Calcium and Ca(2+)-dependent signals play a crucial role in sperm motility and mammalian fertilization, but the molecules and mechanisms underlying these Ca(2+)-dependent pathways are incompletely understood. Here we show that homozygous male mice with a targeted gene deletion of isoform 4 of the plasma membrane calcium/calmodulin-dependent calcium ATPase (PMCA), which is highly enriched in the...

Copper (Cu) is a trace element necessary for the growth and development of all living organisms, third most abundant metal in body after iron zinc. essential maintaining life processes cells, because several copper-dependent enzymes play an important role key physiological like cellular respiration, oxygen radical scavenging, transport neurotransmitter synthesis. Maintaining copper homeostasis ...

CopA, a thermophilic membrane ATPase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus, drives the outward movement of Cu across cellular membranes. CopA contains at least two metal binding domains, a regulatory N-terminal Metal Binding Domain (N-MBD) and an occlusion/coordinating metal binding site in the 6, 7 and 8 transmembrane segments. Previous studies showed that the presence of millimolar concentration of Cys...

Copper deficiency during pregnancy results in early embryonic death and foetal structural abnormalities including skeletal, pulmonary and cardiovascular defects. During pregnancy, copper is transported from the maternal circulation to the foetus by mechanisms which have not been clearly elucidated. Two copper-transporting ATPases, Menkes (ATP7A; MNK) and Wilson (ATP7B; WND), are expressed in th...

A comparative structural genomic analysis of a new class of metal-trafficking proteins can provide insights into the intracellular chemistry of reactive cofactors such as copper and zinc. Starting from the sequences of the metallochaperone Atx1 and from the first soluble domain of the copper-transporting ATPase Ccc2, both from yeast, a search on the available genomes was performed using a homol...

Lactobacillus bulgaricus is a lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that, through the production of lactic acid, gradually acidifies its environment during growth. In the course of this process, L. bulgaricus acquires an improved tolerance to acidity. A survey of the recently established genome sequence shows that this bacterium possesses few of the pH control functions that have been described in other L...

The accumulation of cisplatin is decreased in many cisplatin-resistant cell lines, and an active efflux pump for cisplatin exists in some of them, but it has not yet been identified. In this study, we transfected the copper-transporting P-type ATPase cDNA (ATP7B) into human epidermoid carcinoma KB-3-1 cells. The transfectant, KB/WD cell line, which overexpressed the P-type ATPase, ATP7B, was re...

background: sodium arsenite and/ or vasectomy may cause variation in sex hormones which affect pathophysiology of reproductive organs. objective: the aim was to investigate the morphological changes in structure of testis and hormonal imbalance in bilateral vasectomised rats treated with sodium arsenite. materials and methods: four groups of rats: bilateral vasectomy + sodium arsenite, bilatera...

Background: Impaired metabolism and cytosolic Ca overload in pancreatic acinar cells can trigger pancreatitis. Results: Insulin protected cells from oxidantinduced Ca overload, inhibition of the plasma membrane calcium pump (PMCA) and ATP depletion. Conclusion: Insulin switches metabolism towards glycolysis and fuels the PMCA even when mitochondria are impaired. Significance: This mechanism may...

Paramecium tetraurelia is attracted and repelled by a variety of chemical stimuli. The attractants probably signify the presence of nutrients. For attractants, there are at least three signal transduction pathways that all lead to a hyperpolarization of the cell that results in relatively fast and smooth swimming. The three pathways differ in stimuli, receptor mechanisms and second messengers. ...