Search results for "Guanine"

ANTIPROLIFERATIVE EFFECTS OF GUANINE-BASED PURINES AND IDENTIFICATION OF A CANDIDATE RECEPTOR

2007

Human DNA Telomeres in Presence of Oxidative Lesions: The Crucial Role of Electrostatic Interactions on the Stability of Guanine Quadruplexes

2019

By using all atom molecular dynamics simulations, we studied the behavior of human DNA telomere sequences in guanine quadruplex (G4) conformation and in the presence of oxidative lesions, namely abasic sites. In particular, we evidenced that while removing one guanine base induces a significant alteration and destabilization of the involved leaflet, human telomere oligomers tend, in most cases, to maintain at least a partial quadruplex structure, eventually by replacing the empty site with undamaged guanines of different leaflets. This study shows that (i) the disruption of the quadruplex leaflets induces the release of at least one of the potassium cations embedded in the quadruplex channe…

Silencing of C3G increases cardiomyocyte survival inhibition and apoptosis via regulation of p-ERK1/2 and Bax

2019

Experimental studies have shown that overexpression of Rap guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (C3G) plays pro‐survival and anti‐apoptotic roles through molecule phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase1/2 (p‐ERK1/2) in cardiomyocytes. However, it is still unclear if silencing of C3G may increase cell survival inhibition and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes, and whether C3G silence induced injuries are reduced by the overexpression of C3G through regulation of p‐ERK1/2 and pro‐apoptotic molecule Bax. In this study, the rat‐derived H9C2 cardiomyocytes were infected with C3G small hairpin RNA interference recombinant lentiviruses, which silenced the endogenous C3G expression in the ca…

Tiam1 as a Signaling Mediator of Nerve Growth Factor-Dependent Neurite Outgrowth

2010

Nerve Growth Factor (NGF)-induced neuronal differentiation requires the activation of members of the Rho family of small GTPases. However, the molecular mechanisms through which NGF regulates cytoskeletal changes and neurite outgrowth are not totally understood. In this work, we identify the Rac1-specific guanine exchange factor (GEF) Tiam1 as a novel mediator of NGF/TrkA-dependent neurite elongation. In particular, we report that knockdown of Tiam1 causes a significant reduction in Rac1 activity and neurite outgrowth induced by NGF. Physical interaction between Tiam1 and active Ras (Ras- GTP), but not tyrosine phosphorylation of Tiam1, plays a central role in Rac1 activation by NGF. In add…

Rho GTPases are over-expressed in human tumors.

1999

Small GTPases of the Rho family are involved in the regulation of a variety of cellular processes, such as the organization of the microfilamental network, cell-cell contact and malignant transformation. To address the question of whether Rho proteins are involved in carcinogenesis in man, we compared their expression in tumors from colon, breast and lung with that of the corresponding normal tissue originating from the same patient. As shown by Rho-specific 32P-ADP-ribosylation, as well as Western-blot analysis, the amount of RhoA protein was largely increased in all 3 types of tumors tested. The most dramatic differences in the expression of Rho GTPases were observed in breast tissue. All…

Understanding the Interactions of Guanine Quadruplexes with Peptides as Novel Strategies for Diagnosis or Tuning Biological Functions

2023

Guanine quadruplexes (G4s) are nucleic acid structures exhibiting a complex structural behavior and exerting crucial biological functions, in both cells and viruses. The specific interactions of peptides with G4s, as well as the understanding of the factors driving the specific recognition, are important for the rational design of both therapeutic and diagnostic agents. In the present minireview, we examine the most important studies dealing with the interactions between G4s and peptides, highlighting the strengths and limitations of the present analytic approaches. We also show how the combined use of high-level molecular simulation techniques and experimental spectroscopy represents the b…