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| 2. |
- Dobritzsch, Doreen, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of beta-alanine synthase from the yeast Saccharomyces kluyveri
- 2003
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Ingår i: Acta Crystallographica Section D. - 0907-4449 .- 1399-0047. ; 59:Pt 7, s. 1267-1269
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In eukaryotes and some bacteria, the third step of reductive pyrimidine catabolism is catalyzed by beta-alanine synthase (EC 3.5.1.6). Crystals of the recombinant enzyme from the yeast Saccharomyces kluyveri were obtained using sodium citrate as a precipitant. The crystals belong to space group P2(1) (unit-cell parameters a = 117.2, b = 77.1, c = 225.5 A, beta = 95.0 degrees ) and contain four homodimers per asymmetric unit. Data were collected to 2.7 A resolution. Introduction of heavy atoms into the crystal lattice induced a different set of unit-cell parameters (a = 61.0, b = 77.9, c = 110.1 A, beta = 97.2 degrees ) in the same space group P2(1), with only one homodimer per asymmetric unit.
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| 3. |
- Khan, Zahidul, et al.
(författare)
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Plant thymidine kinase 1: a novel efficient suicide gene for malignant glioma therapy.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Neuro-Oncology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1523-5866 .- 1522-8517. ; 12, s. 549-558
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The prognosis for malignant gliomas remains poor, and new treatments are urgently needed. Targeted suicide gene therapy exploits the enzymatic conversion of a prodrug, such as a nucleoside analog, into a cytotoxic compound. Although this therapeutic strategy has been considered a promising regimen for central nervous system (CNS) tumors, several obstacles have been encountered such as inefficient gene transfer to the tumor cells, limited prodrug penetration into the CNS, and inefficient enzymatic activity of the suicide gene. We report here the cloning and successful application of a novel thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) from the tomato plant, with favorable characteristics in vitro and in vivo. This enzyme (toTK1) is highly specific for the nucleoside analog prodrug zidovudine (azidothymidine, AZT), which is known to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. An important feature of toTK1 is that it efficiently phosphorylates its substrate AZT not only to AZT monophosphate, but also to AZT diphosphate, with excellent kinetics. The efficiency of the toTK1/AZT system was confirmed when toTK1-transduced human glioblastoma (GBM) cells displayed a 500-fold increased sensitivity to AZT compared with wild-type cells. In addition, when neural progenitor cells were used as delivery vectors for toTK1 in intracranial GBM xenografts in nude rats, substantial attenuation of tumor growth was achieved in animals exposed to AZT, and survival of the animals was significantly improved compared with controls. The novel toTK1/AZT suicide gene therapy system in combination with stem cell-mediated gene delivery promises new treatment of malignant gliomas.
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| 4. |
- Knecht, Wolfgang, et al.
(författare)
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Drosophila melanogaster deoxyribonucleoside kinase activates gemcitabine
- 2009
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Ingår i: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. - : Elsevier BV. - 1090-2104 .- 0006-291X. ; 382:2, s. 430-433
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Drosophila melanogaster multisubstrate deoxyribonucleoside kinase (Dm-dNK) can additionally sensitize human cancer cell lines towards the anti-cancer drug gemcitabine. We show that this property is based on the Dm-dNK ability to efficiently phosphorylate gemcitabine. The 2.2 angstrom resolution structure of DmdNK in complex with gemcitabine shows that the residues Tyr70 and Arg105 play a crucial role in the firm positioning of gemcitabine by extra interactions made by the fluoride atoms. This explains why gemcitabine is a good substrate for Dm-dNK(. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Lundgren, Stina, et al.
