The sea urchin egg peptides speract (Gly-Phe-Asp-Leu-Asn-Gly-Gly-Gly-Val-Gly) and resact (Cys-Val-Thr-Gly-Ala-Pro-Gly-Cys-Val-Gly-Gly-Arg-Leu-NH2) bind to spermatozoa of the homologous species (Lytechinus pictus or Arbacia punctulata, respectively) and cause transient elevations of cyclic GMP concentrations (Hansbrough, J. R., and Garbers, D. L. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 1447-1452). The additi...

This study examines the impact of glycine (Gly) preconditioning on ischemia reperfusion (IR)-induced pulmonary mitochondrial injury to research the previously, in pig lungs, demonstrated Gly-dependent amelioration of pulmonary IR injury. IR injury was induced in rat lungs by 30 min pulmonary hilum clamping followed by 60 min reperfusion time. Rats were subjected to controls, shams and two study...

Metallamacrocycles of 12, 16, and 22 members are obtained by deprotonation of the carboxylic group of the side chain of iminopyridine complexes derived from the amino acid β-alanine, and the peptides Gly-Gly and Gly-Gly-Gly. Instead of the expected intramolecular attack to give tridentate (N,N,O) ligands, the deprotonated carboxylate attacks in an inter-molecular manner to give dimers in which ...

2-Amino-3-ketobutyrate-CoA ligase (EC 2.3.1.29), or aminoacetone synthetase, has been purified by a nine-step procedure from 1.0 kg of beef liver to yield 8.8 mg of homogeneous enzyme. The homogeneous form of the enzyme, a monomer of M(r) = 44,000, shows unusually high absorption at 430 nm, with a ratio of absorbance at 280 and 430 nm of 2.6. On storage a species with an additional absorption p...

A study was made of glycine (Gly) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes injected with rat mRNAs isolated from the encephalon, midbrain, and brainstem of 18-day-old rat embryos. In oocytes injected with encephalon, midbrain, or brainstem mRNAs, the Gly-current amplitudes (membrane current elicited by Gly; 1 mM Gly) were respectively 115 +/- 35, 346 +/- 28, and...

Here we report a supramolecular hydrogel based on Gd(III)-peptide complexes with dramatically enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) performance. The hydrogelations were formed by adding Gd(III) ion to the nanofiber dispersion of self-assembling peptides naphthalene-Gly-Phe-Phe-Tyr-Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp (Nap-GFFYGRGD) or naphthalene-Gly-Phe-Phe-Tyr-Gly-Arg-Gly-Glu (Nap-GFFYGRGE). We further showed that, by...

Equilibrium constants for the adsorption of the first water molecule on six protonated dipeptides (Gly-Gly+H(+), Gly-Ala+H(+), Ala-Gly+H(+), Ala-Ala+H(+), Pro-Gly+H(+), and Gly-Trp+H(+)) have been measured as a function of temperature, and DeltaH(o) and DeltaS(o) determined. Density functional theory calculations were performed for both the unsolvated peptides and the peptide water complexes at...

Fluorescence studies on the interaction, with porcine pepsin, of oligopeptides bearing a mansyl (Mns, 6-(N-methylanilino)-2-naphthalenesulfonyl) or dansyl (Dns, 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl) group at the NH2 or COOH terminus have provided further evidence showing that the probe group is drawn into the extended active site largely as a consequence of the specific binding of the peptide ...

To investigate dipeptide assimilation by the liver, a series of interrelated experiments were performed in rats. Partial hepatectomy prolonged the plasma halflife (min) of Gly-Ala (3.42 f 0.22 uersus 4.90 f 0.35, p < 0.05) but had no significant effect on plasma halflife of Gly-Leu, Gly-Pro, or Gly-Sar. We then investigated the rate of disappearance (pmol*(g liver. h)”) of the above four dipept...

Matrine (Mat), a component extracted from Sophora flavescens Ait, has a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects. Glycyrrhizin (Gly), a major active constituent of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root, has various pharmacological effects. Gly and Mat are ancillary drugs used clinically in China for protection of liver function and treatment of tumors. However, habitual administration of Gly may c...