1,2-Dichlorobenzene (1,2-DCB) is a benzene-derived molecule with two Cl atoms that is commonly utilized in the synthesis of pesticides. 1,2-DCB can be absorbed by living creatures and its effects on naturally-occurring enzymatic systems, including the effects on Ca2+-ATPases, have been poorly studied. Therefore, we aimed to study the effect of 1,2-DCB on the Ca2+-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SERCA), a critical regulator of intracellular Ca2+ concentration.
Results
Concentrations of 0.05–0.2 mM of 1,2-DCB were able to stimulate the hydrolytic activity of SERCA in a medium-containing Ca2+-ionophore. At higher concentrations (0.25–0.75 mM), 1,2-DCB inhibited the ATP hydrolysis to ~80 %. Moreover, ATP hydrolysis and Ca2+ uptake in a medium supported by K-oxalate showed that starting at 0.05 mM,1,2-DCB was able to uncouple the ratio of hydrolysis/Ca2+ transported. The effect of this compound on the integrity of the SR membrane loaded with Ca2+ remained unaffected. Finally, the analysis of phosphorylation of SERCA by [γ-32P]ATP, starting under different conditions at 0° or 25 °C showed a reduction in the phosphoenzyme levels by 1,2-DCB, mostly at 0 °C.
Conclusions
The temperature-dependent decreased levels of phosphoenzyme by 1,2-DCB could be due to the acceleration of the dephosphorylation mechanism – E2P?·?Ca2 state to E2 and Pi, which explains the uncoupling of the ATP hydrolysis from the Ca2+ transport.
NAD+ is a coenzyme for hydride transfer enzymes and a substrate for sirtuins and other NAD+-dependent ADPribose transfer enzymes. In wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae, calorie restriction accomplished by glucose limitation extends replicative lifespan in a manner that depends on Sir2 and the NAD+ salvage enzymes, nicotinic acid phosphoribosyl transferase and nicotinamidase. Though alterations in the NAD+ to nicotinamide ratio and the NAD+ to NADH ratio are anticipated by models to account for the effects of calorie restriction, the nature of a putative change in NAD+ metabolism requires analytical definition and quantification of the key metabolites.
Results
Hydrophilic interaction chromatography followed by tandem electrospray mass spectrometry were used to identify the 12 compounds that constitute the core NAD+ metabolome and 6 related nucleosides and nucleotides. Whereas yeast extract and nicotinic acid increase net NAD+ synthesis in a manner that can account for extended lifespan, glucose restriction does not alter NAD+ or nicotinamide levels in ways that would increase Sir2 activity.
Conclusions
The results constrain the possible mechanisms by which calorie restriction may regulate Sir2 and suggest that provision of vitamins and calorie restriction extend lifespan by different mechanisms.
Intermolecular autophosphorylation at Tyr416 is a conserved mechanism of activation among the members of the Src family of nonreceptor tyrosine kinases. Like several other tyrosine kinases, Src can catalyze the thiophosphorylation of peptide and protein substrates using ATPγS as a thiophosphodonor, although the efficiency of the reaction is low.
Results
Here, we have characterized the ability of Src to auto-thiophosphorylate. Auto-thiophosphorylation of Src at Tyr416 in the activation loop proceeds efficiently in the presence of Ni2+, resulting in kinase activation. Other tyrosine kinases (Ack1, Hck, and IGF1 receptor) also auto-thiophosphorylate in the presence of Ni2+. Tyr416-thiophosphorylated Src is resistant to dephosphorylation by PTP1B phosphatase.
Conclusions
Src and other tyrosine kinases catalyze auto-thiophosphorylation in the presence of Ni2+. Thiophosphorylation of Src occurs at Tyr416 in the activation loop, and results in enhanced kinase activity. Tyr416-thiophosphorylated Src could serve as a stable, persistently-activated mimic of Src.
