Search results for "BIOSYNTHESIS"
showing 10 items of 523 documents
Melatonin and phytomelatonin: Chemistry, biosynthesis, metabolism, distribution and bioactivity in plants and animals—an overview
2021
Melatonin is a ubiquitous indolamine, largely investigated for its key role in the regulation of several physiological processes in both animals and plants. In the last century, it was reported that this molecule may be produced in high concentrations by several species belonging to the plant kingdom and stored in specialized tissues. In this review, the main information related to the chemistry of melatonin and its metabolism has been summarized. Furthermore, the biosynthetic pathway characteristics of animal and plant cells have been compared, and the main differences between the two systems highlighted. Additionally, in order to investigate the distribution of this indolamine in the plan…
Effect of sodium loading (3% NaCl) on arachidonic acid biosynthesis in rat liver microsomes
1992
Sodium loading increases arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism by way of the prostaglandins(PGs) from series 2. Its effect on AA biosynthesis remains unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of sodium loading on the fatty acid composition of liver and liver microsomes, and the liver microsomal delta-6 and delta-5 desaturations of linoleic acid (LA) into AA. We found a decrease of LA and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) levels in liver total lipids of Wistar rats receiving hypernatriuretic drinking water (NaCl 3%) for 60 days. At the same time AA increased. DGLA decreased and AA increased in liver microsomal total lipids. 1(14) C-LA delta-6 desaturase and 2(14)…
Global translational repression induced by iron deficiency in yeast depends on the Gcn2/eIF2α pathway
2020
Iron is an essential element for all eukaryotic organisms because it participates as a redox active cofactor in a wide range of biological processes, including protein synthesis. Translation is probably the most energy consuming process in cells. Therefore, one of the initial responses of eukaryotic cells to stress or nutrient limitation is the arrest of mRNA translation. In first instance, the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae responds to iron deficiency by activating iron acquisition and remodeling cellular metabolism in order to prioritize essential over non-essential iron-dependent processes. We have determined that, despite a global decrease in transcription, mRNA translation is a…
Cloning and expression of a cDNA copy of the viral K28 killer toxin gene in yeast
1995
The killer toxin K28, secreted by certain killer strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is genetically encoded by a 1.9 kb double-stranded RNA, M-dsRNA (M28), that is present within the cell as a cytoplasmically inherited virus-like particle (VLP). For stable maintenance and replication, M28-VLPs depend on a second dsRNA virus (LA), which has been shown to encode the major capsid protein (cap) and a capsid-polymerase fusion protein (cap-pol) that provides the toxin-coding M-satellites with their transcription and replicase functions. K28 toxin-coding M28-VLPs were isolated, purified and used in vitro for the synthesis of the single-stranded M28 transcript, which was shown to be of pl…
Influence of nitrogen status in wine alcoholic fermentation
2019
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for yeast during alcoholic fermentation. Nitrogen is involved in the biosynthesis of protein, amino acids, nucleotides, and other metabolites, including volatile compounds. However, recent studies have called several mechanisms that regulate its role in biosynthesis into question. An initial focus on S. cerevisiae has highlighted that the concept of "preferred" versus "non-preferred" nitrogen sources is extremely variable and strain-dependent. Then, the direct involvement of amino acids consumed in the formation of proteins and volatile compounds has recently been reevaluated. Indeed, studies have highlighted the key role of lipids in nitrogen regulation in…
Structure and function of the vacuolar Ccc1/VIT1 family of iron transporters and its regulation in fungi
2020
Iron is an essential micronutrient for most living beings since it participates as a redox active cofactor in many biological processes including cellular respiration, lipid biosynthesis, DNA replication and repair, and ribosome biogenesis and recycling. However, when present in excess, iron can participate in Fenton reactions and generate reactive oxygen species that damage cells at the level of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. Organisms have developed different molecular strategies to protect themselves against the harmful effects of high concentrations of iron. In the case of fungi and plants, detoxification mainly occurs by importing cytosolic iron into the vacuole through the Ccc1/V…
Heat shock proteins in three relatedDrosophila species belonging to theobscura group
1993
The effect of heat shock on protein synthesis in three related Drosophila species belonging to the obscura group was analyzed on SDS-acrylamide gels. Four major heat shock proteins (hsps) were found in these species, in which synthesis reaches a maximum at 34 degrees C. Although the higher molecular weight proteins are conserved, differences in size were found for the small hsps in these species. By means of in situ hybridization using D. melanogaster probes for the small hsp genes, it was inferred that the small hsp genes of the obscura group species are clustered at the 27A locus in all three species.
Molecular mechanisms of sorafenib action in liver cancer cells.
2012
Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, recently received FDA approval for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, as the clinical application of sorafenib evolves, there is increasing interest in defining the mechanisms underlying its anti-tumor activity. Considering that this specific inhibitor could target unexpected molecules depending on the biologic context, a precise understanding of its mechanism of action could be critical to maximize its treatment efficacy, while minimizing adverse effects. Two human HCC cell lines (HepG2 and Huh7), carrying different biological and genetic characteristics, were used in this study to examine the intracellular events leading …
Cloning and sequencing of the dnaK region of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)
1993
Abstract The dnaK homologue of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) strain M145 has been cloned and sequenced. Nucleotide sequence analysis of a 2.5-kb region revealed an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a predicted DnaK protein of 618 amino acids (Mr = 66 274). The dnaK coding sequence displays extreme codon bias and shows a strong preference for CGY and GGY, for Arg and Gly codons, respectively. The predicted DnaK sequence has a high Lys:Arg ratio which is not typical of streptomycete proteins. The region immediately downstream from dnaK contains an ORF for a GrpE-like protein; the predicted start codon of grpE overlaps the last two codons of dnaK, indicating that the two genes are translationa…
Influence of the Main Phospholipid (MPL) fromThermoplasma Acidophilumand of Liposomes from MPL on Living Cells: Cytotoxicity and Mutagenicity
1993
AbstractLiposomes of the main phospholipid (MPL) from the archaebacterium Thermplasma acidophilum were investigated for their interference with living cells. Growth of mouse lymphoma cells L5178Y, permanent hamster fibroblasts V79, Ehrlich-mouse-ascites tumor (EMAT) cells and a variety of other celltypes was not influenced by these liposomes. Mutagenicity and antimutagenic efficacy were tested with Salmonella typhimurium TA100 in the “Ames plate-incorporation test”. No cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of liposomes from MPL was detected. The influence of MPL liposomes on ion transport, intracellular pH, electrolytes, membrane potential, energy metabolism, and the biosynthesis of proteins and nu…