295 (CRRRYRRPRG had strong reaction with the antisera. All conjugates of the five peptides with the carrier protein BSA could stimulate mice into producing antibodies. The antisera to these peptides reacted strongly with the corresponding parent glycoproteins during the Western Blot tests, and the peptides reacted strongly with the antibodies against the parent glycoproteins during the EIA tests. The antisera against the five peptides could neutralize HSV-2 infection in vitro, which has not been reported until now. These results suggest that the immunodominant epitopes screened using software algorithms may be used for virus diagnosis and vaccine design against HSV-2.

  13. Characterisation of the epitope for a herpes simplex virus glycoprotein B-specific monoclonal antibody with high protective capacity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Däumer, Martin P; Schneider, Beate; Giesen, Doris M; Aziz, Sheriff; Kaiser, Rolf; Kupfer, Bernd; Schneweis, Karl E; Schneider-Mergener, Jens; Reineke, Ulrich; Matz, Bertfried; Eis-Hübinger, Anna M

    2011-05-01

    Monoclonal antibody (MAb) 2c, specific for glycoprotein B of herpes simplex virus (HSV), had been shown to mediate clearance of infection from the mucous membranes of mice, thereby completely inhibiting mucocutaneous inflammation and lethality, even in mice depleted of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells. Additionally, ganglionic infection was highly restricted. In vitro, MAb 2c exhibits a potent complement-independent neutralising activity against HSV type 1 and 2, completely inhibits the viral cell-to-cell spread as well as the syncytium formation induced by syncytial HSV strains (Eis-Hübinger et al. in Intervirology 32:351-360, 1991; Eis-Hübinger et al. in J Gen Virol 74:379-385, 1993). Here, we describe the mapping of the epitope for MAb 2c. The antibody was found to recognise a discontinuous epitope comprised of the HSV type 1 glycoprotein B residues 299 to 305 and one or more additional discontinuous regions that can be mimicked by the sequence FEDF. Identification of the epitope was confirmed by loss of antibody binding to mutated glycoprotein B with replacement of the epitopic key residues, expressed in COS-1 cells. Similarly, MAb 2c was not able to neutralise HSV mutants with altered key residues, and MAb 2c was ineffective in mice inoculated with such mutants. Interestingly, identification and fine-mapping of the discontinuous epitope was not achieved by binding studies with truncated glycoprotein B variants expressed in COS cells but by peptide scanning with synthetic overlapping peptides and peptide key motif analysis. Reactivity of MAb 2c was immensely increased towards a peptide composed of the glycoprotein B residues 299 to 305, a glycine linker, and a C-terminal FEDF motif. If it could be demonstrated that antibodies of the specificity and bioactivity of MAb 2c can be induced by the epitope or a peptide mimicking the epitope, strategies for active immunisation might be conceivable.

  14. Corrosion mitigation of J55 steel in 3.5% NaCl solution by a macrocyclic inhibitor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Ambrish [State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation (Southwest Petroleum University), Chengdu, Sichuan 610500 (China); Department of Chemistry, LFTS, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144402 (India); Lin, Yuanhua, E-mail: yhlin28@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation (Southwest Petroleum University), Chengdu, Sichuan 610500 (China); Obot, I.B. [Centre of Research Excellence in Corrosion, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Ebenso, Eno E. [Department of Chemistry, School of Mathematical & Physical Sciences, North-West University (Mafikeng Campus), Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735 (South Africa); Material Science Innovation & Modelling (MaSIM) Focus Area, Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology, North-West University (Mafikeng Campus), Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735 (South Africa); Ansari, K.R.; Quraishi, M.A. [Department of Applied Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh (India)

    2015-11-30

    Graphical abstract: SECM studies revealed decrease of steady current in the presence of inhibitor while it increased for 3.5% NaCl solution that acted as the conductor. - Highlights: • J55 steel protection in 3.5% NaCl solution saturated with CO{sub 2} by HPT. • Potentiodynamic polarization curves reveal that the actions of HPT are mixed type. • The adsorption of HPT obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. • Scanning electrochemical microscopy is used to discuss the insulated and conductive surface. - Abstract: 1,2,4,7,9,10-Hexaazacyclo-pentadeca-10,15-dien-3,5,6,8-tetraone (HPT) a macrocyclic compound has been studied using electrochemical methods and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) techniques. The R{sub ct} values increased and C{sub dl} values decreased with the increase in concentration of the inhibitor. The corrosion inhibition of J55 steel in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution saturated with CO{sub 2} by polarization studies revealed that HPT acted as a mixed type inhibitor. The adsorption of HPT on the J55 steel surface obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters (K{sub ads}, ΔG°{sub ads}) were also computed and discussed.

  15. Corrosion mitigation of J55 steel in 3.5% NaCl solution by a macrocyclic inhibitor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Ambrish; Lin, Yuanhua; Obot, I.B.; Ebenso, Eno E.; Ansari, K.R.; Quraishi, M.A.

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: SECM studies revealed decrease of steady current in the presence of inhibitor while it increased for 3.5% NaCl solution that acted as the conductor. - Highlights: • J55 steel protection in 3.5% NaCl solution saturated with CO 2 by HPT. • Potentiodynamic polarization curves reveal that the actions of HPT are mixed type. • The adsorption of HPT obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. • Scanning electrochemical microscopy is used to discuss the insulated and conductive surface. - Abstract: 1,2,4,7,9,10-Hexaazacyclo-pentadeca-10,15-dien-3,5,6,8-tetraone (HPT) a macrocyclic compound has been studied using electrochemical methods and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) techniques. The R ct values increased and C dl values decreased with the increase in concentration of the inhibitor. The corrosion inhibition of J55 steel in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution saturated with CO 2 by polarization studies revealed that HPT acted as a mixed type inhibitor. The adsorption of HPT on the J55 steel surface obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters (K ads , ΔG° ads ) were also computed and discussed.

  16. Prediction of exposed domains of envelope glycoprotein in Indian HIV-1 isolates and experimental confirmation of their immunogenicity in humans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohabatkar H.

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available We describe the impact of subtype differences on the seroreactivity of linear antigenic epitopes in envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1 isolates from different geographical locations. By computer analysis, we predicted potential antigenic sites of envelope glycoprotein (gp120 and gp4l of this virus. For this purpose, after fetching sequences of proteins of interest from data banks, values of hydrophilicity, flexibility, accessibility, inverted hydrophobicity, and secondary structure were considered. We identified several potential antigenic epitopes in a B subtype strain of envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1 (IIIB. Solid- phase peptide synthesis methods of Merrifield and Fmoc chemistry were used for synthesizing peptides. These synthetic peptides corresponded mainly to the C2, V3 and CD4 binding sites of gp120 and some parts of the ectodomain of gp41. The reactivity of these peptides was tested by ELISA against different HIV-1-positive sera from different locations in India. For two of these predicted epitopes, the corresponding Indian consensus sequences (LAIERYLKQQLLGWG and DIIGDIRQAHCNISEDKWNET (subtype C were also synthesized and their reactivity was tested by ELISA. These peptides also distinguished HIV-1-positive sera of Indians with C subtype infections from sera from HIV-negative subjects.

  17. Neurochemical evidence that cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) 55-102 peptide modulates the dopaminergic reward system by decreasing the dopamine release in the mouse nucleus accumbens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakovska, Angelina; Baranyi, Maria; Windisch, Katalin; Petkova-Kirova, Polina; Gagov, Hristo; Kalfin, Reni

    2017-09-01

    CART (Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript) peptide is a neurotransmitter naturally occurring in the CNS and found mostly in nucleus accumbens, ventrotegmental area, ventral pallidum, amygdalae and striatum, brain regions associated with drug addiction. In the nucleus accumbens, known for its significant role in motivation, pleasure, reward and reinforcement learning, CART peptide inhibits cocaine and amphetamine-induced dopamine-mediated increases in locomotor activity and behavior, suggesting a CART peptide interaction with the dopaminergic system. Thus in the present study, we examined the effect of CART (55-102) peptide on the basal, electrical field stimulation-evoked (EFS-evoked) (30V, 2Hz, 120 shocks) and returning basal dopamine (DA) release and on the release of the DA metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetaldehyde (DOPAL), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol (DOPET), 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) as well as on norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine-o-quinone (Daq) in isolated mouse nucleus accumbens, in a preparation, in which any CART peptide effects on the dendrites or soma of ventral tegmental projection neurons have been excluded. We further extended our study to assess the effect of CART (55-102) peptide on basal cocaine-induced release of dopamine and its metabolites DOPAL, DOPAC, HVA, DOPET and 3-MT as well as on NE and Daq. To analyze the amount of [ 3 H]dopamine, dopamine metabolites, Daq and NE in the nucleus accumbens superfusate, a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), coupled with electrochemical, UV and radiochemical detections was used. CART (55-102) peptide, 0.1μM, added alone, exerted: (i) a significant decrease in the basal and EFS-evoked levels of extracellular dopamine (ii) a significant increase in the EFS-evoked and returning basal levels of the dopamine metabolites DOPAC and HVA, major products of dopamine degradation and (iii) a significant decrease in the returning basal

  18. Anticancer activities of bovine and human lactoferricin-derived peptides

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arias, M.; Hilchie, A.L.; Haney, E.F.; Bolscher, J.G.M.; Hyndman, M.E.; Hancock, R.E.W.; Vogel, H.J.

    2017-01-01

    Lactoferrin (LF) is a mammalian host defense glycoprotein with diverse biological activities. Peptides derived from the cationic region of LF possess cytotoxic activity against cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Bovine lactoferricin (LFcinB), a peptide derived from bovine LF (bLF), exhibits

  19. A neural cell adhesion molecule-derived peptide reduces neuropathological signs and cognitive impairment induced by Abeta25-35

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klementiev, B; Novikova, T; Novitskaya, V

    2007-01-01

    death and brain atrophy in response to Abeta25-35. Finally, the Abeta25-35-administration led to a reduced short-term memory as determined by the social recognition test. A synthetic peptide termed FGL derived from the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) was able to prevent or, if already manifest......, strongly reduce all investigated signs of Abeta25-35-induced neuropathology and cognitive impairment. The FGL peptide was recently demonstrated to be able to cross the blood-brain-barrier. Accordingly, we found that the beneficial effects of FGL were achieved not only by intracisternal, but also...... and cognitive impairment involves the modulation of intracellular signal-transduction mediated through GSK3beta....

  20. Modeling of the Ebola Virus Delta Peptide Reveals a Potential Lytic Sequence Motif

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William R. Gallaher

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Filoviruses, such as Ebola and Marburg viruses, cause severe outbreaks of human infection, including the extensive epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD in West Africa in 2014. In the course of examining mutations in the glycoprotein gene associated with 2014 Ebola virus (EBOV sequences, a differential level of conservation was noted between the soluble form of glycoprotein (sGP and the full length glycoprotein (GP, which are both encoded by the GP gene via RNA editing. In the region of the proteins encoded after the RNA editing site sGP was more conserved than the overlapping region of GP when compared to a distant outlier species, Tai Forest ebolavirus. Half of the amino acids comprising the “delta peptide”, a 40 amino acid carboxy-terminal fragment of sGP, were identical between otherwise widely divergent species. A lysine-rich amphipathic peptide motif was noted at the carboxyl terminus of delta peptide with high structural relatedness to the cytolytic peptide of the non-structural protein 4 (NSP4 of rotavirus. EBOV delta peptide is a candidate viroporin, a cationic pore-forming peptide, and may contribute to EBOV pathogenesis.

  1. Enhancement of the Enterocin CRL35 Activity by a Synthetic Peptide Derived from the NH2-Terminal Sequence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saavedra, Lucila; Minahk, Carlos; de Ruiz Holgado, Aída P.; Sesma, Fernando

    2004-01-01

    The enterocin CRL35 biosynthetic gene cluster was cloned and sequenced. The sequence was revealed to be highly identical to that of the mundticin KS gene cluster (S. Kawamoto, J. Shima, R. Sato, T. Eguchi, S. Ohmomo, J. Shibato, N. Horikoshi, K. Takeshita, and T. Sameshima, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68:3830-3840, 2002). Short synthetic peptides were designed based on the bacteriocin sequence and were evaluated in antimicrobial competitive assays. The peptide KYYGNGVSCNKKGCS produced an enhancement of enterocin CRL35 antimicrobial activity in a buffer system. PMID:15215149

  2. Affinity selection of Nipah and Hendra virus-related vaccine candidates from a complex random peptide library displayed on bacteriophage virus-like particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peabody, David S.; Chackerian, Bryce; Ashley, Carlee; Carnes, Eric; Negrete, Oscar

    2017-01-24

    The invention relates to virus-like particles of bacteriophage MS2 (MS2 VLPs) displaying peptide epitopes or peptide mimics of epitopes of Nipah Virus envelope glycoprotein that elicit an immune response against Nipah Virus upon vaccination of humans or animals. Affinity selection on Nipah Virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies using random sequence peptide libraries on MS2 VLPs selected peptides with sequence similarity to peptide sequences found within the envelope glycoprotein of Nipah itself, thus identifying the epitopes the antibodies recognize. The selected peptide sequences themselves are not necessarily identical in all respects to a sequence within Nipah Virus glycoprotein, and therefore may be referred to as epitope mimics VLPs displaying these epitope mimics can serve as vaccine. On the other hand, display of the corresponding wild-type sequence derived from Nipah Virus and corresponding to the epitope mapped by affinity selection, may also be used as a vaccine.

  3. Turn stability in beta-hairpin peptides: Investigation of peptides containing 3:5 type I G1 bulge turns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blandl, Tamas; Cochran, Andrea G; Skelton, Nicholas J

    2003-02-01

    The turn-forming ability of a series of three-residue sequences was investigated by substituting them into a well-characterized beta-hairpin peptide. The starting scaffold, bhpW, is a disulfide-cyclized 10-residue peptide that folds into a stable beta-hairpin with two antiparallel strands connected by a two-residue reverse turn. Substitution of the central two residues with the three-residue test sequences leads to less stable hairpins, as judged by thiol-disulfide equilibrium measurements. However, analysis of NMR parameters indicated that each molecule retains a significant folded population, and that the type of turn adopted by the three-residue sequence is the same in all cases. The solution structure of a selected peptide with a PDG turn contained an antiparallel beta-hairpin with a 3:5 type I + G1 bulge turn. Analysis of the energetic contributions of individual turn residues in the series of peptides indicates that substitution effects have significant context dependence, limiting the predictive power of individual amino acid propensities for turn formation. The most stable and least stable sequences were also substituted into a more stable disulfide-cyclized scaffold and a linear beta-hairpin scaffold. The relative stabilities remained the same, suggesting that experimental measurements in the bhpW context are a useful way to evaluate turn stability for use in protein design projects. Moreover, these scaffolds are capable of displaying a diverse set of turns, which can be exploited for the mimicry of protein loops or for generating libraries of reverse turns.

  4. Quantitative measurement of a candidate serum biomarker peptide derived from α2-HS-glycoprotein, and a preliminary trial of multidimensional peptide analysis in females with pregnancy-induced hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamamura, Kensuke; Yanagida, Mitsuaki; Ishikawa, Hitoshi; Banzai, Michio; Yoshitake, Hiroshi; Nonaka, Daisuke; Tanaka, Kenji; Sakuraba, Mayumi; Miyakuni, Yasuka; Takamori, Kenji; Nojima, Michio; Yoshida, Koyo; Fujiwara, Hiroshi; Takeda, Satoru; Araki, Yoshihiko

    2018-03-01

    Purpose We previously attempted to develop quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) systems for the PDA039/044/071 peptides, potential serum disease biomarkers (DBMs) of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), primarily identified by a peptidomic approach (BLOTCHIP®-mass spectrometry (MS)). However, our methodology did not extend to PDA071 (cysteinyl α2-HS-glycoprotein 341-367 ), due to difficulty to produce a specific antibody against the peptide. The aim of the present study was to establish an alternative PDA071 quantitation system using liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring (LC-MRM)/MS, to explore the potential utility of PDA071 as a DBM for PIH. Methods We tested heat/acid denaturation methods in efforts to purify serum PDA071 and developed an LC-MRM/MS method allowing for specific quantitation thereof. We measured serum PDA071 concentrations, and these results were validated including by three-dimensional (3D) plotting against PDA039 (kininogen-1 439-456 )/044 (kininogen-1 438-456 ) concentrations, followed by discriminant analysis. Results PDA071 was successfully extracted from serum using a heat denaturation method. Optimum conditions for quantitation via LC-MRM/MS were developed; the assayed serum PDA071 correlated well with the BLOTCHIP® assay values. Although the PDA071 alone did not significantly differ between patients and controls, 3D plotting of PDA039/044/071 peptide concentrations and construction of a Jackknife classification matrix were satisfactory in terms of PIH diagnostic precision. Conclusions Combination analysis using both PDA071 and PDA039/044 concentrations allowed PIH diagnostic accuracy to be attained, and our method will be valuable in future pathophysiological studies of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

  5. Prediction and identification of mouse cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes in Ebola virus glycoproteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wu Shipo

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Ebola viruses (EBOVs cause severe hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate. At present, there are no licensed vaccines or efficient therapies to combat EBOV infection. Previous studies have shown that both humoral and cellular immune responses are crucial for controlling Ebola infection. CD8+ T cells play an important role in mediating vaccine-induced protective immunity. The objective of this study was to identify H-2d-specific T cell epitopes in EBOV glycoproteins (GPs. Results Computer-assisted algorithms were used to predict H-2d-specific T cell epitopes in two species of EBOV (Sudan and Zaire GP. The predicted peptides were synthesized and identified in BALB/c mice immunized with replication-deficient adenovirus vectors expressing the EBOV GP. Enzyme-linked immunospot assays and intracellular cytokine staining showed that the peptides RPHTPQFLF (Sudan EBOV, GPCAGDFAF and LYDRLASTV (Zaire EBOV could stimulate splenoctyes in immunized mice to produce large amounts of interferon-gamma. Conclusion Three peptides within the GPs of two EBOV strains were identified as T cell epitopes. The identification of these epitopes should facilitate the evaluation of vaccines based on the Ebola virus glycoprotein in a BALB/c mouse model.

  6. Mutational analysis of the hepatitis C virus E1 glycoprotein in retroviral pseudoparticles and cell-culture-derived H77/JFH1 chimeric infectious virus particles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Russell, R S; Kawaguchi, K; Meunier, J-C

    2009-01-01

    Cell entry by enveloped viruses is mediated by viral glycoproteins, and generally involves a short hydrophobic peptide (fusion peptide) that inserts into the cellular membrane. An internal hydrophobic domain within E1 (aa262-290) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) may function as a fusion peptide. Retrov...

  7. Regional increase in P-glycoprotein function in the blood-brain barrier of patients with chronic schizophrenia : A PET study with [C-11]verapamil as a probe for P-glycoprotein function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Klerk, Onno L.; Willemsen, Antoon T. M.; Bosker, Fokko J.; Bartels, Anna L.; Hendrikse, N. Harry; den Boer, Johan A.; Dierckx, Rudy A.

    2010-01-01

    P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a major efflux pump in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has a profound effect on entry of drugs, peptides and other substances into the central nervous system (CNS). The brain's permeability can be negatively influenced by modulation of the transport function of P-gp.

  8. Multiple genes encode the major surface glycoprotein of Pneumocystis carinii

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kovacs, J A; Powell, F; Edman, J C

    1993-01-01

    hydrophobic region at the carboxyl terminus. The presence of multiple related msg genes encoding the major surface glycoprotein of P. carinii suggests that antigenic variation is a possible mechanism for evading host defenses. Further characterization of this family of genes should allow the development......The major surface antigen of Pneumocystis carinii, a life-threatening opportunistic pathogen in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients, is an abundant glycoprotein that functions in host-organism interactions. A monoclonal antibody to this antigen is protective in animals, and thus...... blot studies using chromosomal or restricted DNA, the major surface glycoproteins are the products of a multicopy family of genes. The predicted protein has an M(r) of approximately 123,000, is relatively rich in cysteine residues (5.5%) that are very strongly conserved, and contains a well conserved...

  9. The hydroxyapatite-binding regions of a rat salivary glycoprotein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Embery, G; Green, D R

    1989-09-01

    The regions of a salivary sulphated glycoprotein which are involved in its attachment to hydroxyapatite (Biogel HTP) have been characterised. The sulphated glycoprotein, a 35S-labelled preparation from mixed palatal and buccal minor gland secretions of the rat was bound onto hydroxyapatite and the resultant glycoprotein-hydroxyapatite complex was sequentially digested with pronase E and alpha-L-fucosidase, a treatment which released 86.8% +/- 1.7% of the radioactivity of the initially bound glycoprotein. The fragments which remained attached to the hydroxyapatite after enzymic digestion were fractionated on Sephadex G-25 and analysed for carbohydrate and amino acid components. A range of amino acids were detected which could reflect both glycosylated and non-glycosylated-binding regions. Sialic acid, although considered to be involved in the attachment process was not detected in any of the fragments remaining after enzymic digestion, a finding which provides indirect evidence that the enzymically liberated products do not subsequently re-attach to the hydroxyapatite surface. The notable feature of the fractions with average Mr estimated at 1000 or less is the high proportion of N-acetylhexosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine. It is apparent that the hexosamine residues, which normally bear the ester sulphate moieties of sulphated glycoproteins, play an important role in the attachment of sulphated glycoproteins to hydroxyapatite.

  10. C- and N-truncated antimicrobial peptides from LFampin 265 - 284: Biophysical versus microbiology results

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Adão, R.; Nazmi, K.; Bolscher, J.G.M.; Bastos, M.

    2011-01-01

    Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein with two globular lobes, each having two domains. Since the discovery of its antimicrobial properties, efforts have been made to find peptides derived from this protein showing antimicrobial properties. Most peptides initially studied were derived from Lactoferricin B,

  11. Direct chemical modification and voltammetric detection of glycans in glycoproteins

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Trefulka, Mojmír; Paleček, Emil

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 48, NOV2014 (2014), s. 52-55 ISSN 1388-2481 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP301/11/2055 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : Glycoproteins * Chemical modification * Os(VI)L complexes Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 4.847, year: 2014

  12. Antigiardial activity of glycoproteins and glycopeptides from Ziziphus honey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammed, Seif Eldin A; Kabashi, Ahmed S; Koko, Waleed S; Azim, M Kamran

    2015-01-01

    Natural honey contains an array of glycoproteins, proteoglycans and glycopeptides. Size-exclusion chromatography fractionated Ziziphus honey proteins into five peaks with molecular masses in the range from 10 to >200 kDa. The fractionated proteins exhibited in vitro activities against Giardia lamblia with IC50 values ≤ 25 μg/mL. Results indicated that honey proteins were more active as antiprotozoal agents than metronidazole. This study indicated the potential of honey proteins and peptides as novel antigiardial agents.

  13. In silico-based vaccine design against Ebola virus glycoprotein

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dash R

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Raju Dash,1 Rasel Das,2 Md Junaid,3 Md Forhad Chowdhury Akash,4 Ashekul Islam,5 SM Zahid Hosen1 1Molecular Modeling and Drug Design Laboratory (MMDDL, Pharmacology Research Division, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR, Chittagong, Bangladesh; 2Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 3Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 4Department of Pharmacy, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong, Bangladesh; 5Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh Abstract: Ebola virus (EBOV is one of the lethal viruses, causing more than 24 epidemic outbreaks to date. Despite having available molecular knowledge of this virus, no definite vaccine or other remedial agents have been developed yet for the management and avoidance of EBOV infections in humans. Disclosing this, the present study described an epitope-based peptide vaccine against EBOV, using a combination of B-cell and T-cell epitope predictions, followed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation approach. Here, protein sequences of all glycoproteins of EBOV were collected and examined via in silico methods to determine the most immunogenic protein. From the identified antigenic protein, the peptide region ranging from 186 to 220 and the sequence HKEGAFFLY from the positions of 154–162 were considered the most potential B-cell and T-cell epitopes, correspondingly. Moreover, this peptide (HKEGAFFLY interacted with HLA-A*32:15 with the highest binding energy and stability, and also a good conservancy of 83.85% with maximum population coverage. The results imply that the designed epitopes could manifest vigorous enduring defensive immunity against EBOV. Keywords: Ebola virus, epitope, glycoprotein, vaccine design

  14. Expression of CD55, CD59, and CD35 on red blood cells of β-thalassaemia patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koçtekin, Belkls; Kurtoǧlu, Erdal; Yildiz, Mustafa; Bozkurt, Selen

    2017-01-01

    Aim of the study β-thalassaemia (β-Thal) is considered a severe, progressive haemolytic anaemia, which needs regular blood transfusions for life expectancy. Complement-mediated erythrocyte destruction can cause both intravascular and extravascular haemolysis. Complement regulatory proteins protect cells from such effects of the complement system. We aimed to perform quantitative analysis of membrane-bound complement regulators, CD55 (decay accelerating factor – DAF), CD35 (complement receptor type 1 – CR1), and CD59 (membrane attack complex inhibitory factor – MACIF) on peripheral red blood cells by flow cytometry. Material and methods The present study was carried out on 47 β-thalassemia major (β-TM) patients, 20 β-thalassaemia intermedia (β-TI) patients, and 17 healthy volunteers as control subjects. Results CD55 levels of β-TM patients (58.64 ±17.06%) were significantly decreased compared to β-TI patients (83.34 ±13.82%) and healthy controls (88.57 ±11.69%) (p < 0.01). CD59 levels of β-TM patients were not significantly different than β-TI patients and controls, but CD35 levels were significantly lower in the β-TM patients (3.56 ±4.87%) and β-TI patients (12.48 ±9.19%) than in the control group (39.98 ±15.01%) (p < 0.01). Conclusions Low levels of CD55 and CD35 in thalassaemia major patients indicates a role for them in the aetiopathogenesis of haemolysis in this disease, and also this defect in a complement system may be responsible for the chronic complications seen in these patients. PMID:28680334

  15. Determination of P-Glycoprotein Expression by Flow Cytometry in Hematological Malignancies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Berkay Saraymen

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Determination the expression of P-glycoprotein is especially problematic for normal tissues because immuno­logical methods are limited in terms of sensitivity. We aimed to determine the expression of P-glycoprotein and CD34 by flow cytometry, and to evaluate the level of expression of P-glycoprotein and CD34 with unresponsive to treatment in pa­tients diagnosed with hematologic malignancy. Methods: Our study included fifty patients diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leuke­mia, and twenty healthy controls who were admitted to Erci­yes University Hematology-Oncology Hospital. The suspend­ed cells from bone marrow samples of patients and the pe­ripheral blood samples of healthy people were marked with P-glycoprotein phycoerythrin and CD34 FITC or PerCP Cy 5.5; and then surface expression was measured by means of flow cytometry. Results: In 6 of 30 acute myeloblastic leukemia patients P-glycoprotein and CD34 expression, in 6 of 20 acute lympho­blastic leukemia patients P-glycoprotein, in 5 of them CD34 expression were determined. A significant relation between P-glycoprotein and CD34 expressions in acute myeloblas­tic leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia bone marrow samples was reported. Conclusion: Our data indicate that flow cytometry is more reliable, precise and faster than molecular methods for mea­suring P-glycoprotein expression and suggests the pos­sibility of a significant relationship between P-glycoprotein and CD34 expressions in acute myeloblastic leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia bone marrow samples. The blast cells expressing CD34 on their surface along with P-glycoprotein simultaneously show that multi drug resistance 1 gene is mostly active in immature cells.

  16. Distinct requirements for signal peptidase processing and function in the stable signal peptide subunit of the Junin virus envelope glycoprotein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    York, Joanne; Nunberg, Jack H.

    2007-01-01

    The arenavirus envelope glycoprotein (GP-C) retains a cleaved and stable signal peptide (SSP) as an essential subunit of the mature complex. This 58-amino-acid residue peptide serves as a signal sequence and is additionally required to enable transit of the assembled GP-C complex to the Golgi, and for pH-dependent membrane fusion activity. We have investigated the C-terminal region of the Junin virus SSP to study the role of the cellular signal peptidase (SPase) in generating SSP. Site-directed mutagenesis at the cleavage site (positions - 1 and - 3) reveals a pattern of side-chain preferences consistent with those of SPase. Although position - 2 is degenerate for SPase cleavage, this residue in the arenavirus SSP is invariably a cysteine. In the Junin virus, this cysteine is not involved in disulfide bonding. We show that replacement with alanine or serine is tolerated for SPase cleavage but prevents the mutant SSP from associating with GP-C and enabling transport to the cell surface. Conversely, an arginine mutation at position - 1 that prevents SPase cleavage is fully compatible with GP-C-mediated membrane fusion activity when the mutant SSP is provided in trans. These results point to distinct roles of SSP sequences in SPase cleavage and GP-C biogenesis. Further studies of the unique structural organization of the GP-C complex will be important in identifying novel opportunities for antiviral intervention against arenaviral hemorrhagic disease

  17. Mapping of linear antibody epitopes of the glycoprotein of VHSV, a salmonid rhabdovirus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fernandez-Alonso, M.; Lorenzo, G.; Perez, L.

    1998-01-01

    antibodies (MAbs), only 2 non-neutralizing MAbs, I10 (aa 139-153) and IP1H3 (aa 399-413), could be mapped to specific peptides in the pepscan of the gpG. Mapping of these MAbs was confirmed by immunoblotting with recombinant proteins and/or other synthetic peptides covering those sequences. None......Antibody Linear epitopes of the glycoprotein G (gpG) of the viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV), a rhabdovirus of salmonids, were mapped by pepscan using overlapping 15-mer peptides covering the entire gpG sequence and ELISA with polyclonal and monoclonal murine and polyclonal trout...... antibodies. Among the regions recognized in the pepscan by the polyclonal antibodies (PAbs) were the previously identified phosphatidylserine binding heptad-repeats (Estepa & Coll 1996; Virology 216:60-70) and leucocyte stimulating peptides (Lorenzo et al. 1995; Virology 212:348-355). Among 17 monoclonal...

  18. Peptide inhibition of human cytomegalovirus infection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morris Cindy A

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV is the most prevalent congenital viral infection in the United States and Europe causing significant morbidity and mortality to both mother and child. HCMV is also an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised individuals, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV- infected patients with AIDS, and solid organ and allogeneic stem cell transplantation recipients. Current treatments for HCMV-associated diseases are insufficient due to the emergence of drug-induced resistance and cytotoxicity, necessitating novel approaches to limit HCMV infection. The aim of this study was to develop therapeutic peptides targeting glycoprotein B (gB, a major glycoprotein of HCMV that is highly conserved across the Herpesviridae family, that specifically inhibit fusion of the viral envelope with the host cell membrane preventing HCMV entry and infection. Results Using the Wimley-White Interfacial Hydrophobicity Scale (WWIHS, several regions within gB were identified that display a high potential to interact with lipid bilayers of cell membranes and hydrophobic surfaces within proteins. The ability of synthetic peptides analogous to WWIHS-positive sequences of HCMV gB to inhibit viral infectivity was evaluated. Human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF were infected with the Towne-GFP strain of HCMV (0.5 MOI, preincubated with peptides at a range of concentrations (78 nm to 100 μM, and GFP-positive cells were visualized 48 hours post-infection by fluorescence microscopy and analyzed quantitatively by flow cytometry. Peptides that inhibited HCMV infection demonstrated different inhibitory concentration curves indicating that each peptide possesses distinct biophysical properties. Peptide 174-200 showed 80% inhibition of viral infection at a concentration of 100 μM, and 51% and 62% inhibition at concentrations of 5 μM and 2.5 μM, respectively. Peptide 233-263 inhibited infection by 97% and 92% at concentrations of 100

  19. Neuropeptides labelled with [sup 35]S

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaspersen, F.M.; Nispen, J.W. van; Sperling, E.M.G.; Vader, J.F. (Organon Int BV, Oss (Netherlands))

    1993-01-01

    Methionine and cysteine containing peptides can be labelled with [sup 35]S by coupling of [sup 35]S-cysteine or [sup 35]S-methionine with a large excess of suitability protected peptide precursors. This is illustrated for [pGlu[sup 4], Cyt[sup 6

  20. A single mutation in the E2 glycoprotein important for neurovirulence influences binding of Sindbis virus to neuroblastoma cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lee, PY; Knight, R; Smit, JM; Wilschut, J; Griffin, DE

    The amino acid at position 55 of the E2 glycoprotein (E2(55)) of Sindbis virus (SV) is a critical determinant of SV neurovirulence in mice. Recombinant virus strain TE (E2(55) = histidine) differs only at this position from virus strain 633 (E2(55) = glutamine), yet TE is considerably more

  1. Purification and characterization of a soluble glycoprotein from garlic (Allium sativum) and its in vitro bioactivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yan; Zou, Tingting; Xiang, Minghui; Jin, Chenzhong; Zhang, Xuejiao; Chen, Yong; Jiang, Qiuqing; Hu, Yihong

    2016-10-02

    A soluble glycoprotein was purified to homogeneity from ripe garlic (Allium sativum) bulbs using ammonium sulfate precipitation, Sephadex G-100 gel filtration, and diethylaminoethyl-52 cellulose anion-exchange chromatography. A native mass of 55.7 kDa estimated on gel permeation chromatography and a molecular weight of 13.2 kDa observed on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis supported that the glycoprotein is a homotetramer. β-Elimination reaction result suggested that the glycoprotein is an N-linked type. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy proved that it contains sugar. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer analysis showed that its sugar component was galactose. The glycoprotein has 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil free radical scavenging activity and the peroxidation inhibition ability to polyunsaturated fatty acid. These results indicated that the glycoprotein has potential for food additives, functional foods, and even biotechnological and medical applications.

  2. 2018-05-05T13:55:35Z https://www.ajol.info/index.php/all/oai oai:ojs ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    article/13317 2018-05-05T13:55:35Z safp:ART Seroprevalence of HIV and frequencies of haemoglobin genotypes, ABO and Rh blood groups among premarital couples in Port Harcourt, Nigeria Jeremiah, Z A Okon, I A Jeremiah, T A Background: ...

  3. A Functional Henipavirus Envelope Glycoprotein Pseudotyped Lentivirus Assay System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Broder Christopher C

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Hendra virus (HeV and Nipah virus (NiV are newly emerged zoonotic paramyxoviruses discovered during outbreaks in Queensland, Australia in 1994 and peninsular Malaysia in 1998/9 respectively and classified within the new Henipavirus genus. Both viruses can infect a broad range of mammalian species causing severe and often-lethal disease in humans and animals, and repeated outbreaks continue to occur. Extensive laboratory studies on the host cell infection stage of HeV and NiV and the roles of their envelope glycoproteins have been hampered by their highly pathogenic nature and restriction to biosafety level-4 (BSL-4 containment. To circumvent this problem, we have developed a henipavirus envelope glycoprotein pseudotyped lentivirus assay system using either a luciferase gene or green fluorescent protein (GFP gene encoding human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1 genome in conjunction with the HeV and NiV fusion (F and attachment (G glycoproteins. Results Functional retrovirus particles pseudotyped with henipavirus F and G glycoproteins displayed proper target cell tropism and entry and infection was dependent on the presence of the HeV and NiV receptors ephrinB2 or B3 on target cells. The functional specificity of the assay was confirmed by the lack of reporter-gene signals when particles bearing either only the F or only G glycoprotein were prepared and assayed. Virus entry could be specifically blocked when infection was carried out in the presence of a fusion inhibiting C-terminal heptad (HR-2 peptide, a well-characterized, cross-reactive, neutralizing human mAb specific for the henipavirus G glycoprotein, and soluble ephrinB2 and B3 receptors. In addition, the utility of the assay was also demonstrated by an examination of the influence of the cytoplasmic tail of F in its fusion activity and incorporation into pseudotyped virus particles by generating and testing a panel of truncation mutants of NiV and HeV F

  4. Diagnosis of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis by ELISA Using Antipeptide Antibodies Against Type-Common Epitopes of Glycoprotein B of Herpes Simplex Viruses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhullar, Shradha S; Chandak, Nitin H; Baheti, Neeraj N; Purohit, Hemant J; Taori, Girdhar M; Daginawala, Hatim F; Kashyap, Rajpal S

    2016-01-01

    Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) represents one of the most severe infectious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). As effective antiviral drugs are available, an early, rapid, and reliable diagnosis has become important. The objective of this article was to develop a sensitive ELISA protocol for herpes simplex viruses (HSV) antigen detection and quantitation by assessing the usefulness of antipeptide antibodies against potential peptides of HSV glycoprotein B (gB). A total of 180 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of HSE and non-HSE patients were analyzed using a panel of antipeptide antibodies against synthetic peptides of HSV glycoprotein gB. The cases of confirmed and suspected HSE showed 80% and 51% positivity for antipeptide against synthetic peptide QLHDLRF and 77% and 53% positivity for antipeptide against synthetic peptide MKALYPLTT, respectively for the detection of HSV antigen in CSF. The concentration of HSV antigen was found to be higher in confirmed HSE as compared to suspected HSE group and the viral load correlated well with antigen concentration obtained using the two antipeptides in CSF of confirmed HSE group. This is the first article describing the use of antibodies obtained against synthetic peptides derived from HSV in diagnostics of HSE using patients' CSF samples.

  5. Global site-specific analysis of glycoprotein N-glycan processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Liwei; Diedrich, Jolene K; Ma, Yuanhui; Wang, Nianshuang; Pauthner, Matthias; Park, Sung-Kyu Robin; Delahunty, Claire M; McLellan, Jason S; Burton, Dennis R; Yates, John R; Paulson, James C

    2018-06-01

    N-glycans contribute to the folding, stability and functions of the proteins they decorate. They are produced by transfer of the glycan precursor to the sequon Asn-X-Thr/Ser, followed by enzymatic trimming to a high-mannose-type core and sequential addition of monosaccharides to generate complex-type and hybrid glycans. This process, mediated by the concerted action of multiple enzymes, produces a mixture of related glycoforms at each glycosite, making analysis of glycosylation difficult. To address this analytical challenge, we developed a robust semiquantitative mass spectrometry (MS)-based method that determines the degree of glycan occupancy at each glycosite and the proportion of N-glycans processed from high-mannose type to complex type. It is applicable to virtually any glycoprotein, and a complete analysis can be conducted with 30 μg of protein. Here, we provide a detailed description of the method that includes procedures for (i) proteolytic digestion of glycoprotein(s) with specific and nonspecific proteases; (ii) denaturation of proteases by heating; (iii) sequential treatment of the glycopeptide mixture with two endoglycosidases, Endo H and PNGase F, to create unique mass signatures for the three glycosylation states; (iv) LC-MS/MS analysis; and (v) data analysis for identification and quantitation of peptides for the three glycosylation states. Full coverage of site-specific glycosylation of glycoproteins is achieved, with up to thousands of high-confidence spectra hits for each glycosite. The protocol can be performed by an experienced technician or student/postdoc with basic skills for proteomics experiments and takes ∼7 d to complete.

  6. Identification of an immunodominant epitope in glycoproteins B and G of herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) using synthetic peptides as antigens in assay of antibodies to HSV in herpes simplex encephalitis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhullar, S S; Chandak, N H; Baheti, N N; Purohit, H J; Taori, G M; Daginawala, H F; Kashyap, R S

    2014-01-01

    Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is a severe viral infection of the central nervous system (CNS). Assay of antibody response is widely used in diagnostics of HSE. The aim of this study was to identify an immunodominant epitope determining the antibody response to herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of HSE patients. The synthetic peptides that resembled type-common as well as type-specific domains of glycoproteins B (gB) and G (gG) of these viruses were evaluated for binding with IgM and IgG antibodies in CSF samples from HSE and non-HSE patients in ELISA. The QLHDLRF peptide, derived from gB of HSV was found to be an immunodominant epitope in the IgM and IgG antibody response. The patients with confirmed and suspected HSE showed in ELISA against this peptide 26% and 23% positivities for IgM, 43% and 37% positivities for IgG and 17% and 15% for both IgM and IgG antibodies, respectively. The total positivities of 86% and 75% for both IgM and IgG antibodies were obtained in the patients with confirmed and suspected HSE, respectively. These results demonstrate that a synthetic peptide-based diagnostics of HSE can be an efficient and easily accessible alternative. This is the first report describing the use of synthetic peptides derived from HSVs in diagnostics of HSE using patientsʹ CSF samples.

  7. 35S Promoter Methylation in Kanamycin-Resistant Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe pinnata L.) Plants Expressing the Antimicrobial Peptide Cecropin P1 Transgene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shevchuk, T V; Zakharchenko, N S; Tarlachkov, S V; Furs, O V; Dyachenko, O V; Buryanov, Y I

    2016-09-01

    Transgenic kalanchoe plants (Kalanchoe pinnata L.) expressing the antimicrobial peptide cecropin P1 gene (cecP1) under the control of the 35S cauliflower mosaic virus 35S RNA promoter and the selective neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) gene under the control of the nopaline synthase gene promoter were studied. The 35S promoter methylation and the cecropin P1 biosynthesis levels were compared in plants growing on media with and without kanamycin. The low level of active 35S promoter methylation further decreases upon cultivation on kanamycin-containing medium, while cecropin P1 synthesis increases.

  8. N-linked glycoprotein analysis using dual-extraction ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siu, S O; Lam, Maggie P Y; Lau, Edward; Yeung, William S B; Cox, David M; Chu, Ivan K

    2010-01-01

    Although reverse-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) is a common technique for peptide separation in shotgun proteomics and glycoproteomics, it often provides unsatisfactory results for the analysis of glycopeptides and glycans. This bias against glycopeptides makes it difficult to study glycoproteins. By coupling mass spectrometry (MS) with a combination of RP-LC and normal-phase (NP)-LC as an integrated front-end separation system, we demonstrate that effective identification and characterization of both peptides and glycopeptides mixtures, and their constituent glycan structures, can be achieved from a single sample injection event.

  9. Casein kinase 2 down-regulation and activation by polybasic peptides are mediated by acidic residues in the 55-64 region of the beta-subunit. A study with calmodulin as phosphorylatable substrate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meggio, F; Boldyreff, B; Issinger, O G

    1994-01-01

    to substitute for wild-type beta-subunit as a suppressor of activity toward calmodulin. The only mutations that reduced the ability of the beta-subunit to suppress calmodulin phosphorylation activity, though being compatible with normal reconstitution of CK2 holoenzyme, were those affecting Asp55, Glu57...... are conversely ineffective. The latent "calmodulin kinase" activity of CK2 can also be specifically unmasked by a peptide (alpha[66-86]) reproducing a basic insert of the catalytic subunit. This effect is reversed by equimolar addition of a peptide (beta[55-71]) including the 55-64 acidic stretch of the beta......-subunit. Comparable polylysine stimulation was observed with the holoenzymes reconstituted with either beta wt or the beta mutants capable of assembling with the alpha-subunit, with the notable exception of those bearing Ala substitutions for acidic residues at positions 55, 57, and 59-61. These were nearly...

  10. The optimization of peptide cargo bound to MHC class I molecules by the peptide-loading complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Tim; Williams, Anthony

    2005-10-01

    Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I complexes present peptides from both self and foreign intracellular proteins on the surface of most nucleated cells. The assembled heterotrimeric complexes consist of a polymorphic glycosylated heavy chain, non-polymorphic beta(2) microglobulin, and a peptide of typically nine amino acids in length. Assembly of the class I complexes occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum and is assisted by a number of chaperone molecules. A multimolecular unit termed the peptide-loading complex (PLC) is integral to this process. The PLC contains a peptide transporter (transporter associated with antigen processing), a thiooxido-reductase (ERp57), a glycoprotein chaperone (calreticulin), and tapasin, a class I-specific chaperone. We suggest that class I assembly involves a process of optimization where the peptide cargo of the complex is edited by the PLC. Furthermore, this selective peptide loading is biased toward peptides that have a longer off-rate from the assembled complex. We suggest that tapasin is the key chaperone that directs this action of the PLC with secondary contributions from calreticulin and possibly ERp57. We provide a framework model for how this may operate at the molecular level and draw parallels with the proposed mechanism of action of human leukocyte antigen-DM for MHC class II complex optimization.

  11. Mucus glycoprotein secretion by tracheal explants: effects of pollutants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Last, J.A.; Kaizu, T.

    1980-01-01

    Tracheal slices incubated with radioactive precursors in tissue culture medium secrete labeled mucus glycoproteins into the culture medium. We have used an in vivtro approach, a combined method utilizing exposure to pneumotoxins in vivo coupled with quantitation of mucus secretion rates in vitro, to study the effects of inhaled pollutants on mucus biosynthesis by rat airways. In addition, we have purified the mucus glycoproteins secreted by rat tracheal explants in order to determine putative structural changes that might by the basis for the observed augmented secretion rates after exposure of rats to H2SO4 aerosols in combination with high ambient levels of ozone. After digestion with papain, mucus glycoproteins secreted by tracheal explants may be separated into five fractions by ion-exchange chromatography, with recovery in high yield, on columns of DEAE-cellulose. Each of these five fractions, one neutral and four acidic, migrates as a single unique spot upon cellulose acetate electrophoresis at pH values of 8.6 and 1.2. The neutral fraction, which is labeled with [3H] glucosamine, does not contain radioactivity when Na2 35SO4 is used as the precursor. Acidic fractions I to IV are all labeled with either 3H-glucosamine or Na2 35SO4 as precursor. Acidic fraction II contains sialic acid as the terminal sugar on its oligosaccharide side chains, based upon its chromatographic behavior on columns of wheat-germ agglutinin-Agarose. Treatment of this fraction with neuraminidase shifts its elution position in the gradient to a lower salt concentration, coincident with acidic fraction I. After removal of terminal sialic acid residues with either neuraminidase or low pH treatment, the resultant terminal sugar on the oligosaccharide side chains is fucose. These results are identical with those observed with mucus glycoproteins secreted by cultured human tracheal explants and purified by these same techniques

  12. Defining glycoprotein cancer biomarkers by MS in conjunction with glycoprotein enrichment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Ehwang; Mechref, Yehia

    2015-01-01

    Protein glycosylation is an important and common post-translational modification. More than 50% of human proteins are believed to be glycosylated to modulate the functionality of proteins. Aberrant glycosylation has been correlated to several diseases, such as inflammatory skin diseases, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's and prion diseases, and cancer. Many approved cancer biomarkers are glycoproteins which are not highly abundant proteins. Therefore, effective qualitative and quantitative assessment of glycoproteins entails enrichment methods. This chapter summarizes glycoprotein enrichment methods, including lectin affinity, immunoaffinity, hydrazide chemistry, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, and click chemistry. The use of these enrichment approaches in assessing the qualitative and quantitative changes of glycoproteins in different types of cancers are presented and discussed. This chapter highlights the importance of glycoprotein enrichment techniques for the identification and characterization of new reliable cancer biomarkers.

  13. Effects of glycosylation on the conformation and dynamics of O-linked glycoproteins: Carbon-13 NMR studies of ovine submaxillary mucin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerken, T.A.; Butenhof, K.J.; Shogren, R.

    1989-01-01

    Carbon-13 NMR spectroscopic studies of native and sequentially deglycosylated ovine submaxillary mucin (OSM) have been performed to examine the effects of glycosylation on the conformation and dynamics of the peptide core of O-linked glycoproteins. OSM is a large nonglobular glycoprotein in which nearly one-third of the amino acid residues are Ser and Thr which are glycosylated by the α-Neu-NAc(2-6)α-Ga1NAc- disaccharide. The β-carbon resonances of glycosylated Ser and Thr residues in intact and asialo mucin display considerable chemical shift heterogeneity which, upon the complete removal of carbohydrate, coalesces to single sharp resonances. This chemical shift heterogeneity is due to peptide sequence variability and is proposed to reflect the presence of sequence-dependent conformations of the peptide core. These different conformations are thought to be determined by steric interactions of the Ga1NAc residue with adjacent peptide residues. The absence of chemical shift heterogeneity in apo mucin is taken to indicate a loss in the peptide-carbohydrate steric interactions, consistent with a more relaxed random coiled structure. On the basis of the 13 C relaxation behavior the dynamics of the α-carbons appear to be unique to each amino acid type and glycosylation state. These results are consistent with the changes in molecular dimensions determined by light-scattering techniques for the same series of modified mucins. Taken together, these results further demonstrate that mucins possess a highly expanded conformation that is dominated by steric interactions between the peptide core and the O-linked Ga1NAc residue

  14. Determination of the minimal fusion peptide of bovine leukemia virus gp30

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lorin, Aurelien; Lins, Laurence; Stroobant, Vincent; Brasseur, Robert; Charloteaux, Benoit

    2007-01-01

    In this study, we determined the minimal N-terminal fusion peptide of the gp30 of the bovine leukemia virus on the basis of the tilted peptide theory. We first used molecular modelling to predict that the gp30 minimal fusion peptide corresponds to the 15 first residues. Liposome lipid-mixing and leakage assays confirmed that the 15-residue long peptide induces fusion in vitro and that it is the shortest peptide inducing optimal fusion since longer peptides destabilize liposomes to the same extent but not shorter ones. The 15-residue long peptide can thus be considered as the minimal fusion peptide. The effect of mutations reported in the literature was also investigated. Interestingly, mutations related to glycoproteins unable to induce syncytia in cell-cell fusion assays correspond to peptides predicted as non-tilted. The relationship between obliquity and fusogenicity was also confirmed in vitro for one tilted and one non-tilted mutant peptide

  15. Glycoprotein on cell surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muramatsu, T.

    1975-01-01

    There are conjugated polysaccharides in cell membranes and outside of animal cells, and they play important role in the control of cell behavior. In this paper, the studies on the glycoprotein on cell surfaces are reported. It was found that the glycoprotein on cell surfaces have both N-glycoside type and O-glycoside type saccharic chains. Therefore it can be concluded that the basic structure of the saccharic chains in the glycoprotein on cell surfaces is similar to that of blood serum and body fluid. The main glycoprotein in the membranes of red blood corpuscles has been studied most in detail, and it also has both types of saccharic chains. The glycoprotein in liver cell membranes was found to have only the saccharic chains of acid type and to be in different pattern from that in endoplasmic reticula and nuclear membranes, which also has the saccharic chains of neutral type. The structure of the saccharic chains of H-2 antigen, i.e. the peculiar glycoprotein on the surfaces of lymph system cells, has been studied, and it is similar to the saccharic chains of glycoprotein in blood serum. The saccharic chain structures of H-2 antigen and TL antigen are different. TL, H-2 (D), Lna and H-2 (K) are the glycoprotein on cell surfaces, and are independent molecules. The analysis of the saccharic chain patterns on cell surfaces was carried out, and it was shown that the acid type saccharic chains were similar to those of ordinary glycoprotein, because the enzyme of pneumococci hydrolyzed most of the acid type saccharic chains. The change of the saccharic chain patterns of glycoprotein on cell surfaces owing to canceration and multiplication is complex matter. (Kako, I.)

  16. Neuroplastin-55 binds to and signals through the fibroblast growth factor receptor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Owczarek, Sylwia; Kiryushko, Darya; Hald Larsen, Marianne

    2010-01-01

    Neuroplastin (Np) is a glycoprotein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) and existing in two isoforms, Np55 and Np65, named according to their molecular weights. The extracellular part of Np65 contains three immunoglobulin (Ig)-like modules (Ig1, Ig2, and Ig......3), whereas Np55 lacks the Ig1 module. Of these two isoforms, only Np65 is involved in homophilic interactions resulting in cell adhesion, whereas the role of Np55 is poorly understood. The present study reports for the first time the crystal structure of the ectodomain of Np55 at 1.95-A resolution...

  17. Regulatory Lymphocytes Are Key Factors in MHC-Independent Resistance to EAE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marín, Nieves; Mecha, Miriam; Espejo, Carmen; Mestre, Leyre; Eixarch, Herena; Montalban, Xavier; Álvarez-Cermeño, José C.; Guaza, Carmen; Villar, Luisa M.

    2014-01-01

    Background and Objectives. Resistant and susceptible mouse strains to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an inducible demyelinating experimental disease serving as animal model for multiple sclerosis, have been described. We aimed to explore MHC-independent mechanisms inducing resistance to EAE. Methods. For EAE induction, female C57BL/6 (susceptible strain) and CD1 (resistant outbred strain showing heterogeneous MHC antigens) mice were immunized with the 3555 peptide of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG3555). We studied T cell proliferation, regulatory and effector cell subpopulations, intracellular and serum cytokine patterns, and titers of anti-MOG serum antibodies. Results. Upon immunization with MOG3555, T lymphocytes from susceptible mice but not that of resistant strain were capable of proliferating when stimulated with MOG3555. Accordingly, resistant mice experienced a rise in regulatory B cells (P = 0.001) and, to a lower extent, in regulatory T cells (P = 0.02) compared with C57BL/6 susceptible mice. As a consequence, MOG3555-immunized C57BL/6 mice showed higher percentages of CD4+ T cells producing both IFN-gamma (P = 0.02) and IL-17 (P = 0.009) and higher serum levels of IL-17 (P = 0.04) than resistant mice. Conclusions. Expansion of regulatory B and T cells contributes to the induction of resistance to EAE by an MHC-independent mechanism. PMID:24868560

  18. Regulatory Lymphocytes Are Key Factors in MHC-Independent Resistance to EAE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nieves Marín

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives. Resistant and susceptible mouse strains to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE, an inducible demyelinating experimental disease serving as animal model for multiple sclerosis, have been described. We aimed to explore MHC-independent mechanisms inducing resistance to EAE. Methods. For EAE induction, female C57BL/6 (susceptible strain and CD1 (resistant outbred strain showing heterogeneous MHC antigens mice were immunized with the 3555 peptide of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG3555. We studied T cell proliferation, regulatory and effector cell subpopulations, intracellular and serum cytokine patterns, and titers of anti-MOG serum antibodies. Results. Upon immunization with MOG3555, T lymphocytes from susceptible mice but not that of resistant strain were capable of proliferating when stimulated with MOG3555. Accordingly, resistant mice experienced a rise in regulatory B cells (P=0.001 and, to a lower extent, in regulatory T cells (P=0.02 compared with C57BL/6 susceptible mice. As a consequence, MOG3555-immunized C57BL/6 mice showed higher percentages of CD4+ T cells producing both IFN-gamma (P=0.02 and IL-17 (P=0.009 and higher serum levels of IL-17 (P=0.04 than resistant mice. Conclusions. Expansion of regulatory B and T cells contributes to the induction of resistance to EAE by an MHC-independent mechanism.

  19. Anticancer activities of bovine and human lactoferricin-derived peptides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arias, Mauricio; Hilchie, Ashley L; Haney, Evan F; Bolscher, Jan G M; Hyndman, M Eric; Hancock, Robert E W; Vogel, Hans J

    2017-02-01

    Lactoferrin (LF) is a mammalian host defense glycoprotein with diverse biological activities. Peptides derived from the cationic region of LF possess cytotoxic activity against cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Bovine lactoferricin (LFcinB), a peptide derived from bovine LF (bLF), exhibits broad-spectrum anticancer activity, while a similar peptide derived from human LF (hLF) is not as active. In this work, several peptides derived from the N-terminal regions of bLF and hLF were studied for their anticancer activities against leukemia and breast-cancer cells, as well as normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The cyclized LFcinB-CLICK peptide, which possesses a stable triazole linkage, showed improved anticancer activity, while short peptides hLF11 and bLF10 were not cytotoxic to cancer cells. Interestingly, hLF11 can act as a cell-penetrating peptide; when combined with the antimicrobial core sequence of LFcinB (RRWQWR) through either a Pro or Gly-Gly linker, toxicity to Jurkat cells increased. Together, our work extends the library of LF-derived peptides tested for anticancer activity, and identified new chimeric peptides with high cytotoxicity towards cancerous cells. Additionally, these results support the notion that short cell-penetrating peptides and antimicrobial peptides can be combined to create new adducts with increased potency.

  20. Formulation of Stable and Homogeneous Cell-Penetrating Peptide NF55 Nanoparticles for Efficient Gene Delivery In Vivo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krista Freimann

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Although advances in genomics and experimental gene therapy have opened new possibilities for treating otherwise incurable diseases, the transduction of nucleic acids into the cells and delivery in vivo remain challenging. The high molecular weight and anionic nature of nucleic acids require their packing into nanoparticles for the delivery. The efficacy of nanoparticle drugs necessitates the high bioactivity of constituents, but their distribution in organisms is mostly governed by the physical properties of nanoparticles, and therefore, generation of stable particles with strictly defined characteristics is highly essential. Using previously designed efficient cell-penetrating peptide NF55, we searched for strategies enabling control over the nanoparticle formation and properties to further improve transfection efficacy. The size of the NF55/pDNA nanoparticles correlates with the concentration of its constituents at the beginning of assembly, but characteristics of nanoparticles measured by DLS do not reliably predict the applicability of particles in in vivo studies. We introduce a new formulation approach called cryo-concentration, where we acquired stable and homogeneous nanoparticles for administration in vivo. The cryo-concentrated NF55/pDNA nanoparticles exhibit several advantages over standard formulation: They have long shelf-life and do not aggregate after reconstitution, have excellent stability against enzymatic degradation, and show significantly higher bioactivity in vivo.

  1. Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Chitobiose-Based Peptide N-Glycanase Inhibitor Library

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Witte, Martin D.; Horst, Danielle; Wiertz, Emmanuel J.H.J.; Marel, Gijsbert A. van der; Overkleeft, Herman S.

    2009-01-01

    Peptide N-glycanase (PNGase), the enzyme responsible for the deglycosylation of N-linked glycoproteins, has an active site related to that of cysteine proteases. Chitiobiose was equipped with electrophilic traps often used in cysteine protease inhibitors, and the resulting compounds were evaluated

  2. Reduction of cerebral glucose utilization by the HIV envelope glycoprotein Gp-120

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kimes, A.S.; London, E.D.; Szabo, G.; Raymon, L.; Tabakoff, B. (Neuropharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD (USA))

    1991-05-01

    Gp-120 is a glycoprotein constituent of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope. The effects of gp-120 on cerebral glucose utilization in rats were studied by the quantitative 2-deoxy-D-(1-14C) glucose method. Intracerebroventricular injection of gp-120 significantly reduced glucose utilization in the lateral habenula and the suprachiasmatic nucleus and decreased the global cerebral metabolic rate for glucose. The findings suggest that gp-120 and closely related peptides can alter neuronal function, thereby contributing to the sequelae of HIV infection.

  3. Reduction of cerebral glucose utilization by the HIV envelope glycoprotein Gp-120

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimes, A.S.; London, E.D.; Szabo, G.; Raymon, L.; Tabakoff, B.

    1991-01-01

    Gp-120 is a glycoprotein constituent of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope. The effects of gp-120 on cerebral glucose utilization in rats were studied by the quantitative 2-deoxy-D-[1-14C] glucose method. Intracerebroventricular injection of gp-120 significantly reduced glucose utilization in the lateral habenula and the suprachiasmatic nucleus and decreased the global cerebral metabolic rate for glucose. The findings suggest that gp-120 and closely related peptides can alter neuronal function, thereby contributing to the sequelae of HIV infection

  4. Importance of the short cytoplasmic domain of the feline immunodeficiency virus transmembrane glycoprotein for fusion activity and envelope glycoprotein incorporation into virions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Celma, Cristina C.P.; Paladino, Monica G.; Gonzalez, Silvia A.; Affranchino, Jose L.

    2007-01-01

    The mature form of the envelope (Env) glycoprotein of lentiviruses is a heterodimer composed of the surface (SU) and transmembrane (TM) subunits. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) possesses a TM glycoprotein with a cytoplasmic tail of approximately 53 amino acids which is unusually short compared with that of the other lentiviral glycoproteins (more than 100 residues). To investigate the relevance of the FIV TM cytoplasmic domain to Env-mediated viral functions, we characterized the biological properties of a series of Env glycoproteins progressively shortened from the carboxyl terminus. All the mutant Env proteins were efficiently expressed in feline cells and processed into the SU and TM subunits. Deletion of 5 or 11 amino acids from the TM C-terminus did not significantly affect Env surface expression, fusogenic activity or Env incorporation into virions, whereas removal of 17 or 23 residues impaired Env-mediated cell-to-cell fusion. Further truncation of the FIV TM by 29 residues resulted in an Env glycoprotein that was poorly expressed at the cell surface, exhibited only 20% of the wild-type Env fusogenic capacity and was inefficiently incorporated into virions. Remarkably, deletion of the TM C-terminal 35 or 41 amino acids restored or even enhanced Env biological functions. Indeed, these mutant Env glycoproteins bearing cytoplasmic domains of 18 or 12 amino acids were found to be significantly more fusogenic than the wild-type Env and were efficiently incorporated into virions. Interestingly, truncation of the TM cytoplasmic domain to only 6 amino acids did not affect Env incorporation into virions but abrogated Env fusogenicity. Finally, removal of the entire TM cytoplasmic tail or deletion of as many as 6 amino acids into the membrane-spanning domain led to a complete loss of Env functions. Our results demonstrate that despite its relatively short length, the FIV TM cytoplasmic domain plays an important role in modulating Env-mediated viral functions

  5. Dissection of seroreactivity against the tryptophan-rich motif of the feline immunodeficiency virus transmembrane glycoprotein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freer, Giulia; Giannecchini, Simone; Tissot, Alain; Bachmann, Martin F.; Rovero, Paolo; Serres, Pierre Francoise; Bendinelli, Mauro

    2004-01-01

    Immunogenicity of the tryptophan-rich motif (TrpM) in the membrane-proximal ectodomain of the transmembrane (TM) glycoprotein of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was investigated. Peptide 59, a peptide containing the TrpM of the TM of FIV, was covalently coupled to Qβ phage virus-like particles (Qβ-59) in the attempt to induce potent anti-TrpM B cell responses in cats. All Qβ-59 immunized cats, but not cats that received a mixture of uncoupled Qβ and peptide 59, developed antibodies that reacted with a same epitope in extensive binding and binding competition assays. The epitope recognized was composed of three amino acids, two of which are adjacent. However, Qβ-59-immune sera failed to recognize whole FIV in all binding and neutralization assays performed. Furthermore, no reactivity against the TrpM was detected by screening sera from FIV-infected cats that had reacted with TM peptides, confirming that this epitope does not seem to be serologically functional in the FIV virion. The data suggest that TrpM may not be a suitable target for antiviral vaccine design

  6. Identification of structural and secretory lectin-binding glycoproteins of normal and cancerous human prostate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lad, P M; Cooper, J F; Learn, D B; Olson, C V

    1984-12-07

    We have utilized the technique of lectin-loading of SDS gels with iodinated concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin to identify glycoproteins in prostatic and seminal fluids as well as in prostate tissue fractions. The following subunits which bound both lectins were detected: (a) 50, 43 and 38 kDa subunits common to prostatic and seminal fluids, and an additional 55 kDa subunit which predominates only in prostatic fluid; (b) 78, 55, 50 and 43 kDa subunits in prostatic tissue cytosol and (c) 195, 170, 135, 116 and 95 kDa subunits present in the particulate fractions of prostatic tissue. Immunoblotting using specific rabbit antibodies revealed the 50 kDa band to be prostatic acid phosphatase and the 38 kDa band to be prostate-specific antigen. Interestingly, antibodies directed toward prostatic acid phosphatase were found to cross-react with the 43 kDa band. Fractionation on sucrose gradients showed that several of these particulate glycoproteins were associated with a vesicle fraction enriched in adenylate cyclase activity, implying that they are plasma membrane glycoproteins. Comparison of soluble and particulate fractions of normal and cancerous tissue homogenates was made by densitometric scanning of autoradiograms of lectin-loaded gels. Similar relative intensities of lectin-binding were obtained for corresponding proteins in normal and cancerous tissue fractions. Also, immunoblotting showed no differences in prostatic acid phosphatase or prostate-specific antigen between normal and cancerous soluble homogenate fractions. Our results suggest that major lectin-binding proteins are conserved in the transition from normal to cancerous tissue. These results may be useful in developing a multiple-marker profile of metastatic prostate cancer and for the design of imaging agents, such as monoclonal antibodies, to prominent soluble and particulate prostate glycoproteins.

  7. Heat shock protein-peptide complex-96 (Vitespen for the treatment of cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert J. Amato

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Heat shock proteins (HSPs are the most abundant and ubiquitous soluble intracellular proteins. Members of the HSP family bind peptides, they include antigenic peptides generated within cells. HSPs also interact with antigen-presenting cells (APCs through CD91 and other receptors, eliciting a cascade of events that includes re-presentation of HSP-chaperoned peptides by major histocompatability complex (MHC, translocation of nuclear factorkappaB (NFkB into the nuclei, and maturation of dendritic cells (DCs. These consequences point to a key role of heat shock proteins in fundamental immunological phenomena such as activation of APCs, indirect presentation (or crosspriming of antigenic peptides, and chaperoning of peptides during antigen presentation. The properties of HSPs also allow them to be used for immunotherapy of cancers and infections in novel ways. This paper reviews the development and clinical trial progress of vitespen, an HSP peptide complex vaccine based on tumor-derived glycoprotein 96.

  8. Lactoferrin-derived Peptides Active towards Influenza: Identification of Three Potent Tetrapeptide Inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scala, Maria Carmina; Sala, Marina; Pietrantoni, Agostina; Spensiero, Antonia; Di Micco, Simone; Agamennone, Mariangela; Bertamino, Alessia; Novellino, Ettore; Bifulco, Giuseppe; Gomez-Monterrey, Isabel M; Superti, Fabiana; Campiglia, Pietro

    2017-09-06

    Bovine lactoferrin is a biglobular multifunctional iron binding glycoprotein that plays an important role in innate immunity against infections. We have previously demonstrated that selected peptides from bovine lactoferrin C-lobe are able to prevent both Influenza virus hemagglutination and cell infection. To deeper investigate the ability of lactoferrin derived peptides to inhibit Influenza virus infection, in this study we identified new bovine lactoferrin C-lobe derived sequences and corresponding synthetic peptides were synthesized and assayed to check their ability to prevent viral hemagglutination and infection. We identified three tetrapeptides endowed with broad anti-Influenza activity and able to inhibit viral infection in a concentration range femto- to picomolar. Our data indicate that these peptides may constitute a non-toxic tool for potential applications as anti-Influenza therapeutics.

  9. Identification and Application of Neutralizing Epitopes of Human Adenovirus Type 55 Hexon Protein

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xingui Tian

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Human adenovirus type 55 (HAdV55 is a newly identified re-emergent acute respiratory disease (ARD pathogen with a proposed recombination of hexon gene between HAdV11 and HAdV14 strains. The identification of the neutralizing epitopes is important for the surveillance and vaccine development against HAdV55 infection. In this study, four type-specific epitope peptides of HAdV55 hexon protein, A55R1 (residues 138 to 152, A55R2 (residues 179 to 187, A55R4 (residues 247 to 259 and A55R7 (residues 429 to 443, were predicted by multiple sequence alignment and homology modeling methods, and then confirmed with synthetic peptides by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA and neutralization tests (NT. Finally, the A55R2 was incorporated into human adenoviruses 3 (HAdV3 and a chimeric adenovirus rAd3A55R2 was successfully obtained. The chimeric rAd3A55R2 could induce neutralizing antibodies against both HAdV3 and HAdV55. This current study will contribute to the development of novel adenovirus vaccine candidate and adenovirus structural analysis.

  10. Identification and Application of Neutralizing Epitopes of Human Adenovirus Type 55 Hexon Protein

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Xingui; Ma, Qiang; Jiang, Zaixue; Huang, Junfeng; Liu, Qian; Lu, Xiaomei; Luo, Qingming; Zhou, Rong

    2015-01-01

    Human adenovirus type 55 (HAdV55) is a newly identified re-emergent acute respiratory disease (ARD) pathogen with a proposed recombination of hexon gene between HAdV11 and HAdV14 strains. The identification of the neutralizing epitopes is important for the surveillance and vaccine development against HAdV55 infection. In this study, four type-specific epitope peptides of HAdV55 hexon protein, A55R1 (residues 138 to 152), A55R2 (residues 179 to 187), A55R4 (residues 247 to 259) and A55R7 (residues 429 to 443), were predicted by multiple sequence alignment and homology modeling methods, and then confirmed with synthetic peptides by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and neutralization tests (NT). Finally, the A55R2 was incorporated into human adenoviruses 3 (HAdV3) and a chimeric adenovirus rAd3A55R2 was successfully obtained. The chimeric rAd3A55R2 could induce neutralizing antibodies against both HAdV3 and HAdV55. This current study will contribute to the development of novel adenovirus vaccine candidate and adenovirus structural analysis. PMID:26516903

  11. Antimicrobial Peptides Derived from Fusion Peptides of Influenza A Viruses, a Promising Approach to Designing Potent Antimicrobial Agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jingyu; Zhong, Wenjing; Lin, Dongguo; Xia, Fan; Wu, Wenjiao; Zhang, Heyuan; Lv, Lin; Liu, Shuwen; He, Jian

    2015-10-01

    The emergence and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens have spurred the urgent need to develop novel antimicrobial agents with different mode of action. In this respect, we turned several fusogenic peptides (FPs) derived from the hemagglutinin glycoproteins (HAs) of IAV into potent antibacterials by replacing the negatively or neutrally charged residues of FPs with positively charged lysines. Their antibacterial activities were evaluated by testing the MICs against a panel of bacterial strains including S. aureus, S. mutans, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli. The results showed that peptides HA-FP-1, HA-FP-2-1, and HA-FP-3-1 were effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with MICs ranging from 1.9 to 16.0 μm, while the toxicities toward mammalian cells were low. In addition, the mode of action and the secondary structure of these peptides were also discussed. These data not only provide several potent peptides displaying promising potential in development as broad antimicrobial agents, but also present a useful strategy in designing new antimicrobial agents. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  12. Recent Progress in Electrochemical Biosensors for Glycoproteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Uichi Akiba

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This review provides an overview of recent progress in the development of electrochemical biosensors for glycoproteins. Electrochemical glycoprotein sensors are constructed by combining metal and carbon electrodes with glycoprotein-selective binding elements including antibodies, lectin, phenylboronic acid and molecularly imprinted polymers. A recent trend in the preparation of glycoprotein sensors is the successful use of nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon nanotube, and metal nanoparticles. These nanomaterials are extremely useful for improving the sensitivity of glycoprotein sensors. This review focuses mainly on the protocols for the preparation of glycoprotein sensors and the materials used. Recent improvements in glycoprotein sensors are discussed by grouping the sensors into several categories based on the materials used as recognition elements.

