Search results for "Multiprotein complex"
showing 10 items of 42 documents
Lipoprotein-induced phenoloxidase-activity in tarantula hemocyanin.
2015
Phenoloxidases play vital roles in invertebrate innate immune reactions, wound closure and sclerotization processes in arthropods. In chelicerates, where phenoloxidases are lacking, phenoloxidase-activity can be induced in the oxygen carrier hemocyanin in vitro by proteolytic cleavage, incubation with the artificial inducer SDS, or lipids. The role of protein-protein interaction has up to now received little attention. This is remarkable, as lipoproteins - complexes of proteins and lipids - are present at high concentrations in arthropod hemolymph. We characterized the three lipoproteins present in tarantula hemolymph, two high-density lipoproteins and one very high-density lipoprotein, and…
Kinetics of Insulin Aggregation: Disentanglement of Amyloid Fibrillation from Large-Size Cluster Formation
2006
Kinetics of human insulin aggregation has been studied at pH 1.6 and 60 degrees C, when amyloid fibrils are formed. We developed a novel approach based on the analysis of scattered light intensity distribution, which allows distinguishing between small and large size aggregates. By this method, we observed an exponential growth of fibrillar aggregates implying a heterogeneous aggregation mechanism. Also, the apparent lag time observed, correlated with the major increase of thioflavin T fluorescence, has been assigned to the onset of large size cluster formation.
The landscape of epilepsy-related GATOR1 variants
2019
Purpose:\ud \ud To define the phenotypic and mutational spectrum of epilepsies related to DEPDC5, NPRL2 and NPRL3 genes encoding the GATOR1 complex, a negative regulator of the mTORC1 pathway.\ud \ud Methods:\ud \ud We analyzed clinical and genetic data of 73 novel probands (familial and sporadic) with epilepsy-related variants in GATOR1-encoding genes and proposed new guidelines for clinical interpretation of GATOR1 variants.\ud \ud Results:\ud \ud The GATOR1 seizure phenotype consisted mostly in focal seizures (e.g., hypermotor or frontal lobe seizures in 50%), with a mean age at onset of 4.4 years, often sleep-related and drug-resistant (54%), and associated with focal cortical dysplasia…
Dense Bodies of a gH/gL/UL128/UL130/UL131 Pentamer-Repaired Towne Strain of Human Cytomegalovirus Induce an Enhanced Neutralizing Antibody Response
2019
The development of a vaccine against human cytomegalovirus infection (HCMV) is a high-priority medical goal. The viral pentameric protein complex consisting of glycoprotein H (gH)/gL/UL128-131A (PC) is considered to be an important vaccine component. Its relevance to the induction of a protective antibody response is, however, still a matter of debate. We addressed this issue by using subviral dense bodies (DBs) of HCMV. DBs are exceptionally immunogenic. Laboratory HCMV strain DBs harbor important neutralizing antibody targets, like the glycoproteins B, H, L, M, and N, but they are devoid of the PC. To be able to directly compare the impact of the PC on the levels of neutralizing antibody …
Muscle protein synthesis, mTORC1/MAPK/Hippo signaling, and capillary density are altered by blocking of myostatin and activins
2012
Loss of muscle mass and function occurs in various diseases. Myostatin blocking can attenuate muscle loss, but downstream signaling is not well known. Therefore, to elucidate associated signaling pathways, we used the soluble activin receptor IIb (sActRIIB-Fc) to block myostatin and activins in mice. Within 2 wk, the treatment rapidly increased muscle size as expected but decreased capillary density per area. sActRIIB-Fc increased muscle protein synthesis 1–2 days after the treatment correlating with enhanced mTORC1 signaling (phosphorylated rpS6 and S6K1, r = 0.8). Concurrently, increased REDD1 and eIF2Bε protein contents and phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 and AMPK was observed. In contrast, pr…
DNA origami as a nanoscale template for protein assembly
2009
We describe two general approaches to the utilization of DNA origami structures for the assembly of materials. In one approach, DNA origami is used as a prefabricated template for subsequent assembly of materials. In the other, materials are assembled simultaneously with the DNA origami, i.e. the DNA origami technique is used to drive the assembly of materials. Fabrication of complex protein structures is demonstrated by these two approaches. The latter approach has the potential to be extended to the assembly of multiple materials with single attachment chemistry.
Peptides Derived from Apoptotic Bax and Bid Reproduce the Poration Activity of the Parent Full-Length Proteins
2005
Bax and Bid are proapoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family that regulate the release of apoptogenic factors from mitochondria. Although they localize constitutively in the cytoplasm, their apoptotic function is exerted at the mitochondrial outer membrane, and is related to their ability to form transbilayer pores. Here we report the poration activity of fragments from these two proteins, containing the first alpha-helix of a colicinlike hydrophobic hairpin (alpha-helix 5 of Bax and alpha-helix 6 of Bid). Both peptides readily bind to synthetic lipid vesicles, where they adopt predominantly alpha-helical structures and induce the release of entrapped calcein. In planar lipid membranes they fo…
A Quantum Mechanic/Molecular Mechanic Study of the Wild-Type and N155S Mutant HIV-1 Integrase Complexed with Diketo Acid
2008
Integrase (IN) is one of the three human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) enzymes essential for effective viral replication. Recently, mutation studies have been reported that have shown that a certain degree of viral resistance to diketo acids (DKAs) appears when some amino acid residues of the IN active site are mutated. Mutations represent a fascinating experimental challenge, and we invite theoretical simulations for the disclosure of still unexplored features of enzyme reactions. The aim of this work is to understand the molecular mechanisms of HIV-1 IN drug resistance, which will be useful for designing anti-HIV inhibitors with unique resistance profiles. In this study, we use mo…
ProteoPlex: stability optimization of macromolecular complexes by sparse-matrix screening of chemical space.
2015
Molecular machines or macromolecular complexes are supramolecular assemblies of biomolecules that ensure cellular homeostasis. Structure determination of those complexes in a purified state is often a tedious undertaking due to the compositional complexity and the related relative structural instability. To improve the stability of macromolecular complexes in vitro, we present here a generic method that optimizes the stability, homogeneity and solubility of macromolecular complexes by sparse-matrix screening of their thermal unfolding behaviour in the presence of various buffers and small molecules. The method includes the automated analysis of thermal unfolding curves based on a newly deve…
β2 integrin phosphorylation on Thr758 acts as a molecular switch to regulate 14-3-3 and filamin binding
2008
AbstractLeukocyte integrins of the β2 family are essential for immune cell-cell adhesion. In activated cells, β2 integrins are phosphorylated on the cytoplasmic Thr758, leading to 14-3-3 protein recruitment to the β2 integrin. The mutation of this phosphorylation site impairs cell adhesion, actin reorganization, and cell spreading. Thr758 is contained in a Thr triplet of β2 that also mediates binding to filamin. Here, we investigated the binding of filamin, talin, and 14-3-3 proteins to phosphorylated and unphosphorylated β2 integrins by biochemical methods and x-ray crystallography. 14-3-3 proteins bound only to the phosphorylated integrin cytoplasmic peptide, with a high affinity (Kd, 261…