The sequencing of the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana revealed that this plant contained numerous isoforms of thioredoxin (Trx), a protein involved in thiol-disulfide exchanges. On the basis of sequence comparison, seven putative chloroplastic Trxs have been identified, four belonging to the m-type, two belonging to the f-type, and one belonging to a new x-type. In the present work, these isofor...

Acquired resistance to cancer drug therapies almost always occurs in advanced-stage patients even following a significant response to treatment. In addition to mutational mechanisms, various non-mutational resistance mechanisms have now been recognized. We previously described a chromatin-mediated subpopulation of reversibly drug-tolerant persisters that is dynamically maintained within a wide ...

PURPOSE The histone deacetylase inhibitor FK228 shows strong activity as a potent antitumor drug but its precise mechanism is still obscure. The purpose of this study is to reveal the effect of FK228 on gene expression in the cell and to determine the mechanism of the antitumor activity of FK228 for further clinical applications. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND RESULTS Microarray analysis was applied...

One of the mechanisms plants have developed for chloroplast protection against oxidative damage involves a 2-Cys peroxiredoxin, which has been proposed to be reduced by ferredoxin and plastid thioredoxins, Trx x and CDSP32, the FTR/Trx pathway. We show that rice (Oryza sativa) chloroplast NADPH THIOREDOXIN REDUCTASE (NTRC), with a thioredoxin domain, uses NADPH to reduce the chloroplast 2-Cys p...

We first identified and characterized a novel peroxiredoxin (Prx), designated as CcPrx4, from the cDNA library of the tentacle of the jellyfish Cyanea capillata. The full-length cDNA sequence of CcPrx4 consisted of 884 nucleotides with an open reading frame encoding a mature protein of 247 amino acids. It showed a significant homology to peroxiredoxin 4 (Prx4) with the highly conserved F-motif ...

Background Despite increased neuronal death, senile plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles observed in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD), the detailed mechanism of cell death in AD is still poorly understood. Method We hypothesized that p38 kinase activates and then phosphorylates Bax, leading to its translocation to mitochondria in AD brains compared to controls. The aim of this...

OxyR regulates the expression of the majority of H(2)O(2) responses in Gram-negative organisms. In a previous study we reported the OxyR-dependent derepression of catalase expression in the human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In the present study we used microarray expression profiling of N. gonorrhoeae wild-type strain 1291 and an oxyR mutant strain to define the OxyR regulon. In addition to...

A redox reaction involving cysteine thiol-disulfide exchange is crucial for the intracellular monitoring of oxidation status. The yeast transcription factor Yap1 is activated by formation of a disulfide bond, which inhibits nuclear export in response to peroxide stress, with resultant enhancement of the nuclear localization of Yap1. A glutathione peroxidase-like protein, Gpx3, which has peroxir...

The molecular mechanisms by which Entamoeba histolytica causes amebic liver abscess (ALA) are still not fully understood. Amebic mechanisms of adherence and cytotoxic activity are pivotal for amebic survival but apparently do not directly cause liver abscess. Abundant evidence indicates that chronic inflammation (resulting from an inadequate immune response) is probably the main cause of ALA. R...