  13. LC-MS/MS Peptide Mapping with Automated Data Processing for Routine Profiling of N-Glycans in Immunoglobulins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Bhavana; Jiang, Xinzhao Grace; Chen, Louise; Zhang, Zhongqi

    2014-06-01

    Protein N-Glycan analysis is traditionally performed by high pH anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC), reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), or hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) on fluorescence-labeled glycans enzymatically released from the glycoprotein. These methods require time-consuming sample preparations and do not provide site-specific glycosylation information. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) peptide mapping is frequently used for protein structural characterization and, as a bonus, can potentially provide glycan profile on each individual glycosylation site. In this work, a recently developed glycopeptide fragmentation model was used for automated identification, based on their MS/MS, of N-glycopeptides from proteolytic digestion of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Experimental conditions were optimized to achieve accurate profiling of glycoforms. Glycan profiles obtained from LC-MS/MS peptide mapping were compared with those obtained from HPAEC, RPLC, and HILIC analyses of released glycans for several mAb molecules. Accuracy, reproducibility, and linearity of the LC-MS/MS peptide mapping method for glycan profiling were evaluated. The LC-MS/MS peptide mapping method with fully automated data analysis requires less sample preparation, provides site-specific information, and may serve as an alternative method for routine profiling of N-glycans on immunoglobulins as well as other glycoproteins with simple N-glycans.

  14. Antibody Derived Peptides for Detection of Ebola Virus Glycoprotein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Mario Rodríguez-Martínez

    Full Text Available Current Ebola virus (EBOV detection methods are costly and impractical for epidemic scenarios. Different immune-based assays have been reported for the detection and quantification of Ebola virus (EBOV proteins. In particular, several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs have been described that bind the capsid glycoprotein (GP of EBOV GP. However, the currently available platforms for the design and production of full-length mAbs are cumbersome and costly. The use of antibody fragments, rather than full-length antibodies, might represent a cost-effective alternative for the development of diagnostic and possibly even therapeutic alternatives for EBOV.We report the design and expression of three recombinant anti-GP mAb fragments in Escherichia coli cultures. These fragments contained the heavy and light variable portions of the three well-studied anti-GP full-length mAbs 13C6, 13F6, and KZ52, and are consequently named scFv-13C6, scFv-13F6, and Fab-KZ52, respectively. All three fragments exhibited specific anti-GP binding activity in ELISA experiments comparable to that of full-length anti-GP antibodies (i.e., the same order of magnitude and they are easily and economically produced in bacterial cultures.Antibody fragments might represent a useful, effective, and low cost alternative to full-length antibodies in Ebola related capture and diagnostics applications.

  15. An Intrinsically Disordered Peptide from Ebola Virus VP35 Controls Viral RNA Synthesis by Modulating Nucleoprotein-RNA Interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daisy W. Leung

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available During viral RNA synthesis, Ebola virus (EBOV nucleoprotein (NP alternates between an RNA-template-bound form and a template-free form to provide the viral polymerase access to the RNA template. In addition, newly synthesized NP must be prevented from indiscriminately binding to noncognate RNAs. Here, we investigate the molecular bases for these critical processes. We identify an intrinsically disordered peptide derived from EBOV VP35 (NPBP, residues 20–48 that binds NP with high affinity and specificity, inhibits NP oligomerization, and releases RNA from NP-RNA complexes in vitro. The structure of the NPBP/ΔNPNTD complex, solved to 3.7 Å resolution, reveals how NPBP peptide occludes a large surface area that is important for NP-NP and NP-RNA interactions and for viral RNA synthesis. Together, our results identify a highly conserved viral interface that is important for EBOV replication and can be targeted for therapeutic development.

  16. An Intrinsically Disordered Peptide from Ebola Virus VP35 Controls Viral RNA Synthesis by Modulating Nucleoprotein-RNA Interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Daisy W; Borek, Dominika; Luthra, Priya; Binning, Jennifer M; Anantpadma, Manu; Liu, Gai; Harvey, Ian B; Su, Zhaoming; Endlich-Frazier, Ariel; Pan, Juanli; Shabman, Reed S; Chiu, Wah; Davey, Robert A; Otwinowski, Zbyszek; Basler, Christopher F; Amarasinghe, Gaya K

    2015-04-21

    During viral RNA synthesis, Ebola virus (EBOV) nucleoprotein (NP) alternates between an RNA-template-bound form and a template-free form to provide the viral polymerase access to the RNA template. In addition, newly synthesized NP must be prevented from indiscriminately binding to noncognate RNAs. Here, we investigate the molecular bases for these critical processes. We identify an intrinsically disordered peptide derived from EBOV VP35 (NPBP, residues 20-48) that binds NP with high affinity and specificity, inhibits NP oligomerization, and releases RNA from NP-RNA complexes in vitro. The structure of the NPBP/ΔNPNTD complex, solved to 3.7 Å resolution, reveals how NPBP peptide occludes a large surface area that is important for NP-NP and NP-RNA interactions and for viral RNA synthesis. Together, our results identify a highly conserved viral interface that is important for EBOV replication and can be targeted for therapeutic development. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Use of λgt11 to isolate genes for two pseudorabies virus glycoproteins with homology to herpes simplex virus and varicella-zoster virus glycoproteins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrovskis, E.A.; Timmins, J.G.; Post, L.E.

    1986-01-01

    A library of pseudorabies virus (PRV) DNA fragments was constructed in the expression cloning vector λgt11. The library was screened with antisera which reacted with mixtures of PRV proteins to isolate recombinant bacteriophages expressing PRV proteins. By the nature of the λgt11 vector, the cloned proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli as β-galactosidase fusion proteins. The fusion proteins from 35 of these phages were purified and injected into mice to raise antisera. The antisera were screened by several different assays, including immunoprecipitation of [ 14 C]glucosamine-labeled PRV proteins. This method identified phages expressing three different PRV glycoproteins: the secreted glycoprotein, gX; gI; and a glycoprotein that had not been previously identified, which we designate gp63. The gp63 and gI genes map adjacent to each other in the small unique region of the PRV genome. The DNA sequence was determined for the region of the genome encoding gp63 and gI. It was found that gp63 has a region of homology with a herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) protein, encoded by US7, and also with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) gpIV. The gI protein sequence has a region of homology with HSV-1 gE and VZV gpI. It is concluded that PRV, HSV, and VZV all have a cluster of homologous glycoprotein genes in the small unique components of their genomes and that the organization of these genes is conserved

  18. Cell wall O-glycoproteins and N-glycoproteins: biosynthesis and some functional aspects.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric eNguema-Ona

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Cell wall O-glycoproteins and N-glycoproteins are two types of glycomolecules whose glycans are structurally complex. They are both assembled and modified within the endomembrane system, i.e., the endoplasmic reticulum (ER and the Golgi apparatus, before their transport to their final locations within or outside the cell. In contrast to extensin, the O-glycan chains of arabinogalactan proteins are highly heterogeneous consisting mostly of (i a short oligo-arabinoside chain of three to four residues, and (ii a larger -1,3-linked galactan backbone with -1,6-linked side chains containing galactose, arabinose and, often, fucose, rhamnose or glucuronic acid. The fine structure of arabinogalactan chains varies between, and within plant species, and is important for the functional activities of the glycoproteins. With regards to N-glycans, ER-synthesizing events are highly conserved in all eukaryotes studied so far since they are essential for efficient protein folding. In contrast, evolutionary adaptation of N-glycan processing in the Golgi apparatus has given rise to a variety of organism-specific complex structures. Therefore, plant complex-type N-glycans contain specific glyco-epitopes such as core 1,2-xylose, core 1,3-fucose residues and Lewisa substitutions on the terminal position of the antenna. Like O-glycans, N-glycans of proteins are essential for their stability and function. Mutants affected in the glycan metabolic pathways have provided valuable information on the role of N-/O-glycoproteins in the control of growth, morphogenesis and adaptation to biotic and abiotic stresses. With regards to O-glycoproteins only extensin and arabinogalactan proteins are considered herein. The biosynthesis of these glycoproteins and functional aspects are presented and discussed in this review.

  19. Characterization of oligomerization of a peptide from the ebola virus glycoprotein by small-angle neutron scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Egorov, V. V.; Gorshkov, A. N.; Murugova, T. N.; Vasin, A. V.; Lebedev, D. V.; Isaev-Ivanov, V. V.; Kiselev, O. I.

    2016-01-01

    Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies showed that model peptides QNALVCGLRQ (G33) and QNALVCGLRG (G31) corresponding to region 551–560 of the GP protein of the Sudan Ebola virus are prone to oligomerization in solution. Both peptides can form amyloid-like fibrills. The G33 peptide forms fibrils within one day of incubation, whereas the fibrillogenesis of the G31 peptide is observed only after incubation for several months. The possible role of the observed processes in the pathogenesis and the possibility of applying a combination of the TEM and SANS techniques to search for new compounds that are able to influence the protein oligomerization are discussed

  20. Characterization of oligomerization of a peptide from the ebola virus glycoprotein by small-angle neutron scattering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Egorov, V. V., E-mail: vlaegur@omrb.pnpi.spb.ru [National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, Konstantinov Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (Russian Federation); Gorshkov, A. N. [Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Research Institute of Influenza (Russian Federation); Murugova, T. N. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Russian Federation); Vasin, A. V. [Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Research Institute of Influenza (Russian Federation); Lebedev, D. V.; Isaev-Ivanov, V. V. [National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, Konstantinov Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (Russian Federation); Kiselev, O. I. [Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Research Institute of Influenza (Russian Federation)

    2016-01-15

    Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies showed that model peptides QNALVCGLRQ (G33) and QNALVCGLRG (G31) corresponding to region 551–560 of the GP protein of the Sudan Ebola virus are prone to oligomerization in solution. Both peptides can form amyloid-like fibrills. The G33 peptide forms fibrils within one day of incubation, whereas the fibrillogenesis of the G31 peptide is observed only after incubation for several months. The possible role of the observed processes in the pathogenesis and the possibility of applying a combination of the TEM and SANS techniques to search for new compounds that are able to influence the protein oligomerization are discussed.

  1. Characterization of oligomerization of a peptide from the ebola virus glycoprotein by small-angle neutron scattering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egorov, V. V.; Gorshkov, A. N.; Murugova, T. N.; Vasin, A. V.; Lebedev, D. V.; Isaev-Ivanov, V. V.; Kiselev, O. I.

    2016-01-01

    Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies showed that model peptides QNALVCGLRQ (G33) and QNALVCGLRG (G31) corresponding to region 551-560 of the GP protein of the Sudan Ebola virus are prone to oligomerization in solution. Both peptides can form amyloid-like fibrills. The G33 peptide forms fibrils within one day of incubation, whereas the fibrillogenesis of the G31 peptide is observed only after incubation for several months. The possible role of the observed processes in the pathogenesis and the possibility of applying a combination of the TEM and SANS techniques to search for new compounds that are able to influence the protein oligomerization are discussed.

  2. Elucidation of the Interaction Mechanism with Liposomes of gH625-Peptide Functionalized Dendrimers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falanga, Annarita; Tarallo, Rossella; Carberry, Thomas; Galdiero, Massimiliano; Weck, Marcus; Galdiero, Stefania

    2014-01-01

    We have demonstrated that amide-based dendrimers functionalized with the membrane-interacting peptide gH625 derived from the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) envelope glycoprotein H enter cells mainly through a non-active translocation mechanism. Herein, we investigate the interaction between the peptide-functionalized dendrimer and liposomes composed of PC/Chol using fluorescence spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry, and surface plasmon resonance to get insights into the mechanism of internalization. The affinity for the membrane bilayer is very high and the interaction between the peptide-dendrimer and liposomes took place without evidence of pore formation. These results suggest that the presented peptidodendrimeric scaffold may be a promising material for efficient drug delivery. PMID:25423477

  3. Genetic background can result in a marked or minimal effect of gene knockout (GPR55 and CB2 receptor in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models of multiple sclerosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sofia Sisay

    Full Text Available Endocannabinoids and some phytocannabinoids bind to CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, transient receptor potential vanilloid one (TRPV1 receptor and the orphan G protein receptor fifty-five (GPR55. Studies using C57BL/10 and C57BL/6 (Cnr2 (tm1Zim CB2 cannabinoid receptor knockout mice have demonstrated an immune-augmenting effect in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE models of multiple sclerosis. However, other EAE studies in Biozzi ABH mice often failed to show any treatment effect of either CB2 receptor agonism or antagonism on inhibition of T cell autoimmunity. The influence of genetic background on the induction of EAE in endocannabinoid system-related gene knockout mice was examined. It was found that C57BL/6.GPR55 knockout mice developed less severe disease, notably in female mice, following active induction with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 peptide. In contrast C57BL/6.CB2 (Cnr2 (Dgen receptor knockout mice developed augmented severity of disease consistent with the genetically and pharmacologically-distinct, Cnr2 (tm1Zim mice. However, when the knockout gene was bred into the ABH mouse background and EAE induced with spinal cord autoantigens the immune-enhancing effect of CB2 receptor deletion was lost. Likewise CB1 receptor and transient receptor potential vanilloid one knockout mice on the ABH background demonstrated no alteration in immune-susceptibility, in terms of disease incidence and severity of EAE, in contrast to that reported in some C57BL/6 mouse studies. Furthermore the immune-modulating influence of GPR55 was marginal on the ABH mouse background. Whilst sedative doses of tetrahydrocannabinol could induce immunosuppression, this was associated with a CB1 receptor rather than a CB2 receptor-mediated effect. These data support the fact that non-psychoactive doses of medicinal cannabis have a marginal influence on the immune response in MS. Importantly, it adds a note of caution for the translational

  4. Prediction of anticancer peptides against MCF-7 breast cancer cells from the peptidomes of Achatina fulica mucus fractions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    E-Kobon, Teerasak; Thongararm, Pennapa; Roytrakul, Sittiruk; Meesuk, Ladda; Chumnanpuen, Pramote

    2016-01-01

    Several reports have shown antimicrobial and anticancer activities of mucous glycoproteins extracted from the giant African snail Achatina fulica. Anticancer properties of the snail mucous peptides remain incompletely revealed. The aim of this study was to predict anticancer peptides from A. fulica mucus. Two of HPLC-separated mucous fractions (F2 and F5) showed in vitro cytotoxicity against the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and normal epithelium cell line (Vero). According to the mass spectrometric analysis, 404 and 424 peptides from the F2 and F5 fractions were identified. Our comprehensive bioinformatics workflow predicted 16 putative cationic and amphipathic anticancer peptides with diverse structures from these two peptidome data. These peptides would be promising molecules for new anti-breast cancer drug development.

  5. Mechanism of feline immunodeficiency virus envelope glycoprotein-mediated fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garg, Himanshu; Fuller, Frederick J.; Tompkins, Wayne A.F.

    2004-01-01

    Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) shares remarkable homology to primate lentiviruses, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). The process of lentiviral env glycoprotein-mediated fusion of membranes is essential for viral entry and syncytia formation. A detailed understanding of this phenomenon has helped identify new targets for antiviral drug development. Using a model based on syncytia formation between FIV env-expressing cells and a feline CD4+ T cell line we have studied the mechanism of FIV env-mediated fusion. Using this model we show that FIV env-mediated fusion mechanism and kinetics are similar to HIV env. Syncytia formation could be blocked by CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100, establishing the importance of this receptor in FIV gp120 binding. Interestingly, CXCR4 alone was not sufficient to allow fusion by a primary isolate of FIV, as env glycoprotein from FIV-NCSU 1 failed to induce syncytia in several feline cell lines expressing CXCR4. Syncytia formation could be inhibited at a post-CXCR4 binding step by synthetic peptide T1971, which inhibits interaction of heptad repeat regions of gp41 and formation of the hairpin structure. Finally, using site-directed mutagenesis, we also show that a conserved tryptophan-rich region in the membrane proximal ectodomain of gp41 is critical for fusion, possibly at steps post hairpin structure formation

  6. The recombinant C-terminal fragment of tetanus toxin protects against cholinotoxicity by intraseptal injection of β-amyloid peptide (25-35) in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patricio-Martínez, A; Mendieta, L; Martínez, I; Aguilera, J; Limón, I D

    2016-02-19

    The recombinant C-terminal domain of tetanus toxin (Hc-TeTx) is a new non-toxic peptide of the tetanus toxin that exerts a protective action against glutamate excitotoxicity in motoneurons. Moreover, its efficacy as a neuroprotective agent has been demonstrated in several animal models of neurodegeneration. The eleven amino acids in the β amyloid peptide (Aβ25-35) mimic the toxic effects of the full β amyloid peptide (Aβ1-42), causing the impairment of the cholinergic system in the medial septum (MS) which, in turn, alters the septo-hippocampal pathway and leads to learning and memory impairments. The aim of this study was to examine the neuroprotective effects of the Hc-TeTx fragment against cholinotoxicity. The Hc-TeTx fragment (100 ng) was injected into the rats intercranially, with the Aβ(25-35) (2 μg) then injected into their MS. The animals were tested for spatial learning and memory in the eight-arm radial maze. The brains were removed to assess cholinergic markers, such as choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and to explore neurodegeneration in the MS and hippocampus, using amino-cupric silver and H&E staining. Finally, capase-3, a marker of apoptosis, was examined in the MS. Our results clearly demonstrate that the application of Hc-TeTx prevents the loss of cholinergic markers (ChAT and AChE), the activation of capase-3, and neurodegeneration in the MS and the CA1 and CA3 subfields of the hippocampus. All these improvements were reflected in spatial learning and memory performance, and were significantly higher compared with animals treated with Aβ(25-35). Interestingly, the single administration of Hc-TeTx into the MS modified the ChAT and AChE expression that affect cognitive processes, without inducing neurodegeneration or an increase in capase-3 expression in the MS and hippocampus. In summary, our findings suggest that the recombinant Hc-TeTx fragment offers effective protection for the septo-hippocampal pathway

  7. Phage-Displayed Peptides Selected to Bind Envelope Glycoprotein Show Antiviral Activity against Dengue Virus Serotype 2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina de la Guardia

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Dengue virus is a growing public health threat that affects hundreds of million peoples every year and leave huge economic and social damage. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and the incidence of the disease is increasing, among other causes, due to the geographical expansion of the vector’s range and the lack of effectiveness in public health interventions in most prevalent countries. So far, no highly effective vaccine or antiviral has been developed for this virus. Here we employed phage display technology to identify peptides able to block the DENV2. A random peptide library presented in M13 phages was screened with recombinant dengue envelope and its fragment domain III. After four rounds of panning, several binding peptides were identified, synthesized, and tested against the virus. Three peptides were able to block the infectivity of the virus while not being toxic to the target cells. Blind docking simulations were done to investigate the possible mode of binding, showing that all peptides appear to bind domain III of the protein and may be mostly stabilized by hydrophobic interactions. These results are relevant to the development of novel therapeutics against this important virus.

  8. Dimers of beta 2-glycoprotein I mimic the in vitro effects of beta 2-glycoprotein I-anti-beta 2-glycoprotein I antibody complexes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lutters, B. C.; Meijers, J. C.; Derksen, R. H.; Arnout, J.; de Groot, P. G.

    2001-01-01

    Anti-beta(2)-glycoprotein I antibodies are thought to cause lupus anticoagulant activity by forming bivalent complexes with beta(2)-glycoprotein I (beta(2)GPI). To test this hypothesis, chimeric fusion proteins were constructed of the dimerization domain (apple 4) of factor XI and beta(2)GPI. Both a

  9. Polymorphism of amyloid fibrils formed by a peptide from the yeast prion protein Sup35: AFM and Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krasnoslobodtsev, Alexey V., E-mail: akrasnos@unomaha.edu [Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986025 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198 (United States); Department of Physics, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182 (United States); Deckert-Gaudig, Tanja [IPHT-Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, D-07745 Jena (Germany); Zhang, Yuliang [Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986025 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198 (United States); Deckert, Volker [IPHT-Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, D-07745 Jena (Germany); Institute for Physical Chemistry and Abbe Center of Photonics, University of Jena, Helmholtzweg 4, D-07743 Jena (Germany); Lyubchenko, Yuri L., E-mail: ylyubchenko@unmc.edu [Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986025 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198 (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Aggregation of prion proteins is the cause of various prion related diseases. The infectious form of prions, amyloid aggregates, exist as multiple strains. The strains are thought to represent structurally different prion protein molecules packed into amyloid aggregates, but the knowledge on the structure of different types of aggregates is limited. Here we report on the use of AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) and TERS (Tip-Enhanced Raman Scattering) to study morphological heterogeneity and access underlying conformational features of individual amyloid aggregates. Using AFM we identified the morphology of amyloid fibrils formed by the peptide (CGNNQQNY) from the yeast prion protein Sup35 that is critically involved in the aggregation of the full protein. TERS results demonstrate that morphologically different amyloid fibrils are composed of a distinct set of conformations. Fibrils formed at pH 5.6 are composed of a mixture of peptide conformations (β-sheets, random coil and α-helix) while fibrils formed in pH~2 solution primarily have β-sheets. Additionally, peak positions in the amide III region of the TERS spectra suggested that peptides have parallel arrangement of β-sheets for pH~2 fibrils and antiparallel arrangement for fibrils formed at pH 5.6. We also developed a methodology for detailed analysis of the peptide secondary structure by correlating intensity changes of Raman bands in different regions of TERS spectra. Such correlation established that structural composition of peptides is highly localized with large contribution of unordered secondary structures on a fibrillar surface. - Highlights: • Amyloid polymorphs were characterized by AFM and TERS. • A mixture of peptide secondary structures in fibrils were identified using TERS. • TERS recognizes packing arrangement (parallel versus antiparallel) of peptides. • TERS is a powerful tool for high resolution structural analysis of fibrils.

  10. Genomic clone encoding the α chain of the OKM1, LFA-1, and platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa molecules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cosgrove, L.J.; Sandrin, M.S.; Rajasekariah, P.; McKenzie, I.F.C.

    1986-01-01

    LFA-1, an antigen involved in cytolytic T lymphocyte-mediated killing, and Mac-1, the receptor for complement component C3bi, constitute a family of structurally and functionally related cell surface glycoproteins involved in cellular interactions. In both mouse and man, Mac-1 (OKM1) and LFA-1 share a common 95-kDa β subunit but are distinguished by their α chains, which have different cellular distributions, apparent molecular masses (165 and 177 kDa, respectively), and peptide maps. The authors report the isolation of a genomic clone from a human genomic library that on transfection into mouse fibroblasts produced a molecule(s) reactive with monoclonal antibodies to OKM1, to LFA-1, and to platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa. This gene was cloned by several cycles of transfection of L cells with a human genomic library cloned in λ phase Charon 4A and subsequent rescue of the λ phage. Transfection with the purified recombinant λ DNA yielded a transfectant that expressed the three human α chains of OKM1, LFA-1, and glycoprotein IIb-IIIa, presumably in association with the murine β chain

  11. Glycoprotein biosynthesis by human normal platelets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, P.; Bello, O.; Apitz-Castro, R.

    1987-01-01

    Incorporation of radioactive Man, Gal, Fuc, Glc-N, and NANA into washed human normal platelets and endogenous glycoproteins has been found. Both parameters were time dependent. Analysis of hydrolyzed labeled glycoproteins by paper chromatography revealed that the radioactive monosaccharide incubated with the platelets had not been converted into other sugars. Acid hydrolysis demonstrates the presence of a glycosidic linkage. All the effort directed to the demonstration of the existence of a lipid-sugar intermediate in intact human platelets yielded negative results for Man and Glc-N used as precursors. The incorporation of these sugars into glycoproteins is insensitive to bacitracin, suggesting no involvement of lipid-linked saccharides in the synthesis of glycoproteins in human blood platelets. The absence of inhibition of the glycosylation process in the presence of cycloheximide suggests that the sugars are added to proteins present in the intact platelets. These results support the contention that glycoprotein biosynthesis in human blood platelets observed under our experimental conditions is effected through direct sugar nucleotide glycosylation

  12. Prediction of anticancer peptides against MCF-7 breast cancer cells from the peptidomes of Achatina fulica mucus fractions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teerasak E-kobon

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Several reports have shown antimicrobial and anticancer activities of mucous glycoproteins extracted from the giant African snail Achatina fulica. Anticancer properties of the snail mucous peptides remain incompletely revealed. The aim of this study was to predict anticancer peptides from A. fulica mucus. Two of HPLC-separated mucous fractions (F2 and F5 showed in vitro cytotoxicity against the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7 and normal epithelium cell line (Vero. According to the mass spectrometric analysis, 404 and 424 peptides from the F2 and F5 fractions were identified. Our comprehensive bioinformatics workflow predicted 16 putative cationic and amphipathic anticancer peptides with diverse structures from these two peptidome data. These peptides would be promising molecules for new anti-breast cancer drug development.

  13. Delivery of siRNA silencing P-gp in peptide-functionalized nanoparticles causes efflux modulation at the blood-brain barrier

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gomes, Maria João; Kennedy, Patrick J; Martins, Susana

    2017-01-01

    AIM: Explore the use of transferrin-receptor peptide-functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) targeting blood-brain barrier (BBB) as siRNA carriers to silence P-glycoprotein (P-gp). MATERIALS & METHODS: Permeability experiments were assessed through a developed BBB cell-based model; P-gp mRNA expression...

  14. Constructing bioactive peptides with pH-dependent activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tu, Zhigang; Volk, Melanie; Shah, Khushali; Clerkin, Kevin; Liang, Jun F

    2009-08-01

    Many bioactive peptides are featured by their arginine and lysine rich contents. In this study, lysine and arginine residues in lytic peptides were selectively replaced by histidines. Although resulting histidine-containing lytic peptides had decreased activity, they did show pH-dependent cytotoxicity. The activity of the constructed histidine-containing lytic peptides increased 2-8 times as the solution pH changed from 7.4 to 5.5. More importantly, these histidine-containing peptides maintain the same cell killing mechanism as their parent peptides by causing cell lysis. Both the activity and pH-sensitivity of histidine-containing peptides are tunable by adjusting histidine substitution numbers and positions. This study has presented a general strategy to create bioactive peptides with desired pH-sensitivity to meet the needs of various applications such as cancer treatments.

  15. Sustained expression of human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B (UL55) in the seeds of homozygous rice plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tackaberry, Eilleen S; Prior, Fiona A; Rowlandson, Karen; Tocchi, Monika; Mehic, Jelica; Porter, Suzanne; Walsh, Mike; Schleiss, Mark R; Ganz, Peter R; Sardana, Ravinder K; Altosaar, Illimar; Dudani, Anil K

    2008-09-01

    Production of recombinant subunit vaccines in transgenic plants may be a means of reducing vaccine costs while increasing availability and safety. A plant-derived product found safe and effective for oral administration would provide additional advantages when used as a vaccine. Outstanding issues with the technology include transgene stability through successive generations and consistent bioproduction. We previously reported expression of glycoprotein B (gB) of human cytomegalovirus in seeds of transgenic tobacco. Here the goal was to determine if gB could be similarly expressed in rice, and if so, to examine expression over several plant generations. Results show that immunoreactive gB was successfully expressed in transgenic rice seeds, with sustained expression over three generations. The gB contained several neutralizing epitopes and was stable over 27 months.

  16. Genetic analysis of the SARS-coronavirus spike glycoprotein functional domains involved in cell-surface expression and cell-to-cell fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petit, Chad M.; Melancon, Jeffrey M.; Chouljenko, Vladimir N.; Colgrove, Robin; Farzan, Michael; Knipe, David M.; Kousoulas, K.G.

    2005-01-01

    The SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is the etiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The SARS-CoV spike (S) glycoprotein mediates membrane fusion events during virus entry and virus-induced cell-to-cell fusion. To delineate functional domains of the SARS-CoV S glycoprotein, single point mutations, cluster-to-lysine and cluster-to-alanine mutations, as well as carboxyl-terminal truncations were investigated in transient expression experiments. Mutagenesis of either the coiled-coil domain of the S glycoprotein amino terminal heptad repeat, the predicted fusion peptide, or an adjacent but distinct region, severely compromised S-mediated cell-to-cell fusion, while intracellular transport and cell-surface expression were not adversely affected. Surprisingly, a carboxyl-terminal truncation of 17 amino acids substantially increased S glycoprotein-mediated cell-to-cell fusion suggesting that the terminal 17 amino acids regulated the S fusogenic properties. In contrast, truncation of 26 or 39 amino acids eliminating either one or both of the two endodomain cysteine-rich motifs, respectively, inhibited cell fusion in comparison to the wild-type S. The 17 and 26 amino-acid deletions did not adversely affect S cell-surface expression, while the 39 amino-acid truncation inhibited S cell-surface expression suggesting that the membrane proximal cysteine-rich motif plays an essential role in S cell-surface expression. Mutagenesis of the acidic amino-acid cluster in the carboxyl terminus of the S glycoprotein as well as modification of a predicted phosphorylation site within the acidic cluster revealed that this amino-acid motif may play a functional role in the retention of S at cell surfaces. This genetic analysis reveals that the SARS-CoV S glycoprotein contains extracellular domains that regulate cell fusion as well as distinct endodomains that function in intracellular transport, cell-surface expression, and cell fusion

  17. European Scientific Notes. Volume 35, Number 2,

    Science.gov (United States)

    1981-02-28

    the understanding of complex, intake coupling, boundary- layer separation vortex-dominated flow fields around mis- and vortex generation, optional...of the action similar to those used in artificial kid- of the glyco-proteins and are presently neys. The current work is on urease for synthesizing... layer of highly organic encountered Mary Magdalene. nutrient-rich sediments. Most of the 81 ESN 35-2 (1981) swamp and lake were drained and reclaimed

  18. Detection of autoreactive CD4 T cells using major histocompatibility complex class II dextramers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuszynski Charles

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Tetramers are useful tools to enumerate the frequencies of antigen-specific T cells. However, unlike CD8 T cells, CD4 T cells - especially self-reactive cells - are challenging to detect with major histocompatibility complex (MHC class II tetramers because of low frequencies and low affinities of their T cell receptors to MHC-peptide complexes. Here, we report the use of fluorescent multimers, designated MHC dextramers that contain a large number of peptide-MHC complexes per reagent. Results The utility of MHC dextramers was evaluated in three autoimmune disease models: 1 proteolipid protein (PLP 139-151-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in SJL/J (H-2s mice; 2 myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG 35-55-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in C57Bl/6 (H-2b mice; and 3 cardiac myosin heavy chain (Myhc-α 334-352-induced experimental autoimmune myocarditis in A/J (H-2a mice. Flow cytometrically, we demonstrate that IAs/PLP 139-151, IAb/MOG 35-55 and IAk/Myhc-α 334-352 dextramers detect the antigen-sensitized cells with specificity, and with a detection sensitivity significantly higher than that achieved with conventional tetramers. Furthermore, we show that binding of dextramers, but not tetramers, is less dependent on the activation status of cells, permitting enumeration of antigen-specific cells ex vivo. Conclusions The data suggest that MHC dextramers are useful tools to track the generation and functionalities of self-reactive CD4 cells in various experimental systems.

  19. Ammonia transport in the kidney by Rhesus glycoproteins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verlander, Jill W.

    2014-01-01

    Renal ammonia metabolism is a fundamental element of acid-base homeostasis, comprising a major component of both basal and physiologically altered renal net acid excretion. Over the past several years, a fundamental change in our understanding of the mechanisms of renal epithelial cell ammonia transport has occurred, replacing the previous model which was based upon diffusion equilibrium for NH3 and trapping of NH4+ with a new model in which specific and regulated transport of both NH3 and NH4+ across renal epithelial cell membranes via specific membrane proteins is required for normal ammonia metabolism. A major advance has been the recognition that members of a recently recognized transporter family, the Rhesus glycoprotein family, mediate critical roles in renal and extrarenal ammonia transport. The erythroid-specific Rhesus glycoprotein, Rh A Glycoprotein (Rhag), was the first Rhesus glycoprotein recognized as an ammonia-specific transporter. Subsequently, the nonerythroid Rh glycoproteins, Rh B Glycoprotein (Rhbg) and Rh C Glycoprotein (Rhcg), were cloned and identified as ammonia transporters. They are expressed in specific cell populations and membrane domains in distal renal epithelial cells, where they facilitate ammonia secretion. In this review, we discuss the distribution of Rhbg and Rhcg in the kidney, the regulation of their expression and activity in physiological disturbances, the effects of genetic deletion on renal ammonia metabolism, and the molecular mechanisms of Rh glycoprotein-mediated ammonia transport. PMID:24647713

  20. Analysis of Determinants in Filovirus Glycoproteins Required for Tetherin Antagonism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kerstin Gnirß

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The host cell protein tetherin can restrict the release of enveloped viruses from infected cells. The HIV-1 protein Vpu counteracts tetherin by removing it from the site of viral budding, the plasma membrane, and this process depends on specific interactions between the transmembrane domains of Vpu and tetherin. In contrast, the glycoproteins (GPs of two filoviruses, Ebola and Marburg virus, antagonize tetherin without reducing surface expression, and the domains in GP required for tetherin counteraction are unknown. Here, we show that filovirus GPs depend on the presence of their authentic transmembrane domains for virus-cell fusion and tetherin antagonism. However, conserved residues within the transmembrane domain were dispensable for membrane fusion and tetherin counteraction. Moreover, the insertion of the transmembrane domain into a heterologous viral GP, Lassa virus GPC, was not sufficient to confer tetherin antagonism to the recipient. Finally, mutation of conserved residues within the fusion peptide of Ebola virus GP inhibited virus-cell fusion but did not ablate tetherin counteraction, indicating that the fusion peptide and the ability of GP to drive host cell entry are not required for tetherin counteraction. These results suggest that the transmembrane domains of filoviral GPs contribute to tetherin antagonism but are not the sole determinants.

  1. Strategies for induction of catalytic antibodies toward HIV-1 glycoprotein gp120 in autoimmune prone mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durova, Oxana M; Vorobiev, Ivan I; Smirnov, Ivan V; Reshetnyak, Andrew V; Telegin, Georgy B; Shamborant, Olga G; Orlova, Nadezda A; Genkin, Dmitry D; Bacon, Andrew; Ponomarenko, Natalia A; Friboulet, Alain; Gabibov, Alexander G

    2009-11-01

    Tremendous efforts to produce an efficient vaccine for HIV infection have been unsuccessful. The ability of HIV to utilize sophisticated mechanisms to escape killing by host immune system rises dramatic problems in the development of antiviral therapeutics. The HIV infection proceeds by interaction of coat viral glycoprotein gp120 trimer with CD4(+) receptor of the lymphocyte. Thus this surface antigen may be regarded as a favorable target for immunotherapy. In the present study, we have developed three different strategies to produce gp120-specific response in autoimmune prone mice (SJL strain) as potential tools for production "catalytic vaccine". Therefore (i) reactive immunization by peptidylphosphonate, structural part of the coat glycoprotein, (ii) immunization by engineered fused epitopes of gp120 and encephalogenic peptide, a part of myelin basic protein, and (iii) combined vaccination by DNA and corresponding gp120 fragments incorporated into liposomes were investigated. In the first two cases monoclonal antibodies and their recombinant fragments with amidolytic and gp120-specific proteolytic activities were characterized. In the last case, catalytic antibodies with virus neutralizing activity proved in cell line models were harvested.

  2. Solubilization of glycoproteins of envelope viruses by detergents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berezin, V.E.; Zaides, V.M.; Artamsnov, A.F.; Isaeva, E.S.; Zhdanov, V.M.

    1986-01-01

    The action of a number of known ionic and nonionic detergents, as well as the new nonionic detergent MESK, on envelope viruses was investigated. It was shown that the nonionic detergents MESK, Triton X-100, and octyl-β-D-glucopyranoside selectively solubilize the outer glycoproteins of the virus particles. The nonionic detergent MESK has the mildest action. Using MESK, purified glycoproteins of influenza, parainfluenza, Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis, vesicular stomatitis, rabies, and herpes viruses were obtained. The procedure for obtaining glycoproteins includes incubation of the virus suspension with the detergent MESK, removal of subvirus structures by centrifuging, and purification of glycoproteins from detergents by dialysis. Isolated glycoproteins retain a native structure and biological activity and possess high immunogenicity. The detergent MESK is promising for laboratory tests and with respect to the production of subunit vaccines

  3. Intercellular transfer of P-glycoprotein from the drug resistant human bladder cancer cell line BIU-87 does not require cell-to-cell contact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Hui-liang; Zheng, Yong-jun; Cheng, Xiao-zhi; Lv, Yi-song; Gao, Rui; Mao, Hou-ping; Chen, Qin

    2013-09-01

    The efflux activity of transmembrane P-glycoprotein prevents various therapeutic drugs from reaching lethal concentrations in cancer cells, resulting in multidrug resistance. We investigated whether drug resistant bladder cancer cells could transfer functional P-glycoprotein to sensitive parental cells. Drug sensitive BIU-87 bladder cancer cells were co-cultured for 48 hours with BIU-87/ADM, a doxorubicin resistant derivative of the same cell line, in a Transwell® system that prevented cell-to-cell contact. The presence of P-glycoprotein in recipient cell membranes was established using fluorescein isothiocyanate, laser scanning confocal microscopy and Western blot. P-glycoprotein mRNA levels were compared between cell types. Rhodamine 123 efflux assay was done to confirm that P-glycoprotein was biologically active. The amount of P-glycoprotein protein in BIU-87 cells co-cultured with BIU-87/ADM was significantly higher than in BIU-87 cells (0.44 vs 0.25) and BIU-87/H33342 cells (0.44 vs 0.26, each p transfer. P-glycoprotein mRNA expression was significantly higher in BIU-87/ADM cells than in co-cultured BIU-87 cells (1.28 vs 0.30), BIU-87/H33342 (0.28) and BIU-87 cells (0.25, each p <0.001), ruling out a genetic mechanism. After 30 minutes of efflux, rhodamine 123 fluorescence intensity was significantly lower in BIU-87/ADM cells (5.55 vs 51.45, p = 0.004) and co-cultured BIU-87 cells than in BIU-87 cells (14.22 vs 51.45, p <0.001), indicating that P-glycoprotein was functional. Bladder cancer cells can acquire functional P-glycoprotein through a nongenetic mechanism that does not require direct cell contact. This mechanism is consistent with a microparticle mediated process. Copyright © 2013 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Hormone-like peptides in the venoms of marine cone snails

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Samuel D.; Li, Qing; Bandyopadhyay, Pradip K.; Gajewiak, Joanna; Yandell, Mark; Papenfuss, Anthony T.; Purcell, Anthony W.; Norton, Raymond S.; Safavi-Hemami, Helena

    2015-01-01

    The venoms of cone snails (genus Conus) are remarkably complex, consisting of hundreds of typically short, disulfide-rich peptides termed conotoxins. These peptides have diverse pharmacological targets, with injection of venom eliciting a range of physiological responses, including sedation, paralysis and sensory overload. Most conotoxins target the prey’s nervous system but evidence of venom peptides targeting neuroendocrine processes is emerging. Examples include vasopressin, RFamide neuropeptides and recently also insulin. To investigate the diversity of hormone/neuropeptide-like molecules in the venoms of cone snails we systematically mined the venom gland transcriptomes of several cone snail species and examined secreted venom peptides in dissected and injected venom of the Australian cone snail Conus victoriae. Using this approach we identified several novel hormone/neuropeptide-like toxins, including peptides similar to the bee brain hormone prohormone-4, the mollusc ganglia neuropeptide elevenin, and thyrostimulin, a member of the glycoprotein hormone family, and confirmed the presence of insulin. We confirmed that at least two of these peptides are not only expressed in the venom gland but also form part of the injected venom cocktail, unambiguously demonstrating their role in envenomation. Our findings suggest that hormone/neuropeptide-like toxins are a diverse and integral part of the complex envenomation strategy of Conus. Exploration of this group of venom components offers an exciting new avenue for the discovery of novel pharmacological tools and drug candidates, complementary to conotoxins. PMID:26301480

  5. Hormone-like peptides in the venoms of marine cone snails.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Samuel D; Li, Qing; Bandyopadhyay, Pradip K; Gajewiak, Joanna; Yandell, Mark; Papenfuss, Anthony T; Purcell, Anthony W; Norton, Raymond S; Safavi-Hemami, Helena

    2017-04-01

    The venoms of cone snails (genus Conus) are remarkably complex, consisting of hundreds of typically short, disulfide-rich peptides termed conotoxins. These peptides have diverse pharmacological targets, with injection of venom eliciting a range of physiological responses, including sedation, paralysis and sensory overload. Most conotoxins target the prey's nervous system but evidence of venom peptides targeting neuroendocrine processes is emerging. Examples include vasopressin, RFamide neuropeptides and recently also insulin. To investigate the diversity of hormone/neuropeptide-like molecules in the venoms of cone snails we systematically mined the venom gland transcriptomes of several cone snail species and examined secreted venom peptides in dissected and injected venom of the Australian cone snail Conus victoriae. Using this approach we identified several novel hormone/neuropeptide-like toxins, including peptides similar to the bee brain hormone prohormone-4, the mollusc ganglia neuropeptide elevenin, and thyrostimulin, a member of the glycoprotein hormone family, and confirmed the presence of insulin. We confirmed that at least two of these peptides are not only expressed in the venom gland but also form part of the injected venom cocktail, unambiguously demonstrating their role in envenomation. Our findings suggest that hormone/neuropeptide-like toxins are a diverse and integral part of the complex envenomation strategy of Conus. Exploration of this group of venom components offers an exciting new avenue for the discovery of novel pharmacological tools and drug candidates, complementary to conotoxins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Fusion of raft-like lipid bilayers operated by a membranotropic domain of the HSV-type I glycoprotein gH occurs through a cholesterol-dependent mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vitiello, Giuseppe; Falanga, Annarita; Petruk, Ariel Alcides; Merlino, Antonello; Fragneto, Giovanna; Paduano, Luigi; Galdiero, Stefania; D'Errico, Gerardino

    2015-04-21

    A wealth of evidence indicates that lipid rafts are involved in the fusion of the viral lipid envelope with the target cell membrane. However, the interplay between these sterol- and sphingolipid-enriched ordered domains and viral fusion glycoproteins has not yet been clarified. In this work we investigate the molecular mechanism by which a membranotropic fragment of the glycoprotein gH of the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) type I (gH625) drives fusion of lipid bilayers formed by palmitoyl oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC)-sphingomyelin (SM)-cholesterol (CHOL) (1 : 1 : 1 wt/wt/wt), focusing on the role played by each component. The comparative analysis of the liposome fusion assays, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), spectrofluorimetry, Neutron Reflectivity (NR) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) experiments, and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations shows that CHOL is fundamental for liposome fusion to occur. In detail, CHOL stabilizes the gH625-bilayer association by specific interactions with the peptide Trp residue. The interaction with gH625 causes an increased order of the lipid acyl chains, whose local rotational motion is significantly hampered. SM plays only a minor role in the process, favoring the propagation of lipid perturbation to the bilayer inner core. The stiffening of the peptide-interacting bilayer leaflet results in an asymmetric perturbation of the membrane, which is locally destabilized thus favoring fusion events. Our results show that viral fusion glycoproteins are optimally suited to exert a high fusogenic activity on lipid rafts and support the relevance of cholesterol as a key player of membrane-related processes.

  7. Nucleic acid-binding glycoproteins which solubilize nucleic acids in dilute acid: re-examination of the Ustilago maydis glycoproteins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Unrau, P.; Champ, D.R.; Young, J.L.; Grant, C.E.

    1980-01-01

    Holloman reported the isolation from Ustilago maydis of a glycoprotein which prevented the precipitation of nucleic acids in cold 5% trichloroacetic acid. Two glycoprotein fractions from U. maydis with this nucleic acid-solubilizing activity were isolated in our laboratory using improved purification procedures. The activity was not due to nuclease contamination. The glycoproteins are distinguished by: their ability to bind to concanavalin A-Sepharose; their differential binding to double- and single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid, and to ribonucleic acid; their molecular weights (46,000 and 69,000); and the relative amounts present in growing versus nongrowing cells. Both fractions required sulfhydryl-reducing conditions for optimal yields, specific activity, and stability. Nucleic acid binding was cooperative, the minimum number of glycoproteins required to make a native T7 DNA molecule soluble in dilute acid being estimated at 2 and 15, respectively.

  8. The inositol-1,2-cyclic phosphate moiety of the cross-reacting determinant, carbohydrate chains, and proteinaceous components are all responsible for the cross-reactivity of trypanosome variant surface glycoproteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Escalona, José L; Uzcanga, Graciela L; Carrasquel, Liomary M; Bubis, José

    2018-01-24

    Salivarian trypanosomes evade the host immune system by continually swapping their protective variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) coat. Given that VSGs from various trypanosome stocks exhibited cross-reactivity (Camargo et al., Vet. Parasitol. 207, 17-33, 2015), we analyzed here which components are the antigenic determinants for this cross-reaction. Soluble forms of VSGs were purified from four Venezuelan animal trypanosome isolates: TeAp-N/D1, TeAp-ElFrio01, TeAp-Mantecal01, and TeGu-Terecay323. By using the VSG soluble form from TeAp-N/D1, we found that neither the inositol-1,2-cyclic phosphate moiety of the cross-reacting determinant nor the carbohydrate chains were exclusively responsible for its cross-reactivity. Then, all four purified glycoproteins were digested with papain and the resulting peptides were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Dot blot evaluation of the fractions using sera from trypanosome-infected animals yielded peptides that possessed cross-reaction activity, demonstrating for the first time that proteinaceous epitopes are also responsible for the cross-reactivity of trypanosome VSGs.

  9. Radiological soil survey adjacent to TA-35, TA-48, TA-50, and TA-55

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Purtymun, W.D.; Becker, N.M.; Maes, M.N.

    1985-01-01

    The 137 Cs concentrations in soil from five new locations (in technical areas where radioactive materials are processed or have been processed) are at or below the maximum levels (1.4 pCi/g) found in regional soils. The 238 Pu and /sup 239,240/Pu soil concentrations at Station 2 were greater than were those found in regional soils (1977 and 1978-1982 Summaries). Station 2 is located south of TA-50. The total uranium soil concentrations exceed regional background concentrations at all stations. However, these levels do not indicate contamination but reflect natural uranium leached from soil derived from the tuff. These concentrations are similar to the data collected in 1977. Uranium concentrations in soils vary and depend on the rock type that has weathered to form the soil. A comparison of the averages and standard deviations of radiochemical analyses collected in 1977 and 1983 indicates only slight variations between the 2 yr. The five new stations established in 1983 will provide long-term monitoring of the possible airborne deposition of contaminants in the areas around TA-35, TA-48, TA-50, and TA-55. Comparing 1977 with 1983 data indicates no significant increase in radioactivity of the soil adjacent to these technical areas

  10. Purification and characterisation of a new hypothalamic satiety peptide, cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART), produced in yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thim, L; Nielsen, P F; Judge, M E; Andersen, A S; Diers, I; Egel-Mitani, M; Hastrup, S

    1998-05-29

    Cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) is a newly discovered hypothalamic peptide with a potent appetite suppressing activity following intracerebroventricular administration. When the mature rat CART sequence encoding CART(1-102) was inserted in the yeast expression plasmid three CART peptides could be purified from the fermentation broth reflecting processing at dibasic sequences. None of these corresponded to the naturally occurring CART(55-102). In order to obtain CART(55-102) the precursor Glu-Glu-Ile-Asp-CART(55-102) has been produced and CART(55-102) was generated by digestion of the precursor with dipeptidylaminopeptidase-1. All four generated CART peptides have been characterised by N-terminal amino acid sequencing and mass spectrometry. The CART peptides contain six cysteine residues and using the yeast expressed CART(62-102) the disulphide bond configuration was found to be I-III, II-V and IV-VI. When the four CART peptides were intracerebroventricularly injected in fasted mice (0.1 to 2.0 microg) they all produced a dose dependent inhibition of food intake.

  11. Thiomers: potential excipients for non-invasive peptide delivery systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernkop-Schnürch, Andreas; Krauland, Alexander H; Leitner, Verena M; Palmberger, Thomas

    2004-09-01

    In recent years thiolated polymers or so-called thiomers have appeared as a promising alternative in the arena of non-invasive peptide delivery. Thiomers are generated by the immobilisation of thiol-bearing ligands to mucoadhesive polymeric excipients. By formation of disulfide bonds with mucus glycoproteins, the mucoadhesive properties of these polymers are improved up to 130-fold. Due to formation of inter- and intramolecular disulfide bonds within the thiomer itself, dosage forms such as tablets or microparticles display strong cohesive properties resulting in comparatively higher stability, prolonged disintegration times and a more controlled release of the embedded peptide drug. The permeation of peptide drugs through mucosa can be improved by the use of thiolated polymers. Additionally some thiomers exhibit improved inhibitory properties towards peptidases. The efficacy of thiomers in non-invasive peptide delivery could be demonstrated by various in vivo studies. Tablets comprising a thiomer and pegylated insulin, for instance, resulted in a pharmacological efficacy of 7% after oral application to diabetic mice. Furthermore, a pharmacological efficacy of 1.3% was achieved in rats by oral administration of calcitonin tablets comprising a thiomer. Human growth hormone in a thiomer-gel was applied nasally to rats and led to a bioavailability of 2.75%. In all these studies, formulations comprising the corresponding unmodified polymer had only a marginal or no effect. According to these results drug carrier systems based on thiomers seem to be a promising tool for non-invasive peptide drug delivery.

  12. Peptide aldehyde inhibitors of bacterial peptide deformylases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durand, D J; Gordon Green, B; O'Connell, J F; Grant, S K

    1999-07-15

    Bacterial peptide deformylases (PDF, EC 3.5.1.27) are metalloenzymes that cleave the N-formyl groups from N-blocked methionine polypeptides. Peptide aldehydes containing a methional or norleucinal inhibited recombinant peptide deformylase from gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Bacillus subtilis. The most potent inhibitor was calpeptin, N-CBZ-Leu-norleucinal, which was a competitive inhibitor of the zinc-containing metalloenzymes, E. coli and B. subtilis PDF with Ki values of 26.0 and 55.6 microM, respectively. Cobalt-substituted E. coli and B. subtilis deformylases were also inhibited by these aldehydes with Ki values for calpeptin of 9.5 and 12.4 microM, respectively. Distinct spectral changes were observed upon binding of calpeptin to the Co(II)-deformylases, consistent with the noncovalent binding of the inhibitor rather than the formation of a covalent complex. In contrast, the chelator 1,10-phenanthroline caused the time-dependent inhibition of B. subtilis Co(II)-PDF activity with the loss of the active site metal. The fact that calpeptin was nearly equipotent against deformylases from both gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial sources lends further support to the idea that a single deformylase inhibitor might have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

  13. Characterization of swiftlet edible bird nest, a mucin glycoprotein, and its adulterants by Raman microspectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shim, Eric K S; Chandra, Gleen F; Pedireddy, S; Lee, Soo-Y

    2016-09-01

    Edible bird's nest (EBN) is made from the glutinous salivary secretion of highly concentrated mucin glycoprotein by swiftlets (genus Aerodramus or Collocalia ) native to the Indo-Pacific region. The unique Raman spectrum of EBN has vibrational lines that can be assigned to peptides and saccharides in the glycoprotein, and it can be used to screen for adulteration. The common edible adulterants classified into two types. Type I adulterants, such as fish bladder, pork skin, karaya gum, coralline seaweed, agar strips, and tremella fungus, were solids which adhered externally on the surface of the EBN cement. They can usually be detected with a microscope based on differences in the surface structure. Type II adulterants were water soluble substances such as saccharides (e.g., glucose, sucrose), polypeptides (e.g., hydrolyzed collagen) and salts (e.g. monosodium glutamate) which can be readily soaked up by the EBN hydrogel when moist and adsorbed internally in the EBN cement matrix forming a composite upon drying, making them difficult to detect visually. The present study showed that Raman microspectroscopy offers a rapid, non-invasive, and label free technique to detect both Type I and II adulterants in EBN.

  14. Purification and partial characterization of low molecular weight vicilin-like glycoprotein from the seeds of Citrullus lanatus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yadav, Sushila; Tomar, Anil Kumar; Jithesh, O; Khan, Meraj Alam; Yadav, R N; Srinivasan, A; Singh, Tej P; Yadav, Savita

    2011-12-01

    The watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seeds are highly nutritive and contain large amount of proteins and many beneficial minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorous, zinc etc. In various parts of the world, C. lanatus seed extracts are used to cure cancer, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and blood pressure. C. lanatus seed extracts are also used as home remedy for edema and urinary tract problems. In this study, we isolated protein fraction of C. lanatus seeds using various protein separation methods. We successfully purified a low molecular weight vicilin-like glycoprotein using chromatographic methods followed by SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF/MS identification. This is the first report of purification of a vicilin like polypeptide from C. lanatus seeds. In next step, we extracted mRNA from immature seeds and reverse transcribed it using suitable forward and reverse primers for purified glycoprotein. The PCR product was analysed on 1% agarose gel and was subsequently sequenced by Dideoxy DNA sequencing method. An amino acid translation of the gene is in agreement with amino acid sequences of the identified peptides.

  15. Interaction of E2 glycoprotein with heparan sulfate is crucial for cellular infection of Sindbis virus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wuyang Zhu

    Full Text Available Cell culture-adapted strains of Sindbis virus (SINV initially attach to cells by the ability to interact with heparan sulfate (HS through selective mutation for positively charged amino acid (aa scattered in E2 glycoprotein (W. B. Klimstra, K. D. Ryman, and R. E. Johnston, J. Virol. 72: 7357-7366, 1998. Here we have further confirmed that interaction of E2 protein with HS is crucial for cellular infection of SINV based on the reverse genetic system of XJ-160 virus, a Sindbis-like virus (SINLV. Both SINV YN87448 and SINLV XJ-160 displayed similar infectivity on BHK-21, Vero, or C6/36 cells, but XJ-160 failed to infect mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying the selective infectivity of XJ-160 were approached by substituting the E1, E2, or both genes of XJ-160 with that of YN87448, and the chimeric virus was denominated as XJ-160/E1, XJ-160/E2, or XJ-160/E1E2, respectively. In contrast to the parental XJ-160, all chimeric viruses became infectious to wild-type MEF cells (MEF-wt. While MEF-Ext(-/- cells, producing shortened HS chains, were resistant not only to XJ-160, but also to YN87448 as well as the chimeric viruses, indicating that the inability of XJ-160 to infect MEF-wt cells likely due to its incompetent discrimination of cellular HS. Treatment with heparin or HS-degrading enzyme resulted in a substantial decrease in plaque formation by YN87448, XJ-160/E2, and XJ-160/E1E2, but had marginal effect on XJ-160 and XJ-160/E1, suggesting that E2 glycoprotein from YN87448 plays a more important role than does E1 in mediating cellular HS-related cell infection. In addition, the peptide containing 145-150 aa from E2 gene of YN87448 specifically bound to heparin, while the corresponding peptide from the E2 gene of XJ-160 essentially showed no binding to heparin. As a new dataset, these results clearly confirm an essential role of E2 glycoprotein, especially the domain of 145-150 aa, in SINV cellular infection

  16. Molecular cloning and mammalian expression of human beta 2-glycoprotein I cDNA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Torsten; Schousboe, Inger; Boel, Espen

    1991-01-01

    Human β2-glycoprotein (β2gpI) cDNA was isolated from a liver cDNA library and sequenced. The cDNA encoded a 19-residue hydrophobic signal peptide followed by the mature β2gpI of 326 amino acid residues. In liver and in the hepatoma cell line HepG2 there are two mRNA species of about 1.4 and 4.3 kb......, respectively, hybridizing specifically with the β2gpI cDNA. Upon isoelectric focusing, recombinant β2gpI obtained from expression of β2gpI cDNA in baby hamster kidney cells showed the same pattern of bands as β2gpI isolated from plasma, and at least 5 polypeptides were visible...

  17. Ad35 and ad26 vaccine vectors induce potent and cross-reactive antibody and T-cell responses to multiple filovirus species.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roland Zahn

    Full Text Available Filoviruses cause sporadic but highly lethal outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever in Africa in the human population. Currently, no drug or vaccine is available for treatment or prevention. A previous study with a vaccine candidate based on the low seroprevalent adenoviruses 26 and 35 (Ad26 and Ad35 was shown to provide protection against homologous Ebola Zaire challenge in non human primates (NHP if applied in a prime-boost regimen. Here we have aimed to expand this principle to construct and evaluate Ad26 and Ad35 vectors for development of a vaccine to provide universal filovirus protection against all highly lethal strains that have caused major outbreaks in the past. We have therefore performed a phylogenetic analysis of filovirus glycoproteins to select the glycoproteins from two Ebola species (Ebola Zaire and Ebola Sudan/Gulu,, two Marburg strains (Marburg Angola and Marburg Ravn and added the more distant non-lethal Ebola Ivory Coast species for broadest coverage. Ad26 and Ad35 vectors expressing these five filovirus glycoproteins were evaluated to induce a potent cellular and humoral immune response in mice. All adenoviral vectors induced a humoral immune response after single vaccination in a dose dependent manner that was cross-reactive within the Ebola and Marburg lineages. In addition, both strain-specific as well as cross-reactive T cell responses could be detected. A heterologous Ad26-Ad35 prime-boost regime enhanced mainly the humoral and to a lower extend the cellular immune response against the transgene. Combination of the five selected filovirus glycoproteins in one multivalent vaccine potentially elicits protective immunity in man against all major filovirus strains that have caused lethal outbreaks in the last 20 years.

  18. An improved radioimmunoassay for urinary Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dawnay, A.B. St. J.; Thornley, C.; Cattell, W.R.

    1982-01-01

    A rapid specific radioimmunoassay has been used to measure Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (TH glycoprotein) in urine, and the method described. The apparent concentration increased with increasing dilution of urine in water, reaching a plateau at 1 in 20. This increase was greater the higher the osmolality and TH glycoprotein concentration and the lower the pH of the original sample. The apparent concentration of TH glycoprotein in neat or diluted urine was not affected by freezing or by storage at 4 0 C or room temperature for at least 2 days. A physiological range for the urinary excretion rate was established as 22-56 mg/24h, (considerably higher than the amount present in serum) based on samples from 29 individuals with normal renal function, as defined by their creatinine clearance. There was no significant correlation between serum concentrations of TH glycoprotein and its urinary excretion rate, nor between urinary excretion rate and creatinine clearance. (author)

  19. Sequence, taste and umami-enhancing effect of the peptides separated from soy sauce.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhuang, Mingzhu; Lin, Lianzhu; Zhao, Mouming; Dong, Yi; Sun-Waterhouse, Dongxiao; Chen, Huiping; Qiu, Chaoying; Su, Guowan

    2016-09-01

    Five tasty peptides were separated from soy sauce, by sensory-guided fractionation, using macroporous resin, medium-pressure liquid chromatography and reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography, and identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry as ALPEEV, LPEEV, AQALQAQA, EQQQQ and EAGIQ (which originated from glycinin A1bB2-445, glycinin A1bB2-445, cobyric acid synthase, leucine-tRNA ligase and glycoprotein glucosyltransferase, respectively). LPEEV, AQALQAQA and EQQQQ tasted umami with threshold values of 0.43, 1.25 and 0.76mmol/l, respectively. ALPEEV and EAGIQ had minimal umami taste, but ALPEEV, EAGIQ and LPEEV showed umami-enhancement with a threshold estimated at 1.52, 1.94 and 3.41mmol/l, respectively. In addition, the synthetic peptides showed much better sensory taste than mixtures of their constitutive amino acids. It indicated that peptides might play an important role in the umami taste of soy sauce. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Anti-Hemagglutinin Antibody Derived Lead Peptides for Inhibitors of Influenza Virus Binding.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henry Memczak

    Full Text Available Antibodies against spike proteins of influenza are used as a tool for characterization of viruses and therapeutic approaches. However, development, production and quality control of antibodies is expensive and time consuming. To circumvent these difficulties, three peptides were derived from complementarity determining regions of an antibody heavy chain against influenza A spike glycoprotein. Their binding properties were studied experimentally, and by molecular dynamics simulations. Two peptide candidates showed binding to influenza A/Aichi/2/68 H3N2. One of them, termed PeB, with the highest affinity prevented binding to and infection of target cells in the micromolar region without any cytotoxic effect. PeB matches best the conserved receptor binding site of hemagglutinin. PeB bound also to other medical relevant influenza strains, such as human-pathogenic A/California/7/2009 H1N1, and avian-pathogenic A/Mute Swan/Rostock/R901/2006 H7N1. Strategies to improve the affinity and to adapt specificity are discussed and exemplified by a double amino acid substituted peptide, obtained by substitutional analysis. The peptides and their derivatives are of great potential for drug development as well as biosensing.

  1. The membrane-proximal tryptophan-rich region in the transmembrane glycoprotein ectodomain of feline immunodeficiency virus is important for cell entry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giannecchini, Simone; Bonci, Francesca; Pistello, Mauro; Matteucci, Donatella; Sichi, Olimpia; Rovero, Paolo; Bendinelli, Mauro

    2004-01-01

    The mechanisms whereby feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) adsorbs and enters into susceptible cells are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role exerted in such functions by the tryptophan (Trp)-rich motif present membrane-proximally in the ectodomain of the FIV transmembrane glycoprotein. Starting from p34TF10, which encodes the entire genome of FIV Petaluma, we produced 11 mutated clones having the Trp-rich motif scrambled or variously deleted or substituted. All mutated progenies adsorbed normally to cells, but the ones with severe disruptions of the motif failed to generate proviral DNA. In the latter mutants, proviral DNA formation was restored by providing an independent source of intact FIV envelope glycoproteins or by addition of the fusing agent polyethylene glycol, thus clearly indicating that their defect resided primarily at the level of cell entry. In addition, the replication-competent mutants exhibited a generally enhanced susceptibility to selected entry inhibitory synthetic peptides, suggestive of a reduced efficiency of the entry step

  2. Development of novel ligands for peptide GPCRs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moran, Brian M; McKillop, Aine M; O'Harte, Finbarr Pm

    2016-12-01

    Incretin based glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists which target a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) are currently used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. This review focuses on GPCRs from pancreatic β-cells, including GLP-1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), glucagon, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), cholecystokinin (CCK), peptide YY (PYY), oxyntomodulin (OXM) and ghrelin receptors. In addition, fatty acids GPCRs are thought to have an increasing role in regulating peptide secretions namely short fatty acids GPCR (GPR41, GPR43), medium chain fatty acid GPCR (GPR84), long chain fatty acid GPCR (GPR40, GPR120) and cannabinoid-like GPCR (GPR55, GPR119). Several pre-clinical and clinical trials are currently ongoing in peptide GPCR based therapies, including dual and triple agonist peptides which activate two or more GPCRs simultaneously. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Orthobunyavirus ultrastructure and the curious tripodal glycoprotein spike.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas A Bowden

    Full Text Available The genus Orthobunyavirus within the family Bunyaviridae constitutes an expanding group of emerging viruses, which threaten human and animal health. Despite the medical importance, little is known about orthobunyavirus structure, a prerequisite for understanding virus assembly and entry. Here, using electron cryo-tomography, we report the ultrastructure of Bunyamwera virus, the prototypic member of this genus. Whilst Bunyamwera virions are pleomorphic in shape, they display a locally ordered lattice of glycoprotein spikes. Each spike protrudes 18 nm from the viral membrane and becomes disordered upon introduction to an acidic environment. Using sub-tomogram averaging, we derived a three-dimensional model of the trimeric pre-fusion glycoprotein spike to 3-nm resolution. The glycoprotein spike consists mainly of the putative class-II fusion glycoprotein and exhibits a unique tripod-like arrangement. Protein-protein contacts between neighbouring spikes occur at membrane-proximal regions and intra-spike contacts at membrane-distal regions. This trimeric assembly deviates from previously observed fusion glycoprotein arrangements, suggesting a greater than anticipated repertoire of viral fusion glycoprotein oligomerization. Our study provides evidence of a pH-dependent conformational change that occurs during orthobunyaviral entry into host cells and a blueprint for the structure of this group of emerging pathogens.

  4. Identification of the bacteria-binding peptide domain on salivary agglutinin (gp-340/DMBT1), a member of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich superfamily

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bikker, Floris J; Ligtenberg, Antoon J M; Nazmi, Kamran

    2002-01-01

    Salivary agglutinin is encoded by DMBT1 and identical to gp-340, a member of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) superfamily. Salivary agglutinin/DMBT1 is known for its Streptococcus mutans agglutinating properties. This 300-400 kDa glycoprotein is composed of conserved peptide motifs: 14...... containing exclusively SRCR and SID domains that binds to S. mutans. To define more closely the S. mutans-binding domain, consensus-based peptides of the SRCR domains and SIDs were designed and synthesized. Only one of the SRCR peptides, designated SRCRP2, and none of the SID peptides bound to S. mutans....... Strikingly, this peptide was also able to induce agglutination of S. mutans and a number of other bacteria. The repeated presence of this peptide in the native molecule endows agglutinin/DMBT1 with a general bacterial binding feature with a multivalent character. Moreover, our studies demonstrate...

  5. Novel ZnO-binding peptides obtained by the screening of a phage display peptide library

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Golec, Piotr [Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Molecular Biology (affiliated with the University of Gdansk) (Poland); Karczewska-Golec, Joanna [University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology (Poland); Los, Marcin; Wegrzyn, Grzegorz, E-mail: wegrzyn@biotech.univ.gda.pl [University of Gdansk, Department of Molecular Biology (Poland)

    2012-11-15

    Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a semiconductor compound with a potential for wide use in various applications, including biomaterials and biosensors, particularly as nanoparticles (the size range of ZnO nanoparticles is from 2 to 100 nm, with an average of about 35 nm). Here, we report isolation of novel ZnO-binding peptides, by screening of a phage display library. Interestingly, amino acid sequences of the ZnO-binding peptides reported in this paper and those described previously are significantly different. This suggests that there is a high variability in sequences of peptides which can bind particular inorganic molecules, indicating that different approaches may lead to discovery of different peptides of generally the same activity (e.g., binding of ZnO) but having various detailed properties, perhaps crucial under specific conditions of different applications.

  6. The glycoprotein of measles virus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anttonen, O.; Jokinen, M.; Salmi, A.; Vainionpaeae, R.; Gahmberg, C.G.

    1980-01-01

    Measles virus was propagated in VERO cells and purified from the culture supernatants by two successive tartrate-density-gradient centrifugations. Surface carbohydrates were labelled both in vitro and in vivo with 3 H after treatment with galactose oxidase/NaB 3 H 4 or with [ 3 H]glucosamine. The major labelled glycoprotein in measles virions had a mol.wt. of 79000. After labelling with periodate/NaB 3 H 4 , which would result in specific labelling of sialic acid residues, the 79000-mol.wt. glycoprotein was very weakly labelled. This suggested that there is no or a very low amount of sialic acid in the virions. Further analysis of the glycoprotein showed that galactose is the terminal carbohydrate unit in the oligosaccharide, and the molecular weight of the glycopeptide obtained after Pronase digestion is about 3000. The oligosaccharide is attached to the polypeptide through an alkali-stable bond, indicating a N-glycosidic asparagine linkage. (author)

  7. Selective separation and concentration of antihypertensive peptides from rapeseed protein hydrolysate by electrodialysis with ultrafiltration membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Rong; Girgih, Abraham T; Rozoy, Elodie; Bazinet, Laurent; Ju, Xing-Rong; Aluko, Rotimi E

    2016-04-15

    Rapeseed protein isolate was subjected to alcalase digestion to obtain a protein hydrolysate that was separated into peptide fractions using electrodialysis with ultrafiltration membrane (EDUF) technology. The EDUF process (6h duration) led to isolation of three peptide fractions: anionic (recovered in KCl-1 compartment), cationic (recovered in KCl-2 compartment), and those that remained in the feed compartment, which was labeled final rapeseed protein hydrolysate (FRPH). As expected the KCl-1 peptides were enriched in negatively-charged (43.57%) while KCl-2 contained high contents of positively-charged (28.35%) amino acids. All the samples inhibited angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and renin activities in dose-dependent manner with original rapeseed protein hydrolysate having the least ACE-inhibitory IC50 value of 0.0932±0.0037 mg/mL while FRPH and KCl-2 had least renin-inhibitory IC50 values of 0.47±0.05 and 0.55±0.06 mg/mL, respectively. Six hours after oral administration (100 mg/kg body weight) to spontaneously hypertensive rats, the FRPH produced the maximum systolic blood pressure reduction of -51 mmHg. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Computational identification of epitopes in the glycoproteins of novel bunyavirus (SFTS virus) recognized by a human monoclonal antibody (MAb 4-5)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wenshuai; Zeng, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Li; Peng, Haiyan; Jiao, Yongjun; Zeng, Jun; Treutlein, Herbert R.

    2013-06-01

    In this work, we have developed a new approach to predict the epitopes of antigens that are recognized by a specific antibody. Our method is based on the "multiple copy simultaneous search" (MCSS) approach which identifies optimal locations of small chemical functional groups on the surfaces of the antibody, and identifying sequence patterns of peptides that can bind to the surface of the antibody. The identified sequence patterns are then used to search the amino-acid sequence of the antigen protein. The approach was validated by reproducing the binding epitope of HIV gp120 envelop glycoprotein for the human neutralizing antibody as revealed in the available crystal structure. Our method was then applied to predict the epitopes of two glycoproteins of a newly discovered bunyavirus recognized by an antibody named MAb 4-5. These predicted epitopes can be verified by experimental methods. We also discuss the involvement of different amino acids in the antigen-antibody recognition based on the distributions of MCSS minima of different functional groups.

