Search results for "Glycobiology"
showing 10 items of 15 documents
ABO blood group A transferase and its codon 69 substitution enzymes synthesize FORS1 antigen of FORS blood group system
2019
AbstractHuman histo-blood group A transferase (AT) catalyzes the biosynthesis of oligosaccharide A antigen important in blood transfusion and cell/tissue/organ transplantation. This enzyme may synthesize Forssman antigen (FORS1) of the FORS blood group system when exon 3 or 4 of the AT mRNA is deleted and/or the LeuGlyGly tripeptide at codons 266–268 of AT is replaced by GlyGlyAla. The Met69Ser/Thr substitutions also confer weak Forssman glycolipid synthase (FS) activity. In this study, we prepared the human AT derivative constructs containing any of the 20 amino acids at codon 69 with and without the GlyGlyAla substitution, transfected DNA to newly generated COS1(B3GALNT1 + A4GALT) cells e…
Genetic Diversity of O-Antigens in Hafnia alvei and the Development of a Suspension Array for Serotype Detection.
2016
Hafnia alvei is a facultative and rod-shaped gram-negative bacterium that belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Although it has been more than 50 years since the genus was identified, very little is known about variations among Hafnia species. Diversity in O-antigens (O-polysaccharide, OPS) is thought to be a major factor in bacterial adaptation to different hosts and situations and variability in the environment. Antigenic variation is also an important factor in pathogenicity that has been used to define clones within a number of species. The genes that are required to synthesize OPS are always clustered within the bacterial chromosome. A serotyping scheme including 39 O-serotypes has…
The interactions between host glycobiology, bacterial microbiota, and viruses in the gut
2018
Rotavirus (RV) and norovirus (NoV) are the major etiological agents of viral acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Host genetic factors, the histo-blood group antigens (HBGA), are associated with RV and NoV susceptibility and recent findings additionally point to HBGA as a factor modulating the intestinal microbial composition. In vitro and in vivo experiments in animal models established that the microbiota enhances RV and NoV infection, uncovering a triangular interplay between RV and NoV, host glycobiology, and the intestinal microbiota that ultimately influences viral infectivity. Studies on the microbiota composition in individuals displaying different RV and NoV susceptibilities allowed th…
Genetic abrogation of the fibronectin-α5β1 integrin interaction in articular cartilage aggravates osteoarthritis in mice.
2018
The balance between synthesis and degradation of the cartilage extracellular matrix is severely altered in osteoarthritis, where degradation predominates. One reason for this imbalance is believed to be due to the ligation of the α5β1 integrin, the classic fibronectin (FN) receptor, with soluble FN fragments instead of insoluble FN fibrils, which induces matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression. Our objective was to determine whether the lack of α5β1-FN binding influences cartilage morphogenesis in vivo and whether non-ligated α5β1 protects or aggravates the course of osteoarthritis in mice. We engineered mice (Col2a-Cre;Fn1RGE/fl), whose chondrocytes express an α5β1 binding-deficient FN, …
Gray Matter NG2 Cells Display Multiple Ca2+-Signaling Pathways and Highly Motile Processes
2011
NG2 cells, the fourth type of glia in the mammalian CNS, receive synaptic input from neurons. The function of this innervation is unknown yet. Postsynaptic changes in intracellular Ca(2+)-concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) might be a possible consequence. We employed transgenic mice with fluorescently labeled NG2 cells to address this issue. To identify Ca(2+)-signaling pathways we combined patch-clamp recordings, Ca(2+)-imaging, mRNA-transcript analysis and focal pressure-application of various substances to identified NG2-cells in acute hippocampal slices. We show that activation of voltage-gated Ca(2+)-channels, Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA-receptors, and group I metabotropic glutamate-receptors provo…
Modulation of the growth and metabolic response of cyanobacteria by the multifaceted activity of naringenin
2017
The interactions between the plant-derived bioflavonoid, naringenin, and prokaryotic microalgae representatives (cyanobacteria), were investigated with respect to its influence on the growth and metabolic response of these microorganisms. To achieve reliable results, the growth of cyanobacteria was determined based on measurements of chlorophyll content, morphological changes were assessed through microscopic observations, and the chemical response of cells was determined using liquid and gas chromatography (HPLC; GC-FID). The results show that micromolar levels of naringenin stimulated the growth of cyanobacteria. Increased growth was observed for halophilic strains at naringenin concentra…
In Candida parapsilosis the ATC1 Gene Encodes for an Acid Trehalase Involved in Trehalose Hydrolysis, Stress Resistance and Virulence
2014
An ORF named CPAR2-208980 on contig 005809 was identified by screening a Candida parapsilosis genome data base. Its 67% identity with the acid trehalase sequence from C. albicans (ATC1) led us to designate it CpATC1. Homozygous mutants that lack acid trehalase activity were constructed by gene disruption at the two CpATC1 chromosomal alleles. Phenotypic characterization showed that atc1Δ null cells were unable to grow on exogenous trehalose as carbon source, and also displayed higher resistance to environmental challenges, such as saline exposure (1.2 M NaCl), heat shock (42°C) and both mild and severe oxidative stress (5 and 50 mM H2O2). Significant amounts of intracellular trehalose were …
Role of the Netrin-like Domain of Procollagen C-Proteinase Enhancer-1 in the Control of Metalloproteinase Activity
2010
The netrin-like (NTR) domain is a feature of several extracellular proteins, most notably the N-terminal domain of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), where it functions as a strong inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases and some other members of the metzincin superfamily. The presence of a C-terminal NTR domain in procollagen C-proteinase enhancers (PCPEs), proteins that stimulate the activity of astacin-like tolloid proteinases, raises the possibility that this might also have inhibitory activity. Here we show that both long and short forms of the PCPE-1 NTR domain, the latter beginning at the N-terminal cysteine known to be critical for TIMP activity, show no inhibition, at …
Differences between the Glycosylation Patterns of Haptoglobin Isolated from Skin Scales and Plasma of Psoriatic Patients
2012
Improved diagnosis of psoriasis, by new biomarkers, is required for evaluating the progression rate of the disease and the response to treatment. Haptoglobin (Hpt), a glycoprotein secreted by hepatocytes and other types of cells including keratinocytes, was found with glycan changes in psoriasis and other diseases. We previously reported that Hpt isolated from plasma of psoriatic patients is more fucosylated than Hpt of healthy subjects. The aim of this study was to compare the glycosylation pattern of Hpt isolated from skin scales or plasma of patients with psoriasis with that of Hpt from cornified epidermal layer or plasma of healthy subjects. High performance liquid chromatography analys…
Perlecan Maintains microvessel integrity in vivo and modulates their formation in vitro
2012
Perlecan is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan assembled into the vascular basement membranes (BMs) during vasculogenesis. In the present study we have investigated vessel formation in mice, teratomas and embryoid bodies (EBs) in the absence of perlecan. We found that perlecan was dispensable for blood vessel formation and maturation until embryonic day (E) 12.5. At later stages of development 40% of mutant embryos showed dilated microvessels in brain and skin, which ruptured and led to severe bleedings. Surprisingly, teratomas derived from perlecan-null ES cells showed efficient contribution of perlecan-deficient endothelial cells to an apparently normal tumor vasculature. However, in perlecan…