Blood samples of miners heavily exposed to coal dust were examined for changes in glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity. Decreased GST activity was found in red blood cells of subjects with early stages of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (International Labour Office classification 0/1-1/2) when compared with control miners. At further progression of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (> or = 2/1), th...

The abilities of two types of chitosan oligosaccharides, chitosan oligosaccharide I (1-kDa<MW<3-kDa) and chitosan oligosaccharide II (3-kDa<MW<5-kDa), to prevent 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-induced oxidative stress were examined in ICR mice. Chitosan oligosaccharide I had no effect on TCDD-induced alterations in lipid peroxidation and glutathione S-transferase activity or liver w...

Antioxidant nutrients have demonstrated potential in protecting against exercise-induced oxidative stress. alpha-Lipoic acid (LA) is a proglutathione dietary supplement that is known to strengthen the antioxidant network. We studied the effect of intragastric LA supplementation (150 mg/kg, 8 wk) on tissue LA levels, glutathione metabolism, and lipid peroxidation in rats at rest and after exhaus...

BACKGROUND Dysmenorrhea is the most common gynecologic complaint among adolescent females. We investigated the association between genetic polymorphisms and dysmenorrhea. METHODS A total of 202 postmenarcheal Korean female adolescents 16-17 yr old participated in this study. Genotyping for glutathione S-transferase mu 1 (GSTM1), glutathione S-transferase theta 1 (GSTT1), glutathione S-transfe...

Rats given a single toxic dose of cisplatin all developed detectable glutathione-S-transferase activity in their urine between the third and fifth day after injection of cisplatin, simultaneously with the decreased urine osmolality and increased urine volume characteristic of cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Peak urinary glutathione-S-transferase levels occurred at the same time as maximal serum creat...

The human epigenetic cell-cycle regulator HCF-1 undergoes an unusual proteolytic maturation process resulting in stably associated HCF-1(N) and HCF-1(C) subunits that regulate different aspects of the cell cycle. Proteolysis occurs at six centrally located HCF-1(PRO)-repeat sequences and is important for activation of HCF-1(C)-subunit functions in M phase progression. We show here that the HCF-...

The crystal structures of the ribosome and its subunits have increased the amount of information about RNA structure by about two orders of magnitude. This is leading to an understanding of the principles of RNA folding and of the molecular interactions that underlie the functional capabilities of the ribosome and other RNA systems. Nearly all of the possible types of RNA tertiary interactions ...

Equine liver glutathione S-transferase has been shown to consist of two identical subunits of apparent Mr 25,500 and a pl of 8.9. Kinetic data at pH 6.5 with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as a substrate suggests a random rapid-equilibrium mechanism, which is supported by inhibition studies using glutathione analogues. S-(p-Bromobenzyl)glutathione and the corresponding N alpha-, CGlu- and CGly-sub...