Comprehensive proteomic data sets for studying adipocyte-macrophage cell-cell communication.

Cellular communication is a fundamental process in biology. The interaction of adipocytes with macrophages is a key event in the development of common diseases such as type 2 diabetes. We applied an established bilayer cell co-culture system and comprehensive mass spectrometry analysis to detect proteome-wide the paracrine interaction of murine adipocytes and macrophages.

Foam cell specific LXRα ligand.

Objective: The liver X receptor α (LXRα) is a ligand-dependent nuclear receptor and the major regulator of reverse cholesterol transport in macrophages. This makes it an interesting target for mechanistic study and treatment of atherosclerosis.

Methods And Results: We optimized a promising stilbenoid structure (STX4) in order to reach nanomolar effective concentrations in LXRα reporter-gene assays.

Amorfrutins are potent antidiabetic dietary natural products.

Given worldwide increases in the incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, new strategies for preventing and treating metabolic diseases are needed. The nuclear receptor PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma) plays a central role in lipid and glucose metabolism; however, current PPARγ-targeting drugs are characterized by undesirable side effects. Natural products from edible biomaterial provide a structurally diverse resource to alleviate complex disorders via tailored nutritional intervention.

Biochemical and biophysical characterisation yields insights into the mechanism of a Cd/Zn transporting ATPase purified from the hyperaccumulator plant Thlaspi caerulescens.

TcHMA4 (GenBank no. AJ567384), a Cd/Zn transporting ATPase of the P(1B)-type (=CPx-type) was isolated and purified from roots of the Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens. Optimisation of the purification protocol, based on binding of the natural C-terminal His-tag of the protein to a Ni-IDA metal affinity column, yielded pure, active TcHMA4 in quantities sufficient for its biochemical and biophysical characterisation with various techniques.

Inhibition of the gastric H,K-ATPase by clotrimazole.

The antimycotic drug clotrimazole inhibits the function of the gastric H,K-ATPase in a manner similar to that observed for the Na,K-ATPase. Because of the high hydrophobicity of the compound, the interaction between clotrimazole and the ion pump occurs at the membrane domain in the apolar core of the membrane. The enzymatic activity was inhibited with a half-saturating concentration of 5.