Search results for "PROTEINS"

Molecular Mechanisms of the Blockage of Glioblastoma Motility

2021

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal brain tumor. GBM has a remarkable degree of motility and is able to infiltrate the healthy brain. In order to perform a rationale-based drug-repositioning study, we have used known inhibitors of two small Rho GTPases, Rac1 and Cdc42, which are upregulated in GBM and are involved in the signaling processes underlying the orchestration of the cytoskeleton and cellular motility. The selected inhibitors (R-ketorolac and ML141 for Cdc42 and R-ketorolac and EHT 1864 for Rac1) have been successfully employed to reduce the infiltration propensity of GBM in live cell imaging studies. Complementarily, all-atom simulations have elucidated the molecular …

Proteins in Ionic Liquids: Reactions, Applications, and Futures

2019

Biopolymer processing and handling is greatly facilitated by the use of ionic liquids, given the increased solubility, and in some cases, structural stability imparted to these molecules. Focussing on proteins, we highlight here not just the key drivers behind protein-ionic liquid interactions that facilitate these functionalities, but address relevant current and potential applications of protein-ionic liquid interactions, including areas of future interest.

The genome sequence of Blochmannia floridanus: Comparative analysis of reduced genomes

2003

Bacterial symbioses are widespread among insects, probably being one of the key factors of their evolutionary success. We present the complete genome sequence of Blochmannia floridanus , the primary endosymbiont of carpenter ants. Although these ants feed on a complex diet, this symbiosis very likely has a nutritional basis: Blochmannia is able to supply nitrogen and sulfur compounds to the host while it takes advantage of the host metabolic machinery. Remarkably, these bacteria lack all known genes involved in replication initiation ( dna A, pri A, and rec A). The phylogenetic analysis of a set of conserved protein-coding genes shows that Bl. floridanus is phylogenetically related to Buch…

Increased plasma resistin concentrations are associated with atherogenic small, dense low-density lipoproteins in patients with type-2 diabetes

2010

Photoinduced lethal and sublethal toxicity of retene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon derived from resin acid, to coregonid larvae

2004

A comparative investigation on the acute phototoxicity of retene to vendace (Coregonus albula) and whitefish (C. lavaretus), both having pelagial larvae in spring, was conducted. To test the concept of early warning of sublethal biomarkers in relation to lethality to posthatch stages, we examined the effects of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) and retene on the levels of cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) by exposing the animals to elevated levels of these factors for 48 and 72 h, respectively. Whereas UV-B and retene on their own were not lethal, simultaneous retene and UV-B exposure caused very high mortality to both species. The median lethal concentration (LC50; i.e., the c…

Dietary fatty acids in the retina: beyond DHA, is EPA the underestimate intermediate?

2016

Dietary fatty acids in the retina: beyond DHA, is EPA the underestimate intermediate?. 12. congress of the international society for the study of fatty acids and lipids

Low levels of both xanthine dehydrogenase and of cellular retinol binding protein are responsible for retinoic acid deficiency in malignant human mam…

2009

The seeming impairment of retinoid metabolism in human breast tumor cells has been attributed to the lower expression of cellular retinol binding proteins (CRBPs), of alcohol/retinol dehydrogenases, or aldehyde/retinaldehyde dehydrogenases. In a previous study we indicated that xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) is able to oxidize actively both all-trans-retinol (t-ROL) bound to the CRBP (holo-CRBP) and all-trans-retinaldehyde (t-RAL) to all-trans-retinoic acid (t-RA) in human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC). Since both XDH and CRBP are required for the biosynthesis of t-RA, we have inspected their bioavailability in both estrogen-responsive and nonresponsive human mammary epithelial cancer cells…

Rho GTPases Are Involved in the Regulation of NF-κB by Genotoxic Stress

2001

A common cellular response to genotoxic agents and inflammatory cytokines is the activation of NF-kappaB. Here, we addressed the question of whether small GTPases of the Rho family are involved in the stimulation of NF-kappaB signaling by genotoxic agents or TNFalpha in HeLa cells. Inhibition of isoprenylation of Rho proteins by use of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin attenuated UV-, doxorubicin-, and TNFalpha-induced degradation of IkappaBalpha as well as drug-stimulated DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB. Furthermore, NF-kappaB-regulated gene expression stimulated by either UV irradiation or treatment with TNFalpha was abrogated by lovastatin pretreatment. This indicates that iso…

Cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 2 produced by virulent Escherichia coli modifies the small GTP-binding proteins Rho involved in assembly of actin s…

1994

Cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 2 (CNF2) produced by Escherichia coli strains isolated from intestinal and extraintestinal infections is a dermonecrotic toxin of 110 kDa. We cloned the CNF2 gene from a large plasmid carried by an Escherichia coli strain isolated from a lamb with septicemia. Hydropathy analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence revealed a largely hydrophilic protein with two potential hydrophobic transmembrane domains. The N-terminal half of CNF2 showed striking homology (27% identity and 80% conserved residues) to the N-terminal portion of Pasteurella multocida toxin. Methylamine protection experiments and immunofluorescence studies suggested that CNF2 enters the cytosol…

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) as anticancer drugs (Review)

2005

Apart from their lipid lowering activity, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) impair numerous cellular functions associated with metastasis, e.g. gene expression, angiogenesis, cell adhesion, cell motility and invasiveness. Furthermore, statins have impact on apoptotic cell death and modulate cellular susceptibility to cell killing by anticancer drugs and ionizing radiation. Part of the effects provoked by statins are due to the inhibition of the prenylation of low molecular weight GTPases, in particular Ras and Rho, which play key roles in signaling evoked by stimulation of cell surface receptors. C-terminal lipid modification of Ras/Rho GTPases is essential for their correct intracellu…