Biology reports

The genus Litsea Lam. (Lauraceae) and Lepisanthes Blume (Sapindaceae) are wildly distributed in Vietnam, especially in the mountainous areas. The reports in the literatures indicated that these two genus contain many constituents with interesting structures and potential biological activities. In order to find interesting substances for development of new pharmaceutical ingredients or functional food products we would like to conduct the resarch thesis ‘‘Study on Chemical constituents and biological activities of Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) Rob. (Lauraceae) and Lepisanthes rubiginosa (Roxb.

26p xacxuoc4321 11-07-2019 30 6   Download

The K103N substitution is a frequently observed HIV-1 RT mutation in patients who do not respond to combinationtherapy. The drugs Efavirenz, MSC194 and PNU142721 belong to the recent generation of NNRTIs characterized by an improved resistance profile to the most common single point mutations within HIV-1 RT, including the K103N mutation. In the present study we present structural observations from Efavirenz in complex with wild-type protein and the K103N mutant and PNU142721 and MSC194 in complex with the K103N mutant.

8p system191 01-06-2013 41 4   Download

The human b-globin gene locus is the subject of intense study, and over the past two decades a wealth of information has accumulated on how tissue-specific and stage-specific expression of its genes is achieved. The data are extensive and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to formulate a comprehensive model integrating every aspect of what is currently known. In this review, we introduce the fundamental characteristics of globin locus regulation as well as questions on which much of the current research is predicated.

11p system191 01-06-2013 50 4   Download

The binding of Thermomyces lanuginosa lipase and its mutants [TLL(S146A), TLL(W89L), TLL(W117F, W221H, W260H)] to the mixed micelles of cis-parinaric acid/ sodium taurodeoxycholate at pH 5.0 led to the quenching of the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence emission (300–380 nm) and to a simultaneous increase in the cis-parinaric acid fluorescence emission (380–500 nm). These findings were used to characterize the Thermomyces lanuginosa lipase/cisparinaric acid interactions occurring in the presence of sodium taurodeoxycholate....

9p system191 01-06-2013 50 5   Download

Porcine heart cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase (s-MDH) is a dimeric protein (2 · 35 kDa). We have studied equilibrium unfolding and refolding of s-MDH using activity assay, fluorescence, far-UV and near-UV circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, hydrophobic probe-1-anilino8-napthalene sulfonic acid binding, dynamic light scattering, and chromatographic (HPLC) techniques. The unfolding and refolding transitions are reversible and show the presence of two equilibrium intermediate states.

11p system191 01-06-2013 39 4   Download

Visual arrestin is converted from a ÔbasalÕ state to an ÔactivatedÕ state by interaction with the phosphorylated C-terminus of photoactivated rhodopsin (R*), but the conformational changes in arrestin that lead to activation are unknown. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to investigate the solution structure of arrestin and characterize changes attendant upon activation. Wild-type arrestin forms dimers with a dissociation constant of 60 lM.

9p system191 01-06-2013 53 3   Download

We report here the direct evidence for the formation of alternative DNA structures in a plasmid DNA, termed pTIR10, containing a 0.23-kb pyrimidine/purine-biased (Pyr/Pur) stretch isolated from the rat genome. Long Pyr/Pur sequences are abundant in eukaryotic genomes, and they may modulate the biological activity of genes and genomes via formation of various types of triplex-related structures. The plasmid DNA in sodium acetate buffer (pH 4.35) was deposited on APS-modified mica, and after drying it was imaged with an atomic force microscope in air. ...

5p system191 01-06-2013 34 3   Download

The design of b-glycosidases with planed substrate specificity for biotechnological application has received little attention. This is mostly a consequence of the lack of data on the molecular basis of the b-glycosidase specificity, namely data on the energy of the noncovalent interactions in the enzymetransition state complex. In an attempt to fill this gap, sitedirected mutagenesis and enzyme steady-state kinetic experiments with different substrates were conducted, using as model a digestive b-glycosidase (glycoside hydrolase family 1) from Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera) (Sfbgly50).

10p system191 01-06-2013 44 4   Download

Many biological C-H activation reactions exhibit nonclassical kinetic isotope effects (KIEs). These nonclassical KIEs are too large (kH/kD 7) and/or exhibit unusual temperature dependence such that the Arrhenius prefactor KIEs (AH/AD) fall outside of the semiclassical range near unity. The focus of this minireview is to discuss such KIEs within the context of the environmentally coupled hydrogen tunneling model.

9p system191 01-06-2013 37 4   Download

Recent years have witnessed high levels of activity in identifying enzyme systems that catalyse H-transfer by quantum tunneling. Rather than being restricted to a small number of specific enzymes as perceived initially, it has now become an accepted mechanism for H-transfer in a growing number of enzymes. Furthermore, H-tunneling is driven by the thermally induced dynamics of the enzyme. In some of those enzymes that break stable C–H bonds the reaction proceeds purely by quantum tunneling, without the need to partially ascend the barrier.

