Search results for "Amidase"
showing 10 items of 81 documents
Identification of the Weevil immune genes and their expression in the bacteriome tissue
2008
Abstract Background Persistent infections with mutualistic intracellular bacteria (endosymbionts) are well represented in insects and are considered to be a driving force in evolution. However, while pathogenic relationships have been well studied over the last decades very little is known about the recognition of the endosymbionts by the host immune system and the mechanism that limits their infection to the bacteria-bearing host tissue (the bacteriome). Results To study bacteriome immune specificity, we first identified immune-relevant genes of the weevil Sitophilus zeamais by using suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) and then analyzed their full-length coding sequences obtained b…
Protein-Based Nanoparticles for the Delivery of Enzymes with Antibacterial Activity.
2018
Proteins represent a versatile biopolymer material for the preparation of nanoparticles due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low immunogenicity. This study presents a protein-based nanoparticle system consisting of high surface PEGylated lysozyme polyethylene glycol-modified lysozyme (LYZmPEG ). This protein modification leads to a solubility switch, which allows a nanoparticle preparation using a mild double emulsion method without the need of surfactants. The method allows the encapsulation of large hydrophilic payloads inside of the protein-based nanoparticle system. Native lysozyme (LYZ) was chosen as payload because of its innate activity as natural antibiotic. The mild…
Protein Thermal Denaturation and Matrix Glass Transition in Different Protein−Trehalose−Water Systems
2011
Biopreservation by saccharides is a widely studied issue due to its scientific and technological importance; in particular, ternary amorphous protein-saccharide-water systems are extensively exploited to model the characteristics of the in vivo biopreservation process. We present here a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) study on amorphous trehalose-water systems with embedded different proteins (myoglobin, lysozyme, BSA, hemoglobin), which differ for charge, surface, and volume properties. In our study, the protein/trehalose molar ratio is kept constant at 1/40, while the water/sugar molar ratio is varied between 2 and 300; results are compared with those obtained for binary trehalose…
Proteomics of Galápagos Marine Iguanas Links Function of Femoral Gland Proteins to the Immune System
2020
Femoral glands secrete a wax-like substance on the inner side of lizard hind legs, which is thought to function as a mode of chemical communication. Though the minor volatile fraction is well studied, the major protein fraction remains enigmatic. Here, we use proteomics to analyze proteins in femoral gland secretions of the Galápagos marine iguana. Although we found no evidence for proteins and peptides involved in chemical communication, we found several immune-regulatory proteins which also demonstrate anti-microbial functions. Accordingly, we show that femoral gland proteins and peptides function as a barrier against microbial infection and may prevent the rapid degradation of volatile s…
nCDase and SphK-1 localization in vesicles shed by tumour cells and their biological roles.
2007
Sphingolipid metabolism is a dynamic process resulting in the formation of a number of bioactive metabolites including ceramide, ceramide-1-phosphate, sphingosine e sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). (Pyne and Pyne; Biochem. J. 2000; 349:385-402). Following sphingomyelinase activation, sphingomyelin is hydrolyzed to ceramide, which is considered to be an inducer of cell growth arrest, differentiation and apoptosis. (Hannun et. al 1996; Science: 274:1855-1859). Ceramidase catalyzes the deacylation of ceramide to produce a free fatty acid and sphingosine. The enzyme sphingosine kinase (SphK) catalyzes the formation of S1P from sphingosine and ATP (Olivera et al. J.Biol.Chem. 1998; 273:12576- 1258…
Protein aggregation/crystallization and minor structural changes: universal versus specific aspects.
2007
AbstractProtein association covers wide interests in biophysics, protein science, and biotechnologies, and it is often viewed as governed by conformation details. More recently, the existence of a universal physical principle governing aggregation/crystallization processes has been suggested by a series of experiments and shown to be linked to the universal scaling properties of concentration fluctuations occurring in the proximity of a phase transition (spinodal demixing in the specific case). Such properties have provided a quantitative basis for capturing kinetic association data on a universal master curve, ruled by the normalized distance of the state of the system from its instability…
Pyrrolomycins as antimicrobial agents. Microwave-assisted organic synthesis and insights into their antimicrobial mechanism of action
2019
Abstract New compounds able to counteract staphylococcal biofilm formation are needed. In this study we investigate the mechanism of action of pyrrolomycins, whose potential as antimicrobial agents has been demonstrated. We performed a new efficient and easy method to use microwave organic synthesis suitable for obtaining pyrrolomycins in good yields and in suitable amount for their in vitro in-depth investigation. We evaluate the inhibitory activity towards Sortase A (SrtA), a transpeptidase responsible for covalent anchoring in Gram-positive peptidoglycan of many surface proteins involved in adhesion and in biofilm formation. All compounds show a good inhibitory activity toward SrtA, havi…
Improvement of charge-transfer indices for multifunctional amino acids: Application to lysozyme
2008
Valence topological Charge-Transfer (CT) indices are applied to the calculation of pH at the isoelectric point (pI). The model is generalized for molecules with heteroatoms. The ability of the indices for the description of molecular charge distribution is established by comparing them with the pI of 21 amino acids. Linear correlation models are obtained. The CT indices improve multivariable regression equations for pI. The variance decreases by 95%. No superimposition of the corresponding G(k)-J(k) and G(k)(V)-J(k)(V) pairs is observed in most fits, which diminishes the risk of collinearity. The inclusion of heteroatoms in pi-electron system is beneficial for the description of pI, the bec…
Streptavidin-coated TiO2 surfaces are biologically inert: Protein adsorption and osteoblast adhesion studies
2011
Non-fouling TiO2 surfaces are attractive for a wide range of applications such as biosensors and medical devices, where biologically inert surfaces are needed. Typically, this is achieved by controlled surface modifications which prevent protein adsorption. For example, polyethylene glycol (PEG) or PEG-derived polymers have been widely applied to render TiO2 surfaces biologically inert. These surfaces have been further modified in order to achieve specific bio-activation. Therefore, there have been efforts to specifically functionalize TiO2 surfaces with polymers with embedded biotin motives, which can be used to couple streptavidin for further functionalization. As an alternative, here a s…
ATTEMPTS TO ISOLATE C'3 ACTIVITY FROM PIG SERUM.
1965
Gli autori descrivono un metodo per l'isolamento del terzo componente del complemento dal siero di maiale, basato sulla possibilita di provocare, per aggiunta di lisozima, passaggio in soluzione del C′3 precipitato insieme ad altre proteine in seguito all'aggiunta di opportune quantita di « Liquoid » al siero.