Rice WRKY11 Plays a Role in Pathogen Defense and Drought Tolerance.

Background: Plants are frequently subjected to abiotic and biotic stresses, and WRKY proteins play a pivotal role in the response to such stress. OsWRKY11 is induced by pathogens, drought, and heat, suggesting a function in biotic and abiotic stress responses.

Results: This study identified OsWRKY11, a member of WRKY group IIc.

Revealing cell-surface intramolecular interactions in the BlaR1 protein of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by NMR spectroscopy.

In methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, β-lactam antibiotic resistance is mediated by the transmembrane protein BlaR1. The antibiotic sensor domain BlaR(S) and the L2 loop of BlaR1 are on the membrane surface. We used NMR to investigate interactions between BlaR(S) and a water-soluble peptide from L2.

Curcumin attenuates allergic airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness in mice through NF-κB inhibition.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Curcumin, a polyphenol compound from Curcuma longa L. has been used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory remedy including asthma. Curcumin has been reported to exert an anti-inflammatory effect, in part, through inhibition of the NF-κB pathway.

Potential inhibition of PDK1/Akt signaling by phenothiazines suppresses cancer cell proliferation and survival.

3'-Phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK1) has been identified for its ability to phosphorylate and activate Akt. Accumulated studies have shown that the activation of the PDK1/Akt pathway plays a pivotal role in cell survival, proliferation, and tumorigenesis. Therefore, the PDK1/Akt pathway is believed to be a critical target for cancer intervention.

Why clinically used tazobactam and sulbactam are poor inhibitors of OXA-10 beta-lactamase: Raman crystallographic evidence.

The clinically used inhibitors tazobactam and sulbactam are effective in the inhibition of activity of class A beta-lactamases, but not for class D beta-lactamases. The two inhibitors exhibit a complex multistep profile for their chemistry of inhibition with class A beta-lactamases. To compare the inhibition profiles for class A and D enzymes, the reactions were investigated within OXA-10 beta-lactamase (a class D enzyme) crystals using a Raman microscope.

Characterization of the beta-lactam antibiotic sensor domain of the MecR1 signal sensor/transducer protein from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has evolved two mechanisms for resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. One is production of a beta-lactamase, and the other is that of penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP 2a). The expression of these two proteins is regulated by the bla and mec operons, respectively.

Discrete steps in sensing of beta-lactam antibiotics by the BlaR1 protein of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacterium.

Chemical sensing by cell-surface receptors to effect signal transduction is a ubiquitous biological event. Despite extensive structural biochemical study, detailed knowledge of how signal transduction occurs is largely lacking. We report herein a kinetic and structural study, obtained by stopped-flow IR spectroscopy, of the activation of the BlaR1 receptor of the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium by beta-lactam antibiotics.

Attenuation of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference by Polygala tenuifolia root extract.

A recent investigation indicated that Polygala tenuifolia Willdenow extract (PTE) possesses a potential antipsychotic effect. In this study, we examined the effects of PTE on the cocaine-induced changes in locomotor activity, conditioned place preference (CPP), fos-related antigen-immunoreactivity (FRA-IR), and activator protein (AP)-1 DNA binding activity. Cocaine-induced behavioral effects (hyperlocomotion and CPP) occurred in parallel with increases in FRA-IR and AP-1 DNA binding activity in the nucleus accumbens.