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Articles 931 - 960 of 1329

Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

The Outcome Of Selenium And Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (Select) Reveals The Need For Better Understanding Of Selenium Biology, Dolph Hatfield, Vadim N. Gladyshev Feb 2009

The Outcome Of Selenium And Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (Select) Reveals The Need For Better Understanding Of Selenium Biology, Dolph Hatfield, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) was one of the largest human cancer prevention trials ever undertaken. Designed to examine the role of selenium and vitamin E in preventing prostate cancer (I) as a double-blind study, SELECT administered daily 200 micrograms of selenium in the form of pure L-selenomethionine, 400 IU of synthetic D,L-α-tocopherol (vitamin E), a combination of these two components, or a placebo to four approximately equally divided groups. SELECT enrollment was undertaken between August 22, 2001 and June 24, 2004, and involved 35.533 healthy males from more than 425 participating locations in …


Genetic Code Supports Targeted Insertion Of Two Amino Acids By One Codon, Anton Turanov, Alexei Lobanov, Dmitri E. Fomenko, Hilary Morrison, Mitchell Sogin, Lawrence Klobutcher, Dolph Hatfield, Vadim N. Gladyshev Jan 2009

Genetic Code Supports Targeted Insertion Of Two Amino Acids By One Codon, Anton Turanov, Alexei Lobanov, Dmitri E. Fomenko, Hilary Morrison, Mitchell Sogin, Lawrence Klobutcher, Dolph Hatfield, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Strict one-to-one correspondence between codons and amino acids is thought to be an essential feature of the genetic code. However, we report that one codon can code for two different amino acids with the choice of the inserted amino acid determined by a specific 3’ untranslated region structure and location of the dual-function codon within the messenger RNA (mRNA). We found that the codon UGA specifies insertion of selenocysteine and cysteine in the ciliate Euplotes crassus, that the dual use of this codon can occur even within the same gene, and that the structural arrangements of Euplotes mRNA preserve location-dependent …


Functions And Evolution Of Selenoprotein Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases, Byung Cheon Lee, Alexander Dikiy, Hwa-Young Kim, Vadim N. Gladyshev Jan 2009

Functions And Evolution Of Selenoprotein Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases, Byung Cheon Lee, Alexander Dikiy, Hwa-Young Kim, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Methionine sulfoxide reductases (Msrs) are thiol-dependent enzymes which catalyze conversion of methionine sulfoxide to methionine. Three Msr families, MsrA, MsrB, and fRMsr, are known. MsrA and MsrB are responsible for the reduction of methionine-S-sulfoxide and methionine-R-sulfoxide residues in proteins, respectively, whereas fRMsr reduces free methionine-R-sulfoxide. Besides acting on proteins, MsrA can addi¬tionally reduce free methionine-S-sulfoxide. Some MsrAs and MsrBs evolved to utilize catalytic selenocysteine. This includes MsrB1, which is a major MsrB in cytosol and nucleus in mammalian cells. Specialized machinery is used for insertion of selenocysteine into MsrB1 and other seleno¬proteins at in-frame UGA codons. Selenocysteine offers catalytic advantage …


Selenoproteins That Function In Cancer Prevention And Promotion, Dolph L. Hatfield, Min-Hyuk Yoo, Bradley A. Carlson, Vadim N. Gladyshev Jan 2009

Selenoproteins That Function In Cancer Prevention And Promotion, Dolph L. Hatfield, Min-Hyuk Yoo, Bradley A. Carlson, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Of the many health benefits attributed to selenium, the one that has received the most attention is its role in cancer prevention. Selenium-containing proteins (selenoproteins) have been shown in recent years to have roles in cancer prevention. However, selenoproteins have diverse functions and their view as antioxidants is oversimplified. Some selenoproteins appear to have a split personality in having roles both in preventing and promoting cancer. The contrasting roles of one selenoprotein, thioredoxin reductase 1, in cancer are discussed in detail, but as also noted, at least one other selenoprotein may also have such a dual function. In addition, we …


