Naturally Occurring Mutants Inform SHBG Structure and Function

Naturally occurring ehrlichiosis in Egyptian dogs

Canine ehrlichiosis has emerged as one of the most clinically important tick-borne diseases affecting dogs. Eighty-five naturally infected dogs have been investigated, the most consistent clinical signs recorded were fever, emaciation and lymphoadenopathy, anemia, monocytosis, thrompocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia, elevation in liver enzymes and total bilirubin were the most remarkable changes asso...

Characterizing the Structure-Function Relationship of a Naturally Occurring RNA Thermometer.

A large number of bacteria have been found to govern virulence and heat shock responses using temperature-sensing RNAs known as RNA thermometers. A prime example is the agsA thermometer known to regulate the production of the AgsA heat shock protein in Salmonella enterica using a "fourU" structural motif. Using the SHAPE-Seq RNA structure-probing method in vivo and in vitro, we found that the r...

Finding the Therapeutic Sweet Spot: Using Naturally Occurring Human Variants to Inform Drug Design.

Naturally occurring enolethers

Enolethers are a group of reactive compounds also occurring in the nature and displaying different kinds of activities, such as antifungal, antibacterial, nematocidal, cytostatic, cytotoxic, phytotoxic, nematicidal, antipyretic, hypotensive, analgesic, antitussive, depresant, anticancerogenic and antiviral.

Lipoprotein lipase S447X: a naturally occurring gain-of-function mutation.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) hydrolyzes triglycerides in the circulation and promotes the hepatic uptake of remnant lipoproteins. Since the gene was cloned in 1989, more than 100 LPL gene mutations have been identified, the majority of which cause loss of enzymatic function. In contrast to this, the naturally occurring LPL(S447X) variant is associated with increased lipolytic function and an anti-a...