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| 2. |
- Birkholtz, Lyn-Marie, et al.
(författare)
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Polyamine homoeostasis as a drug target in pathogenic protozoa: peculiarities and possibilities
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - London : The Biochemical Society. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 438, s. 229-244
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- New drugs are urgently needed for the treatment of tropical and subtropical parasitic diseases, such as African sleeping sickness. Chagas' disease, leishmaniasis and malaria. Enzymes in polyamine biosynthesis and thiol metabolism, as well as polyamine transporters, are potential drug targets within these organisms. In the present review, the current knowledge of unique properties of polyamine metabolism in these parasites is outlined. These properties include prozyme regulation of AdoMetDC (S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase) activity in trypanosomatids, co-expression of ODC (ornithine decarboxylase) and AdoMetDC activities in a single protein in plasmodia, and formation of trypanothione, a unique compound linking polyamine and thiol metabolism in trypanosomatids. Particularly interesting features within polyamine metabolism in these parasites are highlighted for their potential in selective therapeutic strategies.
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| 3. |
- Dunlop, Rachael A, et al.
(författare)
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Proteins containing oxidized amino acids induce apoptosis in human monocytes.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - : Portland Press. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 435:1, s. 207-216
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cellular deposits of oxidized and aggregated proteins are hallmarks of a variety of age-related disorders, but whether such proteins contribute to pathology is not well understood. We previously reported that oxidized proteins form lipofuscin/ceroid-like bodies with a lysosomal-type distribution and up-regulate the transcription and translation of proteolytic lysosomal enzymes in cultured J774 mouse macrophages. Given the recently identified role of lysosomes in the induction of apoptosis, we have extended our studies to explore a role for oxidized proteins in apoptosis. Oxidized proteins were biosynthetically generated in situ by substituting oxidized analogues for parent amino acids. Apoptosis was measured with Annexin-V/PI (propidium iodide), TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling), MMP (mitochondrial membrane permeabilization), caspase activation and cytochrome c release, and related to lysosomal membrane permeabilization. Synthesized proteins containing the tyrosine oxidation product L-DOPA (L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) were more potent inducers of apoptosis than proteins containing the phenylalanine oxidation product o-tyrosine. Apoptosis was dependent upon incorporation of oxidized residues, as indicated by complete abrogation in cultures incubated with the non-incorporation control D-DOPA (D-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) or when incorporation was competed out by parent amino acids. The findings of the present study suggest that certain oxidized proteins could play an active role in the progression of age-related disorders by contributing to LMP (lysosomal membrane permeabilization)-initiated apoptosis and may have important implications for the long-term use of L-DOPA as a therapeutic agent in Parkinson's disease.
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| 4. |
- Elle, Ida C, et al.
(författare)
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Tissue- and paralogue-specific functions of acyl-CoA-binding proteins in lipid metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 437:2, s. 231-241
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ACBP (acyl-CoA-binding protein) is a small primarily cytosolic protein that binds acyl-CoA esters with high specificity and affinity. ACBP has been identified in all eukaryotic species, indicating that it performs a basal cellular function. However, differential tissue expression and the existence of several ACBP paralogues in many eukaryotic species indicate that these proteins serve distinct functions. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans expresses seven ACBPs: four basal forms and three ACBP domain proteins. We find that each of these paralogues is capable of complementing the growth of ACBP-deficient yeast cells, and that they exhibit distinct temporal and tissue expression patterns in C. elegans. We have obtained loss-of-function mutants for six of these forms. All single mutants display relatively subtle phenotypes; however, we find that functional loss of ACBP-1 leads to reduced triacylglycerol (triglyceride) levels and aberrant lipid droplet morphology and number in the intestine. We also show that worms lacking ACBP-2 show a severe decrease in the β-oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids. A quadruple mutant, lacking all basal ACBPs, is slightly developmentally delayed, displays abnormal intestinal lipid storage, and increased β-oxidation. Collectively, the present results suggest that each of the ACBP paralogues serves a distinct function in C. elegans.
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| 5. |
- Friedman, Ran
(författare)
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Aggregation of amyloids in a cellular context : modelling and experiment
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 438, s. 415-426
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amyloid-related diseases are a group of illnesses in which an abnormal accumulation of proteins into fibrillar structures is evident. Results from a wide range of studies, ranging from identification of amyloid-β dimers in the brain to biophysical characterization of the interactions between amyloidogenic peptides and lipid membranes during fibril growth shed light on the initial events which take place during amyloid aggregation. Accounts of fibril disaggregation and formation of globular aggregates due to interactions with lipids or fatty acids further demonstrate the complexity of the aggregation process and the difficulty to treat amyloid-related diseases. There is an inherent difficulty in generalizing from studies of aggregation in vitro, but the involvement of too many cellular components limits the ability to follow amyloid aggregation in a cellular (or extracellular) context. Fortunately, the development of experimental methods to generate stable globular aggregates suggests new means of studying the molecular events associated with amyloid aggregation. Furthermore, simulation studies enable deeper understanding of the experimental results and provide useful predictions that can be tested in the laboratory. Computer simulations can nowadays provide molecular or even atomistic details that are experimentally not available or very difficult to obtain. In the present review, recent developments on modelling and experiments of amyloid aggregation are reviewed, and an integrative account on how isolated interactions (as observed in vitro and in silico) combine during the course of amyloid-related diseases is presented. Finally, it is argued that an integrative approach is necessary to get a better understanding of the protein aggregation process.