Human phospholipid scramblase 1 (hPLSCR1) was initially identified as a Ca2+ dependent phospholipid translocator involved in disrupting membrane asymmetry. Recent reports revealed that hPLSCR1 acts as a multifunctional signaling molecule rather than functioning as scramblase. hPLSCR1 is overexpressed in a variety of tumor cells and is known to interact with a number of protein molecules implying diverse functions.
Results
In this study, the nuclease activity of recombinant hPLSCR1 and its biochemical properties have been determined. Point mutations were generated to identify the critical region responsible for the nuclease activity. Recombinant hPLSCR1 exhibits Mg2+ dependent nuclease activity with an optimum pH and temperature of 8.5 and 37 °C respectively. Experiments with amino acid modifying reagents revealed that histidine, cysteine and arginine residues were crucial for its function. hPLSCR1 has five histidine residues and point mutations of histidine residues to alanine in hPLSCR1 resulted in 60 % loss in nuclease activity. Thus histidine residues could play a critical role in the nuclease activity of hPLSCR1.
Conclusions
This is the first report on the novel nuclease activity of the multi-functional hPLSCR1. hPLSCR1 shows a metal dependent nuclease activity which could play a role in key cellular processes that needs to be further investigated.
Riboflavin synthase catalyzes the transformation of 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine into riboflavin in the last step of the riboflavin biosynthetic pathway. Gram-negative bacteria and certain yeasts are unable to incorporate riboflavin from the environment and are therefore absolutely dependent on endogenous synthesis of the vitamin. Riboflavin synthase is therefore a potential target for the development of antiinfective drugs.
Results
A cDNA sequence from Schizosaccharomyces pombe comprising a hypothetical open reading frame with similarity to riboflavin synthase of Escherichia coli was expressed in a recombinant E. coli strain. The recombinant protein is a homotrimer of 23 kDa subunits as shown by sedimentation equilibrium centrifugation. The protein sediments at an apparent velocity of 4.1 S at 20°C. The amino acid sequence is characterized by internal sequence similarity indicating two similar folding domains per subunit. The enzyme catalyzes the formation of riboflavin from 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine at a rate of 158 nmol mg-1 min-1 with an apparent KM of 5.7 microM. 19F NMR protein perturbation experiments using fluorine-substituted intermediate analogs show multiple signals indicating that a given ligand can be bound in at least 4 different states. 19F NMR signals of enzyme-bound intermediate analogs were assigned to ligands bound by the N-terminal respectively C-terminal folding domain on basis of NMR studies with mutant proteins.
Conclusion
Riboflavin synthase of Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a trimer of identical 23-kDa subunits. The primary structure is characterized by considerable similarity of the C-terminal and N-terminal parts. Riboflavin synthase catalyzes a mechanistically complex dismutation of 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine affording riboflavin and 5-amino-6-ribitylamino-2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione. The 19F NMR data suggest large scale dynamic mobility in the trimeric protein which may play an important role in the reaction mechanism.
Generally, proteases in medicinal plants had different therapeutic effects such as anti-inflammatory effect; modulate the immune response and inhibitory effect toward tumor growth. In this study, protease was purified and characterized from miswak roots, as medicinal plant and natural toothbrush.
Results
Physical and chemical characterization of cysteine protease P1 were studied such as pH optimum (6.5), optimum temperature (50?°C), thermal stability (50?°C) and Km (3.3?mg azocasein/ml). The enzyme digested some proteins in the order of caseine > haemoglobin > egg albumin >gelatin > bovine serum albumin. Hg2+ had strong inhibitory effect on enzyme activity compared with other metal ions. Kinetic of inhibition for determination the type of protease was studied. Iodoactamide and p-Hydroximercuribenzaoic acid (p-HMB) caused strong inhibitory effect on enzyme activity indicating the enzyme is cysteine protease.
Conclusions
The biochemical characterization of this enzyme will be display the suitable conditions for using of this enzyme in toothpaste in the future and the enzyme may be used in other applications.
