Using crystal reports

Laboratory for Lipoprotein Chemistry and 4Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Department of Medical Protein Research, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, Belgium; 2Laboratory of Biomolecular Dynamics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium; 3Ecole Normale Supe´rieure, Paris, France Penetratin is a 16-amino-acid peptide, derived from the homeodomain of antennapedia, a Drosophila transcription factor, which can be used as a vector for the intracellular delivery of peptides or oligonucleotides....

9p system191 01-06-2013 33 4   Download

Single-crystal X-ray structure determinations of the complex between the minor-groove binder distamycin and d(GGCCAATTGG) reveal two 1 : 1 binding modes which differ in the orientation of the drug molecule in the minor groove. The two crystals were grown from different crystallization conditions and found to diffract to 2.38 and ˚ 1.85 A, respectively. The structures were refined to completion using SHELXL-93, resulting in a residual R factor of ˚ 20.30% for the 2.38-A resolution structure (including 46 ˚ water molecules) and 19.74% for the 1.

10p system191 01-06-2013 30 5   Download

The solution structure of the growth factor chimera mEGF/ TGFa44250 has been determined using an extended version of the DYANA procedure for calculating structures from NMR data. The backbone fold and preferred orientation of the domains of the chimera are similar to those found in previous studies of EGF structures, and several H-bonds used as input constraints in those studies were found independently in the chimera. This shows that the modified activity of the chimera does not result from a major structural change.

9p system191 01-06-2013 45 4   Download

DNA transactions in eukaryotes require that proteins gain access to target sequences packaged in chromatin. Further, interactions between distinct nucleoprotein complexes are often required to generate higher-order structures. Here, we employed two prokaryotic site-specific recombination systems to investigate how chromatin packaging affects the assembly of nucleoprotein structures of different complexities at more than 30 genomic loci. The dynamic nature of chromatin permitted protein–DNA and DNA–DNA interactions for sites of at least 34 bp in length.

7p system191 01-06-2013 50 4   Download

The p25rum1 is an inhibitor of Cdc2 kinase expressed in fission yeast and plays an important role in cell-cycle control. As its amino-acid sequence suggests that p25rum1 has putative phosphorylation sites for mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), we investigated the ability of MAPK to phosphorylate p25rum1. Direct in vitro kinase assay using GST-fusion proteins of wild-type as well as various mutants of p25rum1 demonstrated that MAPK phosphorylates the N-terminal portion of p25rum1 and residues Thr13 and Ser19 are major phosphorylation sites for MAPK....

11p research12 01-06-2013 46 4   Download

In seminiferous tubules, Sertoli cells provide structural and nutritional support for the developing germinal cells. Cellto-cell signaling and cell adhesion require proteoglycans expressed at the cell membrane. A preliminary biochemical and structural approach indicated that cell surface proteoglycans are mostly heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG). Glypican-1, syndecans-1 and -4 were identified using a molecular approach.

9p research12 01-06-2013 41 5   Download

Phenylacetaldehyde reductase (PAR) produced by styreneassimilating Corynebacterium strain ST-10 was used to synthesize chiral alcohols. This enzyme with a broad substrate range reduced various prochiral aromatic ketones and b-ketoesters to yield optically active secondary alcohols with an enantiomeric purity of more than 98% enantiomeric excess (e.e.). The Escherichia coli recombinant cells which expressed the par gene could efficiently produce important pharmaceutical intermediates;

9p research12 01-06-2013 43 6   Download

The clinically used beta-lactamase inhibitor clavulanic acid is produced by fermentation of Streptomyces clavuligerus. The orf6 gene of the clavulanic acid biosynthetic gene cluster in S. clavuligerus encodes a protein that shows sequence homology to ornithine acetyltransferase (OAT), the fifth enzyme of the arginine biosynthetic pathway. Orf6 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli (at  15% of total soluble protein by SDS/PAGE analysis) indicating it was not toxic to the host cells. The recombinant protein was purified (to 95% purity) by a one-step technique.

8p research12 01-06-2013 33 5   Download

The solution structure of a synthetic mutant type I antifreeze protein (AFP I) was determined in aqueous solution at pH 7.0 using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The mutations comprised the replacement of the four Thr residues by Val and the introduction of two additional Lys-Glu salt bridges. The antifreeze activity of this mutant peptide, VVVV2KE, has been previously shown to be similar to that of the wild type protein, HPLC6 (defined here as TTTT).

8p research12 01-06-2013 36 4   Download

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a unicellular green alga, contains a hydrogenase enzyme, which is induced by anaerobic adaptation of the cells. Using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) approach, the differential expression of genes under anaerobiosis was analyzed. A PCR fragment with similarity to the genes of bacterial Fe-hydrogenases was isolated and used to screen an anaerobic cDNA expression library of C. reinhardtii.

