Fermentation of xylose, a major constituent of lignocellulose, will be important for expanding sustainable biofuel production. We sought to better understand the effects of intrinsic (genotypic) and extrinsic (growth conditions) variables on optimal gene expression of the Scheffersomyces stipitis xylose utilization pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by using a set of five promoters to simultan...

We previously reported that the TATA-less rat xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase (XDH/XO) promoter is organized with multiple initiator elements (Inr 1, 2, 3 and 4). Additionally, we identified six factor binding footprints in the upstream region of this promoter (FP 1-FP 6), two of which (FP 2 and FP 4) we showed to be C/EBP binding sites. In this report we continue our characterization of the XDH...

BACKGROUND Efficiently utilizing all available carbon from lignocellulosic feedstock presents a major barrier to the production of economically feasible biofuel. Previously, to enable xylose utilization, we introduced a cofactor-dependent xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) pathway, or a cofactor-independent xylose isomerase (XI) pathway, into Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The res...

In mammals, xanthine oxidoreductase is synthesized as a dehydrogenase (XDH) but can be readily converted to its oxidase form (XO) either by proteolysis or modification of cysteine residues. The crystal structures of bovine milk XDH and XO demonstrated that atoms in the highly charged active-site loop (Gln-423-Lys-433) around the FAD cofactor underwent large dislocations during the conversion, b...

Reactive oxygen species are generated by various systems, including NADPH oxidases, xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) and mitochondrial respiratory enzymes, and contribute to many physiological and pathological phenomena. Mammalian xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) can be converted to xanthine oxidase (XO), which produces both superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide in a molar ratio of about 1:3, dependi...

Diverse polymorphisms have been associated with the predisposition to develop cancer. On fewer occasions, they have been related to the evolution of the disease and to different responses to treatment. Previous studies of our group have associated polymorphisms on genes related to oxidative stress (rs3736729 on GCLC and rs207454 on XDH) and DNA damage repair (rs1052133 on OGG1) with a predispos...

The molybdoenzyme, xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR), has been much studied, largely because of its ready availability on a large scale from cows' milk [ l ] . It catalyses the oxidation of a wide range of substrates, most notably hypoxanthine and xanthine, generating xanthine and uric acid respectively, in the process of purine catabolism. The enzyme is a homodimer of 150 kDa subunits and exists i...

Tubule-interstitial nephritis (TIN) results in decreased renal function and interstitial inflammation, which ultimately leads to fibrosis. Excessive adenine intake can cause TIN because xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) can convert this purine into an insoluble compound, which precipitates in the tubuli. Innate immune sensors, such as Toll-like receptors (TLR) and inflammasome complex, play a crucia...

Several vasoregulatory systems including the renin-angiotensin system, sympathetic vasoregulation, and cytokine release have been studied extensively. The aim of the present study was to establish a physiogenomic screening model for differentially expressed genes in the regulation of blood pressure that might give a hint as to new vasoregulatory mechanisms. We induced acute hypotension in normo...

BACKGROUND The oleaginous yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica, has been utilized as an industrial host for about 60 years for various applications. Recently, the metabolic engineering of this host has become increasingly popular due to its ability to accumulate lipids as well as improvements made toward developing new genetic tools. Y. lipolytica can robustly metabolize glucose, glycerol, and even diffe...