The smoothelin-like 1 protein (SMTNL1) can associate with tropomyosin (Tpm) and calmodulin (CaM), two proteins essential to the smooth muscle contractile process. SMTNL1 is phosphorylated at Ser301 by protein kinase A during calcium desensitization in smooth muscle, yet the effect of SMTNL1 phosphorylation on Tpm- and CaM-binding has yet to be investigated.
Results
Using pull down studies with Tpm-Sepharose and CaM-Sepharose, we examined the interplay between Tpm binding, CaM binding, phosphorylation of SMTNL1 and calcium concentration. Phosphorylation greatly enhanced the ability of SMTNL1 to associate with Tpm in vitro; surface plasmon resonance yielded a 10-fold enhancement in KD value with phosphorylation. The effect on CaM binding is more complex and varies with the availability of calcium.
Conclusions
Combining both CaM and Tpm with SMTNL1 shows that the binding to both is mutually exclusive.
Previous studies have demonstrated that members of Trichoderma are able to generate appreciable amount of extracellular amylase and glucoamylase on soluble potato starch. In this study the α-amylase was purified and characterized from Trichoderma pseudokoningii grown on orange peel under solid state fermentation (SSF).
Results
Five α-amylases A1-A5 from Trichodrma pseudokoningii were separated on DEAE-Sepharose column. The homogeneity of α-amylase A4 was detected after chromatography on Sephacryl S-200. α-Amylase A4 had molecular weight of 30 kDa by Sephacryl S-200 and SDS-PAGE. The enzyme had a broad pH optimum ranged from 4.5 to 8.5. The optimum temperature of A4 was 50 °C with high retention of its activity from 30 to 80 °C. The thermal stability of A4 was detected up to 50 °C and the enzyme was highly stable till 80 °C after 1 h incubation. All substrate analogues tested had amylase activity toward A4 ranged from 12 to 100% of its initial activity. The Km and Vmax values of A4 were 4 mg starch/ml and 0.74 μmol reducing sugar, respectively. The most of metals tested caused moderate inhibitory effect, except of Ca2+ and Mg2+ enhanced the activity. Hg2+ and Cd+?2 strongly inhibited the activity of A4. EDTA as metal chelator caused strong inhibitory effect.
Conclusions
The properties of the purified α-amylase A4 from T. pseudokoningii meet the prerequisites needed for several applications.
Over the past decades, the economic development and world population growth has led to increased for food demand. Increasing the fish production is considered one of the alternatives to meet the increased food demand, but the processing of fish leads to by-products such as skin, bones and viscera, a source of environmental contamination. Fish viscera have been reported as an important source of digestive proteases with interesting characteristics for biotechnological processes. Thus, the aim of this study was to purify and to characterize a trypsin from the processing by-products of crevalle jack (Caranx hippos) fish.
Results
A 27.5 kDa trypsin with N-terminal amino acid sequence IVGGFECTPHVFAYQ was easily purified from the pyloric caeca of the crevalle jack. Its physicochemical and kinetic properties were evaluated using N-α-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BApNA) as substrate. In addition, the effects of various metal ions and specific protease inhibitors on trypsin activity were determined. Optimum pH and temperature were 8.0 and 50°C, respectively. After incubation at 50°C for 30 min the enzyme lost only 20% of its activity. Km, kcat, and kcat/Km values using BApNA as substrate were 0.689 mM, 6.9 s-1, and 10 s-1 mM-1, respectively. High inhibition of trypsin activity was observed after incubation with Cd2+, Al3+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, and Hg2+ at 1 mM, revealing high sensitivity of the enzyme to metal ions.
Conclusions
Extraction of a thermostable trypsin from by-products of the fishery industry confirms the potential of these materials as an alternative source of these biomolecules. Furthermore, the results suggest that this trypsin-like enzyme presents interesting biotechnological properties for industrial applications.
The extracts from the aerial parts of Portulaca quadrifida have been reported to show the total flavonoid content, antioxidant and antibacterial activities.