Identification Of A Novel System For Boron Transport: Atr1 Is A Main Boron Exporter In Yeast, Alaattin Kaya, Huseyin C. Karakaya, Dmitri E. Fomenko, Vadim N. Gladyshev, Ahmet Koc Jan 2009

Identification Of A Novel System For Boron Transport: Atr1 Is A Main Boron Exporter In Yeast, Alaattin Kaya, Huseyin C. Karakaya, Dmitri E. Fomenko, Vadim N. Gladyshev, Ahmet Koc

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Boron is a micronutrient in plants and animals, but its specific roles in cellular processes are not known. To understand boron transport and functions, we screened a yeast genomic DNA library for genes that confer resistance to the element in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Thirty boron-resistant transformants were isolated, and they all contained the ATR1 (YML116w) gene. Atr1 is a multidrug resistance transport protein belonging to the major facilitator superfamily. C-terminal green fluorescent protein-tagged Atr1 localized to the cell membrane and vacuole, and ATR1 gene expression was upregulated by boron and several stress conditions. We found that atr1Δ mutants were …


Resolving The Lateral Component Of Blood Flow Velocity Based On Ultrasound Speckle Size Change With Scan Direction And Speed, Tiantian Xu, Greg R. Bashford Jan 2009

Resolving The Lateral Component Of Blood Flow Velocity Based On Ultrasound Speckle Size Change With Scan Direction And Speed, Tiantian Xu, Greg R. Bashford

Biomedical Imaging and Biosignal Analysis Laboratory

Conventional blood flow velocity measurement using ultrasound is capable of resolving the axial component (i.e., that aligned with the ultrasound propagation direction) of the blood flow velocity vector. However, these Doppler-based methods are incapable of detecting blood flow in the direction normal to the ultrasound beam. In addition, these methods require repeated pulse-echo interrogation at the same spatial location. In this paper, we introduce a method which estimates the lateral component of blood flow within a single image frame using the observation that the speckle pattern corresponding to the blood reflectors (typically red blood cells) stretches (i.e., is “smeared”) if …


Further Progress On Lateral Flow Estimation Using Speckle Size Variation With Scan Direction, Tiantian Xu, Gregory R. Bashford Jan 2009

Further Progress On Lateral Flow Estimation Using Speckle Size Variation With Scan Direction, Tiantian Xu, Gregory R. Bashford

Biomedical Imaging and Biosignal Analysis Laboratory

Conventional blood flow velocity measurement using ultrasound is capable of resolving the axial component (i.e., that aligned with the ultrasound propagation direction) of the blood flow velocity vector. However, these Doppler-based methods are incapable of detecting blood flow in the direction normal to the ultrasound beam. In addition, these methods require repeated pulse-echo interrogation at the same spatial location. In this paper, we report additional data on a new method recently introduced. This method estimates the lateral component of blood flow within a single image frame using the observation that the speckle pattern corresponding to the blood reflectors (typically red …


Single Molecule Diffusion Coefficient Estimation By Image Analysis Of Simulated Ccd Images To Aid High-Throughput Screening, Pengfei Song, Lloyd M. Davis, Greg Bashford Jan 2009

Single Molecule Diffusion Coefficient Estimation By Image Analysis Of Simulated Ccd Images To Aid High-Throughput Screening, Pengfei Song, Lloyd M. Davis, Greg Bashford

Biomedical Imaging and Biosignal Analysis Laboratory

Extension of one-dimensional signal analysis to two-dimensional image analysis could accelerate conventional methods of high-throughput screening in the discovery of new pharmaceutical agents. This work describes a first step taken towards this goal – the evaluation of image-analysis based estimation strategies of the diffusion coefficient of a single molecule transported within a microfabricated flowcell. A computer simulation of single-molecule imaging by a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera is used to determine if it is possible to distinguish three different types of molecules with different diffusion coefficients. The Gaussian fitting algorithm finds the variance of the transverse trajectory, which increases linearly with …