  9. Streptococcal adhesin SspA/B analogue peptide inhibits adherence and impacts biofilm formation of Streptococcus mutans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatsuro Ito

    Full Text Available Streptococcus mutans, the major causative agent of dental caries, adheres to tooth surfaces via the host salivary glycoprotein-340 (gp340. This adherence can be competitively inhibited by peptides derived from the SspA/B adhesins of Streptococcus gordonii, a human commensal microbe that competes for the same binding sites. Ssp(A4K-A11K, a double-lysine substituted SspA/B peptide analogue, has been shown to exhibit superior in vitro binding affinity for a gp340-derived peptide (SRCRP2, suggesting that Ssp(A4K-A11K may be of clinical interest. In the present work, we tested the inhibitory effects of Ssp(A4K-A11K on adherence and biofilm formation of S. mutans by reconstructing an artificial oral environment using saliva-coated polystyrene plates and hydroxyapatite disks. Bacterial adherence (adherence period: 1 h was assessed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using biotinylated bacterial cells. Biofilm formation (periods: 8, 11, or 14 h was assessed by staining and imaging of the sessile cells, or by recovering biofilm cells and plating for cell counts. The pH values of the culture media were measured as a biofilm acidogenicity indicator. Bactericidality was measured by loss of optical density during culturing in the presence of the peptide. We observed that 650 μM Ssp(A4K-A11K significantly inhibited adherence of S. mutans to saliva-coated polystyrene; a similar effect was seen on bacterial affinity for SRCRP2. Ssp(A4K-A11K had lesser effects on the adherence of commensal streptococci. Pretreatment of polystyrene and hydroxyapatite with 650 μM Ssp(A4K-A11K significantly attenuated biofilm formation, whether tested with glucose- or sucrose-containing media. The SspA/B peptide's activity did not reflect bactericidality. Strikingly, pH in Ssp-treated 8-h (6.8 ± 0.06 and 11-h (5.5 ± 0.06 biofilms showed higher values than the critical pH. Thus, Ssp(A4K-A11K acts by inhibiting bacterial adherence and cariogrnic biofilm formation. We further

  10. Antimicrobial Activity of Lactoferrin-Related Peptides and Applications in Human and Veterinary Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natascia Bruni

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs represent a vast array of molecules produced by virtually all living organisms as natural barriers against infection. Among AMP sources, an interesting class regards the food-derived bioactive agents. The whey protein lactoferrin (Lf is an iron-binding glycoprotein that plays a significant role in the innate immune system, and is considered as an important host defense molecule. In search for novel antimicrobial agents, Lf offers a new source with potential pharmaceutical applications. The Lf-derived peptides Lf(1–11, lactoferricin (Lfcin and lactoferrampin exhibit interesting and more potent antimicrobial actions than intact protein. Particularly, Lfcin has demonstrated strong antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiparasitic activity with promising applications both in human and veterinary diseases (from ocular infections to osteo-articular, gastrointestinal and dermatological diseases.

  11. Near-Infrared Optical Imaging of Ovarian Cancer Xenografts with Novel α3-Integrin Binding Peptide “OA02”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olulanu H. Aina

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available Through screening of random one-bead one-compound (OBOC libraries, we previously identified cyclic peptides with the cDGXGXXc motif that bind to α3 integrin subunit on ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines ES-2, SKOV-3, and CaOV-3. We subsequently synthesized two secondary libraries based on this motif and identified new peptides that bound with a higher affinity to these cell lines. One of the peptides identified from the 20% “down-substituted” focused library was the cdG-HCit-GPQc (“OA02” peptide. The goal of this study was to determine whether this peptide labeled with near-infrared probes could be detected after intravenous injection in ovarian tumor-bearing mice and if it would selectively localize in the tumor. Three different forms of this peptide were synthesized, “OA02”-biotin (noncovalently linked to streptavidin-Cy5.5; “OA02”-Cy5.5 and “OA02”-AlexaFluo 680. Using a KODAK IS2000MM image station, these peptide probes were used at the near-infrared (NIR spectra to image nude mice bearing ES-2 (α3 integrin positive and Raji (α3 integrin negative xenografts. The peptide probe displayed highly specific tumor uptake within 15 min, which lasted for 70 min for “OA02”-Cy5.5 and “OA02”-AlexaFluo 680 and for 24 hours for “OA02”-biotin-streptavidin-Cy5.5. Some kidney and bladder signal were noted. Prior injection with anti-α3 monoclonal antibody blocked the binding of this peptide to the ES-2 tumors.

  12. Galectin-1-asialofetuin interaction is inhibited by peptides containing the tyr-xxx-tyr motif acting on the glycoprotein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wéber, Edit; Hetényi, Anasztázia; Váczi, Balázs; Szolnoki, Eva; Fajka-Boja, Roberta; Tubak, Vilmos; Monostori, Eva; Martinek, Tamás A

    2010-01-25

    Galectin-1 (Gal-1), a ubiquitous beta-galactoside-binding protein expressed by various normal and pathological tissues, has been implicated in cancer and autoimmune/inflammatory diseases in consequence of its regulatory role in adhesion, cell viability, proliferation, and angiogenesis. The functions of Gal-1 depend on its affinity for beta-galactoside-containing glycoconjugates; accordingly, the inhibition of sugar binding blocks its functions, hence promising potential therapeutic tools. The Tyr-Xxx-Tyr peptide motifs have been reported to be glycomimetic sequences, mainly on the basis of their inhibitory effect on the Gal-1-asialofetuin (ASF) interaction. However, the results regarding the efficacy of the Tyr-Xxx-Tyr motif as a glycomimetic inhibitor are still controversial. The present STD and trNOE NMR experiments reveal that the Tyr-Xxx-Tyr peptides studied do not bind to Gal-1, whereas their binding to ASF is clearly detected. (15)N,(1)H HSQC titrations with (15)N-labeled Gal-1 confirm the absence of any peptide-Gal-1 interaction. These data indicate that the Tyr-Xxx-Tyr peptides tested in this work are not glycomimetics as they interact with ASF via an unrevealed molecular linkage.

  13. Characterization of carbohydrates using highly fluorescent 2-aminobenzoic acid tag following gel electrophoresis of glycoproteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anumula, K R; Du, P

    1999-11-15

    Application of the most sensitive fluorescent label 2-aminobenzoic acid (anthranilic acid, AA) for characterization of carbohydrates from the glycoproteins ( approximately 15 pmol) separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is described. AA label is used for the determination of both monosaccharide composition and oligosaccharide map. For the monosaccharide determination, bands containing the glycoprotein of interest are excised from the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane blots, hydrolyzed in 20% trifluoroacetic acid, derivatized, and analyzed by C-18 reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. For the oligosaccharide mapping, bands were digested with peptide N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) in order to release the N-linked oligosaccharides, derivatized, and analyzed by normal-phase anion-exchange chromatography. For convenience, the PNGase F digestion was performed in 1:100 diluted ammonium hydroxide overnight. The oligosaccharide yield from ammonium hydroxide-PNGase F digestion was better or equal to all the other reported procedures, and the presumed "oligosaccharide-amine" product formed in the reaction mixture did not interfere with labeling of the oligosaccharides under the conditions used for derivatization. Sequencing of oligosaccharides can be performed using the same mapping method following treatment with an array of glycosidases. In addition, the mapping method is useful for determining the relative and simultaneous distribution of sialic acid and fucose. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

  14. Synthesis of Mikto-Arm Star Peptide Conjugates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koo, Jin Mo; Su, Hao; Lin, Yi-An; Cui, Honggang

    2018-01-01

    Mikto-arm star peptide conjugates are an emerging class of self-assembling peptide-based structural units that contain three or more auxiliary segments of different chemical compositions and/or functionalities. This group of molecules exhibit interesting self-assembly behavior in solution due to their chemically asymmetric topology. Here we describe the detailed procedure for synthesis of an ABC Mikto-arm star peptide conjugate in which two immiscible entities (a saturated hydrocarbon and a hydrophobic and lipophobic fluorocarbon) are conjugated onto a short β-sheet forming peptide sequence, GNNQQNY, derived from the Sup35 prion, through a lysine junction. Automated and manual Fmoc-solid phase synthesis techniques are used to synthesize the Mikto-arm star peptide conjugates, followed by HPLC purification. We envision that this set of protocols can afford a versatile platform to synthesize a new class of peptidic building units for diverse applications.

  15. Laminin peptide YIGSR induces collagen synthesis in Hs27 human dermal fibroblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Jong Hyuk; Kim, Jaeyoon; Lee, Hyeongjoo; Kim, So Young; Jang, Hwan-Hee; Ryu, Sung Ho; Kim, Beom Joon; Lee, Taehoon G.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We identify a function of the YIGSR peptide to enhance collagen synthesis in Hs27. ► YIGSR peptide enhanced collagen type 1 synthesis both of gene and protein levels. ► There were no changes in cell proliferation and MMP-1 level in YIGSR treatment. ► The YIGSR effect on collagen synthesis mediated activation of FAK, pyk2 and ERK. ► The YIGSR-induced FAK and ERK activation was modulated by FAK and MEK inhibitors. -- Abstract: The dermal ECM is synthesized from fibroblasts and is primarily compromised of fibrillar collagen and elastic fibers, which support the mechanical strength and resiliency of skin, respectively. Laminin, a major glycoprotein located in the basement membrane, promotes cell adhesion, cell growth, differentiation, and migration. The laminin tyrosine-isoleucine-glycine-serine-arginine (YIGSR) peptide, corresponding to the 929–933 sequence of the β1 chain, is known to be a functional motif with effects on the inhibition of tumor metastasis, the regulation of sensory axonal response and the inhibition of angiogenesis through high affinity to the 67 kDa laminin receptor. In this study, we identified a novel function of the YIGSR peptide to enhance collagen synthesis in human dermal fibroblasts. To elucidate this novel function regarding collagen synthesis, we treated human dermal fibroblasts with YIGSR peptide in both a time- and dose-dependent manner. According to subsequent experiments, we found that the YIGSR peptide strongly enhanced collagen type 1 synthesis without changing cell proliferation or cellular MMP-1 level. This YIGSR peptide-mediated collagen type 1 synthesis was modulated by FAK inhibitor and MEK inhibitor. This study clearly reveals that YIGSR peptide plays a novel function on the collagen type 1 synthesis of dermal fibroblasts and also suggests that YIGSR is a strong candidate peptide for the treatment of skin aging and wrinkles.

  16. Mutation of charged residues to neutral ones accelerates urea denaturation of HP-35.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Haiyan; Yang, Lijiang; Gao, Yi Qin

    2010-09-16

    Following the studies of urea denaturation of β-hairpins using molecular dynamics, in this paper, molecular dynamics simulations of two peptides, a 35 residue three helix bundle villin headpiece protein HP-35 and its doubly norleucine-substituent mutant (Lys24Nle/Lys29Nle) HP-35 NleNle, were undertaken in urea solutions to understand the molecular mechanism of urea denaturation of α-helices. The mutant HP-35 NleNle was found to denature more easily than the wild type. During the expansion of the small hydrophobic core, water penetration occurs first, followed by that of urea molecules. It was also found that the initial hydration of the peptide backbone is achieved through water hydrogen bonding with the backbone CO groups during the denaturation of both polypeptides. The mutation of the two charged lysine residues to apolar norleucine enhances the accumulation of urea near the hydrophobic core and facilitates the denaturation process. Urea also interacts directly with the peptide backbone as well as side chains, thereby stabilizing nonnative conformations. The mechanism revealed here is consistent with the previous study on secondary structure of β-hairpin polypeptide, GB1, PEPTIDE 1, and TRPZIP4, suggesting that there is a general mechanism in the denaturation of protein backbone hydrogen bonds by urea.

  17. Immunoglobulin-E reactivity to wine glycoproteins in heavy drinkers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gonzalez-Quintela, Arturo; Gomez-Rial, Jose; Valcarcel, Catalina

    2011-01-01

    and biological significance of IgE antibodies to N-glycans from wine glycoproteins in heavy drinkers. A structured questionnaire, skin prick tests, serum IgE levels, IgE-immunoblotting to wine extracts, and basophil activation tests were used to characterize 20 heavy drinkers and 10 control subjects. Eleven...... heavy drinkers (55%) showed IgE binding to proteins in wine extracts. The proteins were identified by mass spectrometry as grape-derived vacuolar invertase and thaumatin-like protein. Immunoblot reactivity was closely associated with the presence of IgE to CCDs and was inhibited by preincubation...... with a glycoconjugate containing bromelain-type N-glycans. The same conjugate, CCD-bearing allergens, and wine extracts activated basophils in patients with high-titer CCD-specific IgE but not in healthy controls. There was no relationship between immunoblot reactivity and consumption of any specific type of wine...

  18. Synthesis of 35S-labeled caerulein (FI 6934)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uemura, Ieaki; Murakami, Hironori

    1975-01-01

    FI6934 (Caerulein) is a biologically active decapeptide extracted from the skin of Australian amphibians (Hyla caerulea). For metabolic study of FI6934, we have attempted to label the sulfo group of tyrosine of FI6934 with 35 S. The starting decapeptide was sulfonated with an excess of pyridine-N-sulfonate 35 S, and the 35 S-labelled peptide resulted was deacetylated by hydrolysis in alkaline, purified by paper chromatography to obtained radio chemically pure 35 S-labelled FI6934. The 35 S-labelled FI6934 was identified as a standard FI6934 in physiological activity to contract guinea pig gallbladders. (author)

  19. Isolation of allergenically active glycoprotein from Prosopis juliflora pollen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thakur, I S

    1989-03-01

    An allergenically active glycoprotein was homogeneously isolated from the aqueous extract of Prosopis juliflora pollen by ConA-Sepharose affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of this glycoprotein was 20,000 dalton, determined by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE. This fraction showed a total carbohydrate concentration of 25%. The purified glycoprotein revealed immunochemically most antigenic or allergenic and demonstrated homogeneous after reaction with P. juliflora pollen antiserum, characterized by gel diffusion, Immunoelectrophoresis and Radioallergosorbent test.

  20. A Study of the Insulin and the C-Peptide Responses to Oral Glucose Load in Nondiabetic and Diabetic Subjects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Myung Chul; Choi, Sung Jae; Kim, Eung Jin; Koh, Chang Soon; Min, Hun Ki

    1977-01-01

    The present study was undertaken to evaluate the significance of the insulin and the C-peptide response to oral glucose loads in normal and diabetic subjects and to establish the effects of the obesity. In this study, the authors have measured plasma insulin and C-peptide by means of radioimmunoassay in 10 nonobese normal, 5 obese normal, 13 nonobese moderate diabetic patients, 9 obese moderate diabetic patients and 9 severe diabetic patients. The results obtained were as follows; 1) In 10 nonobese normal subjects, the plasma insulin level at fasting state and at 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after oral glucose loads were 15.7±3.4, 48.3±9.8, 40.4±6.7, 37.4±6.5 and 26.0±4.2 uU/ml (Mean±S.E.) and C-peptide were 1.9±0.3, 3.9±0.6, 6.3±0.6, 5.7±0.5 and 4.0±0.5 ng/ml. The change of C-peptide was found to go almost parallel with that of insulin and the insulin value reaches to the highest level at 30 min whereas C-peptide reaches to its peak at 60 min.. 2) The plasma insulin level in 5 obese normal subjects were 38.9±12.3, 59.5±12.3, 59.2±17.1, 56.1±20.0 and 48.4±17.2 uU/ml and the C-peptide were 5.5±0.4, 6.8±0.5, 7.9±0.8, 7.9±0.8 and 7.8±2.0 ng/ml. The insulin response appeared to be greater than nonobese normal subjects. 3) In 13 nonobese moderate diabetic patients, the plasma insulin levels were 27.1±4.9, 44.1±6.0, 37.3±6.6, 35.5±8.1 and 34.7±10.7 uU/ml and the C-peptide levels were 2.7±0.4, 4.9±0.7, 6.5±0.5, 7.0±0.3 and 6.7±1.0 ng/ml. There was little significance compared to nonobese normal groups but delayed pattern is noted. 4) In 9 obese moderated diabetic patients, the plasma insulin levels were 22.1±7.9, 80.0±19.3, 108.0±27.0, 62.0±17.6 and 55.5±10.l uU/ml and the C-peptide levels were 5.2±0.4, 8.0±1.0, 10.4±1.6, 10.4±1.7 and 10.1±1.0 ng/ml and its response was also greater than that of nonobese moderate diabetic patients. 5) The plasma insulin concentrations in 9 severe diabetic subjects were 8.0±3.8, 12.1±3.5, 16.8±4.6, 19

  1. Discovery and optimization of peptide-based anti-cobratoxins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sola, M.; Laustsen, Andreas Hougaard; Johannesen, J.

    More than 5.5 million people per year are victims of snake envenomation, resulting in 125,000 deaths and 400,000amputations worldwide. Antivenoms are still produced by animal immunization procedures, and they areassociated with a high risk of severe adverse reactions. Alternatively, synthetic pep...... peptides may open the possibility for newtherapies with better efficacy and safety. Here, we report the discovery and optimization of a synthetic peptide directedagainst α-cobratoxin (α-CTX), the most toxic component of Monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia)....

  2. Intracellular localization of hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein biosynthesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robinson, D.G.; Andreae, M.; Glas, A.R.; Sauer, A.

    1984-01-01

    The structural proteins of plant cell walls are glycoproteins characterized by O-glucosidic linkages to hydroxyproline or serine. Proline, not hydroxyproline, is the translatable amino acid in hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGP). Hydroxylation and arabinosylation of proline are sequential, post-translational events. Because of this, there is no a priori reason for expecting HRGP synthesis to follow the well-established route for secretory and plasma membrane (PM) glycoproteins, i.e., from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via the Golgi apparatus (GA) to the PM. In this paper, two plausible alternatives for HRGO secretion are examined. Because a feature of the majority of dicotyledons is overlapping GA and PM regions in sucrose density gradients, the authors have used two monocotyledonous systems to determine the distribution of HRGP and enzyme activity

  3. The establishment of a multiple sclerosis model for clinical MRI study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Haiqin; Li Kuncheng; Yu Chunshui; Ma Jia; Qin Wen; Ji Zhijuan; Piao Yueshan

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To establish a rat model of multiple sclerosis (MS) for clinical MRI study. Methods: The Lewis (LEW) rats were immunized by myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide 35-55 (MOG 35-55 ) emulsified with complete Freunds adjuvant/incomplete Freunds adjuvant. Twenty LEW rats were selected. Group A rats were 5, group B rats were 10 and control group rats were 5. MRI and histopathology analysis were observed on group A and control group, and clinical course were observed on group B. The clinical course was observed and the brain and spinal cord of EAE rats were scanned on 3.0 T MR system with quadrature wrist joint coil on the third day of the acute stage of disease. The T 2 /T 1 weighted images and Gadolinium enhanced T 1 weighted images in 3D volume were obtained respectively. The magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) images were calculated with special software in workstation. Rats were sacrificed within 24 h after MRI, and the histopathological changes of central nervous system were observed. Results: Twice immunization of MOG 35-55 was used and a rat model of MS was successfully induced with all the rats. The model had varied clinical symptoms. The lesions of central nervous system at acute stage on group A (5 rats) were depicted on MRI. The lesions located in the brain and the spinal cord with main manifestation of hyperintensity on T 2 weighed images and hypointensity on T 1 weighted images. Some lesions had Gd-DTPA enhancement, and the value of MTR decreased. The infiltration of mononuclear cells around blood vessels and the extensive distribution of lesions of demyelination in brain and spinal cord were verified by histological examination. Conclusions: Twice immunization of MOG 35-55 could produce a rat model which mimics MS. The model is stable with higher incidence, and the antigen is cheap and obtained easily. The intravital monitoring of brain and spinal cord lesions in MOG 35-55 induced rat model is possible on 3.0 T clinical whole- body MR

  4. Histidine-rich glycoprotein protects from systemic Candida infection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria Rydengård

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Fungi, such as Candida spp., are commonly found on the skin and at mucosal surfaces. Yet, they rarely cause invasive infections in immunocompetent individuals, an observation reflecting the ability of our innate immune system to control potentially invasive microbes found at biological boundaries. Antimicrobial proteins and peptides are becoming increasingly recognized as important effectors of innate immunity. This is illustrated further by the present investigation, demonstrating a novel antifungal role of histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG, an abundant and multimodular plasma protein. HRG bound to Candida cells, and induced breaks in the cell walls of the organisms. Correspondingly, HRG preferentially lysed ergosterol-containing liposomes but not cholesterol-containing ones, indicating a specificity for fungal versus other types of eukaryotic membranes. Both antifungal and membrane-rupturing activities of HRG were enhanced at low pH, and mapped to the histidine-rich region of the protein. Ex vivo, HRG-containing plasma as well as fibrin clots exerted antifungal effects. In vivo, Hrg(-/- mice were susceptible to infection by C. albicans, in contrast to wild-type mice, which were highly resistant to infection. The results demonstrate a key and previously unknown antifungal role of HRG in innate immunity.

  5. Induction of a protein-targeted catalytic response in autoimmune prone mice: antibody-mediated cleavage of HIV-1 glycoprotein GP120.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ponomarenko, Natalia A; Vorobiev, Ivan I; Alexandrova, Elena S; Reshetnyak, Andrew V; Telegin, Georgy B; Khaidukov, Sergey V; Avalle, Bérangère; Karavanov, Alexander; Morse, Herbert C; Thomas, Daniel; Friboulet, Alain; Gabibov, Alexander G

    2006-01-10

    We have induced a polyclonal IgG that degrades the HIV-1 surface antigen, glycoprotein gp120, by taking advantage of the susceptibility of SJL mice to a peptide-induced autoimmune disorder, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Specific pathogen-free SJL mice were immunized with structural fragments of gp120, fused in-frame with encephalitogenic peptide MBP(85-101). It has resulted in a pronounced disease-associated immune response against antigens. A dramatic increase of gp120 degradation level by purified polyclonal IgG from immunized versus nonimmunized mice has been demonstrated by a newly developed fluorescence-based assay. This activity was inhibited by anti-mouse immunoglobulin antibodies as well as by Ser- and His-reactive covalent inhibitors. A dominant proteolysis site in recombinant gp120 incubated with purified polyclonal IgG from immunized mice was shown by SDS-PAGE. The SELDI-based mass spectrometry revealed that these antibodies exhibited significant specificity toward the Pro484-Leu485 peptide bond. The sequence surrounding this site is present in nearly half of the HIV-I variants. This novel strategy can be generalized for creating a catalytic vaccine against viral pathogens.

  6. Analysis of glycoprotein-derived oligosaccharides in glycoproteins detected on two-dimensional gel by capillary electrophoresis using on-line concentration method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamoda, Satoru; Nakanishi, Yasuharu; Kinoshita, Mitsuhiro; Ishikawa, Rika; Kakehi, Kazuaki

    2006-02-17

    Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an effective tool to analyze carbohydrate mixture derived from glycoproteins with high resolution. However, CE has a disadvantage that a few nanoliters of a sample solution are injected to a narrow capillary. Therefore, we have to prepare a sample solution of high concentration for CE analysis. In the present study, we applied head column field-amplified sample stacking method to the analysis of N-linked oligosaccharides derived from glycoprotein separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Model studies demonstrated that we achieved 60-360 times concentration effect on the analysis of carbohydrate chains labeled with 3-aminobenzoic acid (3-AA). The method was applied to the analysis of N-linked oligosaccharides from glycoproteins separated and detected on PAGE gel. Heterogeneity of alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), i.e. glycoforms, was examined by 2D-PAGE and N-linked oligosaccharides were released by in-gel digestion with PNGase F. The released oligosaccharides were derivatized with 3-AA and analyzed by CE. The results showed that glycoforms having lower pI values contained a larger amount of tetra- and tri-antennary oligosaccharides. In contrast, glycoforms having higher pI values contained bi-antennary oligosaccharides abundantly. The result clearly indicated that the spot of a glycoprotein glycoform detected by Coomassie brilliant blue staining on 2D-PAGE gel is sufficient for quantitative profiling of oligosaccharides.

  7. Humanizing recombinant glycoproteins from Chinese hamster ovary cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Anders Holmgaard; Amann, Thomas; Kol, Stefan

    With new tools for gene-editing like zinc-fingers, TALENS and CRISPR, it is now feasible totailor-make the N-Glycoforms for therapeutic glycoproteins that have previously been almost impossible. We here demonstrate a case of humanizing a recombinant human glycoprotein that in Wild type (WT) Chinese...

  8. Applications of hydrophilic interaction chromatography to amino acids, peptides, and proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Periat, Aurélie; Krull, Ira S; Guillarme, Davy

    2015-02-01

    This review summarizes the recent advances in the analysis of amino acids, peptides, and proteins using hydrophilic interaction chromatography. Various reports demonstrate the successful analysis of amino acids under such conditions. However, a baseline resolution of the 20 natural amino acids has not yet been published and for this reason, there is often a need to use mass spectrometry for detection to further improve selectivity. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography is also recognized as a powerful technique for peptide analysis, and there are a lot of papers showing its applicability for proteomic applications (peptide mapping). It is expected that its use for peptide mapping will continue to grow in the future, particularly because this analytical strategy can be combined with reversed-phase liquid chromatography, in a two-dimensional setup, to reach very high resolving power. Finally, the interest in hydrophilic interaction chromatography for intact proteins analysis is less evident due to possible solubility issues and a lack of suitable hydrophilic interaction chromatography stationary phases. To date, it has been successfully employed only for the characterization of membrane proteins, histones, and the separation of glycosylated isoforms of an intact glycoprotein. From our point of view, the number of hydrophilic interaction chromatography columns compatible with intact proteins (higher upper temperature limit, large pore size, etc.) is still too limited. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Glycoproteins of mouse vaginal epithelium: differential expression related to estrous cyclicity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Horvat, B; Multhaupt, H A; Damjanov, I

    1993-01-01

    We used lectin overlay blotting and SDS-PAGE to analyze the estrous cycle-specific expression of mouse vaginal epithelial glycoproteins. Seven lectins chosen for their differential carbohydrate-binding specificity revealed 15 glycoproteins that showed cycle-related expression. Each lectin had...... in proestrus, coincident with the transformation of two superficial layers of vaginal squamous epithelium into mucinous cuboidal cells. Electron microscopic lectin histochemistry revealed the glycoproteins in the mucinous granules of surface cuboidal cells and in the lumen of the vagina. Our results illustrate...... the complexity of glycoconjugate synthesis in mouse vagina and reveal the distinct cycle-specific patterns of individual glycoprotein expression. These cyclic glycoproteins could serve as vaginal biochemical markers for the specific phases of the estrous cycle....

  10. Mapping of Minimal Motifs of B-Cell Epitopes on Human Zona Pellucida Glycoprotein-3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wan-Xiang Xu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The human zona pellucida glycoprotein-3 (hZP3 by virtue of its critical role during fertilization has been proposed as a promising candidate antigen to develop a contraceptive vaccine. In this direction, it is imperative to map minimal motifs of the B cell epitopes (BCEs so as to avoid ZP-specific oophoritogenic T cell epitopes (TCEs in the ZP3-based immunogens. In this study, based on known results of mapping marmoset and bonnet monkey ZP3 (mstZP3 and bmZP3, two predictable epitopes23–30  and  301–320 on hZP3 were first confirmed and five minimal motifs within four epitopes on hZP3 were defined using serum to recombinant hZP3a22–176 or hZP3b177–348 as well as a biosynthetic peptide strategy. These defined minimal motifs were QPLWLL23–28 for hZP323–30, MQVTDD103–108 for hZP393–110, EENW178–181 for hZP3172–190, as well as SNSWF306–310 and EGP313–315 for hZP3301–320, respectively. Furthermore, the antigenicity of two peptides for hZP3172–187 and hZP3301–315 and specificity of the antibody response to these peptides were also evaluated, which produced high-titer antibodies in immunized animals that were capable of reacting to ZP on human oocytes, r-hZP3b177–348 protein, as well as r-hZP3172–190, r-hZP3303–310, and r-hZP3313–320 epitope peptides fused with truncated GST188 protein.

  11. Herpesvirus glycoproteins undergo multiple antigenic changes before membrane fusion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel L Glauser

    Full Text Available Herpesvirus entry is a complicated process involving multiple virion glycoproteins and culminating in membrane fusion. Glycoprotein conformation changes are likely to play key roles. Studies of recombinant glycoproteins have revealed some structural features of the virion fusion machinery. However, how the virion glycoproteins change during infection remains unclear. Here using conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies we show in situ that each component of the Murid Herpesvirus-4 (MuHV-4 entry machinery--gB, gH/gL and gp150--changes in antigenicity before tegument protein release begins. Further changes then occurred upon actual membrane fusion. Thus virions revealed their final fusogenic form only in late endosomes. The substantial antigenic differences between this form and that of extracellular virions suggested that antibodies have only a limited opportunity to block virion membrane fusion.

  12. Three-Dimensionally Functionalized Reverse Phase Glycoprotein Array for Cancer Biomarker Discovery and Validation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Li; Aguilar, Hillary Andaluz; Wang, Linna; Iliuk, Anton; Tao, W Andy

    2016-11-30

    Glycoproteins have vast structural diversity that plays an important role in many biological processes and have great potential as disease biomarkers. Here, we report a novel functionalized reverse phase protein array (RPPA), termed polymer-based reverse phase glycoprotein array (polyGPA), to capture and profile glycoproteomes specifically, and validate glycoproteins. Nitrocellulose membrane functionalized with globular hydroxyaminodendrimers was used to covalently capture preoxidized glycans on glycoproteins from complex protein samples such as biofluids. The captured glycoproteins were subsequently detected using the same validated antibodies as in RPPA. We demonstrated the outstanding specificity, sensitivity, and quantitative capabilities of polyGPA by capturing and detecting purified as well as endogenous α-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) in human plasma. We further applied quantitative N-glycoproteomics and the strategy to validate a panel of glycoproteins identified as potential biomarkers for bladder cancer by analyzing urine glycoproteins from bladder cancer patients or matched healthy individuals.

  13. Glycoprotein Enrichment Analytical Techniques: Advantages and Disadvantages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, R; Zacharias, L; Wooding, K M; Peng, W; Mechref, Y

    2017-01-01

    Protein glycosylation is one of the most important posttranslational modifications. Numerous biological functions are related to protein glycosylation. However, analytical challenges remain in the glycoprotein analysis. To overcome the challenges associated with glycoprotein analysis, many analytical techniques were developed in recent years. Enrichment methods were used to improve the sensitivity of detection, while HPLC and mass spectrometry methods were developed to facilitate the separation of glycopeptides/proteins and enhance detection, respectively. Fragmentation techniques applied in modern mass spectrometers allow the structural interpretation of glycopeptides/proteins, while automated software tools started replacing manual processing to improve the reliability and throughput of the analysis. In this chapter, the current methodologies of glycoprotein analysis were discussed. Multiple analytical techniques are compared, and advantages and disadvantages of each technique are highlighted. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Novel cyclo-peptides inhibit Ebola pseudotyped virus entry by targeting primed GP protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Quanjie; Ma, Ling; Yi, Dongrong; Wang, Han; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Yongxin; Guo, Ying; Li, Xiaoyu; Zhou, Jinming; Shi, Yi; Gao, George F; Cen, Shan

    2018-07-01

    Ebola virus (EBOV) causes fatal hemorrhagic fever with high death rates in human. Currently, there are no available clinically-approved prophylactic or therapeutic treatments. The recently solved crystal structure of cleavage-primed EBOV glycoprotein (GPcl) in complex with the C domain of endosomal protein Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) provides a new target for the development of EBOV entry inhibitors. In this work, a computational approach using docking and molecular dynamic simulations is carried out for the rational design of peptide inhibitors. A novel cyclo-peptide (Pep-3.3) was identified to target at the late stage of EBOV entry and exhibit specific inhibitory activity against EBOV-GP pseudotyped viruses, with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 5.1 μM. In vitro binding assay and molecular simulations revealed that Pep-3.3 binds to GPcl with a KD value of 69.7 μM, through interacting with predicted residues in the hydrophobic binding pocket of GPcl. Mutation of predicted residues T83 caused resistance to Pep-3.3 inhibition in viral infectivity, providing preliminary support for the model of the peptide binding to GPcl. This study demonstrates the feasibility of inhibiting EBOV entry by targeting GPcl with peptides. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Trypanosoma cruzi. Surface antigens of blood and culture forms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nogueira, N.; Chaplan, S.; Tydings, J.D.; Unkeless, J.; Cohn, Z.

    1981-01-01

    The surface polypeptides of both cultured and blood forms of Trypanosoma cruzi were iodinated by the glucose oxidase-lactoperoxidase technique. Blood-form trypomastigotes (BFT) isolated form infected mice displayed a major 90,000-Mr component. In contrast, both epimastigotes and trypomastigotes obtained form acellular cultures expressed a smaller 75,000-Mr peptide. Both major surface components were presumably glycoproteins in terms of their binding to concanavalin A-Sepharose 4B. Within a 3-h period, both blood and culture forms synthesized their respective surface glycoproteins (90,000 Mr and 75,000 Mr, respectively in vitro. [/sub 35/S]methionine-labeled surface peptides were immunoprecipitated with immune sera of both human and murine origin. A panel of sera form patients with chronic Chagas' disease and hyperimmunized mice recognized similar surface peptides. These immunogens were the same components as the major iodinated species. The major BFT surface peptide was readily removed by trypsin treatment of the parasites, although the procedure did not affect the 75,000-Mr peptide from the culture forms. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the 90,000-Mr peptide found on BFT was an acidic protein of isoelectric point (pI) 5.0, whereas, the 75,000-Mr peptide form culture-form trypomastigotes has a pI of 7.2. The 90,000-Mr component is thought to be responsible for the anti-phagocytic properties of the BFT

  16. Identification of distinctive interdomain interactions among ZP-N, ZP-C and other domains of zona pellucida glycoproteins underlying association of chicken egg-coat matrix.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okumura, Hiroki; Sato, Takahiro; Sakuma, Rio; Fukushima, Hideaki; Matsuda, Tsukasa; Ujita, Minoru

    2015-01-01

    The vertebrate egg coat, including mammalian zona pellucida, is an oocyte-specific extracellular matrix comprising two to six zona pellucida (ZP) glycoproteins. The egg coat plays important roles in fertilization, especially in species-specific interactions with sperm to induce the sperm acrosome reaction and to form the block to polyspermy. It is suggested that the physiological functions of the egg coat are mediated and/or regulated coordinately by peptide and carbohydrate moieties of the ZP glycoproteins that are spatially arranged in the egg coat, whereas a comprehensive understanding of the architecture of vertebrate egg-coat matrix remains elusive. Here, we deduced the orientations and/or distributions of chicken ZP glycoproteins, ZP1, ZP3 and ZPD, in the egg-coat matrix by confocal immunofluorescent microscopy, and in the ZP1-ZP3 complexes generated in vitro by co-immunoprecipitation assays. We further confirmed interdomain interactions of the ZP glycoproteins by far-Western blot analyses of the egg-coat proteins and pull-down assays of ZP1 in the serum, using recombinant domains of ZP glycoproteins as probes. Our results suggest that the ZP1 and ZP3 bind through their ZP-C domains to form the ZP1-ZP3 complexes and fibrils, which are assembled into bundles through interactions between the repeat domains of ZP1 to form the ZP1-ZP3 matrix, and that the ZPD molecules self-associate and bind to the ZP1-ZP3 matrix through its ZP-N and ZP-C domains to form the egg-coat matrix. Based on these results, we propose a tentative model for the architecture of the chicken egg-coat matrix that might be applicable to other vertebrate ones.

  17. Viral membrane fusion: is glycoprotein G of rhabdoviruses a representative of a new class of viral fusion proteins?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.T. Da Poian

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Enveloped viruses always gain entry into the cytoplasm by fusion of their lipid envelope with a cell membrane. Some enveloped viruses fuse directly with the host cell plasma membrane after virus binding to the cell receptor. Other enveloped viruses enter the cells by the endocytic pathway, and fusion depends on the acidification of the endosomal compartment. In both cases, virus-induced membrane fusion is triggered by conformational changes in viral envelope glycoproteins. Two different classes of viral fusion proteins have been described on the basis of their molecular architecture. Several structural data permitted the elucidation of the mechanisms of membrane fusion mediated by class I and class II fusion proteins. In this article, we review a number of results obtained by our laboratory and by others that suggest that the mechanisms involved in rhabdovirus fusion are different from those used by the two well-studied classes of viral glycoproteins. We focus our discussion on the electrostatic nature of virus binding and interaction with membranes, especially through phosphatidylserine, and on the reversibility of the conformational changes of the rhabdovirus glycoprotein involved in fusion. Taken together, these data suggest the existence of a third class of fusion proteins and support the idea that new insights should emerge from studies of membrane fusion mediated by the G protein of rhabdoviruses. In particular, the elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of the G protein or even of the fusion peptide at different pH's might provide valuable information for understanding the fusion mechanism of this new class of fusion proteins.

  18. Developing baculovirus-insect cell expression systems for humanized recombinant glycoprotein production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jarvis, Donald L.

    2003-01-01

    The baculovirus-insect cell expression system is widely used to produce recombinant glycoproteins for many different biomedical applications. However, due to the fundamental nature of insect glycoprotein processing pathways, this system is typically unable to produce recombinant mammalian glycoproteins with authentic oligosaccharide side chains. This minireview summarizes our current understanding of insect protein glycosylation pathways and our recent efforts to address this problem. These efforts have yielded new insect cell lines and baculoviral vectors that can produce recombinant glycoproteins with humanized oligosaccharide side chains

  19. Application of biomimetic HPLC to estimate lipophilicity, protein and phospholipid binding of potential peptide therapeutics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klara Livia Valko

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Peptide therapeutics are new modalities offering several challenges to drug discovery. They are generally less stable and permeable in vivo. The characterization of their lipophilicity cannot be carried out using the traditional in silico or wet octanol/water partition coefficients. The prediction of their in vivo distribution and permeability is also challenging. In this paper, it is demonstrated that the biomimetic properties such as lipophilicity, protein and phospholipid binding can be easily assessed by HPLC using chemically bonded protein and immobilized artificial membrane (IAM stationary phases. The obtained properties for a set of potential therapeutic peptides with 3 to 33 amino acids have been analysed and it was found that similar characteristics of the properties could be observed as for small molecule drugs. The albumin binding showed correlation with their measured lipophilicity on the C-18 stationary phase with acidic peptides showing stronger than expected albumin binding. The (IAM chromatography revealed peptide membrane affinity, which was stronger for positively charged peptides (containing arginine and showed correlation to the alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP binding, which was also stronger for positively charged compounds. The in vivo volume of distribution and drug efficiency of the peptides have been estimated using the models developed for small molecules. One of the candidate linear peptides has been assessed in various cellular and in vivo assays and the results have confirmed the estimated cell partition and brain to plasma ratio. It can be demonstrated, that up to 21 amino acids, the peaks of the peptides obtained on the protein phase were symmetrical and narrow. The interaction of larger peptides with the protein stationary phases resulted in wide peaks showing multiple equilibrium processes with slow kinetics during chromatography. The larger peptides showed narrow and symmetrical peaks on the IAM column enabling

  20. Cysteine-free peptides in scorpion venom: geographical distribution ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    GRACE

    2006-12-29

    Dec 29, 2006 ... In 1993, the first cysteine-free peptide was isolated from scorpion venom. ..... Venom is produced by 2 venom glands in the tail and stored in 2 ... The resistance of a variety of bacterial micro-organisms .... Biopolymers 55: 4-30.

  1. Simultaneous glycan-peptide characterization using hydrophilic interaction chromatography and parallel fragmentation by CID, HCD and ETD-MS applied to the N-linked glycoproteome of Campylobacter jejuni

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scott, Nichollas E; Parker, Benjamin L; Connolly, Angela M

    2011-01-01

    by the resistance of the glycan-peptide bond to enzymatic digestion or ss-elimination, and have previously concentrated on soluble glycoproteins compatible with lectin affinity and gel-based approaches. We developed strategies for enriching C. jejuni HB93-13 glycopeptides using zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction......-linked glycosylation sites in C. jejuni and is the first to utilize HCD fragmentation for glycopeptide identification with intact glycan. We also show that hydrophobic integral membrane proteins are significant targets of glycosylation in this organism. Our data demonstrate that peptide-centric approaches coupled...

  2. A family of cell-adhering peptides homologous to fibrinogen C-termini

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levy-Beladev, Liron; Levdansky, Lilia; Gaberman, Elena; Friedler, Assaf; Gorodetsky, Raphael

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → Cell-adhesive sequences homologous to fibrinogen C-termini exist in other proteins. → The extended homologous cell-adhesive C-termini peptides family is termed Haptides. → In membrane-like environment random coiled Haptides adopt a helical conformation. → Replacing positively charged residues with alanine reduces Haptides activity. -- Abstract: A family of cell-adhesive peptides homologous to sequences on different chains of fibrinogen was investigated. These homologous peptides, termed Haptides, include the peptides Cβ, preCγ, and CαE, corresponding to sequences on the C-termini of fibrinogen chains β, γ, and αE, respectively. Haptides do not affect cell survival and rate of proliferation of the normal cell types tested. The use of new sensitive assays of cell adhesion clearly demonstrated the ability of Haptides, bound to inert matrices, to mediate attachment of different matrix-dependent cell types including normal fibroblasts, endothelial, and smooth muscle cells. Here we present new active Haptides bearing homologous sequences derived from the C-termini of other proteins, such as angiopoietin 1 and 2, tenascins C and X, and microfibril-associated glycoprotein-4. The cell adhesion properties of all the Haptides were found to be associated mainly with their 11 N-terminal residues. Mutated preCγ peptides revealed that positively charged residues account for their attachment effect. These results suggest a mechanism of direct electrostatic interaction of Haptides with the cell membrane. The extended Haptides family may be applied in modulating adhesion of cells to scaffolds for tissue regeneration and for enhancement of nanoparticulate transfection into cells.

  3. Regulation of glycoprotein synthesis in yeast by mating pheromones

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanner, W.

    1984-01-01

    In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, glycosylated proteins amount to less than 2% of the cell protein. Two intensively studied examples of yeast glycoproteins are the external cell wall - associated invertase and the vacuolar carboxypeptidase Y. Recently, it was shown that the mating pheromone, alpha factor, specifically and strongly inhibits the synthesis of N-glycosylated proteins in haploid a cells, whereas O-glycosylated proteins are not affected. In this paper, the pathways of glycoprotein biosynthesis are summarized briefly, and evidence is presented that mating pheomones have a regulatory function in glycoprotein synthesis

  4. Engineered CHO cells for production of diverse, homogeneous glycoproteins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yang, Zhang; Wang, Shengjun; Halim, Adnan

    2015-01-01

    Production of glycoprotein therapeutics in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells is limited by the cells' generic capacity for N-glycosylation, and production of glycoproteins with desirable homogeneous glycoforms remains a challenge. We conducted a comprehensive knockout screen of glycosyltransferas...

  5. Bioinformatics Analysis of Envelope Glycoprotein E epitopes of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The E glycoprotein of dengue virus is responsible for the viral binding to the receptor. The crystal structure of envelope glycoprotein has already been determined. However, where the well-defined Bcell and T-cell epitopes are located is still a question. Because of the large variations among the four dengue genotypes, it is ...

  6. The Purification of a Blood Group A Glycoprotein: An Affinity Chromatography Experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Estelrich, J.; Pouplana, R.

    1988-01-01

    Describes a purification process through affinity chromatography necessary to obtain specific blood group glycoproteins from erythrocytic membranes. Discusses the preparation of erythrocytic membranes, extraction of glycoprotein from membranes, affinity chromatography purification, determination of glycoproteins, and results. (CW)

  7. HWY 55 Burger, fries & shakes: Project management & marketing theory

    OpenAIRE

    Nguyen, David; Nelbom, Mathies

    2015-01-01

    Hwy 55 is an American fast-dining restaurant that aims to expand into the Danish market. Their ambition is to open 30-35 restaurant across the country over the next ten years. Jens-Christian Due, responsible for Hwy 55 expansion into the Danish market, proclaims that there has been lacking a restaurant located between McDonalds and Jensen’s Boefhus and that Hwy 55 is the golden mean. A statement this project seeks to identify and elaborate by providing a clear overview of the company through ...

  8. Pregnancy-induced rise in serum C-peptide concentrations in women with type 1 diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Lene Ringholm; Rehfeld, Jens F; Pedersen-Bjergaard, Ulrik

    2009-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether pregnancy induces increased insulin production as a marker of improved beta-cell function in women with long-term type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a prospective study of 90 consecutive pregnant women with type 1.......85). Multivariate regression analysis revealed a positive association between the absolute increase in C-peptide concentrations during pregnancy and decreased A1C from 8 to 33 weeks (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: A pregnancy-induced increase in C-peptide concentrations in women with long-term type 1 diabetes...... in 35 women. RESULTS: C-peptide concentrations gradually increased throughout pregnancy regardless of serum glucose concentrations in the 90 women with a median duration of diabetes of 17 years (range 1-36 years). Among 35 women with paired recordings of stimulated C-peptide, C-peptide production...

  9. A fusion-inhibiting peptide against Rift Valley fever virus inhibits multiple, diverse viruses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffrey W Koehler

    Full Text Available For enveloped viruses, fusion of the viral envelope with a cellular membrane is critical for a productive infection to occur. This fusion process is mediated by at least three classes of fusion proteins (Class I, II, and III based on the protein sequence and structure. For Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV, the glycoprotein Gc (Class II fusion protein mediates this fusion event following entry into the endocytic pathway, allowing the viral genome access to the cell cytoplasm. Here, we show that peptides analogous to the RVFV Gc stem region inhibited RVFV infectivity in cell culture by inhibiting the fusion process. Further, we show that infectivity can be inhibited for diverse, unrelated RNA viruses that have Class I (Ebola virus, Class II (Andes virus, or Class III (vesicular stomatitis virus fusion proteins using this single peptide. Our findings are consistent with an inhibition mechanism similar to that proposed for stem peptide fusion inhibitors of dengue virus in which the RVFV inhibitory peptide first binds to both the virion and cell membranes, allowing it to traffic with the virus into the endocytic pathway. Upon acidification and rearrangement of Gc, the peptide is then able to specifically bind to Gc and prevent fusion of the viral and endocytic membranes, thus inhibiting viral infection. These results could provide novel insights into conserved features among the three classes of viral fusion proteins and offer direction for the future development of broadly active fusion inhibitors.

  10. Laminin peptide YIGSR induces collagen synthesis in Hs27 human dermal fibroblasts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Jong Hyuk; Kim, Jaeyoon; Lee, Hyeongjoo [NovaCell Technology Inc., Pohang, Kyungbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, So Young [Department of Dermatology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul 156-756 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Convergence Medicine and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Graduate School, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-756 (Korea, Republic of); Jang, Hwan-Hee [Functional Food and Nutrition Division, Department of Agrofood Resources, Rural Development Administration, Suwon 441-853 (Korea, Republic of); Ryu, Sung Ho [Division of Integrative Biosciences and Biotechnology, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Kyungbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Beom Joon [Department of Dermatology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul 156-756 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Convergence Medicine and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Graduate School, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-756 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Taehoon G., E-mail: taehoon@novacelltech.com [NovaCell Technology Inc., Pohang, Kyungbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-11-23

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We identify a function of the YIGSR peptide to enhance collagen synthesis in Hs27. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer YIGSR peptide enhanced collagen type 1 synthesis both of gene and protein levels. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer There were no changes in cell proliferation and MMP-1 level in YIGSR treatment. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The YIGSR effect on collagen synthesis mediated activation of FAK, pyk2 and ERK. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The YIGSR-induced FAK and ERK activation was modulated by FAK and MEK inhibitors. -- Abstract: The dermal ECM is synthesized from fibroblasts and is primarily compromised of fibrillar collagen and elastic fibers, which support the mechanical strength and resiliency of skin, respectively. Laminin, a major glycoprotein located in the basement membrane, promotes cell adhesion, cell growth, differentiation, and migration. The laminin tyrosine-isoleucine-glycine-serine-arginine (YIGSR) peptide, corresponding to the 929-933 sequence of the {beta}1 chain, is known to be a functional motif with effects on the inhibition of tumor metastasis, the regulation of sensory axonal response and the inhibition of angiogenesis through high affinity to the 67 kDa laminin receptor. In this study, we identified a novel function of the YIGSR peptide to enhance collagen synthesis in human dermal fibroblasts. To elucidate this novel function regarding collagen synthesis, we treated human dermal fibroblasts with YIGSR peptide in both a time- and dose-dependent manner. According to subsequent experiments, we found that the YIGSR peptide strongly enhanced collagen type 1 synthesis without changing cell proliferation or cellular MMP-1 level. This YIGSR peptide-mediated collagen type 1 synthesis was modulated by FAK inhibitor and MEK inhibitor. This study clearly reveals that YIGSR peptide plays a novel function on the collagen type 1 synthesis of dermal fibroblasts and also suggests that YIGSR is a strong candidate

  11. Cre Fused with RVG Peptide Mediates Targeted Genome Editing in Mouse Brain Cells In Vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Zhiyuan; Sun, Zhaolin; Li, Pan; Feng, Tao; Wu, Sen

    2016-12-14

    Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are short peptides that can pass through cell membranes. CPPs can facilitate the cellular entry of proteins, macromolecules, nanoparticles and drugs. RVG peptide (RVG hereinafter) is a 29-amino-acid CPP derived from a rabies virus glycoprotein that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and enter brain cells. However, whether RVG can be used for genome editing in the brain has not been reported. In this work, we combined RVG with Cre recombinase for bacterial expression. The purified RVG-Cre protein cut plasmids in vitro and traversed cell membranes in cultured Neuro2a cells. By tail vein-injecting RVG-Cre into Cre reporter mouse lines mTmG and Rosa26 lacZ , we demonstrated that RVG-Cre could target brain cells and achieve targeted somatic genome editing in adult mice. This direct delivery of the gene-editing enzyme protein into mouse brains with RVG is much safer than plasmid- or viral-based methods, holding promise for further applications in the treatment of various brain diseases.

  12. Isolation and characterization of two antigenic glycoproteins from the pollen of Prosopis juliflora.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thakur, I S

    1991-03-01

    Two antigenically active glycoprotein fractions were isolated from crude extract of the pollen of Prosopis juliflora using DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography. The glycoproteins gave single band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of these two glycoprotein was 20,000 and 10,000 as determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75. With the help of crossed immunoelectrophoresis and gel diffusion crude extract exhibited twelve and three precipitating antigens suggesting its heterogeneous nature; and the purified glycoprotein fractions however formed single precipitin band on gel diffusion test and immunoelectrophoresis. As tested by ELISA the polyclonal antisera raised in rabbit showed strong binding affinity with glycoprotein of MW 20,000. These result indicates that the two glycoprotein fractions are not antigenically identical.

  13. Demonstration of immunochemical identity between the nerve growth factor-inducible large external (NILE) glycoprotein and the cell adhesion molecule L1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bock, E; Richter-Landsberg, C; Faissner, A

    1985-01-01

    The nerve growth factor-inducible large external (NILE) glycoprotein and the neural cell adhesion molecule L1 were shown to be immunochemically identical. Immunoprecipitation with L1 and NILE antibodies of [3H]fucose-labeled material from culture supernatants and detergent extracts of NGF......-treated rat PC12 pheochromocytoma cells yielded comigrating bands by SDS-PAGE. NILE antibodies reacted with immunopurified L1 antigen, but not with N-CAM and other L2 epitope-bearing glycoproteins from adult mouse brain. Finally, by sequential immunoprecipitation from detergent extracts of [35S......]methionine-labeled early post-natal cerebellar cell cultures or [3H]fucose-labeled NGF-treated PC12 cells, all immunoreactivity for NILE antibody could be removed by pre-clearing with L1 antibody and vice versa....

  14. Preclinical evaluation of "1"1"1In-DOTA-Bombesin analogue for peptide receptor targeted imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salgueiro, C.; Castiglia, S.G. de; Tesan, F.; Salgueiro, M.J.

    2017-01-01

    Peptide receptors are very important targets for imaging and therapy. The bombesin family is becoming significant, in special the gastrine-releasing peptide receptor (GRPr) that has been found in Prostate and Breast tumors. The aim of this work is to label [DOTA-Pro1,Tyr4] BN with "1"1"1InCl3 and study its efficacy in normal and tumor animals. Radiolabeling experiences were made to find the best peptide : radionuclide relationship. The radiochemical purity was determined by Sep-pak C18 cartridge (Waters) and ITLC-SG using 50mM EDTA in 0.1M ammonium acetate (pH 5.5) and 3.5%(v/v) ammonia/methanol 1:1. Gamma imaging studies were made 24 hs after injection of the product in control rats. On the other hand gamma imaging studies were made at 24 hs in tumor bearing nude mice too. The tumor was induced by subcutaneous injection of PC3 cells. For biodistribution studies animals were sacrificed and blood, pancreas, intestine, kidneys, liver, lungs, femoral muscle and tumor were analyzed. The results were expressed as %ID/g of tissue. Radiolabeling experiments allowed us to obtain an stable product with >95% of radiochemical purity and 5.78MBq/nmol of specific activity, with a ratio of 13μg peptide per In-111 mCi. The normal and tumor animals imaging show physiological uptake in kidneys and a biodistribution according to bibliography. A specific uptake is evidenced in tumor. Our results show a radiochemical stable compound for 48 hs and suitable for GRPr imaging. (authors) [es

  15. Peptide de novo sequencing of mixture tandem mass spectra

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gorshkov, Vladimir; Hotta, Stéphanie Yuki Kolbeck; Braga, Thiago Verano

    2016-01-01

    they decrease the identification performance using database search engines. De novo sequencing approaches are expected to be even more sensitive to the reduction in mass spectrum quality resulting from peptide precursor co-isolation and thus prone to false identifications. The deconvolution approach matched...... complementary b-, y-ions to each precursor peptide mass, which allowed the creation of virtual spectra containing sequence specific fragment ions of each co-isolated peptide. Deconvolution processing resulted in equally efficient identification rates but increased the absolute number of correctly sequenced...... peptides. The improvement was in the range of 20–35% additional peptide identifications for a HeLa lysate sample. Some correct sequences were identified only using unprocessed spectra; however, the number of these was lower than those where improvement was obtained by mass spectral deconvolution. Tight...

  16. Synthesis of /sup 35/S-labeled caerulein (FI 6934)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uemura, I; Murakami, H [Nomura Research Institute, Kanagawa (Japan). Life Sciences Division

    1975-05-01

    FI6934 (Caerulein) is a biologically active decapeptide extracted from the skin of Australian amphibians (Hyla caerulea). For metabolic study of FI6934, we have attempted to label the sulfo group of tyrosine of FI6934 with /sup 35/S. The starting decapeptide was sulfonated with an excess of pyridine-N-sulfonate/sup 35/S, and the /sup 35/S-labelled peptide resulted was deacetylated by hydrolysis in alkaline, purified by paper chromatography to obtained radio chemically pure /sup 35/S-labelled FI6934. The /sup 35/S-labelled FI6934 was identified as a standard FI6934 in physiological activity to contract guinea pig gallbladders.

  17. Purification and characterization of the glycoprotein allergen from Prosopis juliflora pollen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thakur, I S

    1991-02-01

    Highly active glycoprotein allergens have been isolated from pollen of Prosopis juliflora by a combination of Sephadex G-100 gel filtration and Sodium dodecyl sulphate-Poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The glycoprotein fraction was homogeneous, and had molecular weight 20,000. The purified glycoprotein allergen contained 20% carbohydrate, mainly arabinose and galactose. Enzymatic digestion of glycoprotein with protease released glycopeptides of molecular weight ranging from less than 1,000 to more than 5,000 on Sephadex G-25 gel filtration. Antigenicity or allergenicity testing of these glycopeptides by immunodiffusion, immunoelectrophoresis, and radioallergosorbent test indicated complete loss of allergenic activity after digestion with protease whereas incubation with beta-D-galactosidase and periodate oxidation had little affect on the allergenic activity of the glycoprotein fraction. But incubation with alpha-D-glucosidase did not affect the allergenic activity significantly. All these tests indicated that protein played significant role in allergenicity of P. juliflora pollen.

  18. GRASA CORPORAL E ÍNDICE ADIPOSO-MUSCULAR ESTIMADOS MEDIANTE IMPEDANCIOMETRÍA EN LA EVALUACIÓN NUTRICIONAL DE MUJERES DE 35 A 55 AÑOS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vicente Martín Moreno

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Fundamentos: La evaluación nutricional durante la premenopausia y la menopausia tiene un papel relevante para valorar los cambios que acontecen en la mujer. El objetivo de este estudio es comparar los parámetros grasa corporal e índice adiposo- muscular corporal (IAMC estimados mediante impedanciometría respecto al índice de masa corporal (IMC en la definición del estado nutricional y la composición corporal. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo transversal. Mediante muestreo aleatorio (base de tarjeta sanitaria fueron seleccionadas 30 mujeres de 35 a 55 años, valorándose en ellas la asociación entre grasa corporal e IAMC con el IMC; diferentes estimadores de la distribución de la grasa corporal: circunferencias de la cintura y cresta ilíaca, cocientes cintura-cadera e ilíaca-cadera y diámetros ilíaco y sagital; presiones arteriales sistólica (PAS y diastólica (PAD y niveles plasmáticos de glucosa, colesterol, HDL-colesterol y triglicéridos. Resultados: El porcentaje de grasa corporal correlacionó intensamente (p 33% presentaba un IMC menor de 30. Conclusiones: La estimación de los parámetros grasa corporal e IAMC en mujeres de 35 a 55 años complementa la evaluación nutricional realizada mediante el IMC, aunque para definir su verdadero valor en esta evaluación es necesario establecer los parámetros de normalidad en la población.

  19. Strategies to overcome or circumvent P-glycoprotein mediated multidrug resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Hongyu; Li, Xun; Wu, Jifeng; Li, Jinpei; Qu, Xianjun; Xu, Wenfang; Tang, Wei

    2008-01-01

    Cancer patients who receive chemotherapy often experience intrinsic or acquired resistance to a broad spectrum of chemotherapeutic agents. The phenomenon, termed multidrug resistance (MDR), is often associated with the over-expression of P-glycoprotein, a transmembrane protein pump, which can enhance efflux of a various chemicals structurally unrelated at the expense of ATP depletion, resulting in decrease of the intracellular cytotoxic drug accumulation. The MDR has been a big threaten to the human health and the war fight for it continues. Although several other mechanisms for MDR are elucidated in recent years, considerable efforts attempting to inverse MDR are involved in exploring P-glycoprotein modulators and suppressing P-glycoprotein expression. In this review, we will report on the recent advances in various strategies for overcoming or circumventing MDR mediated by P-glycoprotein.

  20. Peptide chemistry toolbox - Transforming natural peptides into peptide therapeutics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erak, Miloš; Bellmann-Sickert, Kathrin; Els-Heindl, Sylvia; Beck-Sickinger, Annette G

    2018-06-01

    The development of solid phase peptide synthesis has released tremendous opportunities for using synthetic peptides in medicinal applications. In the last decades, peptide therapeutics became an emerging market in pharmaceutical industry. The need for synthetic strategies in order to improve peptidic properties, such as longer half-life, higher bioavailability, increased potency and efficiency is accordingly rising. In this mini-review, we present a toolbox of modifications in peptide chemistry for overcoming the main drawbacks during the transition from natural peptides to peptide therapeutics. Modifications at the level of the peptide backbone, amino acid side chains and higher orders of structures are described. Furthermore, we are discussing the future of peptide therapeutics development and their impact on the pharmaceutical market. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. A novel function of N-linked glycoproteins, alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein and hemopexin: Implications for small molecule compound-mediated neuroprotection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takuya Kanno

    Full Text Available Therapeutic agents to the central nervous system (CNS need to be efficiently delivered to the target site of action at appropriate therapeutic levels. However, a limited number of effective drugs for the treatment of neurological diseases has been developed thus far. Further, the pharmacological mechanisms by which such therapeutic agents can protect neurons from cell death have not been fully understood. We have previously reported the novel small-molecule compound, 2-[mesityl(methylamino]-N-[4-(pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-2-yl] acetamide trihydrochloride (WN1316, as a unique neuroprotectant against oxidative injury and a highly promising remedy for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS. One of the remarkable characteristics of WN1316 is that its efficacious doses in ALS mouse models are much less than those against oxidative injury in cultured human neuronal cells. It is also noted that the WN1316 cytoprotective activity observed in cultured cells is totally dependent upon the addition of fetal bovine serum in culture medium. These findings led us to postulate some serum factors being tightly linked to the WN1316 efficacy. In this study, we sieved through fetal bovine serum proteins and identified two N-linked glycoproteins, alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein (AHSG and hemopexin (HPX, requisites to exert the WN1316 cytoprotective activity against oxidative injury in neuronal cells in vitro. Notably, the removal of glycan chains from these molecules did not affect the WN1316 cytoprotective activity. Thus, two glycoproteins, AHSG and HPX, represent a pivotal glycoprotein of the cytoprotective activity for WN1316, showing a concrete evidence for the novel glycan-independent function of serum glycoproteins in neuroprotective drug efficacy.

  2. Single-subunit oligosaccharyltransferases of Trypanosoma brucei display different and predictable peptide acceptor specificities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jinnelov, Anders; Ali, Liaqat; Tinti, Michele; Güther, Maria Lucia S; Ferguson, Michael A J

    2017-12-08

    Trypanosoma brucei causes African trypanosomiasis and contains three full-length oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) genes; two of which, Tb STT3A and Tb STT3B, are expressed in the bloodstream form of the parasite. These OSTs have different peptide acceptor and lipid-linked oligosaccharide donor specificities, and trypanosomes do not follow many of the canonical rules developed for other eukaryotic N -glycosylation pathways, raising questions as to the basic architecture and detailed function of trypanosome OSTs. Here, we show by blue-native gel electrophoresis and stable isotope labeling in cell culture proteomics that the Tb STT3A and Tb STT3B proteins associate with each other in large complexes that contain no other detectable protein subunits. We probed the peptide acceptor specificities of the OSTs in vivo using a transgenic glycoprotein reporter system and performed glycoproteomics on endogenous parasite glycoproteins using sequential endoglycosidase H and peptide: N -glycosidase-F digestions. This allowed us to assess the relative occupancies of numerous N -glycosylation sites by endoglycosidase H-resistant N -glycans originating from Man 5 GlcNAc 2 -PP-dolichol transferred by Tb STT3A, and endoglycosidase H-sensitive N -glycans originating from Man 9 GlcNAc 2 -PP-dolichol transferred by Tb STT3B. Using machine learning, we assessed the features that best define Tb STT3A and Tb STT3B substrates in vivo and built an algorithm to predict the types of N -glycan most likely to predominate at all the putative N -glycosylation sites in the parasite proteome. Finally, molecular modeling was used to suggest why Tb STT3A has a distinct preference for sequons containing and/or flanked by acidic amino acid residues. Together, these studies provide insights into how a highly divergent eukaryote has re-wired protein N -glycosylation to provide protein sequence-specific N -glycan modifications. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifiers PXD007236, PXD007267

  3. Towards Identify Selective Antibacterial Peptides Based on Abstracts Meaning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liliana I. Barbosa-Santillán

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available We present an Identify Selective Antibacterial Peptides (ISAP approach based on abstracts meaning. Laboratories and researchers have significantly increased the report of their discoveries related to antibacterial peptides in primary publications. It is important to find antibacterial peptides that have been reported in primary publications because they can produce antibiotics of different generations that attack and destroy the bacteria. Unfortunately, researchers used heterogeneous forms of natural language to describe their discoveries (sometimes without the sequence of the peptides. Thus, we propose that learning the words meaning instead of the antibacterial peptides sequence is possible to identify and predict antibacterial peptides reported in the PubMed engine. The ISAP approach consists of two stages: training and discovering. ISAP founds that the 35% of the abstracts sample had antibacterial peptides and we tested in the updated Antimicrobial Peptide Database 2 (APD2. ISAP predicted that 45% of the abstracts had antibacterial peptides. That is, ISAP found that 810 antibacterial peptides were not classified like that, so they are not reported in APD2. As a result, this new search tool would complement the APD2 with a set of peptides that are candidates to be antibacterial. Finally, 20% of the abstracts were not semantic related to APD2.

  4. Labelled antibody techniques in glycoprotein estimation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hazra, D.K.; Ekins, R.P.; Edwards, R.; Williams, E.S.

    1977-01-01

    The problems in the radioimmunoassay of the glycoprotein hormones (pituitary LH, FSH and TSH and human chlorionic gonadotrophin HGG) are reviewed viz: limited specificity and sensitivity in the clinical context, interpretation of disparity between bioassay and radioimmunoassay, and interlaboratory variability. The advantages and limitations of the labelled antibody techniques - classical immonoradiometric methods and 2-site or 125 I-anti-IgG indirect labelling modifications are reviewed in general, and their theoretical potential in glycoprotein assays examined in the light of previous work. Preliminary experiments in the development of coated tube 2-site assay for glycoproteins using 125 I anti-IgG labelling are described, including conditions for maximizing solid phase extraction of the antigen, iodination of anti-IgG, and assay conditions such as effects of temperature of incubation with antigen 'hormonefree serum', heterologous serum and detergent washing. Experiments with extraction and antigen-specific antisera raised in the same or different species are described as exemplified by LH and TSH assay systems, the latter apparently promising greater sensitivity than radioimmunoassay. Proposed experimental and mathematical optimisation and validation of the method as an assay system is outlined, and the areas for further work delineated. (orig.) [de

  5. 28-mer Fragment Derived from Enterocin CRL35 Displays an Unexpected Bactericidal Effect on Listeria Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masias, Emilse; Sanches, Paulo R S; Dupuy, Fernando G; Acuna, Leonardo; Bellomio, Augusto; Cilli, Eduardo; Saavedra, Lucila; Minahk, Carlos

    2015-01-01

    Two shorter peptides derived from enterocin CRL35, a 43-mer bacteriocin, were synthesized i.e. the N-terminal fragment spanning from residues 1 to 15, and a 28-mer fragment that represents the C-terminal of enterocin CRL35, the residues 16 to 43. The separate peptides showed no activity when combined. On one hand, the 28-mer peptide displayed an unpredicted antimicrobial activity. On the other, 15- mer peptide had no consistent anti-Listeria effect. The dissociation constants calculated from experimental data indicated that all peptides could bind at similar extent to the sensitive cells. However, transmembrane electrical potential was not dissipated to the same level by the different peptides; whereas the full-length and the C-terminal 28-mer fragment induced almost full dissipation, 15-mer fragment produced only a slow and incomplete effect. Furthermore, a different interaction of each peptide with membranes was demonstrated based on studies carried out with liposomes, which led us to conclude that activity was related to structure rather than to net positive charges. These results open up the possibility of designing new peptides based on the 28-mer fragment with enhanced activity, which would represent a promising approach for combating Listeria and other pathogens.

  6. Structures and Functions of Pestivirus Glycoproteins: Not Simply Surface Matters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Fun-In; Deng, Ming-Chung; Huang, Yu-Liang; Chang, Chia-Yi

    2015-06-29

    Pestiviruses, which include economically important animal pathogens such as bovine viral diarrhea virus and classical swine fever virus, possess three envelope glycoproteins, namely Erns, E1, and E2. This article discusses the structures and functions of these glycoproteins and their effects on viral pathogenicity in cells in culture and in animal hosts. E2 is the most important structural protein as it interacts with cell surface receptors that determine cell tropism and induces neutralizing antibody and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses. All three glycoproteins are involved in virus attachment and entry into target cells. E1-E2 heterodimers are essential for viral entry and infectivity. Erns is unique because it possesses intrinsic ribonuclease (RNase) activity that can inhibit the production of type I interferons and assist in the development of persistent infections. These glycoproteins are localized to the virion surface; however, variations in amino acids and antigenic structures, disulfide bond formation, glycosylation, and RNase activity can ultimately affect the virulence of pestiviruses in animals. Along with mutations that are driven by selection pressure, antigenic differences in glycoproteins influence the efficacy of vaccines and determine the appropriateness of the vaccines that are currently being used in the field.

  7. Alteration of a second putative fusion peptide of structural glycoprotein E2 of Classical Swine Fever Virus alters virus replication and virulence in swine

    Science.gov (United States)

    E2, the major envelope glycoprotein of Classical Swine Fever Virus (CSFV), is involved in several critical virus functions including cell attachment, host range susceptibility, and virulence in natural hosts. Functional structural analysis of E2 based on Wimley-White interfacial hydrophobicity dis...

  8. Novel angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides derived from boneless chicken leg meat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terashima, Masaaki; Baba, Takako; Ikemoto, Narumi; Katayama, Midori; Morimoto, Tomoko; Matsumura, Saki

    2010-06-23

    Four peptides that inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) were separated from the hydorlysate of boneless chicken leg meat digested with artificial gastric juice (pepsin). Two peptides were identified as the peptides encrypted in myosin heavy chain. The peptide P1 (MNVKHWPWMK) corresponds to the amino acid sequence from amino acids 825 to 834 of myosin heavy chain, and the peptide P4 (VTVNPYKWLP) corresponds to the amino acid sequence from amino acids 125 to 135 of myosin heavy chain. They are novel ACE inhibitory peptides derived from chicken, and IC(50) values of P1 and P4 were determined as 228 and 5.5 microM, respectively. Although these values were much larger than 0.022 microM for captopril, a typical synthetic ACE inhibitor, they are comparable to IC(50) values reported for various ACE inhibitory peptides derived from foods. Because the peptide P4 has a relatively low IC(50) value, it is a good starting substance for designing food supplements for hypertensive patients.

  9. Adhesive activity of Lu glycoproteins is regulated by interaction with spectrin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    An, Xiuli; Gauthier, Emilie; Zhang, Xihui; Guo, Xinhua; Anstee, David; Mohandas, Narla; Anne Chasis, Joel

    2008-03-18

    The Lutheran (Lu) and Lu(v13) blood group glycoproteins function as receptors for extracellular matrix laminins. Lu and Lu(v13) are linked to the erythrocyte cytoskeleton through a direct interaction with spectrin. However, neither the molecular basis of the interaction nor its functional consequences have previously been delineated. In the present study, we defined the binding motifs of Lu and Lu(v13) on spectrin and identified a functional role for this interaction. We found that the cytoplasmic domains of both Lu and Lu(v13) bound to repeat 4 of the spectrin chain. The interaction of full-length spectrin dimer to Lu and Lu(v13) was inhibited by repeat 4 of {alpha}-spectrin. Further, resealing of this repeat peptide into erythrocytes led to weakened Lu-cytoskeleton interaction as demonstrated by increased detergent extractability of Lu. Importantly, disruption of the Lu-spectrin linkage was accompanied by enhanced cell adhesion to laminin. We conclude that the interaction of the Lu cytoplasmic tail with the cytoskeleton regulates its adhesive receptor function.