7p system191 01-06-2013 40 3   Download

Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biology, University of Bari, Italy; 2Department of Zoology, Laboratory of Histology and Comparative Anatomy, University of Bari, Italy; 3Center for the Study of Mitochondria and Energy Metabolism (CNR) Bari, Italy Mitochondrial bioenergetic impairment has been found in the organelles isolated from rat liver during the prereplicative phase of liver regeneration.

9p system191 01-06-2013 35 4   Download

The structure of the O-polysaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide from a diarrheal strain isolated in Bangladesh was studied with sugar, and methylation analysis, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and partial acid hydrolysis. The strain was first designated as Hafnia alvei, but later found to be a possible new species in the genus Escherichia. Two different polysaccharides were detected, a major and a minor one. The structure of the major polysaccharide is given below, while the structure of the minor one was not investigated. ...

7p system191 01-06-2013 35 6   Download

The case of homologous monomeric c-type and oligomeric b-type crystallins has been described and analyzed in evolutionary terms. Data and hypotheses from molecular genetics and structural investigations converge and suggest a novel three-phase model for the evolutionary history of crystallin-type proteins. In the divergent cascades of monomeric and oligomeric crystallins, a pivotal role was played by alterations in the gene segments encoding the C-terminal extensions and the intermotif or interdomain linker peptides.

9p system191 01-06-2013 42 4   Download

In a previous study, the S100A8/A9 protein, a Ca2+- and arachidonic acid-binding protein, abundant in neutrophil cytosol, was found to potentiate the activation of the redox component of the O2– generating oxidase in neutrophils, namely the membrane-bound flavocytochrome b, by the cytosolic phox proteins p67phox, p47phox and Rac ` (Doussiere J., Bouzidi F. and Vignais P.V. (2001) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 285, 1317–1320). This led us to check by immunoprecipitation and protein fractionation whether the cytosolic phox proteins could bind to S100A8/A9.

10p system191 01-06-2013 30 4   Download

We have examined the effects of widely used stress-inducing agents on protein synthesis and on regulatory components of the translational machinery. The three stresses chosen, arsenite, hydrogen peroxide and sorbitol, exert their effects in quite different ways. Nonetheless, all three rapidly ( 30 min) caused a profound inhibition of protein synthesis. In each case this was accompanied by dephosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) and increased binding of this repressor protein to eIF4E. ...

10p system191 01-06-2013 44 4   Download

Mikrobiologisches Institut der Eidgeno¨ssischen Technischen Hochschule, ETH-Zentrum, Zu¨rich, Switzerland The membrane-bound b subunit of the oxaloacetate decarboxylase Na+ pump of Klebsiella pneumoniae catalyzes the decarboxylation of enzyme-bound biotin. This event is coupled to the transport of 2 Na+ ions into the periplasm and consumes a periplasmically derived proton. The connecting fragment IIIa and transmembrane helices IV and VIII of the b subunit are highly conserved, harboring residues D203, Y229, N373, G377, S382, and R389 that play a profound role in catalysis. ...

8p system191 01-06-2013 33 4   Download

Introducing site-directed mutations in surface-exposed residues of subunit II of the heme aa3 cytochrome c oxidase of Paracoccus denitrificans, we analyze the kinetic parameters of electron transfer from reduced horse heart cytochrome c. Specifically we address the following issues: (a) which residues on oxidase contribute to the docking site for cytochrome c, (b) is an aromatic side chain required for electron entry from cytochrome c, and (c) what is the molecular basis for the previously observed biphasic reaction kinetics....

9p system191 01-06-2013 37 3   Download

Department of Physiology, University of Basel, Switzerland; 2Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Basel, Switzerland; 3Xerion Pharmaceuticals, Martinsried, Germany; 4Department of Medicine, Section Pathophysiology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany; 5Department of Biochemistry, Christian Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) displays neurotrophic activities on motor neurons and neural cell populations both in vivo and in vitro. ...

9p system191 01-06-2013 40 4   Download

A clear difference in the enthalpy changes derived from spectroscopic and calorimetric measurements has recently been shown. The exact interpretation of this deviation varied from study to study, but it was generally attributed to the non-two-state transition and heat capacity change. Although the temperature-dependent thermodynamics of the duplex formation was often implied, systemic and extensive studies have been lacking in universally assigning the appropriate thermodynamic parameter sets.

10p system191 01-06-2013 37 4   Download

Human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2) is a trypsin-like serine protease expressed predominantly in the prostate epithelium. Recently, hK2 has proven to be a useful marker that can be used in combination with prostate specific antigen for screening and diagnosis of prostate cancer. The cleavage by hK2 of certain substrates in the proteolytic cascade suggest that the kallikrein may be involved in prostate cancer development; however, there has been very little other progress toward its biochemical characterization or elucidation of its true physiological role.

8p system191 01-06-2013 48 2   Download