Failure to eliminate abnormal proteins in the cell is associated with numerous aggregation diseases. Misfolded proteins are normally detected by protein quality control and either refolded or eliminated. The ubiquitin-proteasome system is a major pathway that degrades these unwanted proteins. Ubiquitin ligases are central to these degradation pathways as they ...

The profile and conformation of proteins that are adsorbed onto a polymeric biomaterial surface have a profound effect on its in vivo performance. Cells and tissue recognize the protein layer rather than directly interact with the surface. The chemistry and morphology of a polymer surface will govern the protein behaviour. ...

The focus of this study was to identify changes in protein expression within the bone tissue environment between osteopenic and control bone tissue of human femoral neck patients with osteoarthritis. Femoral necks were compared from osteopenic patients and age-matched controls. A new method of bone protein extraction was developed to ...

The Rtf1 subunit of the Paf1 complex is required for specific histone modifications, including histone H2B lysine 123 monoubiquitylation. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, deletion of RTF1 is lethal in the absence of Rkr1, a ubiquitin-protein ligase involved in the destruction of nonstop proteins, which arise from mRNAs lacking stop codons or ...

To evaluate whether protein changes in extracellular matrix of dental biofilm are a unique property of sucrose, this in situ study was conducted using as active control glucose and fructose, the sucrose monosaccharide constituents. Proteins were analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by LC-MS/MS after trypsin digestion. Absence or lower abundance ...

The effects of over-expression of NifH (Fe protein) on nitrogenase activity in Azotobacter vinelandii UW cells were studied by expressing an extra nifH gene under the control of the inducible meta -toluic acid pathway promoter Pm. The total amount of protein in UW/pJB654-N reacting to anti-NifH antibody was 2-3 fold ...

Membrane trafficking involves large fluxes of cargo and membrane across separate compartments. These fluxes must be regulated by control systems to maintain homoeostasis. While control systems for other key functions such as protein folding or the cell cycle are well known, the mechanisms that control secretory transport are poorly understood. ...

Comment on: Yuan S, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2012; 109:2021-6.

This study investigated the effect of pork proteins consumed at breakfast on the subsequent feeling of hunger until the evening meal. The study involved 136 students at a local boarding school, which meant that the study could be carried out in the test persons' normal environment. All students consumed the ...

Acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) is a central metabolite involved in numerous anabolic and catabolic pathways, as well as in protein acetylation. Beyond histones, a large number of metabolic enzymes are acetylated in both animal and bacteria, and the protein acetylome is now emerging in plants. Protein acetylation is influenced by the ...

The epigenetic remodeling of chromatin histone proteins by acetylation has been the subject of recent investigations searching for biomarkers indicative of late onset cognitive loss. Histone acetylations affect the regulation of gene transcription, and the loss of learning induced deacetylation at specific histone sites may represent biomarkers for memory loss ...

TBC1D4 (or AS160) was identified as a Rab-GTPase activating protein (Rab-GAP) that controls insulin-dependent trafficking of the glucose transporter GLUT4 in skeletal muscle cells and in adipocytes. Recent in vitro cell culture studies suggest that TBC1D4 may also regulate the intracellular trafficking of kidney proteins such as the vasopressin-dependent water ...

Regulation of protein function by external stimuli is a fascinating target for de novo design. We have constructed a peptide that assembles into a homotrimer in the presence of metal ions, such as Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+). We fused the peptide construct to the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of the heat ...

Crosslinkable nanoemulsions are combined with flow lithography for the synthesis of structured composite microgels with controlled hydrophobic compartments. The microgels are used to demonstrate a number of motifs for controlled encapsulation and release of active compounds, including small molecules, proteins, and nanoparticles, from a single material platform.

ABSTRACT Photo-responsive bioconjugation empowers the development of novel methods for drug discovery, disease diagnosis, and high-throughput screening, among the others. In this paper, we report on the characteristics of a traceless photo-cleavable cross-linker, di 6-(3-succinimidyl carbonyloxymethyl-4-nitro-phenoxy)-hexanoic acid disulfide diethanol ester (SCNE). The traceless feature and the biocompatibility of this photo-cleavable ...

The development of responsive nanomaterials-nanoscale systems that actively respond to stimuli-is one general goal of nanotechnology. Here we develop nanoparticles that can be controllably triggered to synthesize proteins. The nanoparticles consist of lipid vesicles filled with the cellular machinery responsible for transcription and translation, including amino acids, ribosomes, and DNA ...

The fine microstructure of nacre (mother of pearl) illustrates the beauty of nature. Proteins found in nacre were believed to be ″natural hands″ that control nacre formation. In the classical view of nacre formation, nucleation of the main minerals, calcium carbonate, is induced on and by the acidic proteins in ...