  10. Adipokine zinc-α2-glycoprotein regulated by growth hormone and linked to insulin sensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balaz, Miroslav; Ukropcova, Barbara; Kurdiova, Timea; Gajdosechova, Lucia; Vlcek, Miroslav; Janakova, Zuzana; Fedeles, Jozef; Pura, Mikulas; Gasperikova, Daniela; Smith, Steven R; Tkacova, Ruzena; Klimes, Iwar; Payer, Juraj; Wolfrum, Christian; Ukropec, Jozef

    2015-02-01

    Hypertrophic obesity is associated with impaired insulin sensitivity and lipid-mobilizing activity of zinc-α2-glycoprotein. Adipose tissue (AT) of growth hormone (GH) -deficient patients is characterized by extreme adipocyte hypertrophy due to defects in AT lipid metabolism. It was hypothesized that zinc-α2-glycoprotein is regulated by GH and mediates some of its beneficial effects in AT. AT from patients with GH deficiency and individuals with obesity-related GH deficit was obtained before and after 5-year and 24-month GH supplementation therapy. GH action was tested in primary human adipocytes. Relationships of GH and zinc-α2-glycoprotein with adipocyte size and insulin sensitivity were evaluated in nondiabetic patients with noncancerous cachexia and hypertrophic obesity. AT in GH-deficient adults displayed a substantial reduction of zinc-α2-glycoprotein. GH therapy normalized AT zinc-α2-glycoprotein. Obesity-related relative GH deficit was associated with almost 80% reduction of zinc-α2-glycoprotein mRNA in AT. GH increased zinc-α2-glycoprotein mRNA in both AT of obese men and primary human adipocytes. Interdependence of GH and zinc-α2-glycoprotein in regulating AT morphology and metabolic phenotype was evident from their relationship with adipocyte size and AT-specific and whole-body insulin sensitivity. The results demonstrate that GH is involved in regulation of AT zinc-α2-glycoprotein; however, the molecular mechanism linking GH and zinc-α2-glycoprotein in AT is yet unknown. © 2014 The Obesity Society.

  11. Enterocin CRL35 inhibits Listeria monocytogenes in a murine model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvucci, Emiliano; Saavedra, Lucila; Hebert, Elvira Maria; Haro, Cecilia; Sesma, Fernando

    2012-01-01

    Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen causative of opportunistic infections. Listeriosis is associated with severe infections in pregnant women causing abortion or neonatal listeriosis. An alternative to antibiotics are safe novel bacteriocins peptides such as enterocin CRL35 with strong antilisterial activity produced by Enterococcus mundtii CRL35. In the present paper, our goal is to study the effectiveness of this peptide and the producer strain in a murine model of pregnancy-associated listeriosis. A single dose of 5×10(9) colony-forming unit of L. monocytogenes FBUNT (Faculty of Biochemistry-University of Tucumán) resulted in translocation of pathogen to liver and spleen of BALB/c pregnant mice. The maximum level of Listeria was observed on day 3 postinfection. Interestingly, the intragastric administration of enterocin CRL35 significantly reduced the translocation of the pathogen to vital organs. On the other hand, the preadministration of E. mundtii CRL35 slightly inhibited this translocation. Listeria infection caused a significant increase in polymorphonuclear leukocytes at day 3 postinfection compared to the noninfected group. This value was reduced after the administration of enterocin CRL35. No significant changes were observed in either white blood cells or lymphocytes counts. Based on the data presented in the present work enterocin CRL35 would be a promising alternative for the prevention of Listeria infections.

  12. Glycoprotein expression by adenomatous polyps of the colon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roney, Celeste A.; Xie, Jianwu; Xu, Biying; Jabour, Paul; Griffiths, Gary; Summers, Ronald M.

    2008-03-01

    Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. Specificity in diagnostic imaging for detecting colorectal adenomas, which have a propensity towards malignancy, is desired. Adenomatous polyp specimens of the colon were obtained from the mouse model of colorectal cancer called adenomatous polyposis coli-multiple intestinal neoplasia (APC Min). Histological evaluation, by the legume protein Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA-1), determined expression of the glycoprotein α-L-fucose. FITC-labelled UEA-1 confirmed overexpression of the glycoprotein by the polyps on fluorescence microscopy in 17/17 cases, of which 13/17 included paraffin-fixed mouse polyp specimens. In addition, FITC-UEA-1 ex vivo multispectral optical imaging of 4/17 colonic specimens displayed over-expression of the glycoprotein by the polyps, as compared to non-neoplastic mucosa. Here, we report the surface expression of α-L-fucosyl terminal residues by neoplastic mucosal cells of APC specimens of the mouse. Glycoprotein expression was validated by the carbohydrate binding protein UEA-1. Future applications of this method are the development of agents used to diagnose cancers by biomedical imaging modalities, including computed tomographic colonography (CTC). UEA-1 targeting to colonic adenomas may provide a new avenue for the diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma by CT imaging.

  13. Histochemical and structural analysis of mucous glycoprotein secreted by the gill of Mytilus edulis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Hae-Young.

    1988-01-01

    Studies were carried out to characterized various mucous cells in the gill filament, to ascertain structural characteristics of the secreted mucous glycoproteins, and to determine the ability of the gill epithelium to incorporate [ 14 C]glucosamine as a precursor in the biosynthesis and secretion of mucous glycoproteins. Using histochemical staining techniques, mucous cells containing neutral and acidic mucins were found in the lateral region, whereas mucous cells containing primarily neutral or sulfated mucins were found in the postlateral region. Serotonin, but not dopamine, stimulated the mucous secretion. In tissues pretreated with [ 14 C]glucosamine, the secreted glycoproteins contain incorporated radiolabel. Analysis by column chromatography using Bio-Gel P-2 and P-6 shows that the secretion contains two glycoprotein populations. Glycoprotein II has a molecular weight of 2.3 x 10 4 daltons. Upon alkaline reductive borohydride cleavage of the O-glycosidic linkages of glycoprotein I, about 70% of the radiolabel was removed from the protein. Gas chromatographic analysis of the carbohydrate composition shows that the glycoproteins contains N-acetylglucosamine (GluNAc), N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc), and galactose, fucose and mannose. Amino acid analysis shows that the glycoproteins are rich in serine, threonine and proline

  14. Monoclonal antibody to an external epitope of the human mdr1 P-glycoprotein

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arceci, R. J.; Stieglitz, K.; Bras, J.; Schinkel, A.; Baas, F.; Croop, J.

    1993-01-01

    A membrane glycoprotein, termed P-glycoprotein, has been shown to be responsible for cross-resistance to a broad range of structurally and functionally distinct cytotoxic agents. P-glycoprotein, encoded in humans by the mdr1 gene, functions as an energy-dependent efflux pump to exclude these

  15. THE ROLE OF P-GLYCOPROTEIN IN RATIONAL PHARMACOTHERAPY IN CARDIOLOGY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Shulkin

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available On the basis of the analysis of published data the role of P-glycoprotein, carrier protein, in rational pharmacotherapy in cardiology was shown on the example of its substrates – digoxin, antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants. Determination of C3435T polymorphism of multidrug resistance gene (MDR1, encoding P-glycoprotein, in pharmacotherapy with digoxin, antiplatelet drugs (clopidogrel tikagrelol, prasugrel and anticoagulants (dabigatran etexilate, rivaroxaban, edoxaban is not feasible in routine practice. Drug in- teractions have clinical implications for the efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapy in coadministration of these drugs with P-glycoprotein substrates, inducers and inhibitors.

  16. Structures and Functions of Pestivirus Glycoproteins: Not Simply Surface Matters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fun-In Wang

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Pestiviruses, which include economically important animal pathogens such as bovine viral diarrhea virus and classical swine fever virus, possess three envelope glycoproteins, namely Erns, E1, and E2. This article discusses the structures and functions of these glycoproteins and their effects on viral pathogenicity in cells in culture and in animal hosts. E2 is the most important structural protein as it interacts with cell surface receptors that determine cell tropism and induces neutralizing antibody and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses. All three glycoproteins are involved in virus attachment and entry into target cells. E1-E2 heterodimers are essential for viral entry and infectivity. Erns is unique because it possesses intrinsic ribonuclease (RNase activity that can inhibit the production of type I interferons and assist in the development of persistent infections. These glycoproteins are localized to the virion surface; however, variations in amino acids and antigenic structures, disulfide bond formation, glycosylation, and RNase activity can ultimately affect the virulence of pestiviruses in animals. Along with mutations that are driven by selection pressure, antigenic differences in glycoproteins influence the efficacy of vaccines and determine the appropriateness of the vaccines that are currently being used in the field.

  17. Flow cytometric analysis of platelet cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 and surface glycoproteins in patients with immune thrombocytopenia and healthy individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubak, Peter; Kristensen, Steen D; Hvas, Anne-Mette

    2017-06-01

    Immature platelets may contain more platelet enzymes such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 than mature platelets. Patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) have a higher fraction of immature platelets and can therefore be utilized as a biological model for investigating COX-1 and COX-2 platelet expression. The aims were to develop flow cytometric assays for platelet COX-1 and COX-2 and to investigate the COX-1 and COX-2 platelet expression, platelet turnover, and platelet glycoproteins in ITP patients (n = 10) compared with healthy individuals (n = 30). Platelet count and platelet turnover parameters (mean platelet volume (MPV), immature platelet fraction (IPF), and immature platelet count (IPC)) were measured by flow cytometry (Sysmex XE-5000). Platelet COX-1, COX-2, and the glycoproteins (GP)IIb, IX, Ib, Ia, and IIIa were all analyzed by flow cytometry (Navios) and expressed as median fluorescence intensity. COX analyses were performed in both whole blood and platelet rich plasma (PRP), whereas platelet glycoproteins were analyzed in whole blood only. ITP patients had significantly lower platelet count (55 × 10 9 /L) than healthy individuals (240 × 10 9 /L, p platelet count and IPC (both p-values Platelet COX-1 expression was higher in ITP patients than healthy individuals using whole blood (p COX-1 platelet turnover and COX-1 expression (all p-values platelet turnover and COX-1 and COX-2 expressions (all p-values platelet turnover in ITP patients (all p-values 0.14, rho = 0.11-0.28). In conclusion, ITP patients expressed higher COX-1 and platelet glycoprotein levels than healthy individuals. COX-1 and platelet glycoproteins demonstrated positive correlations with platelet turnover in ITP patients. In healthy individuals, COX-1 and COX-2 expression correlated positively with platelet turnover. PRP was more sensitive compared with whole blood as regards determination of COX. Therefore, PRP is the recommended matrix for investigating COX-1 and COX-2 in

  18. Epitope selection from an uncensored peptide library displayed on avian leukosis virus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khare, Pranay D.; Rosales, Ana G.; Bailey, Kent R.; Russell, Stephen J.; Federspiel, Mark J.

    2003-01-01

    Phage display libraries have provided an extraordinarily versatile technology to facilitate the isolation of peptides, growth factors, single chain antibodies, and enzymes with desired binding specificities or enzymatic activities. The overall diversity of peptides in phage display libraries can be significantly limited by Escherichia coli protein folding and processing machinery, which result in sequence censorship. To achieve an optimal diversity of displayed eukaryotic peptides, the library should be produced in the endoplasmic reticulum of eukaryotic cells using a eukaryotic display platform. In the accompanying article, we presented experiments that demonstrate that polypeptides of various sizes could be efficiently displayed on the envelope glycoproteins of a eukaryotic virus, avian leukosis virus (ALV), and the displayed polypeptides could efficiently attach to cognate receptors without interfering with viral attachment and entry into susceptible cells. In this study, methods were developed to construct a model library of randomized eight amino acid peptides using the ALV eukaryotic display platform and screen the library for specific epitopes using immobilized antibodies. A virus library with approximately 2 x 10 6 different members was generated from a plasmid library of approximately 5 x 10 6 diversity. The sequences of the randomized 24 nucleotide/eight amino acid regions of representatives of the plasmid and virus libraries were analyzed. No significant sequence censorship was observed in producing the virus display library from the plasmid library. Different populations of peptide epitopes were selected from the virus library when different monoclonal antibodies were used as the target. The results of these two studies clearly demonstrate the potential of ALV as a eukaryotic platform for the display and selection of eukaryotic polypeptides libraries

  19. Synthesis of fluorescent analogues of relaxin family peptides and their preliminary in vitro and in vivo characterization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linda eChan

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Relaxin, a heterodimeric polypeptide hormone, is a key regulator of collagen metabolism and multiple vascular control pathways in humans and rodents. Its actions are mediated via its cognate G-protein-coupled receptor, RXFP1 although it also ‘pharmacologically’ activates RXFP2, the receptor for the related, insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3, which has specific actions on reproduction and bone metabolism. Therefore, experimental tools to facilitate insights into the distinct biological actions of relaxin and INSL3 are required, particularly for studies of tissues containing both RXFP1 and RXFP2. Here, we chemically functionalized human (H2 relaxin, the RXFP1-selective relaxin analogue H2:A(4-24(F23A, and INSL3 to accommodate a fluorophore without marked reduction in binding or activation propensity. Chemical synthesis of the two chains for each peptide was followed by sequential regioselective formation of their three disulfide bonds. Click chemistry conjugation of Cy5.5 at the B-chain N-terminus, with conservation of the disulfide bonds, yielded the analogues displaying appropriate selective binding affinity and ability to activate RXFP1 and/or RXFP2 in vitro. The in vivo biological activity of Cy5.5-H2 relaxin and Cy5.5-H2:A(4-24(F23A was confirmed in mice, as acute icv infusion of these peptides (but not Cy5.5-INSL3 stimulated water drinking, an established behavioral response elicited by central RXFP1 activation. The central distribution of Cy5.5-conjugated peptides was examined in mice killed 30 min after infusion, revealing fluorescence within brain tissue near-adjacent to the cerebral ventricle walls relative to deeper brain areas. These data will aid the interpretation of behavioral studies. Production of fluorophore-conjugated relaxin family peptides will facilitate future pharmacological studies to probe the function of H2 relaxin/RXFP1 and INSL3/RXFP2 signaling in vivo while tracking their distribution following central or peripheral

  20. Quantitative mass spectrometric analysis of glycoproteins combined with enrichment methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Yeong Hee; Kim, Jin Young; Yoo, Jong Shin

    2015-01-01

    Mass spectrometry (MS) has been a core technology for high sensitive and high-throughput analysis of the enriched glycoproteome in aspects of quantitative assays as well as qualitative profiling of glycoproteins. Because it has been widely recognized that aberrant glycosylation in a glycoprotein may involve in progression of a certain disease, the development of efficient analysis tool for the aberrant glycoproteins is very important for deep understanding about pathological function of the glycoprotein and new biomarker development. This review first describes the protein glycosylation-targeting enrichment technologies mainly employing solid-phase extraction methods such as hydrizide-capturing, lectin-specific capturing, and affinity separation techniques based on porous graphitized carbon, hydrophilic interaction chromatography, or immobilized boronic acid. Second, MS-based quantitative analysis strategies coupled with the protein glycosylation-targeting enrichment technologies, by using a label-free MS, stable isotope-labeling, or targeted multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) MS, are summarized with recent published studies. © 2014 The Authors. Mass Spectrometry Reviews Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Kinetics of isomerization and inversion of aspartate 58 of αA-crystallin peptide mimics under physiological conditions.

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    Kenzo Aki

    Full Text Available Although proteins consist exclusively of L-amino acids, we have reported that aspartyl (Asp 58 and Asp 151 residues of αA-crystallin of eye lenses from elderly cataract donors are highly inverted and isomerized to D-β, D-α and L-β-Asp residues through succinimide intermediates. Of these Asp isomers, large amounts of D-β- and L-β-isomers are present but the amount of D-α-isomer is not significant. The difference in abundance of the Asp isomers in the protein may be due to the rate constants for the formation of the isomers. However, the kinetics have not been well defined. Therefore, in this study, we synthesized a peptide corresponding to human αA-crystallin residues 55 to 65 (T(55VLD(58SGISEVR(65 and its isomers in which L-α-Asp at position 58 was replaced with L-β-, D-β- and D-α-Asp and determined the rate of isomerization and inversion of Asp residues under physiological conditions (37°C, pH7.4. The rate constant for dehydration from L-α-Asp peptide to L-succinimidyl peptide was 3 times higher than the rate constant for dehydration from L-β-Asp peptide to L-succinimidyl peptide. The rate constant for hydrolysis from L-succinimidyl peptide to L-β-Asp peptide was about 5 times higher than the rate constant for hydrolysis from L-succinimidyl peptide to L-α-Asp peptide. The rate constant for dehydration from L-α-Asp peptide to L-succinimidyl peptide was 2 times higher than the rate constant for dehydration from D-α-Asp peptide to D-succinimidyl peptide. The rate constants for hydrolysis from L-succinimidyl peptide to L-β-Asp peptide and for hydrolysis from D-succinimidyl peptide to D-β-Asp peptide were almost equal. Using these rate constants, we calculated the change in the abundance ratios of the 4 Asp isomers during a human lifespan. This result is consistent with the fact that isomerized Asp residues accumulate in proteins during the ageing process.

  2. A Method for Determining the Content of Glycoproteins in Biological Samples

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    Yang Gao

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The glycoprotein purified from the mycelium extract of Tremella fuciformis was marked with iodine through the iodine substitution reaction. The content of iodine, which is indicative of the amount of the marked tremella glycoprotein (ITG, was detected with Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS. The method was found to be stable, sensitive, and accurate at detecting the content of iodine-substituted glycoprotein, and was used in the quantitative analysis of biological samples, including blood and organs. Different biological samples were collected from rats after oral administration of ITG, and were tested for iodine content by ICP-MS to calculate the amount of ITG in the samples. The results suggested that ICP-MS is a sensitive, stable, and accurate method for detection of iodinated glycoproteins in blood and organs.

  3. Structural Basis for Species Selectivity in the HIV-1 gp120-CD4 Interaction: Restoring Affinity to gp120 in Murine CD4 Mimetic Peptides

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    Kristin Kassler

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The first step of HIV-1 infection involves interaction between the viral glycoprotein gp120 and the human cellular receptor CD4. Inhibition of the gp120-CD4 interaction represents an attractive strategy to block HIV-1 infection. In an attempt to explore the known lack of affinity of murine CD4 to gp120, we have investigated peptides presenting the putative gp120-binding site of murine CD4 (mCD4. Molecular modeling indicates that mCD4 protein cannot bind gp120 due to steric clashes, while the larger conformational flexibility of mCD4 peptides allows an interaction. This finding is confirmed by experimental binding assays, which also evidenced specificity of the peptide-gp120 interaction. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the mCD4-peptide stably interacts with gp120 via an intermolecular β-sheet, while an important salt-bridge formed by a C-terminal lysine is lost. Fixation of the C-terminus by introducing a disulfide bridge between the N- and C-termini of the peptide significantly enhanced the affinity to gp120.

  4. C- and N-truncated antimicrobial peptides from LFampin 265 - 284: Biophysical versus microbiology results

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    Regina Adão

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein with two globular lobes, each having two domains. Since the discovery of its antimicrobial properties, efforts have been made to find peptides derived from this protein showing antimicrobial properties. Most peptides initially studied were derived from Lactoferricin B, obtained from the protein by digestion with pepsin. More recently, a new family of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs derived from Lactoferrin was discovered by Bolcher et al, and named Lactoferrampin (LFampin. The original sequence of LFampin contained residues 268 - 284 from the N1 domain of Lactoferrin. From this peptide, the Bolscher′s group synthesized a collection of peptides obtained by extension and / or truncation at the C or N-terminal sides, in order to unravel the main structural features responsible for antimicrobial action. Here, we present results for three of these peptides, namely LFampin 265 - 284, LFampin 265 - 280, and LFampin 270 - 284. The peptides were tested against bacteria (E. coli and S. sanguinis, fungi (C. albicans, and model membranes of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC, 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol] (DMPG, and their mixtures at a ratio of 3 : 1 (DMPC : DMPG (3 : 1. The ability to adopt a helical conformation was followed by a circular dichroism (CD, and the perturbation of the gel to the liquid-crystalline phase transition of the membrane was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC. Distinct behavior was observed in the three peptides, both from the microbiology and model membrane studies, with the biophysical results showing excellent correlation with the microbiology activity studies. LFampin 265 - 284 was the most active peptide toward the tested microorganisms, and in the biophysical studies it showed the highest ability to form an a-helix and the strongest interaction with model membranes, followed by LFampin 265 - 280. LFampin 270 - 284 was inactive, showing

  5. Global identification of prokaryotic glycoproteins based on an Escherichia coli proteome microarray.

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    Zong-Xiu Wang

    Full Text Available Glycosylation is one of the most abundant protein posttranslational modifications. Protein glycosylation plays important roles not only in eukaryotes but also in prokaryotes. To further understand the roles of protein glycosylation in prokaryotes, we developed a lectin binding assay to screen glycoproteins on an Escherichia coli proteome microarray containing 4,256 affinity-purified E.coli proteins. Twenty-three E.coli proteins that bound Wheat-Germ Agglutinin (WGA were identified. PANTHER protein classification analysis showed that these glycoprotein candidates were highly enriched in metabolic process and catalytic activity classes. One sub-network centered on deoxyribonuclease I (sbcB was identified. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that prokaryotic protein glycosylation may play roles in nucleotide and nucleic acid metabolism. Fifteen of the 23 glycoprotein candidates were validated by lectin (WGA staining, thereby increasing the number of validated E. coli glycoproteins from 3 to 18. By cataloguing glycoproteins in E.coli, our study greatly extends our understanding of protein glycosylation in prokaryotes.

  6. Thyroid hormone upregulates zinc-α2-glycoprotein production in the liver but not in adipose tissue.

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    Rafael Simó

    Full Text Available Overproduction of zinc-α2-glycoprotein by adipose tissue is crucial in accounting for the lipolysis occurring in cancer cachexia of certain malignant tumors. The main aim of this study was to explore whether thyroid hormone could enhance zinc-α2-glycoprotein production in adipose tissue. In addition, the regulation of zinc-α2-glycoprotein by thyroid hormone in the liver was investigated. We performed in vitro (HepG2 cells and primary human adipocytes and in vivo (C57BL6/mice experiments addressed to examine the effect of thyroid hormone on zinc-α2-glycoprotein production (mRNA and protein levels in liver and visceral adipose tissue. We also measured the zinc-α2-glycoprotein serum levels in a cohort of patients before and after controlling their hyperthyroidism. Our results showed that thyroid hormone up-regulates zinc-α2-glycoprotein production in HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the zinc-α2-glycoprotein proximal promoter contains functional thyroid hormone receptor binding sites that respond to thyroid hormone treatment in luciferase reporter gene assays in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, zinc-α2-glycoprotein induced lipolysis in HepG2 in a dose-dependent manner. Our in vivo experiments in mice confirmed the up-regulation of zinc-α2-glycoprotein induced by thyroid hormone in the liver, thus leading to a significant increase in zinc-α2-glycoprotein circulating levels. However, thyroid hormone did not regulate zinc-α2-glycoprotein production in either human or mouse adipocytes. Finally, in patients with hyperthyroidism a significant reduction of zinc-α2-glycoprotein serum levels was detected after treatment but was unrelated to body weight changes. We conclude that thyroid hormone up-regulates the production of zinc-α2-glycoprotein in the liver but not in the adipose tissue. The neutral effect of thyroid hormones on zinc-α2-glycoprotein expression in adipose tissue could be the reason why zinc-α2-glycoprotein is not

  7. Thyroid hormone upregulates zinc-α2-glycoprotein production in the liver but not in adipose tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simó, Rafael; Hernández, Cristina; Sáez-López, Cristina; Soldevila, Berta; Puig-Domingo, Manel; Selva, David M

    2014-01-01

    Overproduction of zinc-α2-glycoprotein by adipose tissue is crucial in accounting for the lipolysis occurring in cancer cachexia of certain malignant tumors. The main aim of this study was to explore whether thyroid hormone could enhance zinc-α2-glycoprotein production in adipose tissue. In addition, the regulation of zinc-α2-glycoprotein by thyroid hormone in the liver was investigated. We performed in vitro (HepG2 cells and primary human adipocytes) and in vivo (C57BL6/mice) experiments addressed to examine the effect of thyroid hormone on zinc-α2-glycoprotein production (mRNA and protein levels) in liver and visceral adipose tissue. We also measured the zinc-α2-glycoprotein serum levels in a cohort of patients before and after controlling their hyperthyroidism. Our results showed that thyroid hormone up-regulates zinc-α2-glycoprotein production in HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the zinc-α2-glycoprotein proximal promoter contains functional thyroid hormone receptor binding sites that respond to thyroid hormone treatment in luciferase reporter gene assays in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, zinc-α2-glycoprotein induced lipolysis in HepG2 in a dose-dependent manner. Our in vivo experiments in mice confirmed the up-regulation of zinc-α2-glycoprotein induced by thyroid hormone in the liver, thus leading to a significant increase in zinc-α2-glycoprotein circulating levels. However, thyroid hormone did not regulate zinc-α2-glycoprotein production in either human or mouse adipocytes. Finally, in patients with hyperthyroidism a significant reduction of zinc-α2-glycoprotein serum levels was detected after treatment but was unrelated to body weight changes. We conclude that thyroid hormone up-regulates the production of zinc-α2-glycoprotein in the liver but not in the adipose tissue. The neutral effect of thyroid hormones on zinc-α2-glycoprotein expression in adipose tissue could be the reason why zinc-α2-glycoprotein is not related to weight

  8. Theoretical and Computational Studies of Peptides and Receptors of the Insulin Family

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    Harish Vashisth

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Synergistic interactions among peptides and receptors of the insulin family are required for glucose homeostasis, normal cellular growth and development, proliferation, differentiation and other metabolic processes. The peptides of the insulin family are disulfide-linked single or dual-chain proteins, while receptors are ligand-activated transmembrane glycoproteins of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK superfamily. Binding of ligands to the extracellular domains of receptors is known to initiate signaling via activation of intracellular kinase domains. While the structure of insulin has been known since 1969, recent decades have seen remarkable progress on the structural biology of apo and liganded receptor fragments. Here, we review how this useful structural information (on ligands and receptors has enabled large-scale atomically-resolved simulations to elucidate the conformational dynamics of these biomolecules. Particularly, applications of molecular dynamics (MD and Monte Carlo (MC simulation methods are discussed in various contexts, including studies of isolated ligands, apo-receptors, ligand/receptor complexes and intracellular kinase domains. The review concludes with a brief overview and future outlook for modeling and computational studies in this family of proteins.

  9. Selection of SARS-Coronavirus-specific B cell epitopes by phage peptide library screening and evaluation of the immunological effect of epitope-based peptides on mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Hua; Jiang Lifang; Fang Danyun; Yan Huijun; Zhou Jingjiao; Zhou Junmei; Liang Yu; Gao Yang; Zhao, Wei; Long Beiguo

    2007-01-01

    Antibodies to SARS-Coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-specific B cell epitopes might recognize the pathogen and interrupt its adherence to and penetration of host cells. Hence, these epitopes could be useful for diagnosis and as vaccine constituents. Using the phage-displayed peptide library screening method and purified Fab fragments of immunoglobulin G (IgG Fab) from normal human sera and convalescent sera from SARS-CoV-infected patients as targets, 11 B cell epitopes of SARS-CoV spike glycoprotein (S protein) and membrane protein (M protein) were screened. After a bioinformatics tool was used to analyze these epitopes, four epitope-based S protein dodecapeptides corresponding to the predominant epitopes were chosen for synthesis. Their antigenic specificities and immunogenicities were studied in vitro and in vivo. Flow cytometry and ELISPOT analysis of lymphocytes as well as a serologic analysis of antibody showed that these peptides could trigger a rapid, highly effective, and relatively safe immune response in BALB/c mice. These findings might aid development of SARS diagnostics and vaccines. Moreover, the role of S and M proteins as important surface antigens is confirmed

  10. 3,3′,4,4′,5-Pentachlorobiphenyl Inhibits Drug Efflux Through P-Glycoprotein in KB-3 Cells Expressing Mutant Human P-Glycoprotein

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    Hiroshi Fujise

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The effects on the drug efflux of 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB-126, the most toxic of all coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (Co-PCBs, were examined in KB-3 cells expressing human wild-type and mutant P-glycoprotein in which the 61st amino acid was substituted for serine or phenylalanine (KB3-Phe61. In the cells expressing P-glycoproteins, accumulations of vinblastine and colchicine decreased form 85% to 92% and from 62% to 91%, respectively, and the drug tolerances for these chemicals were increased. In KB3-Phe61, the decreases in drug accumulation were inhibited by adding PCB-126 in a way similar to that with cyclosporine A: by adding 1 μM PCB-126, the accumulations of vinblastine and colchicine increased up to 3.3- and 2.3-fold, respectively. It is suggested that PCB-126 decreased the drug efflux by inhibiting the P-glycoprotein in KB3-Phe61. Since there were various P-glycoproteins and many congeners of Co-PCBs, this inhibition has to be considered a new cause of the toxic effects of Co-PCBs.

  11. Prediction of conserved sites and domains in glycoproteins B, C and D of herpes viruses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasheed, Muhammad Asif; Ansari, Abdur Rahman; Ihsan, Awais; Navid, Muhammad Tariq; Ur-Rehman, Shahid; Raza, Sohail

    2018-03-01

    Glycoprotein B (gB), C (gC) and D (gD) of herpes simplex virus are implicated in virus adsorption and penetration. The gB, gC and gD are glycoproteins for different processes of virus binding and attachment to the host cells. Moreover, their expression is necessary and sufficient to induce cell fusion in the absence of other glycoproteins. Egress of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and other herpes viruses from cells involves extensive modification of cellular membranes and sequential envelopment, de-envelopment and re-envelopment steps. Viral glycoproteins are important in these processes, and frequently two or more glycoproteins can largely suffice in any step. Hence, we target the 3 important glycoproteins (B, C and D) of eight different herpes viruses of different species. These species include human (HSV1 and 2), bovine (BHV1), equine (EHV1 and 4), chicken (ILT1 and MDV2) and pig (PRV1). By applying different bioinformatics tools, we highlighted the conserved sites in these glycoproteins which might be most significant regarding attachment and infection of the viruses. Moreover the conserved domains in these glycoproteins are also highlighted. From this study, we will able to analyze the role of different viral glycoproteins of different species during herpes virus adsorption and penetration. Moreover, this study will help to construct the antivirals that target the glycoproteins of different herpes viruses. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Amyloid beta-peptide(25-35) changes [Ca2+] in hippocampal neurons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mogensen, Helle Smidt; Beatty, D M; Morris, S J

    1998-01-01

    of A beta(25-35) on [Ca2+]i and intracellular H+ concentration ([H+]i) in single hippocampal neurons by real time fluorescence imaging using the Ca(2+)- and H(+)-specific ratio dyes, indo-1 and SNARF-1. Incubation of these cultures with A beta(25-35) for 3-12 days in vitro increased [Ca2+]i and [H......+]i in large, NMDA-responsive neurons....

  13. Sequence preservation of osteocalcin protein and mitochondrial DNA in bison bones older than 55 ka

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen-Marsh, Christina M.; Ostrom, Peggy H.; Gandhi, Hasand; Shapiro, Beth; Cooper, Alan; Hauschka, Peter V.; Collins, Matthew J.

    2002-12-01

    We report the first complete sequences of the protein osteocalcin from small amounts (20 mg) of two bison bone (Bison priscus) dated to older than 55.6 ka and older than 58.9 ka. Osteocalcin was purified using new gravity columns (never exposed to protein) followed by microbore reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Sequencing of osteocalcin employed two methods of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS): peptide mass mapping (PMM) and post-source decay (PSD). The PMM shows that ancient and modern bison osteocalcin have the same mass to charge (m/z) distribution, indicating an identical protein sequence and absence of diagenetic products. This was confirmed by PSD of the m/z 2066 tryptic peptide (residues 1 19); the mass spectra from ancient and modern peptides were identical. The 129 mass unit difference in the molecular ion between cow (Bos taurus) and bison is caused by a single amino-acid substitution between the taxa (Trp in cow is replaced by Gly in bison at residue 5). Bison mitochondrial control region DNA sequences were obtained from the older than 55.6 ka fossil. These results suggest that DNA and protein sequences can be used to directly investigate molecular phylogenies over a considerable time period, the absolute limit of which is yet to be determined.

  14. Labeling of Complex III peptides in beef heart mitochondria and submitochondrial particles by diazonium bensene [35S]sulfonate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendel-Hartvig, I.; Nelson, B.D.

    1978-01-01

    The labeling of Complex III peptides in DABS-treated mitochondria and submitochondrial particles from beef heart is reported. The results are consistent with the labeling of the two core proteins on the matrix surface of the inner membrane, and of a 29 000 molecular weight peptide on the cytoplasmic surface. (Auth.)

  15. Por secretion system-dependent secretion and glycosylation of Porphyromonas gingivalis hemin-binding protein 35.

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    Mikio Shoji

    Full Text Available The anaerobic Gram-negative bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major pathogen in severe forms of periodontal disease and refractory periapical perodontitis. We have recently found that P. gingivalis has a novel secretion system named the Por secretion system (PorSS, which is responsible for secretion of major extracellular proteinases, Arg-gingipains (Rgps and Lys-gingipain. These proteinases contain conserved C-terminal domains (CTDs in their C-termini. Hemin-binding protein 35 (HBP35, which is one of the outer membrane proteins of P. gingivalis and contributes to its haem utilization, also contains a CTD, suggesting that HBP35 is translocated to the cell surface via the PorSS. In this study, immunoblot analysis of P. gingivalis mutants deficient in the PorSS or in the biosynthesis of anionic polysaccharide-lipopolysaccharide (A-LPS revealed that HBP35 is translocated to the cell surface via the PorSS and is glycosylated with A-LPS. From deletion analysis with a GFP-CTD[HBP35] green fluorescent protein fusion, the C-terminal 22 amino acid residues of CTD[HBP35] were found to be required for cell surface translocation and glycosylation. The GFP-CTD fusion study also revealed that the CTDs of CPG70, peptidylarginine deiminase, P27 and RgpB play roles in PorSS-dependent translocation and glycosylation. However, CTD-region peptides were not found in samples of glycosylated HBP35 protein by peptide map fingerprinting analysis, and antibodies against CTD-regions peptides did not react with glycosylated HBP35 protein. These results suggest both that the CTD region functions as a recognition signal for the PorSS and that glycosylation of CTD proteins occurs after removal of the CTD region. Rabbits were used for making antisera against bacterial proteins in this study.

  16. Rationally designed turn promoting mutation in the amyloid-β peptide sequence stabilizes oligomers in solution.

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    Jayakumar Rajadas

    Full Text Available Enhanced production of a 42-residue beta amyloid peptide (Aβ(42 in affected parts of the brain has been suggested to be the main causative factor for the development of Alzheimer's Disease (AD. The severity of the disease depends not only on the amount of the peptide but also its conformational transition leading to the formation of oligomeric amyloid-derived diffusible ligands (ADDLs in the brain of AD patients. Despite being significant to the understanding of AD mechanism, no atomic-resolution structures are available for these species due to the evanescent nature of ADDLs that hinders most structural biophysical investigations. Based on our molecular modeling and computational studies, we have designed Met35Nle and G37p mutations in the Aβ(42 peptide (Aβ(42Nle35p37 that appear to organize Aβ(42 into stable oligomers. 2D NMR on the Aβ(42Nle35p37 peptide revealed the occurrence of two β-turns in the V24-N27 and V36-V39 stretches that could be the possible cause for the oligomer stability. We did not observe corresponding NOEs for the V24-N27 turn in the Aβ(21-43Nle35p37 fragment suggesting the need for the longer length amyloid peptide to form the stable oligomer promoting conformation. Because of the presence of two turns in the mutant peptide which were absent in solid state NMR structures for the fibrils, we propose, fibril formation might be hindered. The biophysical information obtained in this work could aid in the development of structural models for toxic oligomer formation that could facilitate the development of therapeutic approaches to AD.

  17. Technetium-99m labelled antimicrobial peptides discriminate between bacterial infections and sterile inflammations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Welling, M.M.; Pauwels, E.K.J.; Paulusma-Annema, A.; Nibbering, P.H.; Balter, H.S.

    2000-01-01

    The aim of this study was to select technetium-99m labelled peptides that can discriminate between bacterial infections and sterile inflammations. For this purpose, we first assessed the binding of various 99m Tc-labelled natural or synthetic peptides, which are based on the sequence of the human antimicrobial peptide ubiquicidin (UBI) or human lactoferrin (hLF), to bacteria and to leucocytes in vitro. In order to select peptides that preferentially bind to bacteria over host cells, radiolabelled peptides were injected into mice intraperitoneally infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) and the amount of radioactivity associated with the bacteria and with the leucocytes was quantitated. The next phase focussed on discrimination between bacterial infections and sterile inflammatory processes using 99m Tc-labelled peptides in mice intramuscularly infected with various bacteria (e.g. multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and in animals that had been injected with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of bacterial origin to create a sterile inflammatory process. Also, we studied the distribution of 99m Tc-labelled UBI 29-41 and UBI 18-35 in rabbits having an experimental thigh muscle infection with K. pneumoniae and in rabbits injected with LPS. Based on the results of our in vitro and in vivo binding assays, two peptides, i.e. UBI 29-41 and UBI 18-35, were selected as possible candidates for infection imaging. The radiolabelled peptides can detect infections with both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in mice as early as 5-30 min after injection, with a target-to-non-target (T/NT) ratio between 2 and 3; maximum T/NT ratios were seen within 1 h after injection. In rabbits, high T/NT ratios (>5) for 99m Tc-labelled UBI 29-41 were observed from 1 h after injection. No accumulation of the selected 99m Tc-labelled UBI-derived peptides was observed in thighs of mice and rabbits previously injected with LPS. Scintigraphic investigation into the biodistribution of

  18. Technetium-99m labelled antimicrobial peptides discriminate between bacterial infections and sterile inflammations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Welling, M.M.; Pauwels, E.K.J. [Dept. of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) (Netherlands); Paulusma-Annema, A.; Nibbering, P.H. [Dept. of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center (Netherlands); Balter, H.S. [Centro Investigaciones Nucleares, Univ. of the Republic Uruguay, Montevideo (Uruguay)

    2000-03-01

    The aim of this study was to select technetium-99m labelled peptides that can discriminate between bacterial infections and sterile inflammations. For this purpose, we first assessed the binding of various {sup 99m}Tc-labelled natural or synthetic peptides, which are based on the sequence of the human antimicrobial peptide ubiquicidin (UBI) or human lactoferrin (hLF), to bacteria and to leucocytes in vitro. In order to select peptides that preferentially bind to bacteria over host cells, radiolabelled peptides were injected into mice intraperitoneally infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) and the amount of radioactivity associated with the bacteria and with the leucocytes was quantitated. The next phase focussed on discrimination between bacterial infections and sterile inflammatory processes using {sup 99m}Tc-labelled peptides in mice intramuscularly infected with various bacteria (e.g. multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and in animals that had been injected with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of bacterial origin to create a sterile inflammatory process. Also, we studied the distribution of {sup 99m}Tc-labelled UBI 29-41 and UBI 18-35 in rabbits having an experimental thigh muscle infection with K. pneumoniae and in rabbits injected with LPS. Based on the results of our in vitro and in vivo binding assays, two peptides, i.e. UBI 29-41 and UBI 18-35, were selected as possible candidates for infection imaging. The radiolabelled peptides can detect infections with both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in mice as early as 5-30 min after injection, with a target-to-non-target (T/NT) ratio between 2 and 3; maximum T/NT ratios were seen within 1 h after injection. In rabbits, high T/NT ratios (>5) for {sup 99m}Tc-labelled UBI 29-41 were observed from 1 h after injection. No accumulation of the selected {sup 99m}Tc-labelled UBI-derived peptides was observed in thighs of mice and rabbits previously injected with LPS. Scintigraphic investigation

  19. Glycoprotein and proteoglycan techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beeley, J.G.

    1985-01-01

    The aim of this book is to describe techniques which can be used to answer some of the basic questions about glycosylated proteins. Methods are discussed for isolation, compositional analysis, and for determination of the primary structure of carbohydrate units and the nature of protein-carbohydrate linkages of glycoproteins and proteoglycans. High resolution NMR is considered, as well as radioactive labelling techniques. (Auth.)

  20. HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caulfield, Michael; Cupo, Albert; Dean, Hansi; Hoffenberg, Simon; King, C. Richter; Klasse, P. J.; Marozsan, Andre; Moore, John P.; Sanders, Rogier W.; Ward, Andrew; Wilson, Ian; Julien, Jean-Philippe

    2017-08-22

    The present application relates to novel HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins, which may be utilized as HIV-1 vaccine immunogens, and antigens for crystallization, electron microscopy and other biophysical, biochemical and immunological studies for the identification of broad neutralizing antibodies. The present invention encompasses the preparation and purification of immunogenic compositions, which are formulated into the vaccines of the present invention.

  1. Beta-Amyloid Downregulates MDR1-P-Glycoprotein (Abcb1 Expression at the Blood-Brain Barrier in Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anja Brenn

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Neurovascular dysfunction is an important component of Alzheimer's disease, leading to reduced clearance across the blood-brain barrier and accumulation of neurotoxic β-amyloid (Aβ peptides in the brain. It has been shown that the ABC transport protein P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1 is involved in the export of Aβ from the brain into the blood. To determine whether Aβ influences the expression of key Aβ transporters, we studied the effects of 1-day subcutaneous Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 administration via Alzet mini-osmotic pumps on P-gp, BCRP, LRP1, and RAGE expression in the brain of 90-day-old male FVB mice. Our results demonstrate significantly reduced P-gp, LRP1, and RAGE mRNA expression in mice treated with Aβ1-42 compared to controls, while BCRP expression was not affected. The expression of the four proteins was unchanged in mice treated with Aβ1-40 or reverse-sequence peptides. These findings indicate that, in addition to the age-related decrease of P-gp expression, Aβ1-42 itself downregulates the expression of P-gp and other Aβ-transporters, which could exacerbate the intracerebral accumulation of Aβ and thereby accelerate neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease and cerebral β-amyloid angiopathy.

  2. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Chandipura virus glycoprotein G

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baquero, Eduard; Buonocore, Linda; Rose, John K.; Bressanelli, Stéphane; Gaudin, Yves; Albertini, Aurélie A.

    2012-01-01

    Chandipura virus glycoprotein ectodomain (Gth) was purified and crystallized at pH 7.5. X-ray diffraction data set was collected to a resolution of 3.1 Å. Fusion in members of the Rhabdoviridae virus family is mediated by the G glycoprotein. At low pH, the G glycoprotein catalyzes fusion between viral and endosomal membranes by undergoing a major conformational change from a pre-fusion trimer to a post-fusion trimer. The structure of the G glycoprotein from vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV G), the prototype of Vesiculovirus, has recently been solved in its trimeric pre-fusion and post-fusion conformations; however, little is known about the structural details of the transition. In this work, a soluble form of the ectodomain of Chandipura virus G glycoprotein (CHAV G th ) was purified using limited proteolysis of purified virus; this soluble ectodomain was also crystallized. This protein shares 41% amino-acid identity with VSV G and thus its structure could provide further clues about the structural transition of rhabdoviral glycoproteins induced by low pH. Crystals of CHAV G th obtained at pH 7.5 diffracted X-rays to 3.1 Å resolution. These crystals belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2 1 2 1 2, with unit-cell parameters a = 150.3, b = 228.2, c = 78.8 Å. Preliminary analysis of the data based on the space group and the self-rotation function indicated that there was no trimeric association of the protomers. This unusual oligomeric status could result from the presence of fusion intermediates in the crystal

  3. The glycoproteins of Marburg and Ebola virus and their potential roles in pathogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldmann, H; Volchkov, V E; Volchkova, V A; Klenk, H D

    1999-01-01

    Filoviruses cause systemic infections that can lead to severe hemorrhagic fever in human and non-human primates. The primary target of the virus appears to be the mononuclear phagocytic system. As the virus spreads through the organism, the spectrum of target cells increases to include endothelial cells, fibroblasts, hepatocytes, and many other cells. There is evidence that the filovirus glycoprotein plays an important role in cell tropism, spread of infection, and pathogenicity. Biosynthesis of the glycoprotein forming the spikes on the virion surface involves cleavage by the host cell protease furin into two disulfide linked subunits GP1 and GP2. GP1 is also shed in soluble form from infected cells. Different strains of Ebola virus show variations in the cleavability of the glycoprotein, that may account for differences in pathogenicity, as has been observed with influenza viruses and paramyxoviruses. Expression of the spike glycoprotein of Ebola virus, but not of Marburg virus, requires transcriptional editing. Unedited GP mRNA yields the nonstructural glycoprotein sGP, which is secreted extensively from infected cells. Whether the soluble glycoproteins GP1 and sGP interfere with the humoral immune response and other defense mechanisms remains to be determined.

  4. Three-dimensionally Functionalized Reverse Phase Glycoprotein Array for Cancer Biomarker Discovery and Validation

    OpenAIRE

    Pan, Li; Aguilar, Hillary Andaluz; Wang, Linna; Iliuk, Anton; Tao, W. Andy

    2016-01-01

    Glycoproteins have vast structural diversity which plays an important role in many biological processes and have great potential as disease biomarkers. Here we report a novel functionalized reverse phase protein array (RPPA), termed polymer-based reverse phase GlycoProtein Array (polyGPA), to specifically capture and profile glycoproteomes, and validate glycoproteins. Nitrocellulose membrane functionalized with globular hydroxyaminodendrimers was used to covalently capture pre-oxidized glycan...

  5. Effective delivery of a nematode-repellent peptide using a root-cap-specific promoter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lilley, Catherine J; Wang, Dong; Atkinson, Howard J; Urwin, Peter E

    2011-02-01

    The potential of the MDK4-20 promoter of Arabidopsis thaliana to direct effective transgenic expression of a secreted nematode-repellent peptide was investigated. Its expression pattern was studied in both transgenic Arabidopsis and Solanum tuberosum (potato) plants. It directed root-specific β-glucuronidase expression in both species that was chiefly localized to cells of the root cap. Use of the fluorescent timer protein dsRED-E5 established that the MDK4-20 promoter remains active for longer than the commonly used constitutive promoter CaMV35S in separated potato root border cells. Transgenic Arabidopsis lines that expressed the nematode-repellent peptide under the control of either AtMDK4-20 or CaMV35S reduced the establishment of the beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii. The best line using the AtMDK4-20 promoter displayed a level of resistance >80%, comparable to that of lines using the CaMV35S promoter. In transgenic potato plants, 94.9 ± 0.8% resistance to the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida was achieved using the AtMDK4-20 promoter, compared with 34.4 ± 8.4% resistance displayed by a line expressing the repellent peptide from the CaMV35S promoter. These results establish the potential of the AtMDK4-20 promoter to limit expression of a repellent peptide whilst maintaining or even improving the efficacy of the cyst-nematode defence. © 2010 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal © 2010 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  6. HDAd5/35++ Adenovirus Vector Expressing Anti-CRISPR Peptides Decreases CRISPR/Cas9 Toxicity in Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang Li

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available We generated helper-dependent HDAd5/35++ adenovirus vectors expressing CRISPR/Cas9 for potential hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs gene therapy of β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease through re-activation of fetal γ-globin expression (HDAd-globin-CRISPR. The process of CRISPR/Cas9 gene transfer using these vectors was not associated with death of human CD34+ cells and did not affect their in vitro expansion and erythroid differentiation. However, functional assays for primitive HSCs, e.g., multi-lineage progenitor colony formation and engraftment in irradiated NOD/Shi-scid/interleukin-2 receptor γ (IL-2Rγ null (NSG mice, revealed toxicity of HDAd-globin-CRISPR vectors related to the prolonged expression and activity of CRISPR/Cas9. To control the duration of CRISPR/Cas9 activity, we generated an HDAd5/35++ vector that expressed two anti-CRISPR (Acr peptides (AcrII4 and AcrII2 capable of binding to the CRISPR/Cas9 complex (HDAd-Acr. CD34+ cells that were sequentially infected with HDAd-CRISPR and HDAd-Acr engrafted at a significantly higher rate. Target site disruption frequencies in engrafted human cells were similar to those in pre-transplantation CD34+ cells, indicating that genome-edited primitive HSCs survived. In vitro differentiated HSCs isolated from transplanted mice demonstrated increased γ-globin expression as a result of genome editing. Our data indicate that the HDAd-Acr vector can be used as a tool to reduce HSC cytotoxicity of the CRISPR/Cas9 complex.

  7. Filamentous fungi as production organisms for glycoproteins of bio-medical interest

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maras, M.; Die, I. van; Contreras, R.; Hondel, C.A.M.J.J. van den

    1999-01-01

    Filamentous fungi are commonly used in the fermentation industry for large scale production of glycoproteins. Several of these proteins can be produced in concentrations up to 20-40 g per litre. The production of heterologous glycoproteins is at least one or two orders of magnitude lower but

  8. Co-treatment by docetaxel and vinblastine breaks down P-glycoprotein mediated chemo-resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahsa Mohseni

    2016-03-01

    Results: Combination treatment of the cells with docetaxel and vinblastine decreased the IC50 values for docetaxel from (30±3.1 to (15±2.6 nM and for vinblastine from (30±5.9 to (5±5.6 nM (P≤0.05.               P-glycoprotein mRNA expression level showed a significant up-regulation in the cells incubated with each drug alone (P≤0.001. Incubation of the cells with combined concentrations of both agents neutralized P-glycoprotein overexpression (P≤0.05. Adding verapamil, a P-glycoprotein inhibitor caused a further increase in the percentage of apoptotic cells when the cells were treated with both agents.  Conclusion:Our results suggest that combination therapy along with P-glycoprotein inhibition can be considered as a novel approach to improve the efficacy of chemotherapeutics in cancer patients with high P-glycoprotein expression.

  9. Glycoproteins and sialyl transferase of human B lymphoblastoid cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lui, S.W.L.; Ng, M.H.

    1980-01-01

    We used two radiolabeling methods to study glycoproteins on the surface of lymphoblastoid cells. One of the methods affects tritiation of residues which are oxidized with galactose oxidase and the other causes tritiation of neuraminic acid residues. This approach was shown to allow a better resolution of cell surface glycoproteins than if either method were used alone. Glycoproteins of B 1 - 19 cells which harbor the Epstein-Barr virus genomes were compared with those of its parental cell line, BJAB, which does not harbor the viral genomes. These studies did not reveal a unique viral protein. A 28,000 mol. wt. glycoprotein was found to be the most prominent neuraminic acidlabeled product of B 1 - 19 cells and also of the two other cell lines, Raji and Ly38, which harbor the EBV genomes. A similar molecular weight species from BJAB cells identified by galactose oxidase labeling might be deficient in neuraminic acid residues as it was poorly labeled by the periodate oxidation method. The neuraminic acid content and level of sialyl transferase of BJAB cells were found to be lower than those of the other cell lines studied. (auth.)

  10. Effects of chronic ethanol administration on hepatic glycoprotein secretion in the rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sorrell, M.F.; Nauss, J.M.; Donohue, T.M. Jr.; Tuma, D.J.

    1983-01-01

    The effects of chronic ethanol feeding on protein and glycoprotein synthesis and secretion were studied in rat liver slices. Liver slices from rats fed ethanol for 4-5 wk showed a decreased ability to incorporate [ 14 C]glucosamine into medium trichloracetic acid-precipitable proteins when compared to the pair-fed controls; however, the labeling of hepatocellular glycoproteins was unaffected by chronic ethanol treatment. Immunoprecipitation of radiolabeled secretory (serum) glycoproteins with antiserum against rat serum proteins showed a similar marked inhibition in the appearance of glucosamine-labeled proteins in the medium of slices from ethanol-fed rats. Minimal effects, however, were noted in the labeling of intracellular secretory glycoproteins. Protein synthesis, as determined by measuring [ 14 C]leucine incorporation into medium and liver proteins, was decreased in liver slices from ethanol-fed rats as compared to the pair-fed controls. This was the case for both total proteins as well as immunoprecipitable secretory proteins, although the labeling of secretory proteins retained in the liver slices was reduced to a lesser extent than total radiolabeled hepatic proteins. When the terminal sugar, [ 14 C]fucose, was employed as a precursor in order to more closely focus on the final steps of hepatic glycoprotein secretion, liver slices obtained from chronic ethanol-fed rats exhibited impaired secretion of fucose-labeled proteins into the medium. When ethanol (5 or 10 mM) was added to the incubation medium containing liver slices from the ethanol-fed rats, the alterations in protein and glycoprotein synthesis and secretion caused by the chronic ethanol treatment were further potentiated. The results of this study indicate that liver slices prepared from chronic ethanol-fed rats exhibit both impaired synthesis and secretion of proteins and glycoproteins, and these defects are further potentiated by acute ethanol administration

  11. Identification, isolation, and N-terminal sequencing of style glycoproteins associated with self-incompatibility in Nicotiana alata.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jahnen, W; Batterham, M P; Clarke, A E; Moritz, R L; Simpson, R J

    1989-05-01

    S-Gene-associated glycoproteins (S-glycoproteins) from styles of Nicotiana alata, identified by non-equilibrium two-dimensional electrophoresis, were purified by cation exchange fast protein liquid chromatography with yields of 0.5 to 8 micrograms of protein per style, depending on the S-genotype of the plant. The method relies on the highly basic nature of the S-glycoproteins. The elution profiles of the different S-glycoproteins from the fast protein liquid chromatography column were characteristic of each S-glycoprotein, and could be used to establish the S-genotype of plants in outbreeding populations. In all cases, the S-genotype predicted from the style protein profile corresponded to that predicted from DNA gel blot analysis using S-allele-specific DNA probes and to that established by conventional breeding tests. Amino-terminal sequences of five purified S-glycoproteins showed a high degree of homology with the previously published sequences of N. alata and Lycopersicon esculentum S-glycoproteins.

  12. The peanut lectin-binding glycoproteins of human epidermal keratinocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrison, A.I.; Keeble, S.; Watt, F.M.

    1988-01-01

    The peanut lectin (PNA) is known to bind more strongly to keratinocytes that are undergoing terminal differentiation than to proliferating keratinocytes. In order to investigate the significance of this change in cell-surface carbohydrate authors have identified the PNA-binding glycoproteins of cultured human keratinocytes and antibodies against them. Two heavily glycosylated bands of 110 and 250 kDa were resolved by PAGE of [ 14 C]galactose- or [ 14 C]mannose- and [ 14 C]glucosamine-labeled cell extracts eluted with galactose from PNA affinity columns. The higher molecular weight band was also detected on PNA blots of unlabeled cell extracts transferred to nitrocellulose. Both bands were sensitive to pronase digestion, but only the 250-kDa band was digested with trypsin. A rabbit antiserum that we prepared (anti-PNA-gp) immunoprecipitated both bands from cell extracts. In contrast to PNA, anti-PNA-gp bound equally to proliferating and terminally differentiating cells, indicating that some epitope(s) of the PNA-binding glycoproteins is present on the cell surface prior to terminal differentiation. When keratinocytes grown as a monolayer in low-calcium medium were switched to medium containing 2 mM calcium ions in order to induce desmosome formation and stratification, there was a dramatic redistribution of the PNA-binding glycoproteins, which became concentrated at the boundaries between cells. This may suggest a role for the glycoproteins in cell-cell interactions during stratification

  13. A Novel Method for Detection of Glycoproteins on Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide Gel Using Radio-Iodinated Tyrosine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nalla, Amarnadh; Draz, Hossam M.; Dole, Anita

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study is to develop a novel method for detection of glycoproteins on polyacrylamide gel. In this method, radio-iodinated-tyrosine (125I-tyrosine) was conjugated to glycoprotein by schiff's base mechanism on the sodium dodecyl sulfate- polyacrylamide gel. Ovalbumin and Concanavalin...... of glycoproteins using 125I-tyrosine selectively detected ovalbumin. Present results showed that MPD enhanced glycoprotein detection method can be used as a sensitive tool for the detection of glycoproteins on polyacrylamide gel...

  14. Identification of a haemolysin-like peptide with antibacterial activity using the draft genome sequence of Staphylococcus epidermidis strain A487.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Mahrous, Mohammed M; Jack, Ralph W; Sandiford, Stephanie K; Tagg, John R; Beatson, Scott A; Upton, Mathew

    2011-08-01

    Our interest in Staphylococcus epidermidis strain A487 was prompted by the unusual nature of its inhibitory activity in screening tests against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates. The inhibitory activity was detected in deferred antagonism tests only if the agar plate was preheated for at least 35 min at ≥ 55 °C before inoculation of the indicator bacteria, this phenomenon indicating possible involvement of a heat-labile immunity agent or protease. The inhibitor was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulphate precipitation, followed by cation-exchange and reversed-phase chromatography. Tandem MS revealed a novel peptide of molecular weight 2588.4 Da. The draft genome sequence of strain A487 was determined using 454 GS FLX technology, allowing the identification of the structural gene (hlp) encoding the mature peptide MQFITDLIKKAVDFFKGLFGNK. The deduced amino acid sequence of peptide 487 exhibited 70.8% similarity to that of a putative haemolysin from Staphylococcus cohnii. Analysis of the genome of strain A487 showed several additional inhibitor-encoding genes, including hld, the determinant for staphylococcal δ-lysin. This work indicates that potentially useful inhibitors could be overlooked in agar-based inhibitor screening programmes lacking a heat pretreatment step and also highlights the utility of draft genome sequence examination in antibacterial agent discovery. © 2011 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Spatial Localization of the Ebola Virus Glycoprotein Mucin-Like Domain Determined by Cryo-Electron Tomography

    OpenAIRE

    Tran, Erin E. H.; Simmons, James A.; Bartesaghi, Alberto; Shoemaker, Charles J.; Nelson, Elizabeth; White, Judith M.; Subramaniam, Sriram

    2014-01-01

    The Ebola virus glycoprotein mucin-like domain (MLD) is implicated in Ebola virus cell entry and immune evasion. Using cryo-electron tomography of Ebola virus-like particles, we determined a three-dimensional structure for the full-length glycoprotein in a near-native state and compared it to that of a glycoprotein lacking the MLD. Our results, which show that the MLD is located at the apex and the sides of each glycoprotein monomer, provide a structural template for analysis of MLD function.

  16. P-glycoprotein targeted nanoscale drug carriers

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Wengang; Abu Samra, Dina Bashir Kamil; Merzaban, Jasmeen; Khashab, Niveen M.

    2013-01-01

    Multi-drug resistance (MDR) is a trend whereby tumor cells exposed to one cytotoxic agent develop cross-resistance to a range of structurally and functionally unrelated compounds. P -glycoprotein (P -gp) efflux pump is one of the mostly studied drug

  17. Arg deficiency does not influence the course of Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG35-55)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsen, Freja Aksel; Hulst, Camilla; Bäckström, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    Background: Inhibition of Abl kinases has an ameliorating effect on the rodent model for multiple sclerosis, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and arrests lymphocyte activation. The family of Abl kinases consists of the Abl1/Abl and Abl2/Arg tyrosine kinases. While the Abl kinase has bee...... encephalomyelitis is not dependent on Arg, but Arg plays a role for the number of B cells in immunized mice. This might suggest a novel role for the Arg kinase in B-cell trafficking or regulation. Furthermore, the results suggest that Arg is important for normal embryonic development....

  18. Glycoproteins of axonal transport: affinity chromatography on fucose-specific lectins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gustavsson, S.; Ohlson, C.; Karlsson, J.O.

    1982-03-01

    Rapidly transported fucose-labeled glycoproteins from axons of rabbit retinal ganglion cells were solubilized with nonionic detergents. The solubilized components were subjected to affinity chromatography on three different fucose-specific lectins. A recently characterized fucose-specific lectin from Aleuria aurantia bound reversibly approximately 60% of the applied protein-bound radioactivity. The lectins from Lotus tetragonolobus and Ulex europaeus bound are very small proportions of the labeled rapidly transported glycoproteins.

  19. Development of a radioimmunoassay for 'Tamm-Horsfall-like' glycoprotein in serum and cerebrospinal fluid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hartmann, L.; Bringuier, A.-F.; Schuller, E.

    1983-01-01

    Affinity chromatography purification was combined with a radioimmunoassay for 'Tamm-Horsfall-like' glycoprotein. This enabled serum comcentrations to be established and to demonstrate its presence in cerebrospinal fluid for the first time. This assay method used in different circumstances suggests a multifocal synthesis. Nevertheless, urinary Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein so far must be distinguished from the serum or cerebrospinal fluid Tamm-Horsfall-like glycoprotein. (Auth.)

  20. Spatial localization of the Ebola virus glycoprotein mucin-like domain determined by cryo-electron tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Erin E H; Simmons, James A; Bartesaghi, Alberto; Shoemaker, Charles J; Nelson, Elizabeth; White, Judith M; Subramaniam, Sriram

    2014-09-01

    The Ebola virus glycoprotein mucin-like domain (MLD) is implicated in Ebola virus cell entry and immune evasion. Using cryo-electron tomography of Ebola virus-like particles, we determined a three-dimensional structure for the full-length glycoprotein in a near-native state and compared it to that of a glycoprotein lacking the MLD. Our results, which show that the MLD is located at the apex and the sides of each glycoprotein monomer, provide a structural template for analysis of MLD function. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  1. Advantages of combined transmembrane topology and signal peptide prediction--the Phobius web server

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Käll, Lukas; Krogh, Anders; Sonnhammer, Erik L L

    2007-01-01

    . The method makes an optimal choice between transmembrane segments and signal peptides, and also allows constrained and homology-enriched predictions. We here present a web interface (http://phobius.cgb.ki.se and http://phobius.binf.ku.dk) to access Phobius. Udgivelsesdato: 2007-Jul......When using conventional transmembrane topology and signal peptide predictors, such as TMHMM and SignalP, there is a substantial overlap between these two types of predictions. Applying these methods to five complete proteomes, we found that 30-65% of all predicted signal peptides and 25-35% of all...

  2. Biophysical characterization and membrane interaction of the two fusion loops of glycoprotein B from herpes simplex type I virus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annarita Falanga

    Full Text Available The molecular mechanism of entry of herpesviruses requires a multicomponent fusion system. Cell invasion by Herpes simplex virus (HSV requires four virally encoded glycoproteins: namely gD, gB and gH/gL. The role of gB has remained elusive until recently when the crystal structure of HSV-1 gB became available and the fusion potential of gB was clearly demonstrated. Although much information on gB structure/function relationship has been gathered in recent years, the elucidation of the nature of the fine interactions between gB fusion loops and the membrane bilayer may help to understand the precise molecular mechanism behind herpesvirus-host cell membrane fusion. Here, we report the first biophysical study on the two fusion peptides of gB, with a particular focus on the effects determined by both peptides on lipid bilayers of various compositions. The two fusion loops constitute a structural subdomain wherein key hydrophobic amino acids form a ridge that is supported on both sides by charged residues. When used together the two fusion loops have the ability to significantly destabilize the target membrane bilayer, notwithstanding their low bilayer penetration when used separately. These data support the model of gB fusion loops insertion into cholesterol enriched membranes.

  3. Purification and Identification of Antioxidant Peptides from Enzymatic Hydrolysate of Spirulina platensis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Jie; Hu, Yuanliang; Xue, Mingxiong; Dun, Yaohao; Li, Shenao; Peng, Nan; Liang, Yunxiang; Zhao, Shumao

    2016-07-28

    The aim of this study was to isolate antioxidant peptides from an enzymatic hydrolysate of Spirulina platensis. A novel antioxidant peptide was obtained by ultrafiltration, gel filtration chromatography, and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, with the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay used to measure the antioxidant activity, and the sequence was determined to be Pro-Asn-Asn (343.15 Da) by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. This peptide was synthesized to confirm its antioxidant properties, and it exhibited 81.44 ± 0.43% DPPH scavenging activity at 100 µg/ml, which was similar to that of glutathione (82.63 ± 0.56%). Furthermore, the superoxide anion and hydroxyl free-radical scavenging activities and the SOD activity of the peptide were 47.84 ± 0.49%, 54.01 ± 0.82%, and 12.55 ± 0.75%, respectively, at 10 mg/ml. These results indicate that S. platensis is a good source of antioxidant peptides, and that its hydrolysate may have important applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

  4. Amyloid–β peptides time-dependent structural modifications: AFM and voltammetric characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Enache, Teodor Adrian; Chiorcea-Paquim, Ana-Maria; Oliveira-Brett, Ana Maria, E-mail: brett@ci.uc.pt

    2016-07-05

    The human amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides, Aβ{sub 1-40} and Aβ{sub 1-42}, structural modifications, from soluble monomers to fully formed fibrils through intermediate structures, were investigated, and the results were compared with those obtained for the inverse Aβ{sub 40-1} and Aβ{sub 42-1}, mutant Aβ{sub 1-40}Phe{sup 10} and Aβ{sub 1-40}Nle{sup 35}, and rat Aβ{sub 1-40}Rat peptide sequences. The aggregation was followed at a slow rate, in chloride free media and room temperature, and revealed to be a sequence-structure process, dependent on the physicochemical properties of each Aβ peptide isoforms, and occurring at different rates and by different pathways. The fibrilization process was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), via changes in the adsorption morphology from: (i) initially random coiled structures of ∼0.6 nm height, corresponding to the Aβ peptide monomers in random coil or in α-helix conformations, to (ii) aggregates and protofibrils of 1.5–6.0 nm height and (iii) two types of fibrils, corresponding to the Aβ peptide in a β-sheet configuration. The reactivity of the carbon electrode surface was considered. The hydrophobic surface induced rapid changes of the Aβ peptide conformations, and differences between the adsorbed fibrils, formed at the carbon surface (beaded, thin, <2.0 nm height) or in solution (long, smooth, thick, >2.0 nm height), were detected. Differential pulse voltammetry showed that, according to their primary structure, the Aβ peptides undergo oxidation in one or two steps, the first step corresponding to the tyrosine amino acids oxidation, and the second one to the histidine and methionine amino acids oxidation. The fibrilization process was electrochemically detected via the decrease of the Aβ peptide oxidation peak currents that occurred in a time dependent manner. - Highlights: • The Aβ peptide fibrilization process was followed by AFM and DP voltammetry. • The human Aβ{sub 1-40} and Aβ{sub 1

  5. Glycoproteins functionalized natural and synthetic polymers for prospective biomedical applications: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabasum, Shazia; Noreen, Aqdas; Kanwal, Arooj; Zuber, Mohammad; Anjum, Muhammad Naveed; Zia, Khalid Mahmood

    2017-05-01

    Glycoproteins have multidimensional properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, antimicrobial and adsorption properties; therefore, they have wide range of applications. They are blended with different polymers such as chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), polycaprolactone (PCL), heparin, polystyrene fluorescent nanoparticles (PS-NPs) and carboxyl pullulan (PC) to improve their properties like thermal stability, mechanical properties, resistance to pH, chemical stability and toughness. Considering the versatile charateristics of glycoprotein based polymers, this review sheds light on synthesis and characterization of blends and composites of glycoproteins, with natural and synthetic polymers and their potential applications in biomedical field such as drug delivery system, insulin delivery, antimicrobial wound dressing uses, targeting of cancer cells, development of anticancer vaccines, development of new biopolymers, glycoproteome research, food product and detection of dengue glycoproteins. All the technical scientific issues have been addressed; highlighting the recent advancement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. P-glycoprotein interactions of novel psychoactive substances - stimulation of ATP consumption and transport across Caco-2 monolayers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Markus R; Wagmann, Lea; Schneider-Daum, Nicole; Loretz, Brigitta; de Souza Carvalho, Cristiane; Lehr, Claus-Michael; Maurer, Hans H

    2015-04-01

    In contrast to drugs for therapeutic use, there are only few data available concerning interactions between P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and drugs of abuse (DOA). In this work, interactions between structurally diverse DOA and P-gp were investigated using different strategies. First, the effect on the P-gp ATPase activity was studied by monitoring of ATP consumption after addition to recombinant, human P-gp. Second, DOA showing an increased ATP consumption were further characterized regarding their transport across filter grown Caco-2- monolayers. Analyses were performed by luminescence and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively. Among the nine DOA initially screened, benzedrone, diclofensine, glaucine, JWH-200, MDBC, WIN-55,212-2 showed an increase of ATP consumption in the ATPase stimulation assay. In Caco-2 transport studies, Glaucine, JWH-200, mitragynine, WIN-55,212-2 could moreover be identified as non-transported substrates, but inhibitors of P-gp activity. Thus, drug-drug or drug-food interactions should be very likely for these compounds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Preparation of 131I-asialo-α1-acid glycoprotein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rijk, P.P. van

    1975-01-01

    α 1 -Acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid) was prepared from a byproduct of the ethanol plasma fractionation by means of ion-exchange procedures. Immunoelectrophoresis suggested a high degree of purity; the purified protein contained 13.5% sialic acid and 17.8% hexose. The α 1 -acid glycoprotein was modified by removal of sialic acid with neurominidase (E.C. 3.2.1.18) followed by iodination with 131 I. The purpose of the preparation, its potential use as a pharmacon for liver-function studies in nuclear medicine, is the subject of further study

  8. Suppressive effect on polyclonal B-cell activation of a synthetic peptide homologous to a transmembrane component of oncogenic retroviruses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mitani, M.; Cianciolo, G.J.; Snyderman, R.; Yasuda, M.; Good, R.A.; Day, N.K.

    1987-01-01

    Purified feline leukemia virus, UV light-inactivated feline leukemia virus, and a synthetic peptide (CKS-17) homologous to a well-conserved region of the transmembrane components of several human and animal retroviruses were each studied for their effect on IgG production by feline peripheral blood lymphocytes. Using a reverse hemolytic plaque assay, both the viable virus and the UV-inactivated feline leukemia virus, but not the CKS-17, activated B lymphocytes to secrete IgG. When staphylococcal protein A, a polyclonal B-cell activator, was used to stimulate IgG synthesis by feline lymphocytes, the viable virus, the UV-inactivated virus, and the CKS-17 peptide each strongly suppressed IgG secretion without compromising viability of the lymphocytes. These finding suggest that the immunosuppressive influences of feline leukemia virus on immunoglobulin synthesis may reside in a conserved portion of the envelope glycoprotein that includes the region homologous to CKS-17.

  9. Suppressive effect on polyclonal B-cell activation of a synthetic peptide homologous to a transmembrane component of oncogenic retroviruses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitani, M.; Cianciolo, G.J.; Snyderman, R.; Yasuda, M.; Good, R.A.; Day, N.K.

