Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture containing, among other chemicals, pyridine alkaloids and N-nitrosamines. Carcinogenic tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), are both activated by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2E1 in rats. Previous reports indicate that nicotine and the main nicotine metabolite, cotinine, reduce the ...

We expressed a putative β-galactosidase Asac_1390 from hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Acidilobus saccharovorans in Escherichia coli and purified the recombinant enzyme. Asac_1390 is composed of 490 amino acid residues and showed high sequence similarity to family 1 glycoside hydrolases from various thermophilic Crenarchaeota. The maximum activity was observed at pH 6.0 and 93°C. The half-life o...

To elucidate strain differences in the sex reversal of genetic females to phenotypic males, GSP and PNP/DO females were left ovariectomized (ovx) between one to three days after hatching, and the degree of masculinization based on sex-related characters, histological analysis of the right gonad and hormone assay were assessed at one year of age. The GSP and PNP/DO inbred lines were both derived...

We have examined the expression of the rpsO-pnp operon in an RNase III (rnc) mutant of Streptomyces coelicolor. Western blotting demonstrated that polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) levels increased in the rnc mutant, JSE1880, compared with the parental strain, M145, and this observation was confirmed by polymerization assays. It was observed that rpsO-pnp mRNA levels increased in the rnc mu...

CLL: chronic lymphocytic leukemia DSG: desmoglein ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay EP: envoplakin PNP: paraneoplastic pemphigus IIF: indirect immunofluorescence PP: periplakin SJS: Stevens-Johnson syndrome TEN: toxic epidermal necrolysis INTRODUCTION Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is an autoimmune blistering syndrome with 5 well-described clinicopathologic phenotypes. Nguyen et al categ...

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is an autoimmune disease associated with malignant lymphoproliferative disorders, manifesting with extensive blistering of the skin and erosions of the oral mucosal membranes (Anhalt et al, 1990; Anhalt, 1997). We have previously shown by immunoblot analysis that PNP autoantibodies recognize various plakin proteins, including plectin, a high-molecular weight, ubiq...

A microbial biosensor for rapid, sensitive, selective, and cost-effective determination of the total content of organophosphorus nerve agents with p-nitrophenyl substituent is reported. The biosensor consisted of genetically engineered PNP-degrader Pseudomonas putida JS444 expressing organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) on its cell surface immobilized on a dissolved oxygen electrode. Surface-expres...

Aberrant expression of human sialidases has been shown to associate with various pathological conditions. Despite the effort in the sialidase inhibitor design, less attention has been paid to designing specific inhibitors against human sialidases and characterizing the substrate specificity of different sialidases regarding diverse terminal sialic acid forms and sialyl linkages. This is mainly ...

A new series of soft-host frameworks assembled by charge-assisted hydrogen bonds between a cationic metal complex (MC) and an anionic disulfonate specifically [Co(en)2(ox)] and 2,6-naphthalenedisulfonate (NDS), is synthesized and structurally characterized. The five new compounds have a general formula (MC)2(NDS) ·n(guest) where guests are H2O, dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)...