Tropomyosins Regulate the Severing Activity of Gelsolin in Isoform-Dependent and Independent Manners.

The actin cytoskeleton fulfills numerous key cellular functions, which are tightly regulated in activity, localization, and temporal patterning by actin binding proteins. Tropomyosins and gelsolin are two such filament-regulating proteins. Here, we investigate how the effects of tropomyosins are coupled to the binding and activity of gelsolin.

The activities of the C-terminal regions of the formin protein disheveled-associated activator of morphogenesis (DAAM) in actin dynamics.

Disheveled-associated activator of morphogenesis (DAAM) is a diaphanous-related formin protein essential for the regulation of actin cytoskeleton dynamics in diverse biological processes. The conserved formin homology 1 and 2 (FH1-FH2) domains of DAAM catalyze actin nucleation and processively mediate filament elongation. These activities are indirectly regulated by the N- and C-terminal regions flanking the FH1-FH2 domains.

Purification of tropomyosin Br-3 and 5NM1 and characterization of their interactions with actin.

Tropomyosins were first identified in neuronal systems in 1973. Although numerous isoforms were found and described since then, many aspects of their function and interactions remained unknown. Tropomyosin isoforms show different sorting pattern in neurogenesis.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase gene C1858T allele confers risk for rheumatoid arthritis in Hungarian subjects.

The C1858T allele of the PTPN22 gene has been reported to confer risk for RA; but in some reports, the effect was restricted to RF- and/or anti-CCP-seropositive patients. Hungarian RA patients and matched controls were genotyped. The 1858T allele showed an increased prevalence in RA patients compared to controls.

Determination of carnitine ester patterns during the second half of pregnancy, at delivery, and in neonatal cord blood by tandem mass spectrometry: complex and dynamic involvement of carnitine in the intermediary metabolism.

We studied plasma concentrations of free carnitine and 30 carnitine esters by electron spray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry in 37 pregnant women at the 20th and 30th weeks of gestation and at delivery, and in their neonates at birth, and in 22 age-matched nonpregnant women. The plasma levels of acetylcarnitine and carnitine esters with more than five carbons were significantly higher, whereas the concentration of free carnitine was significantly lower at term than at the 20th week of pregnancy (16.75 +/- 0.

Up- and downregulated genes in muscles that undergo developmentally programmed cell death in the insect Manduca sexta.

This study was designed to investigate changes in gene expression associated with stage-specific programmed cell death (PCD) in intersegmental muscles (ISMs) of the moth, Manduca sexta. The technique of differential display reverse transcription PCR was applied to compare mRNA levels before and after the onset of PCD in ISMs. Expression of E75B transcription factor was repressed while another factor, betaFTZ-F1, stayed at a very low level.