    1987-01-01

    Purified feline leukemia virus, UV light-inactivated feline leukemia virus, and a synthetic peptide (CKS-17) homologous to a well-conserved region of the transmembrane components of several human and animal retroviruses were each studied for their effect on IgG production by feline peripheral blood lymphocytes. Using a reverse hemolytic plaque assay, both the viable virus and the UV-inactivated feline leukemia virus, but not the CKS-17, activated B lymphocytes to secrete IgG. When staphylococcal protein A, a polyclonal B-cell activator, was used to stimulate IgG synthesis by feline lymphocytes, the viable virus, the UV-inactivated virus, and the CKS-17 peptide each strongly suppressed IgG secretion without compromising viability of the lymphocytes. These finding suggest that the immunosuppressive influences of feline leukemia virus on immunoglobulin synthesis may reside in a conserved portion of the envelope glycoprotein that includes the region homologous to CKS-17

  10. Three-dimensional solution structure of lactoferricin B, an antimicrobial peptide derived from bovine lactoferrin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, P M; Zhou, N; Shan, X; Arrowsmith, C H; Vogel, H J

    1998-03-24

    The solution structure of bovine lactoferricin (LfcinB) has been determined using 2D 1H NMR spectroscopy. LfcinB is a 25-residue antimicrobial peptide released by pepsin cleavage of lactoferrin, an 80 kDa iron-binding glycoprotein with many immunologically important functions. The NMR structure of LfcinB reveals a somewhat distorted antiparallel beta-sheet. This contrasts with the X-ray structure of bovine lactoferrin, in which residues 1-13 (of LfcinB) form an alpha-helix. Hence, this region of lactoferricin B appears able to adopt a helical or sheetlike conformation, similar to what has been proposed for the amyloidogenic prion proteins and Alzheimer's beta-peptides. LfcinB has an extended hydrophobic surface comprised of residues Phe1, Cys3, Trp6, Trp8, Pro16, Ile18, and Cys20. The side chains of these residues are well-defined in the NMR structure. Many hydrophilic and positively charged residues surround the hydrophobic surface, giving LfcinB an amphipathic character. LfcinB bears numerous similarities to a vast number of cationic peptides which exert their antimicrobial activities through membrane disruption. The structures of many of these peptides have been well characterized, and models of their membrane-permeabilizing mechanisms have been proposed. The NMR solution structure of LfcinB may be more relevant to membrane interaction than that suggested by the X-ray structure of intact lactoferrin. Based on the solution structure, it is now possible to propose potential mechanisms for the antimicrobial action of LfcinB.

  11. Nipah virus infection and glycoprotein targeting in endothelial cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maisner Andrea

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The highly pathogenic Nipah virus (NiV causes fatal respiratory and brain infections in animals and humans. The major hallmark of the infection is a systemic endothelial infection, predominantly in the CNS. Infection of brain endothelial cells allows the virus to overcome the blood-brain-barrier (BBB and to subsequently infect the brain parenchyma. However, the mechanisms of NiV replication in endothelial cells are poorly elucidated. We have shown recently that the bipolar or basolateral expression of the NiV surface glycoproteins F and G in polarized epithelial cell layers is involved in lateral virus spread via cell-to-cell fusion and that correct sorting depends on tyrosine-dependent targeting signals in the cytoplasmic tails of the glycoproteins. Since endothelial cells share many characteristics with epithelial cells in terms of polarization and protein sorting, we wanted to elucidate the role of the NiV glycoprotein targeting signals in endothelial cells. Results As observed in vivo, NiV infection of endothelial cells induced syncytia formation. The further finding that infection increased the transendothelial permeability supports the idea of spread of infection via cell-to-cell fusion and endothelial cell damage as a mechanism to overcome the BBB. We then revealed that both glycoproteins are expressed at lateral cell junctions (bipolar, not only in NiV-infected primary endothelial cells but also upon stable expression in immortalized endothelial cells. Interestingly, mutation of tyrosines 525 and 542/543 in the cytoplasmic tail of the F protein led to an apical redistribution of the protein in endothelial cells whereas tyrosine mutations in the G protein had no effect at all. This fully contrasts the previous results in epithelial cells where tyrosine 525 in the F, and tyrosines 28/29 in the G protein were required for correct targeting. Conclusion We conclude that the NiV glycoprotein distribution is responsible for

  12. Isolation of glycoproteins from brown algae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2015-01-01

    The present invention relates to a novel process for the isolation of unique anti-oxidative glycoproteins from the pH precipitated fractions of enzymatic extracts of brown algae. Two brown seaweeds viz, Fucus serratus and Fucus vesiculosus were hydrolysed by using 3 enzymes viz, Alcalase, Viscozyme...

  13. Thermo-physical characterization of the Fe_6_7Mo_6Ni_3_._5Cr_3_._5P_1_2C_5_._5B_2_._5 bulk metallic glass forming alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bochtler, Benedikt; Gross, Oliver; Gallino, Isabella; Busch, Ralf

    2016-01-01

    The iron-phosphorus based bulk metallic glass forming alloy Fe_6_7Mo_6Ni_3_._5Cr_3_._5P_1_2C_5_._5B_2_._5 is characterized with respect to its thermophysical properties, crystallization and relaxation behavior, as well as its viscosity. The alloy provides a high critical casting thickness of 13 mm, thus allowing for the casting of amorphous parts with a considerable size. Calorimetric measurements reveal the characteristic transformation temperatures, transformation enthalpies, and the specific heat capacity. The analyses show that no stable supercooled liquid region exists upon heating. The specific heat capacity data are used to calculate the enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy differences between the crystalline and the supercooled liquid state. The crystallization behavior of amorphous samples upon heating is analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction, and a time-temperature-transformation diagram is constructed. Dilatometry is used to determine the thermal expansion behavior. The equilibrium viscosity below the glass transition as well as volume relaxation behavior are measured by three-point beam bending and dilatometry, respectively, to assess the kinetic fragility. With a kinetic fragility parameter of D* = 21.3, the alloy displays a rather strong liquid behavior. Viscosity above the melting point is determined using electromagnetic levitation in microgravity on a reduced gravity aircraft in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). These high-temperature viscosity data are compared with the low-temperature three-point beam bending measurements. The alloy displays a strong liquid behavior at low temperatures and a fragile behavior at high temperatures. These results are analogous to the ones observed in several Zr-based bulk metallic glass forming liquids, indicating a strong to fragile liquid-liquid transition in the undercooled liquid, which is obscured by crystallization.

  14. Molecular cloning and expression of cDNA encoding a lumenal calcium binding glycoprotein from sarcoplasmic reticulum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leberer, E.; Charuk, J.H.M.; MacLennan, D.H.; Green, N.M.

    1989-01-01

    Antibody screening was used to isolate a cDNA encoding the 160-kDa glycoprotein of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. The cDNA is identical to that encoding the 53-kDa glycoprotein except that it contains an in-frame insertion of 1,308 nucleotides near its 5' end, apparently resulting from alternative splicing. The protein encoded by the cDNA would contain a 19-residue NH 2 -terminal signal sequence and a 453-residue COOH-terminal sequence identical to the 53-kDa glycoprotein. It would also contain a 436-amino acid insert between these sequences. This insert would be highly acidic, suggesting that it might bind Ca 2+ . The purified 160-kDa glycoprotein and the glycoprotein expressed in COS-1 cells transfected with cDNA encoding the 160-kDa glycoprotein were shown to bind 45 C 2+ in a gel overlay assay. The protein was shown to be located in the lumen of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and to be associated through Ca 2+ with the membrane. The authors propose that this lumenal Ca 2+ binding glycoprotein of the sarcoplasmic reticulum be designated sarcalumenin

  15. Aggregation of Aß(25-35 on DOPC and DOPC/DHA bilayers: an atomic force microscopy study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matilde Sublimi Saponetti

    Full Text Available β amyloid peptide plays an important role in both the manifestation and progression of Alzheimer disease. It has a tendency to aggregate, forming low-molecular weight soluble oligomers, higher-molecular weight protofibrillar oligomers and insoluble fibrils. The relative importance of these single oligomeric-polymeric species, in relation to the morbidity of the disease, is currently being debated. Here we present an Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM study of Aβ(25-35 aggregation on hydrophobic dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC and DOPC/docosahexaenoic 22∶6 acid (DHA lipid bilayers. Aβ(25-35 is the smallest fragment retaining the biological activity of the full-length peptide, whereas DOPC and DOPC/DHA lipid bilayers were selected as models of cell-membrane environments characterized by different fluidity. Our results provide evidence that in hydrophobic DOPC and DOPC/DHA lipid bilayers, Aβ(25-35 forms layered aggregates composed of mainly annular structures. The mutual interaction between annular structures and lipid surfaces end-results into a membrane solubilization. The presence of DHA as a membrane-fluidizing agent is essential to protect the membrane from damage caused by interactions with peptide aggregates; to reduces the bilayer defects where the delipidation process starts.

  16. Characterisation of the Novel Mixed Mu-NOP Peptide Ligand Dermorphin-N/OFQ (DeNo.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark F Bird

    Full Text Available Opioid receptors are currently classified as Mu (μ, Delta (δ, Kappa (κ plus the opioid related nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ peptide receptor (NOP. Despite compelling evidence for interactions and benefits of targeting more than one receptor type in producing analgesia, clinical ligands are Mu agonists. In this study we have designed a Mu-NOP agonist named DeNo. The Mu agonist component is provided by dermorphin, a peptide isolated from the skin of Phyllomedusa frogs and the NOP component by the endogenous agonist N/OFQ.We have assessed receptor binding profile of DeNo and compared with dermorphin and N/OFQ. In a series of functional screens we have assessed the ability to (i increase Ca2+ in cells coexpressing recombinant receptors and a the chimeric protein Gαqi5, (ii stimulate the binding of GTPγ[35S], (iii inhibit cAMP formation, (iv activate MAPKinase, (v stimulate receptor-G protein and arrestin interaction using BRET, (vi electrically stimulated guinea pig ileum (gpI assay and (vii ability to produce analgesia via the intrathecal route in rats.DeNo bound to Mu (pKi; 9.55 and NOP (pKi; 10.22 and with reasonable selectivity. This translated to increased Ca2+ in Gαqi5 expressing cells (pEC50 Mu 7.17; NOP 9.69, increased binding of GTPγ[35S] (pEC50 Mu 7.70; NOP 9.50 and receptor-G protein interaction in BRET (pEC50 Mu 8.01; NOP 9.02. cAMP formation was inhibited and arrestin was activated (pEC50 Mu 6.36; NOP 8.19. For MAPK DeNo activated p38 and ERK1/2 at Mu but only ERK1/2 at NOP. In the gpI DeNO inhibited electrically-evoked contractions (pEC50 8.63 that was sensitive to both Mu and NOP antagonists. DeNo was antinociceptive in rats.Collectively these data validate the strategy used to create a novel bivalent Mu-NOP peptide agonist by combining dermorphin (Mu and N/OFQ (NOP. This molecule behaves essentially as the parent compounds in vitro. In the antonocicoeptive assays employed in this study DeNo displays only weak antinociceptive

  17. WIN 55,212-2, agonist of cannabinoid receptors, prevents amyloid β1-42 effects on astrocytes in primary culture.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diana Aguirre-Rueda

    Full Text Available Alzheimer's disease (AD, a neurodegenerative illness involving synaptic dysfunction with extracellular accumulation of Aβ1-42 toxic peptide, glial activation, inflammatory response and oxidative stress, can lead to neuronal death. Endogenous cannabinoid system is implicated in physiological and physiopathological events in central nervous system (CNS, and changes in this system are related to many human diseases, including AD. However, studies on the effects of cannabinoids on astrocytes functions are scarce. In primary cultured astrocytes we studied cellular viability using MTT assay. Inflammatory and oxidative stress mediators were determined by ELISA and Western-blot techniques both in the presence and absence of Aβ1-42 peptide. Effects of WIN 55,212-2 (a synthetic cannabinoid on cell viability, inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress were also determined. Aβ1-42 diminished astrocytes viability, increased TNF-α and IL-1β levels and p-65, COX-2 and iNOS protein expression while decreased PPAR-γ and antioxidant enzyme Cu/Zn SOD. WIN 55,212-2 pretreatment prevents all effects elicited by Aβ1-42. Furthermore, cannabinoid WIN 55,212-2 also increased cell viability and PPAR-γ expression in control astrocytes. In conclusion cannabinoid WIN 55,212-2 increases cell viability and anti-inflammatory response in cultured astrocytes. Moreover, WIN 55,212-2 increases expression of anti-oxidant Cu/Zn SOD and is able to prevent inflammation induced by Aβ1-42 in cultured astrocytes. Further studies would be needed to assess the possible beneficial effects of cannabinoids in Alzheimer's disease patients.

  18. Australine, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid that inhibits amyloglucosidase and glycoprotein processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tropea, J.E.; Molyneux, R.J.; Kaushal, G.P.; Pan, Y.T.; Mitchell, M.; Elbein, A.D.

    1989-01-01

    Australine is a polyhydroxylated pyrrolizidine alkaloid that was isolated from the seeds of the Australian tree Castanospermum australe and characterized by NMR and X-ray diffraction analysis. Since swainsonine and catanospermine are polyhydroxylated indolizidine alkaloids that inhibit specific glycosidases, the authors tested australine against a variety of exoglycosidases to determine whether it would inhibit any of these enzymes. This alkaloid proved to be a good inhibitor of the α-glucosidase amyloglucosidase (50% inhibition at 5.8 μM), but it did not inhibit β-glucosidase, α- or β-mannosidase, or α- or β-galactosidase. The inhibition of amyloglucosidase was of a competitive nature. Australine also inhibited the glycoprotein processing enzyme glucosidase I, but had only slight activity toward glucosidase II. When incubated with cultured cells, this alkaloid inhibited glycoprotein processing at the glucosidase I step and caused the accumulation of glycoproteins with Glc 3 Man 7-9 (GlcNAc) 2 -oligosaccharides

  19. Statins Suppress Ebola Virus Infectivity by Interfering with Glycoprotein Processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shrivastava-Ranjan, Punya; Flint, Mike; Bergeron, Éric; McElroy, Anita K; Chatterjee, Payel; Albariño, César G; Nichol, Stuart T; Spiropoulou, Christina F

    2018-05-01

    Ebola virus (EBOV) infection is a major public health concern due to high fatality rates and limited effective treatments. Statins, widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs, have pleiotropic mechanisms of action and were suggested as potential adjunct therapy for Ebola virus disease (EVD) during the 2013-2016 outbreak in West Africa. Here, we evaluated the antiviral effects of statin (lovastatin) on EBOV infection in vitro Statin treatment decreased infectious EBOV production in primary human monocyte-derived macrophages and in the hepatic cell line Huh7. Statin treatment did not interfere with viral entry, but the viral particles released from treated cells showed reduced infectivity due to inhibition of viral glycoprotein processing, as evidenced by decreased ratios of the mature glycoprotein form to precursor form. Statin-induced inhibition of infectious virus production and glycoprotein processing was reversed by exogenous mevalonate, the rate-limiting product of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, but not by low-density lipoprotein. Finally, statin-treated cells produced EBOV particles devoid of the surface glycoproteins required for virus infectivity. Our findings demonstrate that statin treatment inhibits EBOV infection and suggest that the efficacy of statin treatment should be evaluated in appropriate animal models of EVD. IMPORTANCE Treatments targeting Ebola virus disease (EVD) are experimental, expensive, and scarce. Statins are inexpensive generic drugs that have been used for many years for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and have a favorable safety profile. Here, we show the antiviral effects of statins on infectious Ebola virus (EBOV) production. Our study reveals a novel molecular mechanism in which statin regulates EBOV particle infectivity by preventing glycoprotein processing and incorporation into virus particles. Additionally, statins have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Since inflammation and dysregulation of the immune

  20. The expression and serological reactivity of recombinant canine herpesvirus 1 glycoprotein D

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MarkéŽta Vaňkov‡á

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work was to express recombinant glycoprotein D of canine herpesvirus 1 in bacterial cells and to evaluate its diagnostic sensitivity and specificity when compared to traditional serological methods. The gene fragment coding glycoprotein D of canine herpesvirus 1 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, cloned into plasmid vector and expressed in Escherichia coli cells. Recombinant protein was then purified and used as an antigen in immunoblot for a detection of canine herpesvirus 1 specific antibodies. Antibody testing was performed on the panel of 100 canine sera by immunoblot with recombinant glycoprotein D as antigen and compared with indirect immunofluorescence assay. Serum samples were collected from 83 dogs with no history of canine herpesvirus 1 or reproductive disorders, and from 17 dogs from breeding kennels with a history of canine herpesvirus 1 related reproductive disorders. Sensitivity of glycoprotein D based immunoblot was 89.2% and specificity was 93%. Kappa value was calculated to be 0.8 between immunoblot and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Antibodies against canine herpesvirus 1 infection were detected in 33% of samples by immunoblot assay. Our study confirms that recombinant glycoprotein D expressed in bacterial cells could be used as a suitable and sensitive antigen for immunological tests and that herpesvirus infection seems to be common among the canine population in the Czech Republic.

  1. Treatment of Oral Multispecies Biofilms by an Anti-Biofilm Peptide.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhejun Wang

    Full Text Available Human oral biofilms are multispecies microbial communities that exhibit high resistance to antimicrobial agents. Dental plaque gives rise to highly prevalent and costly biofilm-related oral infections, which lead to caries or other types of oral infections. We investigated the ability of the recently identified anti-biofilm peptide 1018 to induce killing of bacterial cells present within oral multispecies biofilms. At 10 μg/ml (6.5 μM, peptide 1018 was able to significantly (p50% of the biofilm being killed and >35% being dispersed in only 3 minutes. Peptide 1018 may potentially be used by itself or in combination with CHX as a non-toxic and effective anti-biofilm agent for plaque disinfection in clinical dentistry.

  2. Extracellular secretion of a recombinant therapeutic peptide by Bacillus halodurans utilizing a modified flagellin type III secretion system

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Berger, E

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available further 3.5-fold increase in the secretion of recombinant peptide fusions. Conclusions: The type III flagellar secretion system of B. halodurans has been shown to successfully secrete a therapeutic peptide as a heterologous flagellin fusion. Improvements...

  3. Deletion of G-protein-coupled receptor 55 promotes obesity by reducing physical activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meadows, A; Lee, J H; Wu, C-S; Wei, Q; Pradhan, G; Yafi, M; Lu, H-C; Sun, Y

    2016-03-01

    Cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) is the best-characterized cannabinoid receptor, and CB1 antagonists are used in clinical trials to treat obesity. Because of the wide range of CB1 functions, the side effects of CB1 antagonists pose serious concerns. G-protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55) is an atypical cannabinoid receptor, and its pharmacology and functions are distinct from CB1. GPR55 regulates neuropathic pain, gut, bone, immune functions and motor coordination. GPR55 is expressed in various brain regions and peripheral tissues. However, the roles of GPR55 in energy and glucose homeostasis are unknown. Here we have investigated the roles of GPR55 in energy balance and insulin sensitivity using GPR55-null mice (GPR55(-/-)). Body composition of the mice was measured by EchoMRI. Food intake, feeding behavior, energy expenditure and physical activity of GPR55(-/-) mice were determined by indirect calorimetry. Muscle function was assessed by forced treadmill running test. Insulin sensitivity was evaluated by glucose and insulin tolerance tests. Adipose inflammation was assessed by flow cytometry analysis of adipose tissue macrophages. The expression of inflammatory markers in adipose tissues and orexigenic/anorexigenic peptides in the hypothalamus was also analyzed by real-time PCR. GPR55(-/-) mice had normal total energy intake and feeding pattern (i.e., no changes in meal size, meal number or feeding frequency). Intriguingly, whereas adult GPR55(-/-) mice only showed a modest increase in overall body weight, they exhibited significantly increased fat mass and insulin resistance. The spontaneous locomotor activity of GPR55(-/-) mice was dramatically decreased, whereas resting metabolic rate and non-shivering thermogenesis were unchanged. Moreover, GPR55(-/-) mice exhibited significantly decreased voluntary physical activity, showing reduced running distance on the running wheels, whereas muscle function appeared to be normal. GPR55 has an important role in energy

  4. Analytical Pipeline for Discovery and Verification of Glycoproteins from Plasma-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as Breast Cancer Biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, I-Hsuan; Aguilar, Hillary Andaluz; Paez Paez, J Sebastian; Wu, Xiaofeng; Pan, Li; Wendt, Michael K; Iliuk, Anton B; Zhang, Ying; Tao, W Andy

    2018-05-15

    Glycoproteins comprise more than half of current FDA-approved protein cancer markers, but the development of new glycoproteins as disease biomarkers has been stagnant. Here we present a pipeline to develop glycoproteins from extracellular vesicles (EVs) through integrating quantitative glycoproteomics with a novel reverse phase glycoprotein array and then apply it to identify novel biomarkers for breast cancer. EV glycoproteomics show promise in circumventing the problems plaguing current serum/plasma glycoproteomics and allowed us to identify hundreds of glycoproteins that have not been identified in blood. We identified 1,453 unique glycopeptides representing 556 glycoproteins in EVs, among which 20 were verified significantly higher in individual breast cancer patients. We further applied a novel glyco-specific reverse phase protein array to quantify a subset of the candidates. Together, this study demonstrates the great potential of this integrated pipeline for biomarker discovery.

  5. Homologous and heterologous antibody responses of mice immunized with purified feline herpesvirus type 1 and canine herpesvirus glycoproteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limcumpao, J A; Horimoto, T; Xuan, X N; Tohya, Y; Azetaka, M; Takahashi, E; Mikami, T

    1991-06-01

    The three glycoproteins each of feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) and canine herpesvirus (CHV) were purified by affinity chromatography using glycoprotein-specific monoclonal antibodies and used individually or in combination in immunizing mice to determine their relative immunogenicity. All the glycoproteins induced detectable virus neutralizing antibodies to the homologous virus but FHV-1 gp143/108 and its cross-reacting counterpart, CHV gp145/112, elicited the highest titers not only to the homologous virus but to the heterologous virus as well. The production of ELISA antibodies after glycoprotein immunization was variable, while hemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies were produced by only 1 out of 10 FHV-1 gp60-inoculated mice. In general, the antibody titers induced by CHV glycoproteins were lower than those by FHV-1 glycoproteins. These results indicate that these glycoproteins may be useful as subunit vaccines against FHV-1 and CHV infections.

  6. Rossiter-McLaughlin observations of 55 Cnc e

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lopez-Morales, Mercedes; Triaud, Amaury H. M. J.; Rodler, Florian

    2014-01-01

    We present Rossiter-McLaughlin observations of the transiting super-Earth 55 Cnc e collected during six transit events between 2012 January and 2013 November with HARPS and HARPS-N. We detect no radial velocity signal above 35 cm s–1 (3σ) and confine the stellar v sin i to 0.2 ± 0.5 km s–1. The s...

  7. Mitochondrial protection by the mixed muscarinic/σ1 ligand ANAVEX2-73, a tetrahydrofuran derivative, in Aβ25-35 peptide-injected mice, a nontransgenic Alzheimer's disease model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lahmy, Valentine; Long, Romain; Morin, Didier; Villard, Vanessa; Maurice, Tangui

    2014-01-01

    Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most prevalent dementia in the elderly, is characterized by progressive synaptic and neuronal loss. Mitochondrial dysfunctions have been consistently reported as an early event in AD and appear before Aβ deposition and memory decline. In order to define a new neuroprotectant strategy in AD targeting mitochondrial alterations, we develop tetrahydro-N,N-dimethyl-2,2-diphenyl-3-furanmethanamine (ANAVEX2-73, AE37), a mixed muscarinic receptor ligand and a sigma-1 receptor (σ1R) agonist. We previously reported that ANAVEX2-73 shows anti-amnesic and neuroprotective activities in mice injected intracerebroventricular (ICV) with oligomeric amyloid-β25-35 peptide (Aβ25-35). The σ1R is present at mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, where it acts as a sensor/modulator of ER stress responses and local Ca(2+) exchanges with the mitochondria. We therefore evaluated the effect of ANAVEX2-73 and PRE-084, a reference σ1R agonist, on preservation of mitochondrial integrity in Aβ25-35-injected mice. In isolated mitochondria from hippocampus preparations of Aβ25-35 injected animals, we measured respiration rates, complex activities, lipid peroxidation, Bax/Bcl-2 ratios and cytochrome c release into the cytosol. Five days after Aβ25-35 injection, mitochondrial respiration in mouse hippocampus was altered. ANAVEX2-73 (0.01-1 mg/kg IP) restored normal respiration and PRE-084 (0.5-1 mg/kg IP) increased respiration rates. Both compounds prevented Aβ25-35-induced increases in lipid peroxidation levels, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and cytochrome c release into the cytosol, all indicators of increased toxicity. ANAVEX2-73 and PRE-084 efficiently prevented the mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction and resulting oxidative stress and apoptosis. The σ1R, targeted selectively or non-selectively, therefore appears as a valuable target for protection against mitochondrial damages in AD.

  8. Bioactivity of proteins isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum L67 treated with Zanthoxylum piperitum DC glycoprotein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, S; Oh, S; Lim, K-T

    2015-06-01

    Lactobacilli in the human gastrointestinal tract have beneficial effects on the health of their host. To enhance these effects, the bioactivity of lactobacilli can be fortified through exogenous dietary or pharmacological agents, such as glycoproteins. To elucidate the inductive effect of Zanthoxylum piperitum DC (ZPDC) glycoprotein on Lactobacillus plantarum L67, we evaluated the radical-scavenging activity, anti-oxidative enzymes (SOD, GPx and CAT), growth rate, ATPase activity and β-galactosidase activity of this strain. When Lact. plantarum L67 was treated with ZPDC glycoprotein at different concentrations, the intensities of a few SDS-PAGE bands were slightly changed. The amount of a 23 kDa protein was increased upon treatment with increasing concentrations of ZPDC glycoprotein. The results of this study indicate that the radical-scavenging activity for O2(-) and OH¯, but not for the DPPH radical, increased in a concentration-dependent manner after treatment with ZPDC glycoprotein. The activation of anti-oxidative enzymes (SOD, GPx and CAT), growth rate and β-galactosidase activity also increased in a concentration-dependent manner in response to ZPDC glycoprotein treatment, whereas ATPase activity was decreased. In summary, ZPDC glycoprotein stimulated an increase in the bioactivity of Lact. plantarum L67. Significance and impact of the study: This study demonstrated that Lactobacillus plantarum L67 possesses anti-oxidative activity. This strain of lactic bacteria has been known to have various probiotic uses, such as yogurt starters and dietary additional supplements. We found, through this experiment, that the protein has a strong anti-oxidative character, and the activity can be enhanced by treatment with Zanthoxylum piperitum DC (ZPDC) glycoprotein. This study may be application of Lact. plantarum L67 treated by ZPDC glycoprotein in yogurt fermentation. It could be one of the avenues of minimizing yogurt postacidification during storage. In addition

  9. The GlaA signal peptide substantially increases the expression and secretion of α-galactosidase in Aspergillus niger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yue; Wang, Yan-Hui; Liu, Tian-Qi; Zhang, Hui; Zhang, He; Li, Jie

    2018-03-31

    α-Galactosidases are widely used in many fields. It is necessary to improve the production of enzymes through microbiological processes. The aim of this study was to construct recombinant Aspergillus niger strains with high α-galactosidase production. Two recombinant A. niger strains were constructed: AB and AGB. The recombinant AB strain contained the α-galactosidase aglB gene from A. niger with its native AglB signal peptide regulated by the glucoamylase promoter. In the AGB recombinant strain, the AglB signal peptide was replaced with the glucoamylase (GlaA) signal peptide. The extracellular maximum α-galactosidase activity of the AGB strain was 215.7 U/ml and that of the AB strain was 9.8 U/mL. The optimal conditions for α-galactosidase were pH 3.5 and 35 °C. The GlaA signal peptide substantially increased the yield of secreted α-galactosidase in A. niger. This recombinant strain holds great potential for industrial applications.

  10. The haemagglutination activity of equine herpesvirus type 1 glycoprotein C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andoh, Kiyohiko; Hattori, Shiho; Mahmoud, Hassan Y A H; Takasugi, Maaya; Shimoda, Hiroshi; Bannai, Hiroshi; Tsujimura, Koji; Matsumura, Tomio; Kondo, Takashi; Kirisawa, Rikio; Mochizuki, Masami; Maeda, Ken

    2015-01-02

    Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) has haemagglutination (HA) activity toward equine red blood cells (RBCs), but the identity of its haemagglutinin is unknown. To identify the haemagglutinin of EHV-1, the major glycoproteins of EHV-1 were expressed in 293T cells, and the cells or cell lysates were mixed with equine RBCs. The results showed that only EHV-1 glycoprotein C (gC)-producing cells adsorbed equine RBCs, and that the lysate of EHV-1 gC-expressing cells agglutinated equine RBCs. EHV-1 lacking gC did not show HA activity. HA activity was inhibited by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for gC, but not by antibodies directed against other glycoproteins. In addition, HA activity was not inhibited by the addition of heparin. These results indicate that EHV-1 gC can bind equine RBCs irrespective of heparin, in contrast to other herpesvirus gC proteins. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Australine, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid that inhibits amyloglucosidase and glycoprotein processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tropea, J.E.; Molyneux, R.J.; Kaushal, G.P.; Pan, Y.T.; Mitchell, M.; Elbein, A.D. (Univ. of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio (USA))

    1989-03-07

    Australine is a polyhydroxylated pyrrolizidine alkaloid that was isolated from the seeds of the Australian tree Castanospermum australe and characterized by NMR and X-ray diffraction analysis. Since swainsonine and catanospermine are polyhydroxylated indolizidine alkaloids that inhibit specific glycosidases, the authors tested australine against a variety of exoglycosidases to determine whether it would inhibit any of these enzymes. This alkaloid proved to be a good inhibitor of the {alpha}-glucosidase amyloglucosidase (50% inhibition at 5.8 {mu}M), but it did not inhibit {beta}-glucosidase, {alpha}- or {beta}-mannosidase, or {alpha}- or {beta}-galactosidase. The inhibition of amyloglucosidase was of a competitive nature. Australine also inhibited the glycoprotein processing enzyme glucosidase I, but had only slight activity toward glucosidase II. When incubated with cultured cells, this alkaloid inhibited glycoprotein processing at the glucosidase I step and caused the accumulation of glycoproteins with Glc{sub 3}Man{sub 7-9}(GlcNAc){sub 2}-oligosaccharides.

  12. The effect of P-glycoprotein on methadone hydrochloride flux in equine intestinal mucosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linardi, R L; Stokes, A M; Andrews, F M

    2013-02-01

    Methadone is an effective analgesic opioid that may have a place for the treatment of pain in horses. However, its absorption seems to be impaired by the presence of a transmembrane protein, P-glycoprotein, present in different tissues including the small intestine in other species. This study aims to determine the effect of the P-glycoprotein on methadone flux in the equine intestinal mucosa, as an indicator of in vivo drug absorption. Jejunum tissues from five horses were placed into the Ussing chambers and exposed to methadone solution in the presence or absence of Rhodamine 123 or verapamil. Electrical measurements demonstrated tissue viability for 120 min, and the flux of methadone across the jejunal membrane (mucosal to submucosal direction) was calculated based on the relative drug concentration measured by ELISA. The flux of methadone was significantly higher only in the presence of verapamil. P-glycoprotein was immunolocalized in the apical membrane of the jejunal epithelial cells (enterocytes), mainly located in the tip of the villi compared to cells of the crypts. P-glycoprotein is present in the equine jejunum and may possibly mediate the intestinal transport of methadone. This study suggests that P-glycoprotein may play a role in the poor intestinal absorption of methadone in vivo. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  13. [Pregnancy-specific beta-glycoprotein in the serum of women with a complicated early pregnancy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radikov, N

    1989-01-01

    The author determined pregnancy specific beta 1-glycoprotein in 109 women with threatened early pregnancy as 32 of the women suffered from abortus imminens with several unsuccessful pregnancies in the past as well as 67 women with abortus incipiens with bleeding ex utero. The author established that 87% of women with abortus imminens and preserved pregnancies had values of beta 1-glycoprotein close to those of normal pregnancy for the respective gestational week. 93% of women with abortus incipiens preserved pregnancies till term, but the specific glycoprotein was with in normal ranges. Spontaneous abortion occurred in 7% of women with low values under the 10th percentile. The present study show that examination of pregnancy specific beta 1-glycoprotein in women with threatened early pregnancy is of prognostic significance for the outcome of pregnancy.

  14. Study on the extraction and purification of glycoprotein from the yellow seahorse, Hippocampus kuda Bleeker

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Yuting; Xu, Yongjian

    2015-01-01

    The optimum parameters of extraction for glycoprotein from seahorse were examined and determined by Box-Behnken combined with ultrasonic extraction technology. Column chromatography of glycoprotein was used for further purification. The optimal extraction conditions of seahorse glycoprotein were extracting time 4.3 h, salt concentration 0.08 mol/L, extracting temperature 73°C, raw material, and water ratio 1:6. At the optimal conditions, the yield of saccharide reached to 1.123%, and the yield of protein reached to 5.898%. For purifying the crude glycoprotein, the stage renounces of DEAE-52 column chromatography were done, respectively, with 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 mol/L NaHCO3 solution, and further purification was done with Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. Finally, two pieces of seahorse glycoprotein were obtained by the column chromatography, that is, HG-11 and HG-21. The saccharide content was 56.7975% and 39.479%, the protein content was 30.5475% and 51.747%, respectively. PMID:26288722

  15. Improved radioimmunoassay for urinary Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein. Investigation and resolution of factors affecting its quantification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dawney, A B.St.J.; Thornley, C; Cattell, W R [Saint Bartholomew' s Hospital, London (UK)

    1982-09-15

    A rapid specific radioimmunoassay has been used to measure Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (TH glycoprotein) in urine, and the method described. The apparent concentration increased with increasing dilution of urine in water, reaching a plateau at 1 in 20. This increase was greater the higher the osmolality and TH glycoprotein concentration and the lower the pH of the original sample. The apparent concentration of TH glycoprotein in neat or diluted urine was not affected by freezing or by storage at 4/sup 0/C or room temperature for at least 2 days. A physiological range for the urinary excretion rate was established as 22-56 mg/24h, (considerably higher than the amount present in serum) based on samples from 29 individuals with normal renal function, as defined by their creatinine clearance. There was no significant correlation between serum concentrations of TH glycoprotein and its urinary excretion rate, nor between urinary excretion rate and creatinine clearance.

  16. A novel PET imaging protocol identifies seizure-induced regional overactivity of P-glycoprotein at the blood-brain barrier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bankstahl, Jens P.; Bankstahl, Marion; Kuntner, Claudia; Stanek, Johann; Wanek, Thomas; Meier, Martin; Ding, Xiao-Qi; Müller, Markus; Langer, Oliver; Löscher, Wolfgang

    2013-01-01

    About one third of epilepsy patients are pharmacoresistant. Overexpression of P-glycoprotein and other multidrug transporters at the blood-brain barrier is thought to play an important role in drug-refractory epilepsy. Thus, quantification of regionally different P-glycoprotein activity in the brain in vivo is essential to identify P-glycoprotein overactivity as the relevant mechanism for drug-resistance in an individual patient. Using the radiolabeled P-glycoprotein substrate (R)-[11C]verapamil and different doses of co-administered tariquidar, which is an inhibitor of P-glycoprotein, we evaluated whether small-animal positron emission tomography (PET) can quantify regional changes in transporter function in the rat brain at baseline and 48 h after a pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus. P-glycoprotein expression was additionally quantified by immunohistochemistry. To reveal putative seizure-induced changes in blood-brain barrier integrity, we performed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance scans on a 7.0 Tesla small-animal scanner. Before P-glycoprotein modulation, brain uptake of (R)-[11C]verapamil was low in all regions investigated in control and post-status epilepticus rats. After administration of 3 mg/kg tariquidar, which inhibits P-glycoprotein only partially, we observed increased regional differentiation in brain activity uptake in post-status epilepticus versus control rats, which diminished after maximal P-glycoprotein inhibition. Regional increases in the efflux rate constant k2, but not in distribution volume VT or influx rate constant K1, correlated significantly with increases in P-glycoprotein expression measured by immunohistochemistry. This imaging protocol proves to be suitable to detect seizure-induced regional changes in P-glycoprotein activity and is readily applicable to humans, with the aim to detect relevant mechanisms of pharmacoresistance in epilepsy in vivo. PMID:21677164

  17. Treatment of Oral Multispecies Biofilms by an Anti-Biofilm Peptide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhejun; de la Fuente-Núñez, Cesar; Shen, Ya; Haapasalo, Markus; Hancock, Robert E W

    2015-01-01

    Human oral biofilms are multispecies microbial communities that exhibit high resistance to antimicrobial agents. Dental plaque gives rise to highly prevalent and costly biofilm-related oral infections, which lead to caries or other types of oral infections. We investigated the ability of the recently identified anti-biofilm peptide 1018 to induce killing of bacterial cells present within oral multispecies biofilms. At 10 μg/ml (6.5 μM), peptide 1018 was able to significantly (pbiofilm formation over 3 days. The activity of the peptide on preformed biofilms was found to be concentration-dependent since more than 60% of the total plaque biofilm cell population was killed by 10 μg/ml of peptide 1018 in 3 days, while at 5 μg/ml 50% of cells were dead and at 1 μg/ml the peptide triggered cell death in around 30% of the total bacterial population, as revealed by confocal microscopy. The presence of saliva did not affect peptide activity, since no statistically significant difference was found in the ability of peptide 1018 to kill oral biofilms using either saliva coated and non-saliva coated hydroxyapatite surfaces. Scanning electron microscopy experiments indicated that peptide 1018 induced cell lysis in plaque biofilms. Furthermore, combined treatment using peptide 1018 and chlorhexidine (CHX) increased the anti-biofilm activity of each compound compared to when these were used alone, resulting in >50% of the biofilm being killed and >35% being dispersed in only 3 minutes. Peptide 1018 may potentially be used by itself or in combination with CHX as a non-toxic and effective anti-biofilm agent for plaque disinfection in clinical dentistry.

  18. Identification and characterization of peptide: N- glycanase from Dictyostelium discoideum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gosain Anuradha

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Peptide: N- glycanase (PNGase enzyme cleaves oligosaccharides from the misfolded glycoproteins and prepares them for degradation. This enzyme plays a role in the endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation (ERAD pathway in yeast and mice but its biological importance and role in multicellular development remain largely unknown. Results In this study, the PNGase from the cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum (DdPNGase was identified based on the presence of a common TG (transglutaminase core domain and its sequence homology with the known PNGases. The domain architecture and the sequence comparison validated the presence of probable functional domains in DdPNGase. The tertiary structure matched with the mouse PNGase. Here we show that DdPNGase is an essential protein, required for aggregation during multicellular development and a knockout strain of it results in small sized aggregates, all of which did not form fruiting bodies. The in situ hybridization and RT-PCR results show higher level of expression during the aggregate stage. The expression gets restricted to the prestalk region during later developmental stages. DdPNGase is a functional peptide:N-glycanase enzyme possessing deglycosylation activity, but does not possess any significant transamidation activity. Conclusions We have identified and characterized a novel PNGase from D. discoideum and confirmed its deglycosylation activity. The results emphasize the importance of PNGase in aggregation during multicellular development of this organism.

  19. Annotating Human P-Glycoprotein Bioassay Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zdrazil, Barbara; Pinto, Marta; Vasanthanathan, Poongavanam; Williams, Antony J; Balderud, Linda Zander; Engkvist, Ola; Chichester, Christine; Hersey, Anne; Overington, John P; Ecker, Gerhard F

    2012-08-01

    Huge amounts of small compound bioactivity data have been entering the public domain as a consequence of open innovation initiatives. It is now the time to carefully analyse existing bioassay data and give it a systematic structure. Our study aims to annotate prominent in vitro assays used for the determination of bioactivities of human P-glycoprotein inhibitors and substrates as they are represented in the ChEMBL and TP-search open source databases. Furthermore, the ability of data, determined in different assays, to be combined with each other is explored. As a result of this study, it is suggested that for inhibitors of human P-glycoprotein it is possible to combine data coming from the same assay type, if the cell lines used are also identical and the fluorescent or radiolabeled substrate have overlapping binding sites. In addition, it demonstrates that there is a need for larger chemical diverse datasets that have been measured in a panel of different assays. This would certainly alleviate the search for other inter-correlations between bioactivity data yielded by different assay setups.

  20. Gastrointestinal Endogenous Proteins as a Source of Bioactive Peptides - An In Silico Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dave, Lakshmi A.; Montoya, Carlos A.; Rutherfurd, Shane M.; Moughan, Paul J.

    2014-01-01

    Dietary proteins are known to contain bioactive peptides that are released during digestion. Endogenous proteins secreted into the gastrointestinal tract represent a quantitatively greater supply of protein to the gut lumen than those of dietary origin. Many of these endogenous proteins are digested in the gastrointestinal tract but the possibility that these are also a source of bioactive peptides has not been considered. An in silico prediction method was used to test if bioactive peptides could be derived from the gastrointestinal digestion of gut endogenous proteins. Twenty six gut endogenous proteins and seven dietary proteins were evaluated. The peptides present after gastric and intestinal digestion were predicted based on the amino acid sequence of the proteins and the known specificities of the major gastrointestinal proteases. The predicted resultant peptides possessing amino acid sequences identical to those of known bioactive peptides were identified. After gastrointestinal digestion (based on the in silico simulation), the total number of bioactive peptides predicted to be released ranged from 1 (gliadin) to 55 (myosin) for the selected dietary proteins and from 1 (secretin) to 39 (mucin-5AC) for the selected gut endogenous proteins. Within the intact proteins and after simulated gastrointestinal digestion, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptide sequences were the most frequently observed in both the dietary and endogenous proteins. Among the dietary proteins, after in silico simulated gastrointestinal digestion, myosin was found to have the highest number of ACE-inhibitory peptide sequences (49 peptides), while for the gut endogenous proteins, mucin-5AC had the greatest number of ACE-inhibitory peptide sequences (38 peptides). Gut endogenous proteins may be an important source of bioactive peptides in the gut particularly since gut endogenous proteins represent a quantitatively large and consistent source of protein. PMID:24901416

  1. Gastrointestinal endogenous proteins as a source of bioactive peptides--an in silico study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dave, Lakshmi A; Montoya, Carlos A; Rutherfurd, Shane M; Moughan, Paul J

    2014-01-01

    Dietary proteins are known to contain bioactive peptides that are released during digestion. Endogenous proteins secreted into the gastrointestinal tract represent a quantitatively greater supply of protein to the gut lumen than those of dietary origin. Many of these endogenous proteins are digested in the gastrointestinal tract but the possibility that these are also a source of bioactive peptides has not been considered. An in silico prediction method was used to test if bioactive peptides could be derived from the gastrointestinal digestion of gut endogenous proteins. Twenty six gut endogenous proteins and seven dietary proteins were evaluated. The peptides present after gastric and intestinal digestion were predicted based on the amino acid sequence of the proteins and the known specificities of the major gastrointestinal proteases. The predicted resultant peptides possessing amino acid sequences identical to those of known bioactive peptides were identified. After gastrointestinal digestion (based on the in silico simulation), the total number of bioactive peptides predicted to be released ranged from 1 (gliadin) to 55 (myosin) for the selected dietary proteins and from 1 (secretin) to 39 (mucin-5AC) for the selected gut endogenous proteins. Within the intact proteins and after simulated gastrointestinal digestion, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptide sequences were the most frequently observed in both the dietary and endogenous proteins. Among the dietary proteins, after in silico simulated gastrointestinal digestion, myosin was found to have the highest number of ACE-inhibitory peptide sequences (49 peptides), while for the gut endogenous proteins, mucin-5AC had the greatest number of ACE-inhibitory peptide sequences (38 peptides). Gut endogenous proteins may be an important source of bioactive peptides in the gut particularly since gut endogenous proteins represent a quantitatively large and consistent source of protein.

  2. Glycan shield and fusion activation of a deltacoronavirus spike glycoprotein fine-tuned for enteric infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Xiaoli; Tortorici, M Alejandra; Snijder, Joost; Yoshioka, Craig; Walls, Alexandra C; Li, Wentao; McGuire, Andrew T; Rey, Félix A; Bosch, Berend-Jan; Veesler, David

    2017-11-01

    Coronaviruses recently emerged as major human pathogens causing outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle-East respiratory syndrome. They utilize the spike (S) glycoprotein anchored in the viral envelope to mediate host attachment and fusion of the viral and cellular membranes to initiate infection. The S protein is a major determinant of the zoonotic potential of coronaviruses and is also the main target of the host humoral immune response. We report here the 3.5 Å resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of the S glycoprotein trimer from the pathogenic porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), which belongs to the recently identified delta genus. Structural and glycoproteomics data indicate that the glycans of PDCoV S are topologically conserved when compared with the human respiratory coronavirus HCoV-NL63 S, resulting in similar surface areas being shielded from neutralizing antibodies and implying that both viruses are under comparable immune pressure in their respective hosts. The structure further reveals a shortened S 2 ' activation loop, containing a reduced number of basic amino acids, which participates to rendering the spike largely protease-resistant. This property distinguishes PDCoV S from recently characterized betacoronavirus S proteins and suggests that the S protein of enterotropic PDCoV has evolved to tolerate the protease-rich environment of the small intestine and to fine-tune its fusion activation to avoid premature triggering and reduction of infectivity. IMPORTANCE Coronaviruses use transmembrane spike (S) glycoprotein trimers to promote host attachment and fusion of the viral and cellular membranes. We determined a near-atomic resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of the S ectodomain trimer from the pathogenic porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), which is responsible for diarrhea in piglets and has had devastating consequences for the swine industry worldwide. Structural and glycoproteomics data reveal that PDCoV S is

  3. Chemoenzymatic site-specific labeling of influenza glycoproteins as a tool to observe virus budding in real time.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maximilian Wei-Lin Popp

    Full Text Available The influenza virus uses the hemagglutinin (HA and neuraminidase (NA glycoproteins to interact with and infect host cells. While biochemical and microscopic methods allow examination of the early steps in flu infection, the genesis of progeny virions has been more difficult to follow, mainly because of difficulties inherent in fluorescent labeling of flu proteins in a manner compatible with live cell imaging. We here apply sortagging as a chemoenzymatic approach to label genetically modified but infectious flu and track the flu glycoproteins during the course of infection. This method cleanly distinguishes influenza glycoproteins from host glycoproteins and so can be used to assess the behavior of HA or NA biochemically and to observe the flu glycoproteins directly by live cell imaging.

  4. Intestinal mucus and juice glycoproteins have a liquid crystalline structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Denisova, E.A.; Lazarev, P.I.; Vazina, A.A.; Zheleznaya, L.A.

    1985-01-01

    X-ray diffraction patterns have been obtained from the following components of canine gastrointestinal tract: (1) native small intestine mucus layer; (2) the precipitate of the flocks formed in the duodenal juice with decreasing pH; (3) concentrated solutions of glycoproteins isolated from the duodenal juice. The X-ray patterns consist of a large number of sharp reflections of spacings between about 100 and 4 A. Some reflections are common for all components studied. All the patterns are interpreted as arising from the glycoprotein molecules ordered into a liquid crystalline structure. (author)

  5. Peptides and Anti-peptide Antibodies for Small and Medium Scale Peptide and Anti-peptide Affinity Microarrays: Antigenic Peptide Selection, Immobilization, and Processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Fan; Briones, Andrea; Soloviev, Mikhail

    2016-01-01

    This chapter describes the principles of selection of antigenic peptides for the development of anti-peptide antibodies for use in microarray-based multiplex affinity assays and also with mass-spectrometry detection. The methods described here are mostly applicable to small to medium scale arrays. Although the same principles of peptide selection would be suitable for larger scale arrays (with 100+ features) the actual informatics software and printing methods may well be different. Because of the sheer number of proteins/peptides to be processed and analyzed dedicated software capable of processing all the proteins and an enterprise level array robotics may be necessary for larger scale efforts. This report aims to provide practical advice to those who develop or use arrays with up to ~100 different peptide or protein features.

  6. Buwchitin: a ruminal peptide with antimicrobial potential against Enterococcus faecalis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oyama, Linda B.; Crochet, Jean-Adrien; Edwards, Joan E.; Girdwood, Susan E.; Cookson, Alan R.; Fernandez-Fuentes, Narcis; Hilpert, Kai; Golyshin, Peter N.; Golyshina, Olga V.; Privé, Florence; Hess, Matthias; Mantovani, Hilario C.; Creevey, Christopher J.; Huws, Sharon A.

    2017-07-01

    Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are gaining popularity as alternatives for treatment of bacterial infections and recent advances in omics technologies provide new platforms for AMP discovery. We sought to determine the antibacterial activity of a novel antimicrobial peptide, buwchitin, against Enterococcus faecalis. Buwchitin was identified from a rumen bacterial metagenome library, cloned, expressed and purified. The antimicrobial activity of the recombinant peptide was assessed using a broth microdilution susceptibility assay to determine the peptide's killing kinetics against selected bacterial strains. The killing mechanism of buwchitin was investigated further by monitoring its ability to cause membrane depolarization (diSC3(5) method) and morphological changes in E. faecalis cells. Transmission electron micrographs of buwchitin treated E. faecalis cells showed intact outer membranes with blebbing, but no major damaging effects and cell morphology changes. Buwchitin had negligible cytotoxicity against defibrinated sheep erythrocytes. Although no significant membrane leakage and depolarization was observed, buwchitin at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was bacteriostatic against E. faecalis cells and inhibited growth in vitro by 70% when compared to untreated cells. These findings suggest that buwchitin, a rumen derived peptide, has potential for antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis.

  7. Buwchitin: A Ruminal Peptide with Antimicrobial Potential against Enterococcus faecalis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linda B. Oyama

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs are gaining popularity as alternatives for treatment of bacterial infections and recent advances in omics technologies provide new platforms for AMP discovery. We sought to determine the antibacterial activity of a novel antimicrobial peptide, buwchitin, against Enterococcus faecalis. Buwchitin was identified from a rumen bacterial metagenome library, cloned, expressed and purified. The antimicrobial activity of the recombinant peptide was assessed using a broth microdilution susceptibility assay to determine the peptide's killing kinetics against selected bacterial strains. The killing mechanism of buwchitin was investigated further by monitoring its ability to cause membrane depolarization (diSC3(5 method and morphological changes in E. faecalis cells. Transmission electron micrographs of buwchitin treated E. faecalis cells showed intact outer membranes with blebbing, but no major damaging effects and cell morphology changes. Buwchitin had negligible cytotoxicity against defibrinated sheep erythrocytes. Although no significant membrane leakage and depolarization was observed, buwchitin at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC was bacteriostatic against E. faecalis cells and inhibited growth in vitro by 70% when compared to untreated cells. These findings suggest that buwchitin, a rumen derived peptide, has potential for antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis.

  8. Platelet Glycoprotein Ib-IX and Malignancy

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-01

    provide a unique microenvironment supporting the accumulation of more platelets and the elaboration of a fibrin - rich network produced by coagulation...process and can initiate the formation of a platelet - rich thrombus by tethering the platelet to a thrombogenic surface. Several ligands binding to GP Ib... Platelet Glycoprotein Ib-IX and Malignancy PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Jerry Ware, Ph.D

  9. Therapeutic peptides for cancer therapy. Part II - cell cycle inhibitory peptides and apoptosis-inducing peptides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raucher, Drazen; Moktan, Shama; Massodi, Iqbal; Bidwell, Gene L

    2009-10-01

    Therapeutic peptides have great potential as anticancer agents owing to their ease of rational design and target specificity. However, their utility in vivo is limited by low stability and poor tumor penetration. The authors review the development of peptide inhibitors with potential for cancer therapy. Peptides that arrest the cell cycle by mimicking CDK inhibitors or induce apoptosis directly are discussed. The authors searched Medline for articles concerning the development of therapeutic peptides and their delivery. Inhibition of cancer cell proliferation directly using peptides that arrest the cell cycle or induce apoptosis is a promising strategy. Peptides can be designed that interact very specifically with cyclins and/or cyclin-dependent kinases and with members of apoptotic cascades. Use of these peptides is not limited by their design, as a rational approach to peptide design is much less challenging than the design of small molecule inhibitors of specific protein-protein interactions. However, the limitations of peptide therapy lie in the poor pharmacokinetic properties of these large, often charged molecules. Therefore, overcoming the drug delivery hurdles could open the door for effective peptide therapy, thus making an entirely new class of molecules useful as anticancer drugs.

  10. The quality control of glycoprotein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum, a trip from trypanosomes to mammals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.J. Parodi

    1998-05-01

    Full Text Available The present review deals with the stages of synthesis and processing of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides occurring in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum and their relationship to the acquisition by glycoproteins of their proper tertiary structures. Special emphasis is placed on reactions taking place in trypanosomatid protozoa since their study has allowed the detection of the transient glucosylation of glycoproteins catalyzed by UDP-Glc:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase and glucosidase II. The former enzyme has the unique property of covalently tagging improperly folded conformations by catalyzing the formation of protein-linked Glc1Man7GlcNAc2, Glc1Man8GlcNac2 and Glc1Man9GlcNAc2 from the unglucosylated proteins. Glucosyltransferase is a soluble protein of the endoplasmic reticulum that recognizes protein domains exposed in denatured but not in native conformations (probably hydrophobic amino acids and the innermost N-acetylglucosamine unit that is hidden from macromolecular probes in most native glycoproteins. In vivo, the glucose units are removed by glucosidase II. The influence of oligosaccharides in glycoprotein folding is reviewed as well as the participation of endoplasmic reticulum chaperones (calnexin and calreticulin that recognize monoglucosylated species in the same process. A model for the quality control of glycoprotein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum, i.e., the mechanism by which cells recognize the tertiary structure of glycoproteins and only allow transit to the Golgi apparatus of properly folded species, is discussed. The main elements of this control are calnexin and calreticulin as retaining components, the UDP-Glc:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase as a sensor of tertiary structures and glucosidase II as the releasing agent.

  11. Boronic Acid-Based Approach for Separation and Immobilization of Glycoproteins and Its Application in Sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Liu

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Glycoproteins influence a broad spectrum of biological processes including cell-cell interaction, host-pathogen interaction, or protection of proteins against proteolytic degradation. The analysis of their glyco-structures and concentration levels are increasingly important in diagnosis and proteomics. Boronic acids can covalently react with cis-diols in the oligosaccharide chains of glycoproteins to form five- or six-membered cyclic esters. Based on this interaction, boronic acid-based ligands and materials have attracted much attention in both chemistry and biology as the recognition motif for enrichment and chemo/biosensing of glycoproteins in recent years. In this work, we reviewed the progress in the separation, immobilization and detection of glycoproteins with boronic acid-functionalized materials and addressed its application in sensing.

  12. Peptide gH625 enters into neuron and astrocyte cell lines and crosses the blood–brain barrier in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valiante S

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Salvatore Valiante,1,* Annarita Falanga,2,3,* Luisa Cigliano,1 Giuseppina Iachetta,1 Rosa Anna Busiello,1 Valeria La Marca,1 Massimiliano Galdiero,4 Assunta Lombardi,1 Stefania Galdiero1,2 1Department of Biology, 2Department of Pharmacy, 3DFM Scarl, University of Naples Federico II, 4Department of Experimental Medicine, II University of Naples, Naples, Italy *These authors contributed equally to this paper and are considered joint first authors Abstract: Peptide gH625, derived from glycoprotein H of herpes simplex virus type 1, can enter cells efficiently and deliver a cargo. Nanoparticles armed with gH625 are able to cross an in vitro model of the blood–brain barrier (BBB. In the present study, in vitro experiments were performed to investigate whether gH625 can enter and accumulate in neuron and astrocyte cell lines. The ability of gH625 to cross the BBB in vivo was also evaluated. gH625 was administered in vivo to rats and its presence in the liver and in the brain was detected. Within 3.5 hours of intravenous administration, gH625 can be found beyond the BBB in proximity to cell neurites. gH625 has no toxic effects in vivo, since it does not affect the maximal oxidative capacity of the brain or the mitochondrial respiration rate. Our data suggest that gH625, with its ability to cross the BBB, represents a novel nanocarrier system for drug delivery to the central nervous system. These results open up new possibilities for direct delivery of drugs into patients in the field of theranostics and might address the treatment of several human diseases. Keywords: drug delivery, neurons, astrocytes, blood–brain barrier, peptide

  13. Tritium labeling of amino acids and peptides with liquid and solid tritium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, C.T.; Hua, R.L.; Souers, P.C.; Coronado, P.R.

    1988-01-01

    Amino acids and peptides were labeled with liquid and solid tritium at 21 K and 9 K. At these low temperatures radiation degradation is minimal, and tritium incorporation increases with tritium concentration and exposure time. Ring saturation in L-phenyl-alanine does not occur. Peptide linkage in oligopeptides is stable toward tritium. Deiodination in 3-iodotyrosine and 3,5-diiodotyrosine occurs readily and proceeds in steps by losing one iodine atom at a time. Nickel and noble metal supported catalysts when used as supports for dispersion of the substrate promote tritium labeling at 21 K. Our study shows that both liquid and solid tritium are potentially useful agents for labeling peptides and proteins. 11 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs

  14. Tritium labeling of amino acids and peptides with liquid and solid tritium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souers, P.C.; Coronado, P.R.; Peng, C.T.; Hua, R.L.

    1988-01-01

    Amino acids and peptides were labeled with liquid and solid tritium at 21/degree/K and 9/degree/K. At these low temperatures radiation degradation is minimal, and tritium incorporation increases with tritium concentration and exposure time. Ring saturation in L-phenylalanine does not occur. Peptide linkage in oligopeptides is stable toward tritium. Deiodination in 3-iodotyrosine and 3,5-diiodotyrosine occurs readily and proceeds in steps by losing one iodine atom at a time. Nickel and noble metal supported catalysts when used as supports for dispersion of the substrate promote tritium labeling at 21 K. Our study shows that both liquid and solid tritiums are potentially useful agents for labeling peptides and proteins

  15. Mycobacterium leprae virulence-associated peptides are indicators of exposure to M. leprae in Brazil, Ethiopia and Nepal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bobosha, Kidist; Tang, Sheila Tuyet; van der Ploeg-van Schip, Jolien J; Bekele, Yonas; Martins, Marcia V S B; Lund, Ole; Franken, Kees L M C; Khadge, Saraswoti; Pontes, Maria Araci de Andrade; Gonçalves, Heitor de Sá; Hussien, Jemal; Thapa, Pratibha; Kunwar, Chhatra B; Hagge, Deanna A; Aseffa, Abraham; Pessolani, Maria Cristina Vidal; Pereira, Geraldo M B; Ottenhoff, Tom H M; Geluk, Annemieke

    2012-12-01

    Silent transmission of Mycobacterium leprae, as evidenced by stable leprosy incidence rates in various countries, remains a health challenge despite the implementation of multidrug therapy worldwide. Therefore, the development of tools for the early diagnosis of M. leprae infection should be emphasised in leprosy research. As part of the continuing effort to identify antigens that have diagnostic potential, unique M. leprae peptides derived from predicted virulence-associated proteins (group IV.A) were identified using advanced genome pattern programs and bioinformatics. Based on human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-binding motifs, we selected 21 peptides that were predicted to be promiscuous HLA-class I T-cell epitopes and eight peptides that were predicted to be HLA-class II restricted T-cell epitopes for field-testing in Brazil, Ethiopia and Nepal. High levels of interferon (IFN)-γ were induced when peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from tuberculoid/borderline tuberculoid leprosy patients located in Brazil and Ethiopia were stimulated with the ML2055 p35 peptide. PBMCs that were isolated from healthy endemic controls living in areas with high leprosy prevalence (EChigh) in Ethiopia also responded to the ML2055 p35 peptide. The Brazilian EChigh group recognised the ML1358 p20 and ML1358 p24 peptides. None of the peptides were recognised by PBMCs from healthy controls living in non-endemic region. In Nepal, mixtures of these peptides induced the production of IFN-γ by the PBMCs of leprosy patients and EChigh. Therefore, the M. leprae virulence-associated peptides identified in this study may be useful for identifying exposure to M. leprae in population with differing HLA polymorphisms.

  16. Peptides, polypeptides and peptide-polymer hybrids as nucleic acid carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Marya

    2017-10-24

    Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs), and protein transduction domains (PTDs) of viruses and other natural proteins serve as a template for the development of efficient peptide based gene delivery vectors. PTDs are sequences of acidic or basic amphipathic amino acids, with superior membrane trespassing efficacies. Gene delivery vectors derived from these natural, cationic and cationic amphipathic peptides, however, offer little flexibility in tailoring the physicochemical properties of single chain peptide based systems. Owing to significant advances in the field of peptide chemistry, synthetic mimics of natural peptides are often prepared and have been evaluated for their gene expression, as a function of amino acid functionalities, architecture and net cationic content of peptide chains. Moreover, chimeric single polypeptide chains are prepared by a combination of multiple small natural or synthetic peptides, which imparts distinct physiological properties to peptide based gene delivery therapeutics. In order to obtain multivalency and improve the gene delivery efficacies of low molecular weight cationic peptides, bioactive peptides are often incorporated into a polymeric architecture to obtain novel 'polymer-peptide hybrids' with improved gene delivery efficacies. Peptide modified polymers prepared by physical or chemical modifications exhibit enhanced endosomal escape, stimuli responsive degradation and targeting efficacies, as a function of physicochemical and biological activities of peptides attached onto a polymeric scaffold. The focus of this review is to provide comprehensive and step-wise progress in major natural and synthetic peptides, chimeric polypeptides, and peptide-polymer hybrids for nucleic acid delivery applications.

  17. Glycan structures contain information for the spatial arrangement of glycoproteins in the plasma membrane.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Kristen Hall

    Full Text Available Glycoconjugates at the cell surface are crucial for cells to communicate with each other and the extracellular microenvironment. While it is generally accepted that glycans are vectorial biopolymers, their information content is unclear. This report provides evidence that distinct N-glycan structures influence the spatial arrangement of two integral membrane glycoproteins, Kv3.1 and E-cadherin, at the adherent membrane which in turn alter cellular properties. Distinct N-glycan structures were generated by heterologous expression of these glycoproteins in parental and glycosylation mutant Chinese hamster ovary cell lines. Unlike the N-linked glycans, the O-linked glycans of the mutant cell lines are similar to those of the parental cell line. Western and lectin blots of total membranes and GFP immunopurified samples, combined with glycosidase digestion reactions, were employed to verify the glycoproteins had predominantly complex, oligomannose, and bisecting type N-glycans from Pro(-5, Lec1, and Lec10B cell lines, respectively. Based on total internal reflection fluorescence and differential interference contrast microscopy techniques, and cellular assays of live parental and glycosylation mutant CHO cells, we propose that glycoproteins with complex, oligomannose or bisecting type N-glycans relay information for localization of glycoproteins to various regions of the plasma membrane in both a glycan-specific and protein-specific manner, and furthermore cell-cell interactions are required for deciphering much of this information. These distinct spatial arrangements also impact cell adhesion and migration. Our findings provide direct evidence that N-glycan structures of glycoproteins contribute significantly to the information content of cells.

  18. Role of C-peptide in Altered Lipid Profile among Apparently Healthy Adults of Vijayapura City, Karnataka

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chandrahas M.Kulkarni

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: C-peptide is produced in equimolar concentration during insulin production as inactive molecule by beta islet cells of Langerhans. C-peptide is most useful biomarker of endogenous insulin production. Aim and Objectives: To predict metabolic syndrome in advance by estimation of C-peptide and lipid profile in healthy adults. Material and Methods: Serum C-peptide, fasting blood glucose and lipid profile of 128 healthy individuals were estimated. Adults in the age group of 18 to 60 years of both sexes were included in study. Results: C-peptide levels were increased in 27%, Serum cholesterol in 30%, LDL Cholesterol in 55% and triglyceride levels in 21% of healthy individuals. Significant correlation was observed between C peptide, age, serum cholesterol, LDL and cholesterol LDL ratio in male subjects only. In our study group most of the subjects (both males and females fell in overweight group. Conclusion: Cpeptide level and lipid profile may be considered as useful biomarkers to predict type 2 diabetes mellitus in advance, possibly due to insulin resistance.

  19. Design and synthesis of an antigenic mimic of the Ebola glycoprotein

    OpenAIRE

    Rutledge, Ryan D.; Huffman, Brian J.; Cliffel, David E.; Wright, David W.

    2008-01-01

    An antigenic mimic of the Ebola glycoprotein was synthesized and tested for its ability to be recognized by an anti-Ebola glycoprotein antibody. Epitope-mapping procedures yielded a suitable epitope that, when presented on the surface of a nanoparticle, forms a structure that is recognized by an antibody specific for the native protein. This mimic-antibody interaction has been quantitated through ELISA and QCM-based methods and yielded an affinity (Kd = 12 × 10−6 M) within two orders of magni...

  20. Human milk peptides differentiate between the preterm and term infant and across varying lactational stages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dingess, Kelly A; de Waard, Marita; Boeren, Sjef; Vervoort, Jacques; Lambers, Tim T; van Goudoever, Johannes B; Hettinga, Kasper

    2017-10-18

    Variations in endogenous peptide profiles, functionality, and the enzymes responsible for the formation of these peptides in human milk are understudied. Additionally, there is a lack of knowledge regarding peptides in donor human milk, which is used to feed preterm infants when mother's own milk is not (sufficiently) available. To assess this, 29 human milk samples from the Dutch Human Milk Bank were analyzed as three groups, preterm late lactation stage (LS) (n = 12), term early (n = 8) and term late LS (n = 9). Gestational age (GA) groups were defined as preterm (24-36 weeks) and term (≥37 weeks). LS was determined as days postpartum as early (16-36 days) or late (55-88 days). Peptides, analyzed by LC-MS/MS, and parent proteins (proteins from matched peptide sequences) were identified and quantified, after which peptide functionality and the enzymes responsible for protein cleavage were determined. A total of 16 different parent proteins were identified from human milk, with no differences by GA or LS. We identified 1104 endogenous peptides, of which, the majority were from the parent proteins β-casein, polymeric immunoglobulin receptor, α s1 -casein, osteopontin, and κ-casein. The absolute number of peptides differed by GA and LS with 30 and 41 differing sequences respectively (p milk peptides. These results explain some of the variation in endogenous peptides in human milk, leading to future targets that may be studied for functionality.

  1. Spectroscopic study of the B[e] supergiant LHA 120-S 35

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Torres, A.F.; Oksala, Mary E.; Cidale, L.S.; Kraus, Michaela; Borges Fernandes, M.; Barba, R.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 55, č. 1 (2012), s. 155-158 E-ISSN 1669-9521. [Asociación Argentina de Astronomía : Reunion Anual. Mar del Plata, 17.09.2012-21.09.2012] R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP209/11/1198; GA MŠk 7AMB12AR021 Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : LHA 120-S 35 * spectroscopic description Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics http://www. astronomia argentina.org.ar/b55/boletin_55.pdf

  2. Infectious Mononucleosis Triggers Generation of IgG Auto-Antibodies against Native Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kakalacheva, Kristina; Regenass, Stephan; Wiesmayr, Silke; Azzi, Tarik; Berger, Christoph; Dale, Russell C; Brilot, Fabienne; Münz, Christian; Rostasy, Kevin; Nadal, David; Lünemann, Jan D

    2016-02-12

    A history of infectious mononucleosis (IM), symptomatic primary infection with the Epstein Barr virus, is associated with the development of autoimmune diseases and increases the risk to develop multiple sclerosis. Here, we hypothesized that immune activation during IM triggers autoreactive immune responses. Antibody responses towards cellular antigens using a HEp-2 based indirect immunofluorescence assay and native myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) using a flow cytometry-based assay were determined in 35 patients with IM and in 23 control subjects. We detected frequent immunoglobulin M (IgM) reactivity to vimentin, a major constituent of the intermediate filament family of proteins, in IM patients (27/35; 77%) but rarely in control subjects (2/23; 9%). IgG autoantibodies binding to HEp-2 cells were absent in both groups. In contrast, IgG responses to native MOG, present in up to 40% of children with inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), were detectable in 7/35 (20%) patients with IM but not in control subjects. Normalization of anti-vimentin IgM levels to increased total IgM concentrations during IM resulted in loss of significant differences for anti-vimentin IgM titers. Anti-MOG specific IgG responses were still detectable in a subset of three out of 35 patients with IM (9%), even after normalization to increased total IgG levels. Vimentin-specific IgM and MOG-specific IgG responses decreased following clinical resolution of acute IM symptoms. We conclude from our data that MOG-specific memory B cells are activated in subset of patients with IM.

  3. Involvement of Leishmania donovani major surface glycoprotein ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The major surface glycoprotein gp63 of the kinetoplastid protozoal parasite Leishmania is implicated as a ligand mediating uptake of the parasite into, and survival within, the host macrophage. By expressing gp63 antisense RNA from an episomal vector in L. donovani promastigotes, gp63-deficient transfectants were ...

  4. Bioinformatics Analysis of Envelope Glycoprotein E epitopes of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    User

    2011-05-02

    May 2, 2011 ... 1National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan. 2Department of ..... E glycoprotein and its interaction with antibody with the method of molecular dynamics and molecular model ...

  5. eEF-2 Phosphorylation Down-Regulates P-Glycoprotein Over-Expression in Rat Brain Microvessel Endothelial Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xing Hua Tang

    Full Text Available We investigated whether glutamate, NMDA receptors, and eukaryote elongation factor-2 kinase (eEF-2K/eEF-2 regulate P-glycoprotein expression, and the effects of the eEF-2K inhibitor NH125 on the expression of P-glycoprotein in rat brain microvessel endothelial cells (RBMECs.Cortex was obtained from newborn Wistar rat brains. After surface vessels and meninges were removed, the pellet containing microvessels was resuspended and incubated at 37°C in culture medium. Cell viability was assessed by the MTT assay. RBMECs were identified by immunohistochemistry with anti-vWF. P-glycoprotein, phospho-eEF-2, and eEF-2 expression were determined by western blot analysis. Mdr1a gene expression was analyzed by RT-PCR.Mdr1a mRNA, P-glycoprotein and phospho-eEF-2 expression increased in L-glutamate stimulated RBMECs. P-glycoprotein and phospho-eEF-2 expression were down-regulated after NH125 treatment in L-glutamate stimulated RBMECs.eEF-2K/eEF-2 should have played an important role in the regulation of P-glycoprotein expression in RBMECs. eEF-2K inhibitor NH125 could serve as an efficacious anti-multidrug resistant agent.