From the moment of cotranslational insertion into the lipid bilayer of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), newly synthesized integral membrane proteins are subject to a complex series of sorting, trafficking, quality control, and quality maintenance systems. Many of these processes are intimately controlled by ubiquitination, a posttranslational modification that directs trafficking ...

Abstract Hypoxia affects mammalian mitochondrial function, as well as mitochondria-based energy metabolism. The detail mechanism has not been fully understood. In this study, we detected protein expression levels in mitochondrial fractions of Wistar rats exposed to hypobaric hypoxia by use of proteomic methods. Adult male Wistar rats were randomized into ...

The local effects of hydration on myoglobin (Mb) in solid matrices containing mannitol or sucrose (1:1 w/w, protein:additive) were mapped using hydrogen-deuterium exchange with mass spectrometric analysis (HDX-MS) at 5 °C and compared to solution controls. Solid powders were exposed to D(2)O(g) at controlled activity (a(w)) followed by reconstitution and ...

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1Ac protein is a toxin against different leaf-eating lepidopteran insects that attack poplar trees. In the present study, the mode of migration of the Bt-Cry1Ac protein within poplar grafts was investigated. Grafting was done using Pb29 (transgenic poplar 741 with cry1Ac genes), CC71 (transgenic poplar 741 with ...

The functionality of proteins is governed by their dynamics. We have performed a systematic investigation on four different proteins in the far-infrared spectral region under control of the two external parameters that have the strongest influence on the dynamics, namely temperature and hydration. The absorption measurements covering the frequency range ...

Autophagy plays a critical role in multiple pathological lesions of Alzheimer's disease (AD), such as the formation of amyloid plaques from amyloid-β (Aβ) production and accumulation via dysregulating amyloid precursor protein turnover and enhancing the activity of β- and/or γ-secretases, intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) because of tau hyperphosphorylation, and neuronal ...

Designer proteins that incorporate solid-binding peptides hold promise to control the nucleation, growth, morphology, and assembly of inorganic phases under mild conditions of temperature and pressure. However, protein-aided nanofabrication remains more art than science and some materials can only be synthesized at temperatures that cause most mesophilic proteins to unfold. ...

The experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model resembles certain aspects of multiple sclerosis (MScl), with common features such as motor dysfunction, axonal degradation and infiltration of T-cells. We studied the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome in the EAE rat model to identify proteomic changes relevant for MScl disease pathology. EAE was induced ...

Palmitoylation, a key regulatory mechanism controlling protein targeting, is catalyzed by DHHC-family palmitoyl acyltransferases (PATs). Impaired PAT activity is linked to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, suggesting critical roles for palmitoylation in neuronal function. However, few substrates for specific PATs are known, and functional consequences of palmitoylation events are frequently uncharacterized. ...

BACKGROUND: Aphids are insect pests with significant importance worldwide for agricultural and horticultural crops. The chemical pesticides used to control aphids could result in pesticide residues in agricultural and horticultural products as well as in negative effects on the environment. Therefore, alternative control methods are urgently needed. This study identified ...

The description of protein folding at the proteome level requires further principles in addition to those that govern this phenomenon for individual molecules. An important aspect of the increased complexity of the folding process in the cellular environment is that proteins tend to be metastable against aggregation, as they are ...

We previously found that the NF-κB transcription factor is activated during the recovery period after heat shock; moreover, we demonstrated that NF-κB is essential for cell survival after heat shock by activating autophagy, a mechanism that probably helps the cell to cope with hyperthermic stress through clearance of damaged proteins. ...

Maintenance of proteome integrity (proteostasis) is essential for cellular and organismal survival. Various cellular mechanisms work to preserve proteostasis by ensuring correct protein maturation and efficient degradation of misfolded and damaged proteins. Despite this cellular effort, under certain circumstances subsets of aggregation-prone proteins escape the quality control surveillance, accumulate within ...

The epimorphic regeneration of zebrafish caudal fin is rapid and complete. We have analyzed the biomechanism of zebrafish caudal fin regeneration at various time points based on differential proteomics approaches. The spectrum of proteome changes due to regeneration were analyzed among control (0), 1, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours ...

To determine the chronic effects of heavy ion irradiation, an antibody based proteomic microarray technology was applied to monitor alterations in the serum proteome, six months after whole body irradiation of adult male C57Bl/6 mice with 0.5 Gray of (56)Fe. Out of 507 proteins, irradiation reduced expression of 25 proteins ...

The Arabidopsis thaliana trichome development is a model system for understanding various aspects of plant cell development and differentiation. The C2H2 zinc finger proteins GIS, GIS2, and ZFP8 play important roles in controlling trichome initiation. In our recent study, we reported that a new C2H2 zinc finger protein, ZINC FINGER ...

Maintenance of the proteome is a major homeostatic task of the cell and disregulation of protein homeostasis can be deadly. The accumulation of different forms of misfolded protein can perturb protein homeostasis and cause extensive cell and tissue damage. The cell has various quality control systems to help prevent the ...

