Search results for "Cell Membrane"
showing 10 items of 635 documents
Rbt1 Protein Domains Analysis in Candida albicans Brings Insights into Hyphal Surface Modifications and Rbt1 Potential Role during Adhesion and Biofi…
2013
Cell wall proteins are central to the virulence of Candida albicans. Hwp1, Hwp2 and Rbt1 form a family of hypha-associated cell surface proteins. Hwp1 and Hwp2 have been involved in adhesion and other virulence traits but Rbt1 is still poorly characterized. To assess the role of Rbt1 in the interaction of C. albicans with biotic and abiotic surfaces independently of its morphological state, heterologous expression and promoter swap strategies were applied. The N-terminal domain with features typical of the Flo11 superfamily was found to be essential for adhesiveness to polystyrene through an increase in cell surface hydrophobicity. A 42 amino acid-long domain localized in the central part o…
Amyloid beta-peptide aggregation and interaction with yeast cells membranes
2017
Protein misfolding, aggregation and conversation...
Chaperonopathies and chaperonotherapy. Hsp60 as therapeutic target in cancer: potential benefits and risks.
2013
In this minireview we focus on Hsp60 as a target for anticancer therapy. We discuss the new concepts of chaperonopathies and chaperonotherapy and present information on Hsp60 localization in the cell membrane of human tumor cells. We describe novel mechanisms for Hsp60 reaching the extracellular environment that involve membrane-associated stages, as well as data on anti-Hsp60 antibodies found in human sera, both in normal subjects and patients affected by autoimmune diseases. Finally, we discuss possible therapeutic applications of anti-Hsp60 antibodies in cancer treatment, evaluating also side effects on non-tumor cells. In conclusion, the way for investigating Hsp60-targeted anti-tumor t…
Clustering transmembrane-agrin induces filopodia-like processes on axons and dendrites
2005
The transmembrane form of agrin (TM-agrin) is primarily expressed in the CNS, particularly on neurites. To analyze its function, we clustered TM-agrin on neurons using anti-agrin antibodies. On axons from the chick CNS and PNS as well as on axons and dendrites from mouse hippocampal neurons anti-agrin antibodies induced the dose- and time-dependent formation of numerous filopodia-like processes. The processes appeared within minutes after antibody addition and contained a complex cytoskeleton. Formation of processes required calcium, could be inhibited by cytochalasine D, but was not influenced by staurosporine, heparin or pervanadate. Time-lapse video microscopy revealed that the processes…
Mechanism of lipid-body formation in prokaryotes: how bacteria fatten up
2004
Neutral lipid accumulation is frequently observed in some Gram-negative prokaryotes like Acinetobacter sp. and most actinomycetes, including the pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis and antibiotic producing streptomycetes. We examined the formation of wax ester- and triacylglycerol (TAG)-bodies in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Rhodococcus opacus using microscopic, immunological and biophysical methods. A general model for prokaryotic lipid-body formation is proposed, clearly differing from the current models for the formation of lipid inclusions in eukaryotes and of poly(hydroxyalkanoic acid) (PHA) inclusions in prokaryotes. Formation of lipid-bodies starts with the docking of wax ester …
Hsp60 from cancer cells can reach near and distant targets: A proposal for a multistage pathway
2011
Cancer cells have means to influence other cells in their vicinity and distant, and in this signal-delivering mechanisms the chaperonin Hsp60 plays a role, which is currently being recognized as potentially crucial for the growth and dissemination of at least certain types of tumors. In order to arrive at its destination, Hsp60, a typical resident of mitochondria in normal and tumor cells, leaves the organelle and reaches the blood. In the latter, Hsp60 can travel and arrive at targets situated far away from its origin. The details of the route followed by Hsp60 and their molecular mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. We investigated Hsp60 levels and secretion in normal and tumor …
Evidence for essential primary amino groups in a bacterial coupling factor F1ATPase.
1980
Abstract We have found that the binding of pyridoxal-5′-phosphate to 6 primary amino groups leads to the inactivation of the enzyme. A preferential reaction of pyridoxal-5′-phosphate with the α-subunits of this enzyme can be demonstrated. The reactivity of the amino groups is influenced by various effectors. In the presence of ATP the inhibition of the ATPase activity is noncompetitive.
Loss of Contact-Dependent Inhibition of Growth in Chemically Transformed Fibroblasts
1988
The plasma membrane has been recognized as an important regulatory unit of mammalian cells during determination, differentiation, and social behaviour of individual cells within various tissues (1–4). On the molecular level, plasma membrane glycoproteins and glycolipids have been shown to be involved in these processes (1–4). Density-dependent growth of non-transformed cells in vitro has been proposed to be regulated by secreted inhibitory compounds (5–7), by the cell’s shape (8) or by diffusion boundary layers (9). On the other hand, specific cell-cell interactions via cell membrane molecules were found to be of great importance for the contact-dependent inhibition of growth (10–16) and co…
Alteration in membrane fluidity and lipid composition, and modulation of H(+)-ATPase activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae caused by decanoic acid.
1996
Decanoic acid, a lipophilic agent, inhibited in vitro the plasma membrane H+-ATPase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in YPD medium. Conversely, when decanoic acid (35 μM) was present in the growth medium, the measured H+-ATPase activity was four times higher than that of control cells. K m, and pH and orthovanadate sensitivity were the same for the two growth conditions, which indicated that H+-ATPase activation was not due to conformational changes in the enzyme. The activation process was not entirely reversible which showed that plasma membrane H+-ATPase activation is due to several mechanisms. 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene anisotropy performed on protoplasts from cells grown in YPD rev…
How to Bridge the Gap Between Membrane Biology and Polymer Science
1986
Can polymer chemists contribute to the understanding or even mimicking of cell membrane functions and cell-cell interactions? Fascinated by the specificity and efficiency of, for example, the destruction of tumor cells by lymphocytes (1) and having in mind what biochemical analyses tell us about membrane composition, we may try to “synthesize” membrane and cell models. The commonly used model systems, such as planar lipid monolayers at the gas-water interface, bimolecular lipid membranes and spherical liposomes, are much less stable than natural membrane systems (Figure 1).