scholarly journals Circular-dichroic studies on the conformational behaviour of troponin and tropomyosin from bovine cardiac muscle

1978 ◽  
Vol 175 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
T I Lin ◽  
J Y Cassim

Bovine cardiac troponin is similar to rabbit skeletal troponin with respect to secondary structure, amino acid composition and molecular weight of the subunits, but differs slightly with respect to biological activity and surface charges of the subunits. Previous circular-dichroic studies of the subunits and recombination of subunits have indicated significant Ca2+-induced delocalized conformational changes. Present studies of the native troponin complex are not in accord with such changes. Furthermore the formation of the troponin-tropomyosin complex in vitro results in no delocalized conformational changes, nor does it sensitize troponin to Ca2+-induced changes. It is suggested that the troponin complex cannot be dissociated into subunits without significant and irreversible conformational perturbation.

1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. 1009-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Bali ◽  
H. Mattras ◽  
A. Previero ◽  
M. A. Coletti-Previero

Rat blood was shown to contain an aminopeptidase which rapidly hydrolyses short peptides containing an aromatic amino acid as N-terminal residue. Using tetragastrin (Trp-Met-Asp-PheNH 2) as substrate, we showed that some amino acid hydroxamates inhibit rat aminopeptidase activity ‘in vitro’ in the following order: HTrpNHOH > HPheNHOH ≫ HAIaNHOH. The same hydroxamates markedly enhanced the biological activity of tetragastrin ‘in vivo’. The amplification of the secretory effect, correlated with the amount of the hydroxamate used, strongly suggests that these compounds can stabilize a number of active peptides in vivo by inhibiting their proteolytic degradation.


Parasitology ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Halton

SummaryAn in vitro investigation has been made of the relative roles of the gut and tegument in the absorption of the neutral amino acids L-alanine and L-leucine by a marine fish-gill parasite, Diclidophora merlangi. The use of ligatures to preclude oral ingestion of trace-labelled medium has proved inadequate, invariably damaging the tegument, as revealed by stereoscan electron microscopy, and resulting in artifactual levels of absorption. Three alternative procedures have given consistently reliable data on the route of entry of low molecular weight substrates. (1) Ultrastructural examination of worms previously incubated in electron-dense cationic tracers has shown that, in vitro, there is no oral intake of sea water. (2) The suspending of worms in trace-labelled medium with the mouth out of the medium and comparing amino acid uptake with that of worms totally immersed in medium has revealed no statistically significant difference in the absorption levels. (3) Application of section (freeze-dried) auto-radiography to detect diffusible isotope has demonstrated directly transtegumental absorption of a neutral amino acid. It is concluded from these experiments that Diclidophora has a tegumental transport system for absorbing certain neutral amino acids, and whilst, clearly, the worm is sanguinivorous and digests blood in a well-developed gut, it may also be capable of supplementing this diet with low molecular weight organic nutrient absorbed directly from sea water via the tegument.


1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 3138-3146 ◽  
Author(s):  
C F Clarke ◽  
R D Tanaka ◽  
K Svenson ◽  
M Wamsley ◽  
A M Fogelman ◽  
...  

Differential hybridization and molecular cloning have been used to isolate CR39, a cDNA which hybridizes to a 1.2-kilobase (kb) mRNA in rat liver. The level of CR39 mRNA was increased seven- to ninefold over normal levels by dietary cholestyramine and mevinolin and decreased about fourfold compared with normal levels by cholesterol feeding or administration of mevalonate. Similar changes in the mRNA levels of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and HMG-CoA synthase were observed under the various conditions. In vitro translation of either CR39 hybrid selected RNA or 1.2-kb CR39 RNA generated by an SP6 in vitro transcription system produced a polypeptide of 39,000 daltons. As deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a full-length CR39 cDNA, the rat CR39 polypeptide contained 344 amino acids and had a molecular weight of 39,615. The predicted amino acid composition and submit molecular weight of the rat CR39 were very similar to those of prenyltransferases isolated from chicken, pig, and human. The sequence of amino acid residues 173 through 203 in the rat CR39 polypeptide showed that 17 out of 30 matched an active-site peptide of avian liver prenyltransferase. Thus, alterations in the rate of cholesterogenesis resulted in the coordinate regulation of three mRNAs encoding HMG-CoA reductase, HMG-CoA synthase, and CR39, the latter being tentatively identified as prenyltransferase.


1969 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Jentsch

Melittin is the (main) toxic peptide of bee venom having a molecular weight of 2840, with a known sequence (s. fig. 1). Optical rotatory dispersion of non-crystalline melittin in aqueous solution suggests that the polypeptide chain is random, although 7% α-helix has been determined. These results are in agreement with the amino acid sequence of melittin and the assumption that the biological activity is attributable to its surface active character.


1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 3221-3230
Author(s):  
N Beauchemin ◽  
S Benchimol ◽  
D Cournoyer ◽  
A Fuks ◽  
C P Stanners

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) expression is perhaps the most prevalent of phenotypic changes observed in human cancer cells. The molecular genetic basis of this phenomenon, however, is completely unknown. Twenty-seven CEA cDNA clones were isolated from a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line. Most of these clones are full length and consist of a number (usually three) of surprisingly similar long (534 base pairs) repeats between a 5' end of 520 base pairs and a 3' end with three different termination points. The predicted translation product of these clones consists of a processed signal sequence of 34 amino acids, an amino-terminal sequence of 107 amino acids, which includes the known terminal amino acid sequence of CEA, three repeated domains of 178 amino acids each, and a membrane-anchoring domain of 27 amino acids, giving a total of 702 amino acids and a molecular weight of 72,813 for the mature protein. The repeated domains have conserved features, including the first 67 amino acids at their N termini and the presence of four cysteine residues. Comparisons with the amino acid sequences of other proteins reveals homology of the repeats with various members of the immunoglobulin supergene family, particularly the human T-cell receptor gamma chain. CEA cDNA clones in the SP-65 vector were shown to produce transcripts in vitro which could be translated in vitro to yield a protein of molecular weight 73,000 which in turn could be precipitated with CEA-specific antibodies. CEA cDNA clones were also inserted into an animal cell expression vector and introduced by transfection into mammalian cell lines. These transfectants produced a CEA-immunoprecipitable glycoprotein which could be visualized by immunofluorescence on the cell surface.


1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 3138-3146
Author(s):  
C F Clarke ◽  
R D Tanaka ◽  
K Svenson ◽  
M Wamsley ◽  
A M Fogelman ◽  
...  

Differential hybridization and molecular cloning have been used to isolate CR39, a cDNA which hybridizes to a 1.2-kilobase (kb) mRNA in rat liver. The level of CR39 mRNA was increased seven- to ninefold over normal levels by dietary cholestyramine and mevinolin and decreased about fourfold compared with normal levels by cholesterol feeding or administration of mevalonate. Similar changes in the mRNA levels of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and HMG-CoA synthase were observed under the various conditions. In vitro translation of either CR39 hybrid selected RNA or 1.2-kb CR39 RNA generated by an SP6 in vitro transcription system produced a polypeptide of 39,000 daltons. As deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a full-length CR39 cDNA, the rat CR39 polypeptide contained 344 amino acids and had a molecular weight of 39,615. The predicted amino acid composition and submit molecular weight of the rat CR39 were very similar to those of prenyltransferases isolated from chicken, pig, and human. The sequence of amino acid residues 173 through 203 in the rat CR39 polypeptide showed that 17 out of 30 matched an active-site peptide of avian liver prenyltransferase. Thus, alterations in the rate of cholesterogenesis resulted in the coordinate regulation of three mRNAs encoding HMG-CoA reductase, HMG-CoA synthase, and CR39, the latter being tentatively identified as prenyltransferase.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-46
Author(s):  
N. Y. Monka ◽  
◽  
L. R. Zhurakhivska ◽  
M. S. Kurka ◽  
G. B. Shiуan ◽  
...  

Quinoid derivatives are attractive not only as interesting synthons for synthesis, but also as potential biologically active substances, so it is important to modify the compounds of the quinone series with different pharmacoform fragments. In this work, the structural design of chlorine and bromanyl disulfur-containing fragments, namely thiosulfonate, and chloranyl – a fragment of 4- aminobutanoic acid. Methods of synthesis were developed and physicochemical characteristics of thiosulfonate and amino acid derivatives were studied: 2,5-bis (thiosulfonate) -3,6-halogen -1,4- benzoquinones and 2,5-bis (3-carboxypropylamino) -3,6 - dichlorobenzoquinone. The prospects for the design of chlorine and bromanyl thiosulfonate fragments and chloranyl fragment of 4- aminobutanoic acid are confirmed by the results of predicting the biological activity of 5 a, b, 6 a, b, 7 using the online resource PASS Online. In particular, the substance 6a obtained by us is promising in terms of research on Antiviral (Picornavirus). The obtained results of predicted cytotoxicity screening indicate the feasibility of conducting experimental studies by in vitro methods on anticancer activity against cancer cell lines of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue, lungs, skin, ovaries, blood, breast, kidney, colon, brain.


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