Biochemistry Commons^™

Increased Levels Of Erythrocyte Glutathione In Acute Myocardial Infarction: An Antioxidant Defence, M P. Iqbal, M Ishaq, N Mehboobali

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: Glutathione (GSH) has a central role in the defence against oxidative damage. This study was carried out to investigate any change in erythrocyte GSH levels in a population of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and compare them with levels in normal healthy subjects.
Method: GSH levels were determined in erythrocytes of one hundred and seventy six patients with AMI (age: 30-70 years; 131 males and 45 females) admitted to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi. These levels were compared with eryrocyte GSH levels obtained from 95 normal healthy subjects (controls).
Results: Mean +/- SD erythrocyte GSH levels …

Association Study Of The Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (Ace) Gene G2350a Dimorphism With Myocardial Infarction, M Perwaiz Iqbal, Saeed Mahmood, Naseema Mehboobali, Mohammad Ishaq, Tasnim Fatima, Saddiqa Parveen, Philippe Frossard

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is a strong candidate gene for myocardial infarction (MI). Insertion-deletion dimorphism in intron 16 of this gene has been inconclusively found to be associated with it. Several new polymorphisms in the ACE gene have been identified and among these, a dimorphism in exon 17, ACE G2350A, has a significant effect on plasma ACE concentrations. To assess the value of genotyping the ACE G2350A dimorphism in a genetically homogeneous population, we carried out a case-control study of dimorphism G2350A for a putative association with MI among Pakistani nationals. We investigated a sample population of 370 Pakistanis, …

Identification Of An Il-17-Producing Nk1.1neg Inkt Cell Population Involved In Airway Neutrophilia, Paul B. Savage, Marie-Laure Michel, Alexandre Castro Keller, Christophe Paget, Masakazu Fujio, Francois Trottein, Chi-Huey Wong, Elke Schneider, Michael Dy, Maria C. Leite-De-Moraes

Faculty Publications

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are an important source of both T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 cytokines, through which they can exert beneficial, as well as deleterious, effects in a variety of inflammatory diseases. This functional heterogeneity raises the question of how far phenotypically distinct subpopulations are responsible for such contrasting activities. In this study, we identify a particular set of iNKT cells that lack the NK1.1 marker (NK1.1neg) and secrete high amounts of interleukin (IL)-17 and low levels of interferon (IFN)-{gamma} and IL-4. NK1.1neg iNKT cells produce IL-17 upon synthetic ({alpha}-galactosylceramide [{alpha}-GalCer] or PBS-57), as well …

Jnk Regulates Hipk3 Expression And Promotes Resistance To Fas-Mediated Apoptosis In Du 145 Prostate Carcinoma Cells, James Curtin, Thomas Cotter

Articles

Elevated endogenous JNK activity and resistance to Fas receptor-mediated apoptosis have recently been implicated in progression of prostate cancer and can promote resistance to apoptosis in response to chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition, JNK has been demonstrated to promote transformation of epithelial cells by increasing both proliferation and survival. Although numerous studies have reported a role for JNK in promoting Fas receptor-mediated apoptosis, there is a paucity in the literature studying the antiapoptotic function of JNK during Fas receptor-mediated apoptosis. Consequently, we have used the recently described specific JNK inhibitor SP600125 and RNA interference to inhibit endogenous JNK activity in the …

Fluorescence Detectors For Proteins And Toxic Heavy Metals, Uchenna Prince Paul

Theses and Dissertations

An inexpensive detector for proteins is described. The detection technique was based on two-photon excitation intrinsic protein fluorescence using a visible 532 nm diode-pumped nano laser as the excitation source. Proteins that exhibit intrinsic fluorescence must contain at least one tryptophan, tyrosine, or phenylalanine residue in their amino acid sequences. The detector was characterized and was found to have a detection limit of 4 micro-molar for tryptophan, 22 micro-molar for tyrosine and 500 micro-molar for phenylalanine. Bovine serum albumin, a serum protein with 3 tryptophan residues in its amino acid sequence was also used to characterize the detector. It was …

Analysis Of Clinically Important Compounds Using Electrophoretic Separation Techniques Coupled To Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry, Zlatuse Durda Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Capillary electrophoretic (CE) separations were successfully coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometric (TOFMS) detection for the analysis of three families of biological compounds that act as mediators and/or indicators of disease, namely, catecholamines (dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine) and their O-methoxylated metabolites (3-methoxytyramine, norepinephrine, and normetanephrine), indolamines (serotonin, tryptophan, and 5-hydroxytryptophan), and angiotensin peptides. While electrophoretic separation techniques provided high separation efficiency, mass spectrometric detection afforded specificity unsurpassed by other types of detectors.

