NKG2A and CD56 are coexpressed on activated TH2 but not TH1 lymphocytes.

NKG2A is commonly expressed on cytotoxic cells but has been found on activated T helper (TH) cells. In identifying novel markers differentiating between TH1 and TH2 lymphocytes, we focused on NKG2A expression. TH1 and TH2 cells were negatively isolated from healthy volunteers for microarray analysis and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Warmed diluent speeds dantrolene reconstitution.

Purpose: To define more completely the aqueous solubility of dantrolene in order to devise faster reconstitution techniques for use during malignant hyperthermia episodes.

Methods: To determine Beer's law compliance and the extinction coefficient, we measured the spectrophotometric absorbance at 385 nm of known dantrolene solutions. We added small aliquots of sterile water USP (pH 5.

Mechanistic implications of mutations to the active site lysine of porphobilinogen synthase.

Porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) is a homo-octameric protein that catalyzes the complex asymmetric condensation of two molecules of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). The only characterized intermediate in the PBGS-catalyzed reaction is a Schiff base that forms between the first ALA that binds and a conserved lysine, which in Escherichia coli PBGS is Lys-246 and in human PBGS is Lys-252. In this study, E.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of E. coli porphobilinogen synthase and its heavy-atom derivatives.

Porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) catalyzes the condensation of two identical substrate molecules, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), in an asymmetric manner to form porphobilinogen. E. coli PBGS is an homooctameric enzyme.

The phylogenetically conserved histidines of Escherichia coli porphobilinogen synthase are not required for catalysis.

Porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) is a metalloenzyme that catalyzes the first common step of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis, the asymmetric condensation of two molecules of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) to form porphobilinogen. Chemical modification data implicate histidine as a catalytic residue of PBGS from both plants and mammals. Histidine may participate in the abstraction of two non-ionizable protons from each substrate molecule at the active site.

Characterization of the role of the stimulatory magnesium of Escherichia coli porphobilinogen synthase.

The synthesis of tetrapyrroles is essential to all phyla. Porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) is a zinc metalloenzyme that catalyzes the formation of porphobilinogen, the monopyrrole precursor of all biological tetrapyrroles. The enzyme from various organisms shows considerable sequence conservation, suggesting a common fold, quaternary structure, and catalytic mechanism.

Porphobilinogen synthase from Escherichia coli is a Zn(II) metalloenzyme stimulated by Mg(II).

Porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) is essential to all life forms; in mammals it is definitively established that Zn(II) is required for activity. The literature regarding the metal requirement for PBGS in other animals, plants, and bacteria neither establishes nor disproves a Zn(II) requirement. We have characterized Escherichia coli PBGS and found it to be remarkably similar to bovine PBGS.

Studies on the conformation and interactions of elastin secondary structure of synthetic repeat hexapeptides.

Repeat hexapeptides of elastin have been synthesized and studied with nuclear magnetic resonance methods. The deuterium substituted hexapeptide HCO-Ala1-Pro2-(2H2) Gly3-Val4-Gly5-Val6-OMe allowed completion of the proton assignments and specifically the definitive assignments of the Gly3 and Gly5 resonances. Solvent titrations followed by carbon-13 magnetic resonances are reported which delineate the Ala1 C-O and Gly5 C-O as intramolecularly hydrogen bonded.

Studies on the conformation and interactions of elastin: nuclear magnetic resonance of the polyhexapeptide.

Synthesis, proton magnetic resonance and carbon-13 magnetic resonance characterizations, including complete assignments, are reported for the polyhexapeptide of elastin, HCO-Val(Ala1-Pro2-Gly3-Val4-Gly5-Val6)18-OMe. Temperature dependence of peptide NH chemical shifts and solvent dependence of peptide C-O chemical shifts have been determined in several solvents and have been interpreted in terms of four hydrogen bonded rings for each repeat of the polyhexapeptide. The more stable hydrogen bonded ring is a beta-turn involving Ala1C-O--HN-Val4.

Carbon-13 magnetic resonance evaluation of polypeptide secondary structure and correlation with proton magnetic resonance studies.

With the use of appropriately chosen solvent pairs it is demonstrated that solvent dependence of peptide carbonyl carbon resonances can be correlated with polypeptide secondary structure. Solvent titrations show the peptide carbonyl which is intramolecularly hydrogen bonded to exhibit less chemical shift on going from a dimethylsulfoxide solution to a solution containing a solvent which is a good proton (or deuteron) donor. Effective solvent systems are dimethylsulfoxide paired with water, trifluoroethanol, or methanol.