Sericin-derived oligopeptides obtained from silk cocoons were investigated for the in vivo hypotensive effect and investigated for the underlying mechanism involved in vasodilation in isolated rat thoracic aorta. In normotensive anesthetized rats, oligopeptides induced an immediate and transient hypotensive activity. In rat aortic rings, oligopeptides induced a concentration-dependent vasorelax...

Natural oligopeptides may regulate nearly all vital processes. To date, the chemical structures of nearly 6000 oligopeptides have been identified from >1000 organisms representing all the biological kingdoms. We have compiled the known physical, chemical and biological properties of these oligopeptides--whether synthesized on ribosomes or by non-ribosomal enzymes--and have constructed an intern...

A lysine auxotroph of Escherichia coli W can use lysine oligopeptides as a source of the required amino acid. A mutant, defective in oligopeptide transport, was isolated from this strain with the use of resistance to the bactericidal action of triornithine as a selection procedure. The triornithine-resistant mutant could no longer grow upon lysine oligopeptides. In an analogous manner a triorni...

A lysine auxotroph of Escherichia coli W can use lysine oligopeptides as a source of the required amino acid. A mutant, defective in oligopeptide transport, was isolated from this strain with the use of resistance to the bactericidal action of triornithine as a selection procedure. The triornithine-resistant mutant could no longer grow upon lysine oligopeptides. In an analogous manner a triorni...

Adlay (Coix larchryma-jobi L.) was the commonly used Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with high content of seed storage protein. The hydrolyzed bioactive oligopeptides of adlay have been proven to be anti-hypertensive effective components. However, the structures and anti-hypertensive mechanism of bioactive oligopeptides from adlay were not clear. To discover the definite anti-hypertensive ol...

Cyanobacterial oligopeptides comprise a wide range of bioactive and/or toxic compounds. While current research is strongly focused on exploring new oligopeptide variants and their bioactive properties, the biological role of these compounds remains elusive. Oligopeptides production abilities show a remarkably patchy distribution among conspecific strains. This observation has prompted alternati...

The condensation (polymerization by water elimination) of molecular building blocks to yield the first active biopolymers (e.g. of amino acids to form peptides) during primitive Earth is an intriguing question that nowadays still remains open since these processes are thermodynamically disfavoured in highly dilute water solutions. In the present contribution, formation and hydrolysis of glycine...

A selective, sensitive, and convenient assay for human collagenase is required because of its implication in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and tumors. Here, a novel assay for human collagenase activity is described in which enzymatic degradation of native collagen or acetyl peptide is determined by using a fluorogenic reaction for oligopeptides. The oligopeptides are qu...

Our research activity of making the lexicon of relatively short oligopeptides has been one of the first steps to view the world of proteome from the perspective of oligopeptides. We propose a new method for the prediction of protein function, especially GeneOntology terms (GO terms), based on statistical characteristics of oligopeptides as an application of the lexicon. In the lexicon, a known ...