As part of ongoing research into the use of vitamin B(12) (B(12); cobalamin; Cbl)-based bioconjugate approaches for the oral delivery of peptides/proteins, a molecular dynamics (MD) study of the binding of a cyanocobalamin-insulin (CN-Cbl-insulin) conjugate to human transcobalamin(II) (TCII) was recently reported that provides a qualitative picture of how the human insulin protein in its open "...

Alanine scanning mutagenesis has been used to identify specific side chains of insulin which strongly influence binding to the insulin receptor. A total of 21 new insulin analog constructs were made, and in addition 7 high pressure liquid chromatography-purified analogs were tested, covering alanine substitutions in positions B1, B2, B3, B4, B8, B9, B10, B11, B12, B13, B16, B17, B18, B20, B21, ...

Viral self-assembly is of tremendous virological and biomedical importance. Although theoretical and crystallographic considerations suggest that controlled conformational change is a fundamental regulatory mechanism in viral assembly, direct proof that switching alters the thermodynamic attraction of self-assembling components has not been provided. Using the VP1 protein of polyomavirus, we re...

Subunit b, the peripheral stalk of bacterial F(1)F(o) ATP synthases, is composed of a membrane-spanning and a soluble part. The soluble part is divided into tether, dimerization, and delta-binding domains. The first solution structure of b30-82, including the tether region and part of the dimerization domain, has been solved by nuclear magnetic resonance, revealing an alpha-helix between residu...

We have isolated five monoclonal IgG anti-beta 2-glycoprotein-1 (anti-beta 2G-1) and anti-prothrombin Fab from a patient with autoantibodies to oxidized low-density lipoproteins by phage display method. Analysis of their binding specificity revealed that all three beta 2GP-1-enriched mAbs (B14, B22, B27) reacted with beta 2GP-1 while both prothrombin-isolated mAbs (P11 and P13) reacted with pro...

We have studied by optical microscopy and SEM-EDX some metallic particles of gold silver adhering to a sample the Turin Shroud. A total number eighteen (and sub-particles) containing these two elements were characterized in details. Three them (e49, b22 h28-0) are parts scales, six (l38-1, 2, 3, 4, 7’ 12) micro-grains powder. The three a23-1, 2 3 sub-particles spot painting. e27 particle (of el...

In this paper we use the common perspective provided by the neoclassical growth model to evaluate the size of the distortions associated with different monetary and fiscal policies designed to finance a given sequence of government expenditures. We calibrate a neoclassical monetary economy to match important features of the U.S. economy and use it to provide a quantitative assessment of the wel...

Plus/minus screening of the rabbit corneal cDNA library was performed using corneal and iris RNA as probes. Thirteen clones were isolated: three ferritin H-chains, a NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase B22 subunit, an alpha 1 type VIII collagen, a 25 KDa FKBP-506 binding protein (FKBP25), a thrombospondin 2, and six unknown clones. Although proteins translocated from these isolated mRNA are not corn...

Consumption of legumes is associated with a number of physiological and health benefits. Legume proteins complement very well those of cereals and are often used to produce gluten-free products. However, legume seeds often contain antinutritional compounds, such as phytate, galactooligosaccharides, phenolic compounds, lectins, enzyme inhibitors, whose presence could affect their nutritional val...