Search results for " Competitive"
showing 10 items of 237 documents
A lipid transfer protein binds to a receptor involved in the control of plant defence responses
2001
AbstractLipid transfer proteins (LTPs) and elicitins are both able to load and transfer lipidic molecules and share some structural and functional properties. While elicitins are known as elicitors of plant defence mechanisms, the biological function of LTP is still an enigma. We show that a wheat LTP1 binds with high affinity sites. Binding and in vivo competition experiments point out that these binding sites are common to LTP1 and elicitins and confirm that they are the biological receptors of elicitins. A mathematical analysis suggests that these receptors could be represented by an allosteric model corresponding to an oligomeric structure with four identical subunits.
Pharmacological activity of C10-substituted analogs of the high-affinity kainate receptor agonist dysiherbaine
2009
Kainate receptor antagonists have potential as therapeutic agents in a number of neuropathologies. Synthetic modification of the convulsant marine toxin neodysiherbaine A (NDH) previously yielded molecules with a diverse set of pharmacological actions on kainate receptors. Here we characterize three new synthetic analogs of NDH that contain substituents at the C10 position in the pyran ring of the marine toxin. The analogs exhibited high-affinity binding to the GluK1 (GluR5) subunit and lower affinity binding to GluK2 (GluR6) and GluK3 (GluR7) subunits in radioligand displacement assays with recombinant kainate and AMPA receptors. As well, the natural toxin NDH exhibited approximately 100-f…
Electrochemical detection of the 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine model odorant based on odorant-binding proteins: The proof of concept
2014
Abstract We developed an electrochemical assay for the detection of odorant molecules based on a rat odorant-binding protein (rOBP3). We demonstrated that rOBP3 cavity binds 2-methyl-1,4-naphtoquinone (MNQ), an electrochemical probe, as depicted from the decrease of its electrochemical signal, and deduced the dissociation constant, Kd MNQ = 0.5(± 0.2) μM. The amount of MNQ displaced from rOBP3 by 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IBMP), a model odorant molecule, was measured using square-wave voltammetry. The release of MNQ by competition led to an increase of the electrochemical response. In addition, this method allowed determination of the dissociation constant of rOBP3 for IBMP, Kd IBMP =…
3-Aryl-2-[1H-benzotriazol-1-yl]acrylonitriles: a novel class of potent tubulin inhibitors.
2011
During a screening for compounds that could act against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a series of new cellular antiproliferative agents was identified. The most cytotoxic molecules were evaluated against a panel of human cell lines derived from hematological and solid human tumors. In particular, (E)-2-(1H-benzo[d] [1,2,3]triazol-1-yl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)acrylonitrile (1) was found to be of a potency comparable to etoposide and greater than 6-mercaptopurine in all cell lines tested. Accordingly, a synthesis of a new series of (E)-2-(5,6-dichloro-1H-benzo[d] [1,2,3]triazol-1-yl)-3-(4-R-phenyl)acrylonitriles was conducted in order to extend the studies of structure-activity relationship (SAR) f…
Orientational preferences of aromatic guests in dimeric capsules of tetraurea calix[4]arenes—MD and NMR studies
2006
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed for complexes of a dimeric capsule of a tetraurea calixarene with a series of twelve aromatic guests. A distinct orientational preference and a restriction of the internal mobility was found which depend on the size and electronic properties of the guests. The results are in agreement with the CIS values obtained from (1)H NMR spectroscopic measurements and with complexation selectivities obtained by competition experiments.
Mutations in the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca toxin demonstrate the role of domains II and III in specificity towards Spodoptera exigua larvae
2004
Several mutants of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca toxin affected with regard to specific activity towards Spodoptera exigua were studied. Alanine was used to replace single residues in loops 2 and 3 of domain II (mutant pPB19) and to replace residues 541– 544 in domain III (mutant pPB20). Additionally, a Cry1Ca mutant combining all mutations was constructed (mutant pPB21). Toxicity assays showed a marked decrease in toxicity against S. exigua for all mutants, while they retained their activity against Manduca sexta, confirming the importance of these residues in determining insect specificity. Parameters for binding to the specific receptors in BBMV (brush border membrane vesicles) of S.…
Jararhagin-derived RKKH Peptides Induce Structural Changes in α1I Domain of Human Integrin α1β1
2003
Integrin alpha(1)beta(1) is one of four collagen-binding integrins in humans. Collagens bind to the alphaI domain and in the case of alpha(2)I collagen binding is competitively inhibited by peptides containing the RKKH sequence and derived from the metalloproteinase jararhagin of snake venom from Bothrops jararaca. In alpha(2)I, these peptides bind near the metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS), where a collagen (I)-like peptide is known to bind; magnesium is required for binding. Published structures of the ligand-bound "open" conformation of alpha(2)I differs significantly from the "closed" conformation seen in the structure of apo-alpha(2)I near MIDAS. Here we show that two peptides,…
Functional competition within a membrane: Lipid recognition vs. transmembrane helix oligomerization
2015
Abstract Binding of specific lipids to large, polytopic membrane proteins is well described, and it is clear that such lipids are crucial for protein stability and activity. In contrast, binding of defined lipid species to individual transmembrane helices and regulation of transmembrane helix monomer–oligomer equilibria by binding of distinct lipids is a concept, which has emerged only lately. Lipids bind to single-span membrane proteins, both in the juxta-membrane region as well as in the hydrophobic membrane core. While some interactions counteract transmembrane helix oligomerization, in other cases lipid binding appears to enhance oligomerization. As reversible oligomerization is involve…
Cloning, tissue distribution, pharmacology and three-dimensional modelling of melanocortin receptors 4 and 5 in rainbow trout suggest close evolution…
2004
The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is one of the most widely used fish species in aquaculture and physiological research. In the present paper, we report the first cloning, 3D (three-dimensional) modelling, pharmacological characterization and tissue distribution of two melanocortin (MC) receptors in rainbow trout. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that these receptors are orthologues of the human MC4 and MC5 receptors. We created 3D molecular models of these rainbow trout receptors and their human counterparts. These models suggest greater divergence between the two human receptors than between their rainbow trout counterparts. The pharmacological analyses demonstrated that ACTH (adreno…
Leucine-58 in the putative 5th helical region of human interleukin (IL)-6 is important for activation of the IL-6 signal transducer, gp130
1995
A model of the tertiary structure of human IL-6, derived from the crystal-structure of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, reveals a 5th helical region in the loop between the first and second alpha-helix. To investigate the importance of this region for biological activity of IL-6, residues Glu-52, Ser-53, Ser-54, Lys-55, Glu-56, Leu-58, and Glu-60 were individually replaced by alanine. IL-6.Leu-58Ala displayed a 5-fold reduced biological activity on the IL-6 responsive human cell lines XG-1 and A375. This reduction in bioactivity was shown to be due to a decreased capacity of the mutant protein to trigger IL-6 receptor-alpha-chain-dependent binding to the IL-6 signal transducer, gp130.