  6. Binding Mode of Insulin Receptor and Agonist Peptide

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2006-01-01

    Insulin is a protein hormone secreted by pancreatic β cells. One of its main functions is to keep the balance of glucose inside the body by regulating the absorption and metabolism of glucose in the periphery tissue, as well as the production and storage of hepatic glycogen. The insulin receptor is a transmembrane glycoprotein in which two α subunits with a molecular weight of 135 kD and twoβ subunits with a molecular weight of 95 kD are joined by a disulfide bond to form a β-α-α-β structure. The extracellular α subunit, especially, its three domains near the N-terminal are partially responsible for signal transduction or ligand-binding, as indicated by the experiments. The extracellular α subunits are involved in binding the ligands. The experimental results indicate that the three domains of the N-terminal of the α subunits are the main determinative parts of the insulin receptor to bind the insulin or mimetic peptide.We employed the extracellular domain (PDBID: 1IGR) of the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1 R ) as the template to simulate and optimize the spatial structures of the three domains in the extracellular domain of the insulin receptor, which includes 468 residues. The work was accomplished by making use of the homology program in the Insight Ⅱ package on an Origin3800 server. The docking calculations of the insulin receptor obtained by homology with hexapeptides were carried out by means of the program Affinity. The analysis indicated that there were hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic and hydrophobic effects in the docking complex of the insulin receptor with hexapeptides.Moreover, we described the spatial orientation of a mimetic peptide with agonist activity in the docking complex. We obtained a rough model of binding of DLAPSQ or STIVYS with the insulin receptor, which provides the powerful theoretical support for designing the minimal insulin mimetic peptide with agonist activity, making it possible to develop oral small

  7. Functional processing and secretion of Chikungunya virus E1 and E2 glycoproteins in insect cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goldbach Rob W

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chikungunya virus (CHIKV is a mosquito-borne, arthrogenic Alphavirus that causes large epidemics in Africa, South-East Asia and India. Recently, CHIKV has been transmitted to humans in Southern Europe by invading and now established Asian tiger mosquitoes. To study the processing of envelope proteins E1 and E2 and to develop a CHIKV subunit vaccine, C-terminally his-tagged E1 and E2 envelope glycoproteins were produced at high levels in insect cells with baculovirus vectors using their native signal peptides located in CHIKV 6K and E3, respectively. Results Expression in the presence of either tunicamycin or furin inhibitor showed that a substantial portion of recombinant intracellular E1 and precursor E3E2 was glycosylated, but that a smaller fraction of E3E2 was processed by furin into mature E3 and E2. Deletion of the C-terminal transmembrane domains of E1 and E2 enabled secretion of furin-cleaved, fully processed E1 and E2 subunits, which could then be efficiently purified from cell culture fluid via metal affinity chromatography. Confocal laser scanning microscopy on living baculovirus-infected Sf21 cells revealed that full-length E1 and E2 translocated to the plasma membrane, suggesting similar posttranslational processing of E1 and E2, as in a natural CHIKV infection. Baculovirus-directed expression of E1 displayed fusogenic activity as concluded from syncytia formation. CHIKV-E2 was able to induce neutralizing antibodies in rabbits. Conclusions Chikungunya virus glycoproteins could be functionally expressed at high levels in insect cells and are properly glycosylated and cleaved by furin. The ability of purified, secreted CHIKV-E2 to induce neutralizing antibodies in rabbits underscores the potential use of E2 in a subunit vaccine to prevent CHIKV infections.

  8. Structure of a Pestivirus Envelope Glycoprotein E2 Clarifies Its Role in Cell Entry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamel El Omari

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Enveloped viruses have developed various adroit mechanisms to invade their host cells. This process requires one or more viral envelope glycoprotein to achieve cell attachment and membrane fusion. Members of the Flaviviridae such as flaviviruses possess only one envelope glycoprotein, E, whereas pestiviruses and hepacivirus encode two glycoproteins, E1 and E2. Although E2 is involved in cell attachment, it has been unclear which protein is responsible for membrane fusion. We report the crystal structures of the homodimeric glycoprotein E2 from the pestivirus bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 (BVDV1 at both neutral and low pH. Unexpectedly, BVDV1 E2 does not have a class II fusion protein fold, and at low pH the N-terminal domain is disordered, similarly to the intermediate postfusion state of E2 from sindbis virus, an alphavirus. Our results suggest that the pestivirus and possibly the hepacivirus fusion machinery are unlike any previously observed.

  9. Structure of a Pestivirus Envelope Glycoprotein E2 Clarifies Its Role in Cell Entry

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Omari, Kamel; Iourin, Oleg; Harlos, Karl; Grimes, Jonathan M.; Stuart, David I.

    2013-01-01

    Summary Enveloped viruses have developed various adroit mechanisms to invade their host cells. This process requires one or more viral envelope glycoprotein to achieve cell attachment and membrane fusion. Members of the Flaviviridae such as flaviviruses possess only one envelope glycoprotein, E, whereas pestiviruses and hepacivirus encode two glycoproteins, E1 and E2. Although E2 is involved in cell attachment, it has been unclear which protein is responsible for membrane fusion. We report the crystal structures of the homodimeric glycoprotein E2 from the pestivirus bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 (BVDV1) at both neutral and low pH. Unexpectedly, BVDV1 E2 does not have a class II fusion protein fold, and at low pH the N-terminal domain is disordered, similarly to the intermediate postfusion state of E2 from sindbis virus, an alphavirus. Our results suggest that the pestivirus and possibly the hepacivirus fusion machinery are unlike any previously observed. PMID:23273918

  10. In Vivo Efficacy of Measles Virus Fusion Protein-Derived Peptides Is Modulated by the Properties of Self-Assembly and Membrane Residence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Figueira, T. N.; Palermo, L. M.; Veiga, A. S.; Huey, D.; Alabi, C. A.; Santos, N. C.; Welsch, J. C.; Mathieu, C.; Niewiesk, S.; Moscona, A.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Measles virus (MV) infection is undergoing resurgence and remains one of the leading causes of death among young children worldwide despite the availability of an effective measles vaccine. MV infects its target cells by coordinated action of the MV hemagglutinin (H) and fusion (F) envelope glycoproteins; upon receptor engagement by H, the prefusion F undergoes a structural transition, extending and inserting into the target cell membrane and then refolding into a postfusion structure that fuses the viral and cell membranes. By interfering with this structural transition of F, peptides derived from the heptad repeat (HR) regions of F can inhibit MV infection at the entry stage. In previous work, we have generated potent MV fusion inhibitors by dimerizing the F-derived peptides and conjugating them to cholesterol. We have shown that prophylactic intranasal administration of our lead fusion inhibitor efficiently protects from MV infection in vivo. We show here that peptides tagged with lipophilic moieties self-assemble into nanoparticles until they reach the target cells, where they are integrated into cell membranes. The self-assembly feature enhances biodistribution and the half-life of the peptides, while integration into the target cell membrane increases fusion inhibitor potency. These factors together modulate in vivo efficacy. The results suggest a new framework for developing effective fusion inhibitory peptides. IMPORTANCE Measles virus (MV) infection causes an acute illness that may be associated with infection of the central nervous system (CNS) and severe neurological disease. No specific treatment is available. We have shown that fusion-inhibitory peptides delivered intranasally provide effective prophylaxis against MV infection. We show here that specific biophysical properties regulate the in vivo efficacy of MV F-derived peptides. PMID:27733647

  11. Global analysis of glycoproteins identifies markers of endotoxin tolerant monocytes and GPR84 as a modulator of TNFα expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Mario M; Lehmann, Roland; Klassert, Tilman E; Reifenstein, Stella; Conrad, Theresia; Moore, Christoph; Kuhn, Anna; Behnert, Andrea; Guthke, Reinhard; Driesch, Dominik; Slevogt, Hortense

    2017-04-12

    Exposure of human monocytes to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces a temporary insensitivity to subsequent LPS challenges, a cellular state called endotoxin tolerance. In this study, we investigated the LPS-induced global glycoprotein expression changes of tolerant human monocytes and THP-1 cells to identify markers and glycoprotein targets capable to modulate the immunosuppressive state. Using hydrazide chemistry and LC-MS/MS analysis, we analyzed glycoprotein expression changes during a 48 h LPS time course. The cellular snapshots at different time points identified 1491 glycoproteins expressed by monocytes and THP-1 cells. Label-free quantitative analysis revealed transient or long-lasting LPS-induced expression changes of secreted or membrane-anchored glycoproteins derived from intracellular membrane coated organelles or from the plasma membrane. Monocytes and THP-1 cells demonstrated marked differences in glycoproteins differentially expressed in the tolerant state. Among the shared differentially expressed glycoproteins G protein-coupled receptor 84 (GPR84) was identified as being capable of modulating pro-inflammatory TNFα mRNA expression in the tolerant cell state when activated with its ligand Decanoic acid.

  12. A virtual screening method for inhibitory peptides of Angiotensin I-converting enzyme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Hongxi; Liu, Yalan; Guo, Mingrong; Xie, Jingli; Jiang, XiaMin

    2014-09-01

    Natural small peptides from foods have been proven to be efficient inhibitors of Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) for the regulation of blood pressure. The traditional ACE inhibitory peptides screening method is both time consuming and money costing, to the contrary, virtual screening method by computation can break these limitations. We establish a virtual screening method to obtain ACE inhibitory peptides with the help of Libdock module of Discovery Studio 3.5 software. A significant relationship between Libdock score and experimental IC(50) was found, Libdock score = 10.063 log(1/IC(50)) + 68.08 (R(2) = 0.62). The credibility of the relationship was confirmed by testing the coincidence of the estimated log(1/IC(50)) and measured log(1/IC(50)) (IC(50) is 50% inhibitory concentration toward ACE, in μmol/L) of 5 synthetic ACE inhibitory peptides, which was virtual hydrolyzed and screened from a kind of seafood, Phascolosoma esculenta. Accordingly, Libdock method is a valid IC(50) estimation tool and virtual screening method for small ACE inhibitory peptides. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

  13. Effect of monoclonal antibodies on limited proteolysis of native glycoprotein gD of herpes simplex virus type 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eisenberg, R.J.; Long, D.; Pereira, L.; Hampar, B.; Zweig, M.; Cohen, G.H.

    1982-01-01

    We examined the properties of 17 monoclonal antibodies to glycoprotein gD of herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) (gD-1) and HSV-2 (gD-2). The antibodies recognized eight separate determinants of gD, based on differences in radioimmuno-precipitation and neutralization assays. The determinants were distributed as follows: three were gD-1 specific, one was gD-2 specific, and four were type common. Several type-specific and type-common determinants appeared to be involved in neutralization. We developed a procedure for examining the effect that binding of monoclonal antibody has on proteolysis of native gD-1 by Staphylococcus aureus protease V8. We showed that several different patterns of protease V8 cleavage were obtained, depending on the monoclonal antibody used. The proteolysis patterns were generally consistent with the immunological groupings. With four groups of antibodies, we found that fragments of gD-1 remained bound to antibody after V8 treatment. A 38,000-dalton fragment remained bound to antibodies in three different groups of monoclonal antibodies. This fragment appeared to contain one type-common and two type-specific determinants. A 12,000-dalton fragment remained bound to antibodies belonging to one type-common group of monoclonal antibodies. Tryptic peptide analysis revealed that the 12,000-dalton fragment represented a portion of the 38,000-dalton fragment and was enriched in a type-common arginine tryptic peptide

  14. Intracellular protein delivery activity of peptides derived from insulin-like growth factor binding proteins 3 and 5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goda, Natsuko; Tenno, Takeshi; Inomata, Kosuke; Shirakawa, Masahiro; Tanaka, Toshiki; Hiroaki, Hidekazu

    2008-01-01

    Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) have various IGF-independent cellular activities, including receptor-independent cellular uptake followed by transcriptional regulation, although mechanisms of cellular entry remain unclear. Herein, we focused on their receptor-independent cellular entry mechanism in terms of protein transduction domain (PTD) activity, which is an emerging technique useful for clinical applications. The peptides of 18 amino acid residues derived from IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5, which involve heparin-binding regions, mediated cellular delivery of an exogenous protein into NIH3T3 and HeLa cells. Relative protein delivery activities of IGFBP-3/5-derived peptides were approximately 20-150% compared to that of the HIV-Tat peptide, a potent PTD. Heparin inhibited the uptake of the fusion proteins with IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5, indicating that the delivery pathway is heparin-dependent endocytosis, similar to that of HIV-Tat. The delivery of GST fused to HIV-Tat was competed by either IGFBP-3 or IGFBP-5-derived synthetic peptides. Therefore, the entry pathways of the three PTDs are shared. Our data has shown a new approach for designing protein delivery systems using IGFBP-3/5 derived peptides based on the molecular mechanisms of IGF-independent activities of IGFBPs

  15. Cathepsin-Mediated Cleavage of Peptides from Peptide Amphiphiles Leads to Enhanced Intracellular Peptide Accumulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Acar, Handan [Institute; Department; Samaeekia, Ravand [Institute; Department; Schnorenberg, Mathew R. [Institute; Department; Medical; Sasmal, Dibyendu K. [Institute; Huang, Jun [Institute; Tirrell, Matthew V. [Institute; Institute; LaBelle, James L. [Department

    2017-08-24

    Peptides synthesized in the likeness of their native interaction domain(s) are natural choices to target protein protein interactions (PPIs) due to their fidelity of orthostatic contact points between binding partners. Despite therapeutic promise, intracellular delivery of biofunctional peptides at concentrations necessary for efficacy remains a formidable challenge. Peptide amphiphiles (PAs) provide a facile method of intracellular delivery and stabilization of bioactive peptides. PAs consisting of biofunctional peptide headgroups linked to hydrophobic alkyl lipid-like tails prevent peptide hydrolysis and proteolysis in circulation, and PA monomers are internalized via endocytosis. However, endocytotic sequestration and steric hindrance from the lipid tail are two major mechanisms that limit PA efficacy to target intracellular PPIs. To address these problems, we have constructed a PA platform consisting of cathepsin-B cleavable PAs in which a selective p53-based inhibitory peptide is cleaved from its lipid tail within endosomes, allowing for intracellular peptide accumulation and extracellular recycling of the lipid moiety. We monitor for cleavage and follow individual PA components in real time using a resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based tracking system. Using this platform, components in real time using a Forster we provide a better understanding and quantification of cellular internalization, trafficking, and endosomal cleavage of PAs and of the ultimate fates of each component.

  16. Rhodocytin (aggretin) activates platelets lacking alpha(2)beta(1) integrin, glycoprotein VI, and the ligand-binding domain of glycoprotein Ibalpha

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bergmeier, W; Bouvard, D; Eble, J A

    2001-01-01

    Although alpha(2)beta(1) integrin (glycoprotein Ia/IIa) has been established as a platelet collagen receptor, its role in collagen-induced platelet activation has been controversial. Recently, it has been demonstrated that rhodocytin (also termed aggretin), a snake venom toxin purified from the v...

  17. Comparison of glycoprotein expression between ovarian and colon adenocarcinomas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Multhaupt, H A; Arenas-Elliott, C P; Warhol, M J

    1999-01-01

    , carcinoembryonic antigen, and cytokeratins 7 and 20 to detect tumor-associated glycoproteins and keratin proteins in ovarian and colonic carcinomas. RESULTS: CA125, carcinoembryonic antigen, and cytokeratins 7 and 20 can distinguish between colonic and serous or endometrioid adenocarcinomas of the ovary in both...... primary and metastatic lesions. Mucinous ovarian adenocarcinomas differed in that they express carcinoembryonic antigen and cytokeratins 7 and 20 and weakly express CA125. The other glycoprotein antigens were equally expressed by ovarian and colonic adenocarcinomas and therefore were of no use...... in distinguishing between these 2 entities. CONCLUSION: A panel of monoclonal antibodies against cytokeratins 7 and 20 antigens, CA125, and carcinoembryonic antigen is useful in differentiating serous and endometrioid adenocarcinomas of the ovary from colonic adenocarcinomas. Mucinous ovarian adenocarcinomas cannot...

  18. Extracellular Glycoproteins in Embryogenic Culture of Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hana Čipčić Paljetak

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The extracellular proteins in three distinctly induced embryogenic lines of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L. cultivated in four MS media modified regarding the nitrogen composition or auxin presence/absence have been analyzed. Extracellular glycoproteins containing α-D-mannose were specifically detected by the lectine concavalin A. During the cultivation of embryogenic tissue in the medium supplemented with reduced nitrogen, the embryos were mostly arrested at preglobular and globular developmental stages, which coincide with the absence of protein secretion. Secreted glycoproteins of 76, 68, 37 and 34 kDa were detected only if any of the three lines were cultivated in the medium that stimulates embryo development, irrespectively of the addition of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid or tunicamycin. The glycoprotein of 64 kDa was detected in all lines cultivated in hormone-free MS medium with conventional nitrogen sources and it appears to be associated with embryo maturation. Tunicamycin treatment did not influence embryogenesis, although it specifically affected glycosylation of proteins in the investigated lines. Our results show that besides auxin, the source of nitrate is of great importance for proper protein glycosylation, excretion and developmental transition of pumpkin somatic embryos.

  19. The V1-V3 region of a brain-derived HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein determines macrophage tropism, low CD4 dependence, increased fusogenicity and altered sensitivity to entry inhibitors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martín-García Julio

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background HIV-1 infects macrophages and microglia in the brain and can cause neurological disorders in infected patients. We and others have shown that brain-derived envelope glycoproteins (Env have lower CD4 dependence and higher avidity for CD4 than those from peripheral isolates, and we have also observed increased fusogenicity and reduced sensitivity to the fusion inhibitor T-1249. Due to the genetic differences between brain and spleen env from one individual throughout gp120 and in gp41's heptad repeat 2 (HR2, we investigated the viral determinants for the phenotypic differences by performing functional studies with chimeric and mutant Env. Results Chimeric Env showed that the V1/V2-C2-V3 region in brain's gp120 determines the low CD4 dependence and high avidity for CD4, as well as macrophage tropism and reduced sensitivity to the small molecule BMS-378806. Changes in brain gp41's HR2 region did not contribute to the increased fusogenicity or to the reduced sensitivity to T-1249, since a T-1249-based peptide containing residues found in brain's but not in spleen's HR2 had similar potency than T-1249 and interacted similarly with an immobilized heptad repeat 1-derived peptide in surface plasmon resonance analysis. However, the increased fusogenicity and reduced T-1249 sensitivity of brain and certain chimeric Env mostly correlated with the low CD4 dependence and high avidity for CD4 determined by brain's V1-V3 region. Remarkably, most but not all of these low CD4-dependent, macrophage tropic envelopes glycoproteins also had increased sensitivity to the novel allosteric entry inhibitor HNG-105. The gp120's C2 region asparagine 283 (N283 has been previously associated with macrophage tropism, brain infection, lower CD4 dependence and higher CD4 affinity. Therefore, we introduced the N283T mutation into an env clone from a brain-derived isolate and into a brain tissue-derived env clone, and the T283N change into a spleen-derived env

  20. IgA antibodies against β2 glycoprotein I in hemodialysis patients are an independent risk factor for mortality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serrano, Antonio; García, Florencio; Serrano, Manuel; Ramírez, Elisa; Alfaro, F Javier; Lora, David; de la Cámara, Agustín Gómez; Paz-Artal, Estela; Praga, Manuel; Morales, Jose M

    2012-06-01

    Cardiovascular complications are the most important cause of death in patients on dialysis with end-stage renal disease. Antibodies reacting with β-glycoprotein I seem to play a pathogenic role in antiphospholipid syndrome and stroke and are involved in the origin of atherosclerosis. Here we evaluated the presence of anticardiolipin and anti-β-glycoprotein I antibodies together with other vascular risk factors and their relationship with mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in a cohort of 124 hemodialysis patients prospectively followed for 2 years. Of these, 41 patients were significantly positive for IgA anti-β-glycoprotein I, and the remaining had normal values. At 24 months, overall and cardiovascular mortality and thrombotic events were all significantly higher in patients with high anti-β-glycoprotein I antibodies. Multivariate analysis using Cox regression modeling found that age, hypoalbuminemia, use of dialysis catheters, and IgA β-glycoprotein I antibodies were independent risk factors for death. Thus, IgA antibodies to β-glycoprotein I are detrimental to the clinical outcome of hemodialysis patients.

  1. Effect of probiotics on antioxidant and antimutagenic activities of crude peptide extract from yogurt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sah, B N P; Vasiljevic, T; McKechnie, S; Donkor, O N

    2014-08-01

    Search for bioactive peptides is intensifying because of the risks associated with the use of synthetic therapeutics, thus peptide liberation by lactic acid bacteria and probiotics has received a great focus. However, proteolytic capacity of these bacteria is strain specific. The study was conducted to establish proteolytic activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus (ATCC® 4356™), Lactobacillus casei (ATCC® 393™) and Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei (ATCC® BAA52™) in yogurt. Crude peptides were separated by high-speed centrifugation and tested for antioxidant and antimutagenic activities. The degree of proteolysis highly correlated with these bioactivities, and its value (11.91%) for samples containing all the cultures was double that of the control. Liberated peptides showed high radical scavenging activities with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid), IC50 1.51 and 1.63mg/ml, respectively and strong antimutagenicity (26.35%). These probiotics enhanced the generation of bioactive peptides and could possibly be commercially applied in new products, or production of novel anticancer peptides. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Protein kinase C involvement in the acetylcholine release reduction induced by amyloid-beta(25-35) aggregates on neuromuscular synapses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomàs, Marta; Garcia, Neus; Santafé, Manuel M; Lanuza, Maria; Tomàs, Josep

    2009-01-01

    Using intracellular recording of the diaphragm muscle of adult rats, we have investigated the short-term functional effects of amyloid-beta (Abeta(25-35) peptide aggregates on the modulation of acetylcholine (ACh) release and the involvement of protein kinase C (PKC). The non-aggregated form of this peptide does not change the evoked and spontaneous transmitter release parameters on the neuromuscular synapse. However, the aggregated form of Abeta(25-35) acutely interferes with evoked quantal ACh release (approximately 40% reduction) when synaptic activity in the ex vivo neuromuscular preparation is maintained by low frequency (1 Hz) electrical stimulation. This effect is partially dependent on the activity of PKC that may have a permissive action. The end result of Abeta(25-35) is in opposition to the PKC-dependent maintenance effect on ACh release manifested in active synapses.

  3. Glycoprotein Ibalpha signalling in platelet apoptosis and clearance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Wal, E.

    2010-01-01

    Storage of platelets at low temperature reduces bacterial growth and might better preserve the haemostatic function of platelets than current procedures. Incubation at 0C is known to expose ?-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-residues on glycoprotein (GP)Ibalpha inducing receptor-clustering and platelet

  4. N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide as a cardiac biomarker in Japanese hemodialysis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, Minako; Doi, Shigehiro; Nakashima, Ayumu; Naito, Takayuki; Masaki, Takao

    2018-03-01

    This study examined the clinical significance of N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide level as a cardiac marker in Japanese hemodialysis patients. This was a multicenter cross-sectional study involving 1428 Japanese hemodialysis patients. Ultrasonic cardiography data at post-hemodialysis were obtained from 395 patients. We examined whether serum N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide levels were associated with cardiac parameters and assessed cut-off values and investigated factors associated with a reduced ratio of N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide levels pre- and post-hemodialysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pre- and post-hemodialysis N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide levels were associated with left ventricular hypertrophy on electrocardiogram (odds ratio: 3.10; p N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide levels were also significantly associated with ejection fraction on urine chorionic gonadotrophin (ultrasonic cardiography; odds ratio: 35.83; p N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide reduction ratio during a hemodialysis session correlated with Kt/V, membrane area, membrane type, modality, body weight gain ratio, treatment time, and ultrafiltration rate with multiple linear regression ( R: 0.53; p N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide are associated with the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy in this population. The post-hemodialysis N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide level is a useful marker for systolic dysfunction.

  5. The viral transmembrane superfamily: possible divergence of Arenavirus and Filovirus glycoproteins from a common RNA virus ancestor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buchmeier Michael J

    2001-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent studies of viral entry proteins from influenza, measles, human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1, and Ebola virus have shown, first with molecular modeling, and then X-ray crystallographic or other biophysical studies, that these disparate viruses share a coiled-coil type of entry protein. Results Structural models of the transmembrane glycoproteins (GP-2 of the Arenaviruses, lymphochoriomeningitis virus (LCMV and Lassa fever virus, are presented, based on consistent structural propensities despite variation in the amino acid sequence. The principal features of the model, a hydrophobic amino terminus, and two antiparallel helices separated by a glycosylated, antigenic apex, are common to a number of otherwise disparate families of enveloped RNA viruses. Within the first amphipathic helix, demonstrable by circular dichroism of a peptide fragment, there is a highly conserved heptad repeat pattern proposed to mediate multimerization by coiled-coil interactions. The amino terminal 18 amino acids are 28% identical and 50% highly similar to the corresponding region of Ebola, a member of the Filovirus family. Within the second, charged helix just prior to membrane insertion there is also high similarity over the central 18 amino acids in corresponding regions of Lassa and Ebola, which may be further related to the similar region of HIV-1 defining a potent antiviral peptide analogue. Conclusions These findings indicate a common pattern of structure and function among viral transmembrane fusion proteins from a number of virus families. Such a pattern may define a viral transmembrane superfamily that evolved from a common precursor eons ago.

  6. Dynamics of synthetic activity of RNA and glycoproteins in epithel cells of endometrium in heifers after ovulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pivko, J.; Grafenau, P.; Uhrin, V.; Kopecny, V.

    1998-01-01

    Synchronized heifers (n=9) of Black Pied HF breed were slaughtered on 3rd, 6th and 9th day of sexual cycle (first day of estrus = 0). Excisions from basal part (A) and functional part (B) of uteri were taken immediately after killing and were processed for autoradiographic analyses. The samples of endometrium were incubated for 20 minutes in isotonic medium with 100 micro Ci uridine (5 -3H) additive with specific activity 740 GBq/mM (UVVVR Prague) to study the RNA synthesis. The endometrium samples were incubated for 60 minutes, and 240 minutes in isotonic medium with 100 micro Ci L-(6-3 H) fucose with specific activity 0.55-1.1 TBqImM (Amersham Int., G.B.) for autoradiographic analysis of the glycoprotein synthesis. The samples were fixed, dehydrated and embedded in Epon 812 after the incubation. The prepared cuts were covered with photographic emulsion and stored in dark box in a refrigerator at 5øC. They were developed in the developer ORWO D 19, stained with methylene blue and examined through the light microscope after one month exposition. We found out by the autoradiographic analysis that the activity of RNA synthesis in cells of the surface epithel is of rising tendency from 3rd to 9th day. The intensity of RNA synthesis does not change in the functional zone during the early lutheal phase, it rises in the basal layer on 6th day, but on 9th day it is the same as on 3rd day. The autoradiographical analysis showed that the activity of RNA synthesis in cells of the surface epithel is of rising tendency from 3rd to 9th day The intensity of RNA synthesis in functional zone does not change during the early lutheal phase, it rises in the basal layer on 6th day, but on 9th day it is the same as on 3rd day. The glycoproteins are synthetised mainly by the Golgi apparatus in supranuclear sphere in the cells of surface epithel and in glandular cells. The glycoproteins were not observed in apical regions of cells on 3rd day of cycle, however, they are intensively

  7. Requirements within the Ebola Viral Glycoprotein for Tetherin Antagonism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nathan H. Vande Burgt

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Tetherin is an interferon-induced, intrinsic cellular response factor that blocks release of numerous viruses, including Ebola virus, from infected cells. As with many viruses targeted by host factors, Ebola virus employs a tetherin antagonist, the viral glycoprotein (EboGP, to counteract restriction and promote virus release. Unlike other tetherin antagonists such as HIV-1 Vpu or KSHV K5, the features within EboGP needed to overcome tetherin are not well characterized. Here, we describe sequences within the EboGP ectodomain and membrane spanning domain (msd as necessary to relieve tetherin restriction of viral particle budding. Fusing the EboGP msd to a normally secreted form of the glycoprotein effectively promotes Ebola virus particle release. Cellular protein or lipid anchors could not substitute for the EboGP msd. The requirement for the EboGP msd was not specific for filovirus budding, as similar results were seen with HIV particles. Furthermore trafficking of chimeric proteins to budding sites did not correlate with an ability to counter tetherin. Additionally, we find that a glycoprotein construct, which mimics the cathepsin-activated species by proteolytic removal of the EboGP glycan cap and mucin domains, is unable to counteract tetherin. Combining these results suggests an important role for the EboGP glycan cap and msd in tetherin antagonism.

  8. Serum-SP/sub 1/-pregnancy-specific-. beta. -glycoprotein in choriocarcinoma and other neoplastic disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Searle, F; Leake, B A; Bagshawe, K D; Dent, J [Charing Cross Group of Hospitals, London (UK)

    1978-03-18

    A radioimmunoassay for a placental glycoprotein, ..beta../sub 1/SP/sub 1/, capable of detecting 2 ..mu..g/l of the glycoprotein in serum was used to measure concentrations of ..beta../sub 1/SP/sub 1/ in patients with choriocarcinoma, teratoma, colonic cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. Twelve out of 94 (13%) healthy men and healthy non-pregnant women had detectable serum-..beta../sub 1/SP/sub 1/ concentrations. Concentrations up to 50,000 ..mu..g/l were found in the sera of patients with hydatidiform mole, invasive mole, choriocarcinoma, and malignant teratoma. ..beta../sub 1/-glycoprotein concentrations were generally much lower than corresponding concentrations of chorionic gonadotrophin which is the most reliable marker for trophoblastic tumors. In a few cases, however, ..beta../sub 1/-glycoprotein measurements may be useful in the detection of minimal residual tumor. The slightly raised values found in some patients with carcinoma of the colon, breast, or ovary seem unlikely to be useful for diagnostic purposes or for monitoring the course of these cancers.

  9. Structure of a trimeric variant of the Epstein-Barr virus glycoprotein B

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Backovic, Marija [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States); Longnecker, Richard [Northwestern Univ., Chicago, IL (United States); Jardetzky, Theodore S [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)

    2009-03-16

    Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a herpesvirus that is associated with development of malignancies of lymphoid tissue. EBV infections are life-long and occur in >90% of the population. Herpesviruses enter host cells in a process that involves fusion of viral and cellular membranes. The fusion apparatus is comprised of envelope glycoprotein B (gB) and a heterodimeric complex made of glycoproteins H and L. Glycoprotein B is the most conserved envelope glycoprotein in human herpesviruses, and the structure of gB from Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is available. Here, we report the crystal structure of the secreted EBV gB ectodomain, which forms 16-nm long spike-like trimers, structurally homologous to the postfusion trimers of the fusion protein G of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). Comparative structural analyses of EBV gB and VSV G, which has been solved in its pre and postfusion states, shed light on gB residues that may be involved in conformational changes and membrane fusion. Also, the EBV gB structure reveals that, despite the high sequence conservation of gB in herpesviruses, the relative orientations of individual domains, the surface charge distributions, and the structural details of EBV gB differ from the HSV-1 protein, indicating regions and residues that may have important roles in virus-specific entry.

  10. Nacre calcification in the freshwater mussel Unio pictorum: carbonic anhydrase activity and purification of a 95 kDa calcium-binding glycoprotein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marie, Benjamin; Luquet, Gilles; Bédouet, Laurent; Milet, Christian; Guichard, Nathalie; Medakovic, Davorin; Marin, Frédéric

    2008-10-13

    The formation of the molluscan shell is finely tuned by macromolecules of the shell organic matrix. Previous results have shown that the acid-soluble fraction of the nacre matrix of the freshwater paleoheterodont bivalve Unio pictorum shell displays a number of remarkable properties, such as calcium-binding activity, the presence of extensive glycosylations and the capacity to interfere at low concentration with in vitro calcium carbonate precipitation. Here we have found that the nacre-soluble matrix exhibits a carbonic anhydrase activity, an important function in calcification processes. This matrix is composed of three main proteinaceous discrete fractions. The one with the highest apparent molecular weight is a 95 kDa glycoprotein that is specific to the nacreous layer. P95, as it is provisionally named, is enriched in Gly, Glx and Asx and exhibits an apparent pI value of approximately 4, or approximately 7 when chemically deglycosylated. Furthermore, its glycosyl moiety, consisting of sulfated polysaccharides, is involved in calcium binding. Purified fractions of the three main proteins were digested with trypsin, and the resulting peptides were analysed by mass spectrometry. Our results suggest that identical peptides are constitutive domains of the different proteins. Partial primary structures were obtained by de novo sequencing and compared with known sequences from other mollusc shell proteins. Our results are discussed from an evolutionary viewpoint.

  11. Role of P27 -P55 operon from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the resistance to toxic compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cataldi Angel A

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The P27-P55 (lprG-Rv1410c operon is crucial for the survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of human tuberculosis, during infection in mice. P55 encodes an efflux pump that has been shown to provide Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium bovis BCG with resistance to several drugs, while P27 encodes a mannosylated glycoprotein previously described as an antigen that modulates the immune response against mycobacteria. The objective of this study was to determine the individual contribution of the proteins encoded in the P27-P55 operon to the resistance to toxic compounds and to the cell wall integrity of M. tuberculosis. Method In order to test the susceptibility of a mutant of M. tuberculosis H37Rv in the P27-P55 operon to malachite green, sodium dodecyl sulfate, ethidium bromide, and first-line antituberculosis drugs, this strain together with the wild type strain and a set of complemented strains were cultivated in the presence and in the absence of these drugs. In addition, the malachite green decolorization rate of each strain was obtained from decolorization curves of malachite green in PBS containing bacterial suspensions. Results The mutant strain decolorized malachite green faster than the wild type strain and was hypersensitive to both malachite green and ethidium bromide, and more susceptible to the first-line antituberculosis drugs: isoniazid and ethambutol. The pump inhibitor reserpine reversed M. tuberculosis resistance to ethidium bromide. These results suggest that P27-P55 functions through an efflux-pump like mechanism. In addition, deletion of the P27-P55 operon made M. tuberculosis susceptible to sodium dodecyl sulfate, suggesting that the lack of both proteins causes alterations in the cell wall permeability of the bacterium. Importantly, both P27 and P55 are required to restore the wild type phenotypes in the mutant. Conclusions The results clearly indicate that P27 and P55 are

  12. Developmental localization and the role of hydroxyproline rich glycoproteins during somatic embryogenesis of banana (Musa spp. AAA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Menzel Diedrik

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Hydroxyproline rich glycoproteins (HRGPs are implicated to have a role in many aspects of plant growth and development but there is limited knowledge about their localization and function during somatic embryogenesis of higher plants. In this study, the localization and function of hydroxyproline rich glycoproteins in embryogenic cells (ECs and somatic embryos of banana were investigated by using immunobloting and immunocytochemistry with monoclonal JIM11 and JIM20 antibodies as well as by treatment with 3,4-dehydro-L-proline (3,4-DHP, an inhibitor of extensin biosynthesis, and by immunomodulation with the JIM11 antibody. Results Immunofluorescence labelling of JIM11 and JIM20 hydroxyproline rich glycoprotein epitopes was relatively weak in non-embryogenic cells (NECs, mainly on the edge of small cell aggregates. On the other hand, hydroxyproline rich glycoprotein epitopes were found to be enriched in early embryogenic cells as well as in various developmental stages of somatic embryos. Embryogenic cells (ECs, proembryos and globular embryos showed strong labelling of hydroxyproline rich glycoprotein epitopes, especially in their cell walls and outer surface layer, so-called extracellular matrix (ECM. This hydroxyproline rich glycoprotein signal at embryo surfaces decreased and/or fully disappeared during later developmental stages (e.g. pear-shaped and cotyledonary stages of embryos. In these later developmental embryogenic stages, however, new prominent hydroxyproline rich glycoprotein labelling appeared in tri-cellular junctions among parenchymatic cells inside these embryos. Overall immunofluorescence labelling of late stage embryos with JIM20 antibody was weaker than that of JIM11. Western blot analysis supported the above immunolocalization data. The treatment with 3,4-DHP inhibited the development of embryogenic cells and decreased the rate of embryo germination. Embryo-like structures, which developed after 3,4-DHP

  13. Rat macrophages: membrane glycoproteins in differentiation and function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Berg, T. K.; Döpp, E. A.; Dijkstra, C. D.

    2001-01-01

    Macrophages (mphi) play a crucial role in the immune system. The rat offers unique advantages for studying the biology of mphi. Firstly, monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against many rat mphi surface glycoproteins have become available. These have not only demonstrated a considerable heterogeneity among

  14. Electrophoretic demonstration of glycoproteins, lipoproteins, and phosphoproteins in human and bovine enamel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirkeby, S; Moe, D; Bøg-Hansen, T C

    1990-01-01

    Enamel proteins from fully mineralized human molars and from bovine tooth germs were separated by electrophoresis. The gels were stained for detection of glycoproteins, lipoproteins, and phosphoproteins. Glycoproteins were shown by periodic acid-Schiff staining and lectin blotting. In mature human...... enamel a number of high molecular weight proteins could be demonstrated after ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid demineralization and subsequent Triton X-100 extraction. These proteins are suggested to be lipoproteins. Phosphoproteins could only be visualized in enamel matrix from the tooth germs....

  15. Survival outcomes of younger men (< 55 years undergoing radical prostatectomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lynn Tan

    2018-03-01

    Conclusion: Men aged 45–54 years undergoing RP had better overall survival compared to men aged 55–74 years, but these effects were not seen in men aged 35–44 years. There were no differences in prostate cancer specific survival in these groups.

  16. Transthyretin protects against A-beta peptide toxicity by proteolytic cleavage of the peptide: a mechanism sensitive to the Kunitz protease inhibitor.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rita Costa

    Full Text Available Alzheimer's disease (AD is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the deposition of amyloid beta-peptide (A-Beta in the brain. Transthyretin (TTR is a tetrameric protein of about 55 kDa mainly produced in the liver and choroid plexus of the brain. The known physiological functions of TTR are the transport of thyroid hormone T(4 and retinol, through binding to the retinol binding protein. TTR has also been established as a cryptic protease able to cleave ApoA-I in vitro. It has been described that TTR is involved in preventing A-Beta fibrilization, both by inhibiting and disrupting A-Beta fibrils, with consequent abrogation of toxicity. We further characterized the nature of the TTR/A-Beta interaction and found that TTR, both recombinant or isolated from human sera, was able to proteolytically process A-Beta, cleaving the peptide after aminoacid residues 1, 2, 3, 10, 13, 14,16, 19 and 27, as determined by mass spectrometry, and reversed phase chromatography followed by N-terminal sequencing. A-Beta peptides (1-14 and (15-42 showed lower amyloidogenic potential than the full length counterpart, as assessed by thioflavin binding assay and ultrastructural analysis by transmission electron microscopy. A-Beta cleavage by TTR was inhibited in the presence of an alphaAPP peptide containing the Kunitz Protease Inhibitor (KPI domain but not in the presence of the secreted alphaAPP derived from the APP isoform 695 without the KPI domain. TTR was also able to degrade aggregated forms of A-Beta peptide. Our results confirmed TTR as a protective molecule in AD, and prompted A-Beta proteolysis by TTR as a protective mechanism in this disease. TTR may prove to be a useful therapeutic agent for preventing or retarding the cerebral amyloid plaque formation implicated in AD pathology.

  17. The effect of a slightly acidic somatomedin peptide (ILAs) on the sulphation of proteoglycans from articular and growth plate chondrocytes in culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corvol, M.-T.; Dumontier, M.-F.; Rappaport, R.; Guyda, H.; Posner, B.I.

    1978-01-01

    Chondrocyte cultures were prepared from rabbit growth plate (GPC) and articular (ARC) chondrocytes. These two cell types have distinct morphological characteristics. The cells reached maximum numbers by days 10 and 21 for ARC and GPC, respectively. The proteoglycans (PG) contained in the cellular pool were extracted and purified by DEAE cellulose chromatography. The effect of a partially purified somatomedin peptide with insulin-like activity on [ 35 S]sulphate incorporation into PG was evaluated. In both ARC and GPC a significant stimulation of [ 35 S]sulphate uptake into PG subunits was obtained with 1 ng Eq./ml of somatomedin peptide. In order to obtain the same stimulatory effect with porcine insulin, a 1000-fold greater concentration was required. The electrophoretic patterns of the PG subunits on acrylamide-agarose electrophoresis were identical on control incubations and after stimulation with the somatomedin peptide. These data demonstrate in vitro biological activity of this peptide on well differentiated articular and epiphyseal growth plate chondrocytes in culture. These cultures appear to provide a sensitive biological assay for somatomedin peptides. (author)

  18. Peptide array-based interaction assay of solid-bound peptides and anchorage-dependant cells and its effectiveness in cell-adhesive peptide design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kato, Ryuji; Kaga, Chiaki; Kunimatsu, Mitoshi; Kobayashi, Takeshi; Honda, Hiroyuki

    2006-06-01

    Peptide array, the designable peptide library covalently synthesized on cellulose support, was applied to assay peptide-cell interaction, between solid-bound peptides and anchorage-dependant cells, to study objective peptide design. As a model case, cell-adhesive peptides that could enhance cell growth as tissue engineering scaffold material, was studied. On the peptide array, the relative cell-adhesion ratio of NIH/3T3 cells was 2.5-fold higher on the RGDS (Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser) peptide spot as compared to the spot with no peptide, thus indicating integrin-mediated peptide-cell interaction. Such strong cell adhesion mediated by the RGDS peptide was easily disrupted by single residue substitution on the peptide array, thus indicating that the sequence recognition accuracy of cells was strictly conserved in our optimized scheme. The observed cellular morphological extension with active actin stress-fiber on the RGD motif-containing peptide supported our strategy that peptide array-based interaction assay of solid-bound peptide and anchorage-dependant cells (PIASPAC) could provide quantitative data on biological peptide-cell interaction. The analysis of 180 peptides obtained from fibronectin type III domain (no. 1447-1629) yielded 18 novel cell-adhesive peptides without the RGD motif. Taken together with the novel candidates, representative rules of ineffective amino acid usage were obtained from non-effective candidate sequences for the effective designing of cell-adhesive peptides. On comparing the amino acid usage of the top 20 and last 20 peptides from the 180 peptides, the following four brief design rules were indicated: (i) Arg or Lys of positively charged amino acids (except His) could enhance cell adhesion, (ii) small hydrophilic amino acids are favored in cell-adhesion peptides, (iii) negatively charged amino acids and small amino acids (except Gly) could reduce cell adhesion, and (iv) Cys and Met could be excluded from the sequence combination since they have

  19. Amino-terminal domain of the v-fms oncogene product includes a functional signal peptide that directs synthesis of a transforming glycoprotein in the absence of feline leukemia virus gag sequences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wheeler, E.F.; Roussel, M.F.; Hampe, A.; Walker, M.H.; Fried, V.A.; Look, A.T.; Rettenmier, C.W.; Sherr, C.J.

    1986-01-01

    The nucleotide sequence of a 5' segment of the human genomic c-fms proto-oncogene suggested that recombination between feline leukemia virus and feline c-fms sequences might have occurred in a region encoding the 5' untranslated portion of c-fms mRNA. The polyprotein precursor gP180/sup gag-fms/ encoded by the McDonough strain of feline sarcoma virus was therefore predicted to contain 34 v-fms-coded amino acids derived from sequences of the c-fms gene that are not ordinarily translated from the proto-oncogene mRNA. The (gP180/sup gag-fms/) polyprotein was cotranslationally cleaved near the gag-fms junction to remove its gag gene-coded portion. Determination of the amino-terminal sequence of the resulting v-fms-coded glycoprotein, gp120/sup v-fms/, showed that the site of proteolysis corresponded to a predicted signal peptidase cleavage site within the c-fms gene product. Together, these analyses suggested that the linked gag sequences may not be necessary for expression of a biologically active v-fms gene product. The gag-fms sequences of feline sarcoma virus strain McDonough and the v-fms sequences alone were inserted into a murine retroviral vector containing a neomycin resistance gene. The authors conclude that a cryptic hydrophobic signal peptide sequence in v-fms was unmasked by gag deletion, thereby allowing the correct orientation and transport of the v-fms was unmasked by gag deletion, thereby allowing the correct orientation and transport of the v-fms gene product within membranous organelles. It seems likely that the proteolytic cleavage of gP180/gag-fms/ is mediated by signal peptidase and that the amino termini of gp140/sup v-fms/ and the c-fms gene product are identical

  20. Amino-terminal domain of the v-fms oncogene product includes a functional signal peptide that directs synthesis of a transforming glycoprotein in the absence of feline leukemia virus gag sequences

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wheeler, E.F.; Roussel, M.F.; Hampe, A.; Walker, M.H.; Fried, V.A.; Look, A.T.; Rettenmier, C.W.; Sherr, C.J.

    1986-08-01

    The nucleotide sequence of a 5' segment of the human genomic c-fms proto-oncogene suggested that recombination between feline leukemia virus and feline c-fms sequences might have occurred in a region encoding the 5' untranslated portion of c-fms mRNA. The polyprotein precursor gP180/sup gag-fms/ encoded by the McDonough strain of feline sarcoma virus was therefore predicted to contain 34 v-fms-coded amino acids derived from sequences of the c-fms gene that are not ordinarily translated from the proto-oncogene mRNA. The (gP180/sup gag-fms/) polyprotein was cotranslationally cleaved near the gag-fms junction to remove its gag gene-coded portion. Determination of the amino-terminal sequence of the resulting v-fms-coded glycoprotein, gp120/sup v-fms/, showed that the site of proteolysis corresponded to a predicted signal peptidase cleavage site within the c-fms gene product. Together, these analyses suggested that the linked gag sequences may not be necessary for expression of a biologically active v-fms gene product. The gag-fms sequences of feline sarcoma virus strain McDonough and the v-fms sequences alone were inserted into a murine retroviral vector containing a neomycin resistance gene. The authors conclude that a cryptic hydrophobic signal peptide sequence in v-fms was unmasked by gag deletion, thereby allowing the correct orientation and transport of the v-fms was unmasked by gag deletion, thereby allowing the correct orientation and transport of the v-fms gene product within membranous organelles. It seems likely that the proteolytic cleavage of gP180/gag-fms/ is mediated by signal peptidase and that the amino termini of gp140/sup v-fms/ and the c-fms gene product are identical.

  1. Radioreceptor assays: plasma membrane receptors and assays for polypeptide and glycoprotein hormones

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulster, D.

    1977-01-01

    Receptors for peptide, protein and glycoprotein hormones, and the catecholamines are located on the plasma membranes of their target cells. Preparations of the receptors may be used as specific, high-affinity binding agents for these hormones in assay methodology akin to that for radioimmunoassay. A particular advantage of the radioreceptor assay is that it has a specificity directed towards the biologically active region of the hormone, rather than to some immunologically active region that may have little (or no) involvement in the expression of hormonal activity. Methods for hormone receptor preparation vary greatly, and range from the use of intact cells (as the source of hormone receptor) to the use of purified or solubilized membrane receptors. Receptors isolated from plasma membranes have proved to be of variable stability, and may be damaged during preparation and/or storage. Moreover, since they are present in relatively low concentration in the cell, their preparation in sufficient quantity for use in a radioreceptor assay may present technical problems. In general, there is good correlation between radioreceptor assays and in-vitro bioassays; differences between results from radioreceptor assays and radioimmunoassays are similar to those noted between in-vitro bioassays and radioimmunoassays. The sensitivity of the method is such that normal plasma concentrations of various hormones have been assayed by this technique. (author)

  2. Effect of expression of P-glycoprotein on technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile single photon emission computed tomography of brain tumors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shibata, Yasushi; Matsumura, Akira; Nose, Tadao [Tsukuba Univ., Ibaraki (Japan). Inst. of Clinical Medicine

    2002-08-01

    The expression of P-glycoprotein was investigated imunohistochemically in 26 brain tumor tissues and compared with the findings of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile single photon emission computed tomography ({sup 99m}Tc-MIBI SPECT) to clarify the effect of P-glycoprotein on the diagnostic accuracy. P-glycoprotein labeling index of both tumor cells and vascular endothelial cells showed no clear relationship with the findings of {sup 99m}Tc-MIBI SPECT imaging. Expression of P-glycoprotein has no effect on the diagnostic accuracy of {sup 99m}Tc-MIBI SPECT. (author)

  3. Changes in intestinal absorption of nutrients and brush border glycoproteins after total parenteral nutrition in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miura, S; Tanaka, S; Yoshioka, M; Serizawa, H; Tashiro, H; Shiozaki, H; Imaeda, H; Tsuchiya, M

    1992-01-01

    The effect of total parenteral nutrition on nutrients absorption and glycoprotein changes of brush border membrane was examined in rat small intestine. In total parenteral nutrition rats, a marked decrease in activity of brush border enzymes was observed mainly in the proximal and middle segments of the intestine. Galactose perfusion of jejunal segment showed that hexose absorption was significantly inhibited, while intestinal absorption of glycine or dipeptide, glycylglycine was not significantly affected by total parenteral nutrition treatment. When brush border membrane glycoprotein profile was examined by [3H]-glucosamine or [3H]-fucose incorporation into jejunal loops, significant changes were observed in the glycoprotein pattern of brush border membrane especially in the high molecular weight range over 120 kDa after total parenteral nutrition treatment, suggesting strong dependency of glycoprotein synthesis on luminal substances. Molecular weight of sucrase isomaltase in brush border membrane detected by specific antibody showed no significant difference, however, in total parenteral nutrition and control rats. Also, molecular weight of specific sodium glucose cotransporter of intestinal brush border membrane detected by selective photoaffinity labelling was not altered in total parenteral nutrition rats. It may be that prolonged absence of oral food intake may produce significant biochemical changes in brush border membrane glycoprotein and absorptive capacity of small intestine, but these changes were not observed in all brush border membrane glycoproteins. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 PMID:1582592

  4. Carcinoma-specific Ulex europaeus agglutinin-I binding glycoproteins of human colorectal carcinoma and its relation to carcinoembryonic antigen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsushita, Y; Yonezawa, S; Nakamura, T; Shimizu, S; Ozawa, M; Muramatsu, T; Sato, E

    1985-08-01

    Glycoproteins binding to Ulex europaeus agglutinin-I (UEA-I) lectin, which recognizes the terminal alpha-L-fucose residue, were analyzed in 18 cases of human colorectal carcinoma by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by the Western blotting method. In the distal large bowel (descending and sigmoid colon and rectum), high-molecular-weight glycoproteins binding to UEA-I existed in carcinoma tissue but not in normal mucosa. In the proximal large bowel (ascending and transverse colon), high-molecular-weight glycoproteins binding to UEA-I were found both in normal mucosa and in carcinoma tissue, whereas those from the carcinoma tissue had an apparently lower molecular weight as compared to the weight of those from the normal mucosa. Thus there is a biochemical difference in UEA-I binding glycoproteins between the normal mucosa and the carcinoma tissue, although in our previous histochemical study no difference was observed in UEA-I binding glycoproteins of the proximal large bowel between the carcinoma tissue and the normal mucosa. Furthermore, carcinoembryonic antigen from the carcinoma tissue was found to have the same electrophoretical mobility as the UEA-I binding glycoproteins.

  5. Extra-oviductal expression of oviductal glycoprotein 1 in mouse ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2017-01-11

    Jan 11, 2017 ... oestrogen-dependent protein, oviduct-specific glycoprotein. 1 (Ovgp1) also ... the tissues collected were testis, epididymis, prostate gland and seminal vesicle. ... The antigenic sites were unmasked by incuba- tion of sections ...

  6. Albumin-derived peptides efficiently reduce renal uptake of radiolabelled peptides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vegt, Erik; Eek, Annemarie; Oyen, Wim J.G.; Gotthardt, Martin; Boerman, Otto C.; Jong, Marion de

    2010-01-01

    In peptide-receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), the maximum activity dose that can safely be administered is limited by high renal uptake and retention of radiolabelled peptides. The kidney radiation dose can be reduced by coinfusion of agents that competitively inhibit the reabsorption of radiolabelled peptides, such as positively charged amino acids, Gelofusine, or trypsinised albumin. The aim of this study was to identify more specific and potent inhibitors of the kidney reabsorption of radiolabelled peptides, based on albumin. Albumin was fragmented using cyanogen bromide and six albumin-derived peptides with different numbers of electric charges were selected and synthesised. The effect of albumin fragments (FRALB-C) and selected albumin-derived peptides on the internalisation of 111 In-albumin, 111 In-minigastrin, 111 In-exendin and 111 In-octreotide by megalin-expressing cells was assessed. In rats, the effect of Gelofusine and albumin-derived peptides on the renal uptake and biodistribution of 111 In-minigastrin, 111 In-exendin and 111 In-octreotide was determined. FRALB-C significantly reduced the uptake of all radiolabelled peptides in vitro. The albumin-derived peptides showed different potencies in reducing the uptake of 111 In-albumin, 111 In-exendin and 111 In-minigastrin in vitro. The most efficient albumin-derived peptide (peptide 6), was selected for in vivo testing. In rats, 5 mg of peptide 6 very efficiently inhibited the renal uptake of 111 In-minigastrin, by 88%. Uptake of 111 In-exendin and 111 In-octreotide was reduced by 26 and 33%, respectively. The albumin-derived peptide 6 efficiently inhibited the renal reabsorption of 111 In-minigastrin, 111 In-exendin and 111 In-octreotide and is a promising candidate for kidney protection in PRRT. (orig.)

  7. Celastraceae sesquiterpenes as a new class of modulators that bind specifically to human P-glycoprotein and reverse cellular multidrug resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muñoz-Martínez, Francisco; Lu, Peihua; Cortés-Selva, Fernando; Pérez-Victoria, José María; Jiménez, Ignacio A; Ravelo, Angel G; Sharom, Frances J; Gamarro, Francisco; Castanys, Santiago

    2004-10-01

    Overexpression of ABCB1 (MDR1) P-glycoprotein, a multidrug efflux pump, is one mechanism by which tumor cells may develop multidrug resistance (MDR), preventing the successful chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer. Sesquiterpenes from Celastraceae family are natural compounds shown previously to reverse MDR in several human cancer cell lines and Leishmania strains. However, their molecular mechanism of reversion has not been characterized. In the present work, we have studied the ability of 28 dihydro-beta-agarofuran sesquiterpenes to reverse the P-glycoprotein-dependent MDR phenotype and elucidated their molecular mechanism of action. Cytotoxicity assays using human MDR1-transfected NIH-3T3 cells allowed us to select the most potent sesquiterpenes reversing the in vitro resistance to daunomycin and vinblastine. Flow cytometry experiments showed that the above active compounds specifically inhibited drug transport activity of P-glycoprotein in a saturable, concentration-dependent manner (K(i) down to 0.24 +/- 0.01 micromol/L) but not that of ABCC1 (multidrug resistance protein 1; MRP1), ABCC2 (MRP2), and ABCG2 (breast cancer resistance protein; BCRP) transporters. Moreover, sesquiterpenes inhibited at submicromolar concentrations the P-glycoprotein-mediated transport of [(3)H]colchicine and tetramethylrosamine in plasma membrane from CH(R)B30 cells and P-glycoprotein-enriched proteoliposomes, supporting that P-glycoprotein is their molecular target. Photoaffinity labeling in plasma membrane and fluorescence spectroscopy experiments with purified protein suggested that sesquiterpenes interact with transmembrane domains of P-glycoprotein. Finally, sesquiterpenes modulated P-glycoprotein ATPase-activity in a biphasic, concentration-dependent manner: they stimulated at very low concentrations but inhibited ATPase activity as noncompetitive inhibitors at higher concentrations. Sesquiterpenes from Celastraceae are promising P-glycoprotein modulators with potential

  8. Activation of erythropoietin receptors by Friend viral gp55 and by erythropoietin and down-modulation by the murine Fv-2r resistance gene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoatlin, M.E.; Kozak, S.L.; Kabat, D.; Lilly, F.; Chakraborti, A.; Kozak, C.A.

    1990-01-01

    The leukemogenic membrane glycoprotein (gp55) encoded by Friend spleen focus-forming virus appears to bind to erythropoietin receptors (EpoR) to stimulate erythroblastosis. To directly compare the effects of gp55 with erythropoietin (Epo), the authors produced retrovirions that encode either gp55, Epo, or EpoR. After infection with EpoR virus, interleukin 3-dependent DA-3 cells bound 125 I-labeled Epo and grew without interleukin 3 in the presence of Epo. These latter cells, but not parental DA-3 cells, became factor-independent after superinfection either with Epo virus or with Friend spleen focus-forming virus. In addition, Epo virus caused a disease in mice that mimicked Friend erythroleukemia. Although Fv-2 r homozygotes are susceptible to all other retroviral diseases, they are resistant to both Epo viral and Friend viral erythroleukemia. These results indicate that both gp55 and Epo stimulate EpoR and that the Fv-2 gene encodes a protein that controls response to these ligands. However, the Fv-2 protein is not EpoR because the corresponding genes map to opposite ends of mouse chromosome 9. These results have important implications for understanding signal transduction by EpoR and the role of host genetic variation in controlling susceptibility to an oncogenic protein

  9. Glycoprotein H of herpes simplex virus type 1 requires glycoprotein L for transport to the surfaces of insect cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Westra, DF; Glazenburg, KL; Harmsen, MC; Tiran, A; Scheffer, AJ; Welling, GW; The, TH; WellingWester, S

    In mammalian cells, formation of heterooligomers consisting of the glycoproteins H and L (gH and gL) of herpes simplex virus type 1 is essential for the cell-to-cell spread of virions and for the penetration of virions into cells. We examined whether formation of gH1/gL1 heterooligomers and cell

  10. The structural basis for peptide selection by the transport receptor OppA

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Berntsson, Ronnie P-A; Doeven, Mark K.; Fusetti, Fabrizia; Duurkens, Ria H.; Sengupta, Durba; Marrink, Siewert-Jan; Thunnissen, Andy-Mark W. H.; Poolman, Bert; Slotboom, Dirk-Jan

    2009-01-01

    Oligopeptide-binding protein A (OppA) from Lactococcus lactis binds peptides of an exceptionally wide range of lengths (4-35 residues), with no apparent sequence preference. Here, we present the crystal structures of OppA in the open-and closed-liganded conformations. The structures directly explain

  11. Interactions of Bio-Inspired Membranes with Peptides and Peptide-Mimetic Nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Sebastiano

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Via Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD and implicit solvent coarse-grained (CG Molecular Dynamics (MD we examine the interaction of an amphiphilic cell-penetrating peptide PMLKE and its synthetic counterpart with a bio-inspired membrane. We use the DPD technique to investigate the interaction of peptide-mimetic nanoparticles, or nanopins, with a three-component membrane. The CG MD approach is used to investigate the interaction of a cell-penetrating peptide PMLKE with single-component membrane. We observe the spontaneous binding and subsequent insertion of peptide and nanopin in the membrane by using CG MD and DPD approaches, respectively. In addition, we find that the insertion of peptide and nanopins is mainly driven by the favorable enthalpic interactions between the hydrophobic components of the peptide, or nanopin, and the membrane. Our study provides insights into the mechanism underlying the interactions of amphiphilic peptide and peptide-mimetic nanoparticles with a membrane. The result of this study can be used to guide the functional integration of peptide and peptide-mimetic nanoparticles with a cell membrane.

  12. DockoMatic: automated peptide analog creation for high throughput virtual screening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacob, Reed B; Bullock, Casey W; Andersen, Tim; McDougal, Owen M

    2011-10-01

    The purpose of this manuscript is threefold: (1) to describe an update to DockoMatic that allows the user to generate cyclic peptide analog structure files based on protein database (pdb) files, (2) to test the accuracy of the peptide analog structure generation utility, and (3) to evaluate the high throughput capacity of DockoMatic. The DockoMatic graphical user interface interfaces with the software program Treepack to create user defined peptide analogs. To validate this approach, DockoMatic produced cyclic peptide analogs were tested for three-dimensional structure consistency and binding affinity against four experimentally determined peptide structure files available in the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics database. The peptides used to evaluate this new functionality were alpha-conotoxins ImI, PnIA, and their published analogs. Peptide analogs were generated by DockoMatic and tested for their ability to bind to X-ray crystal structure models of the acetylcholine binding protein originating from Aplysia californica. The results, consisting of more than 300 simulations, demonstrate that DockoMatic predicts the binding energy of peptide structures to within 3.5 kcal mol(-1), and the orientation of bound ligand compares to within 1.8 Å root mean square deviation for ligand structures as compared to experimental data. Evaluation of high throughput virtual screening capacity demonstrated that Dockomatic can collect, evaluate, and summarize the output of 10,000 AutoDock jobs in less than 2 hours of computational time, while 100,000 jobs requires approximately 15 hours and 1,000,000 jobs is estimated to take up to a week. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. FULL-LENGTH PEPTIDE ASSAY OF ANTIGENIC PROFILE OF ENVELOPE PROTEINS FROM SIBERIAN ISOLATES OF HEPATITIS C VIRUS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Grazhdantseva

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Antigenic profiles of envelope glycoproteins of hepatitis C virus presented by three genotypes 1b, 2a/2c and 3a, which are most widespread in the territory of Russia and, in particular, in Novosibirsk, were studied using a panel of overlapping synthetic peptides. It was shown that highly immunogenic peptide epitopes of Е1 and Е2 proteins common for all HCV genotypes, are located in amino acid positions 250-260, 315-325 (Е1 protein, 390-400 (hypervariable region 1, 430-440, and 680-690 (Е2 protein. The greatest inter-genotypic differences were recorded in positions 280-290, 410-430 and 520-540. A novel antigenic determinant was detected in the region of aa 280-290 of the Е1 protein which was typical only for HCV 2a/2c genotype. A broad variation in the boundaries for the most epitopes suggests a high variability of the Е1 and Е2 viral proteins; however, a similar repertoire of antibodies induced by different HCV genotypes indicates to an opportunity of designing a new generation of cross-reactive HCV vaccines based on mapping of the E1 and E2 antigenic regions.

  14. Expression of variable viruses as herpes simplex glycoprotein D and varicella zoster gE glycoprotein using a novel plasmid based expression system in insect cell

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.M. Al-Sulaiman

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Several prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems have been used for in vitro production of viruses’ proteins. However eukaryotic expression system was always the first choice for production of proteins that undergo post-translational modification such as glycosylation. Recombinant baculoviruses have been widely used as safe vectors to express heterologous genes in the culture of insect cells, but the manipulation involved in creating, titrating, and amplifying viral stocks make it time consuming and laborious. Therefore, to facilitate rapid expression in insect cell, a plasmid based expression system was used to express herpes simplex type 1 glycoprotein D (HSV-1 gD and varicella zoster glycoprotein E (VZV gE. Recombinant plasmids were generated, transfected into insect cells (SF9, and both glycoproteins were expressed 48 h post-infection. A protein with approximately molecular weight of 64-kDa and 98-kDa for HSV-1 gD and VZV gE respectively was expressed and confirmed by SDS. Proteins were detected in insect cells cytoplasm and outer membrane by immunofluorescence. The antigenicity and immunoreactivity of each protein were confirmed by immunoblot and ELISA. Results suggest that this system can be an alternative to the traditional baculovirus expression for small scale expression system in insect cells.

  15. Binding of cholesterol and inhibitory peptide derivatives with the fusogenic hydrophobic sequence of F-glycoprotein of HVJ (Sendai virus): possible implication in the fusion reaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asano, K.; Asano, A.

    1988-01-01

    Specificity of the binding of sterols and related compounds with purified F-protein (fusion protein) of the HVJ (Sendai virus) was studied by binding competition with [ 3 H] cholesterol. Requirement for cholesterol or the A/B ring trans structure and nonrequirement for the 3-hydroxyl group were found in this binding. Binding of 125 I-labeled Z-Phe-Tyr, an inhibitory peptide of viral membrane-cell membrane fusion, was studied by using purified proteins and virions. F-Protein and virions showed a specific binding with the peptide, whereas the result was negative with hemagglutinin and neuraminidase protein. Thermolysin-truncated F-protein (an F-protein derivative deprived of a 2.5-kDa fragment from the N-terminal of the F 1 subunit and without fusogenic activity) exhibited a considerably diminished binding ability both to cholesterol and to inhibitory peptides. Therefore, the N-terminal hydrophobic sequence that was previously assigned as fusogenic seems to be the binding site of these molecules. In support of this, the binding of cholesterol with F-protein was inhibited by Z-Phe-Tyr and other fusion inhibitory peptides, whereas it was not affected with non-fusion-inhibitory Z-Gly-Phe. These results are discussed in relation to the notion that the binding of the N-terminal portion of the F 1 subunit of F-protein with cholesterol in the target cell membranes facilitiates the fusion reaction

  16. [Plant signaling peptides. Cysteine-rich peptides].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ostrowski, Maciej; Kowalczyk, Stanisław

    2015-01-01

    Recent bioinformatic and genetic analyses of several model plant genomes have revealed the existence of a highly abundant group of signaling peptides that are defined as cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs). CRPs are usually in size between 50 and 90 amino acid residues, they are positively charged, and they contain 4-16 cysteine residues that are important for the correct conformational folding. Despite the structural differences among CRP classes, members from each class have striking similarities in their molecular properties and function. The present review presents the recent progress in research on signaling peptides from several families including: EPF/EPFL, SP11/SCR, PrsS, RALF, LURE, and some other peptides belonging to CRP group. There is convincing evidence indicating multiple roles for these CRPs as signaling molecules during the plant life cycle, ranging from stomata development and patterning, self-incompatibility, pollen tube growth and guidance, reproductive processes, and nodule formation.

  17. Stepwise identification of HLA-A*0201-restricted CD8+ T-cell epitope peptides from herpes simplex virus type 1 genome boosted by a StepRank scheme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bi, Jianjun; Song, Rengang; Yang, Huilan; Li, Bingling; Fan, Jianyong; Liu, Zhongrong; Long, Chaoqin

    2011-01-01

    Identification of immunodominant epitopes is the first step in the rational design of peptide vaccines aimed at T-cell immunity. To date, however, it is yet a great challenge for accurately predicting the potent epitope peptides from a pool of large-scale candidates with an efficient manner. In this study, a method that we named StepRank has been developed for the reliable and rapid prediction of binding capabilities/affinities between proteins and genome-wide peptides. In this procedure, instead of single strategy used in most traditional epitope identification algorithms, four steps with different purposes and thus different computational demands are employed in turn to screen the large-scale peptide candidates that are normally generated from, for example, pathogenic genome. The steps 1 and 2 aim at qualitative exclusion of typical nonbinders by using empirical rule and linear statistical approach, while the steps 3 and 4 focus on quantitative examination and prediction of the interaction energy profile and binding affinity of peptide to target protein via quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) and structure-based free energy analysis. We exemplify this method through its application to binding predictions of the peptide segments derived from the 76 known open-reading frames (ORFs) of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) genome with or without affinity to human major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) molecule HLA-A*0201, and find that the predictive results are well compatible with the classical anchor residue theory and perfectly match for the extended motif pattern of MHC I-binding peptides. The putative epitopes are further confirmed by comparisons with 11 experimentally measured HLA-A*0201-restrcited peptides from the HSV-1 glycoproteins D and K. We expect that this well-designed scheme can be applied in the computational screening of other viral genomes as well.

  18. Electrochemical and surface studies of some Porphines as corrosion inhibitor for J55 steel in sweet corrosion environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Ambrish, E-mail: ambrish.16752@ipu.co.in [State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation (Southwest Petroleum University), Chengdu, Sichuan 610500 (China); Department of Chemistry, LFTS, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 144402 (India); Lin, Yuanhua, E-mail: yhlin28@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation (Southwest Petroleum University), Chengdu, Sichuan 610500 (China); Ansari, K.R.; Quraishi, M.A. [Department of Applied Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P. (India); Ebenso, Eno. E. [Department of Chemistry, School of Mathematical & Physical Sciences, North-West University(Mafikeng Campus), Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735 (South Africa); Chen, Songsong; Liu, Wanying [CNPC Key Lab for Tubular Goods Engineering (Southwest Petroleum University), Chengdu, Sichuan 610500 (China)

    2015-12-30

    Graphical abstract: Corrosion inhibition of J55 steel in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution saturated with CO2 by the three Porphines 5,10,15,20-Tetra(4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphine (P1), 5,10,15,20-Tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine (P2), 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphine (P3), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), contact angle measurement, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). - Highlights: • J55 steel protection in 3.5% NaCl solution saturated with CO2 by Porphines. • Weight loss and impedance results are in good agreement. • The adsorption of Porphines obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. • Scanning electrochemical microscopy is used to discuss the insulated and conductive surface. • Examination of surface morphology by AFM. - Abstract: Corrosion inhibition of J55 steel in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution saturated with CO{sub 2} by the three Porphines 5,10,15,20-Tetra(4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphine (P1), 5,10,15,20-Tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine (P2), 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphine (P3), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Contact angle measurement, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Adsorption of such Porphines on the J55 steel surface obeyed to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), SECM, and Contact angle results confirm the formation of inhibitor film on J55 steel surface thereby mitigating corrosion.

  19. Electrochemical and surface studies of some Porphines as corrosion inhibitor for J55 steel in sweet corrosion environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Ambrish; Lin, Yuanhua; Ansari, K.R.; Quraishi, M.A.; Ebenso, Eno. E.; Chen, Songsong; Liu, Wanying

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Corrosion inhibition of J55 steel in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution saturated with CO2 by the three Porphines 5,10,15,20-Tetra(4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphine (P1), 5,10,15,20-Tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine (P2), 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphine (P3), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), contact angle measurement, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). - Highlights: • J55 steel protection in 3.5% NaCl solution saturated with CO2 by Porphines. • Weight loss and impedance results are in good agreement. • The adsorption of Porphines obeys the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. • Scanning electrochemical microscopy is used to discuss the insulated and conductive surface. • Examination of surface morphology by AFM. - Abstract: Corrosion inhibition of J55 steel in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution saturated with CO_2 by the three Porphines 5,10,15,20-Tetra(4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphine (P1), 5,10,15,20-Tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine (P2), 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphine (P3), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Contact angle measurement, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Adsorption of such Porphines on the J55 steel surface obeyed to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), SECM, and Contact angle results confirm the formation of inhibitor film on J55 steel surface thereby mitigating corrosion.

  20. Low rate doses effects of gamma radiation on glycoproteins of transmembrane junctions in fibroblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bringas, J.E.; Caceres, J.L.