Optimal Thresholds Of Feature Tracking For Blood Velocity And Tissue Motion Estimation, Tiantian Xu, Gregory R. Bashford Jan 2009

Optimal Thresholds Of Feature Tracking For Blood Velocity And Tissue Motion Estimation, Tiantian Xu, Gregory R. Bashford

Biomedical Imaging and Biosignal Analysis Laboratory

Feature tracking is an algorithm for estimating blood flow velocity and tissue motion using pulse-echo ultrasound. In contrast to cross-correlation speckle-tracking techniques, feature tracking identifies features at discrete locations and corresponds them from frame to frame. Prior studies have demonstrated that feature-tracking estimates exhibit lower variance than those obtained by the conventional autocorrelation method and require less computational complexity than either speckle tracking or autocorrelation. To date, not much attention has been paid to the process by which trackable features (normally local maxima) are selected from the set of all available features. In the selection process, it is desired to …


Light-Induced Fos Expression In Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells In Melanopsin Knockout (Opn4-/-) Mice, Gary E. Pickard, Scott B. Baver, Malcolm D. Ogilvie, Patricia J. Sollars Jan 2009

Light-Induced Fos Expression In Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells In Melanopsin Knockout (Opn4-/-) Mice, Gary E. Pickard, Scott B. Baver, Malcolm D. Ogilvie, Patricia J. Sollars

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Retinal ganglion cells that express the photopigment melanopsin are intrinsically photosensitive (ipRGCs) and exhibit robust synaptically driven ON-responses to light, yet they will continue to depolarize in response to light when all synaptic input from rod and cone photoreceptors is removed. The light-evoked increase in firing of classical ganglion cells is determined by synaptic input from ON-bipolar cells in the proximal sublamina of the inner plexiform layer. OFF-bipolar cells synapse with ganglion cell dendrites in the distal sublamina of the inner plexiform layer. Of the several types of ipRGC that have been described, M1 ipRGCs send dendrites exclusively into the …


Correlations Between Oxygen Affinity And Sequence Classifications Of Plant Hemoglobins, Benoit J. Smagghe, Julie A. Hoy, Ryan Percifield, Suman Kundu, Mark S. Hargrove, Gautam Sarath, Jean-Louis Hilbert, Richard A. Watts, Elizabeth S. Dennis, W. James Peacock, Sylvia Dewilde, Luc Moens, George C. Blouin, John S. Olson, Cyril A. Appleby Jan 2009

Correlations Between Oxygen Affinity And Sequence Classifications Of Plant Hemoglobins, Benoit J. Smagghe, Julie A. Hoy, Ryan Percifield, Suman Kundu, Mark S. Hargrove, Gautam Sarath, Jean-Louis Hilbert, Richard A. Watts, Elizabeth S. Dennis, W. James Peacock, Sylvia Dewilde, Luc Moens, George C. Blouin, John S. Olson, Cyril A. Appleby

Gautam Sarath Publications

Plants express three phylogenetic classes of hemoglobins (Hb) based on sequence analyses. Class 1 and 2 Hbs are full-length globins with the classical eight helix Mb-like fold, whereas Class 3 plant Hbs resemble the truncated globins found in bacteria. With the exception of the specialized leghemoglobins, the physiological functions of these plant hemoglobins remain unknown. We have reviewed and, in some cases, measured new oxygen binding properties of a large number of Class 1 and 2 plant nonsymbiotic Hbs and leghemoglobins. We found that sequence classification correlates with distinct extents of hexacoordination with the distal histidine and markedly different overall …


A Multiple Species Approach To Biomass Production From Native Herbaceous Perennial Feedstocks, J. L. Gonzalez-Hernandez, Gautam Sarath, J. M. Stein, V. Owens, K. Gedye, A. Boe Jan 2009

A Multiple Species Approach To Biomass Production From Native Herbaceous Perennial Feedstocks, J. L. Gonzalez-Hernandez, Gautam Sarath, J. M. Stein, V. Owens, K. Gedye, A. Boe