(författare)
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Yeast beta-alanine synthase shares a structural scaffold and origin with dizinc-dependent exopeptidases
- 2003
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 278:51, s. 51851-51862
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- beta-Alanine synthase (beta AS) is the final enzyme of the reductive pyrimidine catabolic pathway, which is responsible for the breakdown of pyrimidine bases, including several anticancer drugs. In eukaryotes, beta ASs belong to two subfamilies, which exhibit a low degree of sequence similarity. We determined the structure of beta AS from Saccharomyces kluyveri to a resolution of 2.7 A. The subunit of the homodimeric enzyme consists of two domains: a larger catalytic domain with a dizinc metal center, which represents the active site of beta AS, and a smaller domain mediating the majority of the intersubunit contacts. Both domains exhibit a mixed alpha/beta-topology. Surprisingly, the observed high structural homology to a family of dizinc-dependent exopeptidases suggests that these two enzyme groups have a common origin. Alterations in the ligand composition of the metal-binding site can be explained as adjustments to the catalysis of a different reaction, the hydrolysis of an N-carbamyl bond by beta AS compared with the hydrolysis of a peptide bond by exopeptidases. In contrast, there is no resemblance to the three-dimensional structure of the functionally closely related N-carbamyl-d-amino acid amidohydrolases. Based on comparative structural analysis and observed deviations in the backbone conformations of the eight copies of the subunit in the asymmetric unit, we suggest that conformational changes occur during each catalytic cycle.
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| 6. |
- Munch-Petersen, Birgitte, et al.
(författare)
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Jure Piskur (1960-2014)
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Genetics and Genomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1673-8527. ; 42:5, s. 275-277
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 7. |
- Mutahir, Zeeshan, et al.
(författare)
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Gene duplications and losses among vertebrate deoxyribonucleoside kinases of the non-TK1 Family
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1525-7770 .- 1532-2335. ; 35:10-12, s. 677-690
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deoxyribonucleoside kinases (dNKs) salvage deoxyribonucleosides (dNs) and catalyze the rate limiting step of this salvage pathway by converting dNs into corresponding monophosphate forms. These enzymes serve as an excellent model to study duplicated genes and their evolutionary history. So far, among vertebrates only four mammalian dNKs have been studied for their substrate specificity and kinetic properties. However, some vertebrates, such as fish, frogs, and birds, apparently possess a duplicated homolog of deoxycytidine kinase (dCK). In this study, we characterized a family of dCK/deoxyguanosine kinase (dGK)-like enzymes from a frog Xenopus laevis and a bird Gallus gallus. We showed that X. laevis has a duplicated dCK gene and a dGK gene, whereas G. gallus has a duplicated dCK gene but has lost the dGK gene. We cloned, expressed, purified, and subsequently determined the kinetic parameters of the dCK/dGK enzymes encoded by these genes. The two dCK enzymes in G. gallus have broader substrate specificity than their human or X. laevis counterparts. Additionally, the duplicated dCK enzyme in G. gallus might have become mitochondria. Based on our study we postulate that changing and adapting substrate specificities and subcellular localization are likely the drivers behind the evolution of vertebrate dNKs.
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| 8. |
- Zhou, Nerve, et al.
(författare)
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Yeast-bacteria competition induced new metabolic traits through large-scale genomic rearrangements in Lachancea kluyveri
- 2017
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Ingår i: FEMS Yeast Research. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1567-1356 .- 1567-1364. ; 17:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Large-scale chromosomal rearrangements are an important source of evolutionary novelty that may have reshaped the genomes of existing yeast species. They dramatically alter genome organization and gene expression fueling a phenotypic leap in response to environmental constraints. Although the emergence of such signatures of genetic diversity is thought to be associated with human exploitation of yeasts, less is known about the driving forces operating in natural habitats. Here we hypothesize that an ecological battlefield characteristic of every autumn when fruits ripen accounts for the genomic innovations in natural populations. We described a long-term cross-kingdom competition experiment between Lachancea kluyveri and five species of bacteria. Now, we report how we further subjected the same yeast to a sixth species of bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens, resulting in the appearance of a fixed and stably inherited large-scale genomic rearrangement in two out of three parallel evolution lines. The 'extra-banded' karyotype, characterized by a higher fitness and an elevated fermentative capacity, conferred the emergence of new metabolic traits in most carbon sources and osmolytes. We tracked down the event to a duplication and translocation event involving a 261-kb segment. Such an experimental setup described here is an attractive method for developing industrial strains without genetic engineering strategies.
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