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| 6. |
- Fälker, Knut, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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Protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) signalling desensitization is counteracted via PAR4 signalling in human platelets
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - : Portland Press -- London. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 436:2, s. 469-480
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PARs (protease-activated receptors) 1 and 4 belong to the family of G-protein-coupled receptors which induce both G(α12/13) and G(αq) signalling. By applying the specific PAR1- and PAR4-activating hexapeptides, SFLLRN and AYPGKF respectively, we found that aggregation of isolated human platelets mediated via PAR1, but not via PAR4, is abolished upon homologous receptor activation in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion. This effect was not due to receptor internalization, but to a decrease in Ca²⁺ mobilization, PKC (protein kinase C) signalling and α-granule secretion, as well as to a complete lack of dense granule secretion. Interestingly, subthreshold PAR4 activation rapidly abrogated PAR1 signalling desensitization by differentially reconstituting these affected signalling events and functional responses, which was sufficient to re-establish aggregation. The lack of ADP release and P2Y₁₂ receptor-induced G(αi) signalling accounted for the loss of the aggregation response, as mimicking G(αi/z) signalling with 2-MeS-ADP (2-methylthioadenosine-5'-O-diphosphate) or epinephrine (adrenaline) could substitute for intermediate PAR4 activation. Finally, we found that the re-sensitization of PAR1 signalling-induced aggregation via PAR4 relied on PKC-mediated release of both ADP from dense granules and fibrinogen from α-granules. The present study elucidates further differences in human platelet PAR signalling regulation and provides evidence for a cross-talk in which PAR4 signalling counteracts mechanisms involved in PAR1 signalling down-regulation.
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| 7. |
- Huesgen, Pitter Florian, et al.
(författare)
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Recombinant Deg/HtrA proteases from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 differ in substrate specificity, biochemical characteristics and mechanism
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 435:3, s. 733-742
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cyanobacteria require efficient protein quality control mechanisms to survive under dynamic, often stressful environmental conditions. It was reported that three serine proteases, HtrA, HhoA and HhoB are important for survival of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 under high light and temperature stresses and might have redundant physiological functions. Here we show that all three proteases can degrade unfolded model substrates, but differ in respect to cleavage sites, temperature and pH optima. For recombinant HhoA, and to a lesser extent for HtrA, we observed an interesting shift in the pH optimum from slightly acidic to alkaline in the presence of Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions. All three proteases formed different homo-oligomeric complexes with and without substrate, implying mechanistic differences in comparison to each other and to the well-studied Escherichia coli orthologues DegP and DegS. Deletion of the PDZ domain decreased, but not abolished proteolytic activity of all three proteases, and prevented substrate-induced formation of complexes higher than trimers by HtrA and HhoA. In summary, biochemical characterisation of HtrA, HhoA and HhoB lays the foundation for a better understanding of their overlapping, but not completely redundant stress resistance functions in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.
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| 8. |
- Igamberdiev, Abir U, et al.
(författare)
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Magnesium and cell energetics in plants under anoxia
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 437:3, s. 373-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Stress conditions (e.g. anoxia) frequently result in a decrease of [ATP] and in an increase of [ADP] and [AMP], with a concomitant increase of [Mg(2+)] and other cations, e.g. Ca(2+). The elevation of [Mg(2+)] is linked to the shift in the apparent equilibrium of adenylate kinase. As a result, enzymes that use Mg(2+) as a cofactor are activated, Ca(2+) activates calcium-dependent signalling pathways, and PP(i) can serve as an alternative energy source in its active form of MgPP(i) or Mg2PP(i). Under anoxic conditions in plants, an important source of PP(i) may come as a result of combined reactions of PK (pyruvate kinase) and PPDK (pyruvate, phosphate dikinase). The PP(i) formed in the PPDK/PK cycle ignites glycolysis in conditions of low [ATP] by involving PP(i)-dependent reactions. This saves ATP and makes metabolism under stress conditions more energy efficient.
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| 9. |
- Kleczkowski, Leszek A, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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A common structural blueprint for plant UDP-sugar-producing pyrophosphorylases.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - Colchester : Portland Press. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 439:3, s. 375-379
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant pyrophosphorylases that are capable of producing UDP-sugars, key precursors for glycosylation reactions, include UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylases (A- and B-type), UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase. Although not sharing significant homology at the amino acid sequence level, the proteins share a common structural blueprint. Their structures are characterized by the presence of the Rossmann fold in the central (catalytic) domain linked to enzyme-specific N-terminal and C-terminal domains, which may play regulatory functions. Molecular mobility between these domains plays an important role in substrate binding and catalysis. Evolutionary relationships and the role of (de)oligomerization as a regulatory mechanism are discussed.
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| 10. |
- Koch, Sina, et al.
(författare)
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Signal transduction by vascular endothelial growth factor receptors
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 437, s. 169-183
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- VEGFs (vascular endothelial growth factors) control vascular development during embryogenesis and the function of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels in the adult. There are five related mammalian ligands, which act through three receptor tyrosine kinases. Signalling is modulated through neuropilins, which act as VEGF co-receptors. Heparan sulfate and integrins are also important modulators of VEGF signalling. Therapeutic agents that interfere with VEGF signalling have been developed with the aim of decreasing angiogenesis in diseases that involve tissue growth and inflammation, such as cancer. The present review will outline the current understanding and consequent biology of VEGF receptor signalling.
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