Both catecholamines and indolamines are present in body fluids at concentrations that make it possible for them to be determined by capillary zone electrophoresis coupled to TOFMS without employing any …

Core Concepts In Biochemistry And Molecular Biology In An Integrated Mbbs Curriculum, M P. Iqbal

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Heterogeneous Chemistry Involving Methanol In Tropospheric Clouds, A. Tabazadeh, Robert J. Yokelson, H. B. Singh, Peter V. Hobbs, J. H. Crawford, L. T. Iraci

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

In this report we analyze airborne measurements to suggest that methanol in biomass burning smoke is lost heterogeneously in clouds. When a smoke plume intersected a cumulus cloud during the SAFARI 2000 field project, the observed methanol gas phase concentration rapidly declined. Current understanding of gas and aqueous phase chemistry cannot explain the loss of methanol documented by these measurements. Two plausible heterogeneous reactions are proposed to explain the observed simultaneous loss and production of methanol and formaldehyde, respectively. If the rapid heterogeneous processing of methanol, seen in a cloud impacted by smoke, occurs in more pristine clouds, it could …

Photoreactive Bicyclic Amino Acids As Substrates For Mutant Escherichia Coli Phenylalanyl-Trna Synthetases, Thomas Bentin, Ramin Hamzavi, Jahan Salomonsson, Hervé Roy, Michael Ibba, Peter E. Nielsen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Unnatural amino acids carrying reactive groups that can be selectively activated under non-invasive biologically benign conditions are of interest in protein engineering as biological tools for the analysis of protein-protein and protein-nucleic acids interactions. The double ring system phenylalanine analogues benzofuranylalanine and benzotriazolylalanine were synthesized, and their photolability was tested by UV irradiation at 254, 320, and 365 nm. Although both showed photo reactivity, benzofuranylalanine appeared as the most promising compound because this amino acid was activated by UVA (long wavelength) irradiation. These amino acids were also tested for in vitro charging of tRNA^Phe and for protein mutagenesis via …

The Identity Of Proteins Associated With A Small Heat Shock Protein During Heat Stress In Vivo Indicates That These Chaperones Protect A Wide Range Of Cellular Functions, Eman Basha, Garrett J. Lee, Linda A. Breci, Andrew C. Hausrath, Nicole R. Buan, Kim C. Giese, Elizabeth Vierling

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are a ubiquitous class of ATP-independent chaperones believed to prevent irreversible protein aggregation and to facilitate subsequent protein renaturation in cooperation with ATP-dependent chaperones. Although sHSP chaperone activity has been studied extensively in vitro, understanding the mechanism of sHSP function requires identification of proteins that are sHSP substrates in vivo. We have used both immunoprecipitation and affinity chromatography to recover 42 proteins that specifically interact with Synechocystis Hsp16.6 in vivo during heat treatment. These proteins can all be released from Hsp16.6 by the ATP-dependent activity of DnaK and cochaperones and are heat-labile. Thirteen …

Comprehensive Laboratory Measurements Of Biomass-Burning Emissions: 2. First Intercomparison Of Open-Path Ftir, Ptr-Ms, And Gc-Ms/Fid/Ecd, Ted J. Christian, B. Kleiss, Robert J. Yokelson, R. Holzinger, P. J. Crutzen, Wein Min Hao, T. Shirai, Donald R. Blake

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Divergence In Non-Cognate Amino Acid Recognition Between Class I And Class Ii Lysyl-Trna Synthetases, Jeffrey D. Levengood, Sandro F. Ataide, Hervé Roy, Michael Ibba

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Lysine insertion during coded protein synthesis requires lysyl-tRNA^Lys, which is synthesized by lysyl-tRNA synthetase (LysRS). Two unrelated forms of LysRS are known: LysRS2, which is found in eukaryotes, most bacteria, and a few archaea, and LysRS1, which is found in most archaea and a few bacteria. To compare amino acid recognition between the two forms of LysRS, the effects of l-lysine analogues on aminoacylation were investigated. Both enzymes showed stereospecificity toward the l-enantiomer of lysine and discriminated against noncognate amino acids with different R-groups (arginine, ornithine). Lysine analogues containing substitutions at other positions were generally most effective as …

Appendix C: General Data, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Togus Pond (2004)

No abstract provided.

Fall Data Report, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Togus Pond (2004)

No abstract provided.

Total Phosphorus, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Togus Pond (2004)

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of Water Quality, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Togus Pond (2004)

No abstract provided.

