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Amino Acids Present (amino + acids_present)
Selected AbstractsFast derivatization of the non-protein amino acid ornithine with FITC using an ultrasound probe prior to enantiomeric determination in food supplements by EKCELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 6 2009Elena Domínguez-Vega Abstract An EKC method for the determination of ornithine (Orn) enantiomers has been developed after a fast pre-capillary derivatization with FITC. The derivatization step was needed to provide a chemical moiety to the Orn molecule, enabling a sensitive UV detection and the interaction with the CDs used as chiral selectors. To accelerate the derivatization reaction, an ultrasound probe was used. For the development of the chiral method, the influence of different experimental conditions (type and concentration of the chiral selector, temperature, and separation voltage) was investigated. Due to the anionic nature of the analyte (FITC-Orn), five neutral CDs were employed as chiral selectors. The native ,-CD showed the highest chiral separation power, observing that a low concentration of this CD (1,mM), using a working temperature of 25°C and a separation voltage of 20,kV, enabled to obtain the highest enantioresolution for Orn and its separation from other amino acids usually present in food supplements. After optimizing the method for the preconditioning of the capillary, the analytical characteristics of the chiral method were established. Linearity, LOD and LOQ, precision, and accuracy were evaluated previously to the determination of Orn enantiomers contained in ten commercial food supplements. No interferences from other amino acids present in these samples were observed. [source] Characterization of active-site mutants of Schizosaccharomyces pombe phosphoglycerate mutaseFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 24 2000Elucidation of the roles of amino acids involved in substrate binding, catalysis The roles of a number of amino acids present at the active site of the monomeric phosphoglycerate mutase from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe have been explored by site-directed mutagenesis. The amino acids examined could be divided broadly into those presumed from previous related structural studies to be important in the catalytic process (R14, S62 and E93) and those thought to be important in substrate binding (R94, R120 and R121). Most of these residues have not previously been studied by site-directed mutagenesis. All the mutants except R14 were expressed in an engineered null strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S150-gpm::HIS) in good yield. The R14Q mutant was expressed in good yield in the transformed AH22 strain of S. cerevisiae. The S62A mutant was markedly unstable, preventing purification. The various mutants were purified to homogeneity and characterized in terms of kinetic parameters, CD and fluorescence spectra, stability towards denaturation by guanidinium chloride, and stability of phosphorylated enzyme intermediate. In addition, the binding of substrate (3-phosphoglycerate) to wild-type, E93D and R120,121Q enzymes was measured by isothermal titration calorimetry. The results provide evidence for the proposed roles of each of these amino acids in the catalytic cycle and in substrate binding, and will support the current investigation of the structure and dynamics of the enzyme using multidimensional NMR techniques. [source] Fructose and glucose mediates enterotoxin production and anaerobic metabolism of Bacillus cereus ATCC14579TJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009O. Ouhib-Jacobs Abstract Aims:, To determine the effects of carbohydrates on Bacillus cereus ATCC14579T anaerobic metabolism and enterotoxin production in amino acids rich medium. Methods and Results:,Bacillus cereus anaerobic growth on different carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, sucrose or glucose,fructose mixture) was examined in synthetic mMOD medium under continuous cultures (, = 0·2 h,1). Fermentation end-products, flux partitioning at each key branch points of the mixed acid pathway and consumption or production of amino acids were determined. On both fructose and sucrose, ATP production was favoured via acetate production from acetyl-CoA. In addition, amino acids present in the growth medium showed significant variations with high consumption of serine and net production of glutamate and alanine on some or all sugars. Enterotoxins Hbl and Nhe production was high during growth on fructose (or mixtures involving a fructose moiety). Conclusions:, Fructose was identified as a key sugar influencing anaerobic metabolism and toxin production of B. cereus. Significance