The PI3K/Akt Pathway in Meta-Inflammation.

Obesity is a global epidemic representing a serious public health burden as it is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, stroke and all-cause mortality. Chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, also known as meta-inflammation, is thought to underly obesity's negative health consequences, which include insulin resistance and the development of type 2 diabetes. Meta-inflammation is characterized by the accumulation of immune cells in adipose tissue, a deregulation in the synthesis and release of adipokines and a pronounced increase in the production of proinflammatory factors.

Auto-thiophosphorylation activity of Src tyrosine kinase.

Background: Intermolecular autophosphorylation at Tyr416 is a conserved mechanism of activation among the members of the Src family of nonreceptor tyrosine kinases. Like several other tyrosine kinases, Src can catalyze the thiophosphorylation of peptide and protein substrates using ATPγS as a thiophosphodonor, although the efficiency of the reaction is low.

Results: Here, we have characterized the ability of Src to auto-thiophosphorylate.

The insulin and IGF1 receptor kinase domains are functional dimers in the activated state.

The insulin receptor (IR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) are highly related receptor tyrosine kinases with a disulfide-linked homodimeric architecture. Ligand binding to the receptor ectodomain triggers tyrosine autophosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domains, which stimulates catalytic activity and creates recruitment sites for downstream signalling proteins. Whether the two phosphorylated tyrosine kinase domains within the receptor dimer function independently or cooperatively to phosphorylate protein substrates is not known.

Quantifying the photoinduced release of nitric oxide from N,N'-bis(carboxymethyl)-N,N'-dinitroso-1,4-phenylenediamine. Effect of reducing agents on the mechanism of the photoinduced reactions.

N,N'-Bis(carboxymethyl)-N,N'-dinitroso-1,4-phenylenediamine (1) fragments to release 1 equiv of NO* and the denitrosated radical of 1 (2), when exposed to a approximately 10 ns, 308 nm laser pulse. Species 2 can fragment to give another equivalent of NO* and the doubly denitrosated quinoimine derivative of 1 (3), it can recombine with NO* to give 1 and ring-nitrosated isomers of 1, or in the presence of a reducing agent, 2 can be reduced (to species 4). Photogenerated NO* can be used to probe fast reactions of biochemical interest, making 1 a valuable research tool.

Laser photoinitiated nitrosylation of 3-electron reduced Nm europaea hydroxylamine oxidoreductase: kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the nitrosylated enzyme.

Hydroxylamine-cytochrome c554 oxidoreductase (HAO) catalyzes the 4-e(-) oxidation of NH(2)OH to NO(2)(-) by cytochrome c554. The electrons are transferred from NH(2)OH to a 5-coordinate heme known as P(460), the active site of HAO. From P(460), c-type hemes transport the electrons through the enzyme to a remote solvent-exposed c-heme, where cyt c554 reduction occurs.