Water Quality Results From Togus Pond, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Togus Pond (2004)

No abstract provided.

A Watershed Analysis Of Togus Pond: Implications For Water Quality And Land Use Management, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Togus Pond (2004)

The Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) investigated the water quality and factors affecting water quality in the surrounding watershed of Togus Pond in Augusta, Maine from June through September 2004. CEAT analyzed several physical, chemical and biological water quality parameters, land use patterns in the watershed, and the impact of residential and commercial development on water quality. Data collected were used to produce models of the watershed that enabled CEAT to identify possible sources of degradation to the current and future water quality of Togus Pond. To obtain a historical perspective, all data collected this summer were compared to data …

Altered Phosphorylation Of [Beta]-Catenin In Glucocorticoid Treated 235-1 Rat Pituitary Tumor Cells, Susie K. Saunders

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Beta-catenin is an essential cell adhesion and signaling protein, associated with high prolactin levels in rat pituitary tumor cells. It has been shown that phosphorylation affects the location and activity of b-catenin. Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK3-b) is a serine-threonine kinase that phosphorylates b-catenin on N-terminal residues, targeting it for proteasomal degradation. Studies have shown that C-terminal tyrosine phosphorylation decreases the association of b-catenin with cadherin. In 235-1 rat pituitary tumor cells, our lab has shown that the glucocorticoid analog dexamethasone (Dex) decreases the half- life of b-catenin while increasing the activity of GSK3-b. The current study was undertaken to examine …

Synergistic Mixtures Of Fungitoxic Monochloro And Dichloro-8-Quinolinols Against Five Fungi / Herman Gershon, Muriel Gershon, & Donald D. Clarke Harding Laboratory, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, Ny 10458-5126, Usa; Department Of Chemistry, Fordham University, Bronx, Ny 10458-9993, Usa, Herman Gershon, Muriel Gershon, Donald Dudley Clarke Phd

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Fourteen mono- and dichloro-8-quinolinols were tested against five fungi (Aspergillus niger, A. oryzae, Myrothecium verrucaria, Trichoderma viride, and Mucor circinelloides) and compared with the fungitoxicity of 8- quinolinol in Yeast Nitrogen Base containing l% D-glucose and 0.088% L-asparagine. All of the compounds were more fungitoxic than 8-quinolinol except for the surprising activity of 8-quinolinol against A. oryzae. Mixtures of the MICs of monochloro- and dichloro-8-quinolinols in which the halogens were in different positions of the quinoline ring showed synergism. Comparable mixtures in which one position of each compound was occupied by the same halogen showed additive activity. In a different …

Intravenous 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose Injection Rapidly Elevates Levels Of The Phosphorylated Forms Of P44/42 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (Extracellularly Regulated Kinases 1/2) In Rat Hypothalamic Parvicellular Paraventricular Neurons, Arshad Khan, Alan Watts

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Distributions Of Z-Dna And Nuclear Factor I In Human Chromosome 22: A Model For Coupled Transcriptional Regulation, P. Christoph Champ, Sandor Maurice, Jeff Vargason, Tracy Camp, P. Shing Ho

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

An analysis of the human chromosome 22 genomic sequence shows that both Z-DNA forming regions (ZDRs) and promoter sites for nuclear factor-I (NFI) are correlated with the locations of known and predicted genes across the chromosome and accumulate around the transcriptional start sites of the known genes. Thus, the occurrence of Z-DNA across human genomic sequences mirrors that of a known eukaryotic transcription factor. In addition, 43 of the 383 fully annotated chromosomal genes have ZDRs within 2 nucleosomes upstream of strong NFIs. This suggests a distinct class of human genes that may potentially be transcriptionally regulated by a mechanism …

Development Of A Gene Transfer System In Clostridium Scindens Vpi 12708, Rashmi Ramasubbaiah

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Clostridium scindens VPI 12708 (previously known as Eubacterium sp. VPI 12708) is a bile-acid dehydroxylating bacterium originally isolated from the feces of a colon cancer patient. Many genes required for bile acid 7-a dehydroxylation are found on a large bile acid inducible operon (bai) that has been extensively studied. However the bai promoter, which directs expression of the bai operon, has yet to be characterized due, in part, to a lack of a functional genetic transfer system for this strain. A spontaneous rifampinresistant Clostridium scindens VPI 12708 mutant was used as a recipient to determine the efficacy of conjugation as …

Quantitative Non-Isotopic Nitrocellulose Filter Binding Assays: Bacterial Mnsod-Dna Interactions, Joshua D. Czerwinski, David P. Mascotti

Chemistry

No abstract provided.

