Search results for " Enzymologic"
showing 10 items of 187 documents
Estradiol decreases xanthine dehydrogenase enzyme activity and protein expression innon-tumorigenicand malignant human mammary epithelial cells
2009
The retinoic acid deficiency in breast tumour epithelial cells has been ascribed to an insufficient expression of either the enzyme(s) involved in its biosynthesis or the cellular retinol binding protein (CRBP) or both. In an attempt to define the mechanisms underpinning retinoic acid deficiency in these cell model systems, we have investigated the potential regulatory effect of oestrogen (17β-estradiol) on one key player in retinoic acid biosynthesis, the xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH). This enzyme is consistently expressed and very active in non-malignant human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC), as opposed to tumour MDA-MB231 and MCF7 cells. In these latter two cell lines, as opposed to HMEC …
Mechanisms of ceramide-induced COX-2-dependent apoptosis in human ovarian cancer OVCAR-3 cells partially overlapped with resveratrol.
2013
Ceramide is a member of the sphingolipid family of bioactive molecules demonstrated to have profound, diverse biological activities. Ceramide is a potential chemotherapeutic agent via the induction of apoptosis. Exposure to ceramide activates extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2- and p38 kinase-dependent apoptosis in human ovarian cancer OVCAR-3 cells, concomitant with an increase in the expression of COX-2 and p53 phosphorylation. Blockade of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity by siRNA or NS398 correspondingly inhibited ceramide-induced p53 Ser-15 phosphorylation and apoptosis; thus COX-2 appears at the apex of the p38 kinase-mediated signaling cascade induced by ceramide. Induct…
p53 is involved in regulation of the DNA repair gene O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) by DNA damaging agents
1998
The DNA repair protein O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is inducible by genotoxic stress. MGMT induction results from transcriptional activation of the MGMT gene which is a specific response to DNA damage. A possible factor involved in triggering MGMT induction might be p53, because both p53 and MGMT are activated by DNA breaks. To study the effect of p53 on induction of the MGMT gene, we compared the presence of functional wild-type (wt) and mutant p53 with MGMT expression level in various mouse fibroblasts and rat hepatoma cell lines upon genotoxic treatment. Cells which responded to ionizing radiation (IR) by MGMT induction displayed functional p53, whereas in cells not expr…
Analysis of cytochrome C oxidase subunits III and IV expression in developing rat brain
2004
Abstract Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) complex is built up with both nucleus- and mitochondrion-encoded subunits. Biogenesis and assembly of the complex thus requires fine cross-talk between the two compartments. In order to shed light on the regulation of nuclear–mitochondrial interactions, we studied the expression of COXIII (mitochondrion-encoded) and COXIV (nucleus-encoded) in adult rat tissues and rat developing brain. We found that the levels of COXIV protein and mRNA are not linearly related, thus suggesting a post-transcriptional mode of regulation. In agreement with this observation, we report the presence of a protein that specifically binds to the 3′-untranslated region of COXIV mRN…
Sex-specific windows for high mRNA expression of DNA methyltransferases 1 and 3A and methyl-CpG-binding domain proteins 2 and 4 in human fetal gonads
2006
DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and 5-methyl-CpG-binding domain proteins (MBDs) are involved in the acquisition of parent-specific epigenetic modifications in human male and female germ cells. Reverse Northern blot analyses demonstrated sex-specific differences in mRNA expression for the maintenance DNMT1 and the de novo DNMT3A in developing testis and ovary. In fetal testis DNMT1 and DNMT3A expression peaked in mitotically arrested spermatogonia around 21 weeks gestation. In fetal ovary transcriptional upregulation of DNMT1 and DNMT3A occurred during a very brief period at 16 weeks gestation, when the oocytes proceeded through meiotic prophase. Fetal gonads showed several fold higher DNMT3A…
Cloning and sequencing of the gene encoding α-acetolactate decarboxylase fromLeuconostoc oenos
1996
The alsD gene encoding alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase was isolated from a genomic library of Leuconostoc oenos, using a screening procedure developed on microtiter plates. The nucleotide sequence of alsD encodes a putative protein of 239 amino acids showing significant similarity with other bacterial alpha-acetolactate decarboxylases. Upstream from alsD lies an open reading frame (alsS) which is highly similar to bacterial genes coding for catabolic alpha-acetolactate synthases. Northern (RNA) blotting analyses indicated the presence of a 2.4-kb dicistronic transcript of alsS and alsD. This suggests that the alsS and alsD genes are organized in a single operon.
Gene Cloning, Transcriptional Analysis, Purification, and Characterization of Phenolic Acid Decarboxylase from Bacillus subtilis
1998
Phenolic acids, also called substituted cinnamic acids, are important lignin-related aromatic acids and natural constituents of plant cell walls. These acids (particularly ferulic, p-coumaric, and caffeic acids) bind the complex lignin polymer to the hemicellulose and cellulose in plants (1) or are generally esterified with tartaric acid (for example, in grape must, wine, and cider) and can be released as free acids during wine making by some cinnamoyl esterase activities (9). Most often, free phenolic acids are metabolized by different microorganisms into 4-vinyl derivatives and then are eventually reduced into 4-ethyl derivatives (5, 6). Some of these volatile phenols, particularly vinyl …
Inducible metabolism of phenolic acids in Pediococcus pentosaceus is encoded by an autoregulated operon which involves a new class of negative transc…
2000
ABSTRACTPediococcus pentosaceusdisplays a substrate-inducible phenolic acid decarboxylase (PAD) activity onp-coumaric acid. Based on DNA sequence homologies between the three PADs previously cloned, a DNA probe of theLactobacillus plantarum pdcgene was used to screen aP. pentosaceusgenomic library in order to clone the corresponding gene of this bacteria. One clone detected with this probe displayed a low PAD activity. Subcloning of this plasmid insertion allowed us to determine the part of the insert which contains a 534-bp open reading frame (ORF) coding for a 178-amino-acid protein presenting 81.5% of identity withL. plantarumPDC enzyme. This ORF was identified as thepadAgene. A second O…
Arginine kinase in the demosponge Suberites domuncula:regulation of its expression and catalytic activity by silicic acid
2005
SUMMARY In Demospongiae (phylum Porifera) the formation of the siliceous skeleton,composed of spicules, is an energetically expensive reaction. The present study demonstrates that primmorphs from the demosponge Suberites domuncula express the gene for arginine kinase after exposure to exogenous silicic acid. The deduced sponge arginine kinase sequence displays the two characteristic domains of the ATP:guanido phosphotransferases; it can be grouped to the `usual' mono-domain 40 kDa guanidino kinases (arginine kinases). Phylogenetic studies indicate that the metazoan guanidino kinases evolved from this ancestral sponge enzyme; among them are also the `unusual'two-domain 80 kDa guanidino kinas…
Tonoplast subcellular localization of maize cytochrome b5 reductases
2000
Plant cytochrome b 5 reductases (b 5 R) are assumed to be part of an ER-associated redox chain that oxidizes NADH to provide electrons via cytochrome b5 (cyt b 5 ) to ER-associated fatty acyl desaturase and related hydroxylases, as in mammalian cells. Here we report on cDNA cloning of a novel maize b 5 R, NFR II, strongly related to a previously cloned cDNA, NFR I (Bagnaresi et al., 1999, Biochem, J. 338, 499-5051. Maize b 5 R isoforms are produced by a small multi-gene family. The NFR cDNAs were shown to encode active b 5 Rs by heterologous expression in yeast. Both reductases, in addition to Fe 3+ -chelates, efficiently reduced Cu 2+ -chelates. Using a polyclonal antibody able to recogniz…