Results
Our results revealed that the total flavonoid content of methanol and chloroform extracts is 2.335?±?0.0097 and 1.7312?±?0.0082 mgQE/100 g respectively. The two extracts also showed good antioxidant activity and total phenolic content as well as weak to moderate antibacterial activity against some bacteria.
Conclusions
The extracts the aerial parts of the P. quadrifida showed good total flavonoid content, DPPH radical scavenging activity and antibacterial activity. In addition to this, the extracts also showed the presence of some important compounds by phytochemical analysis.
The production of β-lactamases by bacteria is the most common mechanism of resistance to the widely prescribed β-lactam antibiotics. β-lactamase inhibitory protein (BLIP) competitively inhibits class A β-lactamases via two binding loops that occlude the active site. It has been shown that BLIP Tyr50 is a specificity determinant in that substitutions at this position result in large differential changes in the relative affinity of BLIP for class A β-lactamases.
Results
In this study, the effect of systematic substitutions at BLIP position 50 on binding to class A β-lactamases was examined to further explore the role of BLIP Tyr50 in modulating specificity. The results indicate the sequence requirements at position 50 are widely different depending on the target β-lactamase. Stringent sequence requirements were observed at Tyr50 for binding Bacillus anthracis Bla1 while moderate requirements for binding TEM-1 and relaxed requirements for binding KPC-2 β-lactamase were seen. These findings cannot be easily rationalized based on the β-lactamase residues in direct contact with BLIP Tyr50 since they are identical for Bla1 and KPC-2 suggesting that differences in the BLIP-β-lactamase interface outside the local environment of Tyr50 influence the effect of substitutions.
Conclusions
Results from this study and previous studies suggest that substitutions at BLIP Tyr50 may induce changes at the interface outside its local environment and point to the complexity of predicting the impact of substitutions at a protein-protein interaction interface.
Gamma glutamylcyclotransferase (GGCT) has been proved to be involved in various cancers, but the biological function of GGCT in gastric cancer is still largely unknown.
Methods
The expression level of GGCT was evaluated by informatics analyses based on the Oncomine database. GGCT gene was then effectively knocked down via lentivirus mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) system. Then a series of functional assays, including MTT, colony formation and flow cytometry analysis were conducted on gastric cancer cells following GGCT knockdown.
Results
We found GGCT is commonly up-regulated in gastric cancer tissues. Furthermore, MTT analysis showed that GGCT depletion significantly inhibited cell proliferation in MGC80-3 and AGS cells. Colony formation assay revealed that depletion of GGCT reduced the colony formation ability in gastric cancer cells. What’s more, cell cycle analysis showed that depletion of GGCT induced gastric cancer cell cycle arrested G2/M phase. More importantly, cell apoptosis analysis further revealed that GGCT inhibition induced early and late cell apoptosis in gastric cancer.
Conclusion
This study suggests GGCT is essential for gastric cancer proliferation and its downregulation may provide a potential anticancer therapy for gastric cancer.
The carbapenem subclass of β-lactams is among the most potent antibiotics available today. Emerging evidence shows that, unlike other subclasses of β-lactams, carbapenems bind to and inhibit non-classical transpeptidases (L,D-transpeptidases) that generate 3 → 3 linkages in bacterial peptidoglycan. The carbapenems biapenem and tebipenem exhibit therapeutically valuable potencies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).
Results
Here, we report the X-ray crystal structures of MtbL,D-transpeptidase-2 (LdtMt2) complexed with biapenem or tebipenem. Despite significant variations in carbapenem sulfur side chains, biapenem and tebipenem ultimately form an identical adduct that docks to the outer cavity of LdtMt2. We propose that this common adduct is an enzyme catalyzed decomposition of the carbapenem adduct by a mechanism similar to S-conjugate elimination by β-lyases.