    1996-01-01

    Glycoproteins of trans-membrane junctions are molecules that help to bind cells with the extracellular matrix. Integrins are the most important trans-membrane molecules among others. The damage of gamma radiation on those proteins could be an important early event that causes membrane abnormalities which may lead to cell malfunction and cancer induced by radiation due to cell dissociation. Randomized blocks with 3 repetitions of mouse embryo fibroblast cultures, were irradiated with Cobalt-60 gamma rays, during 20 days. Biological damage to glycoproteins and integrins was evaluated by cellular growth and fibroblast proliferative capacity. Integrins damage was studied by isolation by column immunoaffinity chromatography migrated on SDS-Page under reducing and non reducing conditions, and inhibition of integrins extracellular matrix adhesion by monoclonal antibodies effect. The dose/rate (0.05 Gy/day-0.2 Gy/day) of gamma given to cells did not show damage evidence on glycoproteins and integrins. If damage happened, it was repaired by cells very soon, was delayed by continuous cellular division or by glycoproteins characteristic of being multiple extracellular ligatures. Bio effects became more evident with an irradiation time greater than 20 days or a high dose/rate. (authors). 6 refs

  1. Measurement of plasma canine C peptide by radioimmunoassay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Besch, W; Woltanski, K P; Fischer, U; Kohnert, K D; Ziegler, M

    1985-12-01

    A sensitive radioimmunoassay for canine C peptide (CCP) was established using synthetic CCP, a specific antiserum, and rabbit anti-guinea pig serum. Radioiodination was performed according to a modified chloramine T method. Tracer preparations have been used for 6 weeks after iodination. The standard curve ranges from 0.028 to 3.0 nmol/l. The intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) was 3-5% and the inter-assay CV was 6-9% in the optimal range between 0.3 and 0.8 nmol/l. The average recovery of CCP added to plasma samples was 100.6% (n = 9). Canine insulin, porcine proinsulin, bovine proinsulin, and human C peptide exhibited no cross-reactivity. The mean fasting plasma CCP concentration was 0.089 +- 0.021 nmol/l in normal dogs and -0.005 +- 0.007 nmol/l (mean +- SEM) in diabetic dogs, respectively.

  2. Stent parameters predict major adverse clinical events and the response to platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade: findings of the ESPRIT trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tcheng, James E; Lim, Ing Haan; Srinivasan, Shankar; Jozic, Joseph; Gibson, C Michael; O'Shea, J Conor; Puma, Joseph A; Simon, Daniel I

    2009-02-01

    Only limited data describe relationships between stent parameters (length and diameter), adverse events after percutaneous coronary intervention, and effects of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade by stent parameters. In this post hoc analysis of the 1983 patients receiving a stent in the Enhanced Suppression of the Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Receptor with Integrilin Therapy randomized percutaneous coronary intervention trial of eptifibatide versus placebo, rates of the major adverse cardiac event (MACE) end point (death, myocardial infarction, urgent target-vessel revascularization, or thrombotic bailout) at 48 hours and 1 year were correlated with stent parameters and then analyzed by randomization to eptifibatide versus placebo. In the placebo group, MACE increased with number of stents implanted, total stent length (by quartiles of or=30 mm), and total stented vessel area (by quartiles of area or=292 mm(2)). By stent parameters, MACE at 48 hours was reduced in the eptifibatide group at stent lengths of 18 to or=30 mm (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.25 to 0.75; P=0.003), stent diameters of >2.5 to <3.5 mm (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.82; P=0.002), and with 2 stents implanted (OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.69; P=0.001). In the placebo group, near-linear relationships were observed between both increasing stent length and increasing stented vessel area and MACE at 48 hours and 1 year (all, P<0.001); these gradients were flattened in the eptifibatide group (P=0.005 for stent length). Stent parameters predict MACE after percutaneous coronary intervention. Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade mitigates much of the hazard of increasing procedural complexity.

  3. Human peptide transporters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Carsten Uhd; Brodin, Birger; Jørgensen, Flemming Steen

    2002-01-01

    Peptide transporters are epithelial solute carriers. Their functional role has been characterised in the small intestine and proximal tubules, where they are involved in absorption of dietary peptides and peptide reabsorption, respectively. Currently, two peptide transporters, PepT1 and PepT2, wh...

  4. A review on the relation between the brain-serum concentration ratio of drugs and the influence of P-glycoprotein

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ejsing, Thomas Broeng; Morling, Niels; Linnet, Kristian

    2007-01-01

    This overview on the brain-serum relationship for drugs illustrates the importance of the drug transporter P-glycoprotein at the blood-brain barrier. Generally, an inverse relationship exists between the magnitude of the brain-serum ratio and the influence of P-glycoprotein. Concerning the pharma...... the pharmacogenomics of P-glycoprotein, no clear effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has been demonstrated in humans....

  5. Identification of a peptide binding protein that plays a role in antigen presentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lakey, E.K.; Margoliash, E.; Pierce, S.K.

    1987-01-01

    The helper T-cell response to globular proteins appears, in general, to require intracellular processing of the antigen, such that a peptide fragment containing the T-cell antigenic determinant is released and transported to and held on the surface of an Ia-expressing, antigen-presenting cell. However, the molecular details underlying these phenomena are largely unknown. The means by which antigenic peptides are anchored on the antigen-presenting cell surface was investigated. A cell surface protein is identified that was isolated by it ability to bind to a 24-amino acid peptide fragment of pigeon cytochrome c, residues 81-104, containing the major antigenic determinant for B10.A mouse T cells. This peptide binding protein, purified from [ 35 S]methionine-labeled cells, appears as two discrete bands of ≅72 and 74 kDa after NaDodSO 4 /PAGE. The protein can be eluted from the peptide affinity column with equivalent concentrations of either the antigenic pigeon cytochrome c peptide or the corresponding nonantigenic peptide of mouse cytochrome c. However, it does not bind to the native cytochromes c, either of pigeon or mouse, and thus the protein appears to recognize some structure available only in the free peptides. This protein plays a role in antigen presentation. Its expression is not major histocompatibility complex-restricted in that the blocking activity of the antisera can be absorbed on spleen cells from mice of different haplotypes. This peptide binding protein can be isolated from a variety of cell types, including B cells, T cells, and fibroblasts. The anchoring of processed peptides on the cell surface by such a protein may play a role in antigen presentation

  6. Secretion of hepatitis C virus envelope glycoproteins depends on assembly of apolipoprotein B positive lipoproteins.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vinca Icard

    Full Text Available The density of circulating hepatitis C virus (HCV particles in the blood of chronically infected patients is very heterogeneous. The very low density of some particles has been attributed to an association of the virus with apolipoprotein B (apoB positive and triglyceride rich lipoproteins (TRL likely resulting in hybrid lipoproteins known as lipo-viro-particles (LVP containing the viral envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2, capsid and viral RNA. The specific infectivity of these particles has been shown to be higher than the infectivity of particles of higher density. The nature of the association of HCV particles with lipoproteins remains elusive and the role of apolipoproteins in the synthesis and assembly of the viral particles is unknown. The human intestinal Caco-2 cell line differentiates in vitro into polarized and apoB secreting cells during asymmetric culture on porous filters. By using this cell culture system, cells stably expressing E1 and E2 secreted the glycoproteins into the basal culture medium after one week of differentiation concomitantly with TRL secretion. Secreted glycoproteins were only detected in apoB containing density fractions. The E1-E2 and apoB containing particles were unique complexes bearing the envelope glycoproteins at their surface since apoB could be co-immunoprecipitated with E2-specific antibodies. Envelope protein secretion was reduced by inhibiting the lipidation of apoB with an inhibitor of the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein. HCV glycoproteins were similarly secreted in association with TRL from the human liver cell line HepG2 but not by Huh-7 and Huh-7.5 hepatoma cells that proved deficient for lipoprotein assembly. These data indicate that HCV envelope glycoproteins have the intrinsic capacity to utilize apoB synthesis and lipoprotein assembly machinery even in the absence of the other HCV proteins. A model for LVP assembly is proposed.

  7. Peptide dendrimers

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Niederhafner, Petr; Šebestík, Jaroslav; Ježek, Jan

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 11, - (2005), 757-788 ISSN 1075-2617 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA203/03/1362 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40550506 Keywords : multiple antigen peptides * peptide dendrimers * synthetic vaccine * multipleantigenic peptides Subject RIV: CC - Organic Chemistry Impact factor: 1.803, year: 2005

  8. Recent developments in capillary and microchip electroseparations of peptides (2011-2013)

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kašička, Václav

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 35, č. 1 (2014), s. 69-95 ISSN 0173-0835 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP206/12/0453; GA ČR(CZ) GA13-17224S Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : capillary electrochromatography * capillary electrophoresis * microchip * peptides * proteins Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 3.028, year: 2014

  9. Comparative evaluation of B-type natriuretic peptide and mid-regional pro-A-type natriuretic peptide changes from admission to discharge in prognosis of acute decompensated heart failure patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stenner, Elisabetta; Buiatti, Alessandra; Barbati, Giulia; Merlo, Marco; Sinagra, Gianfranco; Biasioli, Bruno

    2012-01-01

    Mid-regional pro-A-type natriuretic peptide (MRproANP) seems to be non-inferior compared to B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) for heart failure diagnosis and prognosis; however, no previous studies have investigated the MRproANP in-hospital changes in prognostic role. This study aimed to compare the prognostic accuracy of BNP and MRproANP in-hospital changes in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) patients. 37 patients with either admission/pre-discharge BNP and MRproANP data, were investigated. The combined endpoint was cardiovascular death/heart transplantation/readmission for HF. BNP and MRproANP had a median decrease of 55% [72;45] and 21% [40; 11] respectively in event-free patients; BNP decrease of 34% [48; 29] but MRproANP increase of 4% [-7; 25] in patients with cardiovascular events. Prognostic accuracy of deltaBNP and deltaMRproANP was similar. MRproANP basically trends up in patients with worse outcome and decreases in event-free patients, likely leading to a simpler interpretation although the prognostic accuracy is similar for both peptides.

  10. Development and use of engineered peptide deformylase in chemoenzymatic peptide synthesis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Di Toma, Claudia

    2012-01-01

    Deze thesis beschrijft het onderzoek naar potentieel van het gebruik van het peptide deformylase (PDF) in chemo enzymatische peptide synthese. PDF is geschikt voor selective N terminale deformylatie van bepaalde N-formyl-peptides zonder gelijktijdige hydrolyse van de peptide binding. Door de

  11. Overlapping CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell epitopes identification for the progression of epitope-based peptide vaccine from nucleocapsid and glycoprotein of emerging Rift Valley fever virus using immunoinformatics approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adhikari, Utpal Kumar; Rahman, M Mizanur

    2017-12-01

    Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emergent arthropod-borne zoonotic infectious viral pathogen which causes fatal diseases in the humans and ruminants. Currently, no effective and licensed vaccine is available for the prevention of RVFV infection in endemic as well as in non-endemic regions. So, an immunoinformatics-driven genome-wide screening approach was performed for the identification of overlapping CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell epitopes and also linear B-cell epitopes from the conserved sequences of the nucleocapsid (N) and glycoprotein (G) of RVFV. We identified overlapping 99.39% conserved 1 CD8+ T-cell epitope (MMHPSFAGM) from N protein and 100% conserved 7 epitopes (AVFALAPVV, LAVFALAPV, FALAPVVFA, VFALAPVVF, IAMTVLPAL, FFDWFSGLM, and FLLIYLGRT) from G protein and also identified IL-4 and IFN-γ induced (99.39% conserved) 1 N protein CD4+ T-cell epitope (HMMHPSFAGMVDPSL) and 100% conserved 5 G protein CD4+ T-cell epitopes (LPALAVFALAPVVFA, PALAVFALAPVVFAE, GIAMTVLPALAVFAL, GSWNFFDWFSGLMSW, and FFLLIYLGRTGLSKM). The overlapping CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell epitopes were bound with most conserved HLA-C*12:03 and HLA-DRB1*01:01, respectively with the high binding affinity (kcal/mol). The combined population coverage analysis revealed that the allele frequencies of these epitopes are high in endemic and non-endemic regions. Besides, we found 100% conserved and non-allergenic 2 decamer B-cell epitopes, GVCEVGVQAL and RVFNCIDWVH of G protein had the sequence similarity with the nonamer CD8+ T-cell epitopes, VCEVGVQAL and RVFNCIDWV, respectively. Consequently, these epitopes may be used for the development of epitope-based peptide vaccine against emerging RVFV. However, in vivo and in vitro experiments are required for their efficient use as a vaccine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. A hybrid monolithic column based on boronate-functionalized graphene oxide nanosheets for online specific enrichment of glycoproteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Chanyuan; Chen, Xiaoman; Du, Zhuo; Li, Gongke; Xiao, Xiaohua; Cai, Zongwei

    2017-05-19

    A hybrid monolithic column based on aminophenylboronic acid (APBA)-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) has been developed and used for selective enrichment of glycoproteins. The APBA/GO composites were homogeneously incorporated into a polymer monolithic column with the help of oligomer matrix and followed by in situ polymerization. The effect of dispersion of APBA/GO composites in the polymerization mixture on the performance of the monolithic column was explored in detail. The presence of graphene oxide not only enlarged the BET surface area from 6.3m 2 /g to 169.4m 2 /g, but also provided abundant boronic acid moieties for glycoprotein extraction, which improved the enrichment selectivity and efficiency for glycoproteins. The APBA/GO hybrid monolithic column was incorporated into a sequential injection system, which facilitated online extraction of proteins. Combining the superior properties of extraordinary surface area of GO and the affinity interaction of APBA to glycoproteins, the APBA/GO hybrid monolithic column showed higher enrichment factors for glycoproteins than other proteins without cis-diol-containing groups. Also, under comparable or even shorter processing time and without the addition of any organic solvent, it showed higher binding capacity toward glycoproteins compared with the conventional boronate affinity monolithic column. The practical applicability of this system was demonstrated by processing of egg white samples for extraction of ovalbumin and ovotransferrin, and satisfactory results were obtained by assay with SDS-PAGE. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Thiolated polymers: evidence for the formation of disulphide bonds with mucus glycoproteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leitner, Verena M; Walker, Greg F; Bernkop-Schnürch, Andreas

    2003-09-01

    Disulphide bonds between thiolated polymers (thiomers) and cysteine-rich subdomains of mucus glycoproteins are supposed to be responsible for the enhanced mucoadhesive properties of thiomers. This study set out to provide evidence for these covalent interactions using poly(acrylic acid)-cysteine conjugates of 2 and 450 kDa (PAA2-Cys, PAA450-Cys) displaying 402.5-776.0 micromol thiol groups per gram polymer. The effect of the disulphide bond breaker cysteine on thiomer-mucin disulphide bonds was monitored by (1) mucoadhesion studies and (2) rheological studies. Furthermore, (3) diffusion studies and (4) gel filtration studies were performed with thiomer-mucus mixtures. The addition of cysteine significantly (Ppolymer. Gel filtration studies showed that PAA2-Cys was able to form disulphide bonds with mucin glycoproteins resulting in an altered elution profile of the mucin/PAA2-Cys mixture in comparison to mucin alone or mucin/PAA2 mixture. According to these results, the study provides evidence for the formation of covalent bonds between thiomer and mucus glycoproteins.

  14. Cytoplasmic tail domain of glycoprotein B is essential for HHV-6 infection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mahmoud, Nora F. [Division of Clinical Virology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia (Egypt); Jasirwan, Chyntia [Division of Clinical Virology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Division of Hepatobiliary, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia (Indonesia); Kanemoto, Satoshi; Wakata, Aika; Wang, Bochao; Hata, Yuuki [Division of Clinical Virology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Nagamata, Satoshi [Division of Clinical Virology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Kawabata, Akiko [Division of Clinical Virology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Tang, Huamin [Division of Clinical Virology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan); Department of Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing (China); Mori, Yasuko, E-mail: ymori@med.kobe-u.ac.jp [Division of Clinical Virology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe (Japan)

    2016-03-15

    Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) glycoprotein B (gB) is an abundantly expressed viral glycoprotein required for viral entry and cell fusion, and is highly conserved among herpesviruses. The present study examined the function of HHV-6 gB cytoplasmic tail domain (CTD). A gB CTD deletion mutant was constructed which, in contrast to its revertant, could not be reconstituted. Moreover, deletion of gB cytoplasmic tail impaired the intracellular transport of gB protein to the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Taken together, these results suggest that gB CTD is critical for HHV-6 propagation and important for intracellular transportation. - Highlights: • Glycoprotein B (gB) is highly conserved among herpesviruses. • HHV-6 gB is also abundantly expressed in virions. • In the present study, we showed the function of HHV-6 gB cytoplasmic tail domain (CTD). • We found that deletion of gB CTD impairs the intracellular transport of gB protein to the trans-Golgi network (TGN), and CTD of gB is critical for HHV-6 propagation.

  15. Cytoplasmic tail domain of glycoprotein B is essential for HHV-6 infection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahmoud, Nora F.; Jasirwan, Chyntia; Kanemoto, Satoshi; Wakata, Aika; Wang, Bochao; Hata, Yuuki; Nagamata, Satoshi; Kawabata, Akiko; Tang, Huamin; Mori, Yasuko

    2016-01-01

    Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) glycoprotein B (gB) is an abundantly expressed viral glycoprotein required for viral entry and cell fusion, and is highly conserved among herpesviruses. The present study examined the function of HHV-6 gB cytoplasmic tail domain (CTD). A gB CTD deletion mutant was constructed which, in contrast to its revertant, could not be reconstituted. Moreover, deletion of gB cytoplasmic tail impaired the intracellular transport of gB protein to the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Taken together, these results suggest that gB CTD is critical for HHV-6 propagation and important for intracellular transportation. - Highlights: • Glycoprotein B (gB) is highly conserved among herpesviruses. • HHV-6 gB is also abundantly expressed in virions. • In the present study, we showed the function of HHV-6 gB cytoplasmic tail domain (CTD). • We found that deletion of gB CTD impairs the intracellular transport of gB protein to the trans-Golgi network (TGN), and CTD of gB is critical for HHV-6 propagation.

  16. Neural glycoprotein M6a is released in extracellular vesicles and modulated by chronic stressors in blood

    OpenAIRE

    Monteleone, Melisa C.; Billi, Silvia C.; Brocco, Marcela A.; Frasch, Alberto C.

    2017-01-01

    Membrane neuronal glycoprotein M6a is highly expressed in the brain and contributes to neural plasticity promoting neurite growth and spine and synapse formation. We have previously showed that chronic stressors alter hippocampal M6a mRNA levels in rodents and tree shrews. We now show that M6a glycoprotein can be detected in mouse blood. M6a is a transmembrane glycoprotein and, as such, unlikely to be free in blood. Here we demonstrate that, in blood, M6a is transported in extracellular vesic...

  17. Glycoprotein fucosylation is increased in seminal plasma of subfertile men

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beata Olejnik

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Fucose, the monosaccharide frequent in N- and O-glycans, is a part of Lewis-type antigens that are known to mediate direct sperm binding to the zona pellucida. Such interaction was found to be inhibited in vitroby fucose-containing oligo- and polysaccharides, as well as neoglycoproteins. The objective of this study was to screen seminal plasma proteins of infertile/subfertile men for the content and density of fucosylated glycoepitopes, and compare them to samples of fertile normozoospermic subjects. Seminal proteins were separated in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and blotted onto nitrocellulose membrane and probed with fucose-specific Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL. Twelve electrophoretic bands were selected for quantitative densitometric analysis. It was found that the content, and especially the density of fucosylated glycans, were higher in glycoproteins present in seminal plasma of subfertile men. No profound differences in fucosylation density were found among the groups of normozoospermic, oligozoospermic, asthenozoospermic, and oligoasthenozoospermic subfertile men. According to the antibody probing, AAL-reactive bands can be attributed to male reproductive tract glycoproteins, including prostate-specific antigen, prostatic acid phosphatase, glycodelin and chorionic gonadotropin. Fibronectin, α1 -acid glycoprotein, α1 -antitrypsin, immunoglobulin G and antithrombin III may also contribute to this high fucosylation. It is suggested that the abundant fucosylated glycans in the sperm environment could interfere with the sperm surface and disturb the normal course of the fertilization cascade.

  18. Separation and identification of carp pituitary proteins and glycoproteins

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Ryšlavá, H.; Janatová, M.; Čalounová, G.; Selicharová, Irena; Barthová, J.; Barth, Tomislav

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 50, č. 9 (2005), 430-437 ISSN 1212-1819 R&D Projects: GA MZe(CZ) QF3028 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z4055905 Keywords : carp hormones * glycoproteins * oligosaccharide chains Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 0.254, year: 2005

  19. New dendrimer - Peptide host - Guest complexes: Towards dendrimers as peptide carriers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boas, Ulrik; Sontjens, S.H.M.; Jensen, Knud Jørgen

    2002-01-01

    Adamantyl urea and adamantyl thiourea modified poly(propylene imine) dendrimers act as hosts for N-terminal tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc)-protected peptides and form chloroform-soluble complexes. investigations with NMR spectroscopy show that the peptide is bound to the dendrimer by ionic interactions...... between the dendrimer outer shell tertiary amines and the C-terminal carboxylic acid of the peptide, and also through host-urea to peptide-amide hydrogen bonding. The hydrogen-bonding nature of the peptide dendrimer interactions was further confirmed by using Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, for which...... the NH- and CO-stretch signals of the peptide amide moieties shift towards lower wave-numbers upon complexation with the dendrimer. Spatial analysis of the complexes with NOESY spectroscopy generally shows close proximity of the N-terminal Boc group of the peptide to the peripheral adamantyl groups...

  20. Secretome analysis to elucidate metalloprotease-dependent ectodomain shedding of glycoproteins during neuronal differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsumagari, Kazuya; Shirakabe, Kyoko; Ogura, Mayu; Sato, Fuminori; Ishihama, Yasushi; Sehara-Fujisawa, Atsuko

    2017-02-01

    Many membrane proteins are subjected to limited proteolyses at their juxtamembrane regions, processes referred to as ectodomain shedding. Shedding ectodomains of membrane-bound ligands results in activation of downstream signaling pathways, whereas shedding those of cell adhesion molecules causes loss of cell-cell contacts. Secreted proteomics (secretomics) using high-resolution mass spectrometry would be strong tools for both comprehensive identification and quantitative measurement of membrane proteins that undergo ectodomain shedding. In this study, to elucidate the ectodomain shedding events that occur during neuronal differentiation, we establish a strategy for quantitative secretomics of glycoproteins released from differentiating neuroblastoma cells into culture medium with or without GM6001, a broad-spectrum metalloprotease inhibitor. Considering that most of transmembrane and secreted proteins are N-glycosylated, we include a process of N-glycosylated peptides enrichment as well as isotope tagging in our secretomics workflow. Our results show that differentiating N1E-115 neurons secrete numerous glycosylated polypeptides in metalloprotease-dependent manners. They are derived from cell adhesion molecules such as NCAM1, CADM1, L1CAM, various transporters and receptor proteins. These results show the landscape of ectodomain shedding and other secretory events in differentiating neurons and/or during axon elongation, which should help elucidate the mechanism of neurogenesis and the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. © 2017 Molecular Biology Society of Japan and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  1. Human platelet glycoprotein IX: An adhesive prototype of leucine-rich glycoproteins with flank-center-flank structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hickey, M.J.; Williams, S.A.; Roth, G.J.

    1989-01-01

    The glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX complex on the surface of human platelets functions as the von Willebrand factor receptor and mediates von Willebrand factor-dependent platelet adhesion to blood vessels. GPIX is a relatively small (M r , 17,000) protein that may provide for membrane insertion and orientation of the larger component of the complex. GPIb (M r , 165,000). Using antibody screening, the authors cloned a cDNA encoding GPIX from a human erythroleukemia cell cDNA library constructed in phage λgt11. Lacking a 5' untranslated region and start codon, the cDNA sequence includes 604 nucleotides, beginning with 495 bases at the 5' end coding for 165 amino acids, followed by a stop codon and 106 noncoding bases at the 3' end. By Northern blot analysis, the GPIX cDNA hybridizes with a single 1.0-kilobase species of platelet poly(A) + RNA. Translation of the cDNA sequence gives a predicted protein sequence beginning with a truncated putative signal sequence of 5 amino acids followed by a sequence of 17 amino acids matching that determined directly by Edman degradation of intact GPIX. GPIX contains a leucine-rich glycoprotein (LRG) sequence of 24 amino acids similar to conserved LRG sequences in GPIb and other proteins from humans, Drosophila, and yeast. The role of the flank-LRG center-flank structure in the evolution and function of the LRG proteins remains to be defined

  2. Identification of diagnostic peptide regions that distinguish Zika virus from related mosquito-borne Flaviviruses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra J Lee

    Full Text Available Zika virus (ZIKV is a member of the Flavivirus genus of positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, which includes Dengue, West Nile, Yellow Fever, and other mosquito-borne arboviruses. Infection by ZIKV can be difficult to distinguish from infection by other mosquito-borne Flaviviruses due to high sequence similarity, serum antibody cross-reactivity, and virus co-circulation in endemic areas. Indeed, existing serological methods are not able to consistently differentiate ZIKV from other Flaviviruses, which makes it extremely difficult to accurately calculate the incidence rate of Zika-associated Guillain-Barre in adults, microcephaly in newborns, or asymptomatic infections within a geographical area. In order to identify Zika-specific peptide regions that could be used as serology reagents, we have applied comparative genomics and protein structure analyses to identify amino acid residues that distinguish each of 10 Flavivirus species and subtypes from each other by calculating the specificity, sensitivity, and surface exposure of each residue in relevant target proteins. For ZIKV we identified 104 and 116 15-mer peptides in the E glycoprotein and NS1 non-structural protein, respectively, that contain multiple diagnostic sites and are located in surface-exposed regions in the tertiary protein structure. These sensitive, specific, and surface-exposed peptide regions should serve as useful reagents for seroprevalence studies to better distinguish between prior infections with any of these mosquito-borne Flaviviruses. The development of better detection methods and diagnostic tools will enable clinicians and public health workers to more accurately estimate the true incidence rate of asymptomatic infections, neurological syndromes, and birth defects associated with ZIKV infection.

  3. Regulation and expression of Lcr plasmid-mediated peptides in pesticinogenic Yersinia pestis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sample, A.K.

    1987-01-01

    It is shown in this thesis that cells of Lcr + , Pst - Y. pestis KIM are able to express Yops at levels comparable to that of Lcr + Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Pulse-chase radiolabeling with 35 S-methionine was used to demonstrate that Lcr + , Pst + Y. pestis synthesized at least 11 distinct peptides during the low calcium response and that seven of the labeled peptides were rapidly degraded. These seven peptides were stably expressed in Lcr + , Pst - Y. pestis and were of identical molecular weights as the Yops expressed by that strain. Radiolabeled fragments of low molecular weight accumulated in the extracellular medium of Pst + cultures and were assumed to be stable degradation fragments derived from Yops. It was also shown that the set of stable peptides, including V antigen, were made during restriction by both Pst + and Pst - Y. pestis KIM and were located primarily within the cytoplasm. Those radiolabeled peptides which underwent proteolytic degradation in Pst + Y. pestis were localized to the outer membrane and extracellular medium in the Pst - strain. It is concluded that the failure of Lcr + , Pst + Y. pestis to express Yops is the result of post-translational degradation and is not a block in the synthesis of Yops

  4. Encoding asymmetry of the N-glycosylation motif facilitates glycoprotein evolution.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryan Williams

    Full Text Available Protein N-glycosylation is found in all domains of life and has a conserved role in glycoprotein folding and stability. In animals, glycoproteins transit through the Golgi where the N-glycans are trimmed and rebuilt with sequences that bind lectins, an innovation that greatly increases structural diversity and redundancy of glycoprotein-lectin interaction at the cell surface. Here we ask whether the natural tension between increasing diversity (glycan-protein interactions and site multiplicity (backup and status quo might be revealed by a phylogenic examination of glycoproteins and NXS/T(X ≠ P N-glycosylation sites. Site loss is more likely by mutation at Asn encoded by two adenosine (A-rich codons, while site gain is more probable by generating Ser or Thr downstream of an existing Asn. Thus mutations produce sites at novel positions more frequently than the reversal of recently lost sites, and therefore more paths though sequence space are made available to natural selection. An intra-species comparison of secretory and cytosolic proteins revealed a departure from equilibrium in sequences one-mutation-away from NXS/T and in (A content, indicating strong selective pressures and exploration of N-glycosylation positions during vertebrate evolution. Furthermore, secretory proteins have evolved at rates proportional to N-glycosylation site number, indicating adaptive interactions between the N-glycans and underlying protein. Given the topology of the genetic code, mutation of (A is more often nonsynonomous, and Lys, another target of many PTMs, is also encoded by two (A-rich codons. An examination of acetyl-Lys sites in proteins indicated similar evolutionary dynamics, consistent with asymmetry of the target and recognition portions of modified sites. Our results suggest that encoding asymmetry is an ancient mechanism of evolvability that increases diversity and experimentation with PTM site positions. Strong selective pressures on PTMs may have

  5. Enhancement of Ebola Virus Infection via Ficolin-1 Interaction with the Mucin Domain of GP Glycoprotein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Favier, Anne-Laure; Gout, Evelyne; Reynard, Olivier; Ferraris, Olivier; Kleman, Jean-Philippe; Volchkov, Viktor; Peyrefitte, Christophe; Thielens, Nicole M

    2016-06-01

    Ebola virus infection requires the surface viral glycoprotein to initiate entry into the target cells. The trimeric glycoprotein is a highly glycosylated viral protein which has been shown to interact with host C-type lectin receptors and the soluble complement recognition protein mannose-binding lectin, thereby enhancing viral infection. Similarly to mannose-binding lectin, ficolins are soluble effectors of the innate immune system that recognize particular glycans at the pathogen surface. In this study, we demonstrate that ficolin-1 interacts with the Zaire Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein, and we characterized this interaction by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Ficolin-1 was shown to bind to the viral glycoprotein with a high affinity. This interaction was mediated by the fibrinogen-like recognition domain of ficolin-1 and the mucin-like domain of the viral glycoprotein. Using a ficolin-1 control mutant devoid of sialic acid-binding capacity, we identified sialylated moieties of the mucin domain to be potential ligands on the glycoprotein. In cell culture, using both pseudotyped viruses and EBOV, ficolin-1 was shown to enhance EBOV infection independently of the serum complement. We also observed that ficolin-1 enhanced EBOV infection on human monocyte-derived macrophages, described to be major viral target cells,. Competition experiments suggested that although ficolin-1 and mannose-binding lectin recognized different carbohydrate moieties on the EBOV glycoprotein, the observed enhancement of the infection likely depended on a common cellular receptor/partner. In conclusion, ficolin-1 could provide an alternative receptor-mediated mechanism for enhancing EBOV infection, thereby contributing to viral subversion of the host innate immune system. A specific interaction involving ficolin-1 (M-ficolin), a soluble effector of the innate immune response, and the glycoprotein (GP) of EBOV was identified. Ficolin-1 enhanced virus infection instead of tipping the

  6. Cancer Biomarker Discovery: Lectin-Based Strategies Targeting Glycoproteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Clark

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Biomarker discovery can identify molecular markers in various cancers that can be used for detection, screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of disease progression. Lectin-affinity is a technique that can be used for the enrichment of glycoproteins from a complex sample, facilitating the discovery of novel cancer biomarkers associated with a disease state.

  7. Grasa corporal e índice adiposo-muscular estimados mediante impedanciometría en la evaluación nutricional de mujeres de 35 a 55 años

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martín Moreno Vicente

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Fundamentos: La evaluación nutricional durante la premenopausia y la menopausia tiene un papel relevante para valorar los cambios que acontecen en la mujer. El objetivo de este estudio es comparar los parámetros grasa corporal e índice adiposo-muscular corporal (IAMC estimados mediante impedanciometría respecto al índice de masa corporal (IMC en la definición del estado nutricional y la composición corporal. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo transversal. Mediante muestreo aleatorio (base de tarjeta sanitaria fueron seleccionadas 30 mujeres de 35 a 55 años, valorándose en ellas la asociación entre grasa corporal e IAMC con el IMC; diferentes estimadores de la distribución de la grasa corporal: circunferencias de la cintura y cresta ilíaca, cocientes cintura-cadera e ilíaca-cadera y diámetros ilíaco y sagital; presiones arteriales sistólica (PAS y diastólica (PAD y niveles plasmáticos de glucosa, colesterol, HDL-colesterol y triglicéridos. Resultados: El porcentaje de grasa corporal correlacionó intensamente (p<0,001 con IMC (r=0,919, circunferencias de la cintura (r=0,866 e ilíaca (r=0,841 y diámetros sagital (r=0,783 e ilíaco (r=0,772, y, menos intensamente, con la glucemia (r=0,385; p=0,036 y la PAS (r=0,497; p=0,005 y PAD (r=0,582; p=0,001. El IAMC presentó similares resultados, sin asociarse significativamente con ningún parámetro bioquímico. El 46,7% de las mujeres obesas según su porcentaje de grasa corporal (33% presentaba un IMC menor de 30. Conclusiones: La estimación de los parámetros grasa corporal e IAMC en mujeres de 35 a 55 años complementa la evaluación nutricional realizada mediante el IMC, aunque para definir su verdadero valor en esta evaluación es necesario establecer los parámetros de normalidad en la población.

  8. The Lyssavirus glycoprotein: A key to cross-immunity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buthelezi, Sindisiwe G; Dirr, Heini W; Chakauya, Ereck; Chikwamba, Rachel; Martens, Lennart; Tsekoa, Tsepo L; Stoychev, Stoyan H; Vandermarliere, Elien

    2016-11-01

    Rabies is an acute viral encephalomyelitis in warm-blooded vertebrates, caused by viruses belonging to Rhabdovirus family and genus Lyssavirus. Although rabies is categorised as a neglected disease, the rabies virus (RABV) is the most studied amongst Lyssaviruses which show nearly identical infection patterns. In efforts to improving post-exposure prophylaxis, several anti-rabies monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting the glycoprotein (G protein) sites I, II, III and G5 have been characterized. To explore cross-neutralization capacity of available mAbs and discover new possible B-cell epitopes, we have analyzed all available glycoprotein sequences from Lyssaviruses with a focus on sequence variation and conservation. This information was mapped on the structure of a representative G protein. We proposed several possible cross-neutralizing B-cell epitopes (GUVTTTF, WLRTV, REECLD and EHLVVEEL) in complement to the already well-characterized antigenic sites. The research could facilitate development of novel cross-reactive mAbs against RABV and even more broad, against possibly all Lyssavirus members. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Identifying the Viral Genes Encoding Envelope Glycoproteins for Differentiation of Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 Isolates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Se Chang Park

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Cyprinid herpes virus 3 (CyHV-3 diseases have been reported around the world and are associated with high mortalities of koi (Cyprinus carpio. Although little work has been conducted on the molecular analysis of this virus, glycoprotein genes identified in the present study seem to be valuable targets for genetic comparison of this virus. Three envelope glycoprotein genes (ORF25, 65 and 116 of the CyHV-3 isolates from the USA, Israel, Japan and Korea were compared, and interestingly, sequence insertions or deletions were observed in these target regions. In addition, polymorphisms were presented in microsatellite zones from two glycoprotein genes (ORF65 and 116. In phylogenetic tree analysis, the Korean isolate was remarkably distinguished from USA, Israel, Japan isolates. These findings may be suitable for many applications including isolates differentiation and phylogeny studies.

  10. Identifying the Viral Genes Encoding Envelope Glycoproteins for Differentiation of Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 Isolates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Jee Eun; Kim, Ji Hyung; Renault, Tristan; Choresca, Casiano; Shin, Sang Phil; Jun, Jin Woo; Park, Se Chang

    2013-01-01

    Cyprinid herpes virus 3 (CyHV-3) diseases have been reported around the world and are associated with high mortalities of koi (Cyprinus carpio). Although little work has been conducted on the molecular analysis of this virus, glycoprotein genes identified in the present study seem to be valuable targets for genetic comparison of this virus. Three envelope glycoprotein genes (ORF25, 65 and 116) of the CyHV-3 isolates from the USA, Israel, Japan and Korea were compared, and interestingly, sequence insertions or deletions were observed in these target regions. In addition, polymorphisms were presented in microsatellite zones from two glycoprotein genes (ORF65 and 116). In phylogenetic tree analysis, the Korean isolate was remarkably distinguished from USA, Israel, Japan isolates. These findings may be suitable for many applications including isolates differentiation and phylogeny studies. PMID:23435236

  11. A Study of the Insulin and the C-Peptide Responses to Oral Glucose Load in Nondiabetic and Diabetic Subjects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Myung Chul; Choi, Sung Jae; Kim, Eung Jin; Koh, Chang Soon; Min, Hun Ki [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1977-03-15

    The present study was undertaken to evaluate the significance of the insulin and the C-peptide response to oral glucose loads in normal and diabetic subjects and to establish the effects of the obesity. In this study, the authors have measured plasma insulin and C-peptide by means of radioimmunoassay in 10 nonobese normal, 5 obese normal, 13 nonobese moderate diabetic patients, 9 obese moderate diabetic patients and 9 severe diabetic patients. The results obtained were as follows; 1) In 10 nonobese normal subjects, the plasma insulin level at fasting state and at 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after oral glucose loads were 15.7+-3.4, 48.3+-9.8, 40.4+-6.7, 37.4+-6.5 and 26.0+-4.2 uU/ml (Mean+-S.E.) and C-peptide were 1.9+-0.3, 3.9+-0.6, 6.3+-0.6, 5.7+-0.5 and 4.0+-0.5 ng/ml. The change of C-peptide was found to go almost parallel with that of insulin and the insulin value reaches to the highest level at 30 min whereas C-peptide reaches to its peak at 60 min.. 2) The plasma insulin level in 5 obese normal subjects were 38.9+-12.3, 59.5+-12.3, 59.2+-17.1, 56.1+-20.0 and 48.4+-17.2 uU/ml and the C-peptide were 5.5+-0.4, 6.8+-0.5, 7.9+-0.8, 7.9+-0.8 and 7.8+-2.0 ng/ml. The insulin response appeared to be greater than nonobese normal subjects. 3) In 13 nonobese moderate diabetic patients, the plasma insulin levels were 27.1+-4.9, 44.1+-6.0, 37.3+-6.6, 35.5+-8.1 and 34.7+-10.7 uU/ml and the C-peptide levels were 2.7+-0.4, 4.9+-0.7, 6.5+-0.5, 7.0+-0.3 and 6.7+-1.0 ng/ml. There was little significance compared to nonobese normal groups but delayed pattern is noted. 4) In 9 obese moderated diabetic patients, the plasma insulin levels were 22.1+-7.9, 80.0+-19.3, 108.0+-27.0, 62.0+-17.6 and 55.5+-10.l uU/ml and the C-peptide levels were 5.2+-0.4, 8.0+-1.0, 10.4+-1.6, 10.4+-1.7 and 10.1+-1.0 ng/ml and its response was also greater than that of nonobese moderate diabetic patients. 5) The plasma insulin concentrations in 9 severe diabetic subjects were 8.0+-3.8, 12.1+-3.5, 16.8+-4.6, 19

  12. Glycoprotein Ibα clustering in platelet storage and function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gitz, E.

    2013-01-01

    Platelets are anucleated, discoid-shaped cells that play an essential role in the formation of a hemostatic plug to prevent blood loss from injured vessels. Initial platelet arrest at the damaged arterial vessel wall is mediated through the interaction between the platelet receptor glycoprotein (GP)

  13. Species differences in blood-brain barrier transport of three positron emission tomography radioligands with emphasis on P-glycoprotein transport

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Syvanen, S.; Lindhe, O.; Palner, M.

    2009-01-01

    preclinical data to humans. Compounds found to be P-gp substrates in rodents are likely to also be substrates in higher species, but sufficient blood-brain barrier permeability may be retained in humans to allow the compound to act at intracerebral targets Udgivelsesdato: 2009/3......Species differences occur in the brain concentrations of drugs, but the reasons for these differences are not yet apparent. This study was designed to compare brain uptake of three radiolabeled P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrates across species using positron emission tomography. Brain concentrations...... and brain-to-plasma ratios were compared; [(11)C]verapamil in rats, guinea pigs, and monkeys; [(11)C](S)-(2-methoxy-5-(5-trifluoromethyltetrazol-1-yl)-phenylmethylamino )-2(S)-phenylpiperidine (GR205171) in rats, guinea pigs, monkeys, and humans; and [(18)F]altanserin in rats, minipigs, and humans...

  14. Glucocorticoid-regulated and constitutive trafficking of proteolytically processed cell surface-associated glycoproteins in wild type and variant rat hepatoma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amacher, S.L.; Goodman, L.J.; Bravo, D.A.; Wong, K.Y.; Goldfine, I.D.; Hawley, D.M.; Firestone, G.L.

    1989-01-01

    Glucocorticoids regulate the trafficking of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) glycoproteins to the cell surface in the rat hepatoma cell line M1.54, but not in the immunoselected sorting variant CR4. To compare the localization of MMTV glycoproteins to another proteolytically processed glycoprotein, both wild type M1.54 cells and variant CR4 cells were transfected with a human insulin receptor (hIR) expression vector, pRSVhIR. The production of cell surface hIR was monitored in dexamethasone-treated and -untreated wild type M1.54 and variant CR4 cells by indirect immunofluorescence, direct plasma membrane immunoprecipitation, and by [125I] insulin binding. In both wild type and variant rat hepatoma cells, hIR were localized at the cell surface in the presence or in the absence of 1 microM dexamethasone. In contrast, the glucocorticoid-regulated trafficking of cell surface MMTV glycoproteins occurred only in wild type M1.54 cells. We conclude that the hIR, which undergoes posttranslational processing reactions similar to MMTV glycoproteins, does not require glucocorticoids to be transported to the plasma membrane and is representative of a subset of cell surface glycoproteins whose trafficking is constitutive in rat hepatoma cells. Thus, MMTV glycoproteins and hIR provide specific cell surface markers to characterize the glucocorticoid-regulated and constitutive sorting pathways

  15. Amide I SFG Spectral Line Width Probes the Lipid-Peptide and Peptide-Peptide Interactions at Cell Membrane In Situ and in Real Time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Baixiong; Tan, Junjun; Li, Chuanzhao; Zhang, Jiahui; Ye, Shuji

    2018-06-13

    The balance of lipid-peptide and peptide-peptide interactions at cell membrane is essential to a large variety of cellular processes. In this study, we have experimentally demonstrated for the first time that sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy can be used to probe the peptide-peptide and lipid-peptide interactions in cell membrane in situ and in real time by determination of the line width of amide I band of protein backbone. Using a "benchmark" model of α-helical WALP23, it is found that the dominated lipid-peptide interaction causes a narrow line width of the amide I band, whereas the peptide-peptide interaction can markedly broaden the line width. When WALP23 molecules insert into the lipid bilayer, a quite narrow line width of the amide I band is observed because of the lipid-peptide interaction. In contrast, when the peptide lies down on the bilayer surface, the line width of amide I band becomes very broad owing to the peptide-peptide interaction. In terms of the real-time change in the line width, the transition from peptide-peptide interaction to lipid-peptide interaction is monitored during the insertion of WALP23 into 1,2-dipalmitoyl- sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'- rac-glycerol) (DPPG) lipid bilayer. The dephasing time of a pure α-helical WALP23 in 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl- sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'- rac-glycerol) and DPPG bilayer is determined to be 2.2 and 0.64 ps, respectively. The peptide-peptide interaction can largely accelerate the dephasing time.

  16. Replacement of the cytoplasmic domain alters sorting of a viral glycoprotein in polarized cells.

    OpenAIRE

    Puddington, L; Woodgett, C; Rose, J K

    1987-01-01

    The envelope glycoprotein (G protein) of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is transported to the basolateral plasma membrane of polarized epithelial cells, whereas the hemagglutinin glycoprotein (HA protein) of influenza virus is transported to the apical plasma membrane. To determine if the cytoplasmic domain of VSV G protein might be important in directing G protein to the basolateral membrane, we derived polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cell lines expressing G protein or G protein with i...

  17. Formation of zinc-peptide spherical microparticles during lyophilization from tert-butyl alcohol/water co-solvent system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Feng; Ni, Nina; Chen, Jia-Wen; Desikan, Sridhar; Naringrekar, Vijay; Hussain, Munir A; Barbour, Nancy P; Smith, Ronald L

    2008-12-01

    To understand the mechanism of spherical microparticle formation during lyophilizing a tert-Butyl alcohol (TBA)/water solution of a zinc peptide adduct. A small peptide, PC-1, as well as zinc PC-1 at (3:2) and (3:1) ratios, were dissolved in 44% (wt.%) of TBA/water, gradually frozen to -50 degrees C over 2 h ("typical freezing step"), annealed at -20 degrees C for 6 h ("annealing step"), and subsequently lyophilized with primary and secondary drying. Zinc peptide (3:1) lyophile was also prepared with quench cooling instead of the typical freezing step, or without the annealing step. Other TBA concentrations, i.e., 25%, 35%, 54% and 65%, were used to make the zinc peptide (3:1) adduct lyophile with the typical freezing and annealing steps. The obtained lyophile was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The zinc peptide solutions in TBA/water were analyzed by Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). The surface tension of the TBA/water co-solvent system was measured by a pendant drop shape method. With typical freezing and annealing steps, the free peptide lyophile showed porous network-like structure that is commonly seen in lyophilized products. However, with increasing the zinc to peptide ratio, uniform particles were gradually evolved. Zinc peptide (3:1) adduct lyophiles obtained from 25%, 35% and 44% TBA exhibit a distinctive morphology of uniform and spherical microparticles with diameters of approximately 3-4 microm, and the spherical zinc peptide particles are more predominant when the TBA level approaches 20%. Adopting quench cooling in the lyophilization cycle leads to irregular shape fine powders, and eliminating the annealing step causes rough particles surface. When TBA concentration increases above 54%, the lyophiles demonstrate primarily irregular shape particles. A proposed mechanism of spherical particle formation of the 3:1 zinc peptide encompasses the freezing of a TBA/water solution (20-70% TBA) causing the formation of a TBA hydrate

  18. Increased [32P]-phosphorylation of tryptic peptides of erythrocyte spectrin in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mabry, M.E.; Roses, A.D.

    1981-01-01

    Increased [32P]-incorporation in tryptic peptides of the erythrocyte membrane protein spectrin Band 2 in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) was studied in a consecutive series of 10 matched DMD/control pairs. Spectrin was [32P]-phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-independent endogenous membrane protein kinase in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP. [32P]-labeled spectrin was isolated, purified, and subjected to tryptic cleavage with excess trypsin. The resulting peptides were separated on a high-resolution 5%/15% stacking SDS--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system. Liquid scintillation counting was performed on sequential slices of unstained gels. A broad [32P]-labeled band containing a number of [32P]-polypeptides was found to be more highly [32P]-phosphorylated in DMD patients than in their matched controls. This band migrated with an apparent molecular mass of 4.8-5.2 kilodaltons and contained approximately 55% of total [32P] radioactivity covalently bound to spectrin peptides. These data demonstrated an increased [32P]-phosphorylation of an identifiable tryptic peptide fraction in DMD that is consistent with previous reports of increased spectrin Band 2 [32P]-phosphorylation in DMD

  19. Efficacy of soluble glycoprotein fraction from Allium sativum purified by size exclusion chromatography on murine Schistosomiasis mansoni.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aly, Ibrahim; Taher, Eman E; El-Sayed, Hoda; Mohammed, Faten A; ELnain, Gehan; Hamad, Rabab S; Bayoumy, Elsayed M

    2017-06-01

    In this work, the efficiency of crude MeOH extracts and soluble glycoprotein fraction of Allium sativum purified by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) on parasitological, histopathological and some biochemical parameters in Schistosoma mansoni infected mice were investigated. Animals were infected by tail immersion with 100 cercariae/each mouse and divided into five groups in addition to the normal control. The results revealed a significant decrease in mean worm burden in all treated mice especially in the group treated with soluble glycoprotein fraction of A. sativum as compared to infected non-treated control with the disappearance of female worms. Administration of the studied extracts revealed remarkable amelioration in the levels of all the measured parameters in S. mansoni infected mice. In addition, treatment of mice with crude A. sativum MeOH extract and soluble glycoprotein fraction of A. sativum decreased significantly the activities of studied enzymes as compared to the infected untreated group. The highest degrees of enhancement in pathological changes was observed in the treated one with soluble glycoprotein fraction of A. sativum compared to the infected group represented by small sized, late fibro-cellular granuloma, the decrease in cellular constituents and degenerative changes in eggs. In conclusion, A. sativum treatment had effective schistosomicidal activities, through reduction of worm burden and tissue eggs, especially when it was given in purified glycoprotein fraction. Moreover, the soluble glycoprotein fraction of A. sativum largely modulates both the size and the number of granulomas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Development of Highly Selective Kv1.3-Blocking Peptides Based on the Sea Anemone Peptide ShK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael W. Pennington

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available ShK, from the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus, is a 35-residue disulfide-rich peptide that blocks the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 at ca. 10 pM and the related channel Kv1.1 at ca. 16 pM. We developed an analog of this peptide, ShK-186, which is currently in Phase 1b-2a clinical trials for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. While ShK-186 displays a >100-fold improvement in selectivity for Kv1.3 over Kv1.1 compared with ShK, there is considerable interest in developing peptides with an even greater selectivity ratio. In this report, we describe several variants of ShK that incorporate p-phophono-phenylalanine at the N-terminus coupled with internal substitutions at Gln16 and Met21. In addition, we also explored the combinatorial effects of these internal substitutions with an alanine extension at the C-terminus. Their selectivity was determined by patch-clamp electrophysiology on Kv1.3 and Kv1.1 channels stably expressed in mouse fibroblasts. The peptides with an alanine extension blocked Kv1.3 at low pM concentrations and exhibited up to 2250-fold selectivity for Kv1.3 over Kv1.1. Analogs that incorporates p-phosphono-phenylalanine at the N-terminus blocked Kv1.3 with IC50s in the low pM range and did not affect Kv1.1 at concentrations up to 100 nM, displaying a selectivity enhancement of >10,000-fold for Kv1.3 over Kv1.1. Other potentially important Kv channels such as Kv1.4 and Kv1.6 were only partially blocked at 100 nM concentrations of each of the ShK analogs.

  1. Taylor Dispersion Analysis as a promising tool for assessment of peptide-peptide interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Høgstedt, Ulrich B; Schwach, Grégoire; van de Weert, Marco; Østergaard, Jesper

    2016-10-10

    Protein-protein and peptide-peptide (self-)interactions are of key importance in understanding the physiochemical behavior of proteins and peptides in solution. However, due to the small size of peptide molecules, characterization of these interactions is more challenging than for proteins. In this work, we show that protein-protein and peptide-peptide interactions can advantageously be investigated by measurement of the diffusion coefficient using Taylor Dispersion Analysis. Through comparison to Dynamic Light Scattering it was shown that Taylor Dispersion Analysis is well suited for the characterization of protein-protein interactions of solutions of α-lactalbumin and human serum albumin. The peptide-peptide interactions of three selected peptides were then investigated in a concentration range spanning from 0.5mg/ml up to 80mg/ml using Taylor Dispersion Analysis. The peptide-peptide interactions determination indicated that multibody interactions significantly affect the PPIs at concentration levels above 25mg/ml for the two charged peptides. Relative viscosity measurements, performed using the capillary based setup applied for Taylor Dispersion Analysis, showed that the viscosity of the peptide solutions increased with concentration. Our results indicate that a viscosity difference between run buffer and sample in Taylor Dispersion Analysis may result in overestimation of the measured diffusion coefficient. Thus, Taylor Dispersion Analysis provides a practical, but as yet primarily qualitative, approach to assessment of the colloidal stability of both peptide and protein formulations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Corn Silk Extract and Its Bioactive Peptide Ameliorated Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation in Mice via the Nuclear Factor-κB Signaling Pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Tin-Yun; Li, Chia-Cheng; Lo, Hsin-Yi; Chen, Feng-Yuan; Hsiang, Chien-Yun

    2017-02-01

    Bioactive peptides derived from foods have shown beneficial anti-inflammatory potential. Inhibitory κB kinase-β (IKKβ) plays a crucial role in the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), a transcription factor involved in inflammation. Here we applied proteomic and bioinformatics approaches to identify anti-inflammatory peptides that target IKKβ from corn silk. Corn silk extract significantly suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NF-κB activities [(1.7 ± 0.2)-fold vs (3.0 ± 0.6)-fold, p corn silk also suppressed LPS-induced NF-κB activities [(1.1 ± 0.3)-fold vs 3.3 ± 0.5 fold, p corn silk extract and trypsin hydrolysate significantly inhibited LPS-induced interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production by 58.3 ± 4.5 and 55.1 ± 7.4%, respectively. A novel peptide, FK2, docked into the ATP-binding pocket of IKKβ, was further identified from trypsin hydrolysis of corn silk. FK2 inhibited IKKβ activities, IκB phosphorylation, and subsequent NF-κB activation [(2.3 ± 0.4)-fold vs (5.5 ± 0.4)-fold, p corn silk displayed anti-inflammatory abilities. In addition, we first identified an anti-inflammatory peptide FK2 from corn silk. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory effect of FK2 might be through IKKβ-NF-κB signaling pathways.

  3. Recombinant pestivirus E2 glycoproteins prevent viral attachment to permissive and non permissive cells with different efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asfor, A S; Wakeley, P R; Drew, T W; Paton, D J

    2014-08-30

    Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is an economically important animal pathogen, which like other pestiviruses has similar molecular biological features to hepaciviruses, including human Hepatitis C virus. The pestivirus E2 glycoproteins are the major target for virus-neutralising antibodies, as well as playing a role in receptor binding and host range restriction. In this study, recombinant E2 glycoproteins (rE2) derived from three different pestivirus species were examined for their inhibitory effects on pestivirus infectivity in cell culture. Histidine-tagged rE2 glycoproteins of BVDV type 2 strain 178003, BVDV type 1 strain Oregon C24V and CSFV strain Alfort 187 were produced in Spodoptera frugiperda insect cells and purified under native conditions. The ability of rE2 glycoprotein to inhibit the infection of permissive cells by both homologous and heterologous virus was compared, revealing that the inhibitory effects of rE2 glycoproteins correlated with the predicted similarity of the E2 structures in the recombinant protein and the test virus. This result suggests that the sequence and structure of E2 are likely to be involved in the host specificity of pestiviruses at their point of uptake into cells. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Membrane glycoproteins of differentiating skeletal muscle cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, K.R.; Remy, C.N.; Smith, P.B.

    1987-01-01

    The composition of N-linked glycoprotein oligosaccharides was studied in myoblasts and myotubes of the C2 muscle cell line. Oligosaccharides were radioactively labelled for 15 hr with [ 3 H] mannose and plasma membranes isolated. Ten glycopeptides were detected by SDS-PAGE and fluorography. The extent of labelling was 4-6 fold greater in myoblasts vs myotubes. A glycopeptide of Mr > 100,000 was found exclusively in myoblast membranes. Lectin chromatography revealed that the proportion of tri-, tetranntenary, biantennary and high mannose chains was similar throughout differentiation. The high mannose chain fraction was devoid of hybrid chains. The major high mannose chain contained nine mannose residues. The higher level of glycopeptide labelling in myoblasts vs myotubes corresponded to a 5-fold greater rate of protein synthesis. Pulse-chase experiments were used to follow the synthesis of the Dol-oligosaccharides. Myoblasts and myotubes labelled equivalently the glucosylated tetradecasaccharide but myoblasts labelled the smaller intermediates 3-4 greater than myotubes. Myoblasts also exhibited a 2-3 fold higher Dol-P dependent glycosyl transferase activity for chain elongation and Dol-sugar synthesis. Together these results show that the degree of protein synthesis and level of Dol-P are contributing factors in the higher capacity of myoblasts to produce N-glycoproteins compared to myotubes

  5. Antimicrobial Peptides in 2014

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guangshun Wang

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This article highlights new members, novel mechanisms of action, new functions, and interesting applications of antimicrobial peptides reported in 2014. As of December 2014, over 100 new peptides were registered into the Antimicrobial Peptide Database, increasing the total number of entries to 2493. Unique antimicrobial peptides have been identified from marine bacteria, fungi, and plants. Environmental conditions clearly influence peptide activity or function. Human α-defensin HD-6 is only antimicrobial under reduced conditions. The pH-dependent oligomerization of human cathelicidin LL-37 is linked to double-stranded RNA delivery to endosomes, where the acidic pH triggers the dissociation of the peptide aggregate to release its cargo. Proline-rich peptides, previously known to bind to heat shock proteins, are shown to inhibit protein synthesis. A model antimicrobial peptide is demonstrated to have multiple hits on bacteria, including surface protein delocalization. While cell surface modification to decrease cationic peptide binding is a recognized resistance mechanism for pathogenic bacteria, it is also used as a survival strategy for commensal bacteria. The year 2014 also witnessed continued efforts in exploiting potential applications of antimicrobial peptides. We highlight 3D structure-based design of peptide antimicrobials and vaccines, surface coating, delivery systems, and microbial detection devices involving antimicrobial peptides. The 2014 results also support that combination therapy is preferred over monotherapy in treating biofilms.

  6. Effect of an aqueous extract of Scoparia dulcis on plasma and tissue glycoproteins in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latha, M; Pari, L

    2005-02-01

    The influence of Scoparia dulcis, a traditionally used plant for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, was examined in streptozotocin diabetic rats on dearrangement in glycoprotein levels. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. An aqueous extract of Scoparia dulcis plant was administered orally for 6 weeks. The effect of the Scoparia dulcis extract on blood glucose, plasma insulin, plasma and tissue glycoproteins studied was in comparison to glibenclamide. The levels of blood glucose and plasma glycoproteins were increased significantly whereas the level of plasma insulin was significantly decreased in diabetic rats. There was a significant decrease in the level of sialic acid and elevated levels of hexose, hexosamine and fucose in the liver and kidney of streptozotocin diabetic rats. Oral administration of Scoparia dulcis plant extract (SPEt) to diabetic rats led to decreased levels of blood glucose and plasma glycoproteins. The levels of plasma insulin and tissue sialic acid were increased whereas the levels of tissue hexose, hexosamine and fucose were near normal. The present study indicates that Scoparia dulcis possesses a significant beneficial effect on glycoproteins in addition to its antidiabetic effect.

  7. Comparative Profiling of Triple-Negative Breast Carcinomas Tissue Glycoproteome by Sequential Purification of Glycoproteins and Stable Isotope Labeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiang Chen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Women with triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs have a poor prognosis due to lack of suitable targeted therapies. Changes in the protein glycosylation are increasingly being recognized as an important modification associated with cancer etiology. Methods: In an attempt to identify TNBC biomarkers with greater diagnostic and prognostic capabilities, hydrazide- based chemistry method combined with LC-MS/MS were used to purify and identify N-linked glycopeptides or glycoproteins of tissues from TNBC patients. Results: A total of 550 unique N-linked glycoproteins were identified, among these proteins, 72 unique N-linked glycoproteins were significantly regulated in tumor tissues, of which 56 proteins were upregulated and 16 proteins were downregulated. To assess the validity of the results, three selected proteins including Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1, Insulin receptor, Tissue factor pathway inhibitor were selected for western blot analysis, and these proteins were found as potential biomarkers of TNBC. The top three pathways of differentially expressed glycoproteins participated in were caveolar-mediated endocytosis signaling, agrin interactions at neuromuscular junction and LXR/RXR activation. Conclusion: This work provides potential glycoprotein markers to function as a novel tissue-based biomarker for TNBC.

  8. Analysis and Evaluation of the Inhibitory Mechanism of a Novel Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Peptide Derived from Casein Hydrolysate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tu, Maolin; Liu, Hanxiong; Zhang, Ruyi; Chen, Hui; Mao, Fengjiao; Cheng, Shuzhen; Lu, Weihong; Du, Ming

    2018-04-25

    Casein hydrolysates exert various biological activities, and the responsible functional peptides are being identified from them continuously. In this study, the tryptic casein hydrolysate was fractionated by an ultrafiltration membrane (3 kDa), and the peptides were identified by capillary electrophoresis-quadrupole-time-of-flight-tandem mass spectrometry. Meanwhile, in silico methods were used to analyze the toxicity, solubility, stability, and affinity between the peptides and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE). Finally, a new angiotensin-I-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) peptide, EKVNELSK, derived from α s1 -casein (fragment 35-42) was screened. The half maximal inhibitory concentration value of the peptide is 5.998 mM, which was determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography method. The Lineweaver-Burk plot indicated that this peptide is a mixed-type inhibitor against ACE. Moreover, Discovery Studio 2017 R2 software was adopted to perform molecular docking to propose the potential mechanisms underlying the ACEI activity of the peptide. These results indicated that EKVNELSK is a new ACEI peptide identified from casein hydrolysate.

  9. Cereal n-glycoproteins enrichment by lectin affinity monolithic chromatography

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Flodrová, Dana; Bobálová, Janette; Laštovičková, Markéta

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 44, č. 2 (2016), s. 286-297 ISSN 0133-3720 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GPP503/12/P395 Institutional support: RVO:68081715 Keywords : barley * wheat * glycoprotein * mass spectrometry * lectin chromatography Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 0.496, year: 2016

  10. TROPHOBLASTIC β1 – GLYCOPROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN SEROPOSITIVE PREGNANT WOMEN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. N. Bogdanovich

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. The level of trophoblastic β1 – glycoprotein (SP–1 was determined in the blood sera of 200 healthy pregnant women and 184 women with threatened abortions in term till 20 weeks of pregnancy. In group of women experiencing recurrent abortions in 38 % cases antibodies to chorionic gonadotropin, in 39,5 % cases antibodies to phospholipids, in 25,5 % – antibodies to tireoglobulin were revealed in significant amounts. In 20,65 % lupus anticoagulant was found. The majority of women in this group had changes in homeostasis. The presence of autoantibodies during pregnancy is the unfavourable factor in the development of placental insufficiency. This is proved by the decreased secretion of trophoblastic β1 – glycoprotein – a marker of the fetal part of placenta. (Med. Immunol., 2005, vol.7, № 1, pp. 85588

  11. Connecting peptide (c-peptide) and the duration of diabetes mellitus ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objective: C-peptide is derived from proinsulin and it is secreted in equimolar concentration with insulin. Plasma C-peptide is more stable than insulin and it provides an indirect measure of insulin secretory reserve and beta cell function. To determine relationship between C-peptide and duration of diabetes mellitus, age, ...

  12. Glycoprotein component of plant cell walls

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cooper, J.B.; Chen, J.A.; Varner, J.E.

    1984-01-01

    The primary wall surrounding most dicotyledonous plant cells contains a hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein (HRGP) component named extensin. A small group of glycopeptides solubilized from isolated cell walls by proteolysis contained a repeated pentapeptide glycosylated by tri- and tetraarabinosides linked to hydroxyproline and, by galactose, linked to serine. Recently, two complementary approaches to this problem have provided results which greatly increase the understanding of wall extensin. In this paper the authors describe what is known about the structure of soluble extensin secreted into the walls of the carrot root cells

  13. Peptide-Carrier Conjugation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Paul Robert

    2015-01-01

    To produce antibodies against synthetic peptides it is necessary to couple them to a protein carrier. This chapter provides a nonspecialist overview of peptide-carrier conjugation. Furthermore, a protocol for coupling cysteine-containing peptides to bovine serum albumin is outlined....

  14. The GraS Sensor in Staphylococcus aureus Mediates Resistance to Host Defense Peptides Differing in Mechanisms of Action.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaili, Siyang; Cheung, Ambrose L; Bayer, Arnold S; Xiong, Yan Q; Waring, Alan J; Memmi, Guido; Donegan, Niles; Yang, Soo-Jin; Yeaman, Michael R

    2016-02-01

    Staphylococcus aureus uses the two-component regulatory system GraRS to sense and respond to host defense peptides (HDPs). However, the mechanistic impact of GraS or its extracellular sensing loop (EL) on HDP resistance is essentially unexplored. Strains with null mutations in the GraS holoprotein (ΔgraS) or its EL (ΔEL) were compared for mechanisms of resistance to HDPs of relevant immune sources: neutrophil α-defensin (human neutrophil peptide 1 [hNP-1]), cutaneous β-defensin (human β-defensin 2 [hBD-2]), or the platelet kinocidin congener RP-1. Actions studied by flow cytometry included energetics (ENR); membrane permeabilization (PRM); annexin V binding (ANX), and cell death protease activation (CDP). Assay conditions simulated bloodstream (pH 7.5) or phagolysosomal (pH 5.5) pH contexts. S. aureus strains were more susceptible to HDPs at pH 7.5 than at pH 5.5, and each HDP exerted a distinct effect signature. The impacts of ΔgraS and ΔΕL on HDP resistance were peptide and pH dependent. Both mutants exhibited defects in ANX response to hNP-1 or hBD-2 at pH 7.5, but only hNP-1 did so at pH 5.5. Both mutants exhibited hyper-PRM, -ANX, and -CDP responses to RP-1 at both pHs and hypo-ENR at pH 5.5. The actions correlated with ΔgraS or ΔΕL hypersusceptibility to hNP-1 or RP-1 (but not hBD-2) at pH 7.5 and to all study HDPs at pH 5.5. An exogenous EL mimic protected mutant strains from hNP-1 and hBD-2 but not RP-1, indicating that GraS and its EL play nonredundant roles in S. aureus survival responses to specific HDPs. These findings suggest that GraS mediates specific resistance countermeasures to HDPs in immune contexts that are highly relevant to S. aureus pathogenesis in humans. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  15. Highly selective enrichment of phosphorylated peptides from peptide mixtures using titanium dioxide microcolumns

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Martin Røssel; Thingholm, Tine E; Jensen, Ole N

    2005-01-01

    based on TiO2microcolumns and peptide loading in 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB). The effect of DHB was a very efficient reduction in the binding of nonphosphorylated peptides to TiO2 while retaining its high binding affinity for phosphorylated peptides. Thus, inclusion of DHB dramatically increased...... the selectivity of the enrichment of phosphorylated peptides by TiO2. We demonstrated that this new procedure was more selective for binding phosphorylated peptides than IMAC using MALDI mass spectrometry. In addition, we showed that LC-ESI-MSMS was biased toward monophosphorylated peptides, whereas MALDI MS...... was not. Other substituted aromatic carboxylic acids were also capable of specifically reducing binding of nonphosphorylated peptides, whereas phosphoric acid reduced binding of both phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated peptides. A putative mechanism for this intriguing effect is presented....

