Highly Substituted Benzophenone Aldehydes and Eremophilane Derivatives from the Deep-Sea Derived Fungus FS508.

Five new benzophenone derivatives named tenellones D⁻H (⁻), sharing a rare naturally occurring aldehyde functionality in this family, and a new eremophilane derivative named lithocarin A (), together with two known compounds ( and ), were isolated from the deep marine sediment-derived fungus FS508. All of the structures for these new compounds were fully characterized and established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic interpretation and X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compound exhibited cytotoxic activity against HepG-2 and A549 cell lines with IC values of 16.

Influence of specific HSP70 domains on fibril formation of the yeast prion protein Ure2.

Ure2p is the protein determinant of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae prion state [URE3]. Constitutive overexpression of the HSP70 family member SSA1 cures cells of [URE3]. Here, we show that Ssa1p increases the lag time of Ure2p fibril formation in vitro in the presence or absence of nucleotide.

Studying the effects of chaperones on amyloid fibril formation.

The results of cell and animal model studies demonstrate that molecular chaperones play an important role in controlling the processes of protein misfolding and amyloid formation in vivo. In addition, chaperones are involved in the appearance, propagation and clearance of prion phenotypes in yeast. The effect of chaperones on amyloid formation has been studied in great detail in recent years in order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Alcohol oxidase (AOX1) from Pichia pastoris is a novel inhibitor of prion propagation and a potential ATPase.

Previous results suggest that methylotrophic yeasts may contain factors that modulate prion stability. Alcohol oxidase (AOX), a key enzyme in methanol metabolism, is an abundant protein that is specific to methylotrophic yeasts. We examined the effect of Pichia pastoris AOX1 on prion phenotypes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.