Experimental detection of proteolytic activity in a signal peptide peptidase of Arabidopsis thaliana
Conclusions:
The data from the in vitro cell-free assay indicated that the membrane fraction of both Arabidopsis cells and AtSPP recombinantly expressed in yeast actually possessed proteolytic activity for a human SPP substrate. We concluded that plant SPP possesses proteolytic activity and may be involved in RIP. (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - July 6, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Masako HoshiYu OhkiKeisuke ItoTaisuke TomitaTakeshi IwatsuboYoshiro IshimaruKeiko AbeTomiko Asakura Source Type: research
Probing the stability of the "naked" mucin-like domain of human alpha-dystroglycan
Conclusions:
Our analysis indirectly confirms the idea that the mucin-like domain of alpha-dystroglycan needs to be extensively glycosylated in order to reach a stable conformation. The absence/reduction of glycosylation by itself may greatly reduce the stability of the dystroglycan complex. Although an altered pattern of alpha-dystroglycan O-mannosylation, that is not significantly changing its overall glycosylation fraction, represents the primary molecular clue behind currently known dystroglycanopathies, it cannot be ruled out that still unidentified forms of alphaDG-related dystrophy might originate by a more substant...
Source: BMC Biochemistry - July 1, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Manuela BozziEnrico Di StasioGiovanni Luca ScaglioneClaudia DesiderioClaudia MartelliBruno GiardinaFrancesca SciandraAndrea Brancaccio Source Type: research
Interview with Sabato D¿Auria, Section Editor for the Chemical Biology section in BMC Biochemistry
Sabato D'Auria is currently a senior scientist with a tenured position within the National Research Council of Italy as the head of the Laboratory for Molecular Sensing at the Institute of Protein Biochemistry CNR, Naples, Italy. Dr D'Auria is also invited Professor at the INRS-Institute Armand-Frappier, Laval, Quebec, Canada.Dr D'Auria is a well known biochemist whose scientific interests are focused on the identification, isolation and structural characterization of proteins, and their application as a specific probe for the design of advanced optical biosensors. Dr. D'Auria's laboratory uses some of the most advanced bi...
Source: BMC Biochemistry - June 14, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Sabato D¿Auria Source Type: research
Interview with Sabato D'Auria, Section Editor for the Chemical Biology section in BMC Biochemistry
Sabato D'Auria is currently a senior scientist with a tenured position within the National Research Council of Italy as the head of the Laboratory for Molecular Sensing at the Institute of Protein Biochemistry CNR, Naples, Italy. Dr D'Auria is also invited Professor at the INRS-Institute Armand-Frappier, Laval, Quebec, Canada.Dr D'Auria is a well known biochemist whose scientific interests are focused on the identification, isolation and structural characterization of proteins, and their application as a specific probe for the design of advanced optical biosensors. Dr. D'Auria's laboratory uses some of the most advanced bi...
Source: BMC Biochemistry - June 14, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Sabato D¿Auria Source Type: research
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs activate NADPH oxidase in adipocytes and raise the H2O2 pool to prevent cAMP-stimulated protein kinase a activation and inhibit lipolysis
Conclusions:
NSAIDs activate NOX4 in adipocytes to produce H2O2, which impairs cAMP-dependent PKA-II activation, thus preventing isoproterenol-activated lipolysis. H2O2 signaling in adipocytes is a novel and important cyclooxygenase-independent effect of NSAID. (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - May 30, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Héctor Vázquez-MezaMartha Zentella de PiñaJuan Pablo PardoHéctor Riveros-RosasRafael Villalobos-MolinaEnrique Piña Source Type: research
Cell attachment on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer produced by Azotobacter chroococcum 7B
Conclusions:
Thus, despite low EG-monomers content in bacterial origin PHB-PEG copolymer, this polymer demonstrated significant improvement in biocompatibility in contrast to PHB and PHB-HV copolymers, which may be coupled with increased protein adsorption and hydrophilicity of PEG-containing copolymer. (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - May 21, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Anton BonartsevSergey YakovlevIrina ZharkovaArasha BoskhomdzhievDmitrii BagrovVera MyshkinaTatiana MakhinaElena KharitonovaOlga SamsonovaAlexey FeofanovVera VoinovaAnton ZernovYurii EfremovGarina BonartsevaKonstantin ShaitanMichail Kirpichnikov Source Type: research
Construction of a chimeric thermoacidophilic beta-endoglucanase
Conclusions:
The refolded active chimeric enzyme shows a temperature optimum of approximately 85[degree sign]C and a pH optimum of approximately pH 3 thus retaining the advantageous properties of the Sulfolobus parent enzyme. This study suggests that the targeted construction of chimeric enzymes is an alternative to point mutational engineering efforts as long as parent enzymes with the wanted properties are available. (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - April 29, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Kristina KufnerGeorg Lipps Source Type: research