Conclusion
The results presented here demonstrate biapenem and tebipenem bind to the outer cavity of LdtMt2, covalently inactivate the enzyme, and subsequently degrade via an S-conjugate elimination mechanism. We discuss structure based drug design based on the findings and propose that the S-conjugate elimination can be leveraged to design novel agents to deliver and locally release antimicrobial factors to act synergistically with the carbapenem carrier.
Novel six organic donor-π-acceptor molecules (D-π-A) used for Bulk Heterojunction organic solar cells (BHJ), based on thienopyrazine were studied by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) approaches, to shed light on how the π-conjugation order influence the performance of the solar cells. The electron acceptor group was 2-cyanoacrylic for all compounds, whereas the electron donor unit was varied and the influence was investigated.
Methods
The TD-DFT method, combined with a hybrid exchange-correlation functional using the Coulomb-attenuating method (CAM-B3LYP) in conjunction with a polarizable continuum model of salvation (PCM) together with a 6-31G(d,p) basis set, was used to predict the excitation energies, the absorption and the emission spectra of all molecules.
Results
The trend of the calculated HOMO–LUMO gaps nicely compares with the spectral data. In addition, the estimated values of the open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) for these compounds were presented in two cases/PC60BM and/PC71BM.
Conclusion
The study of structural, electronics and optical properties for these compounds could help to design more efficient functional photovoltaic organic materials.
The regulation of lipid biosynthesis is essential in photosynthetic eukaryotic cells. This regulation occurs during the direct synthesis of fatty acids and triacylglycerols (TAGs), as well as during other controlling processes in the main carbon metabolic pathway.
Results
In this study, the mRNA levels of Chlamydomonas citrate synthase (CrCIS) were found to decrease under nitrogen-limited conditions, which suggests suppressed gene expression. Gene silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) was conducted to determine whether CrCIS suppression affected the carbon flux in TAG biosynthesis. Results showed that the TAG level increased by 169.5%, whereas the CrCIS activities in the corresponding transgenic algae decreased by 16.7% to 37.7%. Moreover, the decrease in CrCIS expression led to the increased expression of TAG biosynthesis-related genes, such as acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase and phosphatidate phosphatase. Conversely, overexpression of CrCIS gene decreased the TAG level by 45% but increased CrCIS activity by 209% to 266% in transgenic algae.
Conclusions
The regulation of CrCIS gene can indirectly control the lipid content of algal cells. Our findings propose that increasing oil by suppressing CrCIS expression in microalgae is feasible.
Luciferases, enzymes that catalyze bioluminescent reactions in different organisms, have been extensively used for bioanalytical purposes. The most well studied bioluminescent system is that of firefly and other beetles, which depends on a luciferase, a benzothiazolic luciferin and ATP, and it is being widely used as a bioanalytical reagent to quantify ATP. Protein kinases are proteins that modify other proteins by transferring phosphate groups from a nucleoside triphosphate, usually ATP.
Methods
Here, we used a red-light emitting luciferase from Phrixotrix hirtus railroad worm to determine the activity of kinases in a coupled assay, based on luminescence that is generated when luciferase is in the presence of its substrate, the luciferin, and ATP.
Results
In this work we used, after several optimization reactions, creatine kinase isoforms as well as ?NEK7 protein kinase in the absence or presence of ATP analogous inhibitors to validate this new luminescence method.
Conclusion
With this new approach we validated a luminescence method to quantify kinase activity, with different substrates and inhibition screening tests, using a novel red-light emitting luciferase as a reporter enzyme.
One of the most popular techniques for cancer detection is the nuclear medicine technique. The present research focuses on Platelet-12-lipoxygenase (P-12-LOX) as a promising target for treating and radio-imaging tumor tissues. Curcumin was reported to inhibit this enzyme via binding to its active site.
Results
A novel curcumin derivative was successfully synthesized and characterized with yield of 74%. It was radiolabeled with the diagnostic radioisotope technetium-99m with 84% radiochemical yield and in vitro stability up to 6 h. The biodistribution studies in tumor bearing mice confirmed the high affinity predicted by the docking results with a free binding energy value of (ΔG ?50.10 kcal/mol) and affinity (13.64 pki) showing high accumulation in solid tumor with target/non-target ratio >6.