Gautam Sarath Publications

Due to the rapid rate of worldwide consumption of nonrenewable fossil fuels, production of biofuels from cellulosic sources is receiving increased research emphasis. Here, we review the feasibility to produce lignocellulosic biomass on marginal lands that are not well-suited for conventional crop production. Large areas of these marginal lands are located in the central prairies of North America once dominated by tallgrass species. In this article, we review the existing literature, current work, and potential of two native species of the tallgrass prairie, prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) as candidates for commercial production of …


A Structure-Based Approach For Detection Of Thiol Oxidoreductases And Their Catalytic Redox-Active Cysteine Residues, Stefano M. Marino, Vadim N. Gladyshev Jan 2009

A Structure-Based Approach For Detection Of Thiol Oxidoreductases And Their Catalytic Redox-Active Cysteine Residues, Stefano M. Marino, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Cysteine (Cys) residues often play critical roles in proteins, for example, in the formation of structural disulfide bonds, metal binding, targeting proteins to the membranes, and various catalytic functions. However, the structural determinants for various Cys functions are not clear. Thiol oxidoreductases, which are enzymes containing catalytic redox-active Cys residues, have been extensively studied, but even for these proteins there is little understanding of what distinguishes their catalytic redox Cys from other Cys functions. Herein, we characterized thiol oxidoreductases at a structural level and developed an algorithm that can recognize these enzymes by (i) analyzing amino acid and secondary structure …


Classification And Cluster Analysis Of Complex Time-Of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry For Biological Samples, Stephen E. Reichenbach, Xue Tian, Qingping Tao, Alex Henderson Jan 2009

Classification And Cluster Analysis Of Complex Time-Of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry For Biological Samples, Stephen E. Reichenbach, Xue Tian, Qingping Tao, Alex Henderson

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Identifying and separating subtly different biological samples is one of the most critical tasks in biological analysis. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is becoming a popular and important technique in the analysis of biological samples, because it can detect molecular information and characterize chemical composition. ToF-SIMS spectra of biological samples are enormously complex with large mass ranges and many peaks. As a result the classification and cluster analysis are challenging. This study presents a new classification algorithm, the most similar neighbor with a probability-based spectrum similarity measure (MSN- PSSM), which uses all the information in the entire ToF- SIMS …


Proteomic Analysis Of Endodontic Infections By Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry, R. Nandakumar, Nandakumar Madayiputhiya, A. F. Fouad Jan 2009

Proteomic Analysis Of Endodontic Infections By Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry, R. Nandakumar, Nandakumar Madayiputhiya, A. F. Fouad

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Introduction—Endodontic infections are very prevalent and have a polymicrobial etiology characterized by complex interrelationships between endodontic microorganisms and the host defenses. Proteomic analysis of endodontic infections can provide global insights into the invasion, pathogenicity mechanisms, and multifactorial interactions existing between root canal bacteria and the host in the initiation and progression of apical periodontitis. The purpose of this study was to apply proteomic techniques such as liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/ MS) for the identification of proteins of bacterial origin present in endodontic infections.

Methods—Endodontic specimens were aseptically obtained from seven patients with root canal infections. Protein mixtures were subjected …


Hyaluronidase Activity Of Human Hyal1 Requires Active Site Acidic And Tyrosine Residues, Ling Zhang, Alamelu G. Bharadwaj, Andrew Casper, Joel Barkley, Joseph J. Barycki, Melanie A. Simpson Jan 2009

Hyaluronidase Activity Of Human Hyal1 Requires Active Site Acidic And Tyrosine Residues, Ling Zhang, Alamelu G. Bharadwaj, Andrew Casper, Joel Barkley, Joseph J. Barycki, Melanie A. Simpson

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Hyaluronidases are a family of endolytic glycoside hydrolases

that cleave the β1–4 linkage between N-acetylglucosamine and

glucuronic acid in hyaluronan polymers via a substrate-assisted

mechanism. In humans, turnover of hyaluronan by this enzyme

family is critical for normal extracellular matrix remodeling.

