Search results for "thione"
showing 5 items of 865 documents
Aplidin® induces JNK-dependent apoptosis in human breast cancer cells via alteration of glutathione homeostasis, Rac1 GTPase activation, and MKP-1 ph…
2006
Aplidin® is an antitumor agent in phase II clinical trials that induces apoptosis through the sustained activation of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). We report that Aplidin® alters glutathione homeostasis increasing the ratio of oxidized to reduced forms (GSSG/GSH). Aplidin® generates reactive oxygen species and disrupts the mitochondrial membrane potential. Exogenous GSH inhibits these effects and also JNK activation and cell death. We found two mechanisms by which Aplidin® activates JNK: rapid activation of Rac1 small GTPase and downregulation of MKP-1 phosphatase. Rac1 activation was diminished by GSH and enhanced by L-buthionine (SR)-sulfoximine, which inhibits GSH synthesis. Downregulatio…
Immunohistochemical evaluation of metallothionein in palatal mucosal cells of mice treated with 4NQO
2006
Objective: Metallothionein (MT) may play a preventive role in various carcinogenic process. 4NQO is an alkaline compound and potent mutagen that causes the formation of DNA adducts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immunoexpression of MT in palatal cells of mice submitted to the carcinogen 4NQO. Study design: C57BL/6 mice received applications of 4NQO to palate for periods of 8, 16, 20 and 24 weeks (experimental group). A control group received only applications of propylene glycol for the same periods. Subsequently animals of experimental and control groups were sacrificed and the palate was histologically analysed and MT immunohistochemistry performed. Results: Although morph…
Metallothionein genes in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus
2014
Metallothioneins (MTs) constitute a heterogeneous superfamily of cysteine rich proteins, which coordinate divalent (Zn2+, Cd2+) or monovalent (Cu+) metal ions. Several functions have been proposed for these peptides, ranging from toxic metal protection to physiological metal homeostasis, free radical scavenging, oxidative stress protection, antiapoptotic defense, control of the redox status of the cell and also a role during development. Regarding the MT system in vertebrates’ nearest kin, little information is available at present. Recently MTs were also characterized in cephalochordates. Hence in order to shed some light on MT origin and functional differentiation through evolution, we st…
Tunable Interaction Strength and Nature of the S···Br Halogen Bonds in [(Thione)Br2] Systems
2015
The strength and nature of the S···Br and Br···Br interactions were systematically tuned by altering the electron donor properties of the thione group. Three new halogen-bonded compounds, [(N-methylbenzothiazole-2-thione)Br2]·0.5CH2Cl2 (1), [(2(3H)-benzothiazolethione)Br2] (2), and [(2-benzimidazolethione)Br]·[Br3] (3), were synthesized and studied structurally by using X-ray crystallography and computationally by using charge density analysis based on QTAIM calculations. Analysis of the interaction strength indicated a formation of surprisingly strong S···Br halogen bonds in 1 (−104 kJ mol–1, and RBrS = 0.64) and 2 (−116 kJ mol–1, and RBrS = 0.63) with a substantial covalent contribution. …
Evolutionary advantage conferred by an eukaryote-to-eukaryote gene transfer event in wine yeasts
2015
Although an increasing number of horizontal gene transfers have been reported in eukaryotes, experimental evidence for their adaptive value is lacking. Here, we report the recent transfer of a 158-kb genomic region between Torulaspora microellipsoides and Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeasts or closely related strains. This genomic region has undergone several rearrangements in S. cerevisiae strains, including gene loss and gene conversion between two tandemly duplicated FOT genes encoding oligopeptide transporters. We show that FOT genes confer a strong competitive advantage during grape must fermentation by increasing the number and diversity of oligopeptides that yeast can utilize as a s…