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Journal of Lipid Research Aug 2012Ergosterol is the predominant sterol of fungi and green algae. Although the biosynthetic pathway for sterol synthesis in fungi is well established and is known to use...
Ergosterol is the predominant sterol of fungi and green algae. Although the biosynthetic pathway for sterol synthesis in fungi is well established and is known to use C24-methylation-C24 (28)-reduction (Δ(24(28))-olefin pathway) steps, little is known about the sterol pathway in green algae. Previous work has raised the possibility that these algae might use a novel pathway because the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was shown to possess a mevalonate-independent methylerythritol 4-phosphate not present in fungi. Here, we report that C. reinhardtii synthesizes the protosterol cycloartenol and converts it to ergosterol (C24β-methyl) and 7-dehydroporiferasterol (C24β-ethyl) through a highly conserved sterol C24- methylation-C25-reduction (Δ(25(27))-olefin) pathway that is distinct from the well-described acetate-mevalonate pathway to fungal lanosterol and its conversion to ergosterol by the Δ(24(28))-olefin pathway. We isolated and characterized 23 sterols by a combination of GC-MS and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis from a set of mutant, wild-type, and 25-thialanosterol-treated cells. The structure and stereochemistry of the final C24-alkyl sterol side chains possessed different combinations of 24β-methyl/ethyl groups and Δ(22(23))E and Δ(25(27))-double bond constructions. When incubated with [methyl-(2)H(3)]methionine, cells incorporated three (into ergosterol) or five (into 7-dehydroporiferasterol) deuterium atoms into the newly biosynthesized 24β-alkyl sterols, consistent only with a Δ(25(27))-olefin pathway. Thus, our findings demonstrate that two separate isoprenoid-24-alkyl sterol pathways evolved in fungi and green algae, both of which converge to yield a common membrane insert ergosterol.
Topics: Alkenes; Animals; Chlamydomonas reinhardtii; Ergosterol; Evolution, Molecular; Methionine
PubMed: 22591742
DOI: 10.1194/jlr.M027482 -
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies Aug 2023Hypertension is among the risk factors of death globally. Novel antihypertensive peptides are alternative choices of antihypertensive assistance. This study aimed to...
Hypertension is among the risk factors of death globally. Novel antihypertensive peptides are alternative choices of antihypertensive assistance. This study aimed to discover novel antihypertensive peptides from green basil leaves. Two bioactive peptides with high angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition (Asp-Leu-Ser-Ser-Ala-Pro; peptide 1) and antioxidant (Asp-Ser-Val-Ser-Ala-Ser-Pro; peptide 2) activities were gavaged to male Wistar rats induced with N-nitro-l-arginine methyl-ester (L-NAME). L-NAME-treated rats (HT) had decreased body weights and levels of nitrite and nitrate, which are metabolites of nitric oxide. The levels of their glucose and liver function indicators increased as compared to normal rats. HT rats receiving antihypertensive drugs (HTD) showed higher low-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein/high-density lipoprotein levels than HT rats. Peptide 1 seems to benefit the rat lipid profiles, liver functions, antioxidant, nitrite, nitrate, and angiotensin II peptide levels but not peptide 2. In conclusion, our findings indicate the antihypertensive potential related to vasodilation of peptides from green basil leaves.
Topics: Rats; Male; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitrites; Nitrates; Antioxidants; Ocimum basilicum; Rats, Wistar; Blood Pressure; Peptides; Lipoproteins, LDL; Plant Leaves
PubMed: 37553559
DOI: 10.1186/s12906-023-04098-2 -
PLoS Biology Feb 2019Microglia are central nervous system (CNS)-resident cells. Their ability to migrate outside of the CNS, however, is not understood. Using time-lapse imaging in an...
