The specificity of chitinase C-1 of Streptomyces griseus HUT 6037 for the hydrolysis of the beta-1,4-glycosidic linkages in partially acetylated chitosan is different from that of other microbial chitinases. In order to study the primary structure of this unique chitinase, the chiC gene specifying chitinase C-1 was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The gene encodes a polypeptid...

Chitin binding activity of moringa seed resistant protein (MSRP) isolated from defatted moringa seed flour was investigated in the present study "Characterization of soluble dietary fiber from Moringa oleifera seeds and its immunomodulatory effects" (S. Anudeep, V.K. Prasanna, S.M. Adya, C. Radha, 2016) [1]. The assay reaction mixture contained 0.4 mg/ml of MSRP and different amounts (20-100 mg...

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem despite widespread use of bisphosphonate therapy. PTH(1-34) is a more effective treatment; but its use has been limited by side effects (hypercalcemia, tumor risk) and inconvenient dosing (daily injection). Long-acting forms of PTH are also effective but cause severe hypercalcemia, presumably from effects in kidney. We hypothesized that targeted del...

We have developed a fusion protein (CBD-LG) incorporating a cellulose-binding domain and an antibody binding domain, protein LG, to provide an adaptor molecule for cell separation with regenerated cellulose hollow fiber arrays. A single hollow fiber cell adhesion assay utilizing a CD34+ cell line, KG1a, was used to investigate whether ligand affinity interactions were strong enough for cell att...

Characterization, understanding and overcoming barriers of enzymatic hydrolysis of different raw materials is essential for the development of economically competitive processes based on enzymatic treatments. This work focused on factors relevant for the improvement of enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose raw materials derived from softwood. The major interest of the work was in lignin. Speci...

Kinesin-like calmodulin-binding protein (KCBP), a member of the Kinesin-14 family, is a C-terminal microtubule motor with three unique domains including a myosin tail homology region 4 (MyTH4), a talin-like domain, and a calmodulin-binding domain (CBD). The MyTH4 and talin-like domains (found in some myosins) are not found in other reported kinesins. A calmodulin-binding kinesin called kinesin-...

Fibronectin (FN) is supposed to play important roles in various aspects of hematopoiesis through binding to very late antigen 4 (VLA4) and VLA5. However, effects of FN on hematopoietic stem cells are largely unknown. In an effort to determine if FN had a growth-supporting activity on hematopoietic stem cells, human CD34(+)/VLA4(bright)/VLA5(dull) hematopoietic stem cells and a murine stem cell ...

Negative transcriptional feedback loops are a core feature of eukaryotic circadian clocks and are based on rhythmic interactions between clock-specific repressors and transcription factors. In Drosophila, the repression of dCLOCK (dCLK)-CYCLE (CYC) transcriptional activity by dPERIOD (dPER) is critical for driving circadian gene expression. Although growing lines of evidence indicate that circa...

Detection of foreign materials is the first step of successful immune responses. Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) was shown to directly bind cyclic diguanylate monophosphate (c-di-GMP), a bacterial second messenger, and to elicit strong interferon responses. Here we elucidate the structural features of the cytosolic c-di-GMP binding domain (CBD) of STING and its complex with c-di-GMP. The...