However, elevated expression of the Hyal1 isozyme accelerates

tumor growth and metastatic progression. In this study, we used

structural information, site-directed mutagenesis, and steady

state enzyme kinetics to probe molecular determinants of

human Hyal1 function. Mutagenesis of active site residues

Glu131 and Tyr247 to Gln and Phe, respectively, eliminated activity

at all hyaluronan concentrations (to 125 …


Mechanistic Details Of Glutathione Biosynthesis Revealed By Crystal Structures Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Glutamate Cysteine Ligase, Ekaterina I. Biterova, Joseph J. Barycki Jan 2009

Mechanistic Details Of Glutathione Biosynthesis Revealed By Crystal Structures Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Glutamate Cysteine Ligase, Ekaterina I. Biterova, Joseph J. Barycki

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Glutathione is a thiol-disulfide exchange peptide critical for

buffering oxidative or chemical stress, and an essential cofactor

in several biosynthesis and detoxification pathways. The ratelimiting

step in its de novo biosynthesis is catalyzed by glutamate

cysteine ligase, a broadly expressed enzyme for which limited

structural information is available in higher eukaryotic species.

Structural data are critical to the understanding of clinical glutathione

deficiency, as well as rational design of enzyme modulators

that could impact human disease progression. Here, we

have determined the structures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae glutamate

cysteine ligase (ScGCL) in the presence of glutamate and

MgCl2 (2.1 Å; R …


Functional Characterization Of A Higher Plant Sphingolipid Δ4-Desaturase: Defining The Role Of Sphingosine And Sphingosine-1-Phosphate In Arabidopsis, Louise V. Michaelson, Simone Zäuner, Jennifer E. Markham, Richard P. Haslam, Radhika Desikan, Sarah Mugford, Sandra Albrecht, Dirk Warnecke, Petra Sperling, E. Heinz, Johnathan A. Napier Jan 2009

Functional Characterization Of A Higher Plant Sphingolipid Δ4-Desaturase: Defining The Role Of Sphingosine And Sphingosine-1-Phosphate In Arabidopsis, Louise V. Michaelson, Simone Zäuner, Jennifer E. Markham, Richard P. Haslam, Radhika Desikan, Sarah Mugford, Sandra Albrecht, Dirk Warnecke, Petra Sperling, E. Heinz, Johnathan A. Napier

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The role of Δ4-unsaturated sphingolipid long-chain bases such as sphingosine was investigated in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Identification and functional characterization of the sole Arabidopsis ortholog of the sphingolipid Δ4-desaturase was achieved by heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris. A P. pastoris mutant disrupted in the endogenous sphingolipid Δ4-desaturase gene was unable to synthesize glucosylceramides. Synthesis of glucosylceramides was restored by the expression of Arabidopsis gene At4g04930, and these sphingolipids were shown to contain Δ4-unsaturated long-chain bases, confirming that this open reading frame encodes the sphingolipid Δ4-desaturase. At4g04930 has a very restricted expression pattern, transcripts only being detected in …


Modulation Of The Heme Electronic Structure And Cystathionine Β-Synthase Activity By Second Coordination Sphere Ligands: The Role Of Heme Ligand Switching In Redox Regulation, Sangita Singh, Peter Madzelan, Jay Stasser, Colin L. Weeks, Donald F. Becker, Thomas G. Spiro, James Penner-Hahn, Ruma Banerjee Jan 2009

Modulation Of The Heme Electronic Structure And Cystathionine Β-Synthase Activity By Second Coordination Sphere Ligands: The Role Of Heme Ligand Switching In Redox Regulation, Sangita Singh, Peter Madzelan, Jay Stasser, Colin L. Weeks, Donald F. Becker, Thomas G. Spiro, James Penner-Hahn, Ruma Banerjee