Microglia are central nervous system (CNS)-resident cells. Their ability to migrate outside of the CNS, however, is not understood. Using time-lapse imaging in an obstetrical brachial plexus injury (OBPI) model, we show that microglia squeeze through the spinal boundary and emigrate to peripheral spinal roots. Although both macrophages and microglia respond, microglia are the debris-clearing cell. Once outside the CNS, microglia re-enter the spinal cord in an altered state. These peripheral nervous system (PNS)-experienced microglia can travel to distal CNS areas from the injury site, including the brain, with debris. This emigration is balanced by two mechanisms-induced emigration via N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA) dependence and restriction via contact-dependent cellular repulsion with macrophages. These discoveries open the possibility that microglia can migrate outside of their textbook-defined regions in disease states.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Brachial Plexus; Cell Communication; Cell Movement; Embryo, Nonmammalian; Gene Expression; Genes, Reporter; Green Fluorescent Proteins; Humans; Macrophages; Microglia; Models, Biological; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; Spinal Cord; Spinal Cord Injuries; Spinal Nerve Roots; Time-Lapse Imaging; Zebrafish
PubMed: 30794533
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000159 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2010Pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles are obtained via mixing ethyl acetoacetate, hydrazine hydrate, aldehydes or ketones and malononitrile in the absence of solvent. These same...
Pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles are obtained via mixing ethyl acetoacetate, hydrazine hydrate, aldehydes or ketones and malononitrile in the absence of solvent. These same products were also obtained by reacting arylidenemalononitriles 3 with 3-methyl-2-pyrazolin-5-ones. NOE difference experiments confirmed that these products exist solely in the 2H form. Similar treatments of 3-amino-2-pyrazolin-5-one with arylidene-malononitrile afforded adduct 6. Similarly mixing ethyl cyanoacetate, hydrazine hydrate, aldehydes, with malononitrile gave the same product 6. A novel synthesis of 4-oxo-4H-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole (8) could be achieved via reacting 3-methyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one with a mixture of cyanoacetic acid and acetic anhydride. Similar treatment of 3-aminopyrazole 11 with the benzylidene-malononitrile produced the pyrazolo[2,3-a]pyrimidines 12a,b.
Topics: Green Chemistry Technology; Pyrazoles; Pyrimidines
PubMed: 20877248
DOI: 10.3390/molecules15096619 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2022is an endangered epiphytic orchid, and there has been no scientific report so far on its propagation. Protocorm is a mass of cells, and protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) are...
is an endangered epiphytic orchid, and there has been no scientific report so far on its propagation. Protocorm is a mass of cells, and protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) are lookalike protocorms produced by vegetative explants in vitro. Regeneration of PLBs is a widely used technique for orchid micropropagation. We used different light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for the PLB regeneration of . The number of PLBs and fresh weight were increased by 81.1% and 80.8%, respectively, under green LED over the white fluorescent (WF) light. We added different concentrations of PCIB (p-Chlorophenoxyisobutyric acid, an anti-auxin) and HMI (3-Hydroxy-5-methyl isoxazole, an anti-fungal agent) in culture media. The number of PLBs was increased in media having 0.01 mg/L of PCIB (35.9%) compared to control (no PCIB), whereas 19.3% increased in media having 0.01 mL/L of HMI compared to control (no HMI). Green LED in combination with 0.01 mg/L of PCIB significantly increased the number of PLBs (69.0%) compared to the WF-without PCIB combination. In LEDs-PCIB and LED-HMI combinations, HMI did not show better PLBs regeneration compared with PCIB. The results suggested that a combination of low concentrations of PCIB and green LED have the potential to accelerate PLB regeneration of .
PubMed: 35448811
DOI: 10.3390/plants11081082 -
The Journal of Experimental Medicine Jun 1962Lymph nodes and splenic tissue from patients with congenital agammaglobulinemia and dysgammaglobulinemia and from normal subjects were studied with the use of...
