Recently we have reported on a hitherto unknown modification of human serum albumin of which the outstanding properties are electrophoretic homogeneity at pH 4.0 and its transformation to an electrophoretically heterogeneous form (2). In continuation of this study, the question was asked whether the ordinary human serum albumin (Fraction V), known to bc electrophoretically heterogeneous at pH 4...

Despite the importance of post-translational modifications in controlling the solubility and conformational properties of proteins and peptides, precisely how the aggregation propensity of different peptide sequences is modulated by chemical modification remains unclear. Here we have investigated the effect of phosphorylation on the aggregation propensity of a 13-residue synthetic peptide incor...

Wheat plants are very sensitive to high temperature stress during grain filling. Effects of heat priming applied to the first generation on tolerance of the successive generation to post-anthesis high temperature stress were investigated. Compared with the progeny of non-heat primed plants (NH), the progeny of heat-primed plants (PH) possessed higher grain yield, leaf photosynthesis and activit...

Atherosclerotic lesions are often hypoxic and exhibit elevated lactate concentrations and local acidification of the extracellular fluids. The acidification may be a consequence of the abundant accumulation of lipid-scavenging macrophages in the lesions. Activated macrophages have a very high energy demand and they preferentially use glycolysis for ATP synthesis even under normoxic conditions, ...

Serum albumin is the most abundant plasma protein and has a long half-life due to neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)-mediated transcytosis by many cell types, including proximal tubule cells of the kidney. Albumin also interacts with, and is modified by, many small and large molecules. Therefore, the focus of the present study was to address the impact of specific known biological albumin modification...

The conversion of the prion protein (PrP(C)) into prions plays a key role in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Despite the importance for pathogenesis, the mechanism of prion formation has escaped detailed characterization due to the insoluble nature of prions. PrP(C) interacts with copper through octarepeat and non-octarepeat binding sites. Copper coordination to the non-octarepeat re...

Duplex DNA recognition by oligonucleotide-directed triple helix formation is being explored as a highly specific approach to artificial gene repression. We have identified two potential triplex target sequences in the promoter of the human bcl-2 gene, whose product inhibits apoptosis. Oligonucleotides designed to bind these target sequences were tested for their binding affinities and specifici...

A homologue of the gene encoding the transcription factor Rim101 (PacC), involved in pH signal transduction in fungi, was identified in the pathogenic basidiomycete Ustilago maydis. The gene (RIM101) encodes a protein of 827 amino acid residues, which shows highest similarity to PacC proteins from Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus niger. The gene had the capacity to restore protease activity t...

Of 366 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in whose bone marrow cells complete G-banding of chromosomes was successful, translocations were present at diagnosis in 141 (38.5%). The Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome was identified in 18 of these cases (4.9%). Features closely associated with the presence of the Ph chromosome were older age (median, 7.9 years), high leukocyte count (media...

Ribosomes occupy a central position in cellular metabolism, converting stored genetic information into active cellular machinery. Ribosomal proteins modulate both the intrinsic function of the ribosome and its interaction with other cellular complexes, such as chaperonins or the signal recognition particle. Chemical modification of proteins combined with mass spectrometric detection of the exte...