Cathepsin D is a member of the family of aspartic proteases and is thought to play a role in the lysosomal-mediated degradation of proteins (1). We have isolated the cDNA for rat cathepsin D from a pituitary cDNA library, screened using oligonucleotide probes synthesized to the conserved active site regions of aspartic proteases (Figure 1). The cDNA contains an open reading frame which encodes ...

The growth of the eucaryotic microorganism Dictyostelium discoideum in liquid culture was completely inhibited by the aspartic acid analog hadacidin (N-formylhydroxyamino-acetic acid). Growth arrest occurred both in chemically defined medium and in complex growth medium containing aspartic acid and AMP precursors such as adenine and adenosine. Although these compounds could not overcome the eff...

Investigations with glutamic acid, methionine, and alanine have shown that n-amino acid utilization by lactic acid bacteria may be inhibited by specific antimetabolites (l-4). This has been taken to indicate that a conversion of o-amino acid substrate to the L form precedes its utilization, and that this process may be blocked by an appropriate inhibitor. Both Land n-alanines have been shown to...

In forensic medicine, the personal identification of cadavers is one of the most important tasks. One method of estimating age at death relies on the high correlation between racemization rates in teeth and actual age, and this method has been applied successfully in forensic odontology for several years. In this study, we attempt to facilitate the analysis of racemized amino acids and examine ...

The influence of organic additives, β-cyclodextrin, HEDTA, L-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid on crystal growth of calcium carbonate via vapour diffusion method has been investigated. In the absence of additive, regular rhombohedral calcium carbonate crystal habit resulted. Whereas in presence of additive, calcite with truncated, aggregated rhombohedral sub crystals and elongated hexagonal mor...

1. Amino acid metabolism and protein synthesis in a Staphylococcus aureus mutant strain that requires pyrithiamine for optimum growth were studied and compared with those in the thiamine-requiring parent S. aureus. 2. The mutant strain utilized amino acids at a higher rate than did the parent strain. The utilization of glutamic acid, serine and glycine was much stimulated in the mutant strain. ...

BACKGROUND Severe trauma can cause secondary multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and death. Oxidative stress and/or excitatory neurotoxicity are considered as the final common pathway in nerve cell injuries. Zinc is the cofactor of the redox enzyme, and the effect of the excitatory neurotoxicity is related to N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR). MATERIAL AND METHODS We investigat...

PURPOSE. Biologically uncommon D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) has been detected in proteins from various human tissues in elderly donors. Previous studies have identified D-Asp residues at four different specific sites in -crystallin from aged human lenses and an increased amount of D-Asp residues with age. D-Asp is formed as a result of racemization and accumulates with age; therefore, it is thought ...

D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) is present in invertebrate and vertebrate neuroendocrine tissues, where it carries out important physiological functions and is implicated in nervous system development. We show here that D-Asp is a novel endogenous neurotransmitter in two distantly related animals, a mammal (Rattus norvegicus) and a mollusk (Loligo vulgaris). Our main findings demonstrate that D-Asp is ...