scholarly journals The cbiS Gene of the Archaeon Methanopyrus kandleri AV19 Encodes a Bifunctional Enzyme with Adenosylcobinamide Amidohydrolase and α-Ribazole-Phosphate Phosphatase Activities

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (12) ◽  
pp. 4227-4235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse D. Woodson ◽  
Jorge C. Escalante-Semerena
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
The Other ◽  
Bifunctional Enzyme ◽  
Visible Spectroscopy ◽  
Uv Visible ◽  
Cobyric Acid ◽  
Methanopyrus Kandleri

ABSTRACT Here we report the initial biochemical characterization of the bifunctional α-ribazole-P (α-RP) phosphatase, adenosylcobinamide (AdoCbi) amidohydrolase CbiS enzyme from the hyperthermophilic methanogenic archaeon Methanopyrus kandleri AV19. The cbiS gene encodes a 39-kDa protein with two distinct segments, one of which is homologous to the AdoCbi amidohydrolase (CbiZ, EC 3.5.1.90) enzyme and the other of which is homologous to the recently discovered archaeal α-RP phosphatase (CobZ, EC 3.1.3.73) enzyme. CbiS function restored AdoCbi salvaging and α-RP phosphatase activity in strains of the bacterium Salmonella enterica where either step was blocked. The two halves of the cbiS genes retained their function in vivo when they were cloned separately. The CbiS enzyme was overproduced in Escherichia coli and was isolated to >95% homogeneity. High-performance liquid chromatography, UV-visible spectroscopy, and mass spectroscopy established α-ribazole and cobyric acid as the products of the phosphatase and amidohydrolase reactions, respectively. Reasons why the CbiZ and CobZ enzymes are fused in some archaea are discussed.

scholarly journals Biochemical Characterization of the Drosophila Wingless Signaling Pathway Based on RNA Interference

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 2012-2024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroko Matsubayashi ◽  
Sonoka Sese ◽  
Jong-Seo Lee ◽  
Tadaoki Shirakawa ◽  
Takeshi Iwatsubo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Interference ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
The Other ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Culture Cells ◽  
Tissue Culture Cells ◽  
Mediated Priming ◽  
Kinase A

ABSTRACT Regulation of Armadillo (Arm) protein levels through ubiquitin-mediated degradation plays a central role in the Wingless (Wg) signaling. Although zeste-white3 (Zw3)-mediated Arm phosphorylation has been implicated in its degradation, we have recently shown that casein kinase Iα (CKIα) also phosphorylates Arm and induces its degradation. However, it remains unclear how CKIα and Zw3, as well as other components of the Arm degradation complex, regulate Arm phosphorylation in response to Wg. In particular, whether Wg signaling suppresses CKIα- or Zw3-mediated Arm phosphorylaytion in vivo is unknown. To clarify these issues, we performed a series of RNA interference (RNAi)-based analyses in Drosophila S2R+ cells by using antibodies that specifically recognize Arm phosphorylated at different serine residues. These analyses revealed that Arm phosphorylation at serine-56 and at threonine-52, serine-48, and serine-44, is mediated by CKIα and Zw3, respectively, and that Zw3-directed Arm phosphorylation requires CKIα-mediated priming phosphorylation. Daxin stimulates Zw3- but not CKIα-mediated Arm phosphorylation. Wg suppresses Zw3- but not CKIα-mediated Arm phosphorylation, indicating that a vital regulatory step in Wg signaling is Zw3-mediated Arm phosphorylation. In addition, further RNAi-based analyses of the other aspects of the Wg pathway clarified that Wg-induced Dishevelled phosphoylation is due to CKIα and that presenilin and protein kinase A play little part in the regulation of Arm protein levels in Drosophila tissue culture cells.

scholarly journals Cj1386, an Atypical Hemin-Binding Protein, Mediates Hemin Trafficking to KatA in Campylobacter jejuni

2014 ◽  
Vol 197 (5) ◽  
pp. 1002-1011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Flint ◽  
Alain Stintzi
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Campylobacter Jejuni ◽  
Biochemical Properties ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Visible Spectroscopy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Uv Visible

Catalase enzymes detoxify H2O2by the dismutation of H2O2into O2and H2O through the use of hemin cofactors. While the structure and biochemical properties of catalase enzymes have been well characterized over many decades of research, it remained unclear how catalases acquire hemin. We have previously reported that Cj1386 is essential for ensuring proper hemin content inCampylobacter jejunicatalase (KatA) (A. Flint, Y. Q. Sun, and A. Stintzi, J Bacteriol194:334–345, 2012). In this report, an in-depth molecular characterization of Cj1386 was performed to elucidate the mechanistic details of this association. Coimmunoprecipitation assays revealed that KatA-Cj1386 transiently interactin vivo, and UV-visible spectroscopy demonstrated that purified Cj1386 protein binds hemin. Furthermore, hemin titration experiments determined that hemin binds to Cj1386 in a 1:1 ratio with hexacoordinate hemin binding. Mutagenesis of potential hemin-coordinating residues in Cj1386 showed that tyrosine 57 was essential for hemin coordination when Cj1386 was overexpressed inEscherichia coli. The importance of tyrosine 57 in hemin traffickingin vivowas confirmed by introducing thecj1386Y57Aallele into aC. jejuniΔcj1386mutant background. Thecj1386Y57Amutation resulted in increased sensitivity toward H2O2relative to the wild type, suggesting that KatA was not functional in this strain. In support of this finding, KatA immunoprecipitated from the Δcj1386+cj1386Y57Amutant had significantly reduced hemin content compared to that of thecj1386WTbackground. Overall, these findings indicate that Cj1386 is involved in directly trafficking hemin to KatA and that tyrosine 57 plays a key role in this function.

