Search results for "protein processing"
showing 10 items of 144 documents
Subcellular targeting of multiligand-binding protein gC1qR.
1999
Abstract gC1q receptor, a protein originally described as the cell surface receptor for the globular heads of complement factor C1q, has been found to bind human H-kininogen with high affinity and specificity. Therefore, gC1qR has been considered candidate kininogen docking site on the surfaces of platelets, neutrophils and endothelial cells. Recent work demonstrating that gC1qR is an intracellular protein that is tightly associated with mitochondria rather than targeted to the cell surface has challenged this view. To further probe cellular trafficking routes of gC1qR, we overexpressed human gC1qR in a mammalian cell and monitored cell surface exposure of recombinant gC1qR by virtue of its…
Isolation and characterization of two T-box genes from sponges, the phylogenetically oldest metazoan taxon
2003
It is now well established that all metazoan phyla derived from one common ancestor, the hypothetical Urmetazoa. Due to the basal position of Porifera (Demospongiae) in the phylogenetic tree of Metazoa, studies on the mechanisms controlling the development of these animals can provide clues on the understanding of the origin of multicellular animals and on how the first organization of the body plan evolved. In this report we describe the isolation and genomic characterization of two T-box genes from the siliceous sponge Suberites domuncula. The phylogenetic analysis classifies one into the subfamily of Brachyury, Sd-Bra, and the second into the Tbx2 subfamily, Sd-Tbx2. Analyses of the Sd-B…
Oxidative stress-mediated alterations in histone post-translational modifications
2021
Abstract Epigenetic regulation of gene expression provides a finely tuned response capacity for cells when undergoing environmental changes. However, in the context of human physiology or disease, any cellular imbalance that modulates homeostasis has the potential to trigger molecular changes that result either in physiological adaptation to a new situation or pathological conditions. These effects are partly due to alterations in the functionality of epigenetic regulators, which cause long-term and often heritable changes in cell lineages. As such, free radicals resulting from unbalanced/extended oxidative stress have been proved to act as modulators of epigenetic agents, resulting in alte…
Selective mono-de-O-acetylation of the per-O-acetylated brasilicardin carbohydrate side chain
2021
Abstract Methanol dried over powdered 4 A molecular sieves can be used for a selective mono-de-O-acetylation of the phenolic acetyl group of the per-O-acetyl protected brasilicardin A carbohydrate side chain. This reaction opens a practical procedure for a synthetic access to derivates of the immunosuppressive and cytotoxic natural product brasilicardin A.
Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationships of Amino Acid Conjugates of Cholanic Acid as Antagonists of the EphA2 Receptor
2013
The Eph–ephrin system plays a critical role in tumor growth and vascular functions during carcinogenesis. We had previously identified cholanic acid as a competitive and reversible EphA2 antagonist able to disrupt EphA2-ephrinA1 interaction and to inhibit EphA2 activation in prostate cancer cells. Herein, we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of a set of cholanic acid derivatives obtained by conjugation of its carboxyl group with a panel of naturally occurring amino acids with the aim to improve EphA2 receptor inhibition. Structure-activity relationships indicate that conjugation of cholanic acid with linear amino acids of small size leads to effective EphA2 antagonists whereas …
Protease-mediated processing of Argonaute proteins controls small RNA association
2020
SummarySmall RNA pathways defend the germlines of animals against selfish genetic elements and help to maintain genomic integrity. At the same time, their activity needs to be well-controlled to prevent silencing of ‘self’ genes. Here, we reveal a proteolytic mechanism that controls endogenous small interfering (22G) RNA activity in the Caenorhabditis elegans germline to protect genome integrity and maintain fertility. We find that WAGO-1 and WAGO-3 Argonaute (Ago) proteins are matured through proteolytic processing of their unusually proline-rich N-termini. In the absence of DPF-3, a P-granule-localized N-terminal dipeptidase orthologous to mammalian DPP8/9, processing fails, causing a cha…
Membrane topology and post-translational modification of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae essential protein Rot1.
2007
ROT1 is an essential gene that has been related to cell wall biosynthesis, the actin cytoskeleton and protein folding. In order to help to understand its molecular function, we carried out a characterization of the Rot1 protein. It is primarily located at the endoplasmic reticulum-nuclear membrane facing the lumen. Rot1 migrates more slowly than expected, which might suggest post-translational modification. Our results indicate that Rot1 is a protein that is neither GPI-anchored nor O-glycosylated. In contrast, it is N-glycosylated. By a directed mutagenesis of several Asn residues, we identified that the protein is simultaneously glycosylated at N103, N107 and N139. Although the mutation o…
Posttranslationally modified proteins as mediators of sustained intestinal inflammation.
2006
Oxidative and carbonyl stress leads to generation of N(epsilon)-carboxymethyllysine-modified proteins (CML-mps), which are known to bind the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and induce nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB-dependent proinflammatory gene expression. To determine the impact of CML-mps in vivo, RAGE-dependent sustained NF-kappaB activation was studied in resection gut specimens from patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Inflamed gut biopsy tissue demonstrated a significant up-regulation of RAGE and increased NF-kappaB activation. Protein extracts from the inflamed zones, but not from noninflamed resection borders, caused perpetuated NF-kappaB activation in cultured…
Smac induces cytochrome c release and apoptosis independently from Bax/Bcl-xL in a strictly caspase-3-dependent manner in human carcinoma cells
2004
The mitochondrial apoptosis pathway mediates cell death through the release of various pro-apoptotic factors including cytochrome c and Smac, the second mitochondrial activator of caspases, into the cytosol. Smac was shown previously to inhibit IAP proteins and to facilitate initiation of the caspase cascade upon cytochrome c release. To investigate Smac function during apoptosis and to explore Smac as an experimental cancer therapeutic, we constructed an expression system based on a single adenoviral vector containing Smac under control of the Tet-off system supplied in cis. Conditional expression of Smac induced apoptosis in human HCT116 and DU145 carcinoma cells regardless of the loss of…
MLL-Rearranged Leukemia Is Dependent on Aberrant H3K79 Methylation by DOT1L
2011
SummaryThe histone 3 lysine 79 (H3K79) methyltransferase Dot1l has been implicated in the development of leukemias bearing translocations of the Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) gene. We identified the MLL-fusion targets in an MLL-AF9 leukemia model, and conducted epigenetic profiling for H3K79me2, H3K4me3, H3K27me3, and H3K36me3 in hematopoietic progenitor and leukemia stem cells (LSCs). We found abnormal profiles only for H3K79me2 on MLL-AF9 fusion target loci in LSCs. Inactivation of Dot1l led to downregulation of direct MLL-AF9 targets and an MLL translocation-associated gene expression signature, whereas global gene expression remained largely unaffected. Suppression of MLL translocation-a…