The presence of (Na(+)+K+)ATPase activity in CL14 clone and NIH NTY strain of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes is demonstrated. A Na+ plus K+ stimulated ATPase activity is found in both strains. The optimal Na+/K+ ratio is 5:1 and 9:1 in CL14 clone and NIH NTY strain, respectively. In both strains, vanadate completely inhibits the ouabain-sensitive ATPase activity indicating that it belongs to t...

Vibrio cholerae causes the potentially lethal disease cholera through the elaboration of the intestinal secretogen cholera toxin. A second toxin of V. cholerae, Zot, decreases intestinal tissue resistance by modifying intercellular tight junctions. In this report, a third toxin of V. cholerae, Ace (accessory cholera enterotoxin), is described. Ace increases short-circuit current in Ussing chamb...

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) has been used with success in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia. However, resistance to arsenite agents reduces their efficacy. We have isolated arsenite-resistant human epidermoid carcinoma KB cells, termed KAS. KAS cells were resistant to sodium arsenite (22-fold) and showed a reduced accumulation of arsenite as a result of an active efflux mechanism. Furt...

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two independent transport systems for the removal of arsenite from the cytosol. Acr3p is a plasma membrane transporter that confers resistance to arsenite, presumably by arsenite extrusion from the cells. Ycf1p, a member of the ABC transporter superfamily, catalyzes the ATP-driven uptake of As(III) into the vacuole, also producing resistance to arsenite. Vacuolar ac...

Detoxification and homeostatic acquisition of metal ions are vital for all living organisms. We have identified PCA1 in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an overexpression suppressor of copper toxicity. PCA1 possesses signatures of a P1B-type heavy metal-transporting ATPase that is widely distributed from bacteria to humans. Copper resistance conferred by PCA1 is not dependent on catalytic acti...

The catalytic subunit of the H+/K(+)-transporting ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) has 62% identity to the alpha, or catalytic subunit, of the Na+/K(+)-transporting ATPase (EC 3.6.1.37); however, a homologous beta subunit was unknown until recently. Removal of the carbohydrate from purified hog H+/K(+)ATPase vesicles reveals a 35-kDa peptide that, when fragmented with protease V8, gives sequences homologous...

In crude extracts of plant tissue, the M(r) = 100,000 proton-pumping ATPase constitutes less than 0.01% of the total cell protein. A large-scale purification procedure is described that has been used to obtain extensive protein sequence information from this enzyme. Plasma membrane vesicles enriched in ATPase activity were obtained from extracts of oat roots by routine differential and density ...

Arsenite-tolerant bacteria were isolated from an organic farm of Navsari Agricultural University (NAU), Gujarat, India (Latitude: 20°55'39.04″N; Longitude: 72°54'6.34″E). One of the isolates, NAU-1 (aerobic, Gram-positive, non-motile, coccobacilli), was hyper-tolerant to arsenite (As(III), 23 mM) and arsenate (As(V), 180 mM). 16S rRNA gene of NAU-1 was 99% similar to the 16S rRNA genes of Rhodo...

The signaling connection between mitogen-activated protein kinases(MAPKs) and nuclear steroid receptors is complex and remains mostly unexplored. Here we report that stress-activated protein kinases p38 and JNK trans-activate nuclear steroid vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and increase vitamin D(3)-dependent growth inhibition in human breast cancer cells. Activation of p38 and JNK by an active MA...

Several metals and metalloids profoundly affect biological systems, but their impact on the proteome and mechanisms of toxicity are not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that arsenite causes protein aggregation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Various molecular chaperones were found to be associated with arsenite-induced aggregates indicating that this metalloid promotes protein misfolding. Us...