Actr/Aib1 Functions As An E2f1 Coactivator To Promote Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation And Antiestrogen Resistance, Maggie C. Louie, June X. Zou, Alina Rabinovich, Hong-Wu Chen

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Overexpression or amplification of ACTR (also named AIB1, RAC3, p/CIP, TRAM-1, and SRC-3), a member of the p160 family of coactivators for nuclear hormone receptors, has been frequently detected in multiple types of human tumors, including breast cancer. However, its role in cancer cell proliferation and the underlying mechanism are unclear. Here, we show that overexpression of ACTR not only enhances estrogen-stimulated cell proliferation but also, more strikingly, completely negates the cell cycle arrest effect by tamoxifen and pure antiestrogens. Unexpectedly, we found that ACTR directly interacts, through its N-terminal domain, with E2F1 and is recruited to E2F target gene …

Intravenous 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose Injection Rapidly Elevates Levels Of The Phosphorylated Forms Of P44/42 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (Extracellularly Regulated Kinases 1/2) In Rat Hypothalamic Parvicellular Paraventricular Neurons, Khan, Alan Watts

Departmental Papers (Biology)

No abstract provided.

Interactions Between Small Heat Shock Protein Subunits And Substrate In Small Heat Shock Protein-Substrate Complexes, Kenneth L. Friedrich, Kim C. Giese, Nicole R. Baun, Elizabeth Vierling

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are dynamic oligomeric

proteins that bind unfolding proteins and protect

them from irreversible aggregation. This binding results

in the formation of sHSP-substrate complexes from

which substrate can later be refolded. Interactions between

sHSP and substrate in sHSP-substrate complexes

and the mechanism by which substrate is transferred to

ATP-dependent chaperones for refolding are poorly defined.

We have established C-terminal affinity-tagged

sHSPs from a eukaryote (pea HSP18.1) and a prokaryote

(Synechocystis HSP16.6) as tools to investigate these issues.

We demonstrate that sHSP subunit exchange for

HSP18.1 and HSP16.6 is temperature-dependent and

rapid at the optimal growth …

The Identity Of Proteins Associated With A Small Heat Shock Protein During Heat Stress In Vivo Indicates That These Chaperones Protect A Wide Range Of Cellular Functions, Eman Basha, Garrett J. Lee, Linda A. Breci, Andrew C. Hausrath, Nicole R. Baun, Kim C. Giese, Elizabeth Vierling

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are a ubiquitous

class of ATP-independent chaperones believed to

prevent irreversible protein aggregation and to facilitate

subsequent protein renaturation in cooperation

with ATP-dependent chaperones. Although sHSP chaperone

activity has been studied extensively in vitro, understanding

the mechanism of sHSP function requires

identification of proteins that are sHSP substrates in

vivo. We have used both immunoprecipitation and affinity

chromatography to recover 42 proteins that specifically

interact with Synechocystis Hsp16.6 in vivo during

heat treatment. These proteins can all be released from

Hsp16.6 by the ATP-dependent activity of DnaK and cochaperones

and are heat-labile. …

Influence Of Short-Term Variations In Food On Survival Of Crassotrea Gigas Larvae: A Modeling Study, Eric N. Powell, Eleanor A, Bochenek, John M. Klinck, Eileen E. Hofmann

OES Faculty Publications

A biochemically-based model was developed to simulate the growth, development, and metamorphosis of larvae of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas. The model defines larvae in terms of their protein, lipid, carbohydrate, and ash content and includes variation in growth efficiency and egg quality to better simulate cohort population dynamics. Changes in tissue composition occur as the larva grows and in response to the biochemical composition of the food. The premise behind this modeling study was that certain periods of larval life are more critical than others with respect to the availability of food and that food quality is as …

Effects Of Sham Air And Cigarette Smoke On A549 Lung Cells: Implications For Iron-Mediated Oxidative Damage, Jonathan J. Mayo, Pete Kohlhepp, Dianzheng Zhang, Joy J. Winzerling

PCOM Scholarly Works

Inhalation of airborne pollution particles that contain iron can result in a variety of detrimental changes to lung cells and tissues. The lung iron burden can be substantially increased by exposure to cigarette smoke, and cigarette smoke contains iron particulates, as well as several environmental toxins, that could influence intracellular iron status. We are interested in the effects of environmental contaminants on intracellular iron metabolism. We initiated our studies using lung A549 type II epithelial cells as a model, and we evaluated the effects of iron dose and smoke treatment on several parameters of intracellular iron metabolism. We show that …