Biochemical characterization of Yin Yang 1 – RNA complexes

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachery R. Belak ◽  
Andrew Ficzycz ◽  
Nick Ovsenek
Keyword(s):  
Rna Binding ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Ribonucleoprotein Complexes ◽  
Yin Yang 1 ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Yin Yang ◽  
Rna Interaction ◽  
Rna Complexes

YY1 (Yin Yang 1) is present in the Xenopus oocyte cytoplasm as a constituent of messenger ribonucleoprotein complexes (mRNPs). Association of YY1 with mRNPs requires direct RNA-binding activity. Previously, we have shown YY1 has a high affinity for U-rich RNA; however, potential interactions with plausible in vivo targets have not been investigated. Here we report a biochemical characterization of the YY1–RNA interaction including an investigation of the stability, potential 5′-methylguanosine affinity, and specificity for target RNAs. The formation of YY1–RNA complexes in vitro was highly resistant to thermal, ionic, and detergent disruption. The endogenous oocyte YY1–mRNA interactions were also found to be highly stable. Specific YY1–RNA interactions were observed with selected mRNA and 5S RNA probes. The affinity of YY1 for these substrates was within an order of magnitude of that for its cognate DNA element. Experiments aimed at determining the potential role of the 7-methylguanosine cap on RNA-binding reveal no significant difference in the affinity of YY1 for capped or uncapped mRNA. Taken together, the results show that the YY1–RNA interaction is highly stable, and that YY1 possesses the ability to interact with structurally divergent RNA substrates. These data are the first to specifically document the interaction between YY1 and potential in vivo targets.

scholarly journals Identification and Characterization of α-Glucosidase Inhibition Flavonol Glycosides from Jack Bean (Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 2481
Author(s):  
Anita M. Sutedja ◽  
Emiko Yanase ◽  
Irmanida Batubara ◽  
Dedi Fardiaz ◽  
Hanifah N. Lioe
Keyword(s):  
2D Nmr ◽  
The Other ◽  
Inhibition Activity ◽  
Jack Bean ◽  
Canavalia Ensiformis ◽  
Kaempferol Glycosides ◽  
Uv Visible ◽  
First Time ◽  
Identification And Characterization

Although the intake of jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC.), an underutilized tropical legume, can potentially decrease the risk of several chronic diseases, not much effort has been directed at profiling the polyphenolics contained therein. Hence, this work aimed to identify and quantify the dominant jack bean polyphenolics, which are believed to have antioxidant and other bioactivities. Four major compounds were detected and identified as kaempferol glycosides with three or four glycoside units. Their structures were established based on UV-visible, 1D, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS analyses. Specifically, kaempferol 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl (1→6)- β-d-glucopyranosyl (1→2)-β-d-galactopyranosyl-7-O-[3-O-o-anisoyl]-α-l-rhamnopyranoside was detected for the first time, while the other three compounds have already been described in plants other than jack bean. This new compound was found to have a higher α-glucosidase inhibition activity compared to acarbose.

scholarly journals Enzymatic activity in turkey, duck, quail and chicken liver microsomes against four human cytochrome P450 prototype substrates and aflatoxin B1

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hansen W. Murcia ◽  
Gonzalo J. Díaz ◽  
Sandra Milena Cepeda
Keyword(s):  
Cytochrome P450 ◽  
Aflatoxin B1 ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Liver Microsomes ◽  
Cytochrome P450 Enzymes ◽  
Catalytic Rate

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP) are a group of monooxygenases able to biotransform several kinds of xenobiotics including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a highly toxic mycotoxin. These enzymes have been widely studied in humans and others mammals, but there is not enough information in commercial poultry species about their biochemical characteristics or substrate specificity. The aim of the present study was to identify CYPs from avian liver microsomes with the use of prototype substrates specific for human CYP enzymes and AFB1. Biochemical characterization was carried out in vitro and biotransformation products were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Enzymatic constants were calculated and comparisons between turkey, duck, quail and chicken activities were done. The results demonstrate the presence of four avian ortholog enzyme activities possibly related with a CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2A6 (activity not previously identified) and CYP3A4 poultry orthologs, respectively. Large differences in enzyme kinetics specific for prototype substrates were found among the poultry species studied. Turkey liver microsomes had the highest affinity and catalytic rate for AFB1 whereas chicken enzymes had the lowest affinity and catalytic rate for the same substrate. Quail and duck microsomes showed intermediate values. These results correlate well with the known in vivo sensitivity for AFB1 except for the duck. A high correlation coefficient between 7-ethoxyresorufin-Odeethylase (EROD) and 7-methoxyresorufin- O-deethylase (MROD) activities was found in the four poultry species, suggesting that these two enzymatic activities might be carried out by the same enzyme. The results of the present study indicate that four prototype enzyme activities are present in poultry liver microsomes, possibly related with the presence of three CYP avian orthologs. More studies are needed in order to further characterize these enzymes.