Lymph nodes and splenic tissue from patients with congenital agammaglobulinemia and dysgammaglobulinemia and from normal subjects were studied with the use of immunofluorescence and histochemical stains to determine the site of synthesis of the 19S gamma(1)-globulins. The two patients with dysgammaglobulinemia had high serum concentrations of the 19S gamma(1)-globulins and a marked deficit of the 7S gamma-globulins. These patients, as well as agammaglobulinemic children, had only rare or no plasma cells in their tissues. Cells were identified in sections of spleen from a dysgammaglobulinemic child as well as from normal individuals which exhibited specific fluorescence with an anti-19S gamma-globulin antiserum adsorbed with 7S gamma(2)-globulins and which stained positively with PAS and methyl green pyronine. These cells resembled the transitional cells described by Fagraeus.
Topics: Agammaglobulinemia; Dysgammaglobulinemia; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Genetic Diseases, X-Linked; Humans; Immune Sera; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Lymph Nodes; Plasma Cells; Spleen; gamma-Globulins
PubMed: 13882451
DOI: 10.1084/jem.115.6.1141 -
Integrative Medicine Research Mar 2014The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose phthalate (HPMCP) coating on the digestive stability and intestinal transport...
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose phthalate (HPMCP) coating on the digestive stability and intestinal transport of green tea catechins (GTCs).
METHODS
Two types of HPMCP coating were prepared: one type with size smaller than 500 μm (S-HPMCP) and the other with size larger than 500 μm (L-HPMCP). An gastrointestinal model system coupled with Caco-2 cells was used for estimating the bioavailability of GTCs. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector was performed to analyze GTCs.
RESULTS
The digestive stability of GTCs was enhanced up to 33.73% and 35.28% for S-HPMCP and L-HPMCP, respectively. Intestinal transport of the GTCs was increased to 22.98% and 23.23% for S-HPMCP and L-HPMCP, respectively. Overall, the bioavailability of GTCs increased by 4.08 and 11.71 times for S-HPMCP and L-HPMCP, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study confirm that coating with HPMCP could be a way to improve the digestive stability and intestinal transport of GTCs.
PubMed: 28664076
DOI: 10.1016/j.imr.2013.11.001 -
Scientific Reports Mar 2024This research investigated the utilization of graphene quantum dot/montmorillonite (GQD/MMT) as an effective nanofiller in a hydrogel composed of salep biopolymer. The...
This research investigated the utilization of graphene quantum dot/montmorillonite (GQD/MMT) as an effective nanofiller in a hydrogel composed of salep biopolymer. The semi-IPN hydrogel was synthesized using salep as the substrate, acrylamide (AAm) as the monomer, ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator in free radical polymerization, and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a cross-linking agent. The hydrogels were applied to remove safranin (SA), methylene blue (MB), crystal violet (CV), methyl green (MG), congo red (CR), and malachite green (MG) dyes from the water. The diverse properties were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope, fourier infrared spectroscopy, mapping, energy dispersive spectroscopy, weighing analysis, X-ray diffraction, and thermal stability analyses. The optimism of the prepared adsorbent in dye absorption was evaluated by measuring the swelling amount, pH impact, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. The adsorption calculations were described using kinetics and isotherm models. The results indicated that the Langmuir isotherm model (R = 99.6) and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R = 99.9) provided the best fit for the absorption process of MB. The presence of additional amounts of GQD/MMT had a reciprocal effect on the adsorption efficiency due to the accumulation of GQD/MMT in the semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN (structure. The findings revealed that the samples exhibited high thermal stability, and the absorption process was primarily chemical. Furthermore, the nanocomposite hydrogels demonstrated distinct mechanisms for absorbing anionic dye (CR) and cationic dye (MB). Under optimal conditions, using 7 wt% GQD/MMT at a concentration of 5 ppm, pH = 7, an adsorbent dosage of 50 mg, at room temperature, and a contact time of 90 min, the maximum removal efficiencies were achieved: MB (96.2%), SA (98.2%), MG (86%), CV (99.8%), MG (95.8%), and CR (63.4%). These results highlight the adsorbent's high absorption capacity, rapid removal rate, and reusability, demonstrating its potential as an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for removing dyes from water.