Mutated derivatives of carboxypeptidase yscY (CPY) are potent substrates to study protein quality control and protein degradation in different cell compartments in yeast. Depending on the subcellular compartment of interest, the design of the model substrate used has to be adapted. Here, we describe the derivatives of CPY* used in ...

The identification of proteins by mass spectrometry is a standard method in biopharmaceutical quality control and biochemical research. Prior to identification by mass spectrometry, proteins are usually pre-separated by electrophoresis. However, current protein staining and de-staining protocols are tedious and time consuming, and therefore prolong the sample preparation time for ...

Protein Quality Control (PQC) pathways are essential to maintain the equilibrium between protein folding and the clearance of misfolded proteins. In order to discover novel human PQC factors, we developed a high-content, high-throughput cell-based assay to assess PQC activity. The assay is based on a fluorescently tagged, temperature sensitive PQC ...

The development of striated muscle in vertebrates requires the assembly of contractile myofibrils, consisting of highly ordered bundles of protein filaments. Myofibril formation occurs by the stepwise addition of complex proteins, a process that is mediated by a variety of molecular chaperones and quality control factors. Most notably, myosin of ...

A common method for inducing the production of recombinant proteins in Pichia pastoris is through the use of methanol. However, the by-products of methanol metabolism are toxic to yeast cells and therefore its addition to recombinant cultures must be controlled and monitored throughout the process in order to maximise recombinant ...

The accumulation of misfolded proteins is a common feature of many neurodegenerative diseases. These observations suggest a potential link between these disorders and protein quality control, a collection of cellular pathways that sense damage to proteins and facilitate their turnover. Consistent with this idea, activation of quality control components, such ...

Many transcription factors control gene expression by binding to specific DNA sequences at or near the genes that they regulate. However, some transcription factors play more global roles in the control of gene expression by altering the architecture of sections of chromatin or even the whole genome. The ability to ...

The plasma membrane (PM) controls cell's exchange of both material and information with the outside environment, and PM-associated proteins play key roles in cellular regulation. Numerous cell surface receptors allow cells to perceive and respond to various signals from neighbor cells, pathogens, or the environment; large numbers of transporter and ...

Proteins are suspected to have a greater satiating effect than the other 2 macronutrients. After protein consumption, peptide hormones released from the gastrointestinal tract (mainly anorexigenic gut peptides such as cholecystokinin, glucagon peptide 1, and peptide YY) communicate information about the energy status to the brain. These hormones and vagal ...

Tortilla and beans are the basic components in the diet of people in the urban and rural areas of Mexico. Quality protein maize is suggested for tortilla preparation because it presents an increase in lysine and tryptophan levels. Beans contain important amounts of dietary fiber. The objective of this study ...

Protein-based biopharmaceuticals are becoming increasingly widely used as therapeutic agents and the characterisation of these biopharmaceuticals poses a significant analytical challenge. In particular, monitoring post translational modifications (PTMs), such as glycosylation, is an important aspect of this characterisation as these glycans can strongly affect the stability, immunogenicity and pharmacokinetics of ...

BACKGROUND: Deposition of protein fibrillar aggregates called amyloids in the tissue, is the principal cause of several degenerative diseases. Here, we have shown the disaggregation potential of rottlerin towards hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) fibrils formed under alkaline conditions (pH-12.2). METHODS: Several biophysical methods like Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier ...

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether functional 20S and/or 26S proteasomes are present within mature human red blood cells (RBCs; depleted of reticulocytes and leukocytes). Double-immunofluorescence confocal microscopy showed the presence of immunoreactive 20S and 19S proteasomal subunit proteins and their partial co-localization within mature RBCs. ...

Purpose: The Quantitative Assay Database (QuAD), http://proteome.moffitt.org/QUAD/, facilitates widespread implementation of quantitative mass spectrometry in cancer biology and clinical research through sharing of methods and reagents for monitoring protein expression and modification. Experimental design: Liquid chromatography coupled to multiple reaction monitoring (LC-MRM) mass spectrometry assays are developed using SDS-PAGE fractionated ...

G-protein-coupled receptors transmit stimuli (light, taste, hormone, neurotransmitter, etc.) to the intracellular signaling systems, and rhodopsin (Rh) is the most-studied G-protein-coupled receptor. Rh possesses an 11-cis retinal as the chromophore, and 11-cis to all-trans photoisomerization leads to the protein structural changes in the cytoplasmic loops to activate G-protein. Microbial rhodopsins ...

Defects or deficiencies in red cell membrane skeletal proteins often undermine the integrity and stability of the plasma membrane, and consequently cause hereditary hemolytic anemias. Genetic and biochemical studies have revealed a complicated picture of the organization of the membrane skeleton, within which α-/β-spectrin heterodimers form a protein lattice. By ...