and Impact of the Study:, The physiological differences associated with the fermentation of the various carbohydrates clearly modify toxinogenesis indicating that the risk of foodborne pathogens is to some extent dependent upon the prevailing nutritional environment. [source] Band 4.1 proteins are expressed in the retina and interact with both isoforms of the metabotropic glutamate receptor type 8JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2008Melanie Rose Abstract The function of the CNS depends on the correct regulation of neurotransmitter receptors by interacting proteins. Here, we screened a retinal cDNA library for proteins interacting with the intracellular C-terminus of the metabotropic glutamate receptor isoform 8a (mGluR8a). The band 4.1B protein binds to the C-termini of mGluR8a and mGluR8b, co-localizes with these glutamate receptors in transfected mammalian cells, facilitates their cell surface expression and inhibits the mGluR8 mediated reduction of intracellular cAMP concentrations. In contrast, no interaction with 4.1B was observed for other mGluRs tested. Amino acids encoded by exons 19 and 20 of 4.1B and a stretch of four basic amino acids present in the mGluR8 C-termini mediate the protein interaction. Besides binding to 4.1B, mGluR8 isoforms interact with 4.1G, 4.1N, and 4.1R. Because band 4.1 transcripts undergo extensive alternative splicing, we analyzed the splicing pattern of interacting regions and detected a 4.1B isoform expressed specifically in the retina. Within this tissue, mGluR8 and 4.1B, 4.1G, 4.1N, and 4.1R show a comparable distribution, being expressed in both synaptic layers and in somata of the ganglion cell layer. In summary, our studies identified band 4.1 proteins as new players for the mGluR8 mediated signal transduction. [source] Evolutionary combinatorial chemistry, a novel tool for SAR studies on peptide transport across the blood,brain barrier.JOURNAL OF PEPTIDE SCIENCE, Issue 12 2005Part 2. Abstract The use of high-throughput methods in drug discovery allows the generation and testing of a large number of compounds, but at the price of providing redundant information. Evolutionary combinatorial chemistry combines the selection and synthesis of biologically active compounds with artificial intelligence optimization methods, such as genetic algorithms (GA). Drug candidates for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders must overcome the blood,brain barrier (BBB). This paper reports a new genetic algorithm that searches for the optimal physicochemical properties for peptide transport across the blood,brain barrier. A first generation of peptides has been generated and synthesized. Due to the high content of N -methyl amino acids present in most of these peptides, their syntheses were especially challenging due to over-incorporations, deletions and DKP formations. Distinct fragmentation patterns during peptide cleavage have been identified. The first generation of peptides has been studied by evaluation techniques such as immobilized artificial membrane chromatography (IAMC), a cell-based assay, log Poctanol/water calculations, etc. Finally, a second generation has been proposed. Copyright © 2005 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Extension of a local backbone description using a structural alphabet: A new approach to the sequence-structure relationshipPROTEIN SCIENCE, Issue 12 2002Alexandre G. de Brevern Abstract Protein Blocks (PBs) comprise a structural alphabet of 16 protein fragments, each 5 C, long. They make it possible to approximate and correctly predict local protein three-dimensional (3D) structures. We have selected the 72 most frequent sequences of five PBs, which we call Structural Words (SWs). Analysis of four different protein data banks shows that SWs cover 92% of the amino acids in them and provide a good structural approximation for residues (i.e., sequences) 9 C, long. We present most of them in a simple network that describes 90% of the overall residues and, interestingly, includes more than 80% of the amino acids present in coils. Analysis of the network shows the specificity and quality of the 3D descriptions as well as a new type of relation between local folds and amino acid distribution. The results show that the 3D structure of these protein data banks can be easily described by a combination of subgraphs included in the network. Finally, a Bayesian probabilistic approach improved the prediction rate by 4%. [source] Amino acid and manganese supplementation modulates the glycosylation state of erythropoietin in a CHO culture systemBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 3 2007Christopher K. Crowell Abstract The manufacture of secreted proteins is complicated by the need