Search results for "binding site"
showing 10 items of 856 documents
Evidence that clustered phosphocholine head groups serve as sites for binding and assembly of an oligomeric protein pore.
2006
High susceptibility of rabbit erythrocytes toward the pore-forming action of staphylococcal alpha-toxin correlates with the presence of saturable, high affinity binding sites. All efforts to identify a protein or glycolipid receptor have failed, and the fact that liposomes composed solely of phosphatidylcholine are efficiently permeabilized adds to the enigma. A novel concept is advanced here to explain the puzzle. We propose that low affinity binding moieties can assume the role of high affinity binding sites due to their spatial arrangement in the membrane. Evidence is presented that phosphocholine head groups of sphingomyelin, clustered in sphingomyelin-cholesterol microdomains, serve th…
Role of β1H for the binding of C3b-coated particles to human lymphoid and phagocytic cells
1981
Coating of EAC14oxy23b with highly purified human serum beta 1H globulin (beta 1H) led to acceleration of rosette formation with human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), tonsil lymphocytes, B lymphoblastoid (Raji) cells, granulocytes and monocytes. This reaction was discernible from C3bi-dependent rosette formation. Enhancement of rosette formation of C3b cells by beta 1H was most effective at limiting amounts of C3 per EAC14oxy23b. The beta 1H effect was not due to trace contamination with C3b inactivator. beta 1H-dependent rosette formation with the various lymphoid and phagocytic cells could be suppressed by the F(ab')2 fragment of anti-beta 1H suggesting beta 1H-mediated binding of bet…
Ligand-Binding Cooperativity Effects in Polymer-Protein Conjugation.
2019
We present an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic characterization of structural and dynamic effects that stem from post-translational modifications of bovine serum albumin (BSA), an established model system for polymer-protein conjugation. Beyond the typical drug delivery and biocompatibility aspect of such systems, we illustrate the causes that alter internal dynamics and therefore functionality in terms of ligand-binding to the BSA protein core. Uptake of the paramagnetic fatty acid derivative 16-doxyl stearic acid by several BSA-based squaric acid macroinitiators and polymer-protein conjugates was studied by EPR spectroscopy, aided by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and z…
Analyses of Cry1Ab binding in resistant and susceptible strains of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).
2006
ABSTRACT Cry1Ab toxin binding analysis was performed to determine whether resistance in laboratory-selected Ostrinia nubilalis strains is associated with target site alteration. Brush border membrane vesicles were prepared using dissected midguts from late instars of susceptible and resistant strains (Europe-R and RSTT) of O. nubilalis . Immunoblot analysis indicated that three different proteins bound to Cry1Ab toxin and were recognized by an anticadherin serum. In a comparison of resistant and susceptible strains, reduced Cry1Ab binding was apparent for all three bands corresponding to cadherin-like proteins in the Europe-R strain, while reduced binding was apparent in only one band for t…
Non-syndromic Mitral Valve Dysplasia Mutation Changes the Force Resilience and Interaction of Human Filamin A
2018
International audience; Filamin A (FLNa), expressed in endocardial endothelia during fetal valve morphogenesis, is key in cardiac development. Missense mutations in FLNa cause non-syndromic mitral valve dysplasia (FLNA-MVD). Here, we aimed to reveal the currently unknown underlying molecular mechanism behind FLNA-MVD caused by the FLNa P637Q mutation. The solved crystal structure of the FLNa3-5 P637Q revealed that this mutation causes only minor structural changes close to mutation site. These changes were observed to significantly affect FLNa's ability to transmit cellular force and to interact with its binding partner. The performed steered molecular dynamics simulations showed that signi…
Nanog Regulates Primordial Germ Cell Migration Through Cxcr4b
2010
Abstract Gonadal development in vertebrates depends on the early determination of primordial germ cells (PGCs) and their correct migration to the sites where the gonads develop. Several genes have been implicated in PGC specification and migration in vertebrates. Additionally, some of the genes associated with pluripotency, such as Oct4 and Nanog, are expressed in PGCs and gonads, suggesting a role for these genes in maintaining pluripotency of the germ lineage, which may be considered the only cell type that perpetually maintains stemness properties. Here, we report that medaka Nanog (Ol-Nanog) is expressed in the developing PGCs. Depletion of Ol-Nanog protein causes aberrant migration of …
Fluorescent-Cavity Host: An Efficient Probe to Study Supramolecular Recognition Mechanisms
2018
Using fluorometry to study the interactions between guests and host cavities is often challenging, especially for hosts with small cavities because the fluorophore may not be close to the binding site. Therefore, it is critical to overcome this hurdle to broaden the applicability of fluorometry in supramolecular chemistry. Herein, we designed a fluorescent-cavity host (H1) by conjugating the binding site of a pillar[5]arene cavity and studied its host-guest recognition mechanism in the cavity. Distinct fluorescent responses of H1 were observed for cyano homologues: the fluorescence was enhanced for succinonitrile but quenched for malononitrile. Such an unusual phenomenon with such subtle di…
Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of thiophene analogues of chalcones.
2008
Chalcones are characterized by possessing an enone moiety between two aromatic rings. A series of chalcone-like agents, in which the double bond of the enone system is embedded within a thiophene ring, were synthesized and evaluated for antiproliferative activity and inhibition of tubulin assembly and colchicine binding to tubulin. The replacement of the double bond with a thiophene maintains antiproliferative activity and therefore must not significantly alter the relative conformation of the two aryl rings. The synthesized compounds were found to inhibit the growth of several cancer cell lines at nanomolar to low micromolar concentrations. In general, all compounds having significant anti…
How Proximal Nucleobases Regulate the Catalytic Activity of G-Quadruplex/Hemin DNAzymes
2018
International audience; G-quadruplexes (G4s) are versatile catalytic DNAs when combined with hemin. Despite the repertoire of catalytically competent G4/hemin complexes studied so far, little is known about the detailed catalytic mechanism of these biocatalysts. Herein, we have carried out an in-depth analysis of the hemin binding site within the G4/hemin catalysts, providing the porphyrinic cofactor with a controlled nucleotidic environment. We intensively assessed the position-dependent catalytic enhancement in model reactions and found that proximal nucleobases enhance the catalytic ability of the G4/hemin complexes. Our results allow for revisiting the mechanism of the G4/hemin-based ca…
Drug interactions at GABA(A) receptors.
2002
Neurotransmitter receptor systems have been the focus of intensive pharmacological research for more than 20 years for basic and applied scientific reasons, but only recently has there been a better understanding of their key features. One of these systems includes the type A receptor for the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which forms an integral anion channel from a pentameric subunit assembly and mediates most of the fast inhibitory neurotransmission in the adult vertebrate central nervous system. Up to now, depending on the definition, 16-19 mammalian subunits have been cloned and localized on different genes. Their assembly into proteins in a poorly defined stoichiometry forms the basi…