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

In humans, cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) is a hemeprotein, which catalyzes a pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)-dependent condensation reaction. Changes in the heme environment are communicated to the active site, which is ~20 Å away. In this study, we have examined the role of H67 and R266, which are in the second coordination sphere of the heme ligands, H65 and C52 respectively, in modulating the heme's electronic properties and in transmitting information between the heme and active sites. While the H67A mutation is comparable to wild-type CBS, interesting differences are revealed by mutations at the R266 site. The pathogenic mutant, R266K, is moderately …


Heme Regulation Of Human Cystathionine Β-Synthase Activity: Insights From Fluorescence And Raman Spectroscopy, Colin L. Weeks, Sangita Singh, Peter Madzelan, Ruma Banerjee, Thomas G. Spiro Jan 2009

Heme Regulation Of Human Cystathionine Β-Synthase Activity: Insights From Fluorescence And Raman Spectroscopy, Colin L. Weeks, Sangita Singh, Peter Madzelan, Ruma Banerjee, Thomas G. Spiro

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) plays a central role in cysteine metabolism, and malfunction of the enzyme leads to homocystinuria, a devastating metabolic disease. CBS contains a pyridoxal 5′- phosphate (PLP) cofactor which catalyzes the synthesis of cystathionine from homocysteine and serine. Mammalian forms of the enzyme also contain a heme group, which is not involved in catalysis. It may, however, play a regulatory role, since the enzyme is inhibited when CO or NO are bound to the heme. We have investigated the mechanism of this inhibition using fluorescence and resonance Raman spectroscopies. CO binding is found to induce a tautomeric shift …


Cadmium-Mediated Rescue From Er-Associated Degradation Induces Expression Of Its Exporter, David J. Adle, Wenzhong Wel, Nathan Smith, Joshua J. Bles, Jaekwon Lee Jan 2009

Cadmium-Mediated Rescue From Er-Associated Degradation Induces Expression Of Its Exporter, David J. Adle, Wenzhong Wel, Nathan Smith, Joshua J. Bles, Jaekwon Lee

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Cadmium is a highly toxic environmental contaminant that has been implicated in various disorders. A major mechanism for cadmium detoxification in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae relies on extrusion via Pca1, a P-type ATPase. While an N-terminal degron targets Pca1 for degradation before its secretion to the plasma membrane, cadmium in the growth media rapidly upregulates Pca1 by preventing its turnover. Here we show that the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) system, known for its role in quality control of secretory proteins, is unexpectedly responsible for the regulation of Pca1 expression by cadmium. Direct cadmium sensing at the ER by a degron …


Crystal Structure Of Acivicin-Inhibited Γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase Reveals Critical Roles For Its C-Terminus In Autoprocessing And Catalysis, Kristin Williams, Sierra Cullati, Aaron Sand, Ekaterina I. Biterova, Joseph J. Barycki Jan 2009

Crystal Structure Of Acivicin-Inhibited Γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase Reveals Critical Roles For Its C-Terminus In Autoprocessing And Catalysis, Kristin Williams, Sierra Cullati, Aaron Sand, Ekaterina I. Biterova, Joseph J. Barycki

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Helicobacter pylori γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (HpGT) is a general γ-glutamyl hydrolase and a

demonstrated virulence factor. The enzyme confers a growth advantage to the bacterium, providing essential amino acid precursors by initiating the degradation of extracellular glutathione and glutamine. HpGT is a member of the N-terminal nucleophile (Ntn) hydrolase superfamily and undergoes autoprocessing to generate the active form of the enzyme. Acivicin is a widely used γ-glutamyltranspeptidase inhibitor that covalently modifies the enzyme, but its precise mechanism of action remains unclear. The time-dependent inactivation of HpGT exhibits a hyperbolic dependence on acivicin concentration with kmax = 0.033 ± 0.006 sec1 …


A Herpesvirus Encoded Deubiquitinase Is A Novel Neuroinvasive Determinant, Joy I. Lee, Patricia J. Sollars, Scott B. Baver, Gary E. Pickard, Mindy Leelawong, Gregory A. Smith Jan 2009