for both high levels of expression and appropriate processing of the nascent polypeptide. For glycoproteins, such as erythropoietin (EPO), posttranslational processing involves the addition of oligosaccharide chains. We initially noted that a subset of the amino acids present in the cell culture media had become depleted by cellular metabolism during the last harvest cycle in our batch fed system and hypothesized that by supplementing these nutrients we would improve EPO yields. By increasing the concentration of these amino acids we increased recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) biosynthesis in the last harvest cycle as expected but, surprisingly, we also observed a large increase in the amount of rHuEPO with a relatively low sialic acid content. To understand the nature of this process we isolated and characterized the lower sialylated rHuEPO pool. Decreased sialylation correlated with an increase in N-linked carbohydrates missing terminal galactose moieties, suggesting that ,-1,4-galactosyltransferase may be rate limiting in our system. To test this hypothesis we supplemented our cultures with varying concentrations of manganese (Mn2+), a cofactor for ,-1,4-galactosyltransferase. Consistent with our hypothesis we found that Mn2+ addition improved galactosylation and greatly reduced the amount of rHuEPO in the lower sialylated fraction. Additionally, we found that Mn2+ addition increased carbohydrate site occupancy and narrowed carbohydrate branching to bi-antennary structures in these lower sialylated pools. Surprisingly Mn2+ only had this effect late in the culture process. These data indicate that the addition of Mn2+ has complex effects on stressed batch fed cultures. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;96: 538,549. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Active and inactive metabolic pathways in tumor spheroids: Determination by GC,MSBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2010Michael G. Hunnewell Abstract Active metabolic pathways in three-dimensional cancer-cell cultures are potential chemotherapeutic targets that would be effective throughout tumors. Chaotic vasculature creates cellular regions in tumors with distinct metabolic behavior that are only present in aggregate cell masses. To quantify cancer cell metabolism, transformed mouse fibroblasts were grown as spheroids and fed isotopically labeled culture medium. Metabolite uptake and production rates were measured as functions of time. Gas chromatography,mass spectrometry was used to quantify the extent of labeling on amino acids present in cytoplasmic extracts. The labeling pattern identified several active and inactive metabolic pathways: Glutaminolysis was found to be active, and malic enzyme and gluconeogenesis were inactive. Transformed cells in spheroids were also found to actively synthesize serine, cysteine, alanine, aspartate, glutamate, and proline; and not synthesize glutamine. The activities of these pathways suggest that cancer cells consume glutamine for biosynthesis and not to provide cellular energy. Determining active metabolic pathways indicates how cells direct carbon flow and may lead to the discovery of novel molecular targets for anticancer therapy. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010 [source] A peptide (P2) derived from the variable heavy chain of an anti-P-selectin monoclonal antibody (LYP20) inhibits leucocyte adhesion to thrombin-activated platelets and endothelial cellsBRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Joseph F. Murphy Summary. P-selectin, a member of the selectin family of adhesion molecules, is present in endothelial Weibel,Palade bodies and platelet ,-granules, and is rapidly expressed on their surface upon activation, resulting in leucocyte adhesion. LYP20 is a functional monoclonal antibody previously generated in our laboratory that binds with high affinity and specificity directed against P-selectin. This binding is largely imparted by the specific sequence of amino acids present on the hypervariable portions of the IgG chains. We now show that a peptide derived from the heavy chain of mAb LYP20 dose dependently inhibits the adhesion of poly morphonuclear cells to resting and thrombin-activated endothelial cells (EC) and platelets. The scrambled form of this peptide, identical in amino acid composition to the authentic peptide but with altered sequence, was not inhibitory at corresponding concentrations. Binding studies revealed that this peptide also dose dependently bound to both resting and thrombin-activated EC and platelets. Our results may prove useful for the development of new therapeutic inhibitors to modulate leucocyte interactions in inflammatory disorders. [source] | |||||||||||||