Sequence and kinetic analyses of streptokinase from two group G streptococci with high fibrin-dependent plasminogen activities and the identification of novel altered amino acids as potential hot spots

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 889-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malihe Keramati ◽  
Mohammad Mehdi Aslani ◽  
Shohreh Khatami ◽  
Farzin Roohvand
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Group G Streptococci

scholarly journals Prediction of amyloidogenicity based on the n-gram analysis

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Jan Burdukiewicz ◽  
Piotr Sobczyk ◽  
Stefan Rödiger ◽  
Anna Duda-Madej ◽  
Paweł Mackiewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Permutation Test ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Amyloid Peptides ◽  
External Data ◽  
N Gram

Amyloids are proteins associated with the number of clinical disorders (e.g., Alzheimer's, Creutzfeldt-Jakob's and Huntington's diseases). Despite their diversity, all amyloid proteins can undergo aggregation initiated by 6- to 15-residue segments, called hot spots. To find the patterns defining the hot-spots, we trained predictors of amyloidogenicity, using n-grams and random forest classifiers, based on data collected in the AmyLoad database. Only the most informative n-grams, selected by our Quick Permutation Test, were considered. Since the amyloidogenicity may not depend on the exact sequence of amino acids but on more general properties of amino acids, we tested 524,284 reduced amino acid alphabets of different lengths (three to six letters) to find the alphabet providing the best performance in cross-validation. The predictor based on this alphabet, called AmyloGram, was benchmarked against the most popular tools for the detection of amyloid peptides using an external data set and obtained the highest values of performance measures (AUC: 0.90, MCC: 0.63). Our results showed sequential patterns in the amyloids, which are strongly correlated with hydrophobicity, a tendency to form ß-sheets and rigidity of amino acid residues. Among the most informative n-grams of AmyloGram we identified 15 that were already confirmed experimentally. AmyloGram is available as a web-server: www.smorfland.uni.wroc.pl/amylogram/. The code and results are publicly available at: www.github.com/michbur/prediction_amyloidogenicity_ngram/.

The reduced genome of Candidatus Kinetoplastibacterium sorsogonicusi, the endosymbiont of Kentomonas sorsogonicus (Trypanosomatidae): loss of the haem-synthesis pathway

Parasitology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 145 (10) ◽  
pp. 1287-1293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávia M. Silva ◽  
Alexei Y. Kostygov ◽  
Viktoria V. Spodareva ◽  
Anzhelika Butenko ◽  
Regis Tossou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Standard Procedure ◽  
Essential Amino Acids ◽  
Reliable Criterion ◽  
Reduced Genome ◽  
Traditional Test ◽  
Bacterial Endosymbionts

AbstractTrypanosomatids of the genera Angomonas and Strigomonas (subfamily Strigomonadinae) have long been known to contain intracellular beta-proteobacteria, which provide them with many important nutrients such as haem, essential amino acids and vitamins. Recently, Kentomonas sorsogonicus, a divergent member of Strigomonadinae, has been described. Herein, we characterize the genome of its endosymbiont, Candidatus Kinetoplastibacterium sorsogonicusi. This genome is completely syntenic with those of other known Ca. Kinetoplastibacterium spp., but more reduced in size (~742 kb, compared with 810–833 kb, respectively). Gene losses are not concentrated in any hot-spots but are instead distributed throughout the genome. The most conspicuous loss is that of the haem-synthesis pathway. For long, removing haemin from the culture medium has been a standard procedure in cultivating trypanosomatids isolated from insects; continued growth was considered as an evidence of endosymbiont presence. However, we demonstrate that, despite bearing the endosymbiont, K. sorsogonicus cannot grow in culture without haem. Thus, the traditional test cannot be taken as a reliable criterion for the absence or presence of endosymbionts in trypanosomatid flagellates. It remains unclear why the ability to synthesize such an essential compound was lost in Ca. K. sorsogonicusi, whereas all other known bacterial endosymbionts of trypanosomatids retain them.

scholarly journals Prediction of amyloidogenicity based on the n-gram analysis

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Jan Burdukiewicz ◽  
Piotr Sobczyk ◽  
Stefan Rödiger ◽  
Anna Duda-Madej ◽  
Paweł Mackiewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Permutation Test ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Amyloid Peptides ◽  
External Data ◽  
N Gram

