Different amino acid sequences can fold into similar tertiary structures but the reasons for it are not very clear. It has been suggested in the literature that these sequences may have some common features associated with them but the exact nature of such shared properties remains largely unknown. We studied a representative sample of proteins from the beta-trefoil family and observed that the...

An alternative core packing group, involving a set of five positions, has been introduced into human acidic FGF-1. This alternative group was designed so as to constrain the primary structure within the core region to the same threefold symmetry present in the tertiary structure of the protein fold (the beta-trefoil superfold). The alternative core is essentially indistinguishable from the WT c...

Fresh forages are an important natural source of vitamins and fatty acids in ruminant diets, and their concentrations in forage species are important for the quality of animal-derived foods such as dairy and meat products. The aims of this study were to obtain novel information on vitamins and fatty acids (FA) in a variety of forage legumes and non-legume forb species compared to a grass-clover...

Two current hypotheses to explain nitrate inhibition of nodule function both involve decreased O2 supply for respiration in support of N2 fixation. This decrease could result from either (a) decreased O2 permeability (PO) of the nodule cortex, or (b) conversion of leghemoglobin (Lb) to an inactive, nitrosyl form. These hypotheses were tested using alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv Weevlchek) and b...

Experiments on the influence of the polar lobe on the development of molluscs have shown that after removal of the polar lobe cleavage is radially symmetrical and indications of bilateral symmetry do not appear (Wilson, 1904: Dentalium; Clement, 1952: Ilyanassa). In normal development the polar lobe fuses with one of the two cells of the trefoil stage, and this cell becomes the posterior side o...

A 1.10-A atomic resolution X-ray structure of human fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF-1), a member of the beta-trefoil superfold, has been determined. The beta-trefoil is one of 10 fundamental protein superfolds and is the only superfold to exhibit 3-fold structural symmetry (comprising 3 "trefoil" units). The quality of the diffraction data permits unambiguous assignment of Asn, Gln, and His rot...