| 1. |
- Dircksen, Heinrich, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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Crustacean hyperglycaemic hormone (CHH)-like peptides and CHH-precursor-related peptides from pericardial organ neurosecretory cells in the shore crab, Carcinus maenas, are putatively spliced and modified products of multiple genes.
- 2001
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 356:Pt 1, s. 159-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- About 24 intrinsic neurosecretory neurons within the pericardial organs (POs) of the crab Carcinus maenas produce a novel crustacean hyperglycaemic hormone (CHH)-like peptide (PO-CHH) and two CHH-precursor-related peptides (PO-CPRP I and II) as identified immunochemically and by peptide chemistry. Edman sequencing and MS revealed PO-CHH as a 73 amino acid peptide (8630 Da) with a free C-terminus. PO-CHH and sinus gland CHH (SG-CHH) share an identical N-terminal sequence, positions 1-40, but the remaining sequence, positions 41-73 or 41-72, differs considerably. PO-CHH may have different precursors, as cDNA cloning of PO-derived mRNAs has revealed several similar forms, one exactly encoding the peptide. All PO-CHH cDNAs contain a nucleotide stretch coding for the SG-CHH(41-76) sequence in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR). Cloning of crab testis genomic DNA revealed at least four CHH genes, the structure of which suggest that PO-CHH and SG-CHH arise by alternative splicing of precursors and possibly post-transcriptional modification of PO-CHH. The genes encode four exons, separated by three variable introns, encoding part of a signal peptide (exon I), the remaining signal peptide residues, a CPRP, the PO-CHH(1-40)/SG-CHH(1-40) sequences (exon II), the remaining PO-CHH residues (exon III) and the remaining SG-CHH residues and a 3'-UTR (exon IV). Precursor and gene structures are more closely related to those encoding related insect ion-transport peptides than to penaeid shrimp CHH genes. PO-CHH neither exhibits hyperglycaemic activity in vivo, nor does it inhibit Y-organ ecdysteroid synthesis in vitro. From the morphology of the neurons it seems likely that novel functions remain to be discovered.
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| 2. |
- EL Andaloussi, Samir, et al.
(författare)
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Cargo-dependent cytotoxicity and delivery efficacy of cell-penetrating peptides : a comparative study
- 2007
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 407:2, s. 285-292
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of CPPs (cell-penetrating peptides) as delivery vectors for bioactive molecules has been an emerging field since 1994 when the first CPP, penetratin, was discovered. Since then, several CPPs, including the widely used Tat (transactivator of transcription) peptide, have been developed and utilized to translocate a wide range of compounds across the plasma membrane of cells both in vivo and in vitro. Although the field has emerged as a possible future candidate for drug delivery, little attention has been given to the potential toxic side effects that these peptides might exhibit in cargo delivery. Also, no comprehensive study has been performed to evaluate the relative efficacy of single CPPs to convey different cargos. Therefore we selected three of the major CPPs, penetratin, Tat and transportan 10, and evaluated their ability to deliver commonly used cargos, including fluoresceinyl moiety, double-stranded DNA and proteins (i.e. avidin and streptavidin), and studied their effect on membrane integrity and cell viability. Our results demonstrate the unfeasibility to use the translocation efficacy of fluorescein moiety as a gauge for CPP efficiency, since the delivery properties are dependent on the cargo used. Furthermore, and no less importantly, the toxicity of CPPs depends heavily on peptide concentration, cargo molecule and coupling strategy.
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| 3. |
- Guterstam, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Splice-switching efficiency and specificity for oligonucleotides with locked nucleic acid monomers
- 2008
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 412, s. 307-313
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of antisense oligonucleotides to modulate splicing patterns has gained increasing attention as a therapeutic platform and, hence, the mechanisms of splice-switching oligonucleotides are of interest. Cells expressing luciferase pre-mRNA interrupted by an aberrantly spliced beta-globin intron, HeLa pLuc705, were used to monitor the splice-switching activity of modified oligonucleotides by detection of the expression of functional luciferase. It was observed that phosphorothioate 2'-O-methyl RNA oligonucleotides containing locked nucleic acid monomers provide outstanding splice-switching activity. However, similar oligonucleotides with several mismatches do not impede splice-switching activity which indicates a risk for off-target effects. The splice-switching activity is abolished when mismatches are introduced at several positions with locked nucleic acid monomers suggesting that it is the locked nucleic acid monomers that give rise to low mismatch discrimination to target pre-mRNA. The results highlight the importance of rational sequence design to allow for high efficiency with simultaneous high mismatch discrimination for splice-switching oligonucleotides and suggest that splice-switching activity is tunable by utilizing locked nucleic acid monomers.
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| 4. |
- Luciakova, Katarina, et al.