Conclusion
The newly synthesized curcumin derivative, as a result of a computational study on platelet-12 lipoxygenase, showed its excellent free binding energy (?G ?50.10 kcal/mol) and high affinity (13.64 pKi). It could be an excellent radio-imaging agent that targeting tumor cells via targeting of P-12-LOX.
Graphical abstract This novel curcumin derivative was successfully synthesized and radiolabeled with technetium-99m and biologically evaluated in tumor bearing mice that showed high accumulation in solid tumor with target/non-target ratio >6 confirming the affinity predicted by the docking results. Predicted binding mode of a new curcumin derivative in complex with 12-LOX active site. b Curcumin itself in the 12-LOX active site biological distribution of 99mTc-curcumin derivative complex in solid tumor bearing Albino mice
Most of the benzyladenine and furfuryladenine derivatives inhibit tumor/cancer cell growth; their toxicity is lesser than the compounds used for the treatment of cancer now-a-days. Many cytokinin derivatives are tested for anticancer activity.
Results
A series of transition metal complexes containing N6-benzyl/furfuryl aminopurines of formula [Mn(FAH)2(H2O)(Cl3)]2.Cl2(1), [Co(FAH)2(H2O)(Cl3)]2.Cl2(2), [Co(FAH)2(Cl4)]2 .[Co(FAH)2(H3O)(Cl3)].Cl2(3), [Ni(FAH)2(H2O)(Cl3)]2.Cl2. (H2O) (4), [Zn(BAH)Br3] (5) and [Cd2(BAH)2(μ-Br)4Br2]n(6) (where BAH and FAH benzyladeninium and furfuryladeninium cations respectively) have been synthesized and characterized. Crystal structures of (1-4) have similar distorted octahedral coordination geometry, while (5) and (6) have distorted tetrahedral geometry and octahedral geometries respectively. In (1-4) two halide ions and two cytokinin cations (BAH+/FAH+) are laterally coordinated to the metal ion. A water molecule and a halide ion are axially coordinated. But the coordination sphere of (5) consists of N7 coordinated benzyladeninium ion and three halide ions. The complex (6) is a coordination polymer bridged by bromide anions. A common notable feature in (1-4) is the presence of one or more lattice chloride anions. They help in a chain formation by N-H…Cl halide involving hydrogen bonding interactions in between the Hoogsteen site hydrogen.
Conclusions
The observed crystal structures emphasize the role of the halide ions in developing the supramolecular architectures by halide involving hydrogen bonding interactions. Also most of the reported cobalt cytokinin complexes possess tetrahedral coordination geometry, but some cobalt complexes have distorted octahedral coordination geometry, which are discussed and compared.
Chlorogenic acids (CGAs) are a class of phytochemicals that are formed as esters between different derivatives of cinnamic acid and quinic acid molecules. In plants, accumulation of these compounds has been linked to several physiological responses against various stress factors; however, biochemical synthesis differs from one plant to another. Although structurally simple, the analysis of CGA molecules with modern analytical platforms poses an analytical challenge. The objective of the study was to perform a comparison of the CGA profiles and related derivatives from differentiated tobacco leaf tissues and undifferentiated cell suspension cultures.
Results
Using an UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS fingerprinting method based on the in-source collision induced dissociation (ISCID) approach, a total of 19 different metabolites with a cinnamic acid core moiety were identified. These metabolites were either present in both leaf tissue and cell suspension samples or in only one of the two plant systems. Profile differences point to underlying biochemical similarities or differences thereof.
Conclusion
Using this method, the regio- and geometric-isomer profiles of chlorogenic acids of the two tissue types of Nicotiana tabacum were achieved. The method was also shown to be applicable for the detection of other related molecules containing a cinnamic acid core.