A Herpesvirus Encoded Deubiquitinase Is A Novel Neuroinvasive Determinant, Joy I. Lee, Patricia J. Sollars, Scott B. Baver, Gary E. Pickard, Mindy Leelawong, Gregory A. Smith

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The neuroinvasive property of several alpha-herpesviruses underlies an uncommon infectious process that includes the establishment of life-long latent infections in sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system. Several herpesvirus proteins are required for replication and dissemination within the nervous system, indicating that exploiting the nervous system as a niche for productive infection requires a specialized set of functions encoded by the virus. Whether initial entry into the nervous system from peripheral tissues also requires specialized viral functions is not known. Here we show that a conserved deubiquitinase domain embedded within a pseudorabies virus structural protein, pUL36, is essential for initial …


Regulation Of Innate Immune Responses By Bovine Herpesvirus 1 And Infected Cell Protein 0 (Bicp0), Clinton Jones Jan 2009

Regulation Of Innate Immune Responses By Bovine Herpesvirus 1 And Infected Cell Protein 0 (Bicp0), Clinton Jones

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) infected cell protein 0 (bICP0) is an important transcriptional regulatory protein that stimulates productive infection. In transient transfection assays, bICP0 also inhibits interferon dependent transcription. bICP0 can induce degradation of interferon stimulatory factor 3 (IRF3), a cellular transcription factor that is crucial for activating beta interferon (IFN-β) promoter activity. Recent studies also concluded that interactions between bICP0 and IRF7 inhibit trans-activation of IFN-β promoter activity. The C3HC4 zinc RING (really important new gene) finger located near the amino terminus of bICP0 is important for all known functions of bICP0. A recombinant virus that contains a single …


Spontaneous Idiopathic Arteritis Of The Testicular Artery In Raccoons (Procyon Lotor), A. N. Hamir, M. V. Palmer, H. Li, J. Stasko, D. G. Rogers Jan 2009

Spontaneous Idiopathic Arteritis Of The Testicular Artery In Raccoons (Procyon Lotor), A. N. Hamir, M. V. Palmer, H. Li, J. Stasko, D. G. Rogers

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The testes and the spermatic cord of raccoons (Procyon lotor, kits to adult breeders; n = 48) were examined. Segmental arteritis confined to the extratesticular portions of the testicular artery was present in raccoons of all ages. The arterial changes were seen in laboratory-confined experimental and control animals as well as in wild-caught raccoons. The lesions consisted of proliferative endarteritis with presence of inflammatory cells within the intima, media, and the adventitial regions of most affected vessels. Some aspects of the proliferative arterial lesions were reminiscent of systemic necrotizing vasculitis (polyarteritis nodosa), an immunologically mediated condition of animals and humans. …


The Selenoproteome Of Clostridium Sp. Ohilas: Characterization Of Anaerobic Bacterial Selenoprotein Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase A, Hwa Young, Yan Zhang, Byung Cheon Lee, Jae-Ryong Kim, Vadim N. Gladyshev Jan 2009

The Selenoproteome Of Clostridium Sp. Ohilas: Characterization Of Anaerobic Bacterial Selenoprotein Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase A, Hwa Young, Yan Zhang, Byung Cheon Lee, Jae-Ryong Kim, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Selenocysteine (Sec) is incorporated into proteins in response to UGA codons. This residue is frequently found at the catalytic sites of oxidoreductases. In this study, we characterized the selenoproteome of an anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium sp. (also known as Alkaliphilus oremlandii) OhILA, and identified 13 selenoprotein genes, five of which have not been previously described. One of the detected selenoproteins was methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA), an antioxidant enzyme that repairs oxidatively damaged methionines in a stereospecific manner. To date, little is known about MsrA from anaerobes. We characterized this selenoprotein MsrA which had a single Sec residue at the catalytic …


X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy Reveals The Role Of Selenium In Spermatogenesis, Sebastian Kehr, Mikalai I. Malinouski, Lydia Finney, Stefan Vogt, Vyacheslav M. Labunskyy, Marina V. Kasaikina, Bradley A. Carlson, You Zhou, Dolph L. Hatfield, Vadim N. Gladyshev Jan 2009