Amyloids are proteins associated with the number of clinical disorders (e.g., Alzheimer's, Creutzfeldt-Jakob's and Huntington's diseases). Despite their diversity, all amyloid proteins can undergo aggregation initiated by 6- to 15-residue segments, called hot spots. To find the patterns defining the hot-spots, we trained predictors of amyloidogenicity, using n-grams and random forest classifiers, based on data collected in the AmyLoad database. Only the most informative n-grams, selected by our Quick Permutation Test, were considered. Since the amyloidogenicity may not depend on the exact sequence of amino acids but on more general properties of amino acids, we tested 524,284 reduced amino acid alphabets of different lengths (three to six letters) to find the alphabet providing the best performance in cross-validation. The predictor based on this alphabet, called AmyloGram, was benchmarked against the most popular tools for the detection of amyloid peptides using an external data set and obtained the highest values of performance measures (AUC: 0.90, MCC: 0.63). Our results showed sequential patterns in the amyloids, which are strongly correlated with hydrophobicity, a tendency to form ß-sheets and rigidity of amino acid residues. Among the most informative n-grams of AmyloGram we identified 15 that were already confirmed experimentally. AmyloGram is available as a web-server: www.smorfland.uni.wroc.pl/amylogram/. The code and results are publicly available at: www.github.com/michbur/prediction_amyloidogenicity_ngram/.

scholarly journals Hot Spots of Phytoene Desaturase from Rhodobacter Sphaeroides Influencing the Desaturation of Phytoene

Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1248
Author(s):  
Bo Hyun Choi ◽  
Sung Hui Kim ◽  
Pyung Cheon Lee
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Rhodobacter Sphaeroides ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Major Product ◽  
Phytoene Desaturase ◽  
Binding Region ◽  
Phylogenetic Evolution ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Fad Binding

Phytoene desaturase (CrtI, E.C. 1.3.99.31) shows variable desaturation activity, thereby introducing different numbers of conjugated double bonds (CDB) into the substrate phytoene. In particular, Rhodobacter sphaeroides CrtI is known to introduce additional 6 CDBs into the phytoene with 3 CDBs, generating neurosporene with 9 CDBs. Although in-depth studies have been conducted on the function and phylogenetic evolution of CrtI, little information exists on its range of CDB-introducing capabilities. We investigated the relationship between the structure and CDB-introducing capability of CrtI. CrtI of R. sphaeroides KCTC 12085 was randomly mutagenized to produce carotenoids of different CDBs (neurosporene for 9 CDBs, lycopene for 11 CDBs, and 3,4-didehydrolycopene for 13 CDBs). From six CrtI mutants producing different ratios of neurosporene/lycopene/3,4-didehydrolycopene, three amino acids (Leu163, Ala171, and Ile454) were identified that significantly determined carotenoid profiles. While the L163P mutation was responsible for producing neurosporene as a major carotenoid, A171P and I454T produced lycopene as the major product. Finally, according to the in silico model, the mutated amino acids are gathered in the membrane-binding domain of CrtI, which could distantly influence the FAD binding region and consequently the degree of desaturation in phytoene.

scholarly journals Offshore pelagic subsidies dominate carbon inputs to coral reef predators

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. eabf3792
Author(s):  
C. Skinner ◽  
A. C. Mill ◽  
M. D. Fox ◽  
S. P. Newman ◽  
Y. Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Essential Amino Acids ◽  
Ocean Productivity ◽  
Analytical Power ◽  
Carbon Pathways

Coral reefs were traditionally perceived as productive hot spots in oligotrophic waters. While modern evidence indicates that many coral reef food webs are heavily subsidized by planktonic production, the pathways through which this occurs remain unresolved. We used the analytical power of carbon isotope analysis of essential amino acids to distinguish between alternative carbon pathways supporting four key reef predators across an oceanic atoll. This technique separates benthic versus planktonic inputs, further identifying two distinct planktonic pathways (nearshore reef-associated plankton and offshore pelagic plankton), and revealing that these reef predators are overwhelmingly sustained by offshore pelagic sources rather than by reef sources (including reef-associated plankton). Notably, pelagic reliance did not vary between species or reef habitats, emphasizing that allochthonous energetic subsidies may have system-wide importance. These results help explain how coral reefs maintain exceptional productivity in apparently nutrient-poor tropical settings, but also emphasize their susceptibility to future ocean productivity fluctuations.