Side chain requirements for affinity and specificity in D5, an HIV-1 antibody derived from the VH1-69 germline segment
Conclusions:
Together these results suggest that there is some permissiveness for alternative side chains in the LCDRs and HCDR3 of D5, but that replacement with a minimal set of residues is not tolerated in this scaffold for 5-Helix recognition. This work provides novel information about this high-affinity interaction involving an antibody from the VH1-69 germline segment. (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - April 8, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Alex StewartJoseph HarrisonLauren RegulaJonathan Lai Source Type: research
Ski-interacting protein (SKIP) interacts with androgen receptor in the nucleus and modulates androgen-dependent transcription
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that SKIP interacts with AR in the nucleus and enhances AR-dependent transactivation and N/C-interaction supporting a role for SKIP as an AR co-factor. (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - April 8, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Daniel AbankwaSusan MillardNick MartelCatherine ChoongMiao YangLisa ButlerGrant BuchananWayne TilleyNobuhide UekiMichael HaymanGary Leong Source Type: research
Annual acknowledgement of manuscript reviewers
Contributing reviewersThe editors of BMC Biochemistry would like to thank all of our reviewers who have contributed to the journal in volume 13 (2012). (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - March 21, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Emilie Aime Source Type: research
Nedd8 processing enzymes in Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Conclusions:
Several enzymes contribute to Nedd8 precursor processing including a number of deubiquitylating enzymes. (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - March 15, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Jean O¿DonoghueDawadschargal Bech-OtschirIda LarsenMairi WallaceRasmus Hartmann-PetersenColin Gordon Source Type: research
The complete N-terminal extension of heparin cofactor II is required for maximal effectiveness as a thrombin exosite 1 ligand
An isolated form of N-terminal acidic extension of Heparin cofactor II (HCII 1-75) binds thrombin with a higher affinity than glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), suggesting that this region of Heparin cofactor II (HCII) is required for binding of thrombin exosite 1. (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - March 7, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Amanda BoyleLeigh RoddickVarsha BhaktaMelissa LambourneMurray JunopPatricia LiawJeffrey WeitzWilliam Sheffield Source Type: research
Expression, purification and biochemical characterization of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Mcm4, 6 and 7
Conclusions:
Based on our results and those of others, models were proposed for the subunit arrangement and architecture of both the Mcm4/6/7 hexamer and the Mcm2-7 double-hexamer. (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - February 27, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Meng XuY ChangXiaojiang Chen Source Type: research
Metazoan-like signaling in a unicellular receptor tyrosine kinase
Conclusions:
Our results are consistent with a model in which RTKB2 activation stimulates receptor autophosphorylation within the RM2 domains. This leads to recruitment of Src-like kinases (and potentially other M. brevicollis proteins) and further phosphorylation, which may serve to increase or dampen downstream signals. Thus, crucial features of signal transduction circuitry were established prior to the evolution of metazoans from their unicellular ancestors. (Source: BMC Biochemistry)
Source: BMC Biochemistry - February 12, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Kira SchultheissBarbara CraddockMichael TongMarkus SeeligerW Miller Source Type: research
Sensor potency of the moonlighting enzyme-decorated cytoskeleton: the cytoskeleton as a metabolic sensor
Background:
There is extensive evidence for the interaction of metabolic enzymes with the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. The significance of these interactions is far from clear.Presentation of the hypothesisIn the cytoskeletal integrative sensor hypothesis presented here, the cytoskeleton senses and integrates the general metabolic activity of the cell. This activity depends on the binding to the cytoskeleton of enzymes and, depending on the nature of the enzyme, this binding may occur if the enzyme is either active or inactive but not both. This enzyme-binding is further proposed to stabilize microtubules and microfilaments an...
Source: BMC Biochemistry - February 11, 2013 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Vic NorrisPatrick AmarGuillaume LegentCamille RipollMichel ThellierJudit Ovádi Source Type: research
