Search results for "binding"
showing 10 items of 3896 documents
Interaction of valproic acid and some analogues with microsomal epoxide hydrolase.
1992
Abstract Valproic acid (VPA) and its analogues valpromide (VPM), valproyl-Coenzyme A (VP-CoA) and valproyl-ethylester (VPE) were examined as potential inhibitors of microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEHb) using styrene-7,8-oxide (STO) and benzo(a)pyrene-4,5-oxide (BPO) as enzyme substrates. The effect of each potential inhibitor was examined using mEHb from rat liver, human livers (from a child, woman and man) and from human placenta. Of the compounds tested, only VPM (2 mM) expressed significant inhibition of mEHb activity with a maximum inhibition of 49%, 48%, 35% and 33% for liver microsomes from the child, woman, man and rat, respectively, using STO (2 mM) as substrate. Human placenta mEHb …
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry characterization of the varnish and glue of an ancient 18th century double bass.
2007
A GC–MS investigation is conducted on the double bass “Panormus”, property of Conservatorio di Musica “Vincenzo Bellini” in Palermo. The most important components of the varnish (fatty acids) and of the glue (proteinaceous amino acids), with which the musical instrument was treated in the past, are determined. The analyses are carried out by prior derivatization of fatty acids by acidic methanol and of amino acids by acidic methanol and trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA). Analytes identification is achieved by direct comparison with several reference materials and the use of a digitized library.
An Open-Label Phase II Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Ramucirumab Combined With mFOLFOX-6 as First-Line Therapy for Metastatic Colorecta…
2014
Abstract Author Summary Background. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) are believed to mediate angiogenesis in colorectal cancer (CRC). Ramucirumab (RAM; IMC-1121B) is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that inhibits VEGF ligand binding to VEGFR-2, inhibiting VEGFR-2 activation and signaling. Methods. Patients with metastatic CRC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0–1, and adequate organ function who had not received chemotherapy for metastatic disease received RAM and the modified FOLFOX-6 regimen every 2 weeks. Endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate, overall survival, and safety. The sample size wa…
Modification of xenogenic bone substitute materials - effects on the early healing cascadein vitro
2013
Introduction Initial platelet activation with subsequent cytokine release at the defect site plays a crucial role in tissue integration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of topographic and biomimetic collagen modifications of a xenogenic bone substitute material (BSM) on in vitro platelet activation and cytokine release. Material and Methods Three types of xenogenic BSM were used. Two BSM with different levels of granularity (large granule BSM [XBSM/L], small granule BSM [XBSM/S]) and a BSM with collagen (XBSM/C). All three samples were incubated with platelet concentrate of four healthy volunteers at room temperature for 15 min. For all groups, highly thrombogenic collag…
Negatively cooperative binding of melittin to neutral phospholipid vesicles
2007
Abstract The association of basic amphipathic peptides to neutral phospholipid membranes is investigated in terms of binding and partition models. The binding of native and modified melittin to egg-yolk phosphatidylcholine vesicles is studied by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy. The effect of the ionic strength shows an enhancement of the association as the ionic strength increases. After correction for electrostatic effects by the Gouy–Chapman theory, the melittin binding isotherms could be described by a partition model. In terms of conventional binding mechanisms, which do not take into account electrostatic effects, this would correspond to a negative cooperativity. A plausible wa…
Endoplasmic Reticulum stress reduces COPII vesicle formation and modifies Sec23a cycling at ERESs
2013
AbstractExit from the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) of newly synthesized proteins is mediated by COPII vesicles that bud from the ER at the ER Exit Sites (ERESs). Disruption of ER homeostasis causes accumulation of unfolded and misfolded proteins in the ER. This condition is referred to as ER stress. Previously, we demonstrated that ER stress rapidly impairs the formation of COPII vesicles. Here, we show that membrane association of COPII components, and in particular of Sec23a, is impaired by ER stress-inducing agents suggesting the existence of a dynamic interplay between protein folding and COPII assembly at the ER.
Absolute Humidity Influences the Seasonal Persistence and Infectivity of Human Norovirus
2014
ABSTRACT Norovirus (NoV) is one of the main causative agents of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. In temperate climates, outbreaks peak during the winter season. The mechanism by which climatic factors influence the occurrence of NoV outbreaks is unknown. We hypothesized that humidity is linked to NoV seasonality. Human NoV is not cultivatable, so we used cultivatable murine norovirus (MNV) as a surrogate to study its persistence when exposed to various levels of relative humidity (RH) from low (10% RH) to saturated (100% RH) conditions at 9 and 25°C. In addition, we conducted similar experiments with virus-like particles (VLPs) from the predominant GII-4 norovirus and studied changes in bin…
Molecular docking and pharmacogenomics of vinca alkaloids and their monomeric precursors, vindoline and catharanthine.
2011
International audience; Vinblastine and vincristine are dimeric indole alkaloids derived from (formerly: ). Their monomeric precursor molecules are vindoline and catharanthine. While vinblastine and vincristine are well-known mitotic spindle poisons, not much is known about vindoline and catharanthine. Vindoline and catharanthine showed weak cytotoxicity, while vinblastine, vincristine, and the semisynthetic vindesine and vinorelbine revealed high cytotoxicity towards cancer cells. This may reflect a general biological principle of poisonous plants. Highly toxic compounds are not only active towards predators, but also towards plant tissues. Hence, plants need mechanisms to protect themselv…
A Molecular Dynamics-Shared Pharmacophore Approach to Boost Early-Enrichment Virtual Screening: A Case Study on Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Rec…
2016
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be used, prior to virtual screening, to add flexibility to proteins and study them in a dynamic way. Furthermore, the use of multiple crystal structures of the same protein containing different co-crystallized ligands can help elucidate the role of the ligand on a protein's active conformation, and then explore the most common interactions between small molecules and the receptor. In this work, we evaluated the contribution of the combined use of MD on crystal structures containing the same protein but different ligands to examine the crucial ligand-protein interactions within the complexes. The study was carried out on peroxisome proliferator-activat…
Lactococcal 949 group phages recognize a carbohydrate receptor on the host cell surface
2015
ABSTRACT Lactococcal bacteriophages represent one of the leading causes of dairy fermentation failure and product inconsistencies. A new member of the lactococcal 949 phage group, named WRP3, was isolated from cheese whey from a Sicilian factory in 2011. The genome sequence of this phage was determined, and it constitutes the largest lactococcal phage genome currently known, at 130,008 bp. Detailed bioinformatic analysis of the genomic region encoding the presumed initiator complex and baseplate of WRP3 has aided in the functional assignment of several open reading frames (ORFs), particularly that for the receptor binding protein required for host recognition. Furthermore, we demonstrate th…