Primary and Secondary Progressive Aphasia in Posterior Cortical Atrophy.

Background: Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a clinico-radiological syndrome characterized by a progressive decline in visuospatial/visuoperceptual processing. PCA is accompanied by the impairment of other cognitive functions, including language abilities.

Methods: The present study focused on three patients presenting with language complaints and a clinical profile that was compatible with PCA.

Structural and dynamical characterization of the Miz-1 zinc fingers 5-8 by solution-state NMR.

Myc-interacting zinc finger protein-1 (Miz-1) is a BTB/POZ transcription factor that activates the transcription of cytostatic genes, such as p15(INK4B) or p21(CIP1). The C-terminus of Miz-1 contains 13 consensus C2H2 zinc finger domains (ZF). ZFs 1-4 have been shown to interact with SMAD3/4, while the remaining ZFs are expected to bind the promoters of target genes.

Influence of Ca2+ and pH on the folding of the prourotensin II precursor.

Proper folding is a crucial step for the trafficking of proteins through the secretory pathway. We hypothesized that the secretory granules of endocrine cells provide optimal folding conditions of prohormone precursors for cleavage. Here, using circular dichroism and in vitro processing on purified prourotensin II (ProUII), we show that the precursor undergoes pH- and Ca(2+)-dependent conformational and stability changes.