Homochirality as the Signature of Extra-Terrestrial Life

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 505-510
Author(s):  
Alexandra J. MacDermott ◽  
Laurence D. Barron ◽  
Andrè Brack ◽  
Thomas Buhse ◽  
John R. Cronin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Optical Rotation ◽  
Physical Origin ◽  
Natural Choice ◽  
Rosetta Mission ◽  
Terrestrial Life ◽  
Subsurface Layers ◽  
Solar System Bodies ◽  
Origin Of Homochirality

AbstractThe most characteristic hallmark of life is its homochirality: all biomolecules are usually of one hand, e.g. on Earth life uses only L-amino acids for protein synthesis and not their D mirror images. We therefore suggest that a search for extra-terrestrial life can be approached as a Search for Extra- Terrestrial Homochirality (SETH). The natural choice for a SETH instrument is optical rotation, and we describe a novel miniaturized space polarimeter, called the SETH Cigar, which could be used to detect optical rotation as the homochiral signature of life on other planets. Moving parts are avoided by replacing the normal rotating polarizer by multiple fixed polarizers at different angles as in the eye of the bee. We believe that homochirality may be found in the subsurface layers on Mars as a relic of extinct life, and on other solar system bodies as a sign of advanced pre-biotic chemistry. We discuss the chiral GC-MS planned for the Roland lander of the Rosetta mission to a comet and conclude with theories of the physical origin of homochirality.

Hydrogen Cyanide Polymers from the Impact of Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 179-187
Author(s):  
Clifford N. Matthews ◽  
Rose A. Pesce-Rodriguez ◽  
Shirley A. Liebman
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Solar System ◽  
Hydrogen Cyanide ◽  
Nitrogen Heterocycles ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Heterogeneous Solids ◽  
The Many ◽  
Comet Halley ◽  
The Impact ◽  
By Products

AbstractHydrogen cyanide polymers – heterogeneous solids ranging in color from yellow to orange to brown to black – may be among the organic macromolecules most readily formed within the Solar System. The non-volatile black crust of comet Halley, for example, as well as the extensive orangebrown streaks in the atmosphere of Jupiter, might consist largely of such polymers synthesized from HCN formed by photolysis of methane and ammonia, the color observed depending on the concentration of HCN involved. Laboratory studies of these ubiquitous compounds point to the presence of polyamidine structures synthesized directly from hydrogen cyanide. These would be converted by water to polypeptides which can be further hydrolyzed to α-amino acids. Black polymers and multimers with conjugated ladder structures derived from HCN could also be formed and might well be the source of the many nitrogen heterocycles, adenine included, observed after pyrolysis. The dark brown color arising from the impacts of comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter might therefore be mainly caused by the presence of HCN polymers, whether originally present, deposited by the impactor or synthesized directly from HCN. Spectroscopic detection of these predicted macromolecules and their hydrolytic and pyrolytic by-products would strengthen significantly the hypothesis that cyanide polymerization is a preferred pathway for prebiotic and extraterrestrial chemistry.

Methionine-Specific Staining of Collagen

1982 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 294-295
Author(s):  
E.M. Kuhn ◽  
K.D. Marenus ◽  
M. Beer
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Collagen Fibers ◽  
Type Iii Collagen ◽  
Type I ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Good Correspondence ◽  
Specific Staining ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Sulfur Containing

Fibers composed of different types of collagen cannot be differentiated by conventional electron microscopic stains. We are developing staining procedures aimed at identifying collagen fibers of different types.Pt(Gly-L-Met)Cl binds specifically to sulfur-containing amino acids. Different collagens have methionine (met) residues at somewhat different positions. A good correspondence has been reported between known met positions and Pt(GLM) bands in rat Type I SLS (collagen aggregates in which molecules lie adjacent to each other in exact register). We have confirmed this relationship in Type III collagen SLS (Fig. 1).

A high-performance oil-free backing pump for electron microscopes

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-111
Author(s):  
G.K.W. Balkau ◽  
E. Bez ◽  
J.L. Farrant
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Carbonaceous Material ◽  
Contamination Rate ◽  
Low Molecular Weight ◽  
Principal Source ◽  
Rotary Pumps ◽  
Electron Microscopes

The earliest account of the contamination of electron microscope specimens by the deposition of carbonaceous material during electron irradiation was published in 1947 by Watson who was then working in Canada. It was soon established that this carbonaceous material is formed from organic vapours, and it is now recognized that the principal source is the oil-sealed rotary pumps which provide the backing vacuum. It has been shown that the organic vapours consist of low molecular weight fragments of oil molecules which have been degraded at hot spots produced by friction between the vanes and the surfaces on which they slide. As satisfactory oil-free pumps are unavailable, it is standard electron microscope practice to reduce the partial pressure of organic vapours in the microscope in the vicinity of the specimen by using liquid-nitrogen cooled anti-contamination devices. Traps of this type are sufficient to reduce the contamination rate to about 0.1 Å per min, which is tolerable for many investigations.

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