Recent reports demonstrated that dendritic cells (DC) sense inflammatory and microbial signals differently, redefining their classical subdivision into an immature endocytic and a mature Ag-presenting differentiation stage. Although both signals induce DC maturation by up-regulating MHC class II and costimulatory molecules, only TLR signals such as LPS are able to trigger proinflammatory cytoki...

Two forms of NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase (b5R), an erythrocyte-restricted soluble form, active in methemoglobin reduction, and a ubiquitous membrane-associated form involved in lipid metabolism, are produced from one gene. In the rat, the two forms are generated from alternative transcripts differing in the first exon, however, biogenesis of human b5R was less understood. Recently, two differe...

Aldose reductase 2 (ALR2), which catalyzes the reduction of glucose to sorbitol using NADP as a cofactor, has been implicated in the etiology of secondary complications of diabetes. A pharmacophore model, Hypo1, was built based on 26 compounds with known ALR2-inhibiting activity values. Hypo1 contains important chemical features required for an ALR2 inhibitor, and demonstrates good predictive a...

Prior evidence indicates that homocysteine plays a role in the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) A66G polymorphisms are common genetic determinants of homocysteine levels. To investigate the associations of the MTHFR C677T and MTRR A66G polymorphisms with MetS, 692 Chinese Han subjects with MetS a...

The relationships among desiccation sensitivities of Antiaris toxicaria seeds and axes, changes in activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) and dehydroascorbate reductase, (DHAR), production rate of superoxide radical (.O(2) (-)), and the contents of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA)-reactive substa...

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) are products of the flavonoid pathway, which also leads to the production of anthocyanins and flavonols. Many flavonoids have antioxidant properties and may have beneficial effects for human health. PAs are found in the seeds and fruits of many plants. In apple fruit (Malus × domestica Borkh.), the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway is most active in the skin, with the flava...

Aldo-keto reductase family 1 B10 (AKR1B10) is a member of the NADPH-dependent aldo-keto reductase (AKR) superfamily, and has been considered to be a potential cancer therapeutic target. Total extract from the bark of Rhus verniciflua (Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes)) showed AKR1B10 inhibitory activity. To identify the active compounds from R. verniciflua responsible for AKR1B10 inhibition, ...

To the best of our knowledge, the clinical implications of using ribonucleoside reductase subunit M1 (RRM1) in patients who undergo curative resection and adjuvant chemotherapy have not been established. In the present study, the clinical data from 101 consecutive patients who underwent macroscopically curative resection, and who received adjuvant gemcitabine chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer ...

Adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate reductase (APR) catalyzes the two-electron reduction of adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate to sulfite and AMP, which represents the key step of sulfate assimilation in higher plants. Recombinant APRs from both Lemna minor and Arabidopsis thaliana were overexpressed in Escherichia coli and isolated as yellow-brown proteins. UV-visible spectra of these recombinant proteins in...

A mimicked biosynthetic pathway of catechin metabolite genes from C. sinensis, consisting of flavanone 3 hydroxylase (F3H), dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR), and leucoanthocyanidin reductase (LCR), was designed and arranged in two sets of constructs: (a) single promoter in front of F3H and ribosome-binding sequences both in front of DFR and LCR; (b) three different promoters with each in the fro...