  16. Variant surface glycoproteins from Venezuelan trypanosome isolates are recognized by sera from animals infected with either Trypanosoma evansi or Trypanosoma vivax.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camargo, Rocío; Izquier, Adriana; Uzcanga, Graciela L; Perrone, Trina; Acosta-Serrano, Alvaro; Carrasquel, Liomary; Arias, Laura P; Escalona, José L; Cardozo, Vanessa; Bubis, José

    2015-01-15

    Salivarian trypanosomes sequentially express only one variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) on their cell surface from a large repertoire of VSG genes. Seven cryopreserved animal trypanosome isolates known as TeAp-ElFrio01, TEVA1 (or TeAp-N/D1), TeGu-N/D1, TeAp-Mantecal01, TeGu-TerecayTrino, TeGu-Terecay03 and TeGu-Terecay323, which had been isolated from different hosts identified in several geographical areas of Venezuela were expanded using adult albino rats. Soluble forms of predominant VSGs expressed during the early infection stages were purified and corresponded to concanavalin A-binding proteins with molecular masses of 48-67 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electropohoresis, and pI values between 6.1 and 7.5. The biochemical characterization of all purified soluble VSGs revealed that they were dimers in their native form and represented different gene products. Sequencing of some of these proteins yielded peptides homologous to VSGs from Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) brucei and Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) evansi and established that they most likely are mosaics generated by homologous recombination. Western blot analysis showed that all purified VSGs were cross-reacting antigens that were recognized by sera from animals infected with either T. evansi or Trypanosoma (Dutonella) vivax. The VSG glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol cross-reacting determinant epitope was only partially responsible for the cross-reactivity of the purified proteins, and antibodies appeared to recognize cross-reacting conformational epitopes from the various soluble VSGs. ELISA experiments were performed using infected bovine sera collected from cattle in a Venezuelan trypanosome-endemic area. In particular, soluble VSGs from two trypanosome isolates, TeGu-N/D1 and TeGu-TeracayTrino, were recognized by 93.38% and 73.55% of naturally T. vivax-infected bovine sera, respectively. However, approximately 70% of the sera samples did not recognize all seven purified proteins. Hence, the

  17. IDENTIFICATION OF THE CORE RESIDUES OF THE EPITOPE OF A MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY RAISED AGAINST GLYCOPROTEIN-D OF HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE-1 BY SCREENING OF A RANDOM PEPTIDE LIBRARY

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    SCHELLEKENS, GA; LASONDER, E; FEIJLBRIEF, M; KOEDIJK, DGAM; DRIJFHOUT, JW; SCHEFFER, AJ; WELLINGWESTER, S; WELLING, GW

    1994-01-01

    Random peptide libraries (RPL) displayed on the surface of a filamentous bacteriophage can be used to identify peptide ligands that interact with target molecules. We have used a 15-amino acid residue RPL displayed on bacteriophage M13 to identify the core residues within the epitope of a monoclonal

  18. A microbially derived tyrosine-sulfated peptide mimics a plant peptide hormone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pruitt, Rory N; Joe, Anna; Zhang, Weiguo; Feng, Wei; Stewart, Valley; Schwessinger, Benjamin; Dinneny, José R; Ronald, Pamela C

    2017-07-01

    The biotrophic pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) produces a sulfated peptide named RaxX, which shares similarity to peptides in the PSY (plant peptide containing sulfated tyrosine) family. We hypothesize that RaxX mimics the growth-stimulating activity of PSY peptides. Root length was measured in Arabidopsis and rice treated with synthetic RaxX peptides. We also used comparative genomic analyses and reactive oxygen species burst assays to evaluate the activity of RaxX and PSY peptides. Here we found that a synthetic sulfated RaxX derivative comprising 13 residues (RaxX13-sY), highly conserved between RaxX and PSY, induces root growth in Arabidopsis and rice in a manner similar to that triggered by PSY. We identified residues that are required for activation of immunity mediated by the rice XA21 receptor but that are not essential for root growth induced by PSY. Finally, we showed that a Xanthomonas strain lacking raxX is impaired in virulence. These findings suggest that RaxX serves as a molecular mimic of PSY peptides to facilitate Xoo infection and that XA21 has evolved the ability to recognize and respond specifically to the microbial form of the peptide. © 2017 UT-Battelle LLC. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

  19. Conformational interconversions in peptide beta-turns: analysis of turns in proteins and computational estimates of barriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunasekaran, K; Gomathi, L; Ramakrishnan, C; Chandrasekhar, J; Balaram, P

    1998-12-18

    The two most important beta-turn features in peptides and proteins are the type I and type II turns, which differ mainly in the orientation of the central peptide unit. Facile conformational interconversion is possible, in principle, by a flip of the central peptide unit. Homologous crystal structures afford an opportunity to structurally characterize both possible conformational states, thus allowing identification of sites that are potentially stereochemically mobile. A representative data set of 250 high-resolution (turns that are assigned different conformational types (type I/type II) in related structures. A total of 55 examples of beta-turns were identified as possible candidates for a stereochemically mobile site. Of the 55 examples, 45 could be classified as a potential site for interconversion between type I and type II beta-turns, while ten correspond to flips from type I' to type II' structures. As a further check, the temperature factors of the central peptide unit carbonyl oxygen atom of the 55 examples were examined. The analysis reveals that the turn assignments are indeed reliable. Examination of the secondary structures at the flanking positions of the flippable beta-turns reveals that seven examples occur in the loop region of beta-hairpins, indicating that the formation of ordered secondary structures on either side of the beta-turn does not preclude local conformational variations. In these beta-turns, Pro (11 examples), Lys (nine examples) and Ser (seven examples) were most often found at the i+1 position. Glycine was found to occur overwhelmingly at position i+2 (28 examples), while Ser (seven examples) and Asn (six examples) were amongst the most frequent residues. Activation energy barriers for the interconversion between type I and type II beta-turns were computed using the peptide models Ac-Pro-Aib-NHMe and Ac-Pro-Gly-NHMe within the framework of the AM1 semi-empirical molecular orbital procedure. In order to have a uniform basis for

  20. Tumor penetrating peptides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tambet eTeesalu

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Tumor-homing peptides can be used to deliver drugs into tumors. Phage library screening in live mice has recently identified homing peptides that specifically recognize the endothelium of tumor vessels, extravasate, and penetrate deep into the extravascular tumor tissue. The prototypic peptide of this class, iRGD (CRGDKGPDC, contains the integrin-binding RGD motif. RGD mediates tumor homing through binding to αv integrins, which are selectively expressed on various cells in tumors, including tumor endothelial cells. The tumor-penetrating properties of iRGD are mediated by a second sequence motif, R/KXXR/K. This C-end Rule (or CendR motif is active only when the second basic residue is exposed at the C-terminus of the peptide. Proteolytic processing of iRGD in tumors activates the cryptic CendR motif, which then binds to neuropilin-1 activating an endocytic bulk transport pathway through tumor tissue. Phage screening has also yielded tumor-penetrating peptides that function like iRGD in activating the CendR pathway, but bind to a different primary receptor. Moreover, novel tumor-homing peptides can be constructed from tumor-homing motifs, CendR elements and protease cleavage sites. Pathologies other than tumors can be targeted with tissue-penetrating peptides, and the primary receptor can also be a vascular zip code of a normal tissue. The CendR technology provides a solution to a major problem in tumor therapy, poor penetration of drugs into tumors. The tumor-penetrating peptides are capable of taking a payload deep into tumor tissue in mice, and they also penetrate into human tumors ex vivo. Targeting with these peptides specifically increases the accumulation in tumors of a variety of drugs and contrast agents, such as doxorubicin, antibodies and nanoparticle-based compounds. Remarkably the drug to be targeted does not have to be coupled to the peptide; the bulk transport system activated by the peptide sweeps along any compound that is

  1. Impairment of context memory by β-amyloid peptide in terrestrial snail

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available We examined influence of the β-amyloid peptide (25-35 neurotoxic fragment (βAP on Helix lucorum food-aversion learning. Testing with aversively conditioned carrot showed that 2, 5, and 14 days after training the βAP-injected group responded in a significantly larger number of cases and with a significantly smaller latency than the sham-injected control group. The results demonstrate that the amyloid peptide partially impairs the learning process. In an attempt to specify what component of memory is impaired we compared responses in a context in which the snails were aversively trained, and in a neutral context. It was found that the sham-injected learned snails significantly less frequently took the aversively conditioned food in the context in which the snails were shocked, while the βAP-injected snails remembered the aversive context 2 days after associative training, but were not able to distinguish two contexts 5, and 14 days after training. In a separate series of experiments a specific context was associated with electric shock, and changes in general responsiveness were tested in two contexts several days later. It was found that the βAP-injected snails significantly increased withdrawal responses in all tested contexts, while the sham-injected control animals selectively increased responsiveness only in the context in which they were reinforced with electric shocks. These results demonstrate that the β-amyloid peptide (25-35 interferes with the learning process, and may play a significant role in behavioral plasticity and memory by selectively impairing only one

  2. Appearance and cellular distribution of lectin-like receptors for alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in the developing rat testis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, U O; Bøg-Hansen, T C; Kirkeby, S

    1996-01-01

    A histochemical avidin-biotin technique with three different alpha 1-acid glycoprotein glycoforms showed pronounced alterations in the cellular localization of two alpha 1-acid glycoprotein lectin-like receptors during cell differentiation in the developing rat testis. The binding of alpha 1-acid...

  3. The UL24 protein of herpes simplex virus 1 affects the sub-cellular distribution of viral glycoproteins involved in fusion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ben Abdeljelil, Nawel; Rochette, Pierre-Alexandre; Pearson, Angela, E-mail: angela.pearson@iaf.inrs.ca

    2013-09-15

    Mutations in UL24 of herpes simplex virus type 1 can lead to a syncytial phenotype. We hypothesized that UL24 affects the sub-cellular distribution of viral glycoproteins involved in fusion. In non-immortalized human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs) we detected viral glycoproteins B (gB), gD, gH and gL present in extended blotches throughout the cytoplasm with limited nuclear membrane staining; however, in HFFs infected with a UL24-deficient virus (UL24X), staining for the viral glycoproteins appeared as long, thin streaks running across the cell. Interestingly, there was a decrease in co-localized staining of gB and gD with F-actin at late times in UL24X-infected HFFs. Treatment with chemical agents that perturbed the actin cytoskeleton hindered the formation of UL24X-induced syncytia in these cells. These data support a model whereby the UL24 syncytial phenotype results from a mislocalization of viral glycoproteins late in infection. - Highlights: • UL24 affects the sub-cellular distribution of viral glycoproteins required for fusion. • Sub-cellular distribution of viral glycoproteins varies in cell-type dependent manner. • Drugs targeting actin microfilaments affect formation of UL24-related syncytia in HFFs.

  4. Increased (/sup 32/P)-phosphorylation of tryptic peptides of erythrocyte spectrin in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mabry, M.E.; Roses, A.D.

    Increased (32P)-incorporation in tryptic peptides of the erythrocyte membrane protein spectrin Band 2 in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) was studied in a consecutive series of 10 matched DMD/control pairs. Spectrin was (32P)-phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-independent endogenous membrane protein kinase in the presence of (gamma-32P)ATP. (32P)-labeled spectrin was isolated, purified, and subjected to tryptic cleavage with excess trypsin. The resulting peptides were separated on a high-resolution 5%/15% stacking SDS--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system. Liquid scintillation counting was performed on sequential slices of unstained gels. A broad (32P)-labeled band containing a number of (32P)-polypeptides was found to be more highly (32P)-phosphorylated in DMD patients than in their matched controls. This band migrated with an apparent molecular mass of 4.8-5.2 kilodaltons and contained approximately 55% of total (32P) radioactivity covalently bound to spectrin peptides. These data demonstrated an increased (32P)-phosphorylation of an identifiable tryptic peptide fraction in DMD that is consistent with previous reports of increased spectrin Band 2 (32P)-phosphorylation in DMD.

  5. Peptide Nucleic Acids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2003-01-01

    A novel class of compounds, known as peptide nucleic acids, bind complementary ssDNA and RNA strands more strongly than a corresponding DNA. The peptide nucleic acids generally comprise ligands such as naturally occurring DNA bases attached to a peptide backbone through a suitable linker....

  6. Peptide Nucleic Acids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    1998-01-01

    A novel class of compounds, known as peptide nucleic acids, bind complementary ssDNA and RNA strands more strongly than a corresponding DNA. The peptide nucleic acids generally comprise ligands such as naturally occurring DNA bases attached to a peptide backbone through a suitable linker....

  7. PeptideAtlas

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — PeptideAtlas is a multi-organism, publicly accessible compendium of peptides identified in a large set of tandem mass spectrometry proteomics experiments. Mass...

  8. Synthetic peptide vaccines: palmitoylation of peptide antigens by a thioester bond increases immunogenicity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beekman, N.J.C.M.; Schaaper, W.M.M.; Tesser, G.I.

    1997-01-01

    Synthetic peptides have frequently been used to immunize animals. However, peptides less than about 20 to 30 amino acids long are poor immunogens. In general, to increase its immunogenicity, the presentation of the peptide should be improved, and molecular weight needs to be increased. Many...... or an amide bond. It was found that these S-palmitoylated peptides were much more immunogenic than N-palmitoylated peptides and at least similar to KLH-conjugated peptides with respect to appearance and magnitude of induced antibodies (canine parvovirus) or immunocastration effect (gonadotropin...

  9. pH-dependence of the specific binding of Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions to the amyloid-β peptide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghalebani, Leila; Wahlström, Anna; Danielsson, Jens; Wärmländer, Sebastian K.T.S.; Gräslund, Astrid

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Cu(II) and Zn(II) display pH-dependent binding to the Aβ(1–40) peptide. ► At pH 7.4 both metal ions display residue-specific binding to the Aβ peptide. ► At pH 5.5 the binding specificity is lost for Zn(II). ► Differential Cu(II) and Zn(II) binding may help explain metal-induced AD toxicity. -- Abstract: Metal ions like Cu(II) and Zn(II) are accumulated in Alzheimer’s disease amyloid plaques. The amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide involved in the disease interacts with these metal ions at neutral pH via ligands provided by the N-terminal histidines and the N-terminus. The present study uses high-resolution NMR spectroscopy to monitor the residue-specific interactions of Cu(II) and Zn(II) with 15 N- and 13 C, 15 N-labeled Aβ(1–40) peptides at varying pH levels. At pH 7.4 both ions bind to the specific ligands, competing with one another. At pH 5.5 Cu(II) retains its specific histidine ligands, while Zn(II) seems to lack residue-specific interactions. The low pH mimics acidosis which is linked to inflammatory processes in vivo. The results suggest that the cell toxic effects of redox active Cu(II) binding to Aβ may be reversed by the protective activity of non-redox active Zn(II) binding to the same major binding site under non-acidic conditions. Under acidic conditions, the protective effect of Zn(II) may be decreased or changed, since Zn(II) is less able to compete with Cu(II) for the specific binding site on the Aβ peptide under these conditions.

  10. Multiple genes encode the major surface glycoprotein of Pneumocystis carinii

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kovacs, J A; Powell, F; Edman, J C

    1993-01-01

    The major surface antigen of Pneumocystis carinii, a life-threatening opportunistic pathogen in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients, is an abundant glycoprotein that functions in host-organism interactions. A monoclonal antibody to this antigen is protective in animals, and thus this a...

  11. Electrochemical properties of the MmNi3.55Mn0.4Al0.3Co0.4Fe0.35 compound

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moussa, M. Ben; Abdellaoui, M.; Mathlouthi, H.; Lamloumi, J.; Guegan, A. Percheron

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, the electrochemical properties of the MmNi 3.55 Mn 0.4 Al 0.3 Co 0.4 Fe 0.35 alloy used as a negative electrode in Ni-MH accumulators, have been investigated by different electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The experimental results indicate that the discharge capacity reaches a maximum value of 260 mAh g -1 after 12 cycles and then decreases to about 200 mAh g -1 after 70 cycles. The value of the mean diffusion coefficient D H , determined by cyclic voltammetry, is about 3.44 x 10 -9 cm 2 s -1 , whereas the charge transfer coefficient α, determined by the same method, is about 0.5 which allows us to conclude that the electrochemical reaction is reversible. The hydrogen diffusion coefficients in this compound, corresponding to 10 and 100% of the charge state, determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, are, respectively, equal to 4.15 x 10 -9 cm 2 s -1 (α phase) and 2.15 x 10 -9 cm 2 s -1 (β phase). These values are higher, for the α phase and less, for the β phase, than the mean value determined by cyclic voltammetry. We assume that this is related to the number of interstitial sites susceptible to accept the hydrogen atom, which are more numerous in the α phase than in the β phase. The chronoamperometry shows that the average size of the particles involved in the electrochemical reaction is about 12 μm

  12. Designer lipid-like peptides: a class of detergents for studying functional olfactory receptors using commercial cell-free systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corin, Karolina; Baaske, Philipp; Ravel, Deepali B; Song, Junyao; Brown, Emily; Wang, Xiaoqiang; Wienken, Christoph J; Jerabek-Willemsen, Moran; Duhr, Stefan; Luo, Yuan; Braun, Dieter; Zhang, Shuguang

    2011-01-01

    A crucial bottleneck in membrane protein studies, particularly G-protein coupled receptors, is the notorious difficulty of finding an optimal detergent that can solubilize them and maintain their stability and function. Here we report rapid production of 12 unique mammalian olfactory receptors using short designer lipid-like peptides as detergents. The peptides were able to solubilize and stabilize each receptor. Circular dichroism showed that the purified olfactory receptors had alpha-helical secondary structures. Microscale thermophoresis suggested that the receptors were functional and bound their odorants. Blot intensity measurements indicated that milligram quantities of each olfactory receptor could be produced with at least one peptide detergent. The peptide detergents' capability was comparable to that of the detergent Brij-35. The ability of 10 peptide detergents to functionally solubilize 12 olfactory receptors demonstrates their usefulness as a new class of detergents for olfactory receptors, and possibly other G-protein coupled receptors and membrane proteins.

  13. Designer lipid-like peptides: a class of detergents for studying functional olfactory receptors using commercial cell-free systems.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karolina Corin

    Full Text Available A crucial bottleneck in membrane protein studies, particularly G-protein coupled receptors, is the notorious difficulty of finding an optimal detergent that can solubilize them and maintain their stability and function. Here we report rapid production of 12 unique mammalian olfactory receptors using short designer lipid-like peptides as detergents. The peptides were able to solubilize and stabilize each receptor. Circular dichroism showed that the purified olfactory receptors had alpha-helical secondary structures. Microscale thermophoresis suggested that the receptors were functional and bound their odorants. Blot intensity measurements indicated that milligram quantities of each olfactory receptor could be produced with at least one peptide detergent. The peptide detergents' capability was comparable to that of the detergent Brij-35. The ability of 10 peptide detergents to functionally solubilize 12 olfactory receptors demonstrates their usefulness as a new class of detergents for olfactory receptors, and possibly other G-protein coupled receptors and membrane proteins.

  14. Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a P-Glycoprotein from the Diamondback Moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Lixia; Yang, Jiaqiang; Hou, Wenjie; Xu, Baoyun; Xie, Wen; Wang, Shaoli; Zhang, Youjun; Zhou, Xuguo; Wu, Qingjun

    2013-01-01

    Macrocyclic lactones such as abamectin and ivermectin constitute an important class of broad-spectrum insecticides. Widespread resistance to synthetic insecticides, including abamectin and ivermectin, poses a serious threat to the management of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), a major pest of cruciferous plants worldwide. P-glycoprotein (Pgp), a member of the ABC transporter superfamily, plays a crucial role in the removal of amphiphilic xenobiotics, suggesting a mechanism for drug resistance in target organisms. In this study, PxPgp1, a putative Pgp gene from P. xylostella, was cloned and characterized. The open reading frame (ORF) of PxPgp1 consists of 3774 nucleotides, which encodes a 1257-amino acid peptide. The deduced PxPgp1 protein possesses structural characteristics of a typical Pgp, and clusters within the insect ABCB1. PxPgp1 was expressed throughout all developmental stages, and showed the highest expression level in adult males. PxPgp1 was highly expressed in midgut, malpighian tubules and testes. Elevated expression of PxPgp1 was observed in P. xylostella strains after they were exposed to the abamectin treatment. In addition, the constitutive expressions of PxPgp1 were significantly higher in laboratory-selected and field-collected resistant strains in comparison to their susceptible counterpart. PMID:24264038

  15. Multiple antibody targets on herpes B glycoproteins B and D identified by screening sera of infected rhesus macaques with peptide microarrays.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sven-Kevin Hotop

    Full Text Available Herpes B virus (or Herpesvirus simiae or Macacine herpesvirus 1 is endemic in many populations of macaques, both in the wild and in captivity. The virus elicits only mild clinical symptoms (if any in monkeys, but can be transmitted by various routes, most commonly via bites, to humans where it causes viral encephalitis with a high mortality rate. Hence, herpes B constitutes a considerable occupational hazard for animal caretakers, veterinarians and laboratory personnel. Efforts are therefore being made to reduce the risk of zoonotic infection and to improve prognosis after accidental exposure. Among the measures envisaged are serological surveillance of monkey colonies and specific diagnosis of herpes B zoonosis against a background of antibodies recognizing the closely related human herpes simplex virus (HSV. 422 pentadecapeptides covering, in an overlapping fashion, the entire amino acid sequences of herpes B proteins gB and gD were synthesized and immobilized on glass slides. Antibodies present in monkey sera that bind to subsets of the peptide collection were detected by microserological techniques. With 42 different rhesus macaque sera, 114 individual responses to 18 different antibody target regions (ATRs were recorded, 17 of which had not been described earlier. This finding may pave the way for a peptide-based, herpes B specific serological diagnostic test.

  16. Diversity-oriented peptide stapling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tran, Thu Phuong; Larsen, Christian Ørnbøl; Røndbjerg, Tobias

    2017-01-01

    as a powerful method for peptide stapling. However, to date CuAAC stapling has not provided a simple method for obtaining peptides that are easily diversified further. In the present study, we report a new diversity-oriented peptide stapling (DOPS) methodology based on CuAAC chemistry. Stapling of peptides...

  17. Effect of a Fusion Peptide by Covalent Conjugation of a Mitochondrial Cell-Penetrating Peptide and a Glutathione Analog Peptide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmine Pasquale Cerrato

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Previously, we designed and synthesized a library of mitochondrial antioxidative cell-penetrating peptides (mtCPPs superior to the parent peptide, SS31, to protect mitochondria from oxidative damage. A library of antioxidative glutathione analogs called glutathione peptides (UPFs, exceptional in hydroxyl radical elimination compared with glutathione, were also designed and synthesized. Here, a follow-up study is described, investigating the effects of the most promising members from both libraries on reactive oxidative species scavenging ability. None of the peptides influenced cell viability at the concentrations used. Fluorescence microscopy studies showed that the fluorescein-mtCPP1-UPF25 (mtgCPP internalized into cells, and spectrofluorometric analysis determined the presence and extent of peptide into different cell compartments. mtgCPP has superior antioxidative activity compared with mtCPP1 and UPF25 against H2O2 insult, preventing ROS formation by 2- and 3-fold, respectively. Moreover, we neither observed effects on mitochondrial membrane potential nor production of ATP. These data indicate that mtgCPP is targeting mitochondria, protecting them from oxidative damage, while also being present in the cytosol. Our hypothesis is based on a synergistic effect resulting from the fused peptide. The mitochondrial peptide segment is targeting mitochondria, whereas the glutathione analog peptide segment is active in the cytosol, resulting in increased scavenging ability.

  18. Peptide-membrane interactions of arginine-tryptophan peptides probed using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring.

    KAUST Repository

    Rydberg, Hanna A

    2014-04-18

    Membrane-active peptides include peptides that can cross cellular membranes and deliver macromolecular cargo as well as peptides that inhibit bacterial growth. Some of these peptides can act as both transporters and antibacterial agents. It is desirable to combine the knowledge from these two different fields of membrane-active peptides into design of new peptides with tailored actions, as transporters of cargo or as antibacterial substances, targeting specific membranes. We have previously shown that the position of the amino acid tryptophan in the peptide sequence of three arginine-tryptophan peptides affects their uptake and intracellular localization in live mammalian cells, as well as their ability to inhibit bacterial growth. Here, we use quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring to assess the induced changes caused by binding of the three peptides to supported model membranes composed of POPC, POPC/POPG, POPC/POPG/cholesterol or POPC/lactosyl PE. Our results indicate that the tryptophan position in the peptide sequence affects the way these peptides interact with the different model membranes and that the presence of cholesterol in particular seems to affect the membrane interaction of the peptide with an even distribution of tryptophans in the peptide sequence. These results give mechanistic insight into the function of these peptides and may aid in the design of membrane-active peptides with specified cellular targets and actions.

  19. Peptide-membrane interactions of arginine-tryptophan peptides probed using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring.

    KAUST Repository

    Rydberg, Hanna A; Kunze, Angelika; Carlsson, Nils; Altgä rde, Noomi; Svedhem, Sofia; Nordé n, Bengt

    2014-01-01

    Membrane-active peptides include peptides that can cross cellular membranes and deliver macromolecular cargo as well as peptides that inhibit bacterial growth. Some of these peptides can act as both transporters and antibacterial agents. It is desirable to combine the knowledge from these two different fields of membrane-active peptides into design of new peptides with tailored actions, as transporters of cargo or as antibacterial substances, targeting specific membranes. We have previously shown that the position of the amino acid tryptophan in the peptide sequence of three arginine-tryptophan peptides affects their uptake and intracellular localization in live mammalian cells, as well as their ability to inhibit bacterial growth. Here, we use quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring to assess the induced changes caused by binding of the three peptides to supported model membranes composed of POPC, POPC/POPG, POPC/POPG/cholesterol or POPC/lactosyl PE. Our results indicate that the tryptophan position in the peptide sequence affects the way these peptides interact with the different model membranes and that the presence of cholesterol in particular seems to affect the membrane interaction of the peptide with an even distribution of tryptophans in the peptide sequence. These results give mechanistic insight into the function of these peptides and may aid in the design of membrane-active peptides with specified cellular targets and actions.

  20. Phosphorylated form of adrenocorticotropin and corticotropin-like intermediary lobe peptide in human tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Massias, J.F.; Hardouin, S.; Vieau, D.; Lenne, F.; Bertagna, X.

    1994-01-01

    Many peptides contribute to the heterogeneity of immunoreactive adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) in man. The use of a radioimmunoassay (RIA) specifically directed against the C-terminal end of ACTH allowed the precise study of the following four peptides: ACTH itself, corticotropin-like intermediary lobe peptide (CLIP) or ACTH and their phosphorylated forms on SeR 31 . The authors have set up a high-performance liquid chromatography system that separates these four molecules in a single run, to establish their relative distributions in tumors responsible for Cushing's disease or for the ectopic ACTH syndrome, and to evaluate the possible interference of phospho-Ser 31 on various RIA or immuno-radiometric assay (IRMA) recognition systems for ACTH. In this system, alkaline phosphatase treatment shifted the retention time of the phosphorylated peptides to that of their non-phosphorylated counterparts. In three tumors responsible for the ectopic ACTH syndrome, CLIP peptides were predominant in two and phosphorylated molecules represented between 22% and 50% of immuno-reactive materials. In five pituitary tumors responsible for Cushing's disease, ACTH peptides were predominant and the phosphorylated molecules varied between 35% and 75% in four of them. In the same tumor the ratios of phosphorylated to non-phosphorylated CLIP or ACTH were identical. The presence of phospho-Ser 31 did not affect the recognition ability of two mid-ACTH and two C-terminal ACTH RIA's, nor of the ACTH IRMA. 15 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs

  1. Automated solid-phase peptide synthesis to obtain therapeutic peptides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veronika Mäde

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The great versatility and the inherent high affinities of peptides for their respective targets have led to tremendous progress for therapeutic applications in the last years. In order to increase the drugability of these frequently unstable and rapidly cleared molecules, chemical modifications are of great interest. Automated solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS offers a suitable technology to produce chemically engineered peptides. This review concentrates on the application of SPPS by Fmoc/t-Bu protecting-group strategy, which is most commonly used. Critical issues and suggestions for the synthesis are covered. The development of automated methods from conventional to essentially improved microwave-assisted instruments is discussed. In order to improve pharmacokinetic properties of peptides, lipidation and PEGylation are described as covalent conjugation methods, which can be applied by a combination of automated and manual synthesis approaches. The synthesis and application of SPPS is described for neuropeptide Y receptor analogs as an example for bioactive hormones. The applied strategies represent innovative and potent methods for the development of novel peptide drug candidates that can be manufactured with optimized automated synthesis technologies.

  2. TFP5/TP5 peptide provides neuroprotection in the MPTP model of Parkinson′s disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B K Binukumar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5 is a member of the serine-threonine kinase family of cyclin-dependent kinases. Cdk5 is critical to normal mammalian nervous system development and plays important regulatory roles in multiple cellular functions. Recent evidence indicates that Cdk5 is inappropriately activated in several neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson′s disease (PD. PD is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra, decreased striatal dopamine levels, and consequent extrapyramidal motor dysfunction. During neurotoxicity, p35 is cleaved to form p25. Binding of p25 with Cdk5 leads deregulation of Cdk5 resulting in number of neurodegenerative pathologies. To date, strategies to specifically inhibit Cdk5 hyperactivity have not been successful without affecting normal Cdk5 activity. Here we show that inhibition of p25/Cdk5 hyperactivation through TFP5/TP5, truncated 24-aa peptide derived from the Cdk5 activator p35 rescues nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP/MPP + in a mouse model of PD. TP5 peptide treatment also blocked dopamine depletion in the striatum and improved gait dysfunction after MPTP administration. The neuroprotective effect of TFP5/TP5 peptide is also associated with marked reduction in neuroinflammation and apoptosis. Here we show inhibition of Cdk5/p25-hyperactivation by TFP5/TP5 peptide, which identifies Cdk5/p25 as a potential therapeutic target to reduce neurodegeneration in PD.

  3. Molecular cloning of the α subunit of human and guinea pig leukocyte adhesion glycoprotein Mo1: Chromosomal localization and homology to the α subunits of integrins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arnaout, M.A.; Remold-O'Donnell, E.; Pierce, M.W.; Harris, P.; Tenen, D.G.

    1988-01-01

    The cell surface-glycoprotein Mo1 is a member of the family of leukocyte cell adhesion molecules (Leu-CAMs) that includes lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) and p150,95. Each Leu-CAM is a heterodimer with a distinct α subunit noncovalently associated with a common β subunit. The authors describe the isolation and analysis of two partial cDNA clones encoding the α subunit of the Leu-CAM Mo1 in humans and guinea pigs. A monoclonal antibody directed against an epitope in the carboxyl-terminal portion of the guinea pig α chain was used for immunoscreening a λgt11 expression library. The sequence of a 378-base-pair insert from one immunoreactive clone revealed a single continuous open reading frame encoding 126 amino acids including a 26-amino acid tryptic peptide isolated from the purified guinea pig α subunit. A cDNA clone of identical size was isolated from a human monocyte/lymphocyte cDNA library by using the guinea pig clone as a probe. The human clone also encoded a 126-amino acid peptide including the sequence of an additional tryptic peptide present in purified human Mo1α chain. Southern analysis of DNA from hamster-human hybrids localized the human Mo1α chain to chromosome 16, which has been shown to contain the gene for the α chain of lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1. These data suggest that the α subunits of Leu-CAMs evolved by gene duplication from a common ancestral gene and strengthen the hypothesis that the α subunits of these heterodimeric cell adhesion molecules on myeloid and lymphoid cells, platelets, and fibroblasts are evolutionary related

  4. Multicenter comparison of 18F-FDG and 68Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT for pulmonary carcinoid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lococo, Filippo; Perotti, Germano; Cardillo, Giuseppe; De Waure, Chiara; Filice, Angelina; Graziano, Paolo; Rossi, Giulio; Sgarbi, Giorgio; Stefanelli, Antonella; Giordano, Alessandro; Granone, Pierluigi; Rindi, Guido; Versari, Annibale; Rufini, Vittoria

    2015-03-01

    The aims of this study were to retrospectively evaluate and compare the detection rate (DR) of 68Ga-DOTA-peptide and 18F-FDG PET/CT in the preoperative workup of patients with pulmonary carcinoid (PC) and to assess the utility of various functional indices obtained with the 2 tracers in predicting the histological characterization of PC, that is, typical versus atypical. Thirty-three consecutive patients with confirmed PC referred for 18F-FDG and 68Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT in 2 centers between January 2009 and April 2013 were included. The semiquantitative evaluation included the SUV max, the SUV of the tumor relative to the maximal liver uptake for 18F-FDG (SUV T/L) or the maximal spleen uptake for 68Ga-DOTA-peptides (SUV T/S), the ratio between SUV max of 68Ga-DOTA-peptides PET/CT, and the SUV max of 18F-FDG PET/CT (SUV max ratio). Histology was used as reference standard. Definitive diagnosis consisted of 23 typical carcinoids (TCs) and 10 atypical carcinoids. 18F-FDG PET/CT was positive in 18 cases and negative in 15 (55% DR). 68Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT was positive in 26 cases and negative in 7 (79% DR). In the subgroup analysis, 68Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT was superior in detecting TC (91% DR; P DOTA-peptide PET/CT findings. In the subgroup analysis, the SUV max ratio seems to be the most accurate index in predicting TC. Both methods should be performed when PC is suspected or when the histological subtype is undefined.

  5. Production of peptide antisera specific for mouse and rat proinsulin C-peptide 2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blume, N; Madsen, O D; Kofod, Hans

    1990-01-01

    for antibody binding to the immunizing antigen. Antisera to C-peptide 2, stained islet beta-cells on mouse and rat, but not monkey pancreas sections in immunocytochemical analysis. Preabsorption to the synthetic C-peptide 2, but not the synthetic mouse and rat C-peptide 1 abolished staining. In conclusion we......Mice and rats have two functional non-allelic insulin genes. By using a synthetic peptide representing a common sequence in mouse and rat C-peptide 2 as antigen, we have produced rabbit antisera specific for an epitope which is not present in mouse or rat C-peptide 1. Long-term immunization did...... not seem to increase the end point titre as tested in direct ELISA. The specificity of the antiserum was determined by competitive ELISA and histochemistry on pancreas sections. Only the synthetic C-peptide 2, but not the homologous synthetic C-peptide 1 from mouse and rat competed efficiently in ELISA...

  6. Therapeutic peptides for cancer therapy. Part I - peptide inhibitors of signal transduction cascades.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bidwell, Gene L; Raucher, Drazen

    2009-10-01

    Therapeutic peptides have great potential as anticancer agents owing to their ease of rational design and target specificity. However, their utility in vivo is limited by low stability and poor tumor penetration. The authors review the development of peptide inhibitors with potential for cancer therapy. Peptides that inhibit signal transduction cascades are discussed. The authors searched Medline for articles concerning the development of therapeutic peptides and their delivery. Given our current knowledge of protein sequences, structures and interaction interfaces, therapeutic peptides that inhibit interactions of interest are easily designed. These peptides are advantageous because they are highly specific for the interaction of interest, and they are much more easily developed than small molecule inhibitors of the same interactions. The main hurdle to application of peptides for cancer therapy is their poor pharmacokinetic and biodistribution parameters. Therefore, successful development of peptide delivery vectors could potentially make possible the use of this new and very promising class of anticancer agents.

  7. Glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored membrane association of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus GP4 glycoprotein and its co-localization with CD163 in lipid rafts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Du, Yijun [Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001 South Lincoln Ave, Urbana, IL 61802 (United States); Shandong Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan (China); Pattnaik, Asit K. [School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0900 (United States); Song, Cheng [Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001 South Lincoln Ave, Urbana, IL 61802 (United States); Yoo, Dongwan, E-mail: dyoo@illinois.edu [Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001 South Lincoln Ave, Urbana, IL 61802 (United States); Li, Gang, E-mail: dyoo@illinois.edu [Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001 South Lincoln Ave, Urbana, IL 61802 (United States); Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing (China)

    2012-03-01

    The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) glycoprotein 4 (GP4) resembles a typical type I membrane protein in its structure but lacks a hydrophilic tail at the C-terminus, suggesting that GP4 may be a lipid-anchored membrane protein. Using the human decay-accelerating factor (DAF; CD55), a known glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) lipid-anchored protein, chimeric constructs were made to substitute the GPI-anchor domain of DAF with the putative lipid-anchor domain of GP4, and their membrane association and lipase cleavage were determined in cells. The DAF-GP4 fusion protein was transported to the plasma membrane and was cleaved by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC), indicating that the C-terminal domain of GP4 functions as a GPI anchor. Mutational studies for residues adjacent to the GPI modification site and characterization of respective mutant viruses generated from infectious cDNA clones show that the ability of GP4 for membrane association corresponded to virus viability and growth characteristics. The residues T158 ({omega} - 2, where {omega} is the GPI moiety at E160), P159 ({omega} - 1), and M162 ({omega} + 2) of GP4 were determined to be important for virus replication, with M162 being of particular importance for virus infectivity. The complete removal of the peptide-anchor domain in GP4 resulted in a complete loss of virus infectivity. The depletion of cholesterol from the plasma membrane of cells reduced the virus production, suggesting a role of lipid rafts in PRRSV infection. Remarkably, GP4 was found to co-localize with CD163 in the lipid rafts on the plasma membrane. Since CD163 has been reported as a cellular receptor for PRRSV and GP4 has been shown to interact with this receptor, our data implicates an important role of lipid rafts during entry of the virus.

  8. Antibodies against post-translationally modified vimentin peptides in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. A. Kuznetsova

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Rheumatoid arthritis (RA is the most common autoimmune rheumatic disease (ARD associated with the production of broad-spectrum antibodies, the detection of which is of important diagnostic and prognostic values. The problems of RA diagnosis are associated with the limited sensitivity of currently used serological markers.Objective: to evaluate the diagnostic informative value of autoantibodies against different post-translationally modified (PTM vimentin peptides in patients with RA and other ARDs.Patients and methods. The frequency of autoantibodies against different isoforms of vimentin was estimated in 144 patients with RA, in 36 patients with other ARDs (ankylosing spondylitis and scleroderma systematica, and in 25 patients of a control group, who had no rheumatic diseases. Antibodies against different PTM vimentin peptides obtained using citrullination, carbamylation/homocitrullination, and acetylation were determined. Anti-citrullinated vimentin (anti-CitVim peptide, anti-carbamylated vimentin (anti-CarVim peptide, and anti-acetylated vimentin (anti-AcVim peptide autoantibodies of IgG and IgA classes were estimated in the serum by enzyme immunoassay.Results. The results of the study showed that IgG and IgA anti-CitVim had the maximum area under the ROC curve (AUC (0.859 and 0.855, respectively. A slightly smaller AUC was seen in IgG anti-CarVim (0.85, IgG anti-AcVim (0.784, and IgA anti-AcVim (0.651. The diagnostic sensitivity and diagnostic specificity were 66.2 and 96.77% for IgG anti-CitVim, 60.56 and 91.94% for IgA anti-CitVim, 91.55 and 53.23% for IgG anti-CarVim, 63.38 and 93.55% for IgG anti-AcVim, and 49.3 and 70.97%, IgA anti-AcVim, respectively. Positivity for IgG anti-CitVim, IgG anti-CarVim, and IgG anti-AcVim, and anti-IgA CitVim was significantly more frequently detected in patients with RA than in those with other ARDs and in the control group (p<0.05. Thus, the identified autoantibodies against modified

  9. Molecular organization in bacterial cell membranes. Specific labelling and topological distribution of glycoproteins and proteins in Streptomyces albus membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Larraga, V; Munoz, E [Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Madrid (Spain). Instituto de Biologia Celular

    1975-05-01

    The paper reports about an investigation into the question of the specific labelling and topological distribution of glycoproteins and proteins in Streptomyces albus membranes. The method of sample preparation is described: Tritium labelling of glycoproteins in protoplasts and membranes, iodination of proteins, trypsin treatment and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The findings suggest an asymmetrical distribution of the glycoproteins in membranes and a weak accessibility to iodine label. A structural model of the plasma membranes of Streptomyces albus is proposed similar to the general 'fluid mosaic' model of Singer and Nicholson.

  10. VGF Peptide Profiles in Type 2 Diabetic Patients' Plasma and in Obese Mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filomena D'Amato

    Full Text Available To address the possible involvement of VGF peptides in obesity and diabetes, we studied type 2 diabetes (T2D and obese patients, and high-fat diet induced obese mice. Two VGF peptides (NAPP-19 and QQET-30 were identified in human plasma by HPLC-ESI-MS. The VGF C-terminus, the above two cleaved peptides, and the TLQP-21 related peptide/s were studied using ELISA and immunohistochemistry. In euglycemic patients, plasma NAPPE and TLQP like peptides were significantly reduced with obesity (74±10 vs. 167±28, and 92±10 vs. 191±19 pmol/ml, mean+SEM, n = 10 and 6, obese vs. normal BMI, respectively, p<0.03. Upon a standard glucose load, a distinct response was shown for VGF C-terminus, TLQP and QQET-like (ERVW immunoreactive peptides in euglycemic normal BMI patients, but was virtually abolished in euglycemic obese, and in T2D patients independently of BMI. High-fat diet induced obese mice showed reduced plasma VGF C-terminus, NAPPE and QQET-like (ERVW peptide/s (3±0.2 vs. 4.6±0.3, 22±3.5 vs. 34±1.3, and 48±7 vs. 100±7 pmol/ml, mean+SEM, n = 8/group, obese vs. slim, respectively, p<0.03, with a loss of the response to glucose for all VGF peptides studied. In immunohistochemistry, TLQP and/or VGF C-terminus antibodies labelled VGF containing perikarya in mouse celiac ganglia, pancreatic islet cells and thin beaded nerve fibres in brown adipose tissues, with fewer in white adipose tissue. Upon the glucose load, tyrosine hydroxylase and VGF C-terminus immunoreactive axons became apparent in pancreatic islets of slim animals, but not in obese animals. Alltogether, a significant loss of VGF peptide immunoreactivity and/or their response to glucose was demonstrated in obese patients, with or without T2D, in parallel with a similar loss in high-fat diet induced obese mice. An involvement of VGF in metabolic regulations, including those of brown and/or white adipose tissues is underlined, and may point out specific VGF peptides as potential targets

  11. Evaluation of protein acylation agents for the radioiodination of peptides: Application to labelling octreotide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zalutsky, M.; Vaidyanathan, G.

    2002-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of two acylation agents originally developed for protein labelling - N-succinimidyl 3-[ 131 I]iodobenzoate and N-succinimidyl 5-[ 131 I]iodopyridine-3- carboxylate - for the radioiodination of peptides. Because of the widespread interest in imaging and treating malignancies that overexpress somatostatin receptors, octreotide was selected as the model peptide. Using these reagents, octreotide was coupled to 3-iodobenzoyl and 3-iodonicotinoyl templates, yielding [N-(3-iodobenzoyl)- D-Phe 1 ]octreotide (IBO) and [N-(3-iodonicotinoyl)-D-Phe 1 ]octreotide (INO), respectively. The IC 50 values for the binding of IBO and INO to somatostatin receptor expressing CA20948 rat pancreatic tumour membranes were 0.90 nM and 0.13 nM, respectively, compared with 0.35 nM for octreotide itself. Yields for the preparation of [ 131 I]IBO and [ 131 I]INO from N-succinimidyl 3-[ 131 I]iodobenzoate and N-succinimidyl 5-[ 131 I]iodopyridine-3- carboxylate, were 35-50%. In vitro assays with AR42J rat pancreatic tumour cells demonstrated considerably higher receptor-specific retention of cell-internalized radioiodine activity for [ 131 I]INO compared with [ 125 I]IBO. A tissue distribution study with both conjugates revealed low levels of activity in the thyroid, consistent with a low degree of deiodination of these radioiodinated peptide conjugates. (author)

  12. Generating Isoform-Specific Antibodies : Lessons from Nucleocytoplasmic Glycoprotein Skp1

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    West, Christopher M.; Van Der Wel, Hanke; Chinoy, Zoiesha; Boons, Geert Jan; Gauthier, Ted J.; Taylor, Carol M.; Xu, Yuechi

    2015-01-01

    Antibodies that discriminate protein isoforms differing by modifications at specific amino acids have revolutionized studies of their functions. Skp1 is a novel nucleocytoplasmic glycoprotein that is hydroxylated at proline-143 and then O-glycosylated by a pentasaccharide attached via a GlcNAcα1,

  13. Irradiation of rat brain reduces P-glycoprotein expression and function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bart, J.; Nagengast, W. B.; Coppes, R. P.; Wegman, T. D.; van der Graaf, W. T. A.; Groen, H. J. M.; Vaalburg, W.; de Vries, E. G. E.; Hendrikse, N. H.

    2007-01-01

    The blood - brain barrier ( BBB) hampers delivery of several drugs including chemotherapeutics to the brain. The drug efflux pump P- glycoprotein ( P- gp), expressed on brain capillary endothelial cells, is part of the BBB. P- gp expression on capillary endothelium decreases 5 days after brain

  14. Purification and use of E. coli peptide deformylase for peptide deprotection in chemoenzymatic peptide synthesis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Di Toma, Claudia; Sonke, Theo; Quaedflieg, Peter J.; Janssen, Dick B.

    Peptide deformylases (PDFs) catalyze the removal of the formyl group from the N-terminal methionine residue in nascent polypeptide chains in prokaryotes. Its deformylation activity makes PDF an attractive candidate for the biocatalytic deprotection of formylated peptides that are used in

  15. Antioxidant activity of yoghurt peptides: Part 2 – Characterisationof peptide fractions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Farvin, Sabeena; Baron, Caroline; Nielsen, Nina Skall

    2010-01-01

    the peptides identified contained at least one proline residue. Some of the identified peptides included the hydrophobic amino acid residues Val or Leu at the N-terminus and Pro, His or Tyr in the amino acid sequence, which is characteristic of antioxidant peptides. In addition, the yoghurt contained...

  16. Ligand-regulated peptide aptamers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Russell A

    2009-01-01

    The peptide aptamer approach employs high-throughput selection to identify members of a randomized peptide library displayed from a scaffold protein by virtue of their interaction with a target molecule. Extending this approach, we have developed a peptide aptamer scaffold protein that can impart small-molecule control over the aptamer-target interaction. This ligand-regulated peptide (LiRP) scaffold, consisting of the protein domains FKBP12, FRB, and GST, binds to the cell-permeable small-molecule rapamycin and the binding of this molecule can prevent the interaction of the randomizable linker region connecting FKBP12 with FRB. Here we present a detailed protocol for the creation of a peptide aptamer plasmid library, selection of peptide aptamers using the LiRP scaffold in a yeast two-hybrid system, and the screening of those peptide aptamers for a ligand-regulated interaction.

  17. An unusual dependence of human herpesvirus-8 glycoproteins-induced cell-to-cell fusion on heparan sulfate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tiwari, Vaibhav; Darmani, Nissar A.; Thrush, Gerald R.; Shukla, Deepak

    2009-01-01

    Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) is known to interact with cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) for entry into a target cell. Here we investigated the role of HS during HHV-8 glycoproteins-induced cell fusion. Interestingly, the observed fusion demonstrated an unusual dependence on HS as evident from following lines of evidence: (1) a significant reduction in cell-to-cell fusion occurred when target cells were treated with heparinase; (2) in a competition assay, when the effector cells expressing HHV-8 glycoproteins were challenged with soluble HS, cell-to-cell fusion was reduced; and, (3) co-expression of HHV-8 glycoproteins gH-gL on target cells resulted in inhibition of cell surface HS expression. Taken together, our results indicate that cell surface HS can play an additional role during HHV-8 pathogenesis.

  18. An unusual dependence of human herpesvirus-8 glycoproteins-induced cell-to-cell fusion on heparan sulfate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tiwari, Vaibhav [Department of Ophthalmology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 (United States); Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 (United States); Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and College of Optometry, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766 (United States); Darmani, Nissar A.; Thrush, Gerald R. [Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and College of Optometry, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766 (United States); Shukla, Deepak, E-mail: dshukla@uic.edu [Department of Ophthalmology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 (United States); Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 (United States)

    2009-12-18

    Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) is known to interact with cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) for entry into a target cell. Here we investigated the role of HS during HHV-8 glycoproteins-induced cell fusion. Interestingly, the observed fusion demonstrated an unusual dependence on HS as evident from following lines of evidence: (1) a significant reduction in cell-to-cell fusion occurred when target cells were treated with heparinase; (2) in a competition assay, when the effector cells expressing HHV-8 glycoproteins were challenged with soluble HS, cell-to-cell fusion was reduced; and, (3) co-expression of HHV-8 glycoproteins gH-gL on target cells resulted in inhibition of cell surface HS expression. Taken together, our results indicate that cell surface HS can play an additional role during HHV-8 pathogenesis.

  19. Contribution of the attachment G glycoprotein to pathogenicity and immunogenicity of avian metapneumovirus subgroup C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Govindarajan, Dhanasekaran; Kim, Shin-Hee; Samal, Siba K

    2010-03-01

    Avian metapneumovirus (AMPV) causes an upper respiratory tract infection in turkeys leading to serious economic losses to the turkey industry. The G glycoprotein of AMPV is known to be associated with viral attachment and pathogenesis. In this study, we determined the role of the G glycoprotein in the pathogenicity and immunogenicity of AMPV strain Colorado (AMPV/CO). Recombinant AMPV/CO lacking the G protein (rAMPV/CO-deltaG) was generated using a reverse-genetics system. The recovered rAMPV/CO-deltaG replicated slightly better than did wild-type AMPV in Vero cells. However, deletion of the G gene in AMPV resulted in attenuation of the virus in turkeys. The mutant virus induced less-severe clinical signs and a weaker immune response in turkeys than did the wild-type AMPV. Our results suggest that the G glycoprotein is an important determinant for the pathogenicity and immunogenicity of AMPV.

  20. Podoplanin - a small glycoprotein with many faces

    OpenAIRE

    Ugorski, Maciej; Dziegiel, Piotr; Suchanski, Jaroslaw

    2016-01-01

    Podoplanin is a small membrane glycoprotein with a large number of O-glycoside chains and therefore it belongs to mucin-type proteins. It can be found on the surface of many types of normal cells originating from various germ layers. It is present primarily on the endothelium of lymphatic vessels, type I pneumocytes and glomerular podocytes. Increased levels of podoplanin or its neo-expression have been found in numerous types of human carcinomas, but it is especially common in squamous cell ...

  1. [Research progress on ebola virus glycoprotein].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Guo-Yong; Wang, Zhi-Yu; Gao, Lu; Jiang, Bao-Fa

    2013-03-01

    Ebola virus (EBOV) causes outbreaks of a highly lethal hemorrhagic fever in humans and there are no effective therapeutic or prophylactic treatments available. The glycoprotein (GP) of EBOV is a transmembrane envelope protein known to play multiple functions including virus attachment and entry, cell rounding and cytotoxicity, down-regulation of host surface proteins, and enhancement of virus assembly and budding. GP is the primary target of protective immunity and the key target for developing neutralizing antibodies. In this paper, the research progress on genetic structure, pathogenesis and immunogenicity of EBOV GP in the last 5 years is reviewed.

  2. Phosphorylation of varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein gpI by mammalian casein kinase II and casein kinase I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grose, C.; Jackson, W.; Traugh, J.A.

    1989-01-01

    Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) glycoprotein gpI is the predominant viral glycoprotein within the plasma membranes of infected cells. This viral glycoprotein is phosphorylated on its polypeptide backbone during biosynthesis. In this report, the authors investigated the protein kinases which participate in the phosphorylation events. Under in vivo conditions, VZV gpI was phosphorylated on its serine and threonine residues by protein kinases present within lysates of either VZV-infected or uninfected cells. Because this activity was diminished by heparin, a known inhibitor of casein kinase II, isolated gpI was incubated with purified casein kinase II and shown to be phosphorylated in an in vitro assay containing [γ- 32 P]ATP. The same glycoprotein was phosphorylated when [ 32 P]GTP was substituted for [ 32 P]ATP in the protein kinase assay. They also tested whether VZV gpI was phosphorylated by two other ubiquitous mammalian protein kinases--casein kinase I and cyclic AMP-dependent kinase--and found that only casein kinase I modified gpI. When the predicted 623-amino-acid sequence of gpI was examined, two phosphorylation sites known to be optimal for casein kinase II were observed. In summary, this study showed that VZV gpI was phosphorylated by each of two mammalian protein kinases (casein kinase I and casein kinase II) and that potential serine-threonine phosphorylation sites for each of these two kinases were present in the viral glycoprotein

  3. A distributive peptide cyclase processes multiple microviridin core peptides within a single polypeptide substrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yi; Li, Kunhua; Yang, Guang; McBride, Joshua L; Bruner, Steven D; Ding, Yousong

    2018-05-03

    Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are an important family of natural products. Their biosynthesis follows a common scheme in which the leader peptide of a precursor peptide guides the modifications of a single core peptide. Here we describe biochemical studies of the processing of multiple core peptides within a precursor peptide, rare in RiPP biosynthesis. In a cyanobacterial microviridin pathway, an ATP-grasp ligase, AMdnC, installs up to two macrolactones on each of the three core peptides within AMdnA. The enzyme catalysis occurs in a distributive fashion and follows an unstrict N-to-C overall directionality, but a strict order in macrolactonizing each core peptide. Furthermore, AMdnC is catalytically versatile to process unnatural substrates carrying one to four core peptides, and kinetic studies provide insights into its catalytic properties. Collectively, our results reveal a distinct biosynthetic logic of RiPPs, opening up the possibility of modular production via synthetic biology approaches.

  4. Synthetic emmprin peptides with chitobiose substitution stimulate MMP-2 production by fibroblasts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzumiya Junji

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Emmprin, a glycoprotein containing two Ig domains, is enriched on tumor cell surfaces and stimulates matrix metalloproteinase (MMP production by adjacent stromal cells. Its first Ig domain (ECI contains the biologically active site. The dependence of emmprin activity on N-glycosylation is controversial. We investigated whether synthetic ECI with the shortest sugar is functionally active. Methods The whole ECI peptides carrying sugar chains, a chitobiose unit or N-linked core pentasaccharide, were synthesized by the thioester method and added to fibroblasts to examine whether they stimulate MMP-2 production. Results ECI carrying a chitobiose unit, ECI-(GlcNAc 2, but not ECI without a chitobiose unit or the chitobiose unit alone, dose-dependently stimulated MMP-2 production by fibroblasts. ECI with longer chitobiose units, ECI-[(Man3(GlcNAc2], also stimulated MMP-2 production, but the extent of its stimulation was lower than that of ECI-(GlcNAc2. Conclusions Our results indicate that ECI can mimic emmprin activity when substituted with chitobiose, the disaccharide with which N-glycosylation starts.

  5. Superior Antifouling Performance of a Zwitterionic Peptide Compared to an Amphiphilic, Non-Ionic Peptide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Huijun; Wang, Libing; Huang, Renliang; Su, Rongxin; Liu, Boshi; Qi, Wei; He, Zhimin

    2015-10-14

    The aim of this study was to explore the influence of amphiphilic and zwitterionic structures on the resistance of protein adsorption to peptide self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and gain insight into the associated antifouling mechanism. Two kinds of cysteine-terminated heptapeptides were studied. One peptide had alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues with an amphiphilic sequence of CYSYSYS. The other peptide (CRERERE) was zwitterionic. Both peptides were covalently attached onto gold substrates via gold-thiol bond formation. Surface plasmon resonance analysis results showed that both peptide SAMs had ultralow or low protein adsorption amounts of 1.97-11.78 ng/cm2 in the presence of single proteins. The zwitterionic peptide showed relatively higher antifouling ability with single proteins and natural complex protein media. We performed molecular dynamics simulations to understand their respective antifouling behaviors. The results indicated that strong surface hydration of peptide SAMs contributes to fouling resistance by impeding interactions with proteins. Compared to the CYSYSYS peptide, more water molecules were predicted to form hydrogen-bonding interactions with the zwitterionic CRERERE peptide, which is in agreement with the antifouling test results. These findings reveal a clear relation between peptide structures and resistance to protein adsorption, facilitating the development of novel peptide-containing antifouling materials.

  6. Urinary excretion of beta 2-glycoprotein-1 (apolipoprotein H) and other markers of tubular malfunction in "non-tubular" renal disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flynn, F V; Lapsley, M; Sansom, P A; Cohen, S L

    1992-07-01

    To determine whether urinary beta 2-glycoprotein-1 assays can provide improved discrimination between chronic renal diseases which are primarily of tubular or glomerular origin. Urinary beta 2-glycoprotein-1, retinol-binding protein, alpha 1-microglobulin, beta 2-microglobulin, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosa-minidase and albumin were measured in 51 patients with primary glomerular disease, 23 with obstructive nephropathy, and 15 with polycystic kidney disease, and expressed per mmol of creatinine. Plasma beta 2-glycoprotein-1 was assayed in 52 patients and plasma creatinine in all 89. The findings were compared between the diagnostic groups and with previously published data relating to primary tubular disorders. All 31 patients with plasma creatinine greater than 200 mumol/l excreted increased amounts of beta 2-glycoprotein-1, retinol-binding protein, and alpha 1-microglobulin, and 29 had increased N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase; the quantities were generally similar to those found in comparable patients with primary tubular pathology. Among 58 with plasma creatinine concentrations under 200 mumol/l, increases in beta 2-glycoprotein-1, retinol-binding protein, and alpha 1-microglobulin excretion were less common and much smaller, especially in those with obstructive nephropathy and polycystic disease. The ratios of the excretion of albumin to the other proteins provided the clearest discrimination between the patients with glomerular or tubular malfunction, but an area of overlap was present which embraced those with obstructive nephropathy and polycystic disease. Increased excretion of beta 2-glycoprotein-1 due to a raised plasma concentration or diminution of tubular reabsorption, or both, is common in all the forms of renal disease investigated, and both plasma creatinine and urinary albumin must be taken into account when interpreting results. Ratios of urinary albumin: beta 2-glycoprotein-1 greater than 1000 are highly suggestive of primary glomerular disease and

  7. A sheep hydatid cyst glycoprotein as receptors for three toxic lectins, as well as Abrus precatorius and Ricinus communis agglutinins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, A M; Song, S C; Wu, J H; Pfüller, U; Chow, L P; Lin, J Y

    1995-01-18

    The binding properties of a glycoprotein with blood group P1 specificity isolated from sheep hydatid cyst fluid with Gal and GalNAc specific lectins was investigated by quantitative precipitin and precipitin inhibition assays. The glycoprotein completely precipitated Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA1), Abrus precatorius agglutinin (APA) and Mistletoe toxic lectin-I (ML-I). Only 1.0 microgram of P1 glycoprotein was required to precipitate 50% of 5.1 micrograms ML-I nitrogen. It also reacted well with abrin-a and ricin, precipitating over 73% of the lectin nitrogen added, but poorly or weakly with Dolichos biflorus (DBL), Vicia villosa (VVL, a mixture of A4, A2B2 and B4), VVL-B4, Arachis hypogaea (PNA), Maclura pomifera (MPL), Bauchinia purpurea alba (BPL) and Wistaria floribunda (WFL) lectins. When an inhibition assay in the range of 5.1 micrograms N to 5.9 micrograms N of lectins (ML-I, abrin-a; ricin, RCA1, and APA, and 10 micrograms P1 active glycoprotein interaction was performed; from 76 to 100% of the precipitations were inhibited by 0.44 and 0.52 mumol of Gal alpha 1-->4Gal and Gal beta 1-->4GlcNAc, respectively, but not or insignificantly with 1.72 mumol of GlcNAc. The Gal alpha 1-->4Gal disaccharide found in this P1 active glycoprotein is a frequently occurring sequence of many glycosphingolipids located at the surface of mammalian cell membranes, especially human erythrocytes and intestinal cells for ligand binding and microbial toxin attachment. The present finding suggests that the Gal alpha 1-->4Gal beta 1-->4GlcNAc sequence in this P1 active glycoprotein is one of the best glycoprotein receptors for three toxic lectins (ricin, abrin-a, and ML-I) as well as for APA, and RCA1, and the result of inhibition assay implies that these lectins are recognizing part or all of the Gal alpha 1-->4Gal beta 1-->4GlcNAc sequence in the P1 active glycoprotein.

  8. Antimicrobial Peptides in Reptiles

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Hoek, Monique L.

    2014-01-01

    Reptiles are among the oldest known amniotes and are highly diverse in their morphology and ecological niches. These animals have an evolutionarily ancient innate-immune system that is of great interest to scientists trying to identify new and useful antimicrobial peptides. Significant work in the last decade in the fields of biochemistry, proteomics and genomics has begun to reveal the complexity of reptilian antimicrobial peptides. Here, the current knowledge about antimicrobial peptides in reptiles is reviewed, with specific examples in each of the four orders: Testudines (turtles and tortosises), Sphenodontia (tuataras), Squamata (snakes and lizards), and Crocodilia (crocodilans). Examples are presented of the major classes of antimicrobial peptides expressed by reptiles including defensins, cathelicidins, liver-expressed peptides (hepcidin and LEAP-2), lysozyme, crotamine, and others. Some of these peptides have been identified and tested for their antibacterial or antiviral activity; others are only predicted as possible genes from genomic sequencing. Bioinformatic analysis of the reptile genomes is presented, revealing many predicted candidate antimicrobial peptides genes across this diverse class. The study of how these ancient creatures use antimicrobial peptides within their innate immune systems may reveal new understandings of our mammalian innate immune system and may also provide new and powerful antimicrobial peptides as scaffolds for potential therapeutic development. PMID:24918867

  9. Isolation and characterization of broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies to the e1 glycoprotein of hepatitis C virus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meunier, Jean-Christophe; Russell, Rodney S; Goossens, Vera

    2008-01-01

    monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against HCV glycoprotein E1, which may have the potential to control HCV infection. We have identified two MAbs that can strongly neutralize HCV-pseudotyped particles (HCVpp) bearing the envelope glycoproteins of genotypes 1a, 1b, 4a, 5a, and 6a and less strongly...

  10. Driving engineering of novel antimicrobial peptides from simulations of peptide-micelle interactions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khandelia, Himanshu; Langham, Allison A; Kaznessis, Yiannis N

    2006-01-01

    Simulations of antimicrobial peptides in membrane mimics can provide the high resolution, atomistic picture that is necessary to decipher which sequence and structure components are responsible for activity and toxicity. With such detailed insight, engineering new sequences that are active but non...... peptides and their interaction with membrane mimics. In this article, we discuss the promise and the challenges of widely used models and detail our recent work on peptide-micelle simulations as an attractive alternative to peptide-bilayer simulations. We detail our results with two large structural...... classes of peptides, helical and beta-sheet and demonstrate how simulations can assist in engineering of novel antimicrobials with therapeutic potential....

  11. Determinants of foamy virus envelope glycoprotein mediated resistance to superinfection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berg, Angelika; Pietschmann, Thomas; Rethwilm, Axel; Lindemann, Dirk

    2003-01-01

    Little is known about the nature of foamy virus (FV) receptor molecules on target cells and their interaction with the viral glycoproteins. Similar to other viruses, cellular expression of the FV Env protein is sufficient to induce resistance to exogenous FV, a phenomenon called superinfection resistance (SIR). In this study we define determinants of the FV Env protein essential for mediating SIR. FV Env requires the extracellular domains of the SU and the TM subunits as well as membrane anchorage, efficient cell surface transport, and most probably correct subunit processing. This is in contrast to murine leukemia virus where secreted proteins comprising the receptor-binding domain in SU are sufficient to induce SIR. Furthermore, we demonstrate that cellular expression of the prototype FV envelope proteins induces SIR against pseudotypes with glycoproteins of other FV species, including of simian, feline, bovine, and equine origin. This implies that all of them use the same receptor molecules for viral entry

  12. Identification of a mouse synaptic glycoprotein gene in cultured neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Albert Cheung-Hoi; Sun, Chun Xiao; Li, Qiang; Liu, Hua Dong; Wang, Chen Ran; Zhao, Guo Ping; Jin, Meilei; Lau, Lok Ting; Fung, Yin-Wan Wendy; Liu, Shuang

    2005-10-01

    Neuronal differentiation and aging are known to involve many genes, which may also be differentially expressed during these developmental processes. From primary cultured cerebral cortical neurons, we have previously identified various differentially expressed gene transcripts from cultured cortical neurons using the technique of arbitrarily primed PCR (RAP-PCR). Among these transcripts, clone 0-2 was found to have high homology to rat and human synaptic glycoprotein. By in silico analysis using an EST database and the FACTURA software, the full-length sequence of 0-2 was assembled and the clone was named as mouse synaptic glycoprotein homolog 2 (mSC2). DNA sequencing revealed transcript size of mSC2 being smaller than the human and rat homologs. RT-PCR indicated that mSC2 was expressed differentially at various culture days. The mSC2 gene was located in various tissues with higher expression in brain, lung, and liver. Functions of mSC2 in neurons and other tissues remain elusive and will require more investigation.

  13. Biofilms from Klebsiella pneumoniae: Matrix Polysaccharide Structure and Interactions with Antimicrobial Peptides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benincasa, Monica; Lagatolla, Cristina; Dolzani, Lucilla; Milan, Annalisa; Pacor, Sabrina; Liut, Gianfranco; Tossi, Alessandro; Cescutti, Paola; Rizzo, Roberto

    2016-08-10

    Biofilm matrices of two Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates, KpTs101 and KpTs113, were investigated for their polysaccharide composition and protective effects against antimicrobial peptides. Both strains were good biofilm producers, with KpTs113 forming flocs with very low adhesive properties to supports. Matrix exopolysaccharides were isolated and their monosaccharide composition and glycosidic linkage types were defined. KpTs101 polysaccharide is neutral and composed only of galactose, in both pyranose and furanose ring configurations. Conversely, KpTs113 polysaccharide is anionic due to glucuronic acid units, and also contains glucose and mannose residues. The susceptibility of the two strains to two bovine cathelicidin antimicrobial peptides, BMAP-27 and Bac7(1-35), was assessed using both planktonic cultures and biofilms. Biofilm matrices exerted a relevant protection against both antimicrobials, which act with quite different mechanisms. Similar protection was also detected when antimicrobial peptides were tested against planktonic bacteria in the presence of the polysaccharides extracted from KpTs101 and KpTs113 biofilms, suggesting sequestering adduct formation with antimicrobials. Circular dichroism experiments on BMAP-27 in the presence of increasing amounts of either polysaccharide confirmed their ability to interact with the peptide and induce an α-helical conformation.

  14. Human c-peptide immunoreactivity (CPR) in blood and urine - evaluation of a radioimmunoassay method and its clinical applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuzuya, T; Matsuda, A; Saito, T; Yoshida, S

    1976-01-01

    A double-antibody radioimmunoassay method, using synthetic human connecting peptide as an immunizing antigen and standard, was evaluated for clinical assay of blood and urine samples. Normal fasting blood connecting peptide immunoreacivity (CPR) was 2.45 +- 0.96 ng/ml, increasing promptly after a 50 g oral glucose load, but somewhat slower than insulin. Molar concentration of CPR exceeded that of insulin. CPR responses to glucose were subnormal in diabetics, very low in juvenile-type cases, and often poor in patients on insulin treatment. Fasting CPR levels were elevated in patients on corticosteroid treatment and with uraemia. A patient with insulin 'auto-antibody' had high serum CPR. A considerable amount of CPR appeared in urine. Normal daily excretion of CPR was 1.52 +- 0.55 ..mu..g/kg or 55.1 +- 18.2 ng/mg creatinine. Urine CPR was very low in juvenile-type diabetics, and elevated in patients on corticosteroid treatment. The results confirm that blood and urine CPR are useful measures of the endocrine pancreatic function.

  15. In vitro neutralization of HCV by goat antibodies against peptides encompassing regions downstream of HVR-1 of E2 glycoprotein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabll, Ashraf A; Atef, Khaled; Bader El Din, Noha G; El Abd, Yasmine S; Salem, Ahmed; Sayed, Ahmed A; Dawood, Reham M; Omran, Moataza H; El-Awady, Mostafa K

    2014-01-01

    This article aims at testing several in vitro systems with various viral sources and cell lines for propagation of HCV to evaluate goat antibodies raised against three E2 epitopes in viral neutralization experiments. Four human cell lines (Huh-7, Huh-7.5, HepG2, and CaCo2) were tested using two different HCV viral sources; Genotype 4 infected sera and J6/JFH HCV cc particles. Neutralization capacity of goat Abs against conserved E2 epitopes; p412 (a.a 412-419), p517 (a.a 517-531), and p430 (a.a 430-447) were examined in the above mentioned in vitro systems. Although infection with patients' sera seems to mimic the in vitro situation, it has limited replication rates as compared with HCV cc particularly in Huh7.5 cells. Non-HCV adapted Huh-7 cells were also found susceptible for transfection with J6/JFH virus but at much slower kinetics. The results of the neutralization assay showed that anti p412 and anti p517 were highly neutralizing to HCVcc. Our data demonstrate that antibodies directed against the viral surface glycoprotein E2 reduced the infectivity of the J6/JFH virus and are promising agents for immunotherapy and HCV vaccine development.

  16. Molecular dynamics simulations of helical antimicrobial peptides in SDS micelles: what do point mutations achieve?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khandelia, Himanshu; Kaznessis, Yiannis N

    2005-01-01

    We report long time scale simulations of the 18-residue helical antimicrobial peptide ovispirin-1 and its analogs novispirin-G10 and novispirin-T7 in SDS micelles. The SDS micelle serves as an economical and effective model for a cellular membrane. Ovispirin, which is initially placed along...... a micelle diameter, diffuses out to the water-SDS interface and stabilizes to an interface-bound steady state in 16.35 ns of simulation. The final conformation, orientation, and the structure of ovispirin are in good agreement with the experimentally observed properties of the peptide in presence of lipid...... bilayers. The simulation succeeds in capturing subtle differences of the membrane-bound peptide structure as predicted by solid state NMR. The novispirins also undergo identical diffusion patterns and similar final conformations. Although the final interface-bound states are similar, the simulations...

  17. An unusual dependence of human herpesvirus-8 Glycoproteins-induced cell-to-cell fusion on heparan sulfate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, Vaibhav; Darmani, Nissar A.; Thrush, Gerald R.; Shukla, Deepak

    2009-01-01

    Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) is known to interact with cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) for entry into a target cell. Here we investigated the role of HS during HHV-8 glycoproteins induced cell fusion. Interestingly, the observed fusion demonstrated an unusual dependence on HS as evident from following lines of evidence: 1) a significant reduction in cell-to-cell fusion occurred when target cells were treated with heparinase; 2) in a competition assay, when the effector cells expressing HHV-8 glycoproteins were challenged with soluble HS, cell-to-cell fusion was reduced; and, 3) coexpression of HHV-8 glycoproteins gH-gL on target cells resulted in inhibition of cell surface HS expression. Taken together, our results indicate that cell surface HS can play an additional role during HHV-8 pathogenesis. PMID:19747451

  18. Comparative Analysis of Whey N-Glycoproteins in Human Colostrum and Mature Milk Using Quantitative Glycoproteomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Xueyan; Song, Dahe; Yang, Mei; Yang, Ning; Ye, Qing; Tao, Dongbing; Liu, Biao; Wu, Rina; Yue, Xiqing

    2017-11-29

    Glycosylation is a ubiquitous post-translational protein modification that plays a substantial role in various processes. However, whey glycoproteins in human milk have not been completely profiled. Herein, we used quantitative glycoproteomics to quantify whey N-glycosylation sites and their alteration in human milk during lactation; 110 N-glycosylation sites on 63 proteins and 91 N-glycosylation sites on 53 proteins were quantified in colostrum and mature milk whey, respectively. Among these, 68 glycosylation sites on 38 proteins were differentially expressed in human colostrum and mature milk whey. These differentially expressed N-glycoproteins were highly enriched in "localization", "extracellular region part", and "modified amino acid binding" according to gene ontology annotation and mainly involved in complement and coagulation cascades pathway. These results shed light on the glycosylation sites, composition and biological functions of whey N-glycoproteins in human colostrum and mature milk, and provide substantial insight into the role of protein glycosylation during infant development.

  19. Flanking signal and mature peptide residues influence signal peptide cleavage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ranganathan Shoba

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Signal peptides (SPs mediate the targeting of secretory precursor proteins to the correct subcellular compartments in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Identifying these transient peptides is crucial to the medical, food and beverage and biotechnology industries yet our understanding of these peptides remains limited. This paper examines the most common type of signal peptides cleavable by the endoprotease signal peptidase I (SPase I, and the residues flanking the cleavage sites of three groups of signal peptide sequences, namely (i eukaryotes (Euk (ii Gram-positive (Gram+ bacteria, and (iii Gram-negative (Gram- bacteria. Results In this study, 2352 secretory peptide sequences from a variety of organisms with amino-terminal SPs are extracted from the manually curated SPdb database for analysis based on physicochemical properties such as pI, aliphatic index, GRAVY score, hydrophobicity, net charge and position-specific residue preferences. Our findings show that the three groups share several similarities in general, but they display distinctive features upon examination in terms of their amino acid compositions and frequencies, and various physico-chemical properties. Thus, analysis or prediction of their sequences should be separated and treated as distinct groups. Conclusion We conclude that the peptide segment recognized by SPase I extends to the start of the mature protein to a limited extent, upon our survey of the amino acid residues surrounding the cleavage processing site. These flanking residues possibly influence the cleavage processing and contribute to non-canonical cleavage sites. Our findings are applicable in defining more accurate prediction tools for recognition and identification of cleavage site of SPs.

  20. Analysis of peptide uptake and location of root hair-promoting peptide accumulation in plant roots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumiya, Yoshiki; Taniguchi, Rikiya; Kubo, Motoki

    2012-03-01

    Peptide uptake by plant roots from degraded soybean-meal products was analyzed in Brassica rapa and Solanum lycopersicum. B. rapa absorbed about 40% of the initial water volume, whereas peptide concentration was decreased by 75% after 24 h. Analysis by reversed-phase HPLC showed that number of peptides was absorbed by the roots during soaking in degraded soybean-meal products for 24 h. Carboxyfluorescein-labeled root hair-promoting peptide was synthesized, and its localization, movement, and accumulation in roots were investigated. The peptide appeared to be absorbed by root hairs and then moved to trichoblasts. Furthermore, the peptide was moved from trichoblasts to atrichoblasts after 24 h. The peptide was accumulated in epidermal cells, suggesting that the peptide may have a function in both trichoblasts and atrichoblasts. Copyright © 2012 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.