11p research12 01-06-2013 42 6   Download

In late larvae of the blowfly, Calliphora vicina, arylphorin and LSP-2 proteins, which belong to the class of hexamerins, are selectively taken up by the fat body from the haemolymph. Hexamerin endocytosis is mediated by a specific membranebound receptor, the arylphorin-binding protein (ABP). Using the two-hybrid technique, we found that the anterior fat body protein (AFP) interacts with the hexamerin receptor.

7p research12 01-06-2013 32 4   Download

The cytochrome P450 family of enzymes has long been known tometabolize a wide range of compounds, including many of today’s most common drugs. A novel nuclear receptor called PXR has been established as an activator of several of the cytochrome P450 genes, including CYP3A4. This enzyme is believed to account for the metabolism of more than 50% of all prescription drugs. PXR is therefore used as a negative selector target and discriminatory filter in preclinical drug development.

9p research12 29-04-2013 44 3   Download

We developed the synthesis of the caged oxygen donor (l-peroxo)(l-hydroxo)bis[bis(bipyridyl)cobalt(III)] complex (HPBC) as nitrate salt,which has,compared with the perchlorate-form described previously [MacArthur,R., Sucheta,A.,Chong,F.F. & Einarsdottir,O¨ . (1995) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 92,8105–8109],greatly enhanced solubility. Now,the quantum efficiency of the photolytical release of dioxygenwas determined tobe 0.4 per photon at a laser wavelength of 308 nm,which was used to observe biological reactions....

8p research12 29-04-2013 48 3   Download

Glutathione reductase (GR) recycles oxidized glutathione (GSSG) by converting it to the reduced form (GSH) using an NADPH as the electron source. The function of GR in the male genital tract of the rat was examined by meas-uring its enzymatic activity and examining the gene expression and localization of the protein.

9p research12 29-04-2013 47 3   Download

Decorin is a small leucine-rich chondroitin/dermatan sulfate proteoglycan reported to interact with ®brillar collagens through its protein core and to localize atdandebands of the collagen ®bril banding pattern. Using a solid-phase assay, we have determined the interaction of peptides derivedbyCNBr cleavage of type I and type II collagenwith decorin extracted from bovine tendon and its protein core and with a recombinant decorin preparation.

10p research12 29-04-2013 36 3   Download

Hexadecylphosphocholine (HePC) is a synthetic lipid rep-resentative of a new group of antiproliferative agents, alkylphosphocholines (APC), which are promising candi-dates in anticancer therapy. Thus we have studied the action of HePC on the human hepatoblastoma cell line HepG2, which is frequently used as a model for studies into hepatic lipid metabolism.

7p research12 23-04-2013 42 1   Download

Recombinant glycerol dehydratase ofKlebsiella pneumoniae was purified to homogeneity. The subunit composition of the enzyme was most probablya2b2c2 .When(R)- and (S)-propane-1,2-diolswere used independently as substrates, the rate with the (R)-enantiomer was 2.5 times faster than that with the (S)-isomer. In contrast to diol dehydratase,an iso-functional enzyme,the affinity of the enzyme for the (S)-isomer was essentially the same or only slightly higher than that for the (R)-isomer (Km(R) /Km(S) ¼1.5). ...

11p research12 23-04-2013 35 2   Download

Glycosylatedpolyenemacrolide antibiotics, as nystatins and amphotericins, are amphiphilic structures known to exert antifungal activity by disrupting the fungal cell membrane, leading to leakage of cellular materials, and cell death. This membrane disruption is strongly influenced by the presence and the exact nature of the membrane sterols.

9p research12 23-04-2013 39 2   Download

The HIV-1 proteinase (PR) has proved to be a good target for antiretroviral therapy of AIDS, and various PR inhibi-tors are now in clinical use. However, there is a rapid selec-tionof viral variantsbearingmutations in theproteinase that are resistant to clinical inhibitors. Drug resistance also involves mutations of the nucleocapsid/p1 and p1/p6 clea-vage sites ofGag, bothin vitroandin vivo.

7p research12 23-04-2013 37 2   Download

The solution structure of homodimeric Cu2Zn2superoxide dismutase (SOD) of 306 aminoacids was determined on a 13 C, 15N and 70% 2 H labeled sample. Two-thousand eight-hundred and ®ve meaningful NOEs were used, of which 96 intersubunit, and115dihedral angles provideda familyof 30 conformers with an rmsd from the average of 0.78 ‹ 0.11 and 1.15 ‹ 0.09 A Ê for the backbone and heavy atoms, respectively.

11p research12 23-04-2013 31 2   Download