PubMed: 38528090
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57729-0 -
Scientific Reports Aug 2016Dynamic trafficking of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) into and out of synapses plays an important role in synaptic plasticity. We previously reported that the protein kinase C...
Dynamic trafficking of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) into and out of synapses plays an important role in synaptic plasticity. We previously reported that the protein kinase C and casein kinase II substrate in neurons (PACSIN) forms a complex with AMPARs through its interaction with the protein interacting with C-kinase 1 (PICK1) to regulate NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-induced AMPAR endocytosis and cerebellar long-term depression. However, the molecular mechanism by which PACSIN regulates the dynamics of AMPAR trafficking remains unclear. Using a pH-sensitive green fluorescent protein, pHluorin, tagged to the extracellular domain of the GluA2 subunit of AMPARs, we demonstrate dual roles for PACSIN1 in controlling the internalization and recycling of GluA2 after NMDAR activation. Structure and function analysis reveals a requirement for the PACSIN1 F-BAR and SH3 domains in controlling these NMDAR-dependent processes. Interestingly, the variable region, which binds to PICK1, is not essential for NMDAR-dependent GluA2 internalization and is required only for the correct recycling of AMPARs. These results indicate that PACSIN is a versatile membrane deformation protein that links the endocytic and recycling machineries essential for dynamic AMPAR trafficking in neurons.
Topics: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Animals; Carrier Proteins; Cell Cycle Proteins; Cells, Cultured; Cytoskeletal Proteins; Endocytosis; Gene Knockdown Techniques; Green Fluorescent Proteins; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Models, Neurological; Neurons; Neuropeptides; Nuclear Proteins; Phosphoproteins; Protein Transport; Rats; Receptors, AMPA; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; Synapses
PubMed: 27488904
DOI: 10.1038/srep31070 -
Frontiers in Chemistry 2015The deleterious effects of metal-catalyzed reactive oxygen species (ROS) in biological systems can be seen in a wide variety of pathological conditions including cancer,...
The deleterious effects of metal-catalyzed reactive oxygen species (ROS) in biological systems can be seen in a wide variety of pathological conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease, aging, and neurodegenerative disorder. On the other hand however, targeted ROS production in the vicinity of nucleic acids-as demonstrated by metal-activated bleomycin-has paved the way for ROS-active chemotherapeutic drug development. Herein we report mechanistic investigations into the oxidative nuclease activity and redox properties of copper(II) developmental therapeutics [Cu(DPQ)(phen)](2+) (Cu-DPQ-Phen), [Cu(DPPZ)(phen)](2+) (Cu-DPPZ-Phen), and [{Cu(phen)2}2(μ-terph)](terph) (Cu-Terph), with results being compared directly to Sigman's reagent [Cu(phen)2](2+) throughout (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline; DPQ = dipyridoquinoxaline; DPPZ = dipyridophenazine; Terph = terephthalate). Oxidative DNA damage was identified at the minor groove through use of surface bound recognition elements of methyl green, netropsin, and [Co(NH3)6]Cl3 that functioned to control complex accessibility at selected regions. ROS-specific scavengers and stabilizers were employed to identify the cleavage process, the results of which infer hydrogen peroxide produced metal-hydroxo or free hydroxyl radicals ((•)OH) as the predominant species. The extent of DNA damage owing to these radicals was then quantified through 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) lesion detection under ELISA protocol with the overall trend following Cu-DPQ-Phen > Cu-Terph > Cu-Phen > Cu-DPPZ. Finally, the effects of oxidative damage on DNA replication processes were investigated using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) where amplification of 120 base pair DNA sequences of varying base content were inhibited-particularly along A-T rich chains-through oxidative damage of template strands.
PubMed: 25954741
DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2015.00028