SETD2 (SET-domain containing protein 2) is a histone methyltransferase (HMT) of the SET family responsible for the trimethylation of K36 of histone H3, thus producing the epigenetic mark H3K36me3. Recent studies have shown that certain SET family HMTs, such as SMYD2, SMYD3 or SETDB1 can also methylate protein kinases and therefore be involved in signaling pathways. Here we provide structural and enzymatic evidence showing that SETD2 methylates the protein tyrosine kinase ACK1 in vitro.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a ubiquitous non-receptor tyrosine phosphatase that serves as a major negative regulator of tyrosine phosphorylation cascades of metabolic and oncogenic importance such as the insulin, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and JAK/STAT pathways. Increasing evidence point to a key role of PTP1B-dependent signaling in cancer. Interestingly, genetic defects in PTP1B have been found in different human malignancies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhosphorylation is an essential process in biological events and is considered critical for biological functions. In tissues, protein phosphorylation mainly occurs on tyrosine (Tyr), serine (Ser) and threonine (Thr) residues. The balance between phosphorylation and dephosphorylation is under the control of two super enzyme families, protein kinases (PKs) and protein phosphatases (PPs), respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxic effects of nanoparticles on female reproductive health have been documented but the underlying mechanisms still need to be clarified. Here, we investigated the effect of carbon black nanoparticles (CB NPs) on the pituitary gonadotropins, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which are key regulators of gonadal gametogenesis and steroidogenesis. To that purpose, we subjected adult female mice to a weekly non-surgical intratracheal administration of CB NPs at an occupationally relevant dose over 4 weeks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPTPN2 is an important protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) that plays a key role in cell signaling. Deletions or inactivating mutations of PTPN2 have been described in different pathologies and underline its critical role in hematopoiesis, autoimmunity, and inflammation. Surprisingly, despite the major pathophysiological implications of PTPN2, the structural analysis of this PTP and notably of its pathogenic mutants remains poorly documented.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman SETD2 is the unique histone methyltransferase that generates H3K36 trimethylation (H3K36me3), an epigenetic mark that plays a key role in normal hematopoiesis. Interestingly, recurrent inactivating mutations of SETD2 and aberrant H3K36me3 are increasingly reported to be involved in hematopoietic malignancies. Benzene (BZ) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant and carcinogen that causes leukemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEtoposide is a semi-synthetic glycoside derivative of podophyllotoxin, also known as VP-16. It is a widely used anticancer medicine in clinics. Unfortunately, high doses or long-term etoposide treatment can induce therapy-related leukemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEtoposide is an extensively prescribed anticancer drug that, unfortunately, causes therapy-related leukemia. The mechanisms by which etoposide induces secondary hematopoietic malignancies are poorly documented. However, etoposide-related leukemogenesis is known to depend on oxidative metabolites of etoposide, notably etoposide quinone, that can react with protein cysteine residues such as in topoisomerases II.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransglutaminases (TG) and arylamine N-acetyltransferases (NAT) are important family of enzymes. Although they catalyze different reactions and have distinct structures, these two families of enzymes share a spatially conserved catalytic triad (Cys, His, Asp residues). In active TGs, a conserved Trp residue located close to the triad cysteine is crucial for catalysis through stabilization of transition states.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlycogen constitutes the main store of glucose in animal cells. Being present at much lower concentrations in the brain than in liver and muscles, brain glycogen has long been considered as an emergency source of glucose, mobilized under stress conditions (including hypoglyceamia). Nevertheless, over the past decade, multiple studies have shed a new light on the roles of brain glycogen, being notably an energy supply critical for high-cognitive processes such as learning and memory consolidation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtein tyrosine phosphatase, nonreceptor type 2 (PTPN2) is mainly expressed in hematopoietic cells, where it negatively regulates growth factor and cytokine signaling. PTPN2 is an important regulator of hematopoiesis and immune/inflammatory responses, as evidenced by loss-of-function mutations of in leukemia and lymphoma and knockout mice studies. Benzene is an environmental chemical that causes hematological malignancies, and its hematotoxicity arises from its bioactivation in the bone marrow to electrophilic metabolites, notably 1,4-benzoquinone, a major hematotoxic benzene metabolite.