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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Yeast Ste23p Shares Functional Similarities With Mammalian Insulin-Degrading Enzymes, Benjamin Alper, Jarrad W. Rowse, Walter K. Schmidt Nov 2009

Yeast Ste23p Shares Functional Similarities With Mammalian Insulin-Degrading Enzymes, Benjamin Alper, Jarrad W. Rowse, Walter K. Schmidt

Chemistry & Physics Faculty Publications

The S. cerevisiae genome encodes two M16A enzymes: Axl1p and Ste23p. Of the two, Ste23p shares significantly higher sequence identity with M16A enzymes from other species, including mammalian insulin-degrading enzymes (IDEs). In this study, recombinant Ste23p and R. norvegicus IDE (RnIDE) were isolated from E. coli, and their enzymatic properties compared. Ste23p was found to cleave established RnIDE substrates including the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ 1-40) and insulin B chain. A novel internally quenched fluorogenic substrate (Abz-SEKKDNYIIKGVnitroY-OH) based on the polypeptide sequence of the yeast P2 a-factor mating propheromone was determined to be a suitable substrate for …


A Capillary Electrophoresis Method For Evaluation Of Abeta Proteolysis In Vitro, Benjamin J. Alper, Walter K. Schmidt Mar 2009

A Capillary Electrophoresis Method For Evaluation Of Abeta Proteolysis In Vitro, Benjamin J. Alper, Walter K. Schmidt

Chemistry & Physics Faculty Publications

According to the amyloid hypothesis, Aβ peptides are neurotoxic and underlie development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Multiple Aβ clearance mechanisms, including destruction of the peptides by proteolytic enzymes, are hypothesized to regulate physiological Aβ peptide levels. The insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) is considered one of the predominant enzymes having Aβ degrading activity. Despite its putative role in protecting against AD, relatively few methods exist for studying IDE activity in vitro. We report the application of capillary electrophoresis (CE) as a novel method for evaluating IDE-mediated Aβ 1–40 proteolysis. This method employs chemically unmodified substrates that are readily obtained …


Choosing The Right Path: Enhancement Of Biologically Relevant Sets Of Genes Or Proteins Using Pathway Structure, Reuben Thomas, Julia M. Gohlke, Geffrey F. Stopper, Frederick M. Parham, Christopher J. Portier Jan 2009

Choosing The Right Path: Enhancement Of Biologically Relevant Sets Of Genes Or Proteins Using Pathway Structure, Reuben Thomas, Julia M. Gohlke, Geffrey F. Stopper, Frederick M. Parham, Christopher J. Portier

Biology Faculty Publications

A method is proposed that finds enriched pathways relevant to a studied condition using the measured molecular data and also the structural information of the pathway viewed as a network of nodes and edges. Tests are performed using simulated data and genomic data sets and the method is compared to two existing approaches. The analysis provided demonstrates the method proposed is very competitive with the current approaches and also provides biologically relevant results.