(författare)
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Growth-dependent repression of human adenine nucleotide translocator-2 (ANT2) transcription : evidence for the participation of Smad and Sp family proteins in the NF1-dependent repressor complex
- 2008
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 412, s. 123-130
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- NF1 (nuclear factor 1) binds to two upstream elements of the human ANT2 (adenine nucleotide translocator-2) promoter and actively represses expression of the gene in growth-arrested diploid skin fibroblasts [Luciakova, Barath, Poliakova, Persson and Nelson (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 30624-30633]. ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation) and co-immunoprecipitation analyses of nuclear extracts from growth-arrested and growth-activated diploid cells demonstrate that NF1, when acting as a repressor, is part of a multimeric complex that also includes Smad and Sp-family proteins. This complex appears to be anchored to both the upstream NF1-repressor elements and the proximal promoter, Sp1-dependent activation elements in growth-arrested cells. In growth-activated cells, the repressor complex dissociates and NF1 leaves the promoter. As revealed by co-immunoprecipitation experiments, NF1-Smad4-Sp3 complexes are present in nuclear extracts only from growth-inhibited cells, suggesting that the growth-state-dependent formation of these complexes is not an ANT2 promoter-specific event. Consistent with the role of Smad proteins in the repression complex, TGF-beta (transforming growth factor-beta) can fully repress ANT2 transcription in normally growing fibroblasts. Finally, pull-down experiments of in vitro transcribed/translated NF1 isoforms by GST (glutathione transferase)-Smad and GST-Smad MH fusion proteins indicate direct physical interactions between members of the two families. These findings suggest a possible functional relationship between the NF1 and Smad proteins that has not been previously observed.
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| 5. |
- Mishima, Eriko, et al.
(författare)
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The topogenic function of S4 promotes membrane insertion of the voltage-sensor domain in the KvAP channel
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 473, s. 4361-4372
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Voltage-dependent K+ (K-V) channels control K+ permeability in response to shifts in the membrane potential. Voltage sensing in K-V channels is mediated by the positively charged transmembrane domain S4. The best-characterized K-V channel, KvAP, lacks the distinct hydrophilic region corresponding to the S3-S4 extracellular loop that is found in other K+ channels. In the present study, we evaluated the topogenic properties of the transmembrane regions within the voltage-sensing domain in KvAP. S3 had low membrane insertion activity, whereas S4 possessed a unique type-I signal anchor (SA-I) function, which enabled it to insert into the membrane by itself. S4 was also found to function as a stop-transfer signal for retention in the membrane. The length and structural nature of the extracellular S3-S4 loop affected the membrane insertion of S3 and S4, suggesting that S3 membrane insertion was dependent on S4. Replacement of charged residues within the transmembrane regions with residues of opposite charge revealed that Asp(72) in S2 and Glu(93) in S3 contributed to membrane insertion of S3 and S4, and increased the stability of S4 in the membrane. These results indicate that the SA-I function of S4, unique among K+ channels studied to date, promotes the insertion of S3 into the membrane, and that the charged residues essential for voltage sensing contribute to the membrane-insertion of the voltage sensor domain in KvAP.
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| 6. |
- Zhang, Wei, et al.
(författare)
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Multidimensional epistasis and fitness landscapes in enzyme evolution
- 2012
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 445, s. 39-46
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The conventional analysis of enzyme evolution is to regard one single salient feature as a measure of fitness, expressed in a milieu exposing the possible selective advantage at a given time and location. Given that a single protein may serve more than one function, fitness should be assessed in several dimensions. In the present study we have explored individual mutational steps leading to a triple-point-mutated human GST (glutathione transferase) A2-2 displaying enhanced activity with azathioprine. A total of eight alternative substrates were used to monitor the diverse evolutionary trajectories. The epistatic effects of the imitations on catalytic activity were variable in sign and magnitude and depended on the substrate used, showing that epistasis is a multidimensional quality. Evidently, the multidimensional fitness landscape can lead to alternative trajectories resulting in enzymes optimized for features other than the selectable markers relevant at the origin of the evolutionary process. In this manner the evolutionary response is robust and can adapt to changing environmental conditions.
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| 7. |
- Haussuehl, Kirsten, et al.
(författare)
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Eukaryotic GCP1 is a conserved mitochondrial protein required for progression of embryo development beyond the globular stage in Arabidopsis thaliana.
- 2009
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Ingår i: The Biochemical journal. - 1470-8728. ; 423:3, s. 333-41
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- GCPs (glycoproteases) are members of the HSP70 (heat-shock protein 70)/actin ATPase superfamily that are highly conserved in taxonomically diverse species from bacteria to man, suggesting an essential physiological role. Although originally identified and annotated as putative endopeptidases, a proteolytic activity could not be confirmed for these proteins. Our survey of genome databases revealed that all eukaryotic organisms contain two GCP genes [called GCP1 and GCP2/Kae1 (kinase-associated endopeptidase 1)], whereas prokaryotes have only one, either of the GCP1- (Bacteria) or the GCP2/Kae1- (Archaea) type. GCP2/Kae1 is essential for telomere elongation and transcription of essential genes, although little is known about the localization, expression and physiological role of GCP1. In the present study on GCP1-type proteins from eukaryotic organisms we demonstrated that GCP1 is a mitochondrial protein in Homo sapiens [called here GCP1/OSGEPL1 (O-sialoglycoprotein endopeptidase)] and Arabidopsis thaliana, which is located/anchored to the mitochondrial inner membrane. Analysis of mRNA and protein levels revealed that the expression of GCP1/OSGEPL1 in A. thaliana and H. sapiens is tissue- and organ-specific and depends on the developmental stage, suggesting a more specialized function for this protein. We showed that homozygous A. thaliana GCP1 T-DNA (transferred DNA) insertion lines were embryonic lethal. Embryos in homozygous seeds were arrested at the globular stage and failed to undergo the transition into the heart stage. On the basis of these data we propose that the mitochondrial GCP1 is essential for embryonic development in plants.
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