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEtoposide is a widely prescribed anticancer drug that is, however, associated with an increased risk of secondary leukemia. Although the molecular basis underlying the development of these leukemias remains poorly understood, increasing evidence implicates the interaction of etoposide metabolites [i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent studies have revealed a possible link between the activities of polymorphic arylamine N-acetyltransferases (NATs) and energy metabolism. We used a Nat1/Nat2 double knockout (KO) mouse model to demonstrate that ablation of the two Nat genes is associated with modest, intermittent alterations in respiratory exchange rate. Pyruvate tolerance tests show that double KO mice have attenuated hepatic gluconeogenesis when maintained on a high-fat/high-sucrose diet.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSecretion of 17-β-estradiol (E2) by human granulosa cells can be disrupted by various environmental toxicants. In the current study, we investigated whether carbon black nanoparticles (CB NPs) affect the steroidogenic activity of cultured human granulosa cells. The human granulosa cell line KGN and granulosa cells from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization were treated with increasing concentrations of CB NPs (1 to 100 µg/mL) together or not with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThiram (tetramethylthiuram disulfide) is a representative dithiocarbamate (DTC) pesticide used in both the field and as a seed protectant. The widespread use of Thiram and other DTC pesticides has raised concerns for health, because these compounds can exert neuropathic, endocrine disruptive, and carcinogenic effects. These toxic effects are thought to rely, at least in part, on the reaction of Thiram (and certain of its metabolites) with cellular protein thiols with subsequent loss of protein function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDithiocarbamates (DTCs) are important industrial chemicals used extensively as pesticides and in a variety of therapeutic applications. However, they have also been associated with neurotoxic effects and in particular with the development of Parkinson-like neuropathy. Although different pathways and enzymes (such as ubiquitin ligases or the proteasome) have been identified as potential targets of DTCs in the brain, the molecular mechanisms underlying their neurotoxicity remain poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: The arylamine N-acetyltransferases (NATs) are xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes that play an important role in the detoxification and/or bioactivation of arylamine drugs and xenobiotics. In bacteria, NATs may contribute to the resistance against antibiotics such as isoniazid or sulfamides through their acetylation, which makes this enzyme family a possible drug target. Bacillus anthracis, a bacterial species of clinical significance, expresses three NAT isozymes with distinct structural and enzymatic properties, including an inactive isozyme ((BACAN)NAT3).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlycogen phosphorylase (GP) is the key enzyme that regulates glycogen mobilization in cells. GP is a complex allosteric enzyme that comprises a family of three isozymes: muscle GP (mGP), liver GP (lGP), and brain GP (bGP). Although the three isozymes display high similarity and catalyze the same reaction, they differ in their sensitivity to the allosteric activator adenosine monophosphate (AMP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain glycogen and its metabolism are increasingly recognized as major players in brain functions. Moreover, alteration of glycogen metabolism in the brain contributes to neurodegenerative processes. In the brain, both muscle and brain glycogen phosphorylase isozymes regulate glycogen mobilization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain glycogen metabolism plays a critical role in major brain functions such as learning or memory consolidation. However, alteration of glycogen metabolism and glycogen accumulation in the brain contributes to neurodegeneration as observed in Lafora disease. Glycogen phosphorylase (GP), a key enzyme in glycogen metabolism, catalyzes the rate-limiting step of glycogen mobilization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAromatic amines (AAs) are chemicals of industrial, pharmacological and environmental relevance. Certain AAs, such as 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP), are human carcinogens that require enzymatic metabolic activation to reactive chemicals to form genotoxic DNA adducts. Arylamine N-acetyltransferases (NAT) are xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (XME) that play a major role in this carcinogenic bioactivation process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCREB-binding protein (CBP) is a lysine acetyltransferase that regulates transcription by acetylating histone and non-histone substrates. Defects in CBP activity are associated with hematologic malignancies, neurodisorders, and congenital malformations. Sensitive and quantitative enzymatic assays are essential to better characterize the pathophysiological features of CBP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArylamines are frequent pollutants in soils. Fungi have proven to be efficient in detoxifying these chemicals by acetylating them using arylamine N-acetyl transferase enzymes. Here, we selected from natural soils fungi highly resistant to 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are involved in numerous signaling pathways and dysfunctions of certain of these enzymes have been linked to several human diseases including cancer and autoimmune diseases. PTPN2 is a PTP mainly expressed in hematopoietic cells and involved in growth factor and JAK/STAT signaling pathways. Loss of function analyses in patients with mutation/deletion of the PTPN2 gene and knock-out mouse models indicate that PTPN2 acts as a tumor suppressor in T-cell malignancies and as a regulator of inflammation and immunity.
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