Immobilization of a Bacterial Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase System on a Solid Support.

Bacterial cytochrome P450s (P450s), which catalyze regio- and stereoselective oxidations of hydrocarbons with high turnover rates, are attractive biocatalysts for fine chemical production. Enzyme immobilization is needed for cost-effective industrial manufacturing. However, immobilization of P450s is difficult because electron-transfer proteins are involved in catalysis and anchoring these can prevent them from functioning as shuttle molecules for carrying electrons.

Influence of Buffer Composition and Calcium Chloride on GdnHCl Denaturation of Bacillus licheniformis α-Amylase.

The influence of buffer composition on the conformational stability of native and calciumdepleted Bacillus licheniformis α-amylase (BLA) was investigated against guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) denaturation using circular dichroism, fluorescence and UV-difference spectroscopy. Differential effect of buffer composition on GdnHCl denaturation of BLA was evident from the magnitude of these spectral signals, which followed the order: sodium phosphate > Tris-HCl > HEPES > MOPS. These effects became more pronounced with calcium-depleted BLA.

Supramolecular protein assembly supports immobilization of a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system as water-insoluble gel.

Diverse applications of the versatile bacterial cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s) are hampered by their requirement for the auxiliary proteins, ferredoxin reductases and ferredoxins, that transfer electrons to P450s. Notably, this limits the use of P450s as immobilized enzymes for industrial purposes. Herein, we demonstrate the immobilization of a bacterial P450 and its redox protein partners by supramolecular complex formation using a self-assembled heterotrimeric protein.

Comparative hepatoprotective effects of tocotrienol analogs against drug-induced liver injury.

Oxidative stress plays a major part in the pathogenesis of drug-induced liver injury. Yet, overcoming it with other xenobiotics impose additional risks. In this study, we consider the use of natural-occurring and purified Vitamin E analogs as hepatoprotective agents.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes promote hepatic regeneration in drug-induced liver injury models.

Introduction: Mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium (MSC-CM) has been shown to have protective effects against various cellular-injury models. This mechanism of protection, however, has yet to be elucidated. Recently, exosomes were identified as the active component in MSC-CM.

Conformational destabilization of Bacillus licheniformis α-amylase induced by lysine modification and calcium depletion.

Bacillus licheniformis α-amylase (BLA) was chemically modified using 100-fold molar excess of succinic anhydride over protein or 0.66 M potassium cyanate to obtain 42 % succinylated and 81 % carbamylated BLAs. Size and charge homogeneity of modified preparations was established by Sephacryl S-200 HR gel chromatography and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

The heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) operates predominantly by blocking the mitochondrial-independent/extrinsic pathway of cellular apoptosis.

Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) is a molecular chaperone protein which regulates cell apoptosis by interacting directly with the caspase activation components in the apoptotic pathways. With the assistance of the Tat protein transduction domain we directly delivered the Hsp27 into the myocardial cell line, H9c2 and demonstrate that this protein can reverse hypoxia-induced apoptosis of cells. In order to characterize the contribution of Hsp27 in blocking the two major apoptotic pathways operational within cells, we exposed H9c2 cells to staurosporine and cobalt chloride, agents that induce mitochondria-dependent (intrinsic) and -independent (extrinsic) pathways of apoptosis in cells respectively.

Controlled delivery of heat shock protein using an injectable microsphere/hydrogel combination system for the treatment of myocardial infarction.

Myocardial infarction causes a high rate of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and heat shock proteins as molecular chaperones have been attractive targets for protecting cardiomyoblasts under environmental stimuli. In this study, in order to enhance the penetration of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) across cell membranes, we fused HSP27 with transcriptional activator (TAT) derived from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a protein transduction domain (PTD). We loaded the fusion protein (TAT-HSP27) into microsphere/hydrogel combination delivery systems to control the release behavior for prolonged time periods.