Search results for "Intracellular"
showing 10 items of 821 documents
Blattabacteria, the endosymbionts of cockroaches, have small genome sizes and high genome copy numbers.
2008
Summary Blattabacteria are intracellular endosymbionts of cockroaches and primitive termites that belong to the class Flavobacteria and live only in specialized cells in the abdominal fat body of their hosts. In the present study we determined genome sizes as well as genome copy numbers for the endosymbionts of three cockroach species, Blattella germanica, Periplaneta americana and Blatta orientalis. The sole presence of blattabacteria in the fat body was demonstrated by rRNA-targeting techniques. The genome sizes of the three blattabacteria were determined by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. The resulting total genome sizes for the three symbionts were all approximately 650 15 kb. Compari…
The Chaperone Activity of Clusterin is Dependent on Glycosylation and Redox Environment
2014
Background/Aims: Clusterin (CLU), also known as Apolipoprotein J (ApoJ) is a highly glycosylated extracellular chaperone. In humans it is expressed from a broad spectrum of tissues and related to a plethora of physiological and pathophysiological processes, such as Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis and cancer. In its dominant form it is expressed as a secretory protein (secreted CLU, sCLU). During its maturation, the sCLU-precursor is N-glycosylated and cleaved into an α- and a β-chain, which are connected by five symmetrical disulfide bonds. Recently, it has been demonstrated that besides the predominant sCLU, rare intracellular CLU forms are expressed in stressed cells. Since these for…
Experimental indication in favor of the introns-late theory: the receptor tyrosine kinase gene from the sponge Geodia cydonium.
1997
Abstract We have analyzed the gene that encodes receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) from the marine sponge Geodia cydonium, which belongs to the most ancient and simple metazoan groups, the Porifera. RTKs are enzymes found only in metazoa. The sponge gene contains two introns in the extracellular part of the protein. However, the rest of the protein (transmembrane and intracellular part), including the tyrosine kinase (TK)-domain, is encoded by a single exon. In contrast, all TK genes, so far known only from higher animals (vertebrates), contain several introns especially in the TK-domain. The TK-domain of G. cydonium shows similarity with numerous members of receptor as well as nonreceptor TKs.…
Overexpression and functional characterization of kinin receptors reveal subtype-specific phosphorylation.
1999
G protein-coupled receptors such as the receptors for bradykinin are present in low copy numbers in most natural cells. To overcome the problems associated with the analysis of these receptors at the protein level, we used highly efficient expression systems such as the baculovirus/insect cell system. However, the structural and functional statuses of recombinant receptors have often remained elusive. We have expressed the two types of human kinin receptors, B1 and B2, in Sf9 cells. Both receptors are found on the surface of infected cells where they display the same pharmacological profiles as their cognate receptors of native cells. The functional analysis of kinin receptors coupled to th…
Cloning and expression of new receptors belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily from the marine sponge Geodia cydonium
1999
A cDNA encoding a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) was previously cloned and expressed from the marine sponge (Porifera) Geodia cydonium. In addition to the two intracellular regions characteristic for RTKs, two immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains are found in the extracellular part of the sponge RTK. In the present study it is shown that no further Ig-like domain is present in the upstream region of the cDNA as well as of the gene hitherto known from the sponge RTK. Two different full-length cDNAs have been isolated and characterized in the present study, which possess two Ig-like domains, one transmembrane segment, and only a short intracellular part, without a TK domain. The two deduced polyp…
Coincident glutamatergic depolarizations enhance GABAA receptor-dependent Cl- influx in mature and suppress Cl- efflux in immature neurons.
2021
The impact of GABAergic transmission on neuronal excitability depends on the Cl--gradient across membranes. However, the Cl--fluxes through GABAA receptors alter the intracellular Cl- concentration ([Cl-]i) and in turn attenuate GABAergic responses, a process termed ionic plasticity. Recently it has been shown that coincident glutamatergic inputs significantly affect ionic plasticity. Yet how the [Cl-]i changes depend on the properties of glutamatergic inputs and their spatiotemporal relation to GABAergic stimuli is unknown. To investigate this issue, we used compartmental biophysical models of Cl- dynamics simulating either a simple ball-and-stick topology or a reconstructed CA3 neuron. Th…
Small Nitrogenous Compounds
1994
Because of the constant turnover of proteins, protein-bound and free amino acids exist in a dynamic equilibrium. The intracellular pool of free amino acids, which is replenished by the hydrolysis of existing proteins, by uptake from the intercellular space and by de novo synthesis, is available for protein synthesis and for the many other metabolic processes dependent upon amino acids. The concentration of free amino acids is always lower than that of the protein-bound residues, one limiting factor being the strong osmotic effects of such low molecular weight compounds. Thus, there is no specific amino acid store in an organism; it is more the case that enzymes and structural proteins thems…
From the covalent linkage of drugs to novel inhibitors of ribonucleotide reductase: synthesis and biological evaluation of valproic esters of 3'-C-me…
2014
We synthesized a series of serum-stable covalently linked drugs derived from 3'-C-methyladenosine (3'-Me-Ado) and valproic acid (VPA), which are ribonucleotide reductase (RR) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, respectively. While the combination of free VPA and 3'-Me-Ado resulted in a clear synergistic apoptotic effect, the conjugates had lost their HDAC inhibitory effect as well as the corresponding apoptotic activity. Two of the analogs, 2',5'-bis-O-valproyl-3'-C-methyladenosine (A160) and 5'-O-valproyl-3'-C-methyladenosine (A167), showed promising cytotoxic activities against human hematological and solid cancer cell lines. A167 was less potent than A160 but had interesting featu…
Extracellular site of action of phenylalkylamines on L-type calcium current in rat ventricular myocytes.
1995
The effects of the phenylalkylamines verapamil, gallopamil, and devapamil on L-type calcium currents (ICa) were studied in ventricular myocytes from rat hearts using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. In particular, the question was addressed, whether the pharmacological binding sites for these drugs were located at the inner and/or at the outer surface of the cell membrane. Therefore, tertiary verapamil, gallopamil, and devapamil and their corresponding quaternary derivatives were applied either from the outside or the inside of the cell membrane. Extracellular application of verapamil, gallopamil and devapamil (each at 3 microM) reduced ICa to 16.1 +/- 8.6%, 11 +/- 8.9%, and 9.3 +/- 6%…
Hyaluronic acid and its derivatives in drug delivery and imaging: Recent advances and challenges.
2015
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a biodegradable, biocompatible, nontoxic, and non-immunogenic glycosaminoglycan used for various biomedical applications. The interaction of HA with the CD44 receptor, whose expression is elevated on the surface of many types of tumor cells, makes this polymer a promising candidate for intracellular delivery of imaging and anticancer agents exploiting a receptor-mediated active targeting strategy. Therefore, HA and its derivatives have been most investigated for the development of several carrier systems intended for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Nonetheless, different and important delivery applications of the polysaccharide have also been described, including gene …