scholarly journals Characterization of MPI Communication Primitives on a Heterogeneous Cluster

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Siti Arpah Ahmad ◽  
Mohamed Faidz Mohamed Said ◽  
Norazan Mohamed Ramli ◽  
Mohd Nasir Taib
Keyword(s):  
Message Passing ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Data Transfer ◽  
The Other ◽  
Small Cluster ◽  
Heterogeneous Cluster ◽  
Processing Power ◽  
Basic Performance ◽  
Point To Point

This paper focuses on the performance of basic communication primitives, namely the overlap of message transfer with computation in the point-to-point communication within a small cluster of four nodes. The mpptest has been implemented to measure the basic performance of MPI message passing routines with a variety of message sizes. The mpptest is capable of measuring performance with many participating processes thus exposing contention and scalability problems. This enables programmers to select message sizes in order to isolate and evaluate sudden changes in performance. Investigating these matters is interesting in that non-blocking calls have the advantage of allowing the system to schedule communications even when many processes are running simultaneously. On the other hand, understanding the characteristics of computation and communication overlap is significant, because high- performance kernels often strive to achieve this, since it is both advantageous with respect to data transfer and latency hiding. The results indicate that certain overlap sizes utilize greater node processing power either in blocking send and receive operations or non-blocking send and receive operations. The results have elucidated a detailed MPI characterization of the performance regarding the overlap of message transfer with computation in a small cluster system. 

scholarly journals FTIR and UV‒vis study of chemically engineered biomaterial surfaces for protein immobilization

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 351-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herman Mansur ◽  
Rodrigo Oréfice ◽  
Marivalda Pereira ◽  
Zélia Lobato ◽  
Wander Vasconcelos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorimetric Assay ◽  
Protein Immobilization ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Visible Spectroscopy ◽  
Functional Abnormality ◽  
Specific Chemical ◽  
Uv Visible

The biomaterials research field has broadened in the last 3 decades, including replacement of diseased or damaged parts, assist in healing, correct and improve functional abnormality, drug delivery systems, immunological kits and biosensors. Proteins play crucial role in almost every biological system. They are involved in enzymatic catalysis, transport and storage, coordinated motion, mechanical support, immune protection, control of growth and cell differentiation among many others. The immobilization of proteins onto surface functionalized substrates has been one of the most promising areas in bioengineering field. It is important to note that the term immobilization can refer either to a temporary or to a permanent localization of the biomolecule on or within a support. Proteins have very particular chain configurations and conformations that promote high levels of specificity during chemical interactions. In the present work, we aimed to study the phenomenon of protein immobilization onto biomaterial with chemically engineered surface. We have tailored the surface of the porous gels of SiO2with 5 different silane surface modifying agents: tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), 3‒mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and 3‒aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), 3‒glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and 3‒isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane (ICPES). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to characterize the presence of all specific chemical groups in the materials. The surface functionalized gels were then immersed in porcine insulin (PI) solutions for protein immobilization. The incorporation of protein within the gels was also monitored by FTIR spectroscopy. The kinetics of protein adsorption and desorption from the gel matrixin vitrotests were monitored by UV‒visible spectroscopy. We could not observe any evidence of denaturation of insulin after its desorption from gel matrices using UV‒visible spectroscopy technique.In vivotests with adult male rats were used to verify the immobilized insulin bioactivity after implantation of different biomaterial with functionalized surfaces. Plasma glucose levels were obtained by using the Glucose GOD‒ANA Colorimetric Assay. All surface modified materials have presented acute hypoglycemic peak response associated with the insulin bioactivity.

scholarly journals Morphological and Biochemical Characterization of Macrophages Activated by Carrageenan and Lipopolysaccharide In Vivo

2004 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valéria Pereira Nacife ◽  
Maria de Nazaré Correia Soeiro ◽  
Rachel Novaes Gomes ◽  
Heloísa D’Avila ◽  
Hugo Caire Castro-Faria Neto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biochemical Characterization

Synthesis and Characterization of Gold Nanoparticles Synthesized in Gel and Paper by Electrolysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 824 ◽  
pp. 163-167
Author(s):  
Pema Dechen ◽  
Ekasith Somsook
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽  
Gold Nanoparticles ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Synthesis And Characterization ◽  
Visible Spectroscopy ◽  
Gold Leaf ◽  
Uv Visible ◽  
Scanning Electron

In this report, synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from gold leaf by electrolysis in two different media (gel and paper) in presence of sodium chloride (NaCl), glucose (C6H12O6) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) at room temperature were investigated. Graphite was used as two electrodes, NaCl was used as an electrolyte, C6H12O6 was used as reducing agent and PVP was used as stabilizer to control the aggregation of the nanoparticles. UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to confirm the characteristics and morphologies of the synthesized AuNPs.

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