X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy Reveals The Role Of Selenium In Spermatogenesis, Sebastian Kehr, Mikalai I. Malinouski, Lydia Finney, Stefan Vogt, Vyacheslav M. Labunskyy, Marina V. Kasaikina, Bradley A. Carlson, You Zhou, Dolph L. Hatfield, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Selenium (Se) is a trace element with important roles in human health. Several selenoproteins have essential functions in development. However, the cellular and tissue distribution of Se remains largely unknown because of the lack of analytical techniques that image this element with sufficient sensitivity and resolution. Herein, we report that X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) can be used to visualize and quantify the tissue, cellular and subcellular topography of Se. We applied this technique to characterize the role of Se in spermatogenesis and identified a dramatic Se enrichment specifically in late spermatids, a pattern that was not seen in any other …


Comparative Genomic Analyses Of Nickel, Cobalt And Vitamin B12 Utilization, Yan Zhang, Dmitry Rodionov, Mikhail Gelfand, Vadim N. Gladyshev Jan 2009

Comparative Genomic Analyses Of Nickel, Cobalt And Vitamin B12 Utilization, Yan Zhang, Dmitry Rodionov, Mikhail Gelfand, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Background: Nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) are trace elements required for a variety of biological processes. Ni is directly coordinated by proteins, whereas Co is mainly used as a component of vitamin B12. Although a number of Ni and Co-dependent enzymes have been characterized, systematic evolutionary analyses of utilization of these metals are limited. Results: We carried out comparative genomic analyses to examine occurrence and evolutionary dynamics of the use of Ni and Co at the level of (i) transport systems, and (ii) metalloproteomes. Our data show that both metals are widely used in bacteria and archaea. Cbi/NikMNQO …


Eukaryotic Selenoproteins And Selenoproteomes, Alexey V. Lobanov, Dolph L. Hatfield, Vadim N. Gladyshev Jan 2009

Eukaryotic Selenoproteins And Selenoproteomes, Alexey V. Lobanov, Dolph L. Hatfield, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Selenium is an essential trace element for which both beneficial and toxic effects in human health have been described. It is now clear that the importance of having adequate amounts of this micronutrient in the diet is primarily due to the fact that selenium is required for biosynthesis of selenocysteine, the twenty first naturally occurring amino acid in protein. In this review, we provide an overview of eukaryotic selenoproteins and selenoproteomes, which are sets of selenoproteins in these organisms. In eukaryotes, selenoproteins show a mosaic occurrence, with some organisms, such as vertebrates and algae, having dozens of these proteins, while …


Overexpression Of Methionine-R-Sulfoxide Reductases Has No Influence On Fruit Fly Aging, Valentina A. Shchedrina, Gerd Vorbrüggen, Byung Cheon Lee, Hwa-Young Kim, Hadise Kabil, Lawrence G. Harshman, Vadim N. Gladyshev Jan 2009

Overexpression Of Methionine-R-Sulfoxide Reductases Has No Influence On Fruit Fly Aging, Valentina A. Shchedrina, Gerd Vorbrüggen, Byung Cheon Lee, Hwa-Young Kim, Hadise Kabil, Lawrence G. Harshman, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Methionine sulfoxide reductases (Msrs) are enzymes that repair oxidized methionine residues in proteins. This function implicated Msrs in antiox¬idant defense and the regulation of aging. There are two known Msr types in animals: MsrA specific for the reduction of methionine-S-sulfoxide, and MsrB that catalyzes the reduction of methionine-R-sulfoxide. In a previous study, overexpression of MsrA in the nervous system of Drosophila was found to extend lifespan by 70%. Overexpression of MsrA in yeast also extended lifespan, whereas MsrB overexpression did so only under cal¬orie restriction conditions. The effect of MsrB